#did somebody say corruption arc??

[lore-ren-theories]

noooooooo the extent of parallels between Cole's personal quest in inquisition and Solas being a spirit—I know many have pointed out how Solas being confirmed to be a spirit recontextualises Cole's personal quest.

Cole's personal quest and the contrast between Varric and Solas's views in it, in turn, also really furthers my appreciation of Solas's arc in Veilguard.

I'm partway through Noah Caldwell-Gervais' A Thorough Look at Dragon Age, a quote from the video:

"I love the idea that spirits have true, immutable natures. That the way they survive such a chaotic flux of improbabilities, is by being inflexibly true to themselves. It is the material world that is full of hypocrisy and contradiction by comparison. By siding with the world of spirits, Solas is admitting, essentially, that the human world is too hard for him. He is weary of everything that makes it so complicated and so disappointing. It would be easier to go back to how things used to be."

To me that last line sounds like one of the 'easy lies' Solas tells himself, but this did get me thinking.

Even before the Veil, Solas saw so many spirits corrupted after taking on a body. Becoming mortal (killable) and unchanging brings with it not only regret, but a very complex and foreign regret for somebody that used to be formless in an unfixed world.

From the DA wiki, a summary as I can't look up the conversation word for word right now:

Nevertheless, it is not unheard of for spirits to evolve and become more "human" by coming to terms with grief, heal from being emotionally hurt, and thus be able to learn from what they endured. By coming to terms with grief, a spirit is able to grow as a person and not "wash clean" like a spirit.

The way Varric continues to believe in Solas's ability to change despite his wrongdoings is something you can take on yourself as Rook, whether that's because you sympathise with Solas or because you want to honour Varric's wishes.

Varric says Cole needs to work through his emotions, Solas replies that a spirit doesn't work through emotions, it embodies them. Then Varric says:

"But he isn't a spirit, is he? He made himself human, and humans change. They get hurt, and they heal."

That's just like how Varric approaches Solas. Varric knows Solas is an immortal ancient elf, but he doesn't know that Solas was a spirit once. Even if he did, this line indicates that it wouldn't change how Varric would have approached him. Solas became 'human' by taking on a body, just like Cole did.

Solas admits to Cole: "I am not a spirit, and sometimes it is hard to remember such simple truths." but when you consider that spirits don't die in the traditional sense, this truth doesn't really sound all that simple.

Solas's biggest fear, dying alone, is something inconceivable to a spirit, and it's such a human fear.

Varric (or Rook's memory of Varric) tells Rook: "Because you always chose the hard truth over the easy lie. Solas, on the other hand..." which further drives the point home: Solas exists in a state of utter denial about how human he is.

Solas being in favour of Cole remaining a spirit reflects Solas's own regret of taking on a body, and fear for Cole's life in what's to come if Solas succeeds, it would also harm the world as spirits of compassion are already so few and far between. Yet Solas being in favour of Cole remaining a spirit may serve an additional purpose: one of denial.

If Cole can exist in this world and remain a spirit, then Solas can conveniently forget that he no longer is one himself. If Cole becomes more human, longer lifespan aside, how different is Solas really from others who are 'human', too?

When Rook asks Solas to atone for what he's done, Rook effectively asks him to also come to terms with his grief and take the time to heal from being emotionally hurt so finally he can learn from what he has endured.

Just like that you're extending the same opportunity to Solas, that Varric did to Cole: the opportunity to become more human.

I love Varric's view that yeah sure, Solas has all these extremely complicated reasons for doing what he did, but at the end of the day he can't bear to face the pain he is in. He's just as human as the rest of us, which means he can learn from his mistakes and that maybe some day, he can heal.

There's plenty to say about how Veilguard handled Solas's motivations for tearing down the Veil, how he's characterised, etc. but personally I'm a sucker for this kind of framing of his story.

It really resonates with me. Sometimes, you don't need complicated solutions to your problems. You don't need to deep dive into why you are the way you are, or why you do the things you do. You just need to share why you're hurting so you can get a hug, a comforting hand on your shoulder, and some much needed words of reassurance.

Every Solas deserves a Varric in their life.

[aeithalian]

Apollo and the demonization of power

I graduated and I'm back on my shit, y'all.

I saw this post by @apollosgiftofprophecy (hi Alder) about whether or not Apollo should have stayed mortal instead of regaining his godhood, and may I just say I 1000000% agree.

To summarize the post: if Apollo had chosen to stay mortal, his promise to Jason (to remember what it means to be mortal/human) wouldn't have meant nearly the same as if he'd gone back to Olympus. Regaining his godhood allowed him to chose to help people with his full ability and remember his humanity for however long it takes for him to fade.

And if I may add on: Apollo even talks about maybe choosing to stay mortal at some point in the latter half of the series, but eventually comes to the conclusion that to chose to stay mortal would be akin to running away from his problems. And he's right: if he chose to stay mortal, he wouldn't have to face Zeus again and he could shirk his responsibilities as an Olympian. So he decides against it (not that he really ever has the chance to chose). And I just love to take this as a great moment of character development and an insane amount of self-awareness for somebody who started their arc where he did.

But it also got me thinking. And, in short, I came to the conclusion that Apollo must be an idealist simply by the way he views power.

In this case, fiction reflects reality: villains want power. They want control. They want to squash rebellion. And that, typically, is an occurrence we typically only see with villains. Never with the heroes, who rarely want power outside of defeating their enemy. But here we have Apollo, who spends the entire series literally seeking power in his attempt to regain his godhood.

And that has morphed into something really interesting when it comes to representation of power in classical media. More often than not, power is demonized. It's seen as something inherently evil. If a character wants power for themselves, they're likewise seen as evil. Any one of your classical antagonists are going to, at some point in their stories, want power in any which way it presents itself. Voldemort of Harry Potter wanted to live forever. Sauron of Lord of the Rings wanted the Ring of Power. Palpatine of Star Wars wanted control of the galaxy. Zeus wants to rule the Olympians. The list goes on.

On the other hand, in stories where a protagonist seeks power to destroy their opponent, they eventually end up discarding their items of power because they don't want to be 'corrupted'. Harry Potter refused to use the Elder Wand. Frodo destroyed the Ring of Power. Luke Skywalker turned down the Dark Side. Even Percy Jackson declined godhood.

But Rick, in writing Apollo's character, takes an interesting approach and a fun subversion of this trope that I, for one, absolutely love. Previously, he'd written Percy to turn down godhood because he primarily wanted to maintain his humanity. To Percy, being a god and being human are two mutually exclusive concepts. They don't coexist. For Apollo, on the other hand, he accepts power out of a sense of duty, and vows to use it well in the spirit of his promise to Jason. There is no demonization of power. And to Apollo, humanity and godhood are not exclusive concepts. So what does that mean post-trials?

There are two perspectives at battle here. First is demonization: 'power is inherently evil'. But the idea that power corrupts is not necessarily a fact: in my opinion, power in and of itself isn't evil. Yes, it's dangerous, but it's more or less a blank slate. What you do with power, who you are when you have it, is what defines it. And that's a pretty nuanced take, and it comes with its ups and downs, requiring those powerful protagonists to be your most responsible, most dutiful, most kind characters who take up the mantle of power with the full understanding of what it means. Who's to say that you can't achieve power and use it well? So there's the other perspective: 'power is a blank slate'.

Let's look at power from a Zeus vs. Apollo perspective:

Zeus wants power (or at the very least, to maintain his power) as a way of controlling people, squashing rebellion, and maintaining order in the way he sees fit, without any sense of legitimate justice or care for others. It is Zeus' actions that make him evil, not his power.

Apollo, on the other hand, seeks power as a way of solving problems, creating solutions that benefit the greatest amount of people possible, and creating a lasting difference on others to change for the better, just as he did. More often than not, when he reminisces about having power in the series, it's more out of a place of 'this terrible thing wouldn't have happened if I were a god', or 'I could help better if I were a god'. Never once does he view power as a way of controlling or manipulating others. Power, to Apollo, is just the ability to love to the greatest extent possible (re: my meta on Apollo's fatal flaw).

But the interesting thing here is how Apollo views power in general, outside of his own. The idea of demonizing power doesn't even occur to him, despite the fact that he's been the subject of abuse for millennia. What's fascinating to me is the fact that Apollo, having been hurt so often by Zeus' power, doesn't ascribe that same generalization to his own person.

I find that very interesting: abuse does wacky shit to people's brains. By all means, that should have irrevocably changed Apollo's perspective on power as a whole, right? Not if you've learned to view power as something that is part of you, no.

I don't know how other gods besides Apollo view their own power, I actually think it's accurate to say that gods view power as something inherent to their nature. And, honestly, maybe it is. But that's besides the point.

Regardless of whether or not power is inherent to gods, Apollo, throughout his journey, realizes that it must go hand in hand with responsibility and humanity. Power is a privilege. That 'blank slate' perspective is one he learned in his trials, the knowledge that the power he has is something he shapes, and something he has no excuse for. If power is inherent, all of Apollo's wrongdoings are his own failings.

And that's even more interesting when you relate it to his relationship with Zeus. Apollo must likewise know that Zeus' wrongdoings are solely his fault, not a result of his power. It's a fascinating perspective of power coming from somebody who has none, who's been hurt by somebody who has so much. To maintain that optimistic view of power as non-corrosive when faced with your abuser is, I think, the glaring mark of an idealist.

So, what does this mean post-trials?

I think, along the same vein, there is a point where the idealist breaks. They have a glimpse of reality: all is not well. For Apollo, that's at the end of the series where he decides that Zeus is beyond all hope. Take this quote from the Tower of Nero:

Some fathers don't deserve [reconciliation]. Some aren't capable of it. I suppose I could have raged at him and called him bad names. We were alone. He probably expected it. Given his awkward self-consciousness at the moment, he might have even let me get away with it unpunished. But it would not have changed him. It would not have made anything different between us. You cannot change a tyrant by trying to out-ugly him.

More often than not, my favorite stories are the ones where the main character gains power, keeps it, and uses it for good. Aragorn accepted the crown of Gondor. Luke Skywalker chose to train a new order of Jedi. Apollo regained his godhood. And readers of any of my multichap fics know that I love to write this trope as well.

But, much like my mutuals and I have been yelling from the rooftops for LITERAL YEARS, Apollo's story is not over. And once the idealist has 'broken', like we see in the scene above, there's only one way it could go.

To see somebody mishandling their power in a way an idealist knows is corrupt is quite literally a recipe for revolution. Look me in the eye and tell me that the way ToA finished wasn't setting up a revolution. Do it, I dare you.

Regardless, it's safe to say that, at some point, somebody's going to take a look at Zeus and say "you know what? Anybody could do better." Just saying.

Anyways, vive la révolution.

[a masterlist of my other metas]

[1296-very-good-year]

What I absolutely adore about Arcane in season 1 was its dedication to treating magic realistically. Science is the study of the natural world after all, and in Arcane's world, magic IS natural. Scientists would be the ones pursuing it.

Hextech was always going be invented, if not by Jayce and Viktor, then by somebody else down the line. By trying to stop them, Heimerdinger was only delaying the inevitable.

We get to see exactly how "science" can go wrong, both with Jayce succumbing to political manipulation to build weapons on behalf of the ruling class, and with Viktor throwing caution to the wind in his desperation to save himself. BOTH of them fuck around and find out. Dead child and dead Sky. (Singed is also used to explore a lack of ethics).

BUT Heimerdinger is not proven right. His position of trying to stop their research for the harm it could cause was wrong, because all scientific/technological progress can lead to harm. Harnessing fire allowed us to cook food and boil water to kill germs, dramatically improving and saving lives. It also lets us burn down cities, but that is no reason to avoid using fire altogether.

Season 1 does end with a Hextech-powered bomb going off in Viktor and Jayce's face, but it is clear that the corruption of the council and the systemic injustice the rich profited from is what created Silco, Jinx, and ultimately that bomb. Happy people don't burn down cities.

The council had control of all Hextech development from the beginning. They demanded the creation of the Hexgates - which did nothing to help the people of Zaun - and Piltover flourished. Zaun only got worse in those 6 years. All Viktor and Jayce wanted to do was give magic to everyone, but Heimerdinger made them delay it, and so their work was only used to serve the wealthy. They were never allowed the freedom to give magic to the common people.

