#like some people are so angry about this theory gaining popularity

[prisoner-000]

Honestly having cat out for almost a week now and seeing all the theories... some of the feedback to a lot of Kazui LGBT theories feels downright homophobic 😭 I get that it can get annoying to see only 1 theory pop up over and over but if you have THIS MUCH of a problem with people reading him as a queer character you have to look back at yourself and think for a second. Why does this make you so angry???

It's not like people are saying he's gay so he HAS TO be innocent. Milgram is about deciding whether YOU want to vote forgiven vs. not forgiven, and that decision is entirely yours to make!!

You can still interpret this character however you want. Nothing has changed! But stop being mad at people for reading this character as gay/aroallo/bi and so on. Some of you sound like 2000s 4chan users being mad at "gaywashing" characters.

[phoenixlionme]

Carmilla and Vaggie Related Theories

I've seen a popular fan theory that Vaggie and Carmilla might actually be related, specifically a long-lost mother-daughter. And I'm here for it. I mean this seems like an obvious hint like with Vaggie being a former Exorcist Angel. And I'm here to share my own reasons for why I think them being related is a strong possibility. Though, if it happens to be a mislead, I still think they're best bros.

Their distant duet together when Carmilla makes her first appearance hints at a connection and I don't mean their future mentor/mentee bond in the 7th episode. For all the duets we've seen, they've been between people who have some sort of personal connection with each other - Vox and Alastor are bitter rivals; Charlie and Lucifer are an estranged father and daughter now rebuilding their bond; Charlie and Vaggie are committed and loving girlfriends. So, why does Vaggie and Carmilla get a duet before even meeting one another? Because their bond is going to be explored in Season 2.

Following from my last point, their bond being explored more makes sense. We saw Carmilla smile in pride when she heard of the Hotel's victory, clearly thinking of Vaggie. Plus, the Vees are going to be bigger antagonists, and their targets are Charlie, Lucifer, Alastor, and Carmilla (at least, the ones I remember), and Velvette especially dislikes Carmilla. So, I think a Velvette/Vaggie rivalry (maybe even Velvette developing a villainous and possessive romantic interest in the latter as it parallels Vox's one-sided crush on Alastor and Valentino's abusiveness to Angel Dust). And what better way for them to interact than through Carmilla.

They have similar personalities - Both are serious, emotionally guarded woman who are very protective over their respective loved ones. They both manage, at different times, to check Alastor's ego. And both show a softer side towards the people they love. And another subtle thing I've noticed - both speak in Spanish when angry (Vaggie with Alastor; Carmilla with Velvette).

Just how similar their designs are with similar grey skin, similar (though not completely identical) eyes, and long hair. And throughout "Out for Love", whenever Vaggie matches Carmilla's pose, their resemblance gets even stronger. It's almost like Ms. Viv is saying, "Look. Look. They're mother and daughter".

Following from #4, how can they look so similar but still be distinct. Two possibilities - One, if they're related, Vaggie took more after the father but still gained a few things from Carmilla; Two, since Vaggie is an Angel, it wouldn't be so out there that her Angelic qualities made her look slightly different than her supposed family who ended up in Hell, thus gaining demonic qualities.

Also, Vaggie share a subtle indicator of being related to Carmilla - Vaggie's shoulder sleeves (?; I don't know what they're called) are similar to Carmilla's literal white arms.

When Carmilla is first introduced, she has a similar role to Vaggie's - leading a group on how to make sure their respective business doesn't fail.

We still don't know the FULL extent of Vaggie's past. Yes, we know she's an exorcist but it's still ambiguous if she's Heaven born or a mortal who died, went to heaven, and recruited into being an Exorcist. Some things may have changed since the pilot, but I strongly believe that the crew is leaving Vaggie's full origins a secret until season 2 comes.

Both songs that Carmilla is in features Vaggie. And both songs speak directly or indirectly about her parental love to her daughters.

If this bit of info is still true, according to Fautisse (?), Vaggie is a great dance. And Carmilla has a ballet motif and uses dance as a fighting technique. Possible connection.

Similar to Lucifer and Charlie, where we see the former's wings when with his daughter during both of the songs from "Dad Beat Dad", Carmilla is able to help Vaggie regrow her wings during her song in "Hello, Rosie!"

Another thematic connection between the two - the use of angelic weapons. Carmilla has an entire business of procuring and making them while Vaggie is the only Hazbin resident to use an angelic weapon from the start (which largely hinted at her past Angel Exorcist past).

Something funnier but during a cast interview, both the VAs of Vaggie and Carmilla describe their respective characters the same way - "Bad Ass Bitch". See here.

And those are my thoughts. If anyone has other thoughts, please add on but be respectful.

[jazz-my-soul]

Lucifer ( A VERY LONG READ)

Honestly, i feel like Lucifer made a huge impact on me and i like the idea of his characther.

However, i would like to talk more about him.

Firstly, he has six wings especially "red wings", so that mean's that he must be a Seraphim. I can be very wrong with that, since i'm not sure myself however, we do need to keep in mind that Seraphim's are the being's closest to god itself (however, the question if god exists in hazbin hotel's universe is still uncertain, or perhaps there is a council of Seraphim's or something similar to it, we don't know even know if Lucifer siblings will be present (however that does depend on which version of Lucifer we are going for). He has been described as a trickster and a dreamer, he has fallen in love deeply with Lilith and they gave the apple of knowledge to Eve and they were punished for their sin's and casted into hell itself.

That being said, they are some people that theorized that Lucifer's true form is a six winged duck, which i do believe is wrong because we do see him turn into an a snake when he gives an apple to Eve (and his demonic apperance also resembles a snake (aka eyes, his tounge). In some scenes with Al, he also growel's and you can kinda hear hissing. I would also like to say that i don't believe that Lucifer and Lilith are divorced, poor guy is just depressed because his wife dissapeared into the thin air, and he MAYBE is afraid that she left him (but it was pointed out that Lucifer and Lilith are madly in love with each other). Issue more araises that he already became depressed when heaven made his dream's into a mockery. He was literally hell-bound into giving humanity free will and because he broke the rule and gave Eve an apple of knowledge, he was casted out into hell where he would see what would become of his dream. His world overpopulated by sinner's who are psyhopath's, sex addicts, abusers, most of the time, well very bad people. That already crushed his spirits and of course, with him and his followers (aka other sins) being twisted and turned into demonic version of themselfs, his only hope and pride were his daughter and his wife. That is the only thing which made him happy, and his daughter loved his little projects, i believe he makes ducks because his little daughter smiled when she saw one.

I don't know how much of the intro of the first epizode was true(as much as i would like to believe that the story which Lucifer told Charlie was true (and perhaps, there is truth in it but there are also white lies in it as well, we know nothing about Eve and what happened to her, Lilith face was in a shadow in a flashback and we do have to acceot that he is after all a sin of pride itself). We do know that Lucifer know's more about heaven but that being said, he is also the sin of the pride. As much, he is a goofy and loving dad, his pride is the reason why he lost contact with his daughter. He is to afraid to make the first move and too prideful to admit that he need's company and that he is lonely and is extremly desperate to be part of Charlie's life. Ever since his wife left somewhere (and i feel like she probably told him that she will be gone for a while, or she left him a message) it still hurted him and he most likely didn't know how to approach Charlie, so he locked himself and created and hoarded ducks. He also avoided meeting with the Adam and send Charlie in his place, you could feel that he loves her and everytime when he chooses the wrong dialog and his daughter get's hurt or little bit angry at him, he feel's so small and hopeless. A popular and ongoing theory is that Al is chained to Lilith, and i do believe that is true. Perhaps he is send there to protect the hotel and keep eye on Charlie (either he lost the fight or failed manipilation against Liltih, or they both made a deal wtih each other (he protect's the hotel and keep's an eye on Charlie and in the return he keep's his power or gain's something more). Also Lucifer's and Al's dad battle was very fun to watch. Of course, it hurted his pride to see that Charlie already found somebody who was that close to her and managed to replace his role of a father to Charlie, however, i personally don't believe that Al see's Charlie as his daughter (he MIGHT bond with her more into later seasons but he called her his wannabe daughter and gave himself the role of the parent, because he KNOW'S which words sting Lucifer's prideful soul and Lucifer also know's how to rile up Alistor when he called him an "Hazbin" and when he was smug about the fact that Al was in the end of the day, just a other psyhopatic sinner and he poked Charlie around with that information, basically telling her "I told you so".

(Also i love these card's, kinda forgot to mention how menacing and (kinda cute) Lucifer is, it is kinda suprising to me how through the epizode's he really manage's to look like an angel and a demon in the same time, he either look's soft or sharp and both at the same time).

Some people pointed out that the last song was a bit rushed and didn't really felt earned for them both to reconnect with each other but i didn't hated it. I do agree that the epizode's felt a bit rushed, it is hard to have a normal healthy season when there is only 8 epizode's (i do hope they will be more in later seasons, or that perhaps they will be 40 mins long, instead of 24 mins). And i do understans the points of it being rushed and i do agree that it does feel rushed, perhaps i feel like we needed more time to see their bond to make it more impactful but again perhaps they were on the time crunch but i did liked the dialog between them. Luficer was so desperate to finally be with his daughter and when Charlie told him "Why dosen't my own father believe in me", it just crushed him. I don't think Charlie got manipulated by Al for 100% but i do feel like, she really felt like a daughter who just wanted that her father didn't pointed that what she is trying to do will lead in faliure, because she wanted to make her parents dream come true. With them talking with each other and seeing just how desperate Lucifer is to protect her and is afraid of losing her but at the same time he does really see her for a person who she became to be. Also another mystery is how be is still able to have an contact with heaven, he clearly has some connection because heaven ALLOWED Charlie to go there so even if Lucifer isn't allowed to come, there are still some angel's who are willing to hear him out or accept his request. Either that be his sibiling's, perhaps his father, maybe friends?.

Charlie is also tehnically an half angel as well, so i do feel like she actually will need to flaunt that fact as well to heaven. I do hope that we see more of Lucifer later on. I was just so suprised by how well he is voice acted as well. I did had my doubts when i heard an sneak peak of the song but listening to the song, the voice actor's vocal range, he is a perfect fit. Also a small thing which i would also like to see, is that we will probably see Lucifer be more intimidating, but i feel like he only does that to the people who hurt Charlie or who just cross his line but again, love him. I want to see more of him and his relationshop with Charlie and Lilith!.

