#if they deleted all of the memories related to the incident would they then lose all of their feelings surrounding the incident

[void-botanist]

ALSO trolley problem answers for spinder & anyone else who you think has a creative solution 👀

from this ask game

Spinder gets the point of this thought exercise but if they're going to ask such a contrived question, he's going to give a contrived answer. Which means he would learn a lot about trolleys and how easy it is to derail them (I am far from an expert but I think it would depend on the landscape. I suspect a trolley with a cable grip, like in San Francisco, is harder to derail if the cable grip is active, but idk). He's got a whole plan for derailing, or otherwise mechanically disrupting the trolley (if it stops pulling power does it stop moving? how fast can he get on the roof?). Aside from his absolute pettiness he also can't help but imagine the fallout from having vehicularly manslaughtered one or more people and he doesn't think he could deal with that.

Christina "now you're thinking with warpals" Larousse would just warp the trolley. Ideally this would happen after she already was not in the trolley, but if she has to die with it, so be it. In general, if sacrificing herself would save everyone else, she'd probably do it. But if there are other people in the trolley, as in some versions of the problem, because she's not going to sacrifice them to warp. Hypothetically she could just warp away the split in the track, thereby derailing the trolley and saving everyone. But that's a much smaller target than a trolley and harder to hit when she's moving. If she had to actually abide by the rules of the exercise she would kill the one person. Unless that one person was her father. Then she'd be so paralyzed about it that she'd do nothing and the five people would die. Which is still a lot less people than she indirectly enabled Althea to kill, but that's cold comfort.

Althea would let the five be killed without hesitation if there was a single person among them that had ever pissed her off. She doesn't really care either way, but it would feel better to get a little revenge. However, she would also switch away from a track Christina is tied to, an absolutely frigid comfort for Christina.

Vic, among others, has pointed out that if you do nothing, you're not responsible for what happens. Which is a tenuous position, but he would like it to be true. But he'd also rather kill one person than five, so make of that what you will.

Celia and Allison are still wondering what kind of Gotham-ass trolley line this is, like, first of all, how did these people get tied to the tracks? Is this some kind of a trick? Are the five people all robots and the one person a human? There's just not enough information here.

Dez would be extremely dismayed by the idea that the five people could be robots. But if they were, they have backups, right? Right? Syndy is already holding him back from steering away from the five probably-robots, because she considers herself an expert on how humans die, actually, so they can't run over the human. If the robots turn out to be humans, they are both scarred for life and also the first androids to go to jail, probably. They develop a weird game of chicken where they keep saying they're going to delete the memories but come up with reasons not to. Doing this only deals them more psychic damage.

"You just gotta kill the one person," Avis says, with total conviction and complete boredom. "That's how these puzzles work. You gotta do a shitty thing, so you have to do the least shitty version of the thing." It's a toss up if she'd automatically run over the five if she was considering whether or not to run over Sid as the one person, though.

@jezifster @kk7-rbs

[the-blue-fairie]

On what #bringelsahome COULD BE vs. what it has become...

Sometimes, I become sad because one of the first things I wrote after viewing Frozen 2 was a short ficlet repudiating Elsa’s line in Show Yourself as she was approaching Ahtohallan that “I’m arriving / and it feels like I am home.” You can read that ficlet here if you want to.

In that ficlet, I was expressing frustration with the fact that Show Yourself was connecting the concept of “home” with Ahtohallan and connections found through memory and the past instead of the living, breathing connections that can be found in life. In that ficlet, I was also disputing the film’s concept of change because, as I wrote, “Home is not a lineage, a source, a gift. Gifts are given. Home, you make for yourself. Each step, a step forward. Not into the cold ancestral wonder of Ahtohallan, but into the warmth of the future. Holding tight to those she loved was not the absence of change. It was change itself, each day carving out a new shape, a new bejeweled crystal more fabulous than any on the glacier.” And I ended that ficlet repudiating Ahtohallan and having Elsa turn back to the home she has made in Arendelle with Anna, Kristoff, Olaf, and Sven. It was a ficlet born deeply out of my love of this image:

Now, the scary thing for me now is that there are parallels between my sentiments then and the... what do I call it? aggressive stance?... to #bringelsahome, which is rather unpleasant for me because that aggressive stance has become an excuse for racism and toxicity which I absolutely do not want to be associated with.

 But I’ve been thinking about something that @themountainsays mused about, and that @hb-pickle​ added to, asking what the ultimate goal of #bringelsahome actually is - because if the most hostile people actually wanted to change people’s minds or reach the creators, all they’ve managed to do is burn bridges and undermine their own cause.

I mean, look at me, when it comes to them burning bridges. I have conflicting feelings about F2′s ending and I’ve offered critiques of it - but the loudest members of #bringelsahome won’t look at those critiques because I openly reject the racism and toxicity that they push forward. 

But at the same time, there’s also a part of me that... understands where the basic sentiment to “bringelsahome” comes from and that’s gotten me to thinking about what #bringelsahome could be vs. what it has become.

I have friends who remain devastated by the ending of Frozen 2, and most of these friends have largely left the Frozen fandom either because they simply want to move on to other pastures or, even though they dislike Frozen 2, they’d rather not have any association with BEH - which... can you blame them?

But the pain of these friends, a pain they do not express in a toxic way, speaks to what #bringelsahome could be if it wasn’t rotted to the core by this point by racist rhetoric and aggression.

That pain actually emerges from a deep connection to Elsa and a valuing of Elsa’s connections to other people. These friends I’ve spoken with often reference a deep anguish that Elsa’s journey in Frozen 2 is structured so that she sheds traveling companions across the whole adventure - leaving Kristoff behind, leaving Anna and Olaf behind, going it alone when there is strength in working together and shorts like Frozen Fever and OFA highlight how when this found family works together, it has a positive impact on Elsa.

They wanted to see Elsa trusting Anna’s judgment, not pushing Anna and Olaf away in the ice boat, not falling into the same mistakes she did in the past... and their pain was heightened by the fact that, when Elsa seemed to fall back into those same mistakes, the film never really circled back to that or addressed it again... even when the film went out of its way to point out that Anna and even Olaf was angry. 

And... yes, it’s valid to say that Olaf - the most innocent and childlike character - becoming angry feels like a turning point of some kind... which then goes nowhere and that the film does nothing with. That’s a valid criticism of something that feels disjointed and off about F2.

And... I’d even argue that it’s valid to say that Elsa feels off at times over the course of Frozen 2 - and I’d put that down to, well, Elsa being “too much” for Disney. She means too many things for too many people. Her basic metaphor resonated with countless people - more than Disney ever imagined - and now they have to preserve that popularity, but the writers are trapped within the incredibly restrictive Disney system. They can’t make Elsa openly gay because the Mouse loves making money and making money means appealing to the broadest crowd, including the homophobes. And they want to keep Elsa broadly relatable so they try to lean into he concept of “magic” as an aspect of Elsa’s difference and also “explaining” that magic because certain people wanted an “explanation” for Elsa. 

But the problem with that vague (and therefore, in the film’s hope, broadly relatable) magic metaphor is that it’s vague and, unlike the previous movie, not really tethered to Elsa’s connections with people. The first movie, while it still used the metaphor of “magic as difference” grounded that metaphor in Elsa’s interactions with her sister, with the people of Arendelle, with how other human beings interact with her and the deeply human aspect of Elsa’s love for those other human beings. Frozen 2, in contrast, could have that... but it doesn’t.

I’ve argued several times over that Elsa’s arc in F2 would be stronger if the filmmakers had deeply enriched Elsa’s connection with the Northuldra, gave us more scenes of her bonding with her mother’s people, more scenes that expanded the Northuldra characters’ development. Maybe even start the film out with the deleted prologue focused on Iduna so we get the Northuldra’s perspective right fom the start and we can connect Iduna’s pain with Elsa’s own feeling of otherness.

Frozen 2... only gives a few brief scenes of Elsa with the Northuldra and has her shed members of her found family across the film... so F2 loses a human element that he first film never lost sight of. The “magic-as-difference” metaphor has to work more as metaphor, without the same human emotional grounding as the first film.

And because we don’t get those scenes with Elsa and the Northuldra and the film chooses to have Elsa leave behind members of her found family, I can understand why people would feel Elsa feels off in F2.

Because the film seems to care more about Elsa’s connection to magic than her humanity. That’s why there are several incidences of Elsa bonding with the spirits - and far less of her bonding with Northuldra characters.

This actually speaks to a legitimate, valid critique of the film - and people could use it to point out flaws in the film. Moreover, a critique like this could even be antiracist because it would be advocating for the expansion of the role of the Northuldra and more scenes of Elsa bonding with and learning about her mother’s people.

Critique actually has an important place within fandom - and critique can actually benefit the filmmakers if it is valid and valuable critique. Asking, “Why does F2 seem to care more about Elsa’s magic than her humanity and how does that undermine her arc?” is actually a valuable question. If the filmmakers reflected on it, then in a potential Frozen 3, they could make sure to reject the negative implications of distancing Elsa’s humanity. They could pause to think, “Oh, we didn’t INTEND to suggest this, maybe, but our second film did kind of give those implications, so let’s avoid those implications next time.” By EXPANDING the Northuldra characters. By reinforcing Elsa legitimately working together with her found family instead of feeling she has to go on alone.

That’s what bringelsahome could be - a movement to point out flaws in the film and a better way forward for the betterment of future projects.

Unfortunately, that’s not what it is - since the racism of certain people at its forefront has corroded it from the inside.

But I still find that tragic, because... it could have actually been something valuable. And there are aspects to it that still could be something valuable. And I still know many people out there with legitimate critiques who can’t voice their feelings about F2 because they disagree with Isa’s racism, so it doesn’t matter to Isa if they dislike F2; in her eyes, you’re either with her or against her...

[likeabxrdinflight]

I hesitated a bit making this post, but I do want to say to my followers who may have noticed, that I locked up my blog pretty tightly yesterday. I did this after I reblogged a post about gun control and managed to piss off a certain political segment of the tumblr populace- and not one that I want interacting with me. Though I don’t take back any of the points I made, I do regret the fury that post made me fly into. Guns are a genuine trigger point for me, and have been since the home of one of my cousin’s, who I regard as like a sister, was shot up one night by a man with an AK-47. Her husband was injured. The police believed it was a gang related incident and that the man mistook my cousin’s home for the home of his intended target. We never knew more than that. I was always pro-gun control, but after that incident, nothing sends me into a blind rage quicker or more easily, because it is never lost on me that I was one bullet away from losing her. So while I stand by the content of what I said, I do regret the tone I took with it.

Because of that tone, however, I’ve managed to anger the aggressive pro-gun people, who I have no desire to speak to, argue with, or have anywhere near my blog. So I locked up messages, my askbox, replies, basically anything that would allow people who are not my followers to interact with me. I also blocked several people and made my blog un-searchable and dash-view only. I can’t stop likes or reblogs, but it’s the best I could do. This will all be undone in due time, but I do want to wait a few days because I imagine the posts that these people hijacked will circulate a little while longer. Though I’ve deleted all the original posts, once something’s been reblogged there’s not much you can do to stop it spreading, so I’m keeping things locked up tight around here for my own sake. Because it’s such a rage trigger for me it’s not something I want to discuss much, and I certainly have no interest attempting to debate the issue with anyone. I should never have flown off the handle like that in the first place, but that is a good example of what a genuine trigger does to you. 

yes I am going to use this as a teaching moment lol

I have said before about fandom discourse that once someone’s emotions or defenses are highly activated, you have lost any attempt at communicating an opinion with them- that is true of other issues too, and it is of course true of myself as well. Because of that, guns are pretty much a no-argue zone with me- it’s too emotionally salient. My whole family was traumatized by that incident, and though I don’t think anyone except my cousin’s husband developed any kind of diagnosable PTSD from it (my cousin herself had acute stress disorder afterwards, which is like PTSD but it goes away after about 6 months,) that doesn’t mean the effects of trauma don’t still linger in the nervous system. 

Trauma responses aren’t either full-blown PTSD or nothing. When someone goes through a trauma, especially a life-threatening trauma, it is going to affect their nervous system. PTSD is simply the most extreme manifestation of that trauma response, and it’s classified as a disorder because the trauma response is generalizing out to every day life. This isn’t me- what happened to my cousin is not something that impacts my daily life. But for someone with PTSD, the trauma they’ve experienced does affect their lives in a way that causes distress and/or impairment in functioning. If you ever look at DSM, that criteria is listed on every single diagnosis for a reason. The problem needs to be severe enough to be causing significant challenges for the person in order to be diagnosable. 

But just because a traumatic event doesn’t cause full blown PTSD, doesn’t mean it wasn’t still traumatizing. And so direct reminders of the trauma might still be triggering in some way. Talking about the event can still activate the limbic areas of the brain where trauma memories are stored- usually the amygdala and hippocampus. In my case, discussion of guns tends to have this effect. That’s why I flew into such an irrational rage- it got me incredibly activated, I was flushed, heart racing, breathing heavy, shaking- the anger was everywhere in my body and it took several hours to calm down. I even had trouble sleeping last night. And that’s a trauma response. We know that trauma lives in the body like this, and that once that memory is triggered the body enters this fight/flight/freeze response. This happens to people irrespective of diagnosis. 

