#even if we have different perspectives on the same/similar circumstances

[reigning-kingof-ithaca]

AAHSHDHCB I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO- 😭😭

How do yall feel about doubles around here?? ( /(mostly) directed to my fictionkin mutuals)

I have now found 2 different kins of the same person, who are also both my mutuals, and I want to interact with them... BUT I DON'T WANT TO MAKE ANYONE UNCOMFORTABLE-

[charmedreincarnation]

Success story navigation

I've been getting so many asks with questions that feel like they can't be answered any differently than things I've already covered. It's as if I'm receiving the same queries over and over, and I understand the frustration that comes with feeling unheard. I've also received numerous messages from people who are really at the end of their journey, feeling lost and defeated. Whether it's because you've seen no progress despite your efforts, you've been at it for years without tangible results, or you've tried everything with no success, or perhaps your life has even gotten worse with the law or other obstacles – I get it, I truly do.

I want to address the overwhelming sense of despair that comes when you've exhausted every option for so many years and still see no light at the end of the tunnel. To those of you who feel like you're standing at a billions crossroads with nowhere to turn, to those who feel like you’ve put in years to this journey, to those who feel like you’re life has gotten worse even with the law, know that you're not alone. It's incredibly difficult when you've invested so much of yourself only to feel stuck or worse.

That's why I'm going to link success stories that I believe align with the mindset you likely have. By following their journey and tweaking it to suit your circumstances, hopefully, you can find the success they did.

There's nothing more I can say that I haven't already answered or said, but I hope these stories can provide a new perspective and the encouragement you need. May they guide you in finding the path that leads to the success you seek. Remember, it’s often at our lowest moments that we find the strength to rise again.

The ultimate success story with everything you need, mindset, tips, LOA, and Edward Art

For people who struggle with intrusive thoughts and mindset and want to use that to their advantage

My personal favorite success story

Simple Success story for those who prefer to affirm and persist

Very easy pragmatic success story (maba shortcut)

Age and years it took to succeed doesn’t matter success story

You can shift with desperation and bad circumstances success story

Yes you only need your imagination success story

Everything is possible stop asking

It's easy to feel alone, but remember that whatever you're going through, someone else has also faced similar challenges. We all start in different places; some may have an easier beginning than others, but we share the same equal potential to achieve greatness. It's important to acknowledge that while our journeys might differ, our ability to overcome obstacles and reach our potential is universal. Embrace the shared human experience and take comfort in knowing that you have the power within you to rise above and become the best version of yourself. Realizing this is just as important as becoming the richest hottest bitch with the mastery of the void and shifting okay. You’re not alone, you’re very powerful, and you CAN do it. Everyone has the potential to do it, you’ll have hurdles but where in life do you not!? You can struggle here with those journey or just struggle with the life you don’t want like everyone else. Nothing in life is easy, choose the hard path to get where you want so you can be happy forever, I promise it’s worth it.

This covers all the asks I’ve gotten. I really hope the struggle comes to an end for you guys. I know how hard all of you work, and I am truly happy and grateful to see how much you all love yourselves to put yourselves through an amount that sometimes seems pointless and fake, but it will be worth it. That’s just something you have to allow yourself to understand.

[cynthiav06]

Listen, I read your post about Percy's strategic genius and I thought something.

Percy, Sally, and the entire Jackson family are descendants of Odysseus.

Sally is also damn smart, just look at how she competently got rid of Gabe and remained in full advantage.

And that is why how Athena treats Percy in this way.

He is a descendant of her beloved mortal, so similar to him in his mind and the son of her sworn rival, who tormented this very mortal and prevented him from returning home.

You seriously have no idea how GENIUS that headcanon is like holy hell the sheer depth it adds to everything is insane.

1. Athena begrudgingly guiding Percy in Titan's Curse, getting extreme deja vu (God's probably get that a lot) from the situation and how conflicting she gets over the mortal that is Perseus Jackson for his uncanny resemblance to Odysseus when it comes to his wit and his personality minus strangely the hubris.

Despite her disdain for him out of some strange loyalty, she tells him of his fatal flaw and how it would endanger him.

She let's her loathing for Poseidon get the best of her in Titan's Curse and votes to kill Percy and Thalia but Percy like Odysseus has both the wit and achievements she can't overlook despite her desperate intentions to and hence in the Last Olympian she acknowledges in her own subtle way that Percy is the greatest demigod of this age. That he's saved both the world and his friends.

2. Annabeth proud and confident as ever would be flabbergasted that Percy who she despite her supposed love for him undermines him almost always when it comes to his intelligence finds out that her mother has acknowledged Percy for his strategic mind and that he is the descendant of her mother's most favored mortal ever. (Maybe just maybe it will tone her hubris down a notch and then some, and if we are really lucky, a reality check)

3. Percy would laugh, probably shrug at the revelation. After all, stuff like that makes no difference to him.

4. But I can imagine if Sally knew beforehand about it, then how much hell must she have given Poseidon over it and probably still finds it to be a hilarious coincidence .

5. To Poseidon himself, it must have struck as an agonizing coincidence, but for the better, because for all of Poseidon's flaws, he loves his own intensely. His godly children, his monstrous children, his demigod children, and Percy, he loves most out of them all by his own words and he loves him so in some strange manner for the same humanity he scorned Odysseus for having.

Sally must have made him see the error of his ways, and even Poseidon for his quick temper would be loathe to not change his opinions on mercy then. (If the Queen among mortals tells you, you listen)

All in all, everything that happened in the Odyssey with Poseidon Odysseus and Athena would have come to a good closure with this.

That a millenia later by strange set of circumstances Athena and Poseidon begrudgingly acknowledged the folly in their perspectives from the times of Odyssey all because Poseidon met Sally Jackson and sired a demigod child who by a twist only the fates could make up turned out to be the descendant of Odysseus himself. (I reckon the fates must be cackling in glee at the whole thing)

PS: Hermes is having a blast with this news of Percy's ancestry.

No, but seriously, you have given me more pjo brainrot. (Now I hope this keeps you awake like it does me)

And on that note, Percy would totally canonly be the biggest fan of Epic the Musical, lol.

I have a feeling I am not going to stop talking about this now.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

I didn't want to say that here since you love Leona now but I actually hate that lion guy😭😭 I feel like he would bully me for just existing!

Like this part in book 3 when he made us fight his dorm members so we could stay in the dorm makes me look at him like this 😒 like sir I'm magicless and homeless and physically weak and you want me to fight your muscled dorm members + they have magic!😭😭 Why?! At this rate I would have slept in one of the class rooms instead 😞I mean it was Grim do the fighting but still! But that's not the only reason I have other reasons why I hate him 😭 (I'm scared of him lol)

I have beef with that lion guy😞

I don't see myself loving him any soon but who knows maybe one day I would feel in love with him like you 🫢

Lemme tell you this right here and right now: I have learned from observation that there are no bigger L*ona haters out there than L*ona stans themselves 💀 We They will say, "Leona Kingscholar is literally the fucking worst character not just in Twisted Wonderland, but in all media that has ever and will ever be conceived. Hate that guy, what a shitty scumbag," one moment and then turn right around and kiss our their lion merch with all the tender love and care a human could possibly lavish an object with.

