#i could think of more examples but i don't want to find them

[tangents-within-tangents]

Like fr to everyone in the notes talking about headcanons/AUs/"having fun" in the notes: the word you are looking for is REinterpretation. Not to go webster or anything but

-Interpret: explain the meaning of information, words, or actions. (explain, expound, clarify)

-Misinterpret: interpret something or someone wrongly. (misunderstand, misconstrue, mistake)

-Reinterpret: interpret something in a new or different light.

It seems in fandom spaces the word interpretation is often used at times when what they actually mean is reinterpretation (or sometimes just reaction or impression, ex: your opinion of a character is subjective and valid, but that's not the same as an interpretation).

If your "interpretation" is completely divorced from or contradicts the text, it's not an interpretation anymore. It's a reinterpretation. A reimagining. And yeah you can totally have your fun, go off! Just don't act like it IS an interpretation. Because valid interpretations come with supporting evidence, which is the whole point of the og post.

I think this bit from OP's other reblog describes it best:

this is one way it gets messy that fandom is a space for both media analysis and transformative works even though those two things don’t always co-exist comfortably or necessarily serve each other.

This is the crux. Both happen in fandom because both are a form of engaging with a work that you appreciate. But one literally relies upon analyzing what IS presented in the text, and the other upon reinventing and transforming that text (and headcanon sometimes straddles this line in between). So the important thing is recognizing the distinctions and not mixing them up. And it goes both ways:

-“He would never act that way” we know, it’s an intentional recharacterization bc we're exploring something different right now

-“But he's just a poor meow meow” not relevant right now because we're analyzing how the writing actually portrayed him

Textual evidence doesn't matter when we're just having fun and making incorrect quote memes, and headcanons don't matter when we're analyzing thematic content. The distinction helps us to have more productive conversations. And crossing the streams can sometimes take us to harmful or frustrating extremes.

To borrow an example from Rowan Ellis: You relate to a Taylor Swift song and feel seen in your queer identity? That's great, no one can stop you from experiencing the song that way even if Taylor didn't intend it. But if you turn that around and say this is proof that Taylor herself must be secretly queer, or worse that she's somehow queerbaiting? Please stop!

Another example: Someone once pulled the "we're just having fun, you can scroll past" card on me when they were straight up bashing the writing for not going the way they wanted. Please, have your fun, I won't stop you. Write a fix-it au where your blorbo comes back to life. Vive la fanfic! But when you say "the writers should have done [random specific thing] if they wanted me to believe he was truly dead" whilst blatantly misinterpreting the thing the writers did do to confirm it so it can fit into your theories/denial? That's not 'just having fun' anymore, that's flawed/unfair criticism and I'mma push back on it. (I didn't actually, just for the record)

Headcanons by definition are not canon, and I think you'll find most people are totally fine with you having whatever headcanons you want, so long as you don't start claiming that they are canon or that your way is the only way. That's where people have a problem.

But even headcanons that don't contradict canon, that could fit into ambiguous gaps where canon did not confirm or deny the possibility either way, are still headcanons. They aren't presented in the text itself and therefore not useful to analysis and criticism.

And I think this is where the distinction can feel blurry at times. Because some headcanoning is based on evidence from the source material. So some may think it's the same as media analysis, but I'd call it extrapolation rather than interpretation. It uses canon evidence in more of a imaginative/conspiracy theory/inspiration to bounce off type of way. Especially since fanon is often about filling in gaps.

Fanon focuses on the story, and treats it almost as if it and the characters are living. But media analysis relies upon treating it as media. On recognizing it was written by a person who made choices and used literary devices and elements intentionally to convey meaning (even if we can debate on what that meaning is).

Subtext is not just whatever you want to project onto a story. Subtext is an actual literary device. Meaning that is intentionally implied by the author because you shouldn't spell everything out and it's important to let the readers participate. It's what the characters aren't saying but the author is.

Unreliable narrator is also a literary device, that is intentionally crafted and indicated throughout the whole text. It's the author saying something through the character saying the opposite. It's not an excuse to ignore whatever you want to ignore of what the narrator says.

Characters aren't people and they don't actually make any choices. Everything they do, everything they are, was written and crafted by the author.

(In short, when I analyze character arcs or critique writing choices, I'd love for the discussion I get to point out things I may have overlooked or misinterpreted. Not for it to just shove in a bunch of irrelevant headcanons, character personifications, and Watsonian explanations that have nothing to do with my arguments.)

Fanon is very open-world concept (and open multiverse lol), but analysis is about looking at what the author did give you, what they chose to include or not and what it is meant to show us.

Writing is about crafting an iceberg that implies a keel under the water. Therefore analysis is about studying the iceberg to try to interpret that keel. And fanon is about exploring the whole ocean. And transformative work is about idk cutting off chunks and making ice sculptures.

All of them are very cool and fun in their own right but I think we can see how they can definitely clash and get in each other's way.

Not “Only my reading of canon is correct” or “Interpretations are subjective and all valid” but a secret third thing, “More than one interpretation can be valid but there’s a reason your English teacher had you cite quotes and examples in your papers, you have to have a strong argument that your interpretation is actually supported by the text or it is just wrong and I’m fine with telling you it’s wrong, actually.”

[great-septimus]

Hey, so I don't want to be that guy, but when are we going to acknowledge that Akechi was right?

No, I obviously don't mean about the things he was very clearly wrong about. I'm referring to the things he says in interviews about the Phantom Thieves. I hate how many people switch up after playing through his betrayal who previously agreed with his views, because nothing he said is wrong and nothing he did changes that fact. He speaks in the TV Station on the objective facts that he should know about, and with or without the context of his form of justice those facts stay true. It's a fallacy to claim that his form of justice being universally less approved of makes the Phantom Thieves better by comparison, or discredits anything he said. I don't think the Phantom Thieves are evil, or that they should necessarily be imprisoned, but I do think that they are not morally sound. They're kids. Prior to his betrayal I think he served his purpose well, but it's easy to disregard the validity of his words when you find out that he's a murderer. With the knowledge he SHOULD have had (and that many DID have), everything he says is true. And honestly? It still can be true for basically the entire plot of the game. Mishima's confidant tests the thieves in that way. They could have changed the hearts of anyone who's not a persona user, for any personal reason. It's a slippery slope.

I'll use these three options as an example for why he's right:

"They're justice itself" is just subjective and incorrect, because justice as a concept is individualized and given how each Phantom Thief has different reasons for being one it's ridiculous for even them to say. Their first target was before they even formed a group, and Ann was ready to kill Kamoshida. The others were not even going to step in, and they were going to respect her choice either way. All the members are so different, so this is an insane claim to make.

