#none of these bastards are real though and i'm just doing this for fun

[bwobgames]

“It's Firefox! Say Hello Firefox!”

Firefox remains loafed

“Hello there little criminal, what evil deeds are you planning today, huh?”

“Don't say that. He's a good citizen, right Ángel?”

“He knows what he did.”

“I thought kitties hated travelling, but he looks pretty cozy in there”

“Ah, he's used to it. When I first adopted him, I felt too bad leaving a little kitten alone while going for a case so…”

“I took him with me!”

“What”

“Ooh I could take my ham-ham in adventures!”

“You took a kitten to your cases?!”

“Not the dangerous ones! I wouldn't put a baby in the middle of a drug bust!”

“Although…”

“Let's stop that train of thought and let's focus on the real train, yeah?”

“Here, I'll give him the sippies. You gave him his sleepy food, right?”

“Yeah, he should be sleeping like a baby the whole ride”

Although… Oliver might've gotten a bit scared over the warnings in the back and miiight have lowered the dose a good bit.

But Mozilla is a good boy! He might wake up a bit earlier, but he’ll behave! For the most part.

How could a little face like that commit crimes? They are judging him for his orangeness. 

Also. They’ll have no proof. He’ll make sure of it.

“We're going back home, buddy! Dad was so mean by not bringing your stroller, right? So so so mean!”

“I am not his father. We are soul bounded creatures”

“And yet, you didn't bring his stroller”

“I'm not going to walk him in this heat!”

“He wanted to, though. I saw his longing looks. He craves adventure, you raised him this way”

“You influenced him to do crime”

“Not to interrupt your parenting discussion, but the others arrived”

And as the prophecy foretold, there they arrived. In all their high-class elegance.

Thankfully, Ángel has been supplying him with quality clothing, so he doesn't feel like he sticks out. Too much. 

“Mari! Nina! It's been too long! Online game nights are just not the same! Have you been okay? Sick?”

“We’ve been alright! Not a single germ got pass Mari!”

“Which also means this is our first real trip in so long. I’m ready to do nothing but sit down and drink everything this thing has to offer”

“Speaking of, how’s my baby. My darling. My sweet child”

“Your company is fine. It aged me 10 years to untangle the strange contracts between you and your father, but it’s better now”

“Ah, that old man. Haunting us from beyond the grave, not surprised”

“I think most of it was yours…”

“How has university life been treating you, Nina?”

“Oh, It’s great! They actually keep quiet during class and don’t throw paint everywhere! They even wash their hands!”

“Wow, the wonders of early adulthood. I’m guessing you haven’t got any lice now?”

“None at all!”

Nina’s ring shines in her finger. For someone who’s not the one who got married, he gets happy seeing it.

It’s… hopeful. In what way he’s not sure.

“You.”

“Hewwo. It’s been a while”

“Why did it take you so long to confirm you were coming? I almost gave away your ticket!”

“Sorryyy I had things to sort through! I’m a busy girlie”

“You are a menace”

“Don’t be mean to her! She has a demanding job”

“Stinky”

“No!”

“Stinky bastard girl”

“No!!!”

“I’ve been waiting. For so long. To continue the campaign. Amaia’s arc is more important than your job”

“Hey!”

“You raise a good point”

Good to know they’re having fun.

<-PREV START NEXT ->

[bad-system]

the neighbours — let's talk KCD3

disclaimer: this post is a continuation of my previous KCD3 posts on speculation of the events and lore that i'd like to see explored in the next installment(s) of the KCD story. and as per my last post; these are only speculations born of my own biased narrative and hopeful bastardizations of real events. this is not representative of ALL the real historical persons and events as there is either info missing on them, they were altered by WH for the sake of the game or i'm plain wrong. PS: i am not a historian. i just like history.

PART: 1 2 3 4 5

_____________________

in this post, i'd like to speculate on why hans capon/jan ptaček joins his pro-sigismund neighbour due to family relations. i know this could be explained in easier ways and that there are simpler theories but i wanted to engage (read: kill) my brain with data that was half missing, incorrect or there was no source i could find. if you do have a source that would help me correct this i would love it if you could share it with me. again; i'm not a historian.

so let's get to the point — Lacek of Kravař from Šternberk or Petr Konopišťský of Šternberk ?!

the biggest hiccup i've encountered during my research is none other than petr- or lacek- of šternberk...

in the wiki entry of jan ptaček it is noted that it was petr of šternberk among the leaders of the battle of vyšehrad. and according to wiki it is indeed that petr of šternberk, the pro-sigismund anti-hussite neighbour whom he had sided with.

however, hans' codex entry lists a different person as his anti-hussite neighbour- a lacek of kravař from šternberk + source. this lacek was both a king weceslaus supporter and a follower of jan hus, as per sources.

thus, i present to you a... mind map more than a genealogy chart that i made to help myself visualize the 2 possible events.*

(please refer to the legend before trying to comprehend the image.)

(*once again a big fat disclaimer... please do not use this as a reference or learning material. this chart takes artistic freedom into consideration like WH does with some characters.)

in the case #1, we take into account the wikipedia sources. in this case, petr konopišťský of šternberk, is indeed a poweful pro-sigismund neighour of jan ptaček. in this case, jan ptaček sides with petr due to obvious political reasons- his neighbour, even though he's a sigismund supporter and an anti-hussite, is simply more powerful than ptaček's estates. signing with the enemy to protect his people makes sense from a practical point of view rather than a moral one. his obligation is to protect his people. = CONFLICT

in the case #2, it gets a little more complicated. case #2 takes into consideration what is written in the games' codex itself- and makes the aforementioned 'close neighbour' one lacek of kravař from šternberk. why does this make it more complicated?

well.

if that was indeed the case, then jan ptaček and lacek had no political conflict. both jan and lacek were wenceslaus supporters, and lacek was also a vocal supporter of jan hus. so if there was no conflict between the lords- why was lacek mentioned?

i believe the conflict of interest could stem from lacek's wife- eliška of šternberk. while lacek's family wasn't anti-hussite itself, eliška's side of family was and if they were indeed the 'powerful neighbours' of ptaček's, i could see that being the source of internal conflict (within family) which could have swayed lacek (temporarily?). i haven't found proof of this (at least not online) and am skeptical they could improvise that so it remains as the theory i favour the least. or WH simply has the sources i do not.

then why did they put his name in the codex?

like i said; this data is inaccessible to me and WH have more trustworthy sources (which is the likely scenario) OR WH decided to improvise and take creative liberties with this historical figure.

remains to be seen!

but it was definitely fun to think about the potential reasons.

[starflungwaddledee]

I'm curious now, but do you have any tips for creating a language? I've been wanting to make languages for a few story eras in my AUs, and I've just skimmed over your starspeak language for your AU, and I find it very interesting!

ohhh that sounds so much fun!!! languages spanning multiple eras is a big undertaking and i wish you luck withit!!

there are certainly a dozen far more comprehensive resources out there on conlangs than what i could give you, and there are diverse and passionate communities dedicated just to it!

i'm only messing around for my own fun. i don't think my conlang would hold up under deep scrutiny and it's certainly a novice work, and i'm not talking with other folks who are big into linguistics or anything. none the less, my first and foremost advice with any creative endeavour is to do what is most fun and easy for you!!

for me, this looked like: Ease (because i'm lazy and i did this only for fun and personal use) and Cultural Basis Of The Language (because i'm interested in spec bio, and language/culture is a big part of that). if you find other things most enjoyable, then whatever those are should be your priorities instead!

i took a couple of existing languages and language conventions that suited for my needs (my language is star based, so i looked into bayer designation and similar astronomical designations) and then made mashup words from translations. this was quick and easy, though i'm sure any true conlang creator would find it lazy or even improper; i run the strong risk of bastardizing real words by accident!

i also like to think about how the culture or biology or history of the species would impact the language. i've spoken before about my 'endearment' word, Vaýtita, which means gravity. this is important to the star based species i'm working with, because gravity is one of the few forces that can impact a star.

this sort of stuff is the most compelling to me-- if they don't have "hearts, "love", and "soul", what forces are important to them? if they are genderless and don't need pronouns, what do they use instead and how to they delineate individuals in conversation (if they do)? if hierarchy is critically important, how does their sentence structure incorporate hierarchy into everyday language?

you also can study a lot of real earth languages to see the enormous variety in how sentences are put together, about different particles, and so on!! to me, there's no reason why alien languages* would be spoken in any recognisable way with things like word order, so i switch this all over the show. but again, only if you find this sorta thing fun!! otherwise you can just make literally whatever you enjoy!!

*which is what i'm writing! obviously if you are writing something historical there's a lot more to consider

[claryshifts]

Making American Horror Story DRs "Safe"

I'll update this with each season I watch! Most of this will focus on one of the "Evans" bc I know a lot of yall horny bastards wanna hop on him (real) Each section will have an "ultra safe" paragraph and a "safe as possible?" paragraph. idk -Murder House: Option One: The house isn't possessed or whatever you want to call it. Hell, you don't even have to live in it. Though Tate has problems with his mom (that adds a lot to his character, so I'd still 'keep that'), he's never had terrible thoughts of doing what he did at that school or any other gross things. I personally would still 'script out' the self-harm. Wouldn't want my partner to suffer that Option Two: If you still want that ghostly experience, then sure, by all means, live in the haunted house. but maybe cut out the satan part... Also script the ghosts don't have shitty timing (they don't bother you in the bathroom or when you're sleeping, for ex). If you want Tate as a ghost and not alive, still, don't date a ghost mass yknow what  😭  😭  BONUS: instead of tate, date violet 🥰🥰 -Asylum: Option One: You can live a nice quiet life with Kit. it's the 60s though, so if you're fem/poc/lgbt/etc, keep that in mind. whenever I go to a reality in the past I script I don't get bored without technology lol Option Two: have fun at the asylum, ig, boo. If you want some edgy lore, pls don't script you're a psycho killer or something omg 😭. Script none of the people in charge inflect punishments on you. If you really wanna get freaky in that musty place, script you don't get caught... and that its not all musty... -Coven: I got a lot to say bc I think Imma make a script for this too haha Option One: no scary demon devils or whatever. Uh, Kyle isn't treated like a sex object???? Nothing bad happens to Nan (she deserves better). If Kyle has to die (that sounds so weird to say) for your lore or whatever, don't purposely give him a traumatizing experience. this isn't a fan fic,, that's your REALITY. Honestly you could just script you're a silly little witch hanging out in New Orleans and call it a day. Madison isn't annoying af. No Axe Man. LaLaurie being Queenie's "slave" was deserved but maybe just script her 'out' altogether... Option Two: Okay, so you want the drama. Have the drama! Still no demon devils though cuz that does NOT sound fun. Script you and the people you care about are all safe from harm. If Kyle HAS to go through that terrible experience (I'm his biggest defender as you can tell), at least keep Madison and Zoe away or at bay bc seeing them fight over a guy who can't even say "food" and OBVIOUSLY can't verbally consent was so uncomfy, for me at least. -Freak Show: Option One: no scary clowns. The "freaks" aren't treated like shit. Neal Patrick Harris doesn't show up with his puppet??? No one is trying to make money off of the freaks. None of them are murdered or harmed. Option Two: Ig if you still want the plot they still have to be treated pretty shitty. Still would apply everything else though, as well as the fact nothing happens to you.

