#dead weight spoilers

[amyisherenowitsokay]

Surprise Dead Weight chapter preview.

[roachymochi]

Not gonna lie if i was in Shuro's place and every time I tried to do something by myself as a child only to meet the Knife Hag, I too would have trouble expressing when something or someone is bothering me in an healthy manner.

[arthursfuckinghat]

Chapter One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six.

"I know I ruined your life, I suffer for it every day."

[suntails]

the weight of family and the pull of gravity

[boringsideeffect]

RIP to Jeremy Knox if Jean ever takes Cat up on her offer to teach him how to ride a motorcycle honestly

Jean pulling up on a bike, wearing a black leather jacket that only makes him look broader, more imposing, dangerous in the best way. One look at him and Jeremy faints.

[briseise]

you’re gonna carry that weight

[nydescynt]

Thematic Analysis of Hades II: Why You Can Never Go Home

(At some point I might make a video on this, but for now sharing my thoughts via textpost. Spoilers ahead!)

So the text of the story of Hades and Hades 2 are Zagreus breaking out of the House, and Melinoë breaking in.

But the wild thing (and the reason Hades 2 is much more interesting to me) is that both games actually have almost inverted themes from that text. Zagreus is intent on uniting a household; Melinoë is discovering the home she's fought to return to is rotten to the core.

Zagreus, despite his entire textual goal being to leave his home and family, is narratively & thematically working to bring the family and household together. His mother comes back and is reunited not just with him but her husband, mother, and entire extended family. Achilles and Patrocles, Orpheus and Eurydice, Asterion and Theseus: Hades is a story of people metaphorically coming home and making peace with where they are (Sisyphus, Thanatos, Orpheus). Everyone basically gets a happy ending, credits roll, problems all resolved or en route to be solved. Everyone is home.

(Important to note: we never see a human in the first game. We see shades, and gods, and monsters, and the closest you get to a mortal living thing is the satyrs. This is a story concerned with the realm of the gods.)

In contrast, Melinoë has no home - besides being estranged from her childhood home, she literally lives in a tent. In case the theme was too subtle, presumably.

Now, she has been fighting her entire life to become powerful enough to return home and reclaim her family - that seems Zagreus-adjacent on its face. However, there isn't a home to return to- Hades is in shackles, the rest of her family trapped in time. At this point in Early Access, on both a metatextual & diegetic level she quite literally can neither make it to Mt Olympus or into Zagreus' room - she cannot go home, she cannot meet her family.

Consider the others: Odysseus' presence seems to tie into the idea of a long journey home, but this is an Odysseus who lived and died and now has other (inhuman) priorities. He loves them, but has no interest in reuniting with Penelope and Telemachus at this point. Nemesis dislikes her siblings, and is more concerned with the equal application of "justice" than whether it has any reforming effect. Narcissus and Echo eventually talk and part more amicably, but that's the best that can be said about their relationship.

Hecate refuses to be called Melinoë's mother: she will not distract from the "true" family that Melinoë has no memory of ever meeting.

Instead of Ares and Dionysus (enjoyers of chaos and least affected by the toxicity of the family in Hades 1) we have Hestia and Hephaestaus- a goddess who helped murder her father and a god constantly belittled by his own family. Their tense and frequently bitter interactions with the other Olympians are evocative of the central theme being explored: what if there isn't a home to go back to? What if your family is unforgivable? (What if you want to forgive them anyways? What if you need to?)

This theme is why Arachne is in the game, and Athena is not: likeable, first-helper-of-Zagreus Athena turned Arachne into a spider out of petty anger. How do you reconcile that?

Moros (lovely, kind Moros, who gushes at Odysseus like a fanboy) and his sisters the Fates did horrible things to mortals out of boredom. The same mortals whose bodies you can see stacked up like cordwood in Ephyra, who you repeatedly claim you are fighting to protect from Chronos. Moros can neither confirm nor deny that the current events could have been set in motion by the Fates. How do you reconcile that?

Polyphemus raises sheep. He genuinely loves and cares for them, is protective of them. He also eats them, and is confused when Melinoë implies a contradiction.

How can you love someone and be willing to kill them? For survival? For fleeting satisfaction? For vengeance?

Is Chronos' willingness to eat his children so morally heinous that it makes him worse than every cruelty the gods have wrought? Worse for who?

[greyedian]

MAN I'm seriously so sad about season 2. Bc I wish act 2 had the same emotional impact on me as it appears to have on so many others. But rn I'm just somewhere between unable to care and actively annoyed by some of those writing decisions. Seriously the more I think about it the less I like it.

[foolishlyzephyrus]

they did my boy klaus so dirty this season. literally all character development got abandoned mid arc

[hplonesomeart]

AUUUU STOP THIS MOMENT WAS ADORABLE AND SWEET AND PRECIOUS AND MY HEART MELTED FOR THEMMMMM 😭💕

(lots of writing under the ‘read more’ btw incase you want my personal thoughts on things!)

