#my evil plans r REAL and ALIVE!!!!!!!

[lolathepeacocklord]

I read your tags and they killed me in a good way. 🫡 you're a big reason I post my SUV stuff now instead of keeping it to myself

BEBWWBEBWEBWEBWBEWBEWUEWUEWWUEBWUEBWBUEUWEUBUWEBUWEBUWBEUWBEUEBWUEBWEUBWBUEUBWEBUBUEWBUWEBUWEUBUWEBUWEBUWEBUWEBUWE YAAAAYYYYYY HOORAAAYYYYY!!!!!!!!! Life is so beautiful life is so gorgeous, the world is so amazing and I looooohhveeeee society of ultimate FREEEEAKKKZZZZ‼️‼️‼️‼️💥💥💥‼️💥‼️💥🔥🔥🔥

[ironwoodprotectionsquad]

While I’d love to hear six hours of discussion, perhaps we can hear your top 10 reasons you like Ironwood? Don’t want you to lose your voice after all my fellow Dadmiral friendo

Look I stream for 6 hours straight some days but that’s beside the point lolz. Also sorry this took so long. Life has been a thing.

1. James feels…human. I know the point of characters in stories is to make them feel alive and to immerse you into the world I know. But stay with me there are just little details like James adjusting his tie and little laughs at R/WBY’s antics that just make him feel more real.

2. James is strong. And not just in the physical sense but the emotional one. Between him in volume 3 holding it together despite the world falling apart around him and him taking on all of Atlas and Mantles hatred and vitriol while trying to protect them is incredible. Everyone hates him despite him trying his best and it’s both incredible and heartbreaking to see.

3. James is compassionate. I am not even slightly referring to volume 8 that bullshit is not canon at all just no. After watching Yang with his own eyes break (who he thought) was an innocent students leg unprovoked after the match ended and his aura was down, he believed her when she said she saw him attack first. He assumed the best of her even when all evidence showed that she was being malicious. Or in volume 4 when Weiss accidentally summoned a Grimm that attacked someone, he stood up for her or after Ruby failed to stop Cinder in volume 3 (? Or 2 can’t remember for sure) and he told her she did well and she took action which is what huntresses do. He is strict but he shows kindness to people.

4. He’s kind of silly sometimes. He’s normally very strict so it makes his funny moments stand out more. Like when he laughs when the girls admit they stole an airship or when he grins at Winters comment about how he couldn’t pay her to smile for the cameras.

5. He’s not a good public speaker. Now I can hear you say “but wait, he speaks publically all the time and while yes he does, he also does the equivalent of error 404 when things don’t go exactly as he mentally prepared beforehand and we see this in volume 7.

When the girls don’t react at all to his announcement that they’re all huntresses now he just freezes because this man needs to preplan everything and he did not have a plan b prepared and panics and it’s so relatable I adore it so much.

6. He’s awkward. While similar to the last point, people can suck at public speaking and still be able to converse well with people in a smaller setting but sometimes James seems to even be a little awkward even in less formal moments.

7. In early volumes he was allowed to make mistakes and still be a good person. I like it when characters are allowed to make a mistake and still be seen as a good guy. People make mistakes and screw up but that doesn’t make said person evil. Sometimes we can’t fix something or stop a bad thing from happening or even make a decision that winds up causing more problems. But the intention of the decision is the important thing. James wanted to protect people in volumes 2 and 3 so he brought his army because he had a feeling Salem was up to something. Cinder used said army to cause even more chaos but at the time the narrative refused to demonize him for this and allowed people to understand what his intentions were. That’s way more compelling than the narrative twisting itself to try and somehow prove the mains are always correct and never make mistakes. Learning and growing make stories interesting.

8. James is willing to make the tough decisions. Time and time again we see James making really difficult calls to try and navigate a war that most people don’t even know they’re fighting. He makes the plans to transfer Ambers Aura to keep it from Cinder. He pulled his armies from the other kingdoms to try and maintain peace, he decided to focus on Amity instead of the wall to try and restore global communication, he decided to try and save who he could when he was put between a rock and a hard place. He made the tough calls and stuck by his decision and that is admirable.

9. James trusts people. After James’s talk with Glynda she took his advice to heart and was more open and honest with people. When Winter tells him something is going on at Haven, he takes her word for it. When Ruby and co lie to his face he trusts their word. He trusts Yang when she says she saw Mercury attack her first during the Vytal Festival. (Despite what the narrative tries to tell us) James gives people the benefit of the doubt and is willing to trust people.

10. James is an incredible fighter even without a typical offensive Aura. Pretty self explanatory but James is able to go toe to toe with some dangerous adversaries and hold his own despite not having a special “super power” like everyone else does. Or even a special weapon really he kicks ass with just a pair of guns and that is so badass of him lolz.

And a bonus more meta point because I want to talk about this so there. But one thing I loved about Ruby and James’s volume 7 fallout is that we can see exactly how and why each of them made the decision they did during that breakdown. On one had we have Ruby who is full of hope still and sees the best in the world. She lost her friends and is still dealing with the trauma of that and doesn’t want to ever lose anyone else again or let people suffer a loss like she did during the fall of Beacon. On the other we have James who is equally traumatized from Beacon but in a very different way. He did his best to fight back against Salem and it was in the end used against him and caused even more pain and suffering. He’s terrified of going toe to toe against Salem again and wants to protect what he knows he can until he knows they are able to take on Salem. It’s realistic and painful and neither side is really a perfect option. It’s a bad situation and we can see how the characters respond to it and it feels in character and real and I wish that we got to see that writing continue into volume 9.

Sorry again for how long this one took! As I said life’s been all over the place and chaotic and it still is but I got a burst of motivation so I decided to finally type this out.

[quirkle2]

i'm sad so im gonna talk about dimple in the anime world domination arc and how he makes me a little ill

besides the divine tree arc, bc that's obviously where he rly shines, i think the wd arc is where we see the most Genuine Dimple. we see him just earnestly helping out any way he can during this whole thing, doing his absolute best to keep mob alive and anybody the kid cares about to boot. and Yeah, he has a motive to help the kid bc he's trying to earn his trust to manipulate him, but he Knows mob trusts him already (see mogami arc). he doesn't have to keep this up. i dont think dimple even has any of that on his mind at the time.

there's a couple lines in this arc from dimple that feel like they come straight from his soul and i never stop thinking about them. i'll talk about The Scene in a minute but

when they meet up with reigen and the others in the hideout, dimple does not have to say "let him rest, i'll fill you in," but he does. when mob is unconscious and vulnerable dimple does not have to protect him, but he does. when mob is fighting minegishi dimple does not have to stay—hell, when mogami shows up, somebody that dimple seems very afraid of, he does not have to stay, but he does. and when mob goes up that tower to confront serizawa and toichiro, dimple accompanies him, not rly bc reigen asks him to, but bc he seemed like he was planning on it from the start with that little "i know i know" that sounds so halfheartedly bothered

he doesn't have to do really Anything that he does in wd arc, and yet he's there and helping, and while you can argue that a lot of it might've been done just to keep mob alive and dimple in his favor, i think the majority of it was instinctual and real

mogami arc seemed like a turning point for dimple and mob's relationship, bc mob truly and completely put his life and wellbeing into dimple's hands and dimple's hands alone. dimple cracks some joke abt his uglier intentions and mob simply stares and says "i'm sure it'll be fine," and dimple visibly does not know how to react to this. like reigen says later: this is the first time somebody has put so much trust in him. dimple has No Idea what to do w this, and the sheer kindness of it makes him hesitate to take advantage of the kid

the fact that dimple is able to possess mob at all during wd arc goes against what we've been told before about espers and their mental barriers, which (and i believe this is touched on in the manga w more explanation but i haven't read it) shows just how much trust mob has in dimple. his mental barriers are already off 24/7 for the guy. dimple could probably possess him whenever the fuck he wanted

Something changed in dimple's mind between mogami arc and wd arc, and that's further proven by a line of his in s3. it's been a while since i've watched this part so correct me if i'm wrong but i think dimple says smth about forgetting that his original goal had been to become god. that he lost sight of that somewhere along the way, and just stopped thinking about it. even during divine tree arc, toward the end, he says smth about "has being around the unmotived shigeo caused me to lose sight of my goals and ambitions?" at some point dimple just completely dropped that goal and started being a genuine friend w no ulterior motives. started embracing that trust he's been given, and not letting it go to waste

yes, dimple half-lied to calm him down after the fire, but he tells reigen that he has reason to believe what he said was true. and when reigen comments that mob would hate him if he Knew he lied, dimple's reaction is Genuine Remorse. that face is not one of "damn my evil schemes r falling apart. aw drat" or "ohmy god i'm going to be exorcised" that is the face of a guy who feels real and honest regret and guilt over even the Thought of his friend hating him. that is a guy who shrinks into himself at the idea of mob not calling him a friend anymore

and so.when mob runs to his parents' room and That Scene happens, dimple's first and genuine response is to scream at mob to look away, shigeo! look away! protecting the kid, protecting his innocence, bc no kid should have to look at something so horrible, and dimple Cares about this kid. he doesn't know when he started caring, but he cares now, and in a dire situation like this, dimple's knee-jerk reaction is to comfort and protect this boy, not take advantage of him. do u understand how important this scene is to me.

this rly has nothing to do w the story itself but i am an English Dub Enjoyer and dimple's va is Outstanding, especially when he voices that look away, shigeo! look away! it sounds so panicked, so desperate—there's rly nothing in the rest of the show that sounds quite like it bc it's so horribly despairing and pleading. he just wants shigeo to look away, to not stare at his family's burning faces. it's a devastatingly raw command that burns just like the walls do. that line and its delivery is so haunting to me

[meowww-ffxiv]

There is a universe slightly to the left of things where Mordred caught up to Yotsuyu on that dock, when her parents were tormenting her. And HE KILLED THEM.

She watched as they suddenly couldn't speak anymore, as serpents of glowing charcoal slithered out of their throats while they writhed as they burned alive from the inside out until not even ash was left. As a familiar, terrifying figure with one glowing flame eye and a face ugly with rage stepped out of the shadow. In his hand he carried a staff. The other one dripped with blood from where a sigil was cutting into his flesh.

When the burning stopped, the sigil also faded, and Mordred's hand healed without leaving behind a single scar. The river breeze swirled away the ashes, and the silence was the same as before.

Naturally Asahi saw all that and was like, "The Warrior of Light did a MURDAH!!! Of GUILTLESS CIVILIANS!!!" but Hien when he got there was like. Who?

Asahi: He killed citizens of Garlemald and of Doma! You should be ashamed to defend him! I demand to take him back to Garlemald for trial at once!!! And you can forget about the peace treaty if you oppose.

Yotsuyu: He didn't kill anybody.

Mordred, who never lied before and had indeed cultivated a rather robust reputation of integrity: (doesn't say anything)

Yotsuyu: Well where's the bodies.

Asahi: There are no bodies! He burned them to ashes!

Theodore: How convenient... You accuse my friend of a murder for which there are no bodies.

Asahi: He killed my parents!

Theodore: (to Hien) Strange. I heard they were already on their way back to Garlemald?

Hien: I have the same impression.

And now Asahi had to be stuck in trying to lie about how yes, that was the plan, but then he sicced his parents on Yotsuyu, so sure this would be what caused her to return to herself. And she did! But he couldn't fling out that now either because he was rapidly realizing that these people didn't trust one word he said. Leave it to the savages to trust that their most brutish one was beyond fault.

Yotsuyu saw this conversation going south fast, so she "fainted" and then Hien naturally jumped on the opportunity to call a truce real quick, get her some medical care.

Asahi stormed back to the castrum, but he still wanted this plan to go off. So he was making some dumb, cruel backup ones to the primal summoning that made Maxima go 💀 and began to decide that maybe cutting his losses Right Now was a good idea.

Back in the Kienkan, Yotsuyu had been tucked in and declared okay, much to Gosetsu's relief. Hien turned to Mordred like. Did you do it?

Mordred once again said nothing. And Theodore (100% sure he DID do it), hurried this along: "More importantly, what does he get out of flinging such an accusation on Mordred's head?"

"He wants a fight," Mordred replied. "He wants this to fall apart to begin with. It's better to start preparing our defenses than to continue negotiating with an ambassador who's planning to sabotage peace."

Hien was reluctant to move to the war option, since not all Doman soldiers had been repatriated and they didn't have the means to oppose large-scale Garlean invasion part 2. But there came a knock on the door and here came Maxima with the floorplans to the castrum and an emergency truce.

He told them that Asahi would demand a meeting tomorrow at this location and summon the primal himself, and that he'd carried vast quantities of crystals to achieve this.

"The thing that I'm very good at killing?" Mordred said.

Maxima shook his head. "Nay, he will say that you have called forth an eikon, and that negotiations had failed."

Alphinaud: That is so evil...

Theodore: That is so him.

Yotsuyu: (only 85% lying now, much to her own chagrin) Wait, let me do it! Maybe I can get him to trust me. Mordred got into a fight *retch* with him to protect me (🙄) so I would like to help.

As far as emergency plans went, this was all they had. Couldn't very well steal the crystals. So Maxima returned with Yotsuyu who had "allegedly" (lmao) recovered her memories (yes she did, of course, but no one knew that aside from Mordred, who hadn't said a word) and Asahi was like finally bitch, you know your place.

He agreed with her plan to lure the Warriors of Light to the arena and then she transformed, which was NOT part of the plan, then turned and murderized HIM at her full strength, which was also not part of the plan.

No one there moved to stop her though. They were all just like. D:

Then in a flash of brilliant light, she vanished.

Hien made an earnest attempt to search for her, since she was still very much a war criminal, but Yotsuyu already planned her own escape with the floorplans Maxima provided for Hien.

And her profile no longer matched. The transformation into Tsukuyomi had dyed her hair pure white and left a strange touch of ethereal beauty to her face. She wore a white kimono and spoke sweetly once she was across the river, and a fisherman agreed to help her go the rest of the way.

When the shinobi caught up to what had happened, Yotsuyu was already long gone. She would be traveling Othard, she'd decided, kept safe by the strength she had garnered from her transformation. Even if she couldn't fully materialize as a primal like with those crystals, such magnificent flow of aether through her had remade Yotsuyu's body.

Yet even with all this strength at her fingertips... The thought of being able to hurt whoever she wanted suddenly wasn't all that appealing to Yotsuyu. Who else was left? She'd already killed Asahi to her satisfaction. And her parents...

Mordred was kind to Tsuyu. He might have nearly killed her at first and only stood down after Gosetsu's plea, same as Hien. Yet he had believed her claim of memory loss, and thereafter had spent time with her and made her accessories and sachets. He'd spoken to her as a friend.

The perfume sachet Mordred had given her, Yotsuyu found out with her new primal senses, contained a spell. The first one he gave her was a tracking spell. But the most recent one contained a ward, for her protection.

No wonder he'd been able to find her on the docks. He must have been worried that she'd run away.

But he had also wanted her to be safe.

And he had said nothing to Hien about her memories having returned.

And he had killed the tormentors returned from her nightmares without hesitation, with such rage and hatred that it had genuinely scared Yotsuyu.

Returning to Doma now was impossible. Yotsuyu scoffed at the thought. What would be awaiting her? Execution? Prison? She refused to be lowered to such levels again by those fools. Yet the thought of doing so precisely to kill as many of those fools as possible didn't appeal to her, strangely. She was reluctant to think of what Gosetsu and Mordred would look like.

She was reluctant to think of that child who had offered her persimmon, in the crowd, tears streaming down her face.

Kindness was too little too late for Yotsuyu, still. With her memories returned, she remembered why she was cruel and how she might not be sorry about it, after all this time. How she'd hated and hated, and that was what kept her going in the first place when there was nothing else to live for. And who'd made her that way, and everyone who just let them do it...

But next to that dark abyss in her heart, there was a light that refused to be vanquished. She hated it. She hated--

She could not let them go. Neither the light, nor the abyss.

Yotsuyu traveled far from Doma, but remained in Othard. She fell back on the musical skills she learned in the brothel that she hadn't touched for decades, and sang and danced. She took up the name Tsukine. Unbidden, a faint memory from a past she couldn't remember made her think it was a name her birth parents might have once wanted for her.

In Tsukine's possession, there were three things of dearest importance: the mirror which acted as the focus of her powers as Tsukuyomi, the tanto she'd nearly used to end her life in shame as she remembered her past and all the clemency she'd been shown in spite of it...and a pair of perfumed sachets. One carrying a tracking spell, the other a ward.

In this beautiful non-canon deviation, Mordred saw Yotsuyu again in Mount Rokkon. She'd visited the mountain out of opportunism, obviously. She wanted to find some useful treasures in here, since the place had gone to hell.

It took some bargaining with Hancock, but Yotsuyu obtained the enchanted biwa once she'd helped Mordred defeat the transformed monk who wielded it. She was regretful to pass up on the pipe, but... she was a woman who made her own fortune, now. She did not NEED it.

