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mach-speed-spin · 2 years

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Mayblade day 10: song (reminder that Nickelback was once featured on official Beyblade merch)

Nelvana and Hasbro decided they wanted to make Beyblade be more than just spinning tops with a tie-in anime series. After several attempts, I think they kinda gave up because non of them were successful. Beywheelz, Beyraiderz, and Beywarriors all flopped (despite some cool ideas). Their trading card game back in the og series is so obscure that I can’t get any info on it besides “it existed” and “it seems poorly thought out.” And at one point they got into music. After finding this YouTube playlist with Beyblade songs (openings, endings, the dub insert songs, etc), I noticed that for some reason it included How You Remind Me by Nickelback, California by Phantom Planet, and an AMV. After some research, I found that those songs were released on official Beyblade CD’s back in 2001-2002. So I’m gonna give some thoughts on every single song in that playlist in the context of Beyblade (also to make up for yesterday’s shorter post since I didn’t have much time)

Normally I'd add a cut here but my laptop's still broken and I don't know enough about the Tumblr app to use it properly

Catch a Cannonball by White Pony: This song is considered lost media and if anyone can find it please DM me or something

Let’s Beyblade by Sick Kid ft Lukas Rossi: The original series English dun opening. It’s very early 2000′s and serves as an opening pretty well. I just wish there was an extended/ full version

Fighting Spirits by System-B: As a standalone opening, it’s pretty good. As far as Beyblade goes, it’s wildly different than any opening we’ve gotten since, which makes it stand out even more

Cheer Song by System-B: Not sure how I feel about the song itself, but if it works for anything, it’s as an ED. Also, it’s so different from Fighting Sprits that I had a hard time believing they were both made by System-B

Beyblade by Giorgio Vanni: The Italian opening for the first season. The combination of rock with what sounds like bells(?) later in the song create a weird but interesting feel to it. Also “Boy-blade” is such a stupid pun that it had to have been made ironically, right. Right?

OFF THE CHAIN by TOSS & TURN: Song is a banger. I have no idea who thought it’d fit Beyblade as an opening. Love how it’s in ALL CAPS. Also I don’t speak a word of Japanese but there’s enough English that I can kinda guess what the song is trying to say

URBAN LOVE by Shiori: Another song in all caps, this time as an ED. While I’m normally not a fan of less energetic songs, this is pretty good

Jet by Fairy Fore: The scream at the beginning of the song makes you think you’re gonna get a much harder song than the first verse. And the it slowly ramps up until by the end, you’re back to the same energy as the beginning. Brilliant

What’s the Answer? by Retro G Style: Like OFF THE CHAIN, there is just enough English for me to get a vague idea of what the song is about. I like it, but wish that they had used the song by Retro G Style in G-Revolution for obvious reasons

Beyblade vforce by Giorgio Vanni: IMO a nice improvement over the first Italian opening, but goddamn “Boy-blade” is still here. Why?

Poroporo by Hana Hana: The ED for the V-Force movie. Every other beat is out of tune but it’s done on purpose so I can’t consider it a flaw. It grew on me over time but the decision to be out of tune on purpose is still weird

Victory by Dynamite SHU: I couldn’t find official information on the artist but someone said Victory was performed by Dynamite SHU so I’m rolling with it for now. Also it may be called Victory or Victoria. It’s unclear. It’s also part of the V-Force movie soundtrack and honestly I think it’d make a better ED than Poroporo, if only because Poroporo isn’t really enjoyable on your first listen (even if it really grown on you later)

Go Ahead by Motoko Kumai: Amazing OP for G-Revolution. Probably my favorite from Bakuten Shoot. It gets you pumped for the episode and it fits the tone of early G-Rev perfectly

Oh Yes!! by Sista with Yuka: As an ED, it’s pretty good. It’s also a great way to conclude the early episodes of G-Rev

Kaze no Fuku Basho by Makiyo: Somehow manages to be an improvement over Oh Yes!! while also fitting the middle portion of G-Rev better

Identified by Springs: Finally we learn that the G in G-Revolution stands for Good. It’s also the perfect OP to end the original series on

Sign of Wish by Makiyo: Like Identified is the perfect OP to end on, Sign of Wish is the perfect ED to conclude the original series. I know that the last episode used Kaze no Fuku Basho for the epilogue, but Sign of Wish was perfect for the BEGA arc, itself a great conclusion to the original story

Never Gonna Take Me Down by Anthony Vanderburgh: I’ve been fighting every night an day. I’m gonna do my best to put you away. It’s perfect for more friendly but intense (like most of the minor battles in tournament arcs). Like most of the dub insert songs, they’re bangers but sadly misused

Round After Round by Jason Dean Bennison: Like Never Gonna Take Me Down, it’s perfect for battles where both bladers want nothing more than to just fight each other

All Across the Nation by The Black Europeans: The fact that this was used for any battle in the season 1 tournaments (you know, the ones with multiple countries) is weird, but the song itself is still good

Let’s Go Beybladers by Krystal Band: The vocals have this strange quality to them, like the musical equivalent of a 2004 homemade video project made by a high school student. Objectively bad but charming in its own way

Swing Low by Jason Dean Bennison: The vocals feel out of place, but damn that bass is epic. Also you can kinda hear samples from Fighting Spirits in the background (that “DORAIGA” scream is hard to miss after a few listens)

Underdog by Mudd: In all honesty it’s a shame Mudd didn’t go one to have more success after Beyblade. Underdog was great

Always Be In the Game by Jason Dean Bennison: Normally I’m not a fan of rap vocals over rock instrumentation but Jason pulled it off. Not sure how or why, but it works

Switchblade by Lenz: Good song but someone messed up when they rereleased it. Also the contrast between the music and the lyrics in the chorus is fairly specific. Maybe it was written to be a character theme?

Hang On by Chris Szczesniak and Mike Dunca: It took 20 years for this song to be released. Amazing bass, amazing vocals, and I can’t think of a song that better fits Kai vs Brooklyn (the time where Kai wins, that is)

Rise Above the Storm by Daniel LeBlanc and Creighton Doane: Oddly uplifting yet very energetic. When I say this is one of the most uplifting songs I’ve ever heard, I am not exaggerating

I’m Not Going Down by Jonathan Evans and Gerard Tevlin: If Hang On fits Kai vs Brooklyn, then I’m Not Going Down fits Tyson vs Brooklyn. It’s just a powerful declaration of victory, being the musical embodiment of that final battle

Start the Circus by Far From Heroes: Good song but I don’t see what it has to do with Beyblade. Still a banger

Cinderella by Adam Crossley with 9 Point Landing: Just like Start the Circus, a banger that is completely unrelated to Beyblade

What the Girls Say by Jennesy: For a show with such a skewed gender ratio for characters, this song feels extremely out of place. It’s good, but manages to feel more “off” than Cinderella

Running Away by Project Wyze: A friend of mine likes to say that early 2000′s music was 80% pop rock and 10% rap metal. Running Away is part of that 10% and it is the perfect example of what rap metal is. If you like rap metal, you’ll like this song. If you don’t like rap metal, you won’t like this song

Let It Rip by Ego Massive: It truly relates to Beyblade and it isn’t an insert song. I’m surprised. The song itself is alright, but pales in comparison to some others

Split the Atom by Edwin and the Pressure: Great song. Unrelated to Beyblade. I’m starting to notice a trend

Pretty Girls by Prozzak: Good song and I have though the glass break sound effect was real and in my house on one occasion

Girls & Boys by Good Charlotte: This song is 50% less out of place than What the Girls Say

Year 3000 by Busted: Possibly a warm take, but the Jonas Brothers’ cover of the song was a downgrade

Buck Rogers by Feeder: I first heard this song playing Gran Turismo and forever associate it with that game. I can’t judge the song on its own because of that

Movies by Alien Ant Farm: Honestly it’s probably the weakest song that released on that CD. It’s not bad per se, but it’s less good than the rest

Teenage Dirtbag by Wheatus: Hit early 2000′s song that was shoehorned into Beyblade merch and honestly, it wasn’t a bad idea

Nothing by A: Google “A Nothing” and see if you find this song. Other than that, it’s great. Love it

How You Remind Me by Nickelback: It’s Nickelback. That’s all there is to say. Take that how you will

California by Phantom Planet: If only Beyblade saw the US as more than New York and Las Vegas (and later, Moab, Utah). The west coast isn’t even acknowledged. Had they made one of the characters be from California (like any of the All-Starz), this would’ve been more fitting

Metal Saga by Clifton David: While the English OP for mfb isn’t bad, it feels like a remix of the Japanese OP, but without being different enough to stand out

Metal Fight Beyblade by YU+KI: YU+KI did an amazing job in every season of mfb, and the first opening is no exception

Boys ~To the Radiant Tomorrow~ by MASH: I thought Boys was the artist for far longer than I should. It’s a great ED, and has IMO some of the strongest visuals for a Beyblade ED even though it’s very simple

Beyblade Metal Fusion by unknown artist: I don’t know who made the Italian opening for Fusion but it was pretty good

Galaxy Heart by YU+KI: It takes everything that made Metal Fight Beyblade good an multiplies it tenfold. Absolutely amazing

Oozora wo Koete Yuje by Odoriba Soul: Pretty good ED. It kinda gives me similar vibes as Oh Yes!! but I’m not sure why

Beyblade Metal Masters by unknown artist: An improvement over the Italian Fusion opening, taking it from good to great

Spinning the World by Noa: Love it. Great ED for the Sol Blaze movie. Probably on the same tier as Kaze no Fuku Basho for me

Kokoro no Yuki by YU+KI: the 4d opening slaps even harder than Galaxy Heart

Destiny by YCHRO: Just like Kokoro no Yuki managed to outdo Galaxy Heart, Destiny managed to outdo Oozora wo Koete Yuke. God 4d had great music (if only it wasn’t a shortened season)

Shine On by unknown artist: Absolute banger. That’s all I have to say about it besides that the artist deserves to actually be credited

Let It Rip by The Lodge: I did not expect bars of this level from a song made for a toy commercial. Even though the dub adding rap in anime is usually an unpopular decision, this was good

Game Changer by the Lodge: Another banger

To the Extreme by the Lodge: Why couldn’t the XTS toyline go as hard as this song?

Deploy and Destroy: This song is great and makes Stealth Battlers seem a lot cooler than they were irl

Own the Dome: Somehow a team of people got Hasbro’s worst stadium ever, and made the best commercial out of it. And part of that has to do with this absolute bop of a song

Stunt, Race, Crash by the Lodge: Like To the Extreme, Deploy and Destroy, and Own the Dome, this was a great song that advertised a terrible product

Zero-G Bey! Go! by YU+KI: I’d rank it between Metal Fight Beyblade and Galaxy Heart. It’s good, but not as much as the previous Japanese OPs (granted the bar was pretty damn high)

Looking Up Smiling (We Go!) by YCHRO: It manages to be just barely better than Destiny, which is pretty impressive

Beyblade: Shogun Steel by Sugar High Bunny Punch: Does it fit Beyblade? Not really. Is it good? Maybe not great, but better than I’ve seen people give it credit for

Let the Games Begin by Arunachal: The Beywheelz OP that was used for the English and Japanese versions alike. Like the English OP for Shogun Steel, I think it’s better than given credit for. Although like Beywheelz, it pales in comparison to the other seasons

A Better Place by Jonathan Evans: One of the guys behind I’m Not Going Down makes his return. A Better Place is a pretty good ED< even if it doesn’t stand out

Beyraiderz Theme by iSH and Nicholas Walsh: I’ll be honest the chorus is the only part I like from this. The rest is serviceable as an opening, but I wouldn’t call it good

Come Around by SPACEMAN MUSIC: I like Come Around, and consider it an improvement over A Better Place, but I don’t think it fits Beyraiderz as a season

Beywarriors: Cyborg by unknown artist: A better OP than Beyraiderz, but still a tad below Let the Games Begin

Hold Tight by unknown artist: Like anything relating to Beywarriors, the artist name is hard to find. It’s a strange ED, but I can’t put my finger on why. Like Poroporo, it’s interesting, even if I’m not sure whether I like it

Burst Finish! by Tatsuyuki Kobayashi: A good OP that fits the first season of Burst. It’s great

Believe by SHIKURAMEN: The only Burst ED to get a full version, and it’s certainly deserving of it. Like Burst Finish! it fits the first season of Burst perfectly

Our Time by Steven Allerick Chen: A great opening in par with Burst Finish

Battle Above My League by Fenwick & the Futures: The instrumentation is ok I guess. The vocals have this weird feel to them, like lofi but not really. Like Poroporo and Hold Tight, this song interests me because I don’t quite understand what I’m hearing

Evolution Burst! by unknown artist: The Beyblade Burst God OP is great. I'd call it the best of Japanese Burst openings but Cho-Z exists, making Evolution Burst! a worthy second

Beyxercise by Señor Hanami: If we ignore the visuals in the ED (so no Markiplier dancing), it goes from hilariously good to just regular good. The beat is catchy, but the vocals really make this song. It's performed by Hanami's VA, which makes that last "BASUTO FINISHU" so much better

Beyxercise 2 by Señor Hanami: It's Beyxercuse but again. The beat is different, and a bit of a slightly downgrade, but everything else is as good as the original Beyxercise

Evolution by Dave Vives and Steven Pagano: It's a great opening. Not much to say other than it's really good

Made for This by Vaski and Ian Everson: Amazing. Absolutely amazing. It's hard not to sing along and go "We were made for this"

Chouzetsu Muteki Blader by Ryosuke Sasaki: Easily one of my favorite Beyblade openings ever. Everything about it is fantastic

Bey-Pop! by Shun Kusakawa: Catchy and cheery is the best way to describe this. Lovely song

Bey-Pop Swing! by Shun Kusakawa: It's Bey-Pop bit more energetic. Still catchy and cheery, but with a tad bit more excitement

Turbo by Nate Wants to Battle: Best of the English OP's according to many, and a very close second best in my personal ranking. Nathan Sharp has delivered everything one could ask for from an opening

Gatti'n'Roll by unknown artist: I genuinely dkn't know why anyone though this was a good idea. I guess they thought they couldn't beat Chouzetsu Miteki Blader at its win game and went in the opposite direction, being very cheery rather than adrenaline-pumping. For what it's trying to be, it's pretty good. It just doesn't really work as an OP

Rise by Jonathan Young: IMO the best English opening in all of Beyblade. Jonathan Young made a high-energy OP that gets you pumped for the anime. Also his JJBA OP covers are great

Journey Into Tomorrow by Tony Rodini: I have a hard time deciding between this and Made for This for which is the best eyecatcher theme. Journey Into Tomorrow is just as good as Made for This and Made for This was great

Sparking Revolution by unknown artist: Not a bad OP but it doesn't really stand out. It's good, but it's just "there"

We Got the Spin by Konrad OldMoney and Johnny Gr4ves: Like Gatti'n'Roll, they were trying to go in the opposite direction of the previous opening. However, GT was a more lighthearted and comedic season, while Sparking is more serious than its predecessor. This means that to fit the season, we'd need something as intense as Rise, or at least Evolution, and instead we get this. And unlike the original series or mfb using rap on occasions, We Got the Spin lacks the energy present in songs like Shine On and Always Be In the Game

Clash! Dynamite Battle! by NORISTRY: Great opening. Probably my second favorite Japanese Burst OP behind Muteki Blader

We're Your Rebels by Nate Wants to Battle: Massive step up from We Got the Spin, and it's just what we expected from the guy that made Turbo

#mayblade 2022 #beyblade #mfb #beyburst #beyblade burst #beywheelz #beywarriors #beywarriors cyborg

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chr0mematic · 2 years

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(G)I-DLE CONCERT STUFFS!!!

So yesterday I just saw my favorite kpop group. Arguably the only group that matters. (G)-fkn-IDLE! Like the Twice concert, I’m gonna write some anecdotes! I have a lot more to say this time around.

While waiting in line somebody gave me a freebie, which were two custom-made photocards for the concert. One was a group shot, and the other was of Minnie! Shout out to Kashuee on Twitter you’re a real one.

The soundcheck was so casual, you could tell they didn’t rehearse it compared to the main show. They just came out and said “hi we’re gonna practice now what songs do you want lol”. We got Blow Your Mind, Luv U, and My Bag. It went by so fast, and Minnie told us to save our voices for the main show.

There were no translators at all. Each member spoke in English which was pretty neat!

Now onto the main show. When they were introducing themselves, it sounded like they were reading off KProfiles lmao. Except for Yuqi. As expected of the bluff queen, she was hyping herself up.

A lot of the songs were reworked for the concert. Most notably Dumdi, Lion, and Never Stop Me. Lion was even more theatrical than before and Never Stop Me turned into such a hype song with the extended chorus! Might’ve been my favorite performance thanks to its energy!

During the second interlude, they noted the most iconic part of Senorita was the “hey señor” lyric + pose. I think it made everyone a little sad considering who originally sang that line...luckily the girls decided to do their own versions! Miyeon did a goofy one, Yuqi cool, Soyeon sexy, and Shuhua tried to do the original godbless. Minnie did a cartwheel for no reason.

At one point Yuqi got to sing Lost, with Soyeon following up with the fucking. Shake Shack Song

The girls did not fight each other for the dance battle interlude. They decided to challenge us nevies.

When they put on a song for us, we ended up looking like this American Dad scene in real life which made me laugh. The girls themselves even made fun of the move lol.

They retaliated by dancing to Toxic Britney Spears thank god. Was afraid they would put on idk Justin Bieber or something.

To determine who won the dance battle, Yuqi played rock paper scissors with a fan and she lost lmao. So basically, we kicked their asses.

I must note that Shuhua also did a cartwheel here for no reason.

During another interlude, the girls wanted the audience to look around and make friends with each other. Which singlehandedly gave me school flashbacks. But they provided some examples on how we could act, like Yuqi and Shuhua fangirling obnoxiously. Likewise Minnie asked Miyeon if she was a nevie and if she was single LMAO

When we got the last chorus of My Bag, Soyeon pointed her mic to the crowd and let us sing while she stood completely still. It was so badass.

They made us shout the fuck in Tomboy right before they played it. This wouldn’t have happened at any other kpop concert fr.

While waiting for the hi-touch I think I saw this reaction youtuber I used to watch thanks to Idlecord posting his videos. So that was surreal.

NOW ONTO THE HI-TOUCH. The venue staff were rushing us and Soyeon was first in line, which completely fucked me up. I remember saying hi but I don’t remember her reaction. I think I glanced back at her so I only got to look at Shuhua for a second. Then Miyeon smiled warmly at me, and for some reason I don’t remember Minnie at all? I feel bad about that. My strongest memory is Yuqi, who looked me in the eyes and told me “thank you”. For what, slapping your hand? I kid, but that moment makes me happy. :D

Now there were a couple negatives as well...

Waiting several hours in the opressive summer heat to get in the venue. I thought I would get sore feet and a migraine but I didn’t surprisingly? I mean I woke up today with a headache at 5 am but it’s already gone. Retail must’ve prepared me for this moment.

During the soundcheck, someone behind me yelled “I MISS SOOJIN” during a quieter moment. I thought fans agreed not to bring her up explicitly? Cause that makes things awkward for the girls. Show OT6 support through like, merch or something. I did that with my OT6 shirt.

The venue itself. The first floor was packed like sardines and I had to stay on my tiptoes a majority of the time. To make matters worse, when any popular song came on literally EVERYONE was recording, and I couldn’t see shit and had to look their phones...fans did this with the first 3 songs and ngl it soured my mood then. It got better with bsides but eh.

Also the crowd was almost completely still. I guess I can understand because it was so hot and people were waiting for hours, but it felt dead at times. I felt out of place with me bopping my head n stuff lol.

My flash went off two times, once randomly that I fixed quickly but the other time was when I was recording Uh Oh, and I didn’t see it until halfway through the song. The only people who would’ve noticed that are the people directly in front of me...and the girls on stage. Not a big deal I think but I’m cringing now that I realize this.

I read that compared to other kpop concerts, (G)I-DLE’s hi-touch was pretty much a speedrun. Now I’m sad I didn’t get any more geuinine interactions :c

TL;DR this was the most fun I had in a looong time. Thank you Yuqi.

