#even if it's gonna bother me that the most important part is just dialogue with no proper description or emotion attached to it

[stormyoceans]

i've been plagued by junpo for weeks and apparently my brain decided that i couldn't move on until i wrote down a possible confession between them soooooo. here it is i guess?

[based on this ten years later post thamepo breakup scenario. very messy, very rough, with no proofreading done because knowing myself i'd just delete everything otherwise. is half of it complete nonsense for someone who isn't in my brain? yes. is it ooc? most likely. still, i need to put this somewhere and let it go. also the funniest thing is that the actual confession of feelings is just a dialogue outline because i wanted to write them kissing. i need a mental health crisis intervention team in the room with me rn immediately]

———

“You like me.”

Po’s voice was soft but resolute, cutting through the low hum of the city. Rain had left a glistening sheen on the ground, and the air hung heavy and damp around them.

Jun’s smile froze on his face, a flash of horror striking his features like lightning, there and gone in the blink of an eye before he was able to catch himself and smooth his expression out into a mask of amused indifference. If Po didn't miss it, it was only because this time he was actually looking for it. He wondered how many other things he had failed to notice when it came to Jun.

"Did you go out for drinks with P'Fern again?" Jun asked. The corner of his mouth was tilted into a slight smirk, but the playfulness in his voice sounded strained in a way that didn't quite hide the underlying panic. "Come on," he said, taking his phone out from his back pocket and unlocking it with a quick sweep of his thumb, "I'll book a taxi to get you home."

Po recognized the evasion for what it really was: an outing. He could take what Jun was offering, pretend to be drunk, and ignore to have ever acknowledged Jun's feelings out loud. He was sure Jun would still be showing up in the morning with a cup of Po's favorite coffee like nothing had happened, but Po was tired of running, and he wasn't going to let Jun keep doing that either.

Po took a step forward and put a hand on top of Jun's phone, closing his fingers around it and brushing against Jun's own.

"You like me," Po repeated, the words hanging in the air like a challenge. "You have liked me for the past ten years."

Jun’s sharp eyes flickered with something Po couldn’t quite decipher, and for a moment he thought Jun might try to run away for real, but then Jun sighed, shoulder slumping. He slipped away from Po’s hold, sliding his phone back into his pocket and putting space between them by leaning against the wall.

“Was it Pepper?”

Po would have felt offended by Jun implying that he couldn’t have figured it out by himself, but after ten years of obliviousness, he guessed he probably deserved it. Jun wasn’t wrong either: Po did need someone else to clue him in. He just wasn’t sure how Jun would take it.

He hesitated, then answered truthfully. “Thame.”

He didn’t expect Jun to laugh.

“Makes sense,” Jun said, staring into the distance like he was talking to himself rather than Po. “He always liked to fight fair.”

None of this makes sense, Po thought. It’s not like he hadn’t believed Thame when he had told Po Jun liked him, he wouldn’t be standing there otherwise, but to have Jun not even fighting the claim just made the weight of it feel that much more real. A pang of sadness made his chest hurt.

“You're not even gonna try to deny it,” Po said, voice soft.

Jun met Po's gaze, his eyes dark and guarded. "What's the point? You clearly seem set on talking about it.” He buried his hands in the pockets of his jacket and crossed his legs at the ankles, giving off an air of disinterest. His tone sounded resigned, though, almost weary. “Say your piece, so we can be done with it and move on.”

“The other night…" Po started, his voice barely a whisper. “If you like me, why did you push me away? I don't understand.”

Po wanted to point out that if moving on had ever been an option, Jun would have done it ten years ago, but he swallowed down the words. He wanted answers, and antagonizing Jun wasn't going to bring him any.

He took a step forward. “The other night…" he started.

Despite trying his best to look indifferent, Jun's shoulders tensed up. He swallowed, and Po's eyes were drawn to the sharp movement of his Adam's apple. Po's fingers tingled with the need to reach out and touch. He could still feel the warmth of Jun's skin under them, could still remember the flush of it as Po had brushed Jun's hair away from his forehead. Jun had swallowed then too, his eyes blown wide and dark. In that moment, just for a moment, Po had been sure his feelings weren't one sided, but then Jun had left.

“If you like me, why did you push me away?" Po pressed. "I don’t understand.”

Jun clenched his jaw, avoiding Po's eyes again, and leaned forward to poke Po's cheek in that patronizing way he knew Po hated. "Don’t hurt your pretty brain about it," he said. "Just forget it ever happened.”

His words were cold, calculated, and Po was having none of it. Before Jun could hide his hand back into his pocket, Po grabbed his wrist.

“I never took you for a coward,” he said, his voice laced with a hint of disappointment.

Jun's eyes flashed with something akin to anger, and when he smirked, his smile had a cruel tint to it. “I just know when to cut my losses and you’re not a good investment.”

Po’s chest ached at his words, even though he knew Jun was just trying to hurt him, to create distance between them. His grip on Jun's wrist tightened. “So my feelings don’t matter at all?”

Jun yanked his wrist out of Po's hold. “What feelings?" he spit out. "You’re just confused because you broke up with Thame and we’ve spent a lot of time working together.”

"Ai'Jun!" Po snapped.

Po had always considered himself a patient person, someone calm and levelheaded, but somehow Jun had always been able to make his temper flare up. He took a deep breath, reining his emotions in. Whatever narrative Jun had crafted in his head, Po knew he had to make Jun understand it was wrong.

“Thame and I broke up two years ago," he explained. "Whatever was between us it’s been over for a long while.”

Jun scoffed. "Oh, please," he said. "If you two want to fool yourselves, be my guest, but I’m not an idiot.”

He just sounded so sure, so absolute, like he knew Po better than Po knew himself. Po could feel the blood rushing to his head, and before he could realize what he was doing he was towering over Jun, crowding him against the wall.

"You're not an idiot, no," Po hissed, "more like an arrogant asshole." Jun glared at him, but Po didn't allow him to talk, jabbing Jun's chest with a finger. "Who are you to tell other people how they feel?" Another jab. "To believe you know better than everyone and decide what’s best for all of us? We're not mindless pawns you can move however you like."

The accusation finally made Jun's carefully constructed mask crack. Jun's face twisted into something ugly, and he slammed both of his hands against Po's chest.

Po felt his breath leaving his lungs as he was sent staggering back, almost slipping on the wet concrete.

"No one seemed to complain about it when they got what they wanted, though," Jun shouted, his words echoing in the night. "Do you think Thame and I would still be friends if I didn’t pretend not to like you all those years ago? Do you think Pepper would have been able to leave us if I didn’t push for MARS to disband? None of that was what I wanted, but I did what had to be done."

Jun took a shaky breath, squeezing his eyes shut. His chest was heaving, and the hand he ran through his hair was trembling visibly. When he opened his eyes again, there was a strange resignation in them, like he was simply tired of fighting.

"And now you’re standing there and telling me that, what? You like me?" Jun asked. "Let’s pretend that’s true. You’re not so stupid as not to know that Thame is still in love with you."

Before he could catch himself, Po winched, and that was the wrong thing to do. Jun's smile was weary, and profoundly sad.

"You and I," Jun said, "that’s something none of us will be able to come back from. Sooner or later, we’re both going to regret it."

Po stared at him, his initial anger replaced by a sudden understanding.

"You are scared," Po said in disbelief.

Jun frowned. "Out of everything I said, that's what you get? You’re really hopeless."

Po stepped closer, invading Jun's personal space once again. "You're scared you will be just a chapter in someone else's story. You're scared you won't be, and that this might hurt your friend irrevocably." He reached out, gently cupping Jun’s face in his hands. "I understand why you took a step back all those years ago. I won't lie and say I would have picked you then. But that was then, and this is now."

He looked deep into Jun's eyes, his own filled with sincerity. "Thame knows he and I can only be friends now, and I need you to trust that he loves you enough to give you this chance, just like you gave it to him in the past. I need you to trust that I love you and that I want you and that I'm choosing you above anyone else. I can't go back in time and make you my first choice, but you're the choice I want to keep making every day from now on."

The words hung in the air, heavy with promise. Jun's eyes were searching Po's face, and Po allowed him to take his time. Po had said his piece, now all he could do was hope that Jun would find in him nothing but an unwavering honesty, and a deep and abiding affection to mirror Jun's own.

A lone dog barked somewhere in the distance. A startled shout echoed down the empty street. Jun grabbed the lapels of Po's shirt and pulled him in.

Po stumbled forward as Jun's mouth crashed against his, and his arms had to fly out and circle Jun's back to keep both of them upright. Jun's lips were relentless, chasing Po's without leaving him room for breath, as if he feared Po might disappear if Jun let him go for even a second. Po tried to match Jun's rhythm and felt dizzy with it, with the gnawing hunger that was being poured on him after years of desperate longing and unspoken desire. Without breaking the kiss, Po blindly moved them a couple of step back, until Jun hit the wall behind him with a huff of surprise. Po took the chance to catch his breath and find his bearing, then he wrapped one of his arms around Jun's waist and buried his other hand into Jun's hair, tilting his head just so. He licked into Jun's mouth, then quickly pulled back, teased him with short quick kisses until Jun dug his fingers into his shoulders and caught Po's lower lip between his teeth, biting down.

Po yelped, startling back and glaring at Jun. "Was this necessary?"

"You started it," Jun said with a satisfied smirk.

[meanqueens]

Hi! Sorry for the rant but as an hater of the Rhaenys speech in episode nine to another I felt like you could understand .

In my personal experience ,it’s not only the Targaryen Exceptionalism that bothers me ,it’s also the not so subtle victim blaiming .

The whole window things to me was Rhaenys telling Alicent that she’s a loser for not having ambitions other than to see her family safe ,and the fact that Alicent didn’t girlboss her way out of her problems ( read :abuse)

It’s not only Rhaenys hypocrisy here that makes me go nuts,but the way the show constantly acts like Alicent is stupid for not fighting back against her abusers is sickening .This is a feudal society and their concept of abuse was different then ours ,so what was done to Alicent by Otto and Viserys (and Larys but in this case his behavior would never be normalized) will never get called out ,and Alicent as a woman is considered a property ,first of her father then her husband .She has power and wealth as long as these men give it to her .So she’s already in a bad situation societally and one hard ti escape.

On an emotional level ,Alicent is also really scared of both Otto and Viserys .And abuse victims feel trapped ,like they can’t escape . (and Alicent is trapped ).

The fact that Rhaenys shaming Alicent for being a victim is seen as a wise girlboss moment is something so fucked up .

Sorry for the rant ,and have a good day/night !

thank u for your ask and your thoughts, and i hope u enjoy me ranting some more about (probably) my least favorite exchange of dialogue in hotd!

i’m gonna go kinda line by line with my thoughts so this might get long.

Rhaenys: And you are usurping the throne.

subjective, i think, like a lot of the dance is. who’s the usurper depends on who believes who has the rightful claim. and let’s be real: if the greens didn’t have a leg to stand on, there wouldn’t be a dance. also, let’s recall that part of rhaenys’ stance in the great council was not only that she had a claim, but that her male child laenor had a claim. he, not rhaenys, was the main contender alongside viserys i. i think hotd really messed up important details in trying to simplify everything. anyway.

Alicent: It was my husband's dying wish. Believe it or no, it is of no consequence. Aegon will be king. I came here to ask your support.

Rhaenys: Well, I must credit you for your boldness.

hey, now that’s a take i can agree on, rhaenys! while not the most powerful member of the greens, without alicent’s boldness they would not have survived long.

Alicent: House Velaryon has long allied itself with the Princess Rhaenyra and what has it gained you? Your daughter dead, alone in Pentos. Your son cuckolded. Rhaenyra's heirs are none of yours. It is your husband who grasps so heedlessly for the throne. And even he has abandoned you. Gone these six long years to fight a desperate battle, returning grievously, if not mortally, wounded, leaving the Lady of Driftmark to chart her course alone.

