#but once i realized all these parallels were there i couldn't stop thinking about them

[landoftheway]

Doing my first playthrough of FE: 3 Hopes now that I finished Elden Ring, and I realized my brain was even bigger than I thought for basing my Tarnished on Edelgard:

I initially made that decision to create both a parallel and a contrast to Ranni since that was far and away my favorite ending and she’s my favorite Elden Ring character. Both Ranni and Edelgard are bisexual women obsessed with overthrowing the status quo for the sake of a better future even if it means committing evils in the present. However whereas Ranni is associated with ice, magic, and a blue and white color scheme, my Tarnished by the end of the game becomes associated with fire, strength, and a red and gold color scheme. Ranni tends to take an indirect path to her goals; plotting from the shadows, acting through multiple agents, and perfectly willing to deceive if necessary. My Tarnished instead always takes a direct path to her objectives, relying first and foremost on her own strength (with the very occasional ally when the opportunity presents itself), and is honest to a fault. I’d like to think within the more unstated aspects of Elden Ring’s narrative that the two wind up drawn together because of both their similar goals and all of the above differences.

However, I realized that this basis for my character actually worked diagetically in more ways than I’d initially realized. I used the Hero class to build my Tarnished since it’s what was the most optimal to get the final stat spread I needed, but it actually makes a lot of sense for my character along with her Aristocrat descendance. Like Edelgard my Tarnished is from a noble family who experienced a trauma in their relative youth (exile from the lands between in the Tarnished’s case) which would go on to shape their desire to seek power to overthrow the status quo that caused that trauma in the first place. Given that the Hero class is described as “a stalwart Hero, at home with a battleaxe, descended from a badlands chieftain”, if we treat that descendance as being more metaphorical in this case I’d like to think my Tarnished after their exile specifically chose to emulate Hoarah Loux. His leadership of the other Tarnished, overwhelming power, and belief in the right of those who’ve obtained power to rule would definitely appeal to my Tarnished, and would thus explain why they show up in the Lands Between in badlands attire and wielding an axe (she’d also probably look up to Nepheli Loux for much of the early game after meeting her for similar reasons).

The way my Tarnished would develop as I pursued my final build also works diagetically. She starts with a crude battle axe whose associated Ash of War is Wild Strikes, reflecting her likewise crude imitation of the person she’s chosen to emulate to grow stronger. As she gets stronger she switches to using a greataxe with the Ash of War Lion’s Claw along with a hodgepodge of more weighty armor, showing her improvements in both strength and skill as well as her pursuit of an identity and strength distinct from just emulating Hoarah Loux. By the time she’s fought through Leyndell and decided to burn the Erdtree with Melina, my Tarnished has at last settled on the Gargoyle’s Halberd with the Ash of War Flaming Strike; the slight change in style of weapon reflects her settling on her own fully distinct style of combat and way of life, the fire ability is a parallel to her now directly blasphemous actions against the Golden Order while still tying into her core belief in personal strength (and also creates a parallel with how Edelgard is able to imbue her axe with fire in 3 Hopes), and her final armor set is a mix of different once-noble warriors (Leyndell Knight Greaves, Cleanrot Knight Gauntlets, Radahn’s Lion Armor, and a Great Horned Headband) sharing a motif of gold accented by red (again, tying back to burning the Erdtree and the creation of something truly new from the old).

All of this of course culminates in the fight with Godfrey. Like him my Tarnished is fighting for the sake of her god-queen to put the old order of the world to bed, but quite clearly the Age of Stars she’s fighting for is fundamentally distinct than anything Godfrey would make with Marika at his side once more. And more directly apparent, by this point my Tarnished has surpassed him in martial ability with an axe-like weapon to the extent that he has to stop acting as a lord at all and revert back to fighting as the real Hoarah Loux (who I’d presume my Tarnished never saw given the presence of Serosh during Godfrey/Hoarah’s time leading the Long March of the Tarnished). So by the end my Tarnished has surpassed both the figure she idolized and who he truly was by finding her own identity and strength.

[saltymongoose]

Hi coming in with another silly idea Imagine that the Player is in early Nevada, and around the time Nexus is supposed to fall they fall into a type of coma. Jeb goes through with his plan (painfully without the player by his side), Hofnarr turns into Tricky with his last thoughts begging for the Player to come back. Phobos' fight being much more easy due to the fact he thinks his god abandoned him. Then the Player comes back like "hey sorry about that" and Jeb starts wailing while Tricky goes YIPPEE and runs around them like an excited dog.

Why is everything you draw so cute omg 😭, everyone is so adorable here. It's honestly a little weird to see the Employers look so huggable, I love it.

To actually get into the scenario though, my thoughts on this are far too long to make it into a normal ask response, so you're getting some sort of unofficial hcs instead lol. Enjoy!

<The Player Falls into a Coma before the Fall> ft. Jebus, Hofnarr/Tricky, the Employers & Phobos

(TW: Yandere)

There was no warning for your sudden coma whatsoever. At most, you felt a tad more exhausted than usual at the end of the day, but this can be attributed to many different things, so of course you wouldn't worry about it. Neither would anyone else either, for that matter.

You had absolutely no idea that when you slowly fell asleep that night, you wouldn't be waking up again for a very long time.

It certainly wouldn’t take long for those you know to find out about your condition either. For one, Hofnarr and Jeb would want to recap their plan with you before going through with it, so naturally they stopped by for that. However, they find you unconscious and completely unresponsive to their every attempt to wake you. To make matters worse, there isn't a sign that you'd been awake at all in the past few days; the buildup of dust on your furniture and the letters in your mailbox shows as much.

Despite their worry, they’d eventually have to leave your side, if only to get more medical supplies and other things to help you. This opens up a window for the others in your life to finally take action, those being the Employers.

The shadowy figures had been keeping tabs on you all the time, so when you just didn't wake up, they would probably be the first to know - even if their actions came second to the Nexus Scientist's.

(You didn’t send the Deliberator a “good morning” text and he started panicking. What could possibly be so bad that you didn't speak to him? A cursory call to the worried AAHW agents the Auditor had sent to tail you was proof enough that you'd deviated from your usual schedule, and you weren't the type to ever be late.)

They were quick to take you from your home and to a more secret place, so that they could keep close observation over you.

Honestly, despite how much the Employers might brag about knowing you better than anyone else (a privilege they gained from being the first to realize your existence), they truly know little about your anatomy. However, they can tell that sleeping for full days isn't normal at all, judging by your previous behavior.

They're also far too stubborn to ask any other mortals for help as well, so they simply resigned to try to help you themselves while keeping you safe with them. They couldn't do much else, so hopefully you'd understand that once you awoke in a strange place.

Nevada rots without your guidance and the grunts you were close to were left reeling by this (unintentional) abandonment you committed.

Phobos loses much of his drive due to his own emotional frailty as he grappled with his uncharacteristic self-doubt and questioning. As it happens, this also makes him more zealous as well. In his last moments, he has a second wind, believing that if he just fights hard enough, you might decide to come back and help him in his battle against Christoff. (But you don't. You couldn't.)

Jebus' feelings are surprisingly parallel to the Director's in terms of worship and near zealotry. Except, he believes it might be his fault that you left, which only increases the fervor he has to complete his plans. It will be painful without you there, but this agony is his repentance for the sins which he has wronged you with. It is only through this that he believes you might show your presence once more, even if it’s not now.

Unfortunately, Hofnarr's transformation into Tricky was just as painful as it would be otherwise, and the pain of abandonment just makes it worse. Funny, how the pictures taken of you with him and Christoff were miraculously unscathed within Hofnarr's lab even after Tricky came to be. The zombified clown must have found some value in them, even if he couldn’t remember the complete reason why he felt so warm when he looked at them.

Of course, you did actually awaken eventually. You had no idea how much time had passed when you woke up, so seeing the Employers look so uncharacteristically worried when you woke up was really odd. You honestly think they’d be weepy if they had the ability to cry.

You really didn’t know how to react to the news that you’d essentially been in a coma for thirty years. Your first course of action is to find Jeb and Tricky to find out what actually happened since you feared your early appearance might’ve had an impact on the timeline regarding Nevada’s fall. This leads to very different reactions.

Jeb isn't one to typically show much vulnerability, but seeing you again completely shatters those walls he's kept up for so long. At first, he thinks you're just a hallucination; the culmination of all the longing he has for you finally taking its toll on his broken mind as almost a cruel joke. 

The first words he speaks to you after thirty years is a short, "You're not real", said as more of an insistence to himself than anything. But when he comes closer and you don’t disappear, and he reaches out a trembling hand to rest lightly on your shoulder, and you stay, he just breaks. The warmth of your form washes over him like it used to, and suddenly he feels an uncomfortable tightness well up in his throat as tears gather in his eyes.

You reach up to hold his taller form closer to you, sinking to the ground with him as he buries his face into your neck and sobs. His hold on you is soft, and his hands are still shaky; he's holding you like he's scared of shattering you, and he only gets weaker when you whisper soothing words and apologies to him.

Compared to Jebus, your meeting with Tricky was a lot more upbeat. It’s probably because he was spared much of the reflection and sorrow that Jeb went through due to his rather unstable mental state, but that didn’t stop him from somehow recognizing you. It’s almost like a switch flipped in his mind, and he went from violently slamming his sign into some poor grunt's face to freezing at the sight of your face.

He then tosses the sign away and almost launches himself at you to envelop you in a tight bear hug, screaming excitedly while you grin back rather tiredly. (You hope your eardrums will be okay after this.) But in the next second, he's whirling away from you, flailing his hands as he continues to talk.

It’s like being greeted by your dog after being away for months; he never stops moving or asking hurried questions about where you’ve been, intermittent with little words about how much he’s missed you.

Both Jeb and Tricky are very clingy after this. Even if they don't get along now, they're not willing to let you leave their sides after this, especially not when you go to sleep. (What if you fall into a coma again? Someone has to be there to take care of you.)

Deep down, they also have a striking suspicion that someone was behind your coma. They didn't know who exactly, but there was no other explanation to them than this. How else would you, Nevada's most powerful being, fall into such a state?

(In the near future, when you come across Hank and the others, let's just say that your scientists won't be deterred from leaving your side quite so easily. You'd been gone for thirty years, so you should only expect their companionship to remain more permanent for the coming years.)

[my-mt-heart]

Thoughts on TBOC 204

This was supposed to be it. The episode we all celebrated. The one that would make the setbacks worth it and set the stage for the proper Caryl spinoff we've been waiting for since it was first announced in 2020. Not only did it NOT achieve any of that, it was one of the most painful "Caryl" episodes to get through, even more so for me than "Find Me" in the flagship show. That's saying something. I couldn't bring myself to watch 204 a second time (the first time was pirated I must point out again), and frankly, I think a second watch would only make me look for the benefit of the doubt somewhere, which this episode doesn't deserve. The below is my gut reaction...

The reunion itself was sweet. I loved Carol's choked sob and Daryl's long pause as he tried to figure out if she was real. I loved the running, the crying, and the face touching. It was the best display of who Caryl are as a couple/duo and who McReedus are as acting partners in the whole season. But it's a gimmick. A far less impactful nod to the Terminus reunion that plays out in a vacuum. It doesn't allow for any character growth and it doesn't last long enough for the already reduced impact to hold.

