#essentially my point is that the main focus is still going to be fear.

[markerbirthday]

I TOLD YOU MOTHERFUCKERS IT WAS STILL FEAR I TOLD YOU! /lh

(rant in tags)

[artist-issues]

To Re-Write Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

Here's a peek into my storytelling process, and what I think the third movie of the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy should've looked like. You know me. Everything starts with the Main Point. (I'm not going to talk about what's bad about Rise of Skywalker in this post, it'll be long enough already.)

The Main Point: "Where there is love, there is hope."

Essentially, the main message of Star Wars is "Faith Triumphs Over Fear." Our main message supports that, because it's hard to keep the faith when you're alone, or feel alone. But when you have friends, or loved ones to fight for, keeping the faith is easier, and gives you something other than fear to focus on.

So. I'm going to structure this like "Where a Character Was at the end of TLJ --> Where They Need to Be by the End of EP 9."

Most of these characters don't need any more development. They learned a core lesson at the end of TLJ: now they just need to hang on and put it into practice no matter what plot points test them. Stick the landing. We already had their "Proposal, Argument—" now we need their "—Conclusion."

The only exception to this is Kylo Ren. He still needs development. You'll see:

Rey

It's Not About Who I Am; It's About Doing the Good I Can Do --> Tempted to Make a Selfish-Insecure-Identity-Based Decision; Chooses to Do the Self-Sacrificial, Good Thing Instead.

This means Rey needs to have a goal she's trying to accomplish, but this time there's not really a "and then I'll know who I am" element in it for her. Like in TLJ, she was going to find Luke for the greater good, but it was also, on a personal level, because:

But this time, after TLJ, she needs to start out on a mission that doesn't have anything in it for her besides the greater good... to show that she's grown in the right direction, she's not thinking so much about who she is and what she needs, anymore.

Then, on that mission, during that adventure, that character growth can be tested by having the opportunity to get sidetracked by something that could be self-validating.

I wouldn't make it be something about her parents again—we've exhausted that topic by the end of TLJ. But I'd make it something that has to do with being "The Last Jedi, the Heiress to the Light Side of the Force." I'd set the movie up with people telling her that, eventually, Rey will grow to be the legend Luke Skywalker was.

Maybe in the time between TLJ and this movie, the Resistance have run enough rescue missions of refugees or people oppressed by the First Order to pick up a bunch of kids or very young recruits. And those kids have heard of or seen Rey in action by now. Maybe Broom Boy is even one of them. And there are scenes of kids being in awe of Rey, or one of them even says, "after you beat the First Order, will you train me, Master Jedi?" or Maz herself makes a sage comment like, "Look how the Light has grown in you. The Galaxy needed that light...and the Force answered with you, like Luke Skywalker before you." Or during a fun opening-rescue mission, there's a scene where all of the people Rey is helping look up to her and explain who she is to one another in front of her.

Scenes providing her with an image of herself, as the future trainer of the Jedi Order, "when all this is over." Something that she could be tempted to find her identity in.

But then during the course of her mission, she has the opportunity to do one of these things

Gain Amazing New Jedi Knowledge

Kill Kylo Ren and Gain Renown as a Hero

Sacrifice Some Measure of the Power She Has Gained in the Force

And if she chooses the thing that will make her seem more like the Heroic Heiress of the Heroes, that would derail her from her mission and show that she's still thinking about herself—but if she chooses to just do the self-sacrificial, kind thing in the moment, it would help her mission. Yet, it should make her future as someone of fame and importance in the Force uncertain—so that option is also self-sacrificial. Thats the choice she has to make.

And when she makes the right one, we see, not that she got to Be Somebody and vanquished her fear of "dying a nobody" from the first time we met her—

—but that she's not even afraid of that anymore. It's okay to "die a nobody," if everyone else is better off. Because that was a self-focused fear, anyway, and it no longer has power over her. (For lots of reasons—one of which being she now has friends.) Character growth. Star Wars.

Finn

Good Can Win if We Focus on Saving Loved Ones Instead of Destroying Hated Ones --> Tempted to Get Revenge, But Sacrifices Revenge to Save Someone Else he Loves

This means Finn is focused on getting something/keeping something that will provide aid/protect the people he has come to love. Most of his screen-time can be focused on this, to build on showing how far he's come. He should have multiple opportunities to run away, whether it be from First Order troops attacking a Resistance base, or from the scene of a conflict when a rescue mission goes sideways—but instead he keeps staying in dangerous situations to help loved ones.

My favorite scenario to place him in, for this, is in a covert-ops mission where he's infiltrating First Order stormtroopers. He already knows the system, but we've only seen him exploit that knowledge when it's to save his own skin/cause hurt to the people who abused him in the First Order. He doesn't like to be around First Order troops because he hates them/he's afraid of them. But in Episode 9, after TLJ, I'd be showing Finn, choosing to stay where he's surrounded (even if unknown) by people who could uncover his true identity and kill him at any moment—and doing it because it protects the Resistance, in some way. I'd also broaden that focus—he's specifically doing it because it helps the larger cause, not necessarily because his actions will directly save anyone he loves, like Rose or Poe or Rey.

But—at some point in this movie, someone he's attached to dies. I think the most obvious choice is Rose, but she was the one who taught him about avoiding hate and saving loved ones. Revenge for Rose would be far from what Rose would want, so it wouldn't tempt him. So instead I think it should be either a new character that he spends most of the first act of Ep. 9 bonding with believably—or it should be Poe.

Poe, or a stormtrooper he really likes who has just come around to leaving the First Order when she is brutally killed. (I do think Poe, or someone we've seen him "grow up" with throughout the first two films, should be the one to die because otherwise it wouldn't be as tempting for Finn to get revenge, at this point in his arc.)

Then Finn pursues revenge, near the climax of the film. But at the last second, a-la-Luke-tossing-away-his-lightsaber, Finn gives up the opportunity for that revenge and does something else. Something useful, that saves Resistance lives, but causes the person he was about to exact revenge upon to escape.

That's how we see that Finn has come full circle—not only is he willing to stay when things get frightening and hard, and not only is he willing to fight for people he loves...but he's willing to act out of that love, not hate, because of what he's learned.

Poe

A Leader Sacrifices for the Greater Good of Others, Not For His Own Pride  --> Tempted to Make a Hero's Stand; Gives Someone Else the Opportunity Instead

This one is tricky because it's hard to make a scenario where a leader makes a choice that is exciting to watch...when the choice is "don't make a heroic last stand."

It's tricky. It's not impossible. (Rian Johnson did not see anyone up for failure. The TROS storytellers just refused to problem-solve when it got hard. Thats all I'll say about TROS.)

Basically, this means that Poe needs to start the film out at the head of the Resistance. He's still going on missions, but his role in those missions is coordination. One team gets to be the distraction—another team saves the day. Then when both teams are done with their missions, and it looks like they'll give their lives for those missions because there's no way out, in drops Poe. He's been coordinating everything; he's just the getaway car driver.

Then there's fun banter scenes where he reports back to Leia, she's critiquing some of the messy parts of the plan but ultimately proud of him, they bounce ideas off each other, and it's clear it still rubs him the wrong way not to be on the frontlines, but he's enjoying parts of the new challenge of leadership anyway. And they're closer than ever.

Eventually, however, Leia is captured, just before the climax of the film. Like Finn, Poe drops everything the Resistance has been working toward and is intent on saving her, and he's taking a very active role in that. But then, due to her own reminder, he chooses to abandon rescuing her at a pivotal moment to do something that will ultimately turn the tide in the Resistance's favor during the climax. He lets Leia make the sacrifice, and he himself is making the sacrifice of getting to save her and have her back, for the greater good. It's a harder path, but it's one she was preparing him for this whole trilogy.

All of this is if Poe doesn't die to further Finn's arc.

Kylo Ren

It's Better to Destroy the Past in Conquest Than Face My Failures --> I Was Wrong

Biggest one.

Kylo Ren is on the Dark Side because he believed that he was destined to be a monster, nobody would keep loving him if that was his destiny, and leaning into that destiny would help him escape the hurt that nobody-loving-the-"destined"-him caused.

I'm not going to elaborate on that, it's as plain as the nose on his face if you watch the movies and listen to what his family members say about him and what he says about himself. That's why he embraced the Dark Side.

But Rey, Chewie, and Leia are still alive, and all three of them can claim to know the "real him," and try to convince him that he was wrong—he was never destined to be a monster, and they do love and believe in the real him, no matter what he's done.

However, he isn't likely to believe them. He's least likely to believe Leia—she sent him away before he'd done anything wrong, and he has now done many things wrong that are singularly hurtful to her. He's second-least likely to believe Chewie, because he killed Chewie's best friend and Chewie shot him (and also, it's not compelling for the audience for Kylo Ren's mind to be changed by a character that doesn't speak English or emote with human facial expressions.)

He's most likely to believe Rey. Because 1) she did not kill him even after he chose to be a monster all over again, and she could've done what Luke almost did and prevented more monstrous deeds by killing him while he was unconscious. And 2) on a deeper level, she never knew "Ben Solo." She only ever knew the monster, and yet she's still choosing to tell him that he's not stuck as a monster.

So. The movie should start with Kylo Ren as Supreme Leader, doing his utmost to gain power, crush the Resistance, and wipe out any reference to the New Republic or the Jedi. But the key difference is that he's not singlemindedly focused on Rey and Leia and killing them anymore. That's not because he's grown from his "I want every gun to fire on my Uncle" obsessive flaw. It's because he finished TLJ by being closer to regretting his decisions than ever before. In his subconscious, he's afraid of encountering Rey or Leia directly ever again, because now he knows how weak his own resolve is, at this point. He'd rather avoid a direct fight unless he knows he can withstand "the pull to the Light." (He's not admitting any of that to himself.)

So he starts the movie on a mission. But now we enter our bad guys.

Hux.

Hux has only ever existed in these movies to be a counterpoint to Kylo Ren. Where Kylo Ren is explosive, emotionally led, and tangles his personal interests up in the interests of the First Order—Hux is calculating, a strategist, and dedicated to the First Order's cause.

He's at his most passionate when giving speeches about the First Order's might, or when that might is being mocked, or when it is being misused. And he has always hated Kylo Ren. In the script for the Force Awakens, in Hux's introductory scene, it literally says "Hux hates Kylo Ren." That's what he's there for. To be everything to the First Order that Kylo Ren is missing—dedication to the cause, and finding his own sense of pride in that cause—and to hate Kylo Ren. So. When Kylo Ren gets to be Supreme Leader, and his personal issues are jeopardizing the whole First Order? Hux is going to put a stop to that. He doesn't have the Force. But he has control over his strategic mind, and he knows that Kylo Ren's weakness is his emotions.

So, Hux orchestrates some kind of scenario where they learn Rey's location, or next-known location. She's going after some important tech or artifact that could turn the tide of the war. Hux purposefully pokes at Kylo Ren's ego, and maybe faintly suggests that Ren is avoiding a confrontation with the girl who beat him twice and "murdered the Supreme Leader," until Kylo Ren flies off determined to get to the artifact or tech Rey is after first—and prove he's willing to kill her in the process. To himself, and the First Order.

Then Hux orchestrates an Order-66-style assassination attempt on the Supreme Leader with a group of loyal troopers. It should be in a starship flight over the planet Rey is on—Kylo Ren wouldn't believably be overcome in any other scenario. And he takes out almost all of his would-be traitor assassins during the attempt, anyway. But his ship does crash, and Hux takes the mantle of Supreme Leader, and our other heroes spend most of their time dealing with this rabid strategist and his war plans.

Meanwhile, Rey finds Kylo Ren who is barely alive and has to do something to save him. That something should, like I said above, cost Rey something. She should lose a particular Force-ability, or be permanently disabled in some (easily-hidden) way as a result of healing him—or she should lose an artifact, or lose something that would've boosted her identity as Savior of the Galaxy down the road.

But I wouldn't let Kylo Ren figure any of that out right away. For tension, I'd have him remain unconscious for the entirety of Rey saving his life and sacrificing something to do it. Then I'd have her need to hide him, then leave the scene, because she's still on a mission, and Hux has sent the Knights of Ren on the same mission. Then later, Kylo Ren can come to, catch up with her, and they can come to an agreement on looking for the thing they came for together, fighting the Knights of Ren along the way—even if they both know that this alliance will only last until they find the thing they each came to this planet for.

