#now i know in messiah this will probably be different

[demon-of-the-ancient-world]

One reason I think the book-film change for Chani's character works so well is actually because she doesn't have much to do in the books.

As someone who affects the overall plot, there isn't much to her -- the only piece she really affects is Paul, and subsequently their relationship. So having her go from someone who's real only purpose is one half of an interpersonal relationship to someone who has a bit more agency works, and makes things all the more tragic, because she is really unable to affect the plot.

I have no idea how it'll be handled in Messiah (though I've got ideas aplenty), but at least in part 2...Chani being against the prophecy and Paul's rise really didn't change the overall story, only her relationship with Paul and therefore the lens through which the story was told.

Denis taking a character who in the books ultimately doesn't do anything with major repercussions in regards to the wider story of Dune (at least until Messiah, and then the only action of hers which majorly affects things is having Leto II) and giving that character an opposing viewpoint to her book counterpart makes things more tragic because the rest of the story essentially goes on in the same way in spite of her views. The story and outcome is the same, one character just feels a whole lot different about it -- and can do nothing to stop it from happening. Flipping Chani's beliefs around doesn't drastically alter the events of the story (so far at least), it just makes them harder to watch because you've now got someone stuck inside screaming that it's wrong, and can't do anything about it.

[fuckyeahisawthat]

Controversial opinion among Dune book fans maybe, but I loved the changes they made to Chani's character. Making her a fedaykin who is already an experienced fighter before Paul arrives was a brilliant choice. Dune Part Two is a war movie, and this puts her at the center of the action, side by side with Paul, and gives her a much more active role than she has in the book.

We got a hint of where things were going in the beginning of Dune Part One. The first thing we ever know about movie Chani is that she's a fighter. She serves as a voice for the Fremen, telling us the story of their struggle from her point of view. I wrote here about the difference this change makes compared to other adaptations of Dune, what a perspective shift it is to have the world of Arrakis introduced not by an outsider, describing it as a dangerous but valuable colonial prize, but by one of its native inhabitants, who tells us before all else that it's beautiful, her home that she's fighting to liberate. I am so, so glad that the second movie followed up on this characterization.

I never found Chani and Paul's love story in the book particularly convincing, because why would this woman, who already has a prominent and respected place in Fremen society, even give the time of day to her deposed would-be colonizer, let alone fall in love and have children with him? Without a compelling reason for Chani to love Paul, she ends up feeling like a prize to be won, and "indigenous culture personified as a woman to be wooed (or conquered) by the colonizing man" is a trope we've seen and don't need to repeat.

But as soon as you tell me it's a barricade romance I get it. Cool cool cool, I know exactly what this relationship is now and it makes sense. Movie Chani doesn't respect or even particularly like Paul when she first meets him, and she doesn't think he's the fulfillment of any prophecy. She comes to respect him, and eventually love him, through his actions. He's brave--sometimes recklessly so. He fights well. He's willing to stick his neck out on the front lines with the other Fremen fighters. He can (after a little help) hack surviving in the harsh desert environment. He's not too proud to learn from others. He seems to genuinely want to be her equal in a common political struggle. All these qualities make sense as things she values.

Fighting side by side as equals is just about the only way I can see movie Chani falling for Paul. And it fits perfectly with the film's pattern of reversals that Paul's capacity for violence would initially be one of the things Chani likes about him, only for her to be repelled later when she sees what he becomes.

And as for Paul, well, he's had people deferring to him his entire life. Someone who doesn't take any shit from him is probably refreshing. He seems to like people (Duncan, Gurney) who challenge him and engage in a little friendly teasing--and aren't afraid to go a few rounds in the sparring ring.

It's easy to speedrun a romance when you're spending all your time together in mortal danger fighting for a shared political cause. Especially if you then start winning in a war your people have been fighting for decades. Are you kidding me? That is the perfect environment for intense battle camaraderie to turn into romantic love, and lust.

It makes sense that this version of Chani never believes Paul is any kind of messiah. Of course a character like movie Chani wouldn't believe in or trust some outside savior to liberate them. She's been working to liberate her own people for years. The more Paul invokes the messianic myth, the more he starts sounding once again like someone who plans to rule over them, and the more uncomfortable Chani becomes. In this way she becomes a foil to Jessica, the two of them representing the choices Paul is pulled between. It's a great way of externalizing the political and philosophical debates that often happen within characters' heads in the book.