Isabelle's death stifles Caryl's reunion, the one thing that fans were dying to see. Zabel couldn't let them have the space they deserved because even he knows the most organic next step would be Caryl going canon. So he interrupts it as quickly as he can at the expense of another female character's and female actress' dignity, which unfortunately also colors the rest of Caryl's arc together. They can't even have an arc to themselves, nor experience any growth because they have to react to that death. Nothing about Daryl's behavior in the aftermath suggests that Daryl "loves" Isabelle the way Zabel and his mouthpieces characters want us to believe, but it still looms large. For Carol, it means that "her Daryl" found (and lost) somebody else, which is heartbreaking not only for her but for her fans who watched her literally go the distance for this man. Meanwhile, Daryl's mind is occupied with concerns and/or guilt over Laurent being in danger/having nobody else that he doesn't even take the time to acknowledge just how fucking far Carol has come for him and how unfounded his fear of being forgotten was. On the contrary, he's the one who let himself forget about her.

What Carol said on the radio is another thread that gets upended because of Daryl's twisted priorities. As they're looking for Laurent, he asks her in passing about who came back as if he didn't spend all of S1 worrying about it. Carol says it was "a feeling," but when she starts to open up about her struggles, Daryl stops her because he picked up Laurent's trail. That's one of many times in just this one episode that Daryl treats Carol like shit, like he isn't even Daryl anymore because the real Daryl is always attentive, even if he's mad at her for something, he always worries about her, and he always tries to put her first.

Caryl are meant to parallel the old couple they meet up with, I realize that, and I also see the beats that are meant to make us wonder if there's something more between Caryl than friendship, particularly when Carol watches the couple dance and her eye wanders to Daryl very subtly and the beat where the man calls them out for acting like a literal "old married couple." But the parallels get murky and once again, they're eclipsed by Isabelle's death and what she may have meant to Daryl. I guess I'm really tired of parallels in general. Don't give me parallels to Caryl. Give me Caryl beats that move their relationship forward.

I'm sorry to say that I did not enjoy Caryl's banter this episode. It wasn't playful or cute. Most of the time, Daryl was just being a dick to Carol. I think the idea of Daryl having a new family raises her insecurities, and at one point she suggests that Daryl is afraid he'll end up like her, meaning he'll lose his child. Daryl's response is that he isn't afraid of that at all, but Norman's delivery is strange. I can't tell if he's being genuine or if he's mocking her.

Caryl's chemistry is definitely off, and I think some fans are not sure how to reconcile that with the annoyingly subtle "teases" of more. To me, the vibe reminds me of a divorced couple and I kept getting the impression that Daryl is hanging on to some resentment about whatever transpired between them before he left. I think there's a story there, but I do not believe Zabel and the other stooges are open to exploring it. We need a competent showrunner for that.

Daryl's line to Carol that "he never ever stopped trying to get home to her," packs a punch, but not in the way I was hoping. Instead of being Carol's man of honor who shows his devotion to her (something this woman needed), it feels dirty, like a husband who got caught cheating and tries to tell his wife that he was thinking about her the whole time. That sentiment is repeated when Carol hands him the wooden figurine that Judith made for him. My heart shattered for Carol in both of these scenes because she deserves the "only man to make her feel safe" and he just isn't there. I don't know who is, but it's not Daryl and it makes me sad for him too. I miss the real Daryl.

As always, Melissa puts on an incredible performance. So does Clemence. I'm glad they got to act together at least in one scene, but the story doesn't do either of them justice. It's misogynistic, it's hurtful, it's baffling. Where the fuck is the Caryl spinoff we were promised? This isn't it.

[rjncore]

Parallel Hearts

pairing: yuki ishikawa x female oc

published: september 24, 2024

disclaimer: I didn't have enough time to proofread this, so I apologize for some mistakes!

Living in the same city, Yuki and Hana go to the same school. Being a reserved and calm guy, he didn't have any close friends. Not until he met Hana who's seemingly living just in the same street as him, walking alone to go to school. Being a shy guy, he can't approach her. But he still walked behind her and Hana noticed it.

"Hey? Are you following me? Who are you?" Hana asked, with his eyebrows raised.

Yuki, shrugging his shoulders said, "Me? Following you? I'm not."

But Hana was having none of it. She's been walking for five minutes now, and he's still following her. "Liar! You can't fool me."

So then, she tried to walk faster and Yuki was left dumbfounded.

As Yuki entered the classroom, he still couldn't stop thinking about what happened earlier. He doesn't interact with girls a lot but he knows that there's something different and unique with that girl. She looks aloof in his eyes, someone who doesn't have any friends. And it's true, Hana isn't a typical girl that's friendly and cheerful. She's cold and distant with other people.

Lunch time came, and Yuki went to the cafeteria to buy some snacks. His eyes roamed around the place, finding her amidst the busy and noisy crowd. A few moments later, he noticed someone who was sitting alone, reading a book with earphones on while eating snacks. It was her, the girl he met earlier in the morning. With no hesitation, he walked towards her seat after buying snacks. He sat beside her, but with some distance between the two of them. Yuki was munching his snacks and she still didn't notice that someone was sitting beside her. Not until he accidentally dropped his bottled juice on the floor, since he was fooling around with it to get her attention.

"You? Again? Who are you?" Hana asked in a serious tone, with her arms crossed.

Scratching the back of his neck, Yuki explained, "I-I'm not following you! I just figured out earlier while walking that we're going to the same school."

"Okay then. Now, you can leave so I can have some peace reading this book" she then tried to push him away from his seat. But she can't, because he's way taller than her.

"I'll leave you now if you'll tell me your name." Yuki clarified, with both of his hands slightly raised up.

Hesitant at first, but there's nothing of a big deal sharing your name to a school mate, right? Maybe this time, she could be nice to someone for once.

"I'm Hana. And you're?"

"Yuki. Ishikawa Yuki" he answers, with a sincere smile on his face.

Later that day, Yuki's classes finished early. And as he was exiting the school's gate, he saw Hana again, alone. He approached her.

"Hey, Hana!" as he greeted her brightly.

Hana couldn't help but react and look at him. "Oh. H-hi, Yuki" the awkwardness evident in her voice.

They walked on the way home together and when they're already nearing her house, she then realized, "Wait, do you live nearby? Why did you walk me home?"

"W-well, I live at the end of this street. You can see a house there, that's ours." Yuki, pointing his fingers at the direction.

It went like that for days, they would walk together to go to school, eat at the cafeteria, and then walk together again on the way home. As someone who doesn't easily trust people, Hana became comfortable in Yuki's company. All her life, she didn't have any friends because of her cold personality. Rather than being the center of attention, she would often stay in the background as a nobody. But with Yuki's presence, she felt warmth. One time, as they were walking together on the way home, Yuki asked her something. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but is there a reason why you have a cold personality?" To be fair, even her parents don't know why she's like this, she's the only one who's aware of it. But Hana answered wholeheartedly, "Would you believe if I tell you that there's no reason? This is just the way I am." Yuki was staring at her intently, then tapped her shoulder and answered, "Of course, I understand. It's better if you don't need to pretend to be someone that you are not, just for people to like you."

In that moment, Hana finally felt what it's like to be understood by someone. At first, even she couldn't seem to fully understand why she was acting in this way. She always tried her best to change to gain friends, but couldn't. However, she has now come to accept the fact that she is a nobody — someone who is cold, distant, and a nerd. Nothing outstanding as she always considered herself.

Yuki then continued, "You don't need to change yourself to be seen and noticed. In someone else's eyes, you are special the way you are"

Tears started forming in Hana's eyes that she couldn't help herself but to hug Yuki. She was comforted not just because of what he said. It's also because, despite her first attempts at pushing him away, he consistently made an effort to understand her.

The ordinary walks together became memorable because of meaningful talks, where they talked about almost everything including their dreams in life.

"Since you don't pay much attention at school and you may not know, but I'm a member of the school's volleyball team. That's why I want to be a successful volleyball player in the future." Yuki elaborated.

"Oh, so that explains why you're tall. I remember during our encounter at the cafeteria." Hana said, looking up at Yuki.

"You couldn't completely push me away because you're so small” he jokingly teased her, as she claimed, “I'm not small, you're just too tall. Duh!"

"Okay then, if you think so. Anyways, how about you? What's your dream?" he asked.

"I don't have a specific dream in life. All I want is to be genuinely happy." Hana replied.

They grew closer as they spent more time together. They are now best friends. Hana would watch whenever Yuki has a training, and waits for it to end so they could go home together. When she's busy reading books at the library, he would accompany her. These moments that they shared together are special for both of them. Yuki has never treated a girl like this before because of his rather reserved nature, and Hana never experienced being close to someone like this.

A few months quickly passed by, and they'll be taking on a new journey. They're finally in college. They decided to part ways, and go to different universities. Despite that, they remained in contact with each other. This is when huge changes start to happen in their lives.

Yuki got an offer from the Japan National Team. Opportunities like these don't come often, and it's a huge step for his dreams. He decided to leave a message to Hana to ask for an advice, "Hey, I've been called up to the Japan National Team. What do you think I should do?" He wanted to accept the offer as soon as he got it, but he needed her to know about it first. Moments later, Hana saw the message while she was at the library. She knew this is what Yuki wanted, it's his dream. But if he accepts the offer, they might drift away from each other and they will be busy with their own lives. She deeply contemplated before typing and sending the message, "Accept it. It's your dream. I'll support you on that." Of course, she will support him because they're bestfriends. But for some reason, she still felt heavy on her chest. Lately, she's been feeling different towards him. She feels empty and she missed the times that they've spent together when they were still going to the same school. But she determined that crossing the line wouldn't be a great idea, especially now that he will have a big responsibility to fulfill. They already talked about their dreams before, she knows how much he wants this so despite the lingering pain in her heart, she will still support him. It's for the better, as they don't want to ruin what they have for now.

A year has passed, Yuki got busy because he's juggling his time between being a volleyball player and a student. Hana on the other hand, completely immersed herself in studying. They contact each other less often now. The usual long exchanges of messages on the phone about how each other's day went became casual short talks. He gained popularity shortly after being a new member of the national team so interacting with many people, especially girls happens frequently now. He would be teased during his TV appearances with his teammates about what his ideal type is. He would mostly say that he prefers women who are ambitious so that they would understand each other. She watched all of his TV appearances and interviews and she noticed that he changed a lot. She scrolled all over social media, only to see people speculating about his love life.

“Does she have someone in mind when he was asked about his ideal type?”

“He's a good looking guy, it's impossible that he doesn't have any special someone.”

Hana couldn't help but be affected by these comments, she was curious as well. So she asked Yuki about it. "Hey, did you see the comments about you lately? What's that about?"

