#mel is legitimately sad

[grumpycakes]

Stayed up late looking through old art because an archive is down. Then stayed up waaay to late trying to find old friends and mutuals and have failed (as usual, many of them the type to nuke their online presence without warning and start up again with a new name)

And I'm sitting here thinking through why I want to find them (close friends I miss deeply, someone who i'd been close with but we had a misunderstanding and I've never fully been able to apologize or explain now that I am in much better mental health, some who I was only a little aware of but am curious about)

And I think, for most if not all, I don't even want to have a connection if they don't. That's fine. I understand. We are adults with lives and other problems. I just want to be able to check in. To see you are around. To see what you're creating, if you are.

I don't have to be part of that. But they were all such large pieces in my journey of growing up. And to never be able to check in makes me sad.

Anyway, expect nostalgia art from my highschool OCs. Cause in trying to find something I re-read a bunch of shit. (And with the lense of NOT SEVERELY DEPRESSED AND BEEN THROUGH MANY YEARS OF THERAPY I'm now like SHITFUCKDAMMIT I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND and tears lol)

[melit0n]

Anytime I go onto tiktok and see those people reacting to Sleep Token I always feel like I'm in facetime with them or something. Like yeah, Acensionism is a banger and sob all you want to Blood Sport dude

[antispopausandstuff]

What do you think about people comparing catra to Caitlyn from arcane

ah, i had a feeling i'd be asked about something along these lines.

okay, so, just to get this out of the way:

i'm aware that Arcane s2 has very polarizing opinions, points of views, and thoughts from the community, and, provided it's nothing extreme, they're all valid. though my words are largely subjective, i want to apply as much objectivity as possible to create a better picture, rather than complete bias with no desire for discussion.

s2, in my opinion, wasn't as well-written as it could've been. i don't hate it, but i would've made different writing choices for the characters, their arcs, etc., and i feel the ending was lackluster as a result of lack of closure. this includes Jinx's own ending, Isha, Vi's cycle of self-destruct and complicated family, and how i feel there was not enough screentime for the plots and characters given, especially Ekko, Mel, Kino, and Ambessa. and i do feel like the writing choices negatively affected Caitlyn's character, as well, even if i do understand and sympathize with her as a person.

objectively speaking, Caitlyn's dictatorship ( i believe that's what it is, iirc ) was more on-screen than Catra's, but Catra's crimes was heavier, quantity wise, including universal genocide.

because of SPOP's disregard for "show, don't tell", amongst several other factors ( Catra being a creator's pet being the main one ), there is little to no actual weight to her actions, even with the main cast. if there is consequences, it's either more personal than it should be, her mental breakdowns or Horde Prime chipping her, or fleeting, the destruction of Salineas. this is likely why people don't care much for Catra's actions, because there's no legitimate consequences that aren't just her being sad // distressed.

but, while not the best, Arcane writers take into consideration the impact of and to the people. Caitlyn's decisions did have consequences, and it affected more than just her. it changed Zaun, and with Silco and Jinx's absence, the people were anxious and needing a beacon in order to feel safe and empowered.

however, i don't think it's as simple as comparing Caitlyn to Catra.

in the eyes of the people, it wouldn't matter, obviously. as a result of taking her grief and thirst for vengeance out on them, the people of Zaun felt even more unsafe when they were already suffering.

but to us, as the audience, we can empathize with grief blinding us and leading us to making poor decisions that end up being detrimental to our and everyone else's health. keyword: empathize.

Caitlyn still hurt people. there is no denying that. i am simply saying that we can understand where she was coming from and that her grief was taken advantage of by Ambessa.

to their world, it's black and white. people suffer and // or die at the hands of someone in power.

to us, it's more or less than that.

still wanting to remain as objective i can be, i will say Caitlyn's are far easier to remember and hold against her, and rightfully so. but i believe that Catra's are worse and should've been displayed as worse, rather than stated or turned around to be a way for us to feel bad for her own downfalls.

now, let's move onto Caitlyn and Vi // Catra and Adora.

like with the season, i prefer s1 CaitVi over s2.

for me, the divide and conflict felt too similar to how their relationship originally started out and was too repetitive. it felt like the writers wanted another reason for them to break apart, when there was a lot of time spent to them forming together.

but i think CaitVi has more room to grow than C // A ever really did.

for one, Caitlyn and Vi have cared for each other more than they've hurt each other. even when they were at odds in s1, there was no point in the story where they left one or the other to die. if something bad happened, it was by circumstance, not by choice.

but Catra had always hurt Adora more than she cared for her. from physically harming her to degrading her, engaging in extreme sadism, and nearly killing her, purposefully, on multiple occasions, there's no actual evidence that Catra deeply cares for Adora, or that she cared to begin with.

for another, Caitlyn had more reason than Catra. Catra was given multiple chances to make better choices, but she never did and it was intentional and out of spite.

what was Caitlyn going to do with the fact her mother was killed, that her girlfriend's sister was the murderer, and that her girlfriend stopped her from doing from killing the culprit because she thought she'd kill a kid instead?

of course, it was highly likely that she would've killed Isha. again, blinded by grief. but Caitlyn didn't think that way. in her mind, she has more evidence of being an excellent shot than not, so, obviously, the possibility of her killing the child was 0, right?

( and i don't think Caitlyn cheated on Vi with Maddie. i read the end of their argument as a break-up, especially because Vi disappeared. )

and, for one last thing, even when she knew Vi didn't trust her and kept fighting with her, Caitlyn still tried to help.

overall, i think CaitVi did have a... meh(?) ending, but i still prefer them over C // A. if nothing else, for the foundation.

i don't think Caitlyn and Catra are the same. i just think the Arcane writers had more respect for their audience than SPOP did.

[eriexplosion]

Entombed, PHEE MY BELOVED.

Omega is having so much fun in the junkyard she finds extreme enrichment in being able to Steal and Scavenge. I love that Omega craves Treasure this season, it's for a sad reason (SHE HAS TO EARN HER RIGHT TO EXIST WITH HER FAMILY RIGHT?) but it's also delightful to watch. LET SMALL GIRLS STEAL ALL THEY WANT, IT'S IMPORTANT TO THEIR PSYCHE.

Bolo and Ketch at Phee's storytime is so cute

Tech you would only know the story changes every time if you were listening every time she told it (and remembering the details) you know you like storytime.

God Hunter has reached maximum tired dad in this episode like legitimately the most exhausted I have ever seen him. His completely tired voice on 'Those two will believe anything.' Tired glances exchanged with Echo. This face.

We have a bit to go before he gets to that face but I am fucking entranced by it. Haunted by it. God give him a nap.

Tech and Phee sorting through the garbage haul together. Date Night Ideas for nerds.

MEL-221 is SO cute I love the paint job

Tech absolutely wants to pick Phee's brain for more unknown systems he wants to put them on his map, he MUST put more systems on his map.

Hunter turning around while they're talking though like he senses a disturbance in the force and it's going to make his life more difficult isn't it?

God him doing grouchy knife tricks in the background watching Omega copy Phee like she used to do with him, Hunter is so mad that is HIS little sister and Phee is STEALING HER.

"Who'd wanna hide treasure here?" Echo let's be real, the best place to hide treasure is where no one in their right mind would ever want to go. It just makes sense. Their distaste for how much this place sucks is great though, Echo has two sides: One wants to be doing more to fight the Empire, the other wants to find a nice sunny spot and drink a margarita already. Notably NEITHER of those sides wants to be on Suck Planet looking for Supposed Treasure.

