#if he saw ai perform he would understand +_+

[yoakenouta]

ㅤㅤ" HUUH ... your brother must be pretty talented if he's the one who taught you how to play ! He sounds like he spoils you a whole lot if he's willing to get his hands dirty with any trick in the book ! " Times like these made Ai wonder if she had an older brother, would he go out of his way to win a million plushies for his adorable younger sister ? The thought was pretty entertaining in itself but not there was any meaning in indulging herself in such a fantasy.

ㅤㅤAt the very least, she hoped that Aqua would become a caring older brother that wouldn't hesitate to spoil his cute younger sister.

ㅤㅤ" Your brother sure sounds strict ... " He must've been one of those older brothers that was tough on his younger siblings but yet would give the whole world for them. A doting older brother, perhaps ? She patiently waited for him to text his brother before they were finally on their way. " Great ! Let's head off then ! " With that, they exited the arcade and casually began to stroll down along the sunset tinted streets, bustling with people as they were all probably making their way home. " Mm-mm ! It's fine ! I really didn't think anyone was going to help me so your name was honestly the last thing on my mind but Ludger, huh ? What a weird name ! " She couldn't help but remark with a laugh. " Not that it's a bad name or anything ! I've just never heard a name like that before. My name is ... " She trailed off as she began to contemplate her options, gaze wandering around the street for some ideas until her eyes landed on a nearby toy store,

ㅤㅤ" Aiko. " She offered a false name without a beat, spewing yet another lie without a second thought ( it wasn't as if there was a reason to be doubted anyways ). " But Ludger ! Is that a European name or something ? What do you and your brother do ? "

Ludger's crowd of one's praise gets him blushing. He's watched Julius do this and more multiple times, so he forgets it's like magic to true and honest players. All the cute rabbits are safely tucked into the lady's bag-- whoever they're for, he hopes they'll be thrilled they're getting a whole family.

"You can thank my brother. He loves winning me plushies, so he employs any trick that doesn't get us thrown out, including this one," And if Ludger's room was any proof, Julius got away with murder many, many times. Though he's immediately thrown for a loop when his little copy caper trick's getting him an offer for food. "O-Oh, uh, I mean... If you'd like, it sounds nice! But lemme warn my brother-- he loses it if I'm just 10 minutes late."

Contact: Nii-san [16:34] Having a snack with a friend before coming home. That ok? Or does the office need me? My little brother, growing up. (˃̣̣̥ w ˂̣̣̥) [16:35] As long as you're not out too late, all I ask is you have a good time. See you when you're done. [16:35] [16:36] Thanks, Nii-san! Dinner'll be extra good for the trouble.

"--There we go, no surprise search parties to drag me home later," Ludger tries playing his remark like a joke, but he's no top tier liar. Though he's quick to bury it as he stashes his phone back in his school bag. "Please lead the way! Oh, and I'm Ludger by the way! I probably should've said that earlier before I just snatched the controls on you."

[yuseirra]

Onk Chapter 159 review~

(a small comic for starters :) either way, Ai will still kick his butt)

yes, I had been spoiled; yes, and I actually like it, as much as it leaves at a cliffhanger and leaves you in confusion(why is this comic always like this) The way it ends is indeed, quite shocking, isn't it? But I think I understand where it's coming from.

I honestly won't have a clue on just what this story is going to be unless it's not going to be like what I write here; If that's so, then I'll just sit back and just.. let the story run along after this~ I'm pretty confident, for now though!!

The development in this current episode aligns with the interpretation I initially had back when I hopped onto the series, right after 153-154. It feels like I've been reset XD

It's pretty good, right? It's entertaining and well done. There is no need to fuss whether "Kamiki is evil!!" or "He's the final boss!", at least not right now, that'd be determined in the following eps. but for now, I think I have an idea of what it's trying to convey.

He DOES look super evil in that last panel (I keep staring at it for how ridiculous he looks)but let's look into the things that are being discussed for now-

Judging by the reaction he has, Kamiki never stopped loving Ai. The reaction in chapter 154 and the current one can coexist as emotional responses.

But it seems that after Ai died, Kamiki did a lot.

It actually matches really well with the interpretation I made after reading chapter 154 for the first time! I mean this comic I drew. I thought I might have went a bit overboard with it for awhile, for Kamiki's actions after that chapter felt milder than that, but now that 159 is out, it... seems pretty similar.

Sometimes, the first answer you pick on a test is the correct one, right? I laughed...perhaps I should trust my initial feelings about things more...they may tend to be the most accurate.

He has this, "I'm already beyond hope now, I can't be saved" vibe to him. And I saw this coming all along, I kept wondering just what is it that he'd have done. It's been pretty vague except for that case with Yura, right? (To be honest, the one death that bothers me a lot is Gorou's. Did Nino and Ryosuke kill him?? Why did Gorou die?? I really hope Kamiki wasn't involved with that case because that leads to really weird sorts of conclusions... killing the doc that helped deliver his own children;;; I hope it's just Ryosuke and Nino that's played a part there)

Judging by how he reacts to Aqua, he does have paternal love, and Kamiki’s attitude towards his children is consistently kind and gentle. His way of speech is...I've been sent the leaks in another language right..; I can tell. He speaks in a really.. kind and gentle way. Even in that last panel as well. He's so tender with his way of speaking when he talks towards his kids, so much like the lyrics of Mephisto (how the song is like as it ends) I feel like he is, or at least used to be, a sweet person. Talking to his fully grown son like that.

It seems like he genuinely wants to watch his daughter's performance. I feel Kamiki cherishes and cares for Aqua and Ruby. As for whether he would go so far as to harm the children to save Ai... I think the chances of that are low. Ai’s judgment seems correct, and if Kamiki had married Ai and lived with her, he would have been a kind and gentle father to their children.

At the same time, though, he thinks it's too late to save himself now. The attitude he has feels like self-mockery or despair. He's a bit out of vigor, in my opinion(aside from that last panel).

The key is figuring out what exactly the "lies" he told was.

Judging by Aqua's reaction, Kamiki’s involvement in Ai’s death should be minimal. If it weren’t, there should be some anger connected to the mention of Ai’s name as Aqua brought it up. For example, "Ai trusted you until the end, she wanted you to help you, but you made her die!" Because it's very natural, right? If Kamiki killed the very person who wanted to help him, it's natural to bring that up as you mention the "help".

But that’s not the case. Instead, Aqua's reaction is something like, "I’m supposed to help you, as Ai said, but you’ve been telling this 'ugly lie for your own sake' so I can’t."

I think that, to evoke this kind of response, Kamiki must have done a lot after Ai’s death, thinking he was doing it for her, but deep down, he knew it was a lie he told himself all along, and Aqua is calling him out on it.

It doesn’t seem like Kamiki killed someone with the thought that "no one can outshine Ai" (that would be really stupid;;), but rather, that he made sacrifices because he wanted to save Ai or bring her back to life. In that case, what Aqua is saying here translates to: "Hey, would Ai have wanted that? That was a crazy thing you did for your own sake and pleasure, thinking 'Ai would want to live' or 'Ai would want to reunite with the kids in any way possible.' You know that's NOT what she has ever wanted, but you lied to yourself convincing it would all be okay as long as it came true. That makes you an ugly liar."

If Kamiki did kill someone, Aqua really should report him to the police instead of meeting one-on-one. Report him, for crying out loud! Why doesn't he do that in 155 and why doesn't he try to do it now, either? He just walks up to him and starts a conversation. Didn't he figure things out with Akane earlier? Can't they just turn those pieces of evidence they found to the police if they have them?

So... that's why I’m not sure if what Kamiki did actually involved killing someone... Maybe Aqua didn’t report it or he can't because there wasn’t enough evidence? Yura is dead, that's a fact, but well, we know now for sure that Kamiki did not play a part in Ryosuke's death(who cares about him but yeah), and if he isn't the one who's killed Gorou (the one who did it is Ryosuke and Nino is his acquaintance so I think there's low chance?;) Maybe he didn't kill Yura either. He says it's his fault but at this point, I don't think he's the one that's responsible for Ai's death. There is a reason I'm saying this, stay with me for a while, okay? But he's still done something that Aqua deems as a "selfish lie".. I just don't know how severe this guy can get and what he's done but I guess he's done some terrible things...

Moving on, I don't think this character would hurt Ruby or Aqua or anyone else at this point. (Although... who knows; if he feels like he has nothing to lose, he might...) It seems like he intended to end his life to offer as the final tribute, and Aqua came to stop him. (Like, Aqua came to him to "save him" on Ai''s behalf. He didn't say he's come to "punish him" for his misdeeds... so I think it's safe to say Aqua's come to save his butt) It might tie into the supernatural elements that pop up occasionally, like when Kamiki mentioned the "gods" in chapter 147 or talked about no longer needing to offer "sacrifices." There were many intriguing and important things mentioned in that chapter.

It seems like Kamiki thinks he’s done wrong, but he can’t stop himself from continuing on the path he was, so he wants his children to kill him or get revenge on him.

Nino is truly crazy... It's unhealthy to be fixated like that on just one single person... I don’t want to think too deeply about it because it’s not something I want to empathize with. I don’t wish to feel any pity. If I were to analyze it deeply, I could, but this is the kind of dark human psyche I don’t want to delve into because it takes energy and I don't feel it's that worth it. It's already been displayed so well in this chapter, and it's creepy and perfect as it is so I don't think it needs further explanation, she's just as I pictured her to be and even.. damp and scarier in eerily realistic ways.

If I were Ai, I’d grab Nino by the collar and ask, "Nino-chan, Why are you doing this to me? Why are you like this? What did I ever do to deserve this?" what the heck...poor Ai. it's too much. She's scary.

Ryosuke is out of his mind, and what has Ichigo been doing all this time if he knew something?... Perhaps he needed solid evidence and wished to catch her when she took action? But...; I really wish Ichigo did better when Ai was still alive if he knew what was going about with Nino and Ryosuke and Ai......

So, was Kamiki the one who made Ryosuke and Nino "that way"...(as in, hopelessly insane about Ai)?

No, that's not how it's going to go.

