#and that’s a way simpler explanation than what really happened

[sunnydbeam]

I want to politely ask Alpha to bend down so I can kiss him on the cheek and see his reaction (whatever happens, I'm ready)

SFW. Fluff Word count: 1500+ I can't draw, so I'm trying to get back to writing.

edit: Link to AO3

______

Alpha isn't quite sure what to anticipate when you ask him to stoop down a little to meet you. In his optical sensors, you register as polite, perhaps even... endearing. So, after a slight tilt of his head, he complies, leaning his tall frame forward. Even bent, the height difference remains significant, almost comically so.

Alpha lowers himself further, bringing his face level with yours. Your gaze meets his; the red eyes are void of expression, yet somehow intensely questioning. That signature robotic seriousness washes over you, unsettling.

You feel judged somehow, a wave of nervousness making you feel small and foolish. The truth, however, is far simpler: Alpha isn't thinking about anything in particular.

"Like this?" he asks simply, his voice a flat monotone.

You manage a hesitant nod, doubt flickering within you. The robot tilts his head again, a minute adjustment, and a knot of anxiety tightens in your stomach. Was this really a good idea? What intricate calculations were running through his complex positronic brain as he stared? Would delaying anger him? Would your intended action infuriate him even more? Unbeknownst to you, Alpha's mind remains a blank slate regarding your intentions.

Taking a shallow breath, you edge closer. Tentatively, trying not to make any sudden movements, you gently rest a hand against his cheek. You instantly notice a flicker of confusion in his red eyes, though his imposing frame remains perfectly still. He doesn't push you away, but your doubt blossoms into genuine fear. Will this next action sign your death warrant?

You decide words are useless now. Instead, you lean in further and finally, delicately, press your lips against his right cheek. It's brief, just a fleeting pressure, but firm enough, you hope, for the contact to register.

His reaction is instantaneous and explosive, startling you so badly that you fling yourself backward, scrambling away as fast as your legs allow. And thank whatever higher power exists that you did, because you know, with absolute certainty, that if you hadn't moved, the robot would likely have grabbed you, and that would have ended very badly for you.

Alpha snaps upright to his full, intimidating height, towering over you. His eyes blaze wide and bright, his fists clenched tightly at his sides. He stares down at you as if he could bore holes straight through your skull with his gaze alone. He doesn't move an inch, yet every fiber of your being screams at you to apologize profusely and flee for your life. The way he looks at you feels like a terrible, deadly omen. You swear your intentions were completely innocent!

You stumble as you try to get to your feet properly, poised to turn and run when Alpha makes a sudden, stiff movement. You freeze mid-motion — partly from shock, partly from fear, and partly from a morbid curiosity desperate to know what he thinks, what he'll do. But the sight of those four flexible, weaponized limbs extending slightly to his sides certainly doesn't look friendly.

"What was that?" he questions, his voice surprisingly less agitated than his threatening body language suggests.

Your mouth opens, your mind racing for a convincing explanation, but nothing comes out except the unvarnished truth, which you fear might enrage him further. "Just... a kiss? Out of curiosity..."

The words tumble out before you can stop them, your posture radiating nervousness, timidity, and worry.

To your immense surprise, honesty turns out to be the best possible approach. Alpha stares at you as if you've suddenly sprouted a second head, yet simultaneously, as if he's just encountered the strangest, most baffling phenomenon imaginable. The robot steps closer, looming, almost cornering you. You tremble like a leaf.

"Kiss?" His voice is softer now, less aggressive than you'd expect, laced with a strange sort of curiosity. Thoughtful, almost, as if he's genuinely pondering the concept. "Why do humans do that?"

"I-it's just... a way to show affection..." You stammer, unable to meet his intense gaze. You could cry right now from sheer stupidity, from acting on impulse without considering the potentially lethal consequences. "I-it wasn't anything bad, I promise..."

"Affection," he repeats the word, tasting it, analyzing it. He leans closer again, his face near yours, his gaze scrutinizing. "Why would you do that?" Why him, of all beings?

You don't answer. He doesn't press.

"Are you afraid?"

You shake your head quickly, a blatant lie contradicted by your trembling body and the tears welling in your eyes. Everything about you screams, "Don't be angry, please don't hurt me." Alpha may or may not fully parse the sentiment, but he certainly observes you with a softening gaze, perhaps finding your vulnerable state... adorable. To him, you are a lovely creature. You, however, remain oblivious to this internal assessment.

Alpha places a large hand gently on top of your head. "Were you being... affectionate... with me?" he asks, a surprising note of naïveté in his tone.

You blush crimson, the heat rising in your cheeks. "Huh..."

He analyzes your reaction. "I still make you nervous. Scared?" His hand drifts down, the tip of one gloved finger lightly tapping the bridge of your nose. "Don't be afraid."

You give him a pathetic look. "... You're not angry… ?"

"No."

"You're not going to kill me...?"

"Why would I do that?"

You avert your gaze, deciding not to answer that. Instead, a reckless impulse takes over. "C-can I give you another kiss?"

Okay, what on Earth possessed you to ask that?

Alpha's eyes narrow fractionally. His hand lowers, fingers curling under your chin, gripping firmly, tilting your face to the side as if forcing you to look away. The grip is strong, bordering on painful. Yet, you can distinctly feel his red eyes boring into your very soul, a threatening, ominous aura surrounding him.

"Don't move."

With deliberate slowness, Alpha leans forward. He presses his brief, experimental “kiss” to your cheek, a light brush of coolness mimicking your earlier gesture. Even as he holds you fast in his steel grip, seemingly ready to counter any hint of movement or escape, he then surprises you by sweetly nuzzling his face against your hair.

"Like this? Am I doing it correctly?" he whispers, his voice muffled slightly against the soft strands. His grip on your face loosens but doesn't release you entirely. "Showing you... affection."

Your face flushes hot again. What is even happening?

"Yes... I mean— W-why would you do that?" You stammer, your voice slightly distorted by the pressure on your cheeks. Your question seems to mildly irritate Alpha; apparently, he doesn't know the answer either. But he felt the impulse — the need to investigate, to understand why that brief contact had felt... surprisingly not unpleasant. Why does it make him feel less cold?

"Curious," he states simply.

A particularly brave part of you wants to argue, to question why he had to grab you like that just to try it, but something in his simple admission feels... oddly endearing.

"...And? What conclusion did you reach...?" You venture, emboldened.

Alpha regards you for a long moment, his expression unreadable. He traces the line of your jaw with a gloved index finger, a flicker of fascination in his otherwise impassive features. "Uncertain. I still don't understand it... Why do it that way..." He touches his cheek briefly as if committing the strange, yet not disagreeable, sensation to memory. "What conclusion did you reach?"

You blush for the third time, a reaction the robot does not miss. "I don't know... Honestly, I thought you were going to murder me for trying."

"Is that what you want?"

There is no way he just asked that as casually as discussing the weather. Now you're profoundly disturbed and feel an urgent need to escape.

Alpha releases your chin as you instinctively try to pull back, and you just pray he isn't serious. You stumble backward on unsteady feet. He watches you from his still-crouched position, a massive question mark seemingly hovering over his head.

"Oh, look at the time! They must be looking for me, haha..." You spin around to leave, but a large hand clamps onto your arm, pulling you back firmly to face him again, bathing you once more in the red glow of his optics.

“If you’ll allow me, I’d like to show you my favorite human gesture of affection before you go.”

You're too stunned to react. When you don't struggle, he gently pulls you towards him, against his chest. His four arms wrap around you, engulfing your smaller frame. You're initially surprised and tense, bracing for the worst. But then, slowly, you feel one of his hands carefully stroking the hairs on the back of your neck, and you realize... He's holding you with such unexpected tenderness, such comfort, that you feel yourself practically melting against him.

Alpha rubs your shoulders and back with slow, careful, circular motions as if consciously trying to soothe you. It works. Soon, your tension drains away, and you find yourself relaxing, hesitantly wrapping your arms around his torso. He is incredibly good at hugs.

"Cute," he murmurs.

You stay like that in silence for a while, enveloped in the strange, secure embrace. Eventually, Alpha seems to decide it's sufficient. He loosens his hold, though he doesn't let go completely. You, however, don't release him yet.

"You may leave now," he informs you.

You cling tighter.

"Just a little longer..." you mumble, your face buried against his chest. "They can wait."

_____________

[ Have to be honest here: I was one sentence away from making Alpha go weird, but the only thing that stopped me was how long this was getting :p ]

[highlandwhackamole]

A Grand(ish) Theory of What the Heck

I love the utterly unhinged, super detailed theories about what's going on in Good Omens, especially in season 2. I hope one or more of them turn out to be true, as some kind of glorious puzzle-box-hidden-code monstrosity. And also I think that there has to be a simpler explanation for things, for the people who are at least Somewhat Normal (tm) about this show. (... I assume such people do exist somewhere...) This is what I have been pondering recently.

The thing that started me thinking about this was this post, containing some promotional materials for season 2 that feature main characters with scenes in their heads. Like this:

Seeing this created a very similar situation in my own head, but with a nice shiny lightbulb.

All the weirdness: the car, the sideburns, the clock, the behavior of the folks of Soho, the vanishing storefront signs. The absence of God. I think this is all because everything we see is in their heads.