-Hotel: Option One: Ok look James March. Wonderful man. Make him NOT a serial killer omg. If you get with him I'm convinced a relationship with him would be straight up Morticia and Gomez uishfuihfjsf I want him so bad. Anyway, if he's your man keep the countess off your back, if you keep her there at all. I wouldn't recommend making yourself a ghost bc idk WTFFF that would mean for you spiritually. You could be sexy March's sexy human partner. Or the countess' partner. Anyone's partner. but alive. Um no 10 commandment killings of any sort, and no vampire children???

Option Two: ngl idk how else to put this?? idk if there should be an option 2 ;-;

Currently on Roanoke! this season is so boring I might not write anything for it

[flowersbyphone]

No Place Like Home (2007) continuation AU thing (not a fic, just a word/concept dump - sorry, i've never had an inclination to write fics, unless that changes, but i'm more of a bullet point concept and daydreams person), started at around the same time as the psychic friend nkotr AU thing, but i've added to it since then

this is silly, self-indulgent, and probably OOC, but eh what the hell, plus the original movie leaves a lot of room to add things and interpret stuff multiple ways - also this is 100% platonic

...this may have been inspired by listening to the album Eldorado by ELO (specifically parts of Can't Get It Out Of My Head, Laredo Tornado, Mister Kingdom, and Eldorado) and thinking about nplh at the same time

this is also kinda just nebulous, constantly ongoing imagination/daydream stuff so this is really the main/base structure of that, i guess? i dunno, i have a lot of time to daydream at work, as it gets pretty boring (at least headphones/earbuds are allowed) - and once again, im cool with anyone (the like, 2-3 people who see this) using/adding to/doing their own thing with this (or parts of this) - this is literally just an avalanche of words and what ifs and headcanons and silly thoughts

- what if a day or so after the events of nplh, Tom (after he sobers up - the "pure alcohol" thing wasn't taken seriously by either Tom or Mick, the bartender, and Tom actually follows through and starts to try drinking less) puts the pieces together and realizes all the things that flew over his head, like how the people in the bar were the friends (and enemy) he made in Oz

- he was disgruntled/out of it and just wanted to go back to his world during most of nplh because he was drunk and confused and brought there against his will

- and he realizes what he gained by being there and how much better (despite some "fantasy world bastards") Oz is than the world he was in and wants to go back (or at least find the "real" world counterparts of the people he met in Oz)

- they leave Tom at the end of nplh because they're not sure Tom wants them around, cause he seems pretty upset, and don't invite him bowling cause all he seems to want to do is go back to the real world

- until the bar, Tom never really connected with other people, maybe one or two, but they'd split paths eventually (and shared none of that Oz experience) - i think this AU veers into found family or rather, found friend group? or maybe that's a subset of FF/the same thing pretty much

- since they're regulars at the bar (and one works there) he finds them there again and tells them they /were/ in his dream - they all don't really take him seriously until he starts describing things like who they were in Oz (and the name "Oz") and turns out, they all had passed out or fallen asleep at one point in this bar, and they also had connected "dreams" of Oz as their counterparts (Scarecrow, Robot, etc.) they just didn't ever mention it to any of the others and so never thought anything more of it - they also find that they want to try going back there too

- the dream was shared, even though they fell asleep at different times/on different days, time was warped and they all experienced the events of nplh at the same time in Oz, but at different times irl (this only applies to the events of nplh, all other times it's in real time, uhhh don't question how that works cause i don't know either)

- at first they're apprehensive about Jake, but he apologizes and they make up (Oz felt more like a fun dream, and he didn't know it was more like another world with real world consequences)

- also the Witch...... we never see him in the bar or the real world so hmmm (i kinda wish we did in nplh tbh) maybe he just wasn't there that day - after leaving the bar (after the events above) with the others to walk around and talk more, Tom (literally) bumps into the Witch's "real" world counterpart, im gonna just call him Ryan - like the Scarecrow, most notably, in this world he is more reserved (they still have the same personalities, but in the "real" world, they tend to be more reserved and those facets of their personality don't show as much (like some people in public, like me lol) - anyway, Ryan is carrying stuff (probably for a job he doesn't care about - what he really loves to do is sing and act - and he is pretty isolated (like he doesn't live in a social environment that is supportive or caring towards those things) so there's not many people he has sung with/for - that's why he, and i'm going off of some jokes in the commentary here, only really cared about performing his number, he finally had an audience) the stuff he's carrying gets dropped when he accidentally runs into Tom because he was down and a bit too lost in his thoughts

- Tom starts to help him pick up his stuff, but they then see each other and pause, because they recognize each other - although Ryan initially thinks it's just a dream, the others (now that they know the truth) tell him they all were in Oz and recognize him as the Witch (the others had also had a moment of slight recognition of each other and Tom, but passed it off as a dream) Ryan's wary of Jules, who killed him as the cowardly lion - they are all apprehensive of Ryan, but he doesn't seem too threatening (and he didn't personally really do much to prove he is threatening as the Witch anyways)

- they all talk and eventually reach an understanding and get on good terms (Ryan turns out to be quite nice, says the threats he made were empty/more for show, and apologizes for sending the flying monsters after them, saying he was glad they failed, or he would've never gotten the chance to perform his song for them, and at that point he didn't really care about killing them - it's the same as Jake and the others (except Tom), he thought he was dreaming in Oz, and didn't know it was another world - Jules eventually apologizes for killing him, but it was partly self defense (the Witch did after all send the flying monsters after them, which tried to kill them), and they all explain to Ryan and Jake how they were lied to by "the Wizard of Oz" who told them they had to get the Witch's broom to get the things they wanted - and who told them the Witch was more powerful than he actually was

- the city and a lot of the real world has it's beauty, but is also very forbidding at times - Oz (except some places, like Muchkin Land....... and the Wizard's tower, and the Witch's fortress, before he becomes their friend) have more places that feel like you can just stop and rest and no one will look at you weird - plus, during nplh he actually starts to form some kind of a group, which is strange/unusual for him, sure, but, most of the people he met in Oz weren't super judgemental, and quite friendly

- the "ruby" converse magically transported to the in-between realm's ("real" world and oz) version of the bar because they were what Tom needed to cross through the doorway and enter Oz (the shoes seem to bring everyone home, and can magically sense where that home is, so maybe Oz is one of Tom's homes (like, the world is his home, but Oz is part of that home) and he just doesn't know it yet)

- Tom likes to travel and wander wherever he wants, but the city and the world in general are still pretty inhospitable and lonely at times

- this is already in nplh, but i wanted to make a list of the Witch's powers? the Witch has illusion-like powers to create those psychedelic green screen effects, which are channeled through the crystal ball, the cauldron can be used to see whatever you choose (added by me: the broom can fly, but only the Witch or Jake can make it fly bc magic) - the duplication illusion is fun too

- since the Witch is dead in Oz, Ryan stays behind while the others get extremely drunk and pass out (or JUST FALL ASLEEP like i thought of later, cause it would be extremely inconvenient to have to get hammered every time you want to go to Oz) - and then set out to revive the Witch (because that is a magic fail-safe/backup he set up, in case such a thing were to occur - so a spell can be performed to resurrect him - they learn about this through Jake, because he is the Witch's accomplice) - they do this much to Ryan's touched surprise that they'd do this for him - i'd say Neil (real world Scarecrow) would start that idea, and everyone would either agree, or at least go along with it

- they learn via the Witch's experience of dying in nplh, that if you die in one world, you don't die in the other, you just can't go there anymore (this is so the Witch/Ryan can still be there - but it is an interesting concept to have it be a Matrix-like situation where anything that happens to you in one world happens to you in the other - in that case, Tom would have a severe concussion from the 500lb weight that was dropped on his head lmao)

- Ryan really liked being the Witch in the other world and really let loose with the dramatics and being himself because of how the real world makes him feel unable to do that (until he meets the others)

- we don't see Tom's shoes after he wakes up at the end of the movie so what if he still has the "ruby" converse on and that also makes him realize Oz was real

- now that they all are way more conscious of Oz, their memories transfer between worlds (Tom's always did from the real world to Oz anyway, but he's an exception)

- i'd say the Witch, even though he sent an assault team after the protags, didn't really care about or have a super clear intent to hurt them, he was just doing stuff like ordering an assault because he loves being dramatic, and threatening the protags because he likes playing the role of the Wicked Witch - and he has nothing to do in his fortress (except rehearse his number and do spells, in the company of his like, three minions) and was getting bored/lonely

- so once back in Oz, they decide to get the Witch's broom (perhaps a source of power needed for the resurrection spell) and find the broom isn't at the now abandoned Wizard's tower anymore - they also find a sticky note attached to the tower, addressed to future clients, that was written by the Wizard that says he's moved into and claimed the Witch's fortress

- they find the Wizard has bribed the former flying monster henchmen to work for him instead (with lies, of course - normally no one would trust him, but the flying monsters aren't the brightest)

