#does the spell even matter?

[girl4music]

Xabrielle VS Spuffy: Correlations between Xena’s ‘Fins, Femmes & Gems’ and Buffy’s ‘Something Blue’

You know they re-wrote the script 48 hours out before going into production for ‘Fins, Femmes & Gems’ from Gabrielle being obsessed with sexual positions to Gabrielle being obsessed with herself - but the funniest thing about that is they still had Xena obsessed with fishing but Xena never needs Gabrielle around her as much as she does when she’s not obsessed with that.

“She’s come for me. I knew she would. She can’t live without me for a minute. Not that I could blame her.”

Obviously it’s a metaphor but I still think it’s hilarious.

The way it comes across is that Xena is obsessed with Gabrielle as well as Gabrielle… But it’s just hidden behind the metaphor of “fishing” together. And they always pull that one out in this show: they’re “fishing”.

And so my question is - if Gabrielle’s apparent obsession in the original script was sexual positions rather than just an obsession with Xena… Why is it Xena that’s the main factor there? Obviously it’s because the “non-spell” parts of them still came through just as it does in the re-written script for the actual episode.

I just found it funny how Renee immediately jumped to “being in love with Xena” when the obsession in the original script was just about sexual positions.

Why is Xena even relevant to that?

And in the re-written script, if the obsession is fishing.

Why is Gabrielle relevant to that?

The answer is because they’re already in love with each other and they’re the main factor because that’s who the obsession informs regardless of the spell cast.

In this episode, it’s not a direct spell meant to make the one under it fall in love with anyone. It’s just making them have an obsession about something or someone.

But with Xena and Gabrielle in both the original and re-written script,.. the main factor is each other regardless what they’re apparently “obsessed” with because they’re not actually under a spell with each other.

They’re for real and so the “obsessions” they have are only so desirable because of that reason. Each other.

The same way in BtVS’s ‘Something Blue’ the spell Willow cast was “why don’t they just get married?” and not “why don’t they just fall in love with each other?”

It’s just a natural consequence because they’re for real.

It’s really about removing the restrictions/resistances to the characters’ sexual and emotional inhibitions. Meaning if you give them a reason to gravitate towards each other that does not directly mean “I chose this”, they’ll go for it because then they won’t feel any guilt.

Why would they? It’s just the “spell”.

So with ‘Fins, Femmes & Gems’ both in the original and re-written scripts, the “spell” isn’t the driving force of what’s pulling Xena and Gabrielle towards each other. It’s the excuse. The driving force is their real love for each other and romantic attraction and unresolved tension because that’s what’s really bothering them.

So depending on how they approached it - it wouldn’t necessarily be an insult to queer people if they were allowed to produce the episode with the original script so long as they made it clear the “spell” wasn’t the main factor just as they did with the re-written script.

There are several times in the episode where their respective “obsessions” were completely forgotten about in the midst of the crisis of losing each other.

Obviously it’s because each other mattered more to them than some daft obsession spell they were under - of which only appears to be desirable to them because they have each other to be “obsessed” with them for.

It’s a metaphor… The “obsession” is really each other and I think that would have been the case no matter which script they decided to go with for the episode.

If Gabrielle was obsessed with sexual positions instead of herself. If Xena was still obsessed with fishing. So long as they still approached it the way they did in the re-written script - I think it would have been totally fine because even in the re-written script, it was pretty clear that these “obsessions” weren’t why they were so,.. so

MARRIED. That’s the only word I can use that justifies what’s going on in that episode. Their need for each other to be around because they’re already married.

Therefore, I think the comparison to BtVS’s ‘Something Blue’ is dead on. Because Spuffy don’t act that way because the spell forced them to get married. They act that way because they already behave as if they are.

It’s just more so because “it’s not us”/“we’re forced”.

‘Fins’ is exactly the same. Behind the metaphor or the excuse - it’s just 2 suppressed idiots in love that can let go of ALL sexual and emotional inhibitions and just be happy because in those moments they’re just “Xena” and “Gabrielle” and the plot/seasonal arc can TAKE A SEAT to allow for some crucial character stuff that needs to take some precedence after what happens.

Those kind of “love spell” episodes are worth watching because you are seeing what’s for real there with them.