(going by show canon) is alicent wrong though? is she wrong????? it might not be nice but it’s the truth as she sees it.

Rhaenys: The word of my house is not fickle.

Alicent: No. But, dear cousin, you more than any soul alive understand what I say now. Princess Rhaenys, I loved my husband, but I will speak the truth we both know. You should've been queen.

Rhaenys: I little thought to hear those words from you.

but why, rhaenys, did you not expect alicent to say those words to you? what on-screen interaction have you had with her in the past that led to this conclusion? or is that the internalized misogyny talking???

see, this little quip reeks of narrative fuckery. everybody just inherently hates alicent bc *checks notes* she’s a “bad feminist”… in a medieval patriarchal society. if rhaenys doesn’t think alicent would say that, show me why she doesn’t think alicent would say that based on something other than “vibes”.

doesn’t make sense that it’s bc alicent married viserys instead of laena; doesn’t make sense that it’s bc alicent and rhaenyra fought after aemond lost his eye; doesn’t make sense that it’s bc alicent rules in viserys’ stead (if anything, that’d make it more likely she’d say it bc she and rhaenys are/were in similar positions, able to rule when their husbands couldn’t); doesn’t make sense that it’s bc alicent worked with vaemond so he could inherit driftmark (and not lucerys, another male).

so where?

Alicent: The Iron Throne was yours by blood and by temperament. Viserys would've lived his days a country lord, content to hunt and study his histories, but here we are. We do not rule, but we may guide the men that do. Gently. Away from violence and sure destruction and instead toward peace.

the “we do not rule, but…” lines are actually so important to me, because it’s alicent speaking as a woman who understands her position in society to another woman (maybe one who she hopes can feel the same). it’s alicent have a very firm grasp on what her limitations are and thus what is reasonably possible for her to do. here, i think, she underestimates rhaenys’ pride and concept of her own privilege, bc rhaenys does not view herself as a “mere woman”, she’s a targ, and she couldn’t nor wouldn’t visualize anything else.

Rhaenys: Is it in the name of peace that you've imprisoned me? And what of my dragon?

Alicent: If we are overmatched, Rhaenyra will be tempted to strike us, and war will ensue. Without your dragon, she may be persuaded to negotiate. If it's Driftmark you want, you shall have it for you and your granddaughters to pass on as you see fit.

excellent point from alicent. it’s a smart political move to keep rhaenys confined while her loyalties are uncertain. again, it’s not a “nice” thing to do to someone, but it’s not the time to be nice; it’s time to survive. giving rhaenys free reign would give her free reign to use a WMD on whoever she chooses. so, yeah, it is kind of in the name of peace to keep the user away from the weapon, because meleys is a weapon of MASS DESTRUCTION that could destroy the city and kill many.

and guess what happens later at the coronation? alicent is proven right. you let rhaenys out, you let the carnage out.

Rhaenys: You are wiser than I believed you to be, Alicent Hightower.

Alicent: A true queen counts the cost to her people.

Rhaenys: And yet you toil still in service to men. Your father, your husband, your son. You desire not to be free, but to make a window in the wall of your prison. Have you never imagined yourself on the Iron Throne?

i will stand by the post i made back when this episode aired, that some people can only hope to make windows.

if you can see a door, that’s great, but some people can’t and can only visualize fresh air. maybe you could help her find the door, rhaenys, but you’re more interested in shaming her.

rhaenys’ hypocrisy comes out here in full force in how she views alicent’s actions vs. her own, when she has done similar if not exactly what alicent has. but rhaenys is a targ/aryen, she’s got the dynasty and the dragonfire to back her up; alicent has to work with what your typical noble lady has. so, no, alicent can’t just do whatever she wants, bc, like you said redroses, her power is what others allow her. looks like rhaenys doesn’t have a window in the wall of her prison of privilege, and instead bricked herself up with her hypocrisy.

now. while i have ranted for quite a bit now, i do think it’s okay that rhaenys does not agree with alicent and does not see her as she is. that’s character conflict! that makes a great story! i can disagree with rhaenys’ perspective (and i do), but that she has it isn’t entirely the issue. what hammers in the frustration i have is that the narrative is siding with her, not allowing for these two women to have different points of view in shades of grey. the narrative doesn’t push for any interpretation other than rhaenys is correct, and that alicent is a bigoted, self-righteous fool, bc how dare she defend her son’s claim? “that’s not very girlboss of you, alicent, so we don’t care about your reasons for doing so and how they just might be valid from your POV.”

the scene ends without a retort more from alicent, again signaling how the narrative intends this as a “gotcha!” mic drop moment. but since i’ve gone this far, i might as well argue that the following could be considered one, bc she does at least get the final word:

Alicent: I'll leave you with your thoughts.

go ahead and have your thoughts, rhaenys. see how far you go, and if you won’t end up just like the mere mortals after all.

[ebenelephant]

Tell me about your snupin fic!

What’s the premise? Is it an au or canon-divergent? If you had to list out five (or more) tags right now, what would they be?

Oh my god, I'm in love with you, sorry I've not been checking my inbox! Tl;dr: two desperately lonely people look for a connection; find it. Nothing changes.

This fic is what I would call 'canon amenable' – borderline contradicts canon, but technically could happen. The premise is basically two intertwined character studies across six meetings, in which Severus and Remus gradually grow to understand one another more, culminating in a kind of sad, this-is-as-good-as-it's-ever-gonna-get sex before they part ways on New Year's Eve.

Basically, it's Christmas Day 1995, and Snape and Lupin run into each other by chance in a little cafe. Lupin can't explain what possesses him, but he sits down at a table across from Snape and it sort of goes from there. Have you ever just been so tired and so busy and so overwhelmed that you couldn't even bother to be annoyed by someone? This is essentially that. They don't discuss it the first time, but Remus finds himself returning to the cafe, and eventually Severus turns up again as well on the 27th. They don't particularly like each other, but they're mutually understanding, and more than that they know each other. Snape sees more of Lupin's imperfections that most, and likewise Lupin sees more of Snape's goodness.

Tags: #loneliness #queer themes #doomed romance #dialogue heavy #bittersweet

Characters: Severus Snape, Remus Lupin, minor OCs, frequent reference to canon characters

Setting: Dec 25th-31st 1995 in a variety of domestic settings notably removed from magic and the known personal lives of both characters (i.e. cafes, pubs, libraries, but not Hogwarts, Grimmauld, Spinners End, etc)

I don't think anything specific inspired it, I just have a love for character studies and pretentious films with a lot of conversation and not a lot of plot.

I like when information is revealed about a character that recontextualises them. There are two vague concepts I've been thinking about: that week of liminal space between Christmas and New Years when nothing feels real; the 1914 Christmas ceasefire. You know that story from WW1 about British and German soldiers on calling a truce on Christmas to play football on No Man's Land? You better believe it's getting referenced here.

Not really a specific detail, but generally speaking, neither of them are putting on airs as much: Lupin allows himself to be sharper, meaner around Snape; Snape can be without some of that shame. Or, well, the shame can never really leave, but he can wear a woolly jumper in the cold and not seem weak, because Remus has already seen him weaker.

I'm genuinely happy with the details I've got ironed out so far regarding their differing relationships with the muggle world: Remus who travelled the world without a passport because he went by floo versus Snape who still has the Pink Floyd band tee his dad got him as an apology in 1979. I've got details ironed out so far regarding Snape's relationship with the muggle world that please me to no end. His background (working class halfblood to a muggle father in a failing northern industrial town) is endlessly fascinating to me, especially so when queerness is tossed into consideration. I also like the idea of Lupin absolutely not having it together at all: he's a coward, he's sometimes mean, he's been on and off homeless since he was twenty because it's hard to keep a job, he defends muggles but knew very little about them for the longest time.

In one scene, Remus asks Snape what he would do, and Snape says he would do it all again. R: "You're miserable." S: "I am. But there are more important things than me."

Also fond of the line: "Maybe you'll think about it years later, maybe it was special. Some things are."

One more specific detail is how they eventually say goodbye, as 'Snape' and 'Remus' – Snape finally admitting that they are something like friends and Remus finally respecting him enough not to call him 'Severus' (Snape has hangups about the intimacy of a name).

Thank you so much for the ask!

[blindtaleteller]

MCU Asgard Canon Observation Research [Part 1]

Firstly and before I even start in on the subject, keep in mind that this is what it says: a collection of research into actual Canon Lore from the Marvel Cinematic Universe: not the comics, or the Nordic lore twice removed from it.

Secondly and alongside that, also keep in mind that even back at the start of the MCU as a long term project, while the MCU is based on the Marvel comics universe: the creators made a point of making it a completely different universe: for many varying reasons, including the spaces lacking continuity in the comics over the years that the MCU as a project wanted to pursue from it's first conception.

This is a large part of why there are phases and why they were numbered from it's creation. (And yes also why my tags recently mentioning counting phases are what they are elsewhere, but that's a whole other post.. or set of them.)

These are important to remember because, I would like to avoid previous iterations of people wasting their time trying to insert comics-universe lore and more excessively into or onto this requested post purely for the sake of, well; being argumentative or just trolling:as much as possible. I do try to take some time to respond to comments and reblogs as much as possible, but I can and will ignore or yes, at times point out people unable to manage these things.. and respond as necessary.

I normally wouldn't bother to mention this except yes, that has happened before so: consider this your disclaimer.. I ain't dealin' with you if you're gonna be a trolly shit disrespectful enough of the time effort and willingness to share what research and observations I have, by shitting on it or me in your pursuit of whatever flimsy excuses might be given for any inhuman reactions posted passive aggressive or worse.

More frankly: be respectful on my posts or get lost. I don't tolerate harassment on my blog whether it's aimed at me or others. Passive aggressive or otherwise. I'll discuss stuff, am happy to have any valid references I might miss added to and pointed out. Just don't be an asshat about it, and you'll get the same from me. That's how basic-bitch Karma, and I; both work: you'll get what you give along those lines, while in my space.

The necessary now out of the way... Next!

More as a side note with that mentioned; while I may mention some meta/theory in the form of the most probable (as that's how my meta in particular is formed) it is again: based on the facts of the canon lore and contexts confirmed presented in it; visually, in dialogue, and out of the mouths of the very people who made all that themselves, at the time that lore was given to us on screen: and will be mentioned as the theory and supposition that is 'meta' rather than 'canon'. I have gone out of my way as a fan of world, universe, and character building as a part of the creative process in particular: to watch, rewatch, rewatch again and again, and hunt down all this stuff (often lol purely out of my own curiosity.) All in all Meta is theory, Canon is story/film-established fact; and I do try to keep a clear line between the two of them. The early world and character building in the MCU has always been interesting enough to me alone, to do all that with my free time.

And that's especially true with Asgard in particular, as a main story driving force in one form or another as far back as 2010 when both Thor and CA: tFA's scripts were being filmed and their sets/settings picked out and created.

Final few bits before we get into it..? As Asgard lore (and even a lack of it's presence at times) is directly and appropriately attached and or in relation to the lore of several races, species, and massive events in the entirety of the MCU's first three phases.. I will be touching some of those cultures and places too, where important. Probably not in this particular part, but yeah. It's gonna happen.

As with the research post into Loki and his year of absence prior to Avengers 2012: (yes that's a link to an ask that contains a good chunk of info and years of interviews on that particular subject) this might not be an entirely complete compilation: for the same reasons. As I said, i didn't just watch, I rewatched repeatedly from differing personal mental angles: not just three or four times, but and as I wrote my own fanfiction.. I would also re-watch once or twice just prior to fleshing out an outlined story of my own to refresh my memory, seek out interviews official and otherwise from the creators and actors who made that lore and put it on screen for us to enjoy as part of the stories we enjoyed (or not, depending lol) and well.. the resulting organization of the whole outside of this post is less than comprehensive for anyone else. You can see the explanation for how that happens in the foreword of that thread if you're curious.