- they sneak in and thanks to Jake (who is called the Minion, in Oz, according to the credits, but they ask what they should call him and he just says Jake so they call him Jake in Oz too) take a secret entrance and are not caught, plus, he leads them to the secret room only him and the Witch know about, which is to be used for the resurrection

- the Wizard, does have the Witch's head and body but he just probably has them stored in some musty box somewhere in case some dark sorcerers/necromancers who might want the corpse of a magic-user or something - since he'll sell to/try to scam anyone, really

- Jake can use magic to sense the location of the Witch's corpse and they perform a heist to steal it

- they are found out, but not before Jake, and some of the others maybe, get the Witch's corpse to the resurrection room

- the others divert the flying monsters away from the room before they find out and they end up getting captured

- as the Wizard is talking some bullshit and whining about how they humiliated him last time and can make it up by going on another stupid quest for him (and also saying like "i'll let you go free if you go find [some other random item/trinket he wants them to bring him]" - Scarecrow decides to speak out and the Wizard orders one of the flying monsters to shoot fire at him and the others have to summon another bucket and put it out (the Scarecrow catches fire in the original movie and i was like,, what if) - the resurrection spell is completed and the Witch comes and saves them, scaring the Wizard and bringing the flying monsters back to his side (they were unsure/reluctant about the Wizard in the first place, but it was their duty to serve the ruler of the fortress and protect the place, and the Wizard told them lies to get them to work for him) also the Wizard is scared of the Witch because he does not know how actually harmless the Witch is

- reformed villain Witch (and real world counterpart Ryan (once he has opened up more to the others), still get to be manic/creepy in a fun way, as a treat

- the Wizard runs away (again), so the fortress is once again the Witch's

- in the "real" world, the resurrection spell for the Witch causes him (Ryan) to faint, because the spell ended up transferring a lot of his energy to his Oz counterpart

- ...i don't think this originally had much plot other than them discovering Oz is real and becoming friends and either going permanently to Oz or going between worlds - and the ache of loneliness being healed - with just a bunch of small scenes and fluff and adventures and slice of life stuff and them dealing with the drag and horribleness of city life (that i definitely know about because i have totally lived in the city /s) or just the real world in general, but finding happiness and peace in their found friendship and Oz and small things (in both worlds) - or scenes where something horrible happens in Oz too,, it's all good,,

- i think at one point i was like, what if (some time after they kick the Wizard out of the Witch's fortress) a Misery Meister equivalent (or straight up just him) showed up in Oz and they all had to defeat him (he's like freezing everyone and making Oz all snowy/icy and cold... is this turning into The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe...) what if his power was bleeding into the real world too... and he eventually is able to go into the real world via some other means than the bar, because... his powers.... he can just do that... idk (but it takes longer for him than the others)

- in the real world, Neil is also friends with the local crows, they just aren't animated like in Oz (that makes me think of the mary poppins movie now)

- they don't end up staying permanently in Oz, and instead, switch between the two worlds regularly (they'd have to go to sleep in the bar if they wanted to go to Oz, however - maybe that's what they do the first time instead of all getting drunk (like someone mentions, 'hey, i was really tired and fell asleep at a table once without getting hammered and i still went to Oz') or maybe they figure out they can just do that, later)

- i was also like, what if they try to stay in Oz forever... (via some spell or something other means) but i feel like the "switch between both worlds" idea has more longevity, and doesn't need to consider what would happen to their bodies in the real world once they permanently stay in Oz (unless that is the intended story... that could also be fun... in a twisted way... maybe)

- there are plenty of problems in the real world that they could face, if they kept going back and forth, so the door stays open on those possibilities (maybe their access to the bar is threatened somehow at one point)

- oh and when they all go to Oz, the barkeeper Mick lets them all stay after it has closed, so no one else enters while they are all unconscious

- Tom has places/shelter to stay in in the real world now if he wants, because the others say their places are always open to him 

- and in Oz they hang around the Witch's place and sometimes stay there but also go exploring and wandering (and bowling) together and just generally have fun (them all laying on the grass outside at night looking at the stars, which are much more visible in the night sky in Oz than in the city)

- Scarecrow especially loves hugs/giving hugs :] (not that the others don't, in some way or another, he just seems like he'd be the most outgoing)

- Scarecrow's crows take a liking to the Witch especially (and vice versa)

- i love how enthusiastic he was about everyone's songs, even the Witch's - ...thinking about that resonating with the Witch/Ryan, i just think it's really sweet

- different weather in oz, different seasons? snow? fall? rain? or is it just eternal summer

- what if in the real world the Wizard is some rich CEO who works at a sketchy company that scams people - and he finds out about the real world counterparts of Oz that keep ruining his life - in Oz, he is weaker and has less re-enforcements there compared to all the paid guards and influence over the news and social stuff in the real world)

- wait........ how does the Wizard irl counterpart get to Oz (maybe he has discovered another place that is a portal, which is a room in the top floor of one of the skyscrapers)

- maybe the Wizard HAS stopped going to Oz, to hide from the gang, and that's why they have to search Oz for the way to get into the Wizards real world skyscraper

- irl Mick likes computers and programming and stuff (very backwards compared to nkotr lol), Neil also likes to sing (lives in the city, but misses his rural town back home, which looks more like Oz), Jules likes sword fighting and acting - mostly action based stuff)

- Tom likes to sing once in a while, but keeps it a secret/pretends he doesn't/is self-conscious of singing in front of others (inspired by those moments in nplh of him quietly singing Yellow Brick Road before meeting the Scarecrow and singing along with everyone in the end credits)

- disjointed thought, the Oz characters going to the real world and looking vividly colorful against the gray of the city

what has this stupid fucking charming home-made movie from 2007 done to me

[blankfairy]

Since you’ve provided so many lovely pairings for me to consider, I present some for you as well:

Finn + or / Kaleb

Samsa + or / Gawen (let’s pretend they’re around the same age lol)

Trystane + or / Therese

Alyx + or / Kaleb

(Yes I’m just throwing Kaleb at everyone bc I think it’s fun lol)

you SPOILED me!! these were all so fun to think about! i'm so sorry in advance that none of these assholes are very nice or personable 😭 they got long so i'm putting them under a cut!!

finn /+ kaleb first thing i read about him when i was researching was that he was restless and rebellious and a horrible annoyance to his father … and if that ain't finn, too, omg. unfortunately that would not work in their favor for getting along, lol.

betrothal or otherwise, i'm afraid they would NOT do well. nevermind the fact finn would be a horrible match for kaleb — the flints of widow's watch are not ignoble, perse, they just don't have a lot of clout; he's also not a very 'desirable' bride — i think finn would just straight up not be happy. he's miserable in king's landing after giving birth to samsa, and i'm not sure any attempts kaleb might make to take pity on him would go very well. larys practically ignored him for the first few weeks/moons of their marriage and i think that worked in his favor, lol. finn is stubborn but he can also just be... mean. and does not care much for people around him. kaleb does not deserve that !! and he's STILL going to be pissed when he finds out kaleb has bastard children.

i wonder how he'd feel about finn, esp as a 'wife' that he was arranged to marry and straight up does NOT like him? mutual hatred?

now, as companions? that could be a bit closer. seeing how finn became fast friends with queen alicent, and kaleb is already close with her from youth, they could bond over that sort of… mutual affection for the queen. granted, kaleb is a real friend and finn just likes to gossip and have friends in high positions of power, but still. i don't think he'd like him very much, especially after giving alicent a bastard son. he's side-eyeing him HARD from across the dinner table, that's for sure.

i'm not sure if kaleb has anything going on with larys… if he'd be distrustful of him, dislike him for his percieved closeness with alicent. if he was, i could definitely see them butting heads over that, too. kaleb thinking alicent shouldn't be close to finn, maybe, that he and his husband only mean trouble.

samsa +/gawen

okayyy there's a lot of nuance to this one! as a romantic pairing i do NOT think they would work, though. marrying a bastard is a terrible idea for him if he wants to promote his legitimacy and claim to the vale, and samsa isn't the type to engage in an outside relationship. together, i don't think they'd be happy KSJDKSDDKS. samsa would forever be pissed about marrying an arryn instead of a prince… she has very high ambitions and even one of the great houses would not sate them. plus, unclaimed bastards, their clashing cockiness? oh, no. i'm praying for gawen, that's for sure.

as companions, though? friends? now i could see that a bit better. as stubborn and strong-willed as they both are, i think they may butt heads a bit but ultimately mesh well together. the main problem here is that they're on differing sides of their respective conflicts… i'm, for some reason, imagining a diplomatic dinner in the eyrie or something of the sort, if samsa flies there to negotiate terms. a battle of wits and words, i think, that would be quite entertaining to watch.

trystane +/ therese

i'll indulge in both here too because there is possibility both ways:

i'm not sure of therese's exact age, but i think they're pretty close! a few years off, maybe. brother-sister relationship, anyone? trystane is such an odd kid who has, like, no friends, so i could see therese taking pity on this weird little thing. maybe they actually spend time together in the godswood, or pray together, or maybe he's just like this little purse dog that she drags around because he's amusing. either one is attention that trystane is glad to have, lol.

a betrothal is possible, but probably not ideal. it'd likely happen after harwin's death, so trystane is the technical heir to harrenhal, and i'm not sure larys would be so keen to marry his son to a bastard… it's just not super politically advantageous to him, since she's not in the line of succession. not out of the question, though. i think they'd get along well enough, but trystane is definitely not a very good husband, which i think could lead to some frustration for therese. just that he's… so out of it, all the time, and his behavior may shame her in some way. we do know how the folks of westeros like to gossip.

alyx / kaleb

i'm going with shipping for this one because it's silly /pos, and i'll just pretend for a second they're a little closer in age lol (she's closer to aemma/viserys' generations than alicent/rhaenyra/kaleb's, at around 48 by the start of the dance). this would not be a bad match, putting aside the fact they're both heirs to their respective houses. alyx has bolton from her grandmother (and stark even further back!), lannister from her mother. house vesgar is wealthy and well-respected, if you ignore the rumors about dark magic and cursed blood. it'd unite the lineage of a few pretty powerful houses. or some reason i'm imagining her broken betrothal to daemon being replaced with kaleb's, and this is where the troubles arise.

alyx was i think… fifteen when her betrothal to daemon was broken? and while, at the time, this was something that excited (and disappointed, when it failed) her, she quickly realized that she did not particularly want to be married. she yearned for no one but the company of her twin brother (NOT LIKE THAT), and basked in her years of maidenhood while her father searched for a 'good husband' for her, nevermind the fact her best prospect was already gone. she grew to be very thankful she was never wed.

there would be a certain a in anger her if she was then betrothed to the heir of a northern house. i could see them meeting in court, as kaleb was sent to ward and alyx became one of aemma's ladies-in-waiting. charming and handsome as kaleb is very no-nonsense. i could almost say it's like rhaena and androw farman … ? though alyx is not so foolish as to alienate her husband. she's practical about it. "i do not wish to be married. and i surmise i was not your first choice. even so, this is no reason to live in hatred of one another. i do not wish to become my mother."

so, friends, maybe? heirs might lead to trouble, though, because she happily fields her brother's bastard as her heir, and any bastards kaleb fathers… well, alyx does not tolerate disrespect to her house or herself, is all i will say.

