#but me? well i am not the intended audience lol

[coquelicoq]

i do love when i'm reading a book in french (written for people fluent in french) and there's a footnote defining some uncommon/dialectal word but the synonym given in the footnote is also a word i don't know. net zero information 👍

[hauntingofhouses]

hi, it's me. the fic writer that uses culturally-specific idioms in a very different cultural time setting and keeps confusing words like reign and rein. this is my story.

[muchanmocha]

My hot take is that Luka didn't actually impersonate Sua

And here's why.

Ok let's start by making this clear — Luka canonically knew about Sua and has analyzed Mizi and Sua's relationship to hell and back based on their My Clematis performance before Round 5.

"In the interview, Luka responded as if he had no interest in Mizi, but in reality he had thoroughly analyzed everything about her after watching her duet stage with Sua. In her confusion, Mizi becomes a mere plaything for Luka."

— Director's Commentary, ALNST Artbook

He precision-designed Round 5 to systematically push Mizi to her breaking point by using Sua and her death in Round 1 — everything from the performance, his expressions, his intonations, his timing, the choreography, down to the very song choice (he presumably didn't pull out ROMH for Round 4, and he didn't save it for the finals/Round 7 as he may have intended).

However, what wasn't on that list, was impersonating Sua.

Let's take a look at what happened on stage:

Luka opens up the sequence by catcalling her right off the bat, abruptly intruding her personal space in the first of many moments to come.

"You're the perfect subject, with the whole world in your sad eyes."

"My savior, beautiful soul..."

He proceeds to condescendingly give praise to how beautiful she is in her broken state, glorifying the trauma that made her perfect.

"I don't believe. You're a liar."

All the admiration of which, they both know is just a pretense.

Then comes the most important part.

Sua's hallucination appears.

You tell me, is that a Sua expression?

No! In fact! Sua resembles Luka here.

So what's actually happening in this scene?

Well if you look at the lyrics when she appears, you'll find this:

"When our darknesses overlap, let me take it all away."

Sua appears because Luka is directly addressing Mizi's "darkness" here, aka her trauma aka Sua, and offers to take it away. Therefore, Mizi is the one doing all the heavy lifting of hallucinating her.

Again, is this an expression that would remind you of Sua?

What he DOES do here, is continue to invade her space and touch her intimately like a lover would, which he had been doing since minute one.

Remember: the theme of Round 5 is contract marriage.

He touches her not as Sua would, but as a lover would, because that would be the easiest way to provoke Mizi, who had just lost the love of her life and is now "tied" to him.

If you check the timing of Sua's hallucination's appearances, you'd find them not when Luka "admires" Mizi for her beauty, or when they sing "ruler of my heart" as you'd expect if he was actually trying to echo Sua, but when the lyrics address the despair and trauma Mizi is facing.

Ironically, the only times in this performance that Luka plausibly resembles Sua, is when he adopts his blank doll face away from audience eyes.

Yet you can see that Sua never appears in any of these shots because that's not how Mizi would've remembered her. We can confirm that with which real memories appear in Round 5, specifically behind Luka in the theater scene and during Mizi's breakdown.

(Can you tell I've long reached my photo limit and had to make cuts)

Mizi remembers Sua at her happiest, because Sua was always her happiest when she was with Mizi.

And this is exactly the loss Luka effectively spits on.

Mizi: My world is collapsing

Luka: Lol yeah whatever

There is such a purposeful, derisive mockery embedded in how Luka treats the subject of her loss.

"Make me your god, I can give you everything."

Not, "I am your god," but "replace your god with me."

You'll notice that what he offers here isn't a new "replacement Sua," but the audience.

Catcalling, smirking, manhandling her like a ragdoll, condescendingly looking down at her, overt mockery, revelling in the cheers of an audience that's crazy for him. There is nothing he does in Round 5 that even remotely resembles Sua or is meant to resemble Sua.

Where would the resemblance be? His pretty face and white clothes? White was, and has always been his signature outfit color. Round 5 wasn't a special occasion for that.

So.

Tl;dr Luka did not actively impersonate Sua. But he did commit mindfuckery on several levels.

-

Bonus:

Luka -> Mizi [Intimacy 0%, -]

It's stupid and foolish to not be able to control even one of your emotions.

[cyren-myadd]

Do you have any thoughts on the fact that in first scenario Spider was supposed be from Mexico and his name was Javier?

I don't think we ever had any real confirmation of original-Spider's ethnicity or nationality, but when his name was first announced as "Javier Socorro" a lot of people assumed he would be Latino Hispanic (from a Latin American country) instead of White Hispanic (from Spain) like he ended up being. That meant he very well could've been Mexican, or at least half-Mexican on his mom's side since I think he was always intended to be Quaritch's son. I believe they changed his first name to "Miles" to make the connection to Quaritch more obvious.

If Spider had been Mexican, it wouldn't have really changed anything in The Way of Water. He's still a human, and being a different color wouldn't change the way the other characters perceive him. The only thing that would've been different is that he wouldn't have had the nickname "monkey boy/monkey mascot," since having Sigourney Weaver and Stephen Lang calling a Hispanic kid monkey would NOT have gone over well.

Even though making him a different ethnicity wouldn't have changed the movie itself, I actually think it might've changed the way he was perceived by the audience.

This is a thought I've had in the back of my head for a long time, and this question finally gave me a reason to type it all out. But before I get into it, I do want to say that I am white and American, so I'm speaking from the perspective of a white American when I make this analysis of Spider's character and how he was perceived by American audiences. Now let's get into it:

Spider was a pretty controversial character. A lot of people hated him, but there was also a minority of people who really loved him too (me lol). Some people hated him because they felt like Neteyam's death was his fault or because they didn't like that he saved Quaritch in the end, which are reasons that wouldn't change because of his ethnicity, but there were also people who hated him because of his appearance. Spider was often described as "feeling out of place" and off-putting to some viewers. After I saw the Way of Water with my cousins, one of them (he is also white) told me that he hated Spider. When I asked him why, he shrugged and said, "he's a white boy with dreadlocks!" like that was the only reason he needed.

Now I'm just speculating here, but I think a small part of the reason why so many people can't stand Spider might be because he is white. Not because of racism against white people, but because of the context in which Spider exists as a white person. The Na'vi are very obvious allegories for indigenous American, African, and Maori people, and the RDA is a very obvious allegory for European colonizers and US corporations that exploited those groups. I can't speak for the rest of the world, but in America there are social controversies over white American people taking items that are culturally significant to other groups and wearing them as costumes. I know there's a lot of controversy over what is and isn't cultural appropriation, but when it comes to specifically white people wearing specifically Native American clothing, it's generally regarded negatively since most Native American people have said it's disrespectful because the clothing has cultural and spiritual significance.

And then we have Spider, who is not only white, but is also the son of two people who actively harmed the Na'vi, and he wears Na'vi clothing.

In the context of the Avatar movies, it makes perfect sense that Spider would dress and act the way that he does. He was raised alongside the Na'vi so it's all he knows. If you were going to fit Spider into the greater allegory of Avatar, he is similar to the historical figure, Olive Oatman. When Oatman was a child in the 1800s, her family was killed by a group of Native Americans, and she and her sister ended up being taken in by the Mohave people. She lived with them for several years before returning to a white settlement, and during that time she was assimilated into the Mohave tribe, wearing their clothing and receiving traditional tattoos. (Her story is super interesting, you should totally read more about it!). Spider is like a sci-fi version of Oatman, since his parents were killed by natives and he ended up being taken in by them and assimilating into their culture. In the context of modern day culture, a white woman getting Mohave tattoos would be considered appropriation, but in the context of Oatman's situation, it makes sense. Same thing with Spider. In-universe, adopting Omaticaya culture makes sense.

However, if you look at Spider through the lens of modern American cultural context, he looks an awful lot like a white kid dressing up in the traditional clothing of a culture his people harmed. If Spider had been raised on earth and was actively benefiting from the RDA's exploitation of Pandora, then what he's doing would be considered appropriation. But he wasn't. Even though that's not what Spider is, the association is still there. So when people see this "white boy with dreadlocks" as my cousin put it, they feel like there's something wrong with what they're looking at because they associate his appearance with cultural appropriation. I think if Spider had been cast as Latino, he might have been received a bit more favorably by the audience.