It’s just so exaggerated because it’s a release for them.

The spell doesn’t actually matter. But without the spell as the excuse - they’d never go there with each other.

They’d never be brave enough to because of all the other shit going on around them or they’re enemies.

But it’s like when real romantic feelings are there - none of that is even a focus. None of that is even relevant.

Only each other. That’s how I see ‘Fins’ and ‘Something Blue’ because the spell cast is really only the metaphor.

What’s the real deal is why the metaphor is necessary.

The desire for each other and unresolved tension there.

If you can show that that’s the driving force and the main factor - then any “spell” episode - be it love, obsession or anything else - is successful storytelling and - if approached well - successful representation.

There’s major correlations between these two episodes because the “spell” is not why the characters behave as they do. But it is the reason why they would allow it in the first place and why they go way over the top with it.

As far as the characters are concerned - it’s a release of everything that’s pent up inside of and between them.

When you use a “spell” episode like that - and that ends up being what is interpreted out of it - it is successful. I mean technically Spuffy is just a “b-plot” of ‘Something Blue’ whereas Xabrielle is an “a-plot of ‘Fins’ - but nevertheless - what stands out is their odd behaviour.

It’s what people remember of the episodes themselves. But what’s not communicated is that behaviour is real because “we’re under a spell”/“we can’t be blamed”.

Yes, well that only stands when the spell is directly a love spell on each other. If it’s not - then it’s just void and the behaviour is a natural consequence of what is not being acknowledged and addressed in both the relationship and in the individual. So it’s a release for it.

In ‘Fins’ Xena figures out that the obsessions they had had nothing to do with the spell put on them but rather what it was that was bothering them deep down that they needed to get in touch with. It was about insight. Now if they were allowed to use the original script, then that insight could well have been that they were in love and were not letting themselves express it frequently. In that sense, it could have actually been a proper coming out episode that was very sincere in its intentional goal despite the “spell” factor because… I mean… I might be totally wrong about this but I don’t think anyone who watches ‘Something Blue’ - especially not on rewatches - believes that Willow’s spell was forcing Spuffy to kiss, so I don’t think that the spell in ‘Fins’ would have forced Xabrielle to “experiment with sexual positions” either - especially not if the obsession was really about insight because then the insight is that enough was enough. Either they come out to themselves and each other in how they really feel for each other and what to do about expressing those feelings physically or leave each other. And we all know there is absolutely no way the creators - not these creators - would have ever done the latter because despite not knowing the best way to go about handling it, they were all always on the side of the fans and shippers which is the only real striking difference between Xena’s ‘Fins’ and Buffy’s ‘Something Blue’.

Practically everybody in the writer’s room was on-board with Xena and Gabrielle. Not everyone was with Spuffy. But the jokes on them really because it was ‘Something Blue’ that even made Spuffy a twinkle in anyone’s eye because we had never seen either character so happy.

You know sometimes things don’t work out the way you want them. Other times they’re just a happy accident. A closer look at both Xena’s ‘Fins, Femmes & Gems’ and Buffy’s ‘Something Blue’ provides that of something which is missing in the TV art/entertainment of today.

FUN. CAMP. RELEASE. The other side of the spectrum where the plot/seasonal arc is not so important then. But the character representation and development is.

[puppppppppy]

i feel like im not making any sense but does anyone else feel like there are stories that let u run with them and ones that spell everything out for you

[ganondoodle]

okay, bc i have seen this argument alot now (and it also seems to be the view point of aonuma himself..) is that "zelda cant do everything link does bc whats the point then"

and i take personal offense on that bc its a stupid argument (in. my. very. personal. opinion.- not judging people for liking it. its a ME thing)

whats the point? its that its her. its still a different character, different in story, background, personality, but i WANT to play zelda and she can do everything link does, why does she have to be so restricted and be bend over backwards to find some new way to make her 'useful' when link gets to do basically everything no questions asked (the only thing thats hers is like .. sealing power and sacrificial maiden, which i find a little underwhelming to say the least), if theres no point to it why are there always modders that model swap link with someone else, and in that case it has even less impact bc its an artificial model swap with no changes to the story (which can and should still be different when its the vanilla game with a different protagonist... its still a different character), clearly theres joy in just the model being a different one- and that isnt even to mention the story possibilities, since, again, its stil a different character