I don't mean it's made up. At least not entirely. Memory is already a plot point. Why not explore it on a deeper level? I've read theories emphasizing the minisodes' stories being retold by Aziraphale and Crowley. I think the whole season is like that.

You know that sort of conventional-wisdom-fact-concept that you can only dream faces of people you've seen before (or variations therein), because your brain can't make new faces up? So it just fills in what it thinks is close enough? I think that idea, applied to remembering or recollecting things, could explain so many things that are wonky in this show.

Wonky Things

Crowley parking in an impossible London location? He definitely remembers it was in London, so his brain just stuck some obvious London landmarks in there.

Awkward clattering happening when Crowley throws the stacks of books he's inexplicably carrying around the bookshop? He wouldn't actually throw Aziraphale's books! But he'd like to think he's cool and nonchalant enough to do that, and if he did it would definitely make Some Kind of Noise.

Jim walking toward the bookshop from somewhere mysterious? Maggie and Nina saw him first, and he came from that direction, so he must've walked all that way. They don't know about the elevator in the Donkey.

Aziraphale remembers tartan hills and the Loch Ness monster because he was having a jolly time driving through Scotland, so obviously the scenery must've been whimsical Scottish things.

Nina put the Honolulu roast sign up, so she remembers its presence, but perhaps the occult/ethereal visitors to her shop do not.

Maggie really did text Aziraphale about the rent, but a note through the mail slot is a much more dignified way for a scholarly angel to imagine he received a message.

On the Fallibility of Recall

This season is loaded with unrealistic inclusions. The colors are turned up to 11. Some of the scenes are more caricature than believable interaction. Remembering things never copies or reproduces them with what one might call high fidelity.

Scenes recalled by separate memories will inherently vary. One person's hefty jigger might be another person's dash. Who knows for sure where the sun was that day? You and I might recall an event having different lighting or a different color palette, sort of like viewing something with different lens filters.

According to Neil, Crowley is an unreliable narrator of the story of his Fall. He labels the variations in clock times as a continuity error in a show where Everything Is Meant, but he doesn't say whose continuity error it is. He insists that the Bentley is the same through the whole season; maybe it was the same, but remembered differently. Maybe this is part of why there's more CGI but it's harder to spot.

So What?

Is this all there is to it? I sure hope not. I like my Good Omens with enough layers to put to shame an onion wrapped in a cake and covered in a parfait.

Is this possibly the fancy footwork that's distracting from the real magic trick? I wouldn't put it past Our Gaiman. There are a lot of things one could hide in the narrative of unreliable memory.

Is this going to stop me from rewatching and repondering and remaking theories for the next couple years? Not even at gunpoint.

[anderscim]

✦ a really old minitheory about jax that had been left in my drafts for nearly a year

title is pretty self-explanatory.

// spoilers for the pilot episode of TADC

so, this is actually an old theory that i had created back when the pilot first came out—but i decided that it’s worth sharing now. basically, it summarizes what i think could possibly be a reason behind our favorite rabbitoid’s behavior.

take everything with a grain of salt. (^^)

this might sound like a weird place to start from, but i swear there’s a line of thinking behind it—what could be some of the reasons that a character abstracts?

at the very least, we know for sure that abstraction occurs if a character’s mental state entirely collapses—which could happen for a myriad of reasons. mental breakdown, existential crisis, you name it.

however, the most important effect that comes with abstraction is that they completely lose their sense of identity—which is also shown externally with the abstracted character’s appearance.

this led me to think that a possible reason for abstraction could also play into identity—whether that’s losing it, somehow messing with it one way or another, or, in a crazy scenario, doing something (aka recovering original memories, for example) that would cause them to clash with their current identity. things like that. obviously there’s some very strong theories out there as to what could also be other reasons for abstracting, but for now i’ll stick with the simpler explanations.

okay, but what does this have to do with jax?

basically, i needed to set up the previous context in order to be able to explain a possible reason for jax’s… jacka$$ery. yeah. that works.

as far as i can tell, it looks like he’s essentially being mean to everyone else just for the sake of it. from (allegedly) placing a centipede in ragatha’s room, to constantly bullying gangle, to pretty much every snide comment in general—it seems that he’s completely cemented his role as the “mean guy” of the series. but what if that was his goal?

the reason why i partly discussed identity in the abstraction section is because, to me, it seems like jax is setting up his own identity as the rudest and most chaotic character in the cast as a way to ensure his survival in this digital world for as long as possible. or in other words, this identity of his is something he can consistently fall back onto no matter what happens, which allows him to keep his mental stability a bit better than others. it’s a simple role that was developed only within the context of the digital circus, and he seems completely comfortable with staying in it.

additionally, here are some other circumstances where he could just fall back on his “identity”— - something bad happens to him? sure, let’s call it karma. - in the event that he does something that causes a bit too much destruction? it’s fine, he’s supposed to be the guy that would do something like that anyways. (edit: he did exactly this in episode 2. just my luck. help me.) - hurts someone on accident? wouldn’t be out of the question. maybe even intentionally if the time calls for it.

overall, it feels like his current place as the “rude character” makes it a lot easier for him to stay consistent and keep things less complicated. being nice is difficult and nuanced, you may unintentionally hurt someone by saying the wrong thing—but if you’re already known to harm people one way or another, there’s absolutely no mistakes you can make.

and for jax, it’s a way to keep himself grounded while causing a ton of chaos on the side—which he seems to like doing, so it works. this is pretty much a foolproof method of survival for him; at least, until something happens which he doesn’t expect.

but this is all just speculation. feel free to chime in with some of your own insights (´∀｀*)

———

edit: yes, this is pretty old haha. but i think it still somewhat holds true for episode 2, so i’m posting it for now. would be kinda funny if i was entirely wrong about this though (￣ ￣)

[lloydfrontera]

One of the most annoying missed opportunitis in TGED in my opinion is the complete lack of a relationship between Javier and Marbella. Like yes Arcos was the one who saved him, but he has way more in common with Marbella. They were both commoners, they were both saved at a young age from absolutely abhorrent fates by Arcos, and most importantly, neither of them have no connection with their parents or any outside support system. (Javier's parents are dead, but we don't know what happened to Marbella's family/friends after the mercenaries sacked their village).

I just think it's really out of character for Marbella to see this kid her beloved husband brings home one day, whom she can see has witnessed the same horrors and born the same heartache as she at a far younger age, and not do everything in her power to help him? To track down recipes from his home region, to soothe him when he had nightmares, encourage him to make friends with Julian, and just overall hold his hand through everything as he adjusts to a world that is so alien compared to everything he's ever known.

And just imagine the angst. For the first time since her marriage, if not her rescue, Marbella has someone in her life that shares so much of her childhood experiences and background. (At least who isn't being paid to hang out with/serve her). But she never feels like she can keep him. At first they were merely waiting for next of kin to come claim him. But by the time they realized no one was coming, it was clear to them that Javier was going to be the greatest swordsman the world had ever known. He would have to leave one day, if not for his own glory then for the sake of the helpless across the continent. He was never meant to be her child. (Or so she thought).

Plus Javier's entire character arc revolves around him slowly realizing that love and duty are not mutually exclusive. This could have been reenforced by his relationships with Arcos and Marbella. He's devoted to Arcos because he admires and respects him as his savior and lord, but also as a genuinely good person who helped him grow into the man he became. But he loves and respects Marbella because she was the one who made him feel safe and not alone when he was at his most vulnerable. (Not to say that Arcos didn't try, he just never lived through what they did so it was harder for him to connect to him.)

Maybe the reason he has a seemingly closer relationship with Arcos is because he thinks it's a simpler relationship. Just a lord and knight, nothing else. (I think it would be really funny if Javier was only aware of his filial pining towards only half of the Frontera couple.)

I think I lost my train of thought halfway through this post but tldr; Javier should have been a secret mommas boy.

personally i think javier is just lacking in relationships in general. like. this man barely talks to anyone who isn't lloyd. the only two other people i think he's close to is arcos and julian which does make his lack of relationship with marbella more conspicuos!

i've talked before about just how out of character it feels for the fronteras to not really have a more personal relationship with javier considering the literally everything about them, but you make a great point that javier is pretty close to arcos while he barely has any interaction to marbella. which personally i think it's because bk moon is allergic to writing women sometimes and arcos is just more integral to the plot than marbella unfortunately :/

but if we're talking in-universe explanations it could totally be what you said! javier probably just found it easier to connect with arcos, because he already had that lord&knight connection with him.

he was in a very tenuous situation when it came to his place with the fronteras, because there was really nothing tying them together when he was a child beyond their goodwill. becoming a knight to the frontera family is cementing his place with them in a way no one could really deny. it made it real even if it's not really what he (or them) wanted it to be.

(i've also talked about this before. i've talked a lot about tged OTL)

but this also comes with the drawback that now they're stuck in their roles in a way they weren't when javier was just the child they'd raised. now he is a knight, they are his masters and there's a degree of separation between them that wasn't there before.

and with arcos javier at least has the excuse of being his knight to justify his closeness. but with marbella?? he doesn't have a 'reason' to be close to her. so he isn't.

but i really do adore the idea of them having their own relationship with each other <333. i'm holding your entire ask close to my heart and never letting go <3333

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

One of the problems I had with the online radicalization of Jalil in reunion is how it actually occurs. Jalil is supposedly radicalized by a message board, but it’s provided by alliance and the AI mascot he uses is Lila. So it’s left muddled on what exactly is happening here.