(alternatively, kaleb is married to alyx after the dance is over to 'keep him close,' and he's still miserable except now in chimera's nest SKJDFKSJDF)

thanks so much for the ask again... this was a lot of fun to think about!!

[nkn0va]

I hope this isn't too complicated but I was thinking you could do the childhood friends to lovers trope with Tsubaki and a reader that is the adopted son of Hakumen and his apprentice.

Holy shit anon, this idea is super cool. I'm totally down for this. Hakumen's CS story made me fall in love with their dynamic.

Though not nearly as much as I'm hopelessly in love with her, why the fuck can't she be real...?

(LONG ass post incoming, I had way too much fun with this.)

-For the sake of this ask, canon will have to be changed around a bit. Hakumen never went into the Boundary, he was able to force Terumi into it without having to do a hail mary. Also, Tsubaki sees Jin as only an older brother, as is confirmed by in-game dialogue.

-For all the curses and inconveniences of having to wear the Susano'o Unit to be able to fight, there were it's upsides, such as being pretty much immortal, or at the very least a drastically increased lifespan, likely longer than mages.

-One day, by pure chance, Hakumen ended up finding a small child while wandering through a barren, quiet part of the city of Naobi.

-At first, his instinct was to pay this child no mind. But, getting a good look at you, something...seemed to awaken. Or rather, re-awaken. The humanity he thought he'd thrown away a long time ago when he put on the armor. What little of Jin Kisaragi remained after all this time.

-Hakumen was cold, yes, but he wasn't cruel. No kid deserved to be condemned to survive on their own out in the lower levels of a Hierarchical city where seithr poisoning was a possibility if one wasn't careful.

-...Perhaps he could give this boy at something of a life, a childhood that he never got to have, that was taken from him by that damn bastard Terumi.

-It wasn't long before the Duodecim caught wind of the leader of the Six Heroes adopting a child. The Yayoi family had taken a particular interest in such news, inviting the two of you over to their manor.

-There weren't kids your age you could see there. Hakumen had told you that you didn't need to stay, and to feel free to wander the manor at your own leisure as long as you stayed on the property. That was how you eventually found yourself in the garden outdoors.

-It was when you wandered out that for the first time, you'd found someone your age. A redheaded girl dressed in traditional clothing.

-She seemed to freak out, in a good way, when you told her that you were taken in by Hakumen. She was apparently a huge fan. The two of you became fast friends, being the only kids in the manor and the girl, who called herself Tsubaki, seeming ecstatic at just finally finding someone her age, not having any siblings or cousins.

-When the time came to leave you told Hakumen about your new friend. It was hard to really tell what he was thinking most of the time, mostly due to the fact that he had that mask always covering his face, but he seemed almost...nostalgic, longing. He didn't really do much, saying it was good you'd managed to make a friend and left it at that.

-He did make it a point for you to see Tsubaki as often as you could from then on, though. Whenever the Yayoi family was going anywhere, he'd make sure to follow mostly so you could see her, and accepting their invitations to the manor, which was quite a surprise considering none of the other families could say the same. When questioned on this, Hakumen refused to give an answer.

-Fast forward a long while, and you and Tsubaki both find yourselves in Torifune together to attend the academy. It had taken quite a bit of convincing to allow Hakumen to let you go (mostly because he knew the NOL's true nature), but he eventually gave in, on the condition that you'd "make the right decision when the time came." There were a lot of ways for that to be interpreted and he didn't seem to be in the mood to elaborate.

-As you go through your years there together with Tsubaki, you make memories, friends, and eventually the time comes to graduate and join the NOL. For the most part all seems to go well. That is until...Continuum Shift.

-Something changes inside Tsubaki, you heavily suspect it has something to do with Jin, and possible jealousy of Noel being his secretary.

-Of course, being as perceptive as your master/father had trained you to be, it's not long until you figure it out, and your worst fears come true. She had fallen under the Imperator's curse, and had become nothing more than a mindless slave to her will.

-You find yourself soon being swept up in Kagura Mutsuki and the Grimalkin's plans to overthrow the Imperator, though the main reason you join is to assist in saving Tsubaki from the Mind Eater curse.

-You join the operation inside the Eclipse Field with Makoto, Noel, and Jin. Once she'd materialized the Zero-Type Izayoi it was up to you and Jin to snap her out of it. Jin was to hold her off and weaken her a bit before tagging you in. You desperately held her off with all your might, trying to encourage her to resist the Mind Eater.

-Her breaking point is your reminding her of the promise you made as children. That'd you always be there for each other, no matter what. If you had to die for Tsubaki's sake, you'd gladly do so. The thought of you dying for her was the push Tsubaki needed. That's not what she wanted, she didn't want you to to be taken from her. At the very least, not without being able to tell you how she felt. Unfortunately for her, the Imperator had other plans.

-She stabbed you head on with the Immortal Breaker before passing out. Hakumen, or rather a vision of him appeared to Tsubaki as the curse broke, encouraging her to confront her true feelings.

-It was then she woke up and realized that thankfully you were unharmed. It was when your will was strongest, when you wanted to see Tsubaki safe and happy even more than you wanted to draw breath, that you finally had finally mastered Hakumen's teachings. The power of Order had manifested from your strength of will and protected you from the fatal blow.

-Tsubaki quickly breaks down into tears seeing you're alright, apologizing profusely for everything she's done. Makoto, Jin, and Noel thankfully have the tact to realize you two need some privacy.

-It's a long conversation of apologies, and reassurances between you two, and eventually you two realize you can't afford to hide from the truth anymore.

-Tsubaki's the first to confess. Ever since that fateful day you two had met, she'd felt some...special connection to you, even ignoring the fact that you were the son of her childhood hero. And you admit that you had fallen for her back. The tears of sadness and regret soon turn to ones of pure joy.

-That night you find yourself unable to sleep. Too many emotions were going rampant through your mind. Most were good, thankfully, yet some were of worry. There was still a lot to do. You wander through the city late at night, when out of nowhere a voice startles you out of your thoughts.

-Your father was behind you, arms crossed and back turned to you. Despite his closed off body language he congratulated you for what you'd done.

-It was then you realized what he'd meant those years ago. He wanted you to make the right choice, and save Tsubaki. To not leave her in her darkest hour, when she needed you most.

-An awkward pause permeates the air for a few moments. Hakumen seeming to try and come up with the words to say what was on his mind. He makes his way to leave, but not without saying something. A few short words that you never thought you'd actually hear from him in a million years.

-He was proud of you.

-And deep down he was, he really was. You were better than him when it mattered most. You stayed by Tsubaki's side and never gave up on her. Because of you, she'd live on.

-Hakumen of the legendary Six Heroes...no...Jin Kisaragi...

-He'd finally found peace.

[ourladyofmaplemurder]

Emily: Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it?--every, every minute?

Stage Manager: No.

Pause

The saints and poets, maybe--they do some.

I'm working on an essay about Riverdale now that the finale is out...but I'd like to say a few things now.

Namely, I'd like to talk about the fact that Riverdale ending with a homage to Our Town is so painfully fitting. So, unbearably fitting.

Our Town is a story, much like Riverdale, about a town. It doesn't have the fun twists and turns, for sure, but it is about the lives of the people living in Grover's Corners. It's a love letter to simple, American living.

(And I do say "American" because Our Town is quintessentially American.)

The first time I saw Our Town, I was 14 maybe. I found it incredibly boring. It was slow with tons of boring details about people and their simple lives. I really didn't get it.

It wasn't until, years later, I was in a production of it. A very lovely production. After 55 performances, I still didn't understand it. I don't think you can that young, but I started to.

Today, I still don't understand it, but I think I'm a step closer. You really can't, I think, understand life while you're in the midst of it. As Emily says in the final act:

"They're sort of shut up in little boxes, aren't they?"

We are. We can't help it. None of us can. We're all moving too damn fast in our little lives to be anything more than troubled from sun up to sun down. We strain so much in our little lives that we have to lie down and rest every night. We can never look at everything hard enough.

In any case, Riverdale culminating in an homage to Our Town just makes so much sense. The show has mentioned the play several times over the years, for starters, but it's more than that.

It's the button on a lengthy, 137-episode conversation about American culture and the nature of life itself. Exposing the dark underbelly. Celebrating the triumphs. Life is the trauma and the healing. The epic highs and lows of high school football, of course…but life is also incredibly boring. Peace is boring. At least, it can seem so when you’re not ready for it. If you’re still fighting and eager to do so, peace feels flat and horrible.

But, for these characters, this story, that has struggled and bled for 7 long seasons, I think a peaceful ending is well-earned. I walk away deeply satisfied.

I’ll leave you with one more thing. (Again, I’m still working on a bigger essay that will be more organized.)

 Riverdale is deeply haunted by its own past as much as the characters are.

It’s haunted by the Archie comics, by its own previous seasons, by Archie’s Weird Fantasy, etc. I think Riverdale ending on a peaceful, sentimental note is really beautiful.