#rambling #gidle #concert #kpop #jesus christ i accidentally wrote an essay

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isoldmysoultojonahclemence · 3 years

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JONAH’S EVER AFTER ON IKEREV TW

I CAN’T I--

HIS RELEASE CAMPAIGN CAME OUT YESTERDAY BUT I ONLY SAW IT A FEW MINUTES AGO BC I WAS ON VACATION I CAN’T BELIEVE I MISSED THIS WHAT KIND OF JONAH STAN AM I

THIS MEANS THAT JONAH’S ROUTE CAMPAIGN WILL BEGIN SOMEWHERE AROUND LATE OCTOBER OR EARLY NOVEMBER IN THE ENGLISH VERSION SO MARK YOUR CALENDARS

I’m putting the rest of this under a cut for length bc I HAVE SO MUCH TO SAY

[Translation:

“On the 1 in a hundred million chance that I cannot marry you into the Clemence family, then I’m prepared to abandon my family.”

Whether it’s to build a family together, or to receive happiness together. For the one you love, the path you should take to the future is...

“You’re really too much. Don’t say something like...I’m sorry.”

The eyes that are brighter than the fireworks in the sky overflow with tears, and turn into strength to overcome the mirror blocking our path.

“When it’s only the two of us, I’m just Jonah...and I want to spoil you as much as I like.”]

ASDFKJWEIH;KAFJJE;LSAKFSD

I CAN ALREADY SENSE THE ABSOLUTE ANGST IN THIS ROUTE

IN HIS ORIGINAL ROUTE HE HAS TO ABANDON THE RED ARMY AND NOW IN HIS EVER AFTER HE HAS TO ABANDON HIS FAMILY TOO????? ESPECIALLY AS WE ALL KNOW HOW MUCH THE CRIMSON LINEAGE MEANS TO HIM??????????????????

And something I also really like is how the themes from the original route extends into his sequel, like the parts about “never apologizing” and “I can only be myself when I’m with you.” It just makes it feel more like a sequel and adds a better sense of completion uwu

ALSO JONAH’S TEARS ARE GOING TO DESTROY ME Y’ALL WILL SEE ME SOBBING ON TUMBLR WHEN I GET TO THAT PART

Here’s the mini talk list:

Luka + Sirius: please tell me about your families!

This one is already out, so here’s the screenshots!

[Translation:

Sirius: My home is always full of flowers, it’s a place that makes your mood lift.

Luka: Yeah...as opposed to Sirius’s family, mine was very quiet.

Luka: Even though it had always been pretty quiet...but ever since “that person” left home, it became even quieter.

Luka: Maybe it was because my family weren’t interested in me, so that’s why it feels so quiet.

Sirius: Haven’t you ever had experiences of playing noisily with Jonah in your home before?

Luka: No. We’re different from Sirius’s family...but there was only one time.

Luka: When I was young, that person had brought me out secretly before.

Luka: The both of us ran around and played in the secret courtyard that person found...

Luka: Until the skies grew dark.

Sirius: ...Is that so. Where is that courtyard full of memories? Is it close to your home?

Luka: I don’t know, I can’t remember...but, it doesn’t matter if I can’t remember it.

Luka: Now I think...it’s alright if that courtyard only exists in my memory.]

*deep breath*

ALKL;KCVKNCKDSA;KWOIWQOIK;FDMX;LZDS;ALKSJFA;LKJ

AKD;XJCEWQ8RJEIU;ANFVDFJSVVF’WDOIJ

;NWEFFKKGDMZXCKCERTIIUIBRI;JDSFJSMF;JLAEKF;LEQKJBNCM

FIRST OF ALL

A SECRET COURYARD???????? THAT JONAH FOUND?????????????? AND BROUGHT LUKA THERE TO PLAY???????????????????????? BUT ONLY ONCE???????????????????????????????????

I wonder how he managed to find it? But also it was to be expected that he would bring Luka bc he always wants to share what he loves with Luka (｡･ω･｡)ﾉ♡

Also just imagine the little Clemence bros running around and playing (｡･ω･｡)ﾉ♡ ♡ ♡

But like...

OH MY GOD LUKA WHAT HAVE YOU GONE THROUGH ˚‧º·(˚ ˃̣̣̥⌓˂̣̣̥ )‧º·˚

It’s so sadddddddd to think that the Clemence house got even quieter when Jonah left. Also I can’t figure out if Jonah “leaving” means that he left to go to boarding school or if he left to join the Red Army, but that was probably when Luka started to hate Jonah for abandoning him. I can’t imagine what it’s like to grow up in such a quiet and cold place and to have it grow even quieter and colder when the one person you thought cared about you left because now he has other things that are more important than you (/□＼*)・゜

Edgar + Kyle: can love between people of different social statuses exist?

The rest of these aren’t released at the moment I wrote this, so I’m mainly just going to be addressing my predictions!

So it’s clear that Jonah and MC are considered to be from different social ranks, even though MC is “Alice the Second” and has the power to nullify magic. She’s probably considered as a “commoner” in the Red Territory, so I can see why it would be difficult for Jonah and MC to get married.

And you know what else this reminds me of??? If we look at Seth’s route, we finally find out that the whole reason Cradle got divided into two was because a Red noble fell in love with a girl from a different social rank. And that romance tore a country apart, so.

Dean + Dalim: about family

Aight here we go. Are Dean and Dalim really family??? Do we finally get to find out??? Or at least get some sort of clue??? Bc I’m torn between the theory that they’re twins with amnesia or if Dean was some sort of clone created by the Magic Tower when they experimented on Dalim. And I have no idea when their routes are gonna be released, so I really hope we get more hints throughout each Ever After route.

Lancelot: Jonah’s tears

THIS IS THE SECOND MINI TALK THAT WILL DESTROY ME AFTER THE LUKA + SIRIUS ONE.

Also this is a reminder that Lancelot was probably the only one who has seen Jonah at his weakest before MC came along. It’s probably to be expected, since they’ve known each other for literally more than half their lives and also since Lancelot saved Jonah.

And technically Luka has known Jonah for the longest time, but I doubt that Jonah will ever show weakness in front of Luka because he considers himself as Luka’s protector, but it’s different in front of Lance. I feel like he can show his weaker side to Lance, and it just emphasizes how deep the relationship between them is.

SO GET READY FOR THE JONALOT FEELS WHEN THIS ONE COMES OUT.

Jonah: what is your ideal proposal?

OK I feel like this one is either gonna be super romantic or super cheesy. Or both, considering the type of person that Jonah is. But I’m gonna love it no matter what bc 1) Jonah can make even the most embarrassing situations funny and touching and 2) I’m too weak for my mille-feuille boi.

The screenshots for the “Peek at Romance” thing is here:

[Translation:

My dear Queen of Hearts, Jonah Clemence.

Jonah: In that party, every heir of the Clemence family will...

Jonah: Publicly introduce his fiancee, receive the acknowledgment and blessing of the whole clan, and finally step into the halls of marriage.

“What is a happy ending?”

--It’s when, the person who cannot be replaced becomes family.

Luka: Even though my brother is troublesome, and sometimes overly enthusiastic, but from now on please take care of him.

--It’s when, you become allies with the person you met.

Levie: Who hurt MC!? I’ll destroy that guy...!

Jonah: Calm down, Levie Castell. See who’s your true enemy clearly!

When he couldn’t provide an answer, it made tears overflow from his eyes.

And--while looking for an answer, it’s also possible to lose something.

Dalim: Thanks. Goodbye, princess.

Dean: I couldn’t ask any of the things I’ve been wondering before he ran...

But even so, we will still advance forward bravely.

This is all to receive the answer--to have a happy ending.

Jonah: From now on, everyone will see you as...

Jonah: The Queen of Heart’s...and also the head of the Clemence family’s wife.

Jonah: But, when there’s no one else, and when it’s just us two.

Jonah: We’ll become Jonah and MC again, and we can love each other as much as we like.

Jonah: I love you, MC.

No matter what happens, he, who is the most beautiful and pure in the world...

Will only accept a future that is even better than a happy ending...!]

I just...literally cannot express my love for this summary.

First of all I’m just gonna talk about the tone. Right off the bat MC calls him “my dear Queen” and it was just. So. CUUUUUUUUUUTE.

Also, the question and theme of “a happy ending” is brought up, and the rest of the sneak peek answers that question (it’s when the people you love become your family and the people you meet becomes your allies), but also explores how they could find those answers (Jonah crying when he couldn’t find an answer and advancing forward bravely because they just want their happy ending). And finally we finish it off with a super Jonah-like statement, announcing that he’ll accept no less than the most perfect ending of them all!

Moving on to the information revealed...it’s pretty cool how there’s a special party for the next head of the Clemence family when they’re ready to announce their marriage and gain approval. Also, it’s kinda wild to think that Jonah will eventually become a head of the family just like his father and his grandfather before that.

AND THE PART WITH LUKA AND LEVIE ARE LITERALLY SO ADORABLE. LIKE, LUKA INSULTING JONAH BUT ALSO LEAVING HIM TO MC AND LEVIE DEFENDING MC FROM PPL WHO WOULD HARM HER IS 10/10 PERFECT

Also it seems that Dean and Dalim’s backstories might be explored more but won’t be resolved just yet. I guess we really do have to wait until their routes get released to find out.

In short, this was an amazing summary of the route. WHY DO I HAVE TO WAIT ANOTHER MONTH UNTIL I CAN FINALLY READ THE WHOLE THING???????????????????????????

Also FYI, this is all completely new to me. For the other characters’ sequels, I played it through on Ikerev JP bc I can’t wait until the releases in the TW and English version that’s like, a year later. But I didn’t read Jonah’s sequel bc my Japanese isn’t super good and I wanted to read my man’s story in a language that I can completely understand so I literally have no idea of what to expect apart from what I found out in the campaign release :3

Also also I’m probably gonna be posting for every part in the story I’m going through BC I JUST LOVE JONAH THAT MUCH. I guess it would make up for my inactivity this month ^^;

#ikemen revolution #ikerev #jonah clemence #ikerev jonah #jonah's sequel #ever after #i SCREECHED when i saw the announcement #no joke #i thought it would only come out during september #so that was definitely a pleasant surprise #i need to quickly stock up on story tickets this month #i only have around 45 rn #which means i can only read 9 parts at once #THAT IS SIMPLY NOT ENOUGH

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thelastspeecher · 4 years

Text

Spirit Touched - Chapter 4: Baby Badger-Viper

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 AO3

I actually updated on AO3 yesterday, but I was too lazy to post the new chapter here. So here’s the new chapter now. Chapter 5 won’t go up until after I move next week, though, because I’m going to have to focus on packing and whatnot.

Again, this fic is inspired by @muffinlance‘s fic Salvage and fanart that @agent-jaselin did of it. A component of this chapter is thanks to this art that jaselin did.

——————————————————————————————

Hakoda should have known that whatever Tuluk had to say was trouble. The crewman had come into his cabin while he was responding to letters from the Northern Fleet – without knocking.

“Chief?” Hakoda set his pen down.

“Yes?” he asked.

“The kid’s up the mast again.”

“The-” Hakoda’s eyes widened. “Zuko climbed the mast?” Tuluk nodded. “He’s four!” Though, now that Hakoda thought about it, Zuko’s current age wasn’t as much of an impediment as it would have been to someone else. This was, after all, the boy that had managed to bruise multiple crewmen while battling hypothermia. Hakoda got up from his desk and followed Tuluk onto the deck.

“You need to wear something!” Toklo called. True enough, Hakoda could just make out a very young boy, sitting on the crossbeam of the main mast.

“Tui and La, how did he get up there?” Hakoda breathed. Much of the crew had stopped to watch the spectacle of a toddler up very high, in a very precarious, very dangerous situation. Even those who were taking longer to warm up to Zuko were visibly concerned for his safety. The crewmen that had bonded with him, like Toklo, looked like they might have heart attacks.

“No!” Zuko shouted down to Toklo. His voice was petulant, but not in the way a prince would speak. He sounded every bit the toddler he was. “I won’t wear it!”

“It’s the only thing in your size, Zuko,” Bato argued. Hakoda walked to his second-in-command’s side.

“What happened?” Hakoda asked. Bato sighed and uncrossed his arms.

“The little brat won’t put on a coat.” Bato looked up the mast to shout again. “Do you want to get sick again?”

“Yes!” shrieked the small firebender.

“Son of a-” Bato rubbed his forehead.

“Why won’t he put on a coat?” Hakoda asked.

“The one he likes is still drying,” Toklo said. “We had to wash it earlier.” Washing it was the right move. The last Hakoda had seen of the coat, it was covered in messes that only a clumsy toddler could make.

“We got him another coat last time we docked,” Hakoda pointed out. Panuk snorted softly.

“Yeah, and he hates it.”

“Are you talking about me?” Zuko shouted. “That’s not nice!” Scattered snickers came from the crewmen.

“I’ll get him,” Hakoda said wearily.

For the second time, he climbed up the mast to retrieve a stubborn firebender. When he arrived at the crossbeam, Zuko glared at him.

“Zuko, you can’t stay up here.”

“Yes, I can!”

“No, you can’t.”

“Yes, I can!” Zuko said stubbornly. Hakoda sighed. He’d forgotten how difficult toddlers could be. After all, it had been a while since his children were this young, and up until now, Zuko had been on his best behavior.

“It’s not safe for you,” Hakoda said, forcing calm. Zuko glanced down at the deck uncertainly, then met his eyes again with that distinctive glower. But Hakoda had seen the brief flash of fear across the boy’s face. Zuko didn’t want to be up here any more than Hakoda wanted it. “You’re coming down with me.”

“No.” Zuko fidgeted. On a crossbeam. That a fall from would cause serious injuries. Hakoda fought the instinctual urge to grab the boy. He waited. Zuko clearly had more to say. “…I’m scared,” Zuko finally whimpered. “It’s taller than before.”

“Well, you’re shorter than before,” Hakoda pointed out. Zuko fidgeted again. “I’ll carry you down, okay?” After a moment, Zuko bobbed his head. He scooted closer to Hakoda, who scooped him into one arm, stifling a sigh of relief. Zuko buried his face into Hakoda’s shirt, hiding from the height or the eyes of the crewmen, Hakoda wasn’t sure.

Once back on the deck, Hakoda set the boy down. This incident with the mast was vastly different from the first; for one, the boy shivering in the cold wind looked nothing like the proud prince they’d fished from the sea. With his blue clothes drying, Zuko was in his green Earth Kingdom attire again. His hair, which Hakoda felt certain grew faster than normal, was tied back in the traditional wolf’s tail. It took the shortest amount of time of any hairstyles the crew knew, and Zuko was too fidgety to sit still for a longer one.

No, Zuko didn’t look like a prince. He looked like a refugee. Like one of the orphans that picked up a heritage from any adult willing to help them, and as a result, blended many backgrounds into one.

It wasn’t entirely inaccurate, Hakoda considered, to think of the former Fire Nation Prince as a refugee.

“Put on your coat,” Hakoda instructed Zuko, pushing away his musings. Zuko scowled.

“N-n-no,” he said, his teeth chattering from the cold.

“Wearing a coat you dislike is preferable to catching your death,” Hakoda said shortly. Zuko opened his mouth like he was going to argue, but closed it again. He nodded reluctantly. Toklo, who had been standing nearby with said detested coat in his hands, moved forward and draped it over Zuko’s shoulders.

“I can put it on myself,” Zuko whined as Toklo busily dressed him.

“I’m just helping you with the buttons,” Toklo chirped, buttoning up the coat. He pulled the hood over Zuko’s head. “There! Now you can stop shivering.” Now that the coat was on, Hakoda could see why the boy hated it.

“It looks even better than I thought it would,” Bato said, not bothering to hide the glee in his voice. “We’d better keep you away from the birds. They might think you’re a predator.” Zuko scowled.

“Of course you like it, you bought it,” he mumbled. Bato grinned. The coat was one made for children that enjoyed dressing up in costumes. It had ears on the hood and a tail on the back. Overall, it brought to mind a simplified version of an animal Hakoda had heard of, but had not seen.

“You make quite the fierce pygmy puma,” Hakoda remarked.

Zuko pulled the hood further down his face, pouting.

-----

“He’s here, Chief,” Aake rumbled as he walked onto the deck, carrying Zuko over his shoulder.

“Put me down, put me down!” Zuko shrieked, kicking his legs ineffectually. “I don’t need a nap!”

“You sound just like Sitka when he gets overtired,” Aake said. “That’s a sign that you do need a nap.”

“No!” Zuko whined. Aake handed the squirming toddler to Hakoda.

“Zuko, we’ve been over this,” Hakoda said wearily. Zuko wriggled fiercely in Hakoda’s arms. A few sparks burst into life, meeting Hakoda’s skin and causing him to instinctively drop the toddler. Unlike the first time he’d fallen to the deck, Zuko didn’t stay quiet. He burst into tears.

“What is going on with him lately?” Panuk muttered.

“He’s overtired, for one thing,” Aake said. Hakoda picked Zuko up again and brought him to the infirmary, ignoring the boy’s crying. “Toddlers always get worse when they need a nap.”

“Yeah, but he’s been acting out even when he’s not tired,” Toklo pointed out. Aake shrugged.

“Maybe he’s given up on pretending to be a teenager.”

-----

It took a long time for Zuko to calm down. The moment he did, he fell asleep, exhausted from his temper tantrum. Kustaa shook his head.

“It’s back to being the baby badger-viper you were when you first joined us, huh?” he asked the sleeping boy. Zuko snored in response. A thin line of drool dribbled down his cheek. “At least you’re too small to bruise us every time you throw a fit.” Zuko snored again.

Satisfied that his young charge wouldn’t wake up for some time, Kustaa took out the book he’d been given by Healer Yugoda. It was a record of every known instance the Northern Water Tribe had of someone being spirit touched. Hopefully, he could find something in it to illuminate what had happened to Zuko. He sat down at his desk and began to read.

Yugoda’s book was very, very detailed. It included names that Kustaa half-remembered and others that he had never heard before, tales from both poles, ancient legends, and even recent instances, such as the Moon Spirit saving the life of a Northern Tribe Princess.

The reasons spirits intervened in mortal affairs were varied, but a common one was for personal growth. Spirits, despite being immortal, could be impatient with the pace of human development. Any human that had been marked as having a significant destiny was watched closely. Should that human dawdle on their journey, a spirit might intervene.

Kustaa wasn’t too familiar with Fire Nation customs, but he had heard that the royal family were thought of as being blessed by the Sun Spirit, Agni. Zuko, a Fire Nation Prince, would undoubtedly have a destiny the spirits might take interest in. It seemed most likely that Zuko had been reverted to a child as some manner of speeding his journey. After all, the other frequent cause of a spirit intervening – to save a life – didn’t apply. Zuko had been hale and hearty the day before he woke up as a toddler.

Unfortunately, there were no records that Kustaa could find of spirits returning someone’s youth. Which dashed the hope that he might be able to figure out whether Zuko’s change in behavior was as troubling as it seemed. Zuko didn’t seem to notice, but the rest of the crew had picked up on the firebender’s increasingly frequent meltdowns, immature speech patterns, and juvenile reactions.

He could be upset about something, and slipping into more age-appropriate behavior as a coping mechanism. It could be a delayed effect of this specific spiritual intervention. Or even an effect that only happens after being in a spirit touched state for an extended period of time. Maybe it’s as some crew are suggesting, that he’s given up hope of returning to his proper age, and as such, opted to give up acting as if he were that age.

With a soft sigh, Kustaa closed the book. There were too many possibilities, and he wouldn’t be able to narrow them down unless Zuko opened up.

Fat chance of that happening. There was faint stirring from Zuko’s furs. Kustaa looked over. A small face popped up.

“Did you enjoy your nap, nephew?” Kustaa asked pleasantly. Zuko yawned widely and stretched. He nodded. “Good.” A sudden stricken look crossed Zuko’s face.

“Um…” Zuko fidgeted. “Can- can I stay in here for a while?” he asked sheepishly. Kustaa raised an eyebrow. “I…I behaved poorly earlier,” Zuko mumbled. After he’d let Zuko wallow for a moment, Kustaa nodded.

“I have some herbs that need sorting. If you’d like, you can do that.” Zuko beamed. Kustaa fought back a smile in return.

The kid was a beast when he was upset, but far more endearing than he had any right being.

Like most young children.

-----

Hakoda browsed the selection of the store, in his peripheral, keeping an eye on Zuko. The first few towns, he hadn’t been the only golden-eyed child, but as they progressed down the coast, his obvious Fire Nation heritage turned more and more heads. Luckily, any glares sent Zuko’s way were replaced by sheepish looks once they saw his scar. The fact that Zuko preferred warm clothing, and thus dressed in Water Tribe attire more often, helped as well. But Hakoda remained on edge.