Is there really an internet based opposition to LB and CN? You wouldn’t think it since Paris enlarge is shown to still support them. But the presence of message boards would imply at least some support for monarch even if it’s mostly trolls. Or is alliance fabricating it for Gabriel to upset people in a targeted way? Or is it just Lila with a bunch of alt accounts? It’s really hard for me to tell just how wide spread this is as a problem for Paris considering it’s dropped after this one episode.

I'm also not sure how seriously we're supposed to take the criticism shown in that episode. It feels very much like the sort of BS we get with Su-Han where he points out a legitimate concern but in the most obnoxious, inflammatory way possible so that the audience feels forced to disagree with him. It's terrible writing that isn't very fun to watch. Reminds me of all the awful live-action Disney reboots that try to engage with every critical take anyone has ever had, leading to a lesser story. They would be much better off to just ignore the criticism they don't want to properly address and have fun with the story even if there's an arguable flaw. That's what suspension of disbelief is all about!

You want Paris to support Ladybug and Chat Noir no matter what they do? Cool! That works! Just don't take an episode and introduce the idea that there is actually criticism out there because that makes us start to question things like anon is doing here.

Another great example is the "issue" that Gabriel never uses the butterfly miraculous to heal his wife when it feels like that should be within its power. The show was totally correct to never address that on screen because the butterfly probably should be able to heal her! The reason it can't is because then the show would end. If the writers tried to explain an in-universe reason, then it would be as nonsensical as their explanation of how the rooster works:

Gabriel: There! (to Orikko) You! You can grant me any power I want! (closes the Grimoire and walks toward Orikko) You will give me the power to travel through time! Orikko: No, you're mistaken! Time travel is Fluff's power and I can't grant the power that already belongs to another Kwami! Gabriel: Are you trying to deceive me?? Orikko: (nods) By all means! Read the Grimoire again! (Gabriel reopens the Grimoire.) Sass: Each Kwami represents a concept, and a concept can only exist once in the universe. Xuppu: Too complicated, Sass! Let's use an example to make things simpler. Take Tikki, she is the Kwami of Creation, and creation is creation, and if there's another creation than creation, then it's not "creation", it's "replication"! Gabriel: Then grant me the power to locate Ladybug and Cat Noir's Miraculous! Orikko: Trouble is, that's not a power; that's a wish! Xuppu: For instance, if I asked Santa for a pair of socks, that's a wish. But if I want Santa to grant me the power to knit socks, then it means Santa needs to know how to knit socks in the first place so he can teach me! Gabriel: (groans angrily) Grant me the power to unmask Ladybug and Cat Noir's secret identities! Xuppu: No can do! Orikko: (shoves Xuppu away) I cannot give a power that would disrupt another Kwami's magic. And being able to conceal the person behind the costume, well, that's part of the magic of their Kwami. Gabriel: (enraged) So you're utterly useless!

If all of this is true, then how do the goat and the peacock make things? Isn't that Creation? And how was the butterfly able to make a time travel villain? That's Fluff's power! And how was Gabriel able to offer to make Marinette into a villain who could unmask people via the butterfly? That's going against the miraculous' powers!

The answer is simply that the lore was not thought out in a way that stands up to even the most basic questions. When that's the case, the only way to handle the problem is to just ignore it. Keep your on screen explanations as shallow as your lore. Don't try to add depth that isn't there. Trying to address it just highlights how shitty your world building is.

[agatharkn3ss]

Hi! Maybe I missed it but how do you think: what could have caused "the battle" between Agatha and Rio? I mean besides the fact that Rio could have done something to Nicholas (as we believe), at the beginning she came to Agatha with a specific reason, was doing her job. And it seems that closer to the end of the show we may see the outcome of this battle.

Does she really want to hurt Agatha or it was just, ahem, foreplay? What if her "job" is a hidden mission like serving someone or following the code of The Death if there is one.

Everything is complicated by the fact that there is obviously a blood or some other marital connection between them because of which they cannot kill each other, therefore, she needs Agatha alive but for what purpose?

AGATHARIO AND THEIR FEELINGS

Hi! Sorry it took me ages to respond! I am still mulling over this and I can only provide some thoughts rather than a coherent theory. The more I rewatch the episodes and read Jac's amazing insights, the more I feel that "the battle" was because of Nicholas.

Agatha and Rio have such an amazing chemistry and it is very clear they have long history and are drawn to each other like magnets. So for them to be apart, something big must have happened. I believe Nicholas died in some tragic circumstances and maybe more recent than we think. I am still torn between what could've caused his death. I don't think any complicated Darkhold trade was involved, but rather it was a much simpler cause, which makes it even more painful to Agatha that she couldn't prevent it. So I think maybe he was hit by a car (which would explain Agatha's extreme reaction when Teen was hit in ep.1). There is a theory that maybe Nicholas, being a Blood Witch, had some powers himself. And that he used them when playing with Agatha. Since she couldn't control it, she syphoned his magic and he died. However, generally in Marvel we see that kids don't get their powers until they become teenagers and it sounds like Nicky was a toddler.

Either way, he dies and Rio has to take him because it's her job as Lady Death. Agatha would be pleading with her not to do it and bring him back, but there is nothing that can be done. So Agatha shuts Rio off, blaming her for taking away her son, but really it's just a way to block the truth that it was her own fault. She hates herself but projects it onto Rio. Runs away, acquires Darkhold and hides from Rio - as a revenge but also to hide from the memory of that tragedy. The only thing that she holds on to is Nicky's hair in that locket. And it HAS to be Nicky's hair, because every single time she pays any attention to it, we hear Nicky's theme playing in the background.

The thing is, Nicky was Rio's son too. She is also in pain and had to go through the torture of sending her own son to the underworld. And yet, instead of finding some comfort in each other, Agatha doesn't even give Rio the chance to express or talk through her grief. Even worse, she acts as if Rio did it on purpose, adding even more hurt. And then just disappears (literally ghosting Rio), without any explanation or hope that she will come back. Rio seems to always be so in tune with Agatha - we see the glimpses of it in the spell reality in ep.1. But when Agatha hides, Rio can't even "feel" her any more (similar to when Wanda cried over Vision's body and said "I can't feel you").

So when Rio can finally feel Agatha again and finds her, her first thoughts are probably that of absolute anger for the pain that Agatha's disappearance caused. But then she realises that Agatha is not herself. She's Agnes O'Connor and doesn't even remember Rio. So for Rio to get her revenge or any kind of closure, she needs to bring Agatha out of it. But in this process, as she gets to spend some the time with her, and she realises how much she missed her companion. And that anger slowly starts to give space to yearning.

So when she finally has the change to confront the real Agatha, she has this total mix of emotions - she is oh so angry and hurt, but she has also remembered why she fell in love in the first place. And that's why we get this "playful" fight.

For Agatha, this is the first time she sees Rio since Nicky's. So her initial reaction is "I hate you". She doesn't know what to expect from Rio and probably doesn't realise her pain - maybe she pushed the truth so far away and still believes that Rio taking Nicky away was a clear sign that she didn't care and didn't have a heart (seems like she only realised that during the "she's my scar" confession). So when Agatha chokes her, she means it, because she thinks she's fighting for her life. She knows she can't actually kill Death, but she will do whatever she needs to buy some precious time.

But Rio states "I missed you" and seems to be toying with her. She seems to be enjoying this because she is no longer as angry as she was when she first saw Agatha. She no longer intends to kill her. But she enjoys the physical punishment, taking the rare opportunity that Agatha can actually feel this pain for once and can't just magic it away. It feels like a little victory to be able to humiliate her.

Yet at the end, she probably realises this victory doesn't actually feel like she thought it would. Maybe she even feels sorry to be taking advantage of her when she's not even able to defend herself. And deep down she recognises that this hate and pain all come from the simple fact that she was denied Agatha's company and maybe there is still a chance to repair that.

So she softens her stance, drops the blade, gives in. Agatha is relieved but surprised (there is a tear). She doesn't know what to think about it. When Rio heals her, she doesn't know if this is an act of love or just to mock her.

I think this is why, when they re-join on the Witches Road, we see a completely different dynamic between them. They are confused. But also maybe enough time has passed that they can be near each other again. I think they are exploring it and are probably surprised at how easy it is and how well they still know each other. So when Rio next threatens her in ep.5, we see Agatha reacts differently - she immediately responds with a joke because she knows Rio is not going to hurt her. They enjoy the fact they can flirt and play with their dark humour "death" jokes again.

I think Jac Schaeffer pretty much confirms this in her ep.5 interview when she says "They’re exes, and so it’s that thing of, like, you haven’t seen an ex in a really long time, there is a lot of anger, there’s a lot of resentment, and a lot of heat in a negative way that comes out at the top. But if you are then put in a situation where there is, like, time in, and exposure to, and feelings are still there, and there’s also the muscle memory of that love, then you slip in to those behaviors."

Now. After all that, I still don't know what Rio's end game is. Why she came to find Agatha and warned her about Salem Seven. I think that maybe she has a job to do, one that Agatha won't like, but she's playing a triple agent so that she can protect Agatha in her own way.