As a result, I may or may not exclude the actual interviews if this gets too long. Much of the visual in this first part especially are pretty self explanatory, as I did find some of my dissection pics too.

All said (I think? Gods I hope so that was a lot wasn't it? XD) and as suggested/requested recently in discord?

This one is gonna be expansive.. and hellaciously so: so grab your drinks and your snacks and still be prepared for this series of posts to be going for while (not kidding, may be compiling this properly between jobs for weeks) so yeah..

Here we go again!

The major forgotten fact of Asgard's depiction in the MCU is this:

We the audience are only shown a very tiny fragment of Asgard as another separate planet in space, and: they do show us we're missing as much, from the very first film.

That gif directly from the movie I used at the top? I'm using it again, because...

..look at that.

With topography, perspective and size in mind.

That tiny golden triangle in the middle is the Palace at the center. The little golden bar along that tiny portion to either side? Is the city attached to it proper, with the Bifrost, and as far as we've seen the 'Heroes Road' (as soem are calling it) and city walls cupping the Bifrost Bay directly facing the camera.

This is a space shot (of course,) and that tiny itty bitty moving spec that is still shrinking as it gets further from our perspective and closer to Asgard at the bottom, is the Bifrost in use.

And, they do give us a few views of that as early as five to six minutes into the first movie in 2011, as seen in the first clip below. I've set it to share at the first view of Asgard itself.

Hopefully that works. If not, the timestamp you're looking for is 2:04.

I recommend shutting off the audio, as it's a bit distracting. Trust me, we will get back to the very interesting audio from a world builder's perspective, when we get to the History and Relations section of Asgard's break down.. there are several tons, of that and in that opener alone, to examine later.

IMPORTANT!! When looking at any of these images or videos, keep in mind and look at the scale. Not just in the scene on screen at that moment, but also in reference to previous shots. Distance is a thing. The size of trees and people are a thing. This place in the MCU is much more massive than where it's very cloistered story parts take place.

This is not a city-planet like and for comparison: Coruscant, from Star Wars... though I am very aware that some people will throw out Asgard's concept art to try and 'debunk' that (yes its' been done and proven pointless in other threads).. that does also bring us to another couple of facts that slip by in their context.

In fact, you know what? I'll throw it in here right now myself:

This concept art: does still apply, if slightly adjusted with the topography and likely under ground portions taken into account.. because Asgard is the name of both the planet AND the city as separate entities of the same locale.

In other words, the concept art is VERY valid as a map of the city itself: but not the outlying locations outside of Asgard as a Capital City Proper, of Asgard as a disk planet.

And again.. they do show us this, and not just in the first film: although that first shot going into the city says as much too, being that..

A. Asgard is established as a society greatly more advanced than Earth and most others, and;

B. there are whole swaths of land (and especially mountain they like to build into) without structure between the edge panned through and the City itself. (see still image below: not the best quality but it's also in the video.)

Which.. we'll touch again a little more in a bit (and probably the biggest lol) part of this breakdown set; digging at History, Culture, and Relations.. as the fact they do prefer to build INTO their environment much more than on top of it is also shown in the shot of the canyons and canals on which not only that city is built, but even what buildings are shown outside of it on that panning-in shot.

We can see in the one above though: that while they did redirect some of the water through canals in the lower shot; they also kept and built into the natural(?*) lay of the river canyons below.

This theme is kept even before we get into the city though with the first part of the shot above the water.

Want a more visual view of the breakdowns as I do them?

Here you go, here's one example from out of my crazy folders and docs, that I made in paint back in 2013 (LOL yes I know. XD) while once again re-watching that same scene.

I would highly suggest clicking on it, as tumblr does downsize images making text on them hard to read otherwise. Crappy in-motion quality screen cap but, it was made more for breaking down the visual elements on screen for what it told us about the land, and more; on it.

----[?*] As a set of side/foot notes to that last bit and the image..

A. the top left corner yes: does reference some of where I use certain observations of canon in my own fics; and how they would have grown or evolved depending on that story. In this case, and at the time: the pink text is making note to utilize those observations in outlining Hvedrungr (Loki from Uni 0) and Flykra's (Loki from Vesti1 Uni 14) universes in particular: both of which return to Asgard at VERY different times and in different situations: while the history and culture I've been able to glean and expand on in some cases is still part of their and the location's background. As I don't have the patience to remove the text from an old paint shop cut.. I thought I would at least explain it's presence left there. These things are, ultimately connected by the culture that originated on and created them on that planet after all.. and why there's an entire section dedicated to the varied aspects of Asgard's presented Cultural, Relations, and History lore. B. The '?' at the 'natural' mention in parenthesis above, also takes into account that Asgard is much older than Earth's culture and has to be: if only because as only three generations have come and gone over the passage of what to us is five thousand years! (see the next installment Thor the Dark World: Bor and Darkalfheim, or just watch the movie with info gathering in mind.) In other words, between Bor's War, and Odin's Asgardian Great Wars: we cannot be certain whether or not 1. those canyons are actually natural or the now aged result of one of many previous interplanetary wars, or 2. whether Asgard at this stage of it's showing timed at 2011 more than a millennia later, has even always been this size, given their advancement in technology and study of magic as presented OR left in question, either. For my part, as there's no conclusive dialogue from that era to state otherwise in the MCU or it's interviews that I know of, and knowing the context of Malekith and Darkalfheim's familiarity with Asgard itself during their raid to reclaim the infinity stone: I tend to veer towards a mixture of the two. While it's very likely at least some of the canyons are indeed natural; the great age of the culture and planet both, along with the nature of Bor and Odin's rules alone as we've seen them: leaves a HUGE and LONG period of time and opportunities for some of those nasty fights to come directly to them... or even their predecessors. Which would also explain why they had that shield for the palace too. You don't build and more importantly upkeep something like that without a very good set of reasons or examples experienced, to do so after all. Much of that is meta though, however based on canon fact it may be: and as many of the creators were not asked publicly during that era, and have been dismissed or moved on to other projects since.. it's hard to know if we'll ever see a *genuine* answer from the people who actually made it all starting sixteen years ago.

Anyway, let's look at a few more shots of Asgard with that breakdown going. Some of these are all old, from as far back as about ten years ago when I first started writing outlines for the varied universes in my Lokiverse Project: but they do still hold up. theer are some from TDW in this bunch too. I heavily dissected these scenes knowing I was going to do whole chapters in multiple differing universes, and wanted to have the presented layout and feel laid out in my head, before I started adding in locations on the planet not yet shown on film. And given my first Book was already going to be DREAMS.. where Asgard has been blown to bits post Endgame? I really wanted to get it right so I could deconstruct it as many times as I and the muses wanted to. Laufeyson (Universe 10 Loki) was pretty insistent too with the opening chapters on his end focusing partially on that chase with Abell through Asgard's blown apart ruin

Sorry for the ramble of an explanation, but that's how it is and how it works over here...? XD

..uhmmmm. Yeah lol! When I said I watch and re-watch from differing mental perspectives..? That's what I mean. I don't usually share those at all... only the unedited pics. Genrally I will take caps or take existing raw caps and pick out piece that catch my eye. I've been told they do help put your brain in the right mode for those who have difficulty processing them in that way, like I do when in that mode. Also yes, trees and fish ...bruh. lol!

It's there, has been for years in some cases; and I'm not messing with it now.

That basic bit out of the way (doesn't sound so basic does it.) Let's backtrack a bit, specifically to Asgard's shape and the placement of it's location and the locations on it.

As I first write this, I don't have the talks I had with a few wild meteorologists and geologists back then directly on hand (as this is a part I still don't focus on too much; but:) shaped as it is, those I did talk to theorized that between the shape and placement of planets as well as the nebula they're partially inside, that Asgard may be shaped and in rotation as it is because of its' placement in it's system: or because of late interference by Asgard's inhabitants to keep it stable.

^ That one scene in particular from Thor 2011 really made my eyes pop. Not because of what's going on in it so much as trying to answer the whys and hows and what the actual fricks man: because..

Can you imagine, the conversation: trying to pitch that spinning death ball to the King there OR anywhere else on the planet before Bor or even his great grandfather?

Or, trying to talk the royalty down from the idea of putting it anywhere NEAR the palace, or other people's homes?

How about testing that house sized death-by-velocity-alone gilded mess? (Yes I still laugh thinking about that. Some poor scholar/engineer type trying to dissuade Bor's grand-daddy from building what would definitely become a giant pinball of death in the canyons and canals, if that thing ever came off it's anchors even once in the city. Good gods! lol!) Who knows; maybe that was when people started moving to Vanaheim... XD! Just (mostly) kidding.

Cray-cray thoughts of high velocity gilded pinball hell that was probably somewhere way back in the Bifrost's likely development and evolution as tech/normie science boosted by magic, and or vice versa, aside:

You probably notice I've mentioned the nebulae and the planets in their rotation more than once. And with good reason.

Backing up a bit; Asgard is interesting well before you hit her shores.

Not only is she a top-shaped disk-planet: but with the way the sky is shown: Asgard has a very interesting rotation if she has any left at all. There's very little we know, but what we do know is she is not alone in her systematic rotation either way.

(Asgard's sky from Thor's personal Hall in Thor: the Dark World)

In fact and as seen in the screen caps above: Asgard has an incredibly close relation to at least three planets in her nebulous solar system. At least one of which is absolutely massive: massive enough that it's close proximity is theorized as being pretty likely to be the only way Asgard experiences night cycles as seen in Thor: the Dark World... mainly through eclipsing the nebulous sun by passing between it and Asgard as a planet.

Which is both cool -and- scary when you take things like degrading orbits, space debris and projectiles like comets and other space science into account.. but also very, very interesting.

It also begs the question either way: why didn't Asgard at their earlier establishment of a greater technological level, colonize or move to those planets sooner? Of course.. the first obvious answer is.. they probably couldn't, at first. And even more probably were past trying by the time the Bifrost was built, prior to Bor's time (I say prior because we have seen Bor use it in Thor the Dark World: and on a massive scale moving whole armies, the same as his son Odin. See some of the scenes from Bor's seizure of the Aether below.)

But yeah, Asgard is a pretty unique place even before you get to the water fall's edge: or questioning what kind of condensed mass it has to retain gravity at it's very small size.

Or, whether that gravity and the shape is in fact generated in some form or another after millennia upon millennia of just the Wars we do know about in their history.

(At current we know about Darkalfheim and the series of Wars including Jotunheim and Muspelheim that they call the Great Wars. While they are definitely aware of the extensive millennia of intergalactic war between the Xandarian based Nova Corps and the Kree Empire put front and center in GotG.. there hasn't been any actual confirmation as to whether Asgardians fought in that war on either side: only that they are at that stage at least loosely allied with Asgard.. if not a more separated protectorate being considered among the nine realms in the MCU.)

Why do I keep pointing out trees, and perspective; or teh size of the city in that first little gif again?

Because.. that is our repeated visual evidence of just how much of Asgard as a planet; the story did not take place in.. huge parts of the place we haven't seen. And that makes sense.

Power plants or generators, smithys, and even schools can be easily placed in the city proper, at this stage.

But what about BEFORE, they got to this stage.. because that is a thing in the MCU in regards to Asgard: and a major plot point for three movies of script running, from 2010 all the way to 2015 when Taika Waititi was hired (unfortunately, for those of us who know the root of what happened there.)