Once they were alone, in Kugane, Mordred turned to her.

Yotsuyu braced herself for... for something.

But all he asked her was, "Had your journey been good? Had it been worthwhile?"

(Mordred even mended the biwa for her and re-tuned it with moonstones so that it better resonated with Yotsuyu's Tsukuyomi-flavored aether.)

"Why are you sheltering a war criminal?" Yotsuyu asked him. "You will be exiled from Doma if anyone finds out, even if you helped save them."

"What can I do to you that will return what you've taken?" Mordred replied. "And what can I do to them that will mend what they've done to you? By the way, soon after you disappeared, Gosetsu shaved his head and departed on some undestined travel. I hope you meet again."

...Yotsuyu spent the next half-year finding that old man. Seriously! Why did he just wander like that!

She also was...relieved...to see that Mordred Surana was the same. The intensity of his flame-licked eye had faded, but the gravity of his expression and the deliberate recklessness of his generosity was...

She wouldn't tell him thanks. He killed her the first time, mowing down Doma Castle and her. But this was also not quite "getting even".

She saved people nowadays. Sometimes. If she felt like it. Helped them out here and there, asking for lesser compensation than she deserved. Slowly yet surely, the light in her heart eclipsed the abyss... It would wax and wane, but it was no longer a constant, putrid black.

Yotsuyu was deeply annoyed by this. Resentful, even.

[toastess-with-the-mostess]

Let's Rewind! Toast watches Voltron: Defender of The Universe (1984)

Season 1, Episode 8: The Stolen Lion

Training time for the princess! I'm not sure if it's canon or not, but I feel like Lance is the best flyer out of all of them, so it's nice to see that he's the one training Allura up there

Lance talking smack and still getting proved right when Allura can't hit him Why did a smack to blue's forehead send a jolt of electricity to Allura?? She's free-falling right now and that doesn't make sense

Someone else saved Allura this time! He was pretty snarky about it too when the boys finally got to her in that traction beam

Introducing Prince Bokar, I know his story, but it'll be nice to see how it plays out

He's looking for a bride and destiny led him to Allura apparently, but she's not buying it Now she does after he says he'd never hurt her

Lance being sassy again and starting his human lie-detector streak THIS MAN IS TRYING TO GET HIS ADRENALINE ANYWHERE, FLIPPING OFF THE TOP OF RED LION LIKE THAT

"You, up there, come down!" "Alright I'm down, your high and mighty majesty" GET HIM LANCE

Nanny said she wished two young men fought over her, this is probably where the Allurance started I'm an allurance shipper but not for this voltron show so right now I'm only reacting to nanny with heavy judgement

Pidge and Hunk being the only real ones who help Lance, but Keith is just staring down Bokar for being a piece of shit LMAO

Lance making good points about Bokar travelling by himself when a prince wouldn't do that, especially if he was in search for a bride

Apparently Lance knows how a space pirate fights, more angst material for meee

NANNY HAS NO CHILL MY GOD

Pidge learns not to insult the woman that gives him desserts, apparently he likes astrocakes which I like to think are just moonpies with a different name

R E V E N G E

And the reveal that Bokar really is evil His plan is to kidnap Allura and blue for Zarkon, fun Oh and apparently Koba is still watching on Arus and tormenting the mice while he's at it lol

Lance is still on his rampage about Bokar being evil, he's right of course, but man is he volatile

COBRAS IN THE VENT LANCE WAKE THE FUCK UP SINCE WHEN DID LANCE HAVE A KNIFE UNDER HIS MATTRESS

Lance's room number is R110, Keith's is R112, Hunk and Pidge came out of the same room which I assume would be either R111 or R113 I like to think Pidge and Hunk were having a sleep-over holy shit it keeps switching between r110 and r112 for Lance, jfc why does animation do this

MORE COBRAS suddenly the other boys have daggers, I guess they all have em

mmmm they want prince Bokar to pilot blue, obviously it's still early one as the princess agrees that she shouldn't be in blue unless in emergency but still GROSS they haven't tested his combat flight skills, I'm very much a stickler for the rules

This is where lance's sharp shooting skill probably started, he shot at bokars arm but only to hit the cobra under his sleeve which revealed that bokar was indeed the reason why the cobras were in the castle

I don't like that the princess just faints at the sight of a cobra, I know it's a very real fear for people but still that girl has seen nightmares come alive I think she can handle a danger noodle

Alfor ex machina returns again, is alfor part of voltrons spirit?

bokar tries to threaten her to fly blue but she refuses to but keith makes the weird ass call to follow his commands maybe it's to get them out of the water

AND THEN SHE FAINTS AGAIN WHEN SHE SEES HIS ACTUAL COBRA FORM ok this one i kind of understand but goddamn girl get a GRIP

out the open head hatch he goes apparently he can glide with those cobra wings of his

Voltron when we didn't even wake up Allura? I mean I guess she's awake now but maybe make that obvious to the audience guys

Prince bokar is technically listed as a robeast, but it's just his name, he weighs 3960 short tons in his giant form though

suddenly a real lion fades in and roars as voltron is slicing bokar in half? ok i guess

Lance calling Nanny out for being superficial lmao

Allura makes a weird comment about being watched, so she doesn't get taking in by a pretty face and then almost whispers "Unless I want it to happen" girly pop what uh,,, what are you implying here

Episode end! This was a fun one, it's always interesting when the villains stop trying to be obvious and start being smart by sending in spies to get to the team instead

[nsfwhiphop]

Incoming Text for Diddy:

Hey, Diddy!

Did you notice that everyone who tries to dodge them, gets bullied?

I know L.A.Reid tried to dodge them but he couldn't stop them from attacking him.

Listen, Diddy, we all know you're a freak, you have sex parties since the early nineties, every one knows your parties but why are they attacking you now? That is the question, why now though?

They didn't attack you in 1998

They didn't attack you in 2000

They didn't attack you in 2010

They didn't attack you in 2020

They attacked you right after Kanye West, so the question that all the investigators should really ask themselves is why now?

There were so many freaky parties, orgies in your life but they never said anything about it, why?

Now, all of a sudden, you are being attacked like R.Kelly.

One thing you should know about R.Kelly is that he was a freak, we all know he was weak, the sin of lust was his weakness but he was a righteous man, he loved the Christian religion, his songs were full of Christian preachings but all of a sudden, he was vilified and thrown in jail.

Did you listen to his song "U saved me"? That song is about his Christian faith and the devil worshipers hate his songs.

So, they don't want anyone following the teachings in R.Kelly's songs because he used to preach Christian theology, that is why they used his weakness to destroy him and make sure that no one will ever listen to his Christian songs ever again.

R.Kelly was a freak like a lot of people in the Porn world, there are a lot of freaks in the Porn world, he was not an evil person, he was simply a freak, he loved sex, it was his weakness but he didn't deserve to be humiliated and treated that way.

Trust me bro, I'm AREA 51 and I know how these fuckers operate, they wanted to humiliate the man who sang those beautiful Christian lyrics, they didn't want anyone listening to his Christian lyrics, so they made sure to humiliate him and throw him in jail, so no one will ever listen to his Christian lyrics ever again.

In my personal opinion, R-Kelly is a Christian Martyr. They chose to keep him alive but humiliate him in the media to make sure no one listens to his music ever again.

R.Kelly songs were full of faith, I loved his songs since I was a teenager, his songs are so beautiful, high quality music.

R.Kelly was pushing the Christian agenda in his songs, he was encouraging people to get closer to God, to read the Bible and that was a problem for the EVIL REGIME, they decided to humiliate him, ruin his career, and throw him in jail.

I believe R-Kelly was innocent and he fucked a lot of women who were clout-chasers, they made easy money to lie about him.

And now, no one dares to listen to his music, if you are caught in Public, listening to the music of R-Kelly, you will have a lot of people hating you like: "How dare you listen to the music of that horrible man?"

What does that tell you? It shows us how well they achieved their plan to censor the music of R-Kelly because it was pushing the Christian agenda.

Guess what? I bump his music 'til this day, I wish I gave a fuck what they say about him.

We are ruled by a gang of evil devil people who want to see the Christian religion disappear from this earth.

You can find in my archives, read my thoughts about the music business, I shared a lot of songs from the 1990s and I proved to my readers how these songs were full of mercy and kindness, the 1990s were the last decade for kindness and mercy in the music business, after that decade it got worse and worse, and worse and worse, what do you see now in 2024?

The answer is simple, we see evil music being thrown at our face and just because it's on our TV screens doesn't mean it's good music, it's evil, it's garbage and it's full of drug addicted egomaniacs who haven't opened a Bible since the 1990s.

They worship pussy and money and they do drugs to get pussy and money. It's called the evil circle of life.

J.Cole is real.

Kendrick is real.

Drake is real.

Common is real.

Eminem is still real after all these years, still real.

Black Thought still real.

The list goes on, there are a lot of real people still who resist this evil music business, they tried to ruin all the artists but there are still some artists who are resisting this evil regime in the music business.

Oh, yeah, you heard that right, I clearly said "EVIL REGIME"

The music business is run by an EVIL REGIME who wants to strip all forms of mercy and kindness and righteous behavior from artists and force them to sing about evil stuff all the time, the goal is to corrupt the hearts and minds of the youth so they become obedient slaves to this EVIL REGIME, they want to make sure the youth will never worship the Christian religion, instead they want to make them abandon their Christian faith.

You are being bullied and kicked and humiliated because of your faith.

You will all be bullied, it's only a matter of time and if you do nothing to fight back, it will get worse, their agenda is to slowly gain power over all the Christian world and persecute anyone who still goes to church or read the bible.

Oh, yeah, there will come a day where opening the bible in public will be considered a crime, a felony, imagine that type of evil future.

EVIL REGIME is prepapring an EVIL future for the Christians of this world and if you don't fight back, it will be your fault.

Okay, this chat was fun.

Take care big bro! Diddy, can't stop, won't stop, big hug for you!

[missnight0wl]

Let’s talk about the Cabal. The Rogues theory update

First things first: whenever I talk about “the Cabal”, I do not mean R. I always refer to the Cabal Jacob mentioned in his notebook in Y5Ch15. I explained in detail why he had to mean some other organisation then: here. I really recommend checking it before you continue reading this post below as it’s a relatively short analysis, and it’ll help us get on the same page.

Furthermore, I concluded that the Cabal is probably dedicated to protecting the Cursed Vaults, and that’s why they wanted to kill the siblings. I believe that the siblings are necessary to open the final Vault, so if they’re dead, the treasure should theoretically be safe forever. Also, since they want to protect the treasure, they probably wouldn’t like R who wants the power for themselves.

I know the game keeps using “R” and “a cabal”/“the cabal”/“the Cabal” interchangeably, but for the longest time, I thought it’s either misdirection or Jam City simply changed their original plans once again. I started leaning towards the second option, especially after coming up with “the Rogues theory”, but I’ve been thinking about it lately, and I realised that... the Cabal and the Rogues might be one and the same group.

Now, if you’re not familiar with the Rogues theory, I encourage you to read this post. This one, however, is much longer, so I understand if you want to skip it, and therefore, I’ll give you a summary:

“The Rogues” is the name I gave to a group of three people: Rakepick, the Wizard in White, and Verucca. In my theory, they don’t work for R, or at least they’re not loyal to them. Their real goal is to make sure MC KNOWS R is evil and won’t be swayed if R tried using any kind of manipulation to make MC join them. Now, Merula is truly the mole, and she wanted to join R to be a double agent or some shit. However, the Rogues are aware that she’s just a stupid kid who’d get killed right away, so they staged the meeting in Y6Ch45 to expose Merula. Therefore, Merula has to focus on MC knowing that she “betrayed them” instead of trying to play a hero with R.

Also, Rowan is alive.

And just to be clear, we’re talking about these people:

(Did I simply want an excuse to use this gif again? Maybe.)

Alright, so having these two pictures, you can see they have one thing in common: they don’t like R. Unfortunately, there’s one big difference between them, too: the Cabal wanted to kill the siblings while the Rogues are rather helping them (or at least MC). So, how they could be the same? Well, we just have to assume that something changed in their approach at some point. And the person behind it was probably…

MEPHISTO!

Just kidding. It’s Rakepick. Of course it’s gonna be about Rakepick. Spoilers up to Y7Ch29.

Alright, so here’s the thing about Rakepick: she’s an anarchist. No, really, even Snape called her that after Rowan was put under the Imperius Curse:

More seriously though, when you look at the beginning of Y4 when Rakepick was introduced, we heard quite a bit about her being a rebellious student.

Y4Ch1:

Y4Ch2:

She doesn’t really show much respect to the authorities.

Y4Ch1:

Y5Ch10:

And she doesn’t really like the Ministry.

 Y5Ch1:

Y5Ch2:

Sure, in the last example, she has a good reason to doubt the Ministry might be successful, but she also still sounds like she doesn’t think highly of them in general, especially considering the previous scene.

In other words: if I told you that Rakepick wears the “Fuck the system” T-shirt after hours, would it really be that hard to believe?

The problem is that we don’t see much of that rebellious Rakepick later in the story. In fact, I’d say it’s almost the opposite – and I’m thinking mostly about her involvement with R. Moody told us at the beginning of Y6 that she’s a minor member, and we’re supposed to believe that she’s the one at least since Jacob’s time, but… it doesn’t make much sense. Like, am I really supposed to believe that this rebellious and insanely ambitious woman just stays obediently at the very bottom of this silly organisation?

Moreover, I don’t even see why would she want to join R. It’s still the system. And sure, you could say it’s beneficial for her, but… HOW? R didn’t help her get back to Hogwarts – it was Dumbledore himself who wanted her to come. Nothing suggests that R was helping her later on. She did it all on her own, including creating her small army of apprentices. Why the fuck would she need R? Not to mention that it’s just bizarre that R would want to keep her around… I mean, she totally screwed up with Jacob. Why didn’t they eliminate her then?

Now, as you might know, I believe that Rakepick joined R only around Y5Ch20 and a big part of her story presented in the Portrait Vault was a lie. And while it explains some things I pointed out in the previous paragraph, we still don’t really see the rebellious Rakepick. Right? Unless��� Patricia rebelled against her family – and it had an enormous impact on the story.

The Eye of Ra and the Rakepick family

So… I know the idea of the Eye of Ra being the symbol of R got pretty popular in the fandom, but… it just doesn’t make much sense. Sorry. I explained it properly in this post (it’s a rather short one again, so I recommend checking it out). In a nutshell, though: there’s enough evidence to believe that Rakepick wasn’t a member of R in Y4, so why would she wear their symbol then?

On top of that, in my opinion, it’d be a bit messy writing decision, to be honest. I mean, we have the Cursed Vaults located at Hogwarts, in Scotland. We have the Dark Scroll connected to Japan. And now the main evil organisation would originate from Egypt? Sure, it is possible. I just feel it’d make more sense to keep things more cohesive. Of course, this one is quite subjective, and my main arguments in this discussion are still the ones in the post linked above.

Anyway, I do believe that the Eye of Ra is connected to the Rakepick family only, seeing that both Patricia and Verucca wear the pin with this symbol. And it means that yes, I assume that they are related. Personally, I think that Verucca looks a bit too old to be Patricia’s mother, and my bet is rather on great-aunt, but it’s not super relevant. The relevant part is that they both belong to the Cabal. And that’s quite important because that’d also explain why Rakepick became a member despite her rebellious nature – because she was born into it. Alright, so what about that rebellion?

A bit earlier, I said that the Cabal wants to keep the Cursed Vaults safe by killing the siblings, right? Well, I believe it might be a fairly recent approach. I assume that at first, they were supposed to protect the Cursed Vaults and everyone involved with them. And by “everyone”, I mean families like Torvus’s who had the arrow to the Forest Vault as an heirloom for generations. Another family could be responsible for keeping the vault portrait etc. The point is that eventually, someone from the Cabal was like: “Hey, instead of protecting them, let’s kill them. They’re gonna be dead, but the Cursed Vaults will be safe forever”. And honestly, I suppose it could’ve been Verucca herself who came up with this idea some years ago. However, Patricia had a different vision…

I never was convinced by Rakepick wanting to get the treasure, so I don’t think it’s as simple as that. But in my own story, she actually wants to destroy the Cursed Vaults, and it can be applied in this theory as well. For her, it’d be a challenge. Still, I imagine that she needs to reach the final Vault to do that, so she’d need the siblings. And this is where her cooperation with Jacob might’ve started. Rakepick needed Jacob to reach the final Vault to destroy it. Jacob, on the other hand, would agree to work with her because no Cursed Vaults means that nobody would try to use him or his little sibling in the future. Sounds pretty fair, doesn’t it? 