Someone tapped on Hakoda’s shoulder. He turned.

“Excuse me, sir, but is he your son?” asked the woman who had approached him. She pointed at Zuko, who was ogling a display of exotic spices. Hakoda nodded. “Ah.” A sympathetic expression settled on the woman’s face. “It was very kind of you to keep him.”

Hakoda knew what the woman was implying. It was the lie he’d given over and over, that Zuko was a war bastard. But the lie suddenly tasted bitter. He’d seen the golden-eyed street urchins. He knew that war bastards weren’t always kept. Still, Hakoda couldn’t shake loose the dirty feeling that had come over him, at the suggestion that a mixed-blood child growing up in a home was an anomaly, not the norm.

“Of course I kept him,” Hakoda said softly. “He’s my son, regardless of his parentage.” The woman smiled. Zuko stood on his tiptoes, reaching for a bright red spice. “Nuktuk.” Zuko spun around. The woman Hakoda was talking to let out a soft gasp. “If you want to get a closer look at something, ask and I’ll get it for you.” Zuko scowled. “We can’t have you knocking things over again.” Zuko nodded reluctantly. Hakoda walked over. “What did you want to look at?”

“That,” Zuko mumbled, pointing out the red spice. Hakoda handed it to him.

“This?”

“Yeah.” Zuko stared intently at the small bottle. According to the label, it contained ground chilis and fire flakes. “I like this.”

“Do you want it?” Hakoda probed. After a moment, Zuko nodded. “Then ask.”

“Can I have it?” Zuko asked quietly. Hakoda raised an eyebrow. “Please?” Hakoda nodded.

“Since you asked so nicely…” Zuko handed Hakoda the bottle, already brimming with excitement. “You can keep looking around, but remember to be careful.” Zuko nodded. He toddled over to a wall of jars containing pickled vegetables. Hakoda turned to the woman he’d been speaking with. Horror filled her eyes.

“I’ve seen burns on refugees before, but never something that bad on someone so young,” she whispered. “I’m so sorry.” Hakoda paused for a moment, trying to figure out how to respond.

“Thank you. But it’s something we’ve done our best to move past. Dwelling on it only makes it worse,” he said diplomatically. The woman shook her head, still visibly disturbed. She walked over to Zuko and crouched next to him, speaking to him in a low voice.

Hakoda watched for a few moments, nervous that Zuko might say or do something that made it obvious he wasn’t a regular toddler. But the woman didn’t seem perturbed, so he resumed shopping. The woman eventually left Zuko’s side and went up to the register. She stopped by Zuko again on her way out of the shop.

Hakoda brought the supplies up to the register. Zuko sidled over to him, a large stuffed animal turtle duck in his arms.

“That thing’s almost as big as you,” Hakoda remarked. Zuko scowled and hugged the toy tighter. “I can’t buy it for you, you know.”

“Not a problem, sir,” said the cashier, counting out Hakoda’s change. “Lily got it for him.”

“The woman that was in here earlier?” Hakoda asked. The cashier nodded.

“Yup. She’s got a soft spot for refugee kids.” The cashier shook his head. “It’s a shame what good people like you and your family have to deal with. Leaving your life behind, taking only the barest of necessities…”

“It’s war,” Hakoda said dryly. The cashier handed Hakoda his change.

“That it is.”

-----

Zuko’s poor behavior began to die down after that stop. His stuffed turtle duck came with him almost everywhere. It reminded Hakoda of the blanket Sokka had been overly attached to as a child.

“Who would’ve thought the kid just needed a toy?” Bato remarked. Some of the men were training on the deck. Zuko was watching, heckling those he thought could do better. His sharp words were undercut by how tightly he hugged his stuffed animal.

“A complete stranger in a store,” Hakoda said softly.

“You mean the woman that bought it for him?”

“Yes. She was under the impression we were refugees whose only real possessions were the clothes on our backs.”

“Huh. Well, with Zuko, that’s actually pretty accurate.”

“Exactly.” Hakoda watched Zuko tease Ranalok for losing a sparring match. “I don’t think Zuko qualifies as a refugee, but he’s pretty close to one. His world’s been turned upside down multiple times. I can’t believe I didn’t think of giving him a toy or blanket or-”

“Hakoda, he’s been trying to act like a teenager for most of his time as a kid,” Bato pointed out. “Don’t be too hard on yourself. The good news is that the kid’s finally calming down again.”

“We never did find out why he started acting up.”

“Don’t look a gift ostrich-horse in the mouth,” Bato said with a shrug. Hakoda didn’t respond. Zuko yawned widely. Hakoda walked over.

“Zuko, would you come with me?” Hakoda asked softly. Zuko nodded. He followed Hakoda into his cabin. Hakoda lifted the boy onto the chair opposite his desk, then sat down. Zuko looked at him, his eyes getting slightly bleary from tiredness.

“What is it, Chief?” Zuko asked. Hakoda steepled his fingers.

“I want to talk about your behavior.” That shocked him out of any sleepiness he might have had. Zuko straightened, eyes wide with fear. “Before you say anything, I’m not punishing you. You’ve been very well-behaved since we last docked.” Zuko relaxed slightly. “But for a rather long time, you were not.”

“I’m sorry,” Zuko mumbled.

“I don’t want an apology. I’m just wondering if you could share with me the reason,” Hakoda said. Zuko squeezed his stuffed turtle duck. “After we parted ways with the Northerners, you began acting in ways you hadn’t before. Why?”

“Why are you asking me now?” Zuko mumbled. “You should have asked while I was misbehaving.”

“Do you remember how you refused to cooperate with something as simple as taking a nap?” Hakoda asked. Zuko reddened. He nodded. “That’s why I didn’t ask then. I’m not going to judge you. But if you know why you were behaving so poorly-”

“I was upset,” Zuko blurted out. Hakoda waited. The boy didn’t say anything else.

“Why were you upset?” Hakoda prodded gently.

“Uncle,” Zuko mumbled. He squeezed his toy again. “I…miss him.”

“Do you want to see him?”

“Yes. No. I-” Zuko looked away. “The spirits cursed me, and I don’t know why, and Uncle cares too much, and he’d ask questions I don’t know how to answer, and-” Hakoda held up a hand. Zuko fell silent.

“You were conflicted,” he said. Zuko nodded. “You want to see your uncle, but you’re worried how the reunion might go.” Zuko nodded again. “You could have told us.”

“No. I’m already four. I don’t need any more indignities thrust upon me.”

“Zuko, when something troubles you so much that it affects your behavior, it’s something you need to share,” Hakoda said patiently. Zuko scowled. Hakoda felt like he was back in time, trying to convince Sokka to talk things out before escalating to a fight. “Are you better now?” The young firebender blinked in surprise, clearly taken aback by the apparent change in topic.

“Sort of. I mean, I still miss Uncle and feel…conflicted,” Zuko confessed. “But it’s not as bad now.” He looked down at his stuffed animal. “I had one like this before. Lu Ten gave it to me.”

“Lu Ten?”

“My cousin. He- he died during the Siege of Ba Sing Se.”

“Ah,” Hakoda said softly. Zuko looked at him expectantly. Hakoda raised an eyebrow. “Yes?”

“Am I excused?” Zuko asked. Hakoda nodded. Zuko hopped off the chair and rushed out of the cabin. Hakoda leaned back.

Despite all his protests to the contrary, he’s just a boy. A boy that feels a bit safer when he has something of his own to cuddle. Hakoda grimaced. I can’t tell Toklo and Panuk that toys are apparently the key to getting Zuko to open up. They’ll bury him in stuffed animals.

-----

“Zuko.” Zuko sat bolt upright. He looked over at Kustaa. The healer was still fast asleep. Wondering if he’d imagined it, Zuko laid back down. “Zuko.”

Who’s saying that? Zuko fought free of his pile of furs. He slipped on a coat to protect himself against the night wind and snuck onto the deck as quietly as possible. The night shift did their chores, not paying any attention to the toddler padding past them. Something guided Zuko’s feet to the edge of the ship. He clambered onto the railing, ignoring Hakoda’s voice in the back of his head telling him to stop climbing things.

The full moon shone in the sky. Its mirror image on the still ocean was just as bright. Zuko cocked his head curiously at it. Normally, he could feel the influence of the moon decreasing his bending capability. But tonight, he didn’t feel stifled.

It’s probably because my bending is even weaker than usual right now. Zuko tilted his head back to look up at the stars. A memory flashed in his mind: the first time he’d seen the spirit lights in the South Pole. Uncle had been thrilled and dragged Zuko out of bed to watch. He blinked, and the memory faded. No colorful ribbons split the sky in two. Stars scattered across the heavens like they had been spilled from a jar. The moon hung heavy. Zuko sighed. I should go back to bed.

“Not yet, Prince Zuko.”

“Just Zuko,” Zuko said instinctively. His eyes widened. A figure began to form out of the moon. A young woman, about the age he’d been before the spirits cursed him. She smiled sweetly.

“Not cursed, Prince Zuko. Blessed,” she said. Her voice echoed across the waves. She floated closer. “And why would I not call you Prince? It is your title.”

“Not- not anymore,” Zuko stammered. He resisted the urge to fidget. Clearly, he was in the presence of a spirit. He had to be on his best behavior. The spirit settled next to him on the railing. Zuko winced slightly; her bright glow hurt his bad eye. Her eyes widened. The glow surrounding her dimmed from the force of the full moon to a soft foxfire.

“I apologize,” she said. “This is the first time I’m really acting as a spiritual intermediary.”

“But…you’re the moon spirit,” Zuko said, having finally recognized her. She smiled sadly.

“Not always. You can call me Yue.”

“Yue.” Zuko looked down at his hands. “Yue, I- I can’t be the prince anymore.”

“Why not?”

“I just- I can’t.”

“Hmm.” Yue looked out across the water. “If you want to renounce your title, it might behoove you to wait until you have a firm reason for doing so.”

“…Maybe,” Zuko mumbled. He took a deep breath. “Why- why are you here?” he asked. To his displeasure, it came out as a weak squeak. Yue smiled fondly at him. Her white hair billowed behind her, despite the complete lack of breezes.

“It’s time you were told why the spirits have intervened with you.” Zuko whipped his head up to stare at Yue in shock.

“That doesn’t happen very often.”

“The general consensus is that you might not pick up on it on your own,” Yue confessed. Zuko flushed in embarrassment. “Prince Zuko, your personal journey, one that the spirits have been invested in, is unlearning what you were taught by your father.”

“Like what?” Zuko asked. “Give me an example.” Yue’s mouth twitched.

“They’re all examples.”

“What?”

“Children your age wear their hearts on their sleeves and don’t hide their intentions,” Yue said, changing the topic. “They have no difficulty accessing the emotions that you grew up learning to stifle. If you wish to be a kind, just ruler someday, you must relearn how to be vulnerable and open. You must abandon the idea that rage and fear are all that will make you strong.”

“But that’s where firebending comes from. Anger.”

“Is it?” Yue asked, cocking her head. Zuko blinked. “Do you understand what I am telling you?”

“It sounds like you want me to stop being Fire Nation.” Zuko rubbed the back of his neck. “Which…I sort of already have.”

“No. The Fire Nation is no more inherently bad than any other creed.” Yue put a hand on Zuko’s back. “It has a rich culture whose good aspects have been masked by the bad ones for a hundred years.” She began to fade. “Our time is coming to an end.”

“What? But you didn’t- you didn’t tell me anything!” Zuko protested. Yue began to float away.

“I did.”

“No, you-” Zuko huffed. “What am I supposed to do? Am I even going to return to my proper age?”

“That’s something only you can control,” Yue said softly.

“Wait!” Zuko shouted at the spirit. She was growing smaller, moving away from him, back to the moon hanging in the sky. “Wait!” He got to his feet clumsily. “That’s not a real answer, it’s-” His already precarious balance on the rail failed as the ship hit a rough wave. Zuko toppled forward, falling overboard.

Again.

At least he was rescued quicker this time. Ranalok had seen him lose his balance and fished him out of the ocean immediately. Tuluk stood ready nearby with a towel.

“Kid, you have to think of some new ways to drive us up the wall,” Tuluk said as he removed Zuko’s dripping outerwear. Thankfully, he didn’t take off all of Zuko’s clothes, even though every stitch was drenched. The crewman allowed Zuko some of the piddling amount of dignity the former prince had left. He wrapped Zuko tightly in the towel and dragged him to the infirmary.

When Kustaa awoke and saw the soaked boy, he merely raised a silent eyebrow.

“The baby badger-viper fell overboard,” Tuluk explained. Kustaa sighed. “Hopefully he won’t get sick this time.”

“Hopefully,” Kustaa repeated. Tuluk left. Kustaa turned so that Zuko could undress and dry off. “You realize what this means, right?”

“…No,” Zuko said warily, scrubbing his hair with the towel.

“Your clothes need to dry again.” Zuko froze. “Including your favorite coat. So…” Zuko scowled as the coat he did not like one bit was tossed at him. “Time to dress up like a pygmy puma.”

#Spirit Touched #ATLA #Zuko #Hakoda #Bato #Yue #my writing #my stuff #fanfiction #speecher speaks

245 notes · View notes

pebblysand · 3 years

Text

of breakable clay [extended author's notes on chapter viii of castles]

oh my god. it’s out. jesus christ.

okay first off, before i dive into anything, i know i’ve already done this in the actual a/n but i would like to wholeheartedly thank @whiffingbooks over on discord for helping me with figuring out the structure of things fic. although i have to admit i did not, at all, do what i told you i would do, talking it out was massively helpful in figuring this one out, so thanks a million. secondly, i would like send all of my most sincere and affectionate thanks to @whizzfizz on here, who mother-of-god basically designed this entire chapter and listened to me rant, and rant, and rant about it for days on end without complaining. i’ll go into a bit more depth later on, but THANK YOU.

now, a few facts on this chapter before i dive further in:

wordcount: 19168. i legit would apologise for this but i promised i wouldn’t so i’m not going to. that’s growing up people. don’t apologise for yourselves haha.

soundtrack: so i’ve never mentioned this but each chapter kind of has a soundtrack? like a song that i listened to on loop while writing this. here, i would basically point you to the entire spotify of a band called barns courtney (there’s one album and a few eps), i basically listened to all of their songs on loop this past month. i feel like they have such a strong gryffindor energy, in the good, the bad and the ugly. this chapter is definitely sort of an ode to gryffindors so their music was a very big inspo. if i had to point you to one song, it would probably be dopamine.

favourite line: ‘I dig my fingernails into the inside of my palms and it feels like the blood that comes out is already boiling.’

what is this chapter about? now, that’s an easy one. survival.

okay, now, spoilers under the cut.

ugh. holy fucking shit. i’m actually at a stage right now where i strongly believe that no one on earth will want to read this because everyone probably hates me right now for the choices that i made, especially after i made you wait almost three months for this shit. i always feel like whatever i’ve put out was the hardest chapter to write so far but this one was really out there in terms of struggles - i’m really sorry it took so long, but here we are.

there are reasons, though. first, as i said in my may round up, i didn’t really start writing this until about a month ago, because a lot of things were happening in my life that i needed to take care of. i took exams (which i passed!!!!), my mum had a health emergency, ireland added france to their mandatory quarantine list (it has been removed as of yesterday thank. fucking. christ) and i started a new job. it was a lot.

anyway, this being said, when i did get to writing this chapter, as mentioned above in the thank-you section, i kind of first struggled with the structure of it. now, you will see this is a recurring theme this time around but for this, my instincts were telling me one thing, and my brain was saying something else.

basically, what came first here wasn’t the actual content of ginny’s letters (more on that, obviously, in a minute) but the ‘mood’ i wanted for the chapter. i wanted to recreate, both for harry and for the reader, this sort of idea of being completely immersed in a book or a story. like, you know the kind of mood where reality just kind of blends out, where you start reading something and just. cannot. stop. i don’t think he’s much a reader (at least not canonically) and so i wanted this to take him by surprise, for her to take over his life with her words. i explained in the previous a/n [link] i chose to have ginny’s war be told through letters (basically, i thought it would be the best way to narratively tell her story), and i really wanted harry to experience what she’d lived through almost first hand.

now, interestingly, my idea for how to do this originally was to have the letters sort of be interwoven into the events of 1999, throughout the next couple of chapters (meaning this one and chapter nine). i had this idea in my head of him living through ‘real life’ things but not being able to take his mind off her letters, with the letters also sort of echoing the events that were happening in 99, etc. having the two plot lines develop at once and meet in the middle, kind of.

and i tried to write that. for a long time. spoiler alert, it didn’t work. i think the reason is that every time i sat down with it, i felt like i was doing a disservice to both stories. i mean: 97/98 is important, but 99 also is, you know? and by taking the narrative in and out all the time, it was like you couldn’t concentrate on one thing. it was just very messy and didn’t have the intensity i was originally aiming for because it kept being dragged out of whatever was the main action at the time. i wanted harry to get sucked into the narrative, for her letters to take over his life, but in the end, the impression i just got was that the whole thing was confusing af. instead of deeply caring about both, i couldn’t bring myself to care either for ginny’s story, or for his.

also, i just kept hitting a wall: a wall called harry. basically, i knew that the next two chapters (i.e. eight and nine) would stretch from january 99 to june 99. and for the love of god, no matter how many times i turned it around in my head, there was - to me - no way that harry as we know him would just pace himself to read her letters throughout all those months. like, harry fucking potter isn’t the kind of guy who ‘paces’ himself. he’s the kind of guy who doesn’t sleep for a week to get through it all, you know? this is everything that he’s wanted to know since last may, he’s been desperately looking for answers up to this point, there is absolutely not way in hell that he’d wait it out nicely until june. it felt ooc to have him read the letters over a few months. and i just kept hitting that wall over and over. i considered, at one point, building him reading the letters into flashbacks but flashbacks of flashbacks were, again, quite messy, and i don’t think her letters would ever be something he’d volunteer to re-read, so. clearly, it wasn’t working.

then, i think on a random sunday a few weeks ago, i just went back to the drawing board and was like: okay, say we just write all of the letters and go from there, what would happen? by the end of the day, i’d written 12,000 words and that was that, really.

now, the second difficulty, once i’d decided that was…. what you all probably want me to talk about.

i know this is probably not what you want to hear but: i didn’t really plan this? like, i understand that a lot of people have sort of a headcanon about what happened to ginny in that year in hogwarts but i … don’t. like, as planned as this fic is (which it is, i know where i’m going, i promise) that was always a bit of a blank-space-tbd in my head. i think that this story, as hinny as it is, is mostly about harry. and while i knew what i wanted for harry from her telling her story (for him to get sucked in, for him to realise that his war wasn’t the only war in the world ‘cause he’s been bloody self-centered so far, for him to realise that his plan to protect her didn’t exactly work because it didn’t cater for who she is, etc.), i wasn’t really sure what that story was. i mean, i knew it was going to be bad and traumatic, obviously, but i didn’t know what would happen. and still, to me, what i wrote is a version of that year. it’s not really my headcanon (i still don’t really have one), and i definitely accept other versions, if that makes sense.

this being said, i obviously had thought about it a little. i remember writing chapter one with that line: ‘They have sex for the first time, that day – his first time and it feels like hers, too, but he wouldn’t dare ask, not anymore, anyways’ and thinking i wanted to leave the door open. to me, it was a door completely open: it could have indeed been her first time, or she could have seen someone else (consensually) during that year, or she could have been assaulted. i honestly didn’t know but yeah, that was always a possibility in the back of my head.

then, to tell you the truth, when i wrote the first version of this chapter (the 12,000 words i mentioned earlier), it wasn’t there. i sat down and decided that i wasn’t going to go there. firstly, because, while you probably don’t know this, i’ve written about sexual assault before. my previous long fic, children, in another fandom, dealt (in part) with that. and i didn’t want to be the-fic-writer-who-writes-about-sexual-assault. especially because trust me, there are people who are a lot more legitimate to talk about this than i am. i also didn’t feel like it was necessary to the story, i could do without it and still explain ginny’s early behaviour in the fic, explain her trauma, and have harry realise the things i talked about before. secondly, i’ll be honest: i know this isn’t what people in this fandom want to read. the hinny pairing is mostly about love and fluff (which i love, btw, don’t get me wrong) and i was like, ugh, i don’t want to face the angry comments. i’m writing this a/n the morning before posting so i admittedly don’t know what the reaction will be but i do anticipate a lot of annoyance with me. i knew that a lot of people wouldn’t like it if i went there, and it was just easier not to.