What about food, for thousands of 5000 year lifespans and their kids. And their grandkids. And.. the food for the livestock, or the wild game

Or the bilgesnipes and dragons--well we can guess what happened to the dragons of Asgard in particular actually. If they were anything like Muspelheim's; and on a planet that size..? It doesn't take much to figure out Odin, Bor and their predecessors probably couldn't excuse not hunting a predator big enough to swallow people to extinction: not for much longer than they absolutely had to anyway.

What about fibers and leather for clothes.

How about waste management, for both the city and suburban areas? Sewers? Water filtration? Factories or slaughterhouses to process it all, and the means to support those things. Everything man made, is grown, processed or made somewhere.

We know they have these things, because we know they have and make their own alcohol (fermentation of grains, fruits, and more); as well as other things to eat: displayed in both T1 and TDW.

(The top image is from Thor's table flip scene in Thor 2011; while the one below it is from the tavern scene in the beginning of Thor: the Dark World.)

Meat, vegetables, fruit, grain, herbs, and seasonings are all represented on the tables above. While some might be imported (I really do wonder about the platters of golden apples myself:) it's not very likely all of them are. And it wouldn't make sense for them to have been imported from off world throughout their species development either. After all and again: they would have had to have survived and developed enough to GET TO, that stage in the first place.

You're also looking at Varnish in the shine of that table; smithing and metal working and ceramics in their table ware. Weaving either plant or animal fibers in their clothes, as well as the likely production of tannin (or it's equivalent) and leather working in every leather piece on screen. Candles can be made from varied sources, whether that's actual wax of some form, or condensed animal fat.

Oh, and if you find the enlarged version of those images: you'll also notice things like fine engraving and metal sculpture to the goblets and platters on the Thor 2011 table in particular.

Either way, the images above show us directly that unsurprisingly, they have come to understand whole other sub-levels of production: before you even get to the high-tech and magic ends of any of that to be able to reproduce it in that modern era.

As another side note related to that: the booze alone is pretty telling as to how far off the "Loki" series is on this mark, as well. Creators of current content 'conveniently forgot' that this is supposed to be a space faring, technologically advanced society (even if they're the social equivalent of medieval imperialist thugs .. lol sorry not sorry! That's literally how they're depicted... and honestly that really weird twist IS some of Asgard's most interesting and strange development) whose friends, allies and other examples of places visited DO and HAVE included Earth, Xandar, and six other 'realms' as their etymology names them: for literal millennia. Even taking the other, long established cultural influences and visitations aside? For a society who 5000 years ago was still porting whole armies to other planets to kick peoples asses? The idea they never discovered honey; or sugar especially even on the inside of a fermentation barrel for wine; OR how to process it into something like candy? Is more than just a -little- dumb in the stretch. Sugar often naturally starts to separate and crystallize during the fermentation process. Ask a vintner, or look it up if you don't believe me. Just sayin'.. just on Earth alone, we know sweets were discovered more than 8000 years ago. Eight thousand. And the only reason we haven't been able to confirm people older than that finding things like bee's hives?? Is because well.. that kind of thing rarely survives even that length of time at all, to be found in archeology in order to tell us more. I'll touch that and how it's pretty damned near impossible that 'Loki doesn't know wtf candy is' being 1k+ years himself, and a guy raised as an Asgardian prince & spymaster to boot later into the culture section I think, but mmm.. that whole bit still reeks of stupid, to me And more so after their own DB Cooper scene. Gonna say candy wasn't a snack in that era either? Cause if so; I got big shocking news, for those who think so... XD

In closing.. for this part?

As far as the world of Asgard goes, we have only been allowed to see a very small part of it: and even then? It is still undoubtedly massively larger than even what's implied: and definitely capable of supporting it's comparatively small base population of less than 10k people.

(Odin's subterranean vault reference: exterior)

The only reason we don't see even more of it; is the fact that films have a limited time to give you everything, and the story focuses on the royal family from the get go. And they live, in the heart of Asgard's capital city... so we largely don't see as much of that as weirdo world building fans like me would absolutely love to see in the process... and frankly; they gave plenty enough to start us off with.

The films would have suffered for having too much more of that, rather than the stories they were trying to tell.

The same.. I would love to know more: and I do wish the current teams paid the previous ones more respect by using what was already there and expanding on it: instead of making mismatched new things up, as they went.

The early creative teams really knew what they were doing back then.

(Asgard's defensive cannons defending against the Darkalfheim air raid in Thor the Dark World.)

And no, this isn't all they showed us, in the show and tell they did manage to give us over the course of years of work... far from it.

Hope you enjoyed part one! Maybe you learned or saw something you missed.. or have been inspired to watch the older films again..?

I know I often am.

[cupio-stardust]

In defense of 8-Ball

A lot of people in the BFDI community don’t really care for 8-Ball, and that leads to a lot of people mischaracterizing him. Because of this, I decided to make a mini essay ranting on several topics relating to him. This includes the following:

-Mischaracterization in the fandom

-His relationships with other characters

-His missed potential

With that said, let’s start with the first section!

Mischaracterization in the fandom

I can’t stress how much it infuriates me whenever I see a piece of content that portrays him as an asshole. 😭

I know it’s easy to see him like that, since he almost makes his team lose twice. But the thing is, he’s not as bad as people make him out to be. When both TB and GB died, there was pretty much no one else to lead the team to victory. 8-Ball, however, took initiative and became the “temporary” team leader. I honestly think it says a lot that he was willing enough to take on a role like that in a dire situation. Sure, you could say he was rude to ignore Grassy, but let’s be real, would YOU want to be led by the literal child of the group who does nothing besides say his name? (By this point at least that was all he did) And hey, he wasn’t THAT bad of a leader either. Yeah, he use TB’s contraption, but fair use I guess.

Also, it’s not like he was bullying Grassy, he was just more focused on the game. In fact, it’s actually GB who was bullying Grassy, but I don’t see many people hate on her for that? (This is not GB slander btw! I love her)

While yes, most of his dialogue boils down to, “I don’t have a favorite number” it’s important to note that it’s not his ENTIRE character. He’s smart when he needs to be, as shown when he used TB’s contraption in an admittedly smarter way than GB. Plus, he genuinely cares about his team. Even though it doesn’t seem like it, you have to remember that he went (with Blocky) to Four to ask him to bring back GB and TB. If he didn’t care about them, he probably would’ve held off from it and just continued to lead the team himself until they inevitably came back.

I think the fact that 8-Ball’s whole reason for the team leader thing makes him seem so much better than how he’s normally perceived. He just wanted to lighten up the mood by making jokes, but he just took it too far by not realizing that it was actively harming their team dynamic. When he realized this, he apologized in an oddly genuine way to GB. The fact that he took accountability just goes to show that he’s a pretty decent guy who may or may not be autistic. /hj

His relationships with other characters

This is probably gonna be my favorite section lol. I absolutely love his banter with the others, especially with GB. Speaking of GB, let’s start with her!

8-Ball and GB’s little rivalry is honestly really fun to watch. The way they continuously fight for the attention of their team members, their small moments of bickering, it’s just so sjahjwzjhsjshsh

At first, GB hates him because in her eyes; he’s an asshole who tries to sabotage the team and steal her role as team leader. But when 8-Ball apologizes, she admits herself that he isn’t that bad of a guy/“a completely useless moronic dumb robot”.

After that, they don’t get many more interactions, which is unfortunate because they had such a fun dynamic! I would genuinely pay so much money just to see them have more one on one conversations. 8-Ball’s teasing + Golfball’s temper would’ve been a nice way to spice up the interactions of ABNTT. But alas, we can only dream. :(

I also wish that he got more interactions with the EXITors, since they have the feeling of a found family, so 8-Ball being included in that would be nice.

His Missed Potential

Sighhhhhh, this is the most annoying part of this whole thing: the missed potential of 8-Ball.

It bothers me that he was eliminated so early on in the series. Even though his “arc” was pretty much completed, there was still room for them to expand on him. Like I stated in the previous section, his interactions with GB could’ve served as nice comic relief, along with perhaps touching on his comedian side a little more? Maybe learning to crack jokes that fit the situation, and making sure that they don’t hurt people. ALSO! There could’ve also been more interactions between other characters besides GB and Basketball. Like maybe TB or Blocky? Hell, even Grassy. Oh yeah, and they could’ve also expanded on why he’s so adamant on convincing others he doesn’t have a favorite number. And maybe, just maybe, a little angst? Typing this all out is annoying because there was SO MUCH potential but they missed out on it. 💔

Conclusion

Ending off this small rant, I just hope in future TPOT episodes he gets more than one line per episode. (His only lines so far have literally been “Four’s back, let’s go!” and “Blah blah blah blah”) At the very least, I hope this short essay has made you like him a little more than before, or even like him more!

[laggs-cringe-corner]

once again posting the whole ending because why bother rerecording it on my awful mic. unenthusiastic yapping under the cut

I still think this is one of the weaker endings, but I remember being a lot more frustrated about it the first time i watched through all the endings at once. I think what happened was I mentally mixed up Baldhead's ending with Chipp's ending, because Chipp has a bit where he kinda argues with Justice about survival as a philosophy(?) and it didn't really get much across, character-wise. Or maybe i just dont like chipp so i'm not getting why that was important to his arc. Anyway

I think most of my problems are translation-specific. Like, the script is legible enough, and it gets the ending across, it's just that it feels clunkier than it should be? The part where the only words are fragmented bits of dialogue, i like this in concept, but there's just not enough room for the words to get all the conflicting emotions across while individual ideas still get space to breathe.

I'll point at one example, to keep it brief.

<…octor…? Um, doctor…? I'm getting better, right…? Oh, boy! I can't wait to…>

Ok so the purpose of this line is clear: this is the voice of the kid who Baldhead was gonna save, but then died. She's talking to him before the operation. My gripe is,, why would a kid going under anesthesia say "[D]octor? Um, doctor? I'm getting better, right? Oh boy, I can't wait to [go home]!" It just feels too cartoonishly artificial, like someone was trying to pull at the reader's heartstrings, but then just went and slapped at them with a rubber chicken. I mean, I can't read japanese directly, I don't know if this problem existed in the original text and the translators didn't have much to go off of, but from what I've heard through the grapevine from people actually translating these things, the localization hasn't had much of a problem being inaccurate with other lines.

If you'll allow me to put on my writing-critic hat, I think this was a missed opportunity. With so little room to work with, the utility of word choice is more crucial here than anywhere else. Not to mention, this feels like the place to put some kind of detail that could be expanded upon with speculation or later context. Imagine if the kid said something about being scared of the dark, or saying that everyone else gave up on her, or her parents didn't even visit because they think it's hopeless. Maybe even,,, something about how the nurses said it would be risky, but she trusts the 'miracle doctor.' How it looks like she's getting more sick, but if the doctor says she's getting better, then he'll believe him.

Take this critisism with a grain of salt; all those ideas are probably too wordy to have made it in. It's a functional ending, that's all. My entitled ass is a little frustrated that it wasn't one of the ones that had more meat on its bones, but I should be greatful there's anything to chew on at all.

[holocene-sims]

🌸 I love your main characters

🌻I love your supporting characters

💠 I love your friendships

🪻I love your family relationships

🌹 I love your plot

🌸: main characters

okay, confession time because this is really bothering me. i totally fucked up a fundamental irish grammar thing, so every time in a post that someone like aoife has referred to grant as mo stóirín (my darling), it should be a stóirín because a is for directly addressing someone and mo is for talking about someone.

i messed it up because i misremembered the rule (rip) and i can only fix the future posts, so we're gonna retcon those old dialogue pieces and say that the mistakes are grant misunderstanding the grammar and mishearing people.

sorry for throwing you under the bus buddy!

i mean, it remains canon that aoife raised him and everyone else as native irish speakers, but hey! no one speaks perfectly, right? ...right?