"They're necessary" is wrong because to say they are necessary is pretty disingenuous to all "justice" that has ever happened BEFORE they existed. I don't believe that the Thieves were a necessity per say, and personally I think their actions can only be judged on a case by case basis. Some Mementos targets for example have issues that stem beyond what they have done. Now they have their desires stolen but still have the issue that pushed them to immortality in the first place, plus a shitton of guilty baggage. The Thieves only help with the atonement, but not the push. How many of those people didn't just go right back to their past behaviors? How many of them got worse in other ways? Think about Futaba, she felt so guilty for something she thought she did, she formed a palace to condemn herself to die alone. To claim the Thieves are necessary to reform society implies that their method is the most effective, and I think that's a lot to claim for something they don't understand.

"They do more than the cops" I almost agree with. Legally the police in Japan in this game anyway (yes I'm aware it extends to reality in many ways, but I'm referring to just the game right now) are corrupt and flawed for the most part, but the thing I don't agree with is that this makes the Thieves a better alternative. They're not. For the same reason Yoshizawa says later, the Thieves can only do so much as vigilantes, and to imply that society should rely on these faceless nameless flawed people to fix society is not any better than what they have now. Especially with the method being unknown, potentially unsafe, and easily exploitable. I cannot be the only one who if the Phantom Thieves were real, would be extremely alarmed by the prospect of a group of vigilantes "changing hearts" right? It's so vague, and the pattern is dystopian. At least police methods are familiar

What I'm saying is that they're kids, and it's kind of insane that this game places Akechi as the narrative foil for the Thieves in their message and then makes it so easy to disregard because "he's an assassin so how could he know anything about justice". The Thieves don't either, and Ann was nearly a murderer. If the bar is "don't commit murder when you're infiltrating someone's mind" then it's far too low. I wouldn't trust a group of adults with this power to reform society, even less a group of teenage vigilantes. I'm 19, and I find this odd. And Strikers frames them as even more righteous, and it bugs me even more in that game. At least Royal has the third semester to give a bit more nuance to how big of a responsibility Ren was given, but that's also very frequently misinterpreted.

I love this game, and I love this fandom, and I have thoughts that get weird and ranty. I apologize, but I hope you all found this as interesting as I did.

[whateversawesome]

Spy x Family Ch. 111: Anya's Mama

So many things for such a little chapter, don't you think?

We saw baby Anya and we finally caught a glimpse of Anya's biological mother.

Something to notice is that they're both wearing hospital gowns, which makes me think they were in the lab and, because of that, we can solidify the theory about Anya being born there. It could be that her mom was pregnant when captured or that they experimented on her and she got pregnant while in that lab. A secret third option is that Anya's mom actually volunteered for the experiments (maybe she was a scientist herself or a family member coaxed her into doing it), although I find this unlikely due to her comment about the butterfly. Either way, I have a feeling we won't know for a very long time.

Mindreading or no mindreading?

Endo chose not to let us know about that explicitly. However, look at this panel:

I don't think Anya's mom is talking here. I think she's thinking this. Because of that, I do suspect Anya can read her mama's mind. She doesn't fully understand it but those words are inside her memory.

However, as you can see in the panel below, we don't see her classic mindreading sparkles. So, it' could also be that she saw her mom getting sad or nostalgic and she wanted to hug her. Kids are very perceptive of their parent's emotions.

If you ask me, I think she was born with that ability. Either her mom was also a telepath who was being studied during her pregnancy or she was experimented while pregnant and gained and passed her abilities to her daughter.

All this makes me consider that maybe Anya wasn't experimented on like many of us believed for a long time. Maybe those scientists were just studying her/observing her in order to understand and try to replicate her abilities. I'm really hoping Endo will go this route, it's less cruel. In any case, keeping someone so young as a case study is still wrong and I don't think Twilight and Yor will like this.

Anya's Mama

I'm talking about Yor, of course.

First of all, I think Endo summed up what motherhood is about in this panel:

It's not exactly that a mom can read their kid's mind, but it's something close. As a mom you get to know your child inside and out. When you take care of them, see them grow and love them with all your heart, you simply learn to "read every part of them."

That's how we know that Yor loves Anya and that she is her mom.

I don't know what happened to Anya's biological mom; she could be gone or still be alive. I'm sure we'll find out eventually. However, no matter what happens, I think Anya will always have that unconditional love from Yor.

There's a prevalent theme about motherhood in sxf: a mother as a safe place. Yor has mentioned it several times; she knows her job is to protect Anya and Anya feels safe when her mama is around (even Twilight notices this.)

I think the bond between them will get stronger as the story moves forward. Come on, it's pretty obvious Anya is Yor's baby, she's already head over heels and she decided she wanted to be a good mother since day 1. Also, a big theme in the story are bonds that are forged, and chosen family. In the story, blood ties sometimes are complicated (look at the Desmonds, for example.)

I'm not fluent in Japanese, but I am aware that Anya calls Yor and Twilight, Haha and Chichi, which is an English equivalent of "my mom and my dad", instead of just "mom and dad." In case you are wondering, Anya did call her biological mom, the right way: "mama."

At some point in the story, I think we will see Anya call Yor and Twilight, mama and papa the right way. I suspect this will be the moment when they will realize they're no longer a pretend family, but a real one. And it'll be simply beautiful 💖

A Few Questions

Whenever we learn something about one of the Forger's past, we are usually left with even more questions like:

Where's Anya's mom now?: I think either she's still a prisoner somewhere or she's dead. And if she's alive, does she know Anya lives?

How did Anya escape? She was so little! She must have had help from someone.

Who is Anya's dad? Maybe a scientist? A prisoner of war? Or was artificial insemination possible back then?

Is Anya her real name? I'm wondering if her mom called her differently. Here are some theories about her name. I suspect this will be important and I wouldn't be surprised if Anya is not her real name, almost as a foil of Twilight's name and story.

And also, there's a gap between that scene/memory and when Anya gets adopted by Twilight. We know thanks to Franky that in the year before Twilight adopted her, she was previously adopted by four different families, however, there's still a chunk of time missing.

I estimate she's probably 2 years old in that memory, she was 4 when she was adopted by those other families, and 5 years old when Twilight became her dad. That leaves 2 full years blank. Where was she during that time?

[apenitentialprayer]

Okay, time to reveal I am one of those Catholics, I guess, because I feel that this post is begging for a response. Because even if you kind of get it, the second paragraph shows you don't get all (or even most) of it. And before I continue, I want to say that the question of whether or not the Christian community should be affirming for the LGBT community is an important one, because this issue has real and concrete ramifications on people, some of whom I love personally and deeply, all of whom I am supposed to love compassionately. But this is really about a deeper issue that you sort of but unsatisfactorily touch upon in your original post. Because the Catholic Church makes an insanely high-stakes truth claim: that She is the institution founded by Christ, in which His Mystical Body subsists, who is indefectible in Her loyalty and inerrant in Her teaching. That does not mean, of course, that the Church's positions and stances cannot change. There have obviously been many times where the Church has clarified its position on something, which narrows the spectrum of stances that Catholics can take, even if it means excluding stances that were historically permissible; the Church can rearticulate its positions to make them more intelligible to new cultural contexts; the Church can even shift orientation in its policies to suit new social contexts so long as those policies don't violate the essential teaching; but what the Church is not supposed to be able to do is contradict itself on defined teaching. That's why, for example, I didn't think it was a big deal back in 2018 when the Church rejected the death penalty despite permitting it in the past; it expressed this teaching in such a way that it was clear that the death penalty still was not considered intrinsically evil, but the social conditions have changed enough that there are sufficient available alternatives that to make use of it is no longer justifiable. And, to put more of my chips on the table, that's why:

I would not be upset (I would even like it) if the Church was to soften its stance on no-fault divorce, provided it continued to be as equally stringent about the fact that marriage is indissoluble and that those who do divorce should not remarry.