Heimerdinger's stagnation as leader on the council for decades was infinitely more responsible for that bomb than Viktor and Jayce.

End of Season 1. Brilliant. Showstopping. Spectacular. Etc.

How does season 2 expand on this? Spoiler alert....

NOT WELL

We are introduced to the concept of the Arcane itself reacting negatively to use of Hextech. The anomaly appears that begins to poison life that comes in contact with it. Here is our metaphor for environmental destruction/pollution by industry. Interesting, let's see where that metaphor leads! (The answer is it leads nowhere).

While Heimerdinger was never shown grappling with the results of the terrorist attack that killed people he was presumably close to, he did FINALLY change enough to help Ekko create an anomaly to get home. He also worked directly to improve the lives of people in Zaun in the 3 years he was in that alternate timeline. Good stuff!

AND THEN

We are told that in all timelines Viktor goes crazy and tries to assimilate everyone into a single emotionless hivemind. Inevitably. Except, the alternate timeline where Ekko and Heimerdinger go is one without Hextech at all, where Jayce likely killed himself, and Viktor would have died from his disease. So, either there is an evil Viktor running around offscreen in that timeline, or he only ends the world if Hextech is invented.

If we make the more obvious assumption that Viktor only goes crazy in all timelines where Hextech is invented, then the through line here is that apparently Hextech should never have been pursued in the first place, and Viktor should have just let himself die.

"Hextech is a curse," Jayce says, and this is not once challenged by the narrative.

"I used to want to give magic to the world, now all I want is my partner back." .....what the fuck...

Jayce and Viktor's arcs are complete when they decide to kill themselves TOGETHER this time, along with destroying the Hexgates, the anomaly, and Ekko's Z drive, symbolically removing Hextech from the world to save the day. This is - in the writers words - the end of their story.

Season 2 says Viktor and Jayce should never have stopped each other from jumping to their deaths. Hextech was bad all along, actually.

Mel's magic is natural and wonderful because she was born with it.

And Singed apparently didn't try to use magic for his unethical science, so he gets his happy ending :)

[mangotangerine]

concept: canonverse, vox fucks up somebody with some sort of organic spores, which then explode and get into his electronics, and start fucking him up and corrupting him. cue alastor finding him in a trash can and trying to figure out the mystery. it ends up becoming some sci-fi thing where vox is stuck in a post-apocalyptic projection in his "mind" where he hallucinates a relationship with alastor and then he wakes up and finds out none of it is real.

ANYWAY

this is the start. who knows if i will ever finish this.

below the cut!

vox gets stuck in a sci-fi projection & has to escape a post-apocalyptic world (prologue)

“Do androids dream of electric sheep?”

The first time he’d been asked, he had engaged the sinner in conversation—honestly, it was a fascinating question. The expression on the sinner’s face, though, as Vox answered, tripped from amicable joking into mocking amusement, and Vox does not like being mocked.

A few thousand volts into the newly-minted sinner’s demon body had taken care of that problem, the garbled shriek of, “It’s a fucking book!” an announcement to all nearby that Vox didn’t get the reference.

“Really?” Alastor had asked, disdain coloring his voice, because of course he’d been passing by—he’s always there at the most inopportune times. The world’s most obnoxious stalker. “I know you’re incapable of reading, but taking out the frustration of your illiteracy on innocent new denizens of Pentagram City won’t net you the positive reputation you’re trying to garner.”

“Get fucked,” Vox had spit. Alastor reacted the way he always did, a theatrical look around the public and a gesture toward Vox, as if to say, ‘can you believe how much of a loser this circus clown is?’ Vox wanted to say something else, snap back something smart and humiliating for the asshole, but Alastor had just shrugged and stepped over the smoldering double-dead body and carried on his merry way before Vox could find the words.

×

The second, third, fourth, and so on, times that he’d been asked the same question, he’d just responded with an eyeroll and a dismissive scoff. He’d read the book, eventually—he could read, after all—and had been disappointed to find out the book was just some boring sci-fi novel that had been adapted into an even more boring movie. Who gives a shit about sci-fi when he’s literally sci-non-fi?

×

The five-hundred-and-thirty-second time he’d been asked is the reason he’s in the fucking predicament he is right now. He’d barely glanced at the obnoxious motherfucker who’d asked, but the sinner’s tone was so self-satisfied it had offended Vox. He didn’t even need to look at the creature to send the electricity running through his body.

It had been a mistake. If he had looked over, he might’ve seen the odd little floating spores that surrounded him. Not that he’d have known what they were—but at least he might’ve been intrigued enough not to ignite whatever the fuck that radioactive-looking dust mote type shit was.

The hiss-buzz-snap of electricity arcing through the air was quickly followed by a strange pop-pop-pop, like muffled drumbeats, and then the air itself caught fire. He remembers thinking, fuck, the reboot’s going to be a bitch, before whatever it was hit him full-on—he was ground zero in the fucking blast zone, after all—and then there was nothing.

Something must have really fucked up the hard drive, because normally when his body suffers injuries, his electronic brain still works. Yeah, he’d be disembodied, isolated from himself while his physical form knit itself back together, but he was still there.

This time, though, he wakes up. “How long was I out?” is the first question he asks, because he never wakes up. Waking up isn’t a thing that happens to him. The only other times he’s woken up have been 1) when he first arrived in this shithole, and 2) the few times Alastor had put him back together again, early on, back when they had been friends and before Vox had created this new body.

The only person nearby is his assistant, which is annoying. He’d thought Valentino would care just a little, but he’s probably distracted by that fucking whore spider.

“Um—um, a… a few weeks, sir,” his assistant says hesitantly.

Vox sits up and the instant vertigo makes him feel like he’s going to vomit. The feeling is just as bizarre as being told he’d woken up after multiple weeks. He doesn’t vomit—he’s not even sure he can—and he’s never been dizzy before, not since he landed down here. It’s unnerving.

“What do you mean a few weeks?” Vox snaps, pressing a hand to the side of his head.

His assistant cringes, holding up the tablet he always carries with him as some sort of shield. When it becomes clear Vox isn’t going to murder him—if he had wanted to, the fucking VoxTek tablet wasn’t going to stop him—his assistant lowers the tablet. “It’s been, uh, seventeen days,” he says, voice timid.

Seventeen days. “What?” he asks. He’s too stunned to be mad about it. That has to be wrong. His lack of anger seems to scare his assistant even more and he scoots back a few feet in the rolling chair. Rolling chair? Vox looks around; he doesn’t recognize where he is. “Where the fuck am I?”

It’s like some creepy, decrepit office, complete with a threadbare, moth-eaten rug over scraped-up linoleum, the wood-paneled walls warped and stained with water damage. He glances down to see what he’s sitting on and wonders why there’s a fucking gurney in here, something like from one of those looney bins he’d sent his mother to up-top. His assistant isn’t answering him, just stares at him with wide eyes a few feet away.

“Where the fuck am I?” Vox repeats. He goes to stand, to swing his legs down off the gurney, but his body buzzes with something that smells an awful lot like lightning and his screen glitches, static skittering down the side of his body. “What the fuck?!” The door opens—he hadn’t noticed a door, had there been a door? There must have been—and in steps the last fucking person he ever wants to see. “You let this anachronistic radio freak kidnap me?” he asks his assistant. He feels betrayed, almost.

His assistant cringes, and Alastor sighs. “What was he going to do?” he asks, rolling his eyes. “Fight me? Me, the Radio Demon?”

“He could’ve gotten Valentino! Valentino could’ve fucking helped, or even fucking Velvette, you know, somebody who isn’t going to fuck me over the second I’m out of commission?”

Alastor gives him a curious look from where he stands in the doorway. “Interesting,” he says, then steps inside, “that you’d think they wouldn’t ‘fuck you over.’”

“I bet they’re looking for me right now. They’re going to kick your stupid furry ass the second they find out you’re hiding me away in this creepy fucking… dungeon. Place. Where am I?”

“The hotel!” Alastor says, sounding more cheerful than Vox thinks is appropriate. “One of the horror-themed rooms. Charlie’s so boring sometimes, you know? Wanted to make everything modern and updated. Themed hotels are fun! Everyone loves themed entertainment. She gave me a floor, at least, to do with what I wished.”

“This isn’t fun, this is horrific,” Vox argues.

“Exactly! Regardless—you’ve been tossed away. Thrown out like the garbage you are,” Alastor says cheerily. He shoves Vox’s assistant off the chair he’d been occupying and sits down in it himself, crossing his legs and leaning back to eye Vox.

“I don’t believe you,” Vox says.

Alastor shrugs. “Fine. Go out and see,” he says, as if he isn’t fully aware Vox’s body isn’t working properly right now. He waits for Vox’s resigned scoff to continue. “I found you in the dumpster,” he explains. “At first, I thought, what a great new home! Very fitting. Then I poked around a bit and figured out you’re still using some of the original technology I bequeathed to you, and I got a bit upset. You’re a work of art, Vox—at least, the parts of you that are still original—and though most of your façade is now disgusting, shiny, and new, and does belong in the trash… well. I got a bit irritated. So I rescued you!”

“You rescued me,” Vox says, voice flat. “And are now holding me hostage, and what did you do to me? I can’t—nothing fucking works right.”

“Ah, yes, there is that,” Alastor says, cocking his head as his eyes rove down Vox’s body. “That particular mystery, I am still trying to figure out. Your loyal assistant was unfortunately unable to tell me what embarrassing thing you did to get yourself all discombobulated in the first place, so I’ve been doing some reconnaissance. Very fun, you know. It’s been a while since I’ve gone and played Sherlock.”

“You’re a shit Sherlock,” Vox spits. “Seventeen days and you haven’t figured it out?”

“I didn’t find you in the trash until five days ago,” Alastor says, smile twisting into something more darkly amused. “People had taken advantage, stolen some of your more obnoxious… elements. Like that hideous coat, and your stupid little hat.”

Vox’s hands fly to his head immediately and he swears. “My hat,” he wails. “That had—that had my antennas!”

“Old models, very disappointing,” Alastor says with a sigh. “I did some renovations. Improved upon the original design. Cracked your ugly plastic head open to install internal antennas, and found some very interesting things. I haven’t solved the mystery at hand, yet, but I have a feeling the plants growing inside your casing have something to do with it!”

“The—what? I don’t have fucking plants inside my head!”

Alastor tuts, shaking his head. “See, I didn’t see them at first either, because they’re fascinatingly good at blending in with your other wiring. If I wasn’t so well-acquainted with that part of you, I might’ve been fooled. Look, I took pictures!”

He pulls from his pocket a handful of Polaroid photos and displays them for Vox. Most of them are blurry and comically over-or-under-exposed, though there are a couple that are miraculously not completely useless. Vox picks one up, grimacing at the fact he’s willingly interacting with analog technology.

Vox squints at the photo, tilting it this way and that before he remembers he can just fucking scan it and enhance it that way. Except for he can’t, and when he tries, something shorts out and he loses vision in his left eye—which means the left half of his screen has also gone dark.

“Oh!” Alastor says, sounding delighted. “How unusual. On one half, your screen displays your grumpy little face, and on the other, those lovely color bars. A much-needed improvement, if I say so myself.”

“Fuck,” Vox hisses. “Your stupid fucking photography skills are atrocious, and I can’t even scan and enhance the goddamn photos—a basic task—without my screen shorting out?”

“I, um—I took some photos as well,” Vox’s assistant says, holding up the tablet. “Digital… digital ones.”

“Thank fucking god,” Vox groans, holding out a hand for the tablet. His assistant passes it over, photos pulled up, and Vox stares at it. It’s jarring enough to see his head cracked open, back panel removed—and fuck Alastor for still knowing how to do that—but the sleek, dark green tendrils snaking their way through the mechanics in back are obvious as anything to Vox. He swipes through photos, stops at something up close and squints, zooming in. “There’s moss growing in my ports.”

“Yes,” Alastor says. “If we’re lucky, the plants will completely take over your plastic casing and rid us of you entirely sooner rather than later. The moss is very soft, by the way. I sprinkled some plant food in there, just in case it got hungry.”

Vox sets the tablet aside and stares down at his hands. He is an abomination of electronics and biological components fused together. If there are plants growing in his head, that means there are plants growing in other places, too. “What do I do?” he asks, sounding a little lost. He looks up at Alastor and scowls at the bewildered look he finds.

