#my most realistic hope for her at this point is for them to a: trap her eldritch form somewhere or b: depower her and treat her better

[grimbeak]

petition for brinknor to remember the desert bluffs citizens who live in night vale exist and to have them help kevin next episode

[jolieblack]

Jolie’s thoughts on

Shoscombe Old Place (Sherlock & Co. podcast)

Good call shifting the environment away from the way too similar horse racing scenario of Silver Blaze.

Thank you also, Joel, for letting our boys go on a holiday. It’s not what I imagined when I said I wanted Consequences after Dancing Men, but it works! And I find it telling that Sherlock especially seems to have offered no resistance to the plan. Seriously, S & J camping by the river (and Sherlock going fishing, because of course he would!) for real and not just as a blind (like in ACD’s story) filled me with happiness and serenity.

I was not prepared at all to learn so much about John's childhood and family circumstances. "Made and then broken in the Army and subsequently fixed at 221B Baker Street", yes, that is the John Watson that we know and love in any universe. 😭

I'm so glad he still has a refuge in his old town now, and I love that Sherlock gets invited totally as a matter of course. I so heard him on the "weird feeling when a place you used to call home doesn’t feel like home anymore", too.

I'm also left wondering a LOT whether John’s canonical unhappy alcoholic brother (also Henry/Harry, like the father?) from Sign of Four exists in this universe. If yes, there should be traces of him in the old family home for Sherlock to deduce… Unless of course he’s a half brother or something who never lived there (from John's dad's earlier marriage or relationship, possibly?). Or maybe the traces are there and Sherlock just never said a thing, and only will later…

I also wasn't expecting John to run into his famous so-far-nameless ex! I found myself hoping that they wouldn’t go down the tropey route of the Crazy Evil Ex. When John called Carrie "evil" when they were trapped in the crypt, that really didn’t seem accurate. But John was being so realistically cranky about everything to do with Carrie, I really felt for him.

Sherlock was being such a sweetie throughout, especially at the start. Doing small talk with the neighbour, NOT pointing out that John rambles exactly as bad as his mum sometimes, not wanting him to have to call his ex in person, repeating over and over that they’re in a beautiful place with good beer and he’s really enjoying himself… Calling John invaluable… Feeling a little bad about recklessly leading them both into danger in Dancing Men, perhaps (not that John didn’t follow willingly and without question)? Or just being happy that he and John are still alive and still around and evidently didn’t fall out over the Dancing Men business, either?

"I'm a big boy. I can do it." - "Would you like me to call her?" - "Yes, please." - "What’s wrong?" - "Poor signal in this village." - "I’m blocked, aren’t I." My heart 🥹 How I love a protective Sherlock.

And our boys getting philosophical in ancient sacred buildings at night is almost a tradition by now. I love it when they do that. The River Thames analogy was so intriguing, too. Who would have thought that Sherlock could be such a poet?

"A sea? A lake? A waterfall?" [10 seconds later] "Shoutout to Professor James Moriarty, who is listening intently to every word." AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!! 😱😱😱 That was the creepiest moment ever and John was so right to lose his shit.

How close are we to Reichenbach? We might be there by August. Or Joel might be pulling all our legs.

Whatever it may be, don’t deny yourself the pleasure of looking at this absolutely beautiful art by @paperleef !

Oh and then of course there was a case as well, but it hardly seemed to matter for most of the story. No surprises there for the connoisseurs of ACD’s original stories, either.

I’m glad that they did not go down the Crazy Evil Ex route with Carrie after all. I was a little narratively underwhelmed by how John’s dynamic with Carrie and its potential for conflict just fizzled out. But thumbs up for realism there. They’ve both moved on and that’s it. Like so often in RL. And didn’t we all love the fact that John now considers Baker Street his home, Sherlock & Mariana his family and the Sh & Co project his future.

I also didn’t expect Part 3 to turn into an anti-classism manifesto, but it does make sense, especially seeing how the matter bugs John all the time, too. Check out this great meta by @comicgeekery on the matter!

I would also like to contest Mr Emory’s ideas about the founding date of the Adidas shoe brand, but that’s just a tiny detail.

Sherlock: "John Hamish Watson!" - John: "Don’t Hamish me!" 😂 - Wasn’t aware that’s a verb, but apparently it is!

The car chase scene/river rescue scene was so good I literally forgot this was just audio. Also, Sherlock and John diving in a lake together to get Robert out was just… so touching. And so cool. (I think I’m mostly in love with how Sherlock switched immediately from "Watson, get out of there" to "OK, I’m going right in there with you".) And did you all notice we got another "John"? It’s still being saved for special moments. 🥰

Dear Joe, nobody who dies on duty on a peacekeeping mission gets a cheap place in heaven in my opinion. But then, if Harry Watson was anywhere as modest and laid-back as his son is, and something tells me that he must have been, he probably took a cheap place on purpose, not to be a pain, and when an angel came up and wanted to guide him closer to the hero places, he was just, "nah, mate, I'm good here".

Also, Sherlock packing their things before the case was even wrapped up, to make sure John would find it easier to go back home to London, rather than lingering and questioning his life choices, was so sweet again.

"You’re stressed, any you’re lashing out at those you love (!). You’re losing your mind. You spoke to a river!" - "And you put a dog in a bag!" - Possibly one of my favourite ever closing scenes of this show. (Treat yourselves to this lovely observation by @itsnobodysproblem , please!)

[euphoniouspandemonium]

Cotton Mendings — a WIP intro by yours truly

finally doing a proper introduction yayy!! who would have foreseen this .

stage: drafting (rip it's been so long and it's going soo slow)

tags: #wip: cotton mendings ; #aes: cotton mendings

genres: historical fiction, literary fiction

themes and tropes: idealisation and romanticisation of people, queer love and toxic queer relationships, friends to lovers, tenderness and love for the world, hope, grief, obsession, mythological and religious imagery, breaking out of other people's perceptions of you, relearning gentleness after having it beaten out of you, being loved as being known

warnings: emotional and physical abuse, character death and mentioned animal death, period-typical homophobia & transphobia (will add on)

pov: 3rd person past tense

setting: 1920s England

summary: Oscar ignites a relationship with an old friend – charismatic socialite Salvatore – whom he has had repressed love for for years. But despite everything their relationship is haunted by the death of Oscar's brother and a series of portraits simply called Percy, made by a German artist: paintings of a red haired man who appears perfect and soft and yet incredibly, beautifully tragic. It makes Oscar question Salvatore and their relationship and wonder about the life and seemingly inherent sorrow of the subject, while Salvatore grows ever more enticed by ruthless, enigmatic Yvonne. Their separate obsessions grow and push them apart, while at the center of everything is Percy, devastatingly alive and spiteful, trapped in a narrative he did not create. Who is Percy, who is Salvatore, who is Oscar in rotation to them? Does he want to know at all?

characters, notes, excerpt & taglist under the cut <33

characters:

Oscar (he/him, bi): world's #1 most pathetic sad boy. romanticises everything to the point of self destruction. scared of acting on his desires but full of soooo much love. obsessive, incredibly sensitive, artistic, melancholy. also sooo autism.

Salvatore (he/him, bi): charismatic, intelligent, flamboyant, philosophical, hedonistic. he sees everything in a very realistic and nihilistic way. emotionally detached yet surprisingly protective and gentle with the people he loves.

Percy (he/him, bi, trans): babyboy !! baby!!!!!!!! full of so much life and love and poetry. he is very sweet and sarcastic and loves going on little adventures. mentally ill & physically disabled. he's suffered more than jesus but his wonder and whimsy are unmatched.

Yvonne (she/her, bi): hot evil woman❤️ ruthless, vicious and cold. her love is almost violent and repugnant. she only cares about few people but if they are in danger she knows no morality or law. also she's mischievous like a little cat <3

notes: Cotton Mendings is my passion project, my Magnum Opus, my baby. I have worked very hard on it and I've developed the character dynamics and symbolism sooooo much I could talk about them for hours. It all started with the song Angie by The Rolling Stones, but it has strayed very far from its original concept (actually Angie isn't even on the playlist — it is now completely a product of my obsession with The Smiths I'm afraid). It has helped me through so much and I will be very happy if people like it :] I love my horrible insane bisexuals. Why is everyone bisexual, you ask? well. I ❤️ bisexuals.

excerpt:

He thought again of Percy, of the way he glowed as if coated in honey and sunlight, the sweet smile on his face. What if Percy had spent his life failing at it, too? Trying to be the perfect picture of a beautiful boy. Turning hazy and translucent, like a ghost, from trying. And those few minutes with him, how the light extended and held Oscar too, how Percy was perfect and beautiful but couldn't possibly be only that. How they were both an image without a body.

(general) taglist: @ribelleribelle @talesofsorrowandofruin @writing-is-a-martial-art @alexwritesfiction @aether-wasteland-s @sculpture-in-a-period-drama @phantomnations @olimpias (ask to be added or removed)

[noxiatoxia]

HEY so I know its been a minute since I've sent an ask, but I saw some of your posts about danganronpa, specifically regarding another episode, udg, and I was agasp because I was literally in the middle of playing it for the first time lmao. So after finishing the game last night I really wanted to ask, if you want to ofc, your in depth thoughts on the game and why you like it so much, or even thoughts on the gameplay and mechanics since its so different than the danganronpa staple. I quite liked it personally because of Komaru and Toko's relationship, them becoming two of my fav characters in the franchise so far, and because I became very endeared to the kids by the end of the story. I have some qualms with how Kotoko was handled in chapter 3 at... that part... but she's also my favorite of the kids at the same time lol.