CUTLASS CUTLASS CUTLASS

"If I'm right, which is always~" I love her so much.

Also her dramatically like THIS IS THE ENTRANCE TO SKARA NAL! And Echo is just. The WHAT? Genuinely one of my favorite things is when someone says something and Echo's entire reaction is "What the FUCK are you TALKING ABOUT?"

Phee you need to be aware when discussing 'the ancients' that everyone besides you in this room is less than 12 years old and their entire culture began that long ago too, they have very little reference for ancient anything.

Omega <3 BABY GIRL IS SO SMART also I love laying the compass on Phee's lantern to make it a projector that is so good

Hunter sensing the creature coming before it growls, I always love to see some of his enhanced senses at play. AND WHY IS IT ALWAYS WRECKER ABOUT TO GET EATEN, WHAT ABOUT HIM IS SO IMMENSELY SNACKABLE?

"You're just making this up as you go" hush Hunter that is your entire MO and you know it.

"So we have to navigate this death trap without it?" "Good thing you have me :D" *HUNTER GIVES THE LONGEST SIGH AND DRAWS HIS GUN FOR NO REASON JUST TO EMPHASIZE HOW UNCOMFORTABLE HE IS*

I love the door opening with the SPINNING as it slides

Heart of the Mountain is so pretty I want it as a rock candy

I've noticed when they need someone to fall while they're dangling precariously it's always Echo that goes first, life is hard when you have one hand capable of gripping.

The interior when the... it looks like a tomb guardian from Jedi Fallen Order iirc... activates looks so good.

Phee protectively clinging to the Heart of the Mountain, she doesn't WANNA give it up! Fair, Phee.

Hunter saving her last minute is such a good moment too, honestly this is a fun episode and yet another one I can't understand why people hated it sooooo much. This fandom lacks joy sometimes.

Let me tell you this thing approaching the Marauder is still stressful despite knowing nothing happens to it because of my intense belief that the marauder is NOT making it out of this show in one piece.

Them all being in this thing as it randomly self destructs is a lot, WHY DOES IT DO THAT WHEN YOU PUT THE THING BACK IN

"This puts as at 0 for 2 in treasure hunting"

MEL being blown up so much that Phee keeps a backup of her on the ship is a great detail.

[sulky-valkyrie]

I am a completionist so how about "things you said with clenched fists" for Alistair/Carver?

Happy Friday Mel! It's a bit completely pre-relationship for the pairing, but I hope you enjoy it anyway! for @dadrunkwriting

It was the first full night’s sleep Carver had managed to get in… weeks, probably.  The bed was too small now, but it was still a bed, and therefore an improvement over cold hard ground or no sleep at all.

And now it was getting interrupted by bullshit. 

“Those damn Wardens lived!”  his brother shouted, slamming the door open.  “They’re fucking here right fucking now.”

“Language, Garrett!” his mother yelled back.  “Carver is trying to sleep!”

This is why I left.  He rolled over and covered his ears with the pillow.  It didn’t help at all.  Garrett and Leandra just kept harping and sniping at each other, getting louder and louder as they told each other to shut up.

“She’s not so bad when he’s not home,” Bethy said apologetically as she slipped inside.  “Too much of Father in him, I think.  Makes her sad and mad all over again that he’s gone.”

“I’m sleeping,” he grumbled.

She snorted.  “Liar.”

"Fine, I was sleeping," Carver sighed as he sat up.  "Now I'm up. And going out."  To see these damn Wardens for myself.

"Mother's making breakfast."

"Not hungry," he lied.  He pulled his boots on, dropped a quick kiss on her forehead, and ruffled her hair.  "Be good."

She frowned.  "What're you up to this time?"

“Just want to see if Garrett’s shouting is true.”  I’ll figure out the rest later.  Leandra and Garrett were still arguing in the kitchen as he crept past.  Same shit, different day.  A war with the bloody darkspawn was practically on their doorstep, but Maker forbid either of them ever let the other have the last word.

Once he was in the yard, he took a deep relieved breath.  If the Wardens were alive, maybe things weren’t so grim.  Ostagar had been a nightmare, and Loghain’s orders to retreat still baffled him, but he was just a soldier, not a tactician, and he hadn’t been on that hill.  Maybe there had been a legitimate reason to leave the vanguard to be slaughtered, but he doubted it.  And he certainly didn’t believe they’d killed the damn king.

Now, if I were a Warden, where would I be?  Carver wandered the edge of the village aimlessly and tried to figure out if he was happy to be back at all.  It was nice to see Bethy again, but it had barely been a day and he was already tired of everyone else here.  Peaches especially.   The girl doesn’t know when to quit.  

A shout caught his attention.  Darkspawn here already?  He rushed around the windmill and grabbed the first thing that might pass for a weapon that he saw: a rusty pitchfork.

“No, you’ve got it all wrong, we’re -”

“Nah, we done heard what they said in the tavern: you’re Wardens.”

Carver came around the corner just in time to see some of the people from the refugee camp forming up into what he could only consider a mob.  The big blond human he’d seen talking to the Warden Commander in Ostagar before everything was holding his hands out placatingly, and the dwarf next to him pursed his lips sourly and flexed his fingers.

“And if we are?”  he asked, pushing the bigger man back.

“I dunno if you killed the King or not, but, Maker forgive me, I don’t care; that bounty could feed the lot of us and get us enough horses to actually get away from this blighted place.”

The blond shook his head.  “You don’t understand, we’ve got to -”

“Cut the shit, Alistair,” the dwarf said.  “They can’t hear us over the clink of gold.”  He cocked his head.  “Innit that right?  Bet you’d let us go if we paid you, right?”

The leader of the group tilted his head.  “You got money?”

The dwarf spat at the ground.  “Nah, just a fuckin’ duster.  Don’t have nothing.  But you don’t either, and you ain’t gonna get your hands on my nothing, cause it’s mine.”

“Nughumping piece of - oof!”  He collapsed in a heap at the dwarf’s feet, clutching at his belly and wheezing.

Everyone went still for a full ten seconds, then chaos broke out.  Wardens or not, there was no way they could handle twenty people by themselves.  Carver waded into the melee, knocking heads together, tripping them with the end of a pitchfork, and occasionally, kicking someone in the balls.  If they had any sense, they’d say down, but if they didn’t, that was their stupid-ass choice to make.

Knuckles connected with his cheek, spinning him around in nearly a full circle, and it was only the pitchfork that kept him from going completely ass over tea kettle: he slammed the prongs into the ground and hung on for dear life as he waited - prayed - for his vision to clear.

“Hold it, Alistair!  He’s on our side, the dumbass.”

Carver managed to blink his eyes back into focus just in time to see the blond man freeze, fist pulled back and ready to possibly knock his head right off his shoulders.  “Oh.”  He unclenched his hand and offered it sheepishly.  “Sorry about that.  Hard to see who’s on what team when no one’s wearing a uniform, y’know?  Tourney’s are much better for this sort of thing.”  

“Let me come with you.”  The words were out of his mouth before his fingers even touched Alistair’s palm.  The suddenness of it should’ve surprised him, but wasn’t that the whole reason he’d been out here in the first place?  The army was gone, routed and scattered, and the darkspawn were coming.  

“Um.”  Alistair glanced back at Nati.  “This is a bit complicated.”