And of course this version of Chani would leave Paul at the end of the film. It's not just the personal, emotional betrayal--although that stings. What common cause does she have with someone who just declared himself emperor and is sending her own people off in a war of conquest against others? Given the important role she plays in Dune Messiah, I am super curious to see how they get her back into the story, but girl was so valid for being willing to just gtfo. Given that she has the last shot of the whole movie, I'm sure she'll be back somehow, and I can't wait to see what they do with her character in any future installments.

[thewertsearch]

TC: all my life i believed at a fuckin paradise to come what held the most baller, darkest of carnivals to join. TC: AND A PROPHECY TC: to tell all about a band of rowdy and capricious minstrels steeped in the good harshwhimsy. TC: THE MIRTHFUL MESSIAHS WERE FORETOLD TO BE CRASHING THAT FUCKING PIE STAND AND BRING THE HOLY RUCKUS. […] TC: I'M TALKING ABOUT THE VAST HONK, YOU BLASPHEMOUS MOTHERFUCKER.

I suppose I have to take Gamzee's cult a lot more seriously now - which means I should probably at least try to figure out what it is they actually believe.

It appears as if their doctrine is centered around some sort of prophecy, concerning a group of legendary figures known as 'mirthful messiahs'. They're fated to release the Vast Honk - and, in doing so, create some sort of Juggalo paradise.

We don't know any lore about the Vast Honk, but its name sets up intentional parallels with Gl'bgolyb's apocalyptic Vast Glub, as well as the Vast Croak, a holy sound emitted by newborn Genesis Frogs. Both of these sounds accompany enormous, galaxy-shaking cosmic events, so the Honk is presumably no different.

Alternia's First Guardian was 'corrupted' by a genome of the same name, presumably changing him from a standard Sburb NPC into the English cultist we all know and tolerate.

Could the Vast Honk be released by someone corrupted in a similar manner? We already know that Jade's Genesis Frog was spliced with some unknown DNA; it's terrifyingly plausible that said DNA was planted by Scratch, Gamzee, or English himself. There's a very real possibility that the Vast Honk will come from the mouth of Jade's frog.

TC: BUT NOW. TC: because of you. TC: BECAUSE OF ALL YOU AND YOUR FUCKING OUTRAGEOUSNESS. TC: you stole up all my miracles away by revealing at me how the wicked shit was really kicked. TC: LIKE SOME FILTHY FUCKING SCIENSTIFF WHO AT OLD TIMES WOULD BE RULED UNFUNNY WITHOUT EVEN GETTING HIS FUCKING TRIAL ON. TC: and now i don't know what to think about the spiritual fantasies i had.

Anyway, Gamzee can’t seem to reconcile his worldview with this pair of alien rappers who seem to cruelly parody his beliefs.

He’s always been dimly aware of his fictional nature, and as his mind begins to clear, it is forced to confront the possibility that this is all his religion ever was. A viral video and a meme.

For once, he doesn't think it's a very funny joke.

TC: I HAVE THE IDEA THAT YOU PUT IN MY PAN TO SIT THERE. TC: that the paradise planet TC: IS A FUCKING JOKE. TC: and the miracles TC: ARE FAKE. TC: pure fiction. TC: FALSE FAKEY FRAUDY CON JOBS FROM A BUNCH OF UNFUNNY NINJA HARLEQUIN BULLSHIT ARTISTS.

It would be remiss of me not to bring up the possibility that ICP are non-trivially involved with Homestuck's plot. I mean, Betty Crocker is now a key figure in multiple characters’ backstories, so fucking anything is possible at this point.

Joseph Bruce and Joseph Utsler could literally be the mirthful messiahs, and I have no idea what that could mean. I might actually have to listen to their albums to understand the comic.

[fruttymoment]

Do you think only Rue is a robot or is Cedric secretly a robot too in that one theory?

When Niko asks the question, Cedric answers too!

Unsure if this is a theory at this point; but it is HEAVILY suggested that both Rue and Cedric are robots as well, just like Proto. Pretty sure it's also confirmed by Nightmargin herself, in somewhere! I just forgor

I do, however, have another theory. Based in this interaction :

Since the entire world is just a simulation, is EVERYONE there technically is a robot?

Are Proto, Cedric and Rue specifically robots because they are The Author's children?

It's hard to say a certain thing because first of all we have no idea what exactly makes a robot, well, 'robot', in the universe of OneShot.

A robot is an entity with computing power, specifically designed to do a certain task. We see nurse robots, rowbots, guardian robots etc. in the game. All of them surely are robots, but they have different missions and are built for different tasks.