Anyways yeah no pressure at all, I just was really curious because I liked the game a lot and found it so funny that you posted stuff about it as I was playing it. Also because I really enjoy your ouran opinions. But again I get if not, the game has some senstive subjects for sure. Thanks!

THIS IS LIKE THE BEST ASK EVER FOR ME TO RECEIVE. I AM SO PASSIONATE ABOUT THIS GAME AND HAVE BEEN FOR NEARLY A DECADE AT THIS POINT.

Okay....where to even START....

(I will be referring to UDG as DR:AE or just AE in this. SPOILERS FOR ALL OF DR:AE.)

Firstly, the environment. Unlike the main series, DR:AE does not take place in a secluded area away from the real world. It does the opposite; you are in such a vast area, you are not caged, yet you are still trapped. Even if Komaru didn't have that wristband on her, where would she go? The game is great at highlighting what the world outside of what we are told in the mainline games is actually like, how caged things are even outside, all while expanding upon existing characters' backgrounds by introducing family members, or little pieces of dialogue that serve to flesh out the world.

The gameplay itself, personally, I find VERY fun. I'm not a shooter game person, but DR:AE was a game I could play many times over. I love the different types of ammo, the puzzles, the possibilities with how to destroy the monokumas. Just a fun game all around. It's by far the most replayable Danganronpa game, as the main series games are all about the story. Once you know the story, there's really no reason to replay them. In fact, they are quite slow and boring without the intrigue of the mystery.

But the highlight, obviously, is the characters. As is Danganronpa's specialty.

While I still maintain Hajime is the most interesting protagonist of the series, Komaru serves as a great subversion of the expectations set up by Makoto's actions in the first game. Makoto is someone who preserved no matter what, changed those around him with his hope. He was your quintessential paragon protagonist. While Komaru displays this a little in some scenes (namely rallying the adults under Haiji's protection) this is only the result of speaking from her own wants and experiences. That is to say, unlike Makoto who always tried to help others even if it cost his own life, Komaru is much more realistic. She cares, first and foremost, about her safety. Her helping others to stand up for themselves comes from her own desire to keep fighting so she can live, and so she imparts that onto the people around her. Fight so you can live. She says it herself: she is not like Makoto. She is selfish, she is not endlessly optimistic. She's more like Hajime in this way, but unlike Hajime who find his own brand of philosophy, Komaru really doesn't. Rather, while Hajime's character serves to show you don't have to choose a predetermined path (hope or despair) and rather your path can simply be believing in yourself, Komaru's character shows that sometimes, and maybe even most of the time, believing in yourself or a specific ideal is not feasible. Komaru believes in the people around her - namely Toko. She believes in her friend, and believes with her friend that things can keep going. This in my opinion is an excellent twist on Makoto, who was, by all means, that friend that people believed in, not the one doing the believing.

And, as an aside, Toko and Komaru have the best development of any pair of characters in the series. Yes, even moreso than Hajime and Komaeda (who I maintain never really had "development" between each other than just a very, very good dynamic from the get-go that was influenced at points by outside plot forces on Komaeda's end. Think Light and L from Death Note in this manner).

Now, let me talk about the real meat of the game, and my favorite characters to date in the whole series: The Warriors of Hope.

I won't lie that I'm biased. I'm very biased for these guys. But I think a lot of people don't give these guys the credit they deserve considering this is a Japanese game. In Japan, child abuse is a bit of a taboo topic (that thankfully has been resolving over time). Due to the nature of Japan's politeness system and "family above all else" attitude, many child abuse cases not only go unreported, but are flat out ignored. The epidemic of babies dying in coin-operated lockers being an especially egregious example of rampant child abuse that occurred. Despite being prevalent since 1971, it took till 1993 to be socially addressed.

This is just one example, but I think it serves my point: child abuse is/was an issue in Japan when it comes to socially speaking of it. ( In fact, in the game itself, Nagisa and Kotoko both directly say they tried to reach out and get help, but were ignored by adults). This is why art regarding child abuse is so important. And that's why a huge series like Danganronpa centering a game about child abuse is such a huge deal. It sparks discussion and promotes visibility of the topic. Not to say media before hadn't talked about it - in fact, there is a lot of Japanese media about child abuse for this very reason - but that does not undermine the importance of Danganronpa deciding to portray it so openly. It is even more important, to me, that they do not stop at physical or sexual abuse. Rather, abuse focused on verbal harm and emotional neglect are portrayed as being just as damaging, which is one of the most overlooked and underplayed forms of abuse in general.

Their portray of abuse also is rather accurate. I will make a confession: I was definitely a bit too young to play danganronpa when I did. Definitely not 18 yet. But I was a teen, and very aware of different types of abuse, sexual abuse included. But despite all the PSAs, books I had read on my own or even ones assigned to me for classes, I had never seen a sexual assault victim be portrayed as hypersexual before. In fact, I didn't even know such a thing was possible. Yes, it is very, very likely I just got Komaeda levels of unlucky to not encounter that in any of my reading or research material at the time, but I think it's common, nonetheless, that people to this day still have the misconception that sexual abuse victims are all afraid of sex or anything sexual. While that is true for some, many people are now becoming more aware that sexual abuse survivors can often display hypersexual tendencies. In this way, I DID learn a lot about the effects of sexual abuse based on how Kotoko acted, and was able to do my own research from there to learn more. Furthermore, the game is good at portraying things like specific triggers in the form of words, smells, items, or specific phrases. Again, I feel it's mostly stereotyped that most triggers are objects that "make sense" like cigarettes or alcohol (much like with what Masaru was afflicted with). But the game made sure to include ones that were "non conventional" like specific words ("gentle" in Kotoko's case) and portrayed both triggers, no matter how common or uncommon, as equally severe. The game also shows negative effects child abuse can have on those around the children. After all, the WoH would not be doing the things they were doing if it weren't for how they were treated in the first place.

(Aside: This is particularly WHY I get so mad when people hate on DR:AE for being "icky". If you are personally uncomfortable with topics of child abuse, that is wholly reasonable and you do not have to play or even like a game that centers on that. You are in your full right and perfectly valid to say "I think this is gross and uncomfortable, therefore I do not like it" or "I don't like this game because I felt personally overlooked/triggered by it" or "I don't like this game because I felt it was not fun or well written". But to say it is objectively "problematic" or "disgusting" to have a game like this exist? That is just spitting in the face of people trying to advocate for visibility of child abuse. You are doing nothing but making people like myself who felt vindicated, seen, or educated by this game like bad guys. Sincerely, please do not call a game that does not shy away from the uncomfortable realities of child abuse "problematic" based on that alone.)

(Aside aside: there are "problematic" elements in the game and things to criticize as is true of all media. The Kotoko minigame I would say is the biggest "why is this in here" moment and is definitely just a fan service scene. I don't like it either. This does not mean the game itself and as a whole is valueless or bad.)

That leads into my next point: I love how morally gray the "good" and "bad" guys are. The WoH aren't doing what they're doing (save Monaca) because they want to hurt people for the lolz (though they have fun with it, as kids would). They think what they're doing is genuinely good. It's a good way to rival Junko, who knew she was evil and batshit crazy, but didn't care. These kids think they are helping children and keeping them safe. And they're kids - young kids can't really think in very complex manners. If you were treated horribly by most adults in your life, and your peers were as well and shared the same sentiments as you, you would be 100% convinced your convictions were righteous then. Hell, I've met adults that think this way (pretty much all extremists who think anyone part of x group, race, gender, religion, etc is evil). A kid thinking this way is very realistic. They are also all different levels of "morally gray". Nagisa, for example, ends up helping Komaru because he feels that a paradise for children is more important than the sole idea of killing all adults. Meanwhile, Monaca, perhaps because of the abuse she suffered all her life, has become a person that we can assume will just enact similar abusive tactics on everyone around her till the day she dies. While it's a misconception that people who suffer abuse often turn into abusers themselves (they simply just have a higher chance to commit crimes, anything from petty crimes to violent ones) there are undoubtedly cases where this does happen. A real life example is Douglas Spinx (HUGE TW; CSA & BESTIALITY). My point is: the portrayal of abuse victims in many different lights from people who can inflict harm unintentionally but with help and intervention can make recoveries to those who, in the rarest and saddest of cases, will turn to a full life of inflicting harm on others intentionally, is important - for someone like me, at least. Without the proper care or attention, horrible things like these can happen. I find this a very important thing to be open about.

Then we have Haiji. Haiji is supposed to be a "good guy". He's cowardly, yes, but he does fight to help the adults being killed. He attempts to bolster moral. But...despite having good intentions and even doing some good things, he's kind of horrible. After all, he's the one who contributed to Monaca's abuse and made her the way she is now. He's just like the kids except reversed; he thinks all children are evil because they're the ones killing everyone. And in his position, I do think most people would feel that way. I mean, if literally every kid in your area was wearing a helmet that turned them fuckin murderous and were killing all your friends and family would you, after enduring months of this, still bother to be like "not all kids though!". Likely not. Even though it is wrong, it is still a realistic way these things would pan out, much like how it did for the WoH. I mean, for a real life example, one need not look further than one of those extremist radical feminist blogs here on Tumblr that believes every single person born male is a brute. Most of those people believe that way because they have personally been hurt by one or several males in their lives, and y'know, fear and pain leads to hate and all of that.