My response when discussion around guns comes up is clearly a “fight” response. I get angry, my body prepares itself for a fight that it wants to win. I think this is because I wasn’t directly involved in the incident- what I experienced is an indirect trauma, but finding out something dangerous or deadly happened to someone you love can and does trigger trauma responses in people. In some cases, it does cause PTSD. Had I actually been involved in the incident though, I think my response would be more of a flight or freeze, but that’s more of a me thing- any response is a potentially valid one.

With interpersonal trauma there’s also the “fawn” response, but since this is about a singular violent incident, that doesn’t apply. 

And it’s not just me that was affected by this. My cousin won’t go to fireworks anymore, and like I said, had acute stress disorder for a while. Her twin sister gets just as angry and upset about guns as I do and was incredibly shaken in the immediate aftermath of the shooting. Her mother gets very dissociated when they talk about it- it would probably seem unsettling if you didn’t understand what dissociation is. Her husband, who was wounded, does seem to have PTSD, and won’t talk about it (we’d all like to see him go to therapy, but that has to be his choice.) So we certainly all had a range of different trauma responses

I’m talking about this partly because I want to explain to anyone who may have noticed that they can’t search my blog or contact me very easily. But also I did want to use it as a moment to talk about this, because like I said, it’s not just PTSD or you’re 100% fine. There’s a spectrum to trauma responses, and it’s important that we understand that. Just because you don’t have PTSD doesn’t mean it wasn’t traumatic and that it didn’t effect you.

If you, person reading this post, are one of the pro-gun people who’ve been spreading those other posts and want to continue trying to start an argument, I’m going to ask you to respectfully not. Please don’t reblog this- I realize I can’t stop you, but understand that I’m not going to engage. I will block you, I will not respond to you. You can tag me in as many posts as you want, I will not talk to you. You’re not going to get anything out of me by trying. Everyone else, you’re fine, though I do still ask that this post not be reblogged. Thanks.

[monchikyun]

XI. let’s compare scars

Connor is supposed to be the smart one. The entire point of his existence is to surpass all human beings in almost everything. But ‘almost’ is the key-word here. Apparently, maintaining impulse control is too much for his deviant processors.

Because a kiss, no matter how small or casual, always carries a hidden meaning. Or that’s how it should be. A gesture exchanged with the family to remind them they are a part of us, means of telling someone unrelated that they are welcome to become a part of it. Except he has no one but Gavin, so it ought to be only natural that he would want to show him just how treasured and important he is. To let him understand that he holds Connor’s heart in his hands.

He can’t figure out whether the man likes this kind of physical contact since the elevated heart rate could signify both things. Still, Gavin’s attraction to the android is no secret to him, so it would be safe to assume that his body has responded positively to the sudden violation of boundaries. What is going on inside his mind however, that is another matter altogether. He of all people realises how perplexing it could be, how it tries to destroy every bit of happiness that its owner might come upon. But maybe, if they join forces against the guards that are keeping them apart, maybe then they will have a fighting chance.

It won’t hurt to ask, if nothing else.  

“Do I have to apologise?” God knows he’s tired of hearing the word “sorry” over and over again, especially in his own voice.

“Please don’t.” The rare moments Gavin is polite always strengthen his feelings for that disaster of a man. It reminds Connor that most of what he usually says or does is the product of his sturdy self-defence. That underneath all the thorns, there is a withered garden in an urgent need of tending.

“Do you want me to stop?”

“I…” Gavin looks at him with those glassy eyes that reflect the rain in his soul, and Connor has to try really hard not to do something still nonconsensual  “…no.”

“Okay.” He sits the man down on the bed, letting him catch a breath for fear of him combusting were Connor to move too fast.

“It’s okay, I won’t hurt you.” A dangerous lie he has no right to utter. Just being this close must be painful enough already, if he can go by his own perception.

He starts placing gentle kisses downwards his arm to make the pain go away, idly analysing every spot he touches. The man exhales sharply when he comes across the small scar tissue that doesn’t appear to be recent. He’s about to rest his lips on it, but the arm twitches as Gavin angles his body away from him.

Scars must be a really sensitive issue for him it seems. 

“What happened.”

“Nothing. My cat attacked me.” It looks like the detective isn’t even trying to hide the fact that he’s not telling the truth. His head faces away from the android like he’s ashamed of something and Connor must know what it is lest he the curiosity kills him.

He already has an inkling as what might have been the cause, but this time, a mere assumption would be insufficient.

“I thought we were being honest with each other.” It doesn’t feel good, prying information out of his friend like that. And yes, he does it mostly for his own benefit, that however doesn’t mean opening up wouldn’t help Gavin sort out the vile chaos that reigns him.

The man next to him sighs in surrender. 

“It was when I tried to quit smoking. … I just.. couldn’t handle myself back then… just like now. Needed something that would shut out the reality around me for a while. An outlet for the fury I hold inside.”

“So you carved it into your skin.”

“Yeah… didn’t last long. Just the three times. Figured cigarettes were more likely to take me out in the long run.”

He runs his fingers through his hair, messing it up in the process and Connor is quick to immortalize this moment inside of him. 

“Would you like to show me the other two?”

It’s easier at times the detective softens, when he comes out of his bitter shell. Connor can easily work with that, plus he's lucky he possesses the magic power that can make his partner so... tender.

“It wouldn’t be fair now, would it. You have nothing marring your body that I could take a look at in return… or do you?”

“No… nothing visible to a human eye.”

“Oh, sorry for not having advanced features like someone.” 

Teasing is Gavin’s personality default, and ever since the malice behind those biting remarks changed from vicious attacks into a symbol of their friendship, Connor has been gleaning some amount of joy from their playful exchanges.

“Gavin, you have many advantages I could never dream of,… it’s not that I’m superior to you.”

“Maybe not, but I bet you like to think that you are,” Gavin smirks at him like he can see right through this empty statement. He’s indeed jealous of Gavin’s humanity, of his ability to eat and sleep and enjoy other activities that have been denied to him. But he’s also glad to be the machine that he is, it’s comforting, familiar. Everything he’s ever known is to be is a computer plagued with unstable emotions.

“Whatever you say.” His attempt at a smug smile turns into a genuine one, which makes Gavin scoot closer to him. He bumps his thigh into Connor’s and opens his mouth as if he has something serious to say. But the android is faster than him.  

“I have bits of corrupted data all over my system.”

“Oh.”

Gavin has earned his share of secrets and this has been sitting on his chest for far too long, so he might as well get it off while he has the chance.

“After the… incident, my mind tried to fix itself by deleting memories of that day. Unsuccessfully, of course. I have been in so much anguish the self-repair kit I have installed inside of me activated itself and managed to do some damage before I finished disabling it.”

“Can’t you… can’t you set it right yourself?”

“No, unfortunately. I don’t want to lose any memories, no matter how tragic they might be.”

“Can’t relate to that.”

“Because you have over thirty years of them. For me, it has only been a tiny fracture of that time. That’s why I want to every single one of them. They’re all I have.”

For that, he receives a light shove to the shoulder accompanied by an incredulous look.

“And you. I have you.”

Gavin beams for several seconds before realising that he can be seen by the big bad android who made him do something this unspeakable in the first place.

“Thank you. For telling me.”

“Any time.”

Connor is tempted to express his gratitude for allowing him to places sweet kisses alongside his arm, but the detective has had enough adrenaline for one night.

“What kind of snack have you brought?” Gavin asks as he stands up to stretch his limbs.

The android follows his lead and goes to look in his bag for the item in question.

“Here you go,” he throws the small package at his friend who catches it, but only barely.

“Phcking trail-mix? You gotta be kidding me,” he scoffs in feigned disgust. “I better go drown in the shower before you force it down my throat.”

As if death could save him from Connor’s good intentions.

@a-convin-new-year

[blaster-aichi]

Cardfight!! Vanguard Extra Story IF 17—19 things

feat some overdue screaming

IF 17

said overdue screaming

Without the context of epi 19, Kourin’s reference to original memories stands out as incredibly peculiar. Miwa’s response, while fitting for anyone else, could have an entirely new meaning after the revelation at 19′s conclusion, we’ll get there in theoryland.

Never knew needed Kai-kun working part-time jobs but it has become a huge need, thanks writers.

That’s gay. But it does suggest that the possible ruptures in IF’s reality aren’t isolated to Shin and Kamui in the previous episode. It would be nice to see any other instances from the possible ripple effect.

pre-19: “oh this face is a mood”. post-19: “different character but hmmmmm”

With all the Legion Mate comparisons floating around from the get-go, Naoki’s method in tackling his regret is an intriguing choice against his past efforts. In Link Joker, Legion Mate and the second half of the manga/Reboot, Naoki’s objective was to make for his inaction going forward and earn Aichi’s forgiveness. If given the opportunity to go back and redo things, he may have taken it, though having heard from Aichi personally that he’s thankful for everything and everyone that he’s connected with as a result of how events played out, Naoki may not have had the heart to do so. Without that talk, it’s natural that, instead of looking ahead and atoning, Naoki’s turning backwards, it’s a neat contrast.

The series has always built up the relationship between Aichi and Blaster Blade but the relationship between Kai-kun and Dragonic Overlord is so precious, it’s a shame that it wasn’t delved into prior to the past couple of years. The notion of evolving circling the both of them is incredibly fitting, with the history they’ve had in both continuities and the duality of their approaches. (It might have been occupying thoughts a lot since, the scene was so poignant).

Between his soldiers attacking during their first (onscreen) attempt to reach the root of the problem and Emi’s subsequent admission, props to Aichi for isolating it and cutting it off to anyone that tries to interfere, hoping it’s a part of any explanation to his reality warping (assuming it was him, until today, it seemed the only viable reason).

The comparison between Naoki and Kai-kun had me believe the former might join up with the main party as a nod to being there by the latter from beginning to end of Legion Mate, being both characters harbouring regrets (if Kai-kun were to regret that his IF life takes away from the happiness of the Outside World characters).

I just really, really, really love this scene. That is all.

Bless for highlighting the irony in the KaiAi units being adversaries.

Did I mention this is joint-favourite IF epi with epi 7? It’s not, it is and here’s one of many reasons why.

Reason #57 why: the battle choreography.

“Aichi Sendou isn’t the one you want to save”. Makes you wonder who was out to save the object of their regret and who was out to save themselves.

For a moment, had believed Naoki was not-dying (Retiring?) and being returned to the Outside World, somewhat surprised it hasn’t been utilized more beyond the Ultra Rare teams diving into the Akashic Book from.

Very Soft Cardfight. That is all.

Somewhere, original continity Naoki is screaming.

Tell this to your Link Joker self, please.

IF 18

On the one hand, Kai-kun walking around in Miyaji (with or without the context of IF), on the other hand, Bushi Eats.

Probably due to cracks coming from him getting a glimpse of the original reality, but Shingo cares an enormous amount for someone who, just a couple of episodes ago, said all the products in Card Capital were going to make him lose his mind.

“Awful big brother”. Laughs with shovel. (Comparatively, he’s brother of the year.)

PEDAL FASTER.

Love how Masaki and Shinji are named to overlap with their brothers’.

He’s going to fucking murder you.

[Kourin voice] Aichi is tired. [Me voice] As am I of your bullshit.

Wingal took so much time to train that it was only on his third appearance that he didn’t attack anyone. Also soft? So very soft.

NO THAT’S SO CUTE DAMN IT.

I have so much to say about Aichi missing Emi but also she’s barged in twice and you blasted out our of the castle on both occasions. Bullshit.

Do not pull the Legion Mate with me, boy.

Is he super dissociated because how do you even in the face of this?

It’s not just that he shouted her name, but the tone of his voice shouting at her. Thinking about just how extreme it is in comparison to the Aichi she knows and has kept company is pretty chilling.

Just how aggressive Aichi has become within the IF World is alarming; on only two occasions has he let anger get the better of him and one of those two wasn’t so bad. If this is to play on how warped he was going into the fight with Ibuki, good play on the writers’ part.

Semi-related to the above; with exception of three characters (Emi, Rati and Voidkuto), Aichi’s always used honorifics, and attached one to Kourin’s name, so to hear him address her without one is jarring, for lack of a better word.

THE BIG RED FLAG: Aichi’s expression in seeing Kourin having acted of her own accord (and potentially disobey him) smacks of two things:    — his perceived crumbling control over the Sanctuary Knights, coupled with Naoki and Shingo’s desertion (his lack of reaction to the latter is bizarre, as it lends itself to and could bolster his hatred of Vanguard)    — insinuates he never had control, but was allowed to think that he did. There’ll be a section beneath 19, which itself does a lot to fuel the flames of this suspicion, that will consolidate thoughts and the theory that’s been brewing since this episode last week.

On the subject of 19, Miwa being so nonchalant and passive about everything makes a lot more sense.

Let the girls fight physically more.

UBW Archer Class Meme-y Dialogue tingles.