Perhaps, IF WE MIGHT SEE Lucifer and heaven (aka Sera, his siblings, other ange's (if he has them) and such being in good graces again (which will take SEASON'S for it to even be possible). I would like that they call him by his real name which is Samael (because that was his original name).

Sorry for the long post but as being said, i just loved his characther. I remember when people theorized what kind of father he will be and it was very different then it actually became.

[4seasonsofart]

Why people love S1 Vinland Saga and hate S2 (A Theory)

There's something special about War Arc Thorfinn for so many people. I've heard a lot of discourse about Season 2 and how it doesn't have enough action. About how Thorfinn is lame now because he's only farming. (etc... etc...) I still think you're a loser and lack media literacy if you hate Season 2 just because it doesn't have 'enough action'. Although, I think there is a deeper reason why the transition between Arcs and Seasons feels so monumental here.

Change, life and death, and the passing of time are all bittersweet things for many people. A lot of people fear these things, and the transition between Season 1 and Season 2 has a lot of them. Thorfinn becomes empty, Canute is now a king, and so many of the major characters that we grew up with are now dead for the sake of Thorfinn's development.

We also have the passing of generational trauma and how our characters deal with it. It felt like Thorfinn was an angry little kitten, and now he is a depressed and then enlightened man. It can cause whiplash. A sense of loss. A sense of sadness within us. Many people regress when faced with such things. Which is why Season 2 can feel jarring to most.

We once had something full of action, and now we have nothing. There are a lot of people on their journey to healing. So many people still have their internalized hatred and emotions within them. Which is why they connect with how broken and conflicted Thorfinn is in Season 1. So many people can relate to him. That anger. That pain. That wanting to hurt everyone who hurt you.

It's relatable. It's healing in a way.

Then we have Thorfinn in Season 2, who is beginning to heal. Who is depressed. Who learns to love and gains a friend. For a lot of people, that causes a conflicting feeling inside. Why am I not there? Why can't that be me? Why does that cause me to feel this way? It can trigger a bad reaction or a need to regress to how things used to be.

People are so used to being broken... that they are scared to heal. The anger and pain is the only thing they've ever known. So they relate and love Season 1 Thorfinn. 'He's so me fr fr.'

It's different, and it hurts to see people (even fictional characters) grow and change so drastically. We also have a sub-culture of anime enthusiasts who just like themeless fighting and large explosions of color. So people who like just seeing dramatic fights and bland storylines won't like this. They are used to the 'main character being angry, then defeating a monster, then winning, and then getting angry again.' This is the cycle that continues through many (in my opinion) poorly written manga and books.

Manga like Vinland Saga, Vagabond, and Berserk (etc...) offer a deeper and more gut-wrenching approach to this. They focus on the characters and the themes more than baseline action and intrigue. That's why treasured pieces of literature have such small fanbases. We live in a society that prioritizes 'fast food' intake of content with little substance or meaning. People just want to see something pretty and not think about it. Which is a side effect of many people's addiction to TikTok.

Which pains me but also makes me happy. I like the Vinland Saga fan base; I like that it's small. I can't help but feel a little protective over fictional characters because this story has meant so much to me and my own personal growth. We've seen what happens when themeless and quite bland animes get really large fan bases. (My Hero Academia, for example.) I don't want the message of this story to be lost because people so easily write it off for not filling their dopamine hits.

So from people's own trauma and connections to Season 1 Thorfinn to substanceless media being popularized, it isn't a surprise that many people just write off Season 2. No, it isn't the same as Season 1, but that isn't a bad thing. Want more Season 1 Thorfinn? Intake fanfiction or art created by fans, or make some of your own. You are not limited to only what is shown on your screen or in the manga. That's the great thing about fan bases and fan-made things. It's your interpretation of the character. It's both the original creators and yours.

Just be decent and try to have some media literacy. To all of the 'Incels', 'beta males', and rage baiters who try to hate on this masterpiece- go back to your fanservice animes with poorly written female characters and unneeded nudity.

I didn't know how to really get my thoughts out correctly while writing this, so I hope everyone who reads it understands what I am trying to say.

[d3m0l1t10n-lvrs]

SO I JUST SAW THE FNAF MOVIE AND I WANNA TALK ABOUT IT!! SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT

UGH HOLY FUCKING SHIT!!!!!! I LOVED IT!!!!! THERE'S SO MANY DETAILS AND REFERENCES TO THE GAMES AND FANDOM!!!!

ALso MattPatt said "that's just a theory" and it made me laugh way harder than it should have lol. I'm so sad Markiplier wasn't in the movie!!! Ik it's because he was working on Iron lung, but he was such a huge part of FNAF gaining popularity! You can't have FNAF without him! Hopefully if there's another movie he'll be in it

ALSO SPARKY THE DOG BECAME CANON?????? THAT WAS SUCH A FUCKING SHOCK!!!

Also also, there was a scene where Freddy bit someone's head and so many people in the theater went "WAS THAT THE BITE OF 87????" it was fucking amazing

Also there was a scene where Mike watches an old VHS of an employee training video, and it went all glitchy and stuff. That was cool and creepy! I wish there were more scenes like that!

THEY ALSO PLAYED THE LIVING TOMBSTONE AT THE CREDITS!!! HELL YEAH

Also Abbey is autistic and I'm CORRECT and you KNOW I'm correct

I was hoping for more gore but it was rated pg-13 so eh

Also the scene where the animatronics build a fort with Abbey was so cute lol

Idk how I felt about the animatronics being humanized a bit more! It made them really seem like just kids stuck in animatronic suits, but also, I like the idea of the kids being angry and killing machines

Also the timeline of this is a bit weird! It seems to take place in the mid-late 90's or early 2000's, but Vanessa was in Security Breach, which takes place way in the future. But also this Vanessa acts different from SB Vanessa, so maybe they're different Vanessas?

Also apparently William has another daughter lolz

This actually makes me think, is the movie a different thing from the games? Like how the books have different lore? Because some things don't line up. Like why didn't Vanessa talk about Evan or Charlotte? Also why was she being so secretive in the first place??? Like bro you waited until a kid was about to be killed to tell the truth. Instead of telling the truth she threatened to shoot Mike?? Like that isn't very officerly of you, Ma'am. That's actually such a serious threat, like couldn't she lose her job of get demoted for that?

Anyway, the movie was an 8/10, a must watch if you've been a fan since the beginning! Tbh a must watch if you're a newer fan, too!

[myrskytuuli]

What if Striker was an antihero with redeemable qualities in an au?

That would be really cool and interesting AU.

Now that you brought up Striker, I'm going to use this ask as a springboard to ramble a little bit. I find it interesting that Striker got a pretty popular fandom characterisation of a working-class hero fighting against the establishment after his introduction, and then the backlash that resulted when he made his second appearance didn't line up with that fandom characterisation, because if you look at Striker's character in every episode, it doesn't actually change.

In the Harvest Moon Festival, Striker immediately starts bullying Moxxie, for no good reason, expect that he is servile and fragile. I would assume that Moxxie hits a lot of stereotypes of what many higher class demons think of Imps, as they are the disposable servant class, and Striker seems to find someone who isn't better than the stereotypes as a justified target for abuse. Then of course his pitch for Blitz: "we could be the most dangerous beings in hell". What he values more than anything is being the biggest and baddest person in any room. Striker in that episode is someone who is very open about being proud of being better than other imps. "You and I are superior to most of our kind". This isn't a man who is angry that the caste system exists, this is a man who is angry that he isn't on top of the caste system. He's not mad that imps are treated like dirt, he's mad that he is being treated like an imp.

Western Energy is completely in line with this motivation. The conceit and the self-hype and the explosive anger that the world around him doesn't treat him like he believes he should be treated.

And in Oops we see the disdain he has for imps like Fizzarolli, who in his eyes, are so weak that they have to latch themselves to someone more powerful to survive. And he is fully ready to kill Fizzarolli out of spite for the crime of needing the patronage of a high class demon to make it in this world. Both Moxxie and Fizzarolli (in his eyes) are people who are not good at violence and try to solve conflicts with appeasement, and he is so ready to be the boot that stamps them down.

Now, this is getting into theory time, but I wonder if the fact that he is very clearly some kind of hybrid plays a role in this. I don't find it impossible that he might even be a royal bastard himself. I could very well see him being a result of some royal snake fooling around and then getting rid of their embarassing imp affair, leaving behind a child who both has had royalty take everything away from him, but at the same time deep down feels like he should also be entitled to the status that the royals have.

But that's all just my own thoughts and theories. As for AU where Striker gets to be a hero, there could be a lot of ways one could go about it. And I personally think that the angle I would start exploring that would be by tackling Striker's tendency to put himself on a pedestal that also prevents him from having any actual positive relationships.

Ironically, he's such a badass that if he didn't treat those around him like he does, he could easily gain all the respect he desires by using all that badassery to help and protect other imps.

But of course in canon, he doesn't care about gaining respect of imps, because why would he care what those lower than him think. The respect of those weaker than him means nothing to him. But it would be interesting to think how he could arrive to a point where that changes.

[beevean]

I see a lot of fan art for Charlie x Alastor

I see a lot of fan art for Lucifer x Alastor

But I rarely see any fan art of Charlie X Vaggie lmao

(I know it's because Charlie and Vaggie's dynamic is bland compared to the other ones but I still find it funny)

What's with stories always making the main couple so boring and formulaic?

Multiple factors, I'd wager.

in HH's case in particular, Alastor is the most popular character in the show, and therefore the most shipped. This goes way back to the days of the pilot, where Radiodust gained a lot of traction despite Alastor and Angel only having one interaction, and it was Angel jokingly proposing to suck Alastor's dick lmao. Anyway, dude is nowadays shipped with... pretty much the entirety of the main cast except Velvette and Valentino lmao.

With very few exceptions, M/M and M/F ships tend to be more popular than F/F ships. There has been infinite discourse about this disparity, and I can't tell you exactly why, you draw your own conclusions.

Charlie and Vaggie are an already established couple, and have a very healthy, stable relationship with only a few hiccups, including the very big reveal that Vaggie hid her nature from Charlie, but the rushed pace of the season made them get over it quickly. From a representation standpoint, this is pretty good, it's nice to have a very normal lesbian couple not treated any differently. From a shipping standpoint, it's boring lmao. There's no conflict nor a journey to follow like in the case of Huskerdust.

Vaggie was also toned down from the pilot, possibly because some people criticized her as a stereotypical angry Latina - now she's just grumpy, as well as out of focus, and no one song shared with Carmilla is not enough. Not a good way to endear your character.