ANYWAY, that's beside the point. I don't like this character of which you speak of.

Early main story Leona is definitely the type to bully the crud out of others 💀 To be fair to him though, honestly any dorm (other than Heartslabyul) would have been reluctant to house a pair that they have little to no personal connection with. The students at NRC are known for their pride and reluctance to help each other out, right? Night Raven College also has a culture of "the strong obey the weak", so to have Yuu and Grim "earn their keep" by demonstrating their strength makes sense. The other dorms would have probably demanded similar things of them, regardless of how downtrodden and dreary their circumstances are. It's not like Azul or the mob students showed Yuu and Grim any mercy before. Most of the student population is not nice or welcoming, especially if there's nothing in it for them to gain. In this case, Leona would be gaining two temporary students that aren't deadweights to him. Of course, that doesn't justify what he did/said in book 3 or any of the other things he did/said. It doesn't mean you have to like the guy for what he did. It's just that I don't know if that one scene is a specific-to-Leona asshole move. I do want to point to the Episode of Octavinelle manga too; in that, Leona doesn't make Yuuta fight mobs to sleep over, he accepts Yuuta's cooking abilities as a substitute. This loops right back around to what I was saying about "earning your keep" and how most NRC students won't want to help you out unless you have something to offer them in return. For Yuuta, that was his culinary skills. For in-game Yuu and Grim, it had to be combat prowess. Is it cruel in comparison to letting them sleep over in return for nothing? Yes, absolutely. But is it in character for them to be selfish about it? Also yes, absolutely. I think it's fine to have as a characterization moment--though whether you enjoy this or not is up to the individual fan.

I get that he's not going to appeal to everyone. Leona definitely comes off as intimidating and he has plenty of other traits to loathe. Every character will have people that dislike them or even outright hate them. That's completely normal and should be expected, since everyone has different experiences, tastes, and perspectives to bring to the table--each equally as valid as the last. Feelings can change over time, feelings can stay the same. Whatever happens, it's fine! No one decent is going to hold a (water) gun to your head and force you to like L*ona. Enjoy fandom in your own way!

That being said 💦💦 I will advise that you avoid sending messages of, "I actually HATE this character that you happen to like" into people's inboxes. It's okay to have a different opinion than the fan you're expressing the opinion to, but you should keep in mind that it's not always appropriate to voice it or to press the matter. I might be generally indifferent about discussing why we like or dislike certain characters, but others might not be so happy to get a message that could be considered bashing on their favorite(s). Again, just be mindful of others and their boundaries!

[aspiringsophrosyne]

It’s interesting how both the Smitten and the Skeptic kill you.

If you kill the Princess, they both visit the same fate upon you, overriding your input. However, their respective motivations are very different.

The Smitten does it out of distraught, furious bereavement; he kills us as much out of rage and revenge as he does grief. The Skeptic, meanwhile, kills us when the Narrator traps us (the way he does in the good ending). However, the Skeptic is not like the Hero; he does not let us decide when he recognizes the circumstances we have found ourselves in.

Both represent so overwhelming a force that they can make choices without your input, but from completely opposite angles. The Smitten out of passion, anger, and in-the-moment emotion. The Skeptic out of cold, practical logic that's focused on the long game. They are superficially different, but they end up pulling the same stunt; down at their cores, they're not as different as they might seem.

As for the pairs, one of the most generous ways to read the Smitten/Damsel relationship is that it represents the honeymoon phase. Smitten and Damsel have just met, think the world of each other, will do anything for each other, want to make each other happy, and dismiss each other's flaws when the Hero or the Narrator voices them. They are driven not by what they know but by their initial impressions and emotions.

This perspective leaves them both oblivious or apathetic to the Narrator’s machinations; they can ignore or overpower him. The shackle slips right off the Damsel's wrist. The locked door swings open. Even murdering the Damsel is not enough to dampen her love for you; all that does is turn it murderous again via the Burned Grey.

On the other hand, information drives the Skeptic and the Prisoner. They do not know each other. You took the blade when you went to meet her, and she killed you. These two can’t trust each other. Not completely. Because neither trusts without verifying first. And because, besides all that, there’s another factor in play: the Narrator.

Both the Skeptic and the Prisoner are aware of the Narrator. Both know that no matter what they want or do, something outside of them has the power to interfere. And their weapon of choice against him is information. The Prisoner plays dumb unless you “-give away the game,” and even then, she doesn’t reveal her plan. Not even to you. Instead, she hopes you take the hint and figure out what she wants you to do. Likewise, when you try to give her the knife to enact the plan, the Narrator tries to stop you as he did before, and the Skeptic thwarts him by pointing out how well that went the last time.

In contrast to the Damsel/Smitten pair, these two have one of the least emotionally charged dynamics of any Shifty/Quiet duo but have mutual respect and an understated sense of partnership that few other pairs start out with. Though the Drowned Grey’s motivation is not the explicit love of her counterpart, she’s still dressed like a widow to parallel the Burned Grey’s wedding dress.

And speaking of the Greys, they bring home the contrasting yet parallel dynamics between these Princesses and their Voices: one is fire, one is water. One has a passionate affect, the other a flat affect. One leaves behind only bones, the other a fleshy corpse. One is a bride, the other is a widow. Killing the Princess you defied the Narrator to save results in a Grey, a ghost dressed for marriage (future or past), that leads you to the basement of a dilapidated cabin that serves as your gruesome tomb.

The Damsel/Prisoner/Greys have many superficial differences that highlight how similar they are once you look beyond them. If played straight, the Damsel/Prisoner is a route where you continue to defy the narrator. The Damsel wants to leave? Pull off her chain and escort her out. The Prisoner wants to escape her chains? Give her the knife and take her head with you. Both are routes where you've established the best report with the Princess you could; you've literally died to protect her. Following this, you can take advantage of that goodwill and use it against the Narrator.

And in the case of the Greys, while the details are different (rain/desert, widow/bride, bones/corpse, drowning/burning) in both cases you're led to your doom by a betrayed ghost of a Princess in a neglected cabin.

Various Voices and Princesses serve as foils and mirrors to each other (Rivalry and Submission, Terror and Longing, etc.), but none more closely than the Damsel/Prisoner Smitten/Skeptic. It makes them especially interesting and I'm excited to see what their future third chapters have in store.

[akirathedramaqueen]

Octavia's and Blitzø's potential relationship development

I believe that the show, despite Octavia openly hating Blitzø, gives us some hints that they have much more in common than it seems. I’ve noticed a couple of moments where Blitzø and Octavia are… pretty much in sync, if that makes sense.