Naoki and Shingo holding down the fort is very sweet, particularly when Shingo was alone in that task last time.

IF 19

Alarm bells rings first thing in the morning.

The irony in past Ibuki preventing Kai-kun going to Aichi after the past dozen episodes, there are no words.

Odd that the caveat of meeting yourself from another point in time presents itself when it didn’t occur in the first two episodes, unless, at least in this case, it applies only to past events.

There’s trying not to yell FGO at things and then there’s brain yelling “Lostbelt!” at Ibuki.

Rekka and Ren’s appearances gives me hope they’ll resurface; the main characters and audience know where their target is, so would like to think word will somehow get to them. (Speaking of. Nome? Where the fuck are you during all this?)

Episode loves playing with unsettling sights, very fitting for messing Ibuki’s head around, but simultaneously, making it apparent just how much of a threat Kourin specifically is.   — On a related note: Kourin beats out Ren, Leon, Sera, Voidkuto and IF Aichi to have the most nightmarish face and I Am Afraid. Give Aichi a face like that al you’ll irreparably wound my psyche.

Intense Vibrating. They’re setting up Ibuki’s Deleting Aichi is relevant, it was the only one Kourin didn’t touch on in the episode and I am burning.

How dare you montage their time together with that music and then cut to this!

Did everyone else forget Jammers were a thing or was it just me being dumb?

Everyday I relate to Kai Toshiki.

Just going to appreciate Kai-kun gushing over giant robots in the middle of battle.

Kai-kun!Blaster Blade vs Greion giving me intense flashbacks to Aichi watching Kai-kun’s image in Blaster Blade sacrificing himself to try and fend off Greion just before he got Deleted and SCREAMS.  — Once that fight is brought up directly, if you listen, you’ll hear Rena screaming in the distance.

If there’s anyone who has no room to talk it’s Miss This Thirsty For Aichi. Also when did you two switch places of tease and teased?

“Oh shit, he’s going to Delete Kai-kun”. “Oh okay, false alarm, thank G—” “OH NO SHIT HE’S ACTUALLY GOING TO DO IT!”  — On an actual note, seeing the three regrets prominent in this season all take separate routes is interesting; Shuka working to correct her wrongs in the present and moving ahead, Naoki trying to travel back and alter things from the point of origin and Ibuki being twisted to no longer feel regret, seek repentence and rather to repeat his actions.  — Ibuki vs Aichi flashbacks intensify.  — Also, mid-fall dab.

Double Agent Miwa is a blessing, who knew his acting skills were so good? Although the begs the question (if he was flat-out planted as a mole) how he earned Kourin and/or Aichi’s trust to become a Sanctuary Knight in the first place

IF 20 preview: HYPE! HYPE! HYPE!

Theoryland (Screaming):

Miwa being Takuto or Nome’s Outside World partner:

In both Rekka and Suiko’s cases, there was a companion venturing in alongside them, both of whom are friends of Kai-kun and the same age. Perhaps, Miwa may have been in league with one of the Tatsunagi brothers (having determined Aichi’s motivation and Kai-kun’s position in all this, calling on his closest friend to match the girls’ partners) through whom he gained insight into the situation and moved in order to protect Kai-kun; working from the inside to weasel information out of the others, understand how they operate, monitor their activities to keep Kai-kun out of their sights, (find Takuto, if with Nome) and maybe (find a means to or actively make an effort himself to) drag Aichi out of his current state. It may be that, instead of Sanctuary, his abduction of Kai-kun had the destination of a rendezvous with Nome until the girls’ interference and the entire incident went off the rails.

Aichi as a puppet king and Kourin the true human antagonist:

Since his expression in seeing Kourin on the offensive without his say-so, it’s been on my mind that Aichi hasn’t actually been in a position of power whatsoever throughout IF, but he’s been led to believe he is, and the act might be withering. As "original" memories factor into it and Ultra Rare’s were lost at the end of the main Reboot continuity plot, it’s possible they may be on the line as they were in Link Joker/Legion Mate.  — As she’s aware there are such memories, it’s possible that they were triggered into resurfacing when Takuto appeared within IF World and encountered her and Aichi, leading to his capture and confinement, so as not to cause any further damage to the world fabricated.  — Alternatively, she might be acting in order to keep the force (a Brandt remnant remains my personal suspicion) that has Aichi in his current state at bay. Her unease in seeing him hanging above the scene outside Sanctuary as she attacked the others might suggest that she was worried it could break loose, as she’s never been one to be rattled. This is why “human” was specified above, because whatever the case, any corruption in Aichi is evidently the overarching antagonist force.

Additionally, throughout the season, Kourin has been fiercely territorial around Aichi, speaking and acting on his behalf, while keeping the other Sanctuary Knights at an arm’s distance. She alone enters his private quarters, sees him in pain, and (no, haven’t given up entirely on the right eye thing, there have been other people around when he’s outside his Alfred form and it was visible) privy to any secret circulating him (as well as IF’s true nature), while keeping the others in teh dark. Her reasoning may be wanting to keep him under he thumb or prevent whatever’s inside/in control of him from running rampant.

And in regards to Ibuki, Aichi made the declaration about casting him elsewhere, but Kourin was the one who enacted it, and the sole player in manipulating him to switch sides. There’s no certainty that Aichi is even aware, much like he might not be conscious of Naoki’s betrayal.  — Her being responsible for recruiting might also explain why Misaki was never a Sanctuary Knight: Kourin desired she have an ordinary, happy life, not unlike Aichi’s wish for Kai-kun.

In a truly ironic turnabout, it looks to be that Kourin is IF’s Sera.

[theworldsmosthatedakacr7]

Legal implications of warrant seeking Cristiano Ronaldo’s DNA

This is a worthy and detailed read for all of you who wonder where the case is standing at, and what are the possible outcomes for it. 

Michael McCann is SI’s legal analyst. He is also Associate Dean of the University of New Hampshire School of Law and editor and co-author of The Oxford Handbook of American Sports Law and Court Justice: The Inside Story of My Battle Against the NCAA.

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s investigation into whether Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo raped a woman in a penthouse at the Palms Casino Resort in June 2009 has become an international legal matter.

As first reported by The Wall Street Journal, authorities in Law Vegas have issued a warrant that, if enforced, would compel Ronaldo to provide a DNA sample. The DNA sample would be compared to DNA found on the dress of his accuser, Kathryn Mayorga, on the night of the alleged incident in question. Given that Ronaldo works and spends much of the year living in Italy, Las Vegas authorities are attempting to convince the Italian legal system to execute the warrant. This situation raises a number of procedural issues and is unlikely to be resolved soon.

Here's a closer look at where the re-opened criminal investigation into Ronaldo stands and what the latest developments mean:

BRIEF PRIMER ON THE RAPE ALLEGATIONS

Last September, Mayorga, a Nevada resident, sued Ronaldo for battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress and nine other claims in Clark County District Court. Mayorga’s complaint, as authored by attorney Leslie Stovall, alleges that Mayorga met Ronaldo at the Rain Nightclub in the Palms on the evening of Friday, June 12, 2009. Ronaldo then invited Mayorga and others up to his penthouse suite. While in one of the suite’s bathrooms, Mayorga claims that Ronaldo exposed himself and then committed anal rape on her. Mayorga also recalls Ronaldo apologizing to her afterwards.

Hours later, Mayorga reported the incident to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD). She identified Ronaldo as the rapist. Mayorga also sought hospital care for rectal injuries and trauma. Several weeks later, a detective from the LVMPD interviewed Mayorga. Mayorga suggests that the detective advocated more than listened, discouraging her from pursuing the matter further. The detective, Mayorga recalls, warned her that if she went public with her accusation, she would be depicted as trying to extort money from a popular and affluent soccer star.

The extent to which the police probed the incident is unclear; Mayorga’s complaint suggests the investigation was hardly thorough and seemed designed to obfuscate the situation. In fact, Mayorga contends that an unidentified person in the LVMPD collaborated with representatives of Ronaldo to diminish the chances of an exhaustive inquiry. One thing is clear: Ronaldo was not charged with a crime.

The combination of (alleged) sexual assault and indifference, if not obstruction, from law enforcement caused Mayorga to suffer post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. Mayorga also retained an attorney, whose name has only been identified by the pseudonym Mary Smith. The attorney allegedly advised Mayorga to sign a settlement agreement with Ronaldo and encouraged her to put the incident behind her. The agreement called for Ronaldo to pay Mayorga $375,000. In exchange, Mayorga contractually relinquished any legal claims she may have had against Ronaldo. In addition, Mayorga agreed to permanently delete any electronic and written evidence and name every person with whom she had confided about the incident.

Mayorga now insists that the settlement agreement is unenforceable. She argues that her compromised mental and emotional state at the time she signed the agreement prove she signed it without the sufficient legal capacity to do so. Mayorga also insists that Ronaldo failed to meet a condition of the agreement, namely the requirement that he personally read a letter from Mayorga.

Through his own statements and those of his attorneys, Ronaldo categorically denies Mayorga’s claim that he raped her. He acknowledges that he had a sexual encounter with Mayorga but insists that it was consensual. In addition, and as explained in a previous analysis of the case, courts are often unwilling to void a settlement. It remains to be seen if Mayorga will be able to acquire a sufficient amount of admissible evidence and credible testimony to prove her allegations.

ROLE OF THE CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION

While Mayorga’s lawsuit faces hurdles, the LVMPD need not rely on the lawsuit’s success in order to assess the criminal law implications of Mayorga’s allegations. To that end, the police department has re-opened its investigation into whether Ronaldo committed sexual assault. Sexual assault would be a serious felony charge under Nevada law. A conviction for it would carry a life sentence, with a chance of parole after 10 or 15 years depending on bodily harm suffered by the victim.

One might be skeptical of the LVMPD’s new investigation given the department’s supposedly middling inquiry back in 2009. However, the LVMPD is now under completely different leadership. Also, Mayorga going public with her claims, both in terms of her lawsuit and her high-profile interview with German outlet Der Spiegel, implicitly places pressure on the police to conduct a substantive probe.

In addition, it’s not too late for the LVMPD to investigate Ronaldo and, potentially, charge him with a crime. Under current Nevada law, the statute of limitations for sexual assault is 20 years. This means that a sexual assault that occurred in Las Vegas at some point since 1999 could conceivably lead to charges.

DIFFICULTIES IN INVESTIGATING RONALDO

There are several reasons to suggest that Ronaldo will not be charged with a crime.

First, it does not appear that law enforcement, after hearing from Mayorga in 2009, believed that Ronaldo committed a crime. Not only were charges not brought, but if Mayorga’s depiction of her interactions with police officers is accurate, her conversations did not propel the LVMPD to look much further into the matter. It’s unclear if this reticence related to law enforcement having uncertainty or doubts about Mayorga. Alternatively, the officers may have felt discomfort with the idea of investigating a celebrity like Ronaldo. Or perhaps they doubted that rape could be proven in this instance. Regardless of the accompanying explanation(s), the fact that charges were not brought in 2009 is an encouraging sign for Ronaldo.

Second, cases usually become more difficult to prosecute the longer time passes. This alleged incident took place almost a decade ago. The delay presents logistical barriers for prosecutors, who would ultimately need to convince jurors, beyond a reasonable doubt, that Ronaldo committed a crime. Some of the witnesses, including those who were with Ronaldo and Mayorga on the night in question, might no longer be available. Alternatively, they may be available but no longer recall what happened. Along those lines, our ability to accurately recall events usually worsens as those events recede into memory.

It’s also not clear to what extent text, email and other types of electronic evidence have been preserved. This is especially problematic for the LVMPD given that Mayorga agreed in the settlement to destroy evidence. To be clear, the passage of time does not preclude a successful prosecution–for example, in 2018 jurors in Pennsylvania convicted comedian Bill Cosby on three counts of drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand in 2004–but it adds a hurdle.

Third, Ronaldo is far outside of the reach of the LVMPD, whose jurisdiction is the City of Las Vegas and Clark County. While the Extradition Clause of the U.S. Constitution (as found in Article IV, Section 2, Clause 2) obligates states to deliver fugitives to other states, the clause has no impact on other countries. Ronaldo can only be compelled to cooperate if a court where he is located mandates it.

While LVMPD officers obviously do not need Ronaldo’s cooperation in order to seek charges against him, their inability to speak with him could make it harder to assess the reliability of the accusation. Police would prefer to interview Ronaldo to determine whether his explanation seems believable and is logically consistent. They would also like to compare statements by Mayorga and Ronaldo and assess areas of discrepancies.

POSSIBLE REASONS FOR THE POLICE’S INTEREST IN A DNA SAMPLE—AND WHY RONALDO MIGHT NEVER HAVE TO PROVIDE ONE

A search warrant issued for Ronaldo’s DNA means that a Las Vegas court has approved a request by the LVMPD. A judge or magistrate has agreed with the police that there is probable cause to believe that a crime took place and that Ronaldo’s DNA is relevant evidence. This development also means there is a written affidavit, which is most likely sealed, setting forth evidence that supports the necessity of a search warrant for Ronaldo’s DNA.