🌻: supporting characters

the supporting cast has been one of the most surprising parts of the story to work on because some of the people i thought would be important ended up being kind of invisible and the people i thought would be invisible aren't.

like i always knew aoife was going to have a huge role, but for example, joseph has taken a backseat, even though he's her husband, because he's just not chaotic/loud enough to demand too much attention.

on the other hand, shannon and colm weren't even going to live in the united states where grant would see them often enough for them to get a big role, but then when i was testing out their characters before starting the story, i changed my mind. i fell in love with colm because it's fun using overt stereotypes and then averting them with real and genuine characterization, like turning his trope career into something he started out of a sad place. i also fell in love with shannon because i mean, i just have a soft spot for book smart but ditzy characters.

also, they became another great vehicle for reflecting grant as a character. like colm and grant have a lot of connection in terms of backstory, while shannon represents the potential for grant to have a stable and determined self-identity.

💠: friendships

speaking of important characters, henry <3 there are some very crucial scenes on the horizon where the narrative explores his long and storied friendship with grant. i can't spoil too much because henry hasn't appeared except one or two times so far, but there's so much to learn about him in the future!

but yeah, friends will get a bigger role in this arc now that grant is in a place to be out in the world and seeing people again!

🪻: family relationships

sometimes things aren't so rosy and not just with mary and juhani. time for some skeletons in the closet and other drama :)

🌹: plot

i'm absorbing new inspo for it :) i've been watching the bear lately, i just saw barbie in theaters with my mom, and i found some new music to use in certain scenes i have planned already, so there's plenty of ideas burning in my head.

i was feeling major writers block for a while and still kind of am, but the situation is improving and i'm doing a lot of work on the plot. i spent most of today finally restructuring this current story arc to add new things, make it flow better, and also to speed it up.

[caxycreations]

I tried writing a second draft! And a third!! I'm currently on the third now and having actually started a new draft was so new to me, it's like...I can see the things that need fixing, and I get to update it with current canon and details and put the world together in ways that make so much more sense!

Just the one XD

I am WAY more interested in the spicy adult scenes than the rest, but it doesn't mean I'm NOT interested in the rest! I just enjoy writing smut so much more than I thought I did >///<

Apparently Boondock Saints cause I rewatched it recently and have been seeing more and more concepts that I was inspired to try out thanks to that

My own XD I am one of like 3-4 members of the Tylvinian Tales fandom and proud to be lol

DAVINA X TRACE OMG, I didn't know I needed that so badly until it happened

Moss!!! Moss took Davina's story and made it so much happier, and indirectly improved the entire cohesiveness of the story!! The creation and subsequent inclusion of Moss into Tylvinian Tales was the best thing that could have happened and I am OBSESSED with their arc!!!

Davina x Trace XD

Tylvinian Tales: The Wolf's Den

Tylvinian Tales: The Wolf's Den

Tylvinian Tales: The Wolf's- you know what, look, answers 9 through 15 are all gonna be the same cause I only wrote/worked on the one fic XD

see 11

see 11

see 11

see 11

End of the Line by Dan Bull and The Stupendium

Chicken patties

See 11 XD It started out as "A Cat in the Wolf's Den" years ago, then it was "The Wolf's Den", then just "Tylvinian Tales", then "Tylvinian Tales: The Wolf's Den" and that's been the title ever since.

"I watched Jonas storm in and could smell the anger coming off of him." because not only does it give us a clue about just how potent Ryder's senses are, but shows just how attuned he is to the differences in types of adrenaline ;)

"Merissa, strongest drink you got, pretty please? I need it." because it shows something noteworthy about David; even when he's desperate, he keeps his manners and remains polite.

"If it's from Knotty Nights, don't bother. That was my backup plan." If I have to explain why this is my favorite piece of dialogue, it's probably best you don't ask in the first place XD

I planted my paws firmly on the floor, taking a split second to double check my grip was right, then pulled my arm back hard, still holding him. He moved easily, hardly a challenge to pull as I threw him behind me, listening to the sound of impact as he hit the floor a few feet away. I turned around and growled, planting a paw on his stomach. His left arm useless, the shoulder completely shattered, he could only use his right. Grabbing at my paw and trying in vain to lift it, he whined, crying out. I wasn't even putting pressure down. Just keeping it exactly where it was. "I-I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm s-sorry!!!" He cried out. I glanced to the snake at the counter, who was watching with interest. I growled at him in warning. "You gonna ignore this too?" I asked. He simply closed his eyes, gave the barest hint of a nod, and returned to counting the money in the register.

His expression softened immediately, and he lost the attitude he’d been giving since he walked in. He leaned over the table, putting a hand on my arm and locking eyes again. I instinctively avoided his gaze. He rubbed my arm gently, looking at me worriedly. “I’m sorry, Ryder. I didn’t mean to take it too far, I thought we were past all that.” | This section feels important to me, and I needed to get it perfect. Trace is cocky, arrogant, jokey, doesn't get serious often. But he also cares deeply about his pack, and when he feels like he goes too far he tries to make it right. So it took me a long time to figure out if he would try and joke his way out of the problem here, or if he would get serious. I spent ages on this one part, and it took most of the writing time if I'm being honest. But I'm happy with how it turned out ^-^

MOSS! Moss was an OC made by @that-one-enby-onyx who not only gave permission to use them in the story, but was excited to have them canonized. Moss forced a deep rewrite of the entire fic and led to a MUCH more cohesive and thought-out story <3

MS Word, Tumblr text post, and AO3.

Finishing chapter 7 XD

I never have finished a fic O_O

Between chapters I recharge by forgetting to work on the next chapter XD

@that-one-enby-onyx for creating the character that inspired me to rework the story properly and encouraging me with their excited gasps every time I post a new chapter, and @moremysteriesthantragedies for always being happy to help me ensure my work is respectful and crafted with the care needed to handle situations I'm unfamiliar with in a sincere and honest effort to respect those it may affect.

The rest of Tylvinian Tales: The Wolf's Den, and maybe part of Tylvinian Tales: Snake Pit.

fic writer asks

What’s something new that you tried in a fic this year? How did it turn out and would you do it again?

How many fics did you work on this year? (They don’t have to be finished or published!)

What’s something you learned about yourself as a writer?

What piece of media inspired you the most?

What fandom(s) did you write for this year?

What ship(s) captured your heart?

What character(s) captured your heart?

Did you write for a new fandom or ship this year?

What fic meant the most to you to write?

What fic made you feel the happiest to work on?

What fic was the most satisfying to finish writing?

What fic was the most difficult to write? Did you finish it?

What fic was the easiest to write?

What were your shortest and longest fics this year?

Rec a fic you wrote or posted in 2023

What were you go-to writing songs?

What were your go-to writing snacks?

What was the hardest fic to title?

Share your favorite opening line

Share your favorite ending line

Share your favorite piece of dialogue

Share an excerpt from your favorite scene

Share the final version of a sentence or paragraph you struggled with. What about it was challenging? Are you happy with how it turned out?

What's something that surprised you while you were working on a fic? Did it change the story?

What did you use to write? (e.g. writing programs, paper & pen, etc.)

If you had to choose one, what was THE most satisfying writing moment of your year?

Did you do anything special to celebrate finishing a fic?

How did you recharge between fics?

If this were an awards show, who would you thank?

What’s something that you want to write in 2024?

[benjineedssleep]

ahaha heyyyyyyyy

i’m gonna ask you Many Things bc i want to see the inside of your brain

24, 27, 40, 65?

after reading over 100k words of my writing i wonder how much deeper you can get LOL but whatever let's go let's go let's go!!! XD here's the og post btw -> Get to know your fic writer!

send more asks (/nf) i love these

24. Worst writing advice anyone ever gave you?

i have the memory of a snail and nothing has bothered me enough to remember (i take most concrit and stuff with a grain of salt) but i hate the pushing of show not tell. i just think it's detrimental to the growth of a new writer the way it's taught. no one ever goes into the nuances of it, they just go "your readers want detail! don't tell them your character is crying! show them the tears streaming down their face, their skin turning red, them hyperventilating! be descriptive!" and it's like no. sometimes you just need to say a character is crying. not everything needs to be overly described as i think it takes from the beauty of what is described, y'know? prose shouldn't all be poetry. you should have moments of poeticism because that is what'll stick with a reader, not the shade of green the grass was.

so basically my opinion on show and tell is: if it doesn't set the scene, if it doesn't matter to the story, tell it. that's very much oversimplified but i think you get the point.

27. What is your most and least favorite part of writing?

this is kinda loaded for me because it really depends on the day. generally speaking tho i loveeeee a good exposition/scene setting moment. this includes both description (like a room, clothing, etc.) and stories. in my long fic i have plenty of expository bits that can almost be entirely removed from the fic itself and still stand their ground. i've even posted some of them here (like this one about seb's birthday). overall i just fuck with description like crazy and could write an entire story with that and internal monologue and i wouldn't have much of a struggle. conversations are important and i've grown to love dialogue over the years, but i'll always be a description lover at heart.

as for my least favorite part? time and pacing. i already have a complex relationship time irl so this is like,,, even harder for me. and it sucks because i do a ton of research on things to make them accurate to the story timelines and even have notes about when things occur to help me keep track yet i still mess them up. i think time is one of 3 big reasons i haven't posted my long fic yet and won't until it's 100% done. i just don't catch things in the initial draft sometimes and also change around ideas as i get to know characters and storylines a bit better.

40. If someone were to make fan art of your work, what fic or scene would you hope to see?

holy shit dude if anyone made anything based on my writing i would fucking explode??? already kinda did after this post knowing they got brainrot from me and my samalex fic-- generally speaking though, i think you can tell exactly what bits mean a lot to me in my stories. they're described in very particular, very vivid ways and tend to have a lot of movement.

i think if i have to give specific examples here though, one of them would be That ™️ scene with sam/seb on winter 10, the scene with welwick on winter 17, anything from the flower dance (y2), and something i haven't written but know very well, a scene from summer 20 (y2). none of this matters to anyone but you though because it's not out LOL

(but for future reference... winter is my favorite season of the entire fic and it spans from spring y1-fall y2. so like,,, anything from there would send me to the MOON)

65. Tell us what you're most looking forward to writing -- in your current project, or a future project.

i'm working on a couple of things right now so i'll answer accordingly.

in my long fic (baby seasons change, but people don't) i'm most looking forward to summer 20 (y2). it's sam's 21st birthday chapter and it's been rolling around my head for about six weeks now. it's just SO FUCKING FUN DUDE. top three bits of the fic for me and i haven't even written it yet XD

in my current short fic (late dawns, early sunsets -- a zombie apocalypse au fic) i'm most looking forward to a particular argument that happens at the end of chapter 4. the entire thing is whump so i'm not... super happy or excited per se, but the scene is very complex emotionally and i feel like i'm gonna make sam come to a few realizations in that moment. there's only 6 planned chapters so this is very much the turning point. him and seb are also very drunk so there's that added layer of complexity.

i have a few of ideas for future projects that aren't just sambastian. i fuck with that ship heavy but i also have some pretty layered ideas for another samalex kinda thing, a different samalex fic that i'm contemplating making a samsebalex thing, and to cope with whatever the fuck i did to sebalex in my long fic, i might conjure up something for them too. i also wanna write haley/abby into my fics a bit more because they don't get nearly enough time to shine and i love love love their dynamic. so maybe i write a short story for them to satisfy those brain worms. we'll see.

ANYWAYSSSSS

that's all i've got for you lc. i feel like i wasn't speaking to you directly for like 90% of the time but it's fine lmfao.

if anyone wants to ask me anymore questions i fuckin' love yapping so hit me with them. here's the list again :3

[sillyfudgemonkeys]

For the sake of suffering, if you could only play either P5 or P3R, which would you pick?