“Shards, the fuck it ain’t.”  Nati pointed at Carver almost accusingly.  “You was at Ostagar, yeah?  Got that look.  Like you seen some shit.  Like you know what we done.  What the Teryn says we done.” 

He shook his head.  “The fire was lit.  You didn’t do shit.  I mean, you did.  You did what you were supposed to.  The flanking charge just never came and we were left to die in the valley.”  He swallowed.  “There’s… there were hundreds of them.  Thousands.  And if they’re coming north, Lothering is as good as gone already, even if it’s still standing.  I can’t stop that.  I can’t even convince my family to run.”

Nati tugged at his hair thoughtfully.  “You think we’re gonna save ya?  Save this?”  He waved his hand at the village.

“No,” he answered firmly.  “I don’t expect anyone to save me from shit.  But I can do more as Warden even if I die tomorrow than I can waiting here for the darkspawn to burn us out.”

“I can’t promise nothing,” Nati warned him.  “I can call you a Warden all you want, but that don’t make you one without the Joining; Duncan’s dead and we don’t have the shit to do it.  Can’t  promise nothing but shitty food -”

“Hey!” Alistair complained.

Nati ignored him and kept going. “- shitty food, shitty sleep, and probably shitty death.”

Carver grinned with a strange fatalistic relief.  “I said I was in the army, right?  Feels like home already.”

[literaryspinster]

Wanting to defend Piltover doesn’t make her evil. There are children and working class people there too, and yes, Jinx was indeed murdering people, just because they think it’s fun and cute when she blows shit up doesn’t mean the people having to deal with it are going to agree.

And all of the metas about how Mel’s arc is finished and Ambessa should replace her and Jayce should become a vengeance hungry warhawk tell me all I need to know. Suddenly fridging for manpain is a perfectly legitimate story decision as long as it gets rid of the wh*re who made their favorite white man sad (even though she did not and the only time he seemed to have any issue with her at all was during their conflict about Hextech weapons).

I know that Jayce and Viktor are likely to have a falling out, but faulting Mel for that is just incorrect. I feel for Viktor, I really do. I know being sick has caused him to do desperate things, but those things were still wrong and he should be held as accountable as anyone else on the show.

*sigh* we’re really doing this? Okay. First of all, you said it your damn self, he was talking about the council, not everything is about Viktor, I’m sorry but it’s not. Second of all, Viktor isn’t the one who got exiled for wanting to be merciful. “You were always right” could easily mean that she was right to question her mother’s methods and an assurance that she doesn’t need to be like her to be a good leader.

Sure we don’t know the extent of what Mel told him about her family, but I’m guessing it’s quite a bit since he was able to guess that Ambessa was her mom based on the anecdote she shared with him in the bath house, and they made a point to show Mel removing her family’s ring after Jayce tells her this. I personally think that was the meaning of his statement, not a slight against Viktor. But of course, nobody actually wants to pay attention to Mel or see her humanity or her conflict, ever.

It’s like I said before, Jayce loves Viktor, he’s desperate to save Viktor, he spends the majority of his screentime with Viktor, but Mel is important to him too, he sees her goodness and that’s something she desperately needs, as she was literally disowned for it. Look, I get it, Mel isn’t a league character, she’s not gay, she’s not a skinny white villain, she’s not disabled aside from her ptsd, she’s not a Zaunite, why should I like her and defend her, right? Because she’s a legitimately good character who deserves to be there and deserves the chance to grow. And Jayce loving her does not mean he doesn’t love Viktor, it never meant that.

[locktobre]

watching Secret Door again after so long was amazing, bc it made me appreciate how many times there are slow, quiet parts in the movie. there’s a pivotal scene where Alexa decides not to go home without speaking at all, they just let the animation say it for them, and I think about it so much. you don’t get that anymore.

[battlekidx2]

Things in Arcane I Think are Underappreciated

I love that Jinx is a brilliant inventor. It really makes you question what she could have been if she’d been given an actually good life and education. She get so far with the limited resources she has with making tech to harness the crystal.

Vi’s line “It's hard to check up on people from inside a concrete cell.” was delivered so heartbreakingly. You could hear her voice was about to crack at the end. You could hear the sadness and desperation. Hailee Steinfeld is an amazing voice actress. (So is everyone in this show for that matter)

also her delivery of “not all of them” when asked if she believes the topsiders are the source of all her problems. That one hurt as well especially with her seeing visions of a younger more innocent Powder.

I really love Mel’s arc. By the end of the season she rejects her Medarda heritage and fights for peace instead of war. At the start of the season proving to her family she was fit to be a Medarda was all she cared about but by the end she lets it go. (The symbolism with her covering her painting in gold and removing her ring to show this rejection of her heritage were great)

I also love how in the show Vi is associated with the song enemy by imagine dragons whereas Jinx is associated with the song guns for hire by woodkid. Those songs fit them really well and were used so well in the show.

In episode 9, after Vi and Jayce almost fight and Jayce leaves, Vi stands over the body of the dead kid and looks upset. She does care that a kid was killed. She acted otherwise to try and stop Jayce from going back to the piltover policy of doing nothing to help the trenchers. Death hasn’t stopped effecting Vi despite how much of it she has seen.

Caitlyn’s struggle to do any of the parkour that Vi does so easily. (This legitimately made me laugh out loud)

I think Caitlyn’s character outside of her relationship with Vi is a bit underappreciated too. Caitlyn became an enforcer against her family’s wishes and went out of her way to try and understand the trenchers. She learned of the corruption within Piltover and resolved to work to change that and root it out. And unlike Jayce she doesn’t back down when pressured to let the corruption, however “minor”, happen. Caitlyn truly cares about others even the people ravaged by shimmer that the people in Piltover ignore. Caitlyn is a great character in her own right.

[caspercryptid]

Hi! Are you still taking requests? I would like some Silco/Jayce. Yeah, I know, a really rare ship but I can't find a single fic of them and I'm sad. Something like maybe they make peace without Silco losing Jinx and then after that they work together and with time they get to know each other better.

I'm gonna go ahead and make this a continuation of This just for ease since that'd basically be my premise anyway <3 thank you for the request! always happy to meet your rarepair needs, feel free to send me more requests.

-

It was done.

Jayce didn't quite know how he'd done it, but somewhere in the space in the council room where he'd stood and delivered the words and made an impassioned plea for mercy and understanding, he'd done it. There had been some questions about retribution and he'd- admittedly, kind of blacked out for a second.

When he'd asked Mel, afterwards, exactly what he'd said--- well, first, she'd laughed at him, because she'd asked him to explain and he had. But once she was done laughing at him, she said that he had given a very compelling speech about starting relations with a new city-state on the grounds of mutual respect, of understanding that a civil war had been raging for a long time now, a quiet one, and in a war both sides have acted in ways that were not proportional or right. He'd also said- and Mel had noted this with a certain glint of amusement- that every person in this war had acted to protect their families from the enforcers. That every person they could make an example of was someone's father, someone's daughter, had a family. It wouldn't just punish them. It would salt the ground they were trying to grow a better future in. Mel'd patted him on the shoulder, told him he'd done good, and left it at that.

He suspected he'd said more than he meant to, especially given that Viktor'd seemed similarly amused, but Viktor had been eager to get back to the lab and Jayce had been eager to let him, with promises he'd follow as soon as he could (and Mel had agreed to check on him, Jayce needed Viktor okay, too.)

So he had it all in hand. He just needed to go pay someone a visit.