but then, as i started editing, there was a comment (and this, ladies and gentlemen, is a testament to how much your comments fucking matter, okay?). a comment that i remembered reading on the previous chapter and could not get out of my head, no matter how much i tried. well, hello, @whizzfizz. i’ll happily give credit where credit is due. it read:

This made me think of something you mentioned earlier in the fic (possibly Ch1) about Harry not being sure if he was Ginny’s first but that it felt like it. I wonder if this is something that is going to come up in her letters to him.

and, so, it turned. around and around in my head, and i couldn’t get it out. and i kept saying to myself: no, you’re not going there. no, you’re not going there. and then, one night, i caved. i was like, fuck, i need to know if this person really meant what i think they meant by this. and so we talked. a lot. and, i did a lot of thinking. about women. about wars. about violence against women as a an inevitable weapon of war. about ginny being harry’s girlfriend, or ex-girlfriend (more on that later), and what that would have meant in their world. and @whizzfizz, you said something that in the end really sold me. you said: ‘at this point, i don’t think it would be realistic for it not to have happened.’ and, that was that, really.

because i was right, initially. amycus/ginny (ugh, the idea of a pairing makes me throw up in my mouth a little but yeah, there it is) isn’t necessary to the story. but i believe it to be necessary to what this story is trying to show. the plot held well without it, no questions asked. 12,000 words of the da and their battles, of ginny’s rebellions. it was fine. but i think i wanted more than fine. to me (and i appreciate how fucking pretentious that is, please slap me in the face *eyeroll*), castles is more than its plot. i’ve said it before and i’ll say it again: this is about what is behind ‘all was well.’ it’s about trying to paint a realistic picture of their lives. and that includes the war. and realistically, as far as i’m concerned, knowing how humans fight their wars, knowing our history and the history of violence against women construed as a weapon in literally every conflict there ever was, there is no way that this didn’t happen. ginny says it herself: for us girls, it’s just the way wars are fought.

so, i did go there. and the whole fandom probably hates me for going there, but i sort of stand by it, i have to say. to be honest, on a sort of subconscious level, i kind of wonder: didn’t i always know i was going to go there? like, this fits perfectly into the plot to the point that i think it was probably in my head for much longer than i care to admit. now, i’m so, fucking excited to write next chapter because i finally get to write happy things, and hinny getting back together on rock solid foundations of openness and sharing, and trust, and i’m so, so glad. there are a couple of scenes in the next chapter that i’ve been working towards for months and i’m so, bloody excited to write them. everyone might hate me and i might just be writing this fic for myself now (lol), but again, i stand by the decisions i took. to me, it fits.

phew. okay, now that huge thing is out of the way and explained, here are a few more jumbled thoughts:

the more i think about it, the more i think that my reason for not wanting to be the-fic-writer-who-writes-about-sexual-assault is a bit ridic. children and castles, in that way, are so, so different. like, i appreciate the overlap between the silk fandom and the hp fandom is probably ridiculously small but if you’ve read both stories, they’re obviously very different. one thing that both stories centre on, though, is consent. and to me, that’s probably the most interesting element of ginny/amycus, and the most interesting element of writing characters within a restrictive pov, rather than an omniscient one. like, do i think ginny/amycus is rape? yes. 100%. do i think that ginny thinks it’s rape? that is a much more interesting question. she says it a number of times but i think to her, this is all about control. i think that because of what happened to her with tom, she’s someone who is terrified of losing control of her mind and of her own agency. so as not to lose that, she’s willing to do whatever it takes. it is a ‘you can control my body, but not my thoughts,’ sort of narrative. and, she never says it outright because i think psychologically she’s just not there yet, but tom is everywhere in these letters. and as her world just spirals out, she hangs onto the very few things that she can control: her relationship to harry, and her willingness to do what it takes for them to survive. she initiates the ‘relationship’ with amycus in an attempt to control her fate. later, as she explains to harry she feels a lot of guilt over what she did, and like a lot of sexual assault survivors, she thinks it was her responsibility. because i’m in harry’s head most of the time for this fic, i’m not sure i’ll ever really get to discuss that at length, but it’s definitely something that i wanted to show. another interesting question is: does harry think it’s rape? i think at that point in the fic, he doesn’t have the education, nor the vocabulary for that. i think instinctively (because he is someone who is very instinctive), he doesn’t blame her. if he blames anyone, it’s probably himself. he understands the necessity to do what you have to do to survive and thinks that no, no matter what she claims, that was not consented. that’s kind of what comes out in his annoyingly inarticulate letter to her at the end. beyond that, though, i think he’s a bit lost, just like she is.

on a mildly related note, there is something that i've been seeing a lot in the comments and that i feel like i should maybe address? namely: harry's reaction to ginny dating other people. i assume similar comments will be made about his reaction to ginny/alecto (meaning that he still decides to write to her, at the end of the chapter). i've seen a lot of people observe that he's much more 'chill' about it in castles than in canon. fair point but is he, though? like, he isn't happy about it in castles. and he's jealous as well. but he was never entitled in canon. he was jealous, yes, the chest monster and all that, but he never really did anything about it, and never really impeded on her right to see other people. now, this being said, i agree that in sixth year he might have thrown a tantrum, had she done what she did in castles, but that was sixth year. it was before the war. before he lost half a dozen people. before he had to adult bloody fucking quickly. this being said, i do think castles-Harry is more 'subdued,' i suppose, than canon harry. this is a choice i made early on, which to me is related to the fact that he kind of lost his 'voice' during the war. i mean, it took him six months of people talking shit behind his back to do a press interview to defend himself. i think with ginny, it's a lot of the same. he's a boy who blames himself a lot, and generally doesn't particularly think he deserves the people in his life. to me it's an evolution of his character within the the world of castles. i'm happy to agree to disagree on it, but to me it makes sense within the character evolution and the way the fic's gone, so to speak. now, obviously, he'll grow out of that in due course, but we're not quite there yet.

regarding their relationship, now, i have to say: one headcanon that i did have for this was her not outright telling everyone they’d broken up. i’m sorry, that plan was shit. i just don’t buy for a second that she would willingly have gone ahead with it, and i don’t buy for a second that tom wouldn’t have used her had he known they’d been together, ex girlfriend or not. plus, i think she needed something to hand onto, and that was her relationship with him. her letters. the belief that they would be together again. without it, i don’t think she’d have survived. and i think that summer after the war, they were totally on the same page, for different reasons. both of them kind of saw their relationship as the one thing that kept them afloat, the one good thing they had, partly also because they’d idealised it for so long. she says it as some point, it wasn’t a relationship, it was a lifeline (another sentence i came up with as a response to a comment, lol) and while that is toxic and was meant to crumble at some point, it was necessary for them, both during the war, and in the early days after it. i think her last letter to him is painstakingly correct on that one.

regarding canon, i know i’m bending a couple of things here, which i just wanted to quickly acknowledge: 1) i know jkr has said it’s teddy remus lupin. i just can’t believe, for a moment, that someone who hated himself as much as lupin did, canonically, would name his son after himself. naming his son after his best mate who died to young to become problematic though? i totally see it. so yeah, creative licence, it’s teddy james lupin in this house, lol. 2) when they meet neville in dh, he kind of hints that they’ve only just started to use the room of requirement a couple weeks ago. the text however, only says they’ve only been staying in it full time a couple of weeks ago. i needed them to have somewhere where to meet with the da and stuff, so i bent that a bit. it’s not strictly canon, but it’s also not not canon, if that makes sense.

on seamus blowing things up and talking about eight hundred years of oppression? full disclaimer, while i am french, i have been living in ireland for long enough to become eligible for citizenship in less than six months (yay!). i know some people have said that seamus is a bit of a cliche in the books/films and all (the only irish character keen on blowing things up, haha *eyeroll*), but i actually kind of love it? like, the whole thing about the cranberries and zombie at the start of the fic has been in my head for much longer than i care to admit. i love the idea that there’s this whole muggle war going on at the exact same time that no one ever talks about and actually, i find the idea of wizarding ireland v. muggle ireland and the whole political structure fascinating. like, is wizarding ireland an independent state? what’s the story there? i have a whole seamus fic in my head, partially on this topic, that i might or might not write one day.

lastly, i know this may sound a bit weird but i need to say it: once i’d figured out what and how i was writing it, i bloody loved writing this chapter. first stylistically, i really wanted to mimic the style of how i’d written the magazine article in chapter 5 (i.e. not writing out the whole thing but writing out in text the excerpts that harry focused on) and i love how that turned out. i think it was a good way to balance her words and his, kind of merging them into one, big narrative. second, as a writer, it was so fucking interesting to write someone who knows how to write, which believe it or not i’d never done before. additionally, i loved the challenge of editing this because it was like: i’ve got to edit this, but not too much? i was very careful about modifying and polishing too much of ginny’s speech in the letters because i obviously wanted it to sound like someone who was just writing as the words came to her, without polishing the words, the punctuation, etc. like i usually would. i wanted her to have quirks (she says ‘you know?’ a lot) and i played with her capitalisation and punctuation a bit too. i know these aren’t necessarily noticeable details but it was definitely something that i thought about and that was very fun and interesting to write, as a format.

wow, okay. this was LONG but i think i have everything i wanted to say. if you’ve read all of this (whyyyyy?), thanks so much for sticking around. if you’ve got any questions, anything i didn’t address, do let me know, anon or not, my ask box is open. now, i would love to say i’m going to chill or something, but the truth is that i have to a) actually do a last read through of the fic, lol and b) put it out. this is what i get for writing the a/n before finishing the damn thing, i guess. i’ll rest tomorrow, lol.

lastly, in terms of next chapter, realistically, i’d say eight to ten weeks. i have a full time job now and also, writing this was fucking exhausting and i need to take time out for a bit before coming back to it with a fresh mind. i will be writing other stuff though, i promise. i have a couple of prompts to get to (thanks!!!) and a couple of other ideas so i will probably be posting in the meantime, just not castles.

lots of love,

#castles #extended an #writing #fic #its out #holy shit #byyyyyye #I have not proofread this so we die like men eh

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zaph1337 · 3 years

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Monster Hunter Rating 23: Plesioth, the Water Wyvern

Hey, guys. Sorry for not posting yesterday, but that day was stressful for a couple of reasons I’d rather not get into, and I couldn’t start writing this until close to midnight, so I decided to finish it today (which is why I’m going off the Monster List order rather than the Quest List, as an anon suggested). But don’t worry, ‘cause a shark dragon’s worth the wait. Let’s see what Plesioth has to offer!

(How it appears in Monster Hunter 1)

(How it appears in Monster Hunter Generations)

Appearance: Plesioth is an interesting take on the “shark dragon” concept; unlike Cephalos/drome, which had a clear divide between head and neck, the head of Plesioth, which is more in line with sharks like the great white, is the same width as the neck, which has the same width as most of the body. This gives Plesioth a body type closer to a fish like some kinds of koi or carp than a dragon. Speaking of carps, despite being a shark dragon, Plesioth has carp-like scales and even colors, which seems weird, but according to Wang Fu, a Chinese scholar from the Han dynasty, Chinese dragons, which influenced descriptions of dragons in Japan, had features reminiscent of several animals, including scales like those of a carp. Now, this could be a coincidence, but even if it is, it’s a pretty cool detail.

Plesioth also have a lot of spiny fins, which are similar to those of several species of bass, though the Plesioth’s have spines which extend beyond their membranes. Their wings are also modeled after these fins, but their greater size means that it’s easier to see the gradient on the membranes, which, by the way, looks really nice and complements the colors on the main body really well. I really like this design! It nails the water dragon look really well and has some nice touches that accentuate that. It’s definitely my favorite design out of all the monsters I’ve talked about so far, so y’know what? 10/10.

Behavior: Plesioth are ambush hunters that feed on both under- and above-water prey; for the latter, they prefer to wait until the landlubbers get too close to the water’s edge, just like a crocodile. Their sensitive hearing means that they’re likely to hear the footsteps of anything coming for a drink, but it also means that really loud sounds can frighten them and cause them to flail wildly. They’re territorial enough to regularly patrol their “turf,” but they also fear confrontation due to having weak defenses, and will avoid picking fights if at all possible. Once a Plesioth decides to fight, though, it can be rather persistent, even coming out of the water to attack its target.

Now, that’s not to say they’re uncomfortable on land; they may not be the apex predators that they are underwater, but they’re still a force to be reckoned with. Not many predators will try to feed on something that’s 65 feet long at its smallest and 127 feet long at its largest. Oh, yeah, did I not mention that this thing’s the largest monster I’ve talked about so far? My bad. There are larger monsters that pose a threat to Plesioth, though, which is why these wyverns never like to be far from a body of water. They have to surface at some point, though, because for some reason, they don’t have gills, meaning that they can’t breathe underwater. This a dragon that’s so devoted to an underwater life, it gave up wings that could be used to fly for wings that act as fins, and it still needs to breathe air!? Get your act together, evolution! Okay, it kinda did; they can breathe air both through their mouths and, like amphibians, through their skin, but I don’t see how considering they have scales.

Finally, I should probably point out that like real sharks, Plesioth are viviparous, meaning that they have wombs, rather than lay eggs. And also like real sharks, the babies in the womb will fight and eat each other. Ah, the majesty of nature can be so nauseating at times. The concept of a monster that’s the top of the food chain underwater and still formidable on land is pretty cool, but the fact that Plesioth can’t breathe water is ridiculous. I guess they needed an explanation for why it would ever spend time out of the water? Well, whatever the reason, it’s not like Plesioth are likely to be in danger of something attacking them when they stick their heads out to breathe, so it’s not that big of a deal. 7/10.

Abilities: Those spines aren’t for show; they contain a sleep-inducing neurotoxin that’ll put you to sleep after a single scratch. The wiki also says that Plesioth can inject the toxin through bites, but it only specifies the neurotoxin being in their fins, so I dunno what’s going on here. Speaking of biting, Plesioth have powerful jaws that can crush the armor of some monsters, such as Carapaceon, so you know that getting bit by it has got to suck. They also utilize their size for attacks such as tail swipes, hip checks, and charges. The most notable attack Plesioth have, however, is their ability to fire a stream of highly pressurized water that they previously swallowed while swimming. In real life, pressurized water is used industrially to cut and shape steel, so that tells you what kind of pain you’re in for if you get hit by that. Plus, if it’s anything like the stream fired by Mizutsune, it inflicts Waterblight, a status condition which temporarily decreases the speed at which your stamina recharges, and take it from an Insect Glaive main, that’s not fun. 8/10.

Equipment: So, several Plesioth weapons have Cephalos parts in them, and the weapons as a whole have a similar aesthetic, but they’re still distinct, at least in my opinion. Let’s start off with the Great Sword called the Finblade:

I like how the membrane has the gradient on it to show that it’s from the edge of the fin. I also like the handguard next to the handle; the curve makes it fit the water aesthetic. Next, we have a Lance called the Aqua Spear:

Hey, gotta have a trident in here somewhere, right? Having a membrane between the trident’s points and the shield’s spikes is a nice touch, and I like how the shield looks with that ring of green surrounding its core. But I gotta have a weird weapon somewhere in here, so here’s a Bow called the Dragonhead Harp:

Yes, this is a Plesioth weapon. No, there are no other monster materials used in it that could say otherwise. I honestly don’t know why it looks like this, but it has the Outset Island aesthetic from LoZ: Wind Waker. It even looks like it could be a cannon for your ship in Phantom Hourglass. There is one thing linking this with Plesioth, though: the “feathers” on the arrows in the quiver are made from Plesioth fins. It’s a small detail that really brings the weapon together. As for the armor, there’s unfortunately not any pictures of normal Plesioth armor on its equipment page, and I don’t wanna scrounge around the wiki, so here’s the Gunner version of the “G” armor from MHFG:

I mean, I get it; it’s a diver’s wetsuit with Plesioth fins. The problem I have with it is that there’s not much Plesioth there; the only things here that I can confirm to be from Plesioth are the fins that serve as details, not the main makeup. But there’s another armor set that...look, I had to show it, all right? It’s called the “Apukaru” armor, and while it’s made from both Plesioth and Hermitaur parts, I think there’s enough Plesioth there to warrant showing it here:

Is this armor for hunting monsters or going for a leisurely dive in the Bahamas? Okay, the diving suit the female set is based off of is most certainly not used for leisure, but you get my point, right? This is straight up diving gear made for war! The red parts match up with Hermitaur, but the fins and scales are all Plesioth, and they’ve done some really clever things with the former. First, both suits have the fin membranes as the membranes on their flippers, which is to be expected, but then you look at the female set and realize that the crown on top of the diving helmet is made of the fin membrane. That’s kinda gross, but also hilarious. Also, why is there a princess crown on top of the diving helmet!? It’s such an unnecessary detail, but it adds so much. This equipment gets a 9/10 for being both aesthetically pleasing and goofy as all get-out.

Final Thoughts and Tally: I knew I was gonna like this monster as long as they did it right, and they did it so well that it’s probably my favorite monster in the series (not that I know of many, but semantics). The little details in its design, the fact that it’s dangerous on land and king in the water, the battle prowess, the equipment, and the fact that it’s a freaking shark dragon all make Plesioth the biggest fish in the pond. I’d say that it’s probably gonna go downhill from here, but oh, don’t worry. We’ve got some special guests coming soon. 8/10.

#monster hunter #monster hunter rating #zaph1337

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rushingheadlong · 4 years

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God (Dream Is Over) Meta Post

Okay, I’ve been saying for literally months now that I was going to make a meta post about Brian’s cover of the John Lennon song “God” (though Brian’s version is usually called “Dream Is Over”) and I finally sat down and did it.

If you’re new to my ramblings, this is Very Long and there’s no tldr, and I’m only a little bit sorry for that. I also didn’t bother tracking down specific citations or quotes for things Brian has said about what the early 90s were like for him because I think most of that is common knowledge at this point anyway.

There’s a TW on this for discussions of Brian’s mental health issues in the early 90s and Freddie’s death. That should be obvious if you’ve heard the song, but if you haven’t listened to it before consider this your warning that there are sad feels ahead.

One final note before we dive in: I’m going to talk a lot in here about the “end of Queen” and I want to be clear that I don’t think the band in any way “died” or ended with Freddie. However in the years immediately following Freddie’s death Brian very much felt that the band was over and this is a sentiment that he, Roger, and John all maintained at least up until the mid-2000s and the start of the collaboration with Paul Rodgers.

So there’s a lot of mentions of “the end of Queen” coming up ahead, and please know that this is only a reflection on Brian’s feelings in the early 90s and not his feelings today (which are clearly different, and it’s absolutely his right to change his mind on this) and certainly not my own opinion on the matter.

Background Information

The original song “God” was written by John Lennon and was released on his first post-Beatles solo album. There’s a wikipedia article on the song <here> and you can listen to it <here> but the short summary of it is that it’s rejection of God and various religions/belief systems, ending with Lennon saying that he only believes in himself and Yoko Ono and distancing himself from who he was with the Beatles.

Brian’s version of the song is less of a cover and more of a total rewrite, if we’re being honest here. There’s two videos of him performing the song: the first is from a New Haven show in October 1993 and the second is from a Milwaukee show also in October 1993. (If the Milwaukee link doesn’t take you to the correct spot in the video, the song appears around 1:33:22 into it.)

AFAIK these are the only two performances of these songs currently out there, unless/until more of the old bootlegs are re-uploaded. The song was exclusively played on Brian’s Back to the Light tour at the beginning of his encore. However due to the set-up of the tour he didn’t always play an encore, so the song doesn’t appear to have been performed very often. Additionally, while Brian played the song at his Live at the Brixton Academy concert it was cut from the album and video release due to copyright issues so there’s no official recording of it.

Brian’s Lyrics and Music

The dream is over, what can I say The dream is over, yesterday We were the fab ones, but now it is gone I was the gentle one, but now I must be strong And so dear friends we'll just have to carry on The dream is over

The dream is over, no matter what they say The dream is over, it has to be this way We played in springtime, but now I play in fall We made the bigtime, but now we are small And our dear friend let's just hope he still has it all The dream is over

I don't believe in magic I don't believe in pain* I don't believe in heroes I don't believe in fame I don't believe the newsprint I don't believe we're free I don't believe in pressure ‘cause I don't believe we're right I don't believe in torture I don't believe in fight I don't believe in color I don't believe in white** I don't believe in history I don't believe in being Queen any more I just believe in me Just you guys and me And these guys and me*** And that's reality

The dream is over Dream on

Some quick notes on the lyrics:

*I’ve seen this line written to end with either “pain” or “games” and to be honest, I’m not entirely sure which one it is. I personally don’t hear the “s” at the end of “games” and lean towards it being “pain”, which is how I’ve interpreted it for this post, but I’ll openly admit that I could be wrong on this point.