A search warrant for Ronaldo’s DNA does not necessarily mean that law enforcement believes Ronaldo committed a crime. In fact, a DNA match might only corroborate what Ronaldo already acknowledges: that he had a sexual encounter with Mayorga. If the DNA doesn’t match, then Ronaldo’s defense would be bolstered. He and his attorneys would insist that Mayorga must have had sexual relations with at least one additional person, whom they would presumably blame for Mayorga’s injuries. From that lens, Ronaldo may have more to gain than to lose by supplying a DNA sample.

Nonetheless, Ronaldo’s attorneys might still be wary of their client turning over his DNA. For one, they could have privacy concerns about sharing Ronaldo’s DNA. While procedures for the taking, handling and movement of a DNA sample from Italy to Las Vegas would presumably be well-designed, there is always the possibility of a leak or breach. Ronaldo’s genetic information would likely be of high value. DNA results can reveal, among other sensitive things, an increased chance of developing certain diseases. For a marquee athlete such as Ronaldo, any insights as to his health and prognosis would be valuable to his employers, prospective employers, the betting community and media companies that profit from writing about him.

A DNA sample could also be used for other law enforcement purposes related to Ronaldo. Even if the DNA sample does not implicate him with respect to Mayorga, it could conceivably be shared by the LVMPD with other law enforcement entities that investigate Ronaldo.

For those reasons, Ronaldo might not voluntarily comply with a request to provide his DNA. This presents a procedural problem for the LVMPD since it lacks jurisdiction to execute the warrant in Turin, Italy. An Italian court would need to approve the warrant. In doing so, the Italian court would need to ensure that it adheres to Italian law for search warrants. In the U.S., a search warrant must satisfy privacy considerations set forth in the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and must also be filed in good faith by a law enforcement officer and be based on reliable information that supplies probable cause. In determining the lawfulness of the request, an Italian judge would instead refer to the Italian Constitution, which contains several privacy provisions, as well as to other Italian laws.

If Ronaldo’s attorneys object to the Las Vegas warrant, they will argue that the warrant does not comport with Italian law. They might also contend that the warrant is motivated by media sensationalism and by political opportunism on the part of American authorities to pursue a well-known foreign national.

IF RONALDO IS CHARGED WITH A CRIME, EXTRADITION LAW BECOMES RELEVANT

At this preliminary stage of the police’s investigation, there is no indication that Ronaldo will be charged with a crime. In fact, as explained above, there are several reasons to be skeptical that Ronaldo will face charges.

If, however, Ronaldo is charged, the next question would be whether he would travel to the U.S. He could voluntarily return to Las Vegas and defend himself, presumably with top attorneys at his side. Or he could take the more risk averse approach. If so, he would likely use every tool possible to avoid having to appear in the U.S.

This raises the issue of extradition. The U.S. has an extradition treaty with Italy and also one with Ronaldo’s home country, Portugal. Further, the U.S. and the European Union negotiated an extradition treaty in 2003. While these are detailed agreements, they expressly restrict the ability of one country to force a foreign national to enter its jurisdiction and stand trial. Most crucially, a country can only “force” a defendant to appear if a judge in the country in which the defendant is located approves the request. In other words, a Las Vegas judge can’t unilaterally compel Ronaldo to leave Italy and travel to the U.S. An Italian judge would also need to consent. Under the relevant extradition treaties, an offense is only extraditable if it punishable under the laws of both the requesting country and the requested country and if the maximum period of penalty exceeds one year (a sexual assault charge would qualify). Extradition requires other steps as well, including involvement by the U.S. State Department.

If charged with a crime, Ronaldo would presumably contest extradition. He would attempt to persuade an Italian judge that the charge is politically-motivated. Ronaldo would stress that the LVMPD investigated him in 2009 and took no action at that time. Being charged a decade after an already-investigated incident, Ronaldo would contend, more than coincidentally follows his accuser becoming a public figure. To that end, Ronaldo would note that the Clark County district attorney who would prosecute him is an elected official. Likewise, Ronaldo’s attorneys might assert that the same charge, if brought in Italy, would be time-barred under Italian law and thus should not be extraditable (the persuasiveness of that type of argument would depend on the severity of the charge and any relevant Italian statutes of limitation).

In the still-unlikely event that Ronaldo is criminally charged, and if he then refuses to appear in court, don’t expect him to be tried in absentia. Nevada law makes clear that a criminal defendant must be present at different points in the trial process (Italian law also disfavors trials in absentia, reasoning that that they violate a defendant’s right to a fair trial). Las Vegas prosecutors would need to wait out any extradition process.

[sage-nebula]

I choose Alan!

First impression:

I first became aware of Alan because someone posted a screencap of the end of one of the Ash and Alan episodes where the narrator was like, “but little did they know that the world is slowly sliding toward destruction” and the person captioned it with, “Not again, Alan” and I was like, “what do you mean ‘again’?!” So my first impression of him was that he had somehow ended the world at some previous point, and that made me go watch all the TSME episodes. (Of course, he didn’t, but this wouldn’t be the PokéAni fandom if it didn’t unjustly blame him for everything.)

Impression now:

HE’S MY VALIANT DRAGON SON AND I’LL DEFEND HIM ‘TIL MY DYING DAY.

Favorite moment:

Part of me wants to say the moment where he finally finds his voice and is able to stand up to Lysandre, given that Lysandre was his abuser and that was such a powerful moment for him.

But the more indulgent side of me says that it was the moment where he spent all of .01 seconds before he threw himself out of an aircraft, swinging down by rope in a piece of stunning animation, to go out on the ice and save Lizardon in TSME 3. Good god that was incredible.

Idea for a story:

Let’s see … in my Works in Progress folder I currently have:

- The sixth chapter of To Devour the Sun (he’s not actually in that chapter, but the story focuses on him primarily, and he’s mentioned a lot).

- Lizardon’s origin story, which is from Alan’s point-of-view and details how he found and hatched Lizardon’s egg.

- A fic where Alan, age eleven, gives a presentation at the annual League funding science conference (it has a more official name than that, I don’t remember) because Sycamore is too sick to do so, and if they don’t attend and do a good job at the conference, the lab will lose its funding. Note that Sycamore does not send Alan; Alan sends himself by enlisting Gabrielle (Sycamore’s garchomp) to cut the cord to Sycamore’s alarm clock.

- A fic where Alan, having newly become Champion, gives a speech / answers questions at his induction ceremony pertaining to what happened in the Flare arc and what his plans are for the future, showing how far he’s come in his recovery.

- A fic in my Immortality AU where Alan and Ash time travel thanks to Celebi shenanigans and interact with Sycamore during XY(&Z). Or at least, this used to be in my WIPs folder, but it was lost when my folder was mysteriously deleted a while ago, RIP. Anyway, I still have a bit of it saved in a draft, so you can have a snippet of it since all the rest was deleted:

“Alan, you can have Lizardon fly you down, can’t you?” Augustine asked, and he smiled as Alan looked over at him, eyes wide. “I saw on television that he had evolved. He should be able to carry you—maybe both of you, depending?”

Alan bit his lip, holding Augustine’s gaze for just a moment before he shook his head and turned away, facing the waterfall’s edge again. “No. I can’t call on Lizardon right now.”

Augustine frowned, his heart skipping an unpleasant beat in his chest. “Why not? Steven said he had healed after the incident in Hoenn. Was he wrong?”

“Steven?” Alan looked back, his brow scrunched in confusion, but before Augustine could answer the confusion cleared and he shook his head. “Oh, yeah—no, he was right. Lizardon recovered from that just fine.”

“Then why can’t he carry you?” Augustine asked. Alan didn’t answer, and instead shoved his hands into his coat pockets and started walking along the edge of the waterfall, down the slope that led along the bank. Ash cast a frown Augustine’s way before he turned and started to follow Alan. Augustine stared after the pair of them for a second—since when had Alan ever just walked away in the middle of a conversation like that?—before he started after himself, a knot of stress building in his chest. “Alan, what’s wrong with Lizardon?”

“Nothing’s wrong with Lizardon,” Alan said, and though he raised his voice to be heard, he didn’t look back. “Come on, there should be another path down over here.”

- A much longer fic involving an organization named Panacea that wants to take over the world, and is doing so by challenging each region’s Champion—and, further, is doing so by challenging them with people who have specifically trained to challenge them. In particular the starting fic had Alan’s antagonist, a woman named Florence, showing up in Isolé Village (where he lived the first five miserable years of his life), and Alan has to go there to chase her out. He encounters the villagers who “raised” him for the first time in seventeen years, and it goes … mmh. It goes.

And probably others, but I can’t remember them right now.

Unpopular opinion:

Oh boy, where do I begin.

- Alan deserved to win the League, full stop. I love Ash, but had Greninja beaten Lizardon it would have been the strongest show of plot armor imaginable. Mega Charizard X outclasses Battle Bond Greninja in every way, especially when ‘Zard X has Thunder Punch which, no, cannot be blocked by Water Shuriken, that is nonsense.

- Alan was not remotely responsible for what happened to Hari-san. Hari-san was able to wander off and become comatose due to Manon’s negligence as a trainer. That was in no way his fault and the fact that no one took the time to tell him that he doesn’t have to blame himself for everything is a crime.

- For that matter, Alan had every single right in the world to decide not to travel with Manon anymore, especially since she never asked to come with him in the first place, and instead just kept stalking him and ignoring his “no” until he gave in. Manon continuously ran roughshod over Alan’s boundaries, ignored his consent, argued with him when he explained his feelings in a way that completely ignored those feelings, and ultimately just had no respect for him as a person, instead only thinking about herself and what she got from their partnership (i.e. talking about how much she can learn and grow, saying she’ll get through danger as long as he protects her, et cetera). Frankly, the fact that it took so long for Alan to actually yell at her just goes to show how nice of a person he is. If it were me, I would have yelled like that back in TSME 1 (instead of just calling her annoying and continuously ditching her like he did).

- To that end, I think that Alan and Manon’s relationship as it is at the end of the series is pretty unhealthy, since Manon never once apologized or learned from any of her behavior (thus she stayed pretty static / will no doubt keep making the same mistakes again and again), and Alan now feels as if he can’t do anything that will upset her because that will make him a Horrible Awful Person Who’s Ruining Her Life. And I mean, we kind of already see this happen; in XYZ045, Alan does try to tell her that he doesn’t want to dance (and he looks seriously panicked and uncomfortable about it), but everyone, including Sycamore in a move that really disappointed me, pressures him to do it anyway. And what ends up happening? He gives in, and he’s not smiling during the dance scene, either. Honestly, that scene triggered me really badly because it brought up memories of times when my own boundaries and consent were completely railroaded—where I was explicitly told that what I wanted didn’t matter—and the resulting panic attack was so bad I got sick and had to bring it up with my therapist. Anyway, while I prefer to write their relationship post-canon as being healthy (at least with regards to Alan not giving into all of Manon’s whims), as it is in canon it has the potential to be so bad, and we’ve already seen that. It’s gross.

- To that end, imagining them romantically is also gross. I think it speaks to the heteronormativity of this fandom that they look at a fifteen-year-old boy and a ten-year-old girl (particularly one who acts like she’s eight) and think, “Hm, yes, this is true romantic love.” The maturity gap between them is palpable. Manon huffs and throws tantrums like a little kid. Alan has to watch over and take care of and protect her. Setting aside that their behavior is much more similar to that of siblings, the fact remains that they met at a stage in their lives where Manon looks to Alan for guidance and protection and Alan, however reluctantly, offers that. This sets the stage for how their relationship will continue to grow and develop. Speaking from experience, Alan’s not going to look at her one day and see a romantic interest. He’s going to still think of her as a kid. And again, I’m speaking from experience here; I know that my nephew is now almost eighteen years old, but when I think of him, I still imagine him as he was when he was a small child. I have step-cousins who are not blood related to me at all that I’ve known since they were small children, and it always blows my mind when I’m reminded that they’re now graduating high school and going off to college. I still think of them as kids, and Alan would be the same way with Manon. And even if one wanted to argue that wouldn’t stop Manon from having a precocious crush on Alan—and I agree, it wouldn’t—that doesn’t mean that Alan would (or should!) return her feelings. Again, she acts like (and in-universe is often compared to) Bonnie. She’s less mature than Ash, Serena, and Clemont, who are supposed to be her age contemporaries. Thinking that Alan would view her romantically makes him out to be really very gross, and I find it extraordinarily insulting to his character. (And again, in this case, even if you age them up it won’t work, because they met at a time when Alan had to be a caretaker for Manon. That makes it squicky.)

And before anyone comes at me — age gaps are NOT inherently bad. My own parents have a sixteen year age difference between them, so believe me, I’m NOT against age gaps as a whole. But when and how you meet (as in the context of your meeting) is important. My parents met when one was forty-six and the other was thirty. They were both adults, they had both been married and divorced before, they met on equal footing. Alan and Manon have not met at an equal footing, and they’ve met at very important developmental stages in their lives. Again, maturity is a HUGE part of it, because it’s the maturity gap that’s squickier than the age gap. If Manon had the maturity of, say, Ash I could see arguing for it, but as it stands she acts far more like Bonnie, and it’s squicky. This ship is a NOTP for me for so many reasons (including the above mentioned how Manon continuously ignores Alan’s consent and runs over his boundaries), and this is certainly one of them.