Once again, this is all just speculation, I don't really know if Spider's perception would've been different if he'd been a different ethnicity, and I acknowledge that most of the hate Spider received had to do with his character actions. However, I do believe that American audiences may have been partly influenced by the concept of cultural appropriation, which is where that feeling of Spider being "off-putting" comes from. I think it's definitely where my cousin's dislike of him comes from, since it's not about anything he did, but rather how he looks like.

[random-introverted-blog]

Seed of Darkness [Dark Justiciar Shadowheart x F!Reader]

Exalted Nightsinger, blessed be the chosen womb

Intended Audience: Mature / EXPLICIT [I'm starting to realize how old I am when I talk to people born in the 2000's...]

The Bit: You are Dark Justiciar Shadowheart’s prisoner, kept in the Sharran dungeons where she has been training you, trying to make you yield and become hers completely. She has also been trying to get you pregnant without success. When she comes to visit you tonight, she might finally have something that will make it a reality...

Warnings/Advisories: SA, mind manipulation, mind breaking, emotional abuse, forced drug use, breeding (its called seed of darkness, come on...), impregnation, forced pregnancy, magical pregnancy, magic penis, possessive behavior, corruption, sex slavery (forced pregnacy, breeding kink should indicate that much but just in case...), dominant Shadowheart

Words, all the word (count): 3,171 baebeee

Co-written by my bestie, the bestest of besties @shadowfalllen - If you like this MAKE SURE YOU THANK HER. It's only because of her that it exists and is being posted. Again, it was written between us as a self indulgent fic lol.

Sharing some Dark Justiciar Shadowheart content in 3...2...1

-ˋˏ’✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈--ˋˏ’✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈--ˋˏ’✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈-

The sound of the heavy door scraping the floor wakes you up from your daze. And the clanking of armor tingles your senses. "Wakey, wakey, my pretty, little slut..."

You jolt up as you hear her voice and back away from her as far as you can, looking around like a scared deer for a way out. There is no way out, you know it of course. You're in your familiar cell in the Sharran dungeon.

Shadowheart tsk's at you, wagging her finger. "Tut-tut, my sweet... You know better..." As she begins to unstrap her Dark Justiciar armor...

You look up at her as she's taking off her armor, knowing full well where this will lead, but you have no other option than to just cower in the far corner where the shadows of the room are even darker, trapped, waiting for her next move.

Shadowheart watches you a moment before nodding over to the direction of the bed. Raising an eyebrow expectantly. Tossing her armor on the ground when she gets the shoulders off, working on the chain mail beneath next.

"My good girl, are you going to behave for me...? You know how good I treat you when you behave... And the sooner you swell for me, the sooner I can lavish you with all the joys and affection you, and our little one, can fathom..." As she tosses the under layer of armor aside. Now working on unbuckling her belt. Her gaze fixed to yours, a few strands of black hair in her eyes.

You listen to her talk. She has been trying to get you pregnant for a while, using a spell on herself and taking you with her polymorphed cock, but she hasn't been successful. Something about the magic hasn't allowed it. That hasn't stopped her from trying though. Over and over again. Day in and day out, you have been filled with her seed, forced to carry it inside you, feel it drip down your inner thighs... a constant reminder who you belong to.

You know what it means to resist her, to disobey her, and afterwards, she will just take you anyway. So you force yourself to move and slowly walk from the corner towards the bed and climb on it. You're now sitting on it with your back against the wall. The familiar pit of dread settles in the bottom of your stomach but turns into heat as you see she has already almost completely undressed.

Shadowheart smiles, but it's unsettling. Unnerving. She's slowly stepping toward you as she drops the belt to the floor. Then she reaches into her pocket and pulls out a small vial of purple fluid.

"This, love... will ensure that your body accepts my seed. This will promise you freedom from this room... and admittance into my bedchamber. Where I can keep a close eye on the two of you..." She purrs, now crawling onto the bed. She pulls the stopper on the vial, and slowly hands it to you.

Her smile sends shivers of fear down your spine as she crawls closer to you. You take a look at the vial she's handing to you and then take a look back into her eyes. What you see in them makes you tremble in fear. The fear mixes with arousal as it usually does for you. She has that effect on you. You know there probably is no way out of this, one way or the other she is going to force you to carry her child. You take the vial into your shaking hand.

She watches your every move. A frigid, stern stare in her eyes, devoid of any playfulness or smiles like before. Her hand slowly touches yours at your wrist. Firmly, albeit with a gentleness, pushing the vial closer to your lips.

You're so scared that you take the vial to your lips and almost drink it, but you stop at the last minute. Images of yourself, heavy with her child, flashes into your mind and you panic. That can't happen. She already has you imprisoned. What hope will you have left if she actually makes you carry her child as well?

You contemplate throwing the vial to the far wall, thinking what the consequences of such action would be. But you're clearly taking too much time for the Dark Justiciar's liking, the grip on your hand tightens and her other hand takes hold of your hair and bends your head back, earning a gasp from you at the sudden tug.

"If you think this is something you can decide for yourself, think again." Shadowheart says, her tone of voice stern, leaving no room for negotiation as she forces the liquid down your throat. Your only choice is to swallow it all or choke on it, so you swallow it like the good girl she has been training you to be.

"That's more like it..." Her voice is low, eager, as she watches the vial emptying into your stomach.

You're not allowed to wear any clothes in the dungeon, so her hand is free to roam over your breast, pinching your nipple before it travels down between your legs. Her fingers slide between your folds, gathering any moisture, the evidence of your body's betrayal, before she rubs roughly your clit, the sudden harsh stimulation making you whimper.

"Are you going to behave now, my slut?" Shadowheart asks, holding your gaze, still bending your head back a bit, fingers entwined in your hair.

Something in you bends and breaks under her searing, intense gaze. "I will." You say submissively, embarrassed by how weak your voice sounds.

Shadowheart smiles and eases up her grip on your hair, the touch of her fingers gentler between your legs before she pulls her hand away entirely.

The smile turns into a grin and she strokes your head a moment. She purrs praises under her breath to you "good choice" and "my pretty little slut..." before reaching into her pocket again and pulling out another vial.

She pulls this one open with her teeth. Then locks her eyes with yours as she spits the stopper aside and slowly tips the contents into her mouth. Once she's finished, she takes yours and tosses both over her shoulder, indifferent to the sound of them shattering on the floor. "Just to be sure, love..." she murmurs, unfastening her trousers and tugging them off, a well-practiced motion you've seen more times than you'd like to admit.

The urge to move away from her is strong, but you force yourself to stay still, not daring to antagonize her further. You sit still against the wall, frozen in place again, looking at her now naked form and the hard-on between her legs, ready for you. No matter how many times this has happened, you still haven't got used to it. Your quickened heartbeat pounds in your ears, it's almost overwhelming.

She shushes you as she pulls your body down to lie flat on the bed, making you gasp, and slots between your legs. "This is it, you know... you'll take this, enjoy this, like a good girl does. Because that's what you are, aren't you? My good girl..." Shadowheart murmurs, cradling your cheek in her palm. The look in her piercing green eyes threatens to consume you.

When she calls you her good girl, it makes you twitch involuntarily, making you curse the parts of your body that are always so eager to yield to her touch. A flush settles on your cheeks. "I'm your good girl," you murmur softly, unable to stop yourself. Her gaze makes your willpower falter even more.

"That's right and I'm going to love your body like you're my precious, obedient lover... I wonder... when I fill you... plant my seed deep inside you..." Saying this, she spreads your legs wide apart, your knees bent. Guiding herself to line up with your dripping slit. "Will you feel it tonight? When our little flower sprouts inside you...?" Then slowly, almost too slow she feeds the tip of her throbbing cock into you.

Your mind goes back to the promise she might take you out of this cold, damp, bleak dungeon and into her bedchamber. Anything had to be better than this place, right? But you know what the prize for that is and images of yourself pregnant with her child flashes in your mind and you feel panic for a moment.

What does it all matter though? You already drank the vial, she's already pushing into you, it's already too late, anyway. You know how hung she is, so you try to concentrate on remaining calm and prepare yourself instead.

She sighs softly once she's halfway inside you. You bite your lips as she fills you up, it's so overwhelming this time. The prospect of successfully getting you pregnant has heightened her intensity even more than before. Her gaze fixated on yours, savoring this moment with you. Her gaze makes you shiver. It's evident that she's savoring every moment, trying to etch it into her memory. You're sure won't forget this either.

Once she bottoms out, her eyes flutter closed, and she holds herself there. Fully sheathed inside you. Intertwined with you. You're so full of her and just like every time, it's starting to be hard to think about anything else than her and her being inside you. So deep in your core.