Of course, the problem was with the Cabal because Verucca wanted to kill Jacob... So, what now? Well, let me remind you of one important line from Jacob’s notebook:

What if Rakepick wasn’t afraid but rather worried – because she didn’t know if Verucca would agree to her plan? Jacob might’ve misinterpreted her emotions. And here’s the thing: you might be a fearless Curse-Breaker, dealing with Manticores, Sphinxes, and whatnot. But standing up to your family? That might be intimidating. Now, I don’t want to compare it to Encanto…. but it’s kind of like Encanto. It might’ve taken years before anybody got the courage to tell Abuela Verucca that she’s not doing the best job. Apparently though, Patricia had to convince her somehow in the end, seeing that MC is still alive (I’m not so sure about Jacob, but I assume it wouldn’t be the Cabal’s fault…).

Oh, and I want to point out that Rakepick being connected to the Cabal would explain even better why R didn’t want her to get involved.

Y4Ch3:

Y4Ch5:

It’d possibly even explain Dumbledore’s claims:

The Cabal and the Cursed Vaults

Let’s move to an explanation of how the Cabal might be connected to Dai Ryusaki. And to put it shortly: very closely. 

See, I actually believe that Dai Ryusaki wasn’t that bad at all and that he wanted to protect the wizarding world from his Dark Scroll. That he recognised how dangerous it is and that nobody should use it. I also assume that it is in fact in the final Cursed Vault, we just didn’t deal with it properly at the end of Y6 (so we’re probably gonna return there before the end of the game). Why I believe Ryusaki was innocent, though? Because, like I said before and I’ll keep saying, that’s basically the theme of the story.

I guess that the best example to illustrate this is actually Jacob. At the very beginning, we were told that he was obsessed with finding the Cursed Vaults. Only later, we started slowly learning that he was worried about students getting hurt. That R was manipulating him, threatening him with hurting his loved ones, and basically forcing him to do all of that. Jacob wasn’t a madman with dangerous obsession – he was a victim, and he was trying to protect other people.

We can also kind of see it with Ben in Y4 when the game tries for the whole year to make him look suspicious, only to reveal that he was controlled. We hear it almost all the time in Y7: things are not what they seem to be. Corey was introduced with the story about Emeric the Evil about how people might do bad things for various reasons – not always bad morally.

Moreover, I believe that it could’ve been very similar with the Wizard in White. Ever since we heard about him for the first time in Y5, he was presented as someone dangerous, attacking Mundungus with some unknown incantations and whatnot. Then, we learnt about him being expelled for using Dark Magic. And… doesn’t it sound like the beginning of Jacob’s story?

On top of that, I wouldn’t be surprised if the WIW is somehow related to Dai Ryusaki. I mean, if the only reason for making him a former Mahoutokoro student was to say: “Oh, he got expelled because he was looking for the Dark Scroll”… it’d be rather disappointing. But if the WIW is related to Ryusaki, it totally makes sense that he’d be a part of the Cabal now. And that the Cabal continues Ryusaki’s mission: to protect the world from the Dark Scroll.

It’s all about protection

Let me ask you something. What was the very first thing Rakepick did when she was alone with MC in Y4Ch1? She taught us Protego.

Moving on…

Y4Ch14:

Y5Ch10:

I’m not gonna talk here about saving us from Ben in Y4 or saving us in Knockturn Alley in Y5 because my point is rather about preparing MC to defend themselves. Even breaking our wand was sort of a part of it because MC needed that damn new wand. And I’ll use here a comparison from my old analysis as I still think it explains my point well:

Imagine that magic skills are similar to drawing skills. You go to school, you get a pen, a pencil, maybe some crayons. You learn to make some simple patterns, to write, sometimes you draw. And every now and then, there will be a person who’s particularly good at drawing. They will practice, they will get better, and especially if they have talent, they’ll be able to create amazing art, even if only with a ballpen. And for most people, the basic school supplies will be enough. Even our artists can do well just with that. But they can also become better by getting better supplies, by learning new media etc. It will take more time at first for sure, but the end result will be more impressive.

The basic supplies are obviously MC’s first wand. It doesn’t mean there was something wrong with it, and it had to be changed. If you give just a simple pencil to an artist and to a “regular” person, the first one will still create something better. But then came Rakepick, and she recognised that MC can do more. That not only they went through a lot of changes and a different wand might be more suitable for their personality now, but most importantly that they have extra potential to improve. This was ultimately a good thing for MC.

And what about the other members of the Rogues/the Cabal? Well, one of my theories as to why the WIW “attacked” us in Y6 is that he was trying to protect MC from someone else’s attack. You know, just like MC did during “The Quibbler” TLSQ to protect Chiara from Ismelda’s attack:

And yeah, I still insist that the WIW’s real intention back then was to talk to MC. It wasn’t about kidnapping MC and that whole leader bullshit because the WIW doesn’t even work for R.

Now, I don’t have much for Verucca, but I do want to talk more about Burke. A while ago, I gathered all of our interactions with Healer Burke at St Mungo’s. Please, take a moment to check it here because if you really look at it, Burke was like… the sweetest person ever. And something very prominent about him is phrases like: “Try not to worry”, “Don’t worry, we have it under control” etc. Burke was quite literally trying to protect MC’s mental health. Sure, you can say that it’s just an act. But that’s not all I have to say about Burke.

In Y7Ch29, Burke had that mysterious line about “coming home”, right?

I know people assume that it’s a reference to the whole leader thing, but I still think it makes no sense. I explained it already here. However, I have a bit different interpretation for you instead.

If the Cabal was always about the protection, it’d make sense that some members (like Burke, for example) weren’t fully supportive of Verucca’s decision to kill the siblings. After all, they were supposed to protect both the Cursed Vaults and the families connected to them. In a way, they could see the siblings almost like the Cabal’s family. They don’t have to be all literally related – it’s more about… community, I guess. You know what I mean? In such a case, it’d make sense that Burke talked about home. Because “home” is a very emotional word that makes you think about safety. And that’s what the Cabal originally was about.

Another thing that might prove that Burke wasn’t talking about R is R’s letter they sent to Jacob after Duncan’s death.

So… R’s mentality is that “there are no friends”, but then Burke suddenly talks about “HOME”...? Yes, because Burke belongs to a totally different organisation that has an entirely different mentality. R is corrupted, and they care only about power and the treasure. That’s why there are no friends for them. Emotional attachments make them weaker. But for the Cabal, a more emotional approach helps them stay true to their mission of protection.

Oh, and I keep using “the Cabal”, but to be fair, I assume they might have a different name – Jacob just didn’t know it when he wrote about them in his notebook. In fact, I believe that R and the Cabal might’ve been one organisation once, but they got separated at some point because of different views. So, technically, they both might have the same name.

One last problem…

One of my main assumptions in the Rogues theory was that the Rogues acts against R, and they want to make sure MC knows R is evil. That’s why Rakepick made it absolutely clear that Rowan is dead because R wanted it (while they wanted to have nothing to do with Duncan’s death – even though we know it’s ALSO their fault). And that’s why the WIW was so off-putting when telling us that R doesn’t give a fuck about what MC wants, and we’re gonna be their leader no matter what. However… wouldn’t R realise by now that someone gives them a bad rap?

Well, yeah, they would. In fact, I suspect they already did. I think that the Cabal got compromised after Y6Ch35 when they staged the meeting for MC to learn that R has a mole at Hogwarts. That’s why Merula was surprised to see Rakepick in the Sunken Vault. Rakepick was hiding from R at the time, so R couldn’t tell Merula they’re sending her to the Vault – because they didn’t send her. Moreover, if I’m right about the WIW and Victor being related (which would be another parallel between Jacob and the WIW), I suspect that R might be behind turning Victor into a vampire as a punishment for the WIW.

The conclusion

So, yeah… that’s pretty much it! As always, do I think it’s too complicated for Jam City? Absolutely yes! Do I care? Not at all! I believe it might be what was planned in the original story, though. My goal at this point is basically to explain the plot holes in the simplest way possible without ignoring things, even if I’m aware that JC won’t address these issues properly. Therefore, if you see some inconsistencies or something isn’t clear – feel free to hit me up!

Oh, and one more thing… While you might say that having two groups is too complicated and whatnot, the idea of “R and someone else” is not entirely new for the game.

Y3Ch6:

Y4Ch4:

Y4Ch10:

Of course, it might be viewed as an early foreshadowing for the reveal that R is a secret group… But what if there’s even more to that?

[ynscrazylife]

Sharon was in fatws!!!!!!!!! Also I love ur writing, could I request a agatha x reader pls where reader is a normal person but is obsessed with everything medieval bit especially witches and all about the Salem witch trials and stuff. Then one day agatha sees reader saying about how much they love witchy stuff and it just makes agatha really happy cause she's always been ridiculed about her magic and had people killing her kind cause of their use of magic so it just feels really nice to have someone be excited by it. Then maybe she meets them and becomes friends with r (and may or may not have a crush on r) and r always talks about her love for witchy stuff and how she really wants to see a real one and hopes some are still alive then one day agatha shows r her magic and tells her its still evil and stuff but r is jsut so amazed and so inspired by all agathas been through then maybe tehy kiss or confront their feelings for each other sorta things. Basically lots of fluff please. I really hope u can do this but np of not, I live for ur writing, its so great

A Dream Come True | a.h fluff fic

Summary: Y/N is shocked (and very excited) to learn that Witches are real and that she is definitely falling for one.

Permanent Taglist: @natasharomanoffismywife @hehehehannahthings @paulawand @blackbat2020 @sybil-moon-is-a-mess @cerberus-spectre @marrymemcgrath @celestialbarnes

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A/N: Thank you for requesting and thanks for your compliments on my writing!

Request to be on a Taglist (or multiple) here!

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Y/F/N = Your Fake Name | Y/F/L/N - Your Fake Last Name 

Agatha put on a smile so big that her cheeks ached as she walked up to Wanda and Vision’s house, settling once again into her role as Agnes, the unusual couple’s nosy neighbor. With her role, she didn’t bother to knock, for it was in Agnes’ nature to just walk in, unannounced, the situation fitting perfectly for her arrival. This time, she knew beforehand of the mess she was getting into, for she had used a spell to peek into Wanda’s mind the other day and see what she had planned for all the townspeople the next. 

Agatha couldn’t deny that she was intrigued by today’s agenda. She already knew that Y/F/N Y/F/L/N was already sitting inside, chatting with Vision, and that with “Agnes”’ arrival, It would cause Wanda to go and get a brunch set up for the four of them to enjoy. The spell had worn off before Agatha was able to see why Wanda was having Y/F/N over, but she assumed Wanda wanted to have another friend. 

Reaching the house, Agatha turned the doorknob - convenient that the door was unlocked - and stepped right inside, announcing her presence with a cheery and loud, “Good afternoon, Mr. and Mrs. Maximoff!” 

Immediately Wanda turned around, a dramatized surprised expression on her face, soon replacing it with a big smile. “Agnes! I’m so glad you’re here. Y/F/N was just catching Vision and I up on how she’s doing. How ‘bout you join them and I can go prepare brunch?” She rambled all in one breath. 

Agatha nodded, her smile plastered on her face. As Wanda excitedly went to the kitchen, Agatha gracefully sat down next to Y/F/N on the couch, who had been engaging in a conversation with Vision, as he was sitting across from her in a chair. She gave Y/F/N a small smile and a bigger one to Vision, introducing herself before letting Y/F/N continue. 

“Well, I was just telling Vision how obsessed I am with the Salem Witch trials! I just find that time period so fascinating, especially when you think about how much society has grown - from their readiness to kill women based on accusations of being ‘witches’ - to not believing in the concept of magic at all!” Y/N said, and Agatha quickly covered her surprise - and excitement - before it could manifest itself on her face. 

She had never seen anyone besides boring old historians that animated about the Salem Witch trials or witches, and she felt a little spark of being special whiz around her. It felt so refreshing to hear someone speaking about witches positively, not in fear or disgust, and it calmed a sort of bitterness that had been brewing for years inside Agatha, relaxing her. She almost forgot she was acting in a play, and when she got a good look at Y/F/N, reality came rushing back because damn, Agatha was enchanted by her. Her beauty, her charm, everything about her was stunning. She felt like she was flying, and Vision’s voice brought her floating to the ground, coming down on a hot air balloon. 

“Do you believe in magic?” He asked Y/F/N, seeming to be genuinely interested in her thoughts, stroking his chin with his hand as he leaned forward. 

Y/F/N thought for a moment, and Agatha found herself on the edge of her seat, tapping the sofa’s cushions rhythmically, almost needing to hear the answer. Oh, god, the witch was falling for this woman fast. “I definitely believe that it’s possible. With all the stories, all the history, everything . . . I’ve never seen it myself, though. However I really do love researching about it,” she admitted. 

Agatha smirked. She loved that little insight into Y/F/N’s mind - how she considered both sides - having not seen it herself but taking in the evidence of the world around her. Agatha respected that Y/N truly enjoyed magic and witches but was also a little precautious. While most may say she might not be true to her passion if she didn’t believe in the existence of witches and magic, Agatha would argue that while that argument held a valid point, taking precaution and understanding the skepticism kept her grounded and gave her an ability to really test her belief and those who challenged it. It didn’t make Y/F/N any less interested or devoted to the art of magic and to witches. 

That was when she jumped into the conversation, and by the time Wanda had finished preparing lunch, Agatha and Y/F/N had formed a solid friendship that would only continue to form itself in the next couple days. Y/F/N mostly talked about all things witch-related, and Agatha couldn’t get enough of it. She found her crush growing rapidly like a beanstalk sprouting into the air from a couple beans, and finally she decided to tell Y/F/N the truth. Although, the lines between wanting to do this from a logistic standpoint or doing it because she liked Y/N were beginning to blur, though the brunette ignored it.

She told Y/F/N she just wanted to have her over to her house and when Y/F/N arrived, Agatha sat her down on her couch and gave her a smile, barely able to contain her nerves from radiating and bubbling around her. “Y/F/N, I wanted to tell you something,” Agatha said, her voice a bit shaky. If Y/F/N noticed, she didn’t say anything, for she just nodded with a bright smile. 

Agatha took a deep breath before getting up and disappearing, only to quickly return with an old yet cleaned leather-bound book. She sat down on the couch again and smiled at Y/F/N before carefully opening it up. “This, Y/F/N, is a spell book,” she said, letting Y/F/N see the aged parchment, it’s ink faded and stained. 

Y/F/N looked at the spell book, her hungry gaze eating up all the contents of this new item, before casting a skeptical gaze at Agatha. “What do you mean?” She asked, thinking that maybe this was an artifact of some sort.

Agatha smiled. “Magic is real, Y/F/N,” she revealed, and to prove her point, she conjured her purple swirl of Magic and power in her hand.

Y/N’s eyes widened and she became immediately captivated by it, as if she was watching a light show. Her eyes followed it and Agatha found herself wanting to summon more Magic just to see the beautiful and awe’d look in her eyes.

Y/F/N eventually snapped out of it, beginning to feel light header from this sudden realization but not really caring. “Wow,” she breathed. “I-I don’t know what to think! It’s real!”

Agatha chuckled softly. “Yes, it is,” she confirmed. “But — I do have to tell you that Magic is often seen as evil and some might even view me as evil.”

Y/N shook her head. “How can something and someone so beautiful be evil?” The words slipped out before she could stop herself . . . In any other instance Y/F/N would try to cover herself, embarrassed with what she just admitted, but with Agatha it was different. Agatha was calming, soothing, Y/F/N felt comfortable with her, and it helped that Agatha wasn’t seemed to like what she had said.

“I feel the same way about you, though I’m sure you’re not evil,” Agatha murmured, and then, adrenaline pumping through her since revealing to someone she had magic had never gone so well before, she leaned forward.

Y/F/N smiled and met her halfway and they captured each other’s lips in a wonderful and magical-like kiss, only pulling back and giggling when they needed some air.

[smilepal]

😨 FEARFUL; 🌺 HIBISCUS; 🌌 MILKY WAY; 🙊 SPEAK-NO-EVIL; 🪤 MOUSE TRAP;

👑 CROWN

Character asks for @a-pirate 💕💕

😨: When scared, do they go into “flight” or “fight”?

Depends on the situation. If it only impacts him, flight is usually the easier of the two options--it gets him out of danger more quickly, and if he can remove himself from a situation without risk of inury to himself, that'll be the option he prefers. But if it comes to keeping others safe, fight will be his first instinct, especially if it's a threat that can be solely handled by him. Flight is reserved for a fight he knows he's going to lose, and someone else's safety comes above preserving some sort of diginity or moral compass. And then he can regroup and hit the problem from a different angle, or even just come back at it with better backup. Fear isn't something that Hiro likes to acknowledge, even in private--he sees it as something that people take advantage of, especially in Night City, and tries to seem unbothered on the surface, but even he has things that get under his skin.

🌺: Do they have any allergies?