**Similarly, I’ve seen this line written to end with “whites” in the plural but again I don’t hear Brian singing an “s” at the end of the word and I’m pretty sure it’s in the singular.

**Occasionally this line and the one before are reversed in written transcriptions of the lyrics, and in the New Haven video it’s hard to hear the “and these guys” line at all. It’s much clearer in the Milwaukee video and you can see him motion to the band better, so the correct order of the lyrics would be “you guys” [the audience] first and then “these guys” [his band] second.

If you listen to Lennon’s original song, the only lyrics that are really the same are, The dream is over, what can I say / The dream is over, yesterday as well as And so dear friends we'll just have to carry on / The dream is over although Brian changes Lennon’s “you just have to carry on” to “we’ll just have to carry on” - more on this later.

Brian also completely rearranges the song. He scraps Lennon’s opening section entirely, turns the final section into his first verse and extends it into two verses instead of just one, changes the song from being largely a piano piece into being guitar-driven and, in typical Brian May fashion, makes it go a bit heavier towards the middle. You can read the lyrics to Lennon’s song <here> to get a clearer idea of the changes that Brian made in his version.

Background Meta

The first thing to point out is that it makes a lot of sense for Brian to look to John Lennon as a source for this song. Besides the fact that he’s always said that Lennon is a huge musical inspiration for him, the parallels between when the original song was written and the state of Brian’s music career in the early 90s are pretty obvious. Although the circumstances of why Brian was launching his solo career are obviously different than what happened with the Beatles and Lennon, he was still striking out on his own and separating himself from the group that had defined his music up until that point.

It also makes a lot of sense for Brian to use someone else’s music to express his emotions during this time, even if he ultimately rewrote Lennon’s lyrics almost entirely. Brian has said that he always wrote his Queen music knowing that Freddie, specifically, would be singing it, and up until this point he has always been writing music with other people - neither of which were things that were possible with Brian’s new solo career. There’s also some evidence that Brian may have struggled to come up with enough original music on his own to fill his first solo album, since he rounded out the album with a cover song (Rollin’ Over) and added lyrics to two pieces of music written by Cozy Powell (Resurrection and Nothin’ But Blue).

And there's the added fact that Brian was dealing with mental health issues during the late 80s/early 90s, including depression that was so severe that he basically couldn’t function for days at a time. Brian has talked about being so depressed that he couldn’t get out of bed, that he became incredibly suicidal, and, relevant to this discussion, that he lost all ability to write new music for long stretches of time. Given that, it makes a lot of sense that Brian would turn to someone else’s music to help him express the feelings that he wanted to get out.

Finally, there’s the question of why did Brian felt the need to perform this song at all, and I think there’s two reasons for that.

The first is the obvious explanation that it was performed simply to give Brian an outlet for his emotions. Brian has said that his Back to the Light tour functioned as a sort of therapy for him, and even going back to the very beginning of Queen Brian has used his music as a way to express himself and his feelings (think about songs like “Keep Yourself Alive” or “Now I’m Here” as examples). His version of “God (Dream Is Over)” is very much keeping in line with this tendency to use music as a form of therapy.

The second reason is that this song gives Brian a way to distance himself from Queen, which was important to him as he said on multiple points immediately following Freddie’s death that he felt that Queen was over. In later years, he has acknowledged that he really just wasn’t emotionally prepared to deal with Queen matters after Freddie died and that he needed to distance himself from the band while he was grieving.

However, despite this, Brian didn’t have enough solo material to fill out an entire concert and since he was best known as being the “lead guitarist of Queen” it only made sense to fill out his shows with Queen songs. (I have an entire meta post about this subject <here>.) Performing this song was a way to acknowledge his history with and what had happened to Queen after a concert of playing their songs, while also reinforcing that in his mind the band was over and he was moving on from that.

Lyric Analysis - Opening Verses

So, let’s get into actually looking at these lyrics now and first off, we have to point out that while Lennon’s song was generally about a rejection of organized belief systems with a small footnote about him leaving the Beatles at the end, Brian’s song doesn’t mention religion at all and is instead almost entirely about the end of Queen. Brian absolutely poured his heart out into every single word of this song, and it’s not subtle at all.

The opening verses are very clearly and pretty explicitly about Freddie’s death and the resulting end of Queen. Apart from the obvious “the dream is over” being a reference to Queen being over, this also gets reinforced with lines such as We were the fab ones, but now it is gone and We made the bigtime, but now we are small.

It’s worth pointing out, though, that unlike in Lennon’s original song where he frames the ending of the Beatles through the changes in himself, Brian frames the ending of Queen around outside forces (i.e. Freddie’s death) and very clearly states that he feels that the band ending is unavoidable despite anyone’s feelings on the matter. (The dream is over, no matter what they say / The dream is over, it has to be this way)

Also unlike in Lennon’s song, Brian isn’t rejecting Queen even if he’s trying to distance himself from them. The band is over, yes, but Brian’s lyrics are rife with we statements - We were the fab ones and We hit the bigtime. Even when he acknowledges that he’s moved on, he’s still remembering the band as a unit and including himself in that history - We played in springtime, but now I play in fall.

And, as I mentioned before, there’s the very stark change from Lennon’s You just have to carry on into Brian’s we’ll just have to carry on. Brian doesn’t see himself as leaving a thriving band to “carry on” without him because, in his mind, Queen has already “died” and all of them need to move on with their lives.

I also want to acknowledge the lyric And our dear friend, let’s just hope he still has it all. This comes in the second verse, which Brian added to his version (Lennon only had one of these verses in the original song). Obviously it’s a callback to the And so dear friends from the first verse, but it says a lot about Brian’s state of mind and how Freddie was still at the forefront of his thoughts that he added an entire second verse to really hammer home the demise of Queen and then ends it with a bittersweet reflection that he hopes Freddie “still has it all” even after his death.

Finally, there’s the lyric, I was the gentle one, but now I must be strong which I think is a really interesting moment of self-reflection from Brian. When compared against the “chaos twins” of Roger and Freddie, and even John who got up to some wild shenanigans himself, it’s easy to see why Brian might characterize himself as the quiet and gentle one in the band (and he has been described as a sort of “gentle giant” by others around Queen over the years).

However it’s the second half of that that’s really striking, because it really shows the position that Brian was in following Freddie’s death where he (and Roger, and presumably also John though John stayed away from interviewers more) felt that he needed to stand up for Freddie’s legacy and needed to be “strong” in the face of everything that was said about Freddie and his final years. And, of course, given that he was extremely depressed and suicidal at the time, it’s also worth mentioning that he was being “strong” simply by continuing to live and move forward with his life even when he didn’t want to.

Lyric Analysis - Rejection Statements

Like I mentioned back at the beginning of this post, Lennon’s original song lyrics take the rough format of 1. Criticizing God as a concept 2. Rejecting various religions and belief systems 3. Affirming his belief in himself and Yoko Ono 4. Rejecting who he was with the Beatles. As we discussed in the last section, Brian’s song cuts out the religion entirely and he instead starts by confirming and discussing the end of Queen.

Following this, though, he returns to Lennon’s original structure with his own "I don’t believe in...” lyrics. His are completely different to Lennon’s, however just like Lennon’s rejections followed on from his opening statements about God I think Brian’s rejections follow from his open statements about Queen and continue to be largely about the band (while also allowing for broader societal interpretations, as many of Brian’s lyrics are designed to have several layers to them).

For the purposes of this post, though, we’re only going to talk about how these lyrics relate to Freddie, Queen in general, and Brian’s own mental health at the time.

I don’t believe in magic / I don’t believe in pain / I don’t believe in heroes / I don’t believe in fame are the four that I really feel are about Freddie. The first two I think are about his death. After seeing Freddie die in the way he did, Brian is stating that he doesn’t believe in magic (because there was no magic cure to save Freddie) and he doesn’t believe in pain (possibly that he doesn’t believe in prolonging someone’s pain, or that he doesn’t understand a world that allows for human suffering more broadly).

The next two lines I feel are Brian reflecting on how meaningless it is to be famous or to be someone’s “hero”. I think part of this is Brian mourning the loss of Freddie and trying to distance himself from what Freddie meant to him in order to distance himself from the grief he feels (because Brian absolutely considered Freddie his hero, as proven by his original plan for his second solo album). And paired with this is Brian’s criticism of “fame” as a concept, because being famous didn’t save Freddie either and, in fact, being hounded by the press only made his final months more difficult than they already were.

This leads into the next line, I don’t believe the newsprint, which is clearly a criticism of the lies the press printed (and were still printing) about Freddie. But the phrasing of this as “newsprint” also hearkens back to the music video for Scandal, and serves as a reminder that the press had been uncharitable towards all of them through the late 80s and early 90s.

The next line, I don’t believe we’re free may also be referring to Queen specifically (in addition to the broader societal implications). Given that Brian littered his open verses with “we” statements, he could be talking about how they still aren’t “free” from the press even though it’s been nearly two years since Freddie’s death or how they aren’t “free” from the shadow of Queen’s legacy.

Personally, the lyrics I don’t believe in pressure / ‘cause I don’t believe we’re right also make me think of Queen and I do wonder if the use of “pressure” is supposed to be an oblique reference to Under Pressure. Even if it’s not, the “pressure” he could be talking about may be the pressure to return and deal with his Queen obligations, including helping with Made In Heaven, which Brian wasn’t ready to do at this point.

The lyrics I don’t believe in color / I don’t believe in white I don’t think are entirely about race, especially since like I said before I don’t think he’s singing “whites” with an “s” to make it a noun. Personally, I can see this as another commentary on Brian’s mental state at the time and the dark depression he felt that left him feeling like he was living in a bleak and colorless world. (Even if Brian is singing “whites” though, given how his lyrics often have multiple layers of meaning I don’t think this excludes an interpretation of this with regards to his mental health even if it makes the race message more overt.)

The I don’t believe in fight line is another one that I think is about Brian’s depression. Although it certainly connects with the “torture” in the line before, he doesn’t say that he doesn’t believe in war or conflict just that he doesn’t believe in fighting, a sentiment that carries a very different meaning for a man who was depressed to the point of being suicidal.

Going back to the Queen references one more time, we get the one absolutely direct Queen lyric at the very end: I don’t believe in being Queen any more, I just believe in me. As I explained before, Brian is very firmly stating that he believes that Queen is over and he’s moved on from the band. Although these lyrics mirror Lennon’s I do think that there’s some truth to Brian’s statement of I just believe in me. He had some minor conflicts with at least Roger in the early 90s (both of them said uncharitable things about each other’s work outside Queen) and since Brian had walked away from helping them with the Made In Heaven tapes I do think that Brian felt that he was at least somewhat truly alone now.

Even the next line, Just you guys and me is very different from Lennon believing in himself and Yoko Ono. Brian doesn’t tie himself to a relationship, he ties himself to his audience - and, more importantly, he adds an extra line tying himself to his band as well. While I think part of this serves as a general final acknowledgement of the Brian May Band after the larger band introductions earlier in the show, I also think this is Brian’s way of acknowledging that he’s been able to move forward because he has the support of people like Cozy, Spike, Neil, Jamie, etc. even if he doesn’t feel that he has Queen in his corner anymore.

Finally, Brian ends his song by repeating The dream is over one last time but he also adds, Dream on which isn’t in the original Lennon song. Even though Brian has acknowledged Freddie’s death and the end of the Queen dream, his final message is to keep dreaming anyway. It’s possible that he means this as the dream of his solo career, or to keep the dream of Queen’s music alive even after the end of the band… but it’s also possible that he means this as a much more literal dream, since Brian has talked a few times about having dreams of Freddie following his death, and of waking up and just wanting to go back to dreaming of his friend.

Given the ambiguity of the earlier lyric And our dear friend, let’s just hope he still has it all this may be another moment of heartache from Brian who wants to keep “dream[ing] on” about his lost friend because that’s the last connection that he has to Freddie.

And with that, the song ends, and Brian launches into the rest of his encore and the final song of the show with “Hammer to Fall”... but a discussion about that particular song choice is, I think, a meta post for another day.

#brian may #text #ramblings #brian #long post //#no one asked for this but you get it anyway so !! here it is !! 3k of niche and sad ramblings about Brian May in the early 90s !!!!

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malum-somnium · 4 years

Text

Charmed, I’m Sure || Kevin & Her Dreamers

Timing: Recent Location: The Cave of Voices Participants: @zahneundklauen, @nicsalazar, @drqueenieking, and Kevin Summary: The dreamers reunite at the cave to discuss what happened. Kevin offers answers and asks for a favor.

Days had passed in a blur since the last time Nicole stood outside the cave. The month gone had not provided any clarity on the events that transpired that night. All she had was a hazy memory and the sleepwalking issues to show for. The only proof it had all been real. As she slipped for a third time climbing the rocks to reach the cave, part of her wished she was still asleep. When the doctor had proposed for all three to meet she had been reluctant. It seemed pointless. She didn’t expect a real answer unless they managed to find Kevin. Her stomach twisted into a nervous knot that tightened at the uncertainty of what they would find out. She spotted the other two close to the entrance, picking up her pace to meet them. She couldn’t remember their faces, despite the time they had spent together. She didn’t expect them to remember her either. How odd it felt, to be connected by something yet not knowing anything about the other. She raised an eyebrow in acknowledgement, biting the inside of her cheek. Her eyes averted to the inside of the cave, which appeared flooded, unlike the last time. “This feels— it’s bizarre” her hands were deep in her jacket’s pockets, expecting someone else to take the lead. “Guess you’re Queenie and…” was it Alcher? No. She didn’t want to be called that. “Ada?”

Despite being in a state of unconsciousness, Queenie was surprised to learn that she could easily find the cave again. Being back at the entrance didn’t feel familiar in the slightest. Her memory had only started after she had been inside the cave and yet somehow she had been able to retrace her steps here as if she had strolled past the place yesterday. The whole thing should be increasingly concerning, and it certainly raised plenty of alarms. However, Queenie was so stubbornly fixated on gaining answers so she could make sense of the entire situation that she shoved aside any worries and instead focused on the facts. She had woken up with two others in a state of trance. A fourth person was there and had them complete odd tasks. After that they went home. It wasn’t much to go on, yet with the small lead she did have, the three had found each other and made their way back to the cave it had all happened at. That must mean something. “Yes, that’s me. So you’re Nicole and Ada then? Nice to meet you in person, or officially meet you I suppose. Before we head in, anybody remember anything post our online conversation that we should know?”

Facing the unknown was a part of life Alcher was not entirely prepared for. Her father had taught her how to prepare for any situation, but it seemed his knowledge of what could possibly happen didn’t extend to things like sleepwalking to a cave and resurrecting a faceless figure. And so, Alcher found she needed to go and figure this out on her own, and with a little help from the two others who had shared this experience. When she made it to the cave, Queenie had already been there, and they’d stood for a moment in silence until Nicole, the third, had shown up. Nicole smelled of something distinct that Alcher could not entirely place. But she knew the scent, and she knew her memory would provide her the answer soon enough. For now, they would focus on this. “I cannot say that I remember anything, whenever I try to talk to other people about what happened, I find the memory has...vanished,” she answered, glancing between the two.

“That’s my— yeah…” Nicole nodded in confirmation, relieved once the doctor spoke. Was it nice to meet them? The verdict was still out on that one. Out of the two, she was wary of the doctor's reaction if they were to find the truth. She seemed in denial when they had talked. She was bound to be shocked. When the other woman began to speak, Nicole’s eyes finally landed on her. Her double take lacked any subtlety. There was a scent, something not human. She had to be mistaken, right? Maybe it was the wind, carrying that from the beach. Or— She shook her head, concentrating. She couldn’t ask —not that she ever would have— there were more pressing matters at hands. She rolled back her shoulders to ease some tension, eyebrows knit together as she tried to tune her out. Eyes trained on the ground, she started thinking. Her memory had always been terrible, but now she had the added mental fog that prevented her from talking to others about that night. “I uh— I remember that person,” her name escaped her in that moment, “she was— she was nice, I think...or sounded it at least” nice was a strange way of describing someone who had manipulated them while unconscious. “We all came with...we were carrying shit, no?” she figured connecting every version of the story was a good place to start. They could recreate some of those actions when they entered the cave.

“Funny, I’ve also had trouble remembering the details of that night. And yet when I spoke with you I could remember things a bit more clearly.” Queenie admitted the odd coincidence, though she wasn’t willing to acknowledge that it meant anything. It was true that people tended to remember things better in familiar environments to the one they experienced things in. Perhaps that had simply been the case while talking with Nicole and Ada. That seemed more likely than selective amnesia or something like that. “Kevin. That was the name.” Queenie had never been able to recall the name until talking with Ada. Even now, when she considered discussing the event with her husband the memories seemed to fog up again. That was concerning for obvious reasons. “Sure, if you consider guiding us through some weird cult ritual in a cave to be nice. I don’t.” Though Queenie vaguely remembered thinking the opposite that night. As far as Queenie had been concerned, she would have done anything to help Kevin achieve her goal that night. “Yes. I used the pen to… write nonsense on the three of us.”

“Kevin,” Alcher repeated, tilting her head as she said the name. It was all so clear now-- Kevin, and the sleepwalking, and the lightbulbs. They’d all come here with something different each and handed them to Kevin, who had been so happy, so excited for them to be there. To help her. Alcher stepped forward, the darkness of the cave blacking out her vision. But she didn’t need it. The other two were still talking things through, but Alcher trudged along, following the familiar scent. “This way,” she pointed, looking back over her shoulder at the other two, waiting for them to follow but not instructing them quite yet. She had patience, but she did have more curiosity. More of a need to know what had really happened that night and why they had left with marks upon them. Alcher rubbed the spot on her ribs where she’d been written upon. “Heart,” she answered, the word suddenly coming to her, “you wrote the word Heart on me. I...think.”

No, a cave ritual didn’t sound nice. Nicole shook her head, regretting her initial words. Kevin had been persuasive, if anything. They hadn’t had any chance but to do as told. There wasn’t any reason to suspect anything but good intentions. Kevin. As the other women repeated the name, she realized how familiar it was. That was it. Kevin had been so proud of them, she remembered. Surprised to see Ada separate herself from them, her eyes followed. A moment later she called out, knowing where to go. After a curious glance at the doctor, she nudged ahead. Carefully, she walked inside. She offered her hand to Queenie, if she needed to steady herself before stepping into the large puddle at the entrance. Though tempting, she didn’t try to adjust her vision to the cave’s darkness. Her heart was at her throat. “Not sure what you wrote...but it was on my forehead”. If ‘heart’ was written on Ada’s ribs, maybe hers followed the same logic. “Something mind related, maybe” eventually she caught up with Ada. “Still doesn’t explain— the ritual. Don’t know about you...but I’ve never heard or done anything like it”.

Though nothing seemed familiar at the time, Ada reminding Queenie of the word heart jump started the memory. She had written something different for each of the three, Queenie’s own arms had said hands. What had possessed Queenie to write those things on people she hardly knew? Nothing about that night made sense. She wanted answers. But she was concerned that coming back to this cave was just going to leave her more confused than ever. Slowly making their way into the cave, Queenie accepted Nicole’s hand to climb through the area. “Can’t say I’ve ever been part of any ritual. Certainly not willingly.” That night in the cave had been no different, correct? Even if Queenie had been going along with Kevin’s commands, they still hadn’t been willing. Queenie in a normal state of mind would never entertain anything crazy like that. “I’m still suggesting that we were hypnotized or perhaps drugged in some way. Otherwise, nothing about this makes any sense.” As the three ventured further into the cave, Queenie was growing less and less patient, “What are the chances that we will even run into this Kevin person anyways? I hope we are not just wasting our time here.”

The cave had visitors once more, her dreamers had returned. Kevin could feel them, moving about, asking such wonderful questions. The ritual had been a success, but it was only one of many more to come. Her powers were returning, slowly, but surely. She rose from where she had been resting, feet quiet as they carried her into one of the larger caverns. “I’m here, my darlings,” she called. A flick of her hand to ease their way, to make the rocks less slick. It wouldn’t do for any harm to befall her dreamers. They must be protected. Another motion of her wrist and the cavern was filled with a soft, blue light. She would have to see their lovely faces properly. “You’ve come back to me. It is so lovely to see you once more. What can I do for you, my dears? You have already done so very much for me.”