Kylo Ren has closed himself off to any Force bond with Rey. He's stubbornly insisting that he's using her—she's a means to an end. She's quietly certain that he'll come around, but she's not pushing it this time. She'll do what she has to do when they reach the end of their mission, but she's not worried about it. And she hasn't told him, or is hiding from him, the fact that she saved his life again. Because she knows, now, that he's not ready to hear any pleading or reasoning about coming to the Light. He has to get there on his own, and she can't force him (get it?)

They have lots of tense conversation and interesting team-up moments and almost-friendship, almost-betraying each other moments the whole time. Like they're in the Hunger Games in an alliance. Until eventually, the First Order's forces are converging on them (knowing both are alive) and Leia arrives—apparently to rescue Rey—and Kylo Ren, determined by this time not to let Rey go in any sense again, especially not to let her get to the end of her mission first, tries to board the Millenium Falcon and stop her. But it was a trap. Leia allows Rey to take a small craft to the end of her mission, while she and Kylo Ren face off. Leia won't let her son get in Rey's way if he's determined to stay on the Dark Side—and she certainly won't let him get the tech/artifact that might restore him to being the Supreme Leader.

(This whole standoff-stalemate-Leia trapping Kylo Ren in a ship with herself can be what Poe initially wants to save her from, too.)

Basically, at this point, whipping out her knowledge of Rey saving his life and pointing out that Rey believes in Ben Solo even after never having met him, Leia changes Kylo Ren's mind about all of it. If not for Rey and what Rey has shown him with her patience and steady faith, Leia wouldn't have been able to do this. But it works, and Kylo Ren leaves the Millenium Falcon as Ben Solo, finally, and he's determined to help Rey, who is racing toward the artifact/tech/final battle.

This is the bare bones. I'd add in or decide between a lot more elements—what is Hux's plan to wipe out the Resistance, what is the thing Rey/Kylo Ren are after, how does infiltrating Stormtroopers help the Resisrance in stopping whatever Hux is doing, does Finn have the Force, what're Chewie and the droids doing during all this, does Leia die at any point during her attempt to change Kylo Ren back, and is the final battle between Rey/Ben and the Knights of Ren? Or just one Knight of Ren who became the leader when they decided to turn on Kylo Ren and work with Hux? Or is the final battle against Hux and his forces?

I'd answer all those questions and try to do it in a way that interconnects Finn, Poe, Rey, and Rose's storylines. But this is just the bare bones of it all.

The conclusion is the tricky part. I don't think killing Kylo Ren works, even if he's redeemed. Not only because he's the last of the Skywalker/Solos. But because killing him makes Leia, Han, and Luke's hope for him feel kind of hollow. Especially if Leia dies to bring it about, which Han did already. "Our little Ben got to come back to the good side...for the last ten minutes of his life! Yaaay we always knew he could do it" NOPE. That's silly. And also, it's bad for his arc. He's a character that has been running from his bad decisions, thinking that stacking more and more on top of them will satisfy him. So what he needs is not a heroic-death-shaped back door out of the consequences of those bad decisions. He needs to face them.

And I also think, depriving Rey, a character who always wanted to stop being alone, of an organic if difficult relationship with someone who understands her, is a dissatisfying conclusion for the main character.

It would be best to have him live. And then he needs some difficult, but ultimately hopeful road ahead to mending his mistakes. Obviously the whole galaxy would be baying for his blood as justice, if they knew that the former Supreme Leader lived. So he probably needs to assume a new identity, just to avoid being executed for his crimes. (I don't think any Resistance member who knew Leia would be on board with executing Kylo Ren, once the war is over and they have to make that decision outside the heat of battle.)

Then he needs to do something that helps repair the wrongs he's done...but it should be something that costs him, personally. If he's come to value Rey as the only person left in the galaxy he cares about, I'd actually end the movie separating him from Rey. Not forever—because that would be as unsatisfying as killing him—but for the foreseeable future. Then I'd send him on a pilgrimage of some sort that will undo some things he's done. Obviously he can't bring back the lives he's taken. But, maybe whatever cataclysmic artifact or thing they were after did some damage across the galaxy during the climax—and Ben Solo can figure out how to reverse that damage, or repair the thing, but it'll be a long, hard road.

I might send Chewbacca with him. But that's it. It's basically atonement-exile, in disguise. In the meantime, Rey wouldn't be alone because she'd be with Finn and Poe (if he lives) and all her Resistance friends. And they'd start finding homes for the refugees from the war. I wouldn't directly end on Rey starting a Jedi school—not by herself. Only if she's doing it with Finn, or with Finn and Leia if Leia lives. Because again, we're going for "it ain't all about you and who you are, Rey."

That's what I'd do. Feel free to use this as a template or a springboard for your own ideas, (and hey send them to me if you do) because basically anything would be better than what we got with TROS. But this is just what I would do, bare framework.

[getossluttywaist]

String of fate - Geto Suguru

"According to legend, this thread emanating from the heart doesn’t end at the tip of the finger. It continues in the form of an invisible red string, which ’’flows’’ out of your pinkie and goes on to intertwine with the red strings of other people — connecting your heart with theirs. People who are connected are destined to meet"

A Geto Suguru fanfiction - AU where Geto never started the cult and the main character has the power to control the string of fate.

Hi everyone! i essentially was thinking of a power for an OC and come up this the string of fate idea and one thing lead to another and i wrote this :') this is my first time writing like this so if you have any feed back please let me know!! I will probably turn this into a fanfic ~k

The world stopped moving; she felt the little red string that had always been tied to her pinky loosen. She stopped focusing on the enemy she was currently battling, frantically searching for him. She looked down at the string, grabbing it desperately, she pulled other strings to her body to travel to him, her instincts to go to him taking over her. 

 The ringing in her ears drowned out the yelling, the screams for help, the sound of death. She knew the enemy would follow; she knew they would catch up to her. If she lost him, there would be no point in fighting anymore. The string she gripped in her hand, lead to her lover. She hoped that the tighter she held onto him, onto his string, his fate would stay the same. She saw his figure from afar, he was fighting one of the sorcerers. She could feel his string becoming shorter, she could feel his fate changing. 

She hurried her speed, pulling at different strings to try and decrease the distance between them.  “It’s not fast enough,” she cried in desperation to make the strings move her faster, causing her voice to become weak. Her vision was becoming distorted as tears began to fill her eyes. She held onto her tears, she refused to let them fall, refusing to accept what was happening.

She let out a desperate scream, a plea to him, to the gods above, to anyone as she watched the sorcerer deliver her lover's new fate to him. She watched as he stumbled, holding his side. The world started to move slowly as she watched the events unfold before her.  Dread began washing over her body, her eyes were locked onto him out of fear that if she looked away for a single moment he would disappear. 

As she rushed to him, her focus on him caused her to crash into rubble causing her to stumble, she let out a curse under her breath as she tried to increase the speed of the strings attached to her. He looked up at her, watching her rush to him. He smiled softly at her; he was speaking to her but she was still too far to hear. 

She pulled on his fate, trying to change it, trying to save him. She could feel the string loosening around its previous place on her pinky, she was loosing her grip on the string, no matter what she did the string became weaker, it became shorter. The proof of the love they shared, her hopes, her dreams, the reason she was fighting, was slipping from her grasp. 

She detached herself from the strings and rushed to guide him as he fell to the ground, his clothing was saturated in blood, the air carried an overpowering metallic scent to her nose. She was running out of time. She couldn’t think straight; the fear of losing him was consuming her thoughts.

 “I need to heal him; I can heal him,” her voice trembled and broke. She was clinging onto any bit of hope, any delusion where he could be saved, unable to accept the sight before her. She placed her hands on his wound to hold pressure, trying to stop the bleeding. She began looking around, using whatever strength she had left, trying to summon another fate string for him; she frantically searched for a string that didn’t end. she touched every possible fate string, flashes of the inevitable destroyed any hope that remained, they all ended the same.  

 “No, no, no, no, no, there has to be one that doesn’t end!“ she yelled, panic was consuming her. She searched other strings to add to the shortening one, looking for anyone or anything that could heal him.

She could see all of the possible deaths of a person; she could protect a persons fate string; she could have prevented this; she could have saved him. Why didn’t she stay with him? Why did she let her guard down? Why didn’t she see this fate? Every thought of how she failed him was ripping her apart. The guilt was added to the regret and despair that filled her, beginning to overflow.  

As she looked at his wound she noticed the blood was starting to slow; false hope started to fill in her heart. “The bleeding, it’s slowing down!“ she had some foolish hope that if she could convince herself he was okay, that he would be. But the amount of blood that had poured from his body gave her the harsh reality she desperately wished was just a trick. 

He placed his hands on hers, giving then a gentle tap; her focus was back on the man below her. His face was pale, his eyes were dull and sunken in, a stark contrast to the face that she had seen just hours ago. She longed to see his eyes sparkle as he laughed; she longed to see his smile one last time. 

“I’m happy you’re the last person I got to see,“  His voice was weak, his breathing was shallow, he could barely bring his hand to her cheek as he rubbed his thumb over her lips gently. He smiled at her lovingly, his eyes scanned her face taking in every freckle, every blemish every curve, making sure to engrave it into his memory. 

She let out a desperate laugh, at his words. “If I hide my face will that make you stay?” As she spoke, her voice broke; a sob escaped her; her question made him let out a soft breath of amusement. 

“Please don’t leave me, I need you.” She pleaded, the sadness she felt was filling her lungs, She couldn’t breathe; She was drowning. He was all she had left; he was supposed to be there forever. The string that connected the two started to unravel and fade, flashing images of what would have been, in her mind; breaking her heart even more.

“Promise me you will find me in our next life?” His voice had grown softer, the pain of speaking evident in his face. 

“Only if you promise to wait for me,” her bottom lip trembled as his eyes filled with tears, he was scared but he would never admit it; she knew him well enough to know that. She watched through tear filled eyes as he lifted his arm holding out his pinky. 

She placed the finger that once had their future wrapped around it, in his, sealing their new fate. They both watched as a new red string appeared on her finger, neatly tied in a Knot. 

His wound had stopped bleeding. 

She brought her hand to hold his up as she felt his hand become limp. She leaned into his touch letting the pain consume her; she felt as if her chest was being torn open, like her head was being held underwater. He had taken her heart with him, she didn’t stop it. Her heart, her soul belonged with him. 

She looked at the little red string that was tied to her pinky, in the place where the string that once connected the two lovers had been; a reminder of their promise. Her heart sank as she watched another string shortened; she felt a mixture of despair and relief as her fate changed.

[cabbageandcarrotsoup]

Inside Out 2 re-written by someone who hasn’t watched it, but is mentally ill

!!TRIGGER WARNINGS FOR SH!!

Just as a disclaimer, I haven’t seen Inside Out 2 because I’m boycotting Disney, but I was really intrigued by the inclusion of the new emotions, especially how Anxiety can shape your entire sense of self and take over all your senses and motivations! This got me wondering how a chronic anxiety or depressive disorder would look like in Riley’s head, so here are some ideas: 

NOTE: I call this a rewrite because I might do a script in the future, and further disclaimer: this is based on my own experience, and is in no way an all-encompassing representation of anxiety and depression!!! 

Anxiety:

She's like the underdog that Joy tries to befriend because her intentions are great, like Joy, so she attempts to understand

When Riley gets put on anxiety meds/antipsychotics, the pills appear as "mind police" to rock Anxiety's shit LMAO

On a low dose, a mind-policeman comes to pet and lull Anxiety to sleep, and at a higher dose, a gang of mafia-style police come to beat Anxiety unconscious with plastic hammers (nothing graphic for kids) -> locks her in a cage for a stipulated time until the meds wear off

That VERY RELATABLE self-hatred and disgust that we go through as teenagers is essentially Disgust, Anger and Anxiety brawling across the control panel (think "Can i PLEASE get a waffle" vine), but Anxiety wins by taking all the weapons they beat her with and using it against them, culminating in a dissociative episode where there's an orange flash bang. When everything passes, the rest of the emotions wake up to find that Riley has been hurting herself to calm down and ground herself.... and everyone is like O SHIT WHAT DEWY DO

We can hint at the common HC of gender dysphoria when Anxiety turns the male and female-presenting emotions against each other like gossip and paranoia, and there are some scenes where she gets really uncomfortable at her chest and her voice on top of just body odor but that won't be the main focus, just pass it off as another insecurity but it'll be a lovely little nod to my fellow queer folks out there!

