#based on how powerful they were in s1-3

[gotyouanyway]

and ofc it serves to humble and humanize the time lords to the audience especially in stories like square one where they do literally bicker at a conference and all that, like yeah these are just people on planets doing regular old politics. but imo considering that the time lords are actually as powerful as they claim to be (control the web of time etc.), and the other temporal powers are on par with them, it's good to remember that these aren't actually petty low-level interplanetary conflicts. compared to the rest of the universe, the other temporal powers are giants hanging out with the time lords. the time war could've just as easily been with the monans as the daleks, probably. it's just that the time lords, clinging to the tiny bit more power and authority they have, are so arrogant and dismissive that they (and their dominance of the narrative) can make anyone else seem totally average when they demonstrably are not

i also love how the time lords treat the other temporal powers. these are clearly not small, weak civilizations if they're powerful and time active enough to form meaningful relationships with gallifrey directly. i mean, on most planets they don't even know time lords exist, or they're known as a great and terrible legend. and the temporal superpowers are squabbling with them over conference tables, being both credible threats and allies, sending their students to their school. they are huge. but the time lords, despite recognizing their power/utility, can't even begin to admit they might be equals and can certainly never allow it to actually happen. unless they're besties at the moment or directly attacking gallifrey, all the other temporal powers are just annoying aliens to them. it's so arrogant it's awesome

[mimir-anoshe]

I love that ARCANE is using the MAJOR ARCANA for symbolism.

Chefs kiss.

These are Sevika's tarot cards from season 1.

The Magician (upright) overlapping Death (upright).

Foreshadowing? Oh hell yeah. But its only now after S2 Episode 6 do I understand what they might actually be foreshadowing. People may have talked about this before, so I apologise if this is similar to anyone else's meta. These are all my own thoughts, I usually just watch arcane and don't dabble into the meta but this season has me feral and I just rewatched season 1.

SPOILERS for Arcane S1/S2 below.

I just want to prologue this post with a note about how I've noticed even from season 1 there are thematic parallels and linear symbolism being afforded between Jinx and Viktor. Others in the community have too I'm sure. Its strange. I thought it was interesting in S1 but didn't deep dive into it, but S2 has driven headfirst into it and its making me go "oh... oh ok." Even Viktor in S1 noted Jinx's genius, and in another timeline perhaps Powder would've been a student of Viktors had fate not set them on parallel paths. Two children of Zaun, both mechanical/scientific geniuses. One physically disabled whilst the other mentally disabled. One who "escaped" and was given a chance, rising to the top only to create something that would be used for harm. Fighting that fate at every step. Whilst the other trapped at the bottom of the barrel, forced to use her gifts to become a weapon herself. Such GOOD story writing.

So now let's think about the art of the cards, because in tarot, even the symbolism of the specific art is important. Its why an artists interpretation of a major/minor can be so crucial to a reading.

Here's a figure map I made earlier.

Lets begin with Death.

Thirteenth of the Major Arcana, a "significant transformation and the end of a phase in life." There is death and rebirth symbolism all over arcane, but let's take a closer look at the symbolism mirroring the art.

Figure 7&8 - The one who has "died" a skeleton/skull laid down and being "imbued" with something as something else is taken away.

See that the imbuing focuses on the "chest" area.

It's quick, but it flashes briefly when Viktor is being imbued with the Hexcore. He canonically dies "the skull" and is reborn with the Hexcore on an "altar"/table.

Same with Jinx. Canonically "dies" and is reborn laying on an "altar"/table using shimmer. Purple being used as the visual thread between shimmer and the arcane of the hex; a colour imagery representation of "magical" alchemical/arcane power turning them into something beyond human.

Singed and Jayce. Two hands of death, giving and taking life as if they were a God. One using shimmer, the other Hextech thats imbued with shimmer. Messing with the balance of life and death.

With Viktor, the energy is transferred straight into his chest, just like on the card.

So now we've established the parallels to the death tarot, lets look at The Magician.

The First of the Major Arcana, "the connection between the physical and spiritual worlds, and the ability to manifest one's desires."

Viktor is the Magician. No doubt. He connects the physical and spiritual world of the arcane, he brings people back from the brink of death, as he was. He manifests his desires through the use of the hex, the arcane. And the dude just looks like a mecha wizard.

Though if you want it to be even more obvious.

Figure 3 - The Third Arm/Third Hand.

The image below is "The Machine Herald" Hero from League of Legends. This is the hero Viktor is based upon.

He canonically has three arms, same as the Magician in the card. The Magician is Viktor, Viktor is the Magician. The Magician is the Machine Herald.

The Magician overtakes/overlaps death. But Viktor by episode 6 still doesn't quite resemble the machine herald from the games. There's no third arm... Yet. So the Magician in the card isn't Viktor from episodes 1-6, this is the machine herald who comes after the one killed in episode 6. Another Rebirth is set to happen for Viktor.

Figures 1 &2 - White mask. Red/pinkish eyes.

Hmmm... Red/pinkish eyes are associated with shimmer. And a white mask, of the machine herald? The mask of a messiah. That the hextech Viktor will most likely also be imbued with shimmer like Jinx, to become the true "machine herald." Messiahs of the hex, monsters of the shimmer.

Its also worth noting that both Jinx and Viktor are framed as messianic figures of Zaun in this season. One the fighter who will rally together the undercity and free Zaun from its oppression. The other a healer and a saint like figure who will free the Zaunites of their suffering and lead them into a better future.

Jinx wanting peace - represented by Isha - and Viktor's dream of peace and healing for Zaun - represented by a lot of things including healing Vander - are metaphorically and literally killed in episode 6. Funnily enough, one symbol of peace killing the other (Isha and Vander - Child and Father). After all, peace and violence are two sides of the same coin, as are Viktor and Jinx. Or should I say, two sides of the same cog...

Figure 4&6 - The Cog shaped Hole in the Magicians chest/The Cog Coin and Jinx's cog.

"I understand now. The message hidden within the pattern. The reason for our failures in the commune. The doctor was right. Its inescapable. Humanity. Our very essence. Our emotions... Rage. Compassion. Hate. Two sides of the same coin. Inextricably bound."

In episode 6, whilst Viktor is explaining to Vi about what it will take to heal Vander, Jinx is sceptical. She doesn't even believe in herself as a messiah, so this "hero"? This "saviour" coming along to solve their problems? To fix things? When all she can do is break everything around her, jinx her own family, destroy? She's scoffing at Viktor sure, but she's also scoffing at herself. Mirroring. People treat her like they treat him, so to believe in him as a saviour means she would have to look into the water of that well and face her own reflection. And Viktor sees right through it, the pretence, and he sees her potential.

Knowledge is a paradox. Jinx wants to stick with what she knows, to destroy instead of to build, to "Watch it all burn." Or ignore the plight of Zaun, so she can live peacefully with Isha. Jinx - Powder - is choosing to remain ignorant to what's right in front of her. Right up until the moment Isha dies.

In the scene earlier in the episode, Jinx accidently destroys a bit of the well, releasing a cog that falls into water. Cogs have been symbolic of Viktor healing people throughout this season, using cogs to "Build."

Powder was thrown into water just like that cog by Silco, and reborn as Jinx. But its not Silco that picks up this cog. Its Viktor. He holds the potential of his creation in his hand, and in paradox, holds Jinx's destruction. Viktor holds Jinx's potential. He's literally holding the two sides of Jinx/Powder in his hand, her - their - fate. Just like Jinx, Viktor has the equal capacity to destroy, and if he is reborn as a weapon later on, perhaps that cog represents Jinx being reborn too. As a creator. A builder.

He holds onto Jinx's cog all the way through the rest of the episode, balancing that potential, that fate, of creation and destruction in his hand. Right up until the moment he dies, and the coin/the cog falls, sealing their fate. His death causing the deaths of Isha and Vander too.

So we've established that the story is viewing cogs/coins in a similar light. We've also established the show is linking Viktor and Jinx through the symbology of the cog.

This is reiterated in the symbolism surrounding the Tarot cards. Around the cards are coins that take the shape of cogs, the currency of Zaun. Fate - coin flips - and cogs, gods and machines. Deus Ex Machina, that is what Viktor is to become, and Jinx creates destruction using machines. She's an inventor, just like Viktor and Jayce. A creator and a destroyer. A god of the machine.

So how does Figure 6 - the coin cogs - relate to Figure 4? The hole in the Magician's chest.

On the Tarot Card, the Magician has a circle in the middle of his chest. A hole. Just like the hole Jayce puts through Viktors chest at the end of Episode 6. The one that kills him.

But if you look closely at the image above, it might be a stretch, but to me, the striations on the inner ring look very similar to those of a cog. The hole is what kills Viktor. Cogs have been given visual symbolism for healing, and are also associated with Jinx's potential for creation. Its a stretch, but it could potentially be foreshadowing Jinx using her abilities to heal Viktor; to build instead of destroy. We've already seen Jinx do it once with Sevika, by "building" her a new arm.

I also find it interesting that we're shown Jinx using her talents to build someone a new arm, and Viktor - the machine herald - still has yet to acquire his third arm. Perhaps he doesn't make it. Perhaps Jinx does?