if we ever (never ... i know who we are talking about here) get to play as ganondorf i want to him to be just as versatile and active as link is, if we got a point and click adventure game for him instead bc 'whats the point' id be disappointed too- you can find any sort of excuse/explanation for zelda to be singled out but the fact remains it tracks with how female characters are often treated, and that hits a very sore spot for me

i guess i am unfortunately one of those annoying people that want to see female characters be treated exactly the same as male characters, possibly bc i am myself afab but identify as agender and have a deeply personal dislike for anything 'traditional' feminine bc i cannot and never will be able to truly live as myself in real life, it influences all of my work, my work is as just as much as my opinion on this, very personal

and in line with my point about modding, i see theres joy in just beign able to play as her even if its like this, i get that, i also get it for the creative aspect (though that mechanic worries me even more for the future bc it really seems to be the path now that -freedom = good, linear anything = bad-) it is a different idea and its not like i cant see that value- im not trying be "right" either, just bc i have that opinion doesnt mean i need everyone to agree, its a very personal thing, if you like it good for you! not for me though, and i think both of that is equally valid

i just personally wish she was allowed to be just like link, fight just like him but be different bc its still her and not him in the end- to be physically/playstyle like jsut like him, but you know ... as her, i dont think shed stop being zelda if she could wield a sword just like him

i dont really know how to get my point/feelings across, i dont want to step too much into personal stuff nor spam people with something that ultimately doesnt interest me alot, im just saddened by it really

(EDIT: bc i forgot to add this on here again; this isnt as much of a problem as it might sound like here, just the main topic i wanted to talk about; why im so uninterested in it is MAINLY bc i dont trust them to write anything interesting/care about lore anymore after totk, im always on the more pessimistic side that thinks its most likely worse than id hope and i know even the past games arent perfect or super interestingly written, but now its much more just a general distrust, together with everything like the price ... im just much less hopeful and cant get excited until i see more of it, like im waiting for the game to get out and reveal that its just as much of a mess and money i regret spending- kind of fear)

[fisheito]

My favourite fantasy lately is Kuya kidnapping Eiden and bringing him to a house in the woods to punish him for endangering himself during some adventure. Kuya keeps Eiden in bondage and constantly on edge, teasing and denying him. And Eiden just takes it without asking to be let out, allowing Kuya to vent his fear and frustration, because he's nice like that.

But, at some point, even the strongest little soldiers break, and just when Eiden is about to shatter from all the stress and Kuya's oppressive anxiety, Quincy comes for the rescue. He's the only one who managed to find that little wooden shack in the middle of nowhere (you know, because Kuya's allowed him to), and he comes in and persuades Kuya to relent.

Kuya hasn't even given Eiden any dick in all the (three? four?) days they've been at it, so serious he was about the discipline aspect!

Eiden cries when Kuya finally fucks him, and Quincy makes him spill

this just reminds me of Billowing Wildfire Kuya R2 where eiden saID sO HImself

i would not be surprised if kuya went full speed into an evil edging hostage situation because he doesn't know how to process eiden's mortality

[aaronofithaca05]

Battle in ink

||Tw: Calypso||

"I wander in search of a light upon your desperate face!”. Lascivious nymph of chalky fingers, elusive as an eel, murky and cold, let her burning fingers glide across the face, damp and cold, of the castaway.

Burning, sweet and vile bones of the nymph kept slithering, searing. In unnoticed possession, never truly casting spell or charm. "I keep begging Theos, for you to never leave me!.”

Odysseus, still, awaiting turn in this dance: "I am… searching…". Words escaped his lips, from his very depths within, man of thousand paths and missteps, struggling to chart this step.

Laërtes’s sweet words had carried him from Skýros to Ílion, Ténedos to Lēmnos. Voids of air slipping through his mind:

"By walking, one makes path, and upon glancing back…" Back, all his steps yearning to be undone.

"One sees the path that feet had crossed enough." Path by gnarled trees hiding Home. Olives, in which this infernal reef refused to sprout.