Before the episode started I has been bracing myself for the genocide route, but it seem like what we ended up getting was the pacifist route because NEVER would I have anticipated such an empathetic twist??? I was dead convinced that my hopes/dreams of Puzzle redemption were squandered and left to rot (they probably still are to some degree actually lol but oh well I can accept that he’s a lovable psycho). And yet this episode does the impossible….giving us an unfathomably wholesome scene that helps heal his dejected inner child, even just a little. PLEASE this wasn’t something I was prepared for and it’s gotten such a strong grip on my heartstrings right now. I love themmmmm holy shittttt <33

I didn’t think Meggy would step up and try to connect with him like that especially since she was so aggressively defensive when he initially reached out. And I like that even when she gets to speak to Little/Kid Puzzles her behavior is very stern at first lol. Kinda like a disappointed older sister who can’t be bothered to put up with him for too long. But using Leggy as a way to build that bridge again was so clever of her—and hey it helped lure him into false sense of security so he’d get jailed up jskjsksp. Everyone wins I guess!! ALSO can I just say whoever composed the soundtrack (Zach Preciado for the rap segment specifically) deserves just as much praise as the voice actors because DAYM the layering of all those instruments and the seamless transitions into different emotional tones was superb :))

[mummifiedgoose]

Finally saw Dead Reckoning again and here's a fully self indulgent thought that only works in fantasy land where plot isn't important.

You know how it comes down to Grace or Ilsa? Someone Ethan cares about has to die, blah blah. No offense to my girl Grace but there is NO reason she should be in that situation. Yes I know she's got The Plot but like, Ethan met her like a few days ago and she's done nothing but betray him repeatedly since then. She is absolutely NOT on Ilsa's level when it comes to holding importance in Ethan's life.

You know who is though?

Benji. Through Fallout and Rogue Nation, Benji and Ilsa are CONSTANTLY compared, put in the same situations, put on the same level, they have about a thousand parallels between those movies. This would be the ultimate version of that. One last comparison, one last "who means more" that would result in a death that holds importance to the franchise. Not to say Ilsa's death isn't important, it absolutely is, but you know from the second this problem is presented to us she's the one who will die. If Grace dies it holds no meaning because like Ethan, we just fucking met her. Ilsa dying is a whole other story. Benji dying is a whole other, other story.

Additionally, with how Benji and Ilsa keep ending up in the same life threatening situation? They keep surviving together, they've survived Lane together, whoever dies here is going to feel incredibly guilty and lost (btw this is why we should have seen more of Benji mourning Ilsa beyond him sulking in the corner for two minutes).

And I PROMISE you. Had Benji been a woman? He would be counted as a love interest for Ethan. That's why Grace is put in this situation here, it's cause she's a pretty lady Ethan could potentially kiss not because there's any real emotional attachment. That and she has the key or whatever but ignore that. DO YOU SEE THE VISION????

[amyisherenowitsokay]

''warning spoilers'' no you just made me want to read it NOW. talk about a pro elevator pitch.

How about Dead Weight and Paradorx, both individually, and then with reference to Re:MHNY? Inspiration, headcannons and worldbuilding, characterization, what's different and similar between them, or unique to each one? Or what did you want to explore or try in one that you couldn't in the other, or never got the chance before at all? Does the exploration in one help flesh out the others? What's the 'lay of the land' when you look over them all together? and of course, where are you headed plot wise?

I think you already answered a bunch of this to someone else lol, but ah well.

PHEW okay, I'm awake, I'm ready, let's a'go

Dead Weight and Paradorx really got similar treatments, but with obviously very dissimilar plot points.

As I've mentioned I think before, Dead Weight was entirely inspired by the one-off paragraph in Re:MHNY, in the second to last chapter, where Zim fantasizes about what kind of soldier Gaz would be were she Irken. My friends and I started shooting the shit for fun, and I sunk my teeth in and never let go. Dead Weight is taking a lot more research because it's so heavily entrenched in the Irken military, culture, and upbringing. Whereas Paradorx is a more familiar 'teen shenanigans/coming of age/eventual found family' sort of deal. I think genuinely they’re probably my two most different stories, with the only overlap being the use of characters and the ships lmao. Genuinely, I can’t say either story has ever leant insp for the other, or inversely, that they’ve ever taken anything away from one another. My brain really only works to focus on one project as I’m working on it, and sort of forgets everything else exists while I’m working on it. It helps me focus and really dedicate my time to what I’m actively doing and writing as opposed to getting myself all confused. 

The faux-infanticide just sort of came to me as its own spontaneous idea. The subplot of the Control Brains/higher authority Irkens deliberately weeding out potentially disloyal Irkens sort of occurred to me as I was writing it. The Irkens are primarily a species raised for war and infiltration; a bunch of murderers and spies. Even in the first episode, during the Great Assigning, there's monitors and cameras all over. Zim also has multiple equipment capable of spying/observing, monitors all over, etc. I think it's fair to assume that these are tools for his mission, but also that Irkens are probably very used to being spied on. They never let their guard down, are always skittish, and paranoia seems to be a common trait too. So what was supposed to just be a 'Zim, Gaz, and cast as Irkens' AU turned into 'Big Brother raises smeets under the thumb of the military industrial complex.