But days quickly passed, and he didn't reply to her message. "Is he really that busy now?" Hana mumbled to herself. He has changed a lot, and it's because of volleyball. Nowadays, she doesn't know much about him, except for the tidbits that were shared during his TV guestings. As she was getting ready to leave for her classes, she took a quick glance at her phone to check the time. And she saw someone left a message – it was him. "Hana, I'm sorry that I haven't been able to reply to your messages lately. I'm so busy. And I'm taking care of some stuff." She understood most of the message but her eyes grew wide reading the last sentence. "Okay, I understand. But did anything happen? Can I help?" She's feeling anxious, but after seeing his response, she felt like her world came crumbling down. "Hana, I need to tell you about this. Sorry for only saying this now, but I got an offer from an Italian team a long time ago. I'll be leaving 2 weeks from now to play there." It's his dream, so of course she will be supporting him again. Her fear before was validated now that he will be in another country pursuing his goal, leaving her to figure out how to move on by herself. Everything has changed now. The dreams they once talked about, is now the reason that they might disappear from each other's lives. Ever since then, she would watch his game on a livestream even if it's already midnight, or early in the morning. She didn't missed any of his games even if she had classes the next day. She still has his phone number saved on phone but they barely talk now. "Yuki Ishikawa, the young ace of Japanese volleyball!" she heard on the television, as they're having a feature about him. For her, it should be a proud moment, and sure it is. But the lingering pain is prevailing instead of the happiness that she feels for him. It isn't unrequited love because she kept it to herself to avoid ruining their friendship, but it feels like one. "Only if you know, Yuki" Hana mutters, as she's trying to stop her tears from falling while watching. Regrets and what ifs started to take over her and she lost it again. What if she revealed her real feelings to him? Would it still feel like this? Maybe yes, but what if it's no? What stings the most is that there was absolutely no assurance that she wouldn't experience any pain even if she confessed. She would always see people on social media discussing that there's a chance he's dating someone already, as there are many beautiful girls in Italy. Maybe he was just a phase in her life, and should just move on from it.

Several months after, he arrived in Japan. He was all over the news, and it was reported that he will have a live talk event at the park the next day. Hana has been trying to forget about him but deep inside her heart, she still wants to see him even from a far. So she tried her luck in the lottery to get tickets and fortunately, she got one before it was sold out. It's already the weekend, so she doesn't have any classes tomorrow. Since it's his event, he decided to wear a Yuki support shirt, so that she wouldn't easily get noticed. The next day came. She left her dorm early, as she could already tell that there will be a long queue. And just as she expected, she was right. There were also many fans wearing his support shirt. Few minutes later, the event has finally started. "Everyone, let's welcome, Yuki Ishikawa!" the host cheerfully announces, causing the crowd to explode in cheers as he steps out of the stage. "Hello, everyone. I'm Ishikawa Yuki! Thank you for taking your time to come here today." he then sat down and the talk has began shortly after. The questions were not surprising, he was asked what he thinks of playing in Italy, the difference of Japan and Italy's style of volleyball, and why did he chose to play in Italy despite still being in a university. "I decided to take on this challenge of playing overseas because I think that in order to reach your dreams, you must be willing to take a risk. It wasn't an easy decision, but I think that being able to have this opportunity is something valuable." he said with conviction on his voice. The crowd was collectively in awe, as they could feel Yuki's wisdom with that answer. The host then slightly diverts the conversation, "You really love volleyball, but how about dating someone? Do you still have time to do that there in Italy? Yuki was slightly taken aback by the question, but chuckled as he reveals, "To be honest, I don't have time to date there in Italy because I prioritize my health and recovery after games." Hana was surprised by his response, confusion written all over her face. "How about your ideal type when it comes to a woman? Do you have anything in particular?" Strangely enough, she felt nervous, as he took a minute before he was able to answer to the host's question. "A-ah, I like a woman who's independent and strong-willed." Yuki replied with his usual tone, as he was looking at the crowd. She was listening intently and hearing that voice brought back the memories of the past. She took a handkerchief out of her pocket and looked towards the stage again. She then noticed that his eyes were roaming around the crowd, seemingly trying to find someone. When Hana was about to get her phone to take a picture of him, their eyes met. In that moment, it felt like there was the only two of them. If eyes can only speak, they would alone speak the truth. The longing was evident in each other's faces — he was looking apologetic, while she's doing her best to keep herself together. He can't see her like this, she thought. She tried so hard, but her heart is betraying her. The event is still ongoing and Yuki answered with his usual tone, that it felt like nothing happened earlier. Just as the event was about to end, Hana decided to leave. She hurriedly walked towards the nearest café and sat down, trying to process what just happened. Like the other fans, she just went there to see him and hear him talk. She kept on insisting it to her self but failed — it was a lie. After all these years, she still sees him as someone who's more than a friend. He broke down the wall she built all her life few years ago just because she felt insecure but as she was trying to build it again, he came back.

It was a week-long of TV appearances for Yuki. For Hana, she focused on her studies since in a few months time, she will be graduating. She didn't watch any of his TV appearances, and completely stayed away from social media to avoid seeing anything about him. After a long and tiring week of studying, she decided to go to a café, it was her favorite place to relax. She ordered her usual latté and a slice of cheesecake and when she turned back to return to her seat, a familiar face was in front of her — it was Yuki. She was fazed that she couldn't say anything. She hurriedly walked towards her seat and he noticed that she was about to leave. As she was about to reach for the door, he holds her hand and said, "Hana, let's talk. Please". The soft voice that she heard everyday a few years ago, she heard it again in front of her. She wasn't prepared for this yet, but maybe it's already the right time to tell everything. The two sat across the table together and the awkwardness was getting the best of them. It's been a while but no one is still talking, not until Yuki mustered the courage to break the silence.

"H-hana, how are you?" he asked.

Hearing him say her name again, she broke down in tears. She missed this a lot. "I-I missed you. So much." Hana said between her sobs.

He held her hand as he explained, "I'm sorry for everything. You've supported me all the way but I wasn't able to do anything for you."

But she knew it herself that it wasn't true. He was the only one who was able to break down the walls she built, yet she's also the same reason why she's struggling to build that again. However, there was one truth that she could never deny — she still loves him.

Hana unclasped her hands in his hand as she says, " Yuki, I need to tell you something." she inhaled then exhaled as she continued, "You are my bestfriend. You made me feel like I was special, and that I deserved to be understood for who I am. But after all our moments together, I can't see you as a bestfriend anymore. To be honest, I didn't knew when I started to feel this way, until you said to me that you will be going to Italy. I realized everything when you left. I lik- no, I-I love you. You don't need to reciprocate my feelings out of pity, I'm telling you this because I believed you deserved to know the truth." she wholeheartedly confessed as her voice cracks, with tears starting to form in her eyes.

Yuki was bewildered and speechless because of what he just heard. He froze on her seat and was unable to say anything for a while before he could speak. He was staring at Hana, his expression was unreadable as he held her hands again "I'm not saying this out of pity but you know what... I feel the same. I started to feel this way during the moment when we were walking together, and we talked about each other's dreams. I thought that trying to achieve my dreams by playing overseas would make me feel contented, but no. There's a huge part in me that still felt empty. I was a coward for being afraid to take the risk, and tell you what I genuinely feel. I'm sorry for leaving you hanging. I just didn't want to ruin everything — our friendship, the memories that we had together." he bravely professed as he tightened his grip on her hands. "But this time, I won't hold back." She was in tears as Yuki continued, "Maybe we could the take the risk and try to make this work." Hana, with tears in her eyes, smiled and replied "Y-Yeah, I think we could try this time." They left the café together with their hands intertwined to each other. They were exchanging glances to each other as Hana asked Yuki, "Wait, where are you staying? It's already quite late." He smirked at her as he answered, "Well, I've been staying in a hotel for now. I left my car there. I just rode a cab to go to the café." She was blushing because she already understood what he was trying to imply. "Okay, you can stay in my place just for tonight." The tension was filling up the air as they walked towards her place. Few minutes later, they already arrived. Hana opened the door and they went inside. Suddenly, Yuki pushed him to the wall and leaned close to her face as he whispers, "I said earlier that I won't hold back, right?" Her cheeks were red and she could feel her heart skip a beat. Yuki's eyes looked like it was asking for her consent. His stares were piercing, he was looking at her full of love. Being unable to respond, Hana initiated the kiss. At first, it was a slow and gentle kiss but craving for each other's presence, it turned to a passionate one. It was their lips that was doing all the talking, the touches in each other's bodies expressing the longing they felt all these years. The desperation was palpable, as Hana broke the kiss. Both of them were trying to catch their breaths for a while, and she pouted, supposedly pointing out where her room is. Yuki, being the quick-witted person that he is, understood what she was trying to say. He pushed her against the wall and carried her with his arms wrapped against her waist, while her hands and legs were wrapped against his neck and abdomen. In that moment, no one wanted to stop. When she was laid down on her bed, Yuki then lied down beside her. Their lips were swollen, and they're sweating a lot. They're still catching their breaths as Yuki teases her, "If we weren't afraid to take the risk back then, I think we could've done something more now". Hana, still blushing after what they did, playfully hits his chest and say, "Ehh? No way." They spent the evening teasing each other, and making jokes about something that once caused them to feel miserable. They laughed at each other's playful banters that it ended up in a pillow fight. After an hour of teasing, both of them tirelessly lied down on the bed.

"Hey, I watched all of your games even if it was late in the night or early in the morning!" Hana said, pouting her lips as if she was annoyed.

Yuki playfully responds, "Oh, that's why you have large eyebags now. You look like a panda, a SMALL panda." emphasizing the word SMALL.

"Hmppp! If I'm a panda, then you're a giraffe. You're so tall!" as she hits him again with a pillow.

From that day forward, they will continue to make fun memories together. He already took one huge step to achieve his dreams, while she already fulfilled hers — genuine happiness with him. There's still a long way to go, but it was worth the risk.

"Maybe this time, it'll be lovin' they'll find Maybe now they can be more than just friends, oh She's back in his life, and it feels so right Maybe this time, maybe this time Maybe this time, love won't end"

[lover-of-mine]

I have realized what is making my head explode when a BT post accidentally goes through my tags!!!! They are completely ignoring Buck is bi. They are acting like my aunt in the early 2000s. I may not have been fond of all the LUs but they were valid relationships. If Taylor had not fucked up who knows where that relationship would have gone. I mean clearly nowhere once Eddie was out because once Eddie broke up with him he spiraled and kissed Lucy. But they are still valid relationships and at this point in time I don't see how Tommy is better than any of them. To be honest he has the worst traits of Abby and Taylor but the screen time of Ally. So frustrating.