It feels like Emily in the graveyard in act 3, learning to let go, and joining the other ghosts on the hill. We look back and remember. We grieve it and love it in kind. We live and we die. It’s all so small and yet, immeasurably huge like a starry night sky. We wish we could stay forever, but we know we can’t.

The first 6 seasons fought and bled so hard. The seventh season was a gradual slowing than settled into peace.

I could say a lot more about how healing and finding peace are not as exciting as people might like. I’m sure I will in time.

Riverdale was not a perfect show, but nothing is. I would have done things differently, but so would we all in a commentary on life.

I’m happy though.

We all have to go through our lives to appreciate them. That’s the joke. That’s the tragedy. That’s the truth. Happy/sad endings are the best, aren’t they?

Yeah. Because they’re real. They’re life.

And I can’t believe a silly little CW show handed me something so profound like that. Riverdale, I can’t believe you. You lovable scamp. You sneaky bastard. 

I can’t believe a goofy Archie fanfiction had the nerve, the audacity to say something so heartbreakingly and beautifully true.

“To look life in the face. To look life in the face and to know it, and then, to put it away.” - The Hours

I’m sorry this was so disjointed. I love you all, everything.

Unrelated Notes:

-It's a love letter to American cinema and theatre, which I think is covered under "culture", but I wanted to point that out specifically.

-The final season, more than any of them, is about American theatre and poetry. Death of a Salesman. The Crucible. Howl. Langston Hughes. Our Town. (And dozens of others.)

-The only way I can categorize Riverdale, truly, is as Americana Gothic.

-I think it makes sense to return to classic Americana in the final stretch. We've riffed on horror and thrillers. Soap operas and hell, even modern marvel movies. Returning to the Golden Age for one final look, where Archie itself began, truly feels full-circle.

-Cheryl let go of her grief. She left Thornhill. She built a family. She loved and was loved. God, that makes me so immeasurably happy.

She’s doing a puzzle in the Pop’s Choklit shop in the sky right now. I wish I could tell the Cheryl of 1x13 that.

“You are loved. You are safe. You’re going to be ok.”

Ah, but she wouldn’t understand just as my younger self wouldn’t understand my silly, peaceful life now. They would both scoff and roll their eyes at me. That’s ok though. They’ll figure it out.

[peachymilkandcream]

Someone To Love|Part 6|Reiner Braun x Jealous Reader

(A/N: So like I said this series is pretty short so I'm only doing seven parts to it, this was just a little blurb I thought would be fun. Note that even though this has been posted on Wednesdays, after it's over I'm going back to only doing two series a week, posted on Monday and Tuesday. The only reason I did this separately because it was something already promised, short, and mostly pre-written. Hope you enjoy and comment to be tagged in the finale!)

WARNINGS: implied nsfw, depression, attempted suicide, violence, general angst, slowburn, lowkey love triangle with a happy ending, not a warning but Reiner calls you nicknames instead of y/n (because I personally can't stand it)

===============================================

Betrayal. Trust broken. Revenge.

It was nothing Reiner didn't deserve, but hell if it still felt like a punch to the gut.

He had come back to that cursed island with the determination to save the world in mind. He would save everyone, especially Evelyn. He would rescue her from hell and bring her back home safely. Reiner had failed her once before, letting Levi take her away, he couldn't screw it up again. This time he'd kill the bastard so she'd never have to look over her shoulder again. So she could feel a life of peace. He believed in all of this she was just a helpless victim.

And then The Rumbling shattered his faith in her. She was right about Evelyn. She was a traitor.

================================================

Reiner could barely look at either of them, the Ackermans, across the campfire acting like nothing had happened. Everyone else welcoming the monster into their presence, did no one know or care? Were they content to just allow such evil in their midst with no looks of disgust or hatred like his?

All his affection for Evelyn was a conflicted jumbled mess, she had been one of the masterminds behind the destruction of his home, helped cause the very thing threatening to destroy the world as they knew it.

But what part of it was her, and what part was someone else pulling the strings? Was she an innocent bystander or was that all more lies?

She had betrayed him, used him and led him to think her life in Marley was caused by her terror of Levi, and yet here she was, seemingly content by the whole thing. Was any of it real?

Reiner thought of Evelyn like an angel, untouchable and pure, he was determined to make this world better so that she had her rightful place as a queen to live in it. But now with the veil off her hands were just as filthy as everyone else's. Unwillingly or not, she had condemned the world to death, and he couldn't tell if she truly regretted it yet.

There had to be some other play at work, a threat, some hidden forced deal she had made to ensure the safety of her and her unborn child. He knew Evelyn, she was the kindest and most welcoming person to the Scouts that he knew. Most of the others saw her like a mother, but to him she was special. She never would have agreed to this willingly...

Right?

================================================

Words had been said, none of which Reiner didn't agree with. But as he stormed off reason kicked in and allowed him to think. As much as he wanted to he couldn't kill Levi just yet. He needed him to stop this madness. Only after could he even think about getting even, he had to use his head or they'd all be wiped out.

As he laid there, trying to find peace and sleep, surprisingly his thoughts went to his friend back home. She had been worried about him, told him to come home safely. No one else had ever done that. Even his own mother sent him off with pride, not fear. It was like his life mattered.

And if Evelyn was so willing to defend Levi at all costs, betraying his trust again and again. Could he ever make her see the danger she was in with him? Or was that all a lie too?

==============================================

The sound of thunder filled the air, the skies in the distance darkening to a smoky black. There were in for one hell of a storm.

Those still in the market started to hurry home, fear of being drenched overcoming them. She was no exception, quickening her pace to ensure that the threatening water drops wouldn't seek to ruin what little food she could afford to buy.

However soon people started bumping into her, more of a hurry being made to run in the opposite direction of the clouds.

"Watch it-! It's just a storm, no need to kill me over it-" She huffed and kept walking, stopping when she smelled the scent of fire and smoke filling the air. "What's going on?"

Panic had set in, her people running to the gate that separated the outside world with their little community. It was like mass hysteria had taken over, something was going on, something horribly wrong.

She followed them until she made it to the clamoring crowd. "Someone please tell me what's going on!"

"Titans!" A man shrieked, terror in his eyes. "An army of Titans! They came from the sea, they're flattening everything and coming this way!"

"But the military will stop them, we have the strongest military in the world-! Surely a few Titans can't stop them."

"They fled, all of them fled or got crushed, there's nothing to stop them!"

Her basket of groceries dropped, soon crushed into paste as more panic filled the air. The realization hitting her.

The Island Devils had made good on their promise.

[mythic-menagerie]

I stopped watching Digimon a while back but now I'm intrigued, what's this about them doing the evil headmate trope well?

Okay so I'm going to preface this with two things

Spoilers for the entirety of Digimon Ghost Game. We will be discussing literally the last episode of the show and the context needed for it.

When I say done well I do not mean that none of the headmates do horrible things. I also don't mean every character acts like a flawless person in the process of dealing with it.

What I do mean is that the show treats the plural character and all the headmates with respect and dignity. One of the headmates is the villain of the story, but is still treated as a person and a character, not a complete monster with no real desires or ability to be reasoned with.

With that said, let's begin.

So, I'm going to assume anyone reading this has at least seen the first episode just so that I don't have to describe Gammamon and Hiro completely. And also that they know enough about Digimon to understand the ideas of the digital evolution and different forms that are seen throughout Digimon.

About... I want to say 17 or 18 episodes in, one of Gammamon's friends is killed right in front of him. This causes a mostly dormant form of Gammamon to occur called Gulusgammamon. Throughout the series he is portrayed as a villain. He kills Digimon, he does what he wants, and doesn't seem to care about anyone except himself and Hiro. He wants to form a bond with Hiro, a goal stated every time he appears. However Hiro refuses as Hiro tries to reach non-violent solutions to the problems he faces and hates the idea of killing Digimon. Another important detail is that Gulus only ever appears whenever his body or Hiro are about to die without intervention. It's not just randomly appearing and killing. It's very explicitly to protect in an incredibly violent way.

All of this eventually leads up to the last few episodes where Gulus fully reveals himself and fully takes control of the body again. He then claims that he has "deleted" Gammamon. Hiro realizes this is a lie and forms a bond with Gulus (well, technically Regulus by this point but we'll stick with the name of the base form for now to avoid confusion) in order to pull Gamma back to front. Although this means Gulus finally gets what he wants, this causes a massive problem with both gamma (well, actually Canoweiss who may be another Headmate but that's another conversation I'll talk a bit about later) and Gulus fighting for front.

Then all of the main characters are pulled into Gammamon's headspace (called inner world in the subs but no that's a headspace) for a massive battle between Gulus and all of the other forms that Gammamon can take.

Stuff happens that is way too complicated and only mildly related to the trope itself, but eventually Gulus is defeated. Gulus looks like he's about to attack again, bit suddenly Siriusmon's (one of the gamma forms) mouth opens and spectral versions of Gammamon, Betelgammamon, Kausgammamon, Wezengammamon and Canoweissmon flow out and literally pull Gulusmon into the system.

We then cut to just Gammamon and Gulusgammamon sitting in a white void. Gulus accepts his defeat and is ready to be destroyed but Gammamon says that isn't what he wants. They then come up with a deal where if Gulus follows some rules (mostly just not being an evil murder bastard) he'll be more accepted into the system and treated kindly as part of the whole rather than as an enemy.

Some other fun details:

Gulus is the oldest Headmate in the system and likely the original host.

Gammamon is a little! The body is far older than Gammamon who mostly acts childish even though the body is implied to be the body of an ancient evil.

There's a memory divide between Gulus and the rest of the system.

All of Gammamon's forms including Gulus wear a sleeve from Hiro's dad although it takes different looks with the different forms ranging from bandana to cape

The different personalities attributed to each of Gammamon's forms as well as the spectral forms we see at the end all imply that each of the forms is a separate headmate, although this is not explicit unlike Gulus.

I know some people will likely argue how this is still harmful but I just want to say that not all headmates, especially those made from traumatic disorders, are going to have healthy coping mechanisms. I myself have had experience with a violent Headmate that in reality needed someone to tell her she isn't a monster and help her cope in better ways. I see this same thing in Gulus. He ultimately just wants to survive and receive attention from Hiro. He just thinks the best way to do that is to kill other Digimon. It takes the events of the last few episodes for him to see differently. And that's really cool to me at least.