“What on Earth—excuse me, what in Hell—are you asking me for?” Alastor asks. “My answer is the same as it’s always been—do us all a favor and delete yourself from existence. You do nothing but make Pentagram City worse.”

“You’d miss me,” Vox mutters. Alastor very pointedly does not respond, just peers at his gloves with interest. “Well, I’ve got to… I’ve got to do something.”

“What, pray-tell, are you planning on?” Alastor asks. He gets bored of the chair, finding himself irritated at the fact Vox sits taller than him on the gurney, so he hops up on a desk he summons up underneath him. He kicks his feet absentmindedly, cocking his head to the side. “You can’t walk. You can’t do basic tasks. It took until I cleared those plants out of your head for you to wake up again, and they’re just going to grow back. And you don’t even know what you did, dear Vox.”

“What makes you think I did something?” Vox snaps, glaring.

Alastor sighs, leaning back on his hands. “Why else would anything be happening? I hardly believe somebody would go to the trouble of growing a terrarium inside your empty shell for fun. You have to have done something to warrant somebody going through any amount of effort to interact with you.”

Vox glares some more, crossing his arms in front of him like a petulant toddler. Alastor just raises an eyebrow, waiting. It doesn’t take long for Vox to cave. “The last thing I remember is murdering some plant-looking motherfucker who asked me that stupid book title question.”

“How disappointing,” Alastor drawls. “Eeliot, do you have any idea?”

“Who the fuck is Eeliot?” Vox asks, digital eyebrows furrowed, and Alastor gives him a pitying look.

“Your assistant,” Alastor says, distaste dripping from his words. “The lovely little lad who helped save you. God knows why, you treat him terribly. Maybe he has a crush on you! Oh, that would be fun, wouldn’t it. Do you have a crush on him, Eeliot?” Alastor asks. He knows the answer, it’s clear he does in his predatory grin. Eeliot shrinks in on himself, covering his blushing face with the tablet.

“Jesus Christ,” Vox groans.

“Sorry,” Eeliot mutters, and Alastor laughs.

“He’s only got eyes for one fellow, my dear sinner, and although the fellow he’s got eyes for is in this room, it is unfortunately not you. Trust me, I would rather it was,” Alastor says, turning his sharp gaze on Vox. “Isn’t that right, Vox? Still pathetically obsessed with me.”

“I got over you,” Vox snaps. He’d blush if it was anatomically possible, but it’s not. Alastor laughs in disbelief, something mocking and cruel, but Vox doesn’t engage further.

“Well,” Alastor says, hopping off the desk. “I’ll leave your Prince Charming here to play nursemaid a little longer. I’ve got a date with Rosie—”

“You’re just leaving me here?!” Vox asks, incredulous. Alastor twirls his microphone in his hand, watching Vox for a long moment.

“Would you like to come along?” Alastor asks. “I could summon you a wheelchair. Ooh, yes, that might be fun, actually. A showcase of how far one can fall, if they’re not careful.”

Vox scoffs, turning his head to look at the wall instead of Alastor.

“Hmm, fine,” Alastor says. “Your loss. Anyway, I’m going to ask Rosie a few things, maybe stop by Zestial’s and see if he has any idea. Normally, I wouldn’t care, but it irks me that I cannot figure out what’s wrong with you. Goodbye!”

Before Vox can respond, Alastor is gone. He doesn’t even use the door.

Vox’s assistant stares down at the tablet, refusing to make eye contact with his boss.

“Really?” Vox asks. “Me?” Eeliot shrugs, wordless, and Vox groans and flops back on his gurney. Nothing left to do but wait. He listens to his assistant breathe, the tapping of fingers on the tablet, and lulls himself into sleep mode. Odd, he thought he had disabled that feature.

[zacki0gaming]

Season 2, Episode 3 Rant

Ladies and gentlemen, another episode, and unfortunately, it is yet another bad one…

The Video

MAJOR SPOILERS WARNING!!!!

In continuation of Parts 1-4, Ajacent is finally and completely cured of her corruption by Pyrare's hero, Gold. Unfortunately, this episode still undermines Ajacent's entire character arc, leaving it in tatters.

In addition, her purified form's design is fine, but it lacks inspiration, appearing goofy to laugh at. The headpiece resembles a fucking large, unsightly cheese cracker, like the ones I enjoy from a box of Cheez-Its on the weekends. Her overall appearance evokes the look of checkered cheddar cheese from Pine River Dairy, the kind I typically find at Stop & Shop.

Back to the Video

Ajacenus and Ajavex warmly embraced Ajacent in a heartfelt reunion, welcoming their youngest sibling with a big sisterly hug. Meanwhile, Pyrare, concerned for Gold, noticed that he had lost part of his face. Despite this, Gold reassured him, implying that he had faced far tougher corrupts in the past.

After this, watch how some of these lines in this conversation plays out.

Ajacent: What in the world happened to me? - What’s wrong? You can’t even damn remember how you got corrupted with also no explicit explanation!

Ajavex: You were corrupted! But that cheesy nacho over there cured you! - SHE DID NOT BRING UP THE NACHO JOKE FOR GOLD!!!

Ajavex: Hmm. Maybe I should’ve stayed in the mountains.

Pause the video hard.

SOMEBODY EXPLAIN ME THIS!?!?!

Ajacent: I didn’t think this virus was gonna be this bad - YEA NO SHIT THE VIRUS WAS THIS CHAOTIC, YOU CHEESY FU-!!!

Back to the Video

Pyrare then approaches the sisters and informs Ajacent that his friend Pentellow has successfully restored the Poly Forest in the Land of Pentagons. He suggests that she consider staying there instead of returning to the mountains. Pyrare also cautions her that the inhabitants of the Land of Pentagons are easily frightened, with some even breaking apart at the sight of monsters.

Ajacent, laughs a bit, was not suprised and says as long it’s not the mountains then says that she will be on her way. Ajavex, still excited, also says she’s going too as she flies off with Ajacent. Ajacenus tells the duo to wait and cautions them to be careful. Ajacenus then says to Pyrare that they will meet again soon as she leaves off-screen.

Also, watch what Pyrare fucking says next, chat…

Gold: How come you did not fight her? - YEA PYRARE, HOW COME YOU DID NOT FIGHT AT ALL AGAINST AJACEARE!?!?

Pyrare: How come? Well, it isn’t right for men to hit a female. Corrupted or not. - HUH!?

Pauses the video again.

So let me get this straight… Pyrare...

Puts mic close toward my mouth Regardless of the villain's gender, whether it's corrupted or not, in your universe, whether it's a female or male, you STILL need to DEFEND yourself from harm. Just like how Ajacenus, Ajavex, and even your fucking hero, Gold, were fighting off Ajaceare while you were standing in the background doing NOTHING!!!

You SHITTY TRIANGULAR-SHAPED PIE HEADASS!!!

This is exactly why I find pacifist characters like Pyrare to be frustrating and overrated. My frustration with Pyrare is only growing because of this. At least Ajacenus and Ajavex, while still pacifists as well still fight against Ajaceare UNLIKE YOU!!!

Back to the Video

Pyrare notices a storm approaching and tells Gold that they should return to the village. The scene shifts back to Dub at the tower. In a fit of rage, he yells and questions the corrupted female flower about Ajaceare's defeat, his feet stomping from the force of his anger.

The corrupted female flower answers that it was the caretaker of the yellow tree, Pyrare. The corrupted female flower explains to Dub that she and the others have a witness (this word was spelled wrong as withness here) who saw the entire fight. Dub then asks her which caretaker it was, also expressing hope it wasn’t the anxious one, Cube. The corrupted female flower responds that the witness was Pyrare, the caretaker of the yellow tree.

Pyrare, shocked upon hearing this, tells her to return to her post. After the corrupted female flower leaves, Dub says that he has decided to come out of retirement. He then looks at the large pink and white octagram, which likely holds his notes and other important information.

Pauses the video.

Let’s look at this btw while providing screenshots for it…

According to this, this first one showcases Dub tracking the Caretakers’ current status.

Pyrare - Pyrare's status was previously marked as 'Disappeared' for some reason. If I can theorize that at some point before the main events of the series began, Pyrare unknowingly went missing as Dub used to contemplate whether Pyrare was dead or not. Up until now, Dub likely never realized that Pyrare had been with the other Caretakers and Heroes the entire time without his knowledge.

Pentellow - Pentellow's current status is marked as 'Evolved,' which essentially means that she has reached her full strength (her Tree Form) since Season 1, Episode 10.

Iris - Iris’s status is interesting because it is labeled 'Altered.' I suspect that this alteration is connected to his link with the Reaper creature, which may have changed his state after his revival. I can further evident this with features like his now black-glowing triangle chest and the new abilities he gained from the Mark behind his head.

Cube - Cube’s status is currently labeled 'Infected', which means that he is still semi-infected with the virus because of his corrupted counterpart, Cubic as a clone re-infecting him once again since Season 1, Episode 9.

Now on to the second image. It shows off a check list of what Dub has did so far in the series.

Every flower is infected ✔

Caretaker of the cyan tree is infected ✔

Lythorus is infected ✔

Purpex is infected ✔

Ajacent is infected

Circumsphere is infected

Cube’s data has been collected ✔

Hexagram is infected

Cyanide has been created ✔

Green tree beast (or Tree Monster) has awoken

Reaper is infected ✔

Circusic is infected ✔

From what I can observe, Dub has been meticulously tracking shapes that were previously or are currently infected by the virus. He’s been checking off completed tasks, reviewing the Caretakers’ statuses, and receiving reports from the corrupts, all while working from his tower through this large pink/white octagram.

Also, Dub. You need better servants my guy…

Back to the Video

After scratching off Ajacent, who was now formerly infected, Dub stated he needed to find a replacement, adding that those pieces weren't going to search for themselves. He then called Lycanthropy, informing him that Ajaceare was gone and no longer in charge of searching for tree pieces. Lycanthropy, after briefly acknowledging Ajaceare's loss, readily accepted his boss's request, assuring him that he wouldn't disappoint him. Dub responded that he better not.

Let me fucking guess, Lycanthropy is gonna be the next to go somewhere in Season 2…

After hanging up, Dub then sighs and says that he should check up on Cyanide, knowing the feeling that she somehow failed her task.

Dub: I get the feeling that she somehow failed her task. - NO SHIT, TWICE!!! YOU CREATED A FUCKING NAIVE CORRUPTED HERO THAT CAN'T DO SHIT IN HER TASKS SO FAR!!!

Video ends here

Errors

Final Verdict

Overall, I would rate this episode a 4/10 (Below Average). Season 2, Episode 3 continues the disappointing trend of Season 2 thus far in my opinion. It lacks little to no good substance and completely ruins Ajaceare's character by getting pathetically overpowered. The only somewhat interesting part is at the end, where we learn more about the Caretakers' current status, such as Iris's status being 'Altered', which actually catches my attention. However, we could've been focusing on something else entirely then seeing Ajaceare getting clapped...

P.S. Ajaceare's boss level was quite cool to watch.

[spectrechosts]

If Anything Could Ever Be This Good Again

The start of one of my older works, and the first time I wrote explicit pornography.

There was a prompt account for magical girl stories, and I wrote some number of responses for it despite the fact that I've only seen Madoka and nothing else of the genre. This is the series in which that influence is the most obvious, what with the Shining Rangers very blatantly just being Power Rangers with Madoka style fail-evil power gems.

Full Series

Dark Ranger Megavolt was causing problems again.

Some of the Shining Rangers would say that she had always been a problem, even when she was still Shining Ranger Obsidian. Scarlet in particular was known to insist that having an edgy antihero on the team was just asking for a heel turn, a fact that she eagerly reminded them of whenever Megavolt's ire wasn't directed at her.

Turquoise had long since stopped arguing that said heel turn might not have been so inevitable if she didn't talk about her that way. Nobody agreed with her anymore.

Obsidian had gone missing during the battle against the Venusian Legion, and three months later Megavolt had turned up with a power gem corrupted by hate and a serious grudge against the team that had left her to die. (Turquoise had looked for her, she had sifted through rubble until her hands bled, until Magenta had dragged her kicking and screaming away from the battlefield.)

If she was in a bad mood, Megavolt was known to crash battles midway through and start electrocuting everyone in sight. Multiple Rangers had ended up in the hospital from these ambushes, some retiring from the team entirely. Curiously, she never seemed to do so when Turquoise was involved.