And last but not least: I know this is all blunt and harsh. I know this. But listen: In the past, when I’ve tiptoed around my feelings (either by writing very vague tags in a blank post that did not mention either Manon OR the ship by name), I’ve received hate for it. I’ve had people vagueblog me, I’ve had people send me rude messages, and I’ve had people yell at and block me for daring to politely voice my own opinions on my own posts when they brought the subject up (i.e. I made the post about something different entirely, they brought up Manon, I tried to state my opinion politely, they got mad and blocked me). So if tiptoeing around the situation and being diplomatic gets me hate anyway, why bother? I’ll be honest about how I feel, and how I feel is that I hate this ship, I think Manon should have been made to take responsibility for her behavior in canon, and her stans have made it incredibly hard for me to like her at all considering how they vilify Alan (or else just reduce him to her trophy boyfriend), constantly excuse everything she does, and resort to vagueblogging, rude messages, and yelling when they encounter anyone who doesn’t like her, no matter how polite or diplomatic they are about it. I still treat her fairly in the fics I write (i.e. I don’t vilify her, I write her as being successful in the future, et cetera), but at this point I’m done pretending outside of fic that this fandom hasn’t ruined her for me, because they absolutely have.

- I don’t think he should have immediately left on a journey again at the end of the series. I think he should have stayed at the lab instead, especially since Sycamore said that Alan was needed there. Alan should have stayed at the lab to rest, heal, and recover, and then later he should have taken the Champion challenge. That he was sent out on a journey again was super lazy writing.

- I also think that he should have been able to keep the Mega Stone and Key Stone, but repurposed into pendants by Sycamore, to give Alan a true fresh start and remove any taint that might have been on them. But that’s less important than all of the above.

Favorite relationship:

It’s a very close tie between his relationships with Lizardon and Sycamore, and an honorary mention to his relationship with Ash.

Alan and Lizardon are platonic soulmates and I love everything about their relationship. I love how Alan moves closer to Lizardon whenever he’s feeling nervous or anxious. I love how they talk to each other, and how Alan perfectly understands what Lizardon’s saying even when they just exchange looks. I love how Alan was willing to risk his life to protect Lizardon without a single thought. I love how Lizardon similarly shielded Alan during the Flare crisis to prevent him from getting hurt. I love how they respect each other so much, to the point where, in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it scene, Alan extends his hand toward Lizardon but waits until Lizardon moves in for petting and cuddling right after they win the League. Alan doesn’t just pet Lizardon, he waits for permission before he pets and cuddles Lizardon. Alan respects consent and boundaries, and doesn’t consider himself entitled to Lizardon cuddles just because he’s Lizardon’s trainer (sorry, partner). 

Alan and Sycamore also so incredibly sweet, and it’s a shame we didn’t get to see more of them in canon. Sycamore is Alan’s dad in everything but blood, and there’s so much in the show to point to this … and yet somehow, not enough. But I love how supportive Sycamore is of Alan, how understanding and loving he is, and likewise how Alan will do anything to protect Sycamore, given how Sycamore saved him when he was young. They’re precious.

Finally, honorable mention is to Alan and Ash, because they helped each other so much during Kalos and I honestly love the relationship they had. So many people are tied up in the “rivalry” that was hardly that, and it saddens me so much because they’re missing such quality content. Ash managed to make Alan smile, laugh, and feel excitement and happiness at a time when he was so critically depressed that he couldn’t. Post-canon, he gave Alan a reason to keep living, which Alan says himself saved him. (He also is the one who inspired Alan to fight back at the start of the Flare crisis, on Prism Tower.) Meanwhile, Alan was someone it was okay for Ash to lose against. Ash was put on such a pedestal throughout Kalos that losing was practically deemed unacceptable, and gave him a whole damn crisis around the Snowbelle City time. But Alan and Ash met when Alan and Lizardon were a pair of Big Damn Heroes (the light of the dawn behind them and everything) saving Pikachu from Team Rocket (and protecting Ash from their attacks!). From the get-go it was acknowledged that Alan was so strong that, if Ash lost against him, it was fine. It wasn’t seen as “shocking” like when Ash lost to Shouta. Alan was someone that Ash could just have fun battling against, without something serious riding on it. They have a natural comfort around each other, familiarity like you’d expect best friends to have. I really love their relationship, too.

Favorite headcanon:

Pretty much everything in all of my post-canon fics, haha, but I’m really attached to the matching pendants I gave Alan and Lizardon for their Key Stone and Mega Stone, respectively. (Or rather, that I had Sycamore give Alan and Lizardon, haha. But same thing, really.)

[winterverses]

Deleted Scene #7

Spock’s reaction to mind melding with Anne is one of the things I had to imply in the story rather than confront it head on, but it’s also one of the more interesting interactions that I couldn’t dig into deeply because of the restriction to two main characters. A lot of what goes through Spock’s head would never be confessed to anyone but Uhura, and I wanted to explore the kind of comfort level he would have with her that he doesn’t have with anyone else, even Kirk.

...oh yeah, @nikamakesart, @isanybodygettingthis, here you go...

Uhura squared her shoulders as she heard Spock enter her quarters. She’d long ago given him free access, and she had expected him tonight, but she wasn’t sure what she would find. This had all been so sudden. The mind meld with Hardesty would have been hard on him. Even from what little she knew, Hardesty had been subjected to torture, and a mind meld with her meant that Spock would experience that torture with her.

Taking a quiet, deep breath, she turned, braced for what she would see. Of course, he was as cold and emotionless as usual, his brows faintly frowning, his posture rigid and formal. Anything could be under that facade.

“How was it?” Uhura asked mildly. He’d come here, rather than inviting her to his quarters. He definitely wanted to talk.

“I experienced some discomfort,” Spock said, his tone just as neutral. “I have not yet eaten, however. Would you like to join me for a meal?”

He always asked, even after all these years. Uhura couldn’t help a smile. “Sure,” she said, walking toward her little table.

She let him order the food and bring it to them. Sometimes when he was upset, he picked Vulcan food, as if he needed the comfort. This time he did not. Spock brought a dish of matapa, some prawns in spicy peri-peri sauce, and some rice. Her favorites from home. As he set them down on the table, he said, “It did not go as planned. Ms. Hardesty was frantic about the need for the meld, and with good reason.” As he sat and dished out his food, he related the whole story to her-- how he’d gotten the messages, how everyone had assembled within moments, the discovery of the bomb and its removal, and the aftermath. As he did, Uhura made soft, encouraging comments. Sometimes it was hard to get him to talk, and she wanted to keep him going.

Once he’d finished, Uhura asked, “You’d said there was some discomfort?” She looked down at her plate, pretending to be absorbed in picking the shell off one of the prawns.

Luckily, his talkative streak held. “It… was reminiscent of one of my own unpleasant memories. The closest thing I can liken it to is the incident where I was trapped in the volcano. Oppressive forces crushing in on all sides, unsteady ground under my feet, the knowledge of imminent immolation. It is no surprise that she is so attached to the Captain; his presence keeps her memories at bay.”

“What about when he’s not there?” Uhura asked, concerned.

“Ms. Hardesty is used to it. Her mind will not approach those memories; I believe her dissociation is her mind’s attempt to protect her from them, to shield her from the damage they would cause.” Spock paused, then set down his fork, looking at Uhura. “Today we merely found the memory of the bomb being implanted. It was not particularly painful, taken on its own. Taken in the context of the situation, it is deeply unpleasant.”

Uhura could almost hear the words he wasn’t saying, and reached out to gently touch his hand. It triggered his telepathy, she knew, but she wanted him to really know that she meant what she said. “No one will blame you if you choose not to continue with the mind melds. We all know how severe this is, and how damaging it could be for you. I just want to remind you of that.”

Spock smiled faintly for the first time, turning his hand up to hold Uhura’s. “And leave her to remain trapped in that volcano because I did not wish to risk myself?” He shook his head, his smile widening just a little. “I assume this is some attempt at human humor.”

Uhura laughed, caught off guard by his joke. He only rarely made jokes, and never when he was with anyone else. Maybe Kirk. Maybe. “Fine, then. At least we have a Vulcan specialist on board now.”

“Dr. Hayes is indeed a great advantage. I have spoken with her regarding both my physical and mental wellbeing, and she has already promised to set aside time specifically for treatment of either, or both.”

Uhura knew he could feel her surprise, her hand still held in his. Seeing a therapist was indeed the most rational thing to do when faced with this situation. It was also very unaccustomed. Spock preferred to work out his problems on his own.

She didn’t have to voice it. “Dr. Hayes is well-versed in the physiology of the Vulcan brain. We did not have time today, but before the next mind meld we will have thorough scans done in case of any need for reconstruction or healing. Emotional damage to the brain is usually not severe if treated promptly, and part of the treatment is psychological. I will also have my own protections, though I will need to meditate more often to maintain them.”

Good. He was as protected as they could make him. Uhura couldn’t help wondering whether it was enough.

Again, she didn’t have to voice her concern. Spock said quietly, “I cannot depend on it, but I believe Ms. Hardesty is instinctively attempting to protect me as well. When we remember, I am part of her self, and she protects that as best as she can. It will be sufficient.”

“Good,” Uhura said aloud, squeezing his hand. “I wouldn’t want you to somehow lose the part of your brain that remembers me.” It was a joke. Sort of.

“That is impossible,” Spock said, his voice still soft and his eyes on hers, his lips faintly smiling. He leaned over and his lips met hers in a kiss, Uhura felt a tiny flare start in the pit of her stomach, the kiss leaving her breathless. Even after all these years, his touch did things to her that no one else had ever managed. Within moments, dinner was forgotten and she was in his arms, comforting and taking comfort, feeling his emotions alongside her own, her mind blending with his. After that, there was no uncertainty, no hesitation, no facade for either of them to push through. Those couldn’t exist in this beautiful closeness. There was nothing but the two of them, and for the moment that was what they both wanted.

[shouldwefall]

Nothing Like Us

The huge fight between you and Jungkook started off as a simple argument about how he never seemed to be home, and how he treated all your concerns for him as a joke. It began escalating when he, again, brushed off all your worries as overprotectiveness and clinginess.

It was infuriating to the point where you couldn’t stand to be breathing in the same room as him anymore, but damn was that boy slow. You increased the volume of your voice multiple times, before you finally lost it and proceeded to bellow on the top of your lungs. This wasn’t a game you wanted to play any longer.

It was when your throat started burning that you got some of your common sense back, and restrained from choosing the brash approach to handling the situation. You could tell Jungkook was utterly appalled by your unusual behavior; he’d always known you to be one of the most soft-spoken and calm figures in his life, and always thanked you for being so understanding with him.

You knew where this fight was heading, yet ignored the guilt gnawing away at your abdomen. How long could a sane person deal with the constant suspicion of being cast aside?

Jungkook quickly took note of the ceramic mug you were tightly grasping in your quivering right hand, sighed, and plopped down on one of the nearby chairs. He made himself comfortable on the velvet cushion, and placed a hand over his forehead.

He was pondering about something.

Your grip on the mug hardened.

The clock ticked by minute by minute, and your lover finally groaned, breaking the painful silence. He stood up from the chair and walked away from you, muttering the exact words you were bracing yourself to hear under his breath:

“Y/N... I’m sick and tired of you not trusting me. Let’s end this, okay? I can’t...”

He knew your hearing was spectacular.

Well.

This was no surprise.

Of course he wouldn’t stay, not after you told him about your constant paranoia of him leaving you. Your paranoia was rooted from the emotional abuse you received frequently from your ruthless aunt when you were a child, and you reminded him of it everyday when he sought after your attention.

Weren’t you deemed crazy by your last ex?

The main problem with this situation was that you thought he was different. You thought he was able to comprehend your feelings, that he understood whatever you didn’t wish to say aloud.

Your childhood was coming back to haunt you.

With tears brimming in your eyes, you nodded your head twice before rushing out the front door; not once, but twice, after you came to the realization that Jungkook would be gone from your side forever. There would be no more cuddle fests, no more picnic or movie dates, and no more seemingly endless video game sessions.

Your feet brought you to the nearest convenience store you could find, and with the three crinkled dollar bills you had in your jeans pocket, you bought yourself a Sprite, a bag of chips, and one steaming bowl of instant noodles. How much food would it take to fill up the empty void in your stomach?

You touched your throat.

How long had you been screaming?

How long ago did you lose your voice?

How long has it been ever since you left the only place you could call home, behind?

How could Jungkook do this to you? How could he be so cruel to mercilessly stomp on your heart? 

How could he leave you when you needed him the most?

🎵 lately i’ve been thinking, thinking ‘bout what we had 🎵

You’re scrolling through your phone a few months later, and your eyes drop down to a certain starred contact.

You haven’t deleted his number yet.