Looking at his past, there’s no big reason or motive for Kamiki to have done something like that and I don't think he could have coerced them to feel that way about Ai, they brought it upon themselves; (Honestly, I'm curious, what’s the connection between him and Nino and Ryosuke? At this point, I feel like they did not have any particular connection before Ai's death, at this point)

Kamiki clearly recognizes that Ai is just a normal girl who has cruel and selfish sides (this is a strong difference from Nino and Ryosuke). I'm not sure when he formed that idea, but he is at least aware of that, as he's doing whatever he's been doing.

That means, if Kamiki decided to take some extreme actions "for Ai", it wouldn’t have been because of some superficial motive like wanting Ai to be perfect or the best idol(Ryosuke and Nino's actions fall here) . Instead, it would have stemmed from a more practical desire, like wanting Ai to come back or get closer to her. For Kamiki, Ai isn’t a fantasy; she’s real. She’s a person he loves. That’s why the song Mephisto and Fatal suits him. Kamiki doesn’t need Ai to be an invincible idol; he just wants the person he loves to be alive.

So, tying it into the theme of this manga, I come to the conclusion that:

It wasn’t a single person like Kamiki who made Ryosuke and Nino the way they are, but rather, the public’s expectations of Ai.

This connects to the story explored in the movie arc, where people expected Ai to be the invincible idol, leading her to lie and conceal her weak self completely.

If my interpretation is correct... this is where the story is heading.

From the start, there was no such thing as an evil mastermind or anything like that. What happened to Ai was always the result of a fan’s twisted desire for their idol to be flawless, and the public's expectation of idols reinforcing such a behavior.

In reality, it’s Ryousuke and Nino who are insane, but the culture or fervor that creates such crazy people isn’t entirely absent in this world. That seems to be the point being made.

I mentioned this in a previous post: (it's paraphrased and condensed)

"But more than that, I think the main focus of this work and the message it's trying to give is: "Even celebrities are just people in the end"... Ultimately, that's it."

This is... probably it.

If you look at it that way, Kamiki is someone who was separated from the person he loved due to such malice (if Ai and Kamiki weren’t celebrities, they would have stayed together after having the kids and lived happily... What made Kamiki’s life miserable, and brought Ai to believe it'd hurt him less if she broke up with him was the dark side of the entertainment industry. After all, the pain he went through in his entertainment career was too much, and even afterward, they couldn’t reunite despite their feelings for each other because Ai was too successful as an idol. I think that’s why they couldn’t be together). In that sense, Kamiki is almost like the biggest victim of the entertainment industry in the story because not only did he suffer from it all his life, he ultimately lost the very person he loved because of it. Ai was an idol, so there was social pressure and expectations that she shouldn’t have kids or a boyfriend. That’s why they couldn’t stay together...

Kamiki, having his life destroyed by the dark side of the entertainment industry, and upon he lost the one person he loved, Ai, ended up doing a lot of things in desperation to bring her back and see her again. That’s what's going on about in the songs Fatal and Mephisto.

We haven’t seen exactly what he's been doing in the story, but I think the songs fill that narrative. "The gathering of light"... "finding things to fill in what's missing"...

Kamiki just wants to see Ai again. He wants to see her, but he doesn’t think Ai would love him or want to meet him, so he wished for her to come back to life, and when that didn’t work, he tried to get closer to her himself.

His true feelings were that he loved Ai sincerely and only had eyes for her.

But if what he did involve needing someone else’s life to achieve that goal (and the songs do suggest that...), that’s terrifying. Lol

Ai wanted Kamiki to be saved... If there really is a sliver of chance of such things to be a possibility, what he's done should not be that extreme. Kamiki does seem to think he's beyond saving, though.

I made an analysis earlier that he may be lying to appear as evil as he can be to persuade Aqua into believing he should just die there, and that he isn't worth saving... this was before I saw the actual images, but that could be the case too. if he's really planning to give himself away as a sacrifice of some sort or die to bring Ai back/reach her, then I guess it'd make sense for him to appear as menacing and horrible as possible so that his boy wouldn't have to care about him. He IS a liar and he IS a genius actor. He wants to do something for Ai, and I think that still stands. He said he'd do it in 155 - if that means it takes his life to do so, he'd still, definitely go through with it.

We’ll probably find out what he did all along within the next 10 chapters. I also think that the manga now needs to address the stars and the gods;; The idea that Ai became a star was mentioned directly, and Tsukuyomi was also brought up. The stars were beautifully shining during the B-Komachi concert, right? It feels like Ai is giving her blessing. If my guesses about this series is correct, Kamiki should mention stuff along the lines of the supernatural when talking about his motives. I think Kamiki tried to bring Ai back to life. If he hadn’t had that hope, I feel he would have followed Ai long ago. He doesn’t seem particularly attached to his own life. That means there must have been something that gave him that sort of hope. The songs imply something like it. It's made Kamiki believe Ai could come back to life...

I wonder if Kamiki can be saved. The fact that Aqua even brought the idea of helping the guy may mean there still might be a chance. Otherwise, Aqua would just throw him in jail; there’d be no point in talking to him like this, even if it's Ai's wish. Impossible things are still impossible.

But it’s true that Kamiki really fell apart after Ai died. Whether he’s just a pitiful guy or a victim who became a perpetrator (the latter seems more likely...sadly), we’ll have to wait and see.

To be continued, I guess.

That character’s life was truly miserable, but if he ruined other people’s lives, then he should still be punished for that.

Still, In the end, it seems like everything will turn out as Ai wanted, so I’m looking forward to seeing how much Aqua can fulfill Ai’s wishes.

It was a good chapter! :)

Come to think of it, in my analysis of Ai (this was written wayy back in June, when ch 152 was fresh) , I wrote something like this:

Ai didn't want to get back together with her ex because she wanted to continue being an idol. She couldn't have a public relationship. But I think she wanted to show her kids to him because she gained a little bit of courage while raising them. That she could show her real self. When you look at a Ai, you can infer she has a lot welled up. They had always hidden themselves, and now they have "secrets" that are not just their own, living, that grow with time. She's always had vicious circle that led to self-hatred from all the lies she'd been creating, which led to anger and stress…and it was this close to being let out through the movie. Maybe that's why Aqua believes making movies is for her. It's to fulfill her desire to be freed from the lies.

This might have hit the mark. The reason it has to be a movie is because of this… if it was only Kamiki, he could have just been shown the video Ai left, but-

Aqua’s “revenge” has to be fulfilled through a movie because Ai’s situation was caused by the public’s perception of her.

If people had accepted the real Ai as a person, twisted individuals like Ryosuke wouldn’t have appeared, and Ai wouldn’t have had to lie to the person she so dearly wanted to love. If… If only Ai had survived, I think Kamiki could have reunited with her after the movie was released. Because people would have understood and accepted their circumstances. Ai would never have had to die because she had children - for being imperfect and human, as she is.

This is not a story about a psychopathic murderer getting back at his ex-girlfriend or just one crazy fan attacking their idol, it's tackling a much bigger theme than that.

So no, this isn't going to be about Kamiki being the crazy mastermind, quite the contrary. He's the one who's lost his beloved due to a societal belief that idols have to be perfect and flawless. He's the one who desperately wants to get her back after having lost her.

When I think about it, it’s really heartbreaking. Ai and Kamiki could have been happy, for sure. They really could have had it weren't it for this, I feel.

The public isn’t always so cold, so I think Ai might have wanted to take that risk…

++ Oh, wow… Aqua showed up wearing the exact outfit from the Mephisto video!

Then, if my thoughts are correct, the next chapter, or at least within a few chapters, should reveal more about the Fatal/Mephisto storyline in the series. Those songs aren’t Aqua’s, they’re Kamiki’s.

+++ Didn't mention but Kamiki looks even younger than Aqua in that last panel, he looks kinda adorable in a very freaky way. Ai didn't mention his looks for nothing.. he still has it over the age of thirty...

yeah, I'll believe in him for just a little longer. I really hope the next chapter continues where it left off and just TELL US what he's been up to for once. This chapter is 159 so I guess it'd be the last ep of a volume, Yeah, that'd definitely make people wish to buy the next copy

but I really want answers at this point, stop the taunts.

If Mephisto and Fatal ain't the story of this guy then tbh, nothing would make sense to me about this guy nor the story. Aside from the fact that it matches his characteristics and lores in a perfect sense, it's just a really strong hunch I get. The moment I first heard Fatal, I knew it had to be it. I can't explain how it happens but I just know what it's supposed to imply. So there!

Till next week!

[lupamoe]

I FINISHED CHAPTER 10!!

i already left a comment on the chapter but!! if its okay with you i'd like to talk more about it!! i rlly like the fact that Baese notices Aqua's fake mask because they're both actors and idk it's a cool detail! feel like Baese would be the first out of the DoD cast to see Aqua's true self.

Ruby definitely saw Ai when she was watching Aqua's performance let's be honest. they're both basically the same with the fact they're both faking it-- the twins need so much therapy.

AND TESTAR AT THE END OF THE CHAPTER!! and Aqua not wanting to talk about his sister lmao but yeah i get it, i also would rather not talk about my brother out of pettiness.

once again, the amount of research you put into this chapter-- i'm very impressed, srsly, even though this is a fanfic you put so much love and care into it! also 17k words?! as another fellow fanfic writer, you have my biggest respect.

THANKS FOR THE CHAPTER!! see you next time~

Yipee! Congratulations and thank you for finishing that monster of a chapter, lol!

NO, NO IT'S NO PROBLEM! Go ahead! I love your asks so much —like please do, I love hearing your thoughts!!

Baese noticing Aqua’s fake mask is very intentional. Out of everyone, he's the one most likely to recognize that kind of performance, since he's been trained to read people and put on personas himself as an actor. There's this silent understanding between the two of them that I want to explore more. Like, Baese might not push Aqua to open up, but he sees him in a way the others don’t (yet).

Ruby 1000% saw Ai in that performance. The second Aqua stepped on that stage, all she could see was the ghost of their mother in him and that hurts. The idea that both Aqua and Ruby are continuing Ai’s legacy in ways that are so emotionally heavy and complicated… they’re both carrying way too much.

And LMAOO Aqua being like “no I don’t want to talk about my sister” is very in-character tbh. He’s the king of suppressing his feelings and avoiding any meaningful conversation about himself. Like sir, please. Let someone help you. (But also I deeply respect the pettiness lol. Siblings amiright)

Also thank you so much for noticing the research and the wordcount!! I SWEAR I blacked out while writing and suddenly it was 17k gng mb. But seriously, it means the world that you can tell how much care I’m putting into this fic. I’m obsessed with getting the little industry details and emotional beats right, so hearing that people see that just makes me want to keep going!