"Son, there is no path, but wakes upon the sea." Wakes Foamy paths in which Ithákē was built. United archipelago his domain. A kingdom never seen since his arrival, In barren foam turned his sweetness lost

The Ithacan monarch had never let his father’s wish fall to ill thought, but before the nymph who boiled his lymph and blood, he let those words fade.

Calypso waited, anxious, reluctant. He had been her lover, but what was there to expect from him?

From the weeper on her isle?. From the twat who never follows her in the daylight?. Yet he cried her name in her empty chamber under starlight?.

The eel coiled the wolfish sailor in its embrace while; Odysseus, man of a thousand tricks and wits, shot her a sharp grimace: Belly, chest, and face, At the two first, without joy, only indifference or ire, but in the last?. He gifted a lecherous and cold gaze in equal measure to the one he saw each dawn, in the second rosy fingered dawn by Calypso’s hands.

"Calypso, my queen." Anyone who heard it would have read the lie in his voice, the false melodic inflection, the lack of harmony as a neglected lyre’s threads, as his broken voice upon the cold sand of that bay.

"Forgive my rude behaviour," the honey he tried to wrap in his mouth was as insipid as his regard for his jailer. Learned movements directed at an essence, absence, breathed life into the corpse of 600 lives lost..

"My girl, my queen, the woman who waits for me." Penelope at the tip, a name so perfect and pure, so easy on his lips, cried out forcefully to escape from the voice of this liar.

"If I had…" he hated in his soul, hated, as in his name —the one that is hated—, the universe who cursed him in name and fortune. The Ithacan writhed within while the nymph?. Smiled, naïve.

"Knowing your embrace was so fine," fine as the skin of sharks, who knows how many of his men were devoured by those sea dogs.

Cephalopod and eel in battle, Still, Ink does not kill Will. Thanks so much @simugeuge with this take! Moots: @jarondont, @iroissleepdeprived, @nikoisme, @perroulisses,@poshgirlsstuff, @katerinaaqu @incorrecthomer, @dootznbootz, @nyx-of-darkness-1620, @sunshines-child, @random-krab, @ironspdr6700, @fangirlofallthefanthings,��@twomanyfandomshelp, @thehighpaladin, @the-decapoddecapod, @myblacknightworld, @simugeuge, @itszorrito67, @incorrectatlas @tunguszka20

[lesbianralzarek]

"you can homebrew anything into 5e, its really genre-neutral" <- guy who assumes the health system used in d&d is the "default" and hasnt thought about the fact that healing up to full in 8 hours is a) buck fucking wild, and b) absolutely crucial to the power fantasy and foolhardy adventuring atmosphere that d&d is centered on. d&d wants you to rush into challenges, give it everything, barely survive, and then do it again the next day. fights in d&d default to not having long-lasting consequences (unless the dm gives them higher stakes on purpose as a conscious decision). thats fun for an adventuring game. do not do this in survival games

this is just one of the many, many mechanics in this game that give a certain vibe that tons of people love. changing this one thing wont change the genre entirely, but you have to change it if youre really that dedicated to reinventing the wheel in d&d. i am not nitpicking. this is huge. if you dont see why its such a big deal, i dont trust that you understand game design well enough to make a genre-hopping d&d homebrew

[dallonwrites]

actually making my tags from my last post into their own post. writers who struggle with grammar, spelling, typos, errors etc i love you. writers who struggle with rereading their stuff thoroughly no matter how much they try, who don't always have access to other people to help them read i love you. whilst reading through and checking for these things is good practice i really believe that the weight of it should not be put wholly on the writer's shoulders. especially writers who are neurodivergent, disabled, have any condition that can impede their reading + comprehension, are overworked and overtired, are not writing in their native language, list goes on....because grammar mistakes/language mistakes/typos have nothing to do with your abilities as a creative. this is where editors should be uplifting writers, helping them, not scrutinising them for something they cannot always control