They have yet to reconcile and have a proper conversation about Nicky. I think Agatha holds on to the locket because she still has a hope that she can bring him back somehow. Maybe the hair has some sort of spell that still binds Nicky to this world, making him a ghost. But Rio hates ghosts and could not bear it. She knows this would just hurt Nicky even more, so she needs Agatha to destroy the locket. So I don't expect them to just fall back into each others' arms. But I also think it would be highly inconsistent to just have these two battle to the end again.

Hope this makes some sense! I will have to take a break now and reread it after some time...

[apolloslyrics]

What does “courting to be a godspouse mean”? /genq

Hi! Thank you for asking!! This is gonna be a LONG post haha.

To understand courting, I have to explain godspousql itself. Lots of people don't necessarily understand godspousal (and courting), and it means something different for everyone; I'll do my best to explain how I see it, and how I'm practicing it.

Godspousal is a lot "simpler" (and yet very serious) for me than what others might see it. It's an oath that you make to a deity to bind yourself to them for a lifetime (or more!). There are many different forms of spousal (romantic, platonic, familial, devotional). But in its core, it's an oath.

Don't get me wrong- oaths are VERY serious, and should not ever be taken lightly. Minors shouldn't engage in oaths in general, especially not spousal; deities are not going to court a minor for this reason. Remember, it's binding. There isn't really a way to turn back once it happens.

Onto the main part of your question: Courting. So, courting is basically a period of trials. It's a time to figure out if you and the deity you might make an oath to are compatible. Sometimes, during courting, you might find that you and the deity do not work together. That's okay! You can always call off the oath before you make it.

In my practice, I'm "romantically" courting a deity. This isn't necessarily the same as dating. It's actually a lot different. The mortal still has a high amount of respect for the deity. The deity still sees the mortal as just that; a mortal. The difference is that there is an attraction to each other. You will have small disagreements, possibly arguments, but they should never lead to disrespect. Communication is huge in godspousal.

You see many times in mythology that our deities have relationships with mortals. It's sort of like that!

People will also compare godspousal to nuns; after all, they are known as Jesus's wives.

My spouse and I haven't been courting for very long, but it's been wonderful so far (albeit a disagreement here and there). The whole concept of godspousal can be confusing as heck, so if anybody needs clarification or a more in-depth explanation, I'm happy to answer any questions!

Love yall 🫶 your practice is valid!!! Take care of yourselves!

[playertale-au]

[NOTICE] Thank you for the 300+ followers. To celebrate, bits of PLAYER!Tale AU concept( regarding Player) is shared

Reposting because Tumblr decided to post instead of saving it in drafts when I'm not even finished. Love you tumblr!  (╯ᐛ）╯︵ ┻━┻

◇◇◇◇◇

A/N: 

Oh, wow! We actually reach 300+ (as of now 310) followers!

⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡ 

Thank you very much from the bottom of my heart, I’m glad all of you enjoyed the story despite my art not being that good. I actually wanted to draw for 250 followers but I didn’t realised we passed that milestone. 

Anyways! To celebrate, I wanted to share some concepts regarding the Player based on my memories, though sorry if there is like a black blotched in the drawing as that is considered as spoilers.

To start off, I began creating this AU maybe 5/6 years ago, on and off, (re-writing or removing some stuff along the way) I had loads of concept art and drawings back in 2019 but sadly those old arts were, ummm, forcedly deleted after a disagreement with someone I trusted, haha. The pain for a FT user in ibis paint. ｡ﾟ(TヮT)ﾟ

Then 2023, I wanted to move forward. So I decided to give it a shot and start drawing again. I wanted to share my AU (better late than ever),＼＼\(۶•̀ᴗ•́)۶//／／ and also I thought it will help overcome my fear of drawing and start liking to draw again.

Anyway, here we have Player’s design concept (+ explanation):

Version 1:

Player actually does not inhibit Frisk’s body, as they are not trap in the game, instead, they have their own “Avatar” basing on the data and sprites of Frisk and Chara. (The situation is more towards VR? AR? I’m not sure what to call it) The Player has their memories intact.

The story is just Player goofing around in Undertale, until plot happens, but I didn’t really like the idea as I have no clue how to progress the story forward, so the whole story was re-written.

Player mostly hack codes, while Frisk has the Reset/Reload button.

Initially, their eyes didn’t change colour when using abilities. But I wanted to distinguish what and when the abilities are used.

Version 2:

This is where, I decided that the Player actually inhibits Frisk body, though they are not amnesiac. Frisk is like a ghost (narrator?) here. The image above is post-skip version to maybe 1 year trapped in Undertale. This idea was scrap and rewritten due “Chara” ‘s story and I wanted to involved Gaster in the story. (Also, because I didn’t want to draw this version hairstyle anymore, hahaha (  ≧ᗜ≦))

Player has both the hacking and reset/reload abilities.

This version of Player is more uptight and serious.

Version 3:

I think this is like 2nd or 3rd version of the finalise concept. 

Our current Player. I made the hairstyle simpler.

This Player inhibits Frisk body and is amnesiac. The personality shifted so it’s easier for the player to act consistent. This version is more carefree than ver 2, they are similar to ver 1.

First design of the Player (ver 3).

Despite being ver 3, I wanted to keep a bit of the ver 1 and 2 hairstyle but decided not to. Again, I wanted a simpler hairstyle.

This personality is just them being stress and filled with anxiety. A nervous wreck and a crybaby. Cries a lot at the first arc until they pull themselves together. But I didn’t wanna make them cry all throughout the story, if I continued to write them like that, I might ended up smacking Player myself hahaha. I ended up toning down the personality. 

Gaster would have replace Frisk as the ghost (narrator?). But I decided not doing it, because it conflict with the plot. That, and the story would be over much quicker with him around.

Side note: I had to change the relationship between Sans and the Player(hate, confuse, no interaction, chill, idk? etc), a lot of times, but in the end I decided to make him not trust the Player. 

Previously in most iteration, he just hates Player.  I planned to have him to kill the Player the first time they exited the ruins, but decided to go against it as it doesn’t really fit his style. Also, the story would go very differently if he did commit to it. Maybe one day I can make him kill them. In an alternate timeline maybe. ꉂ (´∀｀)ʱªʱªʱª

Extras: Player in different outfits (loosely)based on the other fallen humans in this AU. (+ ruin outfit)

There is a reason, why the Player had worn some of these outfits in chapter 3 and 4. 

Don’t worry, it’s not originally the clothes worn by the other children, Toriel made them. She has spares. (Sorry, to the one that find it creepy, when it was first shown, hahahaha)

And, that’s all for now I am able to share, I wanted to show more, but I’m afraid, that’s already in the spoiler territory. 

Anyways-! Thank you again for the follow, each and every one of you are the best! And I hope you enjoyed the upcoming story! 

[lxmelle]

North and onwards to new beginnings. South towards the past that we once knew.

I think, philosophically, it wasn’t so much South/the past that Gojo chose, but rather, he chose to reunite with Geto, who represented happiness.

Not saying that there were no other reasons (I believe there were which I’ll touch on in a moment), but I think the significance of him having felt left behind, always watching Geto’s soul, his one and only, his only complex, etc. - collectively, it’s undeniable what Gojo drew inspiration from and held close to his heart.

For certain, for Gojo, the time pre-“enlightenment” was also significant. I think this was what many of us theorised over Gojo heading South. It certainly was something I see as him letting go of, especially considering his words to Yuji over how he felt about wanting something else for the world - a world without a singular “the strongest”. A world where people relied on each other and there was less ignorance in the world, which was what was achieved. This was a shared dream between Gojo & Geto.

And for Gojo, I interpret it in a way where he did feel that strength was tied to his identity to some degree, and when he lost that title of “the strongest” in his battle to Sukuna... it seemed like a finale to his character arc where growth and actualising his true congruent self meant relinquishing this as a soul, and a large part of it was realising that he needed Geto to feel satisfied after all - and this further demonstrated that he wasn’t attached to his strength in the end.

And Gojo being Gojo. In his death, his choice of where to go was indicative of what he really wanted. What really fulfilled him. Unrelated to strength.

So… again, I personally think that, more than returning to a time before his powers awoke (pre-“enlightenment” if you wish to call it that), he was drawn to being reunited with Geto, who symbolised a happiness he already knew. Who he formed a complex over having left him.

Geto, who in this theory of mine, had been the one who chose to be in the past - before he felt crushed by what happened with Riko & Kuroi, and lost Gojo to the situation, and saw Haibara suffer his fate. Thus, following Geto, Gojo went South too. The past, to a time they were happiest due to life being simpler back then.

“Happiness” in itself was inseparable from the other, so they inevitably chose each other. There wasn’t just one reason or explanation. So the combination of it led them to opt for the South.

Once again, it’s just a theory. Geto chose South first, drew in the other souls, and Gojo found him. It’s all speculation. And it kinda makes sense to me based on how Gojo seemed to only ever care about 1 person from his past (according to the GIGA book) after all. His only complex, and the relationship chart didn’t seem to emphasise on much else.

Possibly, the others being there might be from Geto’s need more than Gojo’s vision. So that’s why he was surprised Nanami was there? Idk. But it was more Geto’s regret to not have saved Riko or fulfil his promise to her, more than Gojo - who held no regret or anger over her death. But that said, the other theory that they are all symbols of the past & tied to a cherished time before fate was broken - this who’s linked with Okinawa.