Here are those moments I’ve noticed… maybe stretched in some places, but! Hear me out!

1. Here, they don’t hear each other, but both are repulsed by Stolas’s obnoxious language and express the same reaction. It’s funny that Stolas is the one calling them out.

[Blitzø]: WHAT [Octavia]: THE [Blitzø]: FUCK [Octavia]: DAD?! S1EP2, Loo Loo Land, 4:52

2. They also share a distaste for Stolas’s behavior throughout the episode, albeit in slightly different ways. In fact, this serves as a great demonstration of how deaf and blind Stolas is to obvious social cues at the beginning of the series—he doesn’t stop even when directly asked to do so on multiple occasions.

Blitzø is disgusted by Stolas’s awkward, overly sexual advances and demeaning language towards him and his work.

[Stolas]: You are so cute when you are serious! S1EP2, Loo Loo Land, 6:06

Octavia is taken aback by essentially the same. However, she blames both of them, understandably failing to recognize that Blitzø is just as uncomfortable as she is. From her perspective, Blitzø is a homewrecker who contributed to destroying her parents' marriage.

[Stolas]: You know, it's quite thrilling to see you on the job, Blitzy.[Blitzø]: Save it, bitch, I am working. [Octavia]: You both need to get a room. S1EP2, Loo Loo Land, 8:20

3. They share the hate for the same clown!

[Blitzø and Octavia]: I hate that fucking clown. S1EP2, Loo Loo Land, 8:50

4. They seem to have similar tastes in music! The song My World Is Burning Down Around Me, which Octavia plays to tune out Stella’s screaming, is also heard in Blitzø’s van when he comes to pick up Loona in the Queen Bee episode, although it’s only instrumental. Here, have a look. If, for some reason, the service with the timeframes isn’t working, I’ll also provide the timings in writing so you can check it yourself on YouTube.

Octavia turns on the song, and for a while, we can hear the lyrics before it fades into the background as the scene shifts to Stella yelling at Stolas and later to Stolas’s conversation with Octavia. S1EP2, Loo Loo Land, 2:52 - 3:50

The song’s instrumental version can be heard when Blitzø’s van arrives, and the background noise at Queen Bee’s club is different, so there’s no chance for misinterpretation. It is the music Blitzø’s was listening to. S1EP8, Queen Bee, 8:20 - 9:14

5. Haha, they freak out in the same way in the Seeing Stars episode! I know it’s probably just a stylistic choice to transition from Octavia’s initial experience with LA to Blitzø having to contact Stolas and explain what happened. However, I might be indulging in a bit of wishful thinking, suggesting that this similarity in their stress responses could have some deeper meaning.

S2EP2, Seeing Stars, 4:42

So-o... What am I trying to say with all these points I've made?

Like the kind of delulu who yells, "Ghostfuckers, save us!" (we know Viv, we know how trying to put our hopes up ends, haha), I draw a complete unhinged card and I am going to make a very bold claim:

I think that once Stolas and Blitzø finally get their shit and themselves back together, and Octavia realizes there’s much more to the story than, “Oh, it’s just horny dad cheated on my mum with a red lizard dickhead and my dad ruined my family,” Octavia could actually bond with Blitzø quite nicely, and he would make a good second dad to her! Well, don’t get me wrong. She might never want to take it to that level. Also, we don’t know how things will turn out, nor do we know her relationship with her mum, Stella.

But I do believe that their parallels were thrown in for a reason. Despite the circumstances, they can, and maybe will, be on much better terms than they currently are.

Go on, call me delusional and leave me be in my complete denial corner. <3 I admit I do tend to forget the current state of the Stolitz relationship in the series, as in my world, where I’m prioritizing my time working on that fic, they are finally together. I am bitter-sweetly excited that @tealvenetianmask and I are slowly but surely getting close to finishing it. :)

(Yes, yes, it was shameless self-promotion—sue me for the unlawful use of a speculatory-analytical post space to promote our version of Stolitz working hard to sort out their issues post Apology Tour and having some silly and horny fun along the way.)

[sturionic]

hey, you said your inbox is open and I was curious if you have any ideas for someone who can't get involved irl in things like protests and local antifa groups (physically disabled and incapacitatingly severe anxiety), and who can't get involved in online activism beyond reblogging stuff (personal reasons, difficult to explain)?

I've been considering trying to put together care packages for local unhoused people, but I'm poor and I'd have to convince someone to help me put everything together so idk how well that will go.

I don't want to sit around doing nothing.

Hey anon! I am very glad you reached out, and this is a question I get asked a lot by people IRL, so you are very much not alone here.

I think the first order of business is expanding your definition of activism. We have been done a great disservice by having activism framed for us as protests, charity, & singular heroes making speeches and changing hearts through celebrity. In reality, the smaller actions in your community have a much greater impact; and most of all, the things you personally have to offer make the greatest impact.

This diagram is specifically geared towards climate action, but really applies to all activism:

For you to be an effective activist/volunteer/community member, it's crucial to find the centre of that diagram, or else you're on a one-way ticket to burnout. Don't get caught up in trying to judge which is the most "important" activism, because that answer will be different for everyone. The most important thing you can do for the world is the thing you can do.

I've done lots of volunteering and volunteer management in multiple fields, and there really is lots of choice out there for things that suit you; anything from sorting files quietly in a back room to using computer knowledge (often VERY absent in community groups lol) to help with maintaining websites & promoting community events. One of my personal favourite volunteer shifts was acting as a helper to the organizers of a queer electronic music festival, running a "build your own synthesizer" workshop. Literally I was just ticking off names on a registration sheet and doing setup and fetching things, but it was one of the coolest things I've had the joy to be involved in.

The other plus here is that activists in a given city all usually have some social overlap. If you email, say, your local community centre, explain your interests & circumstances & skills, and ask what you could do - they might not have anything right that moment, but likely someone there will know a different group that needs something similar, or they'll have ideas for who you could try next. Even if you're not finding a lot online right away, have faith in the (slightly haphazard) offline community org social scene. Same deal if you get involved with something and realize it's not your thing after all - just be honest, and ask for help in finding something more suited to you. It's so, so common, and no one's going to get angry with you for wanting to help in ways you're better suited for.

Don't mistake me when I nudge you towards volunteering - there's a certain way that well-meaning (usually) liberals treat volunteering, like they're 'donating' their time as charity, and I am not advocating for that. I'm just saying that you really don't have to reinvent the wheel. There are structures in place run by people who know well how to do it. Part of the importance is the work itself; the file-sorting, the computer help, whatever. But another part is building connections with the people around you, and also letting those people benefit from the privilege of knowing you. And that will happen naturally over time. The muscle will grow as you use it more, even if you need to start with something that feels to you like it might not be enormously significant in the grand scheme of things. Maybe you move on to 'bigger' things, or maybe you gain new perspective and realize just how significant your contributions are after all.

