#i don't think they'll take this metaphor much further

[widebrimmedhatsblog]

Onyx Storm Predictions!!

I wanted to do a full theory post but the clock is TICKING and I decided to get sick last week before I could write one up, so this will have to do!

Predictions below the cut! I'm going to re-blog and re-spoiler tag with extra info from the apple books preview, so no onyx storm spoilers on THIS post.

I'm going to start off with my most controversial prediction and say that I don't think Xaden is leaving! The bond is still in place (re: end of IF) and Sgaeyl evidently still gives a fuck about him (again, re: end of IF) and so I don't think she's going to break the bond! I DO think he might try and leave, but I think Violet will stop him.

This is probably the second most controversial (at least to me) but I do think Violet might be part/half venin. I think Lilith turned when she was pregnant with Violet. I don't fully know how being part venin would even work, but we know next to nothing about how being FULL venin would work, so I'm not gonna sweat it. There's a huge theme (motif?) of being two things at once in these books (violet's hair, her eyes, her two dragons, her two signets, scribe/rider, Xaden's two signets, etc.) Further, you have Lilith's cure-investigation, and also the matter of the extreme amount of parallels between Lilith and Xaden. I think they both turned to protect Violet.

The subsect of that prediction/theory/whatever is that I don't think Xaden can drain her! If you read the fight with JFB in FW wherein Vi is "shaken by an internal force (she doesn't) understand, as though he's forcing his own power into my body, shocking me with a thousand stings of vibrating energy" while he has his hands holding her face. A couple paragraphs later, it's confirmed his eyes are red-rimmed. (Fourth Wing pages 294-295). I think this is JFB draining her to a certain degree. It HURTS Violet, he gets power, but no hand prints! I actually really wanted Xaden to leave sexy handprints on her, but in the last like 4 days I've changed my mind. I foresee a sort of vampire-esque power drinking thing!

I keep calling myself controversial but I'm going to keep doing it. My NEXT controversial take is that I don't think they're going to the isles yet! I think Vi may WANT to go to the isles, but I think she'll have to go to Poromiel first, then head to the barrens!

I think Vi's second signet is one of two things: the type of mirroring signet I used in Teach Me, or a straight up inntinnsic. Both of these are used in the throne scene, as I spelled out in that fic! I don't mind Vi being an inntinnsic*, especially since all the men in her life have a direct line into her head. I really think it's only fair if she can get back at them, IDK.

I don't think we're meeting Xaden's mom this book! I think that's book 4. But while we're talking about her, I think she has a second kid Xaden doesn't know about, and I think they'll meet this secret sibling first and it will be a moment of tenuous trust between riorgail (in that Violet will have to grapple with the possibility of him keeping secrets from her AGAIN, only to find out her isn't)

I'm saving my thoughts on who dies for the spoilery part!

I don't think Xaden is getting "Cured". I'm not entirely sure there will be a cure on a person-to-person basis, because I frankly think that defeats the purpose of the metaphor.

This MAY be a book 4 thing, but I'm going to add it here anyway! My IRL bestie and I talk a lot about how the story of the 3 brothers here is the Deathly Hallows reborn, and we've been joking about how Violet must gather said hallows to defeat Voldemort etc. However, we joked about it a little too much, and now I'm convinced: at some point, Vi will be the dragon rider, the gryphon flier, and the venin

OR: Mira is the gryphon rider* and Brennan's the venin.

This is wishful thinking actually but the quest squad somehow ends up being just x, vi and the dragons!

This is more of a theme prediction, but every book thus far (all 2!) have been about unpacking a level of propaganda. FW is Navarre's propaganda about war, and IF is Navarre's propaganda about Poromiel. Therefore, we have at least 2 more forms of propaganda to unpack: whatever the fuck is going on with the dragons, and the idea that venin are inherently evil. I think we tackle one of these book 3 and one book 4! Or perhaps both together, because they are intertwined.

Crack Pot Theories

Papa Sorrengail's first name is Adam.

I don't think Halden is Violet's ex. I think it's literally two random ass infantry guys. Also Xaden gets to kill Halden :)

I think Brennan killed Naolin! I also think they were gay. I think it’s a mirror to a different way to handle someone turning venin for you than what Vi and X will do

I may edit this and add more. Why am I blanking on every thought I've ever had about onyx storm in my life.

[mochiajclayne]

Hi there,

I hope you're doing well.

i read your post regarding SasuSaku and Sarada as a family and you stole the words right off my mouth.

I'd like to know your thoughts and opinions on Sasuke Retsiden because from what I can see, its only Jun Esaka (a mere light novel writer that writes non canon stuff) all over the internet being equally all over about her Sasuke Retsuden. I haven't seen any other light novel writer being more active about something non canon. Even kishimoto himself doesnt behave like this regarding his own work.

I'd like to also know about your opinions regarding Jun Esaka ATTEMPTING to remove or metaphorically kill Karin Uzumaki by making the main villain a Karin look alike and giving her sensory abilities to Sakura, which again, makes no sense. Does that woman hate Karin and SK so much? Is that woman so threatened by the very thought of SK as a couple that she had to incorporate a villain that looks like Karin Uzumaki down to a tee?

These are just my thoughts and speculations but I'm also really interested in knowing your side of the story.

Thanks for reading my long comment and i wish you a wonder day/afternoon/evening/night

Hi, @theuntamedangel! I appreciate the long comment! I hope you have a wonderful day/afternoon/evening/night, too!

Before I share my thoughts about Sasuke Retsuden, let me share that I did, unfortunately, have a sasusaku phase. I know. Shocker. The entire lore is here in case you're interested (promise it's relevant to my explanation).

I did hear about Sasuke Retsuden when I was still in college. Bits of information, specifically, about the chakra ring and from a perspective of someone who used to ship sasusaku casually, my initial reaction was okay good for them and I went on with my day. Note that I wasn't as heavily engaged in the Naruto fandom like I do now so for me to isn't active back then, hearing about Sasuke Retsuden, speaks volume on how it is over the internet that it even reached me.

I hate Sasuke Retsuden. It's badly written, it's OOC especially for OG Naruto characters, and the canon inaccuracies are more than enough to drive me into aneurysm.

Below this cut is my detailed thoughts about Sasuke Retsuden.

The villain looking like the male version of Karin caught me off guard. I don't know what the intentions behind the character design but I think they aimed for association as Jiji, one of the characters from this godforsaken novel, reminded me of Juugo.

I am not a sasukarin shipper but I do understand where the shippers are speaking from. I think they'll make a cool couple because Karin actually freaking cares about Sasuke when shit gets serious and outside of her "gag", she respects Sasuke's boundaries. Might be speaking out of the box but this novel in its existence was meant to be sasusaku-centric so the possibility of being threatened by all Sasuke-related ships, especially those making far more sense than SS, is high. I don't think Jun Esaka hates Karin. I would dare say that she picked a random character that could work as a direct contender to Sakura and unfortunately, she decided to scapegoat Karin. Moreover, the entire sensory ability shtick added to Sakura was uncalled for. I would go even further and say that Esaka's version of Sakura is what her stans hailed her to be--a superior version of [insert any Naruto's female character]. Even their pink haired kunoichi is incredibly OOC here and you expect me to take her seriously?

The funniest thing about Sasuke Retsuden is the way that they had to use SNS at first, specifically, Sasuke's mission is to find a cure for that chakra illness that Naruto alone suffers. Sure, this is SS centric but it all comes down to Sasuke and Sakura working together to find a cure for Naruto. Now, she could just write a novel about SS without using Naruto's "sickness" as some kind of a plot device, right? But no, she had to convince us somehow and an effective way to do that is literally Naruto and Sasuke.

The dinosaur. Don't even get me started. Even tailed beasts cannot fight against Sharingan to the point that canon graciously provided us evidence of both Madara and Obito controlling the Nine Tailed Beast. The very same Sharingan that made the higher ups of Konoha suspect the Uchiha clan as mastermind for that same incident. We're talking about the same dojutsu that manipulated the Fourth Mizukage. The canon inaccuracy throws me off the loop.

More inaccuracies. Suddenly Sasuke is an Earth and Ice Style user. Wow. Conveniently forgetting about Kakashi mentioning in Part 1 how Ice Style is a Kekkei Genkai that even Sharingan can't copy. As far as Naruto canon goes, Sasuke is a Fire and Lightning Style user. I don't consider Boruto as canon but even that animanga doesn't show any moment of Sasuke using Earth Style. It's insane that people claimed this as canon.

THIS DISTURBING INTERACTION. I did say that the OG Naruto characters are OOC in this shitshow novel and yes, unfortunately that includes Sakura. We've seen the way she react around Naruto's sexy ninjutsu antics. Unless objectification of women or the mere implication of it doesn't perturb her, then it says more about how Esaka portrayed her. I'd personally file a restraining order when a guy says he'd settle for my old, half smoked cigarette butts. I'm surprised that she didn't throw any snide remarks here.