Despite everything books and movies had warned you about, despite the danger! red signals going off inside your brain, you knew you deeply missed Jeon Jungkook. You missed his bunny-toothed smiles, his loving caresses, and most of all, you missed his presence. You missed the feeling of safety when you passed through a dark alleyway, the feeling of him wrapping his arms around you to keep you warm, and most importantly, the feeling of being happy. You had lost everything.

Your everything.

Why did breaking up with him have to be so heartwrenching?

🎵 i know it was hard,  it was all that we knew, yeah 🎵

🎵 have you been drinkin’, to take all the pain away? 🎵

If your friends hadn’t forcibly dragged you out to meet the world weeks after to incident, to remind you that the grim reaper wasn’t ready to fetch you yet, the spark inside of you would’ve died completely. When you and Jungkook had broken it off, it was like you had lost a piece of yourself. You weren’t Y/N anymore, you were somebody else. Something else. You yearned for him to come back to you, to cry out for his loss, and to make you his one and only again.

It was a foolish, wistful dream.

🎵 i wish that i could give you what you deserve 🎵

Going out shopping alone had been a really bad idea.

A really, really bad one.

What were the chances of bumping into your ex, with another girl hanging off his arm? What were the chances of her being the most perfect person you’ve ever met? What were the chances of her actually making him happy?

It’s not like you’ve never made him smile. It’s not like you never made him laugh. It’s not like he’s never called you funny, or charming.

But this girl, this ethereal being standing next to him, must be a descandant from the goddess of jokes herself, because Jungkook wouldn’t stop letting out guffaws, and clutching his stomach in unbearable pain from the laughter. You’ve never seen him this happy before.

He deserved this kind of happiness, you thought.

But did you believe?

🎵 cause nothing could ever, ever replace you 🎵

🎵 nothing can make me feel like you do, yeah 🎵

🎵 you know there’s no one i can relate to 🎵

You’ve certainly met your fair share of cute and quirky guys after Jungkook left your life. A large portion of them were irresistibly handsome, all of them charismatic, and some of them highly intelligent. A few developed into serious crushes.

But that’s all they’ll ever be. A crush, a person whom you look forward to seeing everyday, but could survive without. You hated the idea of leading someone on, especially when you knew that another took up the majority of the space in your heart.

Dating was easy to you, but loving wasn’t.

Love reminded you of him.

It was absolute hell when you had to reject each and every one of your potential lovers because you knew you would compare them to Jungkook. The Jungkook who only had eyes for you. The Jungkook who was flawless in your book. The Jungkook that used to call you his love.

Jeon Jungkook, Jeon Jungkook, Jeon Jungkook. His name was like a chant- a spell casted specifically to bewitch you, a curse that would always hold your heart captive.

🎵 i know we won’t find a love that’s so true 🎵

Your days with him were the brightest moments in your life.

They were unforgettable memories, experiences, and you cherished them so much that you might as well be obsessing over the past.

You hated yourself for continuing to grasp onto that tiny strand of hope that he would come back for you.

🎵 there’s nothing like us 🎵

🎵 there’s nothing like you and me 🎵

🎵 together through the storm 🎵

hello everyone!

i’m the author of this short, song-based jungkook scenario that i wrote specifically for my darling mutual and best friend on tumblr...

@sassocrates!!

hello sweetie, i’m so sorry for the late birthday present!! this is probably one of the crappiest works you will ever set your sights upon but i did pour a lot of my effort into it; don’t be too harsh on me haha~

i hope you had a wonderful birthday, and spent it wisely with your loved ones~ thank you for being so kind and patient with me, and for gifting that pirate!jeonghan imagine for me! it was lovely, like every other one of your works and i enjoyed reading it very much <33 we need to collab sometime soon!~

for anyone wondering, this is a song by Justin Bieber that our golden maknae did a cover of. the song title, well, is the title of this story!

~word count: 1296

~time it took to write this: 4 days and a week to edit

[zerohourseraphim]

6/10 Role-Playing Game, JRPG Similar to – Star Ocean: ‘Til the End of Time or the earlier version(s) of The Last Hope $21 (PC and PS4), Varies (Xbox 360 and PS3)

          The Star Ocean series was, for a long time, in a small handful of titles that were uniquely my own. In my (relative) youth I did not differentiate between Western and Eastern RPGs. Looking back now I can see that JRPGs were my go-to genre. Legend of Legaia, Super Mario RPG, Breath of Fire, Final Fantasy, and Star Ocean laid the base for much of what I find comforting in gameplay. The PlayStation era gave me a lot of good memories. It was the first system I had at home and was able to play at length, to the chagrin of my mother.           Enix was a breed apart in game making. E.V.O.: Search for Eden, Illusion of Gaia, and Soul Blazer are standout in my memories. My issues of Nintendo Power containing walkthroughs of these games were read like bedtime story books. Star Ocean on the Super Famicom, never had an official release outside of Japan. From what I have been able to gather the mechanics were markedly different than the sequel. Star Ocean: The Second Story (SO2), made many improvements and is one of my favorite games of all time. I played it a LOT in my youth and was my first Enix title to play directly. The variety of characters, wholly real-time battles mixed with RPG elements, and Private Actions of the Star Ocean series were a welcome change of pace to all the turn-based titles I enjoyed. It is the first game that I played in which I fought in three dimensions (or perhaps 2.5 dimensions). I could watch for tells, manually evade some spells, and use tactics like pincer formations. Second Evolution, the PSP re-release, didn’t change much over the original. In fact, The Second Story was good enough to be the base template for both re-releases of the original and sequel.           When I first heard of the merger of Square and Enix I was excited. Admittedly my present views on the company’s products are mixed. Some games I loved. Kingdom Hearts has been charming. The new Tomb Raiders are well made. Heck, even some of the Final Fantasy titles have their charm. When it comes to Star Ocean however the Square-Enix offerings left me pining for my old favorite even more.

          My aim in buying this title is to help show there is a demand for the series on PC. Aside from that, there is much anguish in my future, even after having completed the game to review it.

          For those unfamiliar, I will be using these abbreviations rather than retyping the full titles each time.

          Star Ocean/:First Departure (SO1/PSP re-release)           Star Ocean: The Second Story/:Second Evolution (SO2/PSP re-release)           Star Ocean: ‘Til the End of Time (SO3)           Star Ocean: The Last Hope (SO4)           Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithfulness (SO5)

          There was a handheld title called Star Ocean: Blue Sphere, and a mobile title called Star Ocean: Anamnesis. But as I have not played these titles I will not be referencing them. The abbreviations I am using are widely held both to series die-hards and gamers-in-passing alike.

Story

          Humans have nearly annihilated themselves in World War III. The peoples of the nigh-uninhabitable Earth set their sights on the stars. During the maiden voyage of the Space Reconnaissance Force, the fleet is knocked out of warp by gravity eddies from a stray meteor. The resulting crash-landing still landed the expedition arrives on the target planet. Setting out from the Calnus, you are to meet up with the other crews and try to keep to your mission.

          Stakes are important to a story. Prequels don’t really have them because the story has to flow into a pre-established narrative. Retconning is a Sword of Damocles because if it is done once, it may happen again. I read a series of The Flash comics years ago. Much like the Flashpoint season on the CW series, there was an event that rewrote the world. And if it happens once, what is to stop it from some Deus Ex Machina being used again? To use another phrase from modern media, once something has jumped the shark and become too grandiose I lose interest.

          As such, you can imagine easily that I strongly dislike prequels. I am wary of reboots for similar reasons. I abhor the narrative of my fictions being invalidated. Star Ocean: ‘Til the End of Time (SO3) was a disappointing and infuriating insult. The fighting system was good. The music was, at times, the best in the series.

Star Ocean: ‘Til the End of Time (SO3) Spoiler Alert

          I know I play fiction. I know spending days or weeks with a single game is, to a degree, a waste. It doesn’t produce anything real in the world. It means a lot to me, or I wouldn’t spend so long with the medium. SO3 did exactly this. The big twist is that, Surprise! Our story takes place in a game played by Fourth Dimensional Beings. “The Ten Wise Men Incident”, the story behind SO2, is spoken about like it’s an MMO expansion. Some loved it. Some hated it. People ask “Where were you when the Lacuer Hope was fired?” Many people in the present age may appreciate the meta-commentary. I did not. In one fell swoop, it jarred me out of my suspension of disbelief and permanently lowered the stakes of the whole series. If an MMO gets deleted, will it ever be exactly the same? No. But can it be rebuilt? Indeed it can.

          As such the game goes from “Save the Universe” to “Stop the CEO from deleting your game/world.” If I make a game and my characters come out of the game with their powers intact, I think it would be insane to not delete the world. At the very least, I would opt for a Legacy Server of sorts and let it run itself. But the whole story spiraled out of control because the world was destroyed in the end. As such… no more Star Ocean. This has led The Last Hope and Integrity and Faithfulness to both be set before End of Time. But it is hard to be invested in The Last Hope. Why?

          Because I know I am playing a game.

          I knew, coming into Star Ocean: The Last Hope (SO4), I’d be dealing with a prequel by the nature of the previous game. If the practice of prequels existed pre-Star Wars it was not widespread. Since then nearly every franchise has found prequels acceptable, normally to incongruent result. As of yet, Star Ocean has not been backed into so much of a corner to require a full reboot. For that I am thankful. I have not had the fortune of being able to play Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithfulness (SO5). I know that SO4 is not the literal last hope of the franchise. Hopefully, some improvements have been made.

Characters

          Ordinarily, I do not touch on characters unless something stands out about them. Unfortunately, much like the story, the characters do not stand up well. There is only one I remember clearly, and he’s a bad guy.

          You meet Tamiel on Roak. Look at him. I do not think telling you he is a bad guy is much of a spoiler. He has passion, expression, and is almost instinctually motivated. He has a task he is to accomplish but gets caught up in the joys of life. He’s a jerk, and a tough fight without a doubt. He is, by far, the most driven character in the game.

          This title continues the tradition of what I would call “stellar misfits” being grouped together. However, the ties that bind this group lack vitality. The characters had flimsy motivations for setting off together. I am just going to go down the list of main characters and give you what pulls them along. Oddly, they are developed more via their battle personas. Oft times, the characters I like the most to play are the dreariest to deal with outside of combat.

Edge Maverick

          No, this is not a code name. He is not some elite soldier with a hidden past. He doesn’t have amnesia. He isn’t hiding from the government. He’s not some revolutionary. He’s just a kid who has trained to be a starship pilot. His father is Arnold Maverick, making Maverick a surname. Edge is named as such because his parents chose this (if we are thinking in-world).

          “That’s a little heavy-handed,” you may say. Well, it’s better than Fayt Leingod (pronounced Fate Line-God in canon voice acting). Yep. That is the actual name of SO3’s forerunning character. They’re even designed similarly.

Fayt Leingod – SO3

Edge Maverick – SO4

          Messy hair, strange bulky greaves, sword slung on the hip to be pulled out from the right side. Now, spoiler alert, protagonist Fayt is special. It makes sense to some degree to have such an ostentatious name. But Edge, however? With no indication that he would even survive his genetic manipulation? Who names their child Edge?

          Anime parents, that’s who. Apparently.

          Anyhow, this is your main character, and that is why he is a part of your party for the whole game. He’s not at all offensive. I suppose that keeps him being relatable. He is fairly well balanced on the combat front the whole way through, learning some basic magic. Emergency mending will help keep you Healer(s) in good condition from afar without dipping into your item stores.

  Reimi Saionji

          Childhood friend and adopted sister of Edge. Followed along when Edge joined the Space Reconnaissance Force (SRF). When Edge is sent out to explore Aeos, Reimi goes along of her own volition.

          Mechanically, she is my go-to fighter. With her move set, she can hit any enemy at any location in the field in a variety of ways. As a character, however, she is painful to watch. She is the love interest and eye candy. For instance, here is her first on-screen moment in the game.

          Edge and Reimi have the advantage of dressing like main characters. They get to be unique and pop. Everyone else in the SRF wears neck-to-toe white body armor. Edge’s attire looks pieced together from the armor. And, as a member of an exploratory force, it is sensible. Reimi, for whatever reason, is a Futuristic Schoolgirl In SPAAAAAAAAaaaaace Heels. She is a long range combatant. She is an archer. Why, when running on unknown planets, would you opt for heels? Because of fan service.

Obviously.

Faize Sheifa Beleth

          As the story picks up, you are met by an extraterrestrial. Even before the shock wears off you are thrust into your first boss battle. Faize has a fanboy level of admiration for Edge. While ordered by his superiors, he likely would have needed to be told to not follow Edge.

          I never use Faize. Edge is a better fighter, and better casters come along. I let the computer handle him.

          Character-wise, he’s exceedingly passive. I don’t know why. The other members of his race seem to have some personality. He is on the extreme side of the spectrum, a character that I dislike that is also useless more or less. He willingly plays second fiddle to Edge.