Zaun seems... quieter. Than the last time he was down here. And of course it was different, his blood wasn't pumping, he wasn't alerted to every single sound, but he walks through the streets in his white coat and- ah.

People were getting out of his way.

He takes a deep breath, reminds himself that he was doing this officially and that was the only way to do it, pushes aside the feeling that he's going to die down here, and continues on.

The last drop is legitimately an impressive building. It looks a little rough- something's clearly come crashing through and he has a certain degree of suspicion about what (who) it was-- but there's a bouncer at the door and he can see that tables have been set to rights again, even through the door, though his view of it is immediately blocked by a man who's built like a brick shithouse.

"Councilman Talis." he says, his voice absolutely dripping disdain. "To what do we owe the pleasure." Jayce tips his chin up. "I'm here to see Silco." "No you're not." Jayce feels eyes on his back and all over him. He's probably surrounded, but he doesn't look back. He draws himself up, ready to retort, when the words are stolen out of his mouth. "Yes he is."

Silco himself pushes the bouncer out of the way, and Jayce... has to admit that the light of the last drop does Silco some favors. He looks completely in his element, radiating a kind of power he hadn't on the bridge. It's half in the way he looks in the neon glow, in the grime of the city, half in the way everyone scatters to get out of his way. The city's like an extension of his hands, the way it responds when he moves.

Jayce inclines his head and follows when Silco gestures him in, not bothering to spare the bouncer a second glance.

He glances around at the destruction, feeling a little pang of guilt in his chest at the mess. If he'd taken the gauntlets---

No. What was between Vi and Silco was between them. He couldn't have taken them back, couldn't have told her she was wrong. He could only choose a different way forward for himself, and he had.

He had.

He follows Silco up to his office, which is empty, and scans the room. There's... a little bit of dried blood on the floor. A glow catches his eye and he looks up. There are... neon paintings all over the ceiling, glowing phosphorescent.

Something-- oddly comforting settles in Jayce's chest. It shouldn't be, he realizes, distantly. But there's something about the scrawled writing on the ceiling of such a formal office that affirms that-- well. At the very least, Silco wasn't lying about how much she meant to him. The little marks of her presence are everywhere. It's not a portrait on the wall the way some of his coworkers would have, but, well. It's Zaun.

He was starting to really appreciate what that means.

Silco sits and just makes a diplomatic gesture at the other chair, and Jayce slides him the papers.

"We're going to have to build you a hexgate." He says, without fanfare. "Rather than giving you full access to Piltover's. Is that an equitable compromise?" Silco raises an eyebrow. "You'd hand over your technology that easily?" He asks, and Jayce snorts. "If you disassemble it, we're going to have problems. I trust that you're aware that what you might gain isn't worth that cost." "An awful lot of trust, Councillor." Silco muses, and it's almost a question. Jayce swallows, hard. "---you trusted me." He says. "Or at the very least, trusted me to- act within what you think of me. I know you're assuming i'm soft. That i'm balking at the first sign of danger. I'm not too prideful to admit I don't have the stomach for a war. I don't want one. I'm a scientist, not a soldier, and certainly not a general." He looks up at Silco, chin up. "I don't trust you either." he says. "Not on any personal level. But you showed your hand. You may be a monster, but you're a man, too. And I can work with that. You don't want a war. You're willing to do what it takes to stop anyone else from starting one." Silco is giving him a look he doesn't quite know how to define, but it makes his pulse do something fast and strange, like a bird trapped in a cage, beating its wings.

"You're uncommonly observant." Silco says, finally. Jayce's lips twitch. "Scientist." he says.

"Must not be easy, being their poster boy." "---It isn't." Jayce admits.

"You're not cut out for this."

"I'm not."

"And yet." Silco muses. "You manage it anyway. I'm finding myself impressed."

"---thank you." Jayce says. He's trying not to look flustered, and he pushes himself up from the chair, offering a hand. "Do you accept the terms?"

Silco stands too.

It happens very fast.

Silco's face is suddenly very close to his, and his heart just about stops, because Silco is holding his chin. His expression is still flat but his eyes are blazing.

"Don't misunderstand." he says. "I'm impressed with this little charade. But if you think for one moment that I trust you enough to let my guard down-" "No." Jayce says, firmly, cutting him off. "I dont--- expect you to. I expect you to distrust and hate me. I expect you to act as a citizen of Zaun. But don't misunderstand me either, Silco, I'm not unaware of the politics. I may not be suited for it, but that doesn't mean I don't know what I'm doing. Despite that-" He pulls back, out of Silco's grip. "-I can't make deals with Zaun." he says. "So I am expecting you to act as a representative of Zaun's interests. And the second you don't, it won't matter that you're a man with a daughter, because there are more people than you who've staked their lives on this. Hold up your end. I'll hold up mine. Now do we have a deal or not?"

Silco is still giving him that look, and before Jayce can question him, his thumb presses against Jayce's lip.

"There's a traditional way to seal a bargain." He says, and before Jayce can question him, he--

It takes a second to process that SIlco is kissing him, and that he's kissing Silco back, on instinct, because his face was close and he was half prepared for it, half thinking about it, even though he was in no way prepared for it, definitely not thinking about it--

Silco pulls back, looking undefinably smug.

"We have a deal."

[urgrl]

but any way thoughts on s2 of snowpiercer as a whole.

*spoilers

•Theory about melanie: wilford mentioning the Oubliette. according to google it is a “secret dungeon with access only through a trapdoor in its ceiling”. SO because we didn’t see Mel’s body, i’m assuming (for the sake of my sanity) that she has found a safe place underground that is hopefully warm enough to sustain her for a while. I’ve also seen some theories that she might be with other survivors, which seems kind of far fetched, but if there is a natural vent like the one she found in the lab, it could be possible for there to be survivors. fingers crossed bc i will cry so much more than i already have if melanie really is d word.

•I personally really love Alex’s character. I love that they didn’t just go in a “mean, cold, emotionally stunted” direction with her, but rather show the emotional side of her. Growing up without her mother, feeling like she was discarded by her mom, having to deal with Wilford and his lies and manipulation for her entire adolescence. A line that really got me was when she was talking and she said “I became the island of alex, and no one ever came ashore.” She is an incredibly strong character, and i think any one who underestimates her will be at a huge disadvantage.

•UMMM MISS RUTH?? best character development. hands down. I hated ruth in the first season, and going into the second season. I even had mixed feelings about her up until Wilford ordered her to take off her teals, after which i got legitimate chills. Not only did she prove she wouldn’t be one of Wilford’s mindless dogs, she was able to put aside her own fears, insecurities, and everything she had ever thought or believed about snowpiercer in order to leave it behind and retrieve hope for humanity. she was a total bad ass, and i love ruth now.

•by far the biggest shock for me this season was Josie being alive. like hello??? I don’t think any one is saw that coming. All things considered, I’m glad that the hedgewood’s were able to help her. Even though their intentions were skewed and devious, they still ultimately saved her life. I wish we got more interactions of her and icy bob, but hey, i’ll take what i can get. Last season I feel as though she was a bit of a crutch to the plot, kind of in the background, but i was happy that this season her character was able to be an integral part of the pirate team’s success. I’m very much looking forward to her development and relationships in the upcoming season.