However, just like other people, robots are NPCs. NPCs in OneShot are basically simulated people, and are not real. Well, they WERE real in the Old World. Now it's not really them but their digital version of themselves, built by complex coding from The Author that 'lives' inside of The World Machine's simulation.

Imagine the Earth we know today is about to be destroyed tomorrow. In horror, scientists somehow figure out how to turn you into a code to simulate yourself in a computer. Forever, perhaps. It's still you with your emotions, habits, thoughts and stuff! It's just that you are not real anymore, but just powered by electricity inside of a computer. You just dont know it.

This of course creates something.. rather interesting.

What is real? What isn't?

WELL WE HAVE NO IDEA BOUT THAT IRL. In the universe of OneShot though; anyone that is living in this simulated environment is an NPC. NPCs don't remember anything when you reset the game for Solstice run, because they are a part of the simulation. They ARE the simulation. And when you reset the game, so the simulation is formatted. No one remembers Niko and anything.

Niko is the messiah because they are a real person. They do not belong this simulation, they have their own world and life. They came to this simulated environment from somewhere else; they never belonged here and they were never a part of the Old World.

This is the difference between real people and NPCs in OneShot, basically. I hope??

Now, one has to ask. The Author has left the world in his 'own terms'. He is probably alive though. But, what about their children? Why are they.. seperated?

I don't think we have any official explanation. A thing I found is apparently Author, Cedric, Rue and Proto all lived in the Real World. So, they existed there. Pay attention to this because it will be... relevant.

Rue, Cedric and Proto are The Author's children. Altho, the wiki sometimes say 'creations' which I am very unsure. In any way, they lived together. They all do call him their "Father". It may not be the word 'father' we think, but maybe a creator too.

Now, this makes me wonder. The Author left, but why their children remains in the simulation? Maybe an accident happened?

Here is a very super weird fact.

Because technically they are bound to the simulation, all three siblings are considered as NPCs.

Wait um

Are they.. NPCs? If i remember correctly, Proto said that they themselves arent regular NPCs. He even knows what NPC is, and why they dont remember anything.

So...? Why three of them are special in this way? Maybe Author just made them so. Everyone else is from the Real World too, but the three siblings are somehow special in a matter.

So! The siblings are robots but arent just NPCs.

But. Then, what the fuck??

WERE THEY ALWAYS ROBOTS OR LIKE?? Why other people arent robots, but Cedric and Rue are?? They do NOT look like robots!

Did three of them fucking DIED irl and Author pulled a William Afton and made them robots??? WHAT

HOW DOES THAT WORK. SINCE THEY ARE CONSIDERED AS REAL AND NOT NPCS, THEY ARE NOT SIMULATED AT ALL. THEY JUST- THATS HOW THEY EXISTED IRL. HUH?? BUT-

Dont worry it gets worse :)

Remember just when i said Proto, Cedric and Rue arent NPCs but real people, riight?

Prepare to lose your shit because i am going to tell you somrthing.

"When Rue, Cedric, and Proto must be placed in the portal near the end of the Solstice run, Rue is the only one who doesn't have the "NPC" tag on her spritesheet."

- OneShot Wiki , a fact

Oh!

Rue

Rue, that fuckinf fox that i love completely destroys something we thought.

Rue :3

She fucking. Causes a HUGE problem.

According to the game files ITSELF, Rue is the ONLY ONE that does NOT have NPC tag.

This could mean two things. Lets see.

This is only a technical game thing. Rue does not have a NPC tag, because she is the only one that meets you before Solstice. She then remembers and knows you in Solstice. Proto and Cedric are not met before Solstice, thus they technically count as NPCs in not lore but technical game way. In short : Because Rue is the only one that remembers you afterwards, the devs themselves could removed the NPC tag to note themselves that Rue is different. Maybe thats how game code works too? Maybe if you give a NPC tag to a character, it means the character will be resetted after the save file gimmick is deleted. Rue not having an NPC tag could maaybe mean she is supposed to be not affected by a reset, and remembers, so has special interactions

Something malicious is brewing. Oh my fucking god

Tbh, both seem... weak? First of all I dont think the devs simply forgor the name tag for Rue. As a dev NAMING files and confirming everything, that doesnt seem normal. Maybe they really did forgot?? But it could easily be changed by an update or something afterwards?

Another thing is : its just a name in her spritesheets. A name of a spritesheet surely can change some stuff in game engine specifically, but um. I am very unsure.

Anyways. Lets see.

Screenshots from OneShot TWM Edition.

... well! She STILL has no NPC tag !!

THE DEVS KNOW.

THERE MUST BE A REASON. BUT WHICH ONE???