[melatonindeficient]

random not so random arcane parallel or whatever this is

One of my favourite arcane relationships is that between viktor, jayce, and Mel (and not just cause them plus me is my dream polycule).

But another thing about them is how their storylines are so very different yet so deeply similar and intertwined and one of the reasons why is because they, more than anyone, time and time again share the theme that you can't escape where you come from.

I say them more than anyone else because they practically have entire seasons dedicated to that sentiment. Season one is them attempting to escape who they are (jayce, a scientist, Viktor, a person from the undercity, Mel, her family and that past) while season two is them being forced to look that past in the eye and embrace it.

The thing is, this embracing ends up not being for the better with Viktor because in returning to the undercity he feels indebted to "heal" it and then the whole wide world goes to shit. On the other hand, Mel and Jayce are forced to look their demons in the eye and work through them. Mel's case is more obvious, but with Jayce, though he doesn't go back to being a scientist (he can't really do so given the circumstances) and still takes on a leadership role, he does revert back to his initial dream of progress. He does something good for Piltover. That's all he wanted.

But though it was for the worse with Viktor (until the last literal five minutes of the show when he rethought his values and his actions thanks to Jayce) and for the better with Mel and Jayce, it takes elevation for Viktor and degradation for the other two for this change to happen. There is a parallel between Mel and Jayce in which they are both stuck at the bottom of a cave of sorts, and Viktor is quite literally floating in his paradise. It's a sort of heaven and hell, but strange because in this situation Mel and Jayce have little reason to be punished so severly (or at least, if they are being punished so should the eugenist but whatever). I guess it could be commentary on what one deserves based on whether or not they do something about their preconceived beliefs and the circumstances of their birth (because we know that they think pilties = good, zaunites = bad when it's actually the other way around) but that's a whole nother conversation.

But again, the whole heaven hell thing shows that the only way for them (particular Viktor and Jayce in this situation) to undergo great change was to see life from the perspective of someone, at least symbolically, opposite from them (as in going from the top to the bottom of society and vice versa). And it's even odder because the great change that they experience is literally just a reversion to who they were supposed to be from the start. They had to see life in an opposite way to go back to being the same.

It also shows that a person of a "lower class" can be elevated to the heights of heaven and we can call them a success (because they are) but there will forever be something wrong if someone is placed below someone else. All it proves is that the existence of a class with more power than another is bullshit.

Ekko (and alternate Powder) says that sometimes the only way to move forward is to leave some stuff behind but with Mel, Jayce, and Viktor the only way to move forward was to quite literally do the opposite: they had to reaccept what they'd left behind to do some good, real good in the world.

[leportraitducadavre]

Do you think people in the fandom would be more forgiving towards Sasuke character as a whole if we got the show from his perspective or if not that then if his thoughts are more shown?

I find myself drawn to his character because, in many ways, I see reflections of my own inclinations, albeit magnified. The tumultuous events that unfolded within his clan and the devastating actions of his brother, wiping out everyone, add a layer of complexity to his character. It's kind of intrigued me to consider that, under similar circumstances, I might make similar choices, perhaps even worse. The Narutoverse, with its deeply rooted issues like child soldiers, clan annihilation, and internal slavery within the Hyuga branch, presents a grim reality. While some characters, and even elements of the fandom, criticize and reject his actions, arguing that trauma should not be an excuse, it's hard to ignore the systemic problems within the Narutoverse itself. The pervasive cycle of suffering, with clans being wiped out and individuals enslaved, points to a broken system that breeds villains and antagonists seeking change.

In contrast to the complacency and cooperation displayed by many characters, those who rebel against the established order and strive for something different, flawed as their execution may be, at least attempt to address the root issues. The fact that they are trying to break free from the oppressive system suggests a level of agency and resistance, even if I may not fully agree with their methods. That's why I'm more forgiving towards the antagantis like Pain, Madara and especially in Sasuke case.

Reflecting on Naruto's journey and his current achievements the fundamental issues persist unchanged.

Also, sorry if this got long I ramble a lot when discussing lol. I hope you have a good day.

Hello, this took long to reply, and for that, I apologize.

I don’t think the issue is “not having Sasuke’s thoughts on display” for him to get sympathy, as we get to see firsthand the reasoning behind his actions, his background, and connections; we also get to see the atrocities committed by the system on multiple characters including those that the fandom takes as “less controversial” and which are considered victims of a bigger scale than Sasuke. I put more blame on the naturalization of state-sanctioned violence and the oppression of minority groups who are then blamed for their village’s actions as they are “savage-coded,” which turns the government’s oppression into a response to their behavior rather than an action born from their own bias. Their ultimate argument always boils down to “fighting violence with violence is not the way,” yet they fail to understand that a government built with brutality as its primary basis and as its primary tool leaves no room for negotiations, as it also implies that those oppressed continue to be oppressed until a “solution” is reached through time. They blame those discriminated against and later on massacred for their demise and not those in power who decided that committing genocide was a plausible solution to their dispute. 

The main issue with the idea that “their hearts are in the right place, but I don’t agree with the antagonist methods” also derives from this same perspective, where the discriminated must take all the consequences of the persecution they suffered and choose the “moral high ground” still to keep being “victims” and not become “victimizers.” Their categorization as innocents/savages is always based upon their response to the mass killing of their kin, minimizing the actions of those in power and diminishing the value of their critics to the system in place. 

Yet, while the naturalization of state-sanctioned violence plays a part in Sasuke’s status as a “villain” by many of his detractors, it’s not the only one, as many feel Naruto has a similar (perhaps harder) experience with the system in place as he was ostracized, yet he chose to follow Konoha’s WoF –many fans are closer to experience something similar to Naruto (an unpopular kid that was often shunned by comrades), so they feel more inclined to stand behind a character that reflects a personal experience of them, and not behind the boy who suffered genocide, a thing not many can see themselves in nor can build sympathy for as they (again) naturalized such occurrence. 

The popularization of the action genre featuring first-world soldiers invading the global south, whose focus is more on the trauma that lingers in the invader for trying to bring peace than on the indiscriminate killing of minorities, also contributes to seeing those in power as more humane or deserving of redemption than those responding violently against the intruders, because those invaded should put their trust in the “good intentions” of those abiding by the system that destroyed them in the first place.