Well, when have people ever been normal about bisexuality? But here's the thing, every relationship Buck had so far had his own set of issues that somehow have been reduced to the way he was dating women, which is fucked in so many ways and the amount of times I have to stop myself from picking a fight because of bucktaylor it's actually hysterical to me because we're seriously at a point where I need to defend the validity of Taylor's place in Buck's life. Like, how did we get here? Because here's the thing, do I think Buck and Taylor were meant to be? No. Do I think Buck would've clung to her until he literally couldn't anymore if her actions hadn't hurt his family? Absolutely. I see Buck going as far as panic proposing to her if that particular situation hadn't happened, just to have someone. Because they had chemistry and Buck kept trying to force that to become love. Taylor was wrong for Buck for a multitude of reasons, but none of those reasons were because she's a woman and Buck is gay. And the relationship with Tommy is not gonna magically last forever just because Tommy is a man. Tommy is this weird amalgamation of all of Buck's love interests with Ali/Ana levels of screentime and he doesn't magically have a fighting chance just because he has a dick and people can't seem to see this. And I think that's crazy. Because Tommy was given to us in an episode that had the theme of not recognizing people, while actively making us think it was about someone else and then they did the Kim storyline and I want to scream because people can't see the parallels. And the more I look at it the more insane I get because he's all of Buck's love interests smashed into someone who's Eddie two steps to the left with none of the things we love about him. But somehow he's perfect because he's not a woman. The only thing Tommy has going for him is not being a woman. You turn him into one and none of the things he did would fly. Letting Buck get away with physically hurting Eddie? Leaving him in the curb? Not dressing up? Making a kink joke after someone Buck loves almost died? Picture those scenes with Lucy and tell me anyone in the fandom would be shipping them. Let alone fighting for them the way people are right now. But he's a man so he gets a pass and that's so fucking weird. Evan Buckley is bisexual but getting dicked down isn't going to magically make everything perfect. Jesus.

Also, since you mentioned Eddie coming out, something that I've been thinking about since we found out it was supposed to be Eddie, a Buck who thinks he's straight finding out Eddie has a boyfriend would shortcircuit. I legit think they could not find a way to write Buck's reaction to Eddie being queer that didn't end with him figuring his feelings out so they switched things up, so Buck would for sure would've gotten there once Eddie got there because he would've had big feelings about it and Buck is not the repressed one.

[youcantdateosmosisjones]

Sparrow & Lucien, and the HoBW & Logan are such parallels, it kills me The powerlessness stemming from Sparrow & Lucien's grief molded them into who they are... and they were both steered onto this path due to Theresa's desire for the Spire. Both were made into pawns- Sparrow only coming into the picture when Lucien spiraled out of Theresa's control. But she used the same tactics on Sparrow that she did on Lucien, using their grief in order to build them up again. but this time, she made sure for herself that this one worked out. Theresa and Lucien both "reached for the gun", but I'll get into that another time. Both turned into killing machines as they grew, believing whatever the cost was it'll have been worth it. For once, vengeance. The other, power. Sparrow's life meant more than their pain, but Lucien was driven mad by the promise of rewriting fate. Perhaps it's good Sparrow couldn't see past their grief long enough to desire more than what they lost. Maybe it's good that some part of their innocence lingered. In the end, Sparrow's life becomes dictated by how they changed the world. the lives they took, the lives they saved, and the power they unknowingly put in the hands of Theresa. they built the spire, they used it, and the completed what Lucien set out to do. They live on to unite Albion, and take it under their wings as they move into Castle Fairfax. The beginning of their story, and the beginning of the next hero's. They're so far in with Theresa's teachings, they can't help but take her words to heart about how their kid is the future. Lucien's madness was not the first, and it certainly isn't the last. The Spire, his life's work, a monument to the power of insanity. The drive, the dedication, and the fatal flaws that consume heroes. Theresa herself knew the cost to build it, and went ahead with her plans for the Spire. She is aware of the path ahead, but only looks towards it's destination. She went on to influence Logan after his encounter with the darkness, and continued the cycle when he no longer served his purpose. He spiraled out of her control, and she used this for the HoBW to continue the journey. Exploiting his madness, public outcry, and the stability of a nation to get the best outcome. Their lives did not matter in comparison to the fate of Albion. The tyrant and the hero. A tale as old as time. An effective formula that's worked for centuries. Theresa believed herself to be the only one who could guide Albion's fate as it needed... even when she was the one to invent the problems that required heroes. Tyranny, darkness, corruption... stemming from the chase for power. To her credit- she's done a decent job at guiding heroes over the years. She knows where the problems are, and how to get people to solve them... But she's been blind to her actions for so long. Looking solely towards the future, she's never reflected on the past. When did tears fall from her eyes? When did she realize the cost of her actions? When did she realize her role in these great hero tales? When did she become the tyrant in the tower, needing to find one last hero to stop this corruption- once and for all? I used to hate her sacrifice at the end of The Journey... but now I think it makes sense. She's reached the end of her reign. The corruption exists, so long as a corrupter exists. With her and the Spire destroyed, the pain caused in its wake goes down with it. A new era of Albion is born.

[petrikovphd]

My cohesive thoughts on the finale (petrigrof), very long, please read and feel free to leave comments! Full breakdown of what I think happened (everything is nuanced)

I want to begin with a thought. GOLBetty cannot speak to Simon out loud. One good blow was enough to send Simon all of the way to Ooo. When he went to put on that crown, after talking to her, she needed to do something rash to stop him. I think that's why she made Simon take control of Shermy's body.

We could all see how focused he was on finding the crown. He thought it was the right thing to do. He wasn't going to stop, and she couldn't yell to get his attention. His eyes were closed. He was ignoring what she sacrificed for him, her mortal life, in favor of the crown. He wasn't prioritizing his own life, either, now. He said it himself. Once he was in Shermy's body, he was still so desperate to find that crown.

In the game, we see Casper show that same drive to find the crown. Time and time again, Simon sides with Casper because Casper is a direct parallel to Simon's desires both now and, I'd imagine, during his expedition to find the crown in the first place with Betty originally.

I'm theorizing that the book game, altogether, was placed into that universe by GOLBetty herself. It was written by and created to directly communicate with Simon.

She can't talk, after all.

She's baited him with the information about the crown to make him consider all of the sacrifice she's made for him to get this far. She's made her point.

I don't think that the point was that Simon made her do all of those things, just as Casper didn't ask Nova to jump into that doorway. Those were just the only two options they knew of. They either did do it, or they didn't. As Simon said, he wished that there was another third option. A better option.

I think that comment, and Nova throwing herself in the doorway, is a direct callback to Betty becoming GOLB in the first place. Simon didn't ask her to stay there with the crown and make her wish. Betty chose that. Nova chose to grab the door to help Casper.

They both considered their lives unworthy in the face of someone else's.

Simon didn't want Betty to die. Betty didn't want Simon to forget her forever. There was no better third option. That was just where their choices led them.

He realizes that Betty was always making those sacrifices for him, and, as soon as he can speak to her, Simon is desperate to apologize. He's desperate to tell her that he's sorry, that he didn't want any of this, that he should've known better and not stood by and let her let him call the shots.

That wasn't his fault, though.

He thought back on that memory of the bus stop, and GOLBetty took that as another chance to communicate with him. She used that as an opportunity to speak to him again. To let him talk to her again, to agree to go on the trip-... but it didn't make him feel better.

Simon didn't get on that bus. That wasn't realistic. That wasn't an option. He didn't have a ticket, he wasn't registered- It was either she got to go alone, or he made her stay behind.

Simon's showing Betty that he's going to be more thoughtful going forward.

He's letting her go on her trip, this time. He's letting her discover herself, and he's taking the time to discover himself too.

GOLBetty being shown on that bus, and the destination changing, shows that she's going to do what she wants now to.

She's a god now. She made that decision on her own, and she has no regrets- she doesn't want Simon to keep killing himself inside out of guilt and trying to fix him for the rest of his life. She wants him to live his life while she's away. To, metaphorically, go on that expedition on his own while she's on her research trip.

They'll meet again someday.

Until then,

The dandelion metaphor extends to Simon being blown away as well. GOLBetty is wishing for him to keep going. She's sending him home with the knowledge that they're equals now. They've communicated now. They've said everything that's unsaid. They both might've been able to do better, but things happened the way that they did, and they're both going to keep going.

Their love was a great experience, but they're on different planes of existence now. They're still living on. Until they meet again. This might look like a goodbye, sure, but GOLB is everywhere that chaos lurks. Betty is everywhere in the universe.

I think she'll still keep him safe.

He's GOLB's favorite, now, and he'll get butterfly kisses and happy coincidences from the universe for sure.

Where is Betty going? Who knows. Maybe he'll see her again.

[drconstellation]

First-Order Archangels

Part 3: Seeing Eye to Eye

Part 1: Maybe You'll See An Archangel Part 2: Foils of War

This is a topic I've wanted to address for some time (ha!) concerning a discussion around Jim's moments of lilac-eyed possessed prophecy and Crowley not wearing his sunglasses around Jim inside the bookshop in S2. I've had rough thoughts about what's going on at these times, but because its more of a sub-textural implication, rather than being overtly stated I guess I've hesitated somewhat and wanted to think it through properly first. Then I started writing this, and as I starting checking things, one thing led to another...and it's tripled in size. Enjoy the juicy long length!

I've decided to included this meta as part of the First-Order Archangel series as it will focus on Gabriel and Crowley, and their connection with time and prophecy. Both of them wear wristwatches - Gabriel seems to wear one instead of an angel ring, which I find most curious. Both have moments where they talk about the future that has been revealed to them. But when it comes to the Great Plan of the Almighty, they couldn't be more opposite.

The Seer and the Herald

Time is Crowley's domain. He can stop it for short periods, and he seems to know about fragments of human science and technology in the future. For example, he suggests to Mr Dalrymple that a change in hygiene might be beneficial, upon meeting him. It could also be said that he acts an oracle, as he gives advice and counsel, both here with Mr Dalrymple and in 1941 when he warns the Nazi's to flee before the bomb arrives, and that they won't like what comes after. (Although, 1941 was a case of Crowley actively manipulating the outcome of the future, so perhaps that doesn't count.)

Crowley: You might want to think about washing your hands. It's gonna be all the rage in a few years, I'm telling you.

Gabriel, as the Herald, is also given knowledge of the future. It was said he spoke to Daniel several times, explaining the visions Daniel had, which were of things to yet to come, and he was tasked with the "foretelling" of the births of John the Baptist and Jesus to their prospective mothers. I realize none of these examples are GO canons (yet,) but there is also the interesting parallel character in S1 of the lawyer Giles, who delivers the second manuscript of Agnes Nutter to Newt and Anathema the day after the Nopocalypse in S1 who is definitely Gabriel-coded and "heralding" the future possibilities there.

Tense Moments

There are two times during S2 that Jim is possessed by a divine spirit that takes over his corporation, turning his eyes back to Supreme Archangel Gabriel-lilac and putting words into his mouth.

The first instance is about the past: in S2E2 Jim recites a verse from Job 38:7 - and Aziraphale and Crowley both remember it, because they were there when the words were said.

The second instance, towards the end of S2E3, is about the present...

"There will come a tempest, and darkness, and great storms."

...and the future.

"And the dead will leave their graves and walk the earth once more. And there will be great lamentations."

Past, present, and future. For both of them, Crowley has his sunglasses off and he is peering into Jim's face.

I have some notes about which verses these are supposed to be from (Hebrews 12:18 for the first half and Matthew 27:53 for the second half) but upon checking them I'm wondering if they are actually correct, even if we take into account they have probably been re-written for the show, like the lines from the Book of Job were paraphrased in the Job minisode. But that aside, we can still deal with them within their temporal frames of reference - the former describing the not-insignificant piece of weather-work that Crowley had just stirred up, and the latter is pointing to the Second Coming, with the resurrection of the dead.