Maybe, just maybe, Jinx - Powder - is the one to fix Viktor, and flip the cog of fate once again.

Now in Episode 6 we already get foreshadowing that it'll be singe - not Jinx - who saves Viktor by imbuing him with the ultimate shimmer from Warwick/Vander - stabilising him. He says it in the episode, but Viktor refuses to sacrifice Vander in the name of creating the ultimate weapon of destruction.

"It would destroy him."

Viktor's potential for destruction goes hand in hand with Jinx's.

Its even foreshadowed in both the cards. The red/pink eyes of the machine herald foreshadowing shimmer. And the shadow being imbued into the chest of the dead skeleton (Viktor) looks an awful lot like Warwick; the beast that traps Vander.

So why am I talking about Jinx saving Viktor if I'm so certain its Singe? Well I'm certain Singe will bring Viktor back to life, to be used as a weapon. That seems like the most likely outcome.

But like Viktor was saying about Vander "He's not a specimen, he's a man." Viktor was doing everything in his power to save Vander's humanity. So yes Singe will bring the machine herald back most likely - even if I think it'd be thematically cool for it to be Jinx - but I think Jinx will save Viktor. Save the man, the humanity. Be the big fat hero.

Jinx was a girl imbued with Shimmer, and despite having monstrous abilities and doing monstrous things, her humanity has still survived.

I could be wrong, I most likely am, but the the thing that's getting to me is this...

Figure 5 - The Broken Infinity.

At the centre of Viktor's chest, in the middle of Jayce's death blow and Jinx's cog of creation & destruction, is a symbol.

Now a diagonal infinity symbol is associated with the Firelights. Ekko. The boy who shattered time.

Broken Infinity? Shattered time? Seems to go hand in hand.

Though Ekko's symbol is a whole infinity, more akin to a Z than an ongoing X.

There are plenty of theories Ekko will play a role in Viktor's fate and the fate of everyone by rewinding time somehow. And the multiple shots of the coin rolling support that to an extend. Rewind time, change fate, change the flip of the cog. And I agree, I think Ekko is going to have a role to play. But there's also another character who fits with this symbol, who uses shimmer to move faster than humanly possible and defy fate time and time again. Who is the fulcrum of fate in the eyes of the story, the catalyst of everything. And only one character who has solely been associated with a broken infinity symbol before.

Jinx. That's Jinx's symbol. Her champion tag.

Jinx's symbol, right at the centre of Viktors chest. And this line to Jinx from Viktor...

"You have much to offer this commune, Powder. Your talents could be used to build instead of destroy."

And the line from Singe, about Viktor's fate being tied to the commune. Viktor IS the commune, he's the centre of it all. The one who can make the dream of Zaun - Vander's dream - a reality. And that line foreshadowed Jinx using her talents to help the commune. To help Viktor.

Hell, she was technically the reason he "died" in the first place. She fired the rocket that nearly killed him. Wouldn't it be poetic story telling if she was the one who saved him in the end?

I can't wait for Saturday.

I believe whatever happens, Viktor and Jinx's fates are inextricably bound.

[eternalfics]

hii, can i request a saiki x gn!reader who can change fate? ty! :3

saiki x gn!reader who can change fate

a/n: like I said on 2 hc posts ago, I kinda left my requests in my inbox, so if u made a request it’s kinda gonna take a while since u got 2-4 in front of you..

summary: saiki with a reader who can change the future and stuff! 🥳

HOW YOU GUYS MET

when you guys first met, you guys were paired up for a school trip. it was.. decent, slightly awkward but it was fine! you were going to get through this with this quiet, silent man. of course you could have changed partners, but you decided to see how life is without your powers! (which was going.. well 🥲)

(this is based on s1 ep 12 btw)

when you guys got at the airport, everyone was so excited! of course, saiki looked the same. maybe he’s one of those people with a rbf? 😇

but all of a sudden, just one announcement about the flight getting delayed and the class looks like zombies. people who were jumping around had their heads on their hands.

yumehara had a lot of snacks in her bag? but now you could just see her blank expression and her stuffing them in her face.. not even hairo could have cheered them up. maybe you could just have a cheat day?

yeah that would sound good. all of sudden, the tv showed that the hurricane is gone! somehow, everyone’s back in a good mood. who knew that a trip could make everyone depressed? everyone’s better, but that guy who you were paired up with saki- sekai? saiki! yeah him, it seems that he’s looking at you. do you think he knows?

HEADCANONS

when saiki needs help or suspects something, your the first person he goes to! I mean, who else would he go to?

I’m just gonna assume that saiki already knows that you can change fate and you already knows that he has psychic powers!

out of all of the psychics in their class, saiki would say your the best one. well, your kinda not a psychic but your the best one he works with 😋

sometimes when your feeling playful or mischievous, you like to threaten saiki when he’s in certain situations😈

“what happened?”

“I finally got away from teruhashi. I swear nobody leaves me alone these day-“

“gimmethat200yenthatyouowemeori’llmakehercomeback,”

“..let’s talk about thi-“

sometimes saiki likes to annoy you too! it’s a playful relationship. but that dosen’t mean that you guys aren’t serious at times

overall, maybe your not a nuisance after all 😘

[testyqwcde]

Final shot of season 5

According to the showrunners' old interview, key s1 moments will play out only at the end of season 5.

I understand that we may not be getting 5 seasons now as their plan may change because of the viewership and general perception of the show. But I am curious what this final shot might have been?

Galadriel/Sauron's bond was confirmed to be the heart of the show and the whole s1 was focused on their relationship, so it might be logical to wrap it up with the scene involving both of them.

Though she won't probably participate in the War of Last Alliance (the key event of s5), she may still be watching it from the far. And when Sauron is defeated, we may get a flashback to a very crucial moment of season 1:

Back on the raft? highly unlikely we had it closed in season 1.

Forest confession scene? Maybe. They talk again, share feelings but now she walks away leaving him in the darkness.

Eregion flashback: he had been working there for weeks and we were left with no clue on how their relationship unfolded.

Any other ideas?

It may happen that this final shot would not be related to Saurondriel bond at all and would open other possibilities like Elendil/Sauron last fight based on the shot where Halbrand actually saved Elendil. Or Theo's bond to dark magic explained.

However, in full transparency I want Saurondriel to be the final shot and I would be quite disappointed to have s1 moment paying off without having these 2 involved.

Link: https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a62055071/lord-of-the-rings-rings-of-power-season-3-news-date-cast/

[hopeymchope]

The utter brilliance of Castlevania: Nocturne S1 (and the fucking pox of right-wing YouTubers)

I just rewatched Castelvania: Nocturne's first season, and it's so fucking excellent. Upon first viewing, I already thought it was probably the second-best season of animated Castlevania, but now? I think it's probably the best one.

The character relationships offer so much drama and emotion. The dialogue is both clever/witty AND moving. The directing of the action sequences has always been top-tier on this show, but the vocal performances make them even more engaging and involving. The way they've infused historical context into the story is absolutely brilliant.

Some of the weird story decisions RE: Dracula at the end of the first series' fourth season (not unsatisfying decisions, mind you, but still just... bizarre, if you're adapting this franchise) really stuck the writers in a weird position as far as how to move forward. I could think of maybe three solid possibilities: one which would undermine the ending of S4 completely, one which would require a HUGE leap forward into the modern day, and the third? Is basically what they did.

Bringing in Erzebet Bathory, the primary antagonist of Castlevania: Bloodlines, was certainly a valid approach for how to deal with the Dracula situation. Applying her to the Rondo of Blood/Symphony of the Night era is surprising, but not terribly so; it's not like her historical counterpart didn't already exist. I have some qualms with HOW they did this (why is she Russian now instead of Hungarian.... ?), but there's no denying that she serves as an effective antagonist.

Look at that; that's literally Maria's design in "Nocturne" right there.

As a fan of the games, this is obviously a different world but still an extremely familiar one. Seasons 3 and 4 of the first series felt like we were drifting farther and farther away from our roots in the games, but Nocturne brings us closer to that inspiration again. Richter and Maria look like they stepped right out of the PSP's "Dracula X Chronicles," with their costumes nearly identical... though of course, Richter eventually adds and embraces the headband from his original "Rondo" design. Maria is just a handful of years older than she is in Rondo/Dracula X Chronicles, allowing her to be far less of the out-of-place childish cartoon character that she comes off as in Rondo (or Castlevania Judgment, for that matter). I realize that was the POINT of her character in Rondo — to feel like she invaded from a totally different series — but the writers do a great job bringing her in line with the tone and characters of the animated series and overall franchise in Nocturne. The characters' powers and abilities are very much based in the games; we even get an (incredibly rousing!) rendition of "Divine Bloodlines" when Richter pulls off a "Grand Cross"-style magical attack for the first time in his life. It's exhilarating. And that's even without me getting into how Richter uses his triple-knife throw, or how we get the lore of the woefully underrated "Harmony of Dissonance" rolled into this show when a certain character makes a surprise appearance (to my immense delight).

Regarding the original four seasons... "I'm going to eat your soul, shit it out and and use it to smother your fucking girlfriend" was not the kind of dialogue I expected to hear from DEATH, of all people.