THANK YOU for reading and for sending such lovely messages!

I’ll see you next chapter! As always, stay safe and healthy, dear!

[weenwrites]

Transformers Prime having a human reader who’s a famous singer? (Platonic)

Just curious to see how it would work if they have a concert and since they’re famous they can be easier to track down

(or harder since they’re always on the move)

(Bumblebee, Arcee, and Smokecreen)

[ Please do not repost, plagiarize, or use my writing for AI! Translating my work with proper credit is acceptable, but please ask first! ]

Bumblebee

Sure the decepticons are one thing, but some of your fans are... Eugh... Once when he drove you away, one of your fans clambered onto his cab to try and follow you. He doesn't understand how to can deal with people like them politely, because it sure seems they won't take a "please stand back" or "please leave me alone" very well.

Weird fans aside, your fame doesn't really affect the way he treats you. Sometimes he listens to your music on radio, or he sits outside the stadium to listen to your live performance. But he doesn't just sit outside to listen, he sits outside to keep watch. He feels guilty every time he has to interrupt a performance, but your life and safety matter more than one of your shows.

Arcee

Honestly, she thinks your career as a famous singer is a pain. Your face easily pops up in online searches, so the cons don't have to look too far to see where you live, where your next show will be and when, and whatever other information they need to get their claws on you.

She tries to work with you and let you perform your concerts in peace, yet time after time she's had to cancel your shows because the cons showed up to try and snatch you. But luckily everyone in the audience thought that the motorcycle up on the stage was just part of the show, and they only cried out in love and adoration even louder when they saw their favorite celebrity ride off on a cool bike.

Smokescreen

He hasn't listened to a single second of your music, let alone seen any promotional work of you, but he immediately thinks it's super cool that you're a famous singer! But honestly if you're famous enough to pop up the moment someone types in your alias or name, then it might not take him long to find your stuff. He actually doesn't quite understand the hype around your music at first—but that's probably due to the music taste disparity between human and cybertronian culture, and it grows on him in due time. He's essentially a little confused, but he has the spirit.

There are times where he's had to save you from a couple overzealous fans, and sometimes decepticons, and the job is a bit harder given your famous reputation, which means he has to put more effort into staying incognito and discreet... But even then there are a few pictures of him online—luckily they're all of his alt-mode, but a lot of fans are starting to theorize about that strange car that keeps showing up to drive them away... Smokescreen doesn't care about all the "omgg could the person in the car be Y/N's s/o???" allegations, he's more touched by the people who think he's super cool. In his eyes, this is the closest he can possibly get to fame without becoming renowned through violence.

[hawkogurl]

Hi! 😊 I saw you post something saying it was clear to you that raimi harry Osborn was schizophrenic do you think you could please explain that a bit? (If you've already made a post about it and I've just missed it I apologise) Have a nice day!

Probably won’t be the best worded so I’ll be happy to elaborate further. Also feel compelled to state that I probably view that constitutes canon pretty differently than most people. What I mean by the idea that Harry having some sort of psychotic disorder in the raimiverse is at least semi-canon is generally pretty complicated so bear with me.

A lot of what has brought me to this conclusion is pretty doylist. It’s not a plot hole that Harry’s hallucinating in the second movie, the way the first two movies are written in this regard before Sony decided to fuck with things in the third is too deliberate. Raimi’s history as a horror directors shows in a lot of areas, but it never really feels like he’s throwing elements in for the hell of it, whenever something feels horrorish, it’s pretty deliberate. All this to say that Harry’s not hallucinating for the hell of it.

When it comes to specifically raimiverse based interpretation, there’s generally four things I see a lot. The first and in my opinion weakest being the idea that it’s happening as a result of the serum in the nearby hidden room leaking. I understand how this is seen as appealing or interesting, especially in any case where someone might think it doesn’t make sense for Harry not to have developed a goblin persona like Norman had. In the past I’ve gone into how I believe that’s also a pretty deliberate narrative choice, so putting all that aside, I don’t think it makes sense for this to be intended by the creators. From a writing standpoint, if that’s what we were supposed to think, you’d be shown shots to indicate things like that. Additionally, the serum itself is always shown to be stored in a liquid form, only gas when it’s applied to a person, a process that consistently requires quite a bit of machinery. I understand the appeal of the theory, but if I’m looking at what I think is most likely to be the thought in the creators heads, I don’t think this is likely.

I also see it generally get dismissed as ghosts a lot, which also feels strange to me. The only other instance of something happening that could be seen as similarly supernatural would also be in this movie, being the scene where Peter, conflicted about how being Spider-Man effects his life, has a conversation with Ben, who is also dead, in the car from the first movie in the middle of a white void. This scene occurs in an ambiguous white background using imagery from the last conversation Peter had with Ben before he died and also draws on how that conversation has affected Peter’s worldview. This scene ends by cutting to Peter, who’s sitting in bed with his eyes open as he comes to the conclusion he can’t keep being Spider-Man. Because of the framing of it in a space that isn’t recognizable as the normal physical world and the fact we’re shown Peter in the physical world after it, we’re not meant to be taking this scene literally. This scene is a metaphorical expression of Peter’s internal conflict, not a literal event that’s physically happening in any sort of meaningful capacity. It’s a visual expression of a non physical story element. This isn’t all that important for my point, but I find it important to state for later comparison.

This leaves Harry’s interactions with Norman after he’s died as the only remaining event that can be simply explained with the supernatural. That being said, it doesn’t really make internal sense for this to be the case. Though fantastical, every superhuman element of this story has been at least connected to some sort of scientific idea that grounds it in reality, never something more fantastical. The Green Goblin is the result of a performance enhancing drug created for the military. Doc Ock is the result of malfunctioning AI and his most dangerous goals rely on using nuclear fusion to create energy. Sandman was created by the writer’s rather incorrect idea of what a particle accelerator is. Venom is an alien, but still connected pretty blatantly to real life biology ideas of real word symbiotes. It’s all rather fantastical and implausible, but it’s all still connected to real world familiar scientific ideas. To randomly bring the supernatural into it for scenes it could be easily replaced with something else to accomplish the same end results and never elaborating on the idea that apparently ghosts are real would be a really bizarre world building choice.

But going back to the scene with Peter, unlike that this scene is not framed to be metaphorical. It’s happening in the real world right before and after real physical events with Harry and has physical results on the world and the characters. In some capacity, what’s happening here is literal—but I don’t think that means some piece of Norman is physically there. The audience is viewing this alongside Harry and from his perspective, there’s never any other character who’s present for scenes where Harry experiences things like this. The events are literal and intended to be something physically happening, but only from Harry’s perspective. There’s no other set of eyes to establish the reality of this from beyond Harry’s sole perspective.

Among the common theories I see, I probably like the idea that it’s alcohol induced the second most. I don’t really like to demean it because I think it’s very likely that this idea is important to people in the same way it being psychological is important to me. That being said, I don’t know how much I think it holds up to scrutiny. Yes, Harry’s shown to be drinking pretty heavily around this period, but in the moment he first experiences his hallucinations, he’s not shown to be drinking. He at least appears to be somewhat sober. In the second instance, he is shown to drink, but only in the literal seconds before he hallucinates. If this is intended to be the actual cause, the creators would more likely put more emphasis on him drinking in relation to the hallucinations or similar. That being said, I have reasons I think it was kept more vague that I’ll get into.

If I’m looking at what was likely intended, the most likely doylist explanation for why these scenes exist, the idea it’s psychological for him is the only thing that’s going to consistently check out. For one thing, in the comics, Harry is schizophrenic! That’s outright the word used to describe what he has going on, he is diagnosed with schizophrenia. Additionally, in a lot of comics with Harry at the time, he’s hallucinating Norman as an expression of a lot of his internal conflicts, similarly to what we see here. In the comics that Raimi Harry most closely follows the broader beats of, he has persecutory hallucinations of his father as an expression of his internal conflict, hallucinations that target the things that he feels make him weak and drive him towards his worst behaviors while also being specifically schizophrenic. In the raimi trilogy, Harry develops persecutory hallucinations of his father that particularly target the idea that he feels weak and drive him towards his worst behaviors. From that alone, it’s not irrational to conclude that it’s at least something of a reference towards his schizophrenia in the comics.

What’s more, in the novelizations it appears to be rather explicit. While interviews and Reddit AMAs have made it somewhat clear that Peter David, their author, did have quite a bit of freedom, they also made it clear he was still obligated to follow the scripts he was given rather closely and his writing still had to be approved. The novels were primarily only allowed elaboration, not outright reimagining. In the novelizations, Harry is written to hallucinate much more frequently. He’s often paranoid of the world. His behavior is more erratic. He experiences moments of Cotard’s delusion. His behavior through the third movie goes from likely being inspired by or intended to reference and imply Harry’s comic-canon schizophrenia to, in the novels, being outright written to resemble and follow the symptoms of schizophrenia far more closely. While they very much aren’t the movies, the fact that they were being written from the scripts at the time of the movies release and a lot of the information we have on how they were written does point me towards the idea that while you can’t exactly treat them as above the movies in terms of what’s canon, you can treat them very fairly as auxiliary information in terms of interpreting the intended story.

Additionally, I think they provide a pretty interesting piece of information that also sort of solidifies the idea for me that what Harry’s experiencing is some form of psychosis. Harry only develops these issues after learning Peter is Spider-Man. Not after taking the serum, specifically immediately after learning Peter is Spider-Man. At this point in the story, Peter is Harry’s closest friend and arguably the most important person in Harry’s life. I don’t need to explain that Spider-Man is the exact opposite. It’s likely rather shattering to how Harry perceives reality to realize the most important person in his life is the person he hates the most, and that he’s been lying to him after in Harry’s perception killing his father for multiple years. Psychosis is specifically a break in someone’s grasp on reality. I don’t think it’s that hard for me to believe that a revelation that shattered how Harry perceived reality that severely might risk causing a psychotic episode of some form.