It's not an allergy but he's lactose intolerant. That seldom stops him, and he'd sooner just suffer through his coffee than give up having real milk or cream in it. Same goes for chocolate or any sort of pasty, he sees the inevitable stomachache as worth it. He could probably take meds to make it less unpleasant but he usually forgets, or just doesn't want to spend the money on them.

🌌: What was the inspiration behind your oc? what was the first thing you decided about them?

Hiro was inspired after I watched Bladerunner for the first time. I'd never been much into sci-fi or cyberpunk as a genre, and it was part of what opened my eyes to the world. Hiro started as an OC that was supposed to fit into a fictional world I'd created, and ofc had grand, dramatic plans for. Well, the story never stuck, but Hiro did, and eventually I modified him to fit into Cyberpunk 2077, and his background started to develop to better fit the game.

I knew I wanted a character who felt like a movie protagonist--determined, stubborn, and maybe a little hot-headed. Who perhaps wasn't perfect and made reckless decisions but meant well. Hiro's name was the first thing that was decided--I like mono-syllabic names and Hiro had a nice ring to it/just felt right. I decided on his appearance soon after, and knew I wanted a character with a lot of tattoos, although they started out as more generically sci-fi, and not the Tyger Claws tattoos he has today. His body-shape was also quite different in the beginning, better suited for stealth and sneaking than his current one. But after playing cyberpunk and going the melee route, I figured he'd need to bulk up a little, to better support my playstyle, and his internal cybernetics, and his current iteration was created.

🪤: What will always lure them into certain danger? a loved one in danger? a promise of something they are always searching for?

A loved one in danger is enough to lure Hiro into a trap without a second thought, even if something that should make him hesitate, seems off from the start. He's made enough enemies, and it's no question that a great deal of them wouldn't think twice about harming a loved one, or friend to get to him. He won't stop until they're safe and out of harms way, even if that means putting himself at risk to make sure that happens. Hiro's the type to act first, and think later, even if it's not always the wisest approach.

👑: What does your oc want to be remembered as? why?

It's seldom something he thinks about. Hiro's not the type to worry about a legacy. But he's not out for glory, or any sort of recognition. He wants to live comfortably, and spend the time doing things he enjoys, and would like to have the means to do so. Going out in a blaze of glory? Nah--leave that to the others. He's gonna stay alive, even if that means he might never have some high-profile fixer gig. He knows he's not ruthless enough for it--can't imagine being like Wakako or Rogue, and doesn't necessarily want to be them either. Being successful would be surviving, despite Night City's best efforts and finding his own personal happiness.

💌: Do they like love letters? what kind of messages do they leave for their partner?

Love letters aren't something he's accustomed to. But they'd be enough to catch him genuinely off-guard. He's no stranger to flirting, or sleeping around, but emotions, and declarations of love aren't his strength. It's not to say they aren't appreciated, or cherished but they make him panic a little, and he doesn't quite know what to do about them. That being said, he's not opposed to leaving little notes for a partner, and is better at doing that then saying something out loud. His handwriting is pretty messy, so he'll leave little notes of chicken scratch, if he's nervous about saying something out loud, whether it's hoping that they have a good day, or letting them know there's a coffee and something sweet waiting for them when they get home.

🙊: What is something your oc will refuse to stay quiet about?

(sticking this one under a spoiler, just in case.)

Hiro spent the better part of his years with the Claws as a joytoy, and it's something he can't help but speak out about. There's this view of them as disposable and it's one of the things that gets him so angry, just how many people are ignored, or the false sympathy--people who pretend to eschew the whole endevour, and then hire them on the side, or behind closed doors. The double standard has never been something he's looked kindly at. So any sort of badmouthing is a really quick way to get on his bad side, and he's not the type to keep silent on the mattter. He spent long enough as part of a statistic, or an invisible population, and he's not one to shy away from discussing that, or calling someone else's behavior out.

[doreamu-san]

An analysis of SolKy

Hello! Thank you so much for clicking on this. A while ago, I was asked to do an essay explaining why people ship SolKy other than the whole rivals/opposites attract reason, and I got a lot of feedback stating it was useful for newcomers to the ship! As a result I’ve decided to post this on tumblr, but just on the ship’s tag as to not bother uninterested people.

A couple of disclaimers before I begin. This is firstly just my own opinion, so whilst it makes sense for me, other shippers may disagree with my points. I’m also not claiming they are canon because they are not. But I do hope it’ll give some insight into why some people like me enjoy them together.

Even once you’ve read this essay, you can still dislike SolKy. This isn’t an essay stating you have to ship them.

This will be extremely long as I basically cover every single interaction they’ve ever had with each other since I know some people sort of gloss over their dialogue, so grab yourself a drink, get comfy, and I hope you enjoy reading!

(Last edited: 09/05/2021. This will be updated again when Strive releases!)

How this all began

If we’re starting right at the beginning, it’s common knowledge that Ky and Sol weren’t exactly on great terms and often clashed most of the time due to their conflicting beliefs. Ky saw the world in terms of black and white, and had very strict rules on what constituted as right and wrong. Sol seemed to think differently and went against that, which was a stark contrast compared to the other Order members at the time.

Considering that they were in fact, in the middle of a war, you would think that generally people would be willing to put their differences aside and work together.

But Sol wasn’t like everyone else, going off and doing his own thing instead of actually listening to orders, so it’s understandable why Ky found him rather irritating.

However, Ky did grow curious of Sol. Obviously curiosity does not equate to love, but it is the basis of Ky wanting to become more friendly with and know more about Sol. There seemed to be something that Sol knew but Ky didn’t, but how was that possible..? As a result, despite how infuriating he could be, Ky sought to seek out the truth and so fought him for answers.

In regards to why exactly they fight (aside from the fact that this is a fighting game), Ishiwatari wrote something called ‘Hostility is Akin to Love’ right above a picture of them fighting:

Hostility is akin to love Thinking of your opponent’s actions to fight, Reading your opponent’s inner thoughts to fight, Planning attacks that will hit your opponent to fight, And then transmitting your thoughts with those attacks, The more you think of your own advantage, at the same time you think of your opponent, In the instant you mix with your opponent, a passionate feeling arises, and blood boils, Reality is hurt, and you wound your opponent, Hostility is akin to love. — Guilty Gear Isuka Mook

It states how fighting someone can be close to feelings of love because you have to think about what your opponent is doing, as well as how you’re going to respond to your opponent. Overtime, you start to memorise how your opponent thinks, and as a result you’ll know them on a deeper level.

So considering the above, this explains how even though they weren’t on friendly terms, they still formed a bond with one another.

Now we’ve established how exactly their relationship started, and why Ky was curious about Sol in the first place, let’s look at things from Sol’s perspective.

Sol’s attitude towards Ky

We know that Sol was also pretty annoyed by Ky, which was totally justifiable given the extreme way in which Ky thought the world worked. But Sol didn’t exactly dislike Ky.

In order to provide some evidence that Sol cares about Ky, let’s cover that infamous scene everyone likes to reference which shows Sol crying over Ky’s dead body:

Sol:     "I came to pick you up." Ky:      "Always coming late... you never could fix that..." Sol:     "You..." Ky:      "As to be expected... until the very end... I could never beat you..." Sol:     "Don't say anything!" Ky:      "I have... a request..." Sol:     "I said shut up!" Ky:      "After Commander Kliff... carry on... the Holy Order..." Sol:     "Stop it... that's your job!" Ky:      "Please... promise me..." Sol:     "Dammit..." Ky:      "If it's you... you can do..." Sol:     "Hey.... what's wrong. Hey! KYYYYYY!" — Guilty Gear XX Drama CD Side Red, Battle of Rome — Deathmatch

A lot of people bring this quote up when discussing SolKy and yes, it does show Sol cares about Ky considering how Sol never really cares about anyone in general, but the fact that Ky’s death managed to make him emotional shows what an impact Ky had on him. There are however more quotes that show Sol’s feelings.

There’s this scene in the GG Xtra manga, Ky and Sol get attacked by a mountain-sized gear. In order to save them, Sol rips off his limiter and Dragon Installs. This scene is very poignant when you take into consideration what Sol said in After Story A:

Sol:     "Back during the Crusades, before we met... Kliff told me this rumour about a prodigy swordsman." Sol:     "If you couldn't guess, that was you. I didn't give a shit at the time..." Sol:     "But then I saw you on the battlefield." Sol:     "I saw someone out there who surpassed all of my expectations. Or perhaps I should say 'something.'" Sol:     "No openings, no wasted movements, no carelessness, no hesitation, no embarrassment, not even any honor. No chivalry or mercy. A being unaffected by emotion." Sol:     "You were a killing machine. Taking down gears with brutal efficiency." Ky:      "...That was a long time ago." Sol:     "I'm not done talking. I've seen the face of the 'serious' Ky." Sol:     "Then one day, you challenged me." Sol:     "You wanna know what I thought right then?" Ky:      "..." Sol:     "I was afraid. Hell, I was scared shitless." Sol:     "'He figured out that I'm a Gear, and he's come to kill me.' That's what I thought." — Guilty Gear Xrd -REVELATOR-, After Story A

Sol admits that he knows just how scary Ky can be. Since Ky was extremely against Gears, if Ky found out that Sol was a Gear, then Ky would have most likely attempted to kill him. But Sol knew this and was willing to die for Ky’s sake, and transformed anyway:

Ky:      "Sol..." Ky:      (Really... that's really..) Ky:      (That's really you!?) Ky:      "SOL!" Sol:     "Shut it..." Sol:     "I didn't do it..." Sol:     "To help you out—...." — Guilty Gear Xtra, Chapter 5: Unspeakable Thoughts

Going off on a bit of a tangent from Sol’s feelings, but I just want to point out Ky’s state of mind at this point. Ky in this time period was still very anti-Gear, as it was only through this moment and his encounters with Solaria and Dizzy later that made him change his way of thinking. It took a long time for Ky to accept Gears, and he still had the remains of that mindset in him when he had Sin, as he refused to make eye contact with him because Ky was ashamed of having a Gear child. So the fact that Ky knew Sol was a Gear, believed all Gears were evil, but still decided to accept Sol into his life and wanted to support him regardless of that, is interesting.

Back to Sol, another small quote that manages to show Sol’s feelings towards Ky is this:

Sol:     (Maybe I'll finish them off while I'm at it...) Sol:     (But that would mean breaking my promise to Ky...) — Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R, Sol Badguy Path 2

Now, Sol doesn’t care about 99% of what other people do as long as they don’t get in his way. The fact that he intends to keep his promise with Ky suggests that he holds Ky in somewhat ‘high’ regards compared to others.

There’s also this quote that shows Sol is thinking about Ky in Overture:

The frustrations of the man wielding a giant sword were piling day by day, and a familiar face appeared in his head. What’s he up to right now? “Hmph, whatever…” With a feeling of self-contempt, Sol Badguy shook his head. What am I getting sentimental for? — Guilty Gear 2: Overture, #0 “Noise”

And when Sol encounters Raven later on after seeing Ky incapacitated, Raven points out how he can tell Sol is upset, meaning Sol’s not really doing a good job of pretending he’s still indifferent to Ky.

Raven: "You're as ruthless as ever, huh, monster?" Sol:      "Look who's talking." Raven: "Can you not put down your sword and talk? I understand you're upset with Ky Kiske defeated." Sol:      "I'll ask your corpse for answers." — Guilty Gear 2: Overture, #5 "Gaze of the Chronicle"

Sol’s thoughts about Ky become even clearer during his confrontation with Sin when he’s under the influence of Valentine, where Sol defends Ky’s actions and tries to make Sin understand Ky is not 100% at fault:

Sin:     "Can you see it? Can you feel it? This is my real power. This is my mother's strength." Sol:     "But it's light. It must be from your father." Sin:     "Shut up! Don't ever mention him!" Sin:     "He abandoned my mother and me using justice as an excuse!" Sin:     "Who cares about the King!? Who cares about the people!? That man, and that Kingdom, not one of them can protect a damn thing!" Sol:     "I don't give a damn about your family." Sol:     "But you know what, Ky may be a stubborn idiot, but at least he's true to his beliefs." Sol:     "A punk like you is still alive thanks to his justice." — Guilty Gear 2: Overture, #15 "Roaring Compass"

Okay, that’s the pre-Xrd era for Sol done, now to focus on Ky’s pre-Xrd’s emotions.

Ky’s attitude towards Sol

We’ve established earlier that Ky was annoyed by Sol and disliked him in the Crusades. However, afterwards it seems as if Ky saw himself as friends with Sol:

Ofc1:   "All of them seem to have been destroyed by... fire?" Ofc2:  "Yeah... why could that be?" Ky:      "........" Ky:      "Change our course!" Ky:      "Head towards the Eastern United States!" Ofc1:   "May I ask why, Chief Ky?" Ky:      "To meet an old friend." — Guilty Gear Xtra, Chapter 4: Former Friends

We know that Ky outwardly expressed his first signs of liking Sol when Sol stole the Fuuenken and Ky chased after him, only for Sol to win in their duel, and Ky says this:

Ky:      "Promise me one thing..." Sol:     "..What?" Ky:      "We'll meet again." Sol:     "Hmph... Well, if fate brings us together..." Ky:      "..That's fine." — Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R, Sol Badguy Path 1

It’s pretty interesting that Ky wanted to see Sol again despite how Sol never used to listen to his orders, and how Sol never even tried to act like what the Order expected their men to act like (chivalrous, putting the people first, etc). It at least shows us that Ky saw possibly the potential of becoming friends with Sol. And Sol didn’t even say straight up ‘no’ or ‘in your dreams’ or whatever Badguy-esque notion he usually would’ve done, so we can assume he doesn’t mind seeing Ky again either.

Then they don’t speak to each other properly for 5 years until the tournament that Testament holds, though they have probably ran into each other a few times within those years.

A common misconception people have is that during those 5 years, Ky was obsessed with Sol and would constantly try to find him. Obviously, this is not true. Ky was busy with IPF stuff and Sol was hunting Gears down.

However, it’s not as if Ky completely forgot about Sol — he was just probably at the back of his mind, and Ky does admit that he has been chasing after Sol the most more than anyone else:

Ky:      (Waiting outside for me when I left the ship... burning red flames. Soon, they seem to take the shape of a man... and he appears before me. Yes... it's him. The one I've been after the most... it's him.) — Guilty Gear X Drama CD, Vol. 1: Track Seven — Crater

There’s also these two other quotes:

Ky:      (Sol...) Ky:      (Why are you so stubborn about doing things alone?) — Guilty Gear Xtra, Chapter 5: Unspeakable Thoughts

You can interpret this in two ways: either Ky wants to help Sol out and/or he’s curious as to why Sol always does stuff alone.

And then there’s this:

Ky:      "Maintaining peace, law, and order. That is my duty." Sol:     "Whatever..." Ky:      "You and I, we are cut from the same cloth." Ky:      "How long are you going to keep that facade?" Sol:     "..." Ky:      "Answer me Sol!" — Guilty Gear Judgment, Sol and Ky Ending

Being ‘cut from the same cloth’ is quite a strong statement. The phrase means that Ky thought he and Sol were similar somehow, and that he shared something with Sol. Regardless, the ‘how long are you going to keep that facade’ at least shows that Ky knows Sol is intentionally acting distant/rough/etc. and that its not actually who he is.

Jumping to pre-Overture, just before Ky gives Sin to Sol, Ky is in a really depressive state due to all of the stress he’s been going through. This leads Dizzy to contact Sol. The fact that Sol is called means that Dizzy knows that Sol is possibly the only person who can help Ky at that point, which puts some emphasis on just how much Sol means to Ky or at least affects him.

Before I move onto Xrd, there’s this part where Ky gives his son to Sol. This proves he trusts Sol so much considering he was asking him to take care of Sin for a long period of time.

Ky:      “Sol....I want to request something...” Sol:     “...hnn?” Ky:      “My son....Sin..can you take care of him for a while?” Sol:     “...what did you say?” Ky:      “I know it’s unreasonable but...I still want to ask...” — GG2: Overture Story, Sol's Story

The Xrd era (because it is so long, it needs its own section)

The Xrd era is extremely interesting to me, because Sol and Ky have some more in-depth conversations, and boy, do they have a lot of conversations.

Focusing on Sol first, theres a scene in REV where Sol asks Ky why he isn’t interested in his past:

Sol:     "Why don't you ask me already?" Ky:      "Ask you what?" Sol:     "About my past." Ky:      "I can ask you?" Sol:     "I guarantee, it won't be interesting." Sol:     "Every other word that came out of your mouth was 'Duel me,' or 'I challenge you!' You were so eager to fight and..." Ky:      "........" — Guilty Gear Xrd -REVELATOR-, Story Mode: Chapter 03, Sense A

Given that Ky was constantly pestering Sol about his background in the past, it makes sense why Sol is suddenly a bit confused about Ky’s sudden change in behaviour. But it also shows that Sol wants Ky to know about his past. After ~170+ years of being alive, Sol wants to finally open up to someone again, and he specifically chose Ky for this. It shows in the very least Sol trusts Ky and knows him well enough to decide to let him know about who he used to be.