There are times in the original four-season run when it feels like it's trying a little too hard to be edgy and grimdark—times when the excessive gore and the insane use of profanity feels like it's screaming "I AM AN ADULT ANIMATED SERIES" in a way that's undermining its best qualities. But Castlevania: Nocturne is too confident to fall into such traps. The gore is there, the profanity is present, but it's only in service of exciting action, consistent characterization, and powerful storytelling; no lingering still shots of blood-spattered cribs for shock value are necessary. It's just a smash from start to finish, and after each episode, I find myself pondering the implications of certain lines and stories — thinking about the goddamn philosophical underpinnings of this animated show based on video games.

Nocturne is a prime example of how and why we're in a golden age of video game adaptions right now. This thing is BEGGING for a deep dive into its world, its lore, and its characters' worldviews. It's the kind of thing that would make for killer YouTube essays exploring all of its facets, because there is just SO MUCH here.

So when I go onto YouTube, and I only find one video that even says "It's not that bad" amidst a goddamned SEA of "This show's writing is shit and this series is fucking woke trash"??? That's when I know WE HAVE FAILED AS A FUCKING SPECIES.

These fucking right-wing YouTube dudebros are ruining our ability to think logically, they are MURDERING our media literacy. They are an absolute cancer. The fact that we don't have strong counterpoints out there against them is a crime; the right-wing grifters have totally conquered the algorithm.

I wish I had the skill or knowledge or even TIME to make videos of my own.

Fucking ugh.

[holybodega]

hello yes I hear there is rwby dgrp Au 👀 /np

yes ! i like the idea with my brain, and i've decided to try my hand at making some stuff for it!!!!

here is the most recent color concepts for ruby's design :3

i will gush below more if you and anyone else are truly curious !!!!!!

so currently, (and hehe no spoilers for if i do make anything more for this) here is the list of students! sorgy if some faves were left out, it was very hard to narrow down to such a small list ;w;

i have started planning the trials, but obviously those are even bigger spoilers hehe, so i won't share those just yet !! but in the meantime, i can go over the setup and what the ultimates mean >>:3

-

setup: so instead of hope's peak, it's beacon .... do not worry why those who are not beacon students are here, i'm sure that'll be a point of interest once the story starts ,, hehe :3

i am still in the earliest stages of this, but i do like the idea that the students are still there to train as huntsman, it's just instead of having semblances, they are ultimates. ultimates are straaaange because sometimes it's like the characters have powers unimaginable to man and then there's ultimate clairvoyant where he's just...... a guy being a dude.... so

i think the school itself will be a hodgepodge of rwby and danganronpa sensibilities. it will borrow from both and primarily follow the danganronpa rules once the killing game starts, but i like to think i'll include a good amount of beacon's influence.

faunus: at this time, i'm unsure if i want to change anything about faunus? i feel like it's not very danganronpa to have catgirls be real, but i very much intend for white fang to exist still. i think it can work? (although much love and peace, we all know how poor the writing has been for faunus racism)

aura: as far as other rwby factors, obviously aura has to go in the state its in. can't really have an interesting killing game if each character has to spar to death. well you could, but then you'd just have hit youtube series rwby again. i think if it is used, it's more like the mastermind gives everyone aura trackers or something? idk

weapons: i'm super on the fence about their inclusions, i may make it a part of the plot, may not. it may be one of the bigger changes i make from the beginning. they will not be featured in the killing game itself because y'know. that would just. negate a loooot.

grimm: will be plot relevant, but i doubt they'll be super there

timeline: imagine how every danganronpa game starts up, first day of hope's peak (or what have you). all students have a clean slate on their memories in some form or fashion, and this AU will be no different to that set up. if it ain't broke, don't fix it! the idea is, this is set from the point of "ruby's first day at beacon." it's not going to play out any bit the same as the show because......... well....... spoilers for danganronpa but...... that's not their real first day at hope's peak dawg.

POV: as for the main character, it's gotta be ruby duh!! - ultimates: some of these are semblance based, some of these are character based. i was more so trying to catch a vibe with the ultimates rather than them being one-to-one.

Ultimate Accelerator

this is ruby's ultimate. as per stated above, this is going to be setup as "ruby's first day at beacon." as we all know, ruby is let into beacon early for her expertise in fighting. academic acceleration is a term for letting students into higher education at a younger age than typical, hence accelerator. also. ruby faste. zoom. but either it's this or ultimate excellence. i like both, i think ruby would hate being called "ultimate excellence." either way, she would want to keep it all under wraps.

Ultimate Socialite

this is weiss's ultimate. i think this one is self explanatory, but of course, weiss do be a nepo baby. especially since these are going to be based primarily on the characteristics of s1 specifically, she was truly trying for that socialite attitude.

Ultimate Escape Artist

so this is where we start to take some liberties. this is blake's ultimate. i think this one will be one of those OP ultimates that you scratch your head a little at and go, "yep, i guess that make sense." my idea is that blake will play off as your kyoko type. she's not particular one for investigation, but she's an escape artist, so she sure can get the hell out of any tricky situation.

Ultimate Gunslinger

another one i'm taking some stretches with, but i think it fits. this is yang's ultimate. i am on the fence big time on the weaponry, but i do want to take the leap to make yang a cowboy. fuck it. we ball.

Ultimate Lucky Student

this is jaune's ultimate. he's definitely a lucky student. :)

Ultimate Electrician

this is nora's ultimate. another easy one, she is big electricity!

Ultimate ???

this is pyrrha's ultimate. ???

Ultimate Serenity

this is ren's ultimate. this one is a bit of a doozy, but imagine angie yonaga's gag where she holds the other students in her arms as if she's jesus and they are the lamb? yeah like that probably.

Ultimate War Machine

this is penny's ultimate. she was built to be war machine. robo of mass destruction, what can you say?

Ultimate Leader

this is adam's ultimate. shout out to running your own terror org, king. congrats on that. not as good as kokichi, but he'll do!

Ultimate Farmhand

this is oscar's ultimate. he was trapped as a farmhand and he couldn't be clarmhand, he wanted to leave this place and get himself back in space.... school... in the school system. for normal farm boy reasonsssss.

Ultimate Spy

this is ilia's ultimate. she sneake.

Ultimate Martial Artist

this is sun's ultimate. this one is a bit of a loophole all around. technically everyone in this AU is still supposed to be trained martial artist, but i think sun is deserving of the ultimate because of his semblance. unfortunately on top that, there's not actually a lot of terms to pick from when you're looking into kung fu mastery, so i had to reuse ultimate martial artist. i could've called him the ultimate sifu or shifu, but i don't feel very attached to the idea that sun would be patient or responsible enough for a title like that, especially early show sun lmao. i was thinking of going with ultimate black belt, but it just felt uninspired. it could be funny to go with sifu in the future just because of how unserious he is lololol

Ultimate Designer

this is coco's ultimate. coco is but a humble designer with her $400 coach bag

Ultimate Copycat

this is velvet's ultimate. another one that is just like "bruh there's no way." i think it's neat to translate velvet's semblance into an ultimate this way. her photography memory is separate from her ultimate abilities nonetheless. her ultimate abilities stem from her physically being able to replicate actions that she sees.

-

well that's all i have for now, but if i get enough together, i'll maybe start a sideblog or an insta for it hehe

[toelessbastard]

Toe,, you're a Link Clink enjoyer right,,,,

Where and how can I get into it 🥺

toya I'm gonna maul u rn the neurons u just ACTIVATED in my brain..... okay. I'll get my links to be clicked <3

To answer where-. On BiliBili, you can watch both the first season, and the miniseries, for free (the miniseries being in between stuff from s1 and I Believe s2, utilizing big chibis). You don't need an account to watch it either

I'd recommend watching s1 first bc it pulls you into the everyday business lives of our three protagonists and gives you a base understanding on what everyone's like. For me, the mystery and everyday banter were what I liked most (along w/ the time powers lol).

The minisodes can be watched as coping material , and include cute and fun scenes of our main trio.

For s2 i can DM you places to watch em' and pray they are avalible in your region sbfns 😭. I havent seen s2 on bilibili so I usually use a site for it, tho my usual one only has eng dub for s1 and 2. I'm sure I can find others though 🙏🏽 please note the everydayness is switched up REAL QUICK in s2 tho bc of the Bigger Mystery

🤔 they just came out with a prequel season, too, called the Yingdu arc. I've caught glimpses of it and I have a feeling that you'll love to see it after recovering from s2's ending bc they introduce and expand of a BUNCH of new amd old characters <3

There's also an audio drama, a manhwa(?), several little collabs and advertisments, and a musical (was a HUGE thing for the LC fandom... @sgdlr-asdfghjkl has SWARMS of masterposts ab it if your interested. I think you can watch the recordings w/ just s1 knowledge tbh) but I'd rec just watching s1 and 2 first to see if you vibe with link click in general.

As for the how? 🤷🏽 looking through the tags on social media and following LC artists and fans is my go-to. Some big ones I can list off the top of my head rn is @doublxpresso , @intothefrisson, @linkclickgallery (LC art curator), @rai-in-hell, and @wrathyforest

The biggest thing is to HAVE FUN and CRY LOTS!!!!