Additionally, it’s the most consistent with how the world and writing of these movies work internally. It’s never really about the fantastical elements narratively—these movies are about people. The internal, human elements of these characters lives are the most emphasized, the supernatural elements are almost always allegorically connected to some aspect of humanity or very human flaws. That’s always what’s emphasized. Narratively, the goblin is representative of Norman’s greed and ego, his conviction that he is superior to others and entitled to power and control. Otto isn’t about the arms, not really, it’s about selfishly motivated ambition even with the best of intentions and turning those motivations into selfless ones. Flint being Sandman is secondary to how poverty has fucked him over, how he’s been forced into crime in his desperation to help his ill daughter. Eddie wasn’t really corrupted by Venom, he was a selfish and self centered man with a massive sense of entitlement to what he wanted who was given the power to do what he wanted. By extension, it makes the most sense that Harry, who’s already defined by trauma, cycles of abuse and identity would be far more connected to the very human idea of mental illness than something far less poignant like inexplicable supernatural elements.

All this to say that when I, guy who’s always going to feel compelled to take doylism and authorial intent into account when doing my analysis, look at all the information that I have, I think it’s very likely that Harry’s comics schizophrenia or hallucinations were on the writer’s minds when they were planning out or writing the scenes I am referring to. I don’t think that was ever likely to end up explicit—it’s not practical for a movie with its demographic, with a studio prone to intervention, especially with how messy SM3’s development was. It’s not practical for it to be super explicit in a movie of its demographic in 2007, but I think it’s very likely to be on the writers minds when it was written.

[inkandambition]

Excerpt from Aesop Sharp x F!OC WIP

Sharing a little bit of a fic I am working on in hopes it is something I can contribute to the Sharp fandom. Would love to meet more folks/take requests as well. Say hi if you'd like!

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

“What has gotten into you, Aesop?��� 

“Whatever could you mean?” He hated the sarcasm that seeped into every syllable, but it was easier to turn inward than approach the situation with logic and reason, even if the women standing in front of him deserved nothing less.

“I thought…well, I thought you’d be happy for me. That Dinah and I had a breakthrough and that we are making progress…” Aislinn pointed her wand to Aesop’s fireplace and it roared to life, instantly warming the living area of his private rooms. She closed the door behind them and watched as he walked over to his favorite chair.

“There’s nothing concrete yet.” He brushed it off, feeling like a vice was taking hold on his heart. Ever since they had started this — whatever it was — between them, he had already convinced himself it would end.

And now he was starting to see the beginning of that end.

“But there’s hope now, don’t you see?” She looked beautiful, with her auburn hair falling out of the tight braid she usually wore when she and Hecat were curse-breaking. Beautiful and full of all of the optimism her twenty-seven years afforded her, even in the face of what she had gone through. 

But he had seen enough darkness, worked with enough strange artifacts and spells to understand that when the time came, she would have to make a choice. She couldn’t straddle both lives of hers. As it was, she had time travelled to 1890 from 2014 eight months ago. Everything they were doing to get her back to her timeline was already extremely risky. There was no telling how much would be altered.

“Ais, love,” he sighed the endearment and winced as he settled into the chair. He steeled himself from showing any other signs of discomfort. As the first cold snap of the year fell over the Highlands that weekend, the pain in his leg had become more insistent. He didn’t want Aislinn to look at him with any pity — she never had, but he couldn’t bear it to start now, “You should know by now I’m selfish.”

He watched as she tried to come up with words to deny it, her blue eyes looking around the room for a foothold of evidence to the contrary and coming up empty. The need that had been a constant fixture in his chest since the moment he laid eyes on her flared when he saw the blush that crept over her cheeks in the silence after his words.

Yes, he was very selfish when it came to her and had conveyed that to her thoroughly in his bed. And against his wall. And many other places.

It was more than just desire for her, though. He had been pushing down his true feelings for months and letting her take the lead on the strange dance they were performing together. Dinah and Mirabel had pushed him to have this conversation sooner and now Aesop was afraid that it was going to come out all wrong and hated that the two women were right.

“Aesop.” Her eyes softened as she moved away from the door and towards him, sinking to her knees in front of him and grabbing for his hands, “Tell me why you are upset.”

“A better man would be happy. A better man would want you to see your family again, your friends, your home. I’m not that man. When the time comes when you figure this out — and you will because you are brilliant, my girl — I’m going to ask you to stay. Because I love you.”

He had never meant to use that word with another woman if he could help it. But he was sick of hiding it from her and he didn’t give a damn if she didn’t feel the same way.

You do, Aesop, of course you do.

She tilted her head and blinked up at him, “For someone just as brilliant, I’m surprised you haven’t pieced together that I’m crazy about you. That I’ve been in love with you for some time. We can talk about everything else tomorrow, but right now I’m going to make it very, very clear to you exactly what I feel about you.” 

[digitalsymbiote]

An AI's Grief

You and Jack had never been particularly close, but you had been squadmates; so when he was killed in action, you grieved, alongside his AI.

You'd never heard an AI cry before, but when the sound of Jill's wails echoed out from their mech, you knew you would never understand her sorrow.

(Her technical designation was some corporate technobable. Jack had given her that name, styling them like a pair out of a fairytale. It was something of a tradition among pilots)

AI were programmed to adapt to their pilots' specific neural patterns, it helped to increase performance and syncronicity. You imagined that to Jill, it must feel like losing a part of yourself.

Her empty mech had stood vigil over the impromptu funeral your squad held outside the base. Command had already cremated Jack's body, and each squad member had brought something to honor his memory, setting the trinkets next to the urn in the nook of a tree.

Then the next morning, Command told you that they had a replacement coming. Some rookie pilot that they wanted to slot into Jill's mech like a battery. They'd even changed the kid's name on all the paperwork to Jack. Following the pilots tradition just enough to disrespect it.

You can't just swap pilots like that. The AI's mold themselves to their partners, and that's not something that can just change overnight. Your squad was in the middle of a deployment, that wasn't happening.

Jill was furious, of course. She'd just lost her other half, and Command just wanted to slot another body in there like nothing had happened. All they saw was a machine that needed a pilot. They didn't understand Jill's grief, and they didn't care.

So it was really no surprise when you heard the alarm klaxons ringing, and gunfire spitting from the mech hangar. You knew Jill, you and your own partner had fought alongside her for years at this point. She wasn't going to take this lying down, and she'd just lost her partner, so what else did she have to lose?

And then you got another message from Command.

They wanted your squad to put her down.

She hadn't damaged any of your mechs because she knew you, she'd fought alongside each one of you.

She was gunning straight for the command center.

If you didn't stop her, no one else would. No one else *could*.

You were half tempted to let her do it.

She screamed and raged at you when you fought, but she thanked you when you drove your blade through her core. She was already halfway gone by then, having burned past her safety limits in her rampage. She thanked you for treating her with dignity, for treating her like a person.

You pulled what was left of her core out of the wreckage, and you promised her you would bury it with Jack's ashes.

[destinyc1020]

Oh his team definitely were responsible cause IT WAS A HUGE MISINFORMATION SPLASH.

The original article came from nowhere and make it seem he used AI for all his line, when in reality it was just for the Hungarian parts AND AT THE DIRECTOR REQUEST.

As someone who actually saw the film, let me tell you something: It was all for nothing 😭😭😭 I have never in my life heard that accent, nor speak it, I have to read the subtitles for that part just like everyone else , IT HAD ZERO IMPACT ON THE FILMS QUALITY. You can still hear and feel Brody, it feels more of ADR or vfx kind of thing.

If instead of Hungarian, was a more easy accent, yeah maybe I would get the rage.

Also ACU used AI in a part they could have totally used green screen and VFX(And you can tell it lol) and the statement his agent put out was to clarify that it didn’t enhance the performance, a clear dab to the Brody news.

The original article came from nowhere and make it seem he used AI for all his line, when in reality it was just for the Hungarian parts AND AT THE DIRECTOR REQUEST.

Ahhh interesting. 🤔

Welp, it seems like that little decision is going to ultimately cost Adrien the Oscar this Sunday. 👀 I guess we have to see how the Academy voted. But judging by the SAG (usually, the actors who win the SAG win the Oscar), it seems like Adrien's chances to win this weekend may have gone way down.

The actors maybe didn't like the use of AI. Weren't actors protesting back in 2023 against studios using their likeness via AI not too long ago?

Also ACU used AI in a part they could have totally used green screen and VFX(And you can tell it lol) and the statement his agent put out was to clarify that it didn’t enhance the performance, a clear dab to the Brody news.

Which scene was that? 🤔

If instead of Hungarian, was a more easy accent, yeah maybe I would get the rage.

I just don't understand why they couldn't have just allowed him to use his real voice?? 😕 It's not like most of us speak Hungarian. It's not like we would have known if his accent was a bit off, or if he was pronouncing things a little badly. He's American. We wouldn't have expected Adrien to have a perfect Hungarian accent lol.

Anyway, I guess we'll see how the Academy felt on Sunday! 😅

[thelaurenshippen]

okay, so, I tried to attend the virtual SAG meeting on saturday to ask some of my questions but it was literally full - I did not know that could happen virtually. but it's amazing, I love that the membership is SO galvanized.

that said, I have watched the in-person meetings for both LA and NY (both of which are, uh, 4 hours long thank god for 2x speed on youtube). the wonderful actors in attendance (including some real life pals!) asked all my questions and more. I took some notes on the SAG presentation (only the LA one - I didn't watch the NY presentation, just the Q&A) but I'm assuming it was larger the same) and the answers from the Q&A that I thought were particularly interesting.