And then Ky says this, which is basically him just showing Sol how much he cares and understands him:

Ky:      "Sol. Of course I have an interest in your past." Ky:      "But wanting to understand someone and trying to understand everything is completely different." Ky:      "Right now, Sol Badguy's future matters much more to me, than Frederick's past." — Guilty Gear Xrd -REVELATOR-, Story Mode: Chapter 03, Sense A

There’s also this scene in SIGN:

Ky:      "I don't know your history." Ky:      "I don't know if you had friends once, or if you fell in love, or why you burn with such hatred for That Man and the Gears..." Ky:      "I don't even know your real name." Sol:     "..." Ky:      "But I do know a great deal about a man named Sol Badguy." Ky:      "Blinded by vengeance, he lost sight of himself, and now he runs from the truth that frightens him." Sol:     "...Say that again." Ky:      "Tomorrow always comes, Sol." Sol:     "..!" Ky:      "If tomorrow promises to be cold and dark, I cannot stand idly by... even if I know my efforts will come to nothing." Sol:     "... The self-righteous apple doesn't fall far from the tree." Ky:      "I don't expect the world to change tomorrow, but I do hope that, today, perhaps my words will reach you." Ky:      "Sol..." Ky:      "I'll be waiting for you. We'll all be waiting for you. Sin, Dizzy..." Ky:      "Once all this is over... come home." — Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN-, Story Mode: Chapter 04, Kaleidoscope B

Three things to take away from this:

Ky admits that he doesn’t know anything about Sol’s background, but that he knows a lot about the current Sol, and then goes on to explain how Sol acts. Which to expand on, means that although Ky used to care about Sol’s past, he doesn’t really mind about it anymore because Sol’s past won’t really change much who Sol is to Ky now. Also, the part where Ky explains how Sol was ‘blinded by vengeance,’etc. shows that Ky knows Sol’s current personality well enough in order to be able to distinguish his behaviours. Which is interesting because nobody has been around Sol long enough to be able to know him really well unlike Ky (Aria and Asuka count too, but they were around Sol when he was Frederick, and Sol seems pretty adamant on the idea that he’s a separate person from Frederick.)

‘Come home’ is pretty significant, as it implies that it’s almost like Ky is saying home is with Sin, Dizzy and the Valentines, and so when Sol is done getting revenge on That Man, instead of letting Sol just wander off alone, Ky wants Sol to be a family with them.

The fact that says Ky says ‘I’ll be waiting for you’ separate from ‘we’ll all be waiting for you’ implies that either Ky’s want to wait for Sol is somehow different from everyone else’s or it’s just for the sake of being dramatic. I interpreted this in both ways, as it seems like Ky knows that Sol treats him differently compared to others. So in a sense, by Ky emphasising that he’ll be waiting for Sol, it might make Sol more likely to ‘come home’.

There’s also a scene that shows Ky knows Sol’s personality well:

Ky:      "When I look at you, Sol, I see a man who is afraid." Sol:     "... What?" Ky:      "It became clear when I watched you caring for Sin." Ky:      "You work very hard to keep everyone at arm's length." Sol:     "..." Sol:     "I got Gear blood in my veins, and it ain't friendly. It's always there in the back of my head, whispering that I oughta just destroy all of this." Sol:     "The only way I'm gonna get some closure is tracking down That Man and beating some answers out of him." Sol:     "And if he doesn't have 'em..." Sol:     "Then maybe there really isn't a good way to live." Ky:      "That's why you close your heart off." — Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN-, Story Mode: Chapter 08, Hope A

There’s also this:

Ky:      "Not all people have the strength to stand on their own." Sol:     "..." Ky:      "If only life were simple, and the right path was laid out before each of us..." Ky:      "But even then some would leave it, and some would struggle with walking it. Such is human nature..." Ky:      "The truth is that no path will ever be 'right' for all people. Each of us must find the one we are meant to walk--and sometimes that is where none exists." Ky:      "That is what I learned from you." — Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN-, Story Mode: Chapter 08, Hope A

This just shows that Ky actually learnt something from Sol. Which I think is important because Ky is someone who always used to be very strict to his ideals. The fact that he learnt something from Sol that had an impact on his mindset means that Sol actually managed to have a great impact on Ky.

There’s this scene where Sol finds out that Aria isn’t dead when he confronts That Man, and he has somewhat of a mini mental breakdown. So Ky excuses them from the room, and goes outside to talk with Sol:

Ky:      "Sol. The grudge you hold is certainly not something that can be taken lightly. And, whatever answer you think you've found, I doubt any of us will be able to stop you from seeing it through..." Ky:      "But we have very little time left. Right now, we need the Gear Maker's help." Ky:      "So, I'm begging you... Just for now. Why don't you stay outside with me." — Guilty Gear Xrd -REVELATOR-, Story Mode: Chapter 06, Cause A

The last line that Ky says is interesting because it’s obvious that he’s just trying to calm Sol down, and Ky thinks that if he stays with Sol outside for a bit, he’ll be able to help him calm down. Furthermore, Ky thought it was more necessary to pause everything and help Sol out rather than keep listening to the plans of what their next course of action would be.

Ky does have the habit of comforting Sol. One of the more significant moments is whenever Sol refers to himself as a monster:

Ky:      "Yes, he took away some of what makes you human, but that doesn't mean he altered your mind or your soul." Sol:     "So what?" Ky:      "I want to believe that you'll fight for the people of this world." Sol:     "Are we seriously having this conversation?" Sol:     "Look, kid. I'm a monster. I'm here to do two things: Destroy That Man, and kill all the other Gears." — Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN-, Story Mode: Chapter 04, Kaleidoscope B

To expand a little on Sol’s mindset, it’s common knowledge that Gears were generally in the past regarded as akin to monsters. Now we don’t have any solid proof Sol is referring to himself as a monster because he’s a Gear, or because he feels guilt about the whole Gear Project, etc. But we do know it’s something he’s affected by given that he constantly refers to himself as one.

So the fact that Ky constantly reassures him that he’s not one, and that Ky didn’t treat him differently after finding out he was a Gear, must be comforting to know.

Then at the end of REV, there’s the scene where Daryl is about to shoot Sol, because he (quite rightly) doesn’t trust the fate of the world to be left to Sol. And so, the kids get beamed up, but Ky asks to be left behind:

Ky:      "But, if you plan on targeting Sol, then you must leave me behind, as well." Daryl: "What!?" Zappa:"60 seconds until impact..!" Sol:     "What the hell are you doing?! Stay with Sin!" Ky:      "I am well aware that this is a one in a million chance..." Ky:      "But, if I survive at the expense of my dear friend, then there is little reason left for my ruling this world as king." — Guilty Gear Xrd -REVELATOR-, Story Mode: Final Chapter, Fireworks

This was a really odd moment because Ky’s life was never in danger at that moment. If he had been sent on board Daryl’s ship as originally planned, he would have been safe. But Ky intentionally chose to risk his life, and its kind of startling because Ky has always put his people above everything. There were times when he put the people above his own family, like when he kept his family a secret instead of coming out with the truth about them in order to remain as King to protect his people.

So Ky suddenly going ‘I would rather die with Sol than take care of my people’ is really extreme. Also Ky was willing to leave his family behind, which is even more extreme. So this just really proves how highly Ky regards Sol considering how he would rather die with him than live without him.

Some concluding notes

I think Sol and Ky’s personalities do work really well. Perhaps not in the Crusade era, but if we take a look at the Xrd era, they have shown to get along and have deep conversations with one another that they both enjoy. They know each other extremely well; they know how to support one another when life gets a bit too much and they’re also capable of telling one another when the other is wrong.

Sol teaches Ky that life isn’t as simple as it seems, and that (figuratively speaking) he shouldn’t stick exactly to the textbook. He’s able to see under that perfect image Ky puts up about him being able to cope with everything, acting as a source of stability when you consider how Sol has been the only person who’s been around Ky since the very beginning.

Throughout all of Ky’s life, he’s been under so much pressure. From being Commander in the Crusades, to becoming the Head of the International Police Force, to becoming King. In every situation, people are constantly relying on him, and his environment is changing rapidly. But despite everything, Sol has always remained the same. He looks the same, acts the same, etc. Ky can rely on Sol and trust Sol. He’s like a source of stability for Ky in those hectic times.

And Ky provides something similar to Sol too, given how often he ran into Sol time and time again. When you’ve been alive for so long, it’d feel reassuring in the very least to see a familiar face. And Sol does seem to get less annoyed each time they meet each other again, considering like how in Overture he voluntarily went to go see Ky after seeing himself on a wanted poster.

Ky also gives Sol the chance to open up to people again and form connections with them, something that Sol has been reluctant to do. Sol needs someone to care about him, and Ky proves that by constantly reassuring him and never giving up on trying to help Sol, even though he kept getting pushed away.

They may not be canon but I really do love how they work together. Yes it’s true some people may like them because they are ‘rivals’and seeing rivals get together and bicker is great, but actually I think when people focus more on how much they support and rely on each other, as well as the fact that they do get along, them being in a relationship is more convincing.

Whilst this essay focused on their canon interactions, there’s plenty of other great material out there. For instance, the Guilty Gear 4KomaKINGS manga provides plenty of great SolKy interactions (like the time Ky wanted to have a friendship diary with Sol, only to get rejected and start crying about it. Of course, take these interactions with a pinch of skepticism considering the frivolity of the source material.)

And that, was my very long SolKy essay. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading! Though you may not have agreed with everything I have said, you still continued reading, and I am grateful for that. Thank you for showing such enthusiasm and loving this franchise.

[randompurplepanthergorl]

Okay, so I'mma establish my AU version on this "Tord clone" that takes Tord's place in the end in the theory who I'll now call "Toni" and "Toni" will be it's name in the AU version of this, so I don't have to keep calling him "Tord clone" or "The Tord clone" cause repeatedly calling Toni that gets annoying cause A: He hates that, how'd you like it if you where a clone and it called you "(person) clone" and B: It's just generally annoying to keep typing "Tord Clone"

Okay, so more on the AU version of Toni aka, for the last time cause from now on I'm going to use the name I picked, The Tord Clone

So, Toni is that Tord clone that solved everything with guns, when he was first created he barely had a mind and just went "haha guns go brr" he knew how to breath and walk and weald a gun but that's literally it- He couldn't talk or do, well, ANYTHING OTHER than shoot a gun- So here's pre-Toni in this AU

AKA before gaining a mindset/whats actually canon-

So, in the clone genocide, it just grabbed a gun and just started shooting- Accidentally killing some clones in the process, Toni ended up surviving along side Blue-Matt (Who also exists and is still alive in this universe also yes Toni gets a real name while he's just called "Blue-Matt" *WHEEZE-*)

But after it was over Toni just left without anyone seeing- But it began feeling sadness, which he did not know what was at the time, so he started to gain emotions, soon to evolve into a proper mindset, he remembered what happened and realized almost all of his friends (Well, except Blue-Matt) and "Brothers (The other Tord clones)" where dead, and he was the accidental cause of some of their deaths,

Toni, due to him being originally a clone who just took "I like guns" and made it a whole character, developed an evil mindset,

Once Toni developed a personality and proper mindset, AKA developed into a proper functioning being pretty much, Toni is a lot like Tord but also a lot different,

They both like weapons, they both are good at tech, etc.

But Toni is cold and heartless, the only thing he cares about is guns and the clone friends it had and now lost, He's also chaotic and likes mischief at times

So, Toni developed a plan to get back at the main characters for killing all his clone buddies (Except Blue-Matt but he did not know it was still alive and well-) and clone "Brothers"

Anyways, while Toni was still "developing" Aka still gaining a personality and functioning mindset and learning new things he just aimlessly wondered around the streets lamo, but at this time he learned about the ability's he had (The clones have special traits in this AU, I'll explain later on) and once he fully developed he caught wind of the fact Tord left, thus evil clone plains commence

Basically, Toni's plan was to 100% look like how he last remembered Tord, which is not 100% accurate but close enough to fool someone, and gain info on everyone, but before doing so he rounded up an army, The Red army, no body knows what Toni "Truly" looks like (Air quotes cause his actual true form is, well, a twin version of Tord- But his "true" form is what he chose to look like, (the same but with the "psychotic" eyes and gnarly and cool monster teeth Toni also has a sharp chin like classic Tord cause ew ew ew why the fuck would he want the fucked up round face from EW Legacy-) because he finds himself the most comfortable both physically and mentally in that form because he CHOSE it)

Well, when he "let himself in" under the "Tord mask" they immediately thought he was the real Tord and vola The End ensues as Toni's plan succeeds, although as he was there he found out Tord had a G I A N T R O B O T hiding (Although in this AU Tord would have used it for GOOD and NOT EVIL like Toni did-), and he basically went "Sweet with this I can make technology to revive my clone buddies so I can be complete again!"

I think you can figure out the rest,

Although if Toni was good in this AU, his personality would be almost the same but leaning much towards the "mischief and chaos" traits, and he'd stay in the same chosen looks but he'd wear different clothes (Like Blue-Matt), and he'd hang around/live with Blue-Matt, basically how this version of his story would go is while he was still developing he stumbled apon the house again and they'd spot him and welcome him with open arms and batta bing batta boom Blue-Matt has a frien :D

So now some clone lore and Toni trivia in this AU (Did I seriously make my own lore on the clones for an AU? Yes.)

Clone lore in the AU:

-The clones can "Shapeshift" a little bit, not heavily but a little bit if they all stayed alive long enough they would have found this out but since only Toni and Blue-Matt survived only they know how to do this

-More on the "Shapeshifting" they can minorly shift their physical features but would still mostly look like the person they're a clone of cause, well, clone, the most they can do is change the teeth or eyes and maybe the body build and minorly the head shape if focusing hard enough but that's it, if they want to change their appearance more they got to do it like every normal human

-These fuckers are EXTREAMLY durable, hard to damage and have high pain tolerance, yes they can still die and get scars and injury's it's just harder to kill or at the very least injure one than it is to do so to a human

-They're also stronger than a human, not super strength strong but stronger than an average human same thing with speed but not as much

-If a clone gets scarred it only sticks in "one form" like take Toni as an example, he has a scar covered by a band-aid, well if he shifts to look more like Tord it's gonna vanish somehow? Same thing vice versa with the Red Leader Tord form scars, they vanish if he shifts to look more free-styled like normal

-The clones don't need to eat or drink to live, they COULD eat or feel hungry but it's NOT necessary to eat or drink for their survival, so a note that you can't kill them by starvation cause they can't starve or get sick from not eating-

-But they do still need to breath/they still need oxygen-

-Due to the machine they where made from being made from monkeys being taped together they could also climb objects and trees like a monkey

Toni Trivia:

-Both Toni and Blue-Matt by with "He/Him" or "It/It's" both of their genders being "clone" while being physically male with the other clones it's unknown other than the fact they where physically male-

-In the Evil Toni route, Toni picked his name from watching a TV series, he was pretty much fully developed and did not know the name "Tord" at the time and it did not want to just be called a "thing" so while watching TV he heard the name "Tony" but he hated the Y so he swapped it with an I

-It hates the letter "Y" for some reason???

-In the Evil Toni route yeah the Red Army knows what he really looks like he just shifts into "Red Leader Tord" form when commanding them or making public announcements and all that

-The injury's he received in Evil Toni route in the end of The End only stuck to the Tord form, if he shifts to Tord form it's gonna show those scars on his face but in "true" form poof they're gone :P but shift back to Tord poof they're back :P

-In the Good Toni route he stays in the same room as Blue-Matt, they're roommates

-Toni is technically a defective clone that could have ended up in the rejects room, the only reason he wasn't was because he watched the Evil Directors movie, back when he was only like "Derp I can't do crap cause I have a tiny clone brain rn" and was yet to develop, how he's defective is A: Have you seen how violent the canon version ALONE COULD be?? and B: His voice, it's different/incorrect it works but it's not correct the real Tord in this little AU has the classic Tord voice, Toni has the legacy Tord voice

-In the Good Toni route he got his name from Matt, when he was welcomed in like a lost puppy Matt wanted to name him and Edd and Tom where like "Sure whatever-" and "Well, we do need to call him something I guess-" basically the naming process went with Matt coming up with stupid names and everyone else, including Blue-Matt and Toni denying it, and Matt said "You look like our old friend "Toni" so I guess instead I should give you a similar name-" and Toni picked Toni from that sentence and pretty much went "Yoink. My name."