Is it somehow a technical thing???

Or. Something rather funny is going on.

Well um. We literally need direct answer from Nightmargin if its a lore thing; or perhaps GIR & Eliza if its a technical coding reason. Who knows??

I actually will ask this to Nightmargin in her Tumblr Q&A. Who knows, maybe she will answer!!!

If its a technical reason, then there isnt much stuff to discuss here. All three of them are possibly something else than just a simple NPC.

...if not, Rue is. Someone special perhaps. There may be a whole stuff we dont know about Rue and the siblings.

Rue always felt slightly different. Who knows.

Anyway TLDR ; Cedric is a robot too lol

[nataliesscatorccio]

this line in the description for Yellowjackets really gets to me. "25 years later, they discover that what began in the wild is far from over." time and time again im just struck by how effective this show is at saying exactly what it feels like to go through life as a woman. you still have this girl inside you who is wild and childish and scared. she doesn't know how to move her body she doesn't know how to ask for what she wants she's a freak she's an idol she's a mess she's a messiah she's a witch and a wicked little beast she's the best friend a girl could have. but it's time to be an Adult Woman now! congratulations, you're out of the woods! we know that was confusing and traumatic for you but rest assured thats all done. maybe you'll have a husband and a teenager of your own maybe you'll be a politician maybe you're going to run a mlm. it doesnt matter, just make sure you're unrecognizable from the wild animal you were. you're supposed to be unrecognizable. you're supposed to have it together, you're supposed to be boring. strawberry lube is for bisexuals and goths. and teenagers. Please be more boring. this Whole Thing this whole charade of adulthood doesn't work if you don't keep it together. grow up! so you do. for a while it sticks. your family is doing fine, your career is doing fine, your meds are working fine, maybe you've been to a few rehabs but this last one was going fine. and 25 years later you look around at the not-real life you're supposed to want to be a part of, the one you put together exactly as per the instructions, and you realize... it doesnt end. you aren't out of the woods you're just stranded in a different part of them. you probably have another 25 years to go, minimum. "I think shit is gonna get a lot worse out here." your life is far from over but you can't keep living it like this. numbing yourself with substances to make it tolerable, or going full speed ahead toward something you don't even really want just to prove you're Doing It you're Assimilating, or feeling insane for still being haunted by 'ancient' history that really didn't happen that long ago, or cooking a fucking meatloaf for the husband that doesn't get you and the daughter that doesn't want to. if you're going to survive the monotony of adulthood the way you survived the chaos of adolescence, you're going to have to get wild again. you're going to have to go back. because the wilderness can be terrifying with its harsh elements its cruel indifference its lurking predators and blah blah blah but do you want to know what's even scarier? that endless stretch in all directions of sameness. stump, tree, stream, moss. stump, tree, stream, moss. have we passed this way already, have we taken this route before? tree tree tree tree tree for miles and miles and miles. that is the wild, too. unending. repetitive. barren. where it ends, so do you. it lasts your whole life, and it's far from over. you've got to find a way to survive it. again.

[indecisiveavocado]

So you want to learn more about Judaism, part 1: The Complete Beginner's Guide to Judaism

This is a series about judaism for those who want to learn more about it. It also covers Judaism-adjacent topics, like antisemitism, Israel, and Jewish history/culture/etc.

But first, you should probably know the basics of Judaism. I'm assuming you know nothing about us, or have realized that what you do know is wrong. This is a bit oversimplified, but should be reasonable enough.

What does it mean when someone says, "I'm Jewish"?

It can mean a lot of things, but it generally means one or both of the following:

I follow Judaism as a religion

I am ethnically Jewish

Let's dig into each of these.

The religion

Judaism is a religion. It arose over 3,000 years ago in the region roughly corresponding to the modern-day countries and regions of Israel, Palestine, southern Syria and Lebanon, and western Jordan.

It is monotheistic, which means it worships one god. Its holy text is the Five Books of Moses, or Torah. It does not believe in the divinity of Jesus. If you see someone claiming you can be religiously Jewish and believe Jesus was the Messiah, son of God, or divine, they are wrong.

Judaism has many requirements (613 in the Torah alone!). Some of them are more famous, like not eating pork, not mixing milk and meat, resting on the Sabbath (for Jews, sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday), et cetera. Some of them are less famous, often because they aren't able to be done.