[the-pea-and-the-sun]

ok so i talk a lot abt how i find inverted detective stories/howcatchems more compelling than whodunnits but i feel like knives out v glass onion shows like. the fundamental difference between a rly good howcatchem an a rly good whodunnit and why i will always ultimately prefer howcatchems. (the howcatchems im mostly thinking of here besides knives out include columbo, hannibal [the book series and nbc hannibal], and death note)

obviously knives out subverts the distinction between those genres in the first place, but like fundamentally knives out is about showing us the perspective of the person trying to evade the detective while glass onion is showing us the detective's perspective. if we are seeing the story primarily from the perspective of the person trying to avoid detection, that type of story if more compelling to me even if, like in knives out, they don't actually end up being "the killer" or a villain protagonist.

people often think of the killer's perspective as the less relatable one, but being positioned as having motives directly contrary to the motives of the figure of authority, while being forced to cooperate with them anyway, is a position that a lot more people have been in and can relate to i think (besides it being the overall more difficult and sympathetic position to be in). and the person who's eyes we're seeing through has committed the most unforgivable sin possible. so a good howcatchem allows the audience to feel that sick fear of being the most hated, the most evil and irredeemable person possible. even if we're rooting for the detective, it allows us to empathize with someone who's committed the worst possible crime, and imagine what we would do under similar circumstances. (in knives out, this is taken to its most extreme, where even the victim is rooting for the apparent killer)

in a whodunnit sympathy for the killer is not necessary, and can even detract from the plot since the story needs to spend an equal amount of time focusing on several potential killers for the payoff of the reveal at the end. the killer can be completely unlikable and impossible to sympathize with, like in "glass onion", and the story can still work. their perspective can be safely dismissed except when its relevant to the mystery.

in a howcatchem on the other hand, "the killer" is not just one of many potential answers to a riddle. the killer is the single person that the detective has to understand and empathize with completely in order to solve the case. hannibal and death note are of course all about blurring the line between the killer and the detective, implying that to truly understand the killer the detective has to have a sort of super-empathy, and be able to understand the way the killer thinks by "getting into their head", often losing parts of themselves in the process (i think this is true of all dn adaptations but is basically explicitly stated in the musical). the killer and the detective have apparently opposite goals, but because of the level of empathy required to catch and evade one another, they become one in the same. even in columbo and knives out where the blurring between the detective and the killer is less of a central theme than it is in the other examples i mentioned, the detective is still unusually kind to the killer, even friendly, and the killer struggles not to be charmed by the detective, struggles to stay away from them despite the eminent danger that the detective represents. even if the detective's goal is still ultimately to find the truth, their kindness toward the person who they know to be a killer is genuine. unlike in a whodunnit, in a howcatchem the relationship between the detective and the killer is the heart of the story.

when we are seeing from the perspective of a watson in a whodunnit, we want the truth to be revealed, we want the killer to be seen. we watch the detective uncover the truth while they explain to us as outsiders how he got there. but in a howcatchem the killer and the watson become one in the same. we are the killer, but we still want what the watson wants. we want to be seen, wholly and completely, by the detective. we want to purge ourselves of what we've done wrong and be seen for what we tried to do right. only the singular "greatest detective", uniquely better than all other detectives, uniquely capable of divine retribution, could possibly see us. we cannot allow anyone else to judge us, anyone else would see only the crime and the criminal and not the person behind it.

we, as both the killer and the audience, love the detective. the detective is charming and clever and impressive, strange, mysterious and aloof. the detective knows what we did and is kind to us anyway. we are the killer and we want to be made to confess. we want to lose to someone better than us, smarter than us, kinder than us. only the detective can reveal our sin, only the detective can see all and still forgive us. in both types of detective stories the detective represents divine punishment, but only in howcatchems does the detective also represent divine forgiveness. the detectives singular goal may be to reveal and punish sin but the detective will always love the sinner. we as the killer will confess to nobody but a god.

so yeah 👍 knives out is rly good i enjoyed it

[rottenpumpkin13]

Can we get an angsty scenario of Rufus having a nightmare about Sephiroth? Or Sephiroth tormenting him in his dreams? (Post-rebirth after Rufus goes nuts and empties his gun into the Glenn/cloak thingy)

This was going to be shorter, but then the Rufus angst sneaked up on me and now we have p a i n ; enjoy

✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧

Regret wasn't acquainted with regret; after all, his veins coursed with the blood, sweat, and tears poured into Shinra's relentless pursuit of power and profit. To suggest he harbored regret for his actions in Wutai that day would be overly optimistic and insincere, even for him.

The aftermath had indeed been uncomfortable, he conceded—sitting through the debriefing with members of SOLDIER and the Turks alike, rehashing the events in excruciating detail as Sephiroth’s glare bore into him with a scathing intensity.

For the first time in Rufus’ memory, Sephiroth sat alone. Typically, Angeal and Genesis flanked him, but fate had intervened, and Rhapsodos had deserted, swiftly followed by Hewley, leaving Sephiroth to occupy his seat utterly alone.

How was Rufus to know that Sephiroth had any connection to Lodbrok? All he had been aware of were the desertions of SOLDIERs Glenn, Matt, and Lucia following the mission to Rhadore years ago, when Sephiroth was still a young boy.. Rufus didn't doubt that Sephiroth had formed some attachment to them; after all, he had read the reports detailing how Sephiroth had defied orders and had been aboard the stolen chopper en route to the rapidly vanishing island. The reports contained snippets of additional information, mentioning a child named Rosen and alluding to Sephiroth facing consequences after his betrayal, but beyond that, the details remained sparse.

Even if Rufus had been privy to the full extent of the situation, he wouldn't have cared—or so he told himself. Glenn's death had been a calculated necessity, a sacrifice to uphold the order Rufus desired and nothing beyond. How could he have possibly known that the anguished cry that followed the gunshot had been Sephiroth's? How could he have fathomed that Glenn held a significance to the SOLDIER far beyond their shared mission years ago?

He often wished that Sephiroth could’ve seen his perspective, as maybe it would’ve been a pathway for Sephiroth to comprehend that forming attachments to people only led to pain and suffering—a lesson Rufus had learned all too well. After all, he had long ago relinquished any desire for a bond with his father, and his mother was only a distant memory. Rufus was intimately familiar with the unfortunate bond he and Lazard shared, both tethered by the same father. He admitted that he longed connection sometimes (and only sometimes), for closeness. It often gnawed at him, knowing he had an older brother who had grown up in vastly different circumstances, yet could potentially offer understanding.

But that had been years ago. Lazard was long dead, just as Sephiroth and Glenn—proof that people died, reinforcing Rufus's belief that nurturing attachments was futile and stupid. Sephiroth served as a poignant example, his rapid descent following Genesis's and Angeal's desertion serving as a reminder that friends were enemies.

Rufus lamented it. If only Sephiroth forgone friendship, perhaps he would have been spared the anguish, and maybe he would still be alive if the Nibelheim incident had been avoidable in any way.

It had been the reason Rufus felt compelled to keep Sephiroth at arm’s length when everything had still been ordinary. He returned Sephiroth's occasional smiles and waves, and often engaged in the small talk they shared at events. Though jealousy had once gnawed at Rufus's feelings towards Sephiroth, particularly when they were children of similar ages and he could sense his father's pride as he read about Sephiroth's achievements in magazines, time and maturity had gradually eroded those emotions.