She runs her fingertips along your hips; the touch leaving a lingering warmth. You can almost see her fantasies playing in her eyes when they open and drift to your hips. That soon they will bear the weight of carrying her child. Then her hands smooth over your stomach... and then she begins to move. Slow at first. Gentle. You can't recall her ever being this gentle with you. There's this odd tenderness in her you haven't seen before.

"You will look... so pretty for me... for us both..." you can hear it in her words, the 'us' she's referring to isn't just you and her. Her words make you blush again. You remain completely still, your vulnerable core laid bare for her gentle exploration as you let her indulge in her desires.

Shadowheart continues this tender, sweet rhythm with you. Shushing and cooing you softly as she rocks her hips back and forth. She sighs softly as her pace increases somewhat, providing more friction to your tight channel. With the same care and gentleness as a lover.

It's as if she's caressing your senses, making love to you. Each touch sends shivers down your spine, igniting a fire that burns deep within. This euphoria slowly spreads, like warm honey seeping through your veins, leaving you in a state of blissful surrender.

Submitting to her is always easier. The soft glow of her smile beckons you as she gently strokes your hair. She can be very nice when you are obedient, her voice like a soothing melody that lulls you into a sense of comfort. You can't help but imagine the way she would care for you if you remain obedient and carry her baby. Would it be so bad? The way she caresses your stomach, her touch as gentle as a feather grazing your skin, evokes a strange warmth within you. It's a tenderness you haven't witnessed before, leaving you longing for the security and affection she offers.

She gazes deeply into your eyes, searching for any trace of doubt, delving into your innermost thoughts. A smile of pure satisfaction slowly curls her lips, radiating a sense of pride. It's as if she always knew you would eventually embrace the idea of being completely hers. The weight of surrendering your entire being to her possession hangs in the atmosphere, a palpable energy that envelops you, making your heart race and your skin tingle with anticipation.

It's impossible to escape her gaze and the smile she gives you. You see the need in her to own all of you and you are so close to just yielding to it. Into yielding to her completely. You don't know if it is a conscious or unconscious decision, but you lift your legs up and wrap them around her waist and keep them there.

She moans deeply as you do, eyes fluttering a moment at how wonderful it feels for you to give in to her. "What do you need, my good girl?" She manages between breaths, arousal thick in her voice, pumping herself inside you more purposefully. Not quite hard. But not as feathery and delicate as she was before.

"I... harder... please.." You say breathless, surprised by your own words.

Shadowheart chuckles slightly and breathlessly but obliges as she grips your hips and fucks herself into you. Not too hard, though, to your surprise. She watches you, assessing if she's hurting you. She wants you both to enjoy this, to look back on this lovemaking fondly, the one that will bless you with her child.

You moan as she settles into the slightly harder rhythm, it's just the right amount and it feels good to be so full of her, how her shaft drags through your channel, how your walls cling to it.... to be filled by her again and again by her.

You keep the eye contact steady and put your hands behind her neck, lightly, carefully pulling her closer. You can feel her grip on your hips tightening as her thrusts become less controlled and composed. The moment is drawing near, and she clearly has no serious intent of drawing it out.

Excitement twinkles in her eyes as the implication almost tangibly races in her mind. "So close, love... Oh so close, and you will be mine... body and soul... all mine..." she grunts, her nails digging into your skin.

The haze of the lovemaking, how she fills your every sense, makes you oblivious to the darker implication behind her words, to her intent on making you carry her spawn. It's almost like the Dark Justiciar isn't the only one excited by the prospect, the dark corners of the room seem to be as well as shadowy tendrils seem to reach for you, seeking to engulf you in their embrace as it gradually gets darker. You're oblivious to this as well, having given into her.

Shadowheart's thrusts slow down but maintain their force and depth. "You're going to... be so... beautiful." She manages between groans as she fucks herself rough and deep into you. "Swollen..." she says and with one hard thrust she buries herself to the hilt inside you, stretching you to the limit around her cock.

Then you feel her. A wave of her warmth floods deep inside you, more than it ever has. Perhaps you're imagining it but you can almost feel the difference this time. Sense its intent to nestle deep inside your fertile womb. "And mine..." Shadowheart hisses through her teeth as she bucks her hips slowly, intent to secure every drop of her seed deep within you.

Every word leaving her lips, every thrust of her hips, is bringing your orgasm closer. You come helplessly after she hisses "Mine" and spears you to the hilt, your channel clenching around her cock and milking every drop into your depths, into your womb.

And as she holds her eyes on you, you have no doubt that this time she's succeeded...

Your body will bear her child...

Your womb and her seed will be growing an army of devoted servants of darkness in the name of Shar. 

Daughters of darkness. 

Sired by Shar's chosen. Born in the darkness of Shar’s holy place. The gathering shadows slither around the darkened room, sharing her excitement.

As the haze of pleasure fades and your mind is clearer again, you look at her with your eyes wide open, the reality of what just happened and what will happen to you hitting you hard.

Shadowheart leans down and presses a sweet, loving kiss to your lips. Moaning into your mouth as her tongue slides in. Only pulling away from the kiss to adjust your hips together, lifting your legs and holding herself inside you. Ensuring her seed not only stays inside you longer, but seeps deeper inside you. "That's it, my breedable little slut... let it settle inside you awhile."

When you slowly come to your senses, you realize what she's doing: making sure her seed is taking root inside you. The reality of the situation makes you panic again and you start to instinctively struggle, trying to get your legs free and dislodge her from inside of you, but it's all in vain.

Shadowheart tsk's and shakes her head. Your struggling barely seems to faze her. Holding you still effortlessly with her muscular arms. "My love, now's not the time to be silly. We can both feel your womb eagerly seeking my seed. Your body is obediently preparing itself for my child..." She moves a hand to stroke your cheek.

"So no more games, love... If you like, you can play hard to get with me after our... daughter is born. Yes. A girl. We'll have a little girl..."she murmurs softly, smiling warmly at the thought. Whether intentional or not, she lifts your hips even higher after it crosses her mind. You think you can feel her come pooling inside you.

Her strength and words make you give in again and you lay exhausted and compliant under her. You're trying to even your breathing and calm down, knowing that annoying her isn't wise, especially after you had just gotten to her good side.

The shadows dance in eerie harmony, their inky tendrils reaching out to embrace your vulnerable presence. You remain unaware of their insidious infiltration, as they slither through every crevice of your being. Their whispers echo in your mind, amplifying the twisted notions that sway your thoughts, pushing you to the brink of surrender.

A darkness settles behind your eyes, dimming your inner light.

You put your hand carefully on hers as she strokes your cheek. "I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me," you say submissively, looking into her eyes, offering her apologetic smile, "I am yours, now and always. It will be an honor to carry your child. Our daughter." You say, lying there with her seed deep inside you, thoughts of escape leaving your mind.

You belong to her wholly.

The shadows reward you with pleasurable shivers across your skin at the thought, caressing you all over.

Shadowheart smiles and shushes you, thumbing your cheek. "Hush, my darling. Rest now. You and our little lady will need all the rest you can get..." she purrs softly as she gently sets your legs down and very slowly draws her hips back and her softened cock out of you.

Rather than lay down beside you, she finds her trousers and slides them on before wrapping you in a blanket and lifting you into her arms. Carrying you to the door and into your new life...

[herefortheships]

What is your opinion on the Beetlejuice 2 Dream Theory?

My short answer is that it's plausible, but not likely that that's what the writers or Tim intended. That said, every viewer is entitled to their own interpretation. When a piece of media leaves the author's hands, then it doesn't belong exclusively to the author anymore; the story takes on a new form when it falls in the hands of the audience ("the death of the author is the birth of the reader" etc).

I'd have to rewatch the movie with my brain prepared to point out references that may show that everything we're witnessing as the movie plays out is not real.

