#either or could be tragic

[its-not-ohneey]

So, I came up with some lore...

It boils down to the world is a game played by players (wow). Every character, unless they're an NPC, has a player behind them.

So does all of Deadlock. They're all just people playing a multiplayer erogame and all the characters are their avatars, they're just all really into roleplay (it's why they formed a team in the first place).

Oni's player was unique in a way. He kinda just played the game to spend time with people and really liked the social aspect of it, as he'd struggled with forming bonds in real life. But, there came a point where he was doing okay in his real life, he had real friends, a job and was about to move in with his life partner. The game had lost it's luster and pull, so he deleted his account.

Somehow, someway, this caused Oni to get ejected from the game world and get dumped out in a different world entirely, which caused his character model to conform with that specific game's character creator and style. And he gained a consciousness. A consciousness that was now lost and confused over the new world's ruleset and lack of any familiar faces. He wants desperately to get back home, to reclaim his role and friends.

But, the thig is, no one is waiting for him. Sure, the crew misses the player somewhat, they did spend a long while together, but they don't know Oni. He himself barely knows who he is without his player.

He didn't do anything outside of hanging out with his friends constantly, engaging in fights and such.

He's just an avatar without anyone controlling him anymore.

He doesn't have a family.

He didn't grow up.

…

[poolseason]

locked room

bonus! the background by itself and close up

[armenelols]

In deference to my recent bout of shitposting, have a daily reminder that Tolkien's half-elves have no happy ending and no matter what they choose, they'll still lose part of their family forever. They'll always be split between two people, neither fully one or the other, yet forced to pick one and lose the other

[shanastoryteller]

it would make dean fucking furious, but i actually love the idea that jack sometimes calls sam "sammy" and that sam lets him. he's the only one besides dean that doesn't get "it's sam"

jack is always watching dean, and while part of that is search for dean's approval, the rest is because it teaches him how to interpret and be loved by sam

he calls him sammy when he's scared, or worried, or even relieved (seeing sam after lucifer brought him back would definitely elicit a sammy)

dean says it and it's sammy (protected)

jack says it and it's sammy (protector)

i also think he's seen dean and sam hug each other, sees how sam scrunches himself up so dean can still get his arms over his shoulders and folds beneath his brother. and when sam hugs jack, he hugs him sort of like dean hugs him, like how jack thinks dean used to hug sam twenty years ago

being enveloped, sam hunching over to keep him tucked into him, and for a moment jack feels like nothing can get to him

(sam used to feel this way too)

[thekittyokat]

you ever just have a lot, a LOT of feelings all at once about a character and not even remotely enough words or brainpower to FORM the words to describe everything you're feeling. so it feels like you may explode. yeah

[sukibenders]

Glinda mentions to Elphaba how Fiyero can't stop thinking about that moment in Dillamond's class, or that he's having thoughts in general and how it worries her because it's not something she's used to from him (which is him thinking about actual things), in contrast to Elphaba, who doesn't seem all that bothered and, even more so interested in the manner when Fiyero brings up how he can't stop thinking about when they rescued the lion cub. I don't know about everyone else but for me, even with this scene probably being added for lighthearted value, I also see it as another piece in the puzzle cementing how Fiyero's and Glinda's actions will, eventually, either pull them closer or further away from Elphaba. I lowkey don't like it when people act surprised or confused as to why Glinda was spelled or get annoyed that Fiyero is in her place but I, personally, don't think she would have helped in that moment, specifically in the movie.