I would not automatically leave if the Catholic Church were to start to ordain women, but I would need a really, really, really darn good explanation for it if I am going to stay.

I can foresee hypothetical situations in which a Catholic-Orthodox reunification could happen in a way that would require me to admit that I was backing the wrong Church.

I would have to leave if the Church ever declared that it was not sinful to have sex outside of marriage, as defined as one man and one woman in an indissoluble covenantal relationship.

And about the Church affirming homosexual relationships? I guess it depends on what you mean by affirming. I was happy to hear that the Italian Church no longer considers being openly gay an obstacle to entering the priesthood. I was incredibly delighted to hear that the Canadian bishops affirmed that love of whatever orientation finds its origin in God. I was also happy that the Nordic bishops said "in so far as [the aspirations of the gay rights movement] speak of the dignity of all human beings and of their longing to be seen, we share them." I loved Fiducia supplicans and the joy that I saw it brought to some members of the Catholic LGBT community. And when Cardinal Fernandez, the head inquisitor of the Catholic Church, suggested that part of pastoral responsibility for those living in regions where homosexuality is criminalized is "training [for] the defense of human dignity?" Elated. And in the realm of hypotheticals, I would even welcome a situation where the Church was to reintroduce adelphopoiesis as a liturgical pathway for gay couples. But if the Church were to declare that gay sex was not sinful, I would have to leave. Not because it would destroy all that is good and life giving and meaningful in Catholicism, but because it would mean that the Catholic Church is not what She claims to be. And whether that means I would be setting sail to investigate the viability of Orthodoxy's similarly high-stakes claim, or switching to a more humble branch of Christianity like Episcopalianism, I am unsure. But leaving would not be because I need gay people to suffer for my faith to survive (I would accept every action short of violating the Truth to eliminate that suffering), but because I had been wrong to have assumed the Catholic Church was the firm foundation set by Christ. Because if the Church were to completely reverse its stance on this issue, it would either have revealed itself to be defectible (if gay sex is sinful), or that its two millennia of unanimous teaching on this subject was errant (if it actually isn't). But, if the Church is what I think She is, this whole reply is a moot point, because She will not change her stance on this issue to the end of time.

lol I love when straight catholics are like if the church affirmed homosexuality i would leave bc she'd clearly be wrong and it'd undermine fundamental catholic doctrine cus like. I do somewhat get it. it'd certainly put a question mark over simplistic ideas of church authority. it does undermine credibility of the church and perhaps even of Christianity as a whole.

but also. the idea your faith is actively resting on not affirming gay people and would be destroyed if you discovered it was otherwise - that gay marriages would annihilate whatever else you found in Christianity that's good and life giving and meaningful - that feels a bit personal lol. and it's functionally saying 'I think lgbt peoples suffering is not just a sad fact of life but necessary for my own faith to exist; you need to be alienated from God so I can have my certainty Im doing the right thing'

[delight-angelsbliss]

Don't you notice how I get quiet when there's no one else around?

Heh I wanted to post this sooner but here we are

welcome to my February valentines special that will go on for the full duration of February!!

You may choose a prompt and Character from my list and request<3 this is actually my first ever special/event I'm doing lol S1 prompts from 1 - 11 are by @/novelbear they're really cool and have amazing prompts (^-^) there also inconsistent small and large texts so it's actually readable cuz it gets cut off sometimes lol!! I'd also recommend that when requesting u say which Season ur prompt is from for example "S1 nr 4 with ___" u can also request up to 3 prompts in one! I'll try my best to use it all<3 everything can be requested as platonic!! Edit: can you guys please specify gender and if it should be hcs or not? As much information as possible would be nice and helps alot

S1 Cute scenarios<3

Spending all day watching cute crafts and baking to do

Rom com marathon!!

Trying (and maybe) failing to make food heart shaped

Realizing you both have contrasting views on valentines

"Baby, I love you, really, but if I eat one more piece of chocolate I'll throw up"

Making the same reservations at the same time but different restaurants and/or the same one

"I thought you'd at least ask me to be my valentines" "we've been together for years, I thought that was a given"

Both not caring much abt valentines but get dragged to a double date by friends

"How much did this cost?" "Does that really matter?"

Spending the night walking through the city silently

Begging your partner to get matching sweaters until they say yes

Buying couple shirts and deciding the whole day which one to wear that u completely forgot ur date

Not leaving bed at all

Going to the carnival

Double dates

Confessing with a love letter

first kiss together on your first valentines

getting proposed on valentines

Picking grapes together

Making heart cake pops and eating them but they fall down

"I think I deserve a kiss"

"You didn't have to do all of this!" "Yeah, which is why I did it for you"

"I wish everyday could be like this"

"Is it just me or do your lips look softer than usual?"

"We don't have to go out"

"I can never get enough of of how pretty you look"

Ordering in and watching crime action series

"You remembered?" "Of course I did, I love you"

Trying to do pilates together only to fail miserably

Writing a love letter only to throw it away but they find it

S2 Yandere scenarios!:

"I just got some very wise advice from a wise woman..." U can ask more abt this btw and I'll explain a bit more what I mean with this

"Gosh, you smell so good when we cuddle like this"

"Do you think I enjoy punishing you?! I don't!"

"Tell me how much you love me"

"I'm jealous of the way you are happy with them but not me"

"This world is a ugly place, you're too beautiful for it"

"I know I'm sick in the head, but you'll be my cure"

"I love it when we're so close together like this"

"Of course I'm jealous! You're mine, not theirs!"

"Dont you get it? I would die for you if you asked me to"

"Your skin is so soft"

"I just love the last souvenir of your eye so much that I'd like the other one please"

"I could kill you if I wanted to"

"I live for you, you're like my oxygen"

"If you run, I'll break your legs"

જ⁀➴ ♡ Matchups

I actually do match ups which isn't really known cuz it's in my rules and dni lol but I do make matchups in case anyone wants one<3 this was added on 20:37 on 4th of February which is a bit later than this was posted

For a match up I need as much information as possible it's also allowed in a platonic form

If there's a preferred age range and gender

Hobbies

Likes

Dislikes

Special interests

And more would be needed (^-^)

[eldraftsman]

Day 7: Best moment for you?