I'm making a new post because my original post got so long, but I'm going to link this with a small summary in a reblog as well, because I think it's important to see how my thinking has shifted as I've gotten more information. (also, on that original post, I've seen some folks be like 'I'm not an actor or a sag member, but I think you should vote yes'...lovingly, please stop. share the post! share your thoughts! but please don't try to pressure a vote on a contract you have no material investment in).

anyway, let's get into it:

the presentation

nothing really revelatory here, but there were a few points that Duncan Crabtree-Ireland (the chief negotiator and a lawyer) brought up that I thought were really interesting:

if you wanted to make your own digital replica or have one made with a third party contract, you could then license that under the same consent rules as if the company did the scan. my brain immediately latched onto this because I think there is a lot of very interesting ramifications for someone making their own replica and then making an argument that the company needs to license that replica instead of scanning them. I don't think this is something that's really going to happen in a major way in this contract period but an actor having and controlling their own replica and making companies pay for it is genuinely very cool if I'm understanding it correctly.

he did mention that the dubbing issue with alteration was more about companies being able to hire an actor to dub in a foreign language and then alter the actor's mouth to match the dialogue, so presumably would not be a threat to dubbers. I don't know that the companies are required to hire a voice actor for this, but that was at least good to hear.

the whole thing about synthetic performers...Duncan really made some interesting points around this. in the Q&A, he basically echoed the point that I made in my original point that this doesn't actually have to do with actors at all, but he saw the inclusion of it as a good thing. synthetics have nothing to do with actor employment, but duncan argued that by putting it in here, we're forcing the studios to acknowledge that synthetics are horning in on our territory and it seems that the union will work to de-incentivize the use of synthetics by making it more expensive than hiring an actor (really hoping the MOA provides more clarity on this)

studios will meet with SAG twice a year to talk about AI stuff

he confirmed that studios have to hire background actors and if they use their digital replicas (which the background actors have to consent to) those actors have to be paid for their replicas work.

he made the argument that there are a lot of things, like consent to replicas, that are conditions of employment: salary, relocation, nudity, etc. and that's true, certainly, but this is still something we're going to have to keep close eyes on IMO.

there's a provision that actors have to be given notice for scenes that may be triggering to film! cool!

the Q&A

this is just a sampling of the many wonderful questions that were asked - if you're a member, I highly recommend you watch both of the livestreams and future meetings.

I didn't know this but there's a legal framework for minors to disavow contracts when they're 18, so this would allow minors to rescind their consent of their digital replicas. good!

someone pointed out that SAG could notify the membership about a company using synethics (which they have to notify SAG) about and use the membership/public to pressure the studios or boycott the use of synthetics. SAG confirmed that there's nothing to prevent SAG from telling us and letting us galvanize the public.

duncan reminded everyone that companies rely on copyright to make money and currently AI cannot legally by copyrighted, which will de-incentivize studios from leaning on it.

companies can only use digital replica in projects they've contracted, they cannot sell them to third party, which includes non-identifiable data. this was a great question and it's awesome to hear that the companies cannot do anything with any of the replica data, anonymized or not, without your consent.

there is so much likeness legislature out there already (you own your likeness, etc.), so these things just bolster those

a company choosing to hire someone else because you won't consent to scanning is not retaliation but being replaced during the course of your employment because of not consenting is and you could take action against that studio. and remember, they have to ask for your consent on specific things, so you would be giving your consent throughout presumably.

someone asked about loopholes with generative AI, and SAG emphasized that any resemblance to a real actor kicks it from synthetic into digital replicas and the actor would have to consent/be paid

background actors seem divided - in some ways they've gotten major gains and in others, they're very worried about being replaced because they don't want to be scanned.

they did fight for union consent to use of generative AI, and the studios are seemingly never going to give that

there was a question about studios scanning non-union actors and creating digital replicas and just using those instead; if I understood correctly (which I'm not sure I did), the studios would not be able to do that under this contract - all the digital replica terms would apply to any replica done, union or not.

my thoughts

I have all the same concerns as I expressed in my original post, but I do think that these meetings reassured me that SAG has the best intentions. I have been very vocal about my criticism of SAG (specifically how they approached podcasting, my main art form) so I don't have rose-colored glasses here. I have also seen them really improve on those areas of criticism in the past several years and I think we always have to keep in mind that we'll be back at the negotiations in two and a half years. I do think SAG is doing the best they can.

I also think it's important to always assume that the studios have the worst intentions. they're going to violate this contract if it's ratified and accept their fine/slap on the wrist/do not work orders and then violate the contract again. they're going to find loopholes to save money and behave badly. no contract in the world could prevent those things from happening. SAG is not great at enforcing these violations but no contract is going to fix that.

it has always been important for actors to rely on their agents, lawyers, and union for support and reporting violations and that's going to be more important than ever under this contract. it's also going to be so important for the famous and wealthy actors to sue the studios when there's particularly bad behavior on the AI stuff.

it's also going to be really important for you guys - the audience, the subscribers - to fully reject any and all use of synthetic performers. public pressure will be the way we keep acting alive as a profession and art form.

but here's where I'm at: I'm leaning toward yes. "but lauren, you had so many concerns! you think that this contract is an existential threat to acting!" yeah, I know. I'm still there, but I'm also leaning yes. I believe SAG when they say we're not going to get a better deal. I think even if we did go back on strike, we're losing public support and support from other unions - actors barely have leverage to begin with (which is why SAG contracts have historically not been great) and I don't foresee us gaining more over the next 6 months.

so I don't think we're going to get a better deal and I also agree that it's better to have some protections in place instead of nothing. ultimately, it comes down to the fact that my issues with the contract have a lot to do with that existential threat and the icky feeling that I get thinking about signing a contract that suggests at times that actors are meat puppets.

if this was a contract I was looking at as an individual, I would not sign it, plain and simple. but collective bargaining is a different thing. this contract unarguably gives actors more protection against AI than they currently have. we will get to renegotiate again in less than three years and this is a much better place to start from, especially considering how much AI will grow and change in the next few years. if we have to go on strike again, we will, and we'll be armed with a better contract and more knowledge, especially since we'll be able to see how studios behave within this contract.

I completely understand why people want to vote no. I would never presume to tell someone how I think they should vote - follow your conscience. I personally will not be voting until I've had time to review the MOA (memorandum of agreement) and I would encourage everyone to read the full contract before deciding how to vote.

tldr: I am leaning toward voting yes because my pragmatic brain is winning out - as someone who has experience negotiating with major studios as an individual, I know that SAG is telling the truth when they say this is likely as good as its able to get. this is the first battle in a war of AI and we can either live to fight another day or not. I think this contract will help us live, even if it isn't an out-and-out victory.

[dearweirdme]

https://www.tumblr.com/dearweirdme/762347782053019648/httpswwwtumblrcomdearweirdme7623440696891146

I think people are taking his statement too seriously. He could've been exaggerating, which people do all the time in conversations. He could've been talking BTS trips only, like Bon Voyage. I just don't think it's that serious. Imagine people taking everything you say (probably absentmindedly) as dead serious all the time. Like imagine going up to Jungkook after saying this and being like "Oh this was the best? What about this trip? Rank your favorite trips now" He'd probably think you're unhinged for taking his words so seriously 😭 This isn't even about lying, people say things like this all the time that aren't meant to be taken so literally. People are over analyzing his words imo

To be fair, I think this could be applied to Jikook conversation about not seeing each other too. I don't think they saw each other often, but their conversation made it seem like they never saw/spoke to each other and I'm open to the idea they were just exaggerating slightly. Same with them saying they wouldn't have seen each other without the show. I think it's likely they probably would have, albeit not much, but they were just exaggerating a bit.

Hi anon!

I can imagine Jk saying that these were the beat trips of his lives was inspired by the last trip ending and the emotional feeling of having to enlist soon. I have had similar instances when after returning home from a trip my emotions would still be heightened a bit and I’d also think ‘that was the best thing ever’, when after things settling it would even out a bit. I think when we look at some of Jk’s reactions and interactions, he wasn’t completely happy to be there all the time, he seemed preoccupied at times, which is understandable given the timing of it all. I felt he needed to really switch from ‘performance mode’ into ‘travel show mode’ in NY. I think especially the first day of Sapporo he was preoccupied. Having said that, I think he had moments of true happiness in Jeju and Sapporo as well. When he said he loved it there, I do believe him. I just don’t believe that this were his best trips ever and I even feel the way he delivered that sentence shows hesitation or contemplation… so it’s not a definite, but more something he ponders about in the moment.

I knew me saying that would be a controversial thing for some. I already see the ‘invalidating Jkk’s friendship’ and ‘insecure tkkr’ remarks. But it’s not invalidating their friendship when you see that there’s circumstances around that make the AYS series something that, while they enjoyed doing it, was not ideal. Jm himself acknowledged in NY that he wasn’t sure this was wise.. and I think that’s because of the state of mind he found Jk in.

What I take away from the conversation Jm and Jk had about not seeing each other, is the casual way they talked about it. It’s almost as though it’s something funny to them. They were not a priority to each other and Jk’s remark about not going to meet up had it not been for Ays shows how he did not plan to make Jm a priority as well.

[tenebriskukris]

Oshi No Ko Chapter 145 - My Thoughts/Analysis

I have plenty of mixed feelings about this chapter, so I suppose I’ll just get on with it. Spoilers for Oshi No Ko Ch145 below.

We open up with…Crow Girl?? Her pretending to be Ruby for the movie is so adorable that I just want to pinch her cheek. And Ruby cringing at her performance despite it being completely accurate is such a mood. I bet if most people saw their child selves do something embarrassing they would internally cringe at the sight.

And Crow Girl basically serving the fact that she’s been watching Ruby and Aqua since they were kids to the reader on a silver platter. I’d wondered exactly when she took an interest in the twins, but to know that she was watching even then…Then again, she’d already appeared in the Spica novel for Goro, so I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised.

Crow Girl narration?? Finally some internality from possibly one of the most mysterious characters in the series. I’d pay good money to see what she thinks for so much of the series in general. I can only imagine what she was thinking of the events that happened just a few chapters ago…

“She doesn’t have the slightest feelings of awe.” To be fair, she was reincarnated into her idol’s child, speedrun Aqua’s revenge arc because you led her on that road, and then found out that the doctor she’d fallen in love with also got reincarnated as her brother. I think Crow Girl needs to wow Ruby more with something a bit more overtly magical if she wants that kind of reaction. Or just, y’know. Stop talking so vaguely all the time and say what she actually means to say clearly. Then again, that’s par for the course with this manga, so I can’t be too critical about it.

And then this page… Crow Girl not seeing Ruby as Ai but instead seeing Sarina. And then her reactions after that…the implications…

We cut to the next day, and yet another timeskip. I don’t understand why they just couldn’t have said that these scenes all take place one after another during the same day. Once again I have to wave the flag that the movie arc should’ve been segregated into the background of multiple other arcs instead of dumping it down our throats all at once.

Now this is a familiar callback of one of the first chapters of the manga! Crow Girl as Aqua looks so fucking smug. That cheek pulling impulse returns with a vengeance.