The voice reached Alcher’s ears before it reached her nose, which was odd for her. Very odd. Her sense of smell was greater than her hearing, than her eyesight-- and yet no scent filled the cave. But as sure as her ears could pick up the sound of Kevin’s voice, her eyes finally focused enough to lay on her form. The other two suddenly didn’t matter anymore, and Alcher moved swiftly over the rocks towards her, as if drawn in. “What-- what are you?” she asked automatically when Kevin opened the floor for them. Her golden eyes drank in the sight of her, trying to remember what she’d looked like the night they’d first found her and why she seemed so different now. “Why did you bring us here that night?”

Nicole let Queenie theorize as much as she wanted, even though she didn’t make any sense. She didn’t think the doctor was prepared to hear any supernatural possibility. Saying Kevin’s name seemed to have an immediate effect inside the cave, the ground turning easier to step in. “Fuck” came out in a hiss. She had not expected to hear that voice again. She breathed out, shuddering as Kevin announced her presence. On a second thought, she was fine not getting answers. She wanted out. Instead, she remained rooted to the spot, because her desires and her actions could never agree on something. Ada seemed to have her questions ready. She had to admire her decisiveness. On the other hand, her thoughts were all jumbled together. Only one thing stood out for her. She had to know if they had been randomly selected, or if there was something else, something deeper. “Why...” she peeked behind the other woman’s figure, voice smaller. “Why did you choose us?”

A light from inside the cave caught the three’s attention quickly. Despite all logic stating otherwise, the person that Queenie and the others were searching for was inside this cave. How long had they been here? The place hardly seemed sustainable for somebody to live in. Queenie had been hoping to run into this Kevin figure again, and yet the moment Kevin spoke and announced themselves, Queenie was left with even more questions. The two were quick to launch into questions. What are you? Queenie’s eyes darted toward Ada with an incredulous look flashing across her face. What sort of question was that? Both Ada and Nicole seemed dead set on this person standing in front of them being some type of supernatural, mythological figure with mind control powers or something equally outrageous. Instead, Queenie saw someone with an unassuming disposition and even more boring name taking advantage of the creepiness of the cave and her lowlighting to make this exchange seem more ominous than it needed to be. “I want to know how you managed to get the three of us here in the first place.” She wasn’t willing to accept that Kevin had somehow been responsible for the sleepwalking. But even that was too coincidental for Queenie to ignore completely.

So many questions, so many lovely questions. What thoughtful dreamers they were, so curious, so considerate. Kevin motioned them forward as she gracefully sank to the floor of the cave, sitting and stretching out her legs. “Join me, won’t you, my loves? I will tell you all you wish to know,” she said, with an open, earnest smile. “I am not so strange, my dear. I am… what you would call a caster, or I once was. I am something more now, though even I cannot say just what. Your question, Alcher, and yours, Nicole are one and the same. I could feel your dreams, your wandering minds calling to me. Each of you is a lovely little spark, so bright. I wished to see the light of you so close. And my darlings, believe me, you glow.” Her kind eyes turned to Queenie. Belief was difficult, Kevin knew that well, and faith was more complicated still. “I’ve always had a talent for it, darling, pulling at dreams. I touch something in there and it draws the dreamers to me. It was once a spell, but now it is easier than keeping my eyes open. Now, I have answered your questions, may I ask something of you, my loves?”

Tentatively, Alcher moved forward at Kevin’s request. Somehow, she knew not to fear her. Knew that Kevin would never harm her, or the others. It was an inherent instinct she supposed wasn’t part of the other two. They were both skeptical and wary, and though Alcher took note of Nicole hiding behind her, she did not acknowledge it yet. As she moved, she turned back to the younger woman and held out her hand. “She won’t hurt us,” she said, urging Nicole to join her-- and Kevin-- at the center and sit. She listened intently to Kevin’s answer. A spellcaster. Or, someone who used to be. Someone who was something more now. Alcher didn’t know much about magic, but she understood enough to know that whatever Kevin was now, it was far beyond human. She was one of them. At the request to ask something of them, Alcher glanced between the other two. “My answer is yes, but only if the other two agree,” she stated firmly.

The pet name made her Nicole’s skin crawl. She was trying not to judge her unconscious self too hard, but how did Kevin make her feel at ease that night? She didn’t move, despite the invitation to join her. Despite Alcher’s assurance that it would be okay. She seemed more prepared than the rest. Apprehensive eyes fixed on her hand, her gut telling her to follow the woman. Instead, she shook her head. She wasn’t sure what a caster was, and it didn’t matter much to her, but she let Alcher satisfy her curiosity. “I haven’t called anyone” she scoffed, that didn’t answer her question fully. Why them? Why not other little sparks or whatever bullshit she was spewing. It wouldn’t mean much, but at least she could find some comfort if it was only them who could have fulfilled the tasks. That they didn’t risk their lives arbitrarily. She couldn’t bother with the rest. The dream pulling, it was all insane. She glanced tentatively at Queenie, who had to be struggling even harder to comprehend all of it. For once she thought she might be the voice of the reason. Alcher was expecting all of them to agree to more nonsense. “How do we know— how can we trust you— you kinda, you crossed a line already”. Did she really think one answer would be enough?

Perfect, so this Kevin person wasn’t a mastermind manipulating the three of them, Kevin was simply psychotic. A caster. Queenie had no idea what that was supposed to mean, but the casual mention was enough to elicit a small chuckle from Queenie. This had all been a coincidence. A wildly unrealistic but technically plausible coincidence. This person just happened to be around the cave and noticed the three sleepwalking. It had to be something like that. The laugh morphed into a scowl as she remembered that they had willingly come back to this cave just to be dicked around by Kevin again. But they were here, and Queenie was genuinely curious to see just how far they planned on taking this. And just how dumb her two colleagues were. “I’ll admit I’m curious though,” Queenie interjected, adding onto Nicole’s statement. Kevin had crossed a line. But she had peaked their interest, “I’d like to hear the question, personally.”

Sweet Alcher, so understanding. The other two were more distant, Kevin could feel it even now. That was alright. Not everyone took to it easily, they weren’t yet ready to see the truth, to truly wake. Still trapped in their own little dreams. She looked to Nicole, her smile soft. “My apologies, I meant no harm. I am unused to the way of things. I was asleep for so very long, it seems the world went right on spinning without me. But I mean you no harm, dear. If you do as I ask, I will grant whatever favor you wish in turn. Would that be a fair exchange?” She had that power, or she would, once she found what was hers, once her lovely dreamers returned it to her. “I’ve lost something, an amulet. It is very precious to me. I believe it is here, somewhere in this town. If you find it for me, I will give you anything you wish.”

Nicole’s hesitance felt strange to Alcher. She could tell Nicole was something beyond human, unlike the strange doctor who had written upon her ribs. Alcher’s hand went up to the spot where she had drawn upon her and she recalled the strange warmth it brought her. Why were the other two so opposed to this? Of course they had been chosen, they were all special. Alcher just hadn’t figured out how. She looked back at Kevin, giving a short nod. “Sounds fair to me,” she answered, frowning slightly. She looked back over at Nicole. “And what, may I ask, has she done to garner your distrust? Kevin has never hurt us, and she’s willingly answered our questions. What reason do we have to fear her?”

Queenie voicing her curiosity made her stomach twist. If the doctor was on board, then that didn’t leave her with a lot of options. Was she about to be peer pressured into doing some strange creature’s bidding again? Definitely. Nicole listened then, as Kevin explained her actions. Being asleep for long, the world spinning without her. Her throat felt heavy. Fuck it, why did that resonate with her? “I don’t… I don’t want anything. Whatever” she said weakly, turning her back to them to gather her thoughts. She hadn’t expected to be addressed by Alcher. The question was uncomfortable. Being put on the spot sent her heart racing. “The— she…” she huffed, pointing at Kevin. Were they not sent to sleepwalk around town in search of crazy items? How was that not dangerous? She woke up with somebody’s bones in her hands. She could’ve been arrested. Could’ve crashed her car. Her mouth opened and closed more times, as she scrambled for the words that refused to come out. “But…how can you— ” she clenched jaw, glaring at Alcher. She let out a sharp breath, shrugging. It was pointless. “We’re really gonna get this amulet...aren’t we?”. Maybe that was fine. Maybe Kevin would let them alone if they did. That would be her wish.

Now Kevin was offering favors? How provocative. Queenie rolled her eyes at the empty promises. She’d love to read the fine print on that verbal contract. And what exactly did Kevin mean by asleep for so very long? Had she been in a coma? Maybe that was why they seemed so disorienting and out of this time period. “So let me get this straight, you want us to find some mysterious amulet for you? And if we find it you’ll ‘owe us big time’?” Queenie gave air quotes around the phrase and crossed her arms. The obvious thing to do would be to scoff, insult Kevin followed by berating Ada for even considering the deal before dragging Nicole out of there so the two could laugh the entire scenario off over brunch. Queenie wasn’t going to claim that Nicole seemed completely sane, but her apprehension definitely gave a better look than her other two options. But yet, the idea had intrigued her. “I assume you have a lead for us then? The town isn’t huge, but we certainly need more to go on if we are expected to find an amulet.”

“Indeed, Queenie,” Kevin said, smile growing. Even though the doubt, the distrust rolled off them in waves, Nicole and Queenie were ever so dependable. She was so very lucky to have them. A brief frown passed over her face, even as she nodded. “I believe I do. It is… difficult. The amulet has been masked from me. If I could find it, I would not ask such a thing of you. But I believe it has been unearthed… or will be soon.” Time was so difficult. In dreams, it was fluid, the past winding around to meet the future, the present in all things. The waking world was rigid, full of hard lines, strict rules. “Here, if you will allow me, I will imprint it in your minds. You will know it the instant you see it. But you must be careful, there are others seeking it, they will try to keep you from it. The words I gave you before, they will protect you when you find the amulet, it will cast away those who have not been granted permission. Alcher, dear, if I may touch your hand?”

Alcher’s patience for the doctor was beginning to wear. So human, so ignorant, enveloped in her denial. She’d met plenty of people like her, who stuck their heads in the sand , and it only ever ended in tragedy. If Kevin hadn’t taken a liking to her, Alcher would have probably eaten the doctor by now, despite their “civil” conversation. She, instead, turned her focus back to Nicole. “Yes, I think we are,” she answered, “plus, once we’re done, you can go on your way, no?” Again, she motioned for the younger girl to sit near her. Glanced to look back at Kevin, listening intently to her explanation. She could understand needing to find something lost, she’d searched so long for her own loss, after all. Held out her hand without hesitation. “I’ll find this amulet for you,” she said firmly, her eyes set and rigid. Even if the others did not help, this was something Alcher could do. This was something Alcher felt she must do.

Nicole didn’t like that the doctor was asking for more details on the amulet, but she was not about to object and risk being put on the spot again. She kept her mouth shut, hands on her hips as Kevin offered more information. The more she learned, the harder it was for her to believe they were choosing to go along with it. That she was willing to go and fetch it for her. Maybe she was still connected to Kevin subconsciously. Maybe it wasn’t her fault. She never had a choice, as soon as Kevin had voiced her desire. It had to be. She mentioned they had to be careful, that others were seeking the same treasure— did that not raise any flags? Alcher called for her again. And her confusion grew. She ignored Kevin’s presence for once, eyes darting between the two older women. This was about the people she had experienced that night with. She worried more for them than she cared for mysterious amulets. She swallowed against the knot in her throat. So where did she sit? With Queenie’s blind disbelief or with Alcher’s unquestioning loyalty. “Uh—” Alcher was right. She would go her own way once it was all over. But at the moment, she couldn’t let the woman do it all by herself. “As long as I’m awake, I guess…” she mumbled, watching Alcher extend her hand to Kevin.

This was all ridiculous. But how many times could Queenie remind herself that this was ridiculous? It all came down to a simple choice. Leave, or extend her hand in whatever crazy ass ritual Kevin had planned. Two options, where one was the obvious and objectively correct choice. And yet despite that, the three of them all seemed to be leaning towards the latter choice. It was the stupid choice for sure. Maybe the dangerous one as well. Queenie didn’t know if there was any truth to Kevin’s theory that others were looking for this mysterious amulet, but it had done exactly as Kevin probably intended - it peaked Queenie’s curiosity. Ada seemed entirely over the two being apprehensive, and Nicole didn’t seem anymore sure of their choice to continue their discussions with Kevin. Overall, it seemed like the three helpers couldn’t be any more different from each other. “Fine.” Queenie sighed, dropping her previously crossed arms and holding out her hand towards Kevin, “I’ll play along and join the little scavenger hunt. From the looks of it, the three of us could use some group building exercises anyways. I am curious about what makes this amulet so special after all.”

“Thank you, Alcher.” Such an open mind, so welcoming, Kevin’s affection was warm and bleeding, thick enough to seep into the air. Her hands were still not as they should be, but her glamor was powerful, enough to hide them, to make it look, even feel as though they were everything they should be. She closed her eyes as her hand found Alcher’s. The amulet was so clear in her mind, bright and gleaming, a gem ensnared in a knot of petrified wood, as white and solid as bone. A slow breath passed from her lips, so too did she pass the image to Alcher. As her eyes opened once more, she smiled. “There, you have it now.” She reached next for Queenie. “It has power. I will lend you some, if you like, though be careful, I’ve been told it burns.” She let the image pass to Queenie next before her bright eyes turned to Nicole. So sweet, so unsure. “You will be awake, my dear. I will never force anything upon you that you do not wish. And you may leave whenever you like. But if you wish to join them, your hand, please.”

At least the doctor was on board with the crazy plan, Nicole sighed in relief. They would need her, surely. There was no way the hunt for a precious amulet would end with all of them sound and safe. She watched Kevin pass her vision to Alcher. Alcher who was completely sure of herself. She didn’t know much of her yet, but she admired that attitude. She let herself be curious. She tried to make sense of what Kevin was doing, how it worked. Magic? If the circumstances had been different, she would’ve died to learn more. To ask about the extent of Kevin’s powers. Queenie offered her hand next, and her eyebrows rose. She didn’t realize they were all supposed to do that, and it became clearer when Kevin spoke to her. She didn’t look at her. She didn't know what to make of her kindness. Sometimes it felt genuine. But then, she had to wonder if she was just very skilled at manipulating people. “Oh— my bad. I didn’t— I thought...” she pointed at Alcher. That should’ve sufficed. She pressed her lips tightly, before she could retort that Kevin had already forced something on them. She glanced at the other two women, who already had the amulet in their minds. It was okay, neither looked particularly affected. She raised her hand for Kevin to take before the doubts growing within her could push her to back down.

It had to be a coincidence that Queenie did picture an amulet once Kevin grabbed onto her hand and completed whatever mind trick she was attempting. It made sense of course. Kevin had talked about this amulet. The idea had already been planted deeply within Queenie’s mind. It only made sense that once she had offered her hand to Kevin that Queenie’s idea of an amulet would appear in her head. It wasn’t as if this amulet - if it existed at all - would look like the one Queenie kept thinking of. “Uh, thanks.” She drew her hand back slowly from Kevin after she had finished. She glanced over at Ada. It didn’t seem like the two had much interest in the other, but Queenie wished she knew if a similar image had appeared in her head too. She shook off the feeling. Clearly she was playing along for kicks, because she wanted to see where this was all going. It wasn’t as if she actually believed in any of this crap. “Well, we have the image now. I guess there’s nothing left to do but scour some thrift shops or lost and founds. Maybe we’ll get lucky and come across this magic amulet that you’re looking for.” Queenie glanced at the other two women that had come with her to find Kevin, “Do we leave now, or?”

Kevin’s hand was smaller and softer than Alcher expected it to be. The vision that flashed through her mind gave her a clear picture of the amulet, but she found herself longing for more information. The others were both tense and on edge, but Alcher was almost completely relaxed. She had no reason to fear Kevin, as she’d mentioned before. Perhaps their sleepwalking and nightmares were part of this magic, but Kevin would help them if needed, wouldn’t she? She did not seem the devious type. She nodded at them and waited for them to start their depart before turning to Kevin. “May I...speak to you privately?” she asked, unable to sate her curiosity just yet.

Gently taking Nicole’s hand, Kevin closed her eyes once more, the image passing for a third, and final time. They would find it, she believed in them. Her dreamers would serve her well. “You may leave, if you wish. I do so appreciate you visiting me. It gets rather lonely at times. It was so lovely to see you all again.” She stayed in place, watching Nicole and Queenie head for the mouth of the cave. They didn’t yet trust, didn’t yet believe, but they didn’t need to. Trust was a delicate thing, it would take time, and Kevin had all the time in the world. Her smile turned to Alcher and she offered her hand again. “Of course, my dear. Perhaps we might go a bit deeper into the cave. I would so love to spend more time with you.”

#chatzy #wickedswriting #c: alcher #c: nicole #c: queenie #zahneundklauen #nicsalazar #drqueenieking #potw: the waking world

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la5t-res0rt · 4 years

Note

fun fact fucko no one cares that he’s trans, gnc, or autistic. all they care about is that he said someone wasn’t bisexual all because they hate them. thats fucked up no matter who you are. being austistic isn’t an excuse to be an utter dick hole.

alrighty folks strap in because we are in for a long one today

to start off i will begin by saying that i care about the identities of people i like and call friends i care enough to listen and learn from them because they have different perspectives on issues that i as a person who is none of the things that this person is will ever understand

it is important to listen to people and learn from them not just shine a light out of your ass for someone out of a weird place of blind worship thats honestly so cringey but that isnt what this is about this about you and likely others harassing ad sending death threats my friend and comrade betel bitches

i will now be going under a readmore to spare the dashboard

so lets recap what exactly is he being harassed for

as you all are no doubt aware there is a blog called nether receipts where a certain user we shall not name catalogs instances where members of the beetlejuice fandom are harassed correction its a blog where this person catalogs instances where flaws in their character as well as the characters of the people around her are highlighted and critiqued with the occaisional off color remark and threat which i obviously do not approve of who would

anyway following reading some ill-informed and not-so-well-phrased comments from a certain narcissistic user about their sexuality my friend had this to say

this was the post that got them put on this receipts blog which really exists as a source of people for a certain cluster of the beetlebabe fandom to harass and try to drag or cancel

this is the post that has made people call him biphobic and here is why thats wrong and stupid

you said in your ask that he only is saying that this icky person is not bisexual because there is malice between them and while yes its true that there is malice orion never once said that this person wasnt bisexual

i took the liberty of sifting through the harassment asks he received yesterday because you all love receipts so much i took the liberty of grabbing a few and adding some highlights so you dont miss the important bits

orion never once said this person isnt bisexual he stated that equating doing femme on femme pornography to bisexuality is a biphobic statement and is in fact a problematic thing to say

there may be crossover between bisexual people and people who do femme on femme but they are far from the same thing doing pornography is a choice you actively make and you do it for compensation however being bisexual is simply part of who you are it is something you dont choose

although this person would perhaps disagree

and before you come for me this person posted these for the world to see and obviously i have as many receipts as my drive can carry furthermore how does this argument make sense why would you care so much about heterophobia if youre not heterosexual why are you so pressed oh wait is it perhaps

because this person is using the split attraction model for woke points like this screams that this person sees women as sex objects or perhaps this person is comphet and is denying themselves because heteronormativity is so deeply ingrained in their being that they wish to cling to heterosexuality to keep up their squeaky clean white feminist woman persona or maybe theyre just not well informed on lgbt+ issues

editors note the editor is an ace person who considers using the split attraction model is situations like this isnt exactly helpful like i cant stop you from doing it but you shouldnt have to say im a bisexual heteromantic person you can just be a bisexual woman and keep dating men you dating men doesnt erase your bisexuality saying that you would have sex with a woman but not romantically be involved with them makes the editor think woman = sex object and as a feminist the editor has to say thats fucked up

i will reiterate implying that doing pronography of any kind is equitable to a human sexualty is harmful to bisexual people and if youre like uhhh im bi and i think its okay guess what you do not speak for every single bi person so you should try harder to be compassionate for other peoples level of comfort

in any case statements like these are hurtful to bi people equating voluntary sex work to a sexuality isnt okay and its something that person should maybe address and consider apologizing for but since this person only listens to people in their inner circle and they dont even really listen to them its unlikely that this person will ever make amends for past biphobic tendencies because as everyone has been so quick to point out being bi doesnt excuse biphobia or homophobia or anything of the sort editors note heterophobia is not a legitimate issue im sorry if you feel oppressed for your straightness but really thats a you issue

here is one more screenshot where my friend basically covers what i have just said as well as reminding the world that the owner of nether receipts is a narcissist

being a bisexual person does not excuse you from saying biphobic things and there is literally no identifier you can use for yourself that exempts you from criticism for your actions and it doesnt mean that people cant demand that you address the wrongs youve done or said

you dont have to listen you dont have to do anything but dont be surprised if you say something shitty to a group of people and they get mad at you

also all that being said what orion said was not biphobic if anything he is raephobic but lets be honest who isnt ok there thats my one funny haha for you

we have every right to criticize someone who creates simulated cp and shares it with minors in 18+ servers or someone who equated bisexuality to voluntary sex work or someone who accuses people who disagree with them of being fascists or nazis or someone who goes out of their way to repost and edit art in a mocking manner or someone who actively claims to own a fandom like these are all critique worthy behaviors that all come from the same person who never explains their actions never holds themselves accountable for the shit they cause like we as people who share the same space as this person have every write to call bull roar when we see it

it is no secret that i dislike his person and it is also no secret that i will not hesitate to the the opportunity to drag them for being a shitty person whenever the opportunity arises and since their most recent beef with me was about how i was a bad friend i guess i figured this would be a good time to come forward for one of my friends who received dozens of harassment messages and several death threats over his commentary on the actions of this one vile individual

and i am addressing them now if they ever end up reading this or when it is inevitably sent to this person

if youve got a problem with the way he and i or other antis critique you maybe come out from behind your wall of dipshit cronies and talk to us your damn self i am very sick of having to deal with nasti or morgan or that one minor or suz or that person that runs the rp blog or any of the others in your little hoard im tired of them trying to be slick like we see you we see all of you

all of your simulated cp aside youve said some really shitty things that you could easily amend since youve likely learned more about what it means to be lgbt+ since it is now a community you see yourself being a part of

part of being human is learning from your past and making a better version of yourself for tomorrow and although i think you are a really awful person i dont think youre above self betterment and self reflection and self awareness

also you dont seem to care at all when threats are being tossed around by your buddies but no matter how much me or orion or any of the others dislike what you do no person in their right mind would be okay with sending death threats and you shouldnt either you should at the very least extend that courtesy

anyway

fuck you asker youre full of trash garbage and i hope you have a not so good day like i hope it rains or something invalidate my friends identity and ill yell at clouds