I had to give this question some real thought, mostly because when asked something like this my brain tends to flatten out an entire series so nothing stands out(even if it usually would). So now that my ADHD addled brain is cooperating, I actually want to discuss two moments. I don't even know if I think of them as the best but they stood out as meaningful and relevant. To start, Twilight's first meeting with Franky.

By this point, [redacted] alias Roland Spoofy has lost everything. And seing a chance to get back at the so called enemy that robbed him of all he loved, he enlists the military, using the once whimsy cunning he posseses for the sake of death and destruction. The perfect miliary machine, really; dehumanizing those amonst the enemy lines in front of him, another target to shoot each one of them. And then he meets Franky. It's very easy to see how disarming it was for [redacted] to see an unarmed, terrified twerp begging to not die before he could get laid. Even before he could process it, this was a good reminder that the people on the opposing army were as human as him.

But then, Franky shares what he knows and thinks about the war and how humans are easily influenced to think in destructive terms about their peers without evidence. Much as the ire starts getting the better of [redacted], he really has no counterargument here. In a very digestible example, the manga unpacks the nature of propaganda, and the following events unravel what a radicalized soldier thinks when showing him the error of his way of thinking beat by beat.

The second moment is the conclusion to Martha's backstory.

Much as the marriage between Henry and Lucia that robbed Martha of her youthful love was in many ways a systemic imposition, the manga intelligently chooses to not villanize Lucia, for she was pressured by the system herself. More importantly, however, are the very take aways Martha has from these soul crushing experiences.

The first is as simple as it gets. As long as you live, there's something to strive for. Specially in times where hopelessness seems to be the only option, it's important to remember this. Even if it doesn't take the shape we dreamed of, as long as you breathe, there's something ahead to look for.

The second is tied to another one I'll mention down the line, but the acceptance of how we never have the full picture is the most mature takeaway anyone could have from their personal disgrace. You will never know everything, so instead of choosing to carve your heels on the ground and claim absolute certainty, to be open to learn is not only the intelligent and wise, but even compassionate thing to do.

It's a little strange when I think about it, but I guess I find profoundly powerful and inspiring how much this manga, that people enjoy for the humor and cozy stories, takes the chance to encourage humility, the search for truth and critical thinking. Things we sorely need more than ever.

[wisteria-lodge]

2 things about Lily

It's obvious that she was the one to defeat Voldemort the first time around, not Harry, but Rowling refuses to elaborate on the spell, saying that she cast it accidentally (which... yeah sure, but then she created a world where only one mother and child could do it out of love... like did other children that suffered were not loved enough? oh i so dislike that). I don't know why Rowling does it. Like I always wanted it to be an actual spell that she (and James) researched and did as part of their back-up plan, but noooooo. A woman? Win against the big bad? In the 90s?? Noooo

Lily grew up with two people that we get to know intimately, and loved them dearly. Two very miserable, envious people, who likely hid their accents and the fact that they are of working class, two people who did everything, and sacrificed many things in order to be around characters who where wealthy. Two social climbers. And you know what Lily also did? This has to be deliberate. Like, I don't think that it's a bad thing. I think that Lily definitely wasn't as insane about social climbing as Severus and Petunia (I consider social mobility to be a positive thing!!), buuut she too married into money. So there is that.

I find it sad that the prospect of Lily being crazy ambitious and wanting to have better things are always portrayed as bad in fics, if it is discussed at all. You could have made her into a person who dreams about making it and give her a conflict about marrying into money, feeling like she will become a fake, and still craving that security! But nooooooo. Pefect perfection or a sleazy seductress, nothing else ever

Extremely good points. Wanting social stability is just a real, relatable thing, and it's got to be a lot for Lily, being told you're magic... and ADDITIONALLY learning that the power structure of the magical world that you live in now is super prejudiced against you? And there is an active dark wizard *currently* targeting people like you?

Also the sacrificial magic being cast accidentally never made sense. Harry does the same thing (I guess) on purpose at the end, with the result that all of Voldemort's spells have trouble "sticking," because Harry sacrificed himself for EVERYBODY? But I mean Regulus also sacrificed himself to protect people from Voldemort, he didn't have to die. Dumbledore willingly died to protect... Harry, Draco, Snape? Shouldn't that have had some magical effect?

It honestly would have been *so* much easier to say that Lily defeated Voldemort with a spell that sacrificed the caster's life. That's very cool, old-magic vibes.

But... this slots into an larger trend with the way JKR writes passivity and self-negation as heroic traits. The best example of this is Newt Scamander, her hero with the central traits "neutral" and "pacifist." But even with Harry... there's a reason he doesn't level up his core spells, and is most heavily associated with a disarming spell that he learns in year 2 and a shield spell he learns in year 3. JKR actively doesn't want him to be a combat character. It is *true* that Harry does not cast a single spell on-page in the entire first book. He does more magic later, but that original tendency is still there: there's a reason most of Harry's level-ups consist of loot given to him by loved ones, and not so much skills that he improves. JKR's ethos on power (expressed through Dumbledore) is that the people who handle power best are the people who don't want it.

And unfortunately... leveling up your spells on purpose... now that sounds like something that a person who WANTS POWER would do. Casting super duper powerful spells accidently (which harry also does, constantly) (and Lily does, of course) ... now *that* is much more morally pure.

[fanganfessions]

I personally don't like Project Eden's Garden, and I feel like it's trying far too hard to not be Dangan Ronpa to the point that it seems frankly embarassed about having any association with it from its writing and its consistent attempts to try and subvert DR writing, from the characters to even the execution we've seen (that IMO, lacks the kind of "style" canon executions have in an attempt to be far more brutal and drawn out without anything actually interesting to it in an aesthetic sense. It feels gory for the sake of being gory, even moreso than another execution I'd criticize like V3-2) and like it's trying too hard to subvert the series it's inspired by to the point it genuinely doesn't feel all that fun to engage with.

Things like the idea of a character presenting themselves as an "Ultimate Liar" just feel, for lack of a better word, fanfiction-y. A lot of the actual meat of the project feels amateurish to me, likely a result of the project changing hands due to the fallout between the old director and the original writers parting ways due to abuse 3 years ago or so, like old plot points were left behind and people tried to make them work rather than scraping things that I personally think go against his attempts to make its characters more grounded or realistic.

I don't enjoy any of the characters as they are and feel no attachment towards them or their designs, and I think the decision to replace the mascot with a guy in a mask was a poor one in a somewhat misguided attempt to make the game feel more, I dunno, mature? But to me it just comes off as another attempt to distance itself from DR, which the game fails at anyway because the twist of "characters who seem important both die chapter one" is very much a DR-esque move, for example.