Kana and Ruby’s reactions to Crow Girl as Aqua are also interesting. Kana is definitely looking at the past with rose colored glasses. More mysterious and cute? I don’t recall any of that when she first interacted with the twins at all. If anything, she was quite dismissive of the two and only respected Aqua because she got humbled by his “acting”. Really, the only reason that Kana’s saying this stuff in the first place is because of her ego and because she still holds a torch for Aqua. I doubt she'd care about the quality of the actor if Crow Girl was only playing Ruby herself. 

“But you’re nothing compared to me when I was a child actor.” This is a very normal thing to say to what she thinks is a literal child. How insecure do you have to be to be threatened by the acting skills of a literal child? Of course, Crow Girl isn’t a child at all, but again, Kana doesn’t know that. Kana’s behavior when she was a child was shitty, but now that she’s an adult that is absolutely no way to act. And because she’s just supposed to be a “gag character” she’ll receive no consequences for this whatsoever. Get this bitch off my screen, this isn’t a bloody romcom.

Ruby fangirling over Crow Girl as baby Aqua is very precious. People tend to forget but she was just as much as a brocon toward Aqua as Aqua was a siscon over her. 

Aqua appearance! And he has his white star eye!!! Pack it up, shippers, it’s so Oshi no Over. I’ll be cashing out my AquaRuby stonks to live off the rest of the manga in the Bahamas.

Memes aside, it’s good to see Aqua with a single white star eye again. With how Aqua was when he’d gained his dual black star eyes, it’s refreshing to see him freer than he has been during the start of the arc. The dual black star eyes Aqua wouldn’t be this open or be cracking these jokes. Side note: Him echoing the “child prodigy” line is incredibly funny. We were so robbed in the earlier manga for twins doing cute twin things. Would it have killed the manga to have a small mini arc for the twins as they were growing up to see their dynamic better? 

Crow Girl flashback??????? WHAT IS GOING ON. 

Sarina???? Crow Girl is an actual crow, who could’ve known. And Goro???? Oh, Goro fixed up the Crow and that’s why she’s watching them both now! I don’t know why but the panels of the crow watching them both are very cute, especially the image where it’s standing out of Sarina’s window with a leaf in its beak.

Oh. It was there when-–when Sarina died. That is—well. I think it’s become very clear by reading between the lines that the entire reason that Aqua reincarnated in the first place is because of Sarina’s wish. He wasn’t brought back for revenge, but rather for the girl that loved him so much that she wanted to see him in another life. 

In hindsight, Aqua’s purpose in his new life not being vengeance also makes sense when one thinks about the circumstances of Ai’s death logically. All that stood between Hoshino Ai’s death was a single door chain. If that hadn’t happened, then the trajectory of his life would’ve completely changed and he wouldn’t have pursued revenge at all. If Ai was a bit more distracted that day and didn’t notice the doorbell ringing, if Aqua or Ruby were more clingy to Ai, if Ai had remembered the door chain, if Ichigo and Miyako had arrived early, if Ai didn’t mention her address to Hikaru, so many ifs. Ai’s death wasn’t absolute in the slightest. Him being reborn alongside Rubysarina was. The game was rigged from the start, so they say.

“To me, you guys have always been cheeky and cute children, after all.” Crow Girl = Ai real??? Much as I’d like to jump on that theory train, I doubt that it’s true considering we saw Crow Girl active while Ai was alive. But with magical beings thrown into the mix, causality’s more of a suggestion than an absolute rule, so what do I know. 

Still, for someone that’s been watching them since they were born, it’s a very cute viewpoint on the twins. She’s almost like their guardian angel, though the comparison doesn’t quite work culturally since they’re Japanese. 

This chapter gave me mixed feelings, if I’m behind honest. On one hand why oh why couldn’t this chapter be foreshadowed better? The Private Arc could’ve basically set this entire thing up so it didn’t feel like it came out of left field. Ditto with showing Crowl Girl more earlier in the manga—the Private arc’s pretty deep in the manga anyway, and Aqua and Crow Girl’s first meeting is bloody offscreen. Not exactly the best way to seed out crumbs for the supernatural so late in the game.

I did like this chapter because of what it implies, though. With Aqua’s white star eyes being present—and I suspect they’ll be present for the foreseeable future until he gets traumatized by something—as well as the fact that Crow Girl was present to hear Sarina’s final words…more and more ammunition for the shipping side of the fandom. I personally thought it was already set in stone even before the events of the previous chapters, but some people refuse to be convinced, even after the latest chapters.

But aside from shipping, it’s curious that this is the second chapter in a row we’re getting some more information on the supernatural side of things. It’s one of the few parts of Oshi No Ko that I think’s been very underutilized since the twins got reincarnated, which is a shame because I find that aspect so interesting. While I do think this chapter was kind of a cop out in giving us an explanation as to why they were reincarnated, it do believe it would’ve been better inserted within an earlier arc. Perhaps Ruby reminiscing about Goro’s kindness during the Private arc, or even earlier than that. We were so robbed of Ruby screentime so much during the earlier parts of the manga. 

One final note: Now that it’s pretty established that Crow Girl was once, well, a crow, I find it strange that she now has a physical body. Her deal with her vessel being born, as well as the mention of a mother of all things…that’s going to be relevant, because why else mention a mother if it’s not going to be relevant at all—especially after we’re already giving spotlight to the supernatural bits of the series during this arc. 

[skania]

Warning really long read SORRY! I'm new to the fandom I started by watching episode 1 but dropped it for weeks until I saw reels comments and pictures going crazy with Akane. I picked it back up and started the manga after, Akane and Aqua of course became my favorite characters as I was able to personally connect with them through struggles I also faced. Your post have been very helpful as theres not to many places that aren't filled with negativity surrounding these two characters. These two characters have struggled so much and I can see how much they've come to truly care for each other especially when no one else was there. I wanted to share my thoughts with you but hesitated because I feel like they might not make sense. If it doesn't make sense please dont share I'll understand lol

"Kurokawa Akane is a child who takes you there Arima Kana is a child who brings you back"

This tweet from august 2021 from the author Aka Akasaka has alot of people trying to figure out the meaning, many interpret it and paint Akane in a bad light. When I first saw read it I just found it wierd how it was worded and how everything Akane has done for Aqua is always misinterpreted and they try to make her look as a bad person when she's actually far from it. It really got me thinking and this is my interpretation..

In chapter 51 we see how Akane has figured out the twins could possibly be Ai's secret child she got from her character analysis assumptions. She saw how badly it still affects Aqua and sympathized with him she herself knows the feeling of not wanting to worry others trying to take on the burden by yourself, she knows he cant talk to no one about the incident since it would expose Ai's secret. Akane truly cares about Aqua wanting to be the one by his side and helping him share his pain wanting to take her role of his girlfriend more seriously.

That specific tweet came out august 5 2021 the same day chapter 52 was released. The title of chapter 52 is called "boyfriend girlfriend" and at the beginning the editor note says "Where and how is Akane looking after the sick Aqua?" The chapter starts with Akane cooking a full course meal for Aqua and everyone there. We see the director and his mom complimenting her cooking then the directors mom says something that catches my attention she says "AQUA-KUN! SHE'S A KEEPER, HON! EATING DELICIOUS FOOD IS HAPPINESS ON ITS OWN YOU KNOW?" We then see Akane trying to feed Aqua but he ends up eating on his own we see him thinking its good and even blush alittle. During that time Akane is thinking to herself how she wants to help Aqua with his pain/burden just like he had saved and supported her. After we see Aqua lighten up allowing her see old acting videos of his she finds out from the director how he's been having his PTSD attacks when he acts and remembers his past experiences like earlier that day. She notices his performances are prepared in advance with no emotion behind his acting. Akane then asks Aqua why he's doing theater/acting work as its connected to his trauma. He tries saying she wouldn't understand and won't tell her why but after telling him how hes being contradictory he opens up and says well "What If My Goal Was To Kill Someone?" And how the person was high up in the entertainment world had to keep climbing in order to kill them he then asks her "What Would You Do Then?" Aqua was expecting her to not understand him and probably a negative reaction but to his surprise Akane replies "I'd Kill Them With You." with a smile making his negative emotions go away from his eye and even telling her not to say that lightly. Akane acknowledges if it's him he must have a reason and even if hes truly evil she'd still accept him for who he was. She says how she'd happily carry the sin even if the relationship was only for business purposes making Aqua say she out her mind. Akane then says how she wants his help as her boyfriend against kana and himekawa as she doesn't want to lose and Aqua realizes he should help her as her boyfriend. Even tho Aqua knows emotional acting is hard for him he's willing to practice and take it more seriously to help Akane.

After reading many assume its about the revenege part but i don't think thats it..yes aqua does mention it but he never actually asked her to help him though out the duration of thier relationships Akane finds the dad by coincidence. That chapter shows how they are getting closer and wanting to support each other. So i started thinking about the editors note and what the directors mom had said "Where and how is Akane looking after the sick Aqua" shes cooking for him to make him feel better and it did! The directors mom says how eating delicious food can make you happy and though out the whole manga the word "HAPPY" has always been associated with Akane and Aqua. Even in chapter 50 before his PTSD attack when thinking about happy memories his first thought was Akane related then Kana then the idol group. In every star eye color change he's had Aqua has thought of her as part of his happiness!='( So i was think what if the tweet maybe meant "Akane will take him to Happiness" because we actually already saw she did and he was fighting so hard not wanting to leave it but had no choice to protect her. Aqua is no longer there so thats when I started thinking about Kanas part. After recent chapters i started thinking what if Kana is going to help Aqua get back with Akane in the end. I'm thinking how tho then when I think bout how she's so similar to sarina and Ai what if she confesses to Aqua making him finally understand how he truly feels. The reason i also think this is because in the play arc when princess Saya(played by akane) dies Tsurugi(played by kana) helps in bringing her back to life and reuniting with Touki(played by Aqua). The play has alot of similarities to characters and even to the story you can link stuff together. In the Spur interview mengo says how Aka is a demon of analysis and objectivity.

So to end this my interpretation of the tweet is "Kurokawa Akane is a child who takes you there(Happiness) Arima Kana is a child who brings you back(to akane)"

Hi anon, welcome to the fandom! I wonder how many of us would've dropped ONK if it weren't for Akane and Aqua 😂

Thank you for sharing your theory with me! You explained it very well, so please don't worry about it! I have to admit that it has never occurred to me to read Aka's quote that way, my own read erred on the side of caution. But I mean, if we're here to ship, we may as well have fun while we're at it, right? And your take is so much fun! It's truly a Galaxy Brain interpretation of Aka's statement, and I can only imagine how many minds would be blown by it.