#discourse #harassment #sexuality discourse

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izzyizumi · 4 years

Video

youtube

Digimon Adventures ~ x Kagerou Project “Otsukimi Recital” [Moon-Viewing Recital] AMV [Music (C) Jin, singer: IA / Vocaloid] (Kagepros [subbed] video for Comparing: watch here!) {Note: Not meant as a direct 1:1 Parody!} Featuring DUO/SHIP: Taichi Yagami [“Tai Kamiya”] x Koushiro(u) Izumi [“Izzy Izumi”] {KouTai} / {TaiKou} / {Taishiro(u)}

PAST AMVS / VIDEO EDITS IN THIS SERIES: Kagerou Daze (Heat-Haze Daze) / Children Record [+Adv Chosen] / RED / Additional Memory and Imaginary Reload music edits for KageDaze / Days (short edit) / Lost Time Memory / Yesterday Evening / Summertime Record / Shounen Brave [+Jou] / Outer Science [+Villains] / Headphone Actor (short edit) / DAZE (short version / TV Size OP) / KOUSHIROS ? CYBER JOURNEY [+Maki] / Brave Heart x Kaien Panzermast [+Chosen Children] / Night Tales Deceive [Yobanashi Deceive] / [KOUSHIRO’S] Imaginary World / Mekakushi Code [Blindfold Code] [+Yamato&Sora&Adv Chosen] / Ultramarine Rain [+Mrs Yoshie Izumi; Izumis] / Imagination Forest [+Mimi&Jou] / Transparent Answer [TaiKou+Meiko] / Jinzou Enemy [Artificial Enemy] / DEAD and SEEK (short edit) / Headphone Actor (Full version Preview) (+More A.M.V.s were made since this one!): Shissou Word [Never-Lost Word] [(Yamatox)Sora(xMimi)(xJou)]+[TaiKou]+[Chosen] / My Funny Weekend [Mimi+Hikari+Chosen] / Kusanagi Attention [(Ken x)Miyako(x Hikari) (xDaisuke)+Mimi+02 Chosen+Advs Chosen (+TaiKou)] / Shinigami Record (Short Edit) [(+2020!)TaiKou] / [KSHRO’s]? Theory of Happiness [Adv~Tri TaiKou + Special Appearance] / Imaginary Reload (Music Edit Ver. 2) [Adv Chosen+2020 Chosen] / Children Record Re:Boot (Music Edit) / Tomodachi no Uta [(+2020!)Mimi&Yamajourami & KouTai] Repeatverse/Extended Story Introduction: Here (*Note: extended summary contains some spoilers for the fic ) [However, it also explains the worldbuilding involved and plot setup!] Ficverse (“Route”) Version: Here! {Note: You will need an AO3 account to view the fic! Please feel free to ask me if you need an AO3 Invite!} You are currently on the “AMVs Route!” What does that {“Route”} ‘mean’? (Please consider looking into the “Fic Route” to Find Out!!...) (*It’s ok to start on/only watch this current AMV!) [*You may understand the story/implied timeline of things better if you begin from my “Kagerou Daze” AMV, though it’s also not required! “Children Record” is also recommended as a starting point/upbeat song!]

Basic Summary of This Video:

Lyrics/Original commentary under the ‘read more’!

A.M.V By Hikari M. Productions a.k.a @izzyizumi / @koushirouizumi

{Do Not Copy} {Do Not Re-post} {Do Not Remove Caption} {Do Not Re-produce My Works/Editing Under any Circumstances, including for A. I. Usage, without my Permission}

Note: -This video’s embed may randomly not display at times, Showing like it’s “down”, but it’s not at this time! {It usually happens late at night[s] or seemingly when Tumblr is {seemingly} experiencing very high traffic} If that happens, please consider watching the Direct link here! (If it seems permanently down, please leave a comment or tag to notify me!)

{ NOTE : PLEASE read my FAQ and “about” sections BEFORE interacting directly with me, my contents / fanworks / this series, or my blog !! ! } { IF YOU IGNORE THIS WARNING AND I NOTICE ( UPON VETTING YOUR BLOG ), YOU WILL LIKELY BE HARDBLOCKED. DON’T DO IT } { IF YOU FIT ANYTHING IN MY DNI, THESE CONTENTS ARE NOT FOR YOU !!! }

part of my Taishiro [Taichi x Koushiro] REPEAT?_ ficverse (please note any and all notes/trigger warnings for said ficverse!!) [seriously, please note the warnings, the plot is kinda heavy] (please note any and all warnings for K@gepro’s plot too if you look into that!!) - no, it’s NOT a direct parody (but v[ERY] inspired) (if you can’t tell) - watching it in HIGH(ER) QUALITY at the original Youtube link is encouraged! - to do so, go to the original youtube link, click “HD” button, then “ 1080p ” !

{ Additional note: this post/fanworks series is mainly intended TAICHI x KOUSHIRO [Taishiro], please remember + respect this when interacting please tag ONLY as “Taishiro” for ship and not just “brotp” or the like, thank you! } [ * it is ok to tag as “friendship” along WITH the ship name ! ] { * I don’t mind if others have differing LGBTQIAPN+ headcanons for them, please simply respect mine ! }

- short version of implied story/plot of this series: T I M E L O O P S - Tri ( and as of lately, um, KIZUNA [AUs?] ??? ) is here because … ah... - let’s just say it’s probably AT LEAST ONE part of the “start” of it all ah - KOUSHIRO IZUMI VOICE : ( ‘ W H Y ’ ) - DO THEY MAKE IT TO THE END - @ TAICHI & KOUSHIRO, ARE YOU SURE YOU /WANT/ TO ——-

- TBH HOW MUCH do KOUSHIRO or TAICHI even REALLY REMEMBER - MUCH LESS THE REST OF THEM - who even knows after a certain point anymore - timeloops are fun !! ! ! ( this particular AMV also explains SOME of it … )

Spoiler warnings for Tri / Kizuna / DigiAdv 2020 scenes used + Further notes/warnings & LYRICS under ‘read more’!

A.M.V. Summary: - is it TAICHI HELPING KOUSHIRO or KOUSHIRO Helping ..... - WELL YOU GET THE IDEA BY NOW IT'S LIKELY ( BOTH ) - oh Tri!Taichi is Kinda here too ( BRIEFLY ) { AS AESTHETICS } ( PLOT RELEVANT THOUGH ) ;;;; - tbh there's some too-slow scenes here I wanna Replace later if I remake this but ( wHEN WE GET MORE INTERACTIONS ) { HOPEFULLY }

LYRICS PREVIEW: (if you click the ‘lyrics’ link and ‘English translation’ tab on that Wiki, full lyrics there as well!):

" OH , WHATEVER I DO NOW , IT’S ALL P O I N T L E S S "; I SAW YOUR DISTRESSED FACE , And I knew just saying " DON’T GIVE UP !!! " WASN’T GOING TO CUT IT !!!!

FEELING BLUE IN THE SUNLIGHT , I’M GENUINELY CONCERNED FOR YOU! YOUR EYES GET WATERY, " I’M SURE IT’S NO USE FOR A WEAKLING LIKE ME ..... "

FEELING BLUE IN THE EVENING , As THE SUNLIGHT is LOCKED AWAY , IN A MOMENT YOUR FACE LAMENTED , AND SOUNDLESS TEARS SPILLED AND F A D E D . . . THIS TERRIBLY SMALL WORLD BARES ITS BIG FANGS, THINKING " I WANTED US TO BE TOGETHER , " IT WEIGHTS DOWN ON YOUR HEART . . .

EVEN IF MY MEAGER WORDS CAN’T GET THROUGH ANYMORE , I WANT TO GIVE YOU STRENGTH ! " - I WANT TO HELP YOU. - PLEASE , GRANT MY { WISH } !! " " I BELIEVE BECAUSE YOU’RE YOU !!! " SAY IT LOUD AND MEAN IT !!! " IT’S ABSOLUTELY NOT HOPELESS !! IF YOU { WISH } FOR IT , YOU’LL M E E T AGAIN !! " TAKING A GREAT BIG BREATH , YOU TIMIDLY FACED THE DISTANT M O O N , AND SHOUTED , �� " I’LL GIVE IT A SHOT !!! " ... Did THAT sound kinda " COOL ? " * " ... I / GUESS / " !!

* TAICHI VOICE “ SUGOI ” !!! = {COOL / AWESOME / AMAZING} { GIF BY ME } { PLEASE DON’T REPOST } { Thank you !!! }

[ Note: commenting/tagging positively/respectfully is ok !! ]

FULL LYRICS: [ VERSE 1 ] " OH , WHATEVER I DO NOW , IT’S ALL P O I N T L E S S "; I SAW YOUR DISTRESSED FACE , And I knew just saying " DON’T GIVE UP !!! " WASN’T GOING TO CUT IT !!!!FEELING BLUE IN THE SUNLIGHT , I’M GENUINELY CONCERNED FOR YOU! YOUR EYES GET WATERY, " I’M SURE IT’S NO USE FOR A WEAKLING LIKE ME ..... " " THEN YOU NEED TO KEEP YOUR SPIRITS UP , Or else TOMORROW WILL DAZE YOU TOO !! " WITH THAT , I TAKE YOU ALONG , PERHAPS A LITTLE F O R C E F U L L Y ... " FEELING BLUE IN THE EVENING , As THE SUNLIGHT is LOCKED AWAY , IN A MOMENT YOUR FACE LAMENTED , AND SOUNDLESS TEARS SPILLED AND F A D E D . . . [ CHORUS 1 ] BUT I BELIEVE BECAUSE YOU’RE YOU ! SO WHY NOT LOOK AT WHAT’S AHEAD ? WHEN THINGS ARE TRULY H O P E L E S S , I’LL GIVE YOUR HEART THE SUPPORT ... IT NEEDS !!(?!) DON’T GIVE UP with " MIGHT AS WELL "s, That's a big NO-NO !! HEY , CAN’T WE GO AHEAD TOGETHER ?? LET’S DESTROY ALL THESE LONESOME FEELINGS ! [ VERSE 2 ] " I DON’T EVEN KNOW WHAT’S GOING ON , " ... You say as you HOLD IN TEARS A G A I N , SIGHING ALL THE TIME and SHUTTING YOUR EYES ;

YIKES , this is DESPERATE ! [ INTERLUDE VERSE ] " IF YOU DON’T GIVE IT ALL YOU’VE GOT , YOUR MEMORIES WILL VANISH INTO YESTERDAY ! " So we DASH DOWN THE STREETS , No doubt AGAINST YOUR WILL (?) ... [ INTERLUDE VERSE 2 ] FEELING BLUE IN THE EVENING , As THE SUNLIGHT is LOCKED AWAY , IN A MOMENT YOUR FACE LAMENTED , AND SOUNDLESS TEARS SPILLED AND F A D E D ... [ CHORUS 2 ] THIS TERRIBLY SMALL WORLD BARES ITS BIG FANGS, THINKING " I WANTED US TO BE TOGETHER , " IT WEIGHTS DOWN ON YOUR HEART ... EVEN IF MY MEAGER WORDS CAN’T GET THROUGH ANYMORE , I WANT TO GIVE YOU STRENGTH ! " - I WANT TO HELP YOU. - PLEASE, GRANT MY { WISH } !! " [ FINAL CHORUS ] " I BELIEVE BECAUSE YOU’RE YOU !!! " SAY IT LOUD AND MEAN IT !!! " IT’S ABSOLUTELY NOT HOPELESS !! IF YOU { WISH } FOR IT , YOU’LL MEET AGAIN !! " TAKING A GREAT BIG BREATH , YOU TIMIDLY FACED THE DISTANT M O O N , AND SHOUTED , " I’LL GIVE IT A SHOT !!! " ... Did THAT sound kinda " COOL ? " " ... I / GUESS / " !! * SPOILERS / NOTES: this one is . Overall, Major Spoilers free but TINY scenes for: ( Bokura no Mirai ) an aesthetic shot of Taichi simply just, glaring - the background scenery kind of spoils a bit but not a Lot - ( Kokuhaku ) ending Taishiro interaction moments ( Kyousei ) not majorly spoilery Taishiro by campfire with Concerned!Taichi seeing Koushiro's face ( less spoilery Tri things ) just like an aesthetic shot of Taishiro being Silly { Saikai ; long before any battles }: ( Movie 1 near end ) TAICHI VOICE ' FOOD ' + ( from Movie 1 start ) aesthetic scenes of Tri!Taichi, at the lake Brooding + { early on from intro scenes } Lifting His Head ( Kizuna ) ONE shot of Taichi during a battle moment but not The Battle Scenes but it technically is because all he's doing is reaching out but you can see a tiny bit of context of What's Happening to him ( DigiAdv 2020 ) Eps 01~03 scenes & Ep 14 Sad!Koushiro moments yUP ok but this one is MOSTLY scenes from pre Tri Advs + DigiAdv 2020 /For Once/

{ PROBABLY THE BIGGEST SPOILERY MOMENT }: ( Tri ) Movie 6 / Bokura no Mirai - Taichi; Not Long Before The Ending except it's not The Ending Battle Scenes ( more specifically if you've already seen these in the past AMVs, you know it ) : when he's in . ( scroll for spoiler ) . . . the Capsule . . .

DISCLAIMERS re: the original K@gepros video: - the duo is Slightly Controversial in that fandom now because we were Not Given Aged Up Designs after nearly 10 years and Yeah No Comment on original duos status bUT ;;;;; IN GENERAL... IN GENERAL... MY FAV... CHARAS - Interlude before final chorus bit gore-y - POLES - TIMELOOPS SERIES

#taishiro #izzyizumi amvs #izzyizumi posts #repeat taishiro #taichi x koushiro #otp: shall we go together #amv: otsukimi recital #repeat adv taishiro #repeat tri taishiro #repeat kizuna taichi #repeat 2020 taishiro #repeat izumi family #repeat 2020 koushiro #(HAPPY ROSH HASHAN@H)#(IT IS ALSO SHABB@T)#(AND MY J.EWISH DADS' BIRTHDAY TOO)#(AND EVEN MAMORU HOSOD@s OF OUR WAR GAME TAISHIRO INTERACTIONS FAME all these in one day aHA)#(PLS ENJOY HAPPY!TAISHIRO AMV)#(A LOT OF THE FICVERSE AND PREVIOUS AMVs LEAD STRAIGHT TO THIS ONE)#(WOW A GOOD END ????)#(I TOLD YOU THEY'D GET GOOD THINGS TOO)#(ANYWAY yes it is My Dads Birthday so i need NICE THINGS Today)#(OH THERES ALSO THE NEW DIGIADV 2020 EP TONIGHT)#(OK BUT Pls @ my dash seriously PLS Stay Chill today and tonight Pls)#(I SPENT THE LAST FEW DAYS MAKING THIS SPECIFICALLY SO I COULD HAVE A GOOD DAY TODAY OK)

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aethelflaedladyofmercia · 5 years

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Of Aliens and Alpha Centauri: Space in Good Omens (1/3)

. So just yesterday, in one of the many discussions of Alpha Centauri and the practicality of our two favorite disasters running off together, @theniceandaccurategoodomensblog raised the perfectly valid question: “Why are we assuming there are no aliens?” And I said I had a lot of thoughts on the subject. This meta is the result of those thoughts and questions.

Broadly, the question of whether or not there would be aliens comes down to “what is the purpose of all that space in the Good Omens universe?” Everything we see is focused on Earth and the creation and destruction thereof, which, when you consider the scale of the whole universe, is really not that Big a story at all.

But the treatment of space is a little different depending on which version you use as your source material. If you try to combine the book and the TV show, you get some contradictions.

So I’m going to tackle each separately, starting with the book below the break, pulling together all my observations and thoughts on What does Good Omens really have to say about space?

I’m not going to do this on a strict schedule, but I have three parts planned and will post them as I find the time to write them!

(Source: I’m a huge sci-fi nut and think way too hard about everything, but I’m not any kind of expert. Other insights and comments are 10000% welcome.)

Good Omens Book

The book has, perhaps, the simplest approach to space: it’s barely mentioned.

For those unfamiliar, there is no mention of Alpha Centauri, or running away, or Crowley helping create stars/nebulae/whatever it is he made. Unless I missed one, all references to space in the book are:

The Earth is a Libra (p.17)

Crowley’s amazing drunken rant about the bird and the spaceship (p.54-57)

Adam and The Them talking about aliens and how aliens are now all about peace and harmony and being some kinda space cops “They all have this bright blue light around ‘em and go around doing good. Sort of g’lactic policemen, going round tellin’ everyone to live in universal harmony and stuff” (p. 156, part of a slightly longer discussion)

Newt meeting aliens who talk about peace and harmony while being some kinda space cops (p. 197-199)

That’s it; Crowley (then Crawly) doesn’t even ask about putting the Tree on the Moon, the line is instead “why not put it on top of a high mountain or a long way off?” (p.10).

Just because it’s simple, however, doesn’t mean we can’t learn a great deal.

Humanity has watched the stars for all of our history; they can be used to navigate, to tell time; the constellations are used to record stories; astrology attempts to make sense of the chaos of everyday life through the motions of heavenly bodies. The motions of the stars and planets has been calculated and recorded for as long as we’ve had enough knowledge of math to do that (so ancient Sumeria and Egypt, and by ancient I mean 4-5 thousand years ago), while less predictable events such as eclipses and comets have been taken as ill omens or signs of Heavenly disfavor.*

The prevailing model in the West was geocentric (Earth in the center) and contained what we call the “Heavenly Spheres”; Earth was a globe surrounded by clear layered spheres, and across each sphere one of the seven planets moved in its predictable track. (The seven planets were: The sun, the moon, Mars, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn - a planet being defined as a “wandering heavenly body that does not follow the fixed course of all the other stars”). Beyond all these was the final sphere, containing all the stars like a painted ceiling, and all moving together, rotating around a point near Polaris, the North Star.

The stars were predictable, but mysterious, unexplainable - but they existed to serve the story of mankind because why else would they exist?