-In the Good Toni route he's like a goblin at night, once he was completely developed he'd crawl on the ceiling like Spiderman with plungers and grab and eat the most random things from the fridge, sometimes even empty Cola-cans A lot of times Blue-Matt would catch him but he never says anything to the others cause he finds it hilarious

-If Toni had "character themesongs" on the Evil route it would be Monster Ver. Kuraiinu on the Good route it would be FRIENDS - Anne-Marie & Marshmello | Male Cover by ZERØ

-If Tord ever met Toni in the Evil Toni route it would be in the middle of the takeover and he'd be yelling at him about that being his robot and not it's- But if he met him in the Good Toni route he'd most likely just stare confused until speaking up to say "Ah fuck looks like TWO clones survived-"

-Toni really likes Tord's hat/helmet from "Moving Targets" or "The End" or the "FNF Online VS: Challe-EDD" mod for some reason no body not even Toni knows what it is he just really likes it, he won't wear it all the time but he really likes it

-Toni would seriously lick the water from a puddle, sometimes even a muddy one someone has STEPPED in and go "mmmm cave water :]"

-

Well that's all I have for now- Should have I put a "Keep reading" link? Maybe. Did I? No. :P

Toni will probably return but that is all the info I have on him, reminder that this is now an AU and in the hc/theory version there is no character there just "clone" in this here AU version I swear at this point Toni could be a fan character-

[woodchoc-magnum]

L0ne St@r 2x12 Hate Watch

DO NOT REBLOG THIS ONE - thanks, I’m trying to fly under the radar with my negative opinions here

Usual disclaimer, and I mean it this time: If you watch and love this show, that’s great and I hope you continue to enjoy it. Please don’t read this - simply go about having a lovely day.

If you do love this show and T*rlos and are braving this anyway - do not come in here. I mean it. This is not a T*rlos friendly zone. I do not ship it. Please enjoy your ship in peace and harmony. I have no intention of getting into arguments with anyone, I will simply ignore you.

I have done everything I can to avoid this showing up in the tags, whatever the LS tags are. Don’t send me hate on anon because I’ll delete them; I don’t care if you think I should stop watching the show, I’m not gonna. I like to suffer.

Eddie Diaz for calm and strength and to centre ourselves:

Hate, as always, under the cut:

Let's do this fucking thing, I've heard bad things about this episode

And I already know I'm wrong about the arsonist which is ANNOYING but maybe also too obvious so that's okay, I also know who the arsonist is and all the main plot points but I’ve still got to watch it to really appreciate the subtle nuances of the episode:

Oooh Billy

I ship it

Billwen for the win

This show is so dumb

Billy is smarter than Owen, maybe he should be the captain of the 126

I miss his lightning scars though

He's TWO HOURS LATER FOR DINNER

TK is looking as bland as always

They seriously waited for two fucking hours for this guy

Maybe should've put some deodorant on before going to dinner there Owen

You know I can't imagine the OG doing a storyline as dumb as this

So Carlos' dad thinks it's someone who works at the 126 or just a firefighter in general?

Well gosh darn it, it looks like Owen fits that profile exactly!

At least we get some Judd early in the episode and I love him

Angela Bassett is executive producer on this show as well? I hope she gets paid cash money for this

Billy is the red herring and I fell right into their trap

I just really wanted it to be him

Ooh Grace was listening

Oh it's 100% the arson investigator and Billy is 100% turning Owen in, I love him

Billy is amazing

He's my favourite character on this show

I hope he's not working with Owen to get the arson investigator? I hope he's actually this devious

I want him to be THIS DEVIOUS

Why the fuck does Owen wear that hoodie everywhere

TK is now having a little bitch fit

"they can't do that, can they?" he asks in a monotone, his face blank and devoid of expression

TK's real real dumb

Oh ho ho is this the shoving scene

IT IS

God Ronen CANNOT ACT

Okay so while I think it is wildly unbelievable that they would send TK's boyfriend to tell him that his father had been arrested by HIS father – it seems like a conflict – I would like to say that Carlos is being calm and reasonable

And TK is acting like a little BITCH

This is escalating quickly

Oh TK you so dumb

THE SHOVING

Wow

FOUR TIMES

Wow

Your fave is problematic, yo

Carlos deserves better than this whiny little piece of shit

And now, an interlude while I rant:

Let's talk about how Eddie Diaz yelled at Buck once in a supermarket and the fandom has never forgotten it; how his character has been villainised despite everything else going on in the show at the time, for that one fucking scene – let's talk about all the fics where Eddie hits Buck, or punches him, or rapes him – because you know those fics exist – let's talk about the "Eddie is violent" narrative that parts of this fandom like to push because Eddie yelled at Buck, one time, once, in a supermarket

Totally ignoring the fact that at no point at all, in any other episode he’s been in, has he been violent towards Buck, at all - let’s talk about how the street fighting arc was out of character for Eddie, because he was struggling to cope and looking for an outlet - let’s talk about how Buck and Eddie moved past that whole storyline and strengthened their relationship; how they built a family together, how they’re a team and they have each other’s backs no matter what, and how, not once in the entire show, have they ever been violent towards each other or pushed each other around in anger - NOT ONCE.

And let's talk about this scene, where TK, ya boy, ya sweet tender boy, just shoved the man he says he loved four times, violently, in front of people at the firehouse.

I betcha any money he doesn’t get tarnished with the Eddie-Diaz-is-violent brush, because he can do no wrong. He’s the fan favourite, and this is totally glossed over by the end of the episode and nothing will ever be said about it ever again.

Because wow, you guys. Wow. If this was my ship, I’d be pissed.

Back to the hate watch:

And I know that whole fight is for nothing because I know the plot twist – I know that the dads are working together in order to reveal the real arsonist, the investigator – so they've basically turned their children, who are in a relationship, against each other?

Also why is Billy allowed to be watching the interview?

Goddamn do we really have to show the gruesome burn victim photos

I really want Billy to be devious by the way, and not in on the plan

Oh here comes TK, looking like the little bitch he is

God he's a fucking awful actor

This is the dumbest plotline ever

Equating OWEN STRAND WITH THOR? ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?

BLASPHEMY

THOR IS THE GOD OF THUNDER

OWEN IS A DUMBASS

THE TWO ARE NOT EQUAL

Uh oh here comes the evil investigator

Do either of these men – Owen and Carlos' dad – stop to consider that what they're doing has kind of an impact on their children, who are currently in a relationship? No? Okay

Because this is one hell of an awkward situation

Does Owen genuinely think that Billy is the arsonist?

Interesting that the arson investigator wants any info Owen didn't give Carlos' dad, and he turned off the cameras/mics etc

This show is stupid

Arson investigator also knows that the sons are dating, interesting

"And you can pound sand!" oooh great comeback Owen

This episode is so BORING OMG

Why the fuck am I watching a shitty Law & Order knock-off when I should be watching a bonkers 911 episode

Oh no Judd's at Billy's

I really do think Billy Burke is good looking and it is a flaw of mine, I don't know what it is about him and he really doesn't look that good in this show but I really love Billy Burke okay

And I WANT HIM TO BE DEVIOUS

Oh Judd

Oh Judd thinks Billy is the arsonist

See this is why YOU DON'T LIE TO THE PEOPLE AROUND YOU

Oh he punched him

God damn everyone is violent in this show

Judddddddddddddd

Uh oh here comes trouble to the "vagrant's" hospital room

Oh it's the arson investigator, their little bluff worked, incredible, amazing, flawless etc

Wow how amazing

It was the ol' switcheroo

Judd punched Billy for nothing

TK and Carlos nearly came to blows for nothing

Now Owen is allowed to watch the interrogation? They'll just let anyone watch those things these days

OH MAN ARE YOU TELLING ME THAT BILLY WAS IN ON IT WITH OWEN THE WHOLE TIME?

Damn it I wanted DEVIOUS god damn it

Fucking cowards

"I assumed it was probably a trap at the hospital which is why I went there anywhere"

But why is he lighting fires

A FEW MONTHS?

A man is dead

Pure theatre

So annoyed that Billy isn't devious

But the Billwen ship sails on, clowns 🤡

Do we think the arsonist has the hots for Owen? 100% yes, right?

He's very happy to see him wink wonk

This doesn't even feel like an episode of 911, it's so goddamn dumb

"I knew you had darkness in you too" – that dude definitely wants to fuck him

Why is he lighting the fires?

They're so dumb

"And now I'm going to repay the favour" – he's talking about YOUR SONS

WHO HE KNOWS ARE TOGETHER

Wow these two dumbasses really have no fucking idea do they

OH HE'S BURNING HIMSELF ALIVE

Wow this is graphic

What the fuck is up with this show and the horribly graphic scenes lately?

That dude is dead yo

"Take away everything that's important to me" AND HE CALLS THE FIREHOUSE FIRST

THE FIREHOUSE IS THE FIRST FUCKING CALL???

Oh okay it did blow up and TK was there so I'll allow it

But hey look on the bright side – Owen gets to remodel again!

And isn't that what he's the best at?

Yo your firehouse is on fire dudes, better call the fire department

Does Judd apologise to Billy or no

Oh here we have TK and Carlos and their perfect love

And Carlos is the one apologising?

No.

Please tell me no

Carlos you are allowed to be pissed at him – ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME

"nobody has to apologise?"

YOUR BOYFRIEND PUSHED YOU AROUND

Oh my god

Wow

Okay.

Look I'm just saying that to me this would be a GIGANTIC RED FLAG but wtf do I know

I'm just saying because I have to – if Carlos was a woman and TK did that? Whole different story gang

Whole completely different mother-fucking story

This show, wow

Wow.

Wow. This is bad.

Domestic violence happens to men too, just saying.

Wow I'm so annoyed that I've paused it to type furiously and rant that wow, they're just not acknowledging that TK was totally out of line? Okay. Wow.

And everyone's just fine with it?

Oh they're just figuring out that he set more than one fire

Maybe there's something else you care about other than the firehouse, Owen

Maybe?

BILLY IS THE ONE WHO FIGURES IT OUT

See this is why Billy is the best

Oh no TK and Carlos are in danger

Oh it's so romantic isn't it? They're gonna fuck now that everything is okay

Wow he left a lot of bombs in Carlos' house

Damn Carlos is hot

No smoke alarms?

That fire has really taken ahold there guys

I'm gonna assume you do have smoke alarms and he disconnected them

Wow he really covered all bases didn't he

Put the bombs in the bedroom as well

RIP Carlos' nice house

"I love you too" after I violently shoved you around today

Oh who needs a fucking fire department when you've got Owen fucking Strand right?

"Carlos" he says flatly. "How are you doing?" he asks in a monotone

"I should've had an extinguisher in the bedroom" DUDE NO ONE DOES

And if TK wanted one in there, he's the fucking firefighter, he should've checked when he moved in instead of assuming like a dumbass

God this show is dumb as fuck and I hate it so much

Billwen for the win

"just a couple of crap magnets" fucking a-men Judd

This show sucks

Oh no TOMMY OH NO

WHAT'S HAPPENING

OH MY GOD

WHAT THE FUCK

What the fuck

Is he dead?

TAKE OWEN AND TK INSTEAD

I’m going to say one more thing about this T*rlos storyline - if they’d done this to Buck & Eddie in the OG, I’d be fucking devastated. Like... if Buck or Eddie pushed the other around the way TK pushed Carlos around, I’d be absolutely gutted. It’s really horrible that they went down that path - whether it’s OOC or not, and you can probably argue that it is - they shouldn’t have included the scene like that in the show. 

It just raises a whole slew of questions, like... is TK violent? Is Carlos used to being pushed around in relationships? Is the show saying that it’s okay that they got a little physical because they’re both men? Domestic violence is never okay, and this is kind of... saying that it is, in certain circumstances?

That is problematic as fuck and such bad writing.

These two are in a relationship where they are living together and supposedly love each other, and this is how the writers choose to portray it? If you’re a T*rlos shipper and you’re upset about this episode, I get it. It’s really fucking terrible that they included that scene - and I would bet cold hard cash it’ll never be addressed again.

This is why LS is a bad show. It’s shitty writing. Shitty storylines. Characters who are interesting are shoved into the background and glossed over in favour of the male white characters. The OG doesn’t have this problem - for everyone complaining that Eddie hasn’t been featured as much this season (and yeah, I hate it too) - you can’t complain that the characters of colour don’t get equal screentime. 

With LS - it’s the Rob Lowe show, and everyone else is just in the background. And that’s why it’s so frustrating to watch - they have a great cast, and this could be a really good show, but it’s just not.

Do you think the LS writers patted themselves on the back after this arc and were like, "yeah we nailed it, we're amazing?"

This episode is -1,000000/10. This show should be cancelled.

Two god awful miserable fucking episodes to go.

Diaz to cleanse:

[linafication]

HARICOT HERETIC BACKSTORY POST!!!

copy & pasting this from discord with some small edits so it might be a little tangential <3

ok so when they were yknow. still an Alive Human Person they lived in this secluded town built concerningly close to a nuclear power plant. that’s a very inadvisable place to build a town, but lotsa fucked up shit happens here in hhvcd-land so whatever <3 basically haricot was just some kid for a while. they were a lil wack tho & caused a *lot* of trouble, being *very* naturally curious & just. fuckign around & finding out. they were also pretty obsessed with plants & nature, but not in a “i grow pretty flowers & know the latin names of anything with leaves” kind of way. more in a “i will let these wild vines grow through my room. I may try to breed these two dangerous plants together into an even bigger more dangerous abomination plant.” basically. plant mad scientist who doesn't even really know the science. over the years, they start noticing some weird shit happening around town, specifically with the plant life around. they suspect it’s from the power plant & try to let everyone else know about it, but lich rally everyone insists that it’s all good & they’ll be protected. except a couple of their peers. they grow closest to a girl named alder kane, who’s also noticed the problems issues, but while alder really wants the rest of the town to get out of their heads & actually solve the problem, haricot really just wants to prove the townspeople wrong. (alder & haricot also may or may not be girlfriends <3 they r both branded heretics & do (minor because alder is a coward /j) crimes together thats pretty lesbians) they’re fascinated by the effect the radiation is having on the environment, & kinda just wants to fuck with it more. alder & haricot (joined by a few others) publicly try to convince the other citizens of their town to pay attention to the growing contamination & do something about it. but when they refuse to listen yet again, haricot gathers the group & proposes an idea: break into the power plant. let loose some real evidence. the rest of the group quickly shut this down. if they fuck around & trespass, they could potentially destroy the whole town. haricot doesn’t care. they want to prove the townspeople wrong, whatever the cost. the contamination is spreading no matter what, & if they’re gonna all die from the chemicleas, they want to decide when it happens. if they’re gonna go out, they wanna go out with the most dramatic bang the world has ever seen. ey tells the group that they’re going through with eir plan anyways. everyone else tries to talk them out of it, but this just results in a massive argument. the argument ends with haricot storming out & running off towards the power plant’s entrance a couple miles away. they break in & start sneaking around through the plant & into the vast tunnels that stretch back to under their town. after poking around for a little while though, they realize they’re not alone. alder had followed them there in hopes of stopping them. there’s a dramatic fight sort of thing which begins with alder doing one of those good guy speeches & haricot just being evil, but alder quickly (& dramatically) realizes haricot is too stubborn to change, & their argument escalates into a physical fight as haricot continues to dramatically explain eir plan while beginning the steps to initiate some kind of reactor overload. alder realizes that stopping haricot will make her a hero, & tells haricot this. they only respond with laughter & excitement. by saying that defeating them would make her a hero, she’s only cemented their place as a villain. haricot has never felt so alive.

near the end of this heated battle after lots of dramatic (yet pretty one-sided) banter (alder isn't that good at witty mid-battle banter, being a hero and all), alder finally has haricot at her mercy, dangling over a big ole reactor sort of thing. they expected haricot to try & save themselves. maybe even beg for their life. but haricot only reaches to pull the lever, activating the final step of the instant overload thing they’ve been initiating throughout the whole fight. they manage to activate it, which of course immediately starts causing everything to shake, & haricot’s grip is weakened, causing them to fall into the reactor right as it explodes. they later wake up face-down in a lower laboratory level with a strange feeling under their skin...

[raimispiderman]

From the booklet which comes with the Spider-Man Trilogy Limited Edition Collection blu-ray!

This talks about the making of Spider-Man 3, here’s the bit about the first Spider-Man movie and here’s the bit about Spider-Man 2.

Click for a transcript:

OLD FRIENDS… AND NEW FACES

“The heart of the Spider-Man films has always been the depth of the characters and their interconnected lives. Peter’s love of Mary Jane Watson and his friendship with Harry Osborn have always been the richest parts of our stories,” said director Sam Raimi.

In Spider-Man 3, Peter Parker faces his biggest challenge to date – and the greatest battle of all is the battle within himself.

“We wanted to explore the darker side of Peter’s character,” said producer Laura Ziskin. “When his suit turns black, it enhances and emphasizes characteristics that are already in the host. In this case, it makes him stronger and quicker, but also more prideful and aggressive.”