However, in theory, one could elaborate on those hiccups. Vaggie is basically Charlie's guard dog, and she admits in one episode that she ties her selfworth around being able to make her happy, but when you look at their interactions, Vaggie doesn't seem to ever be on board with Charlie, creating fiction. You can even see the hint of a power imbalance, which is always appealing for shipping. Then there is, of course, the reveal, that could shake their relationship even further and make them go on a journey to learn how to trust each other. Now, why won't many fans think of this? Well...

I don't go there so I don't have personal experience myself, but stereotypically, F/F shippers tend to favor sugary scenarios. I hear all the time how female characters are only allowed to be cute and hold hands, and never be as twisted and edgy as many, many M/M ships :P so the potential of making Chaggie a bit "spicier" to fix the shortcomings of the show is hardly explored. And even if it is...

... Charlastor is right there. Charlastor, with Alastor happily helping Charlie but hiding his own nefarious agenda. Charlastor, with Alastor teasing Charlie in a much more playful way, even touching her. Charlastor, with the two genuinely, openly trusting each other, Charlie with her feelings in general and Alastor with his ultra powerful mic and believing in her potential. Charlastor, that ended with Alastor breaking down about a deal that constrains him and is implied to be the very reason he's serving Charlie in the first place. Even if Alastor wasn't the fandom blorbo, no shit Charlie is much more shipped with this guy! The dynamic is much more unique and is bound to go somewhere!

Main couples don't have to be boring. For example, no one ever dared to break Rupphire apart because they were just that lovable together, both in Garnet form and separated: they had chemistry, we saw how we got closer, we saw them argue for a whole episode, we saw them being openly affectionate towards each other. Chaggie in my opinion is just another victim of HH's rushed, unfocused pace, that left poor Vaggie in the dust and reduced her to Charlie's grumpy but loyal gf.

(now don't ask me why Radioapple got so popular lmao. I don't get it. I guess Hell's Greatest Dad slaps that much)

[therubymuse]

Election Theory

Well, it’s just after 1AM. 

The election hasn’t been called yet. CTV signed off at midnight following four hours of election coverage, with the NDP holding 46 seats, the Conservatives 45, and the Greens 2. A majority requires 47 seats. There are still 8 ridings where the race is down to a few hundred votes. In Juan de Fuca - Malahat, the NDP lead with twenty three votes. Surrey City Centre the NDP leads with 96 votes. With only 119 ballots to flip both ridings, Rustad is within spitting distance of forming government. With much hand counting and mail in votes still to tabulate, it’s anyone’s race. 

I cannot begin to describe how disappointed and how angry I am with the people with whom I share this province. Conservative voters made up 43% of the popular vote. I have lived here almost all my life, and I have never seen us take such pride in ignorance. The Conservatives ran candidates who believed COVID19 wasn’t real, who made racist and transphobic remarks online and in interviews, and even some who believed Trump had the 2020 election stolen from him. None of that appears to have been a dealbreaker for voters, or, perhaps they are viewpoints they wish to see championed.

Canada is only an election cycle to two behind the US, and when I look south, I see our community in terrible disarray and pain. My sisters are dying. They’re being denied health care and HRT even if they’re adults. Texas is actively going through name and gender marker changes and forcibly reversing them, denying that trans people effectively exist at all. I see girls like me losing their homes, their jobs, their families. And they’re turning to suicide because they don’t see a way out. Because the pain of having something they have fought so hard for taken away is just too much to ask them to bear. I have cried a great many tears bearing witness to their pain. When I see the seemingly unstoppable march of populism and fascism in my province, I worry that I’m going to be next. Eight years ago, we made a mistake. We laughed at these people. We didn’t take it seriously. We supposed they would give it up and go home, that the dinosaurs would die out, and that this was only a temporary setback for queer people. But it hasn’t been anything like that. Eight years on, their movement has swelled and gained momentum and become increasingly violent and dangerous, and our has largely failed to meet the threats trans people face in western societies with concrete action of any kind. What I realized tonight is we need a change. Activists are burnt the fuck out; we pour so much of ourselves into defending our community that there is no energy left to look after it. Old-world queer organizations are failing us by not speaking out and not getting angry over the injustices we face. People demand that we protest as politely and as peacefully as possible while every day violence systemic and physical is directed at my trans family. Appealing to the good in people is no longer working; you tell a transphobe a story about trans women horribly disfigured in acid attacks or from being set fire to and they laugh in your face. We need new ways of protecting our communities, our rights, and our continued survival. And maybe that means getting a little violent sometimes. Never violence against other people, like the transphobes inflict upon us, but violence against the state and violence against property should not be overlooked as methods for achieving our ends. There is no longer any point in performative respectability; these folks are going to call us groomers and pedophiles whether or not we set a few trash cans on fire. Historically, France has an excellent record of black block protesters using controlled violence to achieve their ends. Perhaps thats where we need to go too. I’m signing off for a few days. I need a break from social media and I’m fucking exhausted after waiting weeks for an answer to this and not getting one. I need to recharge and refresh. When I return, I want to engage all activists I’m in contact with and figure out where you’re at, what you feel needs doing, and how we’re going to do it. Because I refuse to become a fucking statistic. I have mourned the dead, and now we’ll fight like hell for the living. In solidarity. 

[maaarine]

Why Does He Do That? Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men (Lundy Bancroft, 2002)

“If abusiveness were the product of childhood emotional injury, abusers could overcome their problem through psychotherapy. 

But it is virtually unheard of for an abusive man to make substantial and lasting changes in his pattern of abusiveness as a result of therapy. 

He may work through other emotional difficulties, he may gain insight into himself, but his behavior continues. 

In fact it typically gets worse, as he uses therapy to develop new excuses for his behavior, more sophisticated arguments to prove that his partner is mentally unstable, and more creative ways to make her feel responsible for his emotional distress. 

Abusive men are sometimes masters of the hard-luck story, and may find that accounts of childhood abuse are one of the best ways to pull heartstrings. 

For some abusive men, the blame-the-childhood approach has an additional reason for being appealing: By focusing on what his mother did wrong, he gets to blame a woman for his mistreatment of women. 

This explanation can also appeal to the abused woman herself, since it makes sense out of his behavior and gives her someone safe to be angry at—since getting angry at him always seems to blow up in her face. 

The wider society, and the field of psychology in particular, has often jumped on this bandwagon instead of confronting the hard questions that partner abuse raises. 

Abuse of women by men is so rampant that, unless people can somehow make it women’s own fault, they are forced to take on a number of uncomfortable questions about men and about much of male thinking. 

So it may seem easier to just lay the problem at the feet of the man’s mother? 

My clients who have participated extensively in therapy or substance-abuse recovery programs sometimes sound like therapists themselves—and a few actually have been—as they adopt the terms of popular psychology or textbook theory. 

One client used to try to lure me into intellectual debates with comments such as, “Well, your group follows a cognitive-behavioral model, which has been shown to have limitations for addressing a problem as deep as this one.” 

An abusive man who is adept in the language of feelings can make his partner feel crazy by turning each argument into a therapy session in which he puts her reactions under a microscope and assigns himself the role of “helping” her. 

He may, for example, “explain” to her the emotional issues she needs to work through, or analyze her reasons for “mistakenly” believing that he is mistreating her. 

An abusive man may embellish his childhood suffering once he discovers that it helps him escape responsibility. (…)

Therapy focuses on the man’s feelings and gives him empathy and support, no matter how unreasonable the attitudes that are giving rise to those feelings.

An abuser program, on the other hand, focuses on his thinking.

The feelings that the abuser program discusses are primarily his partner’s and his children’s, not his. (…)

Therapy typically will not address any of the central causes of abusiveness, including entitlement, coercive control, disrespect, superiority, selfishness, or victim blaming.

An abuser program is expected to cover all of these issues and in fact to make them its primary focus.”

[butwhatifidothis]

I'm not trying to police what you do. Its your damn blog, do what you want. I'm not your dad/mom/creator, I hold no power over you.

I get that the fic is garbage. But at the end of the day its FANfiction. It doesn't hold any weight. More to the point, yes you COULD ignore it. Rather easily! I didn't even know the damn fic existed before you brought it to my attention. And PLEASE tell me how Captain is a "cornerstone" outside of the fact they write a shitty fanfiction thats sort of popular among ao3 fanfic people.

More to the point...have your posts actually affected the fic outside of getting people to read it out of curiousity.

I mean not to be mean or nothin' but you literally came over to me and told me to stop reading the fic, kinda sounds like you were tryna police me lmao

But to get to your point, sure, I could ignore it, but that's not the issue. It's not "The specific words that appear in this fic are what I and others can't get away from," it's "The horrible meta commentary and character portrayals in this fic are what I and others can't get away from." This author is where Teacher Theory comes from. He's where the idea that Rhea and Dimitri are these angry crazy people who can't be reasoned with comes from. He's where the "Edelgard is a poor broken victim and everyone else is wrong" idea comes from. He's where the idea of Fodlan only gaining true peace on CF comes from. He's where the idea of Faerghus being an allegory for toxic masculinity comes from, and from that where the idea that Dimitri's arc is "really" about overcoming said toxic masculinity. These takes - that have gotten people harassed for not agreeing with, mind - and plenty of others either originate from him and this fic or are popularized by him and this fic.

And ya want me to tell ya how Cap'n's a cornerstone? Sure.

This is from a document that was made by someone who has made semi-popular meta posts, for the specific purpose of compiling meta posts for people to gain an easy "understanding" of the game. Here is this person straight up saying that yes, Cap'n is a large inspiration for how many others view Edelgard, and by proxy the other characters who interact with her as well as the story, plot, lore, and themes of 3H.

For this fic specifically, which does appear in this document:

This fanfiction is being shown off as genuine analysis while having all the shit I listed off in that other post in it. Cap'n's analysis is widely known and popular, getting hundreds of upvotes and comments agreeing with his inaccurate, shitty version of 3H and with his inaccurate and shitty takes being known across large portions of the fandom. Like I said, he of course ain't the only one, but he's a damn big influence in the 3H fandom, with his takes still being held as canon despite them being wrong as fuck.

And I dunno! Probably fuckin' not! I wasn't out here in some selfless mission trying to right Cap'n's wrongs and have him see the error of his ways or some shit, I just wanted to go over this influential fic to see how bad it is since it's impacted the fandom so much. I just ended up with shit that was way worse than I thought it'd be, hence me still criticizing it. The most I personally know that my notes have done is have me and others realize just how genuinely terrible Cap'n's takes are/fic is and how troubling it is that this has what has gotten popular in the 3H fandom. It's one to think know that this shit is bad, and another entirely to actually see just how bad it is.