Speaking of, I like the brainwashing in this game far more than in DR3 the anime (spoilers for that later on but tbqh DR3 is not worth anyone's time). I never liked brainwashing as a trope - I feel it is lazy. However, in DR:AE and DR1 they're utilized pretty well. In DR1 it's literally glossed over as "does it really matter? The outcome is more important than the means" which considering DR1, moreso than any other game in the series, is a satire and is supposed to focus on absurdity, I think having the brainwashing LITERALLY be hand-waved as "eh, it just happened" makes a lot of sense thematically with the goofy writing. But as you know, as DR went on, it became more and more serious with itself (for...better and worse...) in DR:AE, I like how the brainwashing affects only the nameless children. DR3's anime was lazy by having all the main characters get brainwashed by a funny little video, both in future&despair arc. In AE, it's a helmet. I think this makes much more sense as theoretically the helmet could be attached to the actual brains of these people. Plus, as said in the game, they blow up when the controller is destroyed, giving credence to that theory. The brainwashing in AE is not a vehicle to explain why main characters act the way they do. Rather, it's just a device used to create background conflict/build up the main villains, leaving the main characters to be affected by persuasion and manipulation (the objectively better version of "brainwashing").

Circling back to the WoH, outside of their thorough portrayals of abuse and standings as "villains who think they are doing the right thing", they're just fun. Like, legit, I just think they're fun. Outside of their trauma, they aren't very complex, but that's the point. The game is a commentary about abuse and how it affects you, the people around you, and the world. The WoH are not the characters meant to be developed and complex entities who undergo deep changes - that is left to our protagonists. As most series with static characters do, they assign each member a core personality. Every Warrior of Hope has a number of traits influenced by this personality (the "sporty" one, the "smart" one, etc) that make them vastly different from each other, making them not only distinct but just fun to watch their personalities clash. After all, if they were not bonded by their trauma, they probably wouldn't be friends at all. it's honestly like a Teen Titans situation in that way, and I've always loved stuff like that. Of course, their personalities are also heavily influenced by their trauma, again a realistic depiction of how trauma can and will change who you are as a person and present itself in many facets of your actions.

I THINK that's all my MAIN points. Suffice to say, DR:AE is my favorite game in the series. I think it's the most fun, has the best character developments and dynamics, I think its story is the most emotional and deep-cutting, and it really spoke to me during a time that I needed something like this to reach me. I won't say it's the best DR game in terms of overall narrative (that honor goes to SDR2) but it comes close. And I know not everyone will feel the same way about this game that I do. Thanks for this ask; yet another reminder I need to do my bi-yearly replay of this game.

(Footnote so I don't get "so you hate waffles"'d: my bringing real-life examples into this is not to say those instances are exactly like what happens in the video game nor to say they are on the same level of importance. Obviously real life is far more important and complex than anything that could happen in a game. I only bring them up to support my points about certain aspects being realistic by using, well, real life examples.)

[kkoct-ik]

what are we thinking

(explanations / elaborations under the cut)

confidence: ★★★ = most, ☆☆☆ = least

★★☆ mew-chan: there's a popular theory about Gin's apparent significance that suggests any number of things are hidden in mew-chan. i dont feel strongly on one theory or another, but i think it's a solid idea

★★★ Sara does not win (the game): i think it would be poetic if in spite of her win rate / being favoured she refuses to win or otherwise destroys the game

★★★ one bad end: like the mindbreak / Q-taro escapes ending, i think it would be fun if there was a way to fail during the minigame segment

★★☆ Keiji gets decimated: he's overdue and if i don't get to see his mangled corpse i'll be very disappointed. i do not think he is surviving to the main game, and if he does, i think he will be the Sacrifice (there's a convincing argument about how this is the only card he has not had thus far)

★★★ Kai & Joe: this is a loose end i hope is tied up. i'm very invested in Joe's relevance and how suspicious / strange some of his behaviour in chapter 1 is

★☆☆ mishima's head / collar: Midori assumes his collar is how Keiji 'cheated' the russian roulette, so the game clearly hasn't forgotten about it. assuming he is actually dead, i speculate it will be used to cheat / cause issues at some point in 3-2, depending on who actually has it

★★★ Meister doppelgänger: Safalin's clue that floormasters die after meeting their doppelgänger is never used during 3-1's russian roulette. one version of Sara's father and Meister have the same sprites. if Mr. C is not Meister, he is his doppel. if Mr. C is Meister, Dummy!Mr. C is his doppel (see two Mr. Chidouins square)

★☆☆ hospital bed: this is a loose end im looking out for. i've seen some insane cope theories about it & i'm not huge on any in particular, but i would love to see it cleared up

★★★ BANGER music: this should have been the free space but i'm really looking forward to it

★☆☆ we cannot save the Dummies: sorry dummy fans. the game has made a point to make the cast come to terms with the fact that human lives are more important than dummy lives. i think this theme of the value of life will become relevant at least one more time

★★☆ Hades' descendants: Q-taro is an orphan, Reko/Alice & Shin/Kanna are siblings (ie. have one set of parents between them), Gin has a step-father, Sara may or may not be adopted; i think there is some link between the participants' parents and why they were sought out by ASU-NARO

★☆☆ Midori's doll body: it's still out there. where did it go. this is not an insane cope that we see Midori again, i kind of hope we don't, but his fixed dummy body is still in the equation

★★☆ ASU-NARO Gin: ties into the mew-chan theory, elaborates on it. i don't believe he's a liar, but i do think there are a lot of inconsistencies around him. also Miley mother theory is solid and we are definitely not all delusional

★★★ Shin revenge: Shin swears to kill all of us. i specify Keiji because he could realistically be killed (Shin has a soft spot for Gin, and we are the protagonist). i don't really think Shin will anybody, but i think he will be given the opportunity to. (that said if there is an ending where he loses his mind and kills us all i will not complain)

★★★ suicide: whether it's a noble one like Kai's, or a deranged one like Gashu's, i am almost certain there will be a suicide

★★☆ floormaster collars: hey it's the reason i made this bingo at all. i think every single floormaster being trapped by the game (bar Midori, but i'll get to that) is an insane reveal (not just Gashu; if you look at them, all of their necks are hidden from us exactly where a collar would be). i'd love to see a floormaster executed or have their lack of autonomy highlighted in some other way

★★☆ cast revival: i think this would be fucked up, and the technology exists. it also ties into the theme of the value of life, the theme of grief, et cetera

★★★ two Mr. Chidouins: this is my personal tinhat theory that combines the fact that Mr. Chidouin has two distinct sets of sprites, and the fact that the Mr. Chidouin Kai speaks to says he is not Sara's 'real father' (commonly interpreted as adoption, but it's possible this is because this Mr. Chidouin is a dummy). accordingly i think Meister-like Mr. Chidouin (that we see in the winner's room with Sara) is his real/human version

★★☆ memorandum author: i have no strong copes on who (Mr. C / Meister / anyone else), but chances are they will become very relevant as the purpose of the game is finally revealed, and i am assuming we will meet them in person (ie. that they are not long dead)

★★☆ massacre / slaughter ending: either a Sacrifice win or a 'contestant kills everybody in a brutal bloody way' bad end. i will not accept anything ambiguous; i'm looking for an ending where everyone is Dead

☆☆☆ vows & trials: i was going to specifically manifest Gin's first trial being revealed, but i've decided this is my cope square. i want to know about all of them

★★★ Keiji's vow: Mr. Policeman had a kid. "jou" pun. i firmly believe Joe is Mr. Policeman's kid and Keiji's vow was to atone for / get closure for his crime by meeting Mr. Policeman's kid. i hope it recontextualises Joe's initial suspicion of Keiji / attitudes towards police too

★★☆ three new characters: in my mind: Ms. Shortcake (we know of), the dummy version of Mr. Chidouin (previously only seen in Kai's flashback, but likely to become relevant), and a secret third thing. i know this square is a little cheap, but you never know

★★☆ Midori is a huge liar: Midori is at the Least not a traditional floormaster (not a dessert, openly antagonistic & violent towards participants, can remove his collar, was originally supposed to participate), so i speculate that he does not have to follow the floormaster's code, and therefore is able to lie. this boils down to the fact that i simply don't believe that Joe was a handicap, and am suspicious about what is being told to us about AI Sara as well

[sepublic]

I love how Wu and Lloyd, when they were younger, had a female friend who ended up using and betraying them, after hiding key info about their motives. Said former friend blames them for failing her (in a manner practically gaslighting), and is obsessed with revenge for this reason. It's like it runs in the family or something, and that makes Misako an outlier with Garmadon.

This isn't Harumi/Aspheera hate, for the record; I freaking love these characters. Which gets me to my main point about what a wasted potential it was for Crystalized (like many other things...) NOT to explore a dynamic between the two as members of C.O.C.K. because they can both relate to one another about their grudge against a member of the FSM family.

In particular, I can't help but feel like Aspheera could've played a role in Harumi's change of heart, given she was already given a surprising amount of screentime in the first half of Crystalized. Because if we're being realistic, learning the Overlord corrupted the Great Devourer in the first place wouldn't make Harumi A-okay with the ninja all of a sudden; I doubt she ever blamed them for creating it, but she still blamed the ninja for failing her. Identifying the Overlord wouldn't cause Harumi to reassign the blame to him, he'd just be another target on her list to get back at; At most, Harumi might help the ninja defeat the Overlord because only they can, and then go back to planning revenge on them right afterwards.

And that's where Aspheera comes into play, as someone who is a mirror to Harumi, who can unwittingly help her self-reflect. With Crystalized already pointing out how pathetic Aspheera's obsession with revenge is, I think Harumi recognizing the similarities she has with Aspheera would help her realize, Oh dang! Is this what I sound like? Is this who I really am? Like Pythor, she also finds Aspheera annoying, and/or her and Aspheera bond over their shared grudges.