Rufus awoke swamped in his silk bed sheets, sweat clinging to his bare skin like a second skin. His first instinct was to seek out Darkstar, who lay peacefully asleep at the foot of the bed, undisturbed and softly snoring.

Then, his gaze fell upon Sephiroth, whole and alive seated beside him. Rufus blinked, momentarily stunned by the sight of the long-deceased SOLDIER, before shifting his attention back to Dee—so much for keeping a guard dog.

"This is a dream," Rufus declared, his tone more a reassurance to himself than to the apparition. "I'm dreaming, and I'll wake up any moment now."

"Shall I pinch you?" Sephiroth grinned, the expression far too unsettlingly lifelike for Rufus's liking.

Rufus shook his head, his hand instinctively reaching for the gun tucked beneath his pillow.

"That won't work on me," Sephiroth stated matter-of-factly, his gaze following Rufus's movements beneath the sheets. "Unless you're trying to frighten me, but I assure you, it will be equally futile."

"What do you want?" Rufus echoed.

Sephiroth leaned in, and for a fleeting moment, Rufus could swear he caught a whiff of that unmistakable scent—the bitter tang of mako and blood that clung to him. Rufus reminded himself that this was merely a dream. "I want Glenn back.”

Rufus shifted uncomfortably, putting some distance between himself and the apparition. "You know I killed him," he admitted bluntly.

"Something you regret?" Sephiroth's question was calculated.

"Of course not," Rufus snapped.

Sephiroth hummed thoughtfully, then rose to his feet, his body outlined by the moonlight filtering through the windows, casting a shadow against the backdrop of the green glow of Midgar below. "Then you won't mind if I do the honor," Sephiroth remarked, "If I bring him back."

"You can't resurrect the dead," Rufus rolled his eyes—look at him, arguing with the dream apparition of a man long gone. "I'm sure you'd love to, considering the many you've lost—yourself included."

"But I'm not dead," Sephiroth countered, his smile aunting and subtle. "And neither is Glenn. You'll be working with him soon enough, with me, with her."

"Her," Rufus echoed.

Sephiroth took a deliberate step towards the shadowy corner, his movements slow and calculated as he kept his gaze focused on Rufus.. "All born are bound to her," Sephiroth's voice resonated throughout the room. "Should this world be unmade, so too shall her children."

He slinked into the shadows, gone in the blink of an eye.

Rufus released a series of tense sighs, struggling to contain the rising panic as he buried his face in his hands. Darkstar, sensing his distress, lifted her head and rose to her feet, stretching her body before padding over to him and offering comforting licks.

It was in that moment that Rufus realized: he had been wide awake the entire time.

[rollercoasterwords]

I recently caught up on ATWMD and it is such an incredible story. You are an insanely talented writer. Your prose is so vivid and the complex characters and storyline are just 10/10. Amazing. Thank you!

I have a question if you're open to giving your opinion! I feel like the group (Remus, Lily, and James) seemed to accept Regulus quicker and easier than Sirius. They seem much colder to Sirius (at the start at least) than they were to Regulus when he first arrived. Like the wandless magic lessons for instance. When Imelda won't teach Regulus, James does it personally. But I didn't get the impression they'd do the same for Sirius. They seemed more likely to cut him loose.

Is this just because of the circumstances for how they each end up with the order? Or do you think there's more to it? Or is it just because we didn't see Regulus POV at the time of him arriving with the order so it's just a matter of it being the past?

hi thank u!! glad ur enjoying the fic <3 & i think i answered a similar question to this before but i don't feel like scrolling back thru my own blog 2 find it so. happy 2 go thru it again i love talking abt these characters <3

essentially the difference in their responses is down to the different circumstances in how each brother joined the order, yeah, but all 3 of them also respond pretty differently, so going one by one:

lily honestly doesn't respond all that differently to either brother; w reg she was kinda cold at first out of hurt/jealousy over what she perceived as his budding relationship w james, assuming that reg would become another in the long line of casual hookups & knowing that she herself could never sleep w james without probably ruining their friendship bc of her own feelings, etc. & then once they have their little bonding moment where they both kinda realize they're in the same boat (unrequited feelings that go deeper than just wanting a casual hookup, knowing that those feelings will wreck things if they do ever sleep w james) & make their unofficial little pact (no sex w james potter) they become very close. so lily's initial response has less to do w how she perceives the other person as being good/bad & more to do w her own personal feelings towards them. when sirius shows up she's the only one of the 3 who's initially pretty kind + welcoming + essentially just treats him somewhat normally, bc she doesn't personally feel any animosity towards him but also isn't immediately going to be best friends w him, knowing who he was. she also has a slightly different perspective, tho, bc she's close w reg & knows that reg thinks sirius is a good person, and trusts his judgment. for lily, all the stuff with the death eaters is less...personal? ig? even tho it's had a very significant impact on her life; she was rescued by the order as a young child & raised w them, so she never directly experienced the kinds of oppression that muggleborn wizards typically face from death eaters + voldemort's regime etc, and she also does most of her work within order hq in potions labs and isn't necessarily fighting face-to-face w these people, so although she views them as the enemy she just isn't as emotionally connected on an individual level & therefore has an easier time looking past sirius's history and judging him as she finds him when he joins the order.

james, on the other hand, is personally connected & fighting death eaters face-to-face; they aren't just a monolithic Enemy to him, he hates them as individuals, too. he also has a more black-and-white view of a morality and a different idea of what courage looks like, and values what he perceives as courage very highly. so for james, he viewed regulus as this sort of brave lone warrior from the start for deciding to break away from the death eaters + fight a cave of zombies + try to destroy a horcrux on his own--james thinks that's badass + brave + noble, and that colors his perception of reg from the start. even when reg insists that he's not a hero, james still thinks what he did was heroic, and that paired w the fact that he was never a high-ranking death eater before breaking away makes his involvement w them forgivable--in james's eyes, reg has atoned for his past and is now trustworthy, which is why he likes him from the beginning. sirius, on the other hand, doesn't make the decision to join the order; he's basically forced into it. bc of that, james views him as a coward and looks down on him when they first meet; this is where a lot of his animosity is coming from. + sirius doesn't exactly jump at the chance to join the order, giving the impression that he's still loyal to voldemort, which just makes that animosity worse. it's not until sirius starts to "prove" himself thru action that james begins to trust him more, bc action is really what speaks to james + what he views as a testament to someone's character.

and then there's remus, who disliked both brothers from the start. unlike either james or lily, he's grown up under voldemort's regime & has directly experienced violence + oppression in ways that neither of them has, so he hates every death eater on an individual level for good reason--in his eyes, they have all made the personal decision to uphold + perpetuate violence (which is true!), and he doesn't care why they made that decision; nothing excuses it. we don't really see his reaction to reg joining the order bc he's not really around order hq as much, but remus was wary towards him from the start & even tho he eventually accepted that reg was working w them now, he's never befriended reg the way lily + james did & he never feels close to him or even really likes him. and his relationship w sirius is a whole other can of worms lol...hopefully the story is enough to show why remus treats him the way he does, but really the only reason he doesn't just keep ignoring sirius the way he kinda does reg is bc of their history together + the feelings between them. otherwise he'd probably just be standoffish to both of them!