Like, Rhea being creepy? Shown as the objective, unambiguous villain? Portrayed as unreasonable? That is not easily escapable - that is rampant all across 3H fanfiction as well as all over the fandom itself. You will have fics just randomly shit on Rhea for no reason, write her as this evil witch with no good in her, in fics that don't have her as an important character. You will have fanartists draw her executing poor thieves who just wanted bread, to give one well-known example of Rhea being portrayed as a purely evil asshole. The idea that Edelgard is right and that everyone should listen to her? Also in a shit ton of places. Teacher Theory? All over the damn place. This isn't just contained in one fanfic, or even just the Edelstan corner of the fandom - it's everywhere.

It's gotten to the point where a racist, imperialist conqueror who is willing to sacrifice her citizens, help spread the lie about a minority race's involvement in regicide to help her allies, and kill her classmates who have done nothing wrong, who will starve her citizens and blatantly lie to her soldiers about how bad their enemies are, topped with the cute little quirk of wanting to finish a genocide against an already endangered race... is who is widely considered not just as good as the two lords that don't do any of those things (though that too is still a very common idea), but way better, the best choice, the one good ruler. And it's in large part due to people like Cap'n who write away all of her flaws and demonize everyone else.

If this fic is going to be treated as this long-form meta post of Edelgard and 3H, then I'm going to go over it and see what all if anything is wrong with it like I would do and have done with any other meta post. That it's in fanfiction format means nothing since it's literally not being treated as fanfiction, but as a genuine analysis that people will base their interpretation of the game off of. All good if that ticks you off, but I consistently tag posts going over Cap'n specifically so that others who don't want to see it can blacklist the tag (o captain my captain) and ignore it, so if it bugs you that much, there ya go

[maskeraith]

can you explain what crumbs you've gathered what's Kris like to you

I am full on rambling in this post so watch out

at the end of chapter 1 you gather a lot of info on what people think of Kris and the kind of things they did before we took control, stuff like bath bombs in the toilet, pranking Noelle pretending they were bleeding when it was just ketchup, and so on. So we know they're a pretty naughty kid all round. Monster Kid does seem to consider them a friend, and Noelle still likes Kris and would be happy to have them on her group project. Berdly also says stuff like he's always seen potential in Kris in Ch2, and Alphys talks to them a lot. So I don't think they're really disliked, exactly, just that they have a bit of a reputation if that makes sense? As a bit of a weird troublemaker but not like a Bad Kid, like people think of Suzie. But though I do think they have friends, I don't think they have close friends, if that makes sense, that's the impression all the clues give to me.

Another place we can get lots of info on Kris is Queen's room for them, where she takes the character's searchs and give them cool stuff based on them. So Kris searched how to make a bath bomb (for pranks), something we already knew about. Kris searched for jello knives which I think is just a funny reference to those make a knife out of anything vids, but it kind of shows they spend a lot of time online watching vids and stuff. They have searched for piano tutorials (I'll come back to that), and they have searched for the date of college summer holiday, which clearly shows they love their brother Asriel and miss him to me.

We can gain a lot more from how Kris reacts to our decisions. Just in case you didn't know, the most popular and imo almost certainly correct theory is that we The Player are Literally controlling Kris' actions, and they have no control over what we are making them do. However, Kris reacts a lot to what we make them do! One of the first decisions we can make in Ch2 is to steal 5 bucks from Asriel, and if you do it specifically describes Kris feeling reluctant to do so. Kris definitely loves and misses Asriel a lot, and though they're a naughty kid they don't want to really upset their loved ones at all.

The most prominant moment of Kris being their own character is right after Spamton Neo, where Suzie asks if Kris is ok. If you choose no, Kris actually screams the answer, they're super shaken by the whole event. If you say yes, though, we get a different moment where I guess we've forced them to play it cool when really they want to scream that they're not okay, but Suzie still catches onto this. She can tell they're not okay, and being Suzie she is rude and insulting, but in an effort to cheer them up, and it works, and Kris smiles! Even though I don't like forcing Kris to bottle up their emotions I love this moment, to me it shows how much they actually truly like Suzie for who she is.

We see other moments of Kris demonstrating how much they care about Suzie, too - whenever Monster Kid and that snowflake kid are rude about her in front of them, they comment on how angry and upset they look. We know from all this that the real Kris really does consider Suzie a best friend! And the You Teas are a very interesting source of info too - when Kris drinks Suzie Tea, they recover 120hp, which shows they REALLY like the tea. Interestingly, Noelle Tea heals 70hp, and Ralsei tea only heals 60hp, so they don't like those two as much as Suzie, and actually like Ralsei the LEAST, which I don't actually have any clue why that might be - they made friends and bonded with Suzie and Ralsei at pretty much the same rate in Ch1, so ??

Maybe it's something to do with what Ralsei is telling them when we switch to Suzie's perspective. Another popular theory is that Ralsei is aware of the player watching them, so when he makes the perspective shift he's making time to talk to Kris without us watching. Maybe Kris does NOT like what Ralsei is telling them, or they trust Ralsei less because of that behaviour? I can't think of another reason they wouldn't like Ralsei that much, unless his personality is just something Kris naturally doesn't get along with, i guess?

Back to the piano thing - Kris knows how to play the piano, and gets uspet when we try to make them play the paino because they can't actually do it properly under our control. The lack of piano in Toriel's house, and Kris' internet searches for piano tutorials, makes me think they're entirely self-taught, so I think they can really dedicate themself to things they care about.

So the picture I have of Kris is that of a weird kid, bit of a loner, no one really gets them. But as soon as Suzie came along, someone who DOES get them, they've become a fiercely loyal friend to her. Based on the frequency of Kris trying to put their own spin against whatever option you choose, I think they're a super independant person, and they do NOT like being under our control.

One particular moment that I always think about it when you try to look into Asriel's room in Queen's castle, Kris closes their eyes and so you see nothing. We know how much they love Asriel, so why would they do this? My theory is there's something in there that Kris does not want you the player to see, I think they're very specifically working against your control, subtly when they can.

And finally we get to the moments Kris rips their (your) soul out and regains control. Obviously they do some Bad Stuff during these times, as in they open up another dark world, which could lead to the destruction of the whole world, and probably slash Toriel's tyres which is like quite a bit worse than just Naughty Kid. But based on everything else in the game, every other piece of evidence we have, Kris isn't an Evil person right? So I definitely think they know a lot more than we do, and have their own goals that we can't understand just yet.

Oops long post

[ghosthunthq]

BFU: “The Mysterious Death of Dr. Eugene Davis”

Buzzfeed Unsolved True Crime

“The Mysterious Death of Dr. Eugene Davis”

Aeternus.Flamma

000

  Prompt: ghost hunt but make it buzzfeed unsolved!AU (it can be with or without Gene being alive) i think that would be entertaining    Submitted by Anonymous

000

  [Intro music plays]

  RYAN: [Narration] Today on Buzzfeed Unsolved, we discuss the mysterious death of Dr. Eugene Davis. 

  SHANE: Eugene? 

  RYAN: Yeah, Eugene. 

  SHANE: I only know, like, one other Eugene. When was this? 

  RYAN: Like, recent. If you’d let me get through the intro… 

SHANE: Fine, fine. Go on. 

  RYAN: As I was saying, today we discuss the mysterious death of Dr. Eugene Davis, one of the most renowned mediums of our time. 

  SHANE: Medium. Right. 

  RYAN: Yes, medium. Dr. Davis, known as Gene to his family, has been called the perfect medium–no other person has thus far been able to so accurately communicate with other spirits. Not only could he channel on near demand, but he also showed, on numerous occasions, speaking fluently in languages he did not know. 

SHANE: Oh, sure. Like that can’t be faked. This bullshit has been literally faked for hundreds of years. Picking up a few lines in French isn’t exactly convincing. I’ve said it before. All psychics are bullshit.

  RYAN: Yeah, fine, maybe not. But how about entire conversations with loved ones in Russian? Or Arabic? Can–can you do that? 

  SHANE: Just cause–okay, well, you can learn languages. There are people out there who have learned dozens of languages over their life–

  RYAN: Did I mention he was sixteen?

  SHANE: …

  RYAN: Yeah, think about that a bit more. He’s seventeen and apparently he fluently speaks, uh, Japanese, Mandarin, Korean…  English, French, Spanish, Italian, Portugese, Russian, Arabic… Like, people have tried to disprove this kid and–

  SHANE: Wait you, said Dr. Eugene Davis. 

  RYAN: Yeah–

  SHANE: Doctor? 

  RYAN: We’ll get to that. 

  SHANE: Yeah. Okay. I call bullshit now. This is already ridiculous. 

  RYAN: It gets weirder. 

  SHANE: Of course it does. 

RYAN: [Narration] Dr. Davis’s sad story starts when he was a child, found in an American orphanage by famous parapsychologists, Martin and Luella Davis. The Davises adopted Gene and his brother, despite them showing know signs of speaking English. 

  SHANE: Martin and Luella didn’t speak English??

  RYAN: No, Gene and his brother. They only spoke Japanese to one another. 

  SHANE: … They only spoke Japanese?

  RYAN: Well, yeah, they’re Japanese, or, their parents were. 

  SHANE: You–uh–so he’s a psychic, Japanese child found in an American orphanage?

  RYAN: Yeah. And he’s adopted by a British couple. 

  SHANE: Oh, they’re British?

  RYAN: Yeah, they’re, like, the British version of the Warren’s–don’t roll your eyes. 

  SHANE: I thought this wasn’t the ghost season. 

  RYAN: It’s not–well, yeah, it’s not. 

  SHANE: There are ghosts involved, aren’t there?

  RYAN: …

  SHANE: This is great. 

  RYAN: [Narration] Gene and his brother Oliver, and no, those weren’t their birth names, but I couldn’t find those, were adopted by the parapsychologists and moved to the UK. From a young age, the brothers showed signs of having unique abilities. 

  SHANE: Both of them? The brother too?

  RYAN: Uh, yeah. Oliver Davis, also a doctor by the way, has given demonstrations using psychokinesis, or PK. Telekinesis basically. Move shit with his mind. 

  SHANE: Interesting… And how old is he?

  RYAN: They’re twins. 

  SHANE: Tw–twins! You’re kidding me!