[raayllum]

it doesn't happen often but sometimes you really do just end up writing meta in the discord DMs with your friends re: why the main trio will eventually come to understand Aaravos & the Cosmic Council even if they haven't questioned/understood them yet

1) The show is always very critical of dismissed intentions.

Whether it's Rayla being Ghosted (only for Ethari, "so i know you did not betray them out of malice, but that doesn't matter," to deeply regret and atone for it), or Leola's trial ("this act, however motivated, is the beginning of the end"), not considering WHY a person is doing something is seen as a roadblock to understanding and forgiveness. This is why Rayla pushes Callum on WHY he'd do dark magic again in 6x03, this is why Soren and Claudia's refusal to engage with the other person's viewpoint at all is so intensive, why rather than being reactive and angry in 4x03 (like Soren) over the defaced painting Ez instead comes from a place of empathy, and why the 1-2 times Karim is right it's about "you must show that you understand their anger (aka why they're angry)". This all comes back to Harrow's advice (our most consistent thematic underpinning being his letter): "You must free yourself from the past. Learn from it, understand it, and let it go." The show both consciously and unconsciously demands us to understand why characters are doing things by giving them understandable reasons, even if the actions they take are often flawed (this is true for the entire main cast) and Not Understanding someone (Viren overruling Lissa, Viren & Soren, Claudia w/ King Harrow in s1, Rayla & Callum growing to understand each other better, etc etc) is what causes all the relationship breakdowns in communication/aid.

This is particularly seen in 1x01 using Ziard's dark magic use to be our initial "dark magic is (always, unconditionally) evil and scary" only to steadily strip that away over each season (particularly S5-S7) and in 3x01, wherein we as the audience realize that Ziard's context / intentions and movations were intentionally withheld from us, only to be seen as pretty damn reasonable if not heroic.

Therefore, the show letting the audience understand Aaravos as much as we do (even if we don't understand everything) is critical and crucial and very on par, even if the main characters are still playing catchup.

2) My base assumption was always that the main trio were going to grow to understand Aaravos and the Cosmic Council, while also learning/becoming Better than them, was because first they were going to Become them.

S7 did a Ton of ground work in this in particular, given that Ezran has his journey of forgiving Runaan somewhat because -- unlike in the beginning of the season -- by the end he's Become Runaan, willing to kill (assassinate) someone. We also know thanks to S7 that the Archdragons and First Elves used to have conflict while having a season of set up for Ezran and/or Aanya's brother (first elf stand ins) to have conflict with the dragons / Zym in future seasons once project ruby fire starts going off the rails.

Callum also had a very explicit arc in this way. In a lot of ways arc 2 was seeing how he could become like Viren, down to using/acquiring the staff. The other undercurrent throughout arc 2 (particularly S7) was how he could become Aaravos. This is evident through his possesion of the cube, the Book of Destiny / Primal Book just as a Concept, and him becoming a primal mage who ALSO uses dark magic + an Archmage™️ in arc 3. Callum is already on the road path to becoming / being like / understanding Aaravos ("Callum sees the world as I do, understands the need for compromise") and carries all the thematic weight of Being The Thing that Leola was executed over.

Additionally, the main characters (thanks to their political & magic power) are going to get to decide things like who has what / be judge jury executioner (a la the Cosmic Council) / what mercy is. S7 also pushed them more into these roles and these choices more than ever, of the choices you can make when you're scared or sad or angry, and the harm/consequences they can cause.

They'll understand them by becoming them and then progressing past them ("their fear, the Great Unravelling" / "i had to work to unravel all the hatred of my upbringing" / "in mercy, in compassion" / "sometimes the line between mercy and cruelty can be thin" / "evrkynd, a place where we will always be kind to one another") by unifying the magics / peoples / the land in a Better Restoration compared to what it had ever been in the olden times (a la Soren & Viren both having restoration arcs of becoming better versions of the roles they started out in as crownguard and high mage, etc.)

Like to me we are very much Well on our own on all fronts, with plenty of arc 2 providing set up / introducing ideas and complications so that arc 3 can bring it all home

"this is justice! the humans attacked us unprovoked" never being true and that's the whole Point understanding/seeing yourself in your enemy is amaya's entire character arc ("she was callous, she was cruel. and in truth so was i." / "you know who you sound like?" "who?" "me" / "i understand you, karim.") and like. s7 was a massive neon sign of "we're getting there w/ Aaravos & the Cosmic Council" flashing at me every episode

even arc 3 being set up to interrogate the ethics of abandonment/isolationism with the Cosmic Council just dipping ("Callum, I know my leaving hurt you" / "She left us. She left" / "take your people, and build your own future far away from here") when exile/isolationism has always been a Huge problem for Xadia culturally to begin with like. we're so There

like the main trio is acting very harrow in him and sarai's convo about the magma titan and i Believe in them bc basically every time i've gone "huh idk what that's about / that thread is going" (lissa leaving the fam, ezran being so passive in s1/s2 with decision making, the archdragons not just killing aaravos and imprisoning him instead, the sun-moon emphasis in early seasons, the 2x08 dream foreshadwing, etc) tdp has taken me by the hand and gone "oh it's on purpose hun don't worry" and kissed my forehead

like even Claudia BECOMING a dragon (the thing she hates and refuses to meaningfully engage with) like. they are Screaming it at us

[liulith]

Why Vox’ one-sided psychosexual obsession with Alastor is PERFECT for a #radiostatic QPR

This fanwork is an edited version of a comment I wrote for a fic from the 666: Live on Air! Series by @prince-liest You don’t need to know the fic to understand it, though! Just keep in mind that those are headcanons based on a hypothetical established relationship between Alastor and Vox, in which Vox’s obsession for Alastor has changed flavors from hatred to love, and Alastor doesn’t return his feelings but finds his pathetic obsession entertaining, flattering and somewhat cute. (Also, this doesn’t address the past friendship (?) between them that is being hinted at by the photo in S1 finale, since we have zero context for that at the moment)

Why Vox is Like That

My headcanon is that Vox has always been the type to strive for power and recognition, always reaching for the top of the heap. The problem is that he’s too good at it.

Once he gets into whatever position of power he wanted, he gets bored because what he truly likes is fighting his way to the top. Whatever comes after can be enjoyable but it never compares to the “fight” itself – and thus Vox is always left unsatisfied, setting new goals to become even more powerful because *surely*, that’s what will finally bring him the sense of fulfillment he wants.

(We can kinda see it in his introduction. The man looks bored to tears before Alastor waltzes back into his life and turns him into a manic mess! Here’s a tumblr post about it)

This is precisely why I think Hell gave Vox hypnosis powers: the same reason it gave Alastor the body of a prey animal. It’s torture! With those powers, Vox can get almost anything he wants and he hates it. On Earth, people were a challenge; not everyone can be bought, and he had to rely on his skills.

Sure, he still has those skills in Hell; but in Hell, where every sinner is a potential enemy and the exorcists come down once a year, power is key to his survival and he has to take any victory he can get; meaning, he’ll never be able to *not* use his hypnosis powers, not as long as he wants to survive, even if that makes the fight to the top lose its appeal.

[Insert non-existent tangent on how Val not being affected by the hypnosis – because he’s half blind – is a key factor in Vox’ attraction to him]

Why Vox can’t NOT be obsessed with Alastor:

Alastor is powerful enough to resist his mind-control powers. Alastor can’t be swayed by Vox’ influence, his connections, his power, his money. In short, he’s a challenge. Vox needs to earn his attention, needs to work for it.

Thankfully for him, there *is* something Alastor is interested in: his genuine, unguarded, desperate self: the one that has a full manic episode/mental breakdown when he learns Alastor is back in town. The side of him he always hides under layers and layers of confidence, bravado and corporate talk!

And, deep down, that desperate side of him is exactly why he strives for power so hard in the first place. This man is full of insecurities and he NEEDS to be the biggest fish (shark) in the tank.

This means that Alastor is the embodiment of his deepest fears! He sees through all his bullshit, makes him lose all his composure, and is able to destroy him in EVERY WAY that matters. And yet, he doesn’t. Because, he tolerates (likes) him (in the context of this AU) just as he is, patheticness and all :3  I think there’s something very liberating about that.

Plus, Vox is a simp. He’s a manic sado-masochist who gets off on seeing Alastor humiliated and being humiliated himself, he wants Alastor helpless under his claws, wants Alastor to step on him and tear his heart out if that’s the only way Alastor would touch him, wants to have a cutesy dance-off with and make him laugh until his face hurts.

Oh Vox, we’re really in it now

He’s obsessed with Alastor and wants him in any way he can have him – and I think he’d be ready to give himself over to Alastor in any way Alastor wants to have him as well, because as long as it means Alastor wants something *from him*, it’s worth it. Even if it destroys him.

So, in a context where he has experienced Alastor being on friendly terms with him, where Alastor he has seen Alastor’s genuinely smiling at him and handing him the smallest crumb of affection, there’s just no turning back. Yes, he *could* still get off on seeing Alastor hurt because he’s deranged like that, but he doesn’t want it anymore.

or, well. the vicious, demonic part of him does still want to hurt him, but not exactly for the same reasons as before. It’s more of his caged beast of a heart wanting to make its predator pay for ruining it, in a desperate attempt to reduce his pain (at Alastor’s perceived “indifference”), to force Alastor to SEE him (not that he can. Lol).