There's a lot I could get into, and these are just mismanaged thoughts, but I feel like the project lacks style and any affection for the original series, and also comes off as exceedingly pretentious at times. (I personally hate the orchestral soundtrack, and I feel like something like "here's a real life orchestral composition of our theme" feels a lot like showing off at that point) I also just don't see the project being sustainable, especially with the prediction of it taking another two years for the second chapter.

All in all, though, I just can't enjoy it personally because it comes off as a very generic Fangan dressed up with high production value that people aren't willing to criticize both for fear of being attacked by an honestly rabid fanbase, and because it's definitely the big kid on the block and it can be hard to criticize a fan project being done for free. I just find it to be, well, not that good, and unworthy of the massive amounts of praise it's been receiving, but I'm biased to finding it kind of irritating due to my own personal tastes and the large amounts of praise its been receiving I personally disagree with.

But beyond that, it just feels like it doesn't want to be Dangan Ronpa, and maybe it shouldn't be, and its attempts to distance itself from it while still being clearly derivative of it (SHSL talents, the artstyle, the format) come off as more irritating to me than anything. I just don't think it's that good or the second coming of Dangan Christ or whatever, and it falls into the same trappings I'd criticize pretty much every other Fangan, and even the official series for, but it sticks out even more due to how desperate it is to be not Dangan Ronpa, or more than just Dangan Ronpa. This one just has more budget.

⠀

[fandom-susceptible]

So I've been thinking about where The Dragon Prince left things after Season 7, especially since they had to wrap it up so quickly and it doesn't look like they're likely to get full ten seasons.

I'm still very unsettled by Terry. I know he had his whole "Zuko here" moment and "redemption arc", but it rings hollow for me for a guy who spent the previous several seasons totally cool with a genocide against his own people as long as it was Claudia doing it. I super don't buy his shock and dismay at Claudia trying to kill the illusion of her mother after what he himself did to Ibis. I want to know where he came from and why he's okay with Dark Magic, just so long as it's not Aaravos.

Which is only loosely tied into a thought I wanna dwell on more, but is somewhat important background information for my thought process.

So at the end of Season 7, Soren, Corvus, Pyrrah, and Terry take off looking for King Harrow in the body of Pip the songbird. They wouldn't even know to look except that Runaan confirmed that King Harrow didn't fight back at the assassination, and instead just squawked, and Corvus put the pieces together.

Ezran is still struggling to forgive Runaan for his part in Harrow's death, which I think actually adds to his depth of character. He's no longer an innocent child - the "true soul", "death of innocence" theme from this season was strong, and Ezran is the peak example of it. He must find a way to balance his ideals with the pain that far more adult figures have been struggling with for years. Callum made a good point bringing up that he forgave Zubeia, and we didn't get to see Ezran's response, but imo his reaction to Callum's betrayal sort of fills in the blanks. It was Zubeia's mate and son that she thought were dead. I can see how that would make more sense for a kid like Ezran, who grew up with very strong familial bonds and values, than Runaan and the other assassins carrying out revenge for someone else when they have no personal grudge of their own.

Anyways. Consider.

Pip/Harrow's been missing for three years now. That bird could be anywhere on either side of the continent by now, though he is living with the mind of a king. He's also nowhere near Katolis, or Ezran would have found him already, from going to talk to "Pip" and finding that the bird is carrying an entirely different soul.

So imagine, in that time lapse in the final episode, Soren and Corvus come back and confess that they haven't found anything of worth. The last maybe-sighting of Pip was from some soldiers in Viren's army who thought they saw the bird following them into the Sunfire plains in Xadia. It's been two years, and they don't know.

So Rayla says she knows someone who might be able to help. The best tracker in Xadia. He can find anyone on the Xadian side of the border, and anyone he's ever tried to find in the Human Kingdoms too. He's diligent and has only ever missed one target. If anyone can track down King Harrow, it's him . . . but Ez isn't going to like it.

Runaan.

And at first Ezran doesn't. But Rayla makes a point, and Corvus and Soren aren't having any luck on their own or with Terry (if he's even relevant, tbh, if I write it he probably won't be because i am still disturbedd by that guy). So he agrees - with conditions, of course.

Runaan is hesitant when he's told the news, and when Ezran asks him why, he just delicately points out that a king in the body of a bird is also a bird with none of the instincts of a bird, and may not have survived regardless of the war, unless he's learned how to feed himself and managed to avoid all possible predators for three years straight.

Ezran acknowledges it, tells him that's something he's . . . preparing for. But Corvus gets to make the call that they've searched too much and Harrow is likely dead. Not Runaan.

So the terms are agreed to and Runaan ends up going on a road trip with Soren and Corvus. Please imagine the comedic value of dignified older assassin in the midst of a major cultural deconstruction trying to do serious business with Soren. Especially Soren and Corvus. And the flip side - imagine Soren and Corvus seeing what Xadia is like towards Moonshadow elves, especially ones of Runaan's description (tall, menacing, leader, broken horn, homosexual - am I talking about Runaan or Kim'dael). Possibly featuring an appearance from the surviving Dragonguard, and Runaan's reaction to Hendyr specifically, the Skywing elf who KNEW Tiadrin and Lain stayed to protect the egg and chose not to save it or to clear their names.

[ravenbloodshot]

Hello! Idk if you saw about Aespa going viral for white painting on their bodies. Tbh Aespa girls are becoming more and more uncanny looking by years. A lot of white painting, bleaching and they look like a wax doll which is even worse because they already have a pale skin to start with especially Winter and Karina. Also infamous Karina AI jaw and current Giselle plastic surgery is looking very weird like the lip fillers and botox are kinda getting outta hand. Only Ningning looks normal in the group now. It's not just me all users on tiktok and reddit are agreeing about this also. I'm worried about the girls because SM is known to force their idols to go under surgery and it's in contract. Can you tell us this is what girls want or are they forced? What do you think?

Let's see...

What I'm seeing is interesting. I see that they view their plastic surgery and their attempts to better fit the beauty standards as a necessity to survive. Like I'm literally seeing that the entire purpose of it is to suit/fulfill the male gaze or wants. To better find a mate and be better off socially, financially, or whatnot. (What I'm picking up sounds barbarian, but they want better appearances to have a better pick of men romantically). Also, career wise, they and their company want the male fans to find them beautiful so they're doing whatever they can to make that happen and cash in on that.

I'm also picking up a copy and paste vibe. So I definitely think there's a blueprint for how the girls should appear. (There are theories that SM has an exact plastic surgery look they like to replicate, and there's likely some truth to that). I wouldn't be surprised if SM had a naturally beautiful female or male idol that they uphold as their beauty standard for idols now. (For example, Kim jaejoong, etc...).

I'm not exactly seeing that they've been forced to alter their appearance. It's likely they already knew their natural looks wouldn't have gotten them very far in the industry, so they were more than willing to change that for better opportunities. Though, I will say that they were picked apart and judged heavily . SM didn't hold back when it came to critiquing their looks. (Reminds me of how Twice members were judged and insulted during their survival show, its a very common practice in the idol industry)

I do see some regret. Mostly regret for getting work done so young. I heard, "I wish i waited till I was more mature and could make better decisions."