But when C.O.C.K. needs a way into the Monastery, Aspheera reveals she knows a route and when everyone asks her how she knows this, she explains how she made a deal with the ninja, went back on it, but then Lloyd still honored the deal by helping her escape. I think that's a really important moment because it really gives an opportunity for Aspheera to self-reflect after being genuinely surprised by Lloyd's grace... Only to return to old habits by accepting the Crystal King's offer of revenge; At which point, she really did make her choice to remain bitter.

And learning how Aspheera continues to spit in the face of the ninja could make Harumi pause and ponder if this is really the kind of person she wants to be, someone who continues to trap themselves in and choose petty, miserable vengeance. In canon, she explains her motive as wanting peace through any means, even through the Crystal King, so this could be a way to explain that Harumi has actually been weaning off of the revenge angle, even if she's found a new motive to wreak havoc.

But with the Crystal King, you could set up Harumi as desperate and in despair, because he holds a lot of power over her and literally brought Harumi to life when her previous idol Garmadon got her killed. By this point, she IS tired, so a part of her really does hope that the Overlord can put an end to all of the conflict. And between this and Harumi realizing what a mess Aspheera is and how uncannily alike they are, it sets things up more for her to let go of past grievances, while also being pragmatic about a 'better world'. At that point, the revelation of the Overlord being the one who created the Great Devourer makes more sense for her arc, because now Harumi is less oriented on being personal, and instead being more practical about lessening harm.

Speaking of other dynamics that we could've seen...

Pythor and Harumi is incredibly obvious, everyone has already said it before. I really do wish they bonded over how they manipulated Lloyd at a vulnerable moment of his life, and are both people who hold that sort of emotional leverage over him; They know what makes Lloyd tick, they pretended to be a friend only to betray him, he's still a scared child in their eyes and they know how to bring out that scared child. Pythor even takes credit for Garmadon's death! Their synergy when it comes to traumatizing Lloyd is eerie.

But at the same time, the Great Devourer in the room is acknowledged with Pythor's role in the whole mess. And Crystalized could then clarify Harumi's feelings towards Pythor; Harumi could explain that Pythor and the Serpentine WERE on her list of targets and still technically are, but during the Sons of Garmadon era, she was also focused on resurrecting Garmadon. And because the ninja are heroes, that inevitably pits them against Harumi even if she didn't have a grudge, so her vendetta towards them had more opportunity to reveal itself, whereas the Serpentine, who were sitting things out, didn't invoke that rage on-screen.

But now Pythor IS here... And like with Lloyd, Harumi is pretending to be chill and demure, totally peaceful, no grudge at all! But then when she and Lloyd are alone in the jungle, she admits that she does plan to get revenge on Pythor and the Serpentine; She's made a deal with the Overlord that once his victory is secured, Harumi will be allowed to command his troops in taking vengeance upon Pythor and the Serpentine. For now, she lets Pythor think she's focused only on the ninja, so he doesn't suspect anything and doesn't attempt to sabotage the Crystal King to avoid his fate.

Conversely, Pythor admits (in Harumi's absence) that he's predicted all of this; However, he feels assured that the Overlord will choose him over Harumi. Because while Harumi only serves the Overlord because he revived her, because he has power over her, Pythor went out of his way to rescue the Overlord at a vulnerable moment in Rebooted, which led to him becoming the Golden Master.

Thus, Pythor has proven himself as unconditionally loyal, and with him having no qualms nor hesitation about destroying the ninja, he's convinced the Overlord will go back on his deal to spare Pythor anyway; And if Harumi keeps trying to do something about it, the Overlord WILL choose Pythor to keep, while casting out Harumi for defiance.

Meanwhile there's Harumi and Vangelis, who were interacting with one another even before Crystalized, and knew about it. Harumi was right there during the events of Master of the Mountain, so Vangelis has been helping her even before the Crystal King and his council were a thing, and Harumi has been funding his ivory city.

So it'd be nice to bring that up, have Vangelis and Harumi already regard one another as professional acquaintances. Vangelis knew of Harumi's survival before anyone else (sans the Overlord of course), and went with her plans even before he knew about them. Without Harumi, there wouldn't be someone paying for a vengestone operation that would require Munce and Geckle slavery. They've been partners in crime who might superficially express sympathy over whatever issues the other has going on.

Given Harumi killed the Emperor and Empress of Ninjago, how does she feel about Vangelis, another king? Does she consider all royalty to be hypocrites whose perfection is built on dark secrets? How does Vangelis regard Harumi, who killed her royal parents, and now has a daughter who he believes betrayed him? Oh god what if Vangelis adopted Harumi to replace Vania. Of course maybe Harumi has given up on the 'surrogate father' thing after both failures, but man.

Likewise, I could see Vangelis sucking up to the Overlord by constantly bringing up the fact that it was HIS Shintarin vengestone that created the Crystal Army, that's his land that's terrorizing Ninjago now. Meanwhile, Harumi brings up how she funded his kingdom, and can bring it back to glory with Vangelis once more as the leader.

Maybe Pythor and Vangelis can both compete for the Overlord's favor; Does Pythor dislike Vangelis, as someone human (or close enough to it) who imprisoned multiple inhuman species underground to achieve his perfect civilization? Maybe he sees some kinship between the Serpentine, and the Munce and Geckles. This could be an opportunity to delve into his motivations for serving the Overlord, back in Rebooted and now; Does he see the Overlord as a means for revenge, even if he was the Golden Master that his own kind dreaded? If he still claims to fight on behalf of his kind, Pythor might have thoughts about Vangelis' dynamic with the Munce and Geckles.

And that extends to his relationship with Aspheera, given they're both imprisoned Serpentine operating on vendettas, but under very different circumstances. Aspheera completely missed out on the Serpentine Wars, their entombment, their return, the Great Devourer, and reconciliation with humanity. For Aspheera, this may have all been a natural evolution of the uneasy truce between human and Serpentine that in Mambo V’s case, was very easy to interpret as violated. Even if she didn’t have any particulate spite or wariness towards humans at the time, she didn’t seem to be all too much for them either.

But now Aspheera really hates Wu. So in addition to all that, it's feasible that Aspheera, who at this point is looking for an excuse to be angry, would just feed into Pythor's larger vendetta against humanity, and participate in it. She'd see he hates Wu and encourage him. All the while, Pythor could've known Aspheera as a Serpentine legend, so that makes her his elder by technicality. Maybe he even related to her, as someone who (in the Serpentine’s version of events) got done dirty by a human!

So maybe he isn't mocking her obsession with revenge, maybe he fully agrees; Or Pythor is kind of a hypocrite who dismisses Aspheera as merely being salty over how she failed to seize power, whereas HIS rage is actually righteous and justified because it speaks on behalf of all Serpentine, never mind the fact that he's an outcast to Serpentine society now, as is Aspheera. Maybe he hears the full story from Aspheera and is disappointed she isn’t as much of a perfect victim as she claims to be, but is emboldened by how Aspheera tried to push the Serpentine into taking over Ninjago before he did.

Aspheera may or may not be ticked off by Pythor's hypocrisy and they're both awful idiots and Harumi is dreading that she's actually like them, which makes her second-guess her grudge motives so that when the Overlord's role with the Great Devourer is exposed, she doesn't even have peace as a reason to support him/oppose the ninja anymore.

As for Aspheera and Vangelis... I guess compared to Pythor and Harumi at least having more claim to sympathy, their original motives were already based in wanting more power and glory. I guess they might bond over feeling personally betrayed by one specific person they once cared about, and acting as if that person is at fault, and not their attempted power grabs; Those people being Wu and Vania respectively.

They might share in leveraging the claim that these people should be grateful to them for what they did, whereas Pythor and Harumi can't even pretend to say that to Lloyd. So Aspheera and Vangelis both wallow in self-pity and are baffled over how anyone could ever do this to them, but it's much more openly pathetic and a sham with this duo.

Tbh I don't really have anything to say about Mr. F or the Mechanic; Mr. F is silent and doesn't have a personality, just programmed loyalty to Harumi, so he's only really an extension of her. And alas the writers, despite having an opportunity to bring back the lost Echo Zane/Mr. E plotline, didn't do that by making Mr. F a different a character entirely, and having Echo interact with Jay between Seabound and Crystallized in a separate side story.

As for the Mechanic... I just feel like there's not much to talk with this dude, he's just a power-hungry thug to annoy the ninja between their actual villains. Although Prime Empire did give him a bit more motive and depth, what with his grateful reverence towards Unagami for restoring his sense of feeling. Of course, he chickened out when Unagami actually showed up, so maybe someone can bring it up to call his efficacy into question; How do they know he won't do the same when the Overlord performs a big display of power?

The Mechanic does mention allying with the Overlord for safety, so it may just be that reason, whereas Unagami was just lashing out angrily and without much rhyme or reason. I wonder if he can at least convince himself that the Overlord is what he expected out of Unagami, a savior who will make a new paradise, so maybe him and Harumi have that similarity there.

Man... Both waves of Ninjago that brought back past villains ended up being a letdown, particularly in the villain dynamic part. Day of the Departed at least has the excuse of only running the length of two standard Ninjago episodes; Crystalized ran the length of fifteen!!! That's the longest any story arc of Ninjago has gotten, even longer than Seasons 1 or 2!

But instead we had to waste several episodes on that frustrating cop and prison subplot with Hounddog McBrag, who didn't even do anything and should've been a non-issue. Between him and the mayor who disappears as soon as the Overlord actually starts attacking, and the writers should've instead allocated screentime towards fleshing out C.O.C.K., addressing the ninjas' trauma and/or dynamics with the villains, etc. I do not care at all for the rushed redemption of an annoying wannabe cowboy who doesn’t even show up to help at the end of the series.