Also, I can’t ignore how it was depicted as the opposite to Sukuna. So South was also perhaps in deliberate contrast with Sukuna, who wanted to try choosing something different in the “next life”, he chose North which represented the cycle of rebirth. To try again meant he wanted to seek a new happiness.

Whereas for Gojo and Geto, they already knew the happiness they desired & lost & wanted again. So they chose each other, and that meant it was a time they were together - the past with each other that they already knew as happiness.

[harukapologist]

rambling about Haruka

As an ND person I just hate how Haruka's character is either completely infantilized or reduced to a selfish, evil murderer, when, to me, he is so much more than that.

Especially the latter; I hate when any MILGRAM character is called evil because what's the point of MILGRAM, then? They're all morally grey! That's how they test us. But Haruka in particular because I feel like it comes from a place of ableism, intentional or not.

I'm not sure if I should put TWs, but well I talk about ableism, murder (obviously lol), childhood trauma and well... it's Haruka

Haruka's outburst in the VD and his implication of killing animals (I know it's basically canon but erm... i can explain why I think it's an implication later) (i just finished writing the post and actually i explained why at the bottom of the post but its not a full explanation so lol) are the reasons I see people calling him either evil or childlike, and while I do think that Haruka is stuck in a childlike state in some aspects, this is emotional dysregulation of an ND and/or traumatized person, to me.

The uglier sides of being ND/traumatized, the ones that get heavily stigmatized and seen as intentional or evil; I think this was a display of one of them. And I really wish to see more people focusing on Haruka's disability in the ways it can affect his communication and day-to-day life skills more than "oh, poor baby, he has a disability that makes him feel unwanted" without actually understanding the details of the disability and, well, the reason why it is a disability.

Like, the emotional dysregulation that comes with being autistic, which is my headcanon for him. The hyperempathy and literal thinking that might make him harder to communicate with, and get people frustrated with him more often.

That and being severely neglected; I think neglect is one of the lesser discussed forms of childhood trauma and the fact that Haruka was shown to be neglected as well as abuse really means a lot to me, because I think some people don't quite understand just how much neglect and isolation fucks you up.

All those factors combined are a recipe for an unstable, impulsive, clingy shell of a human, and him getting called evil for that really saddens me. It's important to remember that these MVs are extracted from the prisoners' own memories and thoughts. It comes from their perception of their surroundings, their murders, and their own selves. The manic look that Haruka has on his face for a lot of AKAA, for example. The makeshift shirt he's wearing, as if he's desperately trying to sew himself together into a normal person, the exhausted, frustrated look when he picks up the necklace, it's important to remember that this is how he sees himself. A monster who has lost control of himself. The line "I'll keep killing to be your good boy" was a shock, but the way he meekly apologized to Es at the end of his VD, I really think that shows that he feels guilty, that he wants to convince himself more than anyone that he was a good person, that he was really trying to be one despite how his unlucky life frustrated him to his breaking point.

As for his infantilization, it has already been addressed by many thoughtful members of the fandom and I'm grateful to see that, but I also want to say it myself since god knows I hate being patronized.

It feels very ableist saying he's just "someone stuck in a childlike mindset/age regressor" Yes, and how does age regression as a coping mechanism develop? Usually through prior trauma that makes you "stuck" at said age, and that can present differently. It can be longing and yearning for a simpler time, for an actual happy childhood, or having flashbacks to a traumatic event that happened at a certain age; it is not uncommon for trauma survivors to be "frozen" at the age their trauma took place.

I think both of these are the case for Haruka. Frozen at that moment, but trying to reduce himself to nothing but a little, unaware child to avoid reliving it again, relishing in the innocence and purity of his good younger times (emphasis on purity--Haruka's murder was by strangulation, yet there's a shot in AKAA where he's covered in blood. I know it's after he killed the animals, but he's in the stitched-together outfit here; I think there's more to this MV than just killing the animals. Since this outfit is... not very likely to be worn in reality, did the animal killing happen at all? Even if it did, I think this shot remains an indicator that he sees himself as impure; guilty. I have a LOT to say about the inconsistencies in Haruka's MVs, but I'll save that for later... Anyway, back on topic) It is NOT "having the mental capacity of a child, so being unable to date etc." Haruka has still lived 17 years, maybe even more, since he isn't too interested in remembering his age. How do you treat actual neurodivergent people if this is how you see him?

When I rewatch the MVs, relisten to the VDs, reread the interrogations and timelines, I see no evil, just an incredibly broken, misunderstood person.

[charles-leclerc-official]

I think McLaren’s strategy problem is that they favor Lando while pretending they don’t, and Lando struggles when he's not on pole. 

Last night was maybe a little more complicated than just looking at the overall race pace because Oscar was forced to keep to Lando’s time for most of the final laps. In the last stint, I was watching the data lap by lap last night for the Top 5 because nothing else was really going on, and for the most part Oscar and Lando had similar pace. However, without knowing their team orders before the race or radios (which I doubt anything too overt happened on radio otherwise it would have been posted around by now) it really looked like there was an understanding they were to maintain driver order unless explicitly told otherwise. There were multiple laps where Oscar had pace on Max and Lando only to then clearly drop back and maintain a delta, probably because he knew he wasn’t allowed to overtake. However, when he pushed, he was capable of finding some tenths better than Lando and Max’s pace. I have to assume Lando wasn’t able to find those same times otherwise he would have just done it to catch Max. Then because Oscar wasn’t free to race he was just matching Lando’s pace enough to stay in his DRS in case the strategy changed and there was a swap. There’s no way to know this for sure, but the way Oscar would suddenly come right up on Lando’s rear, multiple times, and pick up 2 tenths on Lando and Max, before backing off and then maintaining the delta again makes me think he was proving a point but ultimately respecting pre-discussed team orders.

To your point, the strategy should have been with around ten laps to go to swap the McLarens, see if Oscar could catch up, and if not let them swap back. Charles was too far back and was never going to catch P3.

Yeah I agree. I just don't trust what they are saying. It's giving a more extreme version of what we've seen from Ferrari in the past. Being that Ferrari will support the driver who qualifies ahead and generally give them priority during a race. But Ferrari have pivoted the moment the pace isn't there so Mclaren seem to be willing to do that even if it sacrifices strategy and pace, which is just not how you win anything.

And I also do agree that the bend does seem to be in favor of Lando. I am sure some would make the argument that he's ahead in the standings so they should support him. It's the third round, points swing dramatically, so he isn't firmly ahead in any meaningful way (yet, that could change, but at this stage there is no reason to favor him)

I think that Hungary really did a number on the entire team. I think that is shook the pit walls confidence in their drivers(one more than the other) when it came down to team orders, and they also are just going to do anything to avoid having to do a swap like that again.

It just feels like they are doing everything they can to avoid it needing to be said out loud so they don't get clowned by the media. Which they already failed at this season.

Yeah I don't see any reason they couldn't have tried the swap to see what happens. In theory if Oscar couldn't do it there would be no harm, right? Right? So they must think that there would be an issue that arose from something like that*

*this is me speculating more wildly

Now there is a simpler explanation for this race being that they really just gave up on trying to get the lead the moment they saw they didn't have the delta to pull an overtake and just settled for a 2-3 right out of the first 10 laps. Which sounds insane but my expectations for the team are low, so... idk things to consider. We are assuming they were trying to win and maybe that's expecting a little too much.

Edited for clarity

[happynowyo]

The triad, part 1

Fandom: House of the Dragon

Pairing: Aemond x Fem!reader, Aegon x Fem!Reader (possible)

Summary: You are Aegon's twin but, despite the fact that you're five minutes older, he's still a main heir. Your ability to have visions is much stronger than Helaena's and that gives you a chance to actually see what happens with Targaryens in the future. That's why you decide to take everything in your hands so you can survive and succeed, especially with some help from your brothers.

Word count: 1,6k

Part 2

Boys will always be boys. Your mother repeated the phrase so often, using it as a simple explanation for all Aegon's and Aemond's behavior, that you remembered it like a mantra. Like a commandment that cannot be broken or challenged. What seemed like a mere excuse for a child began to make sense as you grew older. You float somewhere between worlds all the time, lost in the boundaries of dreams and reality, but still manage to notice the important things around.

People say that everyone's personality traits form in childhood and are also determined by the upbringing and the environment you grew up in. Hardly any of of you had even the slightest chance of becoming someone normal. Usual. You know that this is what Aegon asks of the seven gods on those nights when even alchohol doesn't save him from the bitter realization of his plight. Things would have been so much simpler if all of you had been born into the family of some merchant. But you were destined for something else - something far greater.

Viserys often mentions his dreams. He wants to believe that he has some kind of power that will give him support and way to believe in what is right and what is wrong. Helaena doubts that your father is really capable of seeing anything, but she doesn't question that both of you really have some power to make prophecies. Sometimes the words come to her on their own. They roll around on the tip of her tongue, waiting to slip out at the most inappropriate moment and become the property of a public that will never be able to recognize anything meaningful in them.

But it's quite different with you. More often your visions have a picture and a sound, they are like dreams - so real that you cannot always tell whether you are observing the past or the future or just dreaming something that is never destined to come true. The line is so thin that every time you wake up, you feel a ghostly frustration mixed with hope. Like a flock of goosebumps along your spine, settling in your chest with an unpleasant heavy lump. Sometimes you see things that make you want to clamp your mouth shut to keep you from screaming in genuine horror.