WHO IS THIS SASUKE AND WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM. This panel made me laugh so hard because I feel like Esaka straight up ignored that Sasuke canonically spent years with his family before the Uchiha downfall happened. I don't think he'd be this clueless about how a married couple acts. Even in flashbacks, Sasuke was shown around his parents or Itachi, literally with his family. I think he knows well enough about married couples.

The ring part as well makes me cackle because Kurenai literally wears a ring in Shippuden. Trust me, Juugo-look-a-like, rings are used in Konoha by couples.

The Uchiha clan symbol takes me out because AREN'T YOU GOING UNDERCOVER IN THIS PRISON? WHY ARE YOU SHOWING THAT OFF?

The Chakra ring in question. Finding out the lore behind this further upset me and I am thankful that I no longer ship sasusaku. Show these panels out of context to someone with little to no exposure to canon and it would be romantic but if you know Narutoverse like the back of your hand, this novel served nothing. Seriously, the fact that Sasuke is incredibly OOC on this novel speak volumes. Imagine annihilating Sasuke's character to make SS work? Insanity.

Writing Edo Tensei with rose tinted glasses disgust me. That jutsu is straight up manipulating a dead body at your bidding. Tobirama shouldn't have invented that jutsu. Hinting that jutsu to be used to revive a loved one that passed away is vile and disgusting. The lack of attention to canon isn't a new thing for Esaka at this point.

Even this novel can't cover up the fact that Sakura doesn't know Sasuke well. If there's one thing that's consistent in the prequel, it was Naruto that gets into trouble. Sasuke doesn't use honorifics and he got away with it. His bluntness doesn't get him and everyone around him in trouble. Sasuke only began resorted to extremes when he was batshit blind and sinking into the unhinged depths of his hatred. Probably the only things that Sakura got correctly was Sasuke's kindness and his nonchalance about his looks but that's it. So the claim of knowing Sasuke inside and out is preposterous. The one who can say that is, guess who? Naruto.

Ending this long analysis with this panel because honestly, Ino is asking the questions for me. Unfortunately, despite being "married", their dynamic stayed the same. Sakura is still that same girl that has a crush on Sasuke, except she's in her 30s and Sasuke is still the same boy that rejected her date offers and the idea of being together with her, even reaching the point that he's away from her a lot.

I do apologize for going off to the point that I decided to pull a meta post about this. I do hope you're doing well and I appreciate the ask!

[evilmafuyu666]

my regretevator gender/sexuality headcanons because it's pride month and you know what that means

poob: does not conform to labels when it comes to either their gender or sexuality. they're just poobing it.

pest: also not huge on sexuality labels beyond just "aspec". he's canonically intersex, but i think he takes testosterone so that his appearance leans more masculine. not EXACTLY "male" but it's close enough and he's too busy to elaborate further

split: transgender lesbian #1

bive: also a trans woman, but she's too busy doing RESEARCH to figure out her exact sexuality. also labels are only encouraged by society so that the clowns will have an easy way of sorting us when they take over the government.

mannequin_mark: mannequins don't really have a concept of gender, so he's still trying to figure out where he stands with that. he leans more towards masculine, but not strictly so. he knows he's only attracted to men at least

wallter: gay, has the same view towards gender as mark. he's mostly male but twenty dollars is twenty dollars (nobody is paying him twenty dollars. he's just doing that of his own volition.)

pilby: canonically nonbinary and bisexual, not much to say here. probably frequented gay bars before they went to the beach that made them old.

gnarpy: trying to comprehend gnarpian gender and sexuality is like trying to comprehend the true form of an eldritch abomination, don't even bother

melanie: transgender lesbian #2

null: doesn't care about gender, canonically aroace. i feel like they would internalize this idea that they'll finally be "capable of love" once they attain individuality because of societal allonormativity, but even if they managed to do that they'd just end up realizing "actually ? yeah no i still don't care". them being aroace is unrelated to the robot hivemind situation, they're just like that

mozelle: pansexual, is the feminine equivalent to whatever pest mark and wallter have going on

stat: transgender lesbian #3

infected: weird case. kasper is a transgender bisexual man (he's in denial about the bisexuality though), but while infected is still bisexual, his sense of self has waned to the point where his gender is best described as "none pizza with guy beef". the gender equivalent of that image that's supposed to simulate what having a stroke feels like.

lampert: i've described lampert as "man-adjacent" before, and that's still the best descriptor for what his deal is. back to oddly specific metaphors, the gender equivalent of when you're making a mii on a console without the full range of color options, so you kind of just have to pick whatever is closest to what you want and use your imagination. also demisexual, and kasper's the only person he's ever been attracted to. deeply unfortunate for him.

scag: transgender lesbian #4. this one's Special because the transgenderism is canon, woaw!!

spud: dude his brain is actively falling out of his skull i think he has bigger problems to deal with. probably into guys though

prototype: analyzed and read tons of studies and articles regarding gender and sexuality, and then decided "wow!! this is really boring!!" and decided to never engage with either concept when it came to themselves ever again.

dr. retro: transgender lesbian #5. she helps pest do his shots because needles remind him of how he was tested on in prison and his hands shake too much. is probably the ceo of diy hrt when it comes to the regretevator cinematic universe

folly: lesbian, she's probably nonbinary but she has to attain true freedom so she doesn't really gaf about that rn

reddy: you know mangle? from five nights at freddy's? yeah.

[emelinstriker]

I love how all the asks just blew up with Azure's release, this is funny to me. Meanwhile, I'm still planning my wedding to Wukong and Macaque-

Now, because you're focusing so much on Azure, I don't expect a response to this right away, but here's more brain dump about the wedding details.

So I looked more into polyamorous weddings and found out that they are not legal. It's not legal in many places! Of course, not legal in many places does not mean all places, and therefore I discovered that a man can marry multiple women but a woman can't marry multiple men. However, with further research, I discovered that Africa and Asia are both places where it is legal to marry any type of polyamory and given Wukong and Macaque are technically Chinese, it works! Therefore, if we aren't already in China, We need to jump on the Mink Express and yes, I will have Mink turn into a train for this. Why Mink and why a train, you ask? ... ... Anyways, if we go to China then everything's legal and right and such. But what if we want to marry somewhere specific? That would mean we can only legally marry one with works anyways and I would marry Macaque first so he would legally be our husband. The marriage with Wukong would not be legal and would just be a ceremony announcing the next step of our relationship.

But after all that research, I remembered that the Champions and by extent the Readers care not for the legalities so ignore literally everything I just said. Let's get to the fun stuff, little situations I imagined!:

The cake wouldn't be a normal wedding cake, but fruit cake to better appease to the monkeys taste buds! I imagine it would look like a normal cake but have, like chunks of peach in it or even slices of peach on each layer. I feel like Nezha would convince Red Son to add certain designs and just overall help with the design of the cake. Still don't know how to epxplain my thought process there though......

With the release of Azure, I decided that he would try to take most of the planning off of our shoulders, orchestrating the whole thing according to whatever we wanted. If there was something we wanted and couldn't have for some reason, never fear! He'll fix that up with a stern talking to which might result in him bringing home lunch for the other Champions, if you know what I mean. He would also definitely walk the Reader down the aisle with his little bottom fanged smile!

For you, #1 Oracle Fan Anon, we'll invite the Oracle to the wedding and they'll chill in the back with his colleagues/friends. (sorry if I got any of the wrong, I haven't looked to deep into the Oracle's lore) The Oracle would probably leave as soon as possible unless convinced otherwise by this colleagues/friends.

We would also invite the Wukong, Macaque, and MK (and Red Son?) from the neighboring AU, "The King and his Cub" by theweepingegg. TKC Macaque would be bitter about the whole thing, but I think TKC Wukong would also be another man of honor with ESAU MK. And TKC MK would pull some wacky hijinks with TKC Red Son.

And Mink, how could I have almost forgotten him?! (I think it's because I secretly hold a grudge against him for being too Jax-core. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but I don't really like Jax for being Sans-core so this is all giving me major deja-vu) Mink would do the minimal amount of effort into helping but he would get us a gift. A colander in particular. Nothing else. When we open it, he would hold up a finger, signalling to give him a moment, sit in the colander for a brief period of time, then melt out of it and disappear of the rest of the night. Again, I can't explain my thought process here.

The fact that this meme works in not just in a literal, but also a metaphorical sense tho-

But yasss I love those ideas fhgnfhgffghfngh I find it funny though how you did research on poly marriages and just threw it right out the window cuz we ain't goin' with standard weddings up in here fhgnfhgnhfg

[katie-the-bug]

I keep reading these books and I keep hating them. But here I am anyway.

I'm at roughly the midpoint of the Left Behind series, having finished Assassins and The Indwelling. While the writing is a little better and there's definitely more stuff happening, that doesn't mean the books themselves are any more enjoyable. Talking about them here is fun though, so, without further ado, Assassins.

The Cast:

The Tribulation Force: Rayford Steele, freelance pilot who wants to kill the Antichrist; Buck Williams, cyberjournalist and action hero; Chloe Williams, Rayford's daughter, Buck's wife, Kenny's mother; Kenny Williams, infant; Tsion Ben-Judah, internet evangelist; Floyd Charles, doctor; Leah Rose, nurse; Mac McCullum, Antichrist's pilot, secret Christian; Abdullah Smith, Mac's copilot, also a secret Christian; David Hassid, IT guy and double agent.