“When I read the script I was really excited about the different direction we were going with Peter Parker and the other characters and storylines,” said Tobey Maguire, who returned to the role of Peter Parker. “We are covering a lot of new ground here, with a fresh take on the story while maintaining the continuity of the characters from the previous two films.”

In Spider-Man 3, Spider-Man takes on two classic villains: Sandman, who first made his appearance in the fourth issue of “The Amazing Spider-Man” and Venom, one of the comic book’s most memorable villains.

“Marvel comic books – and especially the Spider-Man books – have always had a great bunch of villains to choose from,” noted Raimi. “So many great Marvel artists and writers developed these characters. It was a very easy task to pick up these wonderful tales and images and develop our story from them.”

Thomas Haden Church played Flint Marko, a man haunted by the mistakes of his past, who is caught in a physics experiment gone wrong. “I consider it an honor, really,” said Church, an Academy Award nominee for his role in Sideway, on joining the franchise. “The Spider-Man films stand tall in the pantheon of superhero movies. Many are called, few are chosen, and I’m proud to be one of the few.”

“Flint Marko becomes Sandman when he stumbles into a radioactive test site where they’re performing a molecular fusion experiment and he accidentally becomes fused with sand,” Church added. “As a result, he can change his shape and adapt to his environment. He can be 10, 30, 80 feet tall. He can form giant sand fists, hammers, a mace. He can shift into a sand tornado, or sift into sand. He is as malevolent and menacing as any villain can be.”

Church spent over a year preparing for the role, with a physical training and diet regimen which led to his gaining about 20 pounds of muscle before shooting began. “In the comic book, Sandman was a bulky-muscled guy – he looked like a guy out of the WWF,” said the actor, “For the movie, we decided on a leaner look – street hardened, like Terry Malloy in On the Waterfront.”

Topher Grace joined the cast as Eddie Brock, a character in some ways similar to Peter Parker, who transforms into Venom – Spider-Man’s arch-nemesis. “When I was first talking about the movie, Sam asked me if I knew what ‘arch-nemesis’ meant. I thought it meant a huge villain, but Sam pointed out that it really means a villain who has the same powers and abilities as the hero, but uses them for evil,” said Grace. “Sam has gone to great lengths to make this character Spider-Man’s equal and opposite. You might say that Eddie is the guy that Peter would have been if he didn’t have the good fortune of having Aunt May and Uncle Ben to bring him up.”

Grace, a self-described “skinny guy,” put on about 15 to 20 pounds for the role, working out during the several months before shooting began. During pre-production, Grace was subjected to body scans and motion capture data analysis for use by the costume and visual effects departments.

“They were doing a scan of my body, and someone mentioned that the scan would be really helpful for making my action figure. My action figure!” recalled Grace. “It hadn’t even occurred to me that I would become an action figure! It was very exciting.”

“The Spider-Man books have probably the greatest rogues’ gallery of any superhero comic – there are so many memorable villains throughout the books,” said executive producer and Marvel’s president of production Kevin Feige. “With the villains in Spider-Man 3, we wanted to continue the tradition – following the Green Goblin and Doc Ock – of presenting villains that not only provide spectacle and a physical challenge to Spider-Man’s abilities, but characters that are multi-layered and conflicted.”

“At the beginning of Spider-Man 3, we find Peter Parker pretty much where we left him at the end of the second Spider-Man story,” said director Sam Raimi. “He is coming to terms with what it means to be a hero and the sacrifices he has to make to do the right thing. Peter has never had anyone look up to him as someone they admire. Certainly, he’s never had anyone cheer for him before. This has an unexpected effect on Peter: it stirs up his prideful self. This is the beginning of a movement toward his dark side in this film.”

That dark side is brought to the forefront when he comes into contact with a black substance that attaches itself to Peter’s Spider-Man suit. When the substance turns his suit black, he finds he has greater strength and agility than ever before… but also the substance brings out his pride and his vengefulness. “In the climax, Peter has to put aside his prideful self. He must put aside his desire for vengeance,” Raimi continues. “He has to learn that we are all sinners and that none of us can hold ourselves above another. In this story, he has to learn forgiveness.”

Another fan favorite, Gwen Stacy, made her film debut in Spider-Man 3. Well known to fans of the comic books, Gwen made her first appearance in December 1965 “The Amazing Spider-Man #31” and quickly became Peter Parker’s first love. Bryce Dallas Howard took on the role. Despite the differences between the comic book and screen versions of her character, Howard was able to use the comic book as inspiration in bringing Gwen Stacy to life. “There was a very deep relationship built into the comic books – that became my foundation,” said the actress. “This a person who, had things been different, could have been a good mate for him. Because her father is a police captain, she’s accustomed to someone leaving and putting his life in jeopardy every day and loving him unconditionally. I was able to build on that, to play the character that was written in the comic book.”

“It’s wonderful to bring new actors into the series because, although you have an existing set of rules and storylines you want to adhere to, at the same time you need to shake it up, bringing new voices and energies to the film that we haven’t experiences before, “noted Raimi. “It gives the audience a new experience, with the characters they love, but with a new energy dynamic, with those new faces on screen with them.”

“In terms of logistics and scope, Spider-Man 3 is by far the largest of the three films,” said Ziskin. “Sam has really upped the ante for this film, in terms of action sequences and visual effects involving Sandman and Venom, so it is a gigantic endeavor, with over 1,000 people working towards that goal.”

During production, Raimi relied on key members of his filmmaking team to bring to life before the cameras as much of Peter Parker’s story as possible. “Whenever it’s safe and practical, I like to capture the action in camera,” said Raimi. “Visual effects are an amazing tool for action that human beings can’t do – but if a human being can do it, let’s do it.”

The talented team of stuntmen was ready, but so was the cast. Bryce Dallas Howard, especially, surprised the filmmakers by being game for anything they could throw at her. At one point, the actress found herself hanging from a harness.

After performing several portions of the sequence on soundstages in Los Angeles, Howard was eager to get in the harness again to fly with Spider-Man over Sixth Avenue. “What’s so great about movies is you get to really experience these crazy, crazy stunts, things that you would never emerge from alive in real life,” says Howard. “I knew I would be 100% safe because Sam and the stunt team really protect the actors. So I tried to do as many things as possible, because it’s really fun and a great adrenaline rush!”

Thomas Haden Church was also up to the challenge – in fact, even more so. Whether it was being yanked five feet in the air so he could do a face-plant in the mud, or being chased (and caught) by dogs, or dangling off the side of a set, or falling onto train tracks, or having his face smashed into a pane of Plexiglas, the actor found himself bruised and battered repeatedly, but was ready for anything. According to producer Grant Curtis, “It wasn’t intentional, but it seemed sometimes like if any actor was required to get beat up in any way, Thomas was always drawing that short straw.”

Two members of the production team that played key roles in ensuring that these action sequences were both as safe and as spectacular as possible were special effects supervisor John R. Frazier (who previously served in the same capacity on the first two Spider-Man films) and second unit director Dan Bradley (a veteran of Spider-Man 2). “Working with Sam is like going back to school,” said Frazier. “You have that moment where you say, ‘Oh, this is going to be really, really hard, but a lot of fun.’ It’s  not unusual for me to be on a movie like Spider-Man 3 for nine months, from the beginning planning stages through production.”

One scene that highlights their work is the Subway Drain portion of an elaborate fight sequence between Spider-Man and Sandman. Raimi worked closely with Frazier, Bradley and visual effects supervisor Scott Stokdyk on the sequence, in which Sandman is blasted by the force of a burst water pipe and, quite literally, goes down the drain. Sam wanted Sandman to melt away, in essence, during this sequence.

“This is the largest water gag for one shot I’ve ever done for a film,” recalled Frazier, who had previously supervised the special effects for Poseidon. “We used 50,000 gallons of water, shooting out of a pipe which blasted the rear of the set fifty feet away. When you see this sequence, the water appears to be a six-foot-thick column of water; however, we made the center of the pipe hollow, and used a restrictor plate to control the size of the column of water. The water is recirculated using pumps, which are able to pump 3,000 gallons a minute. We can fill both tanks in about five minutes, so that we are ready for another take.”

The sequence was covered using eight cameras, according to Stokdyk. “This sequence is where Spider-Man discovers Sandman’s weakness – water. We had to put a CG Sandman in here because the velocity of the water is too great to have Thomas Haden Church or a stuntman perform portions of the sequence. Water is a huge challenge for visual effects, especially on a large scale, so our goal here was to seamlessly integrate the elements for the sequence between practical and CG.”

Bradley and Frazier’s work is also on display in an action sequence during a bank heist, in which a security guard (played by none other than producer Grant Curtis) falls victim to Sandman’s wreath. “As a producer, Grant is uniquely qualified for guarding money,” laughed Bradley, “so Sam typecast him and invited him to spend a lot of time on set being buried underneath tons of sand as one of the armored car guards.”

Apprehensive as he might have been about performing the stunt, Curtis says that it would have been pointless to argue. “I’ve worked with Sam for ten years, so I know that once a decision’s been made, he’s going to get his way,” he said.

The sequence begins spectacularly, when Sandman smashes into the top of the armored call with his fist – which, in reality, Frazier’s team made of polyurethane foam. It was eight feet tall, six feet wide, and weighed over 500 pounds. Then, debris – sand – came flying at Curtis. “On the first take, I anticipated the crash and reacted too early,” he remembered. After an adjustment, he nailed the second take.

At the end of the sequence, the guard is buried in sand. To film the scene, the armored car was lifted and tilted at a 50-degree angle so that the sand could be dumped in and fill the car but with a fraction of the pressure on Curtis. The producer soon found himself beneath 4,000 pounds of ground corncob – the filmmakers’ ingenious substitute for sand.

The idea of using ground corncob as a double for sand did not come immediately to the filmmakers. The first man charged with investigating what kind of sand would make Sandman or solving any number of other costuming challenges, Acheson’s motto was: when in doubt, go back to the original text. “We derive our inspiration, as always, from the comic,” he said. “Sandman is one of those remarkable characters who can change shape, dissolve, disappear, grow, or become mud or concrete. We designed various stages and different scales of Sandman’s evolution, working with wonderful sculptors to create maquettes, small statues of Sandman in his various appearances.”

As much as Sandman required each of the departments to step up their game, so, too, did Venom – Spider-Man’s equal and opposite. Acheson and his team created various stages of Venom’s look, working with Raimi to create a tension in the sculpting of the suit. “It was important to Sam and to James that we keep the suit really sharp and aggressive, as with the tendrils that crawl across Venom’s face at points,” said head specialty costumer Shownee Smith, whose company Frontline Design worked under Acheson’s direction to manufacture the specialty costumes for the film.

For scenes where Brock transitions into Venom, Grace spent an hour being placed into the suit, which added between 120 and 140 pounds to his weight. The actor then spent an additional four and a half hours in makeup for the addition of appliances, including special sets of teeth worn by Grace to give the character the illusion of a larger, more menacing mouth. The filmmakers also attached monofilament to the skin on Grace’s face so that they could pull and distort the character as he makes his transformation.

“At one point while shooting the transition scenes, I thought, ‘What have I signed up for?!’” Grace laughed. “I had black goo poured all over me, wires attached to my face that people with fishing poles were pulling up, and other people below me were pulling down… When you see my character in pain, well, there wasn’t a whole lot of acting required.”

Also interacting with each of the departments was production designer J. Michael Riva, the member of the team responsible for bringing Raimi’s stylish vision to life. Riva was especially proud of his work in cresting the construction site that serves as the arena for the film’s final battle. “Making a construction site doesn’t sound very difficult, but if you have only eight weeks to design and build, it’s practically impossible,” he said. “We used over 20 tons of steel, 100 welders, and 200 carpenters working around the clock, seven days a week to get it done! But we all did it.”

The set took six weeks to complete, using tons of steel from a cancelled building project. A construction elevator, complete with operator, transported cast and crew to the various levels of the elaborate set. For the extensive lighting and electrical needs required for the sequence, a labyrinth of connections was designed and installed 80 feet above the stage floor, using over four miles of electrical cable. By the time the set was ready for shooting, Stage 27 was outfitted with approximately 21,000 amps, enough power to service over 200 homes.

“The great thing about a construction site is that it’s a very dangerous place. First, besides the implied height of the set, you have a lot of steel and rebar lying around at such a site. You can always rely on Sam to see opportunities and come up with an effective way to use these set elements to enhance the danger in a scene,” said Riva. “Second, it was an open structure, pretending to be 50 stories high, open on all sides. It offered Sam a jungle gym of possibilities to web up and down, to do a chase all over the face of the steel structure. The higher they go fighting their way up the building, the more the danger and tensions increase. It’s a long way to fall if you’re not Spider-Man!”

For visual effects supervisor Scott Stokdyk – the man charged with bringing the visual effects to the screen – those words were the beginning of a two-year process to develop the technology that would make Spider-Man 3 the most visually stunning film in the series so far. “When we began the pre-production process, the computer programs had not yet been developed which could achieve the look of Sandman and his capabilities that Sam wanted to see,” recalled producer Grant Curtis. “However, Scott Stokdyk and his team created new technology to manipulate every piece of sand on our character. The existing technology allowed management of thousands of particles at once – but to animate Sandman the way Sam wanted to, we would have to be able to render billions of particles. In the end, the new software they wrote required ten man-years to code.”

Stokdyk says that he and his team prepared for the challenge by first observing how sand moves in the real world. “One of the first things we did was to organize a sand shoot with Sam and Bill Pope, the difrector ofg photographer,” Stokdyk continued. “We shot footage of sand every way we would need it – thrown up, thrown against blue screen, over black screen. John Frazier, the special effects supervisor, shot it out of an aero can at a stuntman. Anything we could imagine sand doing in the film, we shot.”

“There’s a character the, emoting, but it’s just a pile of sand,” said Stotdyk. “If we’ve pulled together enough grains of sand to make feel something, then we’ve pulled it off.”

In the end, the artists were all extremely proud of their creation. “Sony Pictures Imageworks delivered on Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2, but for Spider-Man 3 it changed the industry standard,” said Curtis.

Sandman, of course, was not the only character that posed a considerable challenge for Spencer Cook; animating the black-suited Spider-Man required subtle changed to reflect the character’s more aggressive personality, “He’ll move a little quicker here and there, hunch his shoulders a little more, put his elbows up a little higher when he’s stuck to a wall. We tried to find poses that the classic Spider-Man would not do – where the red-suited Spider-Man was graceful and elegant in his motions, black-suited Spider-Man is more blunt, rough, and reckless.”

In creating Venom, Stokdyk notes that the character has at least three different stages. First, of course, is the initial transformation, in which Topher Grace’s skin is pulled away from his body and tendrils of goo cross his face until they completely envelop him. “As he gets angrier, he turns into more of a monster, more of a beast,” Stokdyk noted. First, he becomes a kind of double for Spider-Man, played by Grace. By the very end of the film, he becomes an entirely CG character – the classic Venom from the comic books, with a menacing, unhinged jaw and a full mouth of very sharp teeth. “Everything is alive on ‘comic-book Venom,’” Stokdyk continued. “The challenge was to make a character that was monsterous, very detailed, very kinetic – but not delicate. Despite all the detail, he’s still menacing.

Stokdyk was also determined to break new ground in terms of live-action integration with the visual effects. The supervisor was on hand during production so that he could be ready to take the ball as soon as the scenes were filmed. “It was important to Sam and me to incorporate as much live-action into the CG as possible,” he said. “The typical reason a shot is animated is because a person can’t do all of it. We wanted to find a way to have an actor or stunt person do part of the action, and synthesize the rest. The goal was to find a balance between keeping the shot real and making it exciting and cinematic.”

One dramatic example of this idea comes early in the film, as Peter Parker finds himself ambushed by the New Goblin – his friend, Harry Osborn. “It was Sam’s idea to show Peter fighting as Peter not as Spider-Man,” said producer Avi Arad. “It’s a terrific amount, because it brings home what a personal battle this is for Peter when you can see his face.”

Tobey Maguire and James Franco completed much of the aerial stunt sequence themselves, doing wire work suspended high above the stage floor. “Tobey is really handy with stunt situations, and he picks it up really quickly,” said stunt coordinator Scott Rogers. “James is also terrific – he’s got a great attitude. Both actors are used to the type of physicality required for their roles, and they excelled.”

For Stokdyk, achieving such great heights would not have been possible without the contribution from his team at Sony Pictures Imageworks, assembling, in the end, between 200 and 250 people to complete more than 900 effects shots. “You live and die by your team,” said Stokdyk. “They were always ready to respond, always on their toes. That’s bit of the process of working with Sam, you have to be flexible and ready to deliver.”

“When developing this third installment, we asked ourselves, ‘What does this young man still have to learn?’” said director Sam Raimi. “We placed him in situations where he’d be forced to confront his absences of character – obstacles that, in previous stories, he might not have been able to surmount. In this way, he would either be defeated or grow into the heroic person who might be capable of overcoming these obstacles. As the depth of our characters grow, they become richer human beings and can achieve more than in the previous films.”