This time, she had blown the electrical grid. Overloaded a substation. Flashy, but not directly harmful to the rangers. A neon sign saying: "Here I am!"

She wanted attention.

"Well if it isn't my favourite ranger. Alone I presume?" Came an icy voice from a catwalk overhead.

"…Yes."

The other rangers had noticed by now that somebody never seemed to come out of Megavolt encounters quite as badly off as the rest of them. And so, whenever an obvious taunt like this came up they were happy to let Turquoise handle it on her own.

"Of course you are. You know, sometimes I feel like you're the only one who really cares."

"Maybe if you stopped trying to kill our friends they'd come visit more."

"Our friends?"

She thought that might strike a nerve. Megavolt dropped to the ground from her unseen perch, lightning spewing from her power gem in purplish arcs as her temper flared.

"I didn't know I had friends on the team. Can I meet them? Maybe throw a little tea party?"

Turquoise would like to pretend that Obsidian had been less of a bitch than Megavolt, but honestly this was pretty standard behavior.

"Let me guess, is Scarlet my friend? I did always feel this delectable tension between the two of us. Ooh, ooh, is it Veridian? She wanted me back on the team."

Veridian wasn't with the Shining Rangers anymore, after making the mistake of pointing out to Megavolt's face that prancing around in an evil reflection of her Shining Ranger dress was still centering her identity around them, and that that meant she clearly wanted to come back.

"Nobody wants you back on the team, least of all you. You made that very clear." Turquoise lied. She wanted her back on the team a little bit, even if they were clearly far past that being possible.

"You're right. Your team is a bunch of assholes who don't know a good thing when they have it." Megavolt approached Turquoise slowly, a streak of lightning arcing past her but leaving her untouched. "They didn't appreciate me."

She caressed her cheek, the slightest tingle of static on her fingertips. Turquoise's heart skipped a beat.

"They don't appreciate you. But I do." She purred, and Turquoise nearly swooned. If the bad girl act had worked on her as teammates, it was devastatingly effective as enemies.

"Join me, Turquoise. You could be so much more without them holding you back. No one could hurt us ever again."

It was tempting. It was always tempting. The Shining Rangers had grown distant, there were only so many times you could go to bat for one of your team's most dangerous villains before people started to question whose side you were on, prior relationships be damned. She went on missions without backup more often than not these days.

"I'll n-never join you!" She tried to say resolutely, batting Megavolt's hand away. It was somewhat less convincing than intended, but had the desired effect. Megavolt sighed, and then everything was pain, searing and blinding as she buried an electrified fist in Turquoise's stomach.

Turquoise slumped to her knees, and Megavolt threaded her fingers through her hair and grabbed a handful, roughly yanking her head up to look at her.

"Must we do this every time, Turquoise? You know that was me going easy on you."

She did know, she had seen what Megavolt had done to her teammates, she had felt her power light up her nervous system and spent many a lonely night trying to chase the same feeling with a TENS unit she kept hidden away. It was never enough.

"I-I won't submit to-" She choked out, and Megavolt threw her to the ground and zapped her again. Her muscles spasmed uncontrollably and she writhed in a mixture of pleasure and pain.

"Uh-huh?" She said teasingly.

Turquoise's breath came in ragged gasps, and she whined at Megavolt's taunting. The shock had run it's course, but her legs were still trembling.

"Use your words, hero."

Her mind was swimming. There was a part of her that recognized that Obsidian was gone, that she was never coming back, and that her and Megavolt really needed to stop doing this. It wasn't healthy for either of them to linger on the past.

There was another part of her that was horny as absolute shit, and only stayed with the rangers for these fleeting encounters.

"M-More…" She whimpered, and Megavolt smiled.

"That's what I thought." She said, her voice laced with smug superiority. "Get up."

Turquoise would have loved to obey, but her limbs didn't seem to be working right at the moment. She got to her hands and knees and struggled to get her legs to support her body. Megavolt just watched, amused.

"Pathetic. I don't have all day, hero. Up." She said, and Turquoise was dragged upward by her wrists. Steel cuffs underneath her Shining Ranger armbands lifted her into the air, a gift from when Obsidian's domain was limited to magnetism. She dangled helplessly a few inches off the ground as Megavolt brought her up to match her height, their faces almost close enough to touch, and Turquoise made an embarrassing noise as she struggled to close the distance.

"Awww, do you want a kiss?" She teased, just out of reach.

"Please…"

"Do you miss me, hero?" She continued, circling her ensnared prey, tracing electrified fingers along Turquoise's legs under the hem of her dress.

"Y-Yessss…" Turquoise whined as Megavolt withdrew her fingers. She couldn't see her anymore, but she could feel the static in the air grow more intense, making the hair on her neck stand on end. Megavolt leaned in, her breath hot against Turquoise's ear.

"Do you love me?" She hissed.

"I do, you know I do."

"How fucking romantic." She said, and dropped her. Turquoise landed on unsteady legs, her wrists suddenly unbound as Megavolt walked away, lightning dancing off of her skin in uncontrollable arcs.

"Wh… Wha-"

"Tell me, Shining Ranger-" Megavolt spun on her heel to face her again. "When after you have your fun little Romeo and Juliet escapades with me, you go home to my enemies, is that love?"

"What are you talking-"

"When they send you out to fucking die on your own, and you still choose them over me, is that love?"

"They need me-"

"Oh they need you? Because they seem to be doing fucking great without me!"

"Do you think-"

"They couldn't wait to get rid of-"

"SHUT UP!" Turquoise screamed, and Megavolt shut her mouth and crossed her arms.

"Do you think I'm doing great without you? I thought you had died! I didn't leave my room for weeks! And then you came back, but did you come back for me? Did you come let your girlfriend know you were alive before launching into your stupid fucking crusade?"

"They left me-"

"Fuck you! I found out you were alive from fucking Scarlet telling me that she always knew you were bad news. Do you have any idea how that feels? And now my entire role on the team is to be the dipshit who tells everyone that 'Oh, Megavolt isn't that bad, that's our friend, we can't fight her' while you do everything in your power to prove me wrong, except not everything, because everyone can fucking tell that you're leaving me alone, and they treat me like shit because of it, and the only person I could possibly talk to about it only ever meets me to fuck and try to convince me that I should also be trying to kill the Shining Rangers, and then has the AUDACITY! TO TELL ME! THAT I DON'T LOVE HER!?"

All was silent save for Turquoise's haggard panting and the crackling of electricity, fading in intensity as Megavolt's anger died down. She glowered, unsure of what to say.

Turquoise sniffled. "Coming here was a mistake, I should- I should leave."

"Wait." Megavolt said, and Turquoise waited. She approached her, meekly this time, her villain persona set aside.

"…Talk to me about it. Please."

Turquoise laughed a strained laugh.

"I pretty much covered all of it there. Team fucking hates me now because I keep going to bat for you."

"Fucking bastards, I'll- I'll-" The gem on her chest crackled to life and Turquoise embraced her, quieting it once more.

"Don't."

"Why?"

"Because I'm asking you not to. I know they're treating me badly, I know they treated you badly. Every time you ask me to join you, I want to say yes. But until I'm ready to cross that line, you don't hurt them on my account. Okay?"

Megavolt grumbled and hugged her back. "…Okay."

"And then after we get their asses, we're finding a less shitty team and being heroes again."

Now it was Megavolt's turn to laugh. "We are? Honey I don't know if you noticed, but I have a bit of a whole rage-fueled power trip thing going on."

"Please, in all of your little ambushes you always zap the villains first, I've seen the footage."

"Maybe I don't want the competition."

"Or maybe, despite your grumpy exterior, you're such a softie that even a corrupted power gem is only dragging you down to morally gray."

"Morally gray?" Megavolt said, eyes wide with mock outrage. "How dare you."

"I said what I said." Turquoise said, smirking. "I don't even consider you a real villain."

Megavolt gasped.

"In fact, I think you're downright nice."

"Oh, I'll show you how mean I can be." Megavolt purred. Turquoise's arms were wrenched from around Megavolt by her wrists and locked above her head magnetically. Megavolt released her grip and let the cuffs pull Turquoise upwards, not enough to match her height this time, just enough that she couldn't touch the ground beneath her feet.

"Th-This is an old trick Megavolt, show me so-mfng!" Turquoise was cut off by Megavolt sliding her middle and ring fingers into her mouth. The remainder of her taunt died in her throat, and she pursed her lips and sucked gently on the invading digits.

"Do you think," Megavolt hissed, and internally Turquoise had to admit that said old trick was still very effective, the combination of being lifted off her feet and Megavolt still being able to look down on her doing unspeakable things to her mind. "That you're in any position to tell me what to do, hero?" A tiny shake of Turquoise's head. "Do you feel in control?" Another. "No, no you don't."

Megavolt admired her handiwork, gently fucked her fingers further into Turquoise's mouth, lingered in this moment, in the faint gurgles Turquoise made as she pushed her fingers in and her hollowed cheeks trying to suck her deeper as she pulled them out.

"I could kill you right now, you know. One good jolt to the brain, no more Shining Ranger Turquoise, no more hurdle between me and my revenge." Turquoise's eyes widened (She knew she wouldn't do it, but she wasn't going to make Megavolt put on a performance by herself), and she attempted to whine through Megavolt's hand. "But I won't, you know why?"

"Becuh ou wof meh?" Turquoise gurgled, and Megavolt smiled and rolled her eyes and pretended she couldn't understand.

"Because I don't need to." She said, and withdrew her fingers, leaving Turquoise panting, drool dripping down her chin. "You couldn't stop me if you wanted to, and you don't want to." She dragged her hand down to the neckline of her dress, smearing saliva across her throat. "I know what you want."

Turquoise didn't doubt it, but Megavolt was dragging things out, which meant it was time to be a brat.

"Really?" She huffed, still short of breath. "Because I wasn't getting those fingers wet so you could make a mess of my tits."

Megavolt frowned and took her hand away. "Well, if I don't know what you want then I suppose we're done here." She said, and Turquoise buckled instantly.

"No no nonono not again please I need to cum I'll be good please-" She babbled, and Megavolt pounced on her.

"This is exactly what I mean, hero." She cooed, hooking one arm under Turquoise's knee and lifting it, spreading her legs and exposing her soaked panties. "It's so easy to make you submit. But you know what-" A devilish grin crossed her face. "You can be in charge." She looked at her other hand, lightning arcing between still slick fingers. "You want to see a new trick? You want to cum? I can do that." She placed that hand on Turquoise's other thigh, and waited for her to realize what was coming.

"Wait, wait waitwait-"

"No." Megavolt said, and sent her power surging from one hand to the other using Turquoise's lower body as a conduit.

All the air left Turquoise's body in a strained cry. Her legs jerked as she lost control of her muscles, but Megavolt's grip was like iron. Her pussy clenched down on nothing as all of her nerves were overstimulated without so much as a touch, and tears streamed from her eyes as her lungs burned.

"I noticed you were enjoying the whole electricity thing, did some research on how to do it right instead of just throwing lightning at you. Do you like it, pet?"

If Turquoise was capable of forming words, she might have said something about how this probably didn't count as doing it right, much less safely, but she was busy struggling to breathe as she drenched the insides of her thighs with cum, completely overwhelmed by the energy coursing through her.

Megavolt stopped, and Turquoise gasped for air, gulping down lungfuls as her entire body shook.

"Hmm. Maybe I overdid it."

"You….think?" Turquoise panted. "You….. fucking……….. bitch."

"Is that any way to talk to someone who gave you what you asked for?"

Turquoise glared at her. "Thank….. you…….. mistress."

"Good girl. You think you can keep going?"

"Yesss." Turquoise hissed, "But do not do that again unless you actually want to kill me."

"We'll fine-tune it some other time." Megavolt said, slipping her fingers down the front of Turquoise's underwear, making her shudder at finally being touched. "But you've been a good girl, it's time for your reward. No more electricity."

"Mmmuh-" She groaned, still incredibly sensitive. "-Maybe a little electricity."

"Of course." Megavolt cooed, sliding two of her fingers along Turquoise's slit, lubing them in her wetness. "Anything you want."