The Global Community: Nicolae Carpathia, Potentate of the GC and Antichrist; Leon Fortunato, Satan's little helper; Peter Mathews, dissident Pope of Enigma Babylon One World Faith.

Others: Hattie Durham, Nicolae's murderously bitter ex; Chaim Rosenzweig, Israeli scientist and friend of Buck and Tsion; Albie, Rayford's black market contact; the two witnesses, resurrected saints yelling at the world.

The blurb advertises that a member of the Tribulation Force will die. It does not advertise that it will be an important member dying a plot-relevant death.

In the first few pages we get something new - a viewpoint character that isn't Rayford or Buck. The authors couldn't justify having them in Antichrist HQ anymore, and TV broadcasts can only exposit so much, so I guess their hand was forced.

The group's second pastor Tsion is explicitly described as having been "provided to replace Bruce." This is a bit of a trend - they'll lose a character, only to get a substitute with the same skills. Pastor Bruce dies, Pastor Tsion shows up. Pilot Ken dies, pilot T shows up. This is the first time the authors have admitted it, though.

In Chapter 3, Dr. Charles starts dying of a poison he contracted from Hattie while she was giving birth...more than ten months ago. I gotta wonder if they promised to kill off a character before writing the book and decided the best thing to do was to have a character whose usefulness ran out die a pointless and plot-irrelevant death.

Dr. Charles isn't even cold on the operating table before he's replaced with nurse Leah Rose.

David dismisses the idea of faking the Mark of the Beast, whose implementation will cost him his job and his ability to trade. No reason is given why they shouldn't try such a basic espionage tactic, and I can only assume the characters like being helpless.

In Chapter 5, Hattie disappears, presumably heading to New Babylon to try and kill Nicolae, whose attempt to poison her months ago led to the death of her unborn child. I'm rooting for her.

All the character have to say about Hattie is that she's "ditzy" and "not smart enough" to pull off the scheme they think she's trying. The actual events of the story don't back up Hattie's supposed lack of intelligence, but she's a woman who refuses to convert to True Christianity, so in the authors' minds I suppose that makes her the stupidest person imaginable.

Abdullah, a former Muslim, describes his wife's conversion to Christianity as her "taking up a religion from some mysterious, faraway country." I'm no religious expert but I'm pretty sure Muslims do not view Christianity as an exotic foreign religion. I will say that the reverse sounds much more plausible.

In Chapter 8, two hundred million demonic horsemen descend on the world, visible only to True Christians, intangible yet spitting actual fire and smoke. This peculiar existence is a result of Tsion - and by extension the authors - not knowing whether the description of said horsemen in Revelation was supposed to be a metaphor. Fair compromise - it's a pretty safe assumption to make that a demonic cavalry running around killing a third of the human population represents a demonic cavalry running around killing a third of the human population.

The two witnesses describe the impending death of billions as "yet another attempt to reach you by a loving God who has run out of patience." No wonder it's a global holiday when these two die.

Tsion parrots the notion that "Babylon is where idolatry originated." This is a bit of pseudohistory perpetuated by Christians who believe that everyone worshiped their God until roughly 2000 BC, when the Babylonian civilization decided to make their own religion with blackjack and hookers.

Tsion also complains that "idol and demon worship, sorcery, and illicit sex" are "applauded in the new tolerant society." Just in case you forgot these books were written by boomers.

In a private conversation with Leon, Nicolae expresses his intention to personally kill the two witnesses, and I gotta say, no nonfictional politician would ever get their hands dirty personally solving a problem like the one the two witnesses represent. He has my vote.

Leon straight-up tells Nicolae that he loves him, and I have a new ship.

David overhears Nicolae in his office praying directly to Lucifer. I don't really know what to make of this, other than that it makes no sense for Nicolae to be confused later in the story when he keeps making Antichrist prophecies come true.

In Chapter 14, Chaim argues that God could get people's attention without killing them, and that the cruelty of the judgements he's experiencing don't gel with the idea of a loving God. The other characters have never managed to rebut this argument, probably because Chaim is right.

Hattie is missing in a suspiciously staged-looking plane crash, and the characters have decided that she's been captured or killed by the GC. The plot is moving forward on these assumptions, because God forbid we think for a second that Hattie might be doing something cool.

It's confirmed that she's been captured, but Rayford, who's trying to find her, is never informed, leading him to give his real name and mission to a GC man who he thinks is a mercenary pilot he's never met. Nothing about this is intelligent, but the authors will never call Rayford stupid - only Hattie gets to be stupid.

In Chapters 17 and 18, Rayford flies to the Middle East with a couple of believers (who happen to be fellow pilots) so he can buy a gun from Albie. He leaves them in a cafe to test out said gun, and when they get back, his new friends have been shot dead for reasons that are never explained. I've concluded that once a character is introduced, they can never leave the story in peace - they have to die to build atmosphere, no matter how contrived the circumstances.

Tsion advises against believers taking the Mark of the Beast, because the Mark of the Beast is "irrevocable" and damns you forever. Yet the Seal of God that true believers have is also "irrevocable" and guarantees you go to Heaven. What happens if a sealed believer takes the Mark of the Beast? Does it not affect them? Do they lose their salvation? Does Limbo pop into existence just for them?

A group of dancers preparing for Nicolae's "Global Gala" finish a "lascivious routine" about which we unfortunately get no details, and Mac decries the "individual freedom" that permits such a thing. Remember, kids, when a Christian fundamentalist says they believe in "freedom" they mean "my freedom to oppress people."

In Chapter 20 Mac decides that, if Nicolae doesn't die soon, he'll crash his plane with him in it. I say, even if Nicolae does die and come back to life, why not give it a shot anyway? Your prophecies only say he'll come back from his first death - if you manage to kill him again, he might stay dead.

At the appointed time in Chapter 22, the two witnesses lose all their supernatural power and subsequently die of high-velocity lead poisoning courtesy of Nicolae. Yay!

They come back three days later. Damn.

Nicolae gives another speech. Rayford brings his gun, Mac and Abdullah are both carrying theirs, three of Nicolae's sub-potentates are disloyal, and despite everything, the characters keep seeing Hattie around. I think they should all go for Nicolae at once. That would be really funny.

Rayford's gun goes off by accident and Nicolae goes down. A distraught Leon immediately takes Nicolae in his arms and begs him not to die, to no avail. My ship is chugging along merrily.

That's all for this one. I'll be back with The Indwelling shortly.

[disgr-aced]

my brain has caught up with jrwi, and now I'm thinking about the parallels between Gillian Tidestrider and Ava Ferin, and the reason why Ava might have been killed.

-Both were trained by a leader of their respective society to be a powerful weapon (The Admiral for Ava, and the Elders for Gillion)

-Both were taken from their families to do so (iirc either Jay or Jayson mentioned how Jayson didn't want Ava or Jay to join the Navy once apon a time, possibly pre-brainwashing. And we know how Gillion was taken and isolated from his family.)

-Both are/were infused with prophetic power that comes from or is aligned to one of the two major goddesses (actually I think I'm just assuming Ava had the red hair and divine blood like Jay, but even if that's not the case she still comes from a bloodline clearly associated with the sun goddess)

-Both may have been following a prophecy that may or may not have been twisted by their elders (Gill and the undersea prophecy and how that was revealed by the tree to have been changed to suit the Elders purpose, and then we have the whole Ferin blood prophecy written in celestial that Jay found in ep 115, and that her grandmother seemed to have been using/taking inspiration from, although don't ask me for details about it because I was too stressed to retain any information)

Anyway, with this plus the implication of there being a second chosen one, I believe that Ava was being groomed to be the chosen one just as much as Gill was, and further down the line, someone in the navy got wind of the undersea version of the prophecy, and realised that they couldn't harness the power of the sea for themselves if the chosen one won and decided to get rid of the sea forever.

And even if that risk is remote, that the prophecy they heard was wrong, and there was no chance the chosen one would destroy the ocean, the possibility of there being a grain of truth to it might have been too much to let slide. Which means Ava had to go, just in case.

And now they know Gill is out there (not alone, and at full power even after being banished), they'll come for him too. The Admiral seems like the type of person to cover all bases, metaphorically and literally. Perhaps the black sea base with the dead tritons was designed to be a trap for him, a place he would attack with righteous fury on learning that his people had been tortured there. Maybe each navy base had some well-placed 'accidentally left out' documents alluding to that base and the experiments happening there, directly to trick Gill into finding out and charging in. After all, that's what he's known for, that was Jaysons first impression of him (and oh my god I've just remembered the captains at the allport base talking about moving the chosen one. That's gotta be doppelgilly. that's for another post but holy shit).

A nice, clean way to get rid of the chosen one, far away from prying eyes in the ruined sea, and while he's there, it would be a good opportunity to replace him with a version that is nice and obedient to the navy's plans. No chance of that prophetic choice being made incorrectly then haha(haha).

Bonus connection:

-Both Ava and Gill fell in love with a pirate originally from the Black Rose, who over the course of time convinced them that they were worth more than whatever plan their leaders set in place for them.