You know.....I thought this originally said P5 or P5R jflkdsjfa and I was going through it (ultimately I might choose P5R, only cause it has QOL and the original ending still......but....not the original gym outfit *sobs* No it's important to me I'm not letting it go TT0TT)

Anyway, this one is harder. And I need more rules. TT0TT

Are other versions of P5/3 not available? Is it to just choose which game to play for the rest of my life?

Man....if that's not applied....then I guess it doesn't matter, I'm just gonna play FES/P tbh.

If those DO apply.......sigh.......Both are suffering for me, but the suffering hit's different.

P5 is a slog to get through dungeon-wise. I hate the story and most of the chars. I'm not a fan of it's style (style's not bad, it's just not my vibe, I'm not keen on reds/oranges/yellows esp combined it hurts my head, and the black/white accents also bother me visually too......). And I dislike most of it's music.

P3R bastardized P3 imo. I do not like the art shift, and I feel like the style isn't as coherent like the other games (P5's might not be my cup of tea, but at least it's a consistent cup of tea). The models are ugly, the environment makes no sense at best, and is ugly at worse. It's an affront to my eyes. Tartarus feels.....boring. I don't think they fixed any issues the original P3 had, and it's just a slog to pay attention to now.

After much consideration tho.....................................................

P3R wins out.

P3's music is more up my alley (even with the singer change, which I'm not the harshest against still). I can skip cutscenes so that saves on it being an affront to my eyes. And as boring as Tartarus is now.....I can still ascend the floors relatively fast. Which is still a godsend that P5 lacks.

Remember how I said P5/R is a slog for me to go through the dungeons? While P3R is only a slog if I *pay attention* (aka watch/listen to the stories/chars)? As someone who will turn off their brain and fastforward through the story/SLs and just play for the gameplay loop for fun with P3. And for trophies for P5.

P3s' iterations clear P5s' in this case. P3 allows me to go at my own pace, I'm not a slave to the game (heh) and it's dungeon pacing like P5. (plus I wanna say fast forwarding is a lot faster in P3R than P5s, I think in part because there's a lot less dialogue/fluff).

So yeah if I can turn my brain off then P3R!

If I can't...........................maybe still P3R, it's still a shorter game I think. TT0TT

[gabzlovesu]

MY EVERYTHING

nanami x reader

warnings: mushy gushy feelings, borderline poetry tbh, semi-public sex, creampie, no dialogue during smut...

my submission for @misss-chrisss's getaway collab! i tried something new for my writing style so i hope you all enjoy. and don't forget to check out the other amazing collab pieces!

When you recited the words “until death do us part” on your wedding day, you didn’t think working so much would be your husband’s demise. You could see his job wearing on him physically and mentally, coming in the door with his tie already loosened while his shoulders drooped from the weight of the day. He beelines straight for the bed, not even bothering to take his clothes off, and you just watch from the doorway thinking about how much he deserves some peace and quiet.

If you could go anywhere, where would you go?

It was an innocent question, one that rolled off your tongue with ease while you mindlessly traced random shapes on his chest. An arm that was draped over your shoulder gives a gentle squeeze before moving to rub soothing circles on your back.

I’d go anywhere, as long as it’s with you.

His answer made you sit up, giving a little room between your bare chests that were once pressed together. You needed to see if there was a hint of doubt, but you only found him peacefully sleeping. As you return back to his chest, a small smile spreads across your lips at his comment – Nanami could still make you giddy and flustered like a young schoolgirl 5 years into your marriage.

You expected to receive a rather wordy phone call from Nanami while you were out running errands the next morning, something about how you impulsively booked a getaway trip to Malaysia without talking to him. But he actually sounded… happy, which had you concerned if it was really Nanami on the phone. The truth was that he knew there was no time to argue. He had to pack his things for the flight that was within a couple of hours.

And that’s how you ended up in Malaysia. For the past few days, the two of you have disconnected from the rest of the world and sought refuge in a nice villa in the tropical country. It was a much-needed reset and allowed you time to focus on each other without distractions.

“What are you smiling about, Kento?” You reach into the fruit bowl on the table next to the hammock and throw a grape at his forehead. When it hits him dead on, he drops his smile and gives you a light pinch after cutting his eyes at you. “Tell me all of the juicy secrets you’ve written in your journal.”

“You know I can’t do that, love. And wouldn’t that take the fun out of all this?”

Journaling was something you have been doing since the beginning of your marriage. Every day for the past five years, you’d sit down together and write something for that day. As you poured your hearts out, the two of you have accumulated quite a large stash of notebooks, each page filled with the sacred words that resided in your hearts and minds. But the most important detail of it all was that the other wasn’t allowed to see what you wrote. It was for your eyes only. People tend to be more genuine and honest when they don’t expect anyone to look on with prying eyes.

“I suppose. I guess I’ll just die without knowing,” you let out a dramatic sigh and pretend to be sad.

Nanami chuckles, shaking his head as he continues to write. “Shouldn’t you be writing? I’ve seen you write one word in the last 10 minutes.”

“I’ve written more than that for your information.” You look down to count them – okay, you only had 4 words but that was all you needed.

Nanami is my light. He is the light that brightens your world. He is the light that guides you to better days. And most importantly, he was the light that made you feel warm and safe. Even the sun seemed dull in comparison.

You swing your legs over the side of the hammock and stretch a little before rising. “Well, you’re just gonna have to finish later. Get dressed so we won’t be late.” Usually, Nanami was the one doing the rushing, reminding you of the time and watching you get dressed for whatever you had planned. It seems as though the roles were flipped today.

“Alright, alright I’ll be ready in a few minutes. How about you keep sitting here and look pretty for me, okay?” When you dawn a bright smile, he gives a quick kiss before disappearing into the house..

It wasn’t until you looked down to put on your sandals that you noticed his journal lying on the ground. Thinking nothing of it, you pick it up, accidentally revealing the words he had jotted down moments prior. You didn’t intend to read them, yet you couldn’t get yourself to stop either. With every word, you felt your body grow warm and those familiar butterflies in your belly.

When the two of you had ventured off from the tour group, finding a grotto hidden behind the waterfall, you found yourself replaying the words you had read while your lips interlocked with his.

She may have my heart but she is my soul.

You could feel him pouring his heart out to you without even saying anything. The way his hands smooth over every inch of your body until they settle on your cheeks as he deepens the kiss. The way he robbed you of oxygen by stealing kiss after kiss, never giving you a chance to breathe until he felt your nails digging into the flesh of his shoulders. Even now as you both pant, warm breath fanning over your glossy lips, his eyes are trained on them as he desperately waits for more.

She keeps me sane and drives me insane at the same time.

It was an amusing irony – how you completed him and made him feel whole, despite losing himself every time he settles into your gummy cunt. He doesn’t mind though. If feeling this good meant giving in to you, then he would do it every time without hesitation. And no matter how many times you cried out his name, or how many times his lips landed on your skin, there was always more he wanted to give.

I could say that she is everything I have ever dreamed of, but no one could ever fathom a dream like her.

He watches you writhe under him. Pupils blown wide yet his vision was foggy from the heavy arousal. If being here with you was a sick and twisted dream, then he never wanted to wake up. All he could focus on was you: how you peer over your shoulder with soft, pleading eyes, you crying out an affirmation of love, and your warm cunt that keeps sucking him in deeper. His tight grip moves from your waist to your chest and he pulls you impossibly closer. It was perfect – the way his body framed yours and moved in a steady rhythm.

She is more than my world…

Your manicured nails cling onto the rocks in a desperate attempt to ground yourself. The cold water crashing against your hot skin did nothing to stop your mind from drifting off. Nanami had already let go, his sloppy thrusts going unchecked as he mentally checks out. His fingers carefully toying with your clit was his invitation for you to join him. He wanted to feel the way your tight cunt flutters around him when you reach your climax – a feeling that never got old and always made him cum. And when you finally do tip over the edge, he holds your trembling body flush against his chest and tells you for the milltionth time today that he loves you.

She is my everything.

TAGLIST FORM

tagging: @angwritez @misss-chrisss @hungrynessforfics @dejwrites @rinhoes @iloveitblackbhna @protectpancakes @fight-me-bitch @nneedynymph @indiecursor @po3ticb3auty @nanaminshousewife @apollostears @cosmicglowe @thenerdyrebel @luffysthickwaifu @svlims @4ngrysgf @daichisbunnybaby @urwifey2 @picayunne @kurtaclangobrr @kookieflvr @woahhajime @novaresque @syomi @chrolloderulo @vivisspamm @dabilovesme @erentoes @kutosznn @queenmjp @sweeneyblue1 @tyga-lily @jeanslove @getoswhore @thicksimpx @cosmicyeager @sakurashell @38riku @tonaken @delphi-thefairy @muzanskimono @wiserebelpartypie @hellavile @g0revixen @yeagertv @sleepy3 @simpliheavenli @festive

[tempestmothstorm]

RHDHDHFNDKSKOH HEY THATS MY TAGS HI 👋

But man those four are the one constant in every simulated universe. It’s like coded into the lore that even in something like project libitina they somehow stay connected because they are each other’s world. Maybe even the only thing that matters in their world

And Monika’s love is like a core idea in her character. She cares so so much about others, and even when she knows nothing about you she cares more about your wellbeing than her own. Girl has half of her dialogue advocating for you to practice self care, even if you have to log off the game and send her into the hell dimension. (Tbh Sayori would also do this. They wouldn’t want to be a burden on the people they love. Parallels.)

And that fact is what makes base game so messed up to me because it strips away one of the most important parts of her!!! She!!!!!! Can’t care about the others anymore!!!!!!! She can’t love them anymore!!!!!!!!!! She can’t even care about her universe anymore!!!!!!!!! They aren’t real!!!!!!!!! They’re fakes that are mimicking emotion!!!!!!!!!!! They can’t care about others as much as she does!!!!!!!!!!! Cause they’re just scripts!!!!!!!!!!! Scripts that stand in the way of someone who can care about her!!!!!!!!!!! You!!!!!!!!!

And it’s the fact that after all this. After seeing the meaninglessness of reality. Of facing the darkness parts of nihilism and closing herself off from everyone. She still loves them. Even before act 3 it’s evident that she still cares about them, even a little bit. By act 3 she’s already starting to have regrets. She still misses their little moments of friendship and was glad that for even a moment she could comfort them with their troubles. Despite all her efforts to ignore their humanity, she can’t help but love them still. It’s a part of her deeper than anything brought out by the epiphany.

And by act 4 she’s already consumed by guilt, unable to join the rest of her club because she can’t face what she’s done, she doesn’t want to bother them with her troubles. And regardless of what ending you get, whether she mercy kills them all to protect them from the epiphany or lets them live peacefully as they learn from her mistakes, she ends the game loving them again. As people. As her literature club. And according to that one secret file, she’s going to find a way to make them happy, to get them a truly happy ending through whatever project libitina’s gonna be. Because no matter how that story’s gonna play out, she’s proven that she loves her club still, just like before, even with all she knows and has been through. She’s willing to care for and protect them even at the cost of herself. Because they truly are her entire world. They changed her life. So she’s going to change theirs.

new headcanon acquired:

monika got her lean from sayori. her little lean thing?

this? it started as her copying sayori.

monika just gradually put her own spin on it.

why? well there’s

the sweet explanation and the epiphany explanation

the epiphany explanation is that she was actively trying to copy sayori to try and get on mc’s good side so he’d be more likely to have the option to spend time with her, for the player to pick.

the sweet explanation is that she saw sayori as a beacon of all things nice and approachable, and did it herself to try and be the same way.

i think you know which one i prefer

[familyagrestefanblog]

Theory on what Monarque did at the beginning of “Multiplication”

The beginning of “Multiplication” picks up shortly after the ending of “Evolution”, the only little time skip we get is that we come back to Ladybug and Chat Noir when they are already at the end of their catch-up-on-the-public-media step.