[systemadministratorclu]

Starters from my own writing (part 5)

Quotes from a few of my own fanfics. Adjust pronouns as needed. Feel free to combine them or send in more than one. Specify muse for multimuse blogs. And this meme you CAN reblog from me. X)

Part 1 here. Part 2 here Part 3 here Part 4 here Part 6 here Part 7 here

"Oh dear, am I interrupting something? Something important?"

"That's right, ladies and gents, they actively tried to silence my work here."

"No respect for the dead in this place, I tell ya. None at all."

"It's a party, and I finally get to come because you can't stop me this time. Hahahahahaha!!!"

"I swear, you old farts get crazier every year."

"Come on out, ______. Don't be shy."

"Looking for someone, ______? Are they….here?"

"I think everyone here loved him."

"Hey, don't kill the messenger. Oh right, you can't, since I'm already dead. Hahaha!"

"He didn't have anybody he cared about that we knew!"

"We died on the same trip, actually,"

"Probably should've listened to me more, eh?"

"That doesn't make you look too good"

"Okay, okay, I admit, I shouldn't have said that."

"That doesn't mean you can come terrorize us and our guests."

"Everyone in here should be rethinking how they treat those around them."

"Amazing. You look like literal death and decay, yet you're still beautiful."

"I must say, this was even more fun than last year."

"I think they thought I was a vampire!"

"I got to blow more stuff up this year. Even some bad flower arrangements."

"I give 'em plenty o' beans, bacon, and lard, seasoned up with cinnamon, 'regano, and ci-lan-tro. An' lettuce."

"You're welcome for the sound effects. ______, much better moans than last year."

"I love it. You look lovely as always."

"I'm gonna look ridiculous."

"I'm gonna kill myself in these."

"Damn, it looks better on you than it did on me when I tried it on."

"Well hello there, beautiful."

"Where were you hiding this enticing little getup, hmm?"

"Yes, I'm a very lucky man."

"Don't you at least want to dance once?"

"If you only knew the things I want to do to you right now."

"I guess you'll just have to hold me to make sure I don't fall, won't you."

"What are those things you want to do to me?"

"I don't think I should tell you."

"Still want to hang around?"

"Needy little thing, aren't you, my sweet."

"Tell me what you want, love." 

"Gods, I love you, ______."

"I'm gonna take care of that for you now."

"I want one more thing before I give you what you want."

"I want you to beg me for it. Tell me how bad you want it."

"This was fun. I think we should do it again sometime."

"I know I say it every time you go, but be careful, ______."

"I'm always careful, ______. You know that."

"GO BACK!! YOU HAVE TO WARN ______!!"

"Shut the hell UP!"

"You were right. There's people in here watchin' us."

"Little bastard knifed me. But we got him alive."

"______. So nice to see you again. Miss me?"

"This isn't happening....Y-You're not real."

"That real enough for you?"

"Now, just what am I going to do with you."

"Take a look at yourself, ______, you're in no position to tell me what to do."

"The sooner you learn your place, the better things'll be for you. Though, not by much, I can promise you that."

"You need a little reminder of your place."

"Good boy. Scream for me."

"I think I like hearing you scream......Do it again."

"Whatever you're planning, it won't work. ______ isn't stupid enough."

"That's enough out of you."

"I'd rest up if I were you. You're going to have a very busy night."

"What is going on? Why are you back so early?"

"Th-they overpowered ______ and have taken him prisoner."

"Why didn't they try to help him?"

"We need to heighten our defenses. As much as possible."

"Don't try and stop me on this, I've made up my mind."

"What if you are taken, but Milo is not released?"

"I'm aware of that possibility."

"I know you are afraid for him. I am too. But do you think ______ is too weak to make it through this?"

"I'm always telling him he's so much stronger than he believes."

"You hush your mouth with that nonsense talk, child!"

"You should go eat something and then try to get some sleep."

"You won't help ______ by depriving yourself."

"I promised you a reward for your work earlier, and I'm a woman of my word."

"Have fun......and make him scream."

"Shhh. It's okay, ______. It's okay."

"I love you, ______. Nothing that happens to you will ever change that."

"Nothing can ever take our love away from us. Nothing. Our hearts beat as one."

"You are stronger than they are, ______. You have something they never will. You are loved."

"Keep your hands off me!"

"Amazing. You're a literal genius, and yet you still don't seem to understand how things work here."

"I have no interest in what you say. Honestly, it's actually ______ I want. You are just a toy to play with until I get to him."

"You are going to die, as slowly and painfully as possible, while ______ tries everything and anything to save you."

"I don't plan on making this enjoyable."

"What else can I do with you?"

"I told you he'd do it, didn't I."

"I don't think you've ever looked so happy."

"You better take care of him and be good to him. Because if you hurt him, they're never going to find your body."

"I want it to be over. I....I wanna go home."

"You need to hold on a little longer, okay?"

"You can do it, ______, I know you can."

"We're all here for you, ______, and we all love you so, so much."

"We all believe in you, ______. We're all with you."

"Come on. We're taking a little walk to visit an old friend."

"You look surprised to see me. And to think, I came back from death just for you. I even got you a little present."

"Very good, ______. Scream for me some more."

"I want to hear you beg for his worthless little life."

"Go on, beg me to spare him, to take you instead. I'm listening."

"I can't do it. I thought I could because I did it once."

"What the-______? But....h-how are you here?"

"I don't know how this thing works at all. But what I do know is that you need help."

"I...I'm sorry, ______. I'm sorry I couldn't get to you. I'm sorry I couldn't save you."

"I came here to watch you die!"

"It may not be the way I originally planned, but one way or another, you will DIE!!"

"I've got you, ______. I won't let her hurt you again."

"You were right, ______. Nothing can stop our love."

"We did it, ______. We....We did it!"

[all-or-nothing-baby]

i've said similar before (as have countless others on here before me) but i'm taking a moment to say this again:

IT'S OKAY TO LIKE MEAN/BAD/HORRIBLE AND EVEN JUST DOWNRIGHT PURE EVIL CHARACTERS

and i think it's wildly stating the obvious to say the following but apparently there are still some folks who need to hear it:

CHARACTERS AND THE STORIES THAT THEY'RE FROM ARE NOT REAL; THEY ARE ALL MADE UP BECAUSE STORIES ARE MAKE-BELIEVE AND CRAFTED FOR OUR ENTERTAINMENT

irl, i seriously dislike mean people. i despise bullies. i can't think of anything worse than a person who does 'evil' deeds to others and enjoys it. granted, i can at times end up feeling sorry for some of these arseholes bc a lot of the time there are genuine reasons for their poor behaviour; sadness/trauma/mental illness/etc. but that isn't me dismissing that behaviour, i'm just trying to have some understanding and empathy for their suffering because it's clear that it's effecting their humanity, y'know? it's often a sad reality, but does not mean i would excuse a person treating others badly.

STORIES ARE NOT REALITY

the characters from the books/tv show/movie/play/podcast etc that you like are not real. they are dreamt up to help us learn lessons from a young age, to make us laugh at their stupidity, to help us see that those who have found themselves on a dark path are mostly there because something terrible happened to them. these characters are brought to life for us in sometimes terrible forms—those truly dreadful villains—to help us work vicariously through emotions we all suffer with from time to time, the irrational feelings we can have of revenge or world domination lol. there is anger that we, as a race, all have to deal with, intrusive thoughts that we all sometimes struggle with. when we feel ourselves wanting the badguys in the movies to win, it can help us to manage these kinds of real life feelings we suffer, and it might mean we can learn how to deal better.

it's like wanting to punch someone. i would personally never actually want to do that—but occasionally as humans we might feel like we want to.

DOING THINGS LIKE USING A PUNCHBAG OR AGGRESSIVELY CHOPPING WOOD CAN BE THE SAME KIND OF REPLACEMENT ACTIVITY AS ENJOYING A MORALLY BAD CHARACTER. IT IS TAKING A FEELING AND RELEASING IT SAFELY WITHOUT DOING ANYBODY ANY ACTUAL HARM

also, none of us are perfect creatures! none of us. liking a bad or morally grey character can sometimes be because you might see some of their toxic traits in yourself, and feel better about the fact that even though you have faults, at least you're not as bad as they are. or maybe you know somebody like the character, someone who—even though their actions are wrong and you don't agree with them—has had a terrible life and you have some understanding of why they behave in the way they do. maybe the character helps you understand that person more and have more empathy for them and others like them?

AND SOMETIMES BAD GUYS ARE JUST GOOD FUN

baddies get to do the things we sometimes wish we could! who doesn't occasionally wish they could do a michael douglas d-fens in falling down?! or have the whole world kneel at their feet as loki does?! or be so be clever and cunning you can get away with any criminal plan you damn well choose like james moriarty?!

even the 'pure evil' characters in media are written so that we love to hate them, otherwise we wouldn't care about what happens to them, and caring about the story and it's characters is the whole point. and even if you just wholeheartedly love them—like you completely adore those vile bastards, regardless of all their evil deeds—that's okay! they're not real. just because you enjoy a character like hannibal lecter doesn't necessarily mean you want to murder and eat people, you just like a character who does terrible things because they have been written to be liked.

IT IS ENTIRELY NORMAL TO BE ENVIOUS OF AND/OR SIMPLY ENJOY A VILLAIN, BECAUSE THERE ARE SHADOWS AND REFLECTIONS OF OURSELVES, ALL OF US, HOWEVER BIG OR SMALL, IN EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM

so, the paramount thing to remember is:

VILLAINS AND BADDIES AND MEANIES IN MEDIA ARE! NOT! REAL! THEY ARE FICTIONAL CHARACTERS AND IT IS ABSOLUTELY FINE TO ENJOY THEM BECAUSE THAT IS THE VERY THING THEY WERE CREATED FOR

anyway, thank you for coming to my ted — *gets shot by the bad guy*

[cupofsandwich]

The Edge of Sleep

"It's a beautiful day. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping and... everyone is dead."

"It's not what I thought the end would look like."

"What did you bring me?"

"I have a message for you."