  RYAN: No, no that’s for real. 

  SHANE: So, you have two creepy children, freaking twins, in an orphanage, and they’re apparently psychic? This isn’t real life. This is a plot to a B movie. 

  RYAN: I don’t know what to tell you. I can show you the videos. 

  SHANE: Shopped. 

  RYAN: There’s–there’s a death certificate–

  SHANE: I’m not saying this kid didn’t die, I’m saying that this is a hot, steaming pile of–

  RYAN: Alright, alright, I get it. Let me get to his death. 

  SHANE: Fine. 

  RYAN: After jointly publishing a dissertation and receiving their honorary doctorates, Gene and his brother were accepted to Cambridge University. Before starting his study, Gene decided to travel to Japan, though accounts as to why he did so vary. What may have been a pilgrimage to visit distant relatives unfortunately turned disastrous as Gene disappeared. 

  SHANE: Was he traveling alone?

  RYAN: Yes. 

  SHANE: Who lets a sixteen year old travel alone, especially overseas?

  RYAN: Okay, well, one, if you’re going to do it, Japan’s the one place to do it, it’s pretty safe. Two, he had contacts he was visiting. It wasn’t like he was just wandering around completely alone, he just didn’t have the same person traveling with him the whole time. They have records of him, you know, like visiting schools, meeting with colleagues and stuff. He was apparently very personable and made friends easily. 

  SHANE: Yeah, well, that’s how people get killed. And based on how this is going–well there you go. 

  RYAN: [Narration] Gene Davis was last seen leaving the home of a friend one night. He left on foot, intending to walk back to the ryokan that he was staying at in the area. However, he never made it to his destination. Despite police being called very quickly, it would take months before his body was recovered. 

  SHANE: Okay, I guess I take it back. He at least had friends who called the cops, when, what, he didn’t text them back?

  RYAN: Actually…

  SHANE: Oh they didn’t? Okay, nevermind. Suspicious. 

  RYAN: So, his brother was the one who called the cops. 

  SHANE: His brother? But he didn’t go to Japan.

RYAN: No, he didn’t. 

  SHANE: ….

  RYAN: [Narration] Though he couldn’t say how he knew to call the cops, Gene’s brother, Oliver, called anyhow and insisted that they do a check on his brother at the ryokan. When they arrived, the proprietors confirmed that they hadn’t seen the teen. It took a few days before Gene’s friends came forward, having no idea he was missing in the first place. 

  SHANE: More psychic shit?

RYAN: Uh, yeah, psychic… stuff. It was never publicly declared, but like, yeah, apparently Oliver had like, I dunno, psychic visions and knew something happened to his brother.

  SHANE: Well–okay. 

  RYAN: You don’t actually sound that angry at that. 

  SHANE: No, I guess… Twins right? I mean, I may not believe in the oogie boogie crap, but there has been, you know, weird things between children. Weren’t there, like, those sisters? And they only talked to each other, but then decided one had to die…?

  RYAN: Yeah, the Gibbons. The Silent Twins. 

  SHANE: There you go. Another weird twin story. 

  RYAN: Actually–okay, well, we’ll get into that. After nearly six months of searching, Oliver Davis ultimately recovered the body of his brother, who was found at the bottom of a lake in the countryside. He traveled to Japan and worked under a pseudonym, using family money to pay divers to search bodies of water. 

  SHANE: A lake? How did he–why did he–you know what, nevermind. Psychic. Right. 

  RYAN: Right. He, uh, saw his brother, I guess, drown. 

  SHANE: But psychic-ly. 

  RYAN: Yeah. 

  SHANE: Okay. 

  RYAN: Autopsy notes say that Gene was likely hit, uh, twice, by a car, and then tossed into the water while he was still alive. 

  SHANE: Jesus. Twice? What, did someone back up and hit him again?

  RYAN: Actually, it seemed like he was hit and then someone reversed and backed over him. Based on breaks or something, I don’t know. I’m not an expert. But yeah, seems like at least the second one was intentional. He still wasn’t dead, though, and maybe could have survived. 

  SHANE: Until he was thrown into the water? That’s horrible. That seems intentional, or like, the worst person in the world getting into an accident. What kind of person could do that? It’s like stupid teenagers at the start of a horror movie–actually I’m pretty sure that is the start to a horror movie. 

  RYAN: Yeah, it’s terrible. 

  SHANE: And sixteen. Awful. Psychic shit or not, awful.

  RYAN: It’s time to dive into theories on what happened to the young Dr. Eugene Davis. 

  RYAN: [Narration] Our first theory, and the most believable, is simply that Gene was hit on a dark road while walking back to his ryokan. The driver, finding themselves in a predicament, either backed up to see what they hit or intentionally did so in a state of panic. Regardless, it’s quite possible they believed that the teen was dead, and instead of calling the police, dumped the body in one of the numerous lakes in the area. The idea that it was simply an accident seems to have gained the most traction as there are no other serious suspects at this time. 

  SHANE: It’s unfortunate, but I guess I can see how it could have happened. It’s crazy that someone with such an insane background could meet such a munade end. Like, I thought for sure you would say it was ghosts or aliens. 

  RYAN: We still have two more theories. 

  SHANE: Of course we do.

  RYAN: [Narration] The second theory has started circulating since the recovery of Gene’s body. Many people found the fact that Gene’s brother simply knew about the death to be suspicious. Some speculations, especially from skeptics of the psychics, believe that Oliver orchestrated the death of his brother. Both brothers proved to be highly intelligent, to the point where they’ve been called prodigies, and it wouldn’t be impossible for someone so cunning to plan such an elaborate ruse. 

  SHANE: Hm… Okay. I guess that’s possible… Do we–do we know anything about this Oliver? Why would he murder his brother? Like, is there any substance to this theory?

  RYAN: Yeah, so, first, apparently, despite being twins, their personalities were night and day. Whereas Gene was pretty popular and, like, charismatic, his brother was–is, he’s still alive–not. So, it could have been jealousy. But, also, you’ve also mentioned the Silent Sisters–who agreed that one of them needed to die for the other to live. 

  SHANE: So, what, they were in on it together? If so, kinda seems like they picked the wrong brother. 

  RYAN: Yeah, kinda. Another popular theory for the whole, Oliver killed his brother concept, is that, much like the Fox sisters–who, if you don’t know, are some of the most famous ‘spiritualists’ in history–Gene wanted to confess that their psychic powers were fake. When one of the Fox sisters did that in the 1800’s, it ruined them. Maybe Oliver wasn’t willing to give up the clout that they had built off of their supposed abilities. 

  SHANE: That’s it. That’s the one. 

  RYAN: You like that one?

  SHANE: Yeah. That makes a hell of a lotta sense. Sure, hit and run, maybe. But yeah, this Oliver seems suspicious. I’m on team: their powers were fake, Gene had a conscience, and as he was growing out of his teenage years, he wanted to leave it behind. Seems about right. 

  RYAN: Yeah–yeah, okay. Seeing the history of other psychic siblings… yeah, I can see how this makes sense. 

  SHANE: What happened to Oliver?

  RYAN: Uh, well he’s still teaching at–

  SHANE: He’s teaching?

  RYAN: Yeah, like I said, prodigy. He’s been back to Japan a few times–recently he made the paper because he was involved in a fire on the island of Poveglia in Italy. 

  SHANE: So he’s an arsonist now?

  RYAN: No, no, apparently there was a ghost hunt that went wrong and–

  SHANE: He’s a ghost hunter?

  RYAN: Okay, this is–this is a story for another time–the Ciao Poveglia mystery is–you know what, I’m just going to stop now. It’s a whole thing. Look into it. 

  SHANE: Okay. Fine. Last theory?

  RYAN: [Narration] Our final theory is that Gene’s dealings with the afterlife came back to haunt him. Though no one can be certain exactly what Gene was doing, some true crime enthusiasts have put together a trail of his last known whereabouts in Japan. Supposedly, the trail can be traced back to a well known politician. Some believe that the spirits of individuals wronged by the politician spoke to Gene and he was working on gathering evidence to provide to the authorities. 

  SHANE: The spirits spoke to him. Right. Of course. Are there any scandals behind this politician? 

  RYAN: Uh–no. None. Well, there are rumors, but the, like, Redditors can’t even really settle on who the person is. So, it’s probably a bust. 

  SHANE: Could you imagine if that was true? Or like, you know, he thought it was true? And this kid just walked into the police station and said, I–I know that the, uh, prime minister killed and, uh, ate someone. How do I know? The ghosts told me! Dude would have been locked up so fast… 

  RYAN: Yeah, probably. It… doesn’t have a lot of credit behind it. 

  RYAN: [Narration] In the end, what actually happened to Dr. Eugene Davis, one of the most accomplished spiritualists of our time, will remain unsolved.

  SHANE: Look, whatever happened, and whatever… skills… he might have had… it’s still unfortunate that someone died so young. It’s a shame. 

RYAN: I’m guessing that I could show you all of his public research, and you would still never believe me. 

  SHANE: Uh… yeah that–that’s probably accurate. 

  RYAN: Wouldn’t it be pretty cool if we like, ran into Oliver on one of our investigations? Like, we just ended up at the same location?

SHANE: I mean, you did just offer up a theory that he’s a killer and I did agree with you. So. You know, no? Not because of any psychic stuff, but because we just trashed him online on a channel with a few million subscribers. 

  RYAN: Good point. Well. I’m sure that will never happen. [Outro Music Plays.]

000

  Notes: please don’t ask me how far I have driven to see one of the few, live BFU shows. I’m a Watcher patreon and own MOST of their BFU/Watcher merch. It’s like this prompt was made for me. I’m working on a BFU Supernatural/GH fic now. Ciao Poveglia is referenced. Please check out the cleaned up, slightly updated version on AO3. 

  Ever your servant, 

  Aeternus.Flamma

[murdereraisuha]

Actually, Jamil is Snow White

Now that I have your attention with my batshit theory, let me explain it along with my other predictions for the future events of chapter 5 in a 2,500+ word mess of an essay.

  The past chapters have all correlated to the plot of the original Disney movie in some way. So how does chapter 5 correlate with Snow White? For the movie's story, it starts with Snow White living with her stepmother, who is vain, self-centered, and afraid that one day Snow White will surpass her beauty. The Queen makes efforts to suppress Snow White's beauty by making her a scullery maid, but Snow White does eventually surpass her. This causes the Queen to order her Huntsman to kill Snow White, but the Huntsman can't bring himself to do it and he presents the queen with a decoy heart instead.