Prior to the train scene, Glinda is shown to, not only, be completely rude and spoiled (as shown with her literally fainting over not getting her way), when in class, she publicly points out Dillamond's inability to pronounce her name correctly even though it's an obvious struggle, parading in front of the class how easier it was for her other teachers to do it, then being dismissive during the rest of the lesson when learning the importance of history and why to learn from it (correct me if I'm wrong, as it has been a minute since I've seen the movie). All that already tells me that she doesn't really care for the animals' cause, let alone enough to follow Elphaba and Fiyero into the woods after stealing the lion cub and I think, subconsciously, Elphaba knew that. In fact, I can only see Glinda trying to sway them to leave the cub and how what their new professor wanted to teach probably wasn't all that bad (not saying that she would want the cub to be harmed, just that she would try to rationalize what's going as we've seen her do before). This is the same woman who, after learning that the Wizard was a fraud and responsible for the missing and harmed animals, still tried to justify his actions and berated Elphaba for not "acting accordingly" to the news, but yet we still think she should have been there to save the lion cub? That she would have helped those animals alongside Fiyero and Elphaba? I think it could allude to how Glinda could/will be used to help further push propaganda for the Wizard, especially given how it benefits her socially, as figures of propaganda often don't think too hard, or enough to critique the system around them not because they aren't smart enough too (for the most part), but more so because they understand how their world works and understand the consequences that follow when stepping out of line.

You don't have to like Fiyeraba or even find Fiyero interesting, but to purposely ignore what the movie is presenting you is such a cop-out. Fiyero enters the film being a sort of anti-establishment-like character, caring little if he gets kicked out of Shiz for breaking the rules, or just hardly caring in general (something Elphaba calls him out for), and so on. Why wouldn't he be down to rescue the lion? Even if it was to just feed his rebellious streak, he still would have gone, but when he and Elphaba meet, he's on a talking horse and they are conversing like lifelong friends. That might add another layer to the pair saving the lion. Even if he wasn't on the same level as Elphaba at that moment, the train scene shows that it had a profound impact on him that he couldn't shake. I think, had he been presented with the choice of joining Elphaba or staying, he would have gone, not only for her but also because he now knows that the Wizard is a fraud and most definitely wouldn't stand for what he [Oz] is doing. This is what sets him apart from Glinda which, isn't necessarily me hating on her but just stating facts. Glinda isn't/won't be willing to sacrifice her position and what it brings her, until it's too late (which is the tragedy of her character and her relationship with Elphaba), while Fiyero risks everything, even to some extent his own body (Scarecrow) and, in the end, gets to stand with Elphaba.

[fandomsnrambles]

Yknow what one of the most interesting things about Misako & Wu is?

How they differ in views of fate and destiny

Misako was convinced she could change Lloyds fate and avoid the final battle with his father so left him at darkley’s, whilst Wu thinks destiny cannot be changed & instead thinks its better to let it run its course whilst making sure the ninja & lloyd are all prepared.

I wonder if this difference is why Misako left him at Darkleys and not with his uncle in fear of Wu training him (that and i’m pretty sure Wu was depressed after banishing his brother and not in a good place mentally & emotionally to be taking care of an infant.) Maybe leaving him at darkleys was her way of prolonging the prophecy from occuring

And btw, this isn’t an invitation to bash Wu, from the Spinjitzu brothers books we see him & Garmadon go out to find a cure for the venom on multiple quests where Wu at first believes they can avoid the venom from consuming Garmadon but begins to lose hope as the series progresses.

This tells me that Wu’s belief in destiny was actually created from his experiences. He no longer believes fate or destiny can be avoided and maybe thinks the best way to handle it is to be prepared for it. And it’s not like he was wrong, the prophecy still happened and it would’ve been awful if Lloyd wasn’t trained alongside the ninja. Garmadon seems to share this view that you cant avoid destiny in the earlier seasons.

Literally everyone here is a victim of circumstances

This fucking show and the theme of ‘you can’t outrun destiny’ bro 😭😭😭

[szfiction]

Is it really an enemies to lovers ship if there isn't a moment of one of the characters expressing that if only they knew each other earlier or could meet again in some other way? Because surely if fate had only dealt them a kinder hand, they would have been friends.