When it comes to the skin bleaching accusations. Their energy is completely avoidant. I keep getting cards that basically mean that they don't want to think about it or speak about it. So, I wouldn't be surprised if there's a hidden feeling of shame or embarrassment. Even if a friend or loved one was to discuss this topic with them, I doubt they would answer anything directly. Everything about this energy is so "hush, hush."

[great-septimus]

Hey, so I don't want to be that guy, but when are we going to acknowledge that Akechi was right?

No, I obviously don't mean about the things he was very clearly wrong about. I'm referring to the things he says in interviews about the Phantom Thieves. I hate how many people switch up after playing through his betrayal who previously agreed with his views, because nothing he said is wrong and nothing he did changes that fact. He speaks in the TV Station on the objective facts that he should know about, and with or without the context of his form of justice those facts stay true. It's a fallacy to claim that his form of justice being universally less approved of makes the Phantom Thieves better by comparison, or discredits anything he said. I don't think the Phantom Thieves are evil, or that they should necessarily be imprisoned, but I do think that they are not morally sound. They're kids. Prior to his betrayal I think he served his purpose well, but it's easy to disregard the validity of his words when you find out that he's a murderer. With the knowledge he SHOULD have had (and that many DID have), everything he says is true. And honestly? It still can be true for basically the entire plot of the game. Mishima's confidant tests the thieves in that way. They could have changed the hearts of anyone who's not a persona user, for any personal reason. It's a slippery slope.

I'll use these three options as an example for why he's right:

"They're justice itself" is just subjective and incorrect, because justice as a concept is individualized and given how each Phantom Thief has different reasons for being one it's ridiculous for even them to say. Their first target was before they even formed a group, and Ann was ready to kill Kamoshida. The others were not even going to step in, and they were going to respect her choice either way. All the members are so different, so this is an insane claim to make.

"They're necessary" is wrong because to say they are necessary is pretty disingenuous to all "justice" that has ever happened BEFORE they existed. I don't believe that the Thieves were a necessity per say, and personally I think their actions can only be judged on a case by case basis. Some Mementos targets for example have issues that stem beyond what they have done. Now they have their desires stolen but still have the issue that pushed them to immortality in the first place, plus a shitton of guilty baggage. The Thieves only help with the atonement, but not the push. How many of those people didn't just go right back to their past behaviors? How many of them got worse in other ways? Think about Futaba, she felt so guilty for something she thought she did, she formed a palace to condemn herself to die alone. To claim the Thieves are necessary to reform society implies that their method is the most effective, and I think that's a lot to claim for something they don't understand.

"They do more than the cops" I almost agree with. Legally the police in Japan in this game anyway (yes I'm aware it extends to reality in many ways, but I'm referring to just the game right now) are corrupt and flawed for the most part, but the thing I don't agree with is that this makes the Thieves a better alternative. They're not. For the same reason Yoshizawa says later, the Thieves can only do so much as vigilantes, and to imply that society should rely on these faceless nameless flawed people to fix society is not any better than what they have now. Especially with the method being unknown, potentially unsafe, and easily exploitable. I cannot be the only one who if the Phantom Thieves were real, would be extremely alarmed by the prospect of a group of vigilantes "changing hearts" right? It's so vague, and the pattern is dystopian. At least police methods are familiar

What I'm saying is that they're kids, and it's kind of insane that this game places Akechi as the narrative foil for the Thieves in their message and then makes it so easy to disregard because "he's an assassin so how could he know anything about justice". The Thieves don't either, and Ann was nearly a murderer. If the bar is "don't commit murder when you're infiltrating someone's mind" then it's far too low. I wouldn't trust a group of adults with this power to reform society, even less a group of teenage vigilantes. I'm 19, and I find this odd. And Strikers frames them as even more righteous, and it bugs me even more in that game. At least Royal has the third semester to give a bit more nuance to how big of a responsibility Ren was given, but that's also very frequently misinterpreted.

I love this game, and I love this fandom, and I have thoughts that get weird and ranty. I apologize, but I hope you all found this as interesting as I did.

[greenerteacups]

OK need more on this delicious idea:

The most obvious example is the Regulus plot (which in retrospect reads like maybe vestigial foreshadowing of a different outline for Deathly Hallows?)

What do you think this different outline of DH could be?

Totally! I might have been off, but I thought the #LocketGate reveal at the end of Book 6 was meant to indicate Regulus had some role in Book 7 — possibly as a plot mechanic or as the central "mystery" of the book that the Golden Trio have to work out. Like, maybe Regulus left clues for them to find in order to figure out how to destroy the horcruxes, or to find the hallows, or to find a secret weapon to kill Voldemort, something, whatever. Because having Regulus defect from Voldemort and successfully steal/swap the lockets, only for him to die anyway and for the locket to end up stuck in a cabinet in Grimmauld Place, is like... kinda disappointing and weird for something that's so important to the plot? Because it cuts the legs out of the pre-climax of Book 6, i.e. Dumbledore's sacrifice and Harry's fight with the inferi, for the horcrux to have been stuck under the floorboards at Grimmauld Place the whole time.

Also, sorry: lame!! That's a lame development. It is dull. It is boring and dry. It gut-punches your dramatic tension for any re-reads of Book 6 and it means the ultimate "finding the horcrux" moment gets shunted into the first act of Book 7, which should have been about setting up the war conflict. It also violates the fantasy author's Rule of Cool, which demands that, all else being equal, you should choose the option that is more badass, fun, or sexy, precisely because it is more badass, fun, or sexy. Sometimes it's fine to just make a decision because it's going to be more fun to read! If it doesn't injure the story, there's nothing wrong with that! And I think the locket in the cave should have EITHER been the real thing, in which case Dumbledore's sacrifice and Harry's struggle would have been rewarded with another horcrux being destroyed and we could have dived headfirst into the "how do we kill them?" plot in 7 — OR, it could be a fakeout, but then make that note/clue part of a bigger and more interesting mystery plot in Book 7.

Also, not that it matters, but all the other Harry Potter books have central mysteries in them. It's usually what they're named for: the philosopher's stone (what's behind Fluffy?), the chamber of secrets (who's the heir?), the prisoner of azkaban (what does Sirius want with Harry?), the goblet of fire (who put in harry's name?), the order of the phoenix (what's in the Department of Mysteries?) and half-blood prince (who is he?) But then the hallows just. Aren't. I'm not interested in what they are, I don't care what they do, I'm never given reason to think they're relevant to the story that currently exists — at BEST they explain why Voldemort isn't pursuing Harry more intentionally in the story, because he's obsessed with collecting Hallows first, but was that necessary? Because i would have believed that dude was just busy prosecuting his literal war effort against the government. It would have been way cooler (imo) for the final mystery to be Harry figuring out the nature of his connection with Voldemort, unveiling the horcrux mystery for himself, rather than Ghost Dumbledore dropping it on him via Mind Limbo. So that's my case for Regulus being the setup for the central mystery of Book 7.