  What's interesting about TWST is that Neige has already surpassed Vil at the very beginning. Furthermore, rather than focus solely on his own beauty and beat down potential rivals, Vil attempts to nurture the beauty of the rest of his dorm and the VDC team. So how in the world do we correlate the events of the chapter to the original movie? Well, we know from previous chapters that the person twisted from a character might not be the one to actually take that character's role in the story. Though Farena exists, the one Leona tries to sabotage is Malleus. Though Rielle exists, the one Azul makes a special deal with is Yuu. Even though Neige has played a bigger part in the story so far compared to Farena and Rielle, he still might not actually be the Snow White of this story. So who are our possible candidates here?

  As the person meant to rival Neige's cute appeal, Epel is the first one to pop into mind. Perhaps the NRC team's performance during the VDC goes well enough that Epel suddenly gets tons of popularity. The internet latches onto him, so much so that, at least temporarily, he ends up surpassing both Vil and Neige in Mira's beauty calculation. However, this wouldn't make sense. The Queen is supposed to hate and sabotage the Snow White, and Vil has no reason to do that to Epel after spending so much effort helping him with the express goal of having him beat out Neige. So who else?

  While browsing Pixiv one night, I came across a funny comic (it was long ago enough that I don't remember how to find it again, unfortunately) where Azul actually did livestream Jamil's evil monologue in chapter 4. Rather than becoming a big scandal though, it actually becomes famous because of how good-looking Jamil is, so much so that Vil finds out about it because Jamil's name is the one Mira tells him when Vil does a beauty check. Vil proceeds to change his plans for the VDC by dumping Epel and choosing Jamil as the sole main vocal so that Jamil is his "poison apple" against Neige instead.

  With the recent update, Vil's plan for the VDC is officially finalized, so that comic is firmly in AU territory. However, what if something similar happens? The NRC team's performance goes amazing. However, it is not Vil or Epel that gain attention, but Jamil, the 3rd main vocalist. Against Vil and everyone else's expectations and plans, the internet goes wild over this mysterious pretty boy, boosting Jamil into the position of most beautiful.  Even Neige had to spend some amount of time getting gigs and whatever to attain his fame, but Jamil has done basically nothing outside the VDC and now he's suddenly the best... How would Vil feel about that?

  With the whole trend of the previous overblot causing the next, this theory of Jamil = Snow White makes sense. Though they could always make it so it's Neige and Epel doing the stuff and then at the end Jamil delivers a speech or something that gives the final push to overblot, it would be a lot more interesting (and funny) for Jamil to be thrust into the spotlight earlier on and be a main reason for Vil's overblot.

  However, all of this assumes that the beginning of Snow White correlates with the beginning of chapter 5. Let's consider that the beginning of chapter 5 actually correlates with the situation later in the movie when the Queen is plotting to get Snow White with the poison apple. In this situation, Neige would actually be the Snow White of the story. However, unless we pull some funky timeline stuff, the theory I've seen of Rook betraying Vil wouldn't happen then, since we're already past that point in the movie. So what is next? In the movie, Snow White bites the apple and falls asleep. The dwarfs return to their cottage and chase the Queen, who eventually falls to her death when a lightning bolt destroys the precipice she's cornered on. (Fun fact from Wikipedia, her scream while falling was reused for Sleeping Beauty when Maleficent gets stabbed by the Sword of Truth). Anyway, the dwarfs proceed to put Snow White in the glass coffin until a year later when the prince kisses her and takes her to his castle.

  Welp, look here, we have the dwarves in TWST, so they could definitely fulfill the try to hurt Vil part here. But what would lead them to do that? Assuming that as RSA students they are heroic, they would hurt Vil if they felt that he had hurt Neige. Vil's plan for the VDC competition seems to just be performing like normal and hoping that their hard work and effort will shine through and win them the competition, so either something has to happen that causes a last-minute change to that plan or some sort of misunderstanding (Vil getting canceled) happens. How would a misunderstanding happen? It could originate from fans angry that Neige didn't win, but Vil has plenty of his own fans to counter that and make an even-sided battle. Some new falling out between Vil and Epel could occur, resulting in either Epel himself going and hurting Vil's reputation or someone else (the media or Neige) seeing Epel distraught and believing that Vil is abusing him in some way. If it's Neige that could be interesting since it'd kinda be a situation where Epel is Snow White and Neige is his Huntsman. Neige x Epel new otp??? haha anyway, there's also the possibility that the RSA students are not heroic, and the dwarves go and make rumors about Vil themselves as an underhanded strategy to give Neige the victory.

  All this talk is making me forget about my boy Jamil though. How would he fit in here? Again, from the previous overblots, we know that Jamil will likely oppose Vil in some way. We have also established that this chapter 5's start = the Queen's poison apple plan's start, so Neige is the Snow White. The remaining roles for Jamil are the dwarves (unlikely since we have actual dwarves), the huntsman (unlikely since timeline and also Rook exists), and finally, the prince. Jamil x Neige new otp??? lmao anyway, What would this role mean for his involvement in the story? Well, the prince only shows up at the end to wake up Snow White, so that would make this a situation like I mentioned before with Jamil just showing up to do a speech or something that pushes Vil over the edge. Boring, what else could we do?

  Well, what about the original fairy tale of Snow White? In there, the dwarves don't kill the Queen. Instead, she lives until the day of Snow White and the prince's wedding, where the prince makes her dance in red-hot slippers until she dies as punishment for trying to kill Snow White. Why would Jamil give enough of a shit about Neige to go against Vil like that though? Well, y'know what fuck it let's squeeze someone else into the role of Snow White. Kalim certainly has the hair color for it. Since Kalim is just one of the backup vocals and hasn't had much going on aside from his personal character development this chapter idk what Vil could possibly do to him. Perhaps something pertaining to his family's wealth and fame? Whatever it is, some sort of threat to Kalim would be enough motivation for Jamil to do something to Vil. Interaction between Kalim and Jamil would also serve to finish up whatever development is going on between them. Seriously bro I know Jamil was probably just stalking Kalim in that one episode to make sure he's safe but that scene is really haunting me WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

  Whatever, let's keep this circus rolling with some Rook discussion! Again, we got the theory that Rook will betray Vil like the Huntsman betrayed the Queen. To discuss this idea, we gotta discuss Rook's motivations first. In episode 5-27, quoting from the translation on the wiki by Kanade Musings, Rook claims that "being a mere spectator to beautiful people and beautiful things provide [him] with such happiness" and he is "here to offer what help [he] can to help save beauty." However, he points out that "Vil does not need [Rook] to save him;" instead, what Rook wants "to protect is not Vil himself, but rather the 'beauty' he possesses." The chapter ends with Rook saying that the others would understand what he's saying if they encountered a "beauty that is blinding" and would "bring light to [their] lives."

  So, with this information, would Rook betray Vil and why would he betray Vil? Well, there's the possibility that RSA's performance wows him and he switches to protecting Neige's beauty. However, this doesn't feel right to me. Neige is very famous. His first appearance was in a commercial that Cater got even when not specifically trying to find stuff on Neige. I would seriously doubt that Rook has not already done research into Neige and observed what beauty he has. If Rook doesn't already find Neige extraordinarily beautiful, I doubt that a single dance performance could transform his opinion of him. However, what if that was compounded by some loss of Vil's beauty? However, would Rook allow that to happen? He expressly said he wishes to protect Vil's beauty. If Vil lost beauty, would Rook really abandon him, or would he work to bring Vil back to his senses and restore his beauty?

  Now, going back to the idea of Rook doing a betrayal, we already established way back at the beginning of this monstrosity (if you made it this far please take a hydration break or something alright? take care of yourself I love you) that Neige is not necessarily the Snow White of the story. So, we have the possibility of Rook turning against Vil on Epel's behalf, which... doesn't seem right. Idk it might be because I still just can't envision a scenario with Rook outright betraying Vil. Again, Rook has spent a bunch of time observing Epel and watching him grow. What could Epel possibly do that could mega boost his beauty in Rook's eyes? He's spent time observing Jamil too, though not as much as he observes some other people. Like, Rook is a hunter, extremely skilled at assessing targets and figuring out what makes them tick. For his opinion of someone to seriously change, it would require equally exceptional deception or change on the target's part. Seriously, why would he betray Vil?

  Okay, how about we consider what exactly Rook finds beautiful. As we know from the auditions (ボーテ！100点！), Rook was able to find beauty in every person's performance, no matter how clumsy or unskilled they were. So, we get the sense that at the very least, Rook considers things beautiful that most people wouldn't consider beautiful. Then, what makes Vil beautiful to him? We know Vil is beautiful by normal person standards, but Rook doesn't go by normal person standards. Does Rook feel drawn to his determination? His power? Something we don't know about yet? I don't think we know for sure, so we don't know what it would take for Vil to lose beauty in Rook's eyes.

  Well, there's a part of Rook that hasn't really come up in the main story yet: his fascination with the nonhuman students. This just brings up more questions. Since Vil is human... as far as we know... Rook's behavior towards him is motivated by something different than that which motivates his hunts, even if that something different is just a different way of being beautiful. ARGHH I DON'T KNOWWWWW we're going into his voice lines

  Alright, ceremonial robes home tap 3 (from twstarchives): "There is beauty that some are just born with, but the beauty you work hard to achieve holds immeasurable power. Isn't that right?" Okay now we're getting somewhere, he appreciates hard work! Oh yeah didn't Vil say some stuff cause he felt defeated by Neige being better even though Vil put in all this hard work? The development of that sort of attitude would probably constitute a loss of beauty. Hard work would therefore also make someone beautiful in Rook's eyes.

  So, who works hard? Yep, Jamil we're bringing you in again. Remember, a change is needed to drive the plot and prompt a change in Rook. Haven't we had a major change in Jamil's attitude already? Starting with having to funnel all his hard work into Kalim and keeping himself under Kalim, after chapter 4 Jamil is now channeling his work into himself and finally showing off his true talents. Given that Rook can't possibly stalk everyone in NRC in-depth, he likely doesn't have a complete idea of Jamil's capabilities especially given how Jamil was specifically trying to stay under the radar. This may give Jamil the possibility to surprise Rook with his full power, potentially shifting Rook's opinion enough to give him a significant appreciation of Jamil's beauty.