As for my personal interpretation, I don't think that's the case. There was indeed a dream sequence at the end though; we have to decide, when does the dream start? Was it when Betelgeuse and Lydia were dancing in midair? (Betelgeuse does break the 4th wall to tell the audience "I love a good dream sequence", so that's possible). Or was it later after Lydia says her goodbye to Delia? I've only watched the movie once so far, so my thoughts may change when I rewatch it, but for now, this is where I think the dream starts:

I think the dream started with Lydia quitting her show. She may not have quit it at all, as a matter of fact, but her dream started with this because she's now hoping for a fresh start and quitting her show is part of what she has identified as her ideal life, going forward. She's dreaming about a perfect life, believing herself rid of Betelgeuse and Rory and her past, and starting fresh with Astrid, focused on being her mother and being there for her this time. Astrid and Lydia only have each other now after the loss of Delia and Charles, as far as family goes. All of that from that moment on is the dream. In truth, she isn't rid of Betelgeuse, and she is pretty isolated now. So she is shaken awake by the nightmare (I already made a detailed post about that, so I won't go into detail about the dream and what I think it means here). I think the dream ends when she hears/feels Betelgeuse in bed with her. Betelgeuse isn't gone and he's still very much in love with her, which may not be a very comforting thought to her just yet lol.

Now as I'm writing this, as a matter of fact, her little jumpscare when feeling Betelgeuse in bed with her might have a double meaning. Why was she dreaming about him being in bed with her? To be honest, when I first saw that in the theater I thought the wedding had gone through, since they were sharing a bed now! Lydia may be beginning to realize her feelings about Betel have changed, which understandably scares her right now. Then she wakes up again and he's gone. There is a question here, was he part of the dream or was he truly in bed with Lydia? Maybe he was there after all (which is what I personally believe).

Anyway, I am beginning to ramble, but Tl;Dr: There was a dream, but it starts when Lydia quits her job (or maybe after she quits, when she and Astrid are in vacation together).

Again, if it's the same theory I read (which I totally love and find super intriguing), it does make good points, so in short I would say it's plausible. Today I read a post about how the name "Richard" repeats in the movie in several instances, which may add to the "none of this is real, it's all a dream" theory. But to be honest, for me at least, there is more reason to believe that what we witnessed in the film did happen, and Astrid, Rory, Richard, etc are all real and part of Lydia's life.

That Lydia isn't married to Betel by the end of this film doesn't mean her feelings about him will remain as they are and that she will never accept him or even love him, though. This movie was SO a setup for a third film and I am sure of that. It was left open ended so in the event it didn't land well, the franchise could be set to rest with this sequel which was mostly a passion project for those involved, but now we know the movie was a massive hit, so it's very likely and I have no doubt we will get a final third part. There is a LOT of "the rule of three" around Betelgeuse, starting with the fact that you need to say his name three times to summon him. "Third time's a charm", you know what I mean? So I believe the final movie will see them married (yep, not just together or just friends, but married). Marriage is a very important theme in Beetlejuice, both for the series and the titular character himself, so that wedding will happen and it will go through next time, for better or worse (and I hope for better!) Again, rule of three applies here. I think the story is prime for either a soulmate story, or a tragic "true love will set you free" kind of story in which Lydia has to marry Betelgeuse in order to free his soul so he can move on (it was pointed out to me that this resembles the story of Corpse Bride, which is also a movie directed by Tim Burton). If he goes with the latter, then that doesn't mean Lydia won't love him and will just marry him to free him (as in she’s his true love but she doesn’t love him back romantically); she may still fall in love with him, but will find a way to break his attachment/curse to set his soul free and "let him go" for now (it could go either way tbh 😭), and they can still find each other in the afterlife. And wouldn't that be nice? If the two of them can move on to a better place in the great beyond in the finale? To spend eternity together in peace.

Anyway, rambling again! This is my answer. Sorry for replying a little late (and "yapping" so much lol), but trust me I was thinking about this question all day.

[drysaladandketchup]

hi! sorry you can absolutely delete this if u don’t feel like answering or anything cause this is kind of vent-y (?) and isn’t like… actually a question but i am SO annoyed at some hockey fans and how they decide to treat leon. i am german and i live in america and the way leon gets treated in fanfictions and hockey discourse gives me serious flashbacks on how i am treated here. ik leon speaks perfect english but i wish people remembered that that’s still his second!!! language!!! it’s not his native language!!! sometimes he will come across differently then he actually is!!! his words will get twisted and he will be misunderstood because it’s not his native language!!!! every time he’s described as pissy and arrogant and rude (in a genuinely rude way) a vulnerable german kid living in america dies… 😔😔😔 and then the mattdrai fanfictions (admittedly i have not read that many because im just a not a big fan of the pairing but it was one of the main ships that got me into the fandom) i just hate that he seems to be so villainized (?). i might be biased (i am) lol but i am soo sick of it rrrr sorry sorry this got way too long. you just spoke about it before so i felt like you might understand where i'm coming from. peace

Oh my dear anon, people continuing to personify Leon as arrogant, emotionless, and rude is becoming my villain origin story. I'm happy to vent alongside you. I have talked about this before, and it does still bother me when I see it. Because I'm biased too. I love this guy haha.

Just for context, I'm Canadian, born and raised, and as of yet haven't lived in another country where I've had to fluently speak a second language or adjust to a culture I was not raised with. So I am by no means someone who can speak on that experience. But I'm sorry you've faced that kind of judgment.

I've written my thoughts on this subject before, here and here, so I'll try not to rehash everything I've said in the past. But as you say anon, I do think Leon is woefully misunderstood. He himself has said he thinks he's misunderstood, and that he comes off as too direct at times, that it's, 'probably the German in me.' He speaks English perfectly well, very fluently, and he's been living in Canada so long it would be weirder if he wasn't culturally affected and adjusted in some way. But he's still very much German; socially, culturally, linguistically. You don't just lose one entirely just because you've been exposed to and entrenched in another.

Sometimes he says things that can come off differently in English than probably intended, or at least that are easily misinterpreted by a North American audience, but that's a far cry from being 'pissy', as he's been branded by fans and media alike (also as an aside even people speaking their first language get their words mixed up and twisted sometimes, so I think we should just cut everyone some more slack when speaking maybe?).

And look, admittedly I've called him bitchy at times in my tags, as a joke, because yeah like literally any other person on earth, sometimes he says or does something that is snarky or poking fun or off-brand humour. But that's not inherently bad, nor is it inherently German. That's just part of his personality, a singular behaviour in a singular moment. I don't genuinely think he's an angry or aggressive or mean person. I think he's literally just a human being with multitudes.

His occasional tone of voice or his sometimes blunt way of speaking or his sarcastic sense of humour--things that could at least in part be because of his being German but are also not at all exclusive to or ubiquitous among Germans--is why some people make him out to be this aggressive or mean-spirited person, but like... obviously that is not only not true if you pay even an ounce of attention to him beyond a few choice soundbites and clips, but it's also insulting in general. As you say, people assuming the worst of you simply because of differences in communication or expression is the farthest thing from okay. Insinuating that he's brutish or emotionless or rude because he's German is obviously bigoted. It's xenophobic. Not to mention, as you said, it just makes it that much harder for other Germans to approach this audience without fearing they'll be judged the same way.

Now, obviously I don't know the guy personally, I only know what of him is public, but he seems like the farthest thing from rude or standoffish or arrogant. He really isn't any different from any other player (skills not withstanding), but for some reason he doesn't seem to get the same leeway between his on-ice persona and his off-ice persona, or from one instance to the next. For some reason, he's held under this microscope and reduced to his 'worst' moments more than a lot of other players I've seen. He does anything without a smile on his face or makes even one joke or comment that's less than flattering (or falls flat due to language differences), he's immediately made out to be a bad guy.

And to touch on mattdrai, which I do love a lot--and it's okay if it's not something you're into anon, you don't have to justify what you do or don't like :)-- I've said before that I think Matthew and Leon aren't always written very true to life. And I totally agree with you that the issue I sometimes see with Leon's characterization is that he is written like he's arrogant and lacking in emotion (at least outwardly), sometimes even acting like some overly-aggressive bully, and that's just so far from the reality that we know. And yes, some writers, like some fans, actively point to the fact that he's German to explain that. As if that's just how all Germans are, by nature of being German. Which, as I said and as you know anon, is so many kinds of wrong and horrible.

Yes yes he does dumb things on the ice sometimes and he and Matthew (and others) have exchanged shoves and whacks and chirps over the years. But again, if folks watched literally anything with Leon outside of those moments, they'd know that those are incidents, not his whole personality. I'm not over here pretending like he's never done anything wrong or questionable or stupid, but who hasn't? He's not a villain for that. Just like he's not perfect. We're all human.

Oof sorry anon this response got away from me a bit lol. Sorry if this got a little off topic, but I am nothing if not someone who rants and rambles. This topic drives me nuts; I can only imagine how upsetting and frustrating it is for you, as a German living in America.