Both halves have words of significance: The first half has the word tempest, and the second half has the word lamentations.

The Foreshadowing Storm

Storms are often used as a trope to foreshadow trouble in the future of a story. I don't think we tend to see Crowley's rain storm as foreshadowing of what is to come as he was in control of that storm and it was for a particular reason - which failed. But Jim's words contained the future tense of "will" - There will come a tempest - so lets have a look at some possible connotations.

A tempest is a violent storm or thunderstorm, but it can also be an situation in which people are very angry or excited, an upset, calamity, or some unexpected misfortune.

And you could say that did happen by the end of S2.

There is also Shakespeare's play, The Tempest, which our demon would no doubt be aware of (it's considered a romance - you know, once of the funny ones.) In it there is a wizard of sorts, Prospero, the former Duke of Milan, who was usurped from his position, and fled with his infant daughter to an island. Many years later the King of Naples and the Duke's brother are passing in a ship, so Prospero magically whips up a storm and shipwrecks them on the island with him and his now teenage daughter, Miranda. He then tries to manipulate a romance between the King's son and heir and Miranda. Other stuff happens as well but in the end they all escape the island and there is a kind of happy ending, and forgiveness.

The Book of Lamentations

Back to the second half, that is supposed to be from Matthew 27:53, but probably more likely Matthew 27: 52-54. Yes, these verses do describe the dead rising from the grave, but the use of "great lamentations" here is a paraphrasing flag being waved in our faces.

A lament is a passionate expression of grief or sorrow. It can also be a complaint, or an expression of regret or disappointment.

Biblically, a lament is a prayer expressing sorrow, pain or confusion.

And with that, we can go back and re-contextualize a scene from S1.

The Book of Lamentations in the Bible contains five chapters describing the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 587 B.C. after a long siege. Each chapter is a poem from a different viewpoint about this event.

But what do we have in S1E4 instead? We have Crowley with a book of things he helped to build, expressing sorrow and pain at their imminent destruction, and that of the humans and the Earth. He prays to God, asking questions in vain hope of finding answers to his confusion as to why it seems it must all end with such finality.

Jerusalem was destroyed a second time, in 70 C.E. by the Romans. The city was rebuilt, and still stands today, but the Temple of Solomon wasn't, and this is a topic of contention in some beliefs. This also fits in with the theme of Memento mori, "Remember that you die," a reminder that life is brief, and there is a cycle to life and death.

Nonetheless, the Second Coming is connected with a New Jerusalem, a walled garden (a paradise) where those with their names written in the Book of Life will reside, with access to the Tree of Life in the middle.

Within the Walls of The Garden

The bookshop is Aziraphale's modern day re-creation of the Garden of Eden. Within it's walls he has gathered knowledge that he protects, there is a circular "gate" at the entrance, and he's made it a sanctuary for him and Crowley from other supernatural beings, particularly demons.

During S2 we see Crowley spend quite a bit of time inside the bookshop, and more often than not, he has his sunglasses off here.

While we can understand Crowley not wearing his sunglasses around Aziraphale, its perhaps more surprising that he doesn't seem to worried to not wear them around Jim either. He gets into Jim's face, eye to eye, but they don't agree with one another. It takes a lot of questions, from both sides, to turn this around.

The Great Plan

There's the Great Plan, and the Ineffable Plan.

Gabriel would never dream of deviating from the Plan.

At least he didn't, until he said "no" to the second Apocalypse.

Gabriel: Anyway, Armageddon the Sequel, that's a nah.

His own plan went awry when he forgot where he was going.

AZIRAPHALE: Then why did you come to my shop? GABRIEL: I don't know. I just thought I should. You know what it's like when you- when you don't know anything at all, and yet you're totally certain that everything would be better if you were just near one particular person?

And with his memories gone it was time to relearn things from the beginning. Good thing the original teacher from The Beginning was on hand to give some lessons, because we seem to be repeating some things from S1 and the beginning again here.

Right. So who's got a plan? Who's not seeing it this time? Are you actually questioning Crowley's plan, Jim? That's not like you to question plans. Maybe you are finally learning something.

Crowley's other plan was give "Jim" a test, to see if Gabriel was really there. This time Jim was prepared to follow instructions without questions. The gravity of the situation was kind of lost on him, and Crowley had to stop him before it was too late.

Too Early, Too Late

Prophecies are not just about who, what and where, they are also about when.

Crowley makes an angry threat to Jim in reaction to Shax's visit to the bookshop but backs off to enigmatically remark that "it's always too late." There is also the 1827 Resurrectionist minisode, where Crowley stops Aziraphale from healing wee Morag after she is shot with the grave guns, telling him it is too late there, and I think there is even a mention of too late by Shadwell in S1, but I can't remember where (plus Crowley's watch in the book, that has a time-zone in Another Place that is always Too Late.) We are kind-of left hanging here - what is too late? Too late to stop what is already in motion?

Except when its early, and early seems to be associated with destruction as well in the Good Omens AU. We have the examples of Job's house being destroyed, and the arrival of the baby Antichrist, which heralds the destruction of the Earth.

CRAWLEY: Oh. They've started early. Well… Might as well get comfortable. [sniffs wine and pours a glass]

Here, when the Antichrist is delivered in S1E1, Crowley expresses dismay that the time has come so soon.

CROWLEY: "No. Already?"

Could it actually be that the Nopocalypse was too early? And was that why it didn't go to Plan?

The Chosen One

The Antichrist is a sub-trope of The Chosen One tropes, which in itself is prophecy trope. The Chosen One is needed to fulfill the prophecy. We could do a whole line of discussion on how Crowley and Aziraphale then try to subvert this by raising the said Chosen One, only they raised the Wrong One. Instead, I want to point out that Crowley was also a Chosen One. He was chosen to deliver the Antichrist to the satanic nuns on the appointed night. But why? Why didn't Hastur and Ligur just do it?

Ah, you missed that, did you? I don't blame you, and Frances was trying to distract you with a game of three-card monte with the babies as well (and there have been many discussions about that, too!)

This then makes an interesting parallel for Gabriel being the Herald of the first Christ, and Crowley being the Herald for the Anti-Christ. (Or, some meta-ops might even argue, the Second Christ! But that is yet to be determined. How far away is S3 again...?)

The Earth is a Libra

One final prediction, from the very beginning...

Do you recall this seemingly random daily star sign reading from the opening of S1E1?

Most of it makes sense.

A friend is important to you.

uh huh.

Help could come from an unexpected source.

uh huh.

You may be vulnerable to a stomach upset today, so avoid salads.

wot?

I had to kick myself after while on this one, because I was being all smug to myself about catching a quick mention of liver between Madame Tracy and Shadwell at one point, and any mention of a bodily organ is a reference to an emotion and/or virtue. The first thing one must do with deciphering organs is determine whether you are looking at a western or eastern philosophy, as that is most important, but because this is GO we also need too include any biblical influence.

And whoeee - jackpot! There is indeed some symbolism around the stomach in a biblical sense; it is a place of transformation and renewal, where food is broken down and transformed into new energy and the renewing of minds. It emphasizes the need for continual growth and spiritual renewal.

That should ring some bells with you straight away, I would hope.

And the salad? A salad is a mix of different foods together. Foods not separated. (Keep your angels and demons on different sides of the plate, please, no mixing - and don't play with your food!)

[lemonyinks]

thinks about how love and sacrifice are major themes of one piece thinks about how love and sacrifice are major themes of one piece thinks about how love and sacrifice are major themes of one piece thinks about how love and sacrifice are major themes of one piece

Okay, but seriously, it was something I never noticed when I was young and reading One Piece for the very first time. Back then the emotional scenes were just that, emotional scenes. I never seen the parallels or the way the themes would often reappear in different ways. Now that I'm an adult and I'm reading it once again, it has become a whole lot more apparent just how much of a reoccurring theme they both are, and how they go hand in hand together. I've also begun to realize just how much impact on the narrative these scenes have on future events.

Shank's sacrificing his arm for Luffy is literally one of the first things to happen in the manga, which he did because he obviously loved and cared for Luffy. He calls him a friend only a few pages earlier. He would gladly lose and arm if it meant Luffy would live. It was right after this event as well when Luffy finally stops asking Shank's to take him out to sea with him and vows to become a pirate on his own, just before Shanks gives him his straw hat.

And that wouldn't be the first time someone would sacrifice a limb for someone they cared about in this series. Zeff quite literally ate his own leg so that he could give all of the rations they had to Sanji, hoping that the kid would live long enough to carry out the dream that the both of them shared. The All Blue may have been the initial reason he had for saving Sanji's life, but he undoubtedly grew to love Sanji like a son and I don't doubt for a second he would make that sacrifice a million times over for him.

And then comes Bellemere an arc later. Nami and Nojiko were her reason to keep living, she dedicated her entire life to taking care of those girls and she loved them with her whole being. To her, it was an easy choice to give her own life so that her girls wouldn't have to leave the only home they'd ever known and possibly die all alone out on the sea.

Hiriluk is a bit of a different sacrifice, but a sacrifice nonetheless. His decision to commit suicide was ultimately due to him not wanting Chopper to feel guilt over his death. He loved Chopper, he knew that he was only ever trying to help and that he loved Hiriliuk in return. The doctor couldn't just let that love and desire to help turn into what caused his death. So he chose to take his own life instead so that none of the responsibility landed on Chopper's shoulders.

Once we reach Alabasta, there is of course the iconic Pell scene. He was willing to throw his life away, not only for Vivi, who he loved dearly, but also for the country he served and it's people. I know some say that this scene isn't as impactful as some of the other sacrifices since he didn't truly die in that moment, but in my opinion that doesn't matter. He did it because he loved them all. His feelings were just as strong as those who died or lost limbs, and the Vivi's reaction is equally as real as the other's reactions to the sacrifices made for them. His intentions were to save everyone, and he did just that.

In water 7/Enies Loby (an arc that is itself basically one big love letter) we are introduced to Saul, who had only know Robin for a very short amount of time before the navy showed up to kill the scholars. And yet, in that small period he grew to care about Robin and had a real desire to protect her and ensure that she would not only live, but end up happy one day. He was willing to give up his own life so that this little girl, who he barely even knew, could live on.

Thriller Bark is where we see on of the most memorable Zoro scenes. While this isn't the first time one of the protags has sacrificed themselves for their crewmates, it is one of the most notable. Zoro here takes on all of Luffy's pain, simply because he loves his captain and believes that his dream is worth living on for. He was willing to give up his health, as well as what he thought would be his life, if it meant that Luffy would be able to live longer and carry on with his journey.

And this of course leads us to Marineford, where Ace threw himself in front of Akainu's molten fist in order to save his baby brother with zero hesitation. Ace loved Luffy deeply, he would never have allowed harm to come to him. The two of them loved each other deeply and would rather die than allow the other to be hurt.

Now comes a sacrifice that really parallels Bellameres, even down to their last words to their kids and the way that the both of them died. Cora cared for Law, he really did. He couldn't stand to see a child so young talking about how they were going to die and he wanted to help him, so much so that he all but abandoned the mission he was with the Donquixote pirates for in the first place just so that he could find a cure for Law's sickness. He inevitably came to truly love and care for Law. He gives his life in the confrontation between him and his brother, even going so far as forcing himself to hold on longer in order to let Law escape silently, just so that the child he'd come to love could grow up and live his life.