 With all this information, I think I can try and build a rough simulation of events. So, the VDC teams do their performances and wow the crowd. In the meantime while the judges are deciding who wins, some shit goes down: Vil gets canceled or something, Jamil gains popularity, idk something with Neige & the dwarves. Vil's mental health takes a turn for the worst and he resorts to underhandedness. He enlists Rook for some plot against Jamil or Neige. However, Kalim gets caught in the crossfire. Inspired by Jamil's beauty and efforts to help Kalim, Rook ends up going against the plan and Vil. Vil overblots, blah blah backstory, then the judges release the results of the competition, and the winding down/aftermath/party time is the 2nd day of the festival whatever when the gang can go see all the other booths and stuff.

  Even after all this I sincerely doubt my final prediction here will come to pass but y'know, all about the journey not the destination. Honestly, I thought of the title of this post when I was only partway through like "Haha isn't this theory about Jamil being Snow White so out there" but nope that's actually a foundation of my ideas now. What am I doing???   Anyway, hope you enjoyed reading this mess. Please feel free to message me or something if this rant gave you any ideas that you wanna share.

[wehatejulietsimms]

I said there would be a part three on the WTHTD video and I decided to keep it quiet a couple days ago until my gut told me to post.

Please stick with this read as it will get deep into lore and connections

My conspiracy on the scorpion tattoo part two:

In the WDHTDANCE video

there’s two girls; one blonde and brunette.

At first, a regular person might pass it off as

“Oh, two girls in the background! MV standards.”

Sadly, no.

It’s Juliet and Angie before and after Andy found out about Scientology and their wickedness.

Let me explain and backtrack the beginning theory of the music video.

It starts with Andy walking into a hotel building with a monster holding the door for him. He walks into a dark movie theatre room that relives his past memories, AKA the AUDITING ROOM or what other people refer to as the *fake* Akashic records room. (A spiritual place that stores memories that many fake spiritual gurus love to talk about in *awakening*)

What’s with this room, you ask? Scientology is known to bring people into rooms to “clean their memories and get their stories straight.”

While Andy is watching on the screen, there’s two innocent girls, as previously mentioned before, living their best life and looking flirty at a party. Sources say Andy and Juliet met at parties/festivals back in the day with Juliets family near always, which includes her sister who was trying to become an influencer as well.

Throughout the video shot, Andy’s being watched by this monster man in the background, making sure Andy is watching attentively and he’s looking at the scenes worried in regret. Furthermore, these two girls turn into hideous morphed demonic beings at the foot of this monster.

Then shows the shot of an innocent woman drowning in water.

“Oh how don’t you drown in a rain storm”

He’s asking Juliet why she isn’t exposed from the spotlight from all the shit she’s put herself in. Hint, nobody knows who the fuck she is and Andy’s asking why karma doesn’t punish her yet. (It’s coming! It’s already been hitting her!) Why hasn’t she drowned in all the fucked up situations she’s created through the years.

During the auditing process, Andy is being purged of Juliet and the Simms family secret of darkness so he can view Juliet as an angel,

like how the women think they are the monster’s little wh*re princess (excuse my language) because they think THAT monster is in control of Andy’s wording and thoughts during the auditing process. Aka Scientology, and Juliet’s father.

I believe Andy is watching carefully around their father because they come from money as well as

Jeff is an A class narcissist himself and says “peace is everything when you can fuck everyone over!” and tries to make Andy something he’s not, which is an asshole.

We don’t have to dance, is a song toward Juliet saying I’m not going to make this relationship something it’s not up to be. I know who you truly are and it’s not something that I’m going to keep loving you toward, so we can still be in a relationship because I’m stuck with you but I’m not ever going to love you (.) like I did when I was young and naive ever again.

Record scratch (auditing) ; Steve Miller Band (the joker is one of their classics)

Tattooed necks and tattooed hands

(Facade to hide in and be the person that they want him to be, so he tries to be comfortable as much as he can. ALSO, the song THE JOKER BY STEVE MILLER BAND GOES INTO DETAIL ABOUT ALWAYS BEING IN MASKED PERSONALITIES and being seen differently by everyone, which Andy feels like)

Oh, how don't you drown in a rain storm?

(Previous statement above ⬆️)

Fresh regrets, vodka sweats

(He regrets meeting her and getting married so soon and he drowns her out with vodka getting too drunk and having night terrors)

The sun is down and we're bound to get

Exhausted and so far from the shore

(I think that line perfectly states how far they’ve tried to drive him out of his “let’s create a better world” mentality & bright eyed personality into feeling exhausted and enslaved, overall not like the inner child he once had. Fucking Juliet being an older cougar and taking advantage of Andy’s youth while his parents sold him out and Ashley was a weirdo who gained half the rights to the band, not only that but his record label’s pressure, band mates, crew, friends (which are mostly Scientologists) to always go along the dotted lines like a script, literally.) He was only 18-20! A baby! who was groomed up by old Hollywood cults for selling him a dream that left him almost dead.)

You're never gonna get it

I'm a hazard to myself

I'll break it to you easy

This is hell, this is hell

You're looking and whispering

You think I'm someone else

This is hell, yes.

Literal hell.

(The fan base used to think Andy was this confident almighty saviour because he cared about us, his young sweet heart cared about helping people and he was drowning in regret and shame from the fake industry and kinfolk behind him making him feel left out, delusional, and not belonging. He was feeling a moment of weakness in these lyrics and had to put on a facade that he was some big seductive rocker dude for financial and status sake, which in multiple interviews he feels bad about because HE HAD TO DO THAT out of survival mode and not because he wanted to! Now, today he’s seasoned and getting in control)

We don't have to talk

We don't have to dance

We don't have to smile

We don't have to make friends

It's so nice to meet you,

Let's never meet again

We don't have to talk

We don't have to dance

We don't have to dance

(This is basically an ode to meeting Juliet for the first time. Or getting into a relationship with her in the beginning. He’s writing what he now would have done instead of marrying her in 2012. Didn’t they say they both hated each other when they first met? He wanted to listen to his gut instincts and he felt deep regret in those lyrics)

Bottles smash, I raise my hand

How can you all even stand it

Why is there joy in this poison, oh

Faking smiles and confidence

Driving miles to capture this excitement

I can't take anymore, oh

(He’s asking why isn’t anyone caring about fake people including literally everyone he’s surrounded by, including us.

Why we used to not care about diving into the abuse and delusional shows everyone put out there, fake smiles and fake personas to keep fans alive and happy, which is coincidentally the most popular BVB was.

I wish Andy knew that for us, it wasn’t fake and that even though he was depressed and angry inside and still showed up for BVB army is a very selfless act, because he wasn’t forced to be nice to anyone but only put on a stage act by management.

Now he’s really shining and we get to see the person he has always been for us, a neighborly seasoned person who sings his truth and we, as BVB army fans, relate to the sad darkness and happiness overcoming it too.

He’s real and always has been, even if he’s had to hide and mask for his protection.

He gained popularity and support because he was authentically himself and showing up for him when he felt the shittiest (even when he thinks he didn’t handle it correctly with fighting and alcoholism,) still he showed up and gave everything in authenticity and pure emotion, Andy style. I think he’s come to conclusion that his stage presence is something special outside of his personality and that it’s okay to express your soul on stage even if it’s changing, he’s coming back to who he’s always been inside. I think he’s channeling it in such a badass empowered way on the IN BETWEEN tour.

Congrats Andy! That man IS a true soul warrior.

Dude was fighting predators, groomers, and multiple cults by himself and still showed up (AND bettered, healed, unlearned things about his surroundings and himself) even when he felt isolated and alone! Props to Andy!

I personally interpret the scorpion tattoo as death and not forgetting to go back to the place that he was left FOR DEAD even if he feels scared or lonely.

You’re not alone, Andy! We are here and we see you!

I’m so proud of him. He’s such a diamond in the rough. I’m proud to be a supporter and recognize what he’s done for himself and how it translates into his art.

.

[technospotatoes]

C!SAM - Redeemable Qualities Analysis (Dream SMP)

Hallo! I’m back with another brain rot post for ya’ll instead of doing my schoolwork :] 

Recently, I’ve been doing some thinking and theorizing with some friends on discord following Quackity’s huge lore stream (if you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend you watch it). I woke up this morning with a head full of many thoughts about C!Awesamdude and where his story could take us. Seeing as how there is going to be lots of change in the future with the server, there must be changes in these characters as well-- evil to good, good to evil, and the like. With these changes comes my thought: “can these characters be redeemed?” Here are my thoughts on how this applies to C!Sam.

Please let me know your thoughts and theories, I’d love to discuss with you! As always, strap in, it’s gonna be a long one :]

I hope you enjoy!

Author’s note: I want to start this off by saying that all of the contents being discussed are fictional, and are from the Dream SMP universe. I do not support the actions of these characters, but merely have interest in analyzing them through a lens of psychology and for entertainment purposes. Content of this post will contain spoilers up to 3/25/21 of the DSMP lore. I will also talk about ATLA a little bit ;)

Content warning: mentions of torture, manipulation, death, possible psychological trauma

(pls be safe ily)

What makes a redeemable character? 

  Redeemable characters are some of the most pleasing and favored characters in modern media. Their stories are rich with emotion, and they can even evoke some form of catharsis within the most skeptic consumers. Redeemable characters are memorable and inspiring, and without one, a story can feel empty. Before we apply this character trope to the Dream SMP and C!Sam, we need to answer a basic question in order to fully understand the complexity of redeemable characters and how they are so universally significant. 

What is a redeemable character?

  Simply put, a redeeming character or characteristic counteracts or corrects something negative. From a storytelling standpoint, a redeemable character is someone who has roots in good qualities, turns bad, and has the ability to revert their wrong choices to become a better person. 

Examples of redeemed characters in popular media include: 

Zuko - Avatar the Last Airbender

Boromir - Lord of the Rings

Kylo Ren - Star Wars

Severus Snape - Harry Potter 

  Zuko, for example, starts his story off as the villain. He tirelessly hunts down the protagonist, and will stop at nothing to achieve his goal to please his father. However, as the show progresses, we learn that Zuko wasn’t always bad. He was only driven to his path of villainy because of his fear of failure, of his father (the firelord and true antagonist of the show), and of a greater punishment than what he had already received. With the help of his uncle, Zuko learned to push through and accept his past, while also making amends with his wrongs and coming to the realization of who the true enemy was; ultimately choosing peace and unity over destruction and fear.    Zuko’s story is so appealing because it was drawn out. It was raw, it was real, and it was a genuine telling of how damaged people can heal, change, and come to accept themselves. Because he went through the process of redemption, he was not only able to be loved by those around him, but also by his audience-- And I believe that this can be the same case with any redeemable character. 