[dogshit-enchantment]

okay i was joking about writing an essay about Cid and while i don't have the brain power or time to do all that, i will expound my thoughts on his relationship with Shera. They're coworkers, first and foremost. She's a rocket scientist assigned by Shinra to stay in Rocket Town and help with the space program. Why exactly she lives with Cid is ??? I don't know if it's ever explained or if its just a matter of them being roommates. Regardless.

I will state that it is wrong that Cid yells at her, but in the same instance I will also say that she herself is also in the wrong for what she did. She's supposed to be a professional in charge of checking equipment and making sure it's all working as it should, and when she notices a problem she doesn't say anything. She doesn't tell anyone and get the launch delayed, she doesn't tell Cid so he can stall for time, she instead decides 'yeah I don't care if I die' and silently continues working while within the blast zone. The scene of the launch gets translated as "Are you trying to make me a murderer, Shera?!" because that's how Cid assumes it to be: She is trying to commit suicide by his fucking hand. That would make anyone fucking pissed off. Imagine having to live with someone who tried to get you to tie their fucking noose. Yeah, he probably shouldn't be yelling at her and it's shitty that he does and they should talk it out, but how realistic is that? They don't have therapists at Shinra, and they sure as hell don't have therapists in the boonies. Cid copes by chain smoking and holding onto hope that the one thing that almost destroyed both of their lives will still come to fruition. And it does, and Shera is still fucking there, and it come full circle with the oxygen tank exploding and almost fucking killing him. Her failure to alert others almost cost Shera her life and almost cost Cid his life on two fucking occasions. Neither of them are blameless, and even the small "sorry" when he's trapped under shrapnel is monumental. He knows he's being too much, but what the fuck else is he gonna do?

Clearly they make amends and become better friends considering in Advent Children he names his newest ship after her and in DoC apparently they get married??? (I don't agree with that one but its at least something to show that he did finally make it to the other side of like, all that)

Cid went through the trauma of almost killing his fucking coworker/roommate/friend because she wouldn't speak up, lashes out because of that trauma and the fact that her inaction cost everyone on that team the hope of space, not just himself. He's flawed and he's aggressive, but he comes around, he makes the effort, and most of all he cares, whether the people around him want him to or not.

Shera is not entirely blameless and Cid is not off the hook by any means, they both got issues and they both need therapy but alas, they are video game characters and this is all just bullet points to make the plot go forward.

me, a liar: I'm not gonna write an essay about Cid >proceeds to write a mini essay about him instead of doing whatever the fuck else i was doing with my day

[bohemian-nights]

I don’t know, I feel like actors don’t always get the character they play ‘right’ and that’s the problem with these movie/show adaptations of books. Hotd was a big mistake, I don’t think I’ll ever change my stance on that, mostly because of all the racism and hate in the fandom and from the producers/directors. If the show runners just make a fanfic version of a book, I really don’t understand the point, it’s infuriating, especially to the original book readers. I get attached to minor characters and it really just fucks with me because they rarely get treated well or are as uplifted as they should be! I go a little overboard with this stuff, it’s a problem and I know that, but it would just be so nice if showrunners didn’t diverge so much from the original canon material! With the hotd promos, they genuinely piss me off. I’m not team black or team green, I’m really not, I only genuinely like a few people on the show (which do happen to be team black, but I can’t really say that I like the other people on said team). I regret watching the show and getting into the fandom, I wish I could go back and never watch it, that’s how messed up it’s got me. I just hope s2 is not as disrespectful as s1 bc I’ll still watch it, but I must admit I don’t have much hope of that, especially with how the actors speak of it, it just gives me the ick. It’s not wrong for “family” to hate each other or have problems with eachother. Team black is not this perfect family (and team green isn’t either, not at all) and it’s so stupid for people to try and say they are. At the end of the day it’s fiction, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be the least bit realistic with strained dynamics. For example, it’s okay if the dragon twins have some resentment for rhaenyra and daemon, I’m not saying that they do, but it would be perfectly fine if they did. It would be normal. It doesn’t mean they ultimately hate daemon or rhaenyra, but it doesn’t have to be one or the other either. Team black loves to act as if rhaena&baela adore rhaenyra and they very well might, but if you were to argue that they might dislike or are just not close with her for very understandable reasons, all hell would break loose. As someone who primarily follow people who are team black and pro rhaenyra I know I would be hated on hard if I even suggested the dragon twins held some resentment from when they were younger (which is why I’m saying this anon rn lmao). And I’m not even hating on rhaenyra, I’m just trying to step in their shoes ig. At the end of the day I wholeheartedly believe laena will be the most important woman figure to them regardless of how they feel and that can be enough. I just love mother -children relationships and hotd fandom loves to ignore minor ones :/

Sorry for the rant, I’m honestly just rambling and trying to get some ridiculous frustration off my chest. Hopefully you don’t think I’m too crazy lmao

🫂I feel you anon especially about the going back in time part. Funnily enough I almost wasn't going to watch this crap because I was still upset with how GOT ended.

However, they got to me with of the addition of the Black cast. I should've known though that it was a fucking trap to get Black people to watch this shit show and that they had no actual intention of doing right by the Black characters, but nope I decided to be a dummy.

Two years later and now I’m here 🤦🏽‍♀️ Having to witness take after take on how every Black(ish) character is unimportant, irrelevant, interchangeable, and only there so the show can appear to be “woke—unless of course they need them to bash a character they hate more.

Poor Laena gets shafted constantly and mocked for being second best and people barely want to admit she’s her girls mother, but then when it’s time to bash Alicent then they want to admit she was shafted.

Baela and Rhaena are barely talked about unless it’s to say how they can replace Nettles(or to mention how Missy Anne did in fact have daughters…. daughters who refer to her as my queen or princess and named their kid after who again? I believe it starts with a L).

Daenaera is non-stop depicated as the lightest mixed girl (if even that) that one can find(and that’s a feat cause there aren’t any actual Black women on this show), but then they want to use her being “Black” to accuse people they have beef with of racism.

Laenor is made into a bum(that’s more the showrunners fault, but people go in on him unnecessarily).

Vaemond is absolutely hated and Corlys, Addam, and Alyn are liked so long as they don’t go off script(which anyone who has read the books knows that Corlys and Alyn are going to go off script)….

Don’t get me started on Team Green who is less outright with their racism, but they aren’t right either.

Can't say that this fandom is the worst or the most racist cause unfortunately I’m seeing the same pattern play out in several other fandoms I’m apart of, but a large portion of this fandom shouldn’t interact with other people until they’ve seen a shrink.

The show is just not good enough for people to be going this crazy about it, but I digress. Honestly though I say all this, but I’ve gotten to the point where I just don’t care for this show or fandom anymore.

I mean I’ll get re-energized when Nettles shows up, but outside of that I couldn’t care less on what happens. I’m not going to even bother watching the new season, I’m just focusing on completing these fics(I’m determined to have What We May Mend done before the end of the year) and then I’m bouncing till 2026, and if Nettles isn’t there—

🤣🤣🤣Okay I shouldn’t be so dramatic cause I’ll still be on here and this ask box will always be open, but my time of being in the HOTD fandom will have reached it's conclusion.

[ancientevangelions]

Hello! I'm new here! Just the other day I was going through the AsuShin tag, found your fics, and loved them! I also spent some time reading your thoughts and theories. Which brings me to ask, how do you perceive the changes and (lack of) relationship between Asuka and Shinji from Evangelion, EoE and Rebuild?

Specifically regarding Rebuild, I found it disheartening how they set Shinji and Asuka aside so easily. I'm not talking strictly nor only about shipping. I grew up watching the 90s Evangelion. And a big part of the story and its exploration of psychological themes and characters's psychology and motivation was Shinji's relationship with Asuka. Most of all in EoE, which, to me, is the ending I find most fitting.

It was dreadful to watch the redone beach sequence where Shinji thanks Asuka for admitting she used to like him, then him saying he used to like her back. Only for them to have that "everything is suddenly happy now" ending. This sequence seems to discredit most of the themes and sacrifices made in the original story, and does not satisfactorily brings their story to a close, but instead seem to try to brush it aside or bypass it somehow. Again, I do ship AsuShin but my grievance has much more to do with the way Rebuild handled them, I don't think in a story like Evangelion we could ever have had hopes of them living happily ever after or even be together necessarily

Hello!

Thanks for being here. I wanted to answer this as thoughtfully as I could! Asuka and Shinji are definitely a complicated pair. Regardless of shipping, they require care and attention to understand.

In NGE/EoE, the focus of the series is on their interactions, especially with the End of Evangelion. Episode 9 onward is focused primarily on the interactions between Asuka and Shinji, their highs and lows, the back and forth and their eventual downfalls. I always find it funny how people are highly critical of the interactions between the kids. From my memory of high school/being a teen (2004 to 2009 mostly), it was very much like this. A lot of back-and-forth denial of feelings and messiness trying to avoid pain, not wanting to speak your feelings due to embarrassment, and a lack of knowledge on consent or anything romantic or sexual. It all was a very realistic portrayal of my teen years, primarily because of the depression and mental illness (spoken as an undiagnosed mentally ill teen).

The realism with Asuka and Shinji and the non-linear progression/recovery felt extremely important to me. It was evident that they had a massive attraction to one another. Still, they fell into the trap I had in my youth of being unsure how to communicate my feelings without being rejected or experiencing pain. Even without romantic or sexual feelings, Shinji and Asuka live together, attend school, and work together. They are often abandoned by Misato at home alone, left to their own devices. They are two kids competing to see who can grow up faster. They have a compelling dynamic because they are so messy! In NGE, we see their ups and downs, learning about each other, fighting together and building trust, kindness, rude words, misunderstanding, poor communication, etc.