But my ask box is always open for venting <3

[vermillioncrown]

This is going to be a huge post because you've picked up so much of what we put down I'm just 🥰🥹

@sunshinerotting replied to your post “(@rozaceous) dpnf ch 11: housebroken”:

will be rereading immediately but i love your guys’ characters very much and the way you write the canon characters makes so much sense. the way the people in that house interact with each other is so interesting to me because if tim was actually the normal boy he thinks he is the entire balance would be thrown off. no one else could’ve done what he does in that dynamic. they’re like a jigsaw puzzle to me. i have more thoughts give me a sec

thank you so much! roz and i keep joking that this fic is now an au of an au of an au of an au... and on and on, and then it's like. what makes this still a fic and not a fully original setting and work? we had to sell readers on a lot, that these characters (outside of our SIs) were still some flavor of canon. especially, "who is the core of tim drake?" and yeah, he's so not fucking normal. but he's not obviously wacky, either.

​out of order now i don’t remember chapter numbers: when jason showed up like a huge asshole i texted my friend about it. very much “he WOULD fucking do that but by god is it PISSING ME OFF” and it was!! love that genuinely. might not be what was intended but i do think he IS odd and sad and unable to move through the cycle of grief fully enough to show back up like a haunting and not expect it to get to allie like that. zero ability to understand how loved he is. 10/10 more...

GAH to know you texted abt our fic!!!! 🥹🥹🥹 best praise tbh. and the second sell: how is jason an asshole but worth rooting for later? or at least, allowed into the enclosure lol. we might not have had it summarized as neatly as you did, but roz and i are in full agreement you Read jason here. that's exactly what we wanted, that's so much of what we take from his character in various canons.

allie reminds me of a bobcat which feels weird to say but she’s so nonthreatening outwardly and she minds her business but the second someone steps in on her people it’s like Oh. oh right. teeth and claws. when jason showed back up i felt so much for her. there was no way for her to move. korvin acts in ways similar to me, which i will examine on my own time and not in your comments. i do love how everyone in this house has their own preferred flavor of Avoidance

you also have such a read on allie, i love it. i'll leave her to roz but i'll say my piece that i sometimes get bummed that korvin's so obviously wacky + a lot of gender stuff at play (the audience/demographic of ff readers, we live in a society and all that) that make more ppl focus on korvin over allie whereas they're both equally wack. and korvin's behavior makes the most sense when taken as a convoluted male re-socialization of someone initially female-socialized but rewarded in a male-dominated space. AND both of them are AuDHD, word of god putting that out there. add on the isekai brainworms, and yeah, isekai is just an extended analogy for masking → hence the different flavors of avoidance

tim is somehow the most well-adjusted in this regard, before jason shows up maybe, and thats so crazy. tim drake. Tim Drake ????comparatively well-adjusted to anyone ??? i know i’m forgetting something so i’ll come back but writing that down genuinely through me off a little bit. lol

you also recognize that jason ranks above tim in "well-adjusted" here, god, how does it feel to be so correct. and tim is well-adjusted here! he's never had to be a vigilante! but he's also much lonelier than in canon. something that made retrospective sense while we were writing is that he fell out of liking ball sports (despite not being a desk nerd) is that...who does he have to enjoy them with in this au?

threw not through. anyway I FORGOT ABOUT RUTABAGA. I AM SO SORRY RUTABAGA. the amount of love between the characters is so important to me bc it’s always there no matter how fucked the bats are about showing it normally. the brownstone does end up feeling like a safe space like it somehow feels so easy most of the time and then when tangential forces (sorry dick) show up it’s like the air changes. but allie and korvin and tim all have such Personalities its insane it works out like that.

RUTIE BEST GIRL, forgiven lol. YES YES YES there is so much love and it's like, the love doesn't stop you from doing the work. the bats are so fucked up, and we only get a glimpse of dick and korvin's relationship where you can see the maladapted consequences on both of their parts, dick not being fully equipped to "raise" korvin and korvin wanting to be easy/convenient for dick. and korvin's deep-seated not-abandonment issues tied with family and cultural trauma/burden.

(i still stand by the "good older brother dick grayson" tag, he's just. oh there's a lot. if you read between the lines there's so much being implied for TPAC)

but having allie in this 'verse, allie and korvin together ground each other. that's why they're so co-dependent in the beginning (it's healthier at the end), that's why they still had the wherewithal to seek an outside friend, and yes, that is why the brownstone is like that. their place that they made with their own hands.

obviously jason was an issue initially (it felt redundant to write that sentence) but he’s such a necessary part of them by being 1) necessary to allie and 2) the catalyst allie and korvin needed to end up where they are. i do think ppl that important to each other need one big unavoidable conflict to avoid stagnation like obviously he was a necessary part of the story but he was a Necessary Part Of The Story. does this make sense?? four strand braid.

AND YES DUDE you literally. we were writing this and we had the vibe, but we literally did not articulate it to each other until the very end that jason's actually necessary to make all of them normal. i love everything you're saying about needing one unavoidable conflict to resolve. he is part of a four strand braid. it's so strong. it's critical. korvin still finds jason annoying and vice versa. and yet they'd both say the household contains all of them by the end.

i just like that they start off alone and end up together. that’s my thing. jigsaw puzzle. polycule of all time. i can’t think of a way in which another person would ever get that close to them the dynamics are so perfect to me. every need is accounted for. its like a perfect little box in my mind. i think thats it for now lol i’m happy you guys write together. not just bc i love it but also bc it’s so clear u guys have fun doing it and that makes me happy <3

WE MADE IT. it's one thing to prescribe "hey guys this is a polycule" but selling it? the logistics of a polycule? not so easy, and it has to be tailored to the situation and characters. not all of them are romantically/sexually involved, nor do they have straight-forward relationships (hence, qpr), so having you say it fits and they seem seamless is like. top tier praise. coherence, it's everything we've aimed for.

thank you for all of your thoughts! we do have tons of fun and that's why we love sharing what we have! and we hope to keep doing projects like this, or we'll just be at each other's side while we work on our individual fics.

[magpod-confessions]

[spoilers for tmagp18]

sam frustrates me. i won’t say i dislike him because he’s a very compelling character—although i am glad there’s more of an ensemble cast so i can follow other storylines—but the way he talks to other characters comes off as rude and patronizing to me. he’s constantly prodding at alice’s sore spots, and even in the most recent episode, 18, he is trying to be helpful/protect her but she has to lay all her cards on the table to get him to understand/back down.

i think he could’ve handled celia standing him up better, too. like, he starts off fine, and it’s a legitimate grievance, but if someone told me “just don’t make a habit of it, yeah?” i would immediately lose so much sympathy for them. it’s condescending—it doesn’t come off as “hey this hurt my feelings and i don’t want to get hurt again,” it comes off as A) assuming that we’re going on more dates, B) assuming that me standing them up would be a regular possibility instead of a one-off or emergency, and C) assuming that i need to be told that—that i won’t be able to think of it myself. like, advice instead of a request.

sam saying “that makes sense” after lena told him she didn’t have kids made me stop dead. sam does not know her well enough to be sympathetic/understand why she wouldn’t have kids, and having kids is an incredibly sensitive topic for most people. therefore, the most reasonable interpretation is that sam has evaluated her personality and life and found it lacking in the qualities he associates with motherhood, which given the sensitivity of the topic, is incredibly rude. even if he didn’t intend this, those are the implications he sent.

lastly, the extent to which he took the bonzo thing also rubbed me the wrong way. and i should be clear—i LOVED it as a story moment. seeing gwen break like that? theorizing on what it reveals about sam that he would dismiss this but accept/lean into other bits of the horror and the supernatural? delightful. but if i worked at the OIAR, where we’ve all tacitly agreed that what we deal with is real and will always be present in ways we don’t expect, and my coworker laughed at me about classic mascot/clown horror? i would go berserk. and although sam wouldn’t know this, it’s made worse because we as the audience know that this is the most vulnerable gwen has been so far.

(sorry this is so long) 🗣️

Oh yea I get that. I dont have many opinions on him but to me he comes off as autistic and is trying to relate to ppl around him and mask but it just comes off wrong lol

[stillhereandstillqueer]

TIT accessibility list!

This includes moments from the show that have loud or sudden/unexpected noises, as well as light effects such as strobe lighting (If there are any, this is To Be Confirmed), flashing lights, sudden changes in lighting, etc.