[drwcn]

Not to bring up the distasteful teenager memory of Twilight LMAO, but yall remember that part of the story where it is revealed after Rosalie turns into a vampire she goes and devours every single one of the men who r*ped her.

Fierce Corpse!Qin Su coming for Jin Guangshan’s life.

JIGGY was always looking for ways to make a fierce corpse wasn’t he? Well consider this.

Madam Qin confronts JGY, but it was already too late. Qin Su was already pregnant. JGY, being the dumbest smart person, realized he has fucked up, but what to do? It’s not like he can tell Madam Qin he knocked up his own sister accidentally. Unknowing of this, Madam Qin then went to Qin Su to tell her the truth. Surely even if that degenerate won’t stop this marriage, once Qin Su finds out they are related, she wouldn’t go through with it.

Well, little did Madam Qin expect, once Qin Su finds out, she’s so overcome with disgust she takes her own life (canon compliant, I think? idk what that episode was about to be honest. I always assumed Jiggy drugged her to keep her quiet, but Qin Su was the one to take her own life. Jin Rusong is at best a ball of cells at this stage and abortion is a staple trope of cdrama don’t @ me. I take no criticisms.)

Well shit, now Qin Su is half a step away from death. Jiggy discovers this first, and is like O.O oh feck, but also... opportunity????  He recruits evil gremlin extraordinaire Xue Yang, and beginner’s luck takes them to a successful resurrection.

*cue Mary Shelly shaking her head from beyond the grave or... in the future....technically.*

Qin Su is rightfully like wtf JGY, but Jiggy is like aight sis i know you’re mad, but hey now that everyone knows what’s the deal here, I think we have a common enemy: Jin Guangslut. Should we kill him or should we kill him?

Xue Yang: yo so .... you still gonna get married or what?

Qin Su: if you even think about getting married i swear to god -

JGY: ....okay, how about “fake” marry. Once dear old Dad is dead, we can...idk have an amicable separation. I can even set you up on a date with a guy I know in the fierce corpse community. His sister is still in my basement come to think of it -

QS: what

JGY: what

QS: you are a fucking nutjob, Jiggy, you know that? I can’t believe I was attracted to you.

JGY: first of all that’s hurtful, but... hey at least you didn’t insult my mother.

QS: why would i? our mothers are innocent. *deep sigh* okay fine, how should we kill JGS, I vote for castration. Also *points to the black veins on her paste-y complexion* this is gonna be a problem.

XY: *quirk an eye brow* realllly starting to see the family resemblance now. Don’t worry I got make up to cover that up. Also gotta find you some blush, so you don’t look so ... undead.

~

JGY “so we get prostitutes -”

QS “No. Jiggy, I’m sensing some internalized classism. Let’s just sic Xue Yang on him and be done with it.”

JGY “....you were less bossy before.”

QS “I was also less dead before. Also, Xue Yang doesn’t mind, do you dear?”

XY *eating the candied pastries QS got him* “Nah, not at all, jiejie. I can wear a dress and get dolled up if you want, but I want silk and the dress needs to be tailored. Bespoke. *points to his plate* These are great. Do you have more?”

JGY: *facepalm* what have done.

QS: created a fierce corpse you can’t control. Karma’s a bitch, isn’t it brother?

~

QS “I feel bad for Chifeng-zun. If I had to sit and watch you and Lan Xichen make eyes at each other over the guqin day in and day out....”

JGY “Oi, you’re not even my real wife.”

QS “Doesn’t mean I can’t nag you. Also, you have an issue, you know. You can’t just murder your way to the top.”

JGY “I wasn’t -”

QS “Save it. If you give Xue Yang enough candy, he’ll tell you anything.”

JGY “NMJ is a problem. He disrespects -”

QS “You think maybe the reason he thinks you’re a untrustworthy little shit is because you are...an untrustworthy little shit? Also he’s always violent and aggressive towards you...yeah ‘cause you’ve been playing Terrible Temper Tango on repeat for weeks.”

JGY “.....................” *well sis does have a point, maybe i should re-evaluate my strategy “Then what do you suggest I do?”

QS:  I believe Xue Yang calls it “when it doubt, fuck it out.” 

JGY: ...............................you two need to stop hanging out together. 

~

Jin Guangyao and Qin Su spend many nights in the secret chamber plotting together. Apparently the Jin crazy can both be inherited and developed. Qin Su decides her second life is rather nice, and having power is nice too, but she’d rather have some friends. 

*Jiggy and Qin Su’s Ten Step Plan to Un-Fuck the Cultivation World*

Aka Jiggy’s illegal but necessary emergency U-Turn. 

Step 1: Start playing some nice music ffs, and maybe when NMJ is in a better mood, the venerated Triad can be the venerated Triad. ;) 

Step 2: start treating MXY better. He could be useful as a loyal brother. 

Step 3:  Sic him on Nie Huaisang. They seem like they could do well together. Also, the easiest way to get through to NMJ is through his little brother.  

Step 4:  Make Jin Guangshan disappear.

Step 5: Speaking of little brothers, they’re gonna have to eventually deal with Lan Wangji. Even Qin Su’s 78 year old grandma with cataract can see he’s just a liiiiittle hung up on Wei Wuxian, who is unfortunately....dead. 

”How do you suppose we fix this particular problem?” 

”Isn’t there some cultivator prisoner found guilty punishable by death in your single minded cleansing of your political enemies?” 

"Of course. Go on I’m listening, mei-mei.” 

”So while you were off being shady, I did some research. There is a spell. I think a potential trade off could be made if we bargain right. Their soul, which was forfeit anyway, in exchange for a lifetime of protection and financial stability for their families.” 

“>:) dear sister, where have you been all my life I’ll never know.” 

Qin Sun, “Just make sure they’re not too hard on the eye. Lan Wangji doesn’t seem to be the shallow type but one never knows.” 

Step 5: Jiang Wanyin needs an emotional laxative like... last year. Look into resurrecting Jiang Yanli. Once she’s alive, all that Yunmeng Bullshit will resolve, and you will also have a Lotus Pier forever grateful for Jin Guangyao and Qin Su’s kindness. If that doesn’t work...idk get Jiang Wanyin a dog. 

“Okay, hooow are you going to get a woman to give up her soul to -”

“Can we fierce corpse her? Wei Wuxian had a bunch of undead ladies hanging around right?” 

“........worth looking into.” 

Step 6:  Jin Zixuan. Yikes -

JGY “I didn’t kill Jin Zixuan. Wei Wuxian did.” (note: CQL washed WWX of any responsibility for the deaths of others by making it so that the Song of Turmoil caused him to lose control. This, in fact, is not what is written in book canon. WWX did lose control by himself without external influence. I can cherry pick the plot points I want to keep.) 

QS “..........but you sent him to his death.” 

JGY “..........”

QS *Deep sigh* “Who can we throw under the bus this time for Jin Zixuan’s death, Jigs? Someone that won’t be missed...got it. Su She.” 

JGY “He’s loyal to me, he’s an ally -” 

QS “Listen here, once you resurrect Jiang Yanli and Wei Wuxian, you will have the eternal gratitude of Yunmeng Jiang and Gusu Lan. Who gives a shit about Su Minshan that simpering turd.” 

JGY: True. *he’s understood by now that he could get rid of those who would talk shit, belittle, and disrespect him...but he could always do more with a couple of important influential people who would spread words of his goodness. Stubborn righteous cultivators like the Jiangs, Nies and Lans.* “Also Jin Zixuan’ll be an undead, not able to inherit. We’re safe.” 

QS: “Exactly.” 

Xue Yang: eating candy......... *eye roll* 

Step 7: Because Step 6 didn’t work out, forget about Jin Zixuan. 

JGY: “you know... maybe Jin Zixuan moved on.” 

QS: “Would explain why we couldn’t call his soul back the way we called back Jiang-gu’niang.” Qin Su glances back at Jiang Yanli’s soul-infused clay body in the process of being reanimated (lifted this idea straight from Inuyasha - ahem- kikyo.) “It’s probably better this way. I don’t like the thought of sharing the control of Lanling Jin with more people.” 

JGY:  “Ah, blood of my blood you are indeed.”

Step 8:  Reveal Jin Guangshan’s evil deeds. Once they kill Dear Ol’ Dad, they can just blame EVERYTHING on him and have him be the disgrace of the entire cultivation world, and them the unfortunate children left to do his bidding and trying the best they could to salvage what they can from his trail of ruins.

Step 9: Reunite Wen Ning and Wen Qing. Lie. Blame it all on Jin Guangshan who is too dead to argue in his own defense. If Jiang Wanyin finds out about Wen Qing...well, information gets around. 

JGY “So about that Date.” 

Qin Su: “Yes I distinctively remember you promising me eligible young men of the Fierce Corpse Community.” 

JGY: >:) I’m here to make good on my words. 

Step 10: Reap the benefits of a world restored. 

[myimmortalisimmortal]

Why Chapter 39 of My Immortal was due to an actual hacker

After considering some findings, I’m confident in this theory. And thus, I’m confident anyone who claims to be Tara Gilesbie while claiming the hacked chapter was faked is not being honest. Below I will explain why I believe so and how I came across this information in the first place.

All this was from a long chain of breadcrumbs. Let’s go back... all to the mid 2000s in the LiveJournal days when Tara Gilesbie had a dedicated fan club.

The Tara Gilesbie Fan Club

One thing that particularly stuck out was members mentioning finding Tara through IMDb. Yes, you heard right.

[ID: Two comments on the Tara Gilesbie Fan Club LiveJournal.

The first is from ‘golden_helikaon’ on 2008-01-19 writing, “I found it on the Order of the Phoenix IMDb board. There were several long threads dedicated to ripping her apart with every new chapter.”

The second comment is from ‘heartdreamerz’ on 2008-01-20 writing, “It was almost 2 years ago and I've told this story many times. I knew Tara a month before My Immortal was published. It was on IMDb's board for My Chemical Romance. When the story came out I knew about it but didn't pay attention because I wasn't into HP at the moment. Then, like icarus_malfoy wrote, there were the threads about her and that's when my interest started. There were also another troll on the His Dark Materials...” (Image cuts off.) End ID.]

According to this, Tara Gilesbie was already tyrannizing the internet before she posted My Immortal. This actually is very consistent with the fact “Tara Gliesbie is totlly Gottik” was a petition that existed in November 2005. (My Immortal was posted in March 2006.)

This IMDb profile seemed very intriguing. It hasn’t been mentioned much, and isn’t considered to be official by most people. Was it a legitimate account? If so, was there gothicness we were deprived of all along? I searched to try find out more about it, hoping screen captures or something would turn up. Luckily, one of the same members copied and pasted Tara’s bio in another comment.

[ID: A comment on the Tara Gilesbie Fan Club LiveJournal by ‘heartdreamerz’ on 2007-05-05 writing, “All her posts are deleted now. I can still visit her profile because she's on my friend list. Her bio:

‘hi im tara. im a goth (n prode!). i have died blak hair n blu eyez. i wer eyeliner a lot of da time. i hav a bf. his naym is justin. he rox! i liv in Dubia.

likz: eyliner, goffik makep, beng goffik, GOOD CHRALOTTE, death, sleting my rists, drak colorz, hot topik _

dizliks: beng alive, bo, pop music, brite colors, pink, brabie, hiraly doof da music i lik: linen prak, GOOD CHRELOTE, evinezenz, simpl plan, akon, arvil levine, blink-183, panik! at da disko, foll oot boi, mcr. HIRALY DOOF IS A PSR!

fav moviez: when a stranger kallz, da grudge, da grudge 2, korps bird, da nitemare b4 krismas, da ring 2, da ring, shrak attak, undreworld 2, da texas chonsow massakre da bogenning

ps 2 all da prepz nd pozers tryin 2 diz me u r jus jeloz!!!! so yolsentik nd hartdremer u kan go fok ur momz 4 al i ker ok U SUK!!!111′

I feel so special to be personally insulted by her on her profile.” End ID.]

People like to copy & paste things stupid things to laugh at all the time (no offense Tara), so I thought: why not Google some of the bio? Maybe whoever did that posted additional stuff.

And it worked! (I found more content from Tara’s supposed IMDb, but more on that for a different post.)

When searching the bio, a Reddit thread about Rose Christo popped up.

During Rose Christo’s brief reign, a user said Rose’s claims seemed to check out. This user actually happens to be the same commenter, Heartdreamerz, in the LiveJournal thread. (Which makes sense, considering she’s the one who originally had the bio I was searching.) 

If you don’t feel like clicking the Reddit link, basically she confirmed Rose’s claim that two Filipino users from the forums hacked the account.

Because of Heartdreamerz’ long involvement in My Immortal and the fact she never claimed to be Tara or Raven, I take a lot of trust in her word.

Heartdreamerz linked the FF.net profile of the original hacker: Coruscate Corruption.

Looking up “Coruscate Corruption” had me come across this from the LiveJournal fan club, which implies that there were two hackers.

[ID: post on the Tara Gilesbie Fan Club Livejournal by 'nicespice' on Dec. 28th, 2006, writing, “Just a little thing I drabbled down. Hope it's not too horrible. What do you think?

There is an evil on FF.net and All who encounters it feels their Respiratory system give out And become too scared to scream. Gruesome, it is. The anti-christ fanfiction, My Immortal, written by a total idiot. Does she Leave you to cry tears of blood, because I have before. EarnestInBerlin and Coruscate Corruption, the hackers, Sought to bring My Immortal redemption. Too Bad the real Tara had to come back so soon to ruin the fun. I wish she had at least continued her story, I look at her fic Everytime I go online, wishing she'd just update so I could laugh at... Tara Gilesbie." End ID.]

While searching “Coruscate Corruption”, a few posts popped up from a forum for The Bartimaeus Sequence called Bartiforums.

[ID: Two images showing 3 forum posts by Mwamba.

The first post was a reply to, "Mwamba, how did you crack both passys? Just guessing or what?"

On December 8th 2006, Mwamba replied, "Tara's was just pure luck. It didn't take long to get. The password was tara. *snorts* Post's was just guessing too, but I remembered when his passy was cracked on here, so I tried out the same password. It worked. Oh yeah, and I wrote a fanfic for Post, it's a rip off of Tara's story, but meh.”

The last two posts were made on January 14th, 2007. The second post wrote, "It was me. I had complete control for two days. And then EarnestInBerlin had to hack in too and change the password. But then she told what it was and then the real Tara had to come back and rechange her passy so nobody could get in. But that's old news. That account is most certainly not mine. I could not continue that fic for 39 chapters, I'd get bored after the first fifteen.”

The third post wrote, “*Shrug* It doesn't matter. Call me whatever. Though if I have to pick, I suppose you can call me by my FF.net name, Coruscate Corruption. What book category are you writing this fic in? Just curious.” End ID.]

Chapter 39 was posted late November 2006, so that first post was only a few weeks after it happened.

The password was “tara”... does that ring a bell at all?

[ID: A screencap from Rose Christo’s now-deleted blog. It says, “And My Immortal? You can come to your own conclusions. This was really never about the fic; it was the marketing team at SMP that decided to make My Immortal the main part of the story. Our email address was gofikchick@hotmail.com and our password was tara.” End ID.]

-- Rose Christo’s claim before deleting

 You may be asking, “Rose Christo? The woman who lied about her family, being Native American, and writing My Immortal to sell a book?” Yes, that Rose Christo. Yes, she was a fraud and a scammer, but she peppered in some little-known true details to make her claim seem more legit. For instance, she talked about a Voldemort rper in the reviews, and that ended up being true. You can actually find this Voldemort reviewer in the web archives of Raven’s stories. (Apparently, that Voldemort even came out and said “hey, that’s me!” Cannot find it unfortunately.)

Keep in mind the only way I found any of this was because Rose Christo made that claim. Without it, Heartdreamerz wouldn’t have made that post that led to Coruscate Corruption and those posts on Bartiforums. It’s possible Rose somehow came across the same information I did, but it’s more likely she was there. Rose Christo may not be the author of My Immortal, but it was likely she was a spectator as it all went down. (As I was a spectator for Rose’s ordeal when it all went down.)

 Since it was said the hackers posted on the fanfiction forums, I sought to find it by searching “Tara”, “My Immortal”, etc. on FFnet’s search. The posts are unfortunately long gone, but there is a surviving forum called “My Immortal Forum Tara Gilesbie is a genius!”

[ID: A screencap of “My Immortal Forum Tara Gilesbie is a genius!” from Fanfiction net. Someone named Ebony Dark’ness wrote, “I have personally logged on to Tara’s account when her password was revealed after she got hacked.” End ID.]

TL;DR: Multiple, separate people made consistent claims over the span of years. Because of this, I personally believe Tara’s account was legitimately hacked.

(Sources/links will be added in a reblog.)