I love End of Evangelion. I don't need to see what happens after Asuka returns; I know now Yui was telling the truth that anyone can return when they are ready. Of course, it would be Asuka next after Shinji; their destinies are intertwined. She has every right to show him compassion AND to still be angry after all he did to her. The point of the ending scene is that there is love and affection in the world, but it's not forced; it's not a given; it's realistic. No one owes you anything, not love, not compassion, but when we choose to be kind, how amazing is that? Asuka and Shinji can continue to learn, grow and survive together. There is hope; they can be happy, but they must rebuild, work together, and try to find that happiness. 

Rebuild of Evangelion is so Shinji-centric at times it feels like it doesn't care about anyone else's motivations or backstory. Rebuild disappointed me so much with its focus on cinematic fights over substance. Rebuild also falls into the trap of forcing a perfect happy ending, which is unrealistic and annoying. Real change is messy and takes effort, years and years of action, and instead, we find perfection in imperfection. It's okay and expected if everything doesn't go exactly as planned. Rebuild needs more focus. It's evident that there was no overarching plan for the 4 films and that they underwent rewrites and delays for years. Of course, ideas would change. It took years to finish the series. It went from "Evangelion for new fans, a retelling that doesn't require you to watch NGE" to "The action sequences are good; let's make money off of sexualized children."

A lot of the AsuShin content is added on later in canon bonus material later added to 3.0 + 1.0 to clear up misconceptions about the relationships. It's subtle, and it feels tacked on. Shinji spends so little on-screen time with any of the characters that we don't get the same interactions, world-building, or character development and the flatness of the characters bothers me so much. What are their motivations? "Well, he cooked for her, so she likes him." Okay… that seems flimsy since she spends all her time alone, and he spends all his time alone… 

Shikinami might as well be 14, screaming that she is an adult now. For all the ways she has changed between 2.0 and 3.0, stewing in her anger doesn't seem very adult. The children telling us they are adults really doesn't convince me. The time skip accomplished nothing as no one reflected on 14 years passing in a realistic way. Shinji didn't grieve lost time or grapple with being an adult in a child's body. The deus ex machina at the end might have been "And then Shinji woke up, and Wonderland was gone" or "Asuka clicked her red heels and said there's no place like home."

Pixar films are popular because "Life doesn't always go according to plan, but you can still find happiness in the mess of life." The idea is that things are imperfect, and we make the most of what we have. Sometimes, what we want is different from what we need. Rebuild fails to capture this and instead falls into a trap I see in YA novels where the epilogue is much too neat. We see ourselves in the characters, and we identify with the struggle, but then the ending is too tidy. The protagonist gets a hetero-normative end with children and a picket fence and marries one of the love interests introduced early on. The protagonist becomes unrelatable to us because they fall into complacency where they have a 9 to 5 job and do nothing to better anything after the "fall of the tyrant." To quote The Who with their song Won't Get Fooled Again: "Here comes the new boss, same as the old boss." How can we, who are struggling daily for our survival and happiness, find the changing of one problem to be satisfactory in solving all issues? No more Evas, cool, but now he is under capitalism which we all know SUCKS. Sounds perfect, Shinji. Thanks for making your lives miserable in a new way. Trapped in wage labour sounds excellent. 

That's why I'm not a fan of "happy" endings. I only need some of the problems solved. I want to see work to build a new world. In the Rebuild ending, I dream of Asuka and Shinji working side by side to rebuild cities, prevent new child soldiers and be active in a community that fears them. We don't need a dream of paradise. We need hope that WE can make a difference, too. 

[otakween]

Digimon Adventure Drama CD 3 (Character Song + Mini Drama 3)

The final part in this drama CD trilogy! There are other Digimon Adventure CDs for me to go through, but this is the end of the character song + mini drama collection. So great that these are easily accessible online. I've had a lot of fun going through them.

Download link

Translation

The Stolen First Dreams of the Year - Parts 1 & 2

The gang realizes that none of them had a New Year's dream (it's a Japanese tradition to analyze your first dream of the year). Yamato and Takeru go to investigate and Bakumon reveals he ate everyone's dreams! Dun dun dunnnn

Gotta love the totally realistic conversations of people being like "you didn't have a dream either, so weird!" I feel like I don't remember my dreams most nights lol.

I've always known that tapir were associated with dream-eating in Japan (due to anime and video games), but I've never looked up the origins of this. According to Wikipedia the nightmare eating, supernatural "baku" and the tapir are both called "baku," but they're different...but also baku look just like tapir lol. Not confusing at all!

In part 2 of this drama Yamato and Takeru are trapped in Takeru's dream. Takeru is a cat, Patamon's a kite, and Gabumon's a shishimai. I thought it was funny that Takeru had a profound reason for Patamon to be a kite, but Gabumon was a shishimai because...he just kinda looks like one lol

Takeru uses the power of lucid dreaming to defeat Bakumon and escape his dream...that's a pretty obvious weakness

Image Song 1 - Walk on the Edge (Yamato Ishida)

Translation

A very "cool" song for Yamato, very fitting. A lot of it is directed at Taichi, telling him to stop being so hot-headed and just be cool, like Yamato.

I feel like there's some conflicting vibes here because at one point in the lyrics he's like "we're the chosen children, we can do anything!" but then he's like "I'm fine on my own." Kinda jarring that both ends of his arc would be put into one song like that. Like...pick a personality.

I liked that they incorporated his harmonica in the song's intro. Smart.

Image Song 2 - Be All Right (Takeru Takaishi)

Translation

This had a similar vibe to Hikari's song, kinda abstract and hopeful about the future. (Makes sense since Hikari and Takeru become a duo).

I feel like Takeru's voice actress didn't even try to do her character's voice when singing this. It just sounds like some lady lol. In my opinion, when it comes to image songs, I prefer the song to sound more authentic to the character than to sound "good."

The Digimon’s New Year Performance

This was definitely the best gag drama yet! They threw a lot of dumb jokes in there that made me laugh/roll my eyes. Best bits were probably: Gabumon finally taking his fur off (in the AUDIO drama), Tentomon speaking without his accent (cursed), Sora and Joe praising Piyomon and Gomamon for their lame tricks and Hikari judging Tailmon for acting cutesy.

I felt bad for Agumon for being booed, glad he got his revenge at the end lol.

Image Song 3 - Shinka de Guts! (Partner digimon, minus Tailmon)

Translation

This one snuck up on me. It's so cute!! I feel like this is one of those anime songs that make you feel like you can do anything and everything's gonna be alright ;w;

Love hearing the digimon sing. This is what I was talking about in my critique of Takeru's song. I love in-character songs that aren't worried about sounding kinda goofy.

The digimon sing about their power together and their love for their human partners, very wholesome. There were also some lyrics thrown in there about taking it easy and stopping to smell the flowers. Cozy.

[ahundredtimesover]

Omg the mysteries have been unveiled!!!! Can't put into words how much I love this story. Thank you endlessly for putting so much effort, time, and care into it. It's amazing that we get to share the fruits of your talent! It's even crazier that you managed to build a story that just ticks all the points for me and scratches my brain just right.

I commend you for not falling into the common traps of fanfic writing by rushing into things and buying into scenarios that are just not realistic for a non-fantasy fic. As much as the characters' decisions, actions, and attitudes might frustrate us, that's what being human is like! That's real! That's life! We are so contradictory, and we say the wrong thing or the right thing at the wrong time, or we fail to say what must be said.

I will admit that I've been frustrated by both jk and oc throughout the story, and thought they made things more complicated than way they needed to be but now I understand why it's taken so long to get to this point. I get oc's desperation to break free. At first, I was so confused. Why walk away from a job that gives you a decent wage and is prestigious? Surely not everyone likes their job all the time, and would like to have more money, more free time... Now, I understand her fully, and I empathize. There's nothing worse than feeling indebted, subservient, ashamed... it's like she has been walking on eggshells all the time. Even if the family didn't see her in a negative light or looked down on her, sometimes your insecurities get the best of you and your brain convinces you that the worst case scenario is indeed happening right under your nose.

I'm excited to see her heal, grow, and THRIVE! I want to see her comfortable in her own skin, to believe and KNOW she deserves positive things in her life, to feel invigorated by her job, to feel more relaxed, to have time for herself, to find hobbies and passions. Who knows... maybe she dabbles in writing in the future? 👀👀 (She did mention she loves storytelling and the creative process). Of course, healing is complicated and I predict she might have hard times ahead, wondering if she did the right thing, if walking away from jk means losing him forever...

I hope the time apart (hopefully not too long 🙏, although it makes the most sense) allows them both to see things more clearly and approach their feelings in a new light, without the baggage of power dynamics. Starting a relationship with your boss is just yucky, BIG no. For the people saying that's what should've happened... how would that have made her look like? Oh, yall helped my mom and I escape domestic violence, pay for my uni education, gave me an internship and a job (although my girl earned this, but yk negative self talk), AND then I start sleeping and dating one of the company heirs whilst still working as his assistant? Absolutely not.

Also, jumping right into the relationship after her resignation seems too rushed as well, oc more than jk (imo) needs to sort herself out and find herself, find her identity away from the shadows of her past and jk's family and company. How can she be in her first actual relationship if she feels like she can't stand on her own two feet? How can she do good by her and jk if she feels insecure, lost, and unfulfilled? Love and intimacy don't solve all your life problems. That's the heartbreaking realization they both are starting to have. I will say that seeing the more romantic side of jk and oc was soooo cute. His reasoning (although flawed) of wanting to keep her in the company in order to ensure her being respected and safe warmed my heart. I agree with that other anon that jk might not take the separation too well, and might revert back to his old ways, which could potentially put off oc? She might be at a point where she wants to reconnect, and he's just not there yet (I won't mind this possibility because I, too, LOVE angst 😭)

Also Mr. Ri's backstory :( Bless his heart. He has done so so good by oc and her mom. He deserves ultimate happiness, as well. Also, what about Mr YOONGI! I can't wait to read his opinion about all this and how he will try to help out both of them.