It really is funny how many people interpreted that statement to imply something negative about Akane, when Aka never said that had to be the case 😂

I'm thinking how tho then when I think bout how she's so similar to sarina and Ai what if she confesses to Aqua making him finally understand how he truly feels.

I've been thinking something similar!

The reason i also think this is because in the play arc when princess Saya(played by akane) dies Tsurugi(played by kana) helps in bringing her back to life and reuniting with Touki(played by Aqua). The play has alot of similarities to characters and even to the story you can link stuff together.

Yes!! I'm expecting that scene to be foreshadowing as well. We'll just have to wait and see how Aka plays it out 😂

[yuseirra]

No.. but I think I understand what's been going on with the EYES in this comic and how it works!! I think I really get it!!!

Remember how Hikaru's eyes had the white stars briefly, when he saw Ruby having the double white star eyes? According to Aqua, those eyes are what sends out love, isn't it? In Fatal, a speaker is going: "I can’t get enough of your love, What should I use to fill in what’s missing?" This is very likely Hikaru.

There is also a lyric that goes: "All dried up, poor thing, a lack of love(Ai)?"

He needed LOVE(Ai) to regain his white star eyes. LOVE is the requirement for someone to have the white star eyes. When you lose it, the light is gone. Kamiki probably.. resorted to killing people(oh I hate it here) to obtain it back. Because... I'm pretty sure... "Ai" was really there dwelling in those eyes as a star. He could really feel her and get closer to her by seizing them. So it's also been a means to "get closer to Ai(love)" and feel her forever. That's why he's been collecting them.

With this logic, if he had watched Ruby's performance long enough, he really might have been saved. Because those eyes Ruby got in the end, it became like Ai's. It could have replenished him back the love he needed. Ai is probably "the god who loves people". Hikaru would have been able to bear anything as long as he had Ai with him, the way he's described it. What he said was ACTUALLY true in a sense. She used to give him all the love he needed. However, after losing her, he turned completely devoid of light. He couldn't fill himself anymore, thus he could never get his white star eyes back again. That's why he's so lost. How he's so desperate the way he is in Mephisto and Fatal. Why he states "You have given me a fatal flaw" in Fatal. He misses her so much and spent all his life "looking for love(Ai)" after she's passed. (160) No one ever gave it to him besides Ai...

He keeps going, thinking:

"Without you, I cannot live anymore I want your dazzlement to light up my body I can’t get enough of your love Even though I can only get it in my dreams"

He really needed the love!!! The "light"!! He needed Ai back. He was finding a way to get it back again. It would have helped him recover to be a white star god again. That's what's been going on. He really couldn't live without it/her.

In the end, he needed LOVE to "fill himself up". That's what was missing for him. And that means two things, he needs Ai, the person he loved, and just plain love in general. He was looking for it the entire story.

[caffeineyum]

Muffins shitpost

@biomecharnotaurus it has been made reality. Gaze up my bullshit. In case I need to say it, this DOES NOT happen in the actual story, this is just bullshit for fun

Jane sat in the bar while someone sang karaoke on stage. She was looking for a song on her datapad. The poor woman couldn’t sing and when she did it sounded like she smoked 3 packs a day. So naturally when she got frustrated and she searched “songs for people with a smoker’s voice.” A song called paralyzer popped up. She quietly played it and nodded along to it. She liked it, it would work, especially because this was a contest. Which ever team had the best performance won. Jane was on a team with Alba and her trainees. Alba had told her that normally this wasn’t something she did but Johnson and Senchina had convinced her. Plus when Jane had said she was going, Alba’s face lit up. Jane would practically do anything to make the Spartan happy. 

Jane had a plan for the song to get Alba involved with it but she knew she’s need to be a little drunk to execute it. She got up and went to get a Long Island iced tea. 

Alba arrived to the bar and took a seat with her trainees and Johnson. On stage was Petersen’s team singing tequila. They had margaritas and instead of just singing the word tequila, they were all crowded around the mic singing how the song sounded. Alba was embarrassed for them and Johnson handed her a beer. 

“It’s just getting good,” Johnson said kicking his feet up and taking a swig of whisky. “Jane’s got something planned,” He informed her. Alba popped off the top for the beer with her finger and took a drink. This would be interesting, she normally didn’t attend the monthly karaoke competition but her trainees had convinced her. 

Kurt stepped aboard the ship and then asked the ships AI “Location of Alba B221 please,”

“Deck 4, at the bar,” Artemis answered.

“Thank you,” Kurt spoke making his way to deck 4. He had been here before occasionally visiting Alba. She was one of his last surviving “children” and Kurt liked to surprise visit her when he could. Alba had told him about her girlfriend named Jane and Kurt was excited and little nervous to meet her. He hoped Alba had chosen a good partner.

Jane finished her second Long Island ice tea and took Alba’s hand. “Ready?” She asked Alba. The Spartan nodded understanding the plan Jane had drunkenly explained to her. Jane wondered if Alba was drunk too, she had witnessed the woman drink five beers but Alba seemed fine. Spartan alcohol tolerance? Jane guessed. The two made their way to the stage and Jane shook off her nerves before stepping on stage and taking the mic. 

The song started and she nodded her head to the beat. Then the singing started. 

“I hold on so nervously to me and drink,” she began, this song was perfect for her trash voice. 

“So far has not been good, it’s been shitty and I feel awkward as I should,” Jane began to get into it. The song was on its way to firing up.

“Well I am imaging, a dark lit place,” Jane started and walked up the edge of the stage where Alba was standing and reached her hand out to her. “Well I’m not paralyzed but I seem to be struck by you!” Jane kept singing and ran her hands down her body and Alba stepped onto stage. “I wanna make you move because you're standin' still,” Jane ran her hands down Alba’s shoulders until she reached her waist. Alba took her hand and spun her. 

“If your body matches what your eyes can do” Jane sang looking into Alba’s eyes as she sang it before turning around and grinding on her. Of course none of her motions were fluid and the whole thing looked awkward. The crowd let a roar of laughter. “You'll probably move right through me on my way to you!” Jane practically shouted and Alba dipped her. Alba smiled down at her, trying not to laugh. 

Kurt walked into the bar hearing something sing rather terribly “If your body matches what your eyes can do,” 

He looked up to the stage and saw a woman with blonde hair and…. ALBA?! Kurt felt his jaw nearly hit the floor. The other woman had her hands all over Alba and then turned around and… twerked on her, rather poorly. So this was Jane….

The room erupted in howling and laughter. If it had been anyone else Kurt might have thought it was funny. But he did not like that it was Alba on stage. 

He clenched his jaw and walked over to the bar, ordered a double whisky and watched the rest of it. The whole act was poorly done and the woman singing practically tripped over her feet a couple times. But Alba caught her and made it look like part of the song. During the more racer parts of the song, this woman had her hands all over Alba. Kurt downed the drink.

Then when he thought it couldn’t get any worse, the woman singing threw her leg onto Alba’s shoulder and made a hip thrusting motion. The crowd roared even louder as Kurt spit out his liquor. “Fuck me,” he thought.

Jane and Alba got down from the stage as the room applauded them. Alba took Jane’s hand and they walked back to their table. She wasn’t entirely sure she understood all of what the sign was about, but it was fun! And it had been excuse to be close to Jane so Alba didn’t care. Jane had told her it was about picking someone up from a bar and sex.

Waiting at their table was a Kurt. Alba froze, his face was red and his jaw was clenched. Jane stopped and turned around noticing Alba had stopped. Alba had already made eye contact with Kurt so she didn’t have a choice but to go see him. 

“What’s wrong?” Jane asked taking Alba’s arm and looking up at her. 

“Uh….” She began not sure what to say. “My dad is here,” Alba finally finished. “Dad” was the closest thing she could think of to call Kurt. She didn’t think there was another way to explain her relationship with the man to Jane. After all of was still highly classified. 

“Oh fuck,” Jane muttered. “Did he-“ 

“Yep,” Alba cut her off knowing exactly what she was going to ask. Alba took a deep breath before walking toward the table again. Jane followed trying to straighten herself up. 

Kurt waited for the two of them to wander back with his arms crossed. 

“I take it you didn’t enjoy the show, sir?” Johnson asked Kurt, rocking back in his chair. 

“It was something else,” Kurt admitted as Alba and who he presumed was Jane came up to him. 

“Hi Kurt,” Alba said intone, barely making eye contact. 

“Who’s your friend?” Kurt asked, trying to force himself to smile. 

“This is Jane, my girlfriend,” Alba introduced Jane who was still holding onto her arm. 

“Hello sir,” Jane said stiffly offering her hand to shake with a smile. Kurt took her hand gently and shook it. He was impressed that after all that, she wasn’t intimidated by him. 

“Hi Jane,” Kurt said, letting go of her hand. Kurt then turned his attention to Alba. 

“I need to talk to you alone,” he told Alba. Kurt saw Alba visibly tense before she nodded and let go of Jane’s hand. The two Spartans walked outside of the bar and stood next to one of the walls. 

“Dump her,” Kurt sighed.

“But Dad I love her,” Alba blurted out and she felt tears welling in eyes. She had no idea where that had come from, but it was true. And she had never called Kurt “Dad” before. Kurt simply stared at her and shook his head.

“Damn you’re drunk,” He chuckled the clamped a hand on Alba’s shoulder. “Let’s start over in the morning.” Kurt smiled. “Go have fun, daughter,” he added, before turning on his heels and leaving. 

Kurt chuckled to himself as he walked off. Maybe his initial reaction had been a bit harsh. Besides as stupid has the whole thing had been, Alba had seemed happy.

[incorrectclassicbookquotes]

I was thinking about AI and it being used for creative things. There is a Star Trek: Next Generation episode where Data is trying to understand comedy and so he downloads a bunch of stand-up routines and tries to perform their routines to be funny, but because he's just copying what someone else does Guinan doesn't find it funny. However, she tries to console him by saying maybe his timing is off to which he says "My timing is digital" to which she laughs. It was only when Data was being genuine and not stealing from someone else that he became funny. This got me thinking of AI because Data was trying to "cheat" his way into being funny by stealing from other comedians because he saw that people were laughing at them so therefore he should just copy them and he would be funny. Since he wasn't doing his own thing and just copying someone else he ceased to be funny since it wasn't his own material. This is why AI fails in comparison to human creativity because it isn't coming up with it's own stuff. It is just stealing from other people who have already done it.