"I-I never did get that kiss…"

Megavolt answered with her lips against hers, and Turquoise silently cursed herself for not asking her to release her arms first so she could pull her in deeper. She was already lightheaded and Megavolt was not helping, biting and sucking and making her whimper into her mouth. She tried to follow her as she pulled away, whining at the loss of contact until Megavolt sank her fingers into her pussy and derailed her train of thought.

"How was that?" Megavolt asked smugly, slowly pumping her fingers in and out.

"M-More, deeper." Turquoise begged.

"The kiss, or-?"

"Both, fuck, please-"

Megavolt obliged, sinking into another kiss as she pressed deeper inside her. Her thumb drew tight circles around Turquoise's clit, and she could feel her tightening as she arched her back and tried to press her hips into Megavolt's palm. She continued relentlessly until Turquoise broke the kiss, strain evident on her face.

"G-Gonna cum again, I, haah-"

"Good girl."

"Fffuhh, sh-shock me, be mean about it." She moaned, submissive even when calling the shots.

"Beg."

"That was begging-" She whined.

"Mm. Beg more."

"Please I'm so close-"

"Then beg, hero. Beg for your ruination at my hands or I'm not going to give it to you."

"P-Please, Taraaaa"

Megavolt shocked her (Harder than she meant to; Surges of emotion lead to surges of power, tricky to control), and Turquoise howled as she squirted all over her hand. Megavolt fucked her through it, curling her fingers, drawing out aftershocks for as long as she could until Turquoise squealed that it was too much.

She slowly released her wrists, easing her down into her arms until they both lay snuggled together on the ground.

~

Turquoise quietly munched a spoonful of cereal back at Shining Ranger HQ.

"Oh good, you're back."

She winced. Scarlet.

"Hey Scarlet."

"How did dealing with Megavolt go?" Scarlet asked, and Turquoise put her spoon down because this was going to be a whole fucking thing.

"It went fine." She answered.

"Oh it went fine? You went and fought our worst enemy by yourself, and it went 'fine'?"

There wasn't any good answer for this, was there?

"Yep." Turquoise said. Scarlet was going to yell at her anyway, may as well not give her more to work with.

"You know, it's funny, because everyone else barely survives encountering her, but for you it's always 'fine', isn't it?" Scarlet said, in the tones of someone who very much did not find it funny.

"What do you want me to say, Scarlet?"

"That you're a traitor? That you're fraternizing with the enemy?"

"Technically I was fraternizing with our ally-"

Mistake.

"Oh here we fucking go-"

Turquoise prickled. Every fucking time they had this argument Scarlet just ignored that Obsidian had been on their team. "Just because you didn't like her doesn't mean she wasn't our teammate."

"You wanna run that by me again?" Scarlet fumed, and Turquoise felt a chill run down her spine.

Actually, she did want to run it by her again.

"You know what's actually funny, Scarlet? Is that I was nice to Obsidian, and now Megavolt doesn't hate me. Isn't that weird? Isn't it fucking wacky how that works out?"

"If you think you can pin this-"

"What is there to pin?" Turquoise screeched, and she felt the chill spread through her extremities, her breath faintly visible in the air. "You all treated her like shit and now she hates you. It's really fucking straightforward!"

Scarlet stormed towards her, cursing. "I knew we should have fucking thrown you out the first time you came back unscathed from meeting her, you fucking-"

The chill built to an icy point in Turquoise's chest, and Scarlet slipped, cracked her head against the table with a sickening thud. Turquoise shakily got up and looked where she fell. Scarlet wasn't moving, blood pooling under her head and onto the patch of ice she had slipped on.

"O-oh shit, oh shit oh shit-"

Turquoise pressed her hand to her gem and it hurt, the frost biting her skin.

"Ooooh shit okay oh god-"

She bolted down the stairs and made for the door, but Magenta was in her way.

"Woah, what's up?"

"Haha you know just going out to do Shining Ranger things splash water on stuff you know me okay bye." She babbled, and darted around her and out the door. Luckily there was a bus right there, and she got on without checking the destination.

She really wished she knew where Tara was living nowadays, because apparently she was joining Megavolt's team whether she was ready to or not.

[junkygraysheep]

i can't ask for every number for blue lock but i wish i could. so instead: whichever ones you want to talk abt most?

Nuh uh. Who says. I Am going to answer every number for Blue Lock

1. The character everyone gets wrong

Oh my god. I could put a whole soccer team worth of people but. Oddly enough I think my answer is Isagi himself? I feel like people either boil him down to how he acts on the field (especially the cruel things he says to other players) or completely overlook it as an essential part of his character and think he’s boring but it’s like… Both sides are very very important. He’s a very ordinary person, but he struggles a lot with imposter’s syndrome and wants to make an impact here. He’s also the only one actually taking Blue Lock seriously. I don’t think he’s an asshole per say but I think his stress and ego manifesting as those cruel moments is FASCINATING and he’s really fun for that

2. A compelling argument for why your fave would never top or bottom

Kaiser realistically would not like the vulnerability it takes to have sex to begin with. Argue with the wall I don’t gaf he isn’t fucking Anybody

3. Screenshot or description of the worst take you've seen on tumblr

Oh good lord I don’t remember. I see stupider shit on Twitter to be fair but during the NEL I’d get pissed off a lot because people really do act like Blue Lock is almost over and this is the end (no??? No???) or that the writing is awful when it just reads better serially than as weekly releases. Like, have you actually sat down and read the NEL arc front to back? It’s still just as strong. You just didn’t like it because you were reading it week by week and thought the pacing was excruciating

4. What was the last straw that made you finally block that annoying person?

I had somebody I followed say some really fascinating things (made some genuinely interesting theories and comparisons) but they got way too into Kaiser x Noel 💀 I was like nahhhh

5. Worst discord server and why

Um… I don’t venture out into Discord servers but for Blue Lock probably all the dudebro ones

6. Which ship fans are the most annoying?

KAISAGI. KAISAGI SHIPPERS. NOT ELABORATING IT’S HANDS DOWN KAISAGI

7. What character did you begin to hate not because of canon but because of how the fandom acts about them?

See. I don’t usually let fanon destroy my opinion on a character, I remain strong and true to my beliefs even if everybody else is wrong. So I don’t think I have an answer. If I were a weaker man it would be Sae or Shidou though

8. Common fandom opinion that everyone is wrong about

Blue Lock as an actual facility or Thing inseries is definitely corrupt and bad but in universe it isn’t praised it’s seen as corrupt or bad there too. The only one buying into it (like I said) is Isagi. Repeatedly characters are skepticle of Ego and repeatedly it’s shown to be traumatizing (EVEN. FOR ISAGI). Canon IS exploring these themes you’re just overlooking it because the pace isn’t going as fast as you’d like

9. Worst part of canon

Sigh… Where’s Anri. She hired Ego, she’s the one who trusted him to make this, she is equally as responsible for the Blue Lock Project as him. What’s her deal? Where does she fit into this? What about her?

10. Worst part of fanon

I would say “everything” but can I be real? The amount of sexualization of like Actual minors. The majority of the cast is teenage boys and nobody treats them like it even though they are VERY EXPLICITLY written with that in mind. 18 and up absolutely you get a pass but why are you guys being freaky about Rin when he’s 16… Fucked up

11. Number of fandom-related words you've filtered

I repeatedly block x reader fics and this is the fandom that made me start doing that

12. The unpopular character that you actually like and why more people should like them

Igaguri. Hands down. Not only was he Isagi’s first true rival, his place as comic relief and as that constant in the series was important. Ignoring the fact he’s locked off now (which absolutely will bring a new, interesting era to Blue Lock) he was a key staple and around for a reason. Why the fuck did you hate him? Because he was bald? Grow up

13. Worst blorboficiation

Honestly… I think Bachira… People need to lean into how both how unhinged and deeply sad he is but usually I see fans of him boil him down to just childlike? Which he absolutely is don’t get me wrong. But he’s still a very multifaceted character

14. That one thing you see in fics all the time

Get them off their damn phones. This is Blue Lock they shouldn’t be on those. “Oh but outside Blue Lock they can-“ I’m putting parental controls on those thangs. Make them struggle to talk face to face or explode

15. That one thing you see in fanart all the time

See… This one is a good question… I’d say whitewashing but that’s fandom overall (different tangent but I hate how fucking racist people are to Shidou in particular??? Messed up) but. Blue Lock specific. I don’t actually know!

16. You can't understand why so many people like this thing (characterization, trope, headcanon, etc)

Can I say RyuReo here? They interacted once in the Second Selection before Shidou absolutely annihilated Kunigami and not really again. Shidou’s just kind of like that. I just think NagiReo textually is like. Basically canon but also this feels so like? Where am I? Why is it so popular?

17. There should be more of this type of fic/art

Not sure in full honesty… When it comes to fic and art unless it’s something hyperspecific I don’t find myself yearning for a specific Kind of thing so? No clue?

18. It’s absolutely criminal that the fandom has been sleeping on...

Can I say mental health exploration. I think the fandom needs to actually psychoanalyze them more than they do. I don’t think the majority of the cast fit into NPD like people think (a handful for sure but not. Everyone. Not even most) but I think a LOT of these guys are mentally ill

19. You’re mad/ashamed/horrified you actually kind of like...

Had to deeply look within myself to think up the answer because I’m not really ashamed about any aspect of my love for Blue Lock? But I guess it might be Noel being a father figure in Isagi’s eyes. This man does not have any paternal instincts, he’s emotionally closed off beyond belief and he is extremely rigid no nonsense and would Not be helpful but I like to think Isagi viewed him kind of like a fill in father. He already idolized him so much but I like thinking he viewed him paternally like that. “He already has his own dad” can one 17 year old not have multiple father figures. Thank you

20. Part of canon you found tedious or boring

I think it absolutely serves its part and remains as a beautiful introduction arc but rewatching/rereading the first selection I get so bored I’m like… Where is peak… Get me to peak…

21. Part of canon you think is overhyped

Considering half this fanbase hates Blue Lock and I actually DO agree U-20 is wonderful start to finish, I’m not entirely sure, but I think some of the earlier Blue Lock stuff are a little weaker than people give credit. I think fans are reading this with powerscaling or like it’s an actual soccer match in mind but there have been some beautiful moments in the NEL arc that could not have happened whatsoever in First or Second selection

22. Your favorite part of canon that everyone else ignores

GUYS. THE PXG MATCH WAS SO FUCKING PEAK AND YOU GUYS BITCHED AND MOANED AND HATED ITS ASS FOR WHAT. FOR WHAT. WE GOT INSANE DEVELOPMENT FOR SO MANY PEOPLE AND WE GOT SO MANY GOOD CHARACTER MOMENTS OH MY GODDDDD IT WAS INCREDIBLE

23. Ship you've unwillingly come around to

Kind of ashamed of this... I was Not a BachiRin enjoyer at first but I have to say because I adore BachiRinSagi that I like their gay asses together. I still think Isagi brings out the best in them and he’s also best With them (I think Kaiser and Isagi is fun too though) but those two together are also neat

24. Topic that brings up the most rancid discourse

Someday I’ll write my thesis on how Blue Lock doesn’t feed into but instead kind of shames the toxic masculine mindset and is much more about being true to yourself, which you absolutely could get a queer reading from (and I think in some ways is even encouraged), just unfortunately has teenage boy protagonists into sports which is where you get a lot of that Male Vibe from, and how the egoism is less closed off selfishness (and also, how being too selfish is honestly punished in this series) and more self-importance, how Blue Lock was a tool for Ego to create a team that properly works together instead of “good strikers” or whatever and how this all comes into play for the main themes of the series being very positive and affirming but I’m sure once I do I will get five billion people arguing with me.

25. Common fandom complaint that you're sick of hearing

THE WRITING NEVER CHANGED. THE WRITING NEVER GOT BAD. YOU READ AN ONGOING MANGA UP TO WHERE THEY LEFT OFF AND AS SOON AS YOU READ WEEKLY YOU THOUGHT IT WAS BAD JUST BECAUSE READING ACTION AND SOCCER MATCHES WEEK BY WEEK DOESN’T FLOW AS WELL IN YOUR MIND. THE WRITING IMPROVED. THE WRITING GOT BETTER IF ANYTHING YOU JUST AREN’T READING IT IN ONE CHUNK. Reread the NEL and come back to me PLEASE so we don’t keep having people acting like Hiori being good at soccer came out of nowhere and was some writing fluke and not like. Actually well crafted and a wonderful look into him as a character

[withering-sunflower-dust]

You know, I'm thinking abt an empires au more specifically an actor au. I've seen a lot of different actor/behind the scenes aus which has very much dragged me into a rabbit hole for esmp/alsmp actor/behind the scene au

Sooo I'mma post something for it instead of letting it rot my brain!