[dapper-lil-arts]

I find it kind of funny how, when you really think about it, Celestia is a really complex and layered character with a lot of emotional depths to explore (the pain she endured from having to banish her own sister, the pressure and responsibility she bears as the ruler of a kingdom, the betrayal she felt at Sunsets turn, etc.) and yet all of that is overshadowed by how easily she gets bodied at every possible turn.

Like, out of every major villain encounter in the show, she was really only helpful in like, what…Two of them? Maybe? The rest of the time she just shows up for a split-second and then *BAM* instant knockout.

I understand that from a writing perspective you have to find ways of removing her from these conflicts so that the main characters can have the focus (that’s also a major problem that Discord has post-redemption) but at a certain point it just becomes a thing of “man, you really can’t do ANYTHING on your own, huh?”

It becomes clear that the show didn’t quite know what to do with her once Twilight became a princess, and so they leaned more into her goofball tendencies (which I personally loved, but I could see others being annoyed by it) and it just makes me wish we could’ve gotten at least one more episode for her to really shine, like in Celestial Advice.

Anyways, ramble over, just wanted to say that I have nothing but respect for our dearly beloved Princess Fraudlestia 🫶💛

I think the showrunners lacked imagination and creativity regarding her and whenever they wanted to prop up a character, they preffered to knock down another character for that to happen. For example, everyone loses to Chrysalis off screen just so starlight can beat chrysalis with a few friends, it just isnt very creative or compelling Celestia suffered from this long before Twilight became a Princess, too. Hell, on episode friggin 1 Nightmare Moon returns amd Celestia doesn't show her face until she's been defeated, on Discord's episode she decides to literally only send letters to twilight instead of tryin to face discord herself in any way lmao. She's smart for that, thats for sure

I've written Celestia a couple dozen times, but I never ever want to just cut her out of a fight or a struggle just to make another character look better. And hell I don't even use the old superman excuse where she 'doesnt interfere bc if she goes all out she'll be too powerful and kill everything' she's a thousand years old! She's had centuries to refine her power and capabilities!

But I digress. My response to "This show does a character dirty" is never to take that in face value and interpret them as dirty too. Like, just bc the show tells me Cozy Glow deserves to be in Tartarus, doesn't mean I'll blindly believe them >:/ Just because the show tells me Celestia is useless doesn't mean I'll blindly accept it! After all, useless fraudlestia ran Equestria for a 1000 years. Perfect Twilight Sparkle didn't even canonically last 100.

[wraith-caller]

I wanted to work out some thoughts about the outer gods and their nature. Are they 'outer' as in simply being ascended people 'outside' of Marika's Order, and therefore no different in nature than her? Or are they closer in kind to the Greater Will, being somewhat abstract, unknowable cosmic entities vying for influence over the world? Is the Greater Will a type of outer god, or something distinct altogether?

I. Outer God of Rot

I don't think outer gods are simply alternate gods in competition with Marika, and the primary reason for that is her own daughter, Malenia. She is, of course, tightly connected to an outer god of rot. The Scarlet Aeonia incantation specifies that she will become "a true goddess" upon her third bloom. I believe this rot god acts towards Malenia the way the Greater Will has towards Marika, and that it is in the interest, or simply the nature, of an outer god to have a sort of 'steward' in this world. If the god of rot was simply another person like Marika, why would it need or even want Malenia to bloom? And why simply seal them away, rather than killing them? For all Gideon's bluster about how a man can not kill a god, we know that is not a problem for Empyreans - the Gloam Eyed Queen practically made a sport of it. Not to mention, the Tarnished ends up doing just that, so it's simply untrue. It requires some special tools for the job which aren't easy to come by, but it can be done. But if an outer god may be a force beyond man's reckoning, then it becomes more questionable whether such a thing could be killed, while it is known their influence can be subdued(Miquella's Needle, possibly the Nox Mirrorhelm).

We know that the god of rot is specifically an outer god, as the map of the Lake of Rot says, "It is said that the divine essence of an outer god is sealed away in this land."

Gowry gives us a little more insight into Malenia's curse, explaining:

In the age of the Elden Ring, and Queen Marika, the precious Empyrean was born. A new god to forge a new Order. Since Malenia fought Radahn, and the great scarlet flower blossomed in Aeonia, I have dedicated myself to her. And to the resplendence of the Order of Rot. The cycle of decay and rebirth.

In this way, the Rot is to Malenia as the Greater Will is to Marika. Malenia the god forges the new Order(specifically a new order, not simply a new age of the old order), and the power behind that Order is the Outer God of Rot. There is even a parallel between the god and consort dynamic in that Gowry asks us to kill Millicent so that she may be reborn in tandem with Malenia's ascension to godhood. He says, "When Malenia ascends to godhood, Millicent too shall be reborn. As a scarlet valkyrie." This continues the idea that for a god to ascend, another person must be sacrificed and reborn alongside them. Malenia becomes a goddess, but she is a goddess OF the Rot God, in the same way that Marika is a goddess OF the Greater Will. Whereas Marika claimed her godhood through the Sacred Rite and the passage through the Divine Gates atop Enir-Ilim, it may be that different gods offer different paths to divinity. But, that divinity may always require a sacrifice and rebirth, something of the old order dying and being reborn alongside the god of the new one.

But that's just one example, right? Can we find more info to strengthen this idea of outer gods being entities seeking heralds in the lands between for some reason?

II. The Formless Mother

Another specified outer god is the Formless Mother. Mohgwyn's Sacred Spear says, "As well as serving as a weapon, it is an instrument of communion with an outer god who bestows power upon accursed blood." The "communion" in question involves stabbing the spear skyward, wounding some invisible body(she is, after all, the Formless Mother), and spilling her blood.

Once again, there is a dynamic of a consort/partner and the god to be ascended. But in this instance, Mohg is the servant of the outer god while the Empyrean remains unresponsive to the attempts at a forced ascension, and no valid sacrifice is rendered alongside that god(yes blood is offered to Miquella/the FM, but these are random people, not someone closely linked to the would-be god as is the case of Marika, Malenia, and DLC Miquella). Why this ritual did not work is unknown. It could be that because Mohg made the wrong kind of offering, Miquella could not be ascended. It could also be a matter of Miquella's own curse, which some believe is to blame for his plans never coming to fruition. There is a third option, however, and that is the needle he himself crafted in an attempt to ward off the influence of outer gods.

With the DLC, we were introduced to a new group of beings who were transformed after contact with the Formless Mother. The Bloodfiend Hexer Ashes tell us, "Long ago, a subjugated tribe discovered a twisted deity amongst the ravages of war, and they were transformed into bloodfiends." This is not unlike Romina's discovery and interaction with the rot. For more info about this parallel, which is more difficult to parse in the English, check out pages 11-17 of this document).