[danwhobrowses]

Since I have some free time on the weekend, Downfall is next week and it's Missing Bells Hells hours for me, I'd like to share with everyone my vision for when the Hells return to table

[sorasho]

I promised something big was coming- and here it is!!

I'm honoured to have been able to work with @timefliesinadream for my first ever @dbh-bb! Please go read her fic, "When it Rains" because the way she writes Simarkus melts me every damn time TwT.

Simarkus makes me so soft but Simon comforting Markus in the rain specifically make me askfjciw ANYWAYS-

Here is the artwork that I drew to go along with the fic! :D

[citrineghost]

I think this fandom may be one of the ones that takes the MOST artistic liberties with its characters, so let's see if we're all experiencing the inaccuracy the same way lmao

[rawliverandgoronspice]

anyway to end the series on ganondorf tp's writing, my take (which isn't canon but arguable as a valid "death of the author" read imo) is that he is at his most iredeemable AND that's because he has zero things left to lose and no community left and his goal doesn't even make sense anymore he is parasitic and a ghost and pathologically obsessed by his own godlike legitimacy because that is the only thing he still has and it has prolonged his life in a horrible diminished state in a nightmare dimension so SURELY it must mean something right right RIGHT

[fluffydice]

Did a Kusuke analysis about his relationship with his brother, it’s not very friendly toward him so be warned about that,,,

TW for mentioned abuse, everything except the physical parts, funnily enough

Honestly, I really wished I actually liked Kusuke because he’s an intriguing character and represents a developed villain whose whole being isn’t just “he’s evil.” He’s other things, and among them is caring toward Kusuo, even if it’s really fucked up. But I just can’t comfortably read his scenes because of the things he does to his brother. Everything is so normalized, even by Kusuo himself. Kusuo’s reaction to his brother literally getting off to him is one that speaks to just how normal it is to him. And that’s not even speaking about how Kusuo sometimes almost regurgitates the things he grew up hearing about himself and takes them as truth.

I think Kuniharu fucked up both his kids (and Kurumi did too, inadvertently), but I really believe Kusuke was the one who made Kusuo believe his powers made him unlovable. Like:

Come off of it, Jesus Christ.

And he fucking weaponized it is the worst part. He knows Kusuo won’t step out of line because he’s always holding the threat of exposure over his little brother’s head, and exposure = abandonment.

The reason Kusuke would never go after Kusuo’s friends is because the threat of exposure still works in that case: none of them know about Kusuo’s powers, ergo Kusuke can still leverage it. And I think that’s why Toritsuka gets roped in during the Cat Tank arc. Threatening to tell Toritsuka about Kusuo’s powers doesn’t work in this case because he already knows. So he goes bigger. He tries to brainwash him into hating Kusuo.

I really think the Cat Tank was meant as a punishment for Kusuo trying to have friends. The reason Kusuke backed off was because Kusuo threw his chance at a normal life away once he saw the trouble ‘he’ brought to them. He hates feeling like a burden, hates being indebted to people. Once Kusuke realized his usual way of incentivizing Kusuo was done (and also that he technically ‘won’ by Kusuo taking out his limiter), he realized that was the end of it.

Of course, Kusuo offering to still be his playmate opened up a new world to Kusuke. Now, he wouldn’t have to force Kusuo into it (besides maybe the occasional bribe). It opens up new avenues for their relationship to actually improve, perhaps.

[mike-milkyway]

Watching Zoro and Sanji power scaling discourse knowing that if I say they balance each other out I might get burned like the witches in the Salem trials.

[triumviiirate]

i spend a lot of time thinking about the empty space between jim and bones at spock's funeral

[kylermalloy]

Attack on Titan is a layered, multifaceted story that deals with many, many ideas—prejudice, propaganda, power, love, truth…I could go on. But more than anything, it’s about war. Attack on Titan is a war story. In that sense, it’s no surprise at the number of scenes that utilize fight, either as a concept, action, or just the word itself. It’s a story about fighting.