•aside from Melanie being Missing in action (i absolutely refuse to say she’s dead yet), the saddest part of the season for me was Javi’s death. not only was it brutal and disturbing, it was completely undignified. He was just a young man doing his job to the best of his abilities and trying to save the world in his own special way. I knew when he was taken to Big Alice he would die, but the way in which he was killed really cements just how disgusting, horrendous, and ruthless Wilford is. Javi was a kind, goofy, and warm hearted person with anxieties and worries like all of us. I will really miss his character. Scratch that i just saw that apparently Roberto Urbina is in the filming location for Season Three? I’m assuming this means he’s alive? JAVI LIVES.

some additional things that i thought were.. um... interesting.

•LJ, you wretched bitch.

•wilford’s bathtub, what the fuck is wrong with this guy

•jupiter. I loved you at the beginning, but at the end. Ive never hated a dog so much.

•alex wearing melanie’s hoodie in the last episode. that’s it.

•miss audrey needs some serious help.

•icy bob? just his entire character? what the fuck

All in all, it was a very exciting, scary, sad season. I really looking forward to season three.

Feel free the leave comments or reply about how you feel about season 2 or Snowpiercer opinions in general!

[grumpycakes]

Just starting to feel not sick after covid and also did therapy and like

The aching chasm in my chest and the desire to just curl up and cry is clinging to meee

If you have a minute, and feel like sharing, I’d love to hear some somft shippy ideas. Don’t care the pairing, just ppl loving other ppl

[earthnashes]

LAST OF UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!

I started playing the very second it was made available to play and just finished it last night at like 4 in the morning. And of course it destroyed me. I love this series man so much man. ;w;

SO! I don’t usually do this but I’m like, fuckin’ dyin’ to talk about it a lil bit so if ya have plans to play it, SPOILERS BELOW THE CUT. <:

-Aight so lemme just say right off the bat that this game is fucking. Gorgeous. The environments, lighting, visual design, the level design, everything was spot on. And don’t get me started on the CHARACTER MODELS. AND ANIMATION. Like bro that shit was lifelike in not just appearance, the characters emoted and carried themselves with so much life they felt legitimately real. They were all so unique too; characters had unique special ticks to just them (Like Ellie pinching her fingers when nervous or upset, or Joel standing taller and squaring himself when talking about hard subjects like he’s bracing himself for it, or Jesse giving his stunted headtilt when he talks) and expressed in a way that was just. Bruh. Aight I’mma stop but fuckin hell what they pull off with the characters in specific in LoU (both part 1 and 2) is just somethin’ outta this world.

-For anyone interested in playing it, the game is roughly 22-30 hours long if you’re just focused on the story, and much longer still if you take the time to explore and find all the little secrets. Some secrets include unique cutscenes and dialogue that are well worth the look; I haven’t found all of ‘em yet but I’m considering trying a completionist playthrough.

-Joel’s death fucking destroyed me. I’m in no way surprised he died, but it hurt regardless, just how quickly things went south for him and Tommy there. And ELLIE. FINDING HIM AND WATCHING HIM GET REKT WAS PAIN INCARNATE. Set the tone hella hard and I’m fuckin’ here for it.

-I’m not gonna lie I fully expected to dislike Abby given she rekt Joel, even though I figured it was for a pretty good reason before it was revealed her pops was the doc Joel killed. But damn. I really enjoyed Abby, a lot actually. From a gameplay standpoint I dare say I enjoyed her section more than Ellie’s since you were BLASTING ENEMIES with those fuckin’ GUNS of hers. And by guns I mean her arms’, jesus she was shredded. As a character, she felt a lot like Ellie from a different perspective and mindset, and I really appreciated the reflection the two of them had. Two sides of the same coin, basically. Also I really, really liked how killin’ Joel brought absolutely no peace to Abby at all, and you caught her beginning to regret it. And it kinda sorta acted as the catalyst to her shift in how she viewed the world. I think that’s a good portion why she latched onto Yara and Lev so hard. Perspective is everything, and there is always more than just one side of a story.

-In the same vein I had a blast learning more about Abby’s friend group, dynamics, how she lived, who she worked for and her past and everything. Of them all I think I liked Nora the most, but Mel and Manny were both reaaaalll close seconds. O:

-Speaking of, DOGS. DOGS DOGS DOGS. So many dogs man and you got to play with and pet them! Fuck yeah. That should be a rule in gaming; if you have a cat or a dog in the game, you should have a button to pet it. Also good gorl Alice is best doggy don’t fight me on this. uwu

-Jesse and Dina were the beez knees I fuckin loved them man. They were exactly the sort of folks I can see Ellie being best friends with. ALSO, this one isn’t major, but I really appreciated that there was no love-triangle here? Dina and Jesse dated, smashed, didn’t work out but they still remained good friends. Ellie’s first reaction to seeing Jesse is to confess that she and Dina kissed, and Jesse readily accepted the fact that Dina moved on (and he had too). It’s just refreshing. No bullshit love triangle there, just three people who really understood each other. Also jesus christ, I really didn’t want Jesse to die. Goddamnit. But I’m so glad they didn’t kill Dina too like, I was fully prepared to see her get fucked up. Base rule of LoU: anyone you like has a high probability of dying. ;w;

-BRO THINKING OF JESSE, ELLIE, AND DINA MADE ME REALIZE THE PARALLEL OF THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO MEL, ABBY, AND OWEN. Ellie’s triangle was essentially non-existent; no feelings of betrayal or anger, just understanding and love, like there was a deep-seated bond here that would weather anything. If Jesse had lived, I wouldn’t doubt he, Ellie, and Dina would have lived together to raise the baby together. Meanwhile Abby’s triangle had Owen seeming to unable to let go of the past he and Abby had together, that poor bastard was still in love with her, and how that supplemented the slow deterioration of all three’s friendship. I was sad to see Mel turn on Abby the way she did but like. I mean.  Dude was ready to leave Mel in the dust for Abby despite HIM GETTING MEL PREGNANT. Abby also kinda did drag everyone into this, even if it was of their own violation. Oof. Though it did feel like she was angry at both Abby and Owen equally, not just blaming Abby for everything there... or at least the romantic relationship part. Honestly probably one of the few times I actually enjoyed a love triangle in a story, or at least of this caliber.

-Isaac, the leader of the WLF? He was cool as fuck. I love how much character they packed into him without even showing him too much. Like there was a scene where Nora mentions she tried to question Isaac about Owen and she said “he gave her that fucking look and told her to drop it”. Hell, when he was talking to Abby, he isn’t that much taller than her but he felt like he outright dwarfed her with the way he carried himself and how they reacted to him. I love shit like that man. But anyway fuck Isaac. uwu

-Not gonna lie I kinda wish I got to see the leader of the Seraphites, but it was hella cool to learn that she had been dead already and how the Seraphites operated with and without her. I don’t think I found everything regarding that specific point in game, but it sounded a lot like a peaceful religious leader who’s words and teachings were twisted to suit the goals of corrupt members of the tribe. She was essentially an equivalent to Jesus, at least to the Seraphites.

-I honestly really loved all of the characters introduced but I have to admit that Lev and Yara were standouts. Yara’s one hell of a big sister, lemme tell you, and the lengths she went through to make sure Lev was safe really shooketh me. AND LEV. MY CHILD. MY SON. To those of you who are familiar with the LGBT+ controversy around the game, he and Ellie are what people are complaining about. Ellie because she’s gay, Lev because he’s trans.

Lev in particular was heartbreaking. His tribe were outright hunting him for who he was, as well as Yara because she chose to protect him. The mindset the tribe had was pretty much isolated to them though.

And jesus. That scene with him and his mother? Fuck.

-YARAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA :( BRUH that scene pissed me off, fuck you Isaac, you bastard.

-THE SCENE. WHEN YOU PLAY AS ABBY. AND YOU FIGHT ELLIE. WAS SO FUCKING COOL. AND SCARY. Ellie man, that section really showed how efficient and smart she is. She legit tricked me a few times not gonna lie, like I thought she didn’t see me but she’d pretend she wouldn’t, only to ambush me with a FUCKING MOLY. Also the fact that the game outright says “hey uhhhhh you can’t actually take her head on, she’ll fuck you up in a heartbeat bro”. Welp. A really strange mix of horror and sadness and pride there. Hm. :/

-Mom!Ellie was so fucking sweet to see. And it made me catch a glimpse of hope that Ellie actively tried to soldier through for her fam’s sake. But she clearly had demons she had to confront and I’m angry at Tommy for disrupting her and Dina’s life, but it felt necessary. Still made me sick to my stomach to watch her go after Dina fucking BEGS HER TO STAY. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

-Speaking of Tommy, it was so sad to see how much he fell after Joel’s death. It really showed just how much he was like his brother though; underneath a gentle man is someone you best not trifle with, and is very familiar with doing horrific things to reach a goal. Because fuckin hell, Tommy is legit a badass. That sniper part was SO. COOL. Aaaaand terrifying. RIP Manny. :/

-Bro, I’m very curious to see more about the Rattlers but. They were fucked up in a special kind of way. There’s no telling what they did to those people they captured and enslaved. Seeing Abby in the state she was in after seeing her throughout all the game in tip-top shape was painful. That poor girl was literally skin and bones and... just beaten down.

-ELLIE AND ABBY’S FINAL FIGHT WAS SO SAD. I HATED (but I loved) EVERY SECOND OF IT. I was so scared Ellie had fully lost herself there, when she threatens an unconscious Lev to force Abby to fight, who at that point, very clearly didn’t want to. Honestly. Ellie clearly didn’t either, far as I could tell, but it felt like it was the only way she knew how to confront everything. Fight it, until you kill it, or you die. It also felt like Abby understood that since she was in Ellie’s shoes once upon a time.

-I don’t care what anyone else says I’m so happy Ellie let Abby go. I’m so glad she chose not to go through with it. For so long Ellie has been angry and resentful about a lot of things, and she never got a choice once throughout the majority of her journey. As much as I will 100% agree with Joel sayin “fuck this supposed cure, fuck the Fireflies”, it’s not fair of him, or the Fireflies, to just outright take that choice from her, that she didn’t really have one to begin with. She was justifiably angry with Joel and the moment she chooses to try and forgive him, he dies. Another choice stolen away from her. The fact that she chose mercy despite everything, and it was prompted by a memory of Joel, the very reason she was doing this, is profound to me. Like she finally understood why he did what he did, and why he said he’d absolutely do it all over again. Hell, she probably even reached the understanding that her and Abby really aren’t that different from one another in that aspect.

-Ellie returning to an empty home, with Dina and JJ gone, was heartwrenching. I fully understand why Dina left and she honestly had every right to, but it still hurt man. :C AND ELLIE. PLAYING THE SONG JOEL MADE/SUNG FOR HER. ALWAYS KILLED ME. But this instance in particular was something else man like fuck I balled like a baby. Especially when it was followed by the fact that Ellie and Joel were on the cusp of mending their broken relationship only for it to be ripped away man. Goddamnit.

-ELLIE AND JOEL DUET NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. FUCKIN HELL I love this game.

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

So, this isn’t really a review more than it is me just sharing some of my thoughts on the game, but if ya want me to give it a rating? 10/10. If not a perfect score? At least a 9/10.

The Last Of Us as a series is one that’s moved me more than any other game I can think of honestly (outside of Telltale’s The Walking Dead), and just like the first one, LoU2 left me thinking about it for hours after. It’s thought-provoking, it’s compelling, it’s fun as fuck, aaaaand it’s made me cry like a baby a good number of times. I also really appreciate the fact that, in this game, they actually show the consequences of your actions. Like, they made you consider the fact that you aren’t just killing grunts to get to the next enemy or mowing through mindless drones. You’re killing people, who have lives, and friends, and families.

We got to see Joel for who he was: a very broken man, with a very dark past, who has done very horrible things in this shitty post apocalyptic world, but he is a father, and protective, and loving and thoughtful, who will do anything, anything, to protect Ellie. Blood or not, Ellie is through and through his child. But Abby only saw a monster, and could you blame her? He killed her father, and countless others, and she never got the full story. Just that a man came in and killed the entire hospital, put an end to even the smallest possibility of finding a cure, killed her dad in cold blood, and walked away no problem. And then it cycles right back to Ellie, where Abby becomes her monster.

It’s just some grade-A storytelling as far as I’m concerned, and I’m someone who usually prefers happy endings. LoU always leaves me feeling bittersweet but goddamn do I love this series. I’m kinda hoping for a DLC, to be honest? Like LoU part one, where you found out about Ellie and Riley. I wanna see what happens to Ellie; I get the distinct feeling she returns to Jackson and hopefully scrounges out some semblance of a decent life there, after confronting Tommy and (hopefully) making peace with Dina. But we’ll see! uwu

[plomujio]

A little help

I was patrolling into the woods looking for Abby when I suddenly heard a noise coming from a house on my left. I recharged my gun and I went down by the window. When my foots touched the ground, I received an arrow in my shoulder. I grumbled and I aimed with my gun the person who shoot me. It was a little boy with a bow. It was also a Scar, I could see it thanks to his scars on the cheeks. He looked terrified but also determined. He must have run away from his village. I kept my gun on him and he kept his bow on me.

"My gun is faster then your bow, kid."

"It's not the weapon who decide the speed, it's the person."

"You're right. So I'm faster then you, so drop you bow."

"But you are the one with an arrow in the shoulder."

"Ha ha ha. Really funny. I'm not joking. You don't want to end up with an bullet in your brain, trust me. So stop being a clown and drop your bow."

He listened to me and he slowly dropped his bow on the ground and I kept aiming at him and at the same time, I pulled out the arrow who was still in my shoulder.

"You know the only one who end up with a bullet in his brain is Isaac."

I looked at him and I almost pressed the trigger but then I listened his words.

" What ?"

"You don't know about that ?"

"No. What happened ?"

The boy opened and closed his mouth few times before talking.

"My sister killed him and then your people killed her."

When he said that sentence, he looks so sad. I feel pity for him but my mission is to kill every Scar that I see. But when he said that I remembered when the pact between us and the Scars end up and that most of my people killed his people. *

"I'm sorry for you."

The boy looked at me like I was crazy which is legitimate because I'm still aiming him with my gun and then I remembered something he said.

"Wait... how do you know his name ?"

"What ?"

"Isaac. How do you know that he was called Isaac ?"

I asked him that question when suddenly I felt legs trying to strangle me and the boy tried to interfere in our fight.

"Wait !"

I felt the people loosened his/her legs thanks to the boy so I took my knife and I put it into his or her legs. The person grouched because of the pain and I succeeded to get out of his or her hold. I took my gun who has fallen on the ground and I aimed it as the person who tried to strangle me. I looked at the person and then I saw Abby. She looked as surprised as me. So I asked first :

"Abby ?"

"Zoya ?"

"You two know each other ?"

"Yeah, she's a friend."