Overall, what a chapter. It has been my favorite yet (hard choice cause you have a goldmine here). I can't wait (I can and I will) for chapter 12!! Much love ❤️

(I'm usually an anonymous fan, but this story is just so good I'm powering through my shyness and panic to send this message off anon 🫣)

HIII oh wow, so much to absorb here and I love it! 🥹Which is also why I took a while to respond. I loved reading through this and knowing what you thought. This story took months of frustration and stress to come together haha but I'm glad it’s able to resonate with readers and you guys can see what I was trying to say through the characters. 😌😌

It's a slowburn for the reason that it's important to get to fully know them, from their pains to their hopes because it's how we understand why they do what they do; it's how we connect with them, too. Bc these very flawed humans have bits and pieces of us in them. Especially with OC - no matter how 'good' a job seems to be, if it doesn't fulfil your desires, if it makes you doubt what you've achieved, it's gonna constantly eat at you, and it finally became too much for her once she realized that her feelings for JK would keep her in a place that she's not happy in, even if the man who makes her happy is right there. Obviously there are the hindrances given their positions, but ultimately it's OC making a decision for herself.

It's also interesting to note what you and other readers propose or believe must be the way forward. They both need healing, but clearly all the years they've spent alone and on their own haven't really done anything good to them. And also, they didn't go through a breakup. It's more like a rejection of requited feelings, and like I said to another reader, they don't know what happiness with each other feels like, and they may not exactly need healing from each other. As we've seen, they find comfort in each other. But I totally get what you're saying about needing time away. Much of OC's feelings of being lost and insecure and unfulfilled are tied to her job, and now that she no longer feels bound by it... it's a good thing! This is actually what I was hoping that people would see because echoing what you're also saying, being apart isn't always a bad thing. 😉

We love Mr. Ri! He's such a comforting character, so is Yoongi. And together with Jimin, we see that OC still has good men around her despite the other assholes she dated. 😌 and also, if u think this JK is romantic... AWW WAIT UNTIL rich boyfriend jk happens 🤭🤭 hahaha but anyway. I loved this. Thank you so much for coming out of the shadows and dropping by. I super appreciate it. It makes me feel fulfilled that I could give you something to ponder and hope about. 💕

I hope you're well! Stay safe always! 🫶🏼🫶🏼

[shmowder]

Hii I’m cringe free so here is my self-insert as I don’t have any other pathologic ocs :(

Name: Katerina Katina

Age: 27 years old

Job/Credentials: painter! I imagined she would do portraits for the Kains and the other leading families but can also do paintings for anyone in town

And she would just be an NPC

Katerina was born in the town and has lived her whole life there, though she did want to go to the capital to study in art but unfortunately for her she took too long to decide and ended up married to a guy who wants her to stay so she does

She does like the town and since she feels it’s too late to study art anyways she doesn’t want to leave anymore, maybe she’ll just visit the capital one day

She doesn’t have much friends she just talks to the Stamatins often, she WAS once friends with Vlad Jr. but not anymore (I thought he was just a pathetic kinda guy but nope I do not fuck with racists)

Also friends with Verdell Popov another oc which I hope my partner submits here!

She believes in the Mistresses at least Nina and Victoria still not really sure about Katerina Saburov or both of them for the matter

She does believe the steppe legends as she is friends with Verdell who is from the kin and even enjoys hearing about them

Not sure about authority she tries not to get in trouble and doesn’t really like any of the families especially after doing portraits for many of them

Definitely tries to help the Haruspex the most even if she was scared of The Ripper at first, later she’ll offer him to sleep at her house if he needs and if her district is plagued would give him quests and when he’s done she’ll give him food in exchange

Sorry if the writing is wonky somewhere I’m not good at telling info in English shshdh also I’m including a drawing I made of her in Pathologic 2 dialogue

Yes, a painter! I always wondered where all the ruling families got their portraits from? Especially since the paintings shared a similar style, one which clearly contrasted with Peter's more abstract and fluid works.

She is woven into the story seamlessly, I really like the fact that she has an already repeated name. It makes it just more realistic, yk? It makes sense for the most popular names of the time period to get repeated a bunch in a town this big.

Saburov and Block, Victor and Victoria, it's a small detial but provides a touch of realism. We've all known multiple people who shared the same name throughout our lives.

Her connection to Andrey and Peter does make sense. They're both interested in steppe legends and art. Maybe she did the paintings in the brokenheart pub, too?

I love her blue scarf. I know it's not intentional, but it matches Artemy's blue sweater. Poetic how he's the one she'll willing to help the most, does she believe in his cause and the Termite ending? In destroying the Polyhedron, despite the agony, it will put her two friends–the Stamatins–through?

Including the wedding ring in the art is such a good detail too, her curly/wavy hair is very lovely. God, I wish we could've seen more diverse hairtypes in pathologic.

It is lowkey ironic that she doesn't like to get into trouble yet befriended The Stamatin and used to be friends with Vlad Jr. Honestly, even if she does, she is a little too useful to the ruling families for them not to let her go with a slap on the wrist.

Keeping such a talented painter under their thumb and inside the town? Especially an artist who never went to art school, so she doesn't realise her actual worth or talent. Her only other point of reference is Peter, a literal genius in his field whose talent is beyond comprehension. So much so, Nina had to drag the twins to town no matter the cost.

It's also sad in a way, like a beautiful buttefly who may never see its own colourful wings. Who's trapped inside an artificial greenhouse, never wandering to the lush garden outside, and for love to be the one thing chaining her too? That's just amazing.

Your art is amazing! I can tell a lot about Katerina from the body language alone, the nervous side glance, the tendency to touch her fingers.

The wedding ring being silver rather than gold. Ouch.

"I shouldn't have yelled at him" Is she referring to her husband? Do they fight often? Or someone else entirely.

What a lovely and flushed out OC you have! <33 I'm so happy you told me about her, I can't wait to see your partner's OC as well. It's a unique thing for two OCs to have a slightly intertwined story, to be friends in every universe.

-

unrelated, but I wanted to thank you for the lovely ask you sent before. Encouraging me after the person pretending to be a different anons thing. I never got the chance to reply because the matter was resolved. Still, thank you greatly for your sweet words.

[juliettedunn]

The “Luzura” outfit and my interpretation of its symbolism for Luz.

The thing about Luz’s current outfit is that it is a remix of an outfit she wore before. In Lost in Language, she briefly wears an Azura costume (here they are side by side for comparison).

While similar, there are clear differences between the two, and both the changes and similarities are a reflection of her attitude toward her own heroism.

While similar, there are clear differences between the two, and both the changes and similarities are a reflection of her attitude toward her own heroism.

At the beginning of the show, one of Luz’s key flaws is her naïveté, and tendency to treat the Boiling Isles as though it were an entirely scripted, whimsical fantasy story.

This is most clearly seen in Witches Before Wizards, where she is sucked into a fairly obvious trap because she believes she is the Chosen One. Throughout Season One, she makes constant references to how things go in fantasy stories.

For example, that there is a chosen one, that the hero always returns home after their fantasy adventure, etc. Many of these tropes are subverted, though sometimes they are indeed played straight (befriending her rival, for example).

Through Season 1 and into Season 2,Luz gradually begins to mature and have a better understanding of the world. In some ways, this is healthy. Her concept of a whimsical world of predetermined destiny and happily ever afters isn’t real,and believing in it leads her into trouble.

However, Season 2 shatters this concept so intensely and abruptly that she goes too far in the opposite direction.

Luz is so removed from believing herself the hero, she sees herself as a villain.

This is highlighted with The Good Witch Azura movie in Thanks to Them, showing a villain with a similar outfit and design to her that she now believes herself to have more similarities with than Azura.

Even though she has many heroic qualities, she is unable to see them.

While The Owl House critiques the concept of happily ever afters and chosen ones, it also celebrates fandom, including stories like this.

You see it with The Good Witch Azura for Amity and Luz, and Cosmic Frontier for Camila, Hunter, and Gus. They are ridiculous and unrealistic, but it’s clear they have a positive impact on the characters’ l, such as Hunter relating to the clone character in Cosmic Frontier.

So Luz suddenly feeling like she is nothing like her favorite fictional character is portrayed as a negative, despite the naive attitude she had from it prior to Hollow Mind. This is why Luz taking on the Luzura costume is a very meaningful action.

She doesn’t fully believe she is worthy of it, but she dons it anyway, notably with some differences to how she made it previously. She is taking the comfort and inspiration of her fandom, while also making it unique to her, and giving it a more practical side than initially.

She wears boots and tights instead of a cumbersome dress, and she has a fanny pack equipped. Luz has grown out of her belief in an idealistic fantasy, but she also is allowing herself to return to that sense of whimsy and adventure.

She’s starting to believe in the possibility of herself as a hero figure again, just in a more realistic sense. She isn’t a chosen one, but she is a strong and kind person who CAN make a difference in the world.

It’s a wonderful way to call back to Luz’s beginning while also showing how Luz has changed.

How the maturity and wisdom she has gained can be balanced by a returning belief in wonder and heroism.

She herself hasn’t reached this point; she is still struggling heavily. It’s no coincidence it is Amity and Camila who encourage her to put on the outfit, trying to bring back that hope and joy she used to have.