Depression:

Is more of the "Big Bad" than Anxiety, appears very large and imposing like your typical high-school bullies in shows

They try to get Sadness on their side by being like "see, we both make her feel down" but Sadness is like EUUGH NOOOO, so we drive home the point to the children that depression DOES NOT EQUAL sadness! Important lesson kids!

Antidepressants appear as a spray that covers everyone in goo (the mind-police have terrible aim) on top of just Depression, so every emotion becomes muted for a while, just like in real life and they can't really move well or they slip when trying to control the mind panel!

When it finally wears off, Joy is like YOOO LETS GOOOOOOO and spams happiness, but then realizes that Depression is also free, and then we have an emotional crash

The Hobby Island is the first to go, flickering off and on erratically, causing both the hockey results and grades to slip :(((

As Riley adjusts to medication, eventually both Depression and Anxiety become a bit smaller in size; they still have an impact but everyone learns to accommodate them, and it becomes more like a "haiyahhh there they go again" instead of fearing and hating them as something massively unfamiliar!

With regards to Riley's parents, maybe their emotions have to venture into the vaults of Teenage Angst to relive their experiences and figure out how to support her. Essentially the message is that a family support system is extremely important on top of medical treatment, and that even though you can't get rid of mental illnesses, you can always live with them!

If you have your own thoughts and ideas, please add on, I’d LOVE to hear them!! But that's what I have and I thought it was an interesting idea to possibly explore :)

[soudlenoop]

“What even happens in this AU of yours, Mr. Big Time Gambler?” Part 2.5

HYPERCHROME AU CHAPTER 2.5: SURGE’S TIME TO SHINE

Theme: https://youtu.be/mVurA44hwiw?si=yVqoFLEZIQ0AGezO (Kickstart My Heart - Motley Crue)

Hey, look, check this out! I can count without going up a number! This is the first of the subchapters for Hyperchrome AU. These subchapters (which I’ve lovingly dubbed “point-fives”) typically focus on the corresponding main chapter’s events, but from a different character’s perspective. They can also take place before the events of the main story, and act as context to the actions of another character, or something. Speaking of something…

Chapter 2.5 takes place at the same time as Chapter 2, and focuses on the misadventures of Surge Laverock the Tenrec, who starts out as an average student (Yeah, kids actually do have school in this universe) living an average life in Starlight City, counting down the days until Winter Break… but then, PLOT happened! How did it happen, you ask? On a school trip to a power plant, Surge finds herself in a classic case of “wrong time, wrong place” when she gets a little too close to a generator that suddenly goes haywire, causing herself to get shocked at a dangerously high voltage.

Luckily, Surge survives, but she soon discovers that the accident granted her the power of electrokinesis! Inspired by the various comic book superheroes she read about, Surge decides to use this newfound ability to fight evil! Unfortunately, uhh… well, it’s not as easy as it looks.

The rest of the chapter consists of Surge slowly getting accustomed to her status as a hero. Along the way, she meets many new faces, while simultaneously getting into WACKY SHENANIGANS!!!

What kind of new faces? Well at one point, Surge meets Kitsuna Keller the Fennec, after saving him from getting the crap beaten out of him or something, I don’t know. They become very good friends, ok? I’m very tired of writing this.

Surge also has Amy Rose, her friend that she has in school, which she DOES go to. She likes Sonic a lot. Like a whole lot… Like, seriously, she’d do anything for Sonic… yeah.

But also, we got villains. 3 of them, in fact. At some point, Surge attracts the attention of infamous crime boss, Clutch Carnby the Opossum, after her heroic feats are recognized by the mainstream. Clutch, feeling the stress of GUN’s recent appearance in South Island, fears the possibility of what is essentially a second Sonic, and hires 2 mercenaries to take Surge out.

Who are these 2 mercenaries? Don’t worry, I’ll tell you. The first one is Mimic the Shapeshifter, an Octopus who can take the form of virtually anybody. He’s weirdly secretive about his past, but that doesn’t matter, he’s still pretty good at what he does.

The second one is Nicole Stilgram the Weasel. Why, yes, she IS the sister of Nack Stilgram the Weasel, the guy I mentioned in the Chapter 2 description! Don’t be confused, though, they’re very different. See, while Nack is a GUN soldier in this AU, Nicole acts more accordingly to how Nack acts in the actual games.

Basically, these 3 miscreants give Surge a whole heap of trouble, and eventually, they actually seem to have her cornered in an alleyway, but an oddly lucky slip-up by Mimic gives Surge the chance to escape! Naturally, Clutch and Nicole begin to give chase, before being suddenly stopped… by Mimic?!

Immediately, a gaggle of GUN soldiers appear from every angle, weapons all pointed at Clutch and Nicole, but not Mimic or Surge. Hey, wait a sec! That Octopus is no miscreant! I don’t even think he’s a mercenary! Mimic’s shapeshifting-form-thing that I should explain slowly dissolves, revealing a GUN uniform! …If you haven’t caught on yet, the big twist is that Mimic is a spy from GUN. Bet you didn’t see that coming, and yes, I DID foreshadow it in the Chapter 2 description. You can call him… Private Mimic Nisemono. Wh-… No, “Private” isn’t part of his name, that’s just his rank in GUN.

So, the group of GUN soldiers arrest Clutch, but unfortunately, Nicole escapes. Before leaving, Mimic apologizes to Surge for any confusion, and then goes off to do… y’know, GUN stuff.

A little while later, Clutch is broken out of prison, with the help of Nicole… who promptly shoots Clutch in the back, killing him! Now, NICOLE is the infamous crime boss! Or something like that, I don’t know, I’ve been writing this for too long.

I’m gonna be honest with everybody, I had a real hard time writing this. I guess I just lost motivation a bit there, but hopefully, I can find it again for Chapter 3! See you next time!

[peacerisendove]

Big Ethel Energy S2 Episode 25 and 26

The best thing this comic has done so far is focus on Veronica and her blooming love life because I love to see it. It's interesting , it gets away from our annoying protagonist, it gives this comic life that doesn't seem insular.

And honestly that's what you want in a comic that is about life! You want to see the surrounding environment and what's going on because when the focus is solely on your protagonist and their problems it does get tedious especially when that protagonist appears self centered, never recognizes their own faults/wrongs, and bad mouths the people around her amongst other things.

For once something that feels extraneous and separate to Ethel and her main character life! And that is a good thing as I've mentioned!

I love something that has absolutely nothing to do with her. Ronnie is out living her life and getting interested in another man. It's very cute and wholesome how she's very into this guy without him even realizing. They're very different and it's super cute. Especially with how she genuinely wants to learn more about being more eco-friendly and not wasting.

I feel like these bit are trying to maker Veronica come off as rude, but I don't see it that way. She feels professional and focused, even though she really wants to get to know more about Gilbert.

Aaaaaand back to Big Ethel Drama we are.

Honestly, Betty's reaction is exaggerated. Someone else has a crush on the guy you like and said guy said no to you before? You deal with that kind of thing.

You don't own Seth.

Ethel is in a relationship and isn't going after Seth. She has a crush, but she's not going to currently act on it.

The only person Betty can be reasonably upset with is either Seth for rejecting (because it always hurts when the guy you like doesn't like you back) or herself. It's unreasonably to be mad at Ethel for something she can't control, but also isn't even a thing. She's making a mountain out of molehill and her response is exaggerated.

Though honestly, lets look at the comic, Betty has had a lot of time to be upset over Seth not liking her back, so her being mad even now is ridiculous in my opinion. She is rejected by Seth in S1 Episode Episode 50. I'm assuming it is around fall because Ethel states she was away on Holiday at the start of Season 2, so I think Betty's had more than a few months to process. The last time we heard about her opinion of Seth was S2 Episode 15, where she said: "I'm not angry at him anymore for not wanting to date me, but I'm still hurting a bit from his rejection".

Above Image: Season 2 Episode 15

SO which is it Betty? Why do you feel so goddamn attached and possessive of a man who has no interest in dating you and who we barely see you interacting with??

And even if it's just the rejection hurting her, that gives you not right or reason to bite your friend's head off for JUST HAVING A CRUSH when she is ALREADY IN A RELATIONSHIP AND PROBABLY WON'T ACT ON IT. Betty is fueling her own fears and anxieties and that's her own fault. It's honestly just ridiculous to watch as well.

This little reaction makes her seem really entitled and childish overall, which are aspects I don't associate with the general idea of Betty's character in the Archie Universe (essentially the concept of Betty over all as someone who's read the old comics).

-sigh- Man, I know this misunderstanding is going to blow up in Ethel's face and I genuinely feel bad for her in this instance.

Episode 26

OKAY NOW I CAN GET INTO THIS.

GIRL NOT EVERYTHING IS ABOUT YOU. YOU'VE HAD SO LONG TO PROCESS YOUR FEELINGS. This is only your issue no one else's. It's truly so embarrassing and ridiculous to watch this go down.

Why is almost everyone in in this comic is so terrible? It's not even a reasonable sort of terrible you know? Yeah people get angry but it feels like drama for drama's sake.

NO YOU FUCKING DIDN'T DUMBASS. I HAVE THE RECEIPTS. FUCKING SETH POINTED THAT OUT TO YOU, YOU CALLED IT MANSPLAINING AFTER HE REJECTED YOU.

Above: Season 1 Episode 50 (read left to right)

Betty: "I'm sure he knew."

GIRL. Do not put the blame on him. Even if he knew. He also clearly knew it was inappropriate, so he politely ignored or dissuaded you from it. This is not about feelings. It's about what is proper. He didn't want to take advantage of you and so he didn't.

UGH SHE'S BEING BITCHY AND SHALLOW AND POKING AT ETHEL'S RELATIONSHIP, WHICH SHE KNOWS AS HE FRIEND IS A GENERAL SORE POINT, BECAUSE SHE DOESN'T HAVE ONE. How shallow can you get? Even as a friend I wouldn't do that.

I'm rolling my eyes ya'll. The pettiness. The idiocy of her reaction. Please go read a better comic than this.

Why do we keep blaming people who don't deserve it? First it's Jughead now it's Seth. When and where will it end? Also crying? Seriously? How are you not pissed the fuck off? I'm pissed the fuck off and I barely like you as a protagonist. Where are the actual fights in these friendships??? All it is is crying and yelling.

Seth didn't drive a wedge between you two. You continue to not want to take responsibility or accountability, and honestly neither does Betty now that I think about it. That and what drove a wedge between you two is Betty's stupid reaction to something should have dealt with months ago. It's probably been a whole season! It's spring right now I think! Get over it! He doesn't like you!

Goddammit. We almost have a voice of reason. He's right on the first part. It's not her fault, but we really need to stop propping up Ethel on a goddam pedestal. It's infuriating.

She's not right!!!!!!!

OH MY GOD.

YOU CAN SETH'S NAME A THOUSAND TIMES BUT IT'S LITERALLY NOT HIS FAULT. I am begging the author to get an editor or something. I'm begging. This is ridiculous.

(I am so upset that I hit the image limit of 30 I want you guys to see my upset Jughead reactions.)

Me too Seth. Me too. I know she's over correcting and being so FUCKING STUPID.

...

WHAT THE UTTER FUCK!!!!! YOU'RE SO FUCKING STUPID. I HATE YOU. YOU LITERALLY DID THIS WITH JUGHEAD!

GROW THE FUCK UP.

TAKE SOME GODDAMN ACCOUNTABILITY FOR YOUR ACTIONS IN YOU GODDAMN LIFE.

YOU ARE NOT SPECIAL. YOU DO NOT DESERVE TO BE ON A PEDESTAL. YOU DO NOT DESERVE TO BE A FUCKING PROTAGONIST OF A SERIES WITH THIS KIND OF WRITING.

SETH DID ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WRONG. YOU'RE MAD!!!