Dead Weight is basically 100% headcanons that I have to come up with that feel appropriate for the IZ universe, and that benefit to the story that I have in mind. I am as far removed from the army or any personal resources as you can get, which is something I prefer to draw from if possible, so I've been looking at screenshots of the show episodes that have the Armada/Tallest in them to try and glean any background information to see if anything sparks inspiration. I've considered watching any shows with underground or overtly military-type themes, but the closest I got was Mr. Sunshine lmao. Instead of shows, I've taken up a few sci-fi fantasy books (Ender's Game, Dune) that have really been helping me out with developing meaningful characters who still fit in spaces designed to deter individuality, during high-stakes war, etc.

For Dead Weight, I’m really getting the opportunity to explore more violent, high-stakes, sci-fi worldbuilding than I’ve really ever done. Re: MHNY3 is going to have a lot more Irken worldbuilding, sure, but not nearly as much as Dead Weight has. I’m looking forward to further down the line, when I get to discuss even more mature themes (a’wink) and how those work into the existing infrastructure of obedience, militarism, and every character’s general personality. I’ve already dropped hints here and there, but I really want to make sure to lay all the groundwork cleanly so that the reader gets the jokes later on, if that makes sense.

Regarding Paradorx, as I mentioned, the world building is way easier. This one I wanted to write as a challenge to a truly slow-burn fic. While my series fics aren't really short, ever, the idea of doing a bunch of little stories that carry over into the overarching plot gave me the same nostalgia of how old episodes of Scooby Doo felt to me as a kid. Also, I wanted to really explore the found family archetype in a way I haven't before, where Dib, Zim, and Gaz are all equally invested in one another rather than Dib and Zim being friends first, Gaz and Zim being together first, etc. All parties moving in synchronization and circling around one another faster and faster.

For Paradorx, the insp is a lot more varied and easier to find. I'm actually reading mystery novels, some with and without supernatural elements. The hard part is actually the cryptid selection. There's so many, and so many with such varying interpretations and accounts, that it makes it hard to find sources that ring with 'authenticity,' or that I feel comfortable basing my own recount on. The only cryptid I feel confident about writing is ghosts, but everything else is up in the air. I'm currently just keeping a list of spookies that I'd like to use, and other than that am doing my best to wing it.

Paradorx I think really gets to explore more of the coming-of-age, found-family type ish that doesn’t quite happen in the Re:MHNY series, or even arguably in What We Become. Just like with Dead Weight, I’m looking forward to handling mature themes with a much different infrastructure than I’ve ever written for these characters, and show how it changes them to face something as temporary allies vs well-establish family-friend-something-else dynamics. 

As for the PLOTWISE question, naturally I warn of spoilers.

For Dead Weight:

My intention is to add in NSFW content that isn’t just violent (a’WINK) later down the line, yes, but also treachery, assassinations, love triangles, multiple wars, a genocide here and there, a LITANY of near-death experiences, and more. Sirius Minor, that one-off joke from that episode of Zim selling candy, is going to end up everyone’s favorite planet by the time I’m done writing. 

I’m terrible at tagging my posts, but later if/when I find it I’ll tag it, but another intention I have planned is for all the characters to basically end up where they do in the cartoon, with some exceptions. Whether that meant location-wise, planet-wise, rank-wise, title-wise, residence-wise, etc., I will leave that mostly up to your imagination, but with a screenshot or two (or several) for your review. 

And of course, for Paradorx:

My intention right now is to make this a story with danger, but really to hone in on the individual emotional fear, vulnerabilities, and stressors of the cast, how they were developed, why they can’t/won’t let go of them, and all the fun ways they manage to simultaneously trigger and support one another on their journey to being more competent, happier people.

[arthursfuckinghat]

You know he's getting worse when the fucking shopkeeper in Valentine has noticed Arthur's weight loss and told him to see a doctor, a SHOPKEEPER I have met a whole THREE TIMES seemingly cares more than Dutch

[suntails]

a father's love

[vaguely-concerned]

one of the things mourn watch rook has the most comments about/seems pretty knowledgeable about when they're there is the way the necropolis will just shuffle rooms around every now and then on a whim, so I'm headcanoning that rye's previous area of expertise, outside of general watcher duties, was keeping track of and rediscovering these lost or displaced areas. that, and basically acting as a sort of tour guide when need be, such as on the day they met varric.

'have we really misplaced the ashen cathedral again? *sigh* that's the third time this year, we really must strengthen the wards. oh well. someone send for ingellvar, they'll track it down in no time I'm sure. and it might keep them out of trouble for a while'

[reslari]

If nobody else got me, I know Ansbach and Thiollier don't got me.

Boss with near 100k health and they're doing 180 damage on one hit. They can't even keep aggro when I don't attack at all.

ETA: you DO have to summon them for the fight if you want their equipment, though. I beat him solo and got nada.

ETA ETA: I lied, rest at the Grace and the stuff is over by the entrance. My second playthrough is SAVED.