While Pedro may have sacrificed himself so that the strawhats could go farther on their journey, he didn't really do it for them. He may have thought of them as friends, but in the end his sacrifice was for the people of Zou. He did it for his people, because he loved them and wanted to do everything in his power to help save them from the cruel fate they were being subjected to. He knew that the only way this would be achieved would be if the Strawhats made it out of Big Mom's territory, so he did what he thought he had to in order to help them escape.

Finally, in Wano we have Oden's sacrifice. He let himself be boiled alive in a pot of oil for an hour straight while holding up the weight of nine other people, simply because he believed it gave his retainers, his family, the people he loved, a chance to escape the same fate. But he didn't just do it for them, he gave his life so that his entire country may have the chance at a better future. To the very end, he loved his country and he loved the other samurai.

And these are just a few select examples that I could think of at the time and some of the most memorable ones to me This doesn't even account for Nami giving up her childhood and teen years to free her village, or Sanji saving Nami and Luffy from the avalanche, or Tom turning himself in so that Franky wouldn't be killer, or Robin giving herself up to cp-9 to promise the Strawhats passage, or Luffy letting himself be tortured by Porchemy to keep Sabo and Ace's secret, or the way Dadan stayed behind to fight Bluejam for Ace, or how the Whitebeards all put themselves on the line to try and save Ace, or Pound stopping Oven several times to save his daughter, or when Scarlet tried to feed her starving daughter, or Sanji freeing the crew from Bege, or Killer eating the SMILE and doing Orochi's bidding to give Kid a chance to live, or Law giving himself over to Hawkins to save Bepo, Sachi, and Penguin, or Momo giving up his childhood, or the two times Bon Clay gave themself up to give Luffy time to escape, or the Going Merry sailing on despite being in no condition to, or how the minks allowed themselves to be tortured, or how Rouge literally killed herself to bring Ace into the world. It doesn't even cover the more subtle sacrifices like Usopp lying that there was no pirates so that his village wouldn't have to be afraid, or even Luffy's hunger strike.

There are countless sacrifices within this series that I don't think I could ever really hope of covering them all, unless I were to spend several hours that I don't have on them. But one thing is certain about every single one of them; they are displays of love. I mean, who else do you make sacrifices for, if not for someone you love.

[telomeke-bbs]

Okay, not (quite) anonymous any more, but still not (that) active yet. With all the recent discussion of episode 5 and the rooftop scene, I think I've yet to see analysis of 5 [4/4] 9:06-9:13, from when Pran says "We're not even friends" to when Pat says "That's right." Of course, we didn't know it on first viewing, but based on what we learn later from episode 12 [4/4] 12:58-13:54, what Pran says must have hurt. And we see it in Pat/Ohm's reaction. I'd love to see that deconstructed.

Hi @pandasmagorica! 😍 Sorry this reply is so late; I was struggling with my post about OS2 x BBS x ATOTS and also some work deadlines.

With regard to the Ep.5 rooftop, I must agree with you that Pran's comment "We're not even friends" must really have stung for Pat.

By this point he'd been totally swept away in the rush of his new-found feelings that he also knew were returned. But Pran, contrarian as ever, was vehemently denying the existence of closeness to his face. And to deny that they were even friends when they had actually been so close and affectionate behind the scenes before must have felt like a gut punch to Pat, who was laying himself so bare and vulnerable here.

For almost all of Ep.5 we watched as Pat sank deeper and deeper into the disorientating realization that he had somehow fallen in love with his supposed rival. And he must have been pushed so close to the brink of despair by the swell of these anguished, bottled emotions that he couldn't wait even a second longer than necessary to confess it all to Pran (which of course is quite in character for our open-hearted boy).

(above) Bad Buddy Ep.5 [4/4] 1.18

This was why he waited up for Pran down at the base of their block, drunk as he was, so as not to miss his return. And when he was prevented – by Wai's presence – from expressing all that was churning within him, of course he couldn't contain that pressure and it all erupted into a brawl.

But Pat on the rooftop is now showered and clearheaded, and once again focused on his task of confessing all to Pran.

(above) Bad Buddy Ep.5 [4/4] 7.45

Unfortunately, as before, Pran is unaware of Pat's true feelings and is expecting their usual jostling, competitive dynamic to be the framework of their exchange. And so Pran continues to toss barbs at Pat, thinking he'll find some way to lob them back as he'd always done before.

And in a sense he does, but Pat's energy is different now. For him it's not a game anymore and the usual teasing impishness that we saw so much of in preceding episodes (and at the start of Ep.5 too) is gone.

This scene is also a callback to (and a parallel with) Ep.3 [4/4] 6.09 – in the corridor there, Pran had been so moved by Pat's generosity and help with the bus‑stop that he decided to dial back on the rivalry and was wanting to take things to the next level.

(above) Bad Buddy Ep.3 [4/4] 6.51

This was the motivation behind his seemingly off-the-cuff "Have you eaten?" at Ep.3 [4/4] 7.20 – he was wanting to interact with Pat socially instead of as a competitor (see this write-up linked here for more analysis). Before this, the only other time we'd seen them at a meal together was at the wonton noodle stall (Ep.3 [1I4] 6.20), and it only happened by accident (and Pat soon turned it into a chopstick battle anyway) so I like to think Pran was wanting a romantic do-over in Ep.3 [4/4] by asking Pat out for a meal.

But there in the corridor Pat only seemed to want more of their usual relationship dynamic (more gameplay), and he signaled this with another of his bait-and-switch moves, lulling Pran with the return of his guitar and then saying "I just like to see your face… when you lose."

Here on the rooftop the tables have turned. In the corridor of Ep.3 [4/4] Pran was left resigned with Pat's unchanging focus on their rivalry (and yet maybe still relieved that they could continue their relationship, even if it was based on competition). But on the rooftop it's now Pat – all ready to bare his soul – who is thwarted and exasperated by Pran instead.

During the fight scene we already saw Pat getting annoyed at Pran (who was operating in their default mode of pretending to be bitter enemies). And he retaliated with a refusal to play along, turning snarky when Pran said "Why? Is it so hard to accept defeat?" at Ep.5 [4/4] 2.41. Pat's snide response "Defeated by that lousy song. Why would I feel anything?" landed like a slap too (though Pran couldn't have felt it, unlike Pat and us viewers who knew the truth behind his sarcasm). Because of course Pat had his heart torn to shreds when he finally understood that the song Just Friend? was really about Pran's unrequited love for him, and was now speaking to his feelings for Pran in return.

So on the rooftop Pat – perhaps annoyed at having to delay the confessing of his own truths – calls out the double-sidedness of Pran's comment and laces his response with more sarcasm and layers of unspoken meaning. His skewed, sardonic smile when he says "That's right" is a mix of sadness and derision, a colloid of contrasts ironically just like the relationship that they've always known – a forced mix of enmity and friendship, a combination of two opposites that will never truly meld.

If we're being generous, it's possible to read that Pran intended his "We're not even friends" to mean something like they're not allowed to be friends in the fullest sense of the word, in front of society and the world at large, even though they were always friends behind the scenes. But what Pat does is to take the literal meaning of this and flip it on its head.

They're both aware that their illicit friendship exists, but it's a friendship that dare not speak its name because of outside disapprobation. Pat's answer in the affirmative also snorts cynically, not just at Pran's surface denial, but also at their pitiless circumstances that don't allow them ever to be seen in front of others as anything besides bitter rivals.

And this is why he goes on to list why others might think they're not friends – in spite of the fact that (for all intents and purposes, except for how their relationship is presented to the world) – they actually are:

"How can we be friends when our parents despise one another?"

"How can we be friends if we live next door to each other yet can't even talk?"

"How can we be friends if we have to compete against one another in everything?"

But just like his sarcastic "That's right" and the cynicism of his mirthless smile, his words here are rhetorical, and are meant to highlight the opposite of what they seem to be saying – because his list is only made up of obstacles to friendship, but not reasons for enmity.

Their parents' mutual hostility, the ban on communicating with the boy next door, the enforced competition – these were constraints imposed on their friendship, but in themselves are no foundation or justification for any kind of animosity between them. And early on, little Pat and Pran found ways to get around the barriers and become firm friends in all but name, because there was never any justifiable reason for them not to be so.

Pat is calling Pran out here; he's telling Pran that he's just repeating what they'd been told since childhood, but the two of them, despite having drifted apart after Pran was sent away – they know better. And he's also calling for an end to the verbal gameplaying, and for them to face their truths.

Because after each rhetorical question is the silent, unspoken answer that BOTH know to be true:

"How can we be friends when our parents despise one another?" "But we ARE friends…"

"How can we be friends if we live next door to each other yet can't even talk?" "But we found a way around it…"

"How can we be friends if we have to compete against one another in everything?" "The competition was never a barrier to us ACTUALLY becoming friends…"

He's using rhetoric and sarcasm to illustrate that they weren't allowed to be friends and they've been conditioned not to call themselves that – but it doesn't change the truth about their friendship.

And I think Pran hears him loud and clear – despite what the world's been telling them all their lives, they are close and they have been friends, which is why there's a discernible softening on Pran's part.

I think Ohm did a fantastic job in Ep.5, heaving onto his shoulders the weighty stone that was also BBS's glowing heart, when it was Nanon doing all the heavy emotional lifting in the first four episodes. You can see what Pat is going through – but just in case you want further insight regarding his inner turmoil, BBS actually lets us in on a little more info.

Pat's audition as Riam in Ep.7 [4/4] 5.26 was also a play-by-play repetition of the Ep.5 rooftop scene, but Pat/Riam verbalizes his feelings a bit more directly, and adds further dimension to our understanding of Pat's motivations while on the rooftop.

(above) Bad Buddy Ep.7 [4/4] 5.26

Using Riam's voice, what he says in Ep.7 [4/4] cuts out all of his previous rhetoric, and instead speaks plainly of his weariness with the gameplay and of his willingness to give it up (repudiating his playful corridor self of Ep.3 [4/4]):

"I’m tired. Tired of pretending to hate you while your face has taken over my heart. Aren’t you tired too?... Let’s stop it. I don’t want to play this game anymore. I don’t want to lie to people anymore. You asked if I still wanted us to be friends. What if my answer is no? What do you say?"

Part of why Ep.5's rooftop scene hits so hard is not just because Pran walking away embodies the loss of a romantic story that could have been. It hits also because we see just how far battle-weary Pat has come, on a rollercoaster journey of grappling with emotions (over the course of just one episode) that Pran had taken years to integrate as part of his reality.

The loss is all the greater because we see how much it cost them to get to this point. For Pat it meant dismantling his worldview and lifelong sense of self as Pran's rival in every respect – and yet he was willing to cast it all aside, after recognizing the truth underlying his closeness to Pran.

As BBS is also an allegory for the lives of queer people, all the rumination around "friends who are not friends" here (also calling out to Pat's favorite among all of Pran's personally-scented tees) parallels how closeted LGBTQ+ relationships are often not allowed to speak their truth to wider society.