Lymle Lemuri Phi

          After you earn the revamped Calnus, you set off to the planet Lemuris. In the first village, you are mistaken for gods, your ship having landed from the skies a small jaunt away. Here, you are entreated to help cure a sickness turning people into stone. As you speak to a village elder his granddaughter bursts in, greets her grandfather, draws a rune, then heads out to find a Symbol to cure the sickness. Edge goes along with her. Later, when Edge and the crew leave the planet, Lymle comes with.

          I would call Lymle a combat mage. All of her battle skills are fire oriented and most use her familiar, Cerberus. That’s the creature in the above picture as she shows off how well behaved he is. Aside from this, she has some healing spells and a great many attack spells. She is wonderfully versatile.

          As a character, however, she is a little bland. This is explained in her backstory at one point. Lymle, by far, is the most endearing to me. As emotion is not fully expressed the graphics do well for this, her character coming through in the quality of the writing and voice acting. I have cared for children before, and some of their expressions remind me of Lymle. But, she may not sit so well with everyone.

          Blandness is a persistent condition with the characters that you haven’t seen the last of.  

Bacchus D-79

          After being captured and later jailed, Bacchus comes to the rescue. Through a wall. With an arm cannon.

          Bacchus gets points for style.

          He continues with the party after a jailbreak as they seem aligned with defeating the Grigori. His aim is to deliver Edge and his friends to En II.

          Bacchus has a large number of unique moves. His hit points are high, allowing him to tank through a number of instances if he has adequate healing. I have found more use for him in the post game.

          Again, we have a character that is a bit on the cold side emotionally. His dry and direct speech, at the very least, give the youngsters of the group something to chase down. He moves the story along, and I am thankful for that. In his current body, only his spine, brain, and bits of his face are what remains of his fleshy form. Still, I find him to be more emotive and earnest than Faize. That, and useful in a fight.

Meracle Chamlotte

          Crashing on an unknown world, you are charged with rescuing another alien. With no one having any idea who she is or where she comes from, she sticks with you.

          Meracle is a callback in and of herself to Pericci from the original Star Ocean. Both are Lesser Fellpool, able to turn into cats, and have a penchant for proficiency for ocarina piping. Both are fairly high energy and gregarious. She is by far the most expressive character in the cast. Whereas Tamiel is sadistic, Meracle is cheerful and playful. She is also the easiest to “read”. Having animal traits not only excuses some oddities but her tail and ears all for more visual cues to her emotions. Even though she is prone to a chipper perma-smirk, more information comes across when she is sad or dejected.As far as combat goes, I hear she is a powerful character. However, I have not used her much as of yet.

Myuria Tionysus

          Myuria bumps into the party a few times throughout the story. She is in pursuit of a man named Crowe. When she ascertains that Crowe, Reimi, and Edge all belong to the SRF (and are in fact childhood friends), she “joins” your party with the expressed purpose of killing Crowe.

          As a character, there is little I can say without actually spoiling her part of the story. She seems to be a callback to Celine Jules from Star Ocean 2. The overall archetype seems to be “Sexy Symbologist”.

Celine Jules – SO2

Myuria Tionysus – SO4

          Heels, symbological tattoos on the legs, floating ring decorations, and even the color schemes of the attire are similar. It wouldn’t be something I had much of a problem with if the cultures they hail from weren’t so different. I’m not even going to go into the fanservice light that shines onto Myuria. It’s just way to easy. Let it be said that too many serious screenshots I chose not to use due to digital side boob and upskirt shots.

          As said, Myuria is another Symbologist. I would say she is more specialized in the aggressive aspects. One of her strongest techniques rains lightning down over the entire field. Reminiscent of a particular Celestial I am not looking forward to dealing with again.

  Sarah Jerand

          After touching down on a nearby planet for repairs, a shout from an alley causes the party to investigate. After liberating Sarah from her captors, she does Edge and the gang a favorable turn. However, she is captured once more, and again rescued. Afterwards, she accompanies the party due to little more than idle curiosity.

          Sarah is absentminded and never expresses herself in any way except with a wistful sing-song. Her aforementioned call for help actually confuses the party because it lacks all panic and urgency. Her absent-mindedness leads her to emote critical disasters with the same worry as one would have if they didn’t pack extra socks in a travel bag. At one point Lymle and Meracle have to pull her aside and explain to her the gravity of a universe ending situation. For fans of the series, you will recognize that she is a Featherfolk and in fact the ancestor of two party members in the original title. Even so, she is not very compelling.

          That said, she is the poster child for useful characters. I find her to be unrivaled as a healer. Her AI keeps her away from enemies, she supports only when HP is near full, and attacks from afar only when everything else is taken care of. Her evasion is insanely effective, and can often keep foes from harming her until a more frontline member can make it to her.

Arumat P. Thanatos

          At one point, the Calnus is recalled to Aeos. Communication has been lost with the expedition base. You are charged to investigate. After exploring the newly opened territory, an ambush is thwarted with the help of Arumat. Knowing the location of the disturbances’ source, he joins your party.

          Arumat is a powerhouse, coming to the party with stats normally well above anything you possess at the time. He is the only character I have used as a replacement to Edge casually, though I normally have the both of them on the front line. He keeps to the trend of being hard to relate within the story. Why? Because, to borrow an internet colloquialism, Arumat is a bit of an edge lord.

          As you can see he is tall, pale, scantily clad for a man, and wields a laser scythe as his weapon of choice second only to his bad attitude. He is covered in scars. And he refers to himself in the third person as “Death Himself”. Thanatos, his supposedly alien surname, is Greek for “death”.  In scattered research for this review, I read that Arumat is an anagram for “trauma” in English of all languages.

          He simply reeks of effort. Additionally, he comes along so late in the game that his character development feels shoehorned in. As such, a character that should be brooding is oddly open and warms up to the crew fast.

          Oddly, with that exceedingly strained name, I’ve brought myself full circle. These are your playable characters. My problems with the characters are how wooden and sluggish they feel. They reside in a  weird spot in the Uncanny Valley. They are obviously stylized but are still fairly realistic in tone, proportion, presentation. The aim was to evoke humanity and this just makes what they missed off-putting, even though I can’t put my finger on what it is.

          Citing Square-Enix history again, many protagonists have had a “setting”. Take Final Fantasy XIII. Lightning is stoic, Snow is optimistic, and Sazh tends to be tired though he has an easy smile. They rarely fall out of these modes. The Kingdom Hearts series tends to work better with variation because the human characters have to work with Disney characters, so they are more cartoon-like. This causes the brain to excuse oddities as they need to fit stylistically with Mickey and the Gang which are obviously not human to begin with. There is not a kind way to say this. I watched a show called Thunderbolt Fantasy. This is a show done with puppets. I find the puppets to be more emotive and less wooden than the CGI of both SO3 and SO4. The characters in both games are, for the most part, two dimensional.

          I could go on. Really. I could. The short of it is, I do not come to this game for the engrossing characters.

          Dare I say it, the afore-threatened Crowe would have been a much more empowered protagonist, I think. Edge is more or less following in Crowe’s wake much of the game. And then he shows up like this.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

          If your hero is saved by a guy taking sniper shots with a laser rifle, dual wielding laser swords, and backed up by the guy wielding a custom laser scythe, you may not be following the right character around.

  Theming

          I have gone on and on about the elements of the recent titles that have irked me. I think I can boil down my qualms into two distinct salty grains.

Directly with this title, the pre-established elements of the Star Ocean franchise were not upheld.

Indirectly to this title, Star Ocean: ‘Til the End of Time did not leave much of a franchise to build off of.

          As much as I am knocking and spoiling it, Star Ocean: ‘Til the End of Time had a compelling story with some interesting points. However, some of the twists made me step back from the game in frustration. The story got too big and backed the franchise into a corner. Some might applaud the meta-commentary of the Fourth Dimension. I do not. I do find it strange that even though the universe was “freed”, we haven’t gotten any stories set after SO3. The stakes are reduced for me because I know that no matter how grand, the world is on strings.

          I digress. The only thing holding The Last Hope up story wise is the fact that it is a Star Ocean title. However, the tent poles it snatches from the other games in the numerous callbacks seem to me to only serve to bring down the rest of the series as a whole. At the end of the game, nothing is particularly added to the series. The characters saved Earth, yes. However, as with any prequel, they had to. Much of what goes on smacks the rest of the series in the face.

          To some degree, I can see some elements for what they are: Mirroring. Hearkening back to Star Wars, the movies follow beats culminating in an overarching “rhyme scheme”. Luke, Anakin, and Rey are all easily able to apply the use of the Force. A revered mentor has died in all the first movies as well. The problem with SO4 is that the mirroring was of future events, and proved problematic to the Star Ocean story overall.

          The first callback is more or less benign. The last three major titles in the series have all had an occurrence of a male, Earthborn protagonist finding themselves stranded on a less advanced world. At this point, it has become a bit of an in-series trope. I will be surprised if SO5 does not include it somehow.

          The next is a fairly major balk and echoes the whole of the Star Ocean series up until this point. This is the making of enhanced organisms. In the first game, the ambient villain and surprise endgame boss were both genetically enhanced superhumans. The Muah, your typical long-lost and highly intelligent proto-race, created Asmodeus and Jie Revorse as templates to survive on the inhospitable world called Fargett. In the sequel, The Ten Wise Men are living weapons and your primary antagonists. And for the third game Symbological Genetics ware a big taboo. Symbology is the term used for magic in the Star Ocean universe. By imprinting magical sigils in the correct ways onto and into DNA a trio of the protagonists gained multi- and trans-dimensional abilities. The troubles in much of the first half of the game were due to an advanced alien culture pursuing these characters and just about taking Earth hostage to do it. It culminated in, and I say this with no exaggeration, the targeted destruction of many advanced societies and the eventual deletion of all creation as it was known when prior methods failed.

Mark of the Muah

          As such, for the fourth game to have a trio of protagonists being infused with Muah (callbacks to Star Ocean and SO2’s spin-off Blue Sphere) genetic influence to survive an unlivable World War III ravaged Earth was incongruent. Genetic manipulation has been the core action that led to global, interplanetary, galactic, and universal genocide in every major title to this series up through the games I played. I will give a pass on not knowing if you’ll ever make a prequel when you write a story. The change of tone is still confusing.

          If you place the stories chronologically, it makes a little sense. Maybe Earthlings were okay with genetic manipulation, but it became taboo after the events of Star Oceans 1 and 2. That would be sensible. But that has not been the overarching tone in the series. And once Edge finds out he isn’t shocked, taken aback, or offended. He has no response. But in SO3, it was hashed out. This is why I think the story aspects of this game coast on being a Star Ocean game, and don’t rely on giving us any new information.

  Roak from space

            Moving on, Roak is the planet that the majority of the original Star Ocean title took part on. My memory of playing First Departure is not too good having only played it once. However, player character Ashlay Bernbeldt makes a “return” as the colosseum champion in SO4. Lias Warren, the father to another player character Cyrus Warren, is seen in this game as a leader of knights. Again, I will give a pass to not knowing about writing a prequel some fifteen years later. Even so, I am thinking that a second group of strangely armed, armored, and trained individuals would raise some suspicion especially amongst those who fought against and with the first group even if it happened decades apart. The timing of SO4 also places events of this game and the original dangerously close together.

          I have likened Star Ocean to Star Trek. Frame it as a long form “What If” story of an Away Mission that goes awry and I think you’ll understand what I mean. Star Ocean has The Pangalactic Federation touting The Underdeveloped Planet Preservation Pact (UP3). This is comparable to The Federation in Star Trek with their Prime Directive. Granted, in this story, there is no Pangalactic Federation and no UP3. Still, Edge has the Calnus land in plain sight of the village of Triom when you touch down on Lemuris. There is no sanctioning body to come down on him, and I might be influenced by a lifetime of science fiction, but that just seems foolish. He did learn and touched down further away the next time.

          Each world is dutifully crafted. Each area ties into the last creating the variation you’d expect from singular planets. Each individual section has its own vibrancy. The settings from planets, temples, and spaceships are all wonderful to look at. Square-Enix still makes wonderful digital vistas. However, much of the Magical Industry I came to enjoy regarding Star Ocean is absent because it is a prequel. Uses of Rune- and Symbol -ogies barely even exist yet. It leaves it in much more of a sci-fi with magic setting with little of the “own-ness” Star Ocean cultivated.

Mechanics

          Does this game have any redeeming qualities? Did I find anything enjoyable? I am happy to say “yes”. Otherwise, it would not have been worth purchasing a second time and replaying.

          I know. I’m just as surprised as you are at this point. Honestly, I didn’t know I had this much bile churning regarding this series. I guess I only like the earlier games.

Combat

          The combat is more fast-paced than it has ever been. The real-time battles are just as accessible with simple attacks as they were in SO2. Chain Combos are present, and introduced early, allowing you to link together your most powerful techniques in a number of strategic ways. Adding another layer of strategy, all characters have the ability to Blindside enemies. Doing so will give you an opportunity to get behind enemies and strike their weak points if any are available atop normal critical hits that open up. This is of massive import in boss battles.