Note: I am not tagging this as a spoiler since it is accessibility-related. I do not want anyone that may be affected by this to not see it due to blocking the spoiler tag. If you have anything to add, please respond to my last post tagged with #titaccessibility, send me an ask or dm me.

Spoilers below the cut!

Loud and Sudden Noises:

1. There are several moments in the show where the crowd is expected to shout, scream and cheer loudly. Volume can't really be accounted for since crowd reactions will vary.

2. Intro to Act 1 starts with a loud and sudden noise. It's intended to catch you unaware. The noise is just after the end of the first chorus of Good Luck, Babe! by Chappell Roan.

3. I have heard that Act 2 also starts with a loud and sudden noise, although this has not been confirmed and I cannot find any information on this so far. Will update if I do.

4. The ending song gets pretty loud at the end. From what I can tell, there are 3 parts to it; Acoustic, 'boyband-esque' (if you have a better word for this part, please let me know lol) and what people have referred to as "rave music". The rave part is the loudest, with quite a loud and intense beat, and it goes on for about a minute.

Flashing Lights, Strobes, Etc:

2. There are flashing lights at various points throughout the show. The lights are set behind the big screen, so they aren't directly in your face. However, this could still cause problems for some people. It's hard to tell in videos, but Dan compared them to the flashing lights in WAD.

1. I'm still trying to figure out if there are actually any strobes in the show. Dan himself has tweeted, saying that there are no actual 'strobe effects' in the show (but there ARE flashing lights, see 2.), according to the designers. However, there WAS a warning message for "strobe lights and lasers" outside of the theatre when audience members arrived. Whether this was just the theatre covering themselves, I don't know.

Edit with new info: Apparently, there are strobes in the show according to audience members.

3. Lights flash when Dan and Phil first come on stage.

4. There is a big screen on stage that shows flashing words/lyrics throughout the show. The ending song has colourful lyrics that flash on screen fairly quickly.

5. At some point after the intermission, they point flashlights at the crowd.

----------------------------------------------------

More information would be greatly appreciated! Especially if strobes are in the show, and also sudden changes in light/the stage suddenly going dark, etc.

NOTE: I will edit this post as I get more information. Please check my blog for the latest up-to-date version. This post is tagged with #titaccessibility.

[siflshonen]

Hi there! I stumbled across your mha deep dives and I just wanted to say thank you, it really helped me understand mha a little better!

It’s frustrating being in the western fandom because a lot of the specifically Japanese ideas are unknown to a lot of the Western audience. And i get it, as a westerner myself I had very little idea as to any sort of Important Context that would be clear to Japanese readers. So I really appreciate that you took the time to even try to explain it!

With that being said, I’ve been wondering how you viewed the end of mha, and how the villains were treated. Do you think they could have been saved (or even Should have)? Could they have been redeemed? It’s so depressing for the big three (Shiggy, Dabi, and Toga) to have been teased as being able to be saved, then in the end they all just,,,die.

How do you view Izuku losing OfA? Personally, I would have thought that if he didn’t keep the power he would have become the First Quirkless Pro Hero, (there are so, SO many fanfics exploring that!), but in canon he just,,,gives up? I suppose in the collectivist view, of course he would give up. But that feels so,,,empty from a western perspective. I suppose I answered my own question of why couldn’t he be a quirkless hero lol.

I suppose I’m truly wondering how the ending of mha was supposed to be recieved, with all the cultural knowledge and everything.

I am so sorry this feels so long and disjointed, and feel free to ignore this if it doesnt make sense! (Or if you don’t have any answers, sorry for putting all this on you)

I don’t have a super well-researched and cited answer, but I can follow my heart on this one.

The only villain I’m truly sad about is Himiko, though even in that case I appreciate that she went with dignity, she went with reciprocated love, and she died as she did because it was HER choice. While I would have preferred to keep Shigaraki alive, I can’t say I miss him all that much. And besides, he regained himself and his autonomy at the end and played a part in the destruction of the thing that held him down and even the thing on which his father’s cruel house was ACTUALLY built: All for One and his meddling.

Touya’s story is tragic, but his death and the way in which it will happen is a mercy. I think it’s great when other folks imagine new endings to suit what they like, but I don’t entertain other viewpoints about his on-the-page fate.

In any case, all three of their “hearts”, if you will, were actually saved in the way most important to them. And they even got to stick it to society by refusing to give up what they wanted and be integrated into it. Death is a pretty clean and irrevocable way to separate oneself from a society, and it is an effective way to haunt the minds and hearts of those who witness those deaths and have to understand that that the person who died hated so much the idea of joining society that much.

That isn’t exactly Toya, Himiko, or Shigaraki’s character motive, but I feel like it’s worth pointing out that other cultures can view death as a kind of revenge instead of someone just trying to make the pain of existing stop. Anyway.

I kinda figured that Izuku becoming a teacher was meant to be him accepting his place in the world and indeed accepting reality now that his dream was over, which is seen as a mark of maturity to just get on with what he’s given. That Kacchan specifically spearheaded the development of his suit and was the one to hold out his hand isn’t just a character moment to show how Katsuki intends to continue to atone, I don’t think. I think it’s also because:

A) Katsuki is Izuku’s link to and representation of the quirked world, and specifically the quirked world of Heroes. He always has been, as he’s the person “closer to [Izuku] than All Might.” As long as he exists, Izuku is tethered to that world somehow and has a way to enter/re-enter it somehow.

B) Relatedly, I interpret Katsuki as an embodiment of individual will and individual’s heart’s desire continuing to remain true in the face of the collective (even after he begins to accept and work with the collective), so it makes sense that he’s the one to pursue and nurture Izuku’s “selfish” and outlandish dream of being a superhero even while Izuku himself falls in line. Put another way, Katsuki is, in many ways, an embodiment of Izuku’s heart’s desire - mostly because the two of them have the same heart’s desire.

Though, speaking as a Westerner as well, Izuku’s choices at the end of the manga don’t sit well with me, either, but this is just as much part of why I’m too much of a westerner to completely see eye-to-eye with Izuku throughout the story as it is a comment on the ending.

Most of all, I think it’s ridiculous that Hawks didn’t get Izuku’s Hero suit funded/in development the minute he took the position at the SPC, or that whatever was left of the Hero system before that happened didn’t already have it in the works. It strikes me as EXTREMELY weird.

I have other thoughts about Izuku and Katsuki’s ending, but they’re mostly reflections about other shonen manga past than anything meaningful to say here.

[ihaveforgortoomany]

Yapping about 2.2 CN livestream yippee

Disclaimer:

(Does not surprise me that the characters are white, Bluepoch is a CN company and with the gap between Global and CN versions they are more likely to cater to CN audiences than Global. Hyping R1999 as good rep with only one patch and three characters was setting up expectations. If anything we had a higher chance of getting poc characters in this patch, and only a higher chance.)

The release being just after Natlan was horrible timing tbh. Am I disappointed? yes. Surprise? no. This was the more likely outcome and after oh boy the reception will be for the patch Bluepoch should rethink future patches. People have the right to complain about this patch and Bluepoch should learn from this.

Alright other bits:

(Us getting to Brazil this quickly is probably due to Red-38, Lilya did cross the Aegean Sea in 1.9 and I think 2.1 shows it got upgraded)

Oh lawd Vertin suffering immediately, jesus being choked to death oh wow were not holding punches, you can see her actually pass out lawd. We literally cannot leave Vertin alone before someone attempts to murder her. She's already burnt her finger (thats minor), had someone reshow her trauma and now being choked to death and its only the third patch. How is she alone? With the officer maybe or spots Kimberely and chases after her/ gets cut off to end in this situation? Is this near the end of the patch story maybe? Im guessing the spy Igor talks about is that guy or he is working with the spy.

Last time Vertin was completely alone: Oranges scene with Arcana, Tuesday and the illusion and now this.

Kimberely being playable (I saw that post earlier on who she is based on why did it not click) is pretty cool, another singer character is nice. This is the literal reverse of the oranges scene with a better outcome. (Ms Grace is an engima pun intended, where is she? Shes the one Kimberely is following after so probably may hunt her or even Vertin directly)

Sophia being the leader of the new Manus interesting (I wanna see where they will go with her) (so far everyone thinks Arcana is dead but Druvis)

Lopera probably is gonna need to grow on me, so far not much (the others like Mr Duncan and the Awakened character I forgot their name drew me more), we got that Manus guy who the PV focused on probably conflict in that.