But while the allegorical message may speak to us intellectually, I think it gets drowned out by the molten magma at the searing core of this scene on the rooftop, which communicates directly – deafeningly – with the heart. All intellectual preoccupations aside, it's also just two young, would-be lovers stumbling through a conversation where so much is unknown and so much has yet to be said, trying to find the truth of their relationship in the maze of all the semantics – which is what many of us who have had to navigate young love must have experienced at some point.

Some of us get beyond the maze and fall into the truth behind the words straightaway. Others, like Pat and Pran, will have to take a little longer to get there. But as they ultimately demonstrate, it's always worth the journey when your erstwhile "friend" (or "enemy") turns out to be your soulmate instead. 💖

[duquesah]

I've started re-watching the Venom movies recently

It got me thinking about Kayn and Rhaast's relationship in canon, and how for some odd reason Kayn is the only darkin host that wasn't corrupted immediately upon holding the weapon for the first time, and is still fighting against the corruption. Is it true that Kayn is just THAT powerful and Rhaast is the current weakest darkin? Or perhaps there's more to them than we realize?

What I think might be the case is a combination of factors mentioned previously and something else, which I'll talk about in this post so pls stay with me 🙏

Okok so, in Venom (2018) we see how Venom and Eddie meet, how at first they're really just parasite and host, but then after seeing how much they're alike Venom gives everything up. Venom was a nobody amongst the others, just like Eddie, who has lost everything previously. They achieved symbiosis because they are the same, pretty much, and they are so goddamn special that not even Riot (ha) could take them down (with some help of course, love my girl Anne).

THAT got me thinking about Hwei's voice line, the one in which he says "If you just allowed yourselves to BLEND". It's a very interesting line, we can think about some possibilities but first we discuss exactly why Kayn hasn't been corrupted yet (I know I'm rambling a bit, sorry lol)

So, it could be that he really is that powerful, he has been training since childhood (he had a pretty rough one, too). At some point Zed took him in and Kayn became a powerful weapon/tool (parallels!! Kayn being used as a weapon and Rhaast being one, literally) and with his tragic backstory and some other voice lines (this time from Swain, I believe) we know that Kayn, after all he's been through, mistakes hatred for affection, since all he knows is negative, bad things.

So Kayn is traumatized, who isn't? Well, I know for sure the darkin have a very sad past too so let's talk about them (and Rhaast, of course) next

The darkin, once ascended, fought against The Void and each other for some time. The things they've seen and been through cost them their minds, with the years they became less of who they once were, some corrupted beyond redemption and the only way to stop this war was with imprisonment, so that's what happened. Many died, with the remaining ones being sealed away in weapons. Inside their prison they cannot breathe (that's why they sound very out of breath, I was happier before knowing about that) or scream, or do anything really, it's another void, much like the first they fought.

So imagine, after years of being trapped inside a tiny space, some guy finds you and, unlike the others, there's a barrier blocking your way inside their mind. This one is different, that's for sure, but Rhaast is a darkin, he will break this host one day...

But this day seems further and further away, the barrier still strong. Could it be that Rhaast is weaker than the others, or perhaps their tactic of corrupting minds away just doesn't work on Kayn? Well, like I previously talked about, both Kayn and Rhaast have a tragic backstory. my guess is that Rhaast and the other darkin use negative emotions/memories in order to break the host's mind, the pain unbearable to them. But Kayn? Negative emotions/memories is ALL he has, all he ever had, so this method couldn't possibly be the most effective to use, right?

Kayn is stronger than most, sure, but he wasn't immediately corrupted because he is barely affected by Rhaaat's tactics, which consist of breaking the mind with bad memories and emotions, which unfortunately for him is all Kayn knows. It DOES affect him a bit, for all we know, but we can't exactly expect him to be 100% immune, he's still human 🤷‍♀️

We don't know how things are going for them currently, if anyone's winning yet. I actually don't think that's ever happening, because 1. They would break the fucking champion; 2. Is it truly a win if they're just gonna miss each other's company after? (Rhaast presumably doesn't care but that can change, I mean just look at Varus). They would be more powerful, sure, but they only have each other, and with time I think they can be stronger together, they can find a way to get what they both want AND stay together.

ANYWAY what do y'all think? I know I started talking about Venom and Eddie and ended up somewhere else entirely but I just needed to ramble about them, get some ideas in order. Also correct me if I said anything wrong lore-wise, been awhile since I've read about them

[insanecowboy]

Hi, I want to make a request for Omori.

May I please request Mari and Aubrey (separate) with an s/o who is a boxer?

Their s/o is very sweet and shy (kinda similar to Basil's personality) and is quite small (if you consider 5'3 to be small).

It's hard to believe that their s/o is the undefeated bantamweight world champion. Angel in the streets, but a demon in the arena.

AUBREY + MARI WITH A SHY BOXER S/O

gn reader - angst 4 maris part - spoilers mentioned !

AUBREY 🎀 🩹

- she would absolutely adore you omg

- if you met after Mari died , it was most definitely an enemies to lovers' situation

- it took her a while to actually trust you

- but once she realized she actually didn't mind being around you, that turned into her noticing all the small dumb things you did

- how you couldn't order things at restaurants yourself , always scared of talking out of turn , being so self-aware and anxious about large groups of people

- for some reason, she had the urge to help you when you were in public situations that made you uncomfortable . she didn't understand why , she doesn't particularly care about others

- but subconsciously, it was because you reminded her of basil. she still cared about him buried extremely deep down under all of her fake confidence

- after you guys got closer, she would develop feelings

- she also would find out about how you're a boxer . She would think ur super badass and not worry as much about you && your safety

- Aubrey would be really afraid of admitting her love for you , but she figured if you felt the same way, you'd be way too shy to tell her

- her little hooligan friends would give you so much respect

- at first, they didn't actually like you, but they didn't bully you because of Aubrey. then they saw you in a boxing match and were all like “ WOAAAHHH NELLY 🤯🤯‼️‼️”

- Aubrey has issues i think we are all aware of this

- if things got too difficult or hard to deal with at her home, she would stay at your place.

- always at your matches , never misses any of them && she's always in the first row, screaming her support for you

MARI 🧺 🎹

- well shes a bit. dead.

- you 2 are quite similar personality wise , shes just not as shy

- you guys hung out a lot , usually doing parallel play .

- you both just felt safe and calm together

- mari cheered you on at boxing matches

- she was your lucky charm

- then she left you

- boxing gave you strength , it was an outlet , a place where you could be yourself without worrying what other people thinked

- but now it just made you feel empty

- Mari was never there for you anymore , there was no one yelling your name , telling you to keep going , to be careful

- at a big tournament you were winning , but at what cost ?

- you were fighting dirty && being an unstoppable menace

- you were just casually beating up your opponent , then the referee stopped you

- you ended up being disqualified from the match , and your opponent automatically won

- being a professional boxer was your dream . but that was before mari passed . she kept the silly sweet side of you in tact . now all that's left of you is violence and anger .

[sparkplug02]

Ahsoka Episode 5 Spoilers

I had to wait two days to watch the episode but I've watched it and I've read everyone else's bit and now it's my turn :)

~

This scene in SW Rebels

makes so much more sense now. Ahsoka sensed familiarity in Vader in the Season 2 opener when Vader was chasing down the Ghost. After that, she didn't talk about it. After all, she and Kanan and Ezra had Inquisitors to deal with, so Vader was out of arm's reach.

At the temple on Lothal, she gets smacked in the face with that old realization, which she's been denying, but with the context of the Ahsoka show (episode 5 specifically) I think we know more about why now. It's not just that Vader is Anakin.

It's that, if Vader is Anakin, then Vader was teaching Ahsoka. She's confronting her own Darkness (which is a lot more evident in Ahsoka Episode 5). Anakin/Vader isn't just its own problem (my master has fallen to the Dark Side). To her, Anakin/Vader is the embodiment of Ahsoka's own Darkness (I have the potential to fall to the Dark Side).

The first flashback (I think it's the Battle of Ryloth) is parallel to what Ahsoka's been struggling with in teaching Sabine. "They were following my orders. I got them killed." This part connects with what Anakin said in the Siege of Mandalore flashback: "Ahsoka, within you will be everything that I am. All the knowledge I possess, just I inherited knowledge from my master, and he from his." "If I am everything you are..." it's all connected.

(I couldn't find the right GIF, sorry)

If Ahsoka has Anakin's knowledge, then she has knowledge that led Anakin to become Vader. If Ahsoka teaches Sabine, she will pass that knowledge, and the potential to become like Vader, to her. If Sabine does fall, then she's reacting to seeds planted by Ahsoka, and it could kill Sabine, just like Ahsoka's orders once killed clone troopers.

After that vision in Rebels, then comes Malachor. Ahsoka has a moment of denial, where she stops believing Vader is Anakin, but when she slices that mask open, she sees Anakin underneath. Yes, your master is still alive, but also, it's a Luke-in-the-cave moment. Ahsoka sees herself in Vader because the Darkness in her was planted by Vader.

She refuses to leave Vader, which we all took to mean she wouldn't leave Anakin again, but now we have the additional (not replacement) context of she refuses to fight her own Darkness. Just as Anakin told Ahsoka in the World Between Worlds, if she will not live (fight her Darkness) she will die. She nearly did.

Except who pulls her out of there?

EZRA BRIDGER

She promises to find him, and it's starting to look like that's the only thing keeping her going after Rebels ends. And we've seen in her behavior how hollow Ahsoka becomes. Part of that is her growing up, sure, but I think part of it is Ahsoka trying to reject any and all of the training that Vader gave her, including the bits that were good. If there are bad apples, toss out the whole basket because it's all spoiled now.

No wonder she's so startled when she gets brought back to the Clone Wars. This is her training. All of it. The good and the bad, the Light and the Dark.

So she tries to forget, but she promised Ezra she would find him, so Ahsoka does that. She goes after Morgan, she fights Baylan and Shin, and she trains Sabine because she wants to find Ezra too. Ahsoka does not risk passing on the seeds of the Dark Side. Maybe Sabine has a hard time opening up to the Force, but maybe Ahsoka has closed herself off just enough that she can't help Sabine find her way either.

Then Ahsoka falls into the WBW, and Anakin starts probing. The last lesson is to live or die. Ahsoka says she won't fight Anakin, which is her subconsciously not fighting the Darkness (represented by Anakin) and allowing it to sit there. Anakin brings her back to the Clone Wars, and all of these pieces start to fall into place. During the Siege of Mandalore flashback, Anakin figures out what's in her head. He realizes what he represents to her, and I think he figures it out when he asks "Is that what this is about?"

(because when Ahsoka asked why they were back in the Clone Wars during the Ryloth flashback, he quite literally says "You tell me!" He's there to finish her training, but he doesn't pinpoint what it is until later, during the Mandalore flashback, which is when the fight resumes again)

Anakin/Vader makes Ahsoka fight the Darkness inside her, both literally and subconsciously. Either you fight it inside you, or you die. She does. She throws away the lightsaber, just like Luke does in Return of the Jedi, and she remains in the Light.