[dreamcatcher-roulette]

Anonymous asked:

Hullo, hope you're doing well and enjoying the comeback and the albums 🤩🤩 looking forward to when they'll show up in roulette!

Pls feel free to ignore as this may be a little dumb, but I figured you might know?

From what I can vaguely understand from Wiki and from your past response, can I assume TV broadcast files are usually .ts files? And that it's not the file type that dictates the "quality," but rather the encoding?

There's a Twitter account (😭 I forgot which, it's lost on my timeline now) that occasionally posts .ts files of DC's music show performances, the most recent file being :

240718.MnetJP.엠카운트다운.드림캐쳐.JUSTICE.H264.AAC.1080i-AbySSS.ts

Going off the name and what you've mentioned before about "best quality" where 1080i h264 is better than Youtube, would this file probably be better than downloading the YT video of the same performance?

Fake ask again to strip links because I'm really good at being unnecessarily paranoid but YES! I am having a blast. Siyeon’s absence is felt but it's nice to see her still pop up in some of the YouTube show performances. Handong is totally killing her parts too though so it's been fun seeing that 😁

On the question of quality:

(Minor point of clarity: the encoding is an aspect which determines the quality but not the only one. The simplest quality measure is probably taking into account encoding AND bitrate, where bitrate is the amount of data being displayed per second and encoding is how efficiently it's compressed. Technically the best quality is the highest possible bitrate with zero compression but that's just not feasible, so this is where encodings come in. Newer encodings are, as a rule of thumb, better quality than older ones at "sensible" bitrates, but, as in the case of YouTube for example, a much lower bitrate can make a newer encoding look much worse than an older one. That's why in my quality ranking YouTube was beneath MPEG2 - YouTube is almost all h264 for 1080p, which is newer than MPEG2, but the bitrates drag the quality down the drain.)

Generally 1080i recordings, in their "rawest" form, are MPEG-TS (.ts) files, yeah. 4k are more commonly posted in MP4 though I've found. I'm speculating here based off my own experiences (I haven't ever asked anyone who does this if this is the true reason) but I think that's because MPEG-TS just isn’t efficient enough at high bitrates to provide a very pleasant viewing experience. Let me demonstrate using a convoluted metaphor:

Say you’re a marble vendor and you are looking to transport two blue marbles and two red marbles to one of your clients. You need a container to send them in. Because these marbles are quite precious you want to make sure that they are sent in a well fortified box, but you also care about fitting as many boxes as possible into your supply trucks, so you don't want to waste any space inside of them. You pack all four marbles tightly into the box and seal it up.

When your client receives their shipment, they open it up and can easily see all four marbles in the box. There isn’t much incentive for them to move the marbles since, even though the box has a bit of a heavy hinge, it's not really that big of a deal and any other box would incur some cost in opening it too. They place the box on their shelf and don't worry about it any further.

Now imagine you want to send a client one hundred thousand marbles. But your boxes still only fit four marbles each. The transportation is easy and efficient because the boxes stack nicely (assume for a moment you also have an extremely efficient marble box packing machine), but, once they all arrive at their destination, your client doesn't want to search through hundreds of boxes trying to find the marble they are looking for. They want to move all those marbles to a much bigger and well sorted marble... Okay I really don't know what people normally store hundreds of thousands of marbles in. But the point being that even though all the marbles are still the same, at a certain volume the transportation container was no longer optimal to keep at the destination. 4k HEVC .ts files are HORRIBLY inefficient at rendering even on relatively good hardware and moving the data to MP4 has huge performance benefits.

So the file extension of the source doesn't matter? Well I still think it does, psychologically. I would always trust a .ts more than a .mp4 at 1080i. It isn't possible for you to know, without the original, that what the uploader did was a remux (changing the container) rather than a re-encode (a lossy operation which, best case scenario, produced an output that looks equivalent to the human eye because nothing crucial was lost). Well intentioned people accidentally re-encode to MP4 all the time without realising what it does to the integrity of the file. It's much less likely someone has had the same mishap in the other direction because .ts is not a commonly desired destination. So even though a remuxed MP4 is identical in quality to it's MPEG-TS source, in order to avoid other people's translation errors I would always trust an available .ts first.

That file, assuming it is what it says it is, would absolutely be better than downloading the same performance from YouTube. YouTube has done a lossy re-encode on the video the broadcaster uploaded and will not ever serve you the original. A really obvious symptom of this is the file sizes. YouTube will always be a lot smaller. (For the same encoding. Which by the way you can find out by using Media Info. AVC=h264, HEVC=h265) It's pretty noticeable to the human eye in motion, so it can be a fun exercise to play the two side by side and compare. It's also noticeable on a frame by frame level if you use a player that lets you do that.

But yeah, in summary, YouTube's version of that performance will be unquestionably worse. On average it will be missing 3/4 of the information stored in the original. Which, because of how cool compression is, actually still produces a pretty decent image, but it falls apart in motion and really if you are an individual wanting to watch something for your own enjoyment instead of a big company trying to optimise their bandwidth usage there's just no need to sacrifice those pixels.

[send-me-a-puffalope]

"never ending" by chai is so Vanessa core to me

“when the end is the beginning I begin to wonder why it begun...

And all these walls reflect the paths I've walked and lost and drew and won!

In one way, I've a choice to make... But tell me, who's stealing my fate?

Because I know that I'm STUCK. Within the END THAT'S NEVER ENDING NEVER BENDING MY LUCK.

Cross the wires, pull 'em nice and tight. And maybe then, we'll both forget you scripted the fight.

Burn the bridges, burn the book you use. So in the end, we'll both pretend the story is true.

Repeating everyday. Employee 427, but the job I "have" I can't remember taking..?

Your "story" is mistaken, don't waste it on a guy like me, huh!?

Is there really a truth? Because I'm farting, dashing, dodging every trick and every ruse!

It's beat by beat, I'm on my feet and running loops around the ring!

Without a thought, you say I'm 'caught', but still you can't pull on my strings!

Go right or left, or up, or down, a double take? A switch around?

I hear alarms, the warning sounds. I'm stuck inside a PRISON GROUND?!

Walking the same paths that you set out, spiraling much further down. Your kingship is uncrowded.

Make everybody love you. I'm sure they'll buy it all, too, why not do everything wrong, huh?!

Let's both share smiles as you wallow in self doubt.

Is there reason at all?

Because I'm getting kinda sick of all these repeating halls! I've got nowhere to run.

And all these walls reflect the paths you've drawn; you've binned and scrapped and stopped. In one way, you've got a choice to make... But tell me, can you still create?!

There's nothing left to say. Compiling brand new content, never stopping to think of that's what I wanted.

Did you just need the comments? Your "praise" is all just nonsense, responses are all you need, right?

Let's sacrifice your artistic intent.

Let's watch it burn in the fires of lament!

YOU DON'T CARE, NOT AT ALL!

Hey, do you know that I'm the one who's suffering at your call? And do you comprehend that I'm the one who's STUCK IN THESE WALLS?

When the end is the beginning I begin to wonder WHEN it begun...

Because I'm being mocked by broken walls, trust me this ISN'T fun. I've never had a choice to make.

Is it still you sealing my fate?!

So tell me, who's the one behind the scenes thriving on distrust?!”

Makes me think of Vanessa. Yeah (some are said to Mike ig, and most are said to William)

HELPFOQJFO IS THIS SONG ABOUT STANLEY PARABLE ?/?/??//// saw Employee 427 and I got hit with like a brick of memories. The end is never the end is never the end is never the end is never—

Any song with a puppet on strings metaphor sends my brain STRAIGHT to Vanessa JFJSJJFI

[thessalian]

Faerun!Alisaie vs This Underdark Bullshit

After a somewhat mad party and some reassurances for Lae'zel that "we will get there, I promise"...

Gale: And even though we've cleared a side path, now we're taking the front door. Now when they all know to hate us.

Alisaie: Do you really think this is going to be that hard?

Gale: ...Probably not, no, but there'll be more further in and saving energy feels like a thing--

Alisaie: They are leaderless goblins and bugbears.

Wyll: And one ogre.

Alisaie: Okay, yes, and one ogre. We can deal with this. We have taken shits scarier than them!

Gale: ...Collectively, or--?

Shadowheart: Stop bringing nit-pick logic into her motivational speech.

Some fairly easy hacking through goblins and bugbears (and two humans and an ogre) later, in the Shattered Sanctum

Gale: What are you doing?!? The spiders are in there!

Alisaie: I got this. *chugs a Potion of Speaks With Animals*

Spider: Yum!

Alisaie: There are goblins out there and they're way yummier than us. Go eat them.

Spider: Okay!

Wyll: I can't decide if that's briliant or brutal.

Alisaie: Eh, I gave them corpses to chew on and they'll live in the ruins lest anyone decide to try moving back in--

Goblins: *screaming in the distance*

Spiders: Yay! Live prey! Finally some enrichment!

Alisaie: *snorts laughter*

Wyll: ...What? What did it say?