Random interviewer; How do you take shots with your uhh, evil counter part?

Sausage's actor; oh Supreme?

Random interviewer; that's what you guys call him on set set? over here we call him Bratwurst

Sausage's actor; yea that's understandable, But to answer the question he's not actually green screened in

Random interviewer; really now?

Sausage actor; yea, I think the writers thought the plot would be perfect because I have a twin brother *points off screen*

Bratwurst's actor; sup!

Sausage actor; his voice is a lot different, he normally uses a voice changer on set

Random interviewer; I see!

_____

Interviewer; how did the writers come up with the ending for season 1?

Gem's actor; that's actually a really funny story!

Interviewer; how come?

Gem's actor; season 1 with an actually supposed to end like that we had an ending plant out for like months, but then one day I guess somebody broke havoc and then the sets kind of burnt down.. not entirely there were a lot of sets that were still okay to use like mythlands, The cod empire, and like some others but yeah that's kind of how we ended up with that ending for season 1

Interviewer; so we could've had a different ending?

Gem's actor; yes actually! Our original ending was actually..uhm.. how do I say this..okay I think our show would have actually been rated R if we had the original ending we planned

Interviewer; woah now!

Gem's actor; it's true! Even with the blood and things we have now on the show it's still only PG-13, but I think with that ending it would have definitely been rated R, {*Scott's actor*} was actually supposed to drop an f-bomb at the very end

_____

Interviewer;what are your opinions on the ships?

Scott's actor; uh, I love the ships the people drawing these pieces of art are so talented honestly

Interviewer; if I were to ask what's your favorite ship, what would it be personally for you?

Scott's actor; uuuh, oh that's a hard one, I would say the Jimmy and Scott ones. But, the sausage and Scott ones have a very special place in my heart

Interviewer; and why is that?

Scott's actor; I'm actually married to {*sausages actor name*} so like when I see these fan arts of these two characters that basically resemble us, it makes us feel so appreciated cuz we never thought the day would come where people would be drawing us in a physical relationship

Interviewer; wait, YOU'RE MARRIED?!

_____

Interviewer; if I can ask where did the concept of your season 2 skulk corruption come from?

Shelby's actor; uuh, personally I think it was inspired by sausages season 1 corruption I think it was supposed to be a continuation of that and with a closing space for it since this is our final season so we wanted to close off any kind of potholes and I think this was the perfect way to do it by getting my character corrupted and having {*sausages actor*} help my character out with this whole thing cuz that was like a whole friendship arc I never thought I would see but honestly watching it back I loved how it came out

Interviewer; I see! Well what do you think of the ships?

Shelby's actor; uh, season 2 nature's wife was actually {*sausages actor*} idea but we like went along with it, mind you this was before it was announced to the crew me and {*Katherine's actor*} was actually dating

Interviewer; that is truly amazing!

Shelby's actor; it is! Sometimes on set we joke about how {*sausage's actor*} actually has psychic abilities outside of his character

_____

Interviewer; who do you think were the most chaotic people while filming together was?

Joey's actor; uh, for season 1 I think {*fwhip's actor*} has explicitly answered this question in his YouTube Q&A on his channel, while just on set even if behind the scenes one of the most fun and chaotic people to be with is me and {*sausages actor*} we rock havoc on set

Interviewer; yea that makes sense

_____

Interviewer; a quick question before we continue with everything, who was playing Hermes?

Joel's actor; oh that's actually something I've wanted someone to ask

Interviewer; why is that?

Joel's actor; The Kid that was playing Hermes is actually {*sausage's actor*} Son well more like adopted son but same thing, the kid that played Hermes is actually {*Scott's actor*} and {*sausage's actor} son, so yeah that's actually really funny to think about, cuz both in cannon and real life Hermes is actually {*sausage's actor*} son in both realities

[themightymoose]

Penny For Your Laughs

Did Pepper order that herself

With what money???

The pets being obsessed with the box

They really are just silly little guys

I think Pepper needs to watch some Drew Lynch to know what true comedy is 💀

It's at least good to know that the others do enjoy Pepper's pranks

YouTube "pranksters" take notes

Pepper mishearing schtick as stick sounds like something I'd do

It's pretty cute how affectionate Blythe is with the pets

Everyone being good sports about it :) I can't wait to see how this will inevitably backfire

I love how everyone is wheezing when Pepper starts to make fun of Mrs. Twombly

Pepper I think you're killing them

I forgot subplots exist

The Biskits are me trying to play basketball

It's true sadly 😔

Look at Blythe being the bigger person

wait where's Jasper

no wonder I forgot about him

he never shows up

GIRL WATCH DREW LYNCH I AM BEGGING YOU 😭😭

Pepper may be my fave but that doesn't mean she's immune to my bullying

Oh hi Jasper

I thought we lost you for a second

Blythe they are judging you so hard

Sorry Blythe they went to get the milk

Is that still funny

Russell can play video games apparently

Pepper 💀

I feel like a disappointed parent right now

Sunillll

He looks so sad :(

I actually remember the outcome of this is that Penny floods the shop with her tears let's see if it's true

It's true

Sunil I don't think an umbrella can help you here buddy

Russell scolding Pepper kydvkyrsc

"I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed." - Russell, probably

You guys did not have to trample Pepper like that 💀

am I using the skull emoji too much

Why is Jasper not with you guys again

I remember this banger

You guys corrupted her oh no

At least everyone is still trying to be nice to Pepper

Hopefully she won't get the Rainbow Dash treatment down the line

Russell, Sunil, and Vinnie just agreeing to be juggled

Why does this sound like a breakup song

Olivia Rodrigo don't got nothing on Pepper Clark

These instances happening throughout the song aren't even Pepper's fault

I guess this means I have to make some more angsty headcanons

A travesty, truly

Pepper literally gave Penny a flower

I think??

It might just be for the song

Also how is the bee your fault

Well that evil arc didn't last long did it

They just got scorched by that sick burn

Acting like they got shot

Did a bicycle just come out of her pocket

Pepper being shocked that the word "sorry" works

I guess you could say it starts with sorry- *gets shot*

Please somebody get that reference

[rawliverandgoronspice]

"And I genuinely don’t think either of you understand HOW Zelda turns back to a Hylian at the end of the game.

I’m sorry but these are exceptionally poor analysis and criticisms of the game and it’s cut scenes." As the anon who wrote the ask who started this, I'll just say... nah. Also, pro-tip, don’t be angry, eat a banany. 🍌 You say that all the elements give a lot of insight into Zelda, her relationship, and all that… and then just explain it in the most barebones accusatory way possible, instead of just giving a polite counter and constructively explaining WHY you disagree. Since you apparently just wanna be angy that someone doesn’t like what you likes, and explains why they criticise it, I don’t think there really is a point to argue.   Honestly, my best tip is: Eat nanner, shhhhhhh, touch grass, go sleep. Move on. Ps: Banana’s are the worst.

Also, lemme add, add some spice to your salt: “It reveals Zelda’s feelings for Link which have clearly significantly changed since Breath of the Wild.” I did not feel like they changed much at all, Zelda still feels like she’s simping for Link hard, it's just a few years later now. 😜 Extra bonus: Yeah we know why Zelda got turned back into a Hylian with no repercussions. Bc it had to happen, bc reasons-McGuffin.

Hey!

Yeah, sorry this thing escalated on your ask anon. It got significantly worse after that, so I did block the person because at some point it becomes clear they were having an argument with someone who was simply not in this virtual room and might probably not exist at all anywhere, so there was no point in engaging with a brick wall who was hurling insults based on half a paragraph taken out of context. Pretty sad way to use your free time or deploy love for the media you enjoy, but! To each their own I suppose.

But yeah, I did look it over to see if I missed something, because somebody's tone being inacceptable doesn't mean their arguments also are, but. Yeah. Zelda had her arc of going from being cold and angry with Link to learning to rely on him in Breath of the Wild already, and then literally holds the fort for a hundred years just holding on to the desperate trust that he will arise and become a hero and be capable of defeating the scourge if only she can buy him as much time as she can, which is *crazy* devotion-wise (and also active! in TotK she mostly talks about how much she trusts Link --I guess she turns into a dragon to restore the Master Sword for him, but again I don't believe she really has any other choice and it's not a struggle she must maintain over a hundred years always relying on her own resolve all the way through, so it doesn't translate as hard in my opinion). It's literally her affection for Link and her urge to protect him that awakens her powers! This arc worked great in Breath of the Wild! But TotK loves nothing more than to rethread every character's arc, except again, but less compelling and complicated and without emotional rises or character changes.

Also: a kind tumblr user out there who did not play any game but TotK, believing the marketing that you could basically jump in blind, pointed out to me that there is *no way* to catch onto any of that complexity of their relationship if you haven't played BotW (not that I think it particularly helps). Same deal with the parental thing: they did not bring up the relationship between Zelda and her dad at any point, which makes it a non-information for newcomers. While it is fine to lose some degree of nuance and be a little confused if you jump in a second videogame after the first videogame, you still need to provide something for people to hang onto, and, as I feared, the refusals to expand on BotW backstory didn't seem to help the newcomers familiarize themselves with Hyrule particularly well. Even in extremely well known IPs, it is important to re-establish the bases: jedis are sensitive with the Force, the Ring corrupts its bearer, etc etc. And this was not particularly well done here (for example: it is never explained that Ganondorf is a sorcerer on top of being a Huge Guy that will break your spine with a punch, which makes the appearance of Puppet Zelda *before* he grabs the stone extremely confusing --this relies on pre-assumptions about Ganondorf and a familiarity with the series and its tropes to make any sense, and this is yet another example of what I mean by: this game is awfully self-referential while not really standing on its own two feet).

As for the argument that Zelda was returned to a hylian because of Rauru's arm, Rauru again but ghost (??? hello again?) and Sonia (??? WHY are you here) are actually using recall on the Secret Stone? It's a cool headcanon, and honestly that would have been great and made sense (I mean, a little empty thematically again but at least a cool setup and payoff), but I see nothing that supports that in practice beyond that the power deployed is the color of gold, which, yes, is the color of Recall, buuuut it's also the color of Light and good things and the Triforce and divinity and a billion other things.

If this was what we were meant to take away, then: 1) the actual particles and sound effect of Recall should have been used instead of a vague halo of magical sparkles and 2) the Secret Stone should have hovered and glowed above her chest Laputa-style (thinking of Sheeta from Castle in the Sky, which I'm 99,9% sure was the visual inspiration anyway).

This does not happen. If them using Recall was the intent, then it's badly conveyed. But I see no textual reason to believe this is what's going on.

[larathia]

So that's it for the BSD anime fans for a while. Probably a few years, really. At least.

Final thoughts, therefore, on the anime:

Fukuchi, you ....idiot. You 'made Fyodor stay in prison' because 'what could he do from Europe'? REALLY? You ACTUALLY thought you had ANY control over Fyodor's ability to affect your little plot? DUDE. I'll admit, I laughed out loud when he said that. That was just...the dumbest damn thing he could've said.

The manga had better not make this final episode take more than one chapter. YA HEAR ME, ASAGIRI? Y'GOT NO MORE DAMN EXCUSES FOR THIS CHAPTER POINT-FIVE BS. You've got a whole season's worth of anime to create, minus somebody deciding on another light novel adaptation for three or four episodes of it. Chopchop.

No. I don't think Fyodor is dead. Yeah, that was probably actually his actual arm. An arm does not a corpse make, nor has having two arms ever affected his ability to SERIOUSLY fuck people over. We still don't know the nature of his ability, and it's entirely possible that he will resurface later. At most, at most, he's been weakened - and even that may prove temporary. Fyodor is like the Joker; don't believe he's dead until you have a DNA-verified, fully autopsied corpse. Even then, check for clones.

Bram is...whole. On the loose. I mean, he clearly likes Aya, so yay there, but ...I don't think this is the last we see of him.