When she comes back, what does she do? She makes another promise to Hera to find Ezra and Sabine. She's not depending on her promise to Ezra to do what needs to be done, to fight and live. She's happier in the last fifteen minutes of this episode. Ahsoka has overcome the Darkness in her, not that it's completely gone, but it doesn't have power anymore and she can be confident in that fact. Now she makes a new promise, not because she needs something to keep her going but because she doesn't. Her search for Ezra isn't keeping her on the straight and narrow path anymore, but now that she's found her footing again, she's going to finish what she started ("The battle's not over yet").

Ahsoka the White, indeed.

Not to mention, Sabine's in the lion's den right now. She's just accepted a truce from Baylan. She's in a very apt position for the apprentice of Ahsoka Tano, who has probably passed along those Dark Side seeds whether she meant to or not. Sabine might actually connect with the Dark Side before she connects to the Light. Who knows?

The legacy will go on. Sabine is going to inherit/already has inherited Ahsoka's knowledge, which she inherited from Anakin. She's probably going to have to fight the same fight Ahsoka just won. Maybe not now, but probably eventually. Personally, I can't wait.

[pftones3482]

Okay I can see why people are bummed about certain parts of the Season 5 finale, but it was genuinely??? So good??? Like it was not bad at all, it's wild to me that people are calling the whole thing terrible because of like. Two plot points.

Spoilers and thoughts under the cut (in no particular order):

I fucking loved the Bug Noire design, her eyes were so COOL LOOKING

The classmates all getting their kwamis back STOP 😭😭😭😭 Wayzz and Trixx get to hang out all the time now that's so cute I'm gonna die.

I need an entire episode about what the fuck Jagged Stone, Penny, and Luka were up to because WHAT WAS THAT?

Loved getting to see the other heroes again, it was a nice change of pace

GOD TIKKI AND PLAGG??? WHAT?? The lighting in that scene was so pretty 10/10

I'm glad Gabriel fucking died he deserved it 🖕

Following that, I truly think that if Gabriel's plea had come even one season ago, I would have felt more sympathy for him. I felt none. I was rolling my eyes while he was crying. You locked your son in a literal prison Gabe. You are beyond redemption.

Really liked the parallel of this episode with Ladybug fighting w/o Chat while the classmates help out and the episode Representation, where Chat was fighting w/o Ladybug and the classmates were helping out. Not QUITE the same, but I'm glad we did get a fairly Chat-centric episode before the finale

Adrien absolutely deserves to know that his father was Hawkmoth. But he's also had like. The SHITTIEST fucking life the last year or two. His mom fucking died, his dad stopped being a dad, he was overworked, never allowed to see friends, was a whole ass superhero on top of that, and then his father sent him to a different fucking country so he couldn't be with his girlfriend. And then said father DIES and suddenly his mom is magically alive and Nathalie isn't on deaths door??? Yeah, I'd give him some time to process and just be a kid for once too. He is definitely going to find out, and when it does it'll be angsty and I will enjoy it

I really hope they don't drag out the Lila plot five more seasons. This show has fallen victim to the "too many seasons" problem and at this point I'm mostly in it for the kwamis and the classmates relationships lol

God poor Nooroo can't catch a break 😭

While I was low-key hoping for a reveal, it would have felt really forced and out of place given that Chat Noir literally didn't show up until the very end of the season finale, so I'm glad they didn't shoehorn it in

Alya. Round of a fucking plause for Alya please and thank you. Also please I need more of her and Plagg they were adorable the way he went to her for help when he couldn't find Marinette

Actually round of applause for all the classmates trying their damnedest to keep the city from falling to chaos I love them all so much together

Love that these kids have just fully accepted that their principal is a little wacky and they continue to include him

BABY BUSTIER I WOULD DIE FOR YOU

Marinette was so fucking snappy and good with the comebacks during her fight with Gabriel it was fantastic

Also the way she reacted to seeing him as Gabriel was INSANE the animators did such a good job with that

Back to Alya for a hot sec, the way she looked at Nino during the classmates group hug was so soft 😭❤️

Adrien understanding that he was at high risk of hurting the world as Chat Noir and being under the influence of nightmares is such a mature move. Alya realizing the same thing? God give them more SCENES together

Once again. TIKKI AND PLAGG???? TF???

In conclusion:

The finale wasn't bad, you guys are just upset there wasn't a reveal and that Adrien still doesn't know his dad was a literal terrorist. Which is valid, you can be upset about it, but the rest of the finale was pretty damn satisfying and it's a disservice to the crew who worked on it to just dismiss it entirely.

[glitchyred]

Hellooo, just a random thought here. Been listening to immortals and started connecting the vibe such gave me to pokepasta bcs yeah.

(fear yet crave to have something from a timeless memory and it hurts and we live forever in an abstract sense of nothingness that's filled once we remember again -lyrics towards the curtains part-, uneven repetition of the string of lone crashes upon us that form a haunting void only so close to what was once wishes to become a source of peace at their painful remains, until it's gone after all fades while everything else becomes part of the parallel world we were in before the old lullaby arrived to reclaim the cries for their choir, the peaceful fright from their leave clinging to ourselves consciousness.)

(idk, music I'd feel so deep while on the balcony in the middle of the night staring at the dark sky while alone with ringing in my brain from the lack of enough noise after some stupid shit and remembering similar things that led to similar scenarios to retroactively feed the burn in heart and throat, but it's cold outside lol so then I'm a microwaved-whatever-halfdefrosted that wants to howl out to the moon and fly towards the clouds with the high wind until myself extinguished at the point near ashes so I'd keep flying around far away even if tied to the burns lol.)

Being immortal sounds awful af in these pastas' situations tbh, yet sounds comforting in a twisted manner that I have no idea how to explain (maybe merely the soothing singing and nostalgia getting to brain, like a take on 'we suffer and it sucks but I'm addicted¿ to the fact we even share such thingso I won't stop either of us meanwhile' from a perspective, unhealthy coping bs )

What do you think? Some scenario/emotion of a pasta evoked by the song?

(Not focusing by the "romantic" aspect of the lyrics but imma take them as not directed to a person, rather a wish to keep experiencing something -but not for long🎵- heh, couldn't let go of in spite of result.)

LMAO DW ABT RAMBLING I say my inbox is always open for a reason. I haven't thought about this song in foreverrrrr but I get what you mean I think

It is a strongly reoccurring theme in Pokepastas that the characters are "trapped" in a specific time, by virtue of being games one is meant to replay over and over, either incidentally implying immortality or thru a more nuanced Infinite Looping Afterlife (LS). I have a lot to say about Pokepastas and their reflections of Childhood Trauma in that regard, but I'll save the essay and just say read Glitchy Red Retold /silly

That being said, call me an optimist, but immortality gets more of a bad rep this days than I think is necessary. I'm a firm believer of life having cycles, every low point necessitates a high one, which I think comes through in a couple of my projects. A Reason to Live as a short one, which subverts the usual "endless looping suffering" trope by implying that Amanita was reborn without their memories, and Semicolon as a whole having strong themes of immortality both through memory and literally (via Slenderman refusing to let people die). You are only stuck in suffering as long as you allow yourself to be, I think (purely neutral statement; I know there's usually some morality tied into that line of thought but I think it's way more nuanced than that lol), so breaking these characters out of their Loops and making them realize that unending time means limitless time to move forward is. Cathartic, I think. After what the contents of most pokepastas are like lol

Hopefully that all made sense?? I'm also kinda rambling lol. Thanks for the asks!!

[curseofbreadbear]

jumbled f.naf movie thoughts under the cut. proceed with caution because these are ALL spoilers!!

okay i am taking the idea that mike is not related to william and RUNNING. yes, that is mike Schmidt, but still?? there's the weird abby factor too, but i'm thinking so hard abt tossing aside the name because of her similarities to charlie. that LOOKS like kid charlie, not elizabeth, and considering how impeccable the casting was otherwise, i can't help thinking that was intentional? also god the misleads on the names were CRAZY. (remember when we thought "hank" was henry???)

i might take my lore-manipulation even Further and say, given everything, that mike IS mike, vanessa IS vanessa, and abby is a parallel for charlie. there's some book parallels sprinkled in the movie (there's actually a ton that, as a book appreciator (until tftp...), i love) BUT i am thinking especially about the reference to the kids believing spring bonnie is their Friend & how abby fixed their perspective / made them realize who their killer was via drawings. carlton did that in the books iirc, but the connection to charlie and Her Story is there? they also have a brother who went missing when mike was younger and like, that reminded me hardcore of sammy in the books. he was kidnapped, mike couldn't stop it, and he keeps replaying his own memories to try and fix it- just like how, once she remembers sammy exists, charlie references the closet he was taken from multiple times.

ALSO ALSO they have an aunt jane, and i KNOW, i'm stretching, but charlie has an aunt jen in the books. their personalities would be different to some extent (jen was absent & borderline neglectful because she Knew the truth about charlie, whereas jane straight-up wants custody of abby for Greed reasons), but that's still an aunt neither of them are fond of?

also yeah i think this movie is almost like the books in that it is not main canon, but a parallel that is supposed to help you find answers about game lore. that's why vanessa is there, despite that making the timeline Wack, but still has the same overall character. i'm also super supportive of the idea that mike schmidt is NOT michael from sister location because he would also just be a good standalone character.

i actually love the twist of william being vanessa's dad. iirc vanessa also referred to her dad as "bill" in the retro cds, which made me yell abt connected dots. i know that'd fuck up the timeline if it was real in canon, but like.....i adore william being a dad that she is trying to fight against. i think, on the whole, it's meant to represent william acting as a controlling father figure in game canon. it's also representative of vanessa's overall struggle against him, hence her being a "reluctant follower." i love movie vanessa. she got more screentime than game vanessa........

i ADORE the animatronics being portrayed as friends (to kids at least), which is how i always saw them. i also love the nod to william having influence over them bc again, they trusted spring bonnie in the books until they were shown the truth.

BALLOON BOY. straight-up he was the character who jumpscared the most and it was SO funny. i love that balloon boy figurine, i want him in my house Now

my husband (who only knows fnaf through osmosis) and i agree that susie's dog is possessing the cupcake. they made a joke about susie having a pet that somehow inhabits the cupcake now and it gave me a stupid epiphany - william almost definitely killed her dog (points at "toy chica: the high school years") so like...what if dog = cupcake?? that's why it's so damn FERAL (but also protective :'))

the credits.......whoever (on twitter before i left it) said they'd cringe if the movie had "five nights at freddy's" by the living tombstone in the credits was so fucking wrong. i was already mad abt that comment but like, with how much of a love letter this movie is to the series as a whole, it's even better that they got the song from the peak of fnaf's recognition. it's super nostalgic to me as somebody who has been with these games from the beginning. i remember first hyperfixating on fnaf and having a spotify playlist that was JUST the living tombstone's fnaf song. and now i have a playlist of 500+ fnaf fansongs y'know!!!!

ok those are the biggest things i got on my first watch. i know for a fact i am going to watch this multiple times so watch out for possible updates!!!! i'm also probably going to post this several days out because it literally JUST released and i don't want to overwhelm anyone (bc god , the reason i watched asap was because of how terrified of spoilers i was).