[kyndaris]

The Nature of a Thing

Ever since I was young, there were two things that captured my imagination. The first were stories that mostly revolved around the hero’s journey. It could be from books or games, but the idea of saving the world always encouraged me to be the best version of myself. The second, of course, was mythology. Greek, Norse and Egyptian were the main three that caught my eye. I was obsessed about stories revolving the gods, demi-gods and whatever shenanigans they might have gotten themselves into. Many of these are already known by the wider world and through emphasis in popular culture: the drunken adventures of Loki and Thor, the murder of Osiris by the envious Seth, or Heracles and his twelve labours.

What I didn’t realise was that many of the character I looked up to played into very stereotypical archetypes. After attending selective high school and learning about tropes in high school, as well as watching copious amounts of video essays on YouTube, I like to think I’m now a dab hand at pointing at a character on screen and rattling off their attributes. This is, after all, their ‘nature.’ It doesn’t matter if they’re reluctant heroes at the start or attractive anti-heroes, in the end, the end of their story was dictated by them. And the journey that they go on has very predictable beats. The self-doubt that creeps in, the mentor that steps in to bolster their confidence...

Tell me, how many of you, dear readers, can hear the word ‘Japanese role-playing game (JRPG)’ and not know that the game will have the main protagonist start off in some small rural village doing something as innocent as rescuing a cat up in a tree before slaying the cruel god of the world right as the credits roll?

Form and settings can change, but the nature remains the same.

And this is the very thing that is explored in God of War: Ragnarok. One that is excellently brought to light when Kratos and Freya visit the Nords and realise that prophesy is merely the understanding of the moving parts of the world.

But we’ll get back to that later.

Years have passed since the events of the first game. Atreus has grown up into a curious teenager, eager to find his own place in the world and chafing at the direction his father sees for him. True, he doesn’t always make the right decision, but he’s learning. Kratos, on the other hand, feels like he’s been stuck in a rut since the revelations at Jotunheim. He has seen the patterns and fears for the safety of his son. During the long years of Fimbulwinter, he has prepared his son to live without him but, it is clear as the game progresses, Kratos is also scared of leaving his son alone. A typical parent fear, if you think about it, when children have grown up and want to leave the nest.

Honestly, I hadn’t expected Kratos to be such a protective parent when it came to his son, having seen his rage dictate most of his actions in the Greek era of games and his more stoic and standoffish approach in the first game. But while he does make the occasional misstep, it’s clear that Kratos loves his son dearly and wants only the very best for Atreus. 

Besides, you have to also love the fact that Mimir also essentially serves as a second father to Atreus. What with his stories and the occasional pearls of wisdom that he drops. A far different approach to what Kratos brings to the table.

And so, from a simple hunting trip out in Midgard, where they are attacked by a still vengeful Freya, Kratos and Atreus are soon roped into a quest to stop the end of days: Ragnarok and rail against fate. Or, at least, that’s what they initially assume. As the game goes on, and prophecies are unveiled, their quest becomes one to stop the machinations of Odin, the All-Father. In comparison to the first game, it’s a bit more complex with a lot of moving parts. In fact, rather than keeping the game solely focused on Kratos, the game also puts gameplay focus on Atreus as he tries to find a way to keep his father safe and forge his own path.

It all plays well with the theme of letting go of one’s preconceptions. And, when it comes to parenting, allowing your children the agency to make their own choices and mistakes rather than dictating them at every turn. Something Kratos initially struggles with but learns to accept after his trip with the Norns.

And, just like last time, there are no cuts when it comes to the camera. While this did make transitions between scenes more difficult to manage, somehow the team of Santa Monica managed to pull it off. Even if it was a little awkward at times - such as with the dream sequences, and the change in perspective from Kratos to Atreus and vice versa. I mean, let’s be honest, I couldn’t have been the only one that thought Atreus placing his knife on a barrel, only for Kratos to pick up the exact same knife was a little strange, right? Nor did I much like how the walls and bedding had to be placed behind Kratos as he transitioned from a dream with Faye to being back in his soft bed. 

It was like seeing the magic behind the scenes rather than being pulled into the story.

Still, I have to commend Santa Monica for committing to their artistic vision. Even as I was frustrated at the fact that half the time, the camera was solely focused on Kratos and his reactions whilst other character flitted in and out of the scenes from behind or entered just out of view of the camera. What’s worse was that there were no footsteps or acknowledgement of the other character until they stepped into view.

I know Kratos is unflappable but he merely grunted when Hildisvini came up from behind in Muspelheim to say that he was taking Mimir with him to Niflheim.

This might have been an issue in the combat but thankfully companions are able to provide ample warning, allowing for frequent blind dodging on my part, as well as the occasional use of the block button. From a combat perspective, I did feel like the Ragnarok was a lot more fluid than the previous game. It helps that Kratos begins the game equipped with both the Blades of Chaos and the Leviathan Axe. But the Spartan Rage ability was also a lot more versatile. Yes, Kratos can still unleash it to pummel an enemy into oblivion and regain health but he is also able to simply use it solely to heal and in an all-out attack.

Unfortunately, during the intervening years of Fimbulwinter, Kratos also somehow lost the armour he previous had and the skills he had acquired over the course of the last game. Why? Who knows. But hit skill tree was woefully empty and all my maxed out armour pieces were missing. Kratos did provide a semi-explanation but I don’t feel like it was adequate.

So many hours...wasted...

Still, I felt like the sets in Ragnarok were better able to cater to my play style. In fact, it’s probably the only reason why I was able to nab the platinum for this game. Yes, you read that correctly, dear reader. Another platinum has been claimed! And that was because this game was much more forgivable than its predecessor. You gotta love armour perks that heal you!

The one other thing that irked me about the game was how wooden characters would be when it wasn’t a cutscene. During my treks through Yggdrasil or the other realms, Kratos, Mimir, Freya and Atreus would occasionally banter. But when I looked back at my companions, the dead-eye stare I received back was perturbing to say the least.

Other than that, I very much enjoyed my time with Ragnarok and the story it wanted to tell. As well as the philosophy many of our protagonists had in terms of fate and prophecy. After all, this wasn’t so much a battle about free will and determinism so much as it was the choices one makes can dictate the path we walk in a bid to ‘be better.’ 

And while Kratos, Atreus and Freya understood that assignment, Odin - who was adamant about knowing what the future might bring so he could change it to his benefits and be in control - was ultimately unable to acknowledge that he could make a choice to end the vicious cycle he found himself in. During the final battle, he highlighted that fact with his dialogue, exclaiming that he “didn’t have a a choice.” Funny how the person who wants the most control is always the one that seems to have the least of it or claims that his failures are not the result of their own actions but those that had been put upon them.

After all, he didn’t have to kill Thor.

He could have chosen to give up his quest for knowledge and lived a happy life with his sons.

Could have stepped down from being the All-Father.

But he chose none of these alternatives.

So, I suppose if there’s one good thing about Odin, it’s the fact that he’s tenacious. And really really really good at deflecting personal fault and blame.

Music-wise, the game was excellent. Bear McCreary is talented at creating evocative pieces that sell the story beats. Did it deserve to win the Game Award for Best Music? Honestly, I’m going to have to say that Xenoblade Chronicles 3 was robbed. 

What about Best Narrative? To be fair, A Plague Tale Requiem’s ending pulled at my heartstrings more. That was a story about a girl and her brother trying to live out their best lives and hoping to find a cure to his condition. The problems they faced might not have been supernatural Gods but their battle was so much more personal and heartfelt - and more in line with the 2018 version of God of War. 

Still, God of War Ragnarok is still up there as one of the best games that came out in 2022. And when you play quite a bit of the smaller titles, rather than just big budget releases, that dig into elements of the human condition, 2022 was a pretty good year for video game releases.

Overall, I’m sad that we didn’t get the story of Loki turning into a horse to distract a stallion and coming back after 9 months with the 8-legged Sleipnir, but I’ll take what I can get. I do hope that if there is another God of War game, it’ll follow Atreus and see his wanderings across the realms of myth and legends. Hopefully we, the players, can join him as he looks to uncover more hidden giants. Preferably in Celtic folkore. It would certainly be a better choice than Egypt - a mythology that’s already been done to death in popular culture.

That, or the franchise can take us somewhere completely different.

Can you imagine: Kratos against Sun Wukong? I wonder how that might work. 

P.S. LOVED that Deborah Ann Woll was in this. I didn't quite recognise her voice but seeing Faye's model, I was like: isn't that? AND I WAS RIGHT!

[jinxed-sinner]

Y’know, I was thinking about Moxxie’s Bad Trip because it’s stuck in my head and it got me thinking. Specifically, the part I was thinking about was this exchange:

Blitz: I don’t know, eventually everyone goes!

Moxxie: ‘Cause you’re thoughtless and cruel and you’ll end up alone!

Now you might be like “Jinx, why is that so interesting to you?” And, fair. The reason it’s so interesting to me is because it’s not a new lesson (“you’ll end up alone if you’re cruel”). It’s a lesson cartoons teach to every age. Every kids cartoon I’ve found myself enjoying has taught that lesson at some point. Ninjago taught that lesson. My Little Pony taught that lesson. That lesson also has a reverse that’s also taught in Helluva Boss, Ninjago, and My Little Pony though; a not insignificant amount of the time, cruelty comes from a place of pain, which is very much the case in Blitzo's situation. It's mentioned in Moxxie's Bad Trip; Blitz pushes people away because he's afraid of getting close to people (something hallucination Stolas mentions; "Are you afraid to love people, Blitzy?"), something that likely comes from what happened to his mom and Fizzarolli. It's still toxic, but it comes from a place of pain, not malice (which I see so many people misunderstand, I've seen too many people act like Blitz is actively malicious when he acts out because he's traumatized). The primary difference between Helluva Boss and MLP and Ninjago is Helluva Boss's main character is a cruel, damaged character trying to navigate both a fear of being alone and a fear of making connection, which leads to, as Moxxie describes it, an incredibly toxic routine of getting close to someone then pushing them away so there's not as much of a risk.

Hazbin Hotel’s main theme, redemption, is also taught to kids; Hazbin Hotel just takes a more mature, nuanced look at it and shows that not everyone can be redeemed and not everyone is even deserving of redemption. Some people might not even want redemption. In most kids shows though, we're essentially taught that redemption is always possible, and, technically, yeah. There's always someone who's going to stay on someone's side and enable them no matter what they did (which, in fairness, is another thing Hazbin is showing, and I'm sure we'll get more of in season 2 since the Vees are going to be bigger characters). Socially, there's always going to be at least one person who enables someone who's a piece of shit. But not everyone is redeemable and not everyone wants to be redeemed, which is something Hazbin Hotel seems to be exploring and I'm excited to see more of it. Like something I feel like people forget is that Hazbin Hotel doesn't just focus on the divine aspect of redemption; it also focuses on the personal and social aspects. Angel isn't redeemed in a technical way, but he is redeemed in most of the cast's eyes, to the point of the angelic court questioning why he isn't in Heaven. Hazbin Hotel isn't just showing that redemption is a divine event, it's showing that it's personal. If you work hard enough and you really want to, you can redeem yourself, even if you don't get into Heaven.

It's interesting to me. We're basically getting the same lessons we were taught in the shows we watched as kids, just with more nuance and more mature themes, which I do think is important. I just think it's interesting that as humans, we're prone to focusing on specific themes in our stories, no matter the target demographic. I think it says a lot too. I think it tells us what topics and themes are important to us.

[iwritenarrativesandstuff]

Character opinion bingo ask: Kyouka and Akutagawa?

~ Note

Hi Note! :D

Omg... Kyouka and Akutagawa my beloveds...

Kyouka:

They are sooooo cool looking: Kyouka's outfits are excellent and she looks great in everything. Ok so maybe it's more pretty/cute but still. I think it counts.