"Next time, bring better presents."

"Man, I just had the craziest dream..."

"I'm just trying to get used to sleeping alone."

"I'm alright... No, actually, that's a lie. I'm a complete wreck."

"We love each other, right? Right? Isn't that worth trying to work things out?"

"I can't believe I have to say this, but... You know that I'd never hurt you, right?"

"I have a real treat for you. Come with me."

"[Name], right now, I just need you to shut up and fall in line."

"I can pay you. I've got... $42."

"Is it all right if I scream?"

"Ever think about dating a nurse?"

"They do the killing, we do the fixing."

"I don't like blood. It gives me nightmares."

"Stop. The. Car."

"Hey, uhh, I don't know if it's a good idea to just stand in the middle of the road."

"Any survivors?"

"If anything happened between us... if I did anything to you, I'm sorry."

"You sure it's safe?"

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"We have to stay awake."

"Something's happened out there. Something incredible."

"We don't know each other really well, but I'm gonna need your help."

"No one is coming to save us. Do you understand that? We're on our own."

"Well, that's pretty weird. Though that's not the weirdest thing that's happened today."

"You're freaking me out right now."

"Scientists and medical practitioners love a good enigma. It's fun for them. It's just not that fun if you're the enigma."

"It's the right thing to do, [Name]. I know it is."

"Stay calm. Don't show him you're afraid."

"I think I've been shot."

"Well, they say broken bones mend faster than broken hearts."

"She saw something dark in me that outweighed the light."

"Man, you are all kinds of crazy!"

"The story I'm going to share is painful..."

"I'm locked inside! Help me, please!"

"I know you might be a little resentful at first, but we'll move past this."

"Don't try to get up."

"Are you really not gonna talk to me?"

"We just gotta be strong. We gotta be fucking tough!"

"This was a dark omen. Something unnatural."

"You can't lock me in here, it isn't right!"

"Don't laugh. You're still bleeding."

"I love you. But I had to leave."

"You're not selfish for wanting to love someone. That's what everyone wants".

"I won't sugar coat this, we're still completely in the dark."

"I'm saying that he dies so that we might live. Unless you think it's better that we all die?"

"I want to go out fighting."

"Normally, I'd agree with you, but everything that was normal in the world ended this morning."

"I was just teasing, by the way. If you are too scared, we don't have to watch it."

"The scars you have now are nothing compared to what's coming!"

"I'm just tired... I'm so tired."

"I'm sorry for how I've been acting."

"You're giving up. You're a coward."

"I just want you to stand out here and be my friend."

"I'm so fucking sick of being scared."

"If you wanna die, then go do it somewhere else. This place, right here, is for people that wanna live."

"It's not worth the risk, it's just stupid."

"Don't worry, I can handle a bad dream. I'm a pro."

"Hurry! They will try to stop you."

"We have to leave here. Right now."

"It wishes to eat the world."

"You cannot see, this place blinds you. They give you money, but they take your time. There is nothing for you here."

"You're a crazy old bastard!"

"I do not know why, but it wants me, and there's a place for you by my side."

"You cannot make me stay. I cannot make you leave. Goodbye."

"I'm not gonna pretend I understand what's happening, it all still seems so unreal."

"I think there's a 90% chance that you've lost your fucking mind, [Name]. But if that gives us a 10% chance at being right, it's the best chance we've got."

"Can I pick the music?"

"Take my hand."

"Your chances of survival are slim to none. So, sit back and relax, and abandon all hope."

"I already know we aren't going to find shit, but I wanna see the stupid look on your face right before you die."

"Did you bring what I asked?"

"Drink, please. It will give you strength."

"Do you know why this is happening?"

"They'll protect us."

"Can't go to sleep, [Name]. Hang in there."

[rosellerivers19]

Animal: Its weird but at least its self aware

So I heard about Animal being well . . . kinda insane when it first came out I also heard people who liked it though later on.

I saw a few scenes of the movie and seeing the violence I thought it was probably a really bad movie since so many people thought that.

but I've been watching a bit of it recently and well I don't think its that bad. Now if you've seen my last post you'd ask how I can dislike Pushpa but like Animal and I'm not saying I like Animal per se I also don't absolutely hate pushpa the movie I just didn't find it entertaining. Animal for me however was really entertaining for me because it's really crazy the protagonist of the movie isn't someone we're supposed to like or agree with he's being blatantly pointed out as crazy by the movie and thats why its fun.

it's so nonsensical and ridiculous that i can't help but cringe and smile while with pushpa I could just hope the song would at least be good.

My previous reaction was that the father in the movie was the 'bad guy' because of a few scenes I saw without actually watching the movie but after watching some of it I'm actually insanely impressed that he was able to deal with ranbeer's character at all.

He has flaws yeah and he admits them he doesn't believe that he's some superior being. I don't love the father character because all of the characters I think aren't really supposed to be liked.

And the movie showing that just makes me happy inside because of how self aware it is.

The violence is still. . . . icky but its not like this movie was going to be my all time favorite.

None of these characters are perfect but its fun to see how they're affected by Ranbir's craziness.

But a scene I found funny was when gita anjali's family was scolding her for falling in love with Ranvijay she just kissed him infront of them

It was really just a "I don't give a damn about you anyway" to her family and they were covering the kids eyes as the bgm starts playing. In the telugu version it actually has a comedical bgm as well

I want every scene to start like that for real

I'm also a bit biased because Gita anjali's brother asked her to say something while her family was scolding her in telugu but what ever.

And its not like their relationship was seen as something good or to take example of since well he cheated on her because he's a crazy bastard.

I also like the mood swings he has from sensible to mental it makes the movie more funny because you don't know when he'll detonate he's actually a time bomb. *haha got the reference?*

he hates his father one second saying he can't handle being in the same country as him and then tells Gita Anjali that his father is the best in the world?!?!?

I just wish the movie in the trailers advertised itself more like this nonsensical film that they show in the story itself instead of the action drama movie but it makes sense more people would like to see that.

I will edit this when I finish watching the movie

Edit: Also another thing

I saw on tiktok a scene about the film where Ranvijay was telling Geetanjali to

"think like a man gita anjali! think like you have biceps like me, even down there you've got something like I've got"

And oh god I almost doubled over laughing

Ah yes like think like the man who says 'Papa' in 50 different accents and acts like a madman in 2 seconds flat.

Do not get me started on that alpha scene-

[atamascolily]

Some more stuff about the Bug King that I forgot to mention earlier:

It's not obvious in the screenshot in my initial post, but Locust's eyes are different colors! One is blue, the other is red-yellow.

His hair is also two different colors--mostly white, but with a prominent black streak in it. Combined with his heterochromia, this concept of "union of opposites" is baked into his character design; he not only demonstrates this in a metaphorical sense, he embodies it.

(The only other character I can think of with two different colors in their hair is Shang, but his white hairs are more subtle and more evenly distributed instead of in a streak, so it's not as obvious. Also, Locust's headpiece is weirdly reminiscent of Lin's spiky ice-crown, but in reverse. I do not know how much of this is intentional, though.)

Secondly, Locust's isolation is almost certainly linked to his incredibly strong powers, as this is a running theme throughout all of Urobuchi's works. In Madoka Magica and Kamen Rider Gaim, the cost of attaining ultimate power is one's humanity and one's place in ordinary human life. This can be seen in Thunderbolt Fantasy as well, with Shang keeping his distance from others to safeguard the Sorcerous Sword Index, and Lin Xue Ya holding himself aloof and apart except as needed for his schemes. The same appears to be true for Locust; no one in the Order of the Divine Swarm knows his true identity, and his daughter Chao Feng appears completely unaware of her daddy's dual life. In both roles, he exists primarily as a voice behind a screen--which makes the fact that he came after Shang in person especially striking. A twisted sort of honor, one might say.

What's interesting to me about that scene is that Locust does not hide himself in that scene; what we see appears to be his "true" self. Did he walk into that confrontation expecting there would be no surviving witnesses, or was he confident enough that no one would ever be able to put two and two together and make that connection? (If so, he was right--the only people in-universe who know the truth are Jun Po and Lin and Jun Po died immediately afterward, so it's just Lin, and even that hasn't been officially confirmed yet.) We the omniscient viewing audience know because we are witness to everything on-screen, but no one else does.

Which, of course, parallels Lin's character poem:

Subterfuge is not always about lurking in the darkness. Some shadows remain hidden in the light. A hair's breadth separates truth from lies. And none will gaze beyond the illusion to see my true face.

This is another reason why I'm so excited to see Lin and Locust square off--two twisty bastards scheming against each other will be so much fun to watch. Both of them are masters at telling the truth in a way that is completely misleading. (This may or may not be why they share a color scheme, but it's something I wonder about.) But it makes the fact that Locust went after the Index himself instead of through proxies even more odd to me; Lin only fought Mie Tian Hai directly because that was the only way to get what he wanted.

Jun Po says of the Emperor You, "He's been cloistered away ever since his enthronement because of an oracle that was received early on." It's not clear to me yet if this prophecy is real or fake, but either way, I hope we learn more about it, as it's likely tied to Locust's statement that he can only be defeated by a blade beyond reality. Was his isolation from the people a convenient excuse to avoid his duties and devote himself to heretical sorceries, or is there something else going on? I don't know, but I can't wait to find out.

Also, what happened to Locust's wife/Chao Feng's mother?? I don't know, but it really sucks to be a mom in the TBF universe and the Xi You royal family is cursed by Zhao Jun Lin's influence, so it probably wasn't good. Did her death tip him over the edge into villainy, or did he sacrifice her as part of his schemes? I don't know, but her absence from the narrative is striking, and I wonder if we'll learn her fate when Locust's backstory is revealed.

All Hail the Bug King

Today I want to talk about the Big Bad of Thunderbolt Fantasy, Huò Shì Míng Huáng (aka Kasei Meikō, Locust, and/or the Bug King, depending on what language you're using and how irreverent you're feeling at the moment) and what his deal is.

First of all, his name is written as 禍世螟蝗, which is usually translated as "Plague of Moths and Locusts". This is fine, but there are a couple nuances to appreciate here (caveat: not a native speaker, just an interested person with a dictionary):

禍 is the character for calamity, misfortune and disaster.