This mindset carries into Good Omens - at least the book, and probably the Radio Drama as well (I haven’t heard it in ages, but I don’t think it deviated from the major points). The universe is vast and huge and filled with “loads of buggerall” (p. 56) - Aziraphale’s comments confirm that, at the very least, angels and demons are confident that the universe is a vast vacuum (matching our modern ideas of cosmology) and also that it has a physical end somewhere (due to the way space-time curves, this might not necessarily be the case).**

And yet.

All these vast loads of burgerall are slated to be destroyed along with the Earth, aren’t they?

It certainly seems they were created at the same time. We know that there had only been “rather more than seven” days as of the start of the book, and that “rain hadn’t been invented yet” (p. 9). The language suggests not only that Earth is a new thing, but that there isn’t another planet out there that already experienced days and rain. Crowley, at least, believes that God created the whole universe (p. 373) and there seems nothing in the book to contradict this.

As for Armeggedon, it’s referenced as the “final test” and as “testing everything to destruction” and so forth (p. 48). At the final showdown on the airbase, Metatron refers to the great plan of a world lasting six thousand years (p. 352), and again this could refer to Earth only, or it could be the universe as a whole. In fact, as a general rule, the book simply conflates the earth and the universe, as if they were the same thing. And they are. Much like in the more Medieval and Classical worldview outlined above, there could be lots of stars and things out there but they only serve as a backdrop to the real important things going on here on Earth. Everything was created at the same time, and the only reason it might not be destroyed all at once is if the winning side decides they like the view and want to keep it.

The only hint that there might be more to the universe than Heaven, Hell and the little stage for their cold war (Earth) is the appearance of the aliens to Newt.

And yet, what are they described as? One is “stubby and green,” the one that talks to Newt is “a yellow toad dressed in kitchen foil...wearing the kind of mirror-finished sunglasses that Newt had always thought of as Cool Hand Luke shades” and the third is “a pepper pot.”

Two aliens as designed by a child, one clearly doing some vague Space Cop look, and a Dalek. The ship itself “looked like every cartoon of a flying saucer Newt had ever seen” (p. 197). I never ever got the impression these aliens were anything other than figments summoned from Adam’s head, spouting buzzwords he’d seen in New Aquarian (acid rain, albedo, polar ice caps) while acting like cops do in movies. And their message “We give you a message of universal peace and cosmic harmony an’ suchlike” (p. 198) - the “an’” instead of “and” is one of the distinguishing marks of how Adam and The Them talk. This is another one of his stories and games, played out on a much wider scale.***

My primary conclusion here would be that aliens cannot exist in the Book!Omens universe. The universe is the backdrop, Earth is where the real drama plays out. The universe has only existed for 6,000 years, not nearly enough time for other life to have evolved separately. God could have created life on the other worlds, but there is no indication that this ever happened, that there are other playgrounds on which this fight is being acted out - Crowley and Aziraphale never even consider the possibility that they’ll be reassigned elsewhere. It’s Earth, and then eternity in Head Office, no other options.

Book Omens: Other Possibilities?

I do think there is one alternative possible for Book!Omens: if we are willing to throw away the strictly supernatural elements of the book, it could be re-envisioned as a sci-fi story, in which God, angels, and demons are actually super-dimensional aliens who, by Clark’s Third Law, are sufficiently advanced to be indistinguishable from actual angels and demons. I refer to this as the Stargate Interpretation.****

More accurately, God would have to be the super-dimensional being, and would have created the Earth as a place to let the story play out; the angels and demons are then direct creations who buy 100% into the narrative they are given. Everything else can still exist - Lucifer rebels because of the same reasons, takes along all the unsatisfied angels, Heaven and Hell are only concerned with Earth because that’s all they’ve been told to concern themselves with. Their afterlives exist still, but only because humans were created to fit into that system.

Meanwhile, literally anything could be going on in the rest of the universe. There could be alien races thousands of years older than the earth. There could be galactic empires. Who knows? Not people on Earth. Our world was isolated from all that by superdimensional shenanigans.

But, and this is important, in order to maintain the illusion, angels and demons must be kept as much in ignorance of all this as humans. Might lead you to question the power of the being with the Ineffable Plans if those plans only extend to the edge of the solar system and don’t even go particularly far back in time.

Now, do I think this is the best headcanon for the book? Nope. This is a supernatural story, the threat of Heaven and Hell is so looming and menacing because there’s no other force out there, nowhere to appeal except the “higher authority” that isn’t, apparently, listening, and there’s no option to escape just by relocating to a new world. I think trying to force the Stargate Interpretation on it would diminish the story, and I really don’t think it’s what the authors intended at all.

However, I also think this would make for a very interesting fanfic in the hands of the right writer. Book Aziraphale or Crowley suddenly discovering that the scope of Head Office’s powers is much more limited than they’d thought? Who knows about this - have the Archangels and Lords of Hell been covering this up to keep the lower-level angels and demons from rebelling? Would their “miraculous” powers still operate the same on these alien worlds? Are there other beings out there more powerful? Or going the other direction - are there other worlds also playing out their own little pantomime of Eden and Armageddon? Are they created by the same God, or other members of the same race, and what are the implications either way? Does each world have an Aziraphale and a Crowley, or is the main GO world the first to screw up the Apocalypse so badly they survive it - and what is the implication of that?

There’s a whole lot of scope for interesting AUs out of this, and I’d be rather surprised if no one has written any, seeing as the book came out thirty years ago. (If any are available on AO3, send us links - this sounds a bit niche, but I’d love for fans to be able to find these!) I would consider them AUs though; the default assumption of the book is no aliens and including them is a deviation, just as adding in Hogwarts or Charles Xavier’s school while keeping everything else the same is a deviation.

However, in the TV series, space is certainly more present in the narrative, and the Stargate Interpretation doesn’t work as well. Can we reach any clear conclusions? I’ll attempt to find out in my next meta!

(Too important to footnote: We know that Atlantis vanished (p.372) so most likely Adam’s aliens did as well. There is, still, the possibility that they continued to exist after the end of the world. I think their somewhat shoddy appearance and very cliched dialogue suggest the aliens would, at best, continue to cycle through similar interactions to what we saw with Newt until Adam either “deactivated” or “updated” them. What would they do then? Did he create entire races and homeworlds for them or - as I rather suspect - did he just make the one ship full and then move on to the next?)

-- Footnotes --

*Note: the math for predicting eclipses has also existed for thousands of years, but was more difficult for ancient cultures to confirm because only a fraction of eclipses are visible from a certain spot. Several ancient cultures were eventually able to work out the pattern, notably ones that either ruled over a lot of land or else had good information exchange with their neighbors. Comets took a LOT longer, and indeed as late as the 16th century many believed each comet was unique and traveled linearly through the solar system, never to return. Edmond Halley (working partly from observations by Isaac Newton) was able to demonstrate that comets did in fact orbit the sun, and predicted the return of the comet now named for him in 1758. He also was the first to observe and describe the proper motion of stars, that is, the fact that they don’t actually travel in one large fixed group.

**Also, I find it delightful that, along with thinking dolphins are fish, Aziraphale says the bird crossing the universe would need a generation starship - which as a sci-fi trope has been somewhat out of fashion since the 1970s, in favor of faster-than-light starships. This alone says volumes about his taste in literature and science.

***The fact that the alien refers to its own message as “one of them pheonomena” (p.198) - a term Shadwell uses - does suggest that Newt’s own imagination is filling in the gaps left by Adam.

****Just gonna go ahead and out myself as a lifelong Stargate fan don’t mind me. That said, Terry Pratchett also explores a world made in this style in his pre-Discworld novel, Strata, which contains a flat world in a sci-fi setting, where everything operates according to a medieval worldview. It is a fascinating read, not least for the inclusion of several elements that would later find a permanent home in the Discworld series. If you can find it, read it.

tagging the commenters who said yesterday they would be interested:

@sarahthecoat @ineffableove @akawestruck

#good omens #book good omens #book omens #good omens meta #good omens book #space #alpha centauri #aliens #stargate #of aliens and alpha centauri #sci-fi #i knew this was going to be a weird meta

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eldritchsurveys · 4 years

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834.

How have you been feeling lately? Have you been doing ok? >> Eh. As long as nothing unpredictable happens, I’m mostly fine... but I’ve also had at least two meltdowns in the past week, so “mostly fine” is obviously a cover-up of some sort. I don’t really know what to do about it, so I am kind of just holding my breath through every day, hoping I don’t lose it over something trivial.

Are you currently in quarantine? >> No, the stay-at-home order has been lifted. Still not really going anywhere, though.

Do you wear a mask when you go to the store? >> We didn’t this past weekend, which I don’t feel great about, but I ordered a bandana yesterday so I’ll hopefully have it before this coming weekend.

Does your state require people to wear masks in stores? >> Well, they say they require it, but we were definitely not the only people in stores without masks on. So I don’t know what the deal is with that. I think maybe stores are weighing how much it’s worth having to deal with irate customers who can’t stand being turned away for not complying with the mask rule (Michigan is, after all, the state where armed protesters stormed the capitol building to harass the governor for extending the stay-at-home order...). Regardless, now that I will actually have a face covering next time, I’m going to use it.

Do you know anyone who's had the coronavirus? >> No.

What was the last sweet treat you ate? >> I ate part of a lemon coconut cookie.

Was it a nice day out today? >> It’s pretty nice, yeah.

Is the weather nice where you live usually? >> Usually? I wouldn’t say that. Winter lingers around here for a long time, and winter does not usually bring pleasant weather (in my opinion). Also, we get a lot of wacky lake-effect weather.

What was the last thing you ordered online? >> A bandana. It has a Baphomet on it, heh.

Are you expecting a package right now? >> Well, yeah, the bandana. Should be here Thursday or Friday (it’d better be, considering I paid extra for quicker shipping).

Have you ever ordered anything from Wish? If so, what did you buy, and did you feel it was worth it? >> I haven’t, but Sparrow’s ordered stuff from them. I think she likes everything she’s gotten (although she hasn’t gotten everything she’s ordered, which is annoying).

Are you a youtuber? If so, are you consistent with uploads? and how many subscribers do you have? >> I am not, nor would I ever be, a youtuber.

What is one thing you hate about summer? >> Heat waves. I like warmth, but too hot is too hot.

Did you go outside today? >> Not yet.

What is the name of your youtube channel, if you have one? >> ---

What was the name of the last store or restaurant that overcharged you? >> I can’t recall being overcharged anywhere.

Is your room more often messy or clean? >> On the cleaner side than the messier side.

Who is someone you miss? >> ---

What is something you miss? >> ---

Do you feel like your emotions are often haywire? >> I feel like that pretty frequently, yeah. I’m either having no emotions or having a veritable perfect storm of them, and I’d really like to find a fucking balance at some point.

Have you ever received a misdiagnosis from a doctor? >> I’ve mostly received misdiagnoses from doctors.

Have you ever been "diagnosed" with a mental illness from an online friend? who is not a doctor? If yes, isn't that frustrating? >> Nah, I’ve not had that experience.

Do you have any friends that you can trust and tell everything to? >> ---

What was the name of your favorite roommate you've had? >> ---

Do you have a favorite book that you've read multiple times? >> Yeah, there are a few books I’ve read multiple times.

What's one book or book series that you've read multiple times? >> I’ve read Dreamcatcher by Stephen King at least twice.

Have you ever had an embarrassing bathroom accident? >> Yeah.

What was the name of the funniest kid you've ever babysat? >> ---

Do you enjoy babysitting? >> Never done it.

Do you have any big regrets? >> No.

Are there things about your past that bother you? >> I mean... I’m post-traumatic, lmao.

What was the last thing you saw or read on social media that made you angry? >> That doesn’t really happen to me.

Do you often post about controversial topics on facebook? >> I don’t post on facebook at all.

Do you think it's a good idea to post about serious topics on social media? or do you think that it's better to discuss serious topics in person? >> I think that a lot of misunderstanding happens on social media that could possibly be avoided or at least worked through with more efficiency in person. I do say possibly, because like, who knows, really. But there are many discussions I wouldn’t bother getting into on social media (especially where other people can see it and jump in with their two cents), that I might be more willing to discuss one-on-one with a person in a controlled environment. Which is why I hate that people don’t use IM/DM functions more often for working through sensitive topics (like “I have a problem with something you said in [x] post and I would like to work it out with you” or whatever), instead of turning it into a public fucking debate.

What was your favorite book you had to read for school? >> Their Eyes Were Watching God.

Have you ever failed a class and had to repeat it? >> No, I got no credit for a class and had to repeat it.

What class in school did you hate the most? >> All of them lmao

Have you ever wanted to be a teacher? >> Fuck no.

What's one childhood dream that has stuck with you, and one that has not? >> ---

Would you want to re-live your childhood over again if you could? >> FUCK NO.

Which do you like more: being an adult or being a kid? >> I vastly prefer being an adult where I have at least some semblance of agency and control over my own life, instead of being subject to the whims of people who don’t actually care about what I want or need or feel but are mostly thinking about what they want out of me.

At what age were you when you started to feel like you were mature enough to offer others advice? >> I don’t recall having this thought, like, ever. I offer advice when someone’s asked for it and I feel like I have some to offer. I don’t give a fuck what my age is.

Did your parents smoke or drink when you were growing up? >> No.

Do you enjoy bonfires? >> Yes.

Have you ever stepped on a sparkler? >> No.

What, do you know of, are you allergic to? >> Nothing.

Have you ever ridden in an ambulence? >> Yep, front and back.

What is your favorite version of the Bible to read, if applicable? >> I prefer the NIV for just regular reading, but ngl, the KJV has some turns of phrase that can be really poetic-sounding in certain verses.

Do you follow trends? or are you a trendsetter? >> Literally neither. I just do what I want.

Has anyone ever described you as a trendsetter? >> No.

Do you know anyone who used to be loving, but then turned cold? List three people you've known whom this has happened to. >> I don’t know anyone like that, which is good, because that is definitely red-flag behaviour.

What SAT subjects, if any, did you get a perfect score in? >> ---

What were your best subjects in school? and what was your favorite subject in school? >> ---

Have you ever been abused by a parent or legal guardian? >> Yes.

Do you have a lot of wounds from your past? >> Nope. Not a single one.

Has anyone ever called you a jerk? >> Probably.

Are you a jerk? >> Probably.

What color were your bedroom walls in high school? >> I assume they were the Nothing(tm) colour that is standard in apartment complexes.

Is there a girl or guy you wish you hadn't let slip away? >> No.

Is there an old friend that you miss and would like to reconnect with? >> No.

Who has hurt you the most? >> Sigh.

Have you been bullied? >> Yes.

Which talent show, if any, would you most like to audition for? and have you auditioned for one? >> I would rather die.

Do you know anyone who's auditioned for American Idol? >> No, but I know someone who auditioned for X Factor, which is largely the same concept.

Is there someone you think should audition that hasn't yet? >> No. I don’t think anyone should audition for those stupid ass shows.

What time of day do you usually feel your best? >> There is no time of day when that’s likely to happen. It depends more on my actual mental state than what time of day it is.

What's one way in which you've changed within the last ten years? >> Oh, you know, stuff.

Do you feel like time goes by fast, or slow? >> To me, it just... passes?

Who do you know who has died of cancer? >> No one.

Has there been cancer in your family? >> I don’t know.

Have you ever stayed overnight in a hospital, and if so, what for? >> Yeah. For being suicidal, or for being self-injurious, or because people just plain thought it’d be a fun thing to do to me, I don’t fucking know.

Have you ever been a victim of police misconduct? >> No.

Have you ever been so angry you wanted to sue someone? >> That... would be such a strange response to being angry at someone. For me, anyway. I don’t know, maybe it makes sense to other people. I stick to Old Reliable -- wanting to beat them to a pulp or something.

Have you ever been a victim of racism? >> I mean, probably.

Have you ever deleted a friend on facebook for making racist comments? >> No. Luckily, that’s never happened to me.

What was the last thing you ate? >> Veggie burger and chips.

What was the theme of your senior prom? >> Damned if I remember, that was like 15 years ago.

Did you go to prom? >> Yeah.

Have ever been engaged or married? >> Yeah.

Are you an aunt or uncle? >> Technically.

Do you live to glorify God and to do His will? >> No.

Are you happy with the way you are living your life day-to-day right now? >> I mean, there are worse ways to live. At least I get to decide for myself what I do with my day.

Do you feel like your life was better or worse six years ago? >> It was definitely worse. That’s not even something to question.

Have you ever made a huge, catastrophic mistake? >> I don’t think any of my mistakes qualify for such a dramatic adjective.

What's one need of yours that is currently not being met? >> ---

Do you feel like you are currently in a state of suffering? and that not all of your basic needs are being met? If so, how long have you been in a state of suffering? >> Not that kind of suffering, no -- I’ve been in that state, where most of my basic needs were not at all being met, and I’m very grateful to not have to live like that anymore. Unfortunately, living like that for extended periods of time tends to have lasting effects, which is [part of] what I’m dealing with right now.

Do you hate social injustice? >> Nah, I love it. It’s just great. It’s the best thing ever--

Are you happy with the current social class you are in? >> I’m in that strange limbo where I, as an individual, am poverty-class, but since I am part of a household where the other person works a relatively okay job for a living, I get the benefits of being working-class. We’re still low-income by modern urban standards, though. Anyway, I’m fine with that for the most part, but that’s also because I’m used to being literally penniless so anything is better than that.

Do you feel like you are being given what you deserve right now? >> What the fuck do I deserve? What does that even mean? No one owes me anything.

Life isn't fair. True or false? >> I mean, true, I guess.

Do you hate that life is so unfair? >> I don’t really think about life that way. It’s people who have the option to be fair or unfair (and who have the option to perceive of things as fair or unfair); life is just... life.

Name a few people who seem to have everything handed to them. >> I don’t know anyone like that.

Who do you go to when you're upset? >> Can Calah.

Do you pray less or more than you did 5 years ago? >> I didn’t pray then and I don’t pray now, so... the same.

Do you pray a lot? >> No.

Do you frequently have back pain? >> No.

What's the worst side effect you've experienced for a medication? and what's the worst withdrawal effect you've experienced from a medicine? >> The last time I recall having side effects to medications is when I was being put on various psychiatric drugs as a teenager, but I don’t really remember any of the specifics except... being exhausted all the time (because I remember falling asleep in classes and being reprimanded for it like I’m doing it on fucking purpose).

Have you ever used an epi pen? >> No.

What's a name that you like but probably wouldn't use for one of your kids? >> ---

What's you name, and do you like it? >> Mordred. Of course I do.

Would you prefer to give your kids common names or unique names? >> ---

Do you feel like anybody values you in the way that you deserve? >> There’s that word deserve again. Anyway, yes, I’m sure someone values me well enough. Probably.

Who have you felt the most valued by? >> I guess Sparrow values me, or we wouldn’t be married. That’s how that works, right?

Have you ever been treated like you were inferior? >> Yes.

What was the name of the biggest bully in your high school? >> ---

Do you ever sleep outside? >> I’ve slept outside before, yes.

How many siblings do you have? >> ---

Are you the oldest, youngest, middle, or only child? >> I was raised as the only child in the household. I was the youngest of my father’s children.

How many kids do you want to have? >> Zero, ideally.

Do you want to get married? >> It’s already been done.

Best date you've been on? >> ---

Dream date? >> ---

Ever kissed someone on New Year's? >> Yeah.

Have you ever had an experience so good you felt like you were flying? >> Probably.

Have you ever been in so much pain you prayed that you would die? >> Yep.

What brings you the most joy? >> Uh... hmm. Good question. I’ll get back to you on that. Someday.

What is your passion; what is it that would bring you the most joy and fulfillment in life? >> I don’t think I have any passions.

Have you ever laid your dreams aside because someone else wanted you to? >> Well, fortunately for everyone else, I don’t really have any dreams.

Who supports you in everything you do? >> Sparrow is pretty supportive when I bother to do stuff.

Who always tries to stop you whenever you try to go after your dreams? >> ---

Do you believe in following your heart, in going after your dreams? >> I think that if someone has a dream, then sure, they should try to see it through. But I also think that sometimes it just ain’t worth it. It’s up to the person to make that determination, though, not me. Personally, I don’t really know what it’s like to have a dream, so it’s not like I can relate or anything.

Do you wish other people would want you to be happy? >> I don’t think people want me to suffer or anything. I think that in general, people aren’t really thinking about me at all.

Do you wish you had someone who loved and supported you? >> I do. I wish I had the capacity to feel loved and supported.

#surveys #survey #random survey

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