Wasted potential: Sigh... ok so this might be an unpopular opinion, but while I think she's fine in the main series I felt her role in Beast should've been more significant. While it made sense that her and Atsushi would end up unhealthily over-reliant on each other in an environment where they're the only ones they have... I think it would've been more intriguing to have Kyouka take a bigger role there, since she was so important to the sskk dynamic in the main universe. Also I was under the impression that the whole reason she bonded so strongly to Atsushi was because of his helping and inspiring her... so idk. I wish she had've left the Mafia in Beast and stayed out but didn't get found right away. Maybe Akutagawa is forced to reassess his role as an older sibling based off their interactions (early indications that his and Gin's relationship won't be magically repaired once he finds her). Maybe Kyouka is constantly conflicted between her desire to get out from the Mafia and her desire to not see Atsushi get hurt. Maybe Akutagawa is faced with someone who can't decide whether or not she is helping or hindering him, someone he doesn't know well enough to reach but knows just well enough to feel uncomfortable with the notion of cutting her down. I just think more could've been done than using Kyouka as a means of forcing Atsushi's hand. Plus it would've meant Atsushi and Kyouka angst as she tries to reach him and he tries to reach her and they both, due to acting out of their own trauma and fear, fundamentally miss what the other really needs. Anyways. Sorry for the rant. To clarify, I don't hate what was done (Beast is really good!) I just. Yeah, wasted potential.

They're deeper than they seem: I mean that was the whole point of my "Kyouka's impact on sskk" post. But more than that, she actually has a lot of depth to her. She's clever and competent, as well as childish and snarky. She's easily taken with simple joys and also capable of unshakeable focus. She has issues trusting people and real, honest, believable reactions to her own pain and seeing others go through it. Slowly but surely, she comes alive. She's a whole person!!! And her development is still one of my favourites in the series.

They work better as part of a dynamic: I would love some solo Kyouka focus but it's funny because much as Kyouka isn't intending it, for some reason her mere presence means that someone around her is getting some realization or character development. Seriously. She kickstarts sskk, her choices are at the crux of Kouyou's story and development. Her conflict with Higuchi affirms Higuchi's loyalty even in the face of severe injury, and Mushitarou starts taking advice from Yokomizo when her and Atsushi go to save him. Even Dazai has a moment of genuineness when he's talking to her about people changing for the better - he's thinking about Oda and I'm pretty sure Asagiri confirmed those were his honest thoughts. So, yeah, I love Kyouka as a character individually but also whenever she shows up it means we're getting some good conflict and scenes with other characters too. Which is awesome and compelling.

They've never done anything wrong in their life: yeah :)

Akutagawa:

They are sooooo cool looking/Why do they look like that: I. I want to roast him for what he's wearing and his hair but sometimes he really does look legitimately cool, especially in the manga. I don't think I will ever get that one panel from the Fukuchi fight out of my head - the one where he creates essentially Rashoumon spider limbs out of his shirt - I have no idea why he dresses like a goth victorian edgelord but props to him for somehow pulling it off. (This panel btw. Gosh he's so cool.)

If they were real, I'd be afraid of them: I mean, I think this is a valid thing to feel.

Didn't get enough screen time: Ok so I know that sounds weird but for his importance he actually doesn't get that many scenes... surprisingly? Like, he shows up at key scenes and then basically dips lol. For a deuteragonist and foil of the main character, idk I guess I was just surprised when I started reading at how little he actually appeared. Especially since the doa arc started. Where is my boy Asagiri??? Can he maybe... not be a vampire anymore? K thanks.

They work better as part of a dynamic: Well, clearly the sskk dynamic is top tier. And I love his relationship with Gin and would like to see it expanded on, plus the complicated mess that is his dynamic with Kyouka. His dynamic with Dazai, uncomfortable though it is to see, is very intriguing as a reader and I desperately want to know more. However... tying back in with what I said about the screen time, I really want to see more of just Akutagawa. The Hawthorne/Mitchell fight is so good to me because he's the only character we really know in advance at that point, and a lot of the fight is him thinking over Atsushi's words. I would like to see more of Akutagawa on his own tbh, and I'm hoping that's what the whole vampire thing builds up to.

[aikoiya]

If Ancient Vlad had changed his ways after the Series Finale, what would he be like in the ‘Danny Phantom: AGIT’ Comic? 💚 Would Vlad be horrified of the Clockwork + Dark Dan Evil Fusion? 💙 Would he be raising Dark Dan + Ellie? 💜 How would Vlad feel about ‘Phantom Planet’ being reversed? 🖤 Would Vlad get along with Danny and his Human Allies?

Vlad would be horrified at what his little Badger had become. It'd be like looking into a dark mirror. Then to learn that Dan didn't just aspire to kill all humanity, he actually went & did it in his timeline.

It'd also bring into perspective just why Clockwork is needed. It's also possible that by this point, Danny might've told Vlad about the Masters of All Time episode, which would obviously have been much different & would've had a very different focus. Though, I'm not sure what the long-term effects of it would've been. Perhaps... The Witch Trials would've gone on for much longer? Maybe a lot more people would've died? And, depending on what the false-pastor's true goals were, there'd have also been that to deal with. Maybe Danny's time would've been openly ruled by witches & warlocks with everyone under their thumb. Not sure...

Also, Vlad would be helping Team Phantom from the beginning & the team wouldn't feel the need to have him be tied up.

Also-also, MAYAN/AZTEC PHANTOM DESIGN!! I DEMANDETH IT!!

And, Imma say abso-freaking-lutely Vlad's gonna be raising Ellie & Dan!

Which, BTW!

If Vlad does manage to stabilize the other clones, I really like @kitty-av's names & personalities for them!

Though, I'm gonna have to give the one she calls Danté a different name as I have that one slated for Dan after AGIT.

Maybe Damien?

So, that would end up being Daniel (Danny), Damien (the skeleton clone without legs), Dominic (the clone that shrinks), Dorian (the big, beefy Frankenstein boy), Eleanor (Danielle), & Danté (Dan).

At the same time, in order to fully stabilize them, I feel like it'd take more than just Danny's midmorph DNA. Like, yeah, that'd certainly help, but it wouldn't fix their problem, I don't think.

The main issue, I think, is that Vlad seemed to mainly use ectoplasmic means to clone them, which likely means that their human halves probably have faults in them. Maybe it even corrupted their DNA to a degree?

Basically, if they had organic, human bodies, they'd likely be much more stable.

As it stands, their ectoplasm seems to be keeping their human DNA together, but it shouldn't have to do that.

My thoughts are that Vlad will need to mix human cloning technology with his own ghostly cloning technology. Where he'd build pods to put them in & when they destabilize inside, the machine will use the combination of their ENA (ecto-dna) with their human DNA & Danny's midmorph DNA to create a fully-stable, human body with ectoplasm suffused into every cell like Danny.

If we really wanna go big, he might even have to get them a secondary, female donor.

However, this would essentially erase the effects of whatever speed-aging agent that Vlad used to make them the age they are, thus reducing them to their actual, physical ages of only a few months. And even then, Damian would still be missing his legs & Dominic would be missing an eye, but those are things easily worked around using biomedical engineering (prostheses).

Dan's clone would likely be different in that it'd have been made the right way the first time, while the others were unstable already, so Vlad wouldn't have been able to risk using the speed-aging agent on them for fear of exacerbating their already unstable DNA.

Honestly, I think Vlad would be relieved because, let's be real here, while he was fused with Pariah, chances are, he probably went on a rampage & killed a lot of people.

If Clockwork undoes Phantom Planet, then those people are back, which would make him feel much better.

Another thing is that, because we've set up the story the way we have, Danny's parents would still know about his identity & Jack would still be in open support of him, though Maddie's progress would be set back. Possibly even quite a bit.

The biggest difference would be that the whole dang town would no longer be clued in.

I also forgot that Jack being openly supportive of Phantom & Maddie no longer being hostile towards him would definitely change some things in the town.

For instance, the GiW would be openly against them & might even try to arrest them.

And the A-Listers might have a better opinion of them. Especially Dash & Paulina, as they are some of Phantom's biggest, non-team member human supporters.

Not sure what else, but those are definitely things to take into account.

Speaking of the GiW, I see Jack eventually becoming actively & openly opposed to the Anti-Ecto Acts & would make that fact very well-known, which would get Sam quickly on his side, quick & in a hurry. I see them, the rest of Team Phantom, as well as all Phantom's phans creating a sort of activism group with the goal of repealing the acts.

Whether they'd actually manage it, is another story.

DP Ask AU Masterlist

[dahliadoesart]

Day 1 of Looking at Art for An Hour a Day

Today I looked at The Peacock Skirt by Aubrey Beardsley. Below is a very rough collection of notes/my thoughts-I may organize it into a better post eventually. I think this work is super duper cool, and would love to talk to anyone who has opinions!

The Peacock Skirt, Aubrey Beardsley

Work is all about the interplay between the two figures. Focal point is right between them, one on the left is curling around, looking down in controlling way. Has strands curling around the entire image, giving a sense of control and power. Interestingly, really only the skirt and the face of this figure are pictured, the skirt isn’t even particularly realistic. The actual body consists of essentially just two lines, very little detail. Beardsley does a really great job of conveying what is important, and letting the rest go, with the lack of detail in some areas just serving to heighten your attention on the important parts, not to distract you. Relatively blank torso is made up for in some sense by the peacock on the figures shoulder. Peacock has large skirt disguising the small size of the actual bird itself. I believe the bird is meant to be a representation of the figure on which it is perched. Twisting form of the bird mirrors that of the figure, with the feathers serving to hide the small form of the actual bird itself in the same way the skirt hides the figure. Peacock also has fan made primarily of dots-this is interesting as almost the entire rest of the image is done in either lines or large blocks of black and white. I believe this gives it a sort of surreal quality, removing it from the main focus on the two characters and letting us see it as more secondary. The actual head of the figure is essentially just emerging from the blob, with a looking down gaze. While the heads of the two figures are just about level, the one on the left is still looking down, heightening the sense of control. The blank eyes, the odd posture, the gaze not into the eyes of the other, and the plant like, dramatic hair of the figure on the left all give it a supernatural feeling. Whatever it is does not appear fully human, and is somehow messing with the figure on the right. I think that while the figure on the right is less detailed, its still super interesting. If you look at just the top half it looks…defiant? Like it knows it should be scared of the other thing and is trying its best not too. However, I think the bottom is really fascinating in contrast to this. The figures left arm bends inwards at a dramatic, unrealistic angle, allowing their hand to be in their dress. I believe this lets the shoulder be posed in the defiant way Beardsley wants, while still keeping the figure from interacting with the leftmost figure, and portraying a sense of smallness. Additionally, the knees of this figure are a sharp contrast to the rest of her, extremely detailed, knobby, and just generally in a rough shape. This, combined with the odd angle of the arm, and the tears in the bottom of the skirt all give a sense of weakness or defeat. The figure on the right is clearly not in a good state. Finally, I find the figure on the right’s right hand to be interesting. The pose is delicate, her fingers softly curled. This seems to not reflect the fear and unease of the situation. However, something is directly above it, maybe fire? It seems as if whatever this is is emanating from her hand, potentially conveying that the figure on the left is not the only supernatural one. This lends to the dramatic contrast between the top and bottom of the figure on the right, with the mix of confidence and shakeness potentially showing the uncertainty of how this situation will end up.

In general, I think the way Beardsley uses color is absolutely brilliant–different parts of this work have dots, white, or black as the primary focus, and we move between these areas effortlessly (ie the hair of the figure on the left vs the dress of the figure on the right). The lack of care for the specific details of human form, combined with this inconsistent aesthetic, and general sense of unease in the scene itself creates a really incredible way of conveying the wrongness of the situation, without any explicit story itself. Just looking at it, the work feels like a reflection of manipulation and abuse of power, and is able to communicate the terror associated with those situations, with only one scene, which is very cool.