Someone else's memories appear in front of you like an open book, and someone else's sorrows and joys are experienced so acutely and vividly that you feel every death and every birth as your own. On rare nights you actually scream. You crumple the sheets with your thin, icy fingers and scream, staring into the pitch black of the canopy. When your emotions begin to run high, creating a kind of vacuum that squeezes your in space, seeking to crush you completely, you know you must wake up. Your body gives you the command, reminding you that you have a power over this cursed gift.

But trying to get out of the nightmare is like trying to swim out of a swamp. The sticky, murky mire pulls you deeper with every effort. And then you raise your voice some more in a presumptuous attempt to reach out to someone. To get help. To not be alone. To not be caught in the snare of fear for good. Your cry goes through the stone walls of the castle so freely, as if a flimsy piece of wood were a barrier - and Aemond hears your first, since your rooms are the only ones in this wing. He always comes, justifying himself that there is a real reason.

Aemond is attentive to everything and remembers every detail with the pedantry of a bloodhound - Otto jokes that in the future he will have a seat in the Little Council. He responds to his grandfather's offer with the arrogance inherent as every true Targaryen, demanding in advance a position for himself that has not even been offered to him yet. Aemond could compile an impressive dossier on everyone in this castle, but the folder with his oldest sister's name would still be the most voluminous.

He knows every detail about you better than anyone else. You like everything to be on certain places in your room. You like watching the sunset near your dragon. You like being the only one who can say a word and make Aegon listen, at least for a while. Amond thinks there is a certain form of control that you adore, but when he tries to talk to you about it, you only shrugs with words about how everything in life is tied up with control. Somewhere you get it, somewhere you give it away. There's only a few of years difference between you two, but Aemond looks at his sister with pure awe, utterly fascinated by you to the core and so lets any words about your madness pass him by.

When he comes to you at night to cautiously lie down beside you and take your hand unbeknownst to him, muttering aloud who he is and where you are to calm you down, he does not think at all that your mind is at the mercy of some disease, as your mother thinks. He likes to be near you, to see the real you - without that fake, empty smile, that always sticks to your lips as soon as you leave your chamber. He appreciates every moment spent together immensely.

He also likes to listen. To catch the shimmering intonations in your voice as he asks about your dreams. As a child, he marveled at how much you and Helaena can make things up, but later he accepted that some of your visions do have a connection to reality, as Viserys keeps saying. Sometimes, when the weather changes make his scars especially aching and sensitive, Aemond thinks about how he should have listened to you sooner. Maybe then he wouldn't have lost his eye so stupidly.

When he shares his regrets with Heleina, all he gets in return is a soft smile and a light kiss very close to the edge of the lumpy scar. You add to this some wise words to comfort him a bit. "Some things are irreversible. No matter how you run from them, they still happen. You got the dragon, isn't that enough? Other times you wouldn't have had even that." Aemond wants to ask a host of new questions, about the other times, for example, but his skills of observation are enough to catch the mute warning in your eyes.

He twitches the corners of his lips in agreement and doesn't argue, only holds out his hand, waiting for you to touch him first. Alicent sometimes reproaches him for being cold and distant, but it is always different with you, so every tactile contact becomes especially important and can replace hours of heated discussion. Aemond appreciates the boundaries you sets for him - they are much closer than the ones you has for everyone else. It makes him feel truly special.

A warm feeling dances somewhere beneath his ribs, causing him to instinctively smile proudly every time he notices you flinch and seek to escape the unexpected touch of his mother or Aegon. There is never any such thing with him. You doesn't question it but you recognize as well that the bond with him is far stronger than with the others at court. Aegon is your twin, for example, but most of the time both of you can barely be in one room without starting a fight within a few minutes.

Your visions make it difficult for you to keep your boundaries and trace back to when your story with Aemond began. Did you grow attached to him since childhood and fall in love more after he lost an eye in that fight? Or did you have feelings for that grown-up Aemond you'd seen in your dreams since you were twelve so you absorbed his affection and warmth, and then all you had to do was to wait for him to grow into who he was meant to be with your help?

You take this course of events as a natural progression. The attachment grows stronger day by day, and you are increasingly drawn to the fact that Aemond himself reaches out to you and stays close to you even when he has already learned to wear his armor as second skin When he keeps his distance from everyone around him, he becomes increasingly cold and withdrawn. You think that the black hole of the castle consumes him as well, but rejoice when you see that your brother is still capable of affectionate smiles and sincere interest.

It is enough for you to see what Aegon is turning into. You were never close, not even as children. He always preferred to hang around mother or find company among the children of the other lords at court. Aegon liked other people's attention, he was quite easygoing, but even as a child he felt something special about you. He had once said that you had grown-up eyes. Alicent brushed it off with a chuckle, but Aegon remembered and still holds that opinion. Your eyes are empty. Dead. As if you are always somewhere else, remaining around only as a physical shell.

Aegon sees your emptiness even now, when your mother solemnly announces the date of your imminent engagement in the middle of breakfast. He doesn't like it at all. He knows the Targaryens' long tradition of marrying their own sisters, but he is disgusted by the very thought of it. He doesn't see you as a normal girl, so he feels sorry for himself in advance in this planned marriage and goes so deep into these thoughts that he doesn't feel Aemond's sharp, piercing gaze, full of envy that only he alone can understand. Nor does he miss you leaning toward his ear, interjecting your into your mother's idle dreams of a lavish wedding.

— I will love you if you try to do the same for me.

Your whisper pulls Aegon back to reality and acts like ice water, so he blinks twice because he finally sees you. Looking straight at him, not through, as usual. Burning with such determination, as if the fate of all humanity depended on it. Or at least the fate of some Targaryens.

Part 2

[ro-botany]

Do you ever think about how Terra canonically has premonitions? He sees the future. Do you ever think about that?

I did wonder about those scenes a lot. Clairvoyance felt like one hell of an out-of-left-field addition to Terra as a character, and it wasn't something they did a whole lot with either, which left me feeling oddly about it.

The more I think about it, though, I get the feeling I was taking those scenes too literally. And given how I gripe about people missing the subtler points of storytelling in KH cutscenes I feel a bit sheepish for having done so, haha.

A lot of Terra's campaign has us players wrestling with dramatic irony. Our understanding of the situations Terra gets into is often very different from his own understanding because we nearly always have more information than he does. Most infamously, there is the fact that we the audience are aware of the identities of each Disney villain he meets and that Xehanort's character design and mannerisms are signalling villainy, but Terra, being a character in the story, is not privy to that foreknowledge of established characters and design tropes. But it's present throughout the game, in big and small ways, and in Terra's campaign especially it blankets the story in this sense of impending doom.

Ultimately I think that those scenes of apparent-future-sight are meant to be another layer of that. They're a pretty clever combination of a delivery of audience-only information to continue building on the dramatic irony, and non-literal representations of Terra's thoughts and feelings.

This is not a directing trick that KH as a series typically pulls - in fact I can't call to mind any other game they've done something quite like it with, which I think is why I and many others interpreted it as a kind of clairvoyance. But having reflected on the purpose of those moments now I really like them.

You know what, let's just pull up the scenes themselves for reference so I can talk about them in more individual detail.

---

One of these scenes earlier in the story happens when Terra is first learning about Vanitas' origin and plans.

(Timestamp 00:53, if it doesn't start there.)

Xehanort tells Terra that Vanitas "is drawn to the light, which he seeks to disrupt… and then destroy." This line is followed by a camera zoom on Terra's face, and we're shown a quickly cut series of images: Ventus and Aqua in grave danger in the Keyblade Graveyard sequence much later in the game, juxtaposed with shots of the good luck charms and Ven and Aqua smiling. After the images we return to Terra in the present, who gasps.

It's very easy to take that literally, as though something about Xehanort's words conjured a vision of future events, given that those ARE literally future and past events in the story and that Terra appears to react to them.

But I think the simpler explanation here is that the news Terra is getting in this scene makes him think of and worry about his friends. This is a monster made of Ventus' darkness; of course Terra's going to worry that Vanitas might go after Ven. Not to mention that Aqua, like him, has been tasked with investigating the unversed is putting herself directly in Vanitas' path. The fact that the scenes of them under threat used to communicate this are pulled from the KBGY sequence? That's just some juicy irony for the audience.

Another big scene for this is the moment Terra meets Riku on Destiny Islands.

(Timestamp 02:59, if it doesn't start there.)

Here we see Terra sympathizing with young Riku about being stuck in one place. The music then fades, and we see Riku get replaced by what appears to be a younger Xehanort seen from behind. As he turns to face us, he transforms instead into Riku as he appears in KH2. Terra is seen squinting, and then looking surprised.

This is the one that really stood out to me when I first watched it, because the way Terra reacts is pretty suspect. But I think this is a case where the sheer amount of foreknowledge the audience has distracts from the purpose a bit.

For the audience members, our attention is being drawn to the parallels between Xehanort and Riku, both of whom are islanders who dreamed of seeing other worlds. And we're also being shown the potential in Riku's future - the version of him that's been through hell and come out a powerful keyblade wielder is placed beside his past as a sweet, ambitious little kid.

For Terra, this scene is about him relating to Riku. Terra has also spent much of his life stuck in one place preparing for the day he would visit other worlds and he wants to be a protector of his friends and all the things that matter. The imagery is about Terra recognizing the strong light and drive in this boy as the potential to be a great keyblade wielder one day.