I honestly do not believe Fukuchi's plot did jack squat to avert a coming global war. He may have changed some parameters, but the way he went about things means a) nobody learned a damn thing and b) a LOT of people just got the shit and piss scared right out of them, and c) scared people are extra, EXTRA stupid.

Side Note 1: Fyodor has to enact his ability through touch. Does he use the hand that apparently got blown off? Is his power ambidextrous? Somebody go check and get back to me.

Side Note 2: Chuuya was never a vampire? How the hell did he manage to get ordered to go to Muersault without other vampires working that out? Vamps don't seem to be telepathic with each other, but they're ALL tied to Bram. Surely Bram would notice Chuuya's not vamped? I'm ...actually kind of hoping upcoming manga chapters clear this one up, because while I expect ass-pulls, this one feels weirdly egregious.

Side Note 3: So...let's see. Yes. Dead Apple, Corruption Arc, Guild Arc, and now this long plot. Dazai and Ranpo know how to handle Fyodor now. Spend a while struggling theatrically. Set up dramatic countermeasures so Fyodor sees his rats running the maze he's built. And then arrange to kick him in the balls at the point where he thinks he's won. Fyodor's plots have gotten more direct, more dangerous, and have ever more layers to them, so "the point at which he thinks he's won" but does not have Yet Another Maze waiting is the real tricky bit, it seems. But the procedure's pretty well down pat now.

I'm not saying it makes me unhappy, but the manga damn well better explain how Akutagawa is not dead and also not a vamp. I don't want that handwaved, please and thankyou, because it affects A HELL OF A LOT OF THE WHOLE PLANET.

[access--granted]

I'm bad at thinking on the spot, but I have some firm faves, lol. (Disclaimer, I accidentally wrote you an encyclopaedia, sorry!)

1. Jill. REmake was my first game early this year and I played as her. It's what sucked me into fullblown brainrot lmfao. I've played most of the series now and for the most part, Jill has remained one of the most consistent and realistic female characters throughout the series (imo). I mean, I've never looked at my screen an thought "has the director ever seen her character before? What the hell is this?" Which in RE is a rare occurrence lmfao! She isn't super, overly sexualised and I honestly just thoroughly enjoy her personality and story. She knows who she is and what her goals are. Death Island absolutely solidified this for me. It made me feral, I stg. Her arc was phenomenal. I want a brand new Jill campaign. I need her as a main game character again soon. She's one of the best. SHE SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE WITH CHRIS KILLING WESKER INSTEAD OF SHEVA SOMEBODY HAS TO SAY IT. An original that holds her own. Just... *chefs kiss*.

2. Claire. Similar reasons to Jill. She has clear motivations and a good arc. Her campagin is my favourite part of RE2make and I think it's shamefully underrated. I found her realtionship with Sherry a lot more significant than Leons and honestly, her A playthrough was just... better? That's perisnal opinion though. I wish they'd let this woman buy a new outfit. She's worn the same jacket since '98. Recycling queen I guess, lmfao. I don't think people really give her enough attention or credit. She's incredibly kind and patient but could also beat me to a pulp. Phenomenal.

3. Chris. Okay, a few iffy portrayals but he's overall a very solid character. I like him so much because he's a "terrifying but actually very soft and huggable" trope in my mind, lmao. I can't shake the Awkward Father vibe, no matter how many 400lbs machine guns he plays around with. I just think he's very tired and wants to watch a football game with friends. Give him a break.

4. Ethan Winters. It's fucking Ethan Winters. Ethan and Rose were excellent new additions to the cast. I adored them. They were something different, refreshing, realistic (minus the lego man hands... dude's made of mold tho so...) and just very likeable. Dude just chills in the background at functions wanting to go home.

5. Leon. Leon's equally one of the most interesting but frustrating protagonists. I think his OG progression is a complete mess. There's some parts I love, some parts I think make zero sense. I always got the sense that they wanted to be ambitious with Leon, but didn't know what the audience would and wouldn't accept. Does this man have a personality? Yes, we'll hint at one, but we absolutely must adhere to naughts cringe hero stereotype just incase. He often leaves me perplexed, but I enjoy him. He's fun to nitpick and study (and make fun of!!!) and he arguably has one of the most interesting long-term stories. I think remakes are going harder to bring this to light. At it's core, the Leon story is about his relationship with corruption, the government and how he deals with it and who to trust. It could be... SOMETHING. I think we're getting there. The changes in remakes are making it more and more possible. They're taking risks and it greatly benefits him as a character overall. He makes sense. He's understandable.

(PS a lot of this sounds like nonsensical jumbled ass, I'm so sorry lmao. I did not sleep and I need pain meds today bc hashtag chronic pain. If this message is total dumbassery jibberish you have my deepest apologies!)

Ahhh, hi! I absolutely love a good old encyclopedia ask, don't you worry. (And you're probably gonna get a long ass answer too, lmao).

REmake Jill is my favourite Jill. Her kick ass determination and personality are just so good. She was my first ever example of a strong female character as a kid, and she's always been my absolute fave. Totally agree with you that DI sold her to me even more. She desperately needs a new campaign in a mainline game ASAP, I've missed her too damn much.

I feel like Claire has had most hate in the franchise (in my personal experience, at least), and honestly, I don't get the whole "Claire is so annoying" crap I've seen people say in the past. She has good motivation. A college student going to search for her S.T.A.R.S member brother when she doesn't hear from him, only to survive a hellish night amidst a viral outbreak and cure a child? So badass.

Chris is 100% awkward dad vibes despite his badassery and boulder punching skills, no doubt about it. He's more sensitive than people understand him to be. (Which literally makes no sense, considering how broken he is whenever someone he cares about doesn't make it, lol). Let this man live, put his feet up and relax.

Ethan, my guy. I fucking love him so much. I remember how so many people hated him, back when RE7 first came out. "Oh, but he's just some random guy who is looking for his missing wife. How boring." Uh, isn't that what makes him so much more interesting? He's not an agent, or a S.T.A.R.S member, or whatever like the others are. He's a man willing to go above and beyond to save someone he loves. He gets put through so much shit and still selflessly sacrifices himself. What a guy.

Leon is a hot mess (affectionately). Capcom wanted to do things with OG Leon, and they just didn't know how to go about it. He's definitely a fun one to pick apart and analyse. You're right, though. I definitely think they could really polish what kind of character they want him to be with future installments since they've already gotten him to a pretty decent place already. I've always loved him, but he sure has been a roller coaster ride, hahaha.

Honestly, I always love getting long asks like this, especially from mutuals I wanna talk more to. It's just a shame I'm such a socially awkward coward and can't initiate conversation myself. 😂 I had a lot of fun answering this, so thank you, and I really hope you can rest up soon!

[semi-imaginary-place]

"We're told time and time again by Cullen himself that he has to be better, has to do better than before, and I don't think it's unrealistic to expect that to apply to his past opinions and actions against mages, too. But as the game goes on, as more of his personal quest progresses, it becomes devastatingly clear that very few of his regrets and desire for redemption have anything to do with mages; it’s all about the Templar Order’s shortcomings, the betrayal he feels toward them, and his addiction. You don’t really see in his actions that he thinks much better of mages than he did before. You don’t even really hear him say it, except for one or two throwaway lines, and the most important one is hidden within his romance." (amellderiva)

His arc is about him consummed with guilt but that guilt has little to do with the actual people he has harmed with his actions and decisions and more about how the system has finally failed him after failing everyone else for decades.

"I have to argue that wanting him to be more pro-mage than pro-templar isn’t realistic. It’s only been 2-3 years between DA2 and DA:I. Dude’s barely had time to process let alone jump ship. ... And I don’t see how pretending to be somebody else and doing good deeds as them totally qualifies as redemption? When Thom turns himself in, that’s the redemption. Everything before that was running away. ... And this is where BioWare shot themselves in the foot. Everyone forgets that the Inquisition’s intended role was to restore order between the Mages & Templars and challenge the Chantry’s tenets—including the views on mages. Instead we throw all of the build up to the Mage-Templar conflict out the window for Corypheus and Fen’Harel. So Cullen’s “redemption” gets cut off at the knees and half-baked because the catalyst through which it should have happened gets completely removed from the story and replaced with a mage romance. ... Instead, we get pro-templar Cullen who’s disillusioned from the system, but the system never gets addressed because the whole narrative shifts to Corypheus and Solas. He’s pro-templar because he sees magic tearing the world apart and and templars are the ones equipped to deal with that. He knows what they *should* be, but sees how easily they can be corrupted. And that corruption comes through lyrium. Through the compulsion dependency upon the substance brings. They follow orders without question because they don’t want to face withdrawal. They don’t want to risk being deprived. But they don’t realize all it’s taking in the meantime. That’s why he stops taking it. So, while he should have been more vocal about changes for mages as well, his focus is on templars and lyrium because that’s a problem he knows how to fix. And he knows it needs fixing. ... Once that’s over, the world no longer wants the Inquisition and so their original purpose (peace between Mages & Templars and challenging the Chantry’s tenets) never really gets realized. So, he goes to focus on a problem he knows he can fix: helping other templars break the addiction. It’s a redemption, but not the one he needed. 3 things BioWare did wrong (IMO): 1) Made him an advisor instead of a companion 2) Shifted the narrative before dealing with the mage/templar conflict to a conclusion 3) Made him a romance. And I adore Cullen, but he really wasn’t ready in the context of the story we got. ... This is the problem of having 3 different writers for a character, making him a romance at the end of development and changing him from companion to advisor that has to fill a certain role (pro-templar). You get inconsistent writing and a pulling of punches. If he’d been a companion AND romance option, he could’ve had more nuanced opinions and a more fleshed out story." (the-arcane-archivist)

Cullen was pretty young and impressionable when Kinloch Hold happened at around 19-20 which was very traumatic and further radicalized him as many young men are. Then within 1-2 years before Act II of DA2 he's been promoted to Knight-Captain which is really young for the second-in-command of the largest Circle in the Free Marches. Others have speculated Meredith chose him over someone with more senority because he'd be easy to manipulate and shape. Which doesn't excuse his actions just helps explain them.

The Fen'harel storyline is very interesting, but I do agree Corypheus is the worst part of DAI. Inquisition in general would have been far more interesting centering the Mage-Templar War instead of limiting it to a recruit and Divine choice. Without it it's harder to write something meaningful for Cullen and the writers choose the easy way out.

thewardenisonthecase: #bc 1) he's literally written by 3 different people#so the consistency is not consistent#which leads to 2) he FEELS like different characters#but not in a he changed and it made sense#but in a wow if i changed your name you'd be someone else#like#da2 cullen and dai culle are not the same man#and the thing is hes supposed redepmtion happens BEHIND THE SCENES#like. i have 3 different opiniond on cullen bc it changes between each game BC ITS SO ALL OVER THE PLACE MAN

I also noticed that his writing ends up being disjointed. The writers between games don't pick off where the other left off and instead try to write their own individual ideas for this character. Problem is this happens three times. The side effect of this is that the parts that incidentally end up consistent reinforce the characterization of a man self absorbed and unwilling to take responsibility for problems which I don't think was the intented characterization of the DAI writer.

ikarons: #can we add to his list of crimes that his not flipping until hawke is threatened directly (i have talked about this elsewhere.) also means#he is absolutely on board with and even gunning for the annulment of the circle even Knowing that the circle mages Did Not Do#what they’re hypothetically being punished for (bc anders did 🎉)#making that the Second total annihilation of a blameless and helpless mage population he’s ardently supported in his. max ten year career

ikarons: #in both games he leans on the idea that he’s really nice and empathises with mages! to cast himself as rational and correct —#in dao he puts the warden in the position of comforting Him about how he would absolutely have killed them if he’d decided they Looked Off#and specifically he wants them to tell him he was just doing his job and obviously he’s a nice boy and they don’t blame him#for that or the fact that he Also kills mages outside the circle and drags children In. as his job#in da2 the call is I Was Too Nice. I Was Led Astray By My Empathy And Taken Advantage Of#and now i know better! but i’m right because i TRIED nice#and that feels like a very natural development for this character who has been violent towards these people from the beginning#and then in dai like. HONESTLY IT IS LIKE HES THE SAME GUY BUT WE’RE JUST NOT ALLOWED TO SAY IT ANYMORE#he’s STILL vocally anti mage he’s STILL a templar loyalist despite everything. we just can’t say that’s Bad!#and his redemption seems to be driven mostly by everyone loving him and saying what a good cool guy he is

ikarons: #but 2) i am… uncomfortable. with the pattern. of which characters are granted Redemption in media and which aren’t#how often dignity and redemption is extended to characters who perpetrate systemic abuses and act as agents of oppressive systems#and not to characters who are their Victims and who are cast as violent and evil for how they respond to being victimised#that is: uldred has to die. zathrian has to die. marethari has to die. And Et Cetera.#and though zathrians thing is treated as tragic ultimately none of them get much grace or sympathy for what they did/What Violence Made Them#and i do think even samson goes here bc even though he does ultimately express a lot of the same views as cullen#well. he’s introduced as a homeless addict. and the lack of sympathy he gets from the narrative stems from here#while cullen gets to pick up that Exact storyline a game later and be treated like a poor tragic baby and the only person whos ever suffered

here's some more posts I got tired of thinking about cullen. I don't even particularly hate him very mixed feeling about him, his fans are just so absolutely annoying I felt the need to counteract some of that

https://www.tumblr.com/celestialastronmy/773349970291179520/cullen-rutherford-redemption-arc-or-pr-stunt

https://www.tumblr.com/squirrelwithatophat/683193910443507712/the-lies-of-knight-captain-cullen-rutherford

Redemption comes from counter acting the wrong action that requires the redemption.