[o-vera-nalyzing]

ok i don’t really know if anyone cares but i’ve been thinking about it so much i have to make a post at least explaining the main reasons it’s inaccurate. there are a lot of reasons but i’m just going to try to focus mainly on the literal rule breaking and maybe mention a couple minor things that aren’t technically 100% impossible but still unlikely.

ok so first off, the biggest thing to me is that they play at palmetto for five years, and apparently that’s a pretty common thing in exy. totally fine, lots of college athletes do it, but exy is an ncaa sport, (idk the rules for the naia but that doesn’t really matter in this instance) and in the ncaa you have five years to play four seasons of a sport. that essentially means if you want to be on a team for five years you have to redshirt which means you can only play in fewer than 4 games or else you are considered a full time player and it counts as one of your seasons of eligibility. obviously there are some exceptions, most common being an injury early in the season but after that three game maximum and then it’s case by case. also during covid athletes got an extra year because the season was cut short. but neither of those exceptions apply here, neil plans to play for five years and obviously doesn’t redshirt for a year which the ncaa would never allow. i’m not sure if it’s ever mentioned in canon if the upperclassmen redshirted but i doubt it just based on the size of palmetto’s team. the rules are mainly in place to make sure students aren’t intentionally failing classes and playing in college for years and years, especially now with the new nil (name image and likeness) rules it can be very profitable for athletes to stay in college so there has to be rules to make it fair (more about nil rules will come up later).

the second big thing to me is the amount of hours they practice, and how many hours they were practicing when kevin was an assistant coach at palmetto. starting just the normal practices, according to the wiki is says they practice 2 hours in the morning and 5 hours in the evening. again according to ncaa rules coaches are only allowed to have an team events whatsoever (games, practices, meetings, film review, etc) up to 20 hours a week, 4 hours a day, with one day fully off. now obviously lots of schools work around this by giving players things to watch in their free time, making rules that if you don’t practice by yourself you won’t get playing time, or ‘mandatory’ captains practices with no coaches, or even going slightly over the allotted time, but blatantly having your players practice 7 hours a day would 100% be shut down by the school in fear of the ncaa coming down on them. i understand with edgar allen being backed by the mafia they could do what they wanted but it’s not the same at palmetto. then if my memory serves me correctly i think kevin was running practices at palmetto when he was an assistant coach, which would count as practice hours according to the ncaa. now kevin was technically an ‘informal assistant coach’ but i think if he was sitting on the bench at games, and his name is a big one in exy news in general and he was running practices as an assistant coach, the ncaa wouldn’t really care if he wasn’t technically employed by the school (but even if they didn’t care the normal practice hours are already far above what’s allowed).

the third (and last) main thing is the ncaa’s nil policies, interview policies, and rules on pro teams. i don’t know if in canon kevin ever does any ads or promotional stuff but wymack at one point says somethings about ‘tv spots and merchandise and all kinds of publicity stunts’ that tetsuji is banking on. if any of those involved kevin, tetsuji or riko getting paid for their appearances that would have been illegal according to nil rules. now players can sell their name image and likeness but that’s a very recent rule and was illegal in the ncaa when the books were set. and based on that same quote as well as kevin and neil being on kathy’s talk show in the foxhole court, we know that kevin and other players do interviews outside of the typical postgame ones, which again is prohibited by the ncaa. then you have kevin previously playing for the baltimore wildcats which i assume is a pro team. if you want to play on an ncaa team you can’t have ever or currently play on a pro team, so kevin and riko never would have been allowed to play ncaa collegiate exy if they played for the baltimore wildcats.

those are my three main problems (though the last one is three rolled into one) i have a lot more minor stuff that might not be fully illegal according to the ncaa but is just extremely unlikely based on the somewhat extensive knowledge i have about ncaa sports so let me know if anyone wants more lol. that being said this is all in good faith, i love the books i just am very nit-picky and find it interesting to learn and talk about things like this.

thinking about all the inaccuracies in aftg again and crying

[avissapiens]

Avis' Subject Symposium

A Crash Course in Trance Pt 1: Files.

(Art by Acro @sodalite96/https://twitter.com/sodalite96 Used with their permission. Go check them out!)

So often new subjects come to me and they don’t know the first thing about trance. None of its mechanics or methods, and so it can be very daunting for them; to step into such a wide abyss without knowing what to expect and what is expected of you. Many of them, even experienced subjects, expect that 100% of the work is and should be done by the Hypnotist. In truth both parties, the hypnotist and the subject, must be willing and able. But while it’s more readily apparent what must be done in order for a tist to be successful in their endeavors, many subjects/potential subjects can have a hard time understanding what it takes to get the most out of their trance, both from pre-recorded files, and from live sessions with a hypnotist. So, I’m here to give you what is in my opinion, the essential Crash Course to Trance, starting first with trancing to files.

Location

Find yourself somewhere nice, darkened and quiet, where you know you won’t be disturbed. This is already a hard task for a lot of subjects, living with other people always increases the chance that one might barge in on you, eyes glazed over, drooling all over yourself. Or that someone’s reckless pounding from above might shake the abyss so thoroughly that it takes you out of trance. But here is the thing I will stress. While physical quiet is a good idea as it allows you to focus on the words and suggestions streaming into your head. What matters so much more is internal peace and quiet. A location where you can feel at ease and safe and secure in yourself. A locked bedroom surrounded by mountains of pillows. Your favorite plush armchair that threatens to swallow you almost as well as the Abyss of Trance. The peaceful morning route on the train whose path you know so well that you can be lulled into trance just by the rumbling vibrations of the tracks beneath your seat. Wherever you can be comfortable.

The ideal location for trance I'm sure does exist in some government facility or therapists office somewhere, where you can be dropped into an isolation tank and be brainwashed clean. But most of us will never encounter that. So what matters then is the ideal mindset for trance, which is one of peace, safety, trust and assurance.

Equipment

This is one of the reasons so many love using files. Because its barrier to entry is so low. All you really need is something to play the file on and a place to listen. This is in contrast to working directly with a tist where you need, at the very least, A good internet connection, maybe a camera, Another person who you trust and who might be wildly inconsistent. Or working in person which probably will require a whole location and time-table to get set up. No, Files are relatively simple and they are no better or worse than live sessions for certain purposes. However, like all simple things, they can be elevated by improving its ingredients. A box cake from the store and a home-made chiffon are functionally the same, but their difference comes in the ingredients and technique.

So for trance I recommend spoiling yourself a little, at the very least buy yourself some decent quality over-ear headphones. Many file-makers (myself included) add frequencies and binaural beats underneath the main track. These serve the purpose of training your own brain’s waveforms to a certain frequency, thus more easily taking you into trance. But they can only be detected and properly registered with some good headphones. Additionally, The encapsulation of headphones provides a more immersive experience, isolating you and transporting you through the trance experience like you are in your own little world. Trust me. $600 studio headphones aren’t needed, But a good quality wired $40 headset goes a long way and is multi-purpose. A decent quality chair or mattress also will serve you well, not just in trance but in life.

Focus

Trance is a very tricky state that, like all things, requires practice and patience to master. Staying in trance is like a tightrope walk, teetering gently between the realm of consciousness and awareness, and the oblivion of total subconscious and sleep. It is the liminal space between the two, that subconscious space that makes trance and hypnosis possible. It is the state where your mind is most open to total suggestion and where magical things can happen. So how does one walk the line between these two modes of being? The answer is focus. Or rather Half-focus. Focusing without focusing. With descriptions like that it can sound like some kind of Zen riddle, but that is often what it feels like sometimes. Now this is not a laser focus like you would expect in a classroom setting, no one is being tested here. It's a more gentle and subtle focus. Like focusing on the world around you. Focusing on the wind on your face, the rise and fall of your lungs; On the way your body just goes loose and slumps over. The trick is to go in and to follow along, to listen and pay attention and try to comply with the suggestions given at first. Suspend your disbelief and engage with it unironically and without pretense. If you notice yourself drifting, don’t try to force it back to focus. Simply let it explore where it wants and to carry on organically. Nothing in trance needs to be forced. Simply focused on and allowed to happen.

Many subs oscillate in trance, their minds ebbing and flowing like a Sine wave; wavering in and out of trance, one minute aware, the next minute completely blank and asleep, and then for a brief moment in bliss. But it averages out to trance at the end of it. One must also not fear dropping out of trance. Focusing too much on that eventuality makes it a self fulfilling prophecy. Just Focus-not-focus-half-focus and enjoy yourself.

Apprehension

So many subjects look at files and their mind begins to spin with endless questions and anxieties. Worries about “losing themselves” or “changing too much” or “doing things they don’t want to do.” It’s a valid set of concerns for a new subject, uninitiated in the true mechanics of trance and only knowing of hypnosis what is shown in the media. Evil villains and monsters brainwashing our heroes to do horribly enticing and arousing things. So ingrained is this idea that it even crossed over into the allure of hypnosis files. And while I won’t say it's impossible for that to happen, I have 3 comments on it to ease your mind. First, with Files, one of the best things about it is that the subject gets to control practically every single aspect of the experience. When you do it, how many times you listen, and whether you listen at all to begin with. While all files should be clearly labelled with Content and trigger warnings and given an explicit summary of what they are and what they do, we know that is not the case. The amount of “Mystery files” I've seen on various forums irks me to no end. But it appeals to some people. However, for those who are not particularly fond of surprises you have the absolute power to review the file before you trance to it. You can give it a fully aware walk through, or just jump through segments to look for anything that doesn’t suit your taste.

Once you’ve done that however you might still be conflicted about some content. Not openly averse to it, but unsure. Dumbing down and IQ reduction are probably number one on this list. People are so terrified of somehow losing everything when they learn to stop overthinking things. For these concerns my second point suggests Introspection. Ask yourself “Why do I/Don’t I want this?” “Is it really as bad as my anxiety is making it out to be?” Because if you like something a lot, and really want it, then why should you deny yourself it out of fear? Even aside from dumbing, many desires are tinged with this air of guilt or fear. Terrified to acknowledge or grab hold of what we truly want and own up to it. In my estimation Hypnosis can be one of the best ways of dabbling with those desires because in trance there is no shame or judgement. Finally, my 3rd point says you don’t have to worry. If you really don’t like a suggestion you can always leave it behind. Your mind has built in fail-safes to reject suggestions you haven’t agreed to. A file cannot make you do something unless you want it, at least subconsciously. The old cliche goes “All Hypnosis is Self-Hypnosis” and what that fundamentally means is that as a subject you are the one who decides what happens. You consent and go along with things and allow them to happen to you. It is your desire, your focus, your arousal and your own subconscious that allows hypnosis to work. Subjects have more power than they know. I really hope it assists some people in vibing better with trance and files. I’ll be putting out another version for Live hypnotists later this month.

Thanks again to Acro for letting me use their Art, definitely go and support them on twitter. And If you want to support the creation of more hypnotic experiences that might help you practice that balance of focus then you can do so by subscribing to my Patreon, or to my Youtube channel. And if you want to interact more closely with me and my supportive community you can join my Discord server.

[ponett]

hi i watched the new my little pony movie and it was... pretty good! it was very cute, i like the new cast a lot, there were some nice heartfelt moments that had some surprising depth, all the locations were really pretty to look at, the poppy musical numbers were fun, the character animation is really lively. it's a solid little fantasy adventure flick for kids. i do have mixed feelings about the story though. here are some casual-ish thoughts. (i posted some of this on twitter last night but i have even more thoughts now. i'm sorry. i'm so sorry)

spoilers below the cut

okay so, i liked it a lot when it was just letting the new characters play off each other, but unfortunately my fears came true and almost the entire movie is laser focused on the oversimplified extremely on-the-nose trump era racism allegory plot. i do have to cut it some slack for their good intentions, and this is a 90 minute animated movie for 5-year-olds, so there's only so much they can do. it did also have a bit more nuance than i expected at points. (it's more nuanced than zootopia, for what it's worth. not that that's hard.) and hell, friendship is magic also screwed up its attempts at similar topics, and y'all know how much i still love that show. so it's not like i hate this movie. but it has such an oversimplified "we should all be friends!" take on real issues, and it frustrates me that it completely dominates the film, being the main focus of almost every single scene

there's some interesting stuff where they show how those in power are stoking peoples' fears to maintain their own power. like the big factory in the earth pony town is essentially an arms manufacturer capitalizing on the fear of outsiders, the cops mainly exist to uphold the laws segregating the ponies, the pegasus royal family pretends they still have the ability to fly and this lie seems to be the only reason they're in power (the queen literally gets arrested the second the truth comes out lol). but then they all just kind of... see the error of their ways shortly after meeting other types of pony, and there are no repercussions? not saying this toy commercial cartoon for little girls needs to fuckin kill the bad guys or throw them in jail or whatever, but we don't even get like a "they made them turn the arms factory into something else" type resolution, and no one even really acknowledges that these characters did anything wrong. no one is considered an oppressor, the movie takes for granted that these people in power who derive their power from bigotry were just misguided, and that they'll totally change their beliefs as soon as they're presented with new information. society is fundamentally unjust, but none of the individuals maintaining that unjust status quo are at fault for doing so

i also don't know if it's a good or bad thing that there's no explanation for why the ponies hate each other now. like on the one hand at least there's no historical backstory that inadvertently justifies the prejudices (like zootopia and its story about how the predators used to eat the prey). but on the other hand... how the hell did they get from g4 to here in the intervening centuries? at my most uncharitable it feels like this whole story about how equestria used to be this land where everyone got along and now everyone is divided is a heavy-handed metaphor for The Sudden Division Of America In The Trump Era as it's perceived by a lot of liberals. history didn't logically lead us to this point, no one is really at fault, everyone just arbitrarily started hating each other at some point and we just all need to put that aside and get along again. it's almost the FiM episode about how the cowboys and the natives should just learn to share all over again. (again: i will admit this is an uncharitable read of the film)