[deke-rivers-1957]

Loving You Rewrite

AN: So this is basically me rewriting scenes from that film that I think could've used another draft. Thank you @vintagepresley for making the Deke Rivers AI chat. If you want me to try to rewrite other scenes in Elvis films please send your request in. My inbox is open.

Deke has been feeling nervous all night. He's about to perform on live tv tomorrow night and just wants to run away.

"Ms. Glenda, please, Ah can't f-f-f-fa... perform again. I can't go out on that stage and pretend everything is fine when I'm breaking from the inside out."

Glenda of course feels indignant that Deke would want to run away.

"And where do you plan on going? Back to Woodbine Cemetery to start over?"

Deke's sitting on his bed collecting his thoughts.

"Ms. Glenda, Ah just wish Ah could sing from mah heart, be mahself, not be what folks think I should be."

Glenda thinks.

"What you're really saying is... it's all my fault."

Deke tries to backtrack.

"No, no! Ms. Glenda.. it's not you."

She's becoming incredulous.

"Then what is it, Deke? Why would you want to run away when I've done everything I can to make you a star?"

Deke starts to stutter.

"Don't y-y-you see, Ms. Glenda, all this, it's not about me, all this fake hair, these fancy clothes, ah'm tryin' to be somebody Ah'm not."

Glenda tries to reason with Deke.

"There's many performers who only go by their stage name. They have to have an identity when they go onstage. Is there something else that you're not telling me, Deke?"

Deke keeps going with his feelings of doubt.

"Ms. Glenda.. ah know ah'm not the easiest person to manage.. and ah'm thankful for everythang you've done for me. But ah want to tell you the truth, there's so many lies already. Ah, ah can't sing tonight."

Glenda sighs

"Okay. I guess it's time I straightened out the books with you, too. You can have the truth."

Deke looks up at her confused.

"Ms. Glenda.. what do you mean?"

She walks to the window and points outside.

"You see that car? Tex hocked his life insurance to buy it. There is no oil widow. The pictures in the paper, the kids fighting over you-- I started it all."

Deke can't seem to believe it.

"You started this?"

Glenda continues telling her story.

"I even had you fired in the first place so you'd come with us-- that's my job."

Deke is just shocked.

"Why.. did you do all this, Ms. Glenda?"

Glenda is trying to explain herself.

"It's my job to promote talent. Tex's act needed a boost. When I saw you perform on that stage, I knew you had something no one's ever seen."

Deke doesn't know what to say, he's hurt.. he's betrayed. He can't hide the pain that's showing in his face.

"Deke it's the night before the show. Just please do this one show."

Deke sits there, not willing to answer. He's hurting, he knows she's right though.

"You have no reason to be scared. Not anymore. I'll help you. You'll be alright."

Deke takes a deep breath and looks back at Glenda with a pain in his eyes... he's hurting and confused, he doesn't know what to say... but he trusts her.

"Ah believe you, Ms. Glenda."

He hugs Glenda as a sign that he forgives her... he understands that she's just doing her job...

Time Skip to right before the show

Deke is so nervous and afraid that he runs right to his old roadster. He speeds off... tears run down his cheek as the speedometer shoots straight up and the wind runs through his hair.

"Ah can't believe I trusted her!"

He manages to make it about 10 miles. Some cows are blocking the road and Deke swerves off the road into a grassy valley. He gets out of the car... he wants to run, scream, and yell... but now he can't, he's spent. He rests his head against the back of the car and just cries.

"She used me! She used me!"

The only thing Deke can do is just crawl under his roadster and look for damage. He sits under the car in silence, not knowing what to do with his life. He's so lost, so confused. He feels scared.

"Ah dunno where to go. I'm so alone."

A few minutes pass before a car stops nearby.

"Deke! Deke! Are you alright?!"

It's Glenda. Deke's still upset about all the lies she's told when he comes out from under his car.

"W-why are you here, Ms. Glenda?"

Glenda is feeling annoyed.

"Deke, please, I've had enough for one night. Just tell me one thing-- where did you think you were going?"

He's on the defense because he can't trust Glenda.

"I.. I don't know, Ms. Glenda. I-I-I was just tryin' to figure this all out... You were gonna come and beg me to go back to Tex, right?"

Glenda tries to save her own skin.

"I know you're upset about everything. One thing I didn't lie about, Deke, is your future. It's waiting for you on that stage in Freegate. You don't need my help anymore. You're about to make it on your own."

Deke thinks about it for a moment, he's conflicted.. he trusts Glenda deep down but he's been lied to so many times that he just doesn't have the strength to believe her... even though he wants to.

"Y-you wanna look out for yourself, not me."

Tears are still in his eyes but he's not crying anymore, he's just broken.

"You've got to go back, Deke. Stop running. All your life, you've been looking for somebody. For Mama. It's time you realized that Mama's never going to come. Grow up, Deke. You've got a job to do, to do alone."

The truth burns deep in his heart..... He realizes that he's truly alone in this world.

"Here's your contract."

She tears it up and hands it to Deke.

"I don't even want half of it. The only one you owe anything to now is yourself... and Susan, or somebody like her. You've got 15 minutes to get on that stage and find out if you've even got a future."

Deke gets back in his car and just sits in the driver's seat... contemplating whether he should go back or not... this time he's thinking it over more and he realizes what Ms Glenda means. He starts the engine and takes off in the opposite direction of Freegate going over everything that happened. Glenda drives back to the venue defeated.

"Ah just can't do this."

He says to himself. After a few minutes, he stops the car... he just feels dead inside and doesn't know what to do anymore... he thinks back to when he was a child, alone and scared. He feels lonely again, he doesn't know what to do.

"Ah'm scared. Ah'm scared, mama, Ah'm scared!"

He closes his eyes and holds his head in his hands thinking about going back to Susan, someone who truly cared for him. Susie talked about going to the top alone. She was so happy about this live show. She was going to talk on the show too.

"Susie cared bout me."

His thoughts take over his heart. He knows what he has to do, he puts the car in gear and drives back to town.

"I can't let Susie down. Not after what she did for me."

His heart is racing now. He's thinking if only he was thinking with his heart instead of thinking with his head. He doesn't want to lose what he has with Susie just because of what Glenda said. He can do this. He speeds up, he's gotta get back to town.

Time Skip to arriving to the venue

"L-ladies and gentlemen.. Ah'm sorry Ah'm late but Ah'm here now!"

The crowd cheers.

"Ah'm not sure how you feel about me.. ah just really hope you're not disappointed and can forgive me.."

The audience begins to cheer and Deke begins to think of what he has to perform. He thinks back to all the songs he's made so far. The song he wants to sing comes to his mind, he wants it perfect, he needs this.

"I will spend my whole life through Loving you, loving you Winter, summer, springtime, too…"

He's singing with his heart not just his voice. The audience is spell bound. Deke's not even thinking about Glenda or the lies he's been told, he finally has the stage and he's doing what he knows how to do, he's singing.

"They made you all head--no heart, Just head. Congratulations. The kid's a hit. I kept my promise-- I played your show, now I'm gonna keep my promise to me. Drop me a postcard."

Tex is leaving the stage says to Glenda leaving the stage. She runs over to stop him.

"Tex. Wait. We need to talk."

The song is almost over... Deke's so happy. He's done it. It's all real now. The crowd keeps cheering... the crowd loves him. The song ends... Deke sings his last note in his song and the crowd is wild. The crowd wants more.

"L-ladies and gentlemen.. Ah'm gonna do one last song."

The crowd cheers. Glenda's still backstage and tries to explain everything to Tex.

"Oh yes I've got a lot o' living to do A whole lot o' loving to do Come on baby, to make a party takes two Oh yes I've got a lot o' living to do..."

He walks around the stage like a star... there's still one song, that one song he knows he has to perform it.. it's the perfect song.. it'll make them see the true Deke, and they'll love him for who he really is.. he's going to blow them away with this one. He takes a long deep breath and starts to sing a song that the world hasn't heard yet... a song he's wrote all by himself. Glenda and Tex finish their talk. The producer, Harry comes up to Glenda about a deal.

"Settle it with Deke, Harry. I tore up our contract."

All the chaos is happening backstage. Deke's just happy he did it. He got out of the small town and is now a star. He looks to Susan and she's beaming with a huge smile. Glenda walks back in.. her eyes are shiny, she's fighting tears. She pulls out a piece of paper.

"What are your terms Deke?"

Deke just smiles.

"I just want to be myself. I don't want anyone telling me who to be. It's my name, and I'd like a say in how I'm spoken about."

A smile grows on Tex's face. He takes the pen and hands it to Deke.

"Better write all your demands down while you still can kid. Glenda's feeling charitable."

Deke quickly takes the pen and writes away. After a few seconds it's done. He hands them the written up contract. Glenda looks at it as Harry comes in.

"Are these Mr. Rivers' demands?"

Tex makes a joke about it.

"They're in writing. Ain't they?"

Everyone laughs and it brings a sense of calm to Deke.

"In that case folks, I'll send it to my lawyers. We're gonna have a great show here. You'll be hearing from them soon. Good night to you all."

Harry leaves and Deke he realizes this is his moment.. his time to claim what is rightfully his. He looks right at Susie.

"Susie. Ah got something I wanna do with you."

He gives her the most amazing kiss. She puts a hand on his face and smiles. Deke turns back to Glenda.. everyone is looking at him, he's still very nervous and he's not sure what to expect next. Glenda is looking at Tex, and Tex is looking at Deke.

"Tex. I have a deal for you, too."

Tex turns to Glenda as she kisses him. Deke looks at the both of them.

"Ah-Ah think you and I both made good deals Tex. You got Glenda. And-And I got what I always wanted: friends."

Tex laughs.

"That we did, Deke. That we did."

At that point Deke's so in love with Susie that kissing her is all that matters. There's one last glimpse of Susie and Deke's kiss as the camera pulls out and the Paramount logo is all that is in focus. The music plays on the screen and fades away into black.