[daughterofheartshaven]

I was typing all of this up as a reblog to someone and then was reading it over and realized I wasn't really addressing their post correctly. Their post was something along the lines of "noting how Doctor Who fans are excited for the show to get cancelled and believe that suddenly all of the EU stuff will become good like it was in the 90s" and I proceeded to write up "why I'm excited to see what the happens in the EU when the show gets cancelled even though I don't think it will suddenly become like it was in the 90s" which is a similar topic that isn't actually the same topic.

So, uh, here's why I am excited to see what happens in the EU when the show gets cancelled even though I don't think it will suddenly become like it was in the 90s.

First of all, I've seen some posts disparaging the quality of the EU stuff (especially Big Finish) has done recently compared to the Wilderness Years. I... can't really agree, with Big Finish especially. I like modern Big Finish a lot more than I like Wilderness Big Finish. (For example, the recent Second Doctor Adventures and the Sixth Doctor Purity trilogy are both among my favorite Who stories of all time. Don't spoil me on The Conspiracy of Raven tho I have yet to listen to it.) If you like the old Big Finish stuff better, then that's a totally valid opinion to have; I'm just trying to show my perspective. One thing I try to say a lot during these sorts of discussions is that it's so cool how many different valid opinions there are about Doctor Who. I'll totally agree that the Doctor Who books done during the EU level tended to be more interesting than ones done in the NuWho era, but that's really only one part of the EU.

It's also probably worth noting that I tend to like the EU better than the show itself for the very simple reason that I don't like tv as a medium as much as I like comics or books or audio dramas as a medium. I don't think the EU is better than the tv stories! I firmly disagree with that! It's just that the EU tends to be in mediums that don't give me anxiety to engage with.

But yeah. I haven't talked about this online, but I've totally talked to people outside tumblr about the fact that I'm very interested and exited to see what happens after the show gets cancelled. For me this is very heavily pushed for by two factors.

One, curiosity. As has been said elsewhere, the circumstances now are very different to that of the 90s, but the Doctor Who franchise is big enough that I have full confidence it would continue to do something. I'm confident there is enough of a market for books and stuff to be viable, given how many books Obverse and Arcbeatle are pushing out that are spiritual successors of 90s book lines and have nothing to do with the show today. I'm not expecting the 90s again, but the concept that there won't be anything (or anything worth something) after a cancellation is one I fully disagree with. I hope we'll get Doctor Who books that are more divorced from what the tv show is currently doing. Maybe we won't though, and I'm okay with that. But there will be something. And I'm very interested to know what that is.

And two, inevitability. To be perfectly honest, I will be surprised if Doctor Who the tv show survives until 2030. I see waaaaaaay too many parallels with how Classic Who went out to what we've been seeing right now, and the current climate of tv shows is very unfriendly to a long-runner like Doctor Who. The show, as far as I am aware, got pretty dang close to cancelled back when Chibnall and Whittaker left, and I kinda expect Gatwa to be the last televised Doctor for some time. Even if he's not, Doctor Who has pretty much always had diminishing returns, and I don't think shoving Disney into the mix has really offset that too much. No matter what, NuWho will end at some point. And I'd much rather be exited for the next stage of something then any of the other alternatives.

Am I being optimistic? Yes. I do that. But I don't think I'm being unrealistic. I certainly don't think the content is going to get better after the show gets cancelled, but I think it will be different and continue to evolve, and I'm exited to see where that goes.

[greenfiend]

Hi there! Let me first say that I love your (and kaypeaces21s and strangertheorys) theories about Will having DID and many of the previously established characters being his alters. Out of all the theories I've seen so far it makes by far the most sense and explains so much which I've just thought to be bad writing before (like Hoppers sudden personality shift in S3) And if you don't mind, I would love to hear your thoughts on Max as an alter in particular if you ever come around to write them down as Max's journey in S4 seemed really noteworthy to me especially when compared to Els. Like in theory El is in the best starting position for a fresh new start. New town, a family that cares for her, a boyfriend. Max on the other hand is depressed, isolates herself and breaks up with her boyfriend Lucas. However after that I find it interesting how Max's ties to the outside world strengthen (through Lucas and everyone else who tries to help her) while Els actually weaken. Hopper and Joyce aren't there, it's becoming more obvious day by day that Mike neither understands her nor loves her romantically and even though Will is trying to help fix their relationship, it is also not working. (We all know why) The further along the story goes, the more lonely El seems to become. This happens while Max gets back together with Lucas and Lucas making it clear how much he loves her, doesn't want her to get hurt and wants to help her, if she would just talk to him. (which I know she can't do under any circumstance) "Running up that hill" also has a very special meaning I think. Like yeah, at first it makes you think she wants to switch places with Billy and what that implies (and I do think it does carry that meaning as well) but there may also be a very different meaning beyond that. One that goes into the complete opposite direction.

"And if I (Max) only could, I'd make a deal with God (Will) and I'd get him to swap our places (Max's and Wills)" Just listen to the song from the perspective of Max as an alter and and think of how it may depict her relationship with with Will. It's seriously heartbreaking. I think if there is any chance (even if ever so slightly) of one alter not integrating back into the system in the end, it may be Max (and not El)

Re: this post on DID/Will's internal world

Anon!!!! Thank you for bringing up MAX! There’s SO much to discuss here.

First of all, I think more people are slowly starting to accept the very real possibility that Will created El… BUT they’re not willing to accept this of Max yet. Understandably so!

Some evidence for the fact that Max is another alter of Will's:

When Max is first introduced, it was mid way through a lecture on the brain. Mr. Clarke states that there are "a hundred billion cells" "all working as one". Suspicious...

Then of course, this sequence. A "complete change to his personality" you say? Now. WHY would they feature Will and Max during these specific lines if Max is NOT an alter of Will's?

"And I am a material girl". Double meaning here. "Material Girls" as in they are materialistic but also...

Anon, as you brilliantly pointed out... "Running Up that Hill" also has a double meaning. Look at these screenshots! They literally CUT the song so it would line up right when we focus on the WILL lookalike girl (same hair colour, VERY similar shirt... people here have already dubbed her the "lesbian Will/Willow") and Max glancing at her. They focus on Max glancing at her!!! Max wants her time "in the light". She's been in the dark so long. A dark place, because of always "swapping places" with Will and the other alters. She wants her chance at life. Oh boy doesn't that just break your heart...

I need to show some major appreciation for this whole sequence! We see the "swapping places" in action. We start with El in the spotlight (Will just lagging behind) then BAM she swaps places with Max. It's Max's turn. Look at how she watches that couple with a look of longing then sees her love (Lucas). Afterwards, she encounters another struggling alter (Chrissy) and looks on empathetically.