Alisaie: They were bored. They are no longer bored. But I don't really want them to die so... *shoots an arrow at the goblin being eaten by spider*

Goblin: *dies*

Spider: Thanks. Matriarch said I shouldn't play with my food.

Alisaie: *heads for Priestess Gut's chambers, laughing her ass off*

Wyll: What? What?!? What did it say?!?

Gale: Maybe we should all gargle those concoctions of hers. I think we miss some of the best jokes.

Alisaie: Oh, that reminds me; I should ask if Halsin found a mate for Tusk. Or was a mate for Tusk, whatever; I don't judge with druids.

Gale; Wyll; Shadowheart: Excuse you?!?

Alisaie: Later! I promise! I-- *walks into Priestess Gut's chambers; runs into ogre handmaiden/bodyguard* Oh. Hi there.

Ogre Handmaiden/Bodyguard: *looks unimpressed*

Alisaie: Hey, it's cool; we're just passing through. You won't even know we're here.

Ogre Handmaiden/Bodyguard: *grunts assent*

Gale: You could sell firelighting kits in hell, you know that?

Alisaie: Probably, but speaking of hell, let's get the hell out of here before she wises up and figures out I killed her boss yesterday.

Shadowheart: Well, much as I'm not entirely keen on performing rites to Selune, I suppose beating Her worshippers' little floor puzzle would be worth doing...

Alisaie: Or we can doubly flag up how ridiculous they were with their entrance-hiding and use the proverbial key they left under the metaphorical pot of begonias.

Shadowheart: What?

Alisaie: *disengages lock on Emergency 'We-Locked-Ourselves-Out' Lever; pulls lever*

Door to Underdark: *opens*

Shadowheart: ...Or we could do it that way too, I suppose.

Alisaie: Tell you what; I will totally do the next bit of ritual bullshit. Just for you. Okay?

Shadowheart: *only half-joking* You're so good to me.

[purplesaline]

It's because you've run out of resilience.

Resilience isn't a set thing, it's more like a well and every stressor in your life, whether bad or good, requires you to drink from the well.

The well refills over time so for most people the well never runs dry but when there are too many stressors you can drain all the water from the well and if you need to drink before more water has seeped in you're going to start suffering. When that happens for too long... The metaphor is pretty apt.

Some people start life with pretty shallow wells, others have deeper wells. The good news is that it's totally possible to dig your well deeper! It'll mean drinking more of the water of course so it's a good thing to do when you have lots of reserves and not many stressors. That's things like learning new coping skills such as distress tolerance, mindfulness, radical acceptance, for example.

You can also pour water into it from other sources to tide you over until it refills on its own. Things like making art or crafting, visiting good friends, eating a really nice meal. Basically the self care things. And of course you can try to limit the stressors in your life. Taking care of tasks before they vet bigger, asking for help and accepting it when offered, reducing your responsibilities as much as possible, etc.

I've drained my well more than once and I'm not gonna lie, it can be really, really scary not having the ability to cope with anything life throws at you, even the good stuff. When your down at the bottom licking the walls for any moisture you can find you want to focus on reducing your stressors and getting water from elsewhere. I did a lot of art/craft type things during these periods and was pretty socially solitary save for one or two friends that spending time with energized me rather than drained me. When I went to bed at night I looked forward to working on my project more the next day. I didn't think further ahead than that.

Eventually I was able to white knuckle my way through until my well was filling faster than I could drain it.

Next time you're having a hard time explaining this feeling to a therapist try this "I don't want to die, I just feel like I don't have the energy to keep fighting to live.", or you can just tell them you don't have enough resilience left to cope with stressors. Hopefully they'll be better able to understand what you're going through because yeah, it's absolutely a different thing than being suicidal and it requires a different therapeutic approach.

you ever get tired of living but in a non-suicidal way

[vonlipvig]

12, 16, 17, 18, 41

Thank you! Still doing this for my spy guys, let's gooo.

12) How do they deal with an itch found in a place they can't quite reach?

Ok, fun one! It definitely depends on whether they're on the job or just on their day to day lives, y'know? If they're not on an active mission, Grant would have no qualms about asking David to scratch his back or something (and would probably jokingly start moaning in delight to piss David off). David could ask Grant as well, of they're in confidence and he's in the mood. If not, he'd just lean against a wall or something lmao. If they're on a mission, though, they'll just suppress the need. Or if it's truly urgent they'll ask each other and get it done, no jokes this time.

16) What makes their stomachs turn?

Like, metaphorically? Well, in their line of work there's not much they haven't seen or gotten to experience, so in that sense they're pretty hardened. Blood, violence, they're familiar with that, in a way. I guess senseless violence still gets to them, especially towards children and of course, seeing each other get hurt 👀.

Literally? Lmao no idea, will need more time to explore that. As agents, they can handle their liquor pretty well (gotta perfect the art of standing inconspicuously at a bar, or wining and dining a mark!) but I'd say David is a little bit more of a lightweight (he doesn't really get sick though, but he'll get drunk lmao).

17) & 18) Are they easily embarrassed? What embarrasses them?

Lumping these two together. I'd say Grant isn't that easily embarrassed. He's the type of guy who's always down for a round of karaoke, or who has no trouble laughing at his own misfortunes, now turned into funny anecdotes. He's pretty easy-going, so there's not much that would cause him to turn red. In a professional sense, he's the one that tends to take the lead when it comes to field work where they need to talk to people, chat up a mark, get information out of someone without they realizing, so he's pretty used to that kind of pressure, to thinking on the spot and turning potential mishaps into advantages. Still, he's human, and he's never truly as extroverted as he appears to be, so a failed social interaction or a genuine mistake in a relationship can still haunt him for a bit.

David is not quite as easy-going as his partner. He's got a bit of a perfectionist streak, so small mistakes can sour his mood pretty easily, and getting called out by his superiors for some misstep during a mission definitely stings. I don't think he's the type to get sad and mopey, though, he's incredibly quick-tempered, and if anything, that embarrassment turns quickly into anger, sometimes at those calling him out and sometimes at himself. He'll take it as a challenge to push himself further, tho (aaand might break a few rules if he thinks it's warranted). In his day to day life? Definitely gets embarrassed by any dumb thing. Grant catches him doing NYT Connections or Wordle and gets the answers before him, and he'll seethe about it for the whole day, lmao.

41) How do they feel about children?

Aaah, this is such a fun question, because my own thoughts about children always end up bleeding into my characters, which is why almost all of them don't have kids and don't plan to. And yes, ok, these guys don't have kids either, but the idea for them does come from a dream where their proto-characters were mentors to this teenager, so a bit of that has stuck to their final versions...

I think Grant loves kids, and he'd love to be a father one day. Of course, that--and mantaining a relationship--has proven difficult, what with his line of work and all, but the point remains that he's fantastic with children. His little sister has a daughter of her own, and he loves to dote on his young niece as much as he can. He's such a fun uncle, y'know? Kids love him, too, and if there happens to be a child involved in any of the missions, he'll make sure no harm comes to them, keeping them happy and distracted if need be.

David doesn't feel quite at home with kids as Grant does, but he's also someone who kids feel completely safe with. Babies and toddlers, he'll definitely feel a bit unsure around them, not because he doesn't like them but because he's never had any experience with them. But with kids and teens, he's actually really good. He's always kind to them, talks to them like an adult would, and never makes them feel like they're not cared for. Think a Gordon Ramsey type, will cuss out any adults for literally anything, but will be sweet and patient with kids any day.

In the spirit of keeping that concept from my dream alive, I'm still playing with the idea that in one of their missions, they get assigned to take care of this millionaire teen/young adult, and they both definitely get attached to their young charge. So they kinda get to be dads for a bit lmao.

[unfoldingmoments]

Save Me From Myself

Unlit streets and alleys, I don't care I will stroll as if I'm on the Cote d'Azur Muggers, pimps, and bangers everywhere I don't feel the danger though I'm told it's there

Back in my apartment, all alone I feel a chill, who can I phone? Back in my apartment all alone It's only me, I'm not alone

Save me, save me, save me from myself Save me, save me, save me from myself Who is that confronting me? Who is that in front of me? Save me, save me, save me from myself

Foreign objects hurtling through the night Crashing through our atmosphere towards God knows where Viruses and pestilence and blight Biblical in their destruction, should I care?

Back to what should be my comfort zone No comfort there, my cover's blown I would not have come here if I'd known If I had known, if I had known

Save me, save me, save me from myself Save me, save me, save me from myself Who is that confronting me? Who is that in front of me? Save me, save me, save me from myself Ooh ooh ooh, save me, ooh ooh ooh, save me Ooh ooh ooh, save me, ooh ooh ooh, save me Save me, save me, save me from myself Save me, save me, save me from myself

Sewer-living creatures striking fear Tramping this way steadily, they'll soon be here Who tonight's undoing her brassiere Answer, no, it isn't you, that much is clear

Double bolted residence at last Better think fast, better think fast If you're here alone, you'll never last You'll never last, you'll never last

Save me, save me, save me from myself Save me, save me, save me from myself Who is that confronting me? Who is that in front of me? Save me, save me, save me from myself Save me, save me, save me from myself Save me, save me, save me from myself by Franz Ferdinand & Sparks

The song "Save Me from Myself" by FFS (Franz Ferdinand & Sparks) speaks to the sense of isolation and fear that can sometimes emerge in the modern world, even in the midst of bustling streets and the supposed safety of one's own apartment. In the verses, the lyrics refer to walking down unlit streets and experiencing a chill once back inside one's apartment, even when no one else is around. As the song progresses, the language becomes more ominous, referencing "muggers, pimps, and bangers" lurking in the shadows and "sewer-living creatures" approaching steadily. The singer appears to be grasping for someone to save them, both from external threats and from their own sense of isolation.