---

All of that isn't to say that clairvoyant Terra isn't a fun idea to play around with. He gets possessed by a time traveller, maybe that messes with his perception of the timeline or something.

But I prefer to read it as a clever narrative device!

[vanyzvat]

ALTR 251521

Chapter 1: No Strings Attached

Chapter 2: His Name (You are here!)

Chapter 3: Jac͟k̷͟s͟͠e̸̷͡ptį͡c̀ę͢͠y̡é

Chapter 4: Chase Brody

Jack is only mentioned briefly, and is erased from the story (Due to being retconned) as a character in Chapter 5 and onward.

Summary: He would never admit it, but part of him is grieving his old life. He's unable to let go of his grudges, and how everything that has happened has affected him. There's a sense of rage that he can never truly express.

He shares with you barely a fraction of what that has been like.

Again, that was an odd question coming from him.

(A lot of things are based off personal headcanons and my own interpretation of these characters! Please keep that in mind. I apologize in advance for any errors! Please let me know if there are any so I can fix them.)

“Ha͟ve͟ you e̕v̧e̡r be̷en ͡be͟tr͏a̢y̴ed̛?”

Wasn't he the one who supposedly knew everything about every person he came across, so he could use that against them? So what was the point of even asking that?

“Don't you already know everything about me?”

“I̕ ̧w̷a͏n͢t ͜t̕o k͠n͏ow y̷our anşw̴e͏r͞.͝”

“Err... I can't say I haven't? But why are you asking me this? Have you been betrayed?”

He turned his head away from you. Ah.

A few seconds passed, and he finally nodded once. Seemed like that was difficult for him to even admit.

He trusted someone, and then that person must've broken that trust- Or something similar. Maybe that was why he was so enraged by the world?

You needed a moment to gather yourself before you gave a response...

Trying to comprehend that this was an entity feared by most, and that right now he was here with you, being treated like any other guest, and was actually opening up to you- It was really weird.

While you were lost in thought, he slowly turned to look at you again. He's waiting for you to say something.

“Sorry for being silent- I'm just thinking...”

“This is a lot to take in. I don't want to say anything stupid.”

“I'̴l͡l͞ s̷t̷op ͡h̸ere.”

“No, no- Don't. I'm just not sure what to say. You can still tell me whatever you want, though. I'll listen to you.”

“...Yo͞u'd b͡e̶ ţh̵è fir͝st.”

You blinked, taken aback again- So much that your mouth even dropped a little.

When IRIS talked about this "ALTR 114209" thing, they described something totally different. A paranormal presence, whose mission was to kill whoever was in its way. That its purpose was nothing more but to cause harm.

Maybe your conspiracies against the company weren't just conspiracies anymore. Maybe this problem had a much simpler solution that they were too ignorant to even think about.

“That's okay. Better late than never, right?”

He then mumbled something which you didn't quite catch.

“Huh...? Sorry- I didn't quite catch that-”

“A̷nti.”

“...What?”

“You w͡ant̴e̛d ͜to͠ know m͢y̨ ̵name.”

“I͡t͟ wãs Anti.”

More silence filled the room.

God, this was a lot of information, especially after barely knowing anything about him for the longest time. What kind of name was that anyway?

“Anti?”

“I͜t̛ was ͝a͢ n͞am͟e gi͝ven to͠ ̷me.”

“...Uh. It's a weird name, I'll be honest? But it's still a nice one. I like it!”

“I̛ li͡ķe͞ ͟it͜, toǫ.”

“So someone gave that name to you- Who? That's assuming you don't have parents or anything like that...”

You heard him exhale through his teeth then watched as he crossed his arms. Probably a touchy subject. But almost everything feels like a touchy subject for him... You didn't know what was okay to ask and what wasn't.

“Loǹg st̶or̕y.”

“It's d͡iffic̛ult t͝o pu̸t into w̸o̵r͡d͡s.”

“Anḑ I̛ alre̸a̵d͠y ͢s͟t͡r͢ug͏gle e̵nou͝gh̡ with simple thīngs.”

While it was true that Anti was not the best at holding up casual conversations, or at communication, you didn't really care.

Besides, he brought his own baggage up, he couldn't just leave you with his name and go without providing any explanation...

And as if he could read your mind-

“Y͟ou ̛want̴ mȩ t̷o͜ ͘c̡on͞tin̡u͝e, d̸o̴n̨'t y͜o͜u.”

“Well, I don't want to be left on a cliffhanger.”

“I̶ c͝a͡n̶ t̀el͜l̛...”

“Į w̛óu̢ld͠n͡'t wan͡t to leave my̸ ͢on̨l̛y͏ ͜fr̕ie͠nd ͟h̕ang͝i͟ņģ, ͝wo͞ul̡d̀ I? Nǫ, I̵ ̕w͏ould̢n't̨.”

Anti was smiling, with his tone as playful as it always was.

But then his smile faded, and his voice became unusually serious.

“I was ma͟ni͢f̛ested. Man͠i̸feste̡d by̵ stro̵n̷g f͝e̢e͡lings o͞f̷ l͏o̡n̢elin̡e͝s̨s͞, wort̡h̨les̨s̡nèss. One͢ mom͞ent I ͜w͝a̕sn̷'t th̨ęre, an̕d̛ the nex͞t, I wàs͝.”

“Manifested? By who?”

“His n͟a̢me dǫe̸sn't ̡ma̡tte̛r.”

Jack— The name of the person who manifested Anti into existence, was Jack. But you didn't know that.

“Was it... The same person who gave you your name?”

“Yes, and n̨o͡...”

“He̕ ̨w͠as ̛lik̢è y͟o͠u̵. H̷e śp̡eńt h͞is ̀d͠a͞ys pro̡vid͡i̷ng e̕ntért̵ainment͢ ͏t̀o͢ t͝h̀e worl̴d.”

“H̷e g̢av͏e, a͢n͞d h̵e g͜av̕e, and͘ he͟ ͏gave͏.”

The memories are flooding back to him.

“Ga̷v͢e̢ so mųch w̧i͢th̴o̢ut͏ e̶ver̸ getting an̕y̶t͞hing in re̛tu͞rn͏.”

...Memories of him watching as Jack overworked himself to insanity, and those that apparently "loved him so much" not caring at all.

Jack gave them everything, and they just watched. Just watched as he neglected himself, as he spiralled.

They didn't deserve him.

Why couldn't Jack understand that?

They only pretended to care about him so they could get their "content". And of course, like the idiot he was, he believed them.

But not Anti. Anti saw through their lies.

Jack was nothing but a source of entertainment to them.

You reminded him of Jack, in a way.

Was that why it was so difficult for him to give up on you?

“Th̛ose lee̶c̕hes... H͟i̴s "co͡mm͟u̡nity" as ͘he c͘a͢l̢led ̶t͠hem— T̢hey thínk ţh͡éy ma͡ḑe͢ A͞ǹtį.”

He raised his voice, his voice full of hatred towards those "people". He twitched uncontrollably, with reality warping around him to match his state of mind.

“Bu͝ţ they d͜ìd͞n͝'t͡ ͝mak͏e An͘ti͡. He did.”

You didn't give much of a response, besides nodding along to let him know you were paying attention. It wasn't that you weren't bothered to, it was that you didn't know how to.

You weren't a supernatural being, so it wasn't as if you could somehow relate to many of the things he mentioned. So you settled for just listening to him talk...

He was willing to open up to you, even just a bit, and you weren't going to make it all about you.

“Well, Anti, I guess this means you aren't as one-dimensional as IRIS claims you are.”

He laughed. It sounded strangely normal.

“Oh, th͡e͏y d͘o͠n't know an̨ythin̶g about̴ me.”

Despite him being someone who was meant to terrify you, you were fine. As for him...

“Were you scared?”

Your question must have confused him a bunch, because the distortion around you immediately subsided.

“W̶ha͜t?”

“Were you scared of talking to me. About all this.”

He raised an eyebrow at you.

“Y͘ou̸ h̀a̷ve a͜ l̀ot ̵of aud͏ac̨i̕ty ̕to̸ a͟s̕k͞ ͜m͞e that̵.”

“I'm only curious...”

You shrugged.

“...It'̨s͝ be̶en a̛t͏ thé ba̢c̷k o̕f my̢ min͢d f̷o̴r a w̕h́ile ̛noẃ.”

“T̢he̛r͢e's many̵ th̵ing̵s I ̀wish I͠ ̴c̡o͜uļd sh̵a͡re ̨w͘ith y͢ou̧. I͢ j͏us͠t̡ ̷don't͠ kno͝w͟ h͏ow̛ tó... Yēt.”

“It's okay. I think I understand, anyway.”

“You're basically the embodiment of someone's negative thoughts, right?”

“S͏óm͟ethin͠g like ̸tha͠t̷.”

“Eh, whatever. Still, I don't expect a being like you to know much about emotions. Let alone how to express them.”

He could only nod silently...

He seemed to be doing that a lot around you.

Everywhere he went, he left destruction behind, so it was very awkward having someone treat him like any other person for a change. He didn't get why you were like the way you were, and it made Anti feel sick to be in the dark.

It felt weird to not have control of the situation. He couldn't find the right words to describe how you made him feel.