“A good witch always has to have her hat”is such a powerful line, especially with Camila too finding comfort in fandom. It’s a show of respect for Luz’s interests,and an encouragement for her to regain that wonder she m had. Only this time, balanced with wisdom and maturity.

[adamsvanrhijn]

I'm someone who's into history but not so bothered by certain ahistoricalities like moving events back of forth a few years, if it makes sense in the overall story. I was ok with Bertha's Met victory being so exaggerated as I get they were possibly feeling insecure about a third season and wanted to conclude that plotline. However, I feel like they set themselves in a trap for S3 because what are they going to do with Mrs. Astor now in S3? What's Bertha going to do all season, if you don't count her beef with George over Gladys, if she has no enemies to defeat? Also, I think historically speaking, it was a worse 'crime' to have Marian and Larry kiss on the fucking street out of all places and during daylight... It just felt so modern to me. Just didn't make much sense because it's not like someone watched them in shock either, which would have made the scandal of it fun. But my only concern for S3 is that they won't do Oscar justice aka. give him at least much screentimd as he did in S2.. Although, even if he's not a fan favourite, I think JF has some kind of a third act in mind for Oscar. I hope. Because it would be so bad to see him tossed away on some level and be there just to get rid of their money... I get he doesn't bring in the viewers but there's so much history they could unravel with his character being there too (being gay and in the position he is now as a character).

oh there are absolutely certain things where i think it is fine to take some historical liberties and even makes sense to do so from a narrative standpoint!!

a very good example of this for me was bertha pulling the vanderbilt stunt in S1 to get her foot in the door and overall just the social trajectory taking place over a few months vs over several years. it Was Not Realistic, which george lampshades earlier in the season in the first episode when bertha brings up the vanderbilts - "What are you saying? We have to keep this up for 50 years, and then someone may drop by?" ... that was like, fine to me. tbqh. especially given real life considerations about telling a coherent and complete story in one season.

but i do not feel the same about bertha winning the opera war as portrayed. i made a whole post about that here but my thesis is pretty much the same as yours - what are they going to do now that bertha has "won" old society over? and they have explicitly said this and demonstrated it in an incredibly clear fashion? that was the entire conflict the show has hinged on! and so then it's like...

not only What is she going to do all season in s3... but Why is she going to do it. if part of bertha's motivation for having the duke on her side and, specifically, marrying gladys off to him, which is NOT a an action most viewers are going to be sympathetic to, was around securing social position for both her AND her family... they made it look like that is already resolved! so what's her motivation now? if the Point turns out to be that she's already won and seemingly has no reason to keep going with as much vehemence... then i guess that's to support a george-bertha conflict, which like. yeah is that really going to get us through 8-9 episodes...

on top of just. they made it seem like mrs. astor is truly irrelevant now in a completely overdramatic way such that it's going to feel like an inconsistency if she Matters again. but in history she Did matter. but in the show they have literally explicitly on screen said that she lost to these people and things are changing now. so what are they gonna do!

but to get to your other point.... my GOD the marian/larry kiss

lmao i'm sooo irrationally bitter about it... especially because Sonja Warfield said THIS:

Executive producer and writer Sonja Warfield tells EW that the romantic moment came after she directly solicited creator Julian Fellowes. "Julian had long game plans to get them together," she says. "Back then everything was very chaste. You didn't really kiss somebody; you shook hands or something like that. So, I really did want Marian and Larry to kiss and asked Julian if they could please kiss at the end of the season. He granted me my wish."

(The Gilded Age writer talks that long-awaited finale kiss, Ada's new power - Entertainment Weekly)

which like. boy it would explain a lot about what to me are Interesting departures from the jf modus operandi if he has been receiving encouragement from the rest of the executive team to disregard history For The Drama in places other than just the marian/larry kiss. Boy Oh Boy would it explain things!

& last but not least blorbo thoughts <3 my trying-to-be-realistic hope for oscar is that he gets at least as much screentime as in season 1... i definitely agree that it feels like jf Does have more in mind and i just hope that pans out and also that they manage to do so in a way that feels legitimate to what they did in S2 while also not shoving him off to the sidelines to do so... realistically he should Not be in a very good place socially in S3. but also i want to see him wearing fun outfits at parties. So There.

i also ummmm want more of him with his boyfriend <3 that would mean so much and be so important. to me.

[bonesandthebees]

chapter six time!

and you are excited because its not going where we would expect

im not quite sure what i expect, i dont think it will go perfectly, i think perhaps something will happen that will change force their dynamic to change in a sense theyre going to this abandoned area, lots can happen they could get stuck, they could experience something crazy, a lot could happen and any one of them should realistically either drastically change their relationship or lead to a change that will eventually force their relationship to change but yk

anyways time to read!

he left the ferro thing (i cant bother to look at how to spell it right now my bad) which is you know interesting

i like this little flashback because niki obviously realizes that wilbur will do what his dad says and its obvious his father wants him to play into tomys. and thats the game of politics niki knows there arent truly friends here, but its hard to watch someone youve trusted and had on your side for so long suddenly be pulled in a different direction due to this game and i think its also just niki’s own game in a way as she figures out what she must do and yeah its a balance

and thats another thing because they know each other the way friends do but they cannot be truly “friends” because of how this works

be careful on the mountain roads… somethings going to go wrong there and itll probably be wilbur who pays the price

i think ive seen this film before and i didnt like the ending

a bad feeling…

oh my goodness shouts!

bandits!!! this is going to go terribly!

and theyre here for tommy so of course wilbur is going to protect him (right…) yeaaaa get behind him (this is going to go terribly)

oh lord we’re going off roading i dont think this carriage has four wheel drive

and crashed

PRETEND TO BE DEAD

oh god his leg is broken isnt it

yes! play dead!

A BROTHERHWHEHEHEH

the contract? someone paid for tommy’s death and i have a sneaking suspicion its one of the potential heirs quackity would make sense with his warning and schlatt probably would i wouldnt be shocked

oh lord i got so distracted it is significantly later than when i started writing this

they lived! big shock!

but uh oh! now they have to try and survive in the winter in the wilderness alone! i wonder how that will drastically change their relationship!

anyways this chapter was great im very excited for the upcoming arcs and whatnot and im very invested in wilburs broken leg and all because ive taken one too many medical courses that have made me a tad too aware of how to properly care for a good chunk of injuries but thats besides the point! hope you have a good day and i cant wait for the next chapter :]

- 🪿

the thing with niki is that her and wilbur's friendship is very real and has existed for longer than they've been aware of the political games. it's a matter of is that friendship going to continue through all of this? how far can their relationship bend until it breaks completely? niki in no way thinks her friendship with wilbur is fake or over. but she's trying to figure out what matters more to him—is it loyalty to his father, or loyalty to her? is she ever going to be the most important person to him? or is she always going to be one step behind?

"oh lord we're going off roading I don't think this carriage has four wheel drive" this made me laugh out loud thank you for that the carriage does NOT have four wheel drive

lol knew the brother line would get you guys

hmm who paid the contract for tommy's life... so many options...

wow now they're stranded alone in the wilderness together! surely this won't have any lasting impact on their relationship!

don't hold your breath for proper medical treatment tommy and wilbur are 1) trapped in the wilderness and 2) this is technically a medieval-ish era so. medicine ain't exactly up to modern standards lmao

[accirax]

how did i completely miss that you're also the one who wrote the p:eg mastermind rankings. how are you everywhere

DUDE i had the exact same reaction when i realized that i recognized your username as the person who told me about Mark not speaking in the closing argument. to answer your question, uhhhh, i just really like fangans and theorizing? i'm definitely still missing some of the big ones (coward's paradise, (he)artless deceit, ch1 of shattered hope, to name a few i've heard of but not seen), but that's mostly because i'm trying not to overload my brain by getting into too many new fangans at once. better to save them for a rainy day when my drdt hype dwindles a little, right? :)

anyways, to finally respond to your comment that i fully forgot to read after i couldn't easily open the link on mobile (sorry!!!)... yeah, the fact that it says Mark was absent in the tweet itself and not on the actual image would explain why i'd never seen that piece of information before. it is highly suspicious to put that information in an accessible place, but one that's easy to miss or forget about. that way, the information is out there, but it wouldn't be as widely called out as if he said it in his introduction or something.

i don't think it's a complete death sentence, though, because there are definitely ways to explain around it that don't involve him setting up the killing game. one option is that it's just supposed to highlight his reclusive nature. another is that wanting to release the big project he's supposedly been working on for this past year will eventually become a motive for murder. a third is that Mark's character seems pretty connected to Jett, who also has had to take time away from the spotlight due to his injuries. the fact that both of them have been benched for a little while could be something that causes them to bond, or something that's used to draw parallels between them, perhaps?

that being said, you're really cutting through my "i don’t really have anything that can argue him better or worse than 12th place." i wouldn't say Mark cracks my top 5 just yet (which Diana is still in, even if i wouldn't call her #1 anymore), but i think i'd update him to be my #6 most suspected thus far. the setup for his character gives me far fewer narrative doubts than the likes of Wenona, Wolfgang, and Eva, so even if i think that some of them being the mastermind could be cool, i have to admit that it's probably more realistic that Mark would become the mastermind. however, against Desmond as my other "there isn't much making him NOT suspicious," i still think that Mark's personality fits slightly less for a mastermind to me. (if he prefers to stay out of the spotlight, why would he trap himself in a killing game with 15 other people and two mascots...?)

i'm even more excited for chapter 1's release now. thank you for pointing all of this out to me! also, i have to ask: is Mark your #1 mastermind pick, or did you just think he should have been higher than 12th? i'm curious what you think.