BUT! he doesn’t need to do that now! Not when there is so much he would have to give up! So many other emotions, reactions he can get out of Alastor, knowing that HE did that!! To Alastor!! Him!! He cares so, so much. He’s the biggest shark in the tank but Alastor is the water around him. I suck at metaphors.

FML: Alastor edition

Hell turned Alastor into a prey animal because he has always felt like one. I think that at his core, he’s never going to get rid of his instinctual mistrust of others and fear of having any exposed vulnerability turned against him, because it’s part of a defense mechanism he developed since childhood.

He grew in Louisiana as a mixed-race* boy (*it's a bit more complicated than that since "Louisiana Creole" is not a racial designation but let's say Alastor is 100% mixed-race with a POC mom in this context), in an era of widespread lynching and racial segregation, at a time where millions of Black Americans migrated to the North because of the horrible socio-economic conditions of the South. Hell, he was alive during the great Mississippi flood of 1927 – the most destructive river flood of the entire history of the US – and he SAW the government refuse to prioritize the safety of the POC who were 75% of the population (literally; “The refugee camps also dealt with extreme racial inequality, as supplies and means of evacuation after flooding were given strictly to white citizens, with Blacks receiving only leftovers. African Americans also did not receive supplies without providing the name of their white employer or voucher from a white person. In order to fully exploit black labor, Blacks were frequently forced to work against their will, and were not permitted to leave the camps.”)

We don’t know if he was white-passing or visibly mixed, or if his white dad was in the picture, but since he only mentions his mother in canon I’m gonna run with the idea that she raised him alone. He seems to have had a positive relationship with her, which may have impacted his relationships with women in general. However, as a Creole woman, his mom couldn’t guarantee his safety in a society that was rigged against her.

So, he grew up learning the world was out to get him, that no one had his back, and that *performance* was key to his continued safety and survival. By performance, I mean learning how to act around white people to appear non-threatening/avoid being reduced to his ancestry/manage to “pass” well enough. But passing too well would also exclude him from his own community, as mixed people often are.

He also learned that despite his best efforts, no matter how competent he could become, some things would always be unfairly inaccessible to him for reasons outside of his control, and he couldn’t stand for it. The quiet rage, the humiliation, he took out on people by becoming a serial killer: permanently excluding “unworthy” people from society, and consuming them to assert his absolute dominance over them.

FML: Alastor edition. Why he would like Vox:

As the Radio Demon, Alastor has more power than he ever craved in his human life. He’s also vulnerable to the exorcists (Adam), to higher demonic powers (Lucifer, etc.) and was put on a leash by a mysterious character (Lilith? Eve? Roo?).

He’s more desperate for control than ever. It’s not that hard in his daily life, since most people (besides Husk and..? idk) don’t know he made a deal, and he can act like his usual confident self. However, it’s a control that is not unconditional, never absolute nor freely given.

And Vox? He’s hopelessly devoted to Alastor. Alastor has the upper hand on him in terms of raw power, but he also has the absolute psychological and emotional upper hand here. Vox is putting his heart and everything he has on the line in a way Alastor would never do in his worst nightmares. Vox is probably the only person who ever *let* Alastor have this much power over them, and Alastor loves to see it.

This, in turn, makes Alastor more willing to show his more vulnerable side, in a way he would never do if he were also in love with Vox imo. Because Vox is “only Vox” to him, and losing Vox wouldn’t destroy him the way it would if he returned Vox’ feelings, he’s paradoxically more likely to get closer to him. Being in love with Vox would make him too vulnerable and I honestly think that if he became that desperately attached, he would kill him in a fit of panicked narcissistic self-preservatory rage, to prove he’s stronger than this. He’d be too scared to have his feelings taken advantage of, and his brained is wired to kill anything that gets in his way.

Having Vox as a friend, however, is just perfect for him! Just the right amount of closeness and connection that enables him to give him his trust, without fearing he’s being blinded by feelings outside of his control. And knowing that Vox wants him *that* desperately but accepts Alastor’s inability and unwillingness to return this love, and is content to be given anything Alastor allows… Well, that’s heartwarming in its own right, isn’t it?

And THIS is why RadioStatic as a qpr/fucked up friendship with benefits has so much potential, to me! <3

[the-gateway-to-madness]

It sorta bothers me that post-series people are still complaining about 3Below being disconnected from the rest of Tales of Arcadia. For me, it was a refreshing break from the densely-packed fantasy lore and an intriguing peek at the way the universe beyond Arcadia and Earth functions. I liked the character arcs and interpersonal connections. And there was ample room for me to come up with a bunch of my own headcanons, which I love! I absolutely love being able to slot pieces of my own mind and soul into an existing world! I don't like shows where I'm told how every little detail works, that's way too much to remember. Instead I want enough to create an idea of the rules and how things might have gone/might continue to go and fill in whatever else I want.

Also, I think 3Below was SUPPOSED to be a lot more connected before Wizards got cut down. Tons of ideas didn't make it into the limited series run- I remember hearing stuff about Mordred being involved, a lost Krel arc, and I'm sure a lot of lore that would have bound the worlds together more closely. When they mentioned Gaylen's core came from Earth, there was clearly supposed to be more to that, but it got cut out. I'm like 93% sure Gaylen was a being who was part of or similar to the Arcane Order, but was drawn to the cosmos rather than to a part of the Earth. That would indicate that Akiridion tech and magic are compatible because Akiridions' energy-based life was initially magical, but those roots were largely forgotten because of how old a civilization Akiridion is. They've been spacefaring since humans were cavepeople. If the Order existed from the primeval dawn of the world, and Gaylen left not long after that, Akiridion could be millenia ahead of Earth. Or, heck, maybe Earth was the first or only livable world, and Gaylen created the Order to look after it before going off to try to find or create life elsewhere. I always headcanoned that Seklos was more powerful than most Akiridions or even the Royals that came after her, given the fact her core alone was enough to stop Gaylen while in the modern era it requires two royal cores. Maybe she was created by Gaylen to be Akiridion's version of an Arcane Order type being, and she created normal Akiridions, which she then had kids with, diluting her power in the Royals that followed. There's so much ancient history to unpack from just the tidbits we were given.

As for the modern era, there seems to very distinctly be a major intergalactic connection. The drunk ship operator in episode 3 of 3b s1 that the Zerons interrogate talks about ship classifications, which indicates a universal or at least an interplanetary system of ship ratings. We also see interplanetary tourism, and signs that Akiridion is one of the most advanced and influential planets out there.

3Below doesn't need to continue the plot of Trollhunters to be a valid part of Tales of Arcadia. It brought an energy to ToA that was somewhere between Star Trek TNG and Babylon 5, and I love how it expands the weirdness of Arcadia. If it was supposed to be a continuation of Trollhunters, they would have made more Trollhunters. But it's not Trollhunters, it's 3Below. And Wizards isn't Trollhunters either! I honestly think that Camelot, Douxie, and the world of wizards could have been written such that the Trollhunters cast was much less focal, and that if they'd given the show the time it needed and deserved to tell its story, it would have been fleshed-out and fascinating all on its own, with or without the TH gang. Where are the magic users beyond the reach of Camelot? Are there merfolk, sirens, harpies, dryads, more dragons, or other sapient races living on Earth with their own civilizations and magic and cultures? There are so many worlds and so many potential stories out there, on Earth and beyond, in the Tales of Arcadia universe. Arcadia just happens to be the narrative meshing point of them all. And I think that's a really cool way to build a universe.

Anyway, thanks for coming to my TED talk, here's more Akiridion development as a treat for making it this far.

[amuseoffyre]

I got thinking last night about Stede's clothes in S1. I'd written before about his clothing before he runs away to sea, but I've ended up going on an even deeper dive for the whole of the season by contrast to S2.

Before he ran off to see, everything about his outfits was made to make him blend into the background: a green cravat in an identical shade to the plants, the ruffles and lace of his cravat and cuffs matching the tablecloth and curtains, the colours of his suits matched to the furniture and drapes and other surroundings, the pattern of his suit blending into the fabric of the carriage.

The implication being that he was like an accessory in his own life, property for his father to use, a piece of the furniture, an object to be ignored and overlooked.

Based on S1, it made it feel like his clothing choices at sea were him expressing himself for the first time, but on the re-watch, I realised how much that isn't necessarily the case.

Yes, he adores clothes and fashion, but there's something about the aesthetic choices that made me go oooooo. Let's start at the beginning. This could get long :D I'll stick with episodes 1-3 just now, because bad arm makes typing ow.

Episode 1:

First up we have the beloved blue suit, very flashy and frilly and delightful. But he's a man who has run away to sea and the first outfit he puts on to be a sea captain is... Caribbean sea coloured. The extreme white lace cuffs and cravat even resemble seafoam on the shore. Our man dressed up like the sea, once again matching himself to his surroundings. With gold trim, because of course, booty is the aim (😏).