[hiddenbeks]

hello. i am finally finished with heidrun's playthrough. time to let her rest and move on to isabeau but not before i ramble abt dawnguard and dragonborn because i have thoughtsssss

first of all dawnguard was just as tedious as i remembered and i think i hate it a little now. it's literally just endless fetch quests and trips to and from fort dawnguard strategically situated in the most remote corner of the map they could find,, normally i don't fast travel but after the first couple quests i gave in and started taking carriages i just wanted to get it over with

the quest design is awful also. after you get valerica's scroll the game tells you to travel alllll the way back to fort dawnguard and only after you've travelled allllll the way you find out dexion has gone blind and you're sent running around the map Again. instead they could have like... had dexion warn you about going blind when reading serana's scroll and this could have prompted you to seek an alternate way to read valerica's. as a moth priest he knows the consequences. or the dawnguard could have sent someone to deliver a message that dexion has gone blind and we need to figure out something else. because obviously they would have noticed him going blind. but these characters have 0 agency and they don't do shit unless you are present i guess!! things only progress when You are there to progress them!!!!!!

man whatever. anyway. it's not like dawnguard is all bad. i like the characters i like pondering the dynamics between heidrun and isran and serana. there is actual character writing in the questline. it's still pretty thin but compared to the rest of the game it's... something. i also liked that vyrthur was something of a foil to heidrun... vyrthur was infected with vampirism and heidrun was infected with lycanthropy... vyrthur was abandoned by auri-el and heidrun was abandoned by stendarr... vyrthur wanted vengeance or whatever but heidrun was (for the most part) able to move on... much to ponder

overall i prefer dragonborn because of the vibe and atmosphere and the fact that it's more contained and set in a whole separate area from the rest of the game. also the fact that it feels more grounded? weird to say considering all the Everything that happens but like dawnguard is all grand castles and vampire prophecies and whatever. also idc abt vampires. in dragonborn you get to meet the ordinary people of raven rock and the skaal and you get to help them and free them of miraak and it's nice :) and you can hang out with some werewolves too <3

however i think the character writing is what's lacking in dragonborn. they could have explored miraak and his background and motivations so much more as well as like the whole first and last dragonborn thing... what do they have in common... what sets them apart from each other... etc. like the bones are there there's clearly the setup for you vs ancient evil more powerful you and it's a fascinating concept except they don't really do anything with it on a writing level. you never even have a conversation with miraak he just taunts you a couple times and then you fight him. and herma mora kills him. ok

another massive issue i have with the writing is the fact that on several occasions different characters say that working for herma mora is the only way to stop miraak. frea says it storn says it you yourself are forced to say it at points where it's the only dialogue option given and i hate it!!!! at no point does anyone even suggest an alternative. like how do you all know it's the only way?? no one even thinks of trying anything else before deciding that a questionable pact with the daedric prince of fate and forbidden knowledge is the only option?? it's like... the writers couldn't be bothered or weren't given the time to think of any alternatives (or they had the time but todd didn't like their ideas idk) but if the game just repeats "this is the only way" enough it passes for solid writing. i hate it

and the only reason to work for herma mora is so that he will teach you one (1) word of the bend will shout. so that you can tame miraak's dragon. so that you can fly to the summit of apocrypha and challenge him there. this is absolutely the only way to defeat miraak. idk what if there was a way to challenge him elsewhere? you could force him to come out of apocrypha for example? herma mora says that in order to be as powerful as miraak and surpass him you Must learn the full bend will shout but you literally don't even need the shout in the fight against him you only need it once in order to ride his dragon like,,,,,,h gf jhkjfghjkdj the railroading. i fucking hate the railroading. i don't need a clunky new dragon riding mechanic why not let me just climb to the summit of apocrypha as a massive fuck you to herma mora. i think that would be hilarious actually

[moodr1ng]

i still havent figured out how to tell whether someone is into you or just very friendly and atp ive given up on finding out..

[dravidious]

Trauma Center GUILT OC - Codename: Metronome

Metronome consists of four cores that remain stationary on the organ. Its cycle of activity consists of a pair of sequential patterns. First, the cores will each spawn a cloud of pus over themselves, one at a time in a random order with a steady rhythm, each spawning accompanied by a sound effect. Then, following the same order and rhythm, each core will briefly flicker, making a sound and dealing minor vitals damage. After each core has flickered, there will be a few seconds delay, then the cycle will begin again.