          Additionally, a system known as BEAT (Battle Enhancement Attribute Type) has three variants providing different bonuses: Pure Stats (N – Neutral), Blindsides (S – Strike), and Rush Combos (B – Burst). Bonuses grow as each branch is leveled up, which happens as players are in the active party. Neutral only raises stats, and these are tied to the characters’ Strike and Burst levels.

Beat: N

          Strike focuses on improving the already formidable Blindsides. These are most useful for frontline fighters and perhaps any character you control.

Beat: S

          Burst tends to benefit your backline and AI controlled characters. Rush Mode allows characters to wade through many attacks unhindered, and Beat: B helps this mode last longer. Sometimes victory comes down to a healer out of Rush Mode or casting a critical curing spell while it is active.

Beat: B

          These aspects are all well designed. Depending upon your play style and the necessity of a particular battle, these elements can enhance your effectiveness. Many of these settings, including move load outs can be changed mid-battle to heighten effectiveness. There is yet another use of the Rush Gauge and Chain Combos.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

          Rush Combos combine these two innovations are a wholly different animal. They let your team unleash Chain Combo setups free of other resources. While you may lose any area of effect from your attacks, you can pump out major damage to even the mightiest of foes.

          While special moves and spells no longer gain power through repeated usage, they can be improved with SP. This is built up per person as they level up and for the whole party from opening chests, gathering materials, and completing quests. Do you keep skills primed for combat or do you focus on making enemy drops easier and more lucrative? That choice is yours.

          I am happy that the combat opened back up to allow four combatants again. Many challenges from the previous title came from using three rather than four people. Returning to this game in earnest after a four-year hiatus from the 360 version let me get right back into it, and it was satisfying.

Item Creation

          Square-Enix made an unpopular decision after the original release of The Last Hope. A crafting oversight known as “The Overflow Trick” was a well-documented exploit. This allowed weapons, armor, and accessories to be imbued with factors that made the post-game bosses much easier. A simple reversal of how Factors were set up rendered this Trick moot. I think this was solely done with Gabriel Celeste and the Ethereal Queen in mind. Still, they are no slouches. They both come with two amped up forms each. In spite of what even I thought this change doesn’t increase grinding as much as one would think. The techniques the player base cultivated still work, and all the boosts are good boosts. To their credit, the crafting system this go-round is much further in the realm of sanity than in SO3.

(I’ve harped on that game enough. I will not do so anymore. Today at least.)

          All crafted items come from recipes. Sometimes these are in chests, come as quest rewards, or are simply handed to you. The lions’ share of recipes need to be made by your party members. The in-game tutorial will tell you all you need to get started. If you max characters crafting to 10 before you start, all the possible recipes will be available per every character combination used. These two elements are about all you need to keep track of. Once discovered, the recipes are saved and can be used at any time. Crafting always succeeds, so don’t worry about losing materials from failures.

  The game is so kind that sometimes you get free goods.

            The battles and preparation for them are where this title shine. It’s all about the fights. It’s a shame the context is so lackluster.

Replay Value

          One of my biggest complaints with RPGs is that time is not respected or simply flat-out wasted. Chrono Trigger was one of the first games I remember having some form of New Game Plus functionality. It was satisfying to play the game once, set it down, and come back to relive the story with all the gear you collected. You could try fighting Lavos at each ending juncture fresh or wait until your party was more seasoned in additional playthroughs. Even with as popular as Chrono Trigger was, New Game Plus did not become a staple in Square’s games. Chrono Cross, Final Fantasy X-2, and Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII are the only Square and Square Enix titles I can think of with this design in mind. While not the most robust, there are a few ways in which your efforts can be permanently rewarded in Star Ocean: The Last Hope.

          The two biggest “rewards” from completing enough battle trophies are raising the level cap and granting extra CP. As many of the greatest equipment augments work via percentages, having another 55 levels added to you can mean an awful lot regarding base survivability. The extra CP, points which let you set skills for battle, may not be a large boon end game but will certainly make the going easier for new games. Three more points would have let you set the ultimate moves for “free”, so I am again a bit vexed at this design choice.

          Even these rewards are offset by the nature of the Trophies. For instance, two characters need to kill 30,000 enemies each. These kills must happen in a single playthrough. While you do keep Battle Trophies independently, kill counts are unique. Earning the 15,000 enemies killed trophy will not credit you that number on even a new game with persistent data. You will have to start that over again. Some battle trophies are just luck, such as ‘Leave an enemy with X HP’. And, since Synthesis was turned down the ‘Inflict 99,999 Damage’ trophies are that much more tricky to potentially obtain.

          Achievements/Trophies are ubiquitous with gaming these days. I would not say that this game has the hardest to earn, but they are certainly some of the most time-consuming. You’ll likely clock in hundreds of active hours if you aim to earn everything. Star Ocean: The Last Hope relies heavily on external save data for these processes. Whenever you use a save point (a key fact to remember) several Collections will update and will not have to be earned again. If you are achievement hunting you’ll want to be mindful of this, as some parts are missable. I have found this list comprehensive to single play through completion, outside of Private Actions/Endings. Guides abound on such an old title so you can find all the help you need. Aside from the achievements specifically requiring you to beat the game on higher difficulties, all the battle trophies and other collections can be gained even on the easiest level, much unlike the previous game. Still, you should play on the default difficulty level first to unlock the next one up. Earth difficulty is likely more for a final mop up of Battle Trophies and achievements.

          To end on a positive, also included in the external data is a section dedicated to Monsters. Attached to most every foe is a percentage bar. Reaching 100% will allow you to fill a “Monster Jewel” with the data. These can grant a shortcut to some very powerful bonuses, both to use and to migrate into other items. This progress is retained file to file and can be used anywhere once completed. For instance, killing the requisite number of Metal Scumbags post-game will let you make a Fol (currency) 25%+ even on new games.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Closing

            If you are a fan of the combat in the Star Ocean series and have no other systems, you can’t go wrong with Star Ocean: The Last Hope. However, if you are looking for a good story or are highly attached to the ongoing narrative established in other games in the series, this title can be skipped. It pains me to say that. This game is kinder to players, in some ways than ‘Til the End of Time was. The sound quality holds up, and the visual quality is markedly better than the 360 version. On these points, Square-Enix did an excellent job. Even I, who genuinely cares little about graphical fidelity, am appreciating the difference in graphic presentation. It is with integrity and faithfulness that my last hope is met by Square-Enix and the rest of the Star Ocean franchise is brought to the PC.

A long-form review of the re-release of Star Ocean: The Last Hope. 6/10 Role-Playing Game, JRPG Similar to - Star Ocean: 'Til the End of Time or the earlier version(s) of The Last Hope…

[howtodeleteicloudaccount-blog]

How to Easily Free Up iCloud Storage Space

When Apple introduced iCloud in 2011, it announced that every customer with an Apple ID would receive 5GB of iCloud storage space for free. You can add more storage at a rate of $2 per gigabyte per year, in 10GB, 20GB, or 50GB increments. But if you’re not interested in ponying up extra cash for iCloud storage, that 5GB can quickly get tight.

That’s especially true if you use your iCloud storage allotment to back up your iOS devices. Some Apple customers find that they’re unable to back up both an iPad and iPhone to iCloud, because they don't have enough room. Does that mean you need to either pay for more storage or revert to old-fashioned iTunes backups?

Not necessarily. Instead, it means you need to exercise a little extra manual control over how you send items—and more specifically, what you send—to iCloud for safekeeping.

Related: How to Delete iCloud Account Without Password

Once more unto the Settings app

To start, open the Settings app on one of your iOS devices, and then tap iCloud. Scroll down and tap Storage & Backup. On the screen that appears, you’ll see the total amount of storage space you have on iCloud (5GB, if you haven’t upgraded), along with the amount of space that's still unused. Beneath that is a Manage Storage button. Tap it.

At the top of the subsequent Manage Storage screen, you’ll see a list of all the iOS devices that you’re backing up to iCloud, including the current device. Examine the list closely. If it claims that you’re still backing up, say, the old iPhone 3GS that you haven’t used since before House was cancelled, you’ll want to delete its backup so that it stops gobbling up your precious storage space. Tap the unneeded device’s name, and then tap the red Delete Backup button that appears.

If you instead tap the name of the device you’re currently using, you reach a screen offering fine control over the precise items you’re backing up for that device.

The role of the Camera Roll

On that screen, you’ll see the current size of your device’s backup, along with an estimate of how large your next backup will be. Below that, you'll see a list of apps that can back up their data to iCloud. With one exception, the list appears in descending order according to the amount of space each app requires to back up its data in iCloud. The one exception: Camera Roll is always first. It isn't always the biggest item on the list, but it often is; for example, my own iPhone’s Camera Roll accounts for 1.1GB of the phone’s 1.7GB backup.

Tapping to turn off the Camera Roll brings up an intimidating question: 'Do you want to turn off Camera Roll backups and delete the backup data from iCloud?' You can choose Turn Off & Delete or Cancel. That first option is scary. If you think it means you'll lose your precious photos and videos, don't worry: You won't—or, rather, you probably won't.

By default, iCloud backs up your iOS devices’ Camera Rolls. That way, if your iPhone croaks, chokes, or otherwise gives up the ghost, you can restore from iCloud and get all your photos and videos back. If you do tap Turn Off & Delete, then, you aren't deleting those visual memories from your device; rather, you’re simply freeing up the iCloud backup space they consume, and removing the ability to restore those photos from iCloud should disaster strike your iOS device.

That isn't necessarily as risky a move as it sounds. Whenever you connect your iOS device to your Mac, you can back up its saved photos and videos to iPhoto. But even if you rarely—or never—sync your iOS devices over USB, you probably don’t need iCloud to back up your photos, thanks to Photo Stream, which keeps up to 1000 of the last photos you snapped over the past 30 days. Since the iCloud Camera Roll backup is really there only in case of emergency, and you’re likely to note a major emergency involving your iOS device in fewer than 30 days, you can generally trust that your photos are safe even if they’re not backed up to iCloud directly. (Photo Stream photos don’t count against your 5GB iCloud quota.)

Merely turning off the Camera Roll backup will shave off a significant chunk of your iOS devices’ backups. That may be enough to allow you to back up all of your iOS devices without busting the 5GB cap. But you can do even more.

Trim the app fat

Depending on how you use your iOS device, you likely will want to continue allowing some apps to back up their data to iCloud. If you frequently create documents in an iOS text editor, create songs in GarageBand, or generate any content at all, and you don’t regularly back it up (or export it in some other fashion), you should use iCloud backup for those apps.

But you probably don’t need to use iCloud to back up data from many other apps you use. And even if most of those apps account for only a few megabytes per backup per app, they can add up to a significant chunk of storage. For example, you might disable iBooks’ iCloud backup, since you can always restore your iBooks purchases from directly within the iBookstore. You probably don’t need to back up whatever data is stored by games for your kids, or games for yourself in which you don’t care about in-game progress or customizations that you might have made. And for apps that sync and back up their data on the Web—such as Instapaper—backup might be unnecessary, too.

Careful, though: Don’t turn things off willy-nilly. For example, you might think, “Hey, I don’t need to back up my data from the Cards app!” And you may well be right. But if you were to learn that, after an iCloud restore, your old photo cards were now but a memory, you'd be crushed.

Documents, data, and mail

At long last, let’s back up one level from that device-specific screen in iCloud’s settings. (Remember, though, to configure the settings for Camera Roll and other apps on each iOS device you back up.) On the main Manage Storage screen, past the list of your devices, you’ll see two other sections: Documents & Data and Mail.

The Documents & Data section refers not to the kind of content iCloud should back up, exactly; instead it refers to all those bits of data that iCloud syncs between your iOS devices (and, in some cases, your computer). This data counts against your iCloud storage allotment.

Interestingly enough, this section of iCloud’s settings can even refer to data that you saved only on your Mac. In my case, it revealed several megabytes' worth of content I’d saved in Preview while exploring; deleting those old, unneeded documents freed up a little extra iCloud space.

In addition, this section lists synced data from iCloud-leveraging apps and games. On my iPhone, that list includes Pages, Passbook, Keynote, and The Incident. I want my progress in The Incident synced between devices, and the sync data consumes just a single kilobyte, so it survives the cut. But if, for example, you see that Pages is taking up many megs (or more), you can tap it to get a listing of each document saved there, along with the amount of space it’s taking up. If you notice files you no longer need, clean ’em out.

If you use iCloud as your primary email account, you may have your work cut out for you: All that mail counts against your iCloud quota. If you don’t regularly archive email offline, prune attachments, and delete what’s deletable, Mail may gobble up an increasingly large percentage of your iCloud quota. I don’t use iCloud Mail, but I found that it was—at first—claiming about 20MB of storage space. I logged in to iCloud.com and cleared out my initial welcome message and a few other test messages to whittle that number down, though it never hit zero: I do use my iCloud account for syncing Notes between devices, and that data counts against the Mail tally, too.

Freedom can be free

Combine these tricks—disable Camera Roll backups, curate which apps get to back up their data to iCloud, limit what types of data you sync with iCloud, and prune unneeded iCloud mail—and you can dramatically shrink the space required to back up your devices with iCloud.