(sidebar with BIG SPOILERS: the very end also really bugged me, but that's more just a personal taste thing. in the leadup to g5 i was excited to see them make an earth pony the protagonist. i thought that was a nice change of pace after nine seasons of twilight. but then in the end of the movie, after sunny delivers the moral, she's magically turned into an alicorn... like oh we're just doing that again huh. okay. it also doesn't really gel with this story where the different types of pony are being used for a racism/xenophobia allegory)

i feel a little bad hyper-focusing on the way the allegory falls apart like this, but like. the allegory is the entire fucking movie lol. they are constantly talking about it in every scene, the first song mentions "building a wall," the main antagonist (who may or may not be intended to evoke trump???) manipulates the earth ponies' prejudices to make them all go full fascist, etc. it is not subtle. of course, this story isn't ALL bad - the adventures along the way were fun, i was relieved when everyone realized that the macguffin wouldn't magically make everyone get along again (although realizing this DOES make the macguffin restore everyone's magic which seems to mostly fix everything, so... lol), and a message about looking past stereotypes and misinformation to befriend people who are different from you definitely isn't a bad one for a kids' film. and obviously a story with this target demographic is ALWAYS going to have to simplify reality a bit. it's just extremely obvious that they wanted to go for a nuanced topical political story that would surprise the parents in the audience and maybe teach kids a thing or two, and it turned out messy

but again, i liked the characters. it was nice to look at. it was cute. i'll gladly watch a new show with these characters. i hope the inevitable show focuses less on this political allegory though lol

anyway there's a shot of fluttershy and rainbow dash in the opening scene so 10/10

[riddlecrux]

What is past is present: Azriel and Elain, Helion and Lady of Autumn Court

This post is going to be a long one. I will be talking about parallels between Helion - Lady of Autumn Court - Beron and Azriel - Elain - Lucien situation. How their relationships mirror each other, how the blood duel mentioned in ACOSF and ACOWAR will come to an end, but also how the first triangle was used as a plot device in ACOWAR. I believe it is not a coincidence that SJM decided to put these scenes and histories in the same book with such a short span of time passing between things happening on the pages of their story. I would like to say that this post is a pro Elriel meta, so if they are not your cup of tea please scroll past this. Many thanks to Gardening Tools, especially @silverlinedeyes !

We are going to start with the Lady of Autumn Court and the scene at the High Lord’s council. She is there with her husband, Beron and as the conversation surrounding Hybern increases in intensity, we are presented with a bit of background information about the Lady.

Lady of the Autumn Court had 2 sisters that died during Hybern's soldiers' attack. We got to see another family of three sisters, two of them dying for their sister. What's even more important is a mention of Hybern's war camps and how it's very unlikely for anyone to survive their time there.

Here Beron taunts Kallias by telling his mate that Hybern and his people probably torture and abuse women before killing them. (Please be sure to remember that because we're going to go back to this notion later in this post.)

Another big insight about Lady's life and this particular accident comes from no one else but Helion.

Few things that are very important to mention: - she had already given birth to a few of her children - Hybern directly attacked the estate they were in - her sisters let her run away because they loved her - she tried to fight and stay with them till they convinced her to run - the beasts sent by Hybern tailed her and finally cornered her in a trap

What Feyre says in this particular scene - about Helion knowing too many details holds great importance for the further quotes. We also get to know that, in fact, it was Helion who rescued the Lady - not only saved but found her. The setup, the build-up and the fact that it wasn't her "husband" that came for her are the main things I wish to bring attention to, as we are going to analyze different scenes from the same book with this knowledge.

He could have ended it differently, yet he didn't. Why? The question seems to be imprinted in Feyre's mind as she tries to connect the dots and points she was given, just like us readers. I do believe that what we are being presented with is the notion of the mating bond. Helion's rage at Lady's attack projects typical mate behavior - such as unnecessary violence against the ones who dared to hurt their mate. It also goes with the information of him finding her - how was that possible? Her husband wasn't there, it was Helion who essentially knew that something was wrong. How? Well, by applying the mating bond in this picture we can easily deduct few things: Helion probably felt her distraught through the bond, was able to locate her and save her.

Another insight given by Helion is about Lady's relationship with Beron. Not only it gives us information about her young age (cue to Rhysand's mother and how her young age was also brought up as something very disturbing and not in favour of some mating bonds), but also we get to know that her marriage was arranged. Just like the reader, Feyre is left with these very personal insights and detailed descriptions - so she presses Helion more, to speak, to see if her suspicions are correct.

Another person jumps into the conversation and it is Mor who hands the information of a possible romance between Lady and Helion. We learn that both of them met at an equinox ball before she was proposed with an arranged marriage with Beron. Feyre's curiosity is evident in the way she perks up at Mor's words. Helion on the other hand counter-attacks and provides us with the political background of the story. The Lady was basically left without a choice when it came to her love life.

Helion saved Beron's wife during the war. And Beron didn't know and still doesn't have an idea that it was Helion who saved the Lady.

Feyre tries to fish for more information - and Helion seems to be very reluctant to answer her question about his relationship with the Lady. It makes us think that, in fact, their relationship was somehow forbidden, being kept in secret. Moreover, what's even more interesting is the fact that we suddenly have a shift of focus on another person - Azriel. We are deliberately made aware of the fact that Azriel is listening to this important conversation.

We are starting to see Helion becoming slightly less humorous - Feyre can spot the difference between his usual self and the way he delivers his question. It suggests that the relationship and potential mating bond is a very touchy subject for him.

Their forbidden relationship went on for decades. They were secret lovers till Beron found about them. We see that contrast between the Lady with Helion - all brightness and smiles, Lady with Beron - withdrawn, timid, scared.

I clenched my teeth. “If you were her lover, why didn’t you stop it?” The wrong thing to say. Utterly wrong, by the dark fury that rippled across Helion’s face. “Beron is a High Lord, and she is his wife, mother of his brood. She chose to stay. Chose. And with the protocols and rules, Lady, you will find that most situations like the one you were in do not end well for those who interfere.”

Helion reacts with anger at Feyre's inquiry about his lack of participation in the case of the Lady's wellbeing. "Dark fury rippling across Helion's face" is also an interesting word choice. Again we are reminded that their romance was meant to end that way due to the notions of choice and politics.

“Beron never called you out for it?” “To publicly do so would be to admit that his possession made a fool of him. So we continue our little dance, these centuries later.” I somehow doubted that beneath that roguish charm and irreverence, Helion felt it was a dance at all.

Helion reminds us about politics that bind different Courts - in this case, we can easily see that the matter of choice in this example ends with Lady choosing duty over love. It also supplies us with an idea that if Helion would have wanted to fight for Lady he would need to participate in a blood duel. Yet, the Lady chose Beron - we don't know why Helion probably was left alone with the same question. However, by analyzing this situation I believe that Lady knew about the possibility of a blood duel happening she didn't want her potential mate to be hurt. So, in the end, she opted for a life in a loveless marriage with Beron. Furthermore, we have Rhysand and Feyre coming to the conclusion that Lucien is Helion's son - and he is the fruit of the loving relationship between Helion and the Lady.

What does this mean, though? Nothing—ultimately nothing. Other than the fact that Lucien might be Helion’s sole heir. And that … it changed nothing in this war. Especially not with Lucien on the continent, hunting that enchanted queen. A bird of flame … and a lord of fire. I wondered if they’d found each other yet.

The usage of the word "this war" is not a coincidence, as well as Rhysand's poor prediction of the future. Because as we know, right now - it changes a lot. Elain being his mate bounds him to the Night Court, so losing that relationship puts the Court at risk. Especially now, when Lucien doesn't know that Helion is his father. Another very important addition is the part about Lucien and Vassa. Feyre has prophetic tendencies and her thoughts about both Vassa and Lucien always focus on their... relationship. Not to mention that it was brought up after that whole conversation with Helion. With all these things above, I would like to move on to Elriel parallels. Starting with the Cauldron kidnapping Elain. Please bear in mind that this scene happens after the meeting with Helion, after learning about the story of Lady's and Helion's romance.

But Azriel asked softly, “What about Elain?”

The one who noticed that Elain was absent was Azriel, we can speculate whatever it was his intuition, his shadows, or perhaps some kind of feeling that made him aware of her absence. Yet, it's not a coincidence that another male character, the one who doesn't have an official mate is the only one who either felt/realized that she was taken. That's the first parallel I would love to bring to your attention - Helion was the one who found and rescued the Lady. Now, the situation is almost identical - Hybern attacks via Cauldron takes Elain to the war camps.

And what Hybern would do to Elain, might already be doing— From the shadows near the entrance to the tent, Azriel said, as if in answer to some unspoken debate, “I’m getting her back.” Nesta slid her gaze to the shadowsinger. Azriel’s hazel eyes glowed golden in the shadows. Nesta said, “Then you will die.” Azriel only repeated, rage glazing that stare, “I’m getting her back.”

Azriel reacts with rage, a silent debate raging within him. He is battling something deep inside him, which is obstructed from the reader's point of view. I wonder why? He is the one who swears to find her and rescue her. Also, worth mentioning how Feyre seems to realize the graveness of the situation - as if she can remember the conversation she had with Helion about what happened with sisters of the Lady of Autumn Court. War camps. Nobody would walk away from them alive.

We looked to Rhys, to Cassian and Nesta, to Mor—right as she appeared, breathless, between the tent flaps. Her eyes went to me, then the shadowsinger, and flared with shock and fear—

In this scene we also have Mor. Mor was present during Helion's conversation and gave input about their love and forbidden relationship. Mor that possess the power of Truth. Is it possible that Mor knew about the mating bond between Helion and the Lady? Is it possible that Mor knows about the truth of the mating bond between Lucien and Elain? Does Mor know about the potential mating bond between Azriel and Elain? There are so many questions and we don't get an answer. Mor keeps secrets, which is understandable yet it provides a whole new aspect of Mor being the one who realizes what's happening. (Not to mention that Mor is always present when Elain is with Lucien, assessing them.)

Screaming. A shadow gripped my shoulder, reminding me not to run. Ianthe would not run—would not show alarm. My mouth went dry as that scream sounded again. I couldn’t bear it—to let it go on, to see what was being done— Azriel’s shadow-hand grasped my own, tugging me closer. His rage rippled off his invisible form.

It is Azriel who reacts once again with - rage. At the thought of Elain being tortured, abused, or being killed. Feyre can't stomach the idea of what is happening to her sister in this war camp.

I could feel Jurian’s smile against my ear. “She’s in his tent. Chained with steel and a little spell from his favorite book.” Shit. Shit. Perhaps I should have gotten Helion, who could break almost any—

The mention of Helion is such a beautiful parallel. We, as readers, are amidst a rescue mission. A situation that was very similarly described few chapters before, a situation in which it was Helion in Azriel's shoes. In the past it was - Helion and Lady, here in the "future" we have - Azriel and Elain. The same circumstances - Hybern attack/Hybern powers, three sisters, and the only one is targeted, a savior that isn't husband/mate finding and rescuing the girl.

Azriel gently removed the gag from her mouth. “Are you hurt?” She shook her head, devouring the sight of him as if not quite believing it. “You came for me.” The shadowsinger only inclined his head.