Having an Awakened similar to A Knight is a win (such a cool design)

Mr Duncan seems like a fun character (like Lopera I need a bit more)

The story being focused on Zeno is interesting (I guessed right that Zeno will get focused on in these patches) Hopefully we may get more characterisation of Lilya this time.

Sotheby potentially getting a new mentor figure from Me Duncan in that one frame like Mr Karson would be interesting.

Urd/Martha/ Bessmert is here! Deffo shes gonna pick up Vertin after she passes out, likely looling after her until she wakes up and disappears or somethin. (Vertin is gonna have questions she saw Martha disappear in the 1914 why is she here?) (Also yep deffo her mom or a relative, their hair colour looks identical)

Skins!!! Shamane, Vila and Marcus!! I don't have Shamane but Im so close to not being f2p with Vila and Marcus. Look how happy Marcus is! 37 ult looks amazing as well. So many skins this time around.

The suitcase lobby! It can change! Its so pretty! O wonder if in future patches we may get other designs, like Vienna for example?

(Candy crush lol)

The greater question is if this Chapter will be one arc or span multiple patches like the latter half of the 1.0 story?

[deadend-if]

This is just to give you guys a better idea about the game!

Where is this taking place?

The MC, A, and S will start in the city they live in together. M will also be there, but you won't meet K until Chapter One starts (sorry). Once Chapter One starts the rest of the game will be in the underworld!

The underworld? Which one?

Great question!!! All of them!!! I have taken my inspiration from... so many things. I'm sure there is a depiction out there similar to mine, nothing is original or something? It will get explained in the game but it can't hurt to give a little summary of it! The underworld is surprisingly easy to reach if you know where to look. The old doors are deep within catacombs and cave systems, but in the modern world, it becomes a problem to bring massive amounts of souls down twisting tunnels and tight passageways. So, when the subway system was implemented in big cities around the world, the denizens of the dead decided it worked for them, too. The underworld became the city of the dead, built with skyscrapers that reach toward no sky, and streetlights that have no stars to outshine. At the lowest level, souls are in turmoil, writhing in memories of people and tasks they left behind. The highest point is occupied by misty, formless wisps who have left behind everything they knew and loved to seek an audience with the Council of Rot. It's a crooked city of souls that linger on the cusp of something new, or something old. Hardly anyone knows what happens after the dead are done being, well, dead.

What kind of customization will the MC have?

You'll be able to choose your name, pronouns, gender identity (trans or not), hair color and length, eye color, height, college major, room/apartment decoration/general style, and smaller details like tattoos, freckles, glasses, etc. MC will also have different job options, though limited, along with some choices on their backstory, mostly focused on death and family dynamics. You can choose why S has a rivalry with MC, one-sided or not. I am also adding a childhood pet choice! And if you ever have an idea on something small to add to the customization feel free to let me know! I'll do my best to accommodate it, but I'm still not great with twine lol...

What are the non-customizable features of MC?

There will be limited choices for your background, job, and rivalry, but I'm hoping to leave a lot of options on the table for your MCs. That being said, your MC will always have a neutral-to-good relationship with A and a neutral-to-bad relationship with S at the beginning of the story. You will also have a set age (27) for various reasons. There might be more later, but I want to keep a lot of options on the table for you guys. The ending may seem a bit rail-roady (I don't know 100% yet) so I want to leave a lot of wiggle room for other things.

Personality Stats? Skill checks?

Yeah, so there won't really be "skill checks" in the typical sense, whoops. This story will have personality choices and some other variables that will change the game, but there won't be any failing/passing checks or rolling dice. MC's personality stats will affect flavor text and it will be the classic types like stoic, cheerful, shy, bold, etc. Your most game-changing stats are going to be MC's feelings on death and attachment to living. You determine A's fate, and maybe everyone else's, too. Who knows? :)

On the topic of NSFW and RO asks

The main reason I'm not including NSFW in this IF is because I genuinely don't think it would fit well in the plot at any point. That plus the fact that I, myself, am asexual... I don't think I could even begin to do it justice lol. It would be just... cringe guys, you wouldn't even want it. I can't really say anything though, I'm writing romance while also aromantic :/ I intend to keep this blog and the story away from anything NSFW. While I, personally, don't care about those asks, I want to create a space without NSFW topics. I'm also wary of people asking NSFW questions about asexual characters (Mortimer/A). Romance/SFW asks/scenarios/prompts about worldbuilding or ROs are totally fine, and I will be sososo happy to answer them.

Updates and Timeframe

Guys... I hate to break it to you... but I may be slow on the updates (shocking, I know). I want to write as much as I can, but I am also a college student writing this on a whim. I love this story, I've been thinking about it and scribbling ideas for it for about 2 years now. I don't want to abandon it, but there may be long stretches of silence sometimes. I WILL say something if it goes on hiatus or goes dark completely, I won't leave you hanging! This story will go through a lot of changes, I change my mind about things all the time, so you may be getting a lot of random updates of me changing (seemingly) unimportant things, sorry in advance. Lowkey might take years to write this :)

This will update with time! :D

[xaviers-home-for-wayward-pokemon]

Hi there :) Is there a reason this blog died? is it harder to get shinies in scarvio? or just busy irl? no worries ofc! im truly just curious! i miss you guys! i miss the gen 7 era lol :'3

Hi there, Nonny. There is not an easy answer to this question, and unfortunately it involves breaking my biggest rule with this blog and steering away from pure positivity. I'm happy to share the story if you want to read on, though.

TW for family member death, therapy trauma, and friendship ending.

I always had a tradition of doing a big giveaway around the December holidays and then taking some time off for the new years. Generally I'd try to get back into giveaways no later than February since that's Mewtwos "birthday" and it would be a yearly tradition to give away versions of this blogs mascot.

In December 2019, my mom passed away.

There is no good time to lose your mom, but there is most definitely a worst time. Five days before Christmas, one year after the death of your father, two weeks after the birth of her one and only grandchild (following years of fertility issues between myself and both of my siblings), one month after her retirement, and one month before a massive family vacation that was meant as a Christmas gift she never opened ... Well that's pretty much the worst time. She was in near perfect health but her death was the result of a car accident, and she did not leave any form of will. I don't know if it's possible to explain how much work it is to deal with probate, burial, and associated lawsuits on top of mourning the death of one's own mother. Needless to say, it's a lot.

My sister lived in another state at the time and was busy with her newborn, and my brothers disabilities prevented him from contributing much to the situation, meaning the only one who was able to handle things was me.

Which unfortunately meant pokemon giveaways had to be put off for longer, and as expected, it's pretty hard to write pep talks in that state of mind.

For obvious reasons, I started going to therapy. While there I expressed interest in wanting to do giveaways again, and my therapist encouraged it. I even purchased a hackable switch with the intention of finding a way to hack the newer gen mons, but figured I could use the old action replay for the old gens until I got that figured out. A small handful of you may recall this is when I started streaming; in part, it was too reach a wider audience, and in part to encourage more engagement. Unfortunately, engagement in the giveaways only decreased, and that's on top of the hacking taking twice as long with the need to mass transfer between the 3DS and Switch.

During this time I actually quit my job, because being executor of my mother's estate became a full time focus and I was fortunate enough to have a supportive partner to encourage me. Not to mention, well, we all know what happened in 2020 to make working more difficult for everyone.

Before long, I realized that doing giveaways had become a chore. No longer was it work that brought joy to myself and others, it felt like an obligatory burden. It was no longer fair to put so much pressure on myself over something that was meant to be fun, and with everything else I was dealing with, it was time to be fair to myself.

However, I did not originally intend to abandon this blog indefinitely, and thought at least I would keep up the daily pep talks.

Now I want to be clear: I am not anti therapy. In fact I encourage anyone who can to seek professional help whenever the situation calls for it. I will not go into any further details besides this: I actually have some trauma regarding therapy. It makes seeking out and opening up to therapists very difficult, and it's something I've struggled with since childhood. So when the therapist I had (who I felt was working well) left the practice and I was assigned a new one, it was not a good mix. Especially when the new therapist wanted to focus on things I felt were irrelevant and/or non-issues.

One of the unforseen "advantages" to having barriers between yourself and professional help is that you get pretty good at helping yourself. The reason why I enjoyed writing this blogs pep talks is because they were often words I used to encourage myself, and it brought me joy seeing them encourage others. At this point in my journey, I had to focus exclusively on helping myself, and that carried the consequence of no longer being able to help others. After all, if I do not care for myself, then eventually, there will be nobody to care for anybody.