Meaning they are right at the same spot we left them at last episode, this checks out. Its only shortly after:

But what doesnt check out on the surface is that a couple of moments later we see Gabriel again. He on the other hand is NOT AT ALL where we left him off:

No joke, this moment came so out of the blue for me first time watching, I for some reason wrote this off as Gabriel having returned home from the Evolution battle via Wind Dragon. Even though that literally contradicts the ending of “Evolution”. This comes AFTER the endcard, nothing in how anything from the beginning plays out indicates we are making time jumps again to fill in blanks. Also the way Gabriel asserts himself as the Kwamis Master would make more sense AFTER they saw him on his knees and explode in front of Emilies coffin imo.

Anyway. This being AFTER the endcard means that right after Gabriel went off he switsched lairs and transformed again. And for what exactly? Well, in “Risk” we did get this visually amazing moment of ShadowMoth searching for a suitable prey HIMSELF, instead of reacting to a random strong and negative emotion given to him:

And notice how Gabriel can listen to the dialogue from these people. Thats what I think he did right after he went off at the end of “Evolution”: He’s spying on Ladybug and Chat Noir.

In “Risk” we saw him take own initiative but he still followed his usual plan: find a victim with negative emotions to akumatize them. But by nature of his Miraculous he doesnt NEED to look for negative emotions, thats just whats most useful to Gabriel so thats all he usually does (best example here would be Nathalie as Catalyst)

Following the “the only limits a Miraculous holder has are the ones they set themselves” revolution from s4 and combine that with Gabriel loosing it more and more through wearing 15 Miraculous, I would make the argument that Gabriel now could very much be capable of overstepping his previous power limits, despite his health, to such dangerous regards that he pushed himself to be able to spy on Ladybug and Chat Noir. It would also explain why Monarque is on one knee when we see him: He’s pushing himself again, but not anywhere close to what he did to himself in “Evolution”.

But for me the most important indicator is that Monarque here would be stopping right immendiately when SU-HAN arrives. And that actually makes alot of sense:

From s4 “Furious Fu” Gabriel knows that Su-Han is the Celestial Guardian of the Miraculous and that Su-Han is able to BLOCK an akuma through his training:

Su-Han IS a massive threat to Gabriel, even if s4 didnt bother acting like it.

Sooooooo, yeah, Gabriel immediately breaking the connection he uses to spy on Ladybug and Chat Noir the moment Su-Han enters the scene checks out for me. With the experienced Celestial Guardian around who is TRAINED to fight the Butterfly Miraculous on a more “spiritual” level (for the lack of a better term on my part) continuing to spy would simply be way too dangerous.

Also, it would be really sweet if that were the case. Because when Su-Han apologizes he also says that he, as the more experienced and stronger Guardian, should have had been on THEIR side and helped them instead of being another obstacle:

- and if Su-Han having entered the scene here REALLY was the factor that stopped Monarque from spying on them, then in this very scene where Su-Han apologizes for not having acted as their protective shield HE LITERALLY WOULD HAVE BEEN!

Thats so wonderful!

Cause Su-han, just like basically every other character in s4 tbh, was done incredibly dirty til now (and I’m not gonna comment further on the fact that they had the Celestial Guardian of the Miraculous fall to his knees and beg for Ladybugs forgivness, like in some Saltinette Fanfiction, to show that he’s on the good side now) but at least there might be a possibility now that Su-Han and his status as Celestial Guardian were allowed to already be of immense use to our two heros and merely through his presence.

Monarque backing away from spying on them, because he doesnt want to risk Su-Han feeling his presence and maybe using that as a uno-reverse-card, would be a great way of demonstrating how powerful and valuable Su-Han will now be as the heros ally.

[tratserenoyreve]

finally finished 3.2 quest! spoilers ahoy!

while i feel the story being told and the way they bring all the moving pieces together is a general upgrade, i do feel genshin still struggles with balancing showing and telling.

there were many times where i was hype to Play As someone doing a cool story beat, but instead we get a fade to black and jump-cut over to another character. i get dehya and alhaithem aren't fully implemented yet as playable characters but that only makes the story more frustrating for me when it is set up to make you think you're gonna get to see them in a fight but are let down with just text.

while a lot happens, the game had me flashing back to xenosaga where i'd spend half an hour in a cutscene then walk a little and spend another half an hour in a cutscene. you're told about a lot more of what's going on while not really participating, which i think is why people feel that sumeru is an exceptionally long chapter. the action is mostly verbal.

while i like characters having complex motivations and mixed priorities, like how nahida personally doesn't want to violate her people's autonomy but is fine with using the traveler to do it for her or in overriding the potential consciousness of a manmade puppet like katheryne, the game isn't going to really think about that for ages. like, the irony of nahida not seeing katheryne or scaramouche as fully being people when we have evidence that they Kind of Are is a neat flaw for her to have, but i doubt it'll be adequately explored as the story hurries onward.

the scene with scaramouche desperately trying to grab the gnosis was very good! but also presents another writing problem, it only has so much impact for me because i've bothered to pay attention to sidequests, events, and artifact lore that explains what scaramouche's deal even is. they tried to summarize it with that animated cutscene last patch but while beautiful it is Very Vague and difficult to understand the context of.

i think scaramouche is a neat antagonist! but if all you know of him is from the main story you don't really get Anything at all other than he's a manmade puppet who hates people and wants the gnosis.

the scene with nahida "meeting" rukkhadevata was bittersweet tho i wish they'd gone thru the trouble of like. i dunno, using something like an animated cutscene to represent her rather than cloning the baby elf model. her requesting her memory be destroyed wasn't surprising, but what is is how -thoroughly- she's erased.

after completing the quest, literally every mention of rukkhadevata is deleted from the game. traveler profile dialogue, books you have, npc comments, are all changed permanently to have her removed.

most terrifying is players discovering the aranara quest itself is different if you do it after doing the archon quest. the story quest about enduring memories is actually fully distorted by completing the archon quest. the forest does not remember rukkhadevata, you helped obliterate her memory as she asked. she is fully, irrevocably, gone.

only the Traveler remembers.

which is important, only the Traveler remembers the other worlds they saw with their twin. their memories are proven to be the most honest and consistent. so, if the Abyss twin is recorded in irmunsul after appearing in khaenri'ah, their memory is now susceptible to being changed. which is why the Traveler twin is so confused and may be part of why the Abyss twin is "different" now.

nahida makes a point of saying the Abyss Twin "appeared" in khaenri'ah, the nation whose king is the namesake of the irmunsul tree.

theory: the Traveler's memory is correct. the game spends too much time frequently presenting how the Traveler's immune to time distortion (the Chasm and their profile dialogue on teyvat's days being short) and how them not being a part of the world allows them to be a Witness (zhongli asks they carry on the memory of everyone in his story quest specifically as a Witness).

the Abyss Twin being recorded in irmunsul means -they are now susceptible to having their memory and identity changed-. this may be acting as a shackle for them, preventing them from leaving. i also believe the Abyss Twin is actively guarding the Traveler from being recorded by the irmunsul and obfuscating their presence.

the Traveler isn't wrong, both of the star twins aren't from teyvat. they just "appeared" in khaenri'ah after all. but, there is a potential that the Abyss Twin may have either purposefully struck the Traveler from the record and/or sacrificed their own freedom (and possibly identity) to guard their twin.

because the Traveler has no memory at all of teyvat when we start the game, and history there can be wholly rewritten, in a way reminiscent of how dainsleif describes the curse that befell khaenri'ah. how higher powers can rewrite who they were completely, erase their identity wholly, and there's nothing they can do about it.

[djarrex]

Pretty please can we have something where Echo and TBB find out Rex and reader are expecting? Bonus points for Omega's reaction cause I wonder sometimes whether she knows much about the natural way babies are made? I figure she wouldn't have need of that information in the Kaminoans' eyes.

I wanna preface this by expressing the joy I feel and the appreciation I have when you guys come into my inbox asking or wanting to talk about Post-Order 66 Rex and fam. I love it SO MUCH you have no idea :’)

So, if you remember, Hunter was briefly in Insatiable and has a couple lines of dialogue - he even congratulates them on the pregnancy and wishes them well in case he doesn’t see them soon - which is shown during Rex + reader + Hunter’s short interaction. The squad is told the happy news before the events of that particular installment, and I’m thinking that it happens when Rex contacts them to ask if they would be able meet him on [planet] for a little help with [mission].

Find the rest of the series and related works in the Post-Order 66 Rex ML

Let’s go back in time when Rex makes contact with TBB, which preludes the events of Insatiable: (pregnant!reader, TBB + Omega finds out, about 1.6k words)

<<<>>>

"We’re being hailed.” 

All members on board the Marauder drop what they’re doing and turn their attention to Echo, who had just called out and is signaling for everyone to congregate in the cockpit. Hunter sheathes the knife he’d been twirling in his fingers and nods before stepping towards the rear of the ship and calling for Omega, while Wrecker sets down Gonky and waves her over. Tech and Echo are already sat in the cockpit, getting the signal steady for the incoming transmission to come through.

"What is it?" Omega jumps down from the gunner's nest - now her room thanks to Wrecker's kind heart and creativity - and joins her brothers in the cockpit. The pilot seats are swiveled around and facing the small space in the center of all of them - the bust of a familiar captain popping into view. "Oh, it's Rex! Hi Rex!" She waves at his translucent blue form with a giddy smile plastered on her face. “Where is-”

"Hello Omega," you chime in with a smile as your head pops into the perimeter of the holo. Her sweet face lights up even more, and her eyes move back and forth between you both, unsure of whom to focus on. From the room you’re still staying at in a high-rise located in Yerbana City, the two of you exchange quick greetings with the five who are currently traveling through hyperspace.

“What’s goin’ on, Rex?” The gentle giant asks with a grin and hands placed on his hips. The captain straightens his stance and crosses his armored arms across his chest plate, and instead of directing his impending response to Wrecker, Rex’s attention turns to Hunter, who’s leaned against the frame at the threshold of the cockpit. A moment passes as the two share a nonverbal understanding before Rex opens his mouth - the focusing pairs of eyes on one another.

“I wanted to see if your squad would be available to help me out.” You quietly observe each individual who are all appearing on your end as full-body projections, landing on Omega to where she’s sitting on top of their Gonk droid - her hands folded neatly in her lap, legs swinging.

“Name it.” Echo is quick to respond with a affirmative nod as he meets the eyes of each member - cutting off Hunter before the sergeant can get a word in. Rex’s oldest friend found himself caught at the receiving end of a very slight glare coming from directly across from him, and begins to backtrack. “I-”

“What is it, Captain?” Hunter interjects.

You sort of tune out the rest, having already been given the spiel by Rex long before you’d suggested for him to contact Hunter for some much-needed assistance. It’s a simple mission: scouting out an abandoned base in hopes to obtain supposedly valuable information from the obsolete Republic database and perhaps to also restock on munitions if there’s anything left there. Normally this would be something Rex could manage on his own, though his thoughts have been a little busy since the start of your extended stay in Yerbana. The two of you ended up taking a little much-needed ‘vacation’ in the repopulating capitol city after receiving the incredible news, and you’re just now getting back into the swing of things. Well, for the most part. Rex doesn’t quite trust his focus as of late with far too many other important things swarming around in his mind, and is worried that he'd make a mistake doing the mission solo, no matter how simple the objective appears to be.