The Battle Jacket. ngl, the framing here makes me gnaw bricks. Look at the folds and ruffles of his cravat matching the drape of the curtains and the folds of the pillows, while the ripply gold edging of the battle jacket matches the ripply gold edging of the painting on the wall and the jacket itself matches the colour of the wall. Once more, blending himself into his surroundings.

Also fun fact: yellow was seen as the colour of cowardice. Stede goes to hide in his room and he puts on his yellow robe. Man is scared and even if he doesn't want to show it, his outfit is showing his true colours.

Bonus shout-out to the fact that he "dresses us up like fancymen" to blend in with the officers from Nigel's crew. Not just fancy-men. He tells Pete that he's a Lord. He's trying to match the aristocratic company, to dodge a bullet. (It doesn't work).

Episode 2.

Having feelings about Stede being in purple/gold the first time we see him hearing about Blackbeard. Especially given purple as the significant colour of love later in the season. (and in the fireworks in 2x06 - purple and gold)

But also, again, with matching the background - the gold of the cravat matching the gold of the lanterns, frame by dark edges, with white light coming out on either side. (the symbolism of Stede as a lantern/lamp/light in the dark again makes me gnaw bricks)

tfw the patterns on your waistcoat are not unlike the seaweed dangling from the hull of your grounded ship.

Also shout-out to the first time we see Stede without his cravat on. There's a whole mess of significance about Stede and neckwear that I'll save for another day.

Episode 3.

We see the return of the battle-jacket in Stede's ornate gold room, with his ornate gold furniture. He even matches his journal to the wall XD

And, of course... the white suit. "A power move - make people feel underdressed and suddenly you're the one in charge" says the man who has never been in charge of anything in his life, including his own crew.

For the first time in his life, he's choosing an outfit to actively stand out because he sees clothing as his weapon. An outfit like this might work to impress in his social circles in Bridgetown, for the sheer expense of something so pristine and intricate, but here? Noooo. He doesn't know his audience. He doesn't know what kind of look would impress them here, especially when we see every other pirate is almost uniformly in shades of washed out colours or browns.

Jackie, on the other hand, dresses to impress this crowd. She stands out and in a way that matters. Blood red as threat, warning and alluring. And the fact that Blackbeard and his entire crew show up entirely in black leather contrasting to Stede's white lace? Extra emphasis.

Episode 4

[syntheticaesthetic]

Five is allowed to be selfish. People in general are allowed to be selfish. It's almost like they're human.

Yes, sure. Of course they are. But, when talking about a story you're gonna need to give me a much more convincing journey to those selfish choices than we got in S4.

Let's face it, the Five we got in this season was apathetic. He didn't give a shit about his family by the end of it. He didn't give a shit about other people. He didn't give a shit about the apocalypse. I'd argue he didn't really give a shit about Lila based on how he treated her based on his tone when she confronted him about the reality of their situation.

(The way he said "I took care of you when you were sick, I held you when you were sad" was full of red flags. It reeked of entitlement. I did those things for you so you owe me this. 🤢)

This characterization was pretty far from what we saw in S1 or S2, where he sacrificed everything for his family, where his personal happiness was of no concern compared to his own safety or mental health. And yet we're being asked to accept a Five that cares more about his personal desire to have Lila than what she wants, what Diego wants, what her kids want, over them returning to the right time line and saving Ben and stopping an apocalypse?

A good storyteller can get there no doubt - the pieces are there.

*Take a man who lived 40+ years in an apocalypse because of his own hubris (don't tell me what to do! I know better than you old man!),

*a man who got shoved in a wrong body, a man who had to - in the span of 2-3 weeks - live through 3 different apocalypses,

*a man who didn't even want to stop the S3 apocalypse because he himself told him not to - that he only makes it worse,

*a man who got abandoned by the family he sacrificed so much to save and lost his powers,

*and a man who then had to face yet another apocalypse that was his fault with new powers he doesn't understand and doesn't really seem to care too much about understanding and then gets lost and separated from his family again for 7 more years?

Yeah. I can see anger. I can see defeat. The world has made him it's bitch and he's tired and just wants a break and wants something for himself.

The problem I have here is the execution.

They had six episodes filled with a huge amount of filler and hardly any lead up to this; we got Lila wiping crumbs off his face and Diego and Lila's bad relationship with Five being in the wrong place at the wrong time. It was shoved into a short opening montage.

While we the audience knows the things that drove Five to this from previous knowledge (assumptively), the actual writing or narrative never addresses it. Five never tells us how exhausted he is. He never tells us how over it he is. Even in S3 he has a line while on his adventure with Klaus and exclaims "Can't I get one day off" (or a fucking break - I can't remember the direct quote.) We get nothing here. He just seems bored. Unmoved. Uncaring. He just doesn't give a shit about anything that's happening so why are we supposed go with this out of the blue selfishness if he's not really affected by anything happening? It's not selfishness motivated by being at his breaking point and just needing something for himself finally, it's just a kid taking a doll away from his brother because all of his other toys were gone and saying it's his turn with it now because he wants it and throwing a temper tantrum and refusing to help his family or the world when the doll is back where it's supposed to be.

He's focused on his affair with a married woman over the fate of the world when his character for the last three seasons has never been that selfish. That's the problem.

[unma]

hey, you're the rupture inspector right? any recommendations on a rupture team (IDs + EGOs) you think can survive the 10 Floor MD Update?

I almost forgot they were planning to do that. I'm gonna boot up Limbus really quick and start ranking ids based on how well I think they'd do surviving the rising conditions while still being like, usable. No evading every turn for 99 turns and literally nothing else, I mean.

TL;DR a regular rupture team is what you'd use, with only minor adjustments, because there's not much you can do to be better.

Individual Rating for each Rupture ID

Lobotomy E.G.O::Lantern Don Quixote This is the creme de la creme of rupture ids imo, but that is my entirely subjective opinion based on how much I love this id. But there is some truth to it: simply the fact that she's a heal-tank with only one stagger bar tons of healing sources means her survivability goes through the roof, which is the most important thing when enemies are going to start outrolling you and doing tons of damage. I hope some update gives her unbreakable coins so she's even more stupid busted. Anyway her clashing isn't the best, but you're playing rupture so that's to be expected.

LCE E.G.O::Lantern Yi Sang Don't.

W Corp. L3 Cleanup Agent Yi Sang Best in slot for Yi Sang, given the alternative likes to die. Evades were so heavily sought after in previous MDs, and it remains the same here. Extra base power means he rolls up to a possible 16 on evades, which means that unless you're taking wayyy too much coin/final/base power he will be able to dodge most things if they get too difficult to clash with. His passive applying charge barrier and his high rolls on account of being a W Corp. unit means he'll start struggling much later than most other rupture units and will also help them with a bit of survivability upon using his s3 or dimension shredder. Optimal conditions for him is just s2 and s3s in his kit, get rid of all of his s1s. With the tier IV charge gift you can afford to have more s3s if you want.

LCE E.G.O::Lantern Yi Sang Okay, seriously this time. He could be decent, with unbreakable coins and actually trying to lose. He'd be even better if he had a gloom skill, but it's whatever. Issue is he lacks the healing capabilities of his much better counterpart in lantern don. Dimension Shredder means he technically never goes count negative, which is great given he's another one of those stupid rupture ids that stop inflicting count when you reach the rather low 15/3 threshold.

But well, the issue is

Yeah.

He's going to die. Very quickly. Maybe if you don't use his s3 or his counter he can survive for as long as you'd like, but like. Come on. Just run W Corp. Yi Sang. Don't do this to yourself.

Seven Assoc. South Section 4 Faust Let's get this straight. You should always run her. Trade all her s1s for s2s. She rolls up to a 22 with those, and you want the coin power and rupture count it gives. Also. Fluid Sac. If you don't have oracle or other good ego gifts, then maybe keep some s1s. But like, if you're going past floor 5 without one just end the run. You're going to need fluid sac, there's no question about it. That's the main reason she's a must run, anyway. There are other good healing ego, but unless it's on Rodya it's kinda an issue given that other ids don't clash as well.

Seven Assoc. South Section 6 Ryoshu Why is she on this list? She has, like, one source of rupture lol.

Cinq Assoc. West Section 3 Meursault One of the only two good conditional rupture ids, given he and Rodya have skills that don't consume rupture count. You want him on the team. He's got good clashing, even without regret, and he has an evade. Need I say more?

W Corp. L2 Cleanup Agent Meursault He's a funny one alright. I'm only including him on this list because he single-handedly enables my charge md runs to become charge/rupture md runs with that s2 of his. Also, coin power. With regret, he rolls somewhat decently for a 000 id. Replacing everything with his s2 is really funny if you have thunderbranch and the chicken wing. But it's only really funny. You shouldn't really run him unless you're trying to do funny shit on charge teams, he kinda just sucks compared to the other two rupture options he has. I guess he's got decent survivability, but that's all. Cinq Sault is better anyway, what with the evade and gloom s3.

Dead Rabbits Boss Meursault I don't have much to say about him. I used to run him before I got Cinq Sault. He's got decent numbers for a 00, even without Regret. Offense down is cool, I guess, but it's not much. If you don't have Cinq Sault, maybe he works. Maybe.