Another factor came into play at this time. Many of you noticed this blog changed names from Vales Home to Xaviers Home. At first I said this was because the new mod team shifted focus away from the original "lore" of the blog and that a focus on our mascot as opposed to one member of the mod team made more sense (keep in mind, when it started, the blog was equal parts giveaways and fanfiction/RP). While this is true, it is only part of the truth. The fact of the matter is, Vale and I had a falling out. Vale was legitimately one of my dearest, closest friends who I felt I could turn to for anything, and the decision to end the friendship was one of the hardest choices I've ever had to make. While I do not regret the decision, it does make looking back on this blog a little bittersweet.

At the end of the day, there is not one reason why this blog died. My own personal turmoil, trauma, Nintendo's decisions, and a general shift in the community combined to make running this blog a burden too great for me to bear. While I have no intention to start it up again, I also cannot bring myself to delete the blog. The happy memories and positivity it generated during its time is worthy of preseveing, in my opinion.

I also do not want you to think my life has been pure turmoil over the past five years. On the contrary, I think I am in a better place now than I was in 2019. I went back to school and started a new career. I now work in a hospital helping people in real life instead of online. I overcame a lifelong phobia of driving and bought a car. I rediscovered a love for crafting, and have taken up new hobbies in driving to craft fairs, camping, and nature photography. I ended 2019 miserable working a dead-end sales job and mourning the death of my mother. I am ending 2024 with a thriving career, a joyous hobby, and a big group of supportive friends both old and new.

While I am not active on this blog, my main is still very much alive and you're welcome to follow me if you don't mind largely video game shit posting interspersed with occasional writing or photography. Also, even though the discord server associated with this blog is inactive, I am still on and using discord should you ever wish to chat.

I am beyond glad if this blog ever sparked joy for you. If you read all of this, thank you for staying by my side. If you didn't, that's okay too.

And remember: Xavier loves you. ♥️

-Typhon ( @typhonserpent )

[sclfmastery]

Quickfire hot take but, even though I totally grasp each of us having favorite regens of the doctor and the master, both individually and together, as symbols of their ever-evolving positions along their personal and relationship journey.... I will never ever understand fan (or canon...) portrayals that draw such a sharp line of favoritism from the characters themselves.

Missy said "they're all the Doctor to me" when recalling a memory to Clara, and to me that encapsulates the enduring nature of their intense bond. To me that is THE line. Regeneration is a form of death and rebirth, but certain core traits are immutable, particularly to two people who are narrative foils, who have known each other for centuries (or possibly millennia) and keep being thrown together by fate again and again and again.

Bottom line is, every Doctor is the same person, and so is every Master. Acting as though one of them only cares for select versions of the other is just so strange to me. They aren't us. To them, it's just like loving (or hating, or both) someone through the eras of their life. Their same life, broken down into stages od evolution and devolution. It's the same person.

I can point to the exact episode (a lol very polarizing episode in Series 10) where I think this "they're not the same person from face to face" trend got exponentially more pronounced, but anyone who knows me knows what that episode is. I truly believe it's a disservice to every version of every Doctor and Master involved.

And I really don't think that Spydoc, which came soon thereafter, is just the playing-out of the consequences of a MASSIVE miscommunication between soul mates. It IS that, but not JUST. I think all of the writing about Thoschei that followed the exacerbating episode was trying to force this inaccurate distortion, this illusion of separateness, which is part of what made the events in Power of the Doctor so painful to Thoschei fans. The Doctor walked away from the Master (literally and figuratively, ironically inviting his inevitable despair--and her own demise) partly out of understandable hurt and rage and caution, but also out of a cold, repulsed misunderstanding: "Missy was willing to change and you regressed, you're a different person than she was, and you have angered me to the point of indifference; I am able to turn off caring about you because you are unrecognizable from her, the version of you that I could control save."

Maybe Whittaker's response is intended by Chibnall: we're supposed to recognize that she's wrong but HAS to be in order to survive another betrayal by the Master, which is what makes it all so tragic.

But I think fan reception has taken the whole thing ( "each Doctor and each Master is an entirely discrete self-contained being") too far, and it bothers me, so much, I think, because it's a trope that enforces the idea that love is transactional and contingent (in such a way that also perhaps unwittingly targets the socially, culturally, and economically marginalized). If you're the "good, small, manageable version" of yourself, then you're easier to love, and it's worth the investment. Otherwise, "you gambled and you lost," and you deserve to die lying in the filth of your own poor decisions. I get why that's an appealing, vindicting plot device, from the POV of an audience member who has felt hurt or even abused IRL. I understand it, I've BEEN the Doctor many times. It just doesn't sit well with me. Maybe that's just me. I could be at peace with that, as a Whovian :P.

But, in-universe, it's based on a premise that's factually erroneous! Dhawan's Master IS Missy IS Delgado IS Simm IS Jacobi IS Ainley IS Roberts IS Beevers etc etc etc. Just as Whittaker's Doctor is a RESPONSE to Capaldi's, but ALSO still IS Capaldi's. And Tennant's. And Baker's (x2). And Eccleston's. And Gatwa's. And Pertwee's. Etc etc. Dhawan's Master was the Prime Minister of the UK and also made chairs that eat people and also cried remembering the names of people she killed. It's the SAME PERSON.

Lol, not quickfire at all. It's an old bone to pick, I know. I just can't stop finding the whole trope...very itchy.

(ok to reblog...dunno if anyone would, LOL, but feel free to reblog and to comment).

I'm gonna tag some ppl I know I've chatted about this with before to see if there are new insights. And feel completely free to disagree with me on any count. @natalunasans @mostincrediblechange @drummingncise @modernwizard @nickcagestrufflehog @rearranging-deck-chairs @koschei-no-more @likeacharacterinamusical

[queenlua]

ok this two-act history of "us politicians being schmaltzy/goofy about their dogs" had me in stitches

Nixon Agonistes referenced "Checkers speech" a couple times, right? so i have to go look it up, and:

The Checkers speech or Fund speech was an address made on September 23, 1952, by Senator Richard Nixon (R-CA), six weeks before the 1952 United States presidential election, in which he was the Republican nominee for Vice President. Nixon had been accused of improprieties relating to a fund established by his backers to reimburse him for his political expenses. His place was in doubt on the Republican ticket, so he flew to Los Angeles and delivered a half-hour television address in which he defended himself, attacked his opponents, and urged the audience to contact the Republican National Committee (RNC) to tell it whether he should remain on the ticket. During the speech, he stated that he intended to keep one gift, regardless of the outcome: a black-and-white Cocker Spaniel that his children had named Checkers, thus giving the address its popular name.

oh my god. "uwu why are u hating on me & my kids for loving our adorable dog." gotta love some emotionally manipulative campaigning lol

anyway, later on, wikipedia tells us: "The idea for the Checkers reference came from Franklin D. Roosevelt's Fala speech, given eight years to the day before Nixon's address, in which Roosevelt mocked Republican claims that he had sent a destroyer to fetch his dog, Fala, when Fala was supposedly left behind in the Aleutian Islands."

which inspired ANOTHER click and. here's the FDR quote

These Republican leaders have not been content with attacks on me, or my wife, or on my sons. No, not content with that, they now include my little dog, Fala. Well, of course, I don't resent attacks, and my family don't resent attacks, but Fala does resent them. You know, Fala is Scotch, and being a Scottie, as soon as he learned that the Republican fiction writers in Congress and out had concocted a story that I'd left him behind on an Aleutian island and had sent a destroyer back to find him – at a cost to the taxpayers of two or three, or eight or twenty million dollars – his Scotch soul was furious. He has not been the same dog since. I am accustomed to hearing malicious falsehoods about myself ... But I think I have a right to resent, to object, to libelous statements about my dog.

amazing. omg. "pivot to talking about dog" is apparently a tried-and-true maneuver in the political playbook lmao

bonus round: learned that Biden's dog is not the first presidential dog to go around biting people:

Major is not the first presidential dog to have biting incidents. In separate incidents, Franklin D. Roosevelt's dog Major (who was also a German Shepherd) bit United States SenatorHattie Wyatt Caraway, and attacked Prime Minister of the United KingdomRamsay MacDonald, tearing MacDonald's pants off.[19][20][21]Theodore Roosevelt's bull terrierPete bit numerous people, even tearing the pants off of ambassador of France to the United StatesJean Jules Jusserand.