Hunter accepts without resistance, and confirms that they'll meet the two of you just outside the abandoned base immediately after they’ve finished their current objective for Cid, which will probably be in another eighteen hours or so. Rex transmits the coordinates, and it falls silent; the awkward clearing of the throat coming from Rex crackles through the air on their end.

“Somethin’ else, Rex?”

“Actually, yeah. We have some news.” Rex grins and rubs at his nape, and you can't help but to smile wide at him from your position at his side. The squad members all share a glance - a mixture of raised, inquisitive brows and narrowed, concerned eyes. Hunter steps closer to the projection, caution engrained within the features of his half-inked face as he crosses his arms.

“Tell them, love,” your sweet voice of reassurance crackles with the brief wavering signal - your hand laying to rest on his pauldron. Rex chuckles down at his feet and grabs your hand to bring it up to his chest, squeezing gently as he begins to acknowledge the others.

“Everything okay, you two?”

“Based on their lifted expressions and display of affection towards one another, it appears that this ‘news’ is of a positive, exuberant nature.”

You can’t help but laugh at Tech being Tech, which results in mixed reactions at the other end of the call. Rex inhales deep - the air quietly seeping through his nostrils on the exhale. “We’re, uh- we’re gonna have a baby.” His lit up eyes drop to his boots and he’s smirking at his feet as soon as the words leave his lips. You watch as the multiple pair of eyes widen with smiles creeping their way onto each member of the squad’s faces, but the first person to audibly respond is Tech - his focus not lifting from the device held in his hands.

“Are you certain?” All heads snap in Tech’s direction to where he’s leaned forward in the pilot’s seat, elbows resting on his thighs, continuing to tap away at the datapad. Smacking his bother’s knee, Echo squints at Tech and shakes his head.

“Yes, Tech,” you giggle as your hand releases from Rex’s and moves to rest against the beginnings of your baby bump, though you’re unsure if they are able to see either one of you from the chest down. “The bun has been confirmed as baking in the oven. We risked a brief visit to the local med center here, so, we’re certain.”

“Well then.” Tech’s brows lift above the rim of his goggles as he readjusts the spectacles with a finger pushing between them. “Felicitations to you both. That is quite extraordinary news. It seems that I was correct in-”

“That’s so wonderful!” Omega exclaims with the largest grin - hopping off the GNK and clapping her hands excitedly as she approaches you. “When are you getting the baby? Are we going to see the baby when we meet them at the rendezvous, Hunter?”

“Of course you're going to see the baby, Omega,” you answer softly for Hunter, giving him a quick smile and nod, saving him from having to explain. “It won’t be for quite a few months, though. Not until after the baby is born.” Omega’s brows pinch together in confusion, and you cautiously elaborate, unsure of what she already knows as far as what the natural-born process entails. “The baby has to grow inside of me first, and that takes a little while.”

"Inside of you?" Her curiosity is absolutely adorable. She turns to her brothers - soft eyes flickering to each one of them.

"You see, Omega, when-"

"Uh, Tech?" Rex clears his throat, and the intelligent trooper is quick to get the hint - closing his mouth and resuming to silently tap at the datapad. Echo is next to chime in, and he’s smiling like a fool, eyes wide.

“You’re gonna be a dad, eh? Wow... that’s- that’s just incredible, brother.”

“I’m gonna be an uncle!” Wrecker very loudly exclaims, and Omega and you share giggles at his enthusiasm.

“Technically, Wrecker, we are all going to be ‘uncles’ since Rex is our brother, genetically speaking. Therefore, any offspring he may produce would be considered as our nieces and nephews. That is how the nat-borns conduct their family trees.” Tech punctuates his statement with a sure nod - speaking with his finger raised in the air so as to draw attention to his point.

You’re so lost in the way Rex’s eyes continue to positively sparkle with pride and adoration as his brothers and Omega shower the two of you with congratulatory praises that you’re forgetting to respond to all of them.

“We appreciate it, everyone,” you say with an ear-to-ear grin - beaming at Rex. 

“We’ll see you all soon,” Rex concludes, “Stay safe out there.” 

The holo vanishes as the transmission disconnects, leaving the squad on board the Marauder to go over some more details of their next objective as well as to process the news.

“So...” Wrecker turns around and leads Gonky back to where he was benching the power droid before the call. “What do ya think Rex is gonna do?”

Hunter raises the brow bordered with dark ink. “What do you mean?”

“Are they going to keep this up, now that they’re going to have a kid? You know, the missions and stuff?”

“We have Omega,” Tech inputs matter-of-factly as he prepares the ship for exit from hyperspace. “And we are managing just fine, barring our dwindling ration supply.” Omega smiles sheepishly, but nods with confidence.

“Rex is a good man.” Echo swivels his seat around and sits up straight, meeting the four pair of eyes now gazing back at him. “Always tried to do what was best for his men, his brothers, and still does, even if it's beyond his control or out of his hands. Now that Rex is... free,” Echo puts the most stress into that word as it’s spoken - glancing down at his feet and chewing the inside of his cheek before continuing, “He’s in control of his life, and is able to choose his own path. And that path will lead to what’s best for his family.”

<<<>>> 

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[kanotototori]

Chapter 100 Thoughts (Part 2)

(Continued from Part 1.)

Again, two concurrent sides of Father: one that’s thinking about the goal, “I got shit to do”, “I can’t die here so I’m gonna do whatever it takes to not die here” (like the previous panel of Father taunting Yato about Kazuma, definitely manipulation there) - and the other that’s vulnerable and raw right now.

And so, he clashes with the one person who he has the most emotional baggage about. So yes, there is manipulation... but there’s also vulnerability. Desperation.

This moment, I think, is the one moment in this fight where Father is the most honest.

Saying something so outright personal is not Father’s mojo - it’s always been “we’re the only ones who won’t leave you”, “do you really think they can love you?”, “do you really think you can stand on your own?”, “I’m your lifeline, you’ll die without me”, basically just vague platitudes and undermining Yato’s independence as a person. But here, it’s “I let you do all of those things because you’re important to me.”

This is so unlike Father that I had to stand up and pace around my apartment and keysmash into Twitter for a couple because I could not believe what the hell I just read with my own two eyes. You’re important to me. You’re important.... to me.

Is Father actively trying not to die? Yes. But do I think he is being 100% honest about this one thing? Yes. We have talked at length about the little details dropped throughout the manga that hint at this very thing - and how Father thinks that his actions are not hurting Yato, but others’ are, and that he’s trying to protect him in a fucked up twisted way - so I am not going to hash it out all over again but... yeah.

What has been implied, finally spoken aloud: Yato is important to Father.

And I think it’s important to note that it’s about what Father does say as much as it is about what Yato doesn’t say.

Because Yato does not rebuke Father on ANY of this - in fact, he directly affirms what he says here...

“Well said. That means you understand why I was so afraid of you! You knew that if you were the reason I could do whatever I wanted in safety that I would always come running back to you.”

(Another note on this: time and time again we have seen this exact scenario - letting Yato do whatever he wanted so he would come back to Father - play out in the manga but something sticks out in my mind... that is, the last Yato vs. Father fight, where Father says this:

“You’re a pain in the ass but you’re still my son. That’s what I wished for, after all.”

And then we get this moment at the end of this chapter part:

In which Father basically says, I have Yukine (the one person you care about most on the Far Shore) and Hiyori’s gonna die eventually, so why are you bothering to run away from me when I have everything you could ever want... and the implicit of that is “...I want you come back to me.”)

Yato even further elaborates that Father was the one who couldn’t let go (of Yato).

And then this page, of course:

It is a doozy.

Half of it is definitely “pls don’t kill me lol” but the other half... pure desperation, vulnerability tinged with a manipulative veneer because Father’s trying not to die. But it’s, again, incredibly unusual because Father does not beg. Period. He didn’t even beg when Yato almost killed him the first time around.

But here he is, pleading with Yato to come back to him, looking up at Yato standing over him. Even his dialogue boxes get progressively more scraggly and uneven, indicating that his voice is breaking more and more - which, btw, his last two boxes on the previous page were almost completely even.

And also...

“You’ve been using me, too, after all!!”

This actually reminds me of a line that Father said to Kazuma in the exact same chapter that I showed above. Again, if you recall, Father is the CEO of Projecting...

“Your unrequited love is merely what fuels Bishamon’s ability to keep using you.”

I was definitely getting the projection vibes from this line but I was scratching my head what this could even apply to with Father, as he seems to never have truly worshipped any god... of course, I should have known Adachitoka would’ve gone there.

Again, you kinda have to look past what we’re thinking as readers - “it’s Father who was using Yato!” - and think about what Father’s thought process is like here. Everything is give and take, life is a constant competition to survive, winners live on and losers die and make excuses, “it’s me vs. everyone else/the world”... so if Father is lashing out, of course it’s gonna be “you were just actually using me (to keep yourself alive) so you need to return the favor.” If you think about what Father says here and what he says a few pages earlier - “you’re important to me” - this very much could have been a moment of insecurity: “Yaboku is important to me, but he’s only using me (and that’s another betrayal from someone I cared about).”

And, of course... “Yaboku, you were my prayer.” Mournful sigh. Right back to Chapter 94 with Father’s whole “you’re a pain in the ass but you’re still my son, that’s what I wished for.” (You wished for what, sir? A son? And now you’re saying he was your prayer while begging him to come back to you? I see you.) True Wish theory still going strong.

Father’s dialogue box goes right back to being mostly even so I definitely feel like this is said to be more manipulative but. That doesn’t change the fact that Father did want to preserve Yato’s existence, he did want to protect him - because he’s important to him.

And Yato’s face in both this page and the previous one... I know it’s manga so expressions are more subjective than they would have been animated for example, but in my opinion, Yato shows a kind of... quiet understanding of what Father is saying. Yato knows Father is a liar, but in this moment, I think he sees that what Father is saying here is true - he does care for him, he wants him to come back because he cares for him, and he wants to protect Yato’s existence. That... almost regretful face he makes in this page kills me.

And he offers Father a swift and merciful death. He could’ve offed Father several times in this fight but here, he simply tells him not to move and that he will make it quick. That is significant.

And the most surprising thing?

Father seems to give up. With the way he was beginning to bow his head, I believe he was actually going to let himself be killed by Yato.

Father, who we have seen fight like hell to survive (whose entire world view is constructed on that very idea), literally right up until a few seconds ago, even - he gives up.

If that isn’t a testament to how much Yato means to him - that he would give up because he finally sees that they’ve reached the point of no return - then idk what is.

I talked about this a little bit on Twitter but I think Mizuchi’s words to Father - “I love you” - were actually a direct reaction to this. Because Mizuchi saw that it hurt Father, so she tries to reassure him - “(Yato may not appreciate you but) I love you (and it will be okay)”. My poor, poor girl. </3

Not gonna lie, when I first read this page, I actually thought the “I love you” “I love you, Father” were echoing in Father’s head because he was the last character we saw besides Mizuchi before those words were said. And that’s partly because, again, I really, really, REALLY hope that this will shift Father’s perception of Mizuchi a bit - he has ignored her so many times in just these last 3~ fights alone, I really hope Adachitoka won’t be that repetitive. Nice bit of character development for Father, something to shake things up.

I am also partial to the idea that they were echoing inside Yato’s head - with the shot of those words over Yato’s hands about to swing down on Father symbolizing his inner conflict (thanks @gagiru for this one, it killed me) over the act that he’s about to do. Someone on Twitter brought up the idea that even though Yato is ready to be done with Father, there’s still things left unsaid that need to be said... and I really hope we’re heading in that direction, too.

Whew, I think that was actually my longest chapter thoughts. The scenes with Father are not being talked about nearly enough so of course it was my pleasure and my duty to talk about them in depth!

Until next time?