To treat Metronome, the scalpel must be used to cut each core during its flicker, causing that core to shrivel up. This will also interrupt the cycle and stop the other cores from flickering, so you can only land one hit per cycle. Using the scalpel on a non-flickering core will interrupt the cycle, cause large vitals damage, and spawn pus clouds in random locations.

Shriveled cores will still spawn pus clouds, but they will not flicker or make a sound during the flickering stage, making it more difficult to keep track of the rhythm.

Once all four cores are shriveled, Metronome will make its last stand. First, each core will begin vibrating. This has a rhythm and random order just like its normal activity, but no pus clouds spawn. Then in the same order, each core will briefly flash, and during this moment they must be injected with an antiserum. If any core is left uninjected, or if an injection is mistimed, moderate vitals damage will occur and several pus clouds will spawn, and the attack will repeat in a few seconds. Once all four cores are successfully injected, Metronome will be defeated and can be excised and extracted.

[the-amber-droid-dreams]

being arab is just so.. weird. i dont feel represented by or at home w white ppl but also im not the kind of person ppl are usually thinking to include when they say poc...?

im arab but im not brown. im not asian, im african, but ppl always assume african = black and im not that either. my skin is on the paler end of the spectrum but ppl clock me as "other" anyway. arabs are barely represented as is and even when they are its never anyone like me, never anyone thats even from my damn region.

[scrolpencer]

What do I have that my family dont? Why do mosquitos love me?? IT SERIOUSLY SUCKS (no pun intended)

[hiddenbeks]

im getting obsessed w isabeau again which is a good thing bc i miss my evil horse girl... one of my oldest video game o cees... but its also a bad thing bc im still very much in the middle of my heidrun pt and continuing it is starting to feel like a chore. the urge to just rush through the main questline and be done with it grows ever stronger

[owestwind]

possibly an unpopular opinion, but I don't think tommy's crack at lizzie's spelling after she'd written him a letter more or less pleading with him to either get his ass to therapy or let her divorce him should be considered a retcon on lizzie's capability. I've always interpreted it as him taking a swing at something he knows she is insecure about because he wants to hurt her in that moment.

[dravidious]

Was thinking about removal and came up with what I think are some reasonable costs for common removal effects and also counterspells

[racke7]

So, because of the setback to my "grand idea" that was me accidentally nerfing my own mod. I spent this morning trying to think of a way to make certain classes interesting.

Like, Necromancer can usually be interesting by using teleportation and smacking people with massively damaging AOEs.

(Which is why Spectre, where "physical damage" is almost a side-effect to your true goal of stacking up debuffs that do very little (without game-breaking mods) always comes across as frustrating to me.)

And Rogue can be fun, because there's stuff like positioning yourself for backstabs, and then also having access to lots and lots of CCs.

(Turning people into chickens who will run away, after giving them a debuff that makes them take massive damage if they try to run? Always hilarious.)

Comparatively, Knight is "run up and hit them with your sword", and Ranger is "go to a high-spot and then click-kill on the enemies".

So, trying to make those classes more interesting is... hmm...

In the end, I found something that sounded very promising for a Knight-build, where they basically boost themselves with every skill, until they get access to a very strong attack. It's still very much "hit them with the sword", but it feels like there could be a bit of a dynamic involved.

The same mod-author had also created a Ranger-mod and Rogue-mod, and those looked like they'd stack pretty well with each other (a lot of "cause Bleed" and "if enemy is Bleeding, then" type of skills).

But then I, of course, got distracted.

And created an entire new Necromancer-mod from scratch.

I have no idea if it's even remotely "balanced" or whatever, because I just grabbed a few Hydro-skills and said "you do physical damage now". Which was... a very long and involved process. Especially to switch the skill-animations for other skill-animations.

But the end result was me having a bunch of Necro-skills that are purely damaging, causes bleed/decay/cripple, and doesn't come attached with all of the unnecessary bells-and-whistles of Odinblade that always seems to annoy me.

I'm... probably going to publish it once I've done some actual vague play-testing, and maybe one day I'll even be able to figure out how to get the fuckers to actually sell the damn spells.

(For now, I just craft them by combining "random bits of junk" with "necromancer books", because that usually makes it compatible with everything else.)