One of the interesting elements of this song is the way that it leans into linguistic playfulness and a sense of absurdist humor throughout. For instance, the second verse describes "foreign objects hurtling through the night," which could potentially be read as a metaphor for any number of things, but the lyrics take it one step further with the line "Crashing through our atmosphere towards God knows where," which both emphasizes the absurdity of the imagined scenario and also calls attention to the sense of uncertainty and unknowability that can characterize modern existence. Additionally, the repeated refrain of "Save me, save me, save me from myself" calls attention to the ways in which individuals can be their own worst enemies, even as they seek out connection and safety. https://sonichits.com/video/FFS_(Franz_Ferdinand_%26_Sparks)/Save_Me_from_Myself

[fandeadgloves]

The Brier Patch in the Big Empty

Sooo at the end of the episode Cas finds himself in a patch of blackberries, colloquially known as a brier patch. It made me realize that the B plot of this episode is a reference to the most famous Br'er Rabbit story:  Br'er Rabbit and the Tar Baby.

Before any of you yell, Isn’t that story racist!? Keep in mind that the stories and myths come from the oral traditions of Western & Southern Africa and the Cherokee people. The Disney movie Song of the South and the published works of ‘Uncle Remus’ are interpretations of these stories and yeah there are reasons Disney has not released the full movie on DVD in the US. However, these stories and myths predate those works and those stories are worth recognizing and remembering for their impact on American folklore. So lets focus on the content of the folk story and it’s ties to Cas’ narrative and not the socio-political complications of the ‘Uncle Remus’ publication.

In the the best known version of the story Br’er Rabbit is an annoying character that causes nothing but trouble. Much like Cas and the Winchesters do every week (according to the powers that be). The Fox is sick of the Rabbit’s crap and since he can’t catch the Rabbit in a race, he decides to trap him. The Fox builds a sticky tar baby about the same size as the rabbit, puts it in a disguise, and sticks it at the side of the road.

Later, Br’er Rabbit is hopping along and meets the tar baby. He stops to say hello. 

(Above, Tar Baby seen above as a weird dorky little guy in an ugly brown coat). 

(and a pic of the tar baby before he puts on his ugly brown coat, kinda creepy)

The Rabbit gets mad at the inanimate object (much like Dean and lamps) and decides to fight the tar baby. He gets caught up in the black goo (much as Cas is caught in the Empty).

The Rabbit demands the tar baby let him go and is willing to fight till the end but no amount of force will free him.

Once the Rabbit is fully stuck, the Fox isn’t really sure how he wants to kill him. Instead the tricky Rabbit convinces the Fox to throw him in the Brier patch as that it is the worst punishment possible. It’s a lie though. The Brier patch is the Rabbit’s home and he isn’t afraid of the thorns. The Rabbit has escaped death to fight another day! Yay!

Cas doesn’t trick the Empty into thinking resurrecting him to Earth will kill him (that would be a hard sell). However, the Empty already thinks Cas’s life sucks and says as much. And like the Rabbit, Cas does convince the Empty that throwing him back to his shitty-thorny home is the best solution to get rid of him and make him suffer.

It is also worth noting, Cas and the Rabbit get stuck in their impossible situation because of their own mistakes and they escape because of their strengths. The Rabbit is tricky and Cas is the most stubborn thing alive. They are flawed but those flaws can be their strengths. They have power and value and they win in the end by not giving up. :)

So to sum up:

In both stories, an inky black goo disguised in an ugly brown coat has trapped our hero. The villain wants to get rid of the hero permanently. In order to escape, the hero has to convince the villain to throw the hero back to their thorny/painful home. Both our heroes succeed, get tossed into a literal brier patch, and are super happy about it.

So what does the reference to the Tar Baby story mean for the plot of Season 13? 

Well it could just be the surface reading. Cas talking his way out of a place he’s stuck and getting back to his thorny, painful, life. It may seem like it sucks but he loves it.

Since the brier patch is the Rabbit’s home, this could mean Cas has been thrown into heaven (his original home) and not Earth. That would suck because we all know Earth is where he belongs.

It could mean the Empty’s roll in this was driven by a “Fox.” Which implies a second enemy. Billy has certainly stated she is annoyed with the Winchesters like the Fox in the story and she has stated she wants to trap them in the Empty. She’s also coming back next episode.

These oral stories are about trickster animals. When describing tricksters, Bobby mentioned Anansi by name- a spider trickster who shares many of the same stories as Br’er Rabbit. It could be foreshadowing of the return of Gabriel or another trickster.

Cas convinces the Empty that sending him to Earth will bring him peace. However, the Rabbit lives to annoy the Fox another day. One could assume that this isn’t the last time our scrappy team has to outsmart the Empty.

Honestly, could be all of the above. I thought it was neat.

The End. [x]

If I used your gif and you don’t like it, let me know. Tnx. @yourfavoritedirector @novaks 

Illustrated imagery belongs to Disney. Supernatural imagery belongs to Warner Brothers.

[romicat]

I mean it's pretty straightforward and a solid evil plot I think. The problem with it is that literally everything else in this book. . . it is a poorly executed narrative.

The fact that we only find out what their plan was in literally the same issue they stop is like, lol what?

Up until that point it's just like, mysterious bad guys meeting mysteriously and talking about how awesome their mysterious plot is.

And like, Empath didn't have a plan B? Or contingencies?

The writers talked about how they wanted to build Kamala and Laura's dynamic as a "superman and batman" type (they are noticeably the only two of the main cast wearing hero/villain outfits along with Julian at the start of the series.) And while I don't completely agree with that narrative direction there is something there.

Like, you could've just had those two in an initial buddy cape story as a running subplot/main plot. With Prodigy and Anole mostly staying in the sidelines for their own reasons initially.

I feel like it makes sense for both Kamala and Laura to recognize Julian almost immediately but still want to try and confirm it before making any assumptions.

Especially when they realize he's not just committing property damage and having superhero fights in the streets to make a point, but is at least complacent in murder so you introduce that doubt and emotional conflict from Laura earlier instead of literally issue where they'll probably resolve it (#8).

It feels like you could also just fold the Mojo plot in with the QC, because of that whole "huddled masses yearning to breath free" part. Have them also exploit the homeless mutant population by promising them security and community, a number of disfranchised mutants who they can radicalize, the foundation of their glorious "mutant revolution". Homeless people are already dehumanized and painted as dangerous and undesirable, so it would take next to nothing to get 24/7 fear mongering about the "growing dangerous unhoused population of mutants."

So they think this is Julian's plan, start a "Neo Brotherhood", except it doesn't all add up. They realize he's covering up/burying news of the politicians deaths. Weirder still, they were all pretty hard-line defenders of Mutant rights. They investigate further and learn their replacements are part of the push for the mutant ghettos. So what's his end game? Is there someone else behind the scenes?

During it Sophie tries to throw them off, tries to steer them in the wrong direction. "Maybe Julian just doesn't think there are any good humans anymore." Maybe even actively sabotage them once.

For pacing sake and to raise the stakes you could have Sophie/Cuckoos make Laura indisposed/take her out temporarily when they get too close. Leading to the start of the issue where Kamala tries to ask Prodigy for help since not only has she and Laura uncovered the entire plot (or think they have), but now Laura's gone missing too.

The events of issue 4 play out mostly the same (except maybe its issue 5 or 6 now, the mid point to the QC arc instead of the lead up to the finale.)

The main characters can still ruin their initial plot early when Sophie makes the turn, but you can then just have Empath turn out to have had contingencies and secondary plots in case any of the people he's working with (who are all former heroes. . . ) turn on him.

I think the most frustrating thing about NYX is that there's a good story in here. You wouldn't even have to change a lot, just execute those ideas better. It has some good bits in it but they don't always feel earned.

Like that scene in the preview would be so much better if you had more build up leading up to it. The angst. The betrayal. The confusing emotions. The anger. The denial.

Having the QC represent the problem with the mutant metaphor that a lot of writers run into would've been amazing for this series. Making the fictional discrimination be the only type of discrimination that matters and ignore the intersectionality of mutants who don't look like them. Making them basically the mutant version of terfs or white feminists. Mutant nationalists of a nation that doesn't exist anymore. Who like you said, are just done with humans all together. All humans. Good or bad. Black or white. Immigrants or citizens. Gay or straight. Muslim or Christian. All humans are the same to them. Those are human concepts and human religions. The only identity that matters is Mutant.