世 is the character for "world".

螟 does in fact mean "moth", but more specifically pyralid moths, which are very small and have notably large "snouts". I think they're cute, but this family includes numerous agricultural pests like wax moths, rice moths, flour moths, and various borer moths, and that's the sense in which it is being used here.

蝗 is the character for "locust", which is a generic term for any kind of grasshopper with a swarming phase. Under certain environmental conditions, normally solitary grasshoppers will form impressively large groups and devour everything in their path.

"Plague of Moths and Locusts" doesn't really get at the scale of this guy's ambitions, imo, but it's accurate and concise while still inculcating some existential dread and establishing the bug theme. However, I wanted to lead with the breakdown of his name because it's actually a very clever way of establishing his other theme, which is unleashing global calamity... or something, anyway.

Our first glimpse of the Bug King is in this weird liminal space where he conducts meetings with the members of the Order of the Divine Swarm ("Divine Locust Alliance"). It's basically a giant 3-D Zoom meeting where participants can either talk with their cameras off or pop in directly.

Each member of the group has their own distinct sigil; Locust's is a grasshopper with what appears to be an eye on its back, which is fitting given that he's just used his surveillance orb to spy on Shang Bu Huan from a distance.

In the beginning, we know two things about Locust: he wants the Sorcerous Sword Index, and he's powerful enough to make Shang Bu Huan start running. But it isn't until halfway through Season 3 that we finally see the man in the flesh, in a terrifying flashback where he kicks our heroes' asses.

(In classic Thunderbolt Fantasy tradition, cue the "oh, shit, he's hot!" moment.)

This scene is a lot to take in on first watch because there's so much going on, but became clearer to me after repeated viewings:

First of all, Locust's line, "Only a blade whose existence defies reality can hope to destroy me" screams of foreshadowing, and I fully expect him to meet his comeuppance through exactly this method, even though I don't know how or why it happens. It also reminds me of Lin smugly remarking that words are enough to take down foes that are immune to blades in S2, which I suspect is also relevant here--and I'd be very surprised if Lin is not at least partly responsible for Locust's ultimate downfall through some clever rules lawyering, just like he engineered Zhao Jun Lin's defeat in S3.

Two, Mu Tian Ming is specifically targeted because she tells Shang that the whole thing is a trap to make him use the Index. "[He] is a master of heretical magics! He's bound to be up to something!" Locust blinds her not just to bait Shang into reacting, but because she sees too much. The Index is the one weapon that Shang cannot use under any circumstances, because somehow Locust will turn it against him; somehow, it is the key to Locust's plans or else he wouldn't be making such of an effort to acquire it in the first place.

In the end, Locust's gambit backfires: maiming Tian Ming causes an infuriated Lang Wu Yao to gain an unexpected power-up and wallop the Bug King with a lightning bolt. It doesn't kill him, but it does cause him to retreat, allowing Shang to ultimately take Tian Ming's advice and flees the country.

In Season 3, we learn more about Locust's ultimate goal: although his agents believe they are fighting for the future of Xi You, he doesn't want to usurp the throne of Xi You at all. Using a scale as a metaphor, he tells Yi Piaomiao (actually Lin Xue Ya in disguise) that his ambition is not to choose between one side or the other, but to become the scale itself. In other words, all roads lead to the same end; all choice is an illusion, just like the ones the Bug King surrounds himself with, obscuring their true nature.

And in a final episode twist that made me scream obscenities at the screen, all of this is proven even more true with the reveal that Locust is also the Emperor of Xi You, who has been in seclusion since his ascension as part of a prophecy. In the end, there's no difference between the Order of the Divine Swarm and the Imperial army; for all of Wan Jun Po's agonizing over his perceived treachery, he served the same master the entire time without knowing it, right up to the moment of his death at said master's hands. Absolutely masterful writing there on so many levels.

But this brings me to my next point, which is What exactly does Locust want? He already has plenty of worldly power at his disposal and he's a master of heretical arts. What exactly does he need the Sorcerous Sword Index for, given what he's already capable of? (Okay, so technically at least one of the swords belonged to the Xi You royal family, but somehow I don't think that's what this is about.)

Here's my guess: Locust wants the Index not as an end in itself, but as the means to a larger end. His ambitions are cosmic in scope, and somehow the Index is key to unlocking or unleashing whatever it is he has in mind. Maybe, like Mie Tian Hai, he's fine with letting the demons destroy the world so he can be recognized as a savior, but I think Locust's plan is so much bigger than that.

There are so many dualities in Thunderbolt Fantasy--Dong Li and Xi You, Imperial government and the Order of the Divine Swarm, human and demon worlds, etc, etc. I think Locust wants to move beyond them all, to become a god--the "Divinity" in "Divine Swarm" is more than merely poetic.

When Locust says he wants to become the scale, I don't think it's a metaphor. I think he literally wants to fuse with the world somehow, so that he becomes the arbiter of fate itself, so that choice and free will either no longer exist or they become co-opted, to the point where they are merely illusions, and nothing happens that Locust himself does not personally will or desire. Rebellion would be impossible, especially since most people won't even notice what has happened in the first place!

(Oh, and if you want further proof, the name of his weapon is 諸業俱毀, "All Karmas Destroyed Together", which is, er, a little on the nose, don't you think?)

Fate is a key theme in Thunderbolt Fantasy, so it's not surprising to me that Locust's plan would center around becoming it. Shang makes no secret how important choice is to him--how even villains can actively choose to be better--and his refusal to let fate define him. Meanwhile, Lin Xue Ya is out there actively manipulating fate for his own ends--see the dolls he crafts specifically to take advantage of his connection with Shang.

The relationship between these three is going to be incredibly important going forward, but I want to specifically to talk about Lin vs. Locust, because that's the least examined and has some interesting points.

Both Lin and Locust are masters of illusion who manipulate others. For the first time, Lin is going up against someone with a similar skillset--someone who is almost certainly more powerful than he is. That doesn't mean Lin can't win, merely that Locust represents a different kind of challenge in scale and scope than his previous targets.

Both Lin and Locust are hiding things from each other. If Lin hasn't already figured out the implications of the scale speech, he will soon, thus knowing a secret Locust takes pain to keep hidden. What will he do with that knowledge? The real question for me is is, how long will it take Locust to figure out "Piaomiao" isn't who he seems--and what will he do with it? The stakes are incredibly high and neither side has a definite advantage at this point. How many twists and turns will this game of cat and mouse get to before the end?

Finally, those of you who are familiar with Puella Magi Madoka Magica (also written by Urobuchi) have probably noticed the parallels between Locust and Walpurgisnacht, the Witch of Calamities, a collective of fallen magical girls who appears as a storm and brings destruction in her wake. Walpurgisnacht is the Stage-Producing Witch, for whom the whole world is a stage, who manipulates the real world as if it is her labyrinth (as it may well be!) and for whom everyone is a character playing out their assigned parts. Walpurgisnacht's nature and true identity has yet to be revealed, but it's highly likely that as with Locust, she will be intimately connected to someone we already know, or think we know.

It's not that that Madoka Magica and Thunderbolt Fantasy are the same story--far from it--but they share the same author, and so it's only natural that their themes and motifs echo each other, turning up in different forms and different ways. Ultimately, in each case, the antagonist is a collective directed by a single intelligence that hides behind illusion, brings complete and total destruction in their wake, and represents fate itself--and who is challenged by heroes who believing in defying that fate to create a world where human choice still matters. In a way, it's weirdly fitting that the next installments in each of these two series will likely come out at around the same time, juxtaposing them even further.

[feanorianethicsdepartment]

19 for the Silm ask!

[those silm asks as are doing the rounds]

19. you get to save one character from dying. what would they do instead?

the way i see it, there are three possible directions i could take this question

THE STRATEGIC OPTION - finwë. if finwë doesn’t die at minute one, that cuts off about 90% of the early noldorin drama and probably prevents the oath from being a thing? he’s probably the only guy in the universe who could get fëanor to shut up at this point, and is also a big non-controversial boss noldo who ain’t gonna start any civil wars. there’d probably still be trouble with the valar, on account of they have super broken the protect-you-from-melkor deal, but i do think finwë would handle that better than his dipshit sons. also both olwë and thingol will probably be willing to negotiate with him. there’d probably still be shenanigans, morgoth’s done a lot to drive a wedge between the noldor, but with finwë at the helm there’ll probably be much less collateral damage. besides, i am of the firm conviction that finwë was an absolute lunatic who if given the slightest chance to go as turbo as his grandkids went in canon would be perfectly capable of soloing morgoth

(how am i saving him, anyway? is there, like, an extradimensional portal i pull him through and we wait until ungoliant is gone? because if i am, i’d probably use the time to brief him on the upcoming situation. i know maybe ten words of quenya, but i feel like we could work around that. maybe with diagrams...)

THE INTERESTING COUNTERFACTUAL OPTION - denethor, the first one. if he survives the initial morgoth fight - not only do we have a nandorin power base in east beleriand, which sounds like it’d do all sorts of fun things to continental politics, but i half-remember reading that it was partially because of denethor’s death that thingol went full isolationist? so if he survives, we potentially have a much more active doriath, with a thingol at least willing to hold his own. that sounds like it’d affect the arc of the first age a lot, maybe not leaving all the enemy-fighting to the noldorin armies? i’m not really a butterfly-effect alternate-mythohistory fëanorian stan, but denethor living and holding the green-elves together sounds like it’d affect the course of events in interesting ways, if not necessarily better ones

THE CHAOS OPTION - fëanor, under the specific stipulation that when he inevitably gets his dumb ass killed i get to save him all over again. fëanor is the kind of character i like to watch just to see what crazy thing they’ll do next and how big the ensuing blast radius is. it would be terrible, for everyone, but from a safe distance seeing what fëanor does to beleriand will be an absolute spectacle. the explosions! the mecha! the inevitable fëanor-vs-every-single-other-person-on-the-continent war! i would watch this religiously and take bets on how fast he’ll burn beleriand down. there is a risk that he’ll figure out how my save-from-death portals work and subsequently invade the real world, but hey, this is the chaos option