You’re absolutely right that El will choose to “combine”/integrate with Will again. She feels she doesn’t belong anywhere. With Max? She’s beginning to find more connections and more reason to be her own person. It’s opposite for these two! I’m hoping there is some sort of way she can become her own person in the end but I’m not sure which route they’re taking. 🤔

[raayllum]

Been thinking about it partially as I come closer to it in fanon S6 / divergences where what I'm writing (in prose with zero constraints) vs what I think the show is actually more likely to do (such as in this case) with the Celestial elves because like

If we look at it just from a storytelling standpoint, there's a few things we want to take into consideration.

Why Skywing elves?

Despite being an aspiring and then full fledged Sky mage for most of the series (5 seasons) as his defining... career trait? with Ocean only added at the end, Callum's attachment to the Sky arcanum is incredibly important from a thematic standpoint. I talked about this in more detail in terms of how TDP writes from theme to begin with, but it would not surprise me if a lot of the series fell into place after decisions were made regarding "mage boy has Sky-Freedom powers" and "big endgame big bad is Stars and Destiny embodied," i.e. like what kind of dragon Zym would be in order for Callum to have a reason to sacrifice his primal stone, why have Callum learn Sky magic first, etc etc.

The Celestial Elves, presumably, could've been any group of elves. We know from Tales of Xadia that Sunfire elves had a chant about warding off dangerous Star dragons from the Great Orb, and that Karim-Pharos are poised to be future pawns, so there is a decent link there. It also could've been cool if the Celestial elves had had elves from all over, showing both intergroup workings and that the Stars were bringing them together in some manner.

If Sky and Skywing elves by thematic extension represent Freedom, then it makes sense for these to be Skywing elves who have perhaps forsaken notions of freedom for ideas of pre-determinism or destiny, i.e. our circumstances beset all of our choices, or that fate/destiny is real and unchangeable. To have the same arcanum and similar abilities as Callum, but to already be warped to Aaravos' will / thematic graces of destiny and fate - to amplify what he's scared of and to accentuate what he might become (at least in terms of what he's scared to become).

On that note, I think it makes sense for them

To be Antagonists

Partially this is because of precedent. Most elves, when in groups, have been more antagonistic with one or two rising to the forefront to be allies. We see this in arc 1 with Moonshadow and Sunfire elves, with the majority being antagonists especially at first (the assassins, the Sunfire soldiers) with Rayla, Lujanne, and eventually Janai being allies / exceptions - even if the Sunfire elves as a whole quickly switch to being allies as of 3x08/09. We see this again in S4 with the Drakewood Earthblood elves being mostly antagonists, Terry as more of a grey area, and only N'than (and possibly Mukho the Mushroom mage?) being downright allies. This would mean that Astrid and maybe another Startouch elf might be more sy

Plot / Misc Reasons

Of course, the biggest reason for the Celestial elves to exist is to, presumably, give exposition regarding Startouch elves to the main characters and to extradite subsequent views / philosophy about Star magic and the arcanum (arcana?). If they are loyal to Aaravos, they would likely provide a perspective on Startouch elves different than one Callum might be coming in with and give more credence / context to Claudia's assertions of Aaravos as well, given that she's the one character currently with a positive view of him. It also doesn't seem they can entirely be good guys given their 1) isolationist nature and 2) having not one but two super OP objects that the protagonists definitely need. While they may not end up being villains, I think we can somewhat safely assume they will initially be obstacles, if only in giving tests (of love) like another certain Startouch elf...

[mozeloon]

on the good omens s2 finale ....

Finally got around to watching this show and at first I was very surprised with the turn of events in episode 6... esp Aziraphale saying "you're the bad guys" about hell, and in general being so happy to invite Crowley back to heaven with him. I thought, surely he knows Crowley would say no, how could he be so naive? truly a tough watch, i was cringing but so invested. And I knew ahead of time they were going to kiss!!! I didn't know it was going to be this way!!!!

I see a lot of parallels between Azi and Zuko's redemption arc in ATLA. In season 2 of ATLA, Zuko is utterly rejected by and pitted against the family and nation he has relied on/been loyal to. Now, he is completely relying on the one person who truly loves him, and he is forced by his circumstances (and gently guided by Iroh) to reckon with taking a new direction in his life. This involves a lot of grief and struggle, and finally, when Zuko starts to adjust to his new life, to find joy in it, he is offered the greatest possible temptation: a glorious return to his family and title.

His father and sister have not changed or regretted their treatment of him; Azula's coaxing at the end of S2, telling Zuko she needs him, is very similar to how she traps Zuko at the beginning of the season, telling him their father regrets his banishment and wants to keep his children close. But from Zuko's perspective, he wants to believe that they do have regrets – that they recognize his efforts and his actions (like how he asserts that "I have changed" when he joins Azula against the gaang).

We know from watching the series play out that this is a necessary regression in his character arc - he needs to encounter these temptations, and eventually turn away from them, for his redemption to feel earned and complete. If not given the chance to return to the fire nation, his life in Ba Sing Se could be seen as making the best of a bad situation - he could still dream every night of returning home.

To return to Good Omens, this is much how I saw S2 play out. Aziraphale, long loyal to heaven despite occasionally diverging according to his own morals, is left a little more on his own and is clearly a bit put out about "not reporting to heaven" anymore. He gets to enjoy shenanigans with the one person who unconditionally loves him, and gain confidence in the decisions he is making against the will of the heavenly bureaucracy, when he is offered the chance to get back everything he lost. Like Zuko, Aziraphale is manipulated into thinking that heaven has changed, because he is being rewarded for his actions with a promotion – so of course, they are on the same side!

I think, despite hearing Crowley say over and over that he is not interested in being on the side of heaven or hell, Aziraphale has always projected a bit of his own feelings about the matter: he thinks Crowley is just saying that because that is a way to make the best of their situation. Not to mention that they both feel that Crowley's fall was undeserved. Aziraphale, like Zuko, have both been indoctrinated to be grateful for any kind of recognition or acceptance, even if they are poorly treated in the process. I would imagine that Crowley, who had to unlearn this long ago, is also worried Aziraphale might be hurt or corrupted by the system around him.

For this reason, I don't think the Metatron will immediately reveal himself as evil and subdue Aziraphale, or that Crowley and Azi have switched bodies again, or that Aziraphale is already hatching some genius plan, or anything like that. In the same way that Zuko had to return home to realize he lied to himself about how his life would turn out, Aziraphale is still hoping to make a positive difference and find a way to reconcile these different threads of his life. This is at the root of his naive, black-and-white thinking during that final confrontation with Crowley - he's just desperate and trying to convince himself. Only once back in heaven will he realize he cannot fit back into his old mold.

I have more thoughts but that will have to be for another post.