TL;DR: Unfortunately this book is just mostly unrealized potential with the occasional hype scene that makes different sections of the fandom go wild. . . Also I need to learn to make shorter posts.

….

[funknrolll]

Celebrating Prince: discovering a timeless artist and his meaningful and impactful art. Part 4. The Truth, The Vault.. Old Friends 4 Sale and Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic eras.

Hi music lovers, as I anticipated on monday, music addiction is going to celebrate Prince and his amazing and timeless work!! The article will be split into a few little articles. I hope you enjoy this new format and these articles!!

As I said yesterday, let me say that I have heard so many things about Prince’s artistry. Some comments came from uneducated people who did not even take a second of their lives to understand, and do research on his art. Hence, I think the time to shed some light on Prince’s art, has come (finally). I hope to help some of those people understand this artist better and to finally appreciate him the way he deserves. We owe Prince big time. Today’s music and musicians  owe Prince everything. Without him, many of the artists we listen to today, WOULD NOT BE EXISTING. As we all know, Prince loved to experiment with music, trying out new music genres, new styles, new harmonies, melodies, rhythms and so on. This is one of the factors that led this legend to create a unique, wide and broad vault. There are so many songs of his that I love so much and that I find relevant for this article. The ones I chose, are going to prove that Prince and his music did not just revolve around sex and sexuality, (even if the artist through his music took the topic to another whole level). Through the article, we will see that Prince was more than all that I mentioned above. He was an extraordinary human being, blessed with so many enormous talents, with a beautiful mind, a uniquely pure soul. A true gift of God. With this in mind, let us start this article.

The other three part of the article are already out on this blog, so check them out if you’d like✨

In 1998 Prince released 2 albums: Crystal ball and the Truth. The most relevant is, however, the Truth which was conceived as an acoustic album even though it contains some electronic sounds such as distortions, electronic instruments, sounds effects. Despite that, Prince focused on giving the album an acoustic sound. With these new, the almost minimalistic acoustic sounds emotional lyrics addressing political issues, animal exploitation, and the loss of a loved one, the artist unravels his most private and delicate side. Some of the songs I loved the most are The Truth, The Animal Kingdom, and Comeback. The 21 century was going to be the era of fake news and as I mentioned the artist was also predicting the era of fake news. Related to this topic these lies express how fake news can create an increase in people’s fear of death. Indeed, looking at the lyrics: 

What if half the things ever said

 Turned out 2 be a lie

 How will U know the Truth? 

From the beginning of the song, he is educating the listener about the lies we are told daily and the fake news we hear daily. 

What If time's only reason?

 Was to give us all somethin' 2 fear?

 And if so y'all, the end of the journey's so clear 

These lines address the issue of how the lies create the fear of death. 

If there was just one day

 That everybody tell the truth

 We'd all trade bank accounts & move to back to Neptune 

The song closes with the artist envisioning a world without fake news and with no lies. What I find extremely relevant is the contrast between Prince’s performance and the sound of the guitar which is even more remarked while Prince chose to perform most of the song in a light head voice. What I also find remarkable is the use of electronic sounds such as the ticking of the clock right before singing the line” What if time is the only reason”

Another song that I particularly love is The Animal Kingdom. Prince addressed the issue of animal cruelty. He also gives the listener clues about him being vegan. As the lyrics are quite straightforward, there is no need for a further explanation, however, what makes the song unique is its instrumental as this album is characterized by an acoustic sound. Indeed, the artist used a wide dose of electronic sounds and he distorted his voice as well. I also noticed an exceedingly clever use of sounds effects such as animal sounds. 

The third song I mentioned is the Comeback which is extremely personal, deep, and emotional. It gets straight to the heart. This song is about losing someone dear and as in 1996 Prince lost his first and only child, I would assume that this song was how the artist was dealing with this heartbreak unfortunate event he experienced. He then crafted a sophisticated but yet simple instrumental entirely played with an acoustic guitar to which he added some of the most BEAUTIFUL AND TOUCHING lyrics to ever be written. Personally, as I have just lost my grandfather and my grandmother as well, I feel this song extremely close to my heart, Prince with these words and his beautiful performance had been able to touch my heart in such a way that only true artist with an ENORMOUS sensitivity could do. Moreover, taking a look at the lyrics:

Walking up the stairs

 Just the afternoon

 Sweet wind blew

 Not a moment 2 soon

 (Hoo) I cry when I realized

 That sweet wind was USpirits come and spirits go

 Some stick around 4 the aftershow

 Don't have 2 say I miss U (don't have 2 say I miss U)

 Cause I think U already know

 If U ever lose someone

 Dear 2 U

 Never say the words they’re gone

 They'll come back, yeah

 They'll come back, yeah yeah

 They'll come back

 Tears go here

 Tears go here

 Tears go here

 Tears go here 

The song lasts only 1 minute and 59 seconds, and it consists of a few lines. However, with these few yet powerful words, the artist has been able to communicate one of the worst experiences he could possibly go through. What left me so mesmerized about this gem is how Prince could tell and perform this heartbreaking story with such a beautiful and unarming gentleness that only he could do. Moreover, the Artist opted for an acoustic album to craft this masterpiece, which is in perfect harmony with the main theme of this song. 

In 1999 the Artist released his last album with Warner Bros, The Vault. This work features unreleased materials. In my opinion, there are 2 relevant songs on this album which are There is Lonely and Old Friends 4 Sale. 

The blues ballad There is Lonely is characterized by some straightforward used to express Prince’s pain caused by a deep sense of loneliness. 

Is it me or did the room just get darker? 

 Is it me or did I just lay down and die? 

 Is this a dream or did the world just crumble at my very feet? 

 How in heaven will I ever be alright? here is lonely and there is lonely 

 And then there is how I feel right now 

 Perhaps only Cain when he'd slain his brother 

 Could ever come close to knowing how...yeahThere is lonely and there is lonely 

 And then there is how I feel right now 

 Perhaps only Cain when he'd slain his brother 

 Could ever come close to knowing how there is lonely and there is lonely 

 And then there is how I feel right now 

The short yet impressive and effective lyric is a poignant rant where the Artist with some heartbreaking metaphors conveyed to the listener what he was feeling. Additionally, as we can see from the lyrics, Prince is comparing loneliness to darkness and to death which is complementary. Moreover, loneliness is also compared to the world crumbling at the artist’s feet. The artist depicted the feeling of loneliness as something so overwhelming that he was not sure he would have ever been all right again. The heartbreak led the Artist to feel like nobody could ever understand how he felt. Additionally, Prince used another relevant metaphor which involves Cain and Abel, the two biblical from the book of genesis. As I mentioned, the music genre opted is blues and suites perfectly the general topic of this masterpiece, enhancing the sorrow and the pain the artist felt. Prince’s performance is another poignant yet interesting characteristic. The artist sang these words with a beautiful soft voice he was almost whispering, perhaps he opted for this beautiful and sophisticated performance because sometimes if we want to be heard we must learn to whisper. This, indeed, makes this masterpiece even more effective because we can really feel the sorrow and the exhaustion the artist was feeling. 

The second song I mentioned is Old Friends 4 Sale. This might look like a sad love-story but it is not. It is indeed a song about betrayal and being backstabbed by someone the artist trusted. Indeed, this masterpiece was written out of rage. The song is about Jimmi Jam and Terry Lewis respectively the Time’s keyboardist and bassist. According to the book, Prince and the Purple Rain Era Studio Sessions 1983 and 1984, by Duane Tudahl, recounts the fateful day of March 24, 1983. The Time was due on stage in San Antonio that evening to open for Prince. Jam and Lewis were in Atlanta, producing sessions for the SOS Band. “We get to the airport, and it starts snowing”, said Jam in an interview recalling the half-inch that shut down the airport. They missed the gig and were later fired from the band. But unlike the dozens of talented musicians that would come and go from Prince’s orbit in the years ahead, Jam and Lewis were different – they were like family. Moreover, Prince already warned the Time not to produce music with other bands, to prevent his friends from giving away the signature sound that made them so special. Despite Prince’s warning them, Jimmy and Terry did not listen. However, Prince was not the one who decided to fire Jam and Lewis. Indeed as Prince said in a 1990 follow-up Rolling Stone interview with Karlen, "I'm playing the bad guy," says Prince, "but I didn't fire Jimmy and Terry. Morris asked me what I would do in his situation. You got to remember, it was his band." Besides all of that, what I find impressive is the orchestral arrangement of this song. Prince opted for another blues song which suits extremely well the general meaning of this masterpiece. Moreover, the beautiful, sophisticated, complex arrangement of the song was crafted by Clare Fischer. The song presents an exceedingly wide variety of musical instruments and a mesmerizingly broad spectrum of harmonies. 

The following album is Rave In2 the Joy Fantastic released in 1999. Among the songs that I prefer in this masterpiece, there are Eye Love You but I don’t trust you anymore, Man ‘O’ War and Whatever U go Whatever U do. With this album, the Artist is letting the listener catch a glimpse of how and why his relationship with his former wife Mayte Garcia, was ending. Moreover, Prince was in constant evolution artistically and musically and this album is the proof of it. Indeed, the sounds of this album are extremely different from the previous ones he released. Eye Love You But I Don’t Trust You Anymore is one of the most intimate, personal and heartbreaking songs the artist had ever written. The simple and neat arrangement was crafted for voice, piano, and guitar. The lyrics of this masterpiece are also quite straight-forward.