Answered Abby to the boy who looked totally lost. She also aimed her pump-action shotgun at me, so I kept aiming mine.

"Didn't you just said that we were friends ?"

"Well, actually I don't know who is really my friend."

I didn't really understand what she means with this sentence because the last time I saw her it was three days ago and she looked totally fine. She was going into Seattle looking for Owen, thanks to Manny who informed me.

"What do you mean ? I don't understand."

"Manny is dead.

I stepped back in silence. I could feel the tears on my cheeks but Abby continued.

"And now I am in war against all the Wolves including you."

"I'm not your enemy Abby."

"You're with them."

"You too. This is our family."

"Not anymore. Our friends are in Seattle, not here."

"Where are Mel and Owen ?"

"At the Aquarium."

I dried my tears and I looked at the kid. I pointed the kid out and she looked at him with a smile.

"It's Lev. It's a friend. He save me from the Scar and I went here to look for him."

I nodded and then I talked :

"I'm coming with you."

"What ?"

"What ?"

"You're right our friends is in Seattle. It wasn't even my decision to be here."

Abby lowered her pump-action shotgun and she looked at me like I was crazy. She tried to say something to make me stay with the others.

"No matter what you say, I will go. Nothing can change my decision."

"Okay."

Abby agreed and I silently yelled "yes".

Abby, Lev and I were looking for some munitions when suddenly we heard a dog barked.

"Fuck."

We stayed behind the door and when they entered we attacked them. Lev killed the dog and Abby and I killed the guards. We kept doing that during a long time and then we arrived to Lev's village.

"It looks nice before it's all burned."

I said to them and they both agreed. Lev looked sad but I didn't say anything and neither did Abby. We kept walking in the village, killing people, killing dogs when suddenly a big men caught  Abby's arm and threw her into the ground. Abby tried to struggle and I took my knife and I put it into the Scar's neck.

"Fuck, that was close."

I said to her and she took a deep breath.

"Thank you."

I took her hand and I pick her up. Her face was really close of mine and I could feel her breath on my face. I looked at her in the eyes and she did too but Lev interrupted the moment.

"We have to go. They are coming."

I stepped back and she did too and I apologized. We ran to the beach and we saw a boat.

"Thanks god."

I said and we get in the boat. I switched the motor on and we left the Scar Island. After a moment Lev fall asleep and I started talking.

"Did he suffer ? Was his death swift ?"

Abby sighed and she answered me.

"Yeah, he took a bullet into his brain, he literally blew up so I can say that his death was swift."

I nodded and looked at the water.

"Who did this ?"

"It was a sniper. A man, the one we let go at Jackson. I'm sorry for your brother."

"It's not your fault but I want revenge."

"I know."

Abby said looking into my eyes. She took my hands and she pressed it.

"It will be okay. We're gonna get through this."

I silently assented and I looked at Lev.

"He's strong. He lost his sister in front of his eyes and he seems fine while I am crying and I didn't even see him dying."

"You're right he's strong but you are too. He was your brother it's okay to be in pain."

I sniffed and I put my head on her shoulder. She put her hand on my shoulder and she let me cry. After a moment I feel my eyes closing so I said her a last word.

"I should have been there to help you and to save him."

"Maybe. We'll talk about that tomorrow."

And then I fall asleep.

[trippyl0ngstocking]

A Few Thoughts on the Idea of Daenerys as Nissa Nissa in ASOIAF

The forging of Lightbringer story is already a bit uncomfortable, tbh. First Azor Ahai tries to temper it using an inanimate object, then an animal, and then the logical next step up is a woman. Having Dany(or Sansa, or Arya, or a minor non-POV female character like Jeyne Poole for that matter) be sacrificed to forge Lightbringer also seems to go against what GRRM has already shown us about sacrifice in ASOIAF. It’s been theorized that the reason Dany successfully hatched her dragon eggs when so many others before her failed, is that Dany herself walked into the flames. This trope of heroes sacrificing someone they love is a very old one. It seems like the human sacrifice is usually female, like Iphigenia being sacrificed by Agamemnon to allow the Greeks to reach Troy, but not always, like Issac nearly being sacrificed by Abraham in the Book of Genesis. The whole idea of sacrificing a family member or loved one makes a certain amount of sense, since it is surely very traumatizing and painful to have to kill someone dear to you. However, I think the problems with it are fairly obvious to modern sensibilities. Like, yeah, I feel so bad for you, Agamemnon, for how sad you must be for killing your daughter. That must’ve been so hard for you. But you know who I feel even worse for? Your daughter. My point is that this whole trope seems incredibly self-centered. It’s all about how upsetting it is for the hero, not about how horrible it is for the sacrifice. Iphigenia has her own feelings, her own life, and should have her own agency. Her life does not belong to Agamemnon. It isn’t his to give away as tribute. This is why you tend not to see this trope in modern media, I think. When modern fictional heroes make sacrifices, it is their own lives they sacrifice. You can legitimately choose to give up your life for something greater, but you cannot legitimately make this choice for someone else. That is paying with someone else’s coin.

So the ugliness of this trope goes beyond the gendered way it is often used(male hero, female sacrifice). GRRM deals with this issue in ASOIAF, so he clearly isn’t unaware of it. Stannis and Melisandre present a fairly strong case for sacrificing Edric Storm, and for utilitarian ethics. Both Stannis and Mel are not hypocrites, in that I believe that they would both sacrifice their own lives as willingly as they would Edric’s if they saw the need arise. However, I think GRRM falls on Davos’s side of the issue, and ultimately I don’t think that Shireen’s sacrifice(assuming it actually happens in the books) is going to win the day. And notice that Ned’s noble sacrifice was one where the brunt of the consequences fell on himself, by claiming Jon as his own bastard, he put himself at great risk if Jon was found out, and it damaged Ned’s reputation, and his relationship with Catelyn. Ned didn’t want anyone but himself to bear negative consequences for saving Jon. That Catelyn felt negative consequences is something that I think Ned felt considerable guilt about, because Ned(like GRRM) recognized how unfair it was to Cat.

I believe that Ned’s ethos constitutes a sort of moral core of the series. The very first chapter of ASOIAF after AGOT’s prologue is the chapter where Ned lays out his ethos for Bran. “He who passes the sentence must swing the sword” is often understood by readers as “do your own killing”. But that is incorrect. The Starks do have a tradition of doing executions personally, but I also think this is symbolic. Ned shows disgust for men like Jaime Lannister, Ilyn Payne, and Gregor Clegane even though they are all too happy to do their own killing. Ned’s lesson has two main element: first is that you need to take moral responsibility for your actions, and also engage morally with the world around you, i.e. don’t be a passive observer of injustice. Second is that you must not dehumanize others, that human life has an inherent dignity that must be recognized. Having Dany be killed by Jon as his “Nissa Nissa” to temper Lightbringer flies in the face of both of these lessons. As I already argued, sacrificing another person is paying with someone else’s coin, rather than taking the burden of responsibility upon yourself the way Ned did. And making Dany’s(or any other female character close to Jon) purpose amount to being a sacrificial animal for Jon’s arc is inherently dehumanizing.

It’s clear that GRRM has thought about sacrifice, and how it’s portrayed in fiction. We’ve already seen him deconstruct and explore some of the most ubiquitous and universal tropes in fiction, such as the hero’s journey and redemption arcs. And he has already begun to explore the nature and meaning of sacrifice, what makes it heroic, when it is acceptable, etc. I think TWOW and ADOS will continue to delve into these issues, and I would be quite surprised if GRRM would consider Dany as Jon’s Nissa Nissa to be a fitting ending for Dany’s story, or a fitting “heroic sacrifice” for Jon. Unless you think Jon’s arc is forgetting the lessons Ned taught his children, this seems an unlikely outcome.