Part of him did feel afraid, so you were right in a way. He despised talking about things that bothered him- Things that made him feel small and weak. All he wanted was to be the one looking down at those inferior to him, he didn't need sob stories.

But you- Why were you different?

“Is there... Anything else?”

You interrupt his train of thought.

“Çan ͜I sta̸y͢ ẁi͠th yo͡ú f͟o͠r ́a͜ w͟hįl͏e͡?”

“Of course!”

You didn't anticipate for Anti to "teleport" closer to you, but you didn't mind. He wanted company, and were there to provide. You liked his company too.

You looked at him. He's staring off into nothing. What's he thinking about?

He soon caught you staring at him, and you immediately glanced off.

After a moment, you felt him rest his head on your shoulder, and you didn't bother stopping him.

He wasn't a social being, like you said. So you kinda predicted that this whole thing would tire him more than the average person.

Him showing you any sort of affection was a little surprising, but you didn't mind that either. You got to know him a little better today.

A couple of minutes pass.

He's been awfully quiet, and part of you is concerned because he's never quiet. You're not sure if he was content or upset.

“You okay?”

“Y̴eāh.”

“I͢'m upsēt things h̕av͟e to be t̕hȩ ͢way̷ they͞ ́are, bu͢t yóù make i͢t ea͢sie̵r̛.”

Oh!

You smiled.

“Thank you for trusting me.”

He really hoped you wouldn't break that trust.

He was still doubtful about everything he had just told you, but he was trying to have faith in you. But he didn't have much faith in humans, really.

...You eventually realized that he never really spoke about what happened in regards to this entire "betrayal" thing.

If anything, the only thing he had done today was vaguely provide you with very little context, if any. He only admitted that this betrayal had something to do with the unnamed person he mentioned.

“Can you... Tell me more about this "betrayal"?”

“I̴ kno͡w̛ yo̕u̢'̛re c͡uri̡òu̷s̡, būt- A̧noth̴ȩr t̶im̀e.”

His voice was quiet. Was it really something that personal?

“Alright, I can wait.”

You shifted around, changing position until you got comfortable. He waited for you, then went right back to what he was doing before.

You closed your eyes.

The two of you stayed that way for a while longer, not bothering to talk.

It felt like time itself had stopped.

It was quite nice, actually.

“Th́an͡k̸ yòu̶,”

“Huh? For what?”

“I fórg̨ot͡ what ̀it w͏as͜ ͢lik̢e to̡ b̴e a ̸pe͏r̡son. To ͢b̨e͏ tr͝e͠ąte͞d͡ like a pe̴rsơn.”

“I'm here to remind you.”

A smile appears on his face.

You couldn't see it, but you still had a feeling he was doing a little better than when he first arrived...

This was bittersweet for him.

He had been in denial for so long, years even, to the point where just thinking about Jack and about his situation felt like someone was cutting him up to bits.

His old life was gone.

He was alone.

To everyone, he was nothing more but a demonic presence, who took the lives of those in his path without reason.

But you sympathised with him, somehow. You listened to him and welcomed him, despite everything. It was weird- You were weird.

He knew many people had no one in their life, but none of them had fallen as low as you. Even if they wanted to die, their instincts still kicked in when they saw him...

Oh well.

It didn't matter.

It still meant so much to him.

You couldn't even fathom how much he'd yearned to have someone in his life- Even he never realized how isolated he really was in this world. Until he found you. A friend.

His eyes shut on their own, and he let them. He didn't necessarily need sleep, but somehow, he was still tired.

It was a contrast to how he usually acted, especially in regards to the records IRIS had of him.

He couldn't recall the last time he felt a sense of safety.

A feeling of somewhere he belonged, the feeling of home.

That's it- That's how he would describe how you made him feel if he ever needed to put it into words. You felt like home.

And as you eventually fell asleep besides him, Anti realized he didn't have to always be alone.

Not giving up on you when he should've was a mistake, and it was his best one yet.

[aemiron-main]

A Freshman?? Something Weird Is Going On With Henry’s Age And EVEN MORE FIRM EVIDENCE FOR MULTIPLE TIMELINES!!

So, James sent me this pic:

And it’s bizarre, frankly, because Henry should be 12 (and therefore not a freshman) in 1959.

What’s really interesting, though, is the way they worded that sentence:

“And we can’t forget, Henry Creel will be a freshman when we turn back the clocks to Hawkins in 1959.”

And it’s interesting, because this line about Henry’s weird age includes two things that are tied to Edward.

1.) the “and we can’t forget” part is tied to Edward based on what I talked about in this post regarding Eddie Munson vs Edward Creel and people not remembering Eddie Munson vs people not remembering Edward Creel.

2.) the “turn back the clock,” part is tied to Edward based on what I talked about in this post regarding the scene of Henward literally turning back the clock and why that’s likely Edward, rather than Henry.

Henry is 12 years old in 1959. This is canon:

But the play is also canon:

Which means that they can’t (and won’t) just change Henry’s canon age randomly for no reason- there’s something else going on here.

And also, something that caught my eye is the wording in that post, too- “canon event”, because “Into The Spiderverse,” is on the S4 board:

And a “canon event” in Spiderverse is an event that must happen/can’t be interfered with, because interfering with it can cause the destruction of the multiverse. It also tends to involve the loss of a parental figure and the death of a police captain, which has me staring DIRECTLY at a.) the Creel murders and Virginia’s death/Victor’s imprisonment b.) Alice being missing from TFS and c.) Hopper’s dad/the police chief being in TFS. Timeline fuckery/multiple timelines is afoot here for sure, as usual.

And it’s extra weird that Edward moved to Hawkins two years before Henry- and we don’t know Edward’s age. If Edward was 15 in 1959 (being 12 in 1957, when he moved to Hawkins), then it would explain why he’s a freshman.

They also didnt tell Raphael Luce who he was playing in ST4- he didn’t know that he was playing 001 until the day he got it tattooed on his wrist. So, the ST team/the Duffers aren’t above keeping information away from their own cast, let alone the audience.

However, there may also be a far simpler explanation for this (although, of course, the points about canon events and timeljne weirdness still apply)- the wonderful @reikunrei also pointed out that “freshman,” is also simply a synonym for “newcomer,” which is what Henry is in Hawkins:

So, there’s a chance that they’re just messing with us & chose to use the word “freshman,” because they knew it would confuse people/mess with them.

Anyway! I’m super excited for TFS because every day, things just get weirder!

[daydreaming-scheming-demon]

i try to respect other beliefs, i really do, but i want to voice some thoughts on the concept of an afterlife. from my perspective it looks obvious there’s nothing after death. all sorts of fiction has been made to ease minds or explain the unexplained: changelings, vampires, etc. but then society advanced, and science advanced, and people realised that was all bullshit once they got scientific answers to what’s really happening. most people these days have accepted a lot of scientific discoveries, even most modern christians believe in a round earth and dont believe in anything like vampires, except maybe demons and angels. and the answers science gave about phenomenon were usually so much simpler than the fiction written to explain said phenomenon.

an afterlife is one such fiction. isn’t it obvious? if it were true surely science would’ve found some slither of evidence at this point. the tales only exist to put minds at ease once humans were advanced enough to realise they would die, it’s a coping mechanism. same with the heaven and hell thing, are bad things happening to good people and good things happening to bad people? well no worries, it’ll all be fixed in the afterlife.

but it’s madness. to think you’re so special that the universe will make room to store you after death, there’s been quadrillions of human lives, and an unquantifiable number of lives of all sorts of other species, a number so big it looks infinite from a certain angle, and let me get this straight, you think the universe will make a special little space for all of those lives in some afterlife? dude, if the universe wanted you around forever you’d simply live forever. no, you will end to make room for more lives, lives which will also end.

and it feels kind of self-centred to me too, or at least human-centric i suppose, usually coming with the idea that human life is so very important compared with everything else in this vast expanse of a universe. like i said, the simplest answer is usually the correct one. when a window breaks nobody says it’s gone somewhere else, because it hasn’t gone anywhere else, it’s simply broken, ended. why would it be any different for humans or any other life? in the grand scheme of things, none of us are much more significant than a window, one could even argue a window has more significance.

science has advanced so far, surely it’d have found some sign of a soul at this point if one existed. the simplest answer to that is there is no soul, the soul was yet another fiction, created to explain everyone’s seemingly coherent consciousness in a way easier to cope with than the simpler explanation; that humans are nothing more than bodies, that nobody is anything more than bodies. a meat body with a meat computer, that is all, and when that’s destroyed, just like a smashed window it has simply ended, it has not gone anywhere, it has ended.

and to think there’s not just people who believe in an afterlife, but that said afterlife will judge them based on morality; a concept dreamt up and believed purely by humans. that sounds utterly ridiculous. sure, other species can have sympathy, but never a morality system. to think the universe will judge you based on a concept you made up is insane. to believe the universe gives a shit about if you helped an old lady across the street or not is insane.

to say it once again, im fine with people who believe in an afterlife. just have a lot of opinions on this, ones that i probably wouldn’t tell them. and as said, i can clearly see how believing in an afterlife could help a person. damn, sometimes i wish i believed in an afterlife, finite existence is fucking terrifying. in fact i may be writing this more out of fear of my own finite existence than i am out of hate for the concept of an afterlife. which may not make much sense but whatever.