I could tell from the moment you walked in the room

That it wasn't your dress you had on, that wasn't your perfume

And what happened to the ring that I gave you?

What am I to assume? I love u, but I just don't trust u anymore You could tell f

rom the moment you looked in my eyes

That I could see right through you, you must apologize

I've always given you the best in life

Even in the wrong, it was right

I know you trust me, but you don't love me anymore, I remember meeting you here in the good old days

I would never pick the flower of my favorite protege

 Maybe if I would have

Then you would not treat me this way

You tricked me but you will not anymore, no, I love u, but I don't trust u anymore 

According to what these lines are inferring, the artist was cheated on by his partner which led to a widespread belief that the person he was singing about was his former wife Mayte Garcia. Indeed, Prince says he did not recognize his wife and her perfume and that she took off the ring he gave her. Moreover, in the last verses, Prince is claiming to be the one who was cheated on as he sings “ I would never pick the flower of my favorite protege/ Maybe if I would have/ Then you would not treat me this way/ You tricked me but you will not anymore”.  As I said, the song seems to suggest that Prince was cheated on, and being wronged by an unfaithful spouse was fairly new territory for the artist’s lyrical repertoire. Moreover, as regards the arrangement, it is extremely simple and intimate as it is made of a piano and an acoustic guitar, courtesy of the indie rock artist Ani DiFranco. Moreover, this is one of the most nakedly emotional songs by the musical genius. This emotivity is so hearable in Prince’s voice and it is indeed super clear that he was hurt and wounded. As regards the lyrics the message Prince is delivering is extremely powerful and the pain and sense of betrayal are totally feelable. However, these lyrics were performed in such a gentle and delicate way which made the message delivered even more poignant. Moreover, Prince might have opted for spare but yet sophisticated lyrics so the beautiful vocals and the lyrics could be brought to the forefront and hence the listener could put all his attention to them. This is in my opinion on of the most beautiful and heart-wrenching songs that the artist has ever done. Furthermore, the second song I mentioned is Man ‘O’ War. Allegedly, this is another song where the Artist expressed his anger and pain for what he endured when his relationship was dissolving. Indeed, as in Eye Love You But I Don't Trust You Anymore, the lyrics are extremely clear. In fact, from this song, the listener can expect to hear the story of a man who was tired of being in an unpeaceful relationship. From the lyrics, it becomes evident how hurt Prince was to the point that he felt like he was robbed of his dignity. On the other hand, he wanted to have the peace of mind and how he wanted to be loved and wanted again. However, this could not happen with the person he was talking about because as the Artist said “ But lovin' you, lovin' you, lovin' you is a waste of time”, therefore with the” 7-page letter” the artist mentions (perhaps hinting to the divorce papers), the marriage between the couple was just meant to dissolve. As regards the arrangements, Prince chose a slow and extremely intense r&b song that suits the lyrics perfectly. Furthermore, on a more positive note, the third song I mentioned is Wherever U go, Whatever you do. Through some forthright lyrics, the artist delivers an extremely uplifting and motivating message. With these words inspiring words the artist, encouraging each of us to be positive and smile and to pursue our dreams and always try our best no matter what. Another lesson we can learn from Prince is to learn from every situation, good or bad, and that even if we fail sometimes, it is ok as long as we tried our best. This is one of the most heartwarming, most powerful, and biggest lessons that Prince has taught us and that he had lived his entire life up to. As regards the performance, the Artist uses such a beautiful, gentle, and delicate head voice and I honestly can feel all the love and the positivity he was putting into this masterpiece. I think also that the lyrics are so BEAUTIFUL that, I need to report them here. 

Wherever U Go, Whatever U do

 Oh please, remember that I'll always be there 4 U

 U don't have 2 call, U don't have 2 say

 Just think about me and I'll be on my way

 I don't have 2 worry, I'm sure U'll be fine

 Cuz if U stay happy, then what's yours is mine

 Wherever U Go, Whatever U do

 Remember that I'll always be there 4 U

 (Oh Baby)

 Wherever U R, think of your dreams

 Oh please, remember life ain't always what it seems

 4 each rainy day (rainy day)

 That comes your way

 The sun will come shining and U'll be okay

 Keep on smiling - every girl and boy

 Remember when U were children U had toys

 Wherever U R, think of your dreams

 Remember that dreams become the life U lead

 Whatever U play, it's okay 2 lose

 Ooh sometimes (sometimes...)

 As long as U learn from every game U choose

 If one thing is sure, U'll always endure

 If U try your best at everything U do

 Say what U mean and mean what U say

 The price 4 a broken heart - it's 2 much 2 pay

 And nothing is worth it if U don't have 2 try

 The higher the stakes - the higher the sky

 Wherever U Go, whatever U do

 Please remember

 Remember that I'll always be there 4 U 

If you guys would like to purchase your copy of the albums I wrote about in this article (which I recommend, PLEASE DO NOT BOOTLEG PRINCE’S MUSIC), I’ll post the links below✨

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07G4RBKVX/ref=as_sl_pc_tf_til?tag=giuliabianchi-20&linkCode=w00&linkId=83159c110419ccae1e65f81e748becc1&creativeASIN=B07G4RBKVX

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002C7C25K/ref=as_sl_pc_tf_til?tag=giuliabianchi-20&linkCode=w00&linkId=ef3f50f598a5d101ef449e332467257c&creativeASIN=B002C7C25K

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NHR5XWZ/ref=as_sl_pc_tf_til?tag=giuliabianchi-20&linkCode=w00&linkId=e1e74ca6b12fa9f07c1d18d6086f8377&creativeASIN=B07NHR5XWZ

This was the 4th part of a series of articles dedicated to Prince to celebrate his life and most importantly his art. Stay tuned for more. If you have missed the first part feel free to check it out✨ In the meantime stay home, stay safe and healthy. Peace and Love 4 one another. thank you so much for your attention 💜 G  💜

[lost-diary-of-a-hurt-soul]

I feel like everything in my life is breaking and while I mean that very literally, the hot water line burst off causing flooding and mold, the ac in my car went out, the ac in my house started acting up, etc...

I also mean that metaphorically speaking.. My grandparents started dying year after year.. My granny died in 2019. My great-grandma Hann died in 2020. My Grandpa Spidel in 2021.

Death use to not affect me so much.. I have a very large family and growing up, I went to a lot of funerals. I actually started to became desensitized to them. Or at least that's what I thought was happening? I don't know... But then my Uncle killed himself on April Fools Day in 2010...

I could honestly probably count on 1 maybe 2 hands how many times I had gotten to see him before he died. But his death honestly fucking broke my heart in unimaginable ways.. Every year on the anniversary of his death I get uncontrollably angry and sad and I take it out on anyone around me. And if no one is around? I take it out on myself.. I don't do it purposely it just always happens so I started trying to isolate myself on that day to save others from a dark side of myself.

The apocalypse of grandparents began in 2019. My granny died and I completely lost connection to almost everyone on her side of the family. She was the one who invited us to everything and when she died, I lost a lot of family members from my life and it really fucking hurt. I tried reaching out but I felt like I was on the monkey bars reaching for the next bar that just kept getting further and further away until I fell off. They were my foundation of family is family and you fight for them with everything you have. And when she died? I felt like I was the only one fighting to be involved in a family that no longer wanted me unless they found a reason to use me..

& yanno thinking of that... That happened with my uncles family as well... When he died so did my connection with everyone from his side of the family...

I use to go to my great-grandma's house every single Sunday of my life (other than summers when I was in Texas). We had big family gatherings and had dinner and played games with my cousins. She was my favorite person. She was the nicest, most patient, big hearted person that I've ever known. When she died and her house was sold I was terrified of losing family again. I couldn't handle more loss because losing family like that feels like going through a hundred deaths with no funeral and no closure. So I offered my home up to my Sunday family for holidays and birthday celebrations. It's a pain in my ass some days but I can't imagine it any other way. If we didn't have those dinners anymore, those connections would break and I'd be left with even less people in my life.

My grandpa spidel just died and my connections with my family in Texas were already treading on thin ice. I haven't visited Texas in a couple years and my last visit was full of hard feelings. I had my aunts and uncles blocked until grandpa got sick and I needed updates. Now that he's gone, I feel like I'm desperately clinging onto the family I have left even if it hurts me more than helps..

I can't handle the thought of going from a family so big that I learned about new family members every year to a family I can count on 1 or 2 hands.. I can't handle the thought of having kids one day and telling them they have a family so freaking big and then telling them they'll never know more than a handful of them...

Death became bigger than one person. It became entire sides of my family, lost. It became bullet holes in my heart. And instead of the bullets going out the other end, they're just sitting in my heart with all the weight that comes with it. My puzzle of life is missing big pieces. It's missing pieces that use to make up the whole picture and it's like I keep losing parts of myself with them..