I could write a whole meta about this quote because it's ridden with such enormous parallels and foreshadowing. Let's start with the simplest one, which is the word "devour". It has very strong connections to physicality, it basically means that Elain greedily took him in, he was her focal point at that moment. Also, the following addition of her not quite believing that, in fact, it is Azriel who arrived before her - she hadn't expected him to rescue her and you may be wondering why? It all beautifully goes with the idea of two mates/true mates theories - what is making me say this with so much certainty? Well, first of all, ACOWAR is full of descriptions of how a healthy mating bond works, for example, Feysand one. It's a bridge connecting two souls through which our emotions, thoughts can be perceived for the other person.

Find me, find me, find me, I tried shouting down that bond. But my mate’s wry voice didn’t answer. There was only the roaring void.

This happens at the begging of ACOWAR when Feyre tries to communicate with Rhysand through their mating bond. I find it very interesting that throughout the whole book the trope of "finding your true love, significant other" is very persistent. This brings me back to the theory that both Azriel and Helion heard their mates' cries of help and that's how they were able to rescue them and find them. In addition to that Elain's "you came for me" is striking so many questions. What does she mean? Why is she so docile and peaceful? As if she somehow had an idea that someone will come for her - did she perhaps inwardly call through the mating bond? This, again, brings us to another parallel - Beron doesn't know that it was Helion who rescued the Lady. Lucien doesn't know that it was Azriel who saved Elain - which, we really don't know if he even felt/knew that something has happened.

The hounds closed in, two breaking away—to cut to the side. To herd us. For that was a cliff at the other edge of the camp. A cliff with a very, very long drop, and unforgiving river below.

I'm bringing this up because the setting is oddly familiar with the run of Lady of Autumn's one. The isolated place, a trap etc.

Azriel’s roar echoed off the rocks as the hound slammed into him, dragging those shredding talons down his spine, his wings— The girl screamed, but Elain moved. As Azriel battled to keep them airborne, keep his grip on them, my sister sent a fierce kick into the beast’s face. Its eye. Another. Another. It bellowed, and Elain slammed her bare, muddy foot into its face again. The blow struck home. With a yelp of pain, it released its claws—and plunged into the ravine.

Parallel on parallel. We have Hybern's beasts, we have a similar setting again and fight. What is different, however, is that in Helion's case it was solely him that destroyed beasts while rescuing the Lady. Here, however, it is Elain that fights against beasts - she who had never trained, she who is a gardener is fighting against evil. She is kicking as the beasts hurt Azriel. She took the initiative and killed the beast at that moment when they previously hurt Azriel. Also, the most beautiful comparison in my opinion is the fact that after Elain knocks the beast it falls down the ravine, dying. It is somehow very symbolic that Elain kills the beast that falls into the ravine, whereas Lady of Autumn is stuck in the ravine as beasts approach her and it is the moment when Helion saves her.

The gray light of morning had broken over the world, mist clinging to our ankles as we headed into that camp, Azriel still cradling Elain to his chest. He dripped blood behind him the entire time—a trickle compared to the torrent that should be leaking out.

After that intense battle, they arrive in the safety, but Azriel still holds on Elain even if he himself is bleeding all over the place.

Rhys lunged for Azriel, taking Elain from him and gently setting my sister down. Azriel rasped, swaying on his feet, “We need Helion to get these chains off her.” Yet Elain didn’t seem to notice them as she rose up on her toes and kissed the shadowsinger’s cheek.

Another mention of Helion in that very parallel setting. He was very present during the rescue mission, which is a neat way of showering the audience with foreshadowing. If I wanted to indulge even more in the symbolism of this scene, I would point out that the chains on Elain are very symbolic as well. They could either mean the restrain of her powers, but also the chains of the "lack of freedom", "lack of choice". Being freed by both Azriel and Helion is something that I believe is very important to remember while waiting for the next book. Because even if Elain is a mirror to Lady - Elain will change the course of her story. Elain is going to choose love over duty, she will choose Azriel - which ends with them discovering that, in fact, the bond was there from the beginning. Helion getting rid of those chains is also a metaphor for what is to come. He will break Lady's chains by fighting with Beron during the blood duel. In this timeline, Azriel and Elain are symbolism of healthy love, mating bond, freedom of choice. Lucien doesn't mirror Beron, because he himself doesn't want to be with Elain since both of them don't feel comfortable with each other, they are making each other miserable. Not to mention the fact that their mating bond is... very weak and through the ACOWAR and ACOSF we see that it is different from the true mating bonds that are present in the universe. Azriel-Elain-Lucien triangle will break the past wheel of unhappiness and forced love, changing it by their own rules of free choice. As for Helion-Lady-Beron love story, if I may be so bold, the blood duel is going to happen and Beron will die - freeing Lady and Helion from him and politics that kept them away. If you are still not sure if these two situations are foreshadowing I would love to put this quote as the ending of this very long meta.

Azriel shrugged. “We—Rhys, Cass, and I—will occasionally remind each other that what we think to be our greatest weakness can sometimes be our biggest strength. And that the most unlikely person can alter the course of history.”

And as you can guess, that very unlikely person who altered the course of history in ACOWAR was Elain when she killed King of Hybern.

[1moreff-creator]

Hey there! Yeah, it's probably better not to clog up our profiles with all the reblog madness, especially when we've essentially exhausted all viable discussion on this part of my theory.

So, one last hurrah, and then I can focus more on the Ace case and your theory? Sounds good. Especially because this latest point you've brought up isn't too hard to explain.

That said, it does rely heavily in character interpretation, which is obviously something where we have different views and no definitive way to prove each other right or wrong.

Essentially, what you claim is that Ace is too much of a coward to go back to the gym alone at night, right? Well, you've given good justification as to why that could be the case... but is there evidence that it actually is the case?

Take a look at this line. Right after the murder attempt. Despite the fact Ace acknowledges Nico tried and almost managed to kill him, he is ready to throw hands. And he's not assembling a crew to go beat them up or anything; he is fully ready to confront them, alone. I don't know about you, but to me, this line heavily suggests Ace isn't actually afraid of Nico, even after what happened.

But alright, maybe that's the adrenaline talking, right? He's not thinking straight, maybe he isn't really registering his fear.

(He's talking to Nico here, trust me bro)

Alright, so this is two days later, and he still doesn't really feel afraid of Nico. In fact, he's taunting Nico the same way he used to do before he was almost murdered. He really doesn't seem so shaken up, right?

But well, this is after Arei's BDA. Maybe Ace is emboldened because he thinks Nico is the culprit, and won't try anything until they get voted out and die?

Well, there's this line from the morning directly after the almost murder! Admittedly, we only get two lines from Ace that day, and neither insult Nico too harshly... but this one still calls them a murderer and sarcastically insults one of Nico's friends for taking their side. Can you really claim Ace got all that scared of Nico after the almost murder?

There are many more examples, of course, mainly in the class trial. My point is, Ace isn't treating Nico any differently than he did before, so it's very likely he actually isn't afraid of them.

And, let's put it like this. There are two main things Ace did which led to Nico almost killing him (not blaming him, just speaking objectively).

1- Ace insulted and constantly antagonized Nico.

2- Ace went to the gym alone at night.

If Ace isn't afraid enough to stop doing the first one, what makes you think he'd be afraid enough to stop doing the second?

This is especially notable because, no matter where Ace was on the third night, he was 100% alone. After all, no one else has claimed to have been with him that night, ever. If he's not too afraid to be alone, again, why is the step to the gym so hard? You could argue he was in his room, where he felt safe enough to be alone, but that's complete speculation with no basis on evidence.

Essentially, what I'm trying to get across is: it doesn't matter how much of a coward Ace usually is, he's not afraid of Nico, and that's what matters. Because he's not afraid of Nico, that means he's not too afraid the gym incident will repeat itself, so it follows he wouldn't be scared of going back to the gym alone. Especially because, again, he was absolutely alone that night.

But in the end, like I said, it comes down to character interpretation. Maybe you still think Ace would be too afraid to go back there, despite essentially having no evidence that's the case, but I'm perfectly comfortable assuming Ace literally did the same thing the night after the almost murder. My resolve remains undaunted, "I remain undefeated by the rain" (the MV has some raw lines-).

Anyways, thanks again for this back and forth! It's been fun. I'll go back to finding ways to debunk your theory now. Take care!

Something we mustn't forget about chapter 2 (DRDT)

As usual, this is a spoilers warning for DRDT chapter 2, so beware.

So, I'm sure some of you have seen me have a reasoning battle against a few people, most especially @1moreff-creator. We've had some really interesting back and forth happening.

This post is meant to be a response to 1moreff's latest post regarding their theory. So think of it as a reblog.

Why don't you just simply reblog then?

Well, that's the thing. I... messed up. For any reblogs I've made on their original theory post, they were all long posts that didn't have a cut section, a "read more" button.

So everytime you look at a reblog, you'd have to scroll through all of that to reach the latest reblog. Even though I eventually edited them all later on, the original versions are still there on the previous reblogs because the edit doesn't go through previous reblogs and the reblogger cannot edit others' posts eitheir.

So yeah... sorry about that.

But trust me however, this is a very interesting read. Especially if you've seen my version of the theory. 1moreff's uses the same whodunnit and whydunnit in their theory, but they used a totally different path as for the howdunnit. I'd recommend you all to read it if you haven't already.

With that out of the way, let's get to business. It won't take too long, I promise.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

(I'm now adressing to @1moreff-creator)

So uhm... I don't really have much to add in regards to your reblog. You've made your point in regards to anything I tackled on and we're pretty much at a stance where I can't really prove that x thing happening while you can't prove that y thing happened. Eitheir of those could work. And because they both work, they're both technicly valid.

Besides, you've already pointed out what could be your issues in regards to your theory.

the glove; the BDA having a lacking explanation; how hard and risky it would be to convince Levi of being an accomplice (though narratively consistent because of the good person thing); and how risky it is to use such a time-sensitive method.

Your biggest issue is definitly the glove, no doubt about that. Even though you do have some kind of explanation for it, it's not something you're quite convinced yourself eitheir.

In any case, I'm not gonna dwelve on it much unless you can eventually think of more solutions to these problems.

So what's the point of this "reblog" if you're not gonna refute against any of these points?

Well, upon doing my own detective work to fix my own holes in my deduction, I discovered something really interesting. Something that I can't believe I didn't realise sooner.

It has something to do with Ace's testimony. There's something off about it. There's a glaring issue with it which will become quite an issue for you.

What do you mean?

Let's start with a very quick recap. According to you, everything that Ace saw according to the flashback really happened. Meaning that in your theory, Ace was working out in the gym during the evening of DAY 3, then he heard Arei and David talking. So he decided to spy on them. So everything he heard and saw must be the truth.

According to my own theory however, Ace was not working out in the gym during the evening of DAY 3. Instead, he was working out in the evening of DAY 2, spied on them that evening and then got knocked unconscious for the attempted murder later on, which would explain why the weight rack was moved in the fitness room. So ace was eitheir lying or confused about the day he witnessed the conversation.

Anyways, if people were to believe that your version of that theory is indeed what truly happened, then we'd have to deal with a very glaring issue that I can't believe I didn't notice until yesterday. I'm convinced more than ever that Ace is wrong about the day he witnessed the conversation. It's based on simple common sense.

Common sense? It can't be that simple!

Oh, it sure can!

So according to Ace, he heard Arei talk to David in the relax room during the evening, the day after he nearly died, right? According to him, at the time, he was working out before he heard them.

So tell me... would he really dare spend time ALONE working out in the gym, literally the place where he nearly died, A DAY after he's been attacked?!

I don't think so. Especially Ace, of all people. He's a coward. That makes no sense.

But Teruk-

Teruko's different from Ace. She's no coward and she's been through a lot of bad crap her whole life based on what we learned so far. Teruko's unlucky.

Anyways, If you cannot find a proper explanation for this, then I'm afraid that your theory could potentially crumble.

I could go out of my way to explain how it would crumble, but essentially, it would come down to me explaining that the more issues you would be able to explain if you were to admit that Ace was indeed lying about the day he witnessed that conversation, the more it would look like my theory.

But before I do that, I'm gonna give you the opportunity to solve this issue I've mentioned about Ace's testimony. I think I have an idea of what you'll claim, but let's see how this plays out.

(Sorry for not reblogging this time around and sorry again for the mess I've created in those reblogs)