Fanghunt Office Fixer Hong Lu If you've got decent rupture infliction, or just have the rupture fusion gifts, he's really not the worse thing to run. I hate that he has the conditionals, given his count infliction is decent, but it's whatever. He gets tons and tons of coin power, which is great for outrolling things. More coins is more rupture activations, which makes him great for teams that can ramp up quickly. That's all. Lasso is a good ego too, I guess, if you really need to activate rupture on multiple enemies. It's whatever, I don't have it uptied and I've barely used it.

Seven Assoc. South Section 4 Heathcliff He's decent. Fusion gifts means he's very count positive on anything. He's going to struggle to clash the higher you go though, given both his s2 and s3 only roll a 16. Binds spam is an option however, especially since rupture teams aren't exactly struggling for gloom. It does eat into your fluid sac resources though, and the bind it hits you with can be something of a problem sometimes, so I'd be careful using it.

LCCB Assistant Manager Ishmael Unless you are in a focused encounter you should literally never run her. She's an ammo identity, a slow same turn paralyze unit, and her only rupture infliction is on her s3. You will either spam Blind Obsession every turn or she will die. She is somewhat tanky too, which would be a positive if that didn't mean she could steal talismans if you decided you wanted to use them. But hey, she's usable as a tank with aggro if you need to redirect enemy attacks once she's done her job and run out of bullets. Some of you might be wondering why I didn't make that as much of a downside when I said LCE Yi Sang sucked for this. Well first, I'm a hater. Note that down. Second, she doesn't have that stupid conditional, and third she doesn't have that STUPID conditional.

Lobotomy E.G.O::Sloshing Ishmael LOL

Devyat' Assoc. North Section 3 Rodion Yeah, you're running her. Decent coin power conditionals on all her skills, with only her s3 eating count upon its conditional. S3 is excellent for setting up rupture stacks, gains an extra coin on its conditional which is great for the same reason Fanghunt Hong Lu can be good. She also has access to Pursuance and Hex Nail, the former of which does not compete with Fluid Sac whatsoever. You are going to run her if you have her, whether you like it or not.

Devyat' Assoc. North Section 3 Sinclair No.

Lobotomy E.G.O::Red Sheet Sinclair He will die in five seconds flat. You're benching him for his passive if you're running him anwyay.

Devyat' Assoc. North Section 3 Sinclair I hate this id so goddamn much. You think it'll be good like Rodion, and then it comes out and is dead on arrival. Impossible to justify running this over Talisman outside of MD. A 000 id. Dead on arrival. Because benching a 00 id is better in every way. God. Defense down as a trade off for rupture is really fucking stupid. Okay, you can do tons of true damage every coin. Or you can do a bit more damage. Yeah. Sure. Without his conditional he's actually pretty decent at inflicting rupture and rupture count, but with it he just kinda sucks. But you will never get an objective look at him from me, given how much I loathe these conditionals.

Seven Assoc. South Section 6 Director Outis She's whatever. You can tell she's a pretty old rupture unit just by looking at her kit. She does have access to Binds, Dimension Shredder and Ebony Stem, which are pretty good high attack weight ego, so she might be worth running just for those, especially since her id isn't like, especially bad or anything. She's just not that good.

G Corp. Manager Corporal Gregor Bench.

Special mention: The Ring Pointillist Student Yi Sang I mean, like. He goes on literally every team. It's Ring Sang, idk what you'd expect. Personally, I don't care for him, and I don't even have him, but do whatever you like.

One more thing before I make the team.

Devyat' Assoc. North Section 3 Sinclair For real, this time. Look, I hate him, but I have to admit that the coin power he gets off conditionals are pretty good, and it's worth running him for that alone if you're lacking options. I personally would never do such a thing, but it's an option for people who are more normal about him than me. Cavernous Wailing is also a decent ego given that rupture's second most common resource tends to be gloom, at least on the better skills you'd want to give your ids more of. Gloom Res isn't the most difficult thing to come by on this team.

Finalized Team

You'd run something like this, in any order you'd like really. Assuming this isn't a focused encounter, you want to give more slots to the first four selected ids here, depending on how if you have good charge and ego gifts. Don has the worst clashing of the first four, so you might consider lowering her in the deployment order if your feel like it.

Additionally, if enemies are just clashing way too high for Don, you can choose to bench her for her passive and run Devyat Sinclair instead. If you need more count, you can run Heathcliff over Hong Lu. You can also just run these optional ids as backup if a battle somehow takes so long that Rodion and Sinclair retreat.

You will be relying heavily on Grey Coat for survivability on this team. For those who lack gloom skills, you may need to take other ego gifts if Gregor's healing isn't enough, or rely on Fluid Sac and or/Pursuance. Hex Nail is not the best idea, as this team lacks envy, but with enough resource ego gifts that also becomes an option.

Honestly the best advice I can give to you is to be careful with any sort of power trials. Damage dealt and hp trials don't matter much when you're rupture, but power really sucks because rupture doesn't have much in the way of gaining coin power compared to other teams. A lot of haste will get you through every focused encounter, and rupture doesn't have many issues with that, but human encounters will have you struggling.

Additionally, you should have every damage type for aoe ego. Pierce, Blunt and Slash. This is already a good idea for teams of all type, but rupture ESPECIALLY needs it, given you will begin to struggle with clashing earlier than other teams. Having Sunshower, Fluid Sac and Dimension Shredder are great, and there are really many alternatives. You need tons and tons of options to help you when your team inevitably starts to struggle.

Because, and I can't emphasize this enough really: Rupture will fail you. There is no amount of preparing that will change the fact that you will simply be unable to clash. There doesn't even exist a full team of 15/3 ids, and those tend to be much much better at clashing than other rupture ids. You will struggle before other teams, and that's the price you pay when you run rupture. You don't get a TCTB or assist attack, a Manager Donqui, the mere existence of Zwei Ish not to even mention reverb, a fucking nuke + Dawn Sinclair, a Lament, Mourn, and Despair or literally any charge s3 (that isn't W Corp. Yi Sang). You will roll kinda okay with some ids, and badly with others. You will suffer to make a good rupture team, cause that's just how it is right now.

I hope one day I can eat my words. One day I'll have a rupture team that I can play as effortlessly as a sinking team. I hope. But that day isn't coming any time soon.

[gracklesascendant]

why is the mars resistance so apolitical

I was inspired about how the Mars Rebellion could have gone down in S1, especially since we know the Food Riots post Earth-Minbari war were caused by Earth policy (also Sheridan put them down so hard the Resistance still hates him a decade later). Mars does not have self representation - it has a military governor. Megacorps came to Mars to do atrocities and abuse labor away from whatever laws Earth has back home. It's possible to extrapolate out from "Babylon 5 grows most of their own food" and "Mars is dependent on food imports from Earth" to "Earth decided not to prioritize building sufficient agriculture infrastructure on Mars to keep them dependent". So far so good.

But then I read the Babylon 5 wiki and immediately... just... what are the people who use violence pre-Clark even FIGHTING for? What's the goal? Why are they taking up arms? It's one big question mark.

It's either "peaceful protest (early Free Mars)" or "working within the system (Mars Provisional Government)" with the goals of 1) slowly become more independent from Earth 2) hey maybe slow down and stop oppressing workers so much, megacorps, pretty please!

Or it's full on "wow love to murder civilians :D <3 (later Free Mars)" which often bombs civilian targets for no detectable reason WHY they are doing it. But like, there's no actual political goal for the violence other than vengeance? And it REALLY seems like there should be. Mars SHOULD be rebelling against Earth, and especially Earth-based megacorps SPECIFICALLY.

Like, I get that the people telling us this are EarthForce stooges who saw nothing wrong with breaking the Rebellion's back, and that resistance movements can get hijacked by violent people who only want murder. But WHY??? Surely there must be some political violence done with SOME purpose. It's the draw the fucking owl of political movements.

It feels so empty.

Addendum: There's a slightly more defined Mars Resistance after Clark takes power which is finally presented as respectable (with some murdery elements which are not justified) to the viewer, though the only politics they have are "get independence from Earth" and "full statehood in the Earth Alliance" and "oh god please stop doing atrocities to us Clark". Number One takes over Alliance intelligence in S5 and uh... just uses it to reduce corruption in the megacorps??? Is that all you want to do? There really, really SHOULD be more of a political goal.

[galadriel-blue]

Things I hope we see (or things I’m excited about) in S2 of The Rings of Power 

Putting this below the cut just in case because I mention new characters from S2 and I don’t want to accidentally spoil anyone!

(👇Me reading and watching everything that comes out relating to season 2 and trying to piece it together and appreciate everything as it gets closer and closer)

…

Mentions of Finrod. I feel like we often forget about him as a fandom, but he’s one of my favorite characters even if he only appeared for a moment. Galadriel has looked the man who slaughtered her brother in the eyes, and I want to watch as she grieves for what was taken from her now that she has seen her enemy face to face. And with Cirdan becoming a new character in the series, I hope Finrod might be mentioned through him, as the Silmarillion mentions how they were friends. Perhaps Cirdan and Galadriel could have a heart to heart about the loss of Finrod if they interact this season.