Outer gods appear to be the source of certain 'divine elements'(see: Hefty Rot Pot and Remembrance of the Saint of the Bud), and these elements can be deeply transformative. This is another distinction between these outer gods and Marika, who has not proven to be capable of something like this. While she can imbue and detract Grace at will, there is no distortion of one's being which mirrors the degree of change seen in Romina, and possibly the Bloodfiends. (Given we do not see the before state of the latter, I'm conceding it's possible they didn't look radically different after their transformation. However, Romina's case is indisputable, and given the parallel language between her and the Bloodfiends, it seems reasonable to assume their change could have also been significant.)

III. The Frenzied Flame

The Frenzied Flame is an implicit outer god, per Miquella's Needle:

One of the unalloyed gold needles that Miquella crafted to ward away the meddling of outer gods. Capable of subduing the flame of frenzy if inherited, allowing one to cheat fate and avoid becoming Lord of Frenzied Flame.

In true chaotic fashion, the path to godhood and lordship of the Frenzied Flame upends the notion of a single sacrifice, and the rebirth it promises is an endless, maddening chaos. Where other gods may rise to their throne with their reborn sacrifice at their heel, the Flame doesn't ask for such offerings, because it wants to consume everything. Shabriri tells us not to throw our maiden into the fire, that we can burn instead, and in doing so tear down life itself. There will be no god, nor even an Order of Frenzy. Incinerate all that divides and distinguishes, it says. It is a return to a singularity, to a primitive state of being predating existence itself. Hyetta tells us of the world before the world:

I have touched them. The words of the Three Fingers. As your maiden, allow me to divine them. All that there is came from the One Great. Then came fractures, and births, and souls. But the Greater Will made a mistake. Torment, despair, affliction. Every sin, every curse. Every one, born of the mistake. And so, what was borrowed must be returned. Melt it all away, with the yellow chaos flame. Until all is One again.

This is further supported by the DLC where Count Ymir tells us, "We began as stardust, born of a great rupture far across the skies." Life is a result of this schism, and multiple entities erupted from it. The Greater Will and Frenzied Flame are of that schism, a link we will examine below.

V. The Greater Will

What of the Greater Will itself? Is it acting on this world with careful, calculated intent, or is it wholly disinterested, a remote entity without concern for this Order founded in its name? I personally suppose it is a bit of both - The Greater Will has interacted with the world enough times that it becomes difficult to write it off as some unimportant happenstance. But the DLC has made it fairly clear that whatever interest the Will may have once had has faded. At the end of the day, it is still some unknowable cosmic force which is perhaps too strange for the human mind to comprehend.

On the subject of the Greater Will's intentions, we get a few bits of info on the matter. From the Elden Stars incantation we learn, "It is said that long ago, the Greater Will sent a golden star bearing a beast into the Lands Between, which would later become the Elden Ring."

Various armors of the Nox state, "Long ago, the Nox invoked the ire of the Greater Will, and were banished deep underground." It could be tempting to ascribe this event to being mythologized, however, the Remembrance of the Naturalborn elaborates on the event:

A malformed star born in the lightless void far away. Once destroyed an Eternal City and took away their sky. A falling star of ill omen.

Just like the Elden Beast, another star is sent from the heavens with intent to act upon this world. The "lightless void" terminology is picked up again in the DLC, with the High Priest Hat mentioning, "The circular design at the top represents the Greater Will and its lightless abyss," strengthening the notion that this thing is directly affiliated with the Greater Will in some way.

And in case you were under the impression these are just coincidences, the DLC provided us with a third example of the Greater Will sending a star to the earth. The Remembrance of Metyr:

The mother of all Two Fingers and Fingercreepers was in turn a magnificently gleaming daughter of the Greater Will, and the first shooting star to fall upon the Lands Between.

While a lot of conversation is had around the reveal that the Will has stopped interacting with Metyr, it is worth remembering that it did, once, communicate with her, and must have been doing so for a long time. The Staff of the Great Beyond says:

The Mother received signs from the Greater Will from the beyond of the microcosm. Despite being broken and abandoned, she kept waiting for another message to come.

It's erroneous to state that she and the Two Fingers have no idea of the Greater Will's intentions, or that they've simply always rambled nonsensically, posing as if they were in communication with a force that has never contacted them. Metyr did receive messages directly from the Greater Will as some point. It is simply that she no longer does, and the world has been without that guidance for an unknown period of time. The opening cinematic of the game claims that the Shattering has led to abandonment by the Greater Will, and the wording in the Staff's description of Metyr being "broken" and "abandoned" coincides quite nicely with the Elden Ring itself being a broken thing abandoned by its keeper. That could be taken as an indication of when this communication was disrupted. We know that the Will has, at some point in history, still been in contact with this world, robbing the Nox of their sky. It also sent Metyr before the Elden Beast which became the Elden Ring, and the Ring itself has been around before even Marika's era, with Dragonlord Placidusax once being an Elden Lord in the time before the Erdtree(see: Remembrance of the Dragonlord). So it's possible that Metyr has been receiving messages for a very, very long time.

At any rate, it seems very clear that the Greater Will has, well, a will of some kind. What its intentions are, or why it acts in the way it does, we won't ever know, but there are those who resist it. In a sort of parallel to Miquella's Needle, the Nox have also crafted an item to ward off the influence of this entity and its minions. The Nox Mirrorhelm says, "Worn by those committed to high treason, it wards off the intervention of the Greater Will and its vassal Fingers." The descriptions both use the same term of warding something away, strengthening the notion of the Greater Will being of a kind with the outer gods - a meddling force from beyond the world which, with the proper implements, may be kept at bay for a time. There's also unmistakable relations between the Greater Will and the Flame of Frenzy which highlight them as being of a kind. The most obvious are the Fingers, envoys of their respective entities. The Will has the Two Fingers, the Frenzy has Three, and when combined you have a whole hand. They have diametric natures, one half begetting order, the other chaos. There's also the fact that the origin of all things is called the One Great, which Hyetta tells us was fractured. The Flame seeks the return of all to unity, that all divisions are erased so that there is only a one. So even here we can poke at this notion that the One Great is a schism between these two forces - the One(Frenzy) and the Great(Greater Will). If the Frenzy is an outer god as so heavily implied by Miquella's Needle, then it is likely the Greater Will is one, too, as they are two beings of the same nature.

As is the case with most things in the game, we aren't getting any solid answers. These are just my thoughts, and some reasons why I think them. :]

[icewindandboringhorror]

examining a seemingly normal image only to slowly realize the clear signs of AI generated art.... i know what you are... you cannot hide your true nature from me... go back where you came from... out of my sight with haste, wretched and vile husk

[musical-chick-13]

The problem is. When I go, "Oh, this system is bullshit" and try to live outside it. My choices are still defined by that system. And that makes me feel really weird.