Thom Rainier led an assassination mission during a civil war that killed one noble family before he fled Orlais. After fleeing Orlais he was recruited to be a Grey Warden and when his mentor was killed, he took his name and went around Ferelden and the Free marches fighting Darkspawn and rescuing people. We meet him training farmers to fight Bandits that are harrassing them.

Rainier is redeemed before we even realize he's done something that requires redemption.

Cullen was directly and indirectly involved in the abuse, tranquilization, and murder of dozens of mages in Kirkwall. He is second in command to Knight Commander Meredith and believes in her convictions that all mages are weapons. He plainly says to Hawkes face (possibly a mage themselves) that Mages are not people. He goes along with on and off screen crimes against mages and doesn't change until Meredith makes a move to kill Hawke in the finale, regardless of Hawke's choice on who to support.

In Inquisition, he vehemently argues against recruiting the mages to seal the breach, contradicting the Inquisitor and other advisors at every positive mention of the mages in Haven. He claims to not be a member of the Templar order but pushes to recruit them despite the Lord Seeker telling you to fuck off in Val Royeaux.

He tells the Inquisitor about how templars become addicted to Lyrium and his character arc is fully revolving around his own relationship to taking lyrium for his templar abilities. His "good" ending is helping other templars break their lyrium addiction.

This is not redemption. He does not counteract his behavior from kirkwall. He does not aim to save mages from the abuses he and other templars inflicted on them. He wants the Inquisitor to leave them to their fate with Alexius. At no point does he aim to change how templars operate, just that they won't fall into addiction to a substance they willingly consume for power.

That is not redemption.

[bardic-perdita]

Can I get aaaaaaaaa🤔 mock turtle and tweedle dumb?

Thank you for the asks!

Mock Turtle: How did you get the idea for this OC?

Breoch

My one goal when making him was "pretty elf boy". Breoch was always going to be an Astarion romancer, but I didn't realise when I created him that 'Tav' and 'Dark Urge' were two different options on the character creator. So early Breoch was pretty evil for the first few hours of the game (which really excited Astarion, I can tell you). Everything else about him sort of stemmed from the events of the game and learning more about drow culture/Menzoberranzan.

How come none of the Menzoberranzan drow knows about Breoch despite him being from a noble house? Maybe his house has fallen from grace. Why? His great-grandmother slept with a dragon. Etc.

I also wanted to play around with his moral compass: to create a character that has the potential to be kind-hearted and noble; to have had the perfect family and upbringing to be somebody that inspires others— only for him to use those special chances to seek power and slowly become corrupted by a society that would rather see him dead. His overall story arc is: good among good people -> evil among 'evil' people -> evil among good people -> good against 'evil' people.

Shrike

I'll be honest and say that Shrike started out purely for aesthetics. I wanted a paladin durge with an autumnal pallette because I thought it would be interesting. Most of their backstory came about as I answered questions like these on tumblr, or with my discord co-conspirator. I wanted them to be more canon compliant than my silly durge Zeke, so the game basically gave me their story for me.

They also romanced Astarion as I wanted to see the numerous Durge/Astarion interactions. I have romanced other companions in multiplayer games (like Lae'zel and Karlach), and Gale with Zeke. I think Shadowheart, Minthara and Wyll are the only companion romances I haven't seen yet.

I've only recently reached a point where I feel like they've fully developed both visually and from a story writing perspective. So uh, expect to see some fics and/or playlist for them soon!

Tweedle-Dum: Which location in canon is their favorite place?

Breoch understandably likes Menzoberranzan and the Underdark generally, but he'd also be impressed by the Sharran temples.

Shrike would love the swamp (before the illusion drops) and the circus

[eorzeaisnotcrash]

Day 28: Blunt

In which Alisaie prematurely ends what might have been a re-corruption arc.

I hate this place.

Joceline shivers. I know.

We weren’t supposed to come back here any more.

I KNOW.

You let Gegeruju’s friend draw your tits for nowt!

Well, the money we raised did pay for loads of supplies, so I still might get out of having to do any work.

I will take the reins and teleport us back to Radz-

“Joceline Joestar-Fortemps!”

That’s the second time today she’s been called that, and for the second time today it gets very quiet inside the retired Warrior’s head.

She turns to the one calling her and says, “Look, if you really didn’t think I helped, I can go to Costa del Sol and see about getting the receipts-“

“Oh, we’re going to discuss that later,” Alisaie snaps. “Where’s Esteem?”

“Where she usually is. What’s wrong?”

“What’s wrong is I‘ve been speaking with your new friend -pardon me, your new work associate Zero-“

“Well, we have been working together to keep Shtola safe while she tries to learn more about the Void-“

“And she’s shared some interesting words and phrases with me, such as ‘real friends’, ‘big shots’, ‘grateful’, ‘monster of the sennight’, ‘unpaid labor’-“

“What’s that got to do with me? She told me herself voidsent always make deals when somebody wants something.”

“It would seem that someone has been giving Zero the impression that the Source isn’t that different from the Thirteenth. And if you’ve done nothing wrong, then why are you sweating out in the snow?”

Not many things make it past Alisaie, do they?

“I thought you’d learned from being on the First, Jojo.”

“Yeah… but after that there was THIS awful place, and Zenos, and the end of the world, and the philosophy lessons… I’m trying. That’s all I can do. Did I say anything that wasn’t true?”

The red mage crosses her arms. “Although you didn’t exactly lie to her, you might have tried to be less dour about it. Jojo?”

“Yeah?”

“The next time you feel like telling someone ‘how the world actually works’… don’t!”

[knowlessman]

okay, so iirc they rescued the nerf-dart kid (…the kid they were making the darts-that-nerf out of) who is actually a time anomaly kid and everyone's in the hospital. oh shit, and mr future sight is dead, and also maybe all might isn't going to die (he's totally gonna buy it in either the season finale or next season), anyway bhna s4e15-19

oh fuck, and the league of villains tortured overhaul and like took his hands I think. heh, he turned into a resident evil boss but then got ethan winters'd. it's like, a pun or something

new OP, huh. anime is so weird about when it gets new OP's… wait, is this an old one? they've had that splash image or whatnot at the end before, with the band instruments. beh. go figure

hm. slendervest going rogue?

sudden Firefly-ass guitar riff o_0

"have you heard rumors of a wild man living in this area?" don't tell me you're banking on bigfoot to come rescue you -- oh my gawd it is bigfoot. well, biggerfoot. cept he seems to be made of rock -- "one of All for One's faithful servants… Gigantosquatchia"

(togata) "I have what Nighteye predicted with his Foresight! I know I'll get my Quirk back!" …this is pessimistic, but you have what he told you when he used it. still, it's good to see somebody talk about "I'm not going to cry" without it being because of toxic masculinity or appearances or something; like, togata actually feels hope and in any case believes in Nighteye's ideal of, like… idfk, nontoxic positivity? hard to describe

heh. figures bigfoot would get away

(bakugo and todoroki at remedial license training thingy) oh boy, endeavor has something to say -- HAHAHAHA DAMN RIGHT, HANG UP ON HIS ASS ZUKO

huh. forgot about Ed from the dodgeball arc. aughta be interesting.

…uh-oh, is this vampire girl again? : /

and mr meatball. I guess meatball is double-d

(back view of shady characters) oh shit it's the league of villai - oh nvm that's just principal tiredman from the dodgeball arc

(new end theme) who the fuck is this guy, why does he have all might's hair. don't try and tell me this is all might, all might's eyes have no wossname, sclera I think? all might is a bionicle, this is just a normal guy. cosplayer maybe

pfft, forgot ed's backstory was that endeavor mr incredible'd him 'XD like, some celebrities are just gonna be dicks about it, okay? attention is power, and power corrupts

okay so yeah this is how vampire girl gets a bigger part in the show then. …shit, she must have the real camie in a cellar somewhere, that sucks : / -- "but because of her foggy memory of the days before the exam…" so it could not be knife-girl? …it's gotta be knife-girl tho. -- wait shit they know that vampire girl replaced her??? …the league - I mean the cops know knife girl's quirk, right? maybe the league guessed that they would've figured it out anyway, and - but whatever tests they did on camie to find the anesthetics probably would've revealed the switch if vampire girl was impersonating here agin, right? fuck dude idfk, I give up

(orca doing a drill sergeant routine) 'XD wtf did the mangaka watch full metal jacket before writing this bit

…I guess babysitting will teach you patience if nothing else will? or at least that's the thinking here?

okay, bakugo and the kids have baited each other into fighting now, looks like lawsuit o'clock (to say nothing of camie)

the whole overarching "the age of heroes is over, it's the age of villains now" theme is, like… idk this is just a weird show

quirk… singularity… doomsday. …okay, I guess that's a thing now??? (are we gonna get eugenics-y about this, I thought the show was being pretty good about not doing that)

"is this bad? are you saying I'm just sitting here watching things get bad and doing nothing?" YES, orca, most of these superpowers are lethal fucking weapons, there are no responsible goddamn adults in this entire show -- also why are your eyes so fucking scary, do real whales have sarlacc pits where their eyes should be?

"the rest of you also did a good job" you mean the six or so kids in this class whose names and even vague deals we still don't know? only like four characters even got screentime

"strange things started happening" : / already thought laserguts was kind of annoying. is… ? considering Magne, I've got a bad feeling about this -- (the literal next scene) ugh, fucking hell, yeah this is gonna suck -- ("I know") I already have assumptions about how this's gonna be taken and how it's gonna turn out to have been intended and like, okay, if I'm right, it's stupid in a way that could be funny but it's also still creepy and laserguts is still officially not positive representation

meanwhile midnight is teaching a school class while carrying a… what, cat o nine tails? a fucking bdsm whip, idk. while carrying that around. this is such a weird fucking show

aoyama I hate you. weewoo tier. gonna call the bad-lgbt-rep police on your ass. whaddaya mean lgbt police is a contradiction in terms, fuck off

-- do I need to know what that french phrase is that he carved into it? …nah, I don't. I really don't.

"it's because we both have quirks that mess up our bodies!" …I guess that could've been worse? thank fuck it's over, at least

school festival stuffs. idk, no comment

(visiting eri, flashing back to the whole brouhaha of last arc) chisaki was a good villain. he made you want to hate him for, like, real reasons; he wasn't just directionless evil for its own sake or bizarrely pretentious, niche evil with incomprehensible motivations and its head up its own ass.

…who is this sean connery looking fucker. is he just here to try and do some clownery at the festival and get clowned on? ugh, fine, guess I'll watch the next one and find out -- ah. a libertarian. or something.

"the school festival is one month away!" …the fuck? y'all made it sound like you had a day. hat n clogs even said the deadline to figure out what you were gonna do would be like eighteen hours or so after you found out there'd be a festival.

aye, teachin him how to use… okay well I can't call it that… uh, the paper football attack. the finger gun. teachin im how to use that without breakin his fingers. and just in time to show it off against mr connery, I imagine.

…huh. looks like the festival arc takes up the entire rest of the season tho, so I'mma leave that for next time