[embercrested]

Mel made yet again a fanastic analysis re: Tyrande and I felt compelled to add to this because she went right to the problem of it all and what I want to add would just kill the window and I uhh feel weird about reblogging lol

The problem with the entire Horde storyline and it repeating itself again and again and again is that it’s being blamed on a leader. I mentioned previously that it’s easy for everyone to look for Sylvanas as the scapegoat and while she has done atrocious things, most of the Horde was fairly enthusiastic about all of it and aside from some “BUT THE HONOUR” whining from Saurfang, the didn’t do shit.  Now if this was the first time happening, it would be wrong blaming the entire Horde for it, but it’s basically on what it’s founded, Saurfang even says so himself and dumbass Anduin says no, because he deludes himself into believing that the Horde is better than that. Kinda like going back to an abusive ex who hits you but they’re being sad and nice occasionally. It’s THIS cycle that the Horde repeats; committing atrocities because a leader says so, then noticing that the very same leader can also come for their own asses, and then it’s suddenly “I don’t know them anymore, they’ve changed! THERE IS NO HONOUR IN THIS!” And there are so many honourable people in the Horde! What’s that quote?  “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”  And they didn’t do shit until Baine was imprisoned, and that were only the leaders. For the people itself, it’s mostly “Yeah but x made me do it.” There will never be any consequences for the Horde, because they magically keep winning. And so the cycle will never be broken. That’s the cycle. That has always been the cycle. Because the Horde are the true heroes with all their edgy bullshit and the Alliance are the good nice and kind additions to their story, and when you have a character with legitimate anger and desire for vengeance, like Tyrande, they’re fridged, deemed unreasonable or have a magical change of reasoning because big orc sad. 

It’s believable if you look at Thrall’s New Horde, just a bunch of hunted misfits who want to find their place in the world. But they still claim that label on a meta-level, and this getting inforced by Anduin who is a KID who still clings to that. Honestly I CRAVE Alliance infighting. I want people getting angry at Anduin for helping the Horde ONCE AGAIN but leaving his own people behind under the mantle of desiring to end a war that will come again with another Warchief that has been “corrupted” and “made evil”. Or give me a third neutral “tired of both sides’ bullshit” faction.

/rant

[thisguyatthemovies]

Toys will be toys

Title: “Toy Story 4”

Release date: June 21, 2019

Starring: The voices of Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Annie Potts, Tony Hale, Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele, Madeleine McGraw, Christina Hendricks, Keanu Reeves, Ally Maki, Jay Hernandez, Lori Alan, Joan Cusack, Bonnie Hunt, Kristen Schaal, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, Blake Clark, Don Rickles, Jeff Garlin, Estelle Harris, Jodi Benson, Betty White, Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, Carol Burnett, Carl Weathers

Directed by: Josh Cooley

Run time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Rated: G

What it’s about: A group of toys goes on a road trip with a young girl and her family, and the adventure takes a turn when Sheriff Woody runs into long-lost friend Bo Peep. 

How I saw it: Early on in “Toy Story 4,” Sheriff Woody (Tom Hanks), a cowboy doll with pull-string voice, is walking along a lonely stretch of highway deep in a wooded area with Forky (Tony Hale), a toy fashioned by a young girl using a spork and pipe cleaners. The two have jumped out of a vacationing family’s RV:  Forky because he is convinced he belongs in the trash; Woody because he has appointed himself Forky’s caretaker. They talk during the nighttime walk, bonding as Woody convinces Forky of his worth to a child while dropping hints about how sad he is to be questioning his own self-worth because his child/owner seems to have lost interest in him, and this after his original owner grew up and moved on. The result is the best scene in a movie full of beautiful, funny, action-packed and emotionally deep moments, one right after the other from start to finish. The premise, taken at face value, is ridiculous, of course. Toys can’t walk and converse and bond and share their deepest emotions. But that’s the magic of the “Toy Story” franchise, now four fantastic movies strong. We don’t see Woody and Forky and their cohorts as animated toys, even when they are right in front of us on a movie screen in the form of animated toys. We see them as human. And because of that, we feel with them and for them. And is “Toy Story 4” ever full of the feels. Better brace yourself for misty eyes.This time around, the familiar gang of toys (with some important additions) is on a road trip with Bonnie (Madeleine McGraw) after she, with Woody’s help, survives kindergarten orientation but before the school year starts. At orientation, Bonnie makes Forky, whose self-doubts drive the story. Forky keeps hopping into trash cans because that’s where he thinks sporks belong. Woody, who is starting to be neglected by Bonnie, keeps rescuing Forky out of loyalty to Bonnie. Then, when Forky escapes the RV and Woody follows, they happen upon an amusement park at a campground and run into Woody’s love interest, Bo Peep (Annie Potts), who has been enjoying life as a castoff toy. Trouble ensues when the toys cross paths with a defective talking doll, Gabby Gabby (Christina Hendricks), and a collection of creepy Benson ventriloquist dolls, in an antique store. Bo Peep tries to help Woody and Forky return to Bonnie before the family heads down the road.That sounds busy because it is, but it’s a good busy. The action never stops except to let the emotion, the message about loyalty and finding a sense of belonging, and the humor take their turn, and first-time feature director Josh Cooley proves adept at pacing during an exceptionally crisp 90-minute run time. He also does an impressive job of mixing touching moments with laughs and downright creepy and scary moments in a movie that is essentially a thinly disguised horror movie (but still tame enough to garner a G rating) that just also happens to be a family road trip movie and a rescue-mission action flick.The cast is strong all-around, but Potts is exceptional as Bo Peep, a strong woman who tries her best to be Woody’s voice of reason. Woody seemingly makes bad decision after bad decision, but it’s hard to fault him because his enormous heart is in the right place. Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) takes a bit of a backseat until he is forced into rescue mode, but his is an important role, especially a recurring bit about him listening to his “inner voice,” which in this case is his programmed toy voice. Former comedy partners Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele get big laughs and legitimate scares as a stuffed duck and rabbit who are living life as carnival prizes. Keanu Reeves is, well, Keanu Reeves as Duke Caboom, an inept Canadian stunt motorcycle rider who can’t get past the boy who quit playing with him. Comedy legends Betty White, Carl Reiner, Mel Brooks and Carol Burnett get fun cameos as part of Bonnie’s toy collection and add a sense of comedic legacy to the movie.How Pixar and Disney keep raising the bar for a nearly flawless franchise is remarkable. The “Toy Story’ movies started 24 years ago (feel old yet?) but show no signs of fatigue. Especially noticeable this time is the quality of the animation; it’s breathtaking at times, full of those “someone should frame this and hang it on a wall” moments that are typical with Hollywood’s best real-life cinematographers. Flaws? None are obvious. The worst that could be said about “Toy Story 4” is that it is yet another sequel at a time when Disney seemingly has run out of fresh ideas – not a problem as far as Disney is concerned since their warmed-over stories make millions of dollars. And not a problem as far as moviegoers are concerned because this might just be the best of the four “Toy Story” movies, and that is saying a lot. And it definitely is the best film of 2019 thus far. By far. 

My score: 98 out of 100

Should you see it? ASAP.