So how does this relate to C!Sam? How could he possibly be redeemable if he is not evil?

  C!Sam has become increasingly interesting to me in the DSMP lore, and he has shown how complex his character is-- in contrast to many first impressions that people have of him. Based upon his actions from the past, and his willingness to remain neutral in times of conflict, we can conclude that he sustains both “neutral good” and “lawful neutral/good” qualities. This means that Sam is a reliable character, driven by his own personal values, and is devoted to helping others (when he sees fit). Evidence of these qualities emerge…

When he sided with Pogtopia during the Manberg War to maintain good relations with Tommy and Tubbo. 

When he saved Hannah from the Egg

Created Sam Nook to assist Tommy in building his hotel

Built Pandora’s Vault for Dream

Showed concern for Ranboo after one of his denied prison visits

  Sam’s moral code is deeply rooted with good intentions; he keeps an eye out for his friends, maintains his relationships, assists in builds/projects, and also serves as a “stable adult figure” for some of the younger members of the server. In contrast to his logical outward appearance, C!Sam lets his emotions drive his decision making-- which can lead to many severe consequences depending on how he acts. However, recently Sam’s actions indicate that he is experiencing a flip in morals. 

Below are incidents that have led to C!Sam’s recent change in moral code. 

Incident 1: Trapped with the Egg

  Many weeks ago, during the height of character involvement with the Egg lore, C!Sam was lured into a trap by BBH and Antfrost. He spent about a day trapped in close contact with the Egg, and after he was saved by Puffy and Tommy, he was clearly changed. It is likely that the Egg is behind these sudden changes in character motivation for Sam… similarly to how it corrupted BBH, Ant, and Punz. Whether this is the case with Sam is unclear. 

Incident 2: Tommy’s death

  C!Sam and C!Tommy’s relationship within the DSMP lore is one of my favorite things to talk about. After his victory over the disk war and finally landing his nemesis in prison, Tommy was left empty, without much to do. He decided to take upon a new project to incite a new era of peace, and was able to enlist the help of Sam with building his hotel. Throughout this process (and under the watchful eye of Sam Nook), Tommy and Sam were able to develop a bond with each other through their work, along with their interactions at the Prison. 

  Sam has made it clear that he intends to defend Tommy no matter what-- but after his untimely death at the hands of C!Dream, Sam was deeply wounded. He felt as if he failed his promise to keep Tommy safe, and he made it clear that the blame for the “security issue” and C!Tommy’s death should be placed fully on him. No matter how selfless and responsible this makes his character appear, this event will only serve as the basis for severe consequences in moral change in the future. 

Incident 3: Confrontation with Quackity

  Following the large emotional impact of Tommy’s death, C!Sam is very vulnerable, because he is still within the stages of grief. C!Quackity came to Sam for a partnership, to take advantage of Sam while he was low to gain the upper hand. It’s no question that Q’s character is a talented manipulator, we can see that clearly in his interaction with Sam. Q restates again and again that Sam failed, further cementing Sam’s existing guilt and desire for revenge for his failure. Sam gives in to the manipulation, and somewhat reluctantly allows Quackity to torture Dream to get information and to get payback for what he did to Tommy... which completely goes against what his responsibility of Warden entails. 

  As Warden, C!Sam is supposed to uphold the law and rules of visitation, but because of his leniency with Quackity (in breaking the rules) and because he is still emotionally raw, he no longer defends good from evil, but is now biased against it. C!Sam probably wants Dream dead, but as Warden, his opinion shouldn’t matter. Because Sam fully blames himself for failing Tommy, he's lost the "lawful good" in his character, meaning Warden Sam (as a set of morals) truly doesn't exist anymore.

Incident 4: Ponk’s mistake

  To recap a stream briefly, Ponk did a prank on Sam a couple days ago, and stole a few of the expired keycards to Pandora’s Vault. Rightfully, Sam was very angry, and not only took back the keycards, but also imprisoned Ponk. However, where this interaction should have ended, C!Sam only took it to the extreme. (TW!!!!) Out of anger and frustration, C!Sam tortured Ponk for his wrongdoing by setting him on fire, and amputating his arm (END TW!!!). 

  This only proves my point from Incident 3. Warden Sam is fading, only bits and pieces of his morally neutral character remain within him for basic tasks. His encounter with Quackity had a huge impact on his psyche, not only is he allowing the torture of the prison occupants, but he is doing it himself as well. C!Sam is now starting to believe that pain and torture are the only solutions for punishment, which is the complete opposite of what he believed before Dream was imprisoned. 

In short...

  C!Sam is losing his grip on moral and mental stability because of his emotional insecurity due to his psychological trauma. Because of this, I believe that it is entirely possible for Sam’s character to explore the route of evil and unlawful values-- which furthers the possibility for a redemption arc. Even currently, Sam is eligible for redemption as well.

  If C!Sam is willing to acknowledge his wrongs from today and improve himself upon them, he will likely become a more memorable, lovable, and even more human character than we’ve seen in the SMP before. 

SIDENOTE!

IRL Sam recently posted in his discord talking about his character. Here are a few key things to keep in mind as the story goes forward: 

“There is a LOT of things in the plan for me as a character and a very big change is coming about for me as the story moves along.”

I believe this change could be a villain arc, or a turn towards evil that incites the possibility for redemption. 

“My character is playing a role that I think is VITAL for the server and a role that I like to think was a good one for me to pick up and accept.”

You can read the reddit post I referenced for this here (ty to my friend on discord for providing me with the link <3)

TYSM FOR READING!! <3 <3 <3

[aotopmha]

I have a whole bunch of AoT shipping asks ranging from neutral to angry to looking for validation and I'm so tired of this stuff.

Counter to this wierd trend about how the final arc of the series is trash because Eren turned out to be an "embarrassing loser", I think there is a whole bunch to talk about in there that isn't about shipping.

(If you like shipping and are a decent person, cool, but I'm just tired and frustrated with the bad parts of it.)

The whole damn point of this series for the longest time for me has been that none of the characters are "cool".

They're all fucking losers. Kind of like real people.

Why does shit like psychics and flat earth theory still have followers to this day, even gaining popularity in these recent years? Why don't people just overcome their prejudice for other races? Why do people stay in unhealthy relationships?

Why doesn't that suicidal person just start loving themselves again?

I think this irrationality is the main aspect of humanity AoT wants to highlight.

I see people looking in from the outside being mystified by these "irrational" decisions done by people all the time. People laugh at and mock these "stupid" behaviours while perhaps not being able to recognise they themselves might have similar ones.

For a personal example, I always think about people who are angry at animal cruelty, but then pretty casually eat beef, pork or chicken, the production of which often entails a lot of animal cruelty.

For an even stronger personal example that kind of source of frustration for me comes from people who claim their perspective is objective. What makes that particular person the arbiter of all truth?

But going back to AoT, Erwin might be a genius tactician, but he's a human being still affected by his personal experiences and perspective. He hates himself for all of the deaths he has caused so all of his most desparate tactics are going to involve self-harm.

There is a very large difference between emotional intelligence and tactical intelligence.

I think this is Zeke's flaw, too. He is smart when it comes to tactics, but in turn is heavily affected by his personal need of connection and validation. The potential kinship he could find with Eren was the determining factor of his strategy and so were his relationships with Grisha and Xavier, not what the most logical option was.

This is what I think tearing Eren's mask away in the final chapter brought full circle and I think is the most interesting aspect of the story I'm left with after its end.

It tore away Eren's dignity and was embarrassing and stupid, but I think that was the point and because this kind of behaviour is viewed as childish, stupid and hard to watch, it destroyed a lot of (lady) boners. That's not comfy or escapism. It's not the specific kind of narrative that has some conflict, but never really veers into the uncomfortable.

Eren's flaws aren't a slap on the wrist. He is a loser. Period.

I think the aspect of Eren being exhausted came out the most in the anime for me and as I've read the final chapter so many times now, I get much more exhaustion from Eren than anything else.

He is exhausted and desparate and Armin tries everything in his power to change his mind and try to reach Eren. But because Even has grown so strong and is so set in his ways, there is nothing he can do but make the best of his situation.

Hence the now infamous line of thanking Eren for doing something horrible for them. I think the biggest nuance any analysis of that scene misses is that it's Armin accepting he can't change Eren. I get a very strong "if that's how it is, so be it" vibe from that scene. He can't change Eren, but he wants a good closure with him.

I think what a lot of people also don't consider is that again, I don't think any of the characters truly comprehend the scale of what is happening.

I think a lot about people who still deny the existence of Covid-19 even this far in the pandemic and I think many people will only truly comprehend the extent of it when they or someone they care about is affected by it and even then this is even worse when you don't really have time to digest everything that is happening. I don't think Hange's death or the death of Shadis really reached anyone even by the end of the battle because boy were these a busy few days.

I think we had a similar thing happen with the Reiner and Bert reveal. Annie's reveal and the reveal of Bert and Reiner basically happened on the same day and I think that matters however small of adetail that might be.

Same for the fact that the return to Shiganshina was a few hours at most.

All of this can be just handwaved as bad writing. All of it. But that kind of stuff bores me.

So whenever I analyse stuff, I do my best to be fair and assume the best out of a story and its writer.

So I got the most out of AoT's ending philosophically because I think the what if it presented is fascinating.

If you had to choose between you and your country and the rest of the world, what would you do?

I think in AoT's case, there was a small window of time in which patience would've solved everything, but Eren didn't have the perspective to go that way because of various factors, largely the basement memories.

But if you were put in the same circumstances without any kind of outside perspective, would you make a better choice than this?

It's so easy to say you could've done better when you can see the bigger picture.

But if you had the choice pushed on you without any context and without that bigger picture, what then?

The irrationality and stupidity of the characters is what makes AoT interesting to me.

I think when Isayama talked about whiny Eren "being back" he didn't mean it in a condescending manner. I think he likes that irrational and embarrassing Eren.

But the fact that it is willing to have its characters be that way to an extreme degree is I think what also causes alienation and removes some people's ability to empathise with the story and instead be frustrated with it, let down by it and being unable to connect with it.

It's just a fascinating piece of media for me and if there is anything, any piece of media that makes human irrationality as a big part of it, I'm all ears.

I think human irrationality has to be a part of any story. It's called characters having flaws, but if that's the exclusive, overwhelming focus, I'm right there day one and the truth is, I haven't seen many stories like that.