Mentions of Celeborn. While most people are excited for all the Haladriel we are sure to see in a few days, (which slay, I respect and appreciate that and I'm excited to see it too) I myself am more of a Galadriel x Celeborn shipper (Celadriel? Galadriborn? What is their ship name??) so I hope Galadriel talks about her husband more. I want to see how much she misses him, especially when she is clearly going through such a tough time. Though I wish he would show up this season, I don’t believe that will happen. I am however holding out the hope that they will set up his appearance for season 3 by talking about him again.

Galadriel and Elrond’s friendship. Based on what I’ve seen from the trailers and clips, Galadriel and Elrond are going to be interacting a lot more this season, which I am super excited about! I want to see the conflict between them as Galadriel falls into despair and desperation, and as Elrond tries to guide her away from the evil and the temptations she faces. My favorite scenes in The Hobbit are when they are shown together, (especially the scebe where Galadriel and Elrond show up to fight Sauron!) and I want to watch their camaraderie grow stronger through their trials and pain. I hope we get some sweet moments between them as well. They are the bestest of besties to me! I love them so much!

A happy moment with Galadriel. I know, I know, I asked for more angst with her and now I’m paying the price…. And honestly we love to see the suffering, BUT! I want ONE smile please!! One moment of joy amidst the pain! Maybe even a halfhearted laugh! I just want to see one moment where Galadriel is comforted and loved. She deserves to experience joy in between all of her struggles. We got to see it in season 1 where she got to ride horseback on the beaches of Numenor. I need her to experience that happiness again.

Elendil and Galadriel reunion. Of course I want Isildur to reunite with his father, and I’m excited for that too, but I can’t let go of the hurt and blame Galadriel and Elendil experienced in season 1. I want a bittersweet apology, I want complicated emotions, I want them to be friends again… I doubt we will see it but a girl can dream-

Anything with Theo! We haven’t barely seen him in the trailers, so I’m interested in knowing what his storyline is going to be this season. I would love to see him interact with Arondir or even more scenes with Theo and Galadriel, as those were some of my favorite moments in S1. Random slightly related note that I’ve said before but I’m saying it again, I hope their solution to Bronwyn not being there this season is not to kill her off… Please just say she’s off doing something somewhere else and not dead… I’m begging 🙏 

The songs. I know there is going to be singing, and I’m stoked! That’s classic Tolkien stuff and I’m excited for S2 to lean even more into that in terms of music and sound design because I LOVED the music and season 1 and Poppy's song from episode 5 was so lovely. I can't wait to hear some of the other characters sing this season!

All the new characters. I’m very excited to see the new characters and how they come into play. Isildur’s new love interest, Cirdan, all the new elf characters… Even Annatar sort of counts as a new character! It’s going to be interesting to see their stories and how they affect the characters from season 1.

The Harfoots. One of the things I’ve seen haters claim is that nobody cares about the Harfoots. That couldn’t be farther from the truth because I care about them!! If the Harfoots have no fans, I’m dead because I think their plot is interesting and I think Nori and Poppy are the sweetest (They remind me of Frodo and Sam 🥹) and the Stranger is so interesting!

There’s probably more, I just can’t think of them right now, but overall, I’m just really excited! Feel free to share your thoughts and feelings if you want to!

[marokra]

Thinking abt ur OCs u say?

You should ramble abt them!! :3 (if u want!!)

ok so!!!!!! gonna take this as an opportunity to introduce my blorbo Hui Bàolì (or Bàolì Hui. depends on if you are talking the english name order or the chinese name order. rule of thumb her chosen name is Hui) to tumblr proper!!!

i recently redesigned her and i’m actually pretty happy with how it looks so i’ll definitely be drawing her more often

please keep in mind the backstory (creation to be MK’s foil) is based on the vauge s5 spoilers i’ve seen (i haven’t watched the season yet) so it’s subject to change if it does not work with the storyline of the season at all

anyways more ramblings & transcribed text—bc my handwriting is awful and no sharpness adjustments can fix it—under the cut

EDIT 10/4/24: ive realized i misspelled nüwa as nawa in the info that got transcribed. however, im not changing the transcribed text to the correct spelling in order to provide an accurate transcription. im sorry, genuinely didn’t mean to misspell her name. i think i got it mixed up with auburnitzy’s oc nawa, their names are very similar

transcribed text time fuck yeahhhh

Top middle section

Hui Bàolì!

The Foil

Born from a similar stone to MK, Nawa created them as his foil in order to balance things out. She became Macaque’s daughter student after he saw her digging through the trash for food (and using shadow powers to make a shelter for himself)

Top right section

quite a bit younger than MK, in their mid-late teenage years

Top left section

Paralyzed tail, needs a cane to walk so they don’t lose their balance

Middle left section

s1-s2 Hui! yes she discovered her Monkie form (while on the streets. part of the reason Macaque took her in) she just doesn’t like using it around ppl she doesn’t know

Bottom section

uses her cane as a weapon in battle

(arrow pointing upwards to next bit)

has to support himself w/ shadows

TRANSCRIBED TEXT TIME OVER!!!

anyways its rambling time

- Hui uses any pronouns, but they prefer She/He/They

- gender? wouldn’t you like to know weather boy

- Hui “hatched” a few years later than MK, ending up homeless on the Megapolis streets soon after. most of her childhood was spent in the alleyways so she had to learn how to defend herself early, discovering her powers before she came into contact with Macaque. however, she had no idea how to properly control them

- after Macaque took her in, he taught her combat skills and how to control and use her powers. Along with that, he also taught them the art of shadow plays, and they were like “woahhhhh cool! this is going to be my motif for forever now!!!!” and Macaque was like “what” and then they started using their shadows as puppet strings to fling stuff into walls & control people’s movements on the regular

- yes he can see through that blindfold. no there is not a lore reason for him wearing it. he just thinks it’s fun

- when MK was training under Macaque he was constantly asking Hui questions abt it. he kept trying to talk to her but she wouldn’t budge at all because she knew what the end goal of all of this was, and even if it would be satisfying to watch his smile fade as he realizes a “friend” was in on the plot all along, they didn’t wanna bother. also bc they were a liiiiiittle jealous of MK. just a little

- Macaque is the only one Hui can properly open up to

- her puppeteer motif and identity, of course, caused very interesting showings of The Hero and the Warrior before MK started showing up and she decided to move backstage to make sure MK did not notice the Extremely Obvious And Identifying Magic Use that came from her assisting in the plays

- after Mayor comes in contact with Macaque, she starts panicking. she knew the bone demon would find him eventually but she didn’t expect it to be this soon—

- needless to say, she seeks out MK because they know he’s one of the few people who are aware of her existence. he of course is wary of her due to his past run-in(s) with Macaque and Hui. however he does agree to train with her at least once because a sparring partner would do her a world of good and also because he’s secretly relieved he’s not the only one who knows about LBD anymore

- said training session was the one in the s2 finale. oops! she’s being dragged along to save the world now. she feels so out of place (bc maybe she is. she has never been the hero type, too selfish and apathetic to even fit the bill for being a hero. it’s not worth trying to fit in with them.) that they basically hole themselves up in a spare room on the plane jet thingymabob until they crash underwater and have a heart to heart w/ MK in the prison cell

- she eventually gets more comfortable around them, but not comfortable enough to spill his guts obviously. he still does not trust them, and they feel like the others share the same sentiment. it’s not like they would spill their guts to anyone anyways. hiding behind a mask yippiiiiiie!

- regularly denies that Macaque is a parental figure for her. she is lying to herself. Hui pls get your shit together

- they get more comfortable with using their monkie form full time over the course of s3. its actually way more comfy for them compared to their stuffy human form

- s3 shenanigans. they’re so done with everyone here

- unfortunately for him, said s3 shenanigans had dragged him into the Main Character Friendgroup. woe is the one who gets found familied

- also unfortunately for him, being dragged into the Main Character Friendgroup had caused them to be thrown into the ink scroll alongside Mei and MK because MK contacted Hui thinking he’d know something about what happened. they did not, in fact, know

- girl please you can’t keep collecting trauma like pokémon cards HUI YOURE SUPPOSED TO BE THE FOIL. STOP PULLING AN MK HERE. HUI

- aroace everything repulsed king. who needs romance when you have The Horrors

- Hui is rivals with one of my other ocs, RC (full name Realm Chaser). they’re a “demon” who has the power to travel across realms by will and teleport (they’re not a demon, they’re actually a Realm Hopper, which is a species that my friend @starboundsingularities created!!!!! this is only scratching the surface of the realm hopper/watcher (not mcyt watchers) lore he came up with but i’m not explaining it here bc itll be like 5 blocks of text and it’s not my concept to begin with, i just borrowed it for RC)

- ADORES Bai He. Hui had never been great with kids, but when she ran up to him and Macaque shortly after being unpossessed begging for self defense lessons because their powers and fighting skills were so cool and she wanted to know how to do that, how to protect herself, Hui decided that maybe it would be worth trying to be good with kids, just this once

- his hair clips are meant to mirror macaque’s 6 ears

- her and MK’s duo name is Sunstone Duo! MK being the sun and Hui being the stone even though technically both of them are the stone but MK didn’t know he was a monkie when he came up with the name and it’s too late to change it now

- eats rocks