Or is it?

(It is. But it’s not about the fight. I’ll get there.)

The pivotal moment of the story occurs in season 3, when our characters go from fighting a war they don’t understand to fighting a war they do. The war itself hasn’t changed, nor the world, but now they know what they’re up against. But I’m not here to talk about that pivot—I’m here to talk about the narrative choice that was made a few episodes before that, and the thematic importance of that choice.

I’m here to talk about Midnight Sun.

The choice between Armin and Erwin has long since been a topic of debate amongst AOT fans. Whether it was the right choice, how happy or unhappy it made viewers, why exactly the choice was made, and so on and so forth. I’ve always found it to be a very simple yet effective piece of storytelling—one that walks a very fine line of displaying a core story theme and honoring the characters involved.

Interestingly, Levi, who’s historically a follower and not a leader, is the one to make this very important narrative choice. It was carefully designed, too—everything he’s witnessed so far in this season has led to this moment, and this very important decision he’ll make.

Now of course, as with everything, there’s a Watsonian and a Doylist reason for this decision to bring Armin back and not Erwin. Levi’s role in the choice is primarily a Watsonian one—he was one of the closest characters to Erwin, and he was the one to see Erwin struggle in his last moments before the charge.

Levi outright tells us his thought process after he makes the choice. After Erwin had let go of his dream, his struggle, which was as much a burden to him as a drive to continue forward, Levi thought it cruel to being him back into the world just because humanity needed a devil. It’s a human decision, and Levi made it for someone he cared deeply for.

But from a Doylist perspective, there’s a thematic reason as to why Armin was chosen and not Erwin. Obviously Levi, as a character in the story, is not thinking of what Erwin’s and Armin’s respective dreams are narratively representative of. Levi, in making his choice, didn’t so much as pick Armin as he didn’t pick Erwin. He was letting Erwin go, and he wasn’t thinking about what that would do to the story.

But I am!

Levi has been witness to both Erwin’s and Armin’s dreams, and he’s smart enough to place those dreams within the context of the war they’re fighting.

He asked Erwin explicitly what he would do when his dream was fulfilled—once they got to the basement in Shiganshina and learned the truth of the world. Erwin said he didn’t know.

Conversely, when Armin talked with his friends about after the war, he spoke of the sea. Of exploration beyond the walls, of seeing the wonders he’d only been able to read about. Unlike Erwin, he knew exactly what he would do when the fighting ended.

Now, does this mean to imply Erwin would’ve been useless after reaching the basement? Of course not. Had he survived, he would have continued to lead. But thematically, his purpose in the narrative was to drive the fight forward at any cost. We see this over and over—from the first expedition outside Wall Rose to his last charge against the Beast Titan. That’s what he represents, and that’s what his dream led to.

Armin’s dream, though, extends beyond the fight. He only cares about winning the war in that it will allow him the chance to explore and experience the wonders of the world.

Choosing Armin over Erwin, thematically, represents AOT’s fundamental view on war and fighting. The drive to win is not nearly as important as hope for the future. For after the fight is over.

Armin has always found solace and hope in things other than the war that has defined his and his friends’ lives. He dreams of the ocean. He worships his friends. He lives, as he tells Zeke in the final final final season, for the small moments with them. “Maybe I was born to race Eren and Mikasa up that hill.” That would be enough for him, even without his grand dream of the sea.

I genuinely think this choice is the closest thing AOT has to a thesis statement. This story shows us a plethora of messy situations to which there is no clear-cut solution. It displays a huge range of perspectives and philosophies without telling us what is good and what is bad. (Although it does, very specifically, tell us that genocide is bad, Eren!)

This choice in Midnight Sun, though, is more than a choice between two characters for survival. It speaks to what is most valuable in a world that seems to always be trying to kill you.

What good is winning the war if you don’t have something to hope for beyond that?

In other words, there’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo. And it’s worth fighting for.