You see, many of Judaism's rules presume a temple in Jerusalem. There was, once, a temple in Jerusalem; it got destroyed and Jews were exiled. Then we came back and built it again. It got destroyed again by the Romans in 70 CE, as part of a campaign to destroy us[1]. Only a small part of it, the Western Wall, the holiest still-standing site in Judaism, survives to this day; the rest of it is underneath the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Judaism has many different denominations. The big ones are:

Hasidic: These people try to follow all of the rules, and then some. They follow many different rebbes, or leaders, and were hit very hard in the Holocaust due to being heavily concentrated in Eastern Europe. They are most of the speakers of Yiddish today. They can be very isolated from the outside world, but many of them aren't.

Orthodox: More lenient and open to the outside world than Hasidic Jews generally are, Orthodox Jews range from Hasidic to Open Orthodox, who ordain women and do other no-nos in traditional Orthodoxy.

Conservative: Conservative Jews occupy an intermediate position. They generally follow the rules as laid out, but are more flexible with them. So while a Reform family might drive on Shabbat, and an Orthodox family might not, a Conservative family might only drive to get to shul (temple, religious building) if they live far away from one.

Reform: Reform Jews are very flexible with the rules of Judaism, in a good way. They're very permissive of queer things. (Disclosure: I'm Reform.)

There are many smaller groups, like Ethiopian Jews, who have unique traditions stemming in part from long isolation from the rest of the world's Jewry; Karaite Jews, who reject the Talmud, which interpreted and expanded on Jewish law; and Humanistic Jews, who don't ever explicitly say there's a God.

Ethnic Judaism

Judaism is also an ethnicity. Well, several. With the exception of a few small communities, all are clearly from the Middle East genetically, but they do have differences, including in terms of customs. Since Jews have spread all over, there are a lot of divisions, but the big ones are:

Mizrahim: These Jews never left the Middle East. Formerly they were all over the Middle East, but after the foundation of the State of Israel, they were persecuted out of their homes, and most now live in Israel.

Sephardim: Sephardic Jews were originally from the Iberian Peninsula, but, due to the Spanish Inquisition (and its Portuguese cousin), most lived in the Middle East, North Africa, and southern Europe for hundreds of years. In the case of the former two, after the founding of the State of Israel, they were persecuted out and fled to Israel. In the case of the latter, they generally died in the Holocaust.

Ashkenazim, or Jews from Eastern and Central Europe. The vast majority of American Jews, a minority of Israeli Jews. Most Hasidim are Ashkenazi. Most of the Jewish Holocaust victims were Ashkenazi, and so today the major centers of Ashkenazi populations are the US and to a lesser extent Israel. It used to be Eastern Europe, though. (Poland alone had 3 million Jews, although it managed to kill 90 percent of them and make something like 99 percent of the survivors flee, then deny any wrongdoing.)

There are lots of smaller ones too, like the:

Mountain Jews and Georgian Jews: Two distinct Jewish communities nestled in the Caucasus who seem to have been in the diaspora since some number of centuries BCE, well before most other diaspora populations.

Persian Jews: Similarly long diaspora history. A surprisingly large population remains in Iran.

Yemenite Jews: Distinct in ritual from other communities of Jews, they have by now mostly fled Yemen.

Ethiopian Jews: Highly distinct from other Jewish groups, they lived in almost total isolation from the broader Jewish world for over a thousand years. Their traditional religious practice doesn't follow the Talmud, as most other ones do, meaning they seemingly codified their own set of Jewish law. Early observers from more integrated Jewish communities noted that they observed customs that had long since died out in the broader Jewish world. Most of them now live in Israel.

A few seperate communities of Jews in modern-day India, now mostly in Israel

Many more[2]

[1] The genocide (it was a genocide) included expelling us, distributing us as slaves, killing us, and erasing our traditional name for the region (Yisrael) to try to erase our connection to the region. They called the region Palestina.

[2] Seriously, if it's a country in Africa or Eurasia, odds are there is/was a Jewish community in it, often with distinct traditions/origins.

[kiyomitakada]

This is not in Halle’s contract. Yes, she’s in the SPK to avenge her brother — not to make a quick buck — and yes, she’s more of an independent asset anyway, but nevertheless she is quite sure this is not in her contract.

“Well, you think I’m stupid,” Amane muses, poking at the glass of wine in front of her. “So you’d put the poison in my glass.”

“I would never think so lowly of you,” Takada says innocently, the corner of her mouth twitching upward. “You are a dear friend, Amane-san.”

“Riiight, and I’m not stupid, so I’d go for your glass instead. But,” and Amane leans forward to jab a finger in Takada’s face, “you told me that just so I would go for your glass, so you actually put the poison in your glass.”

“I really don’t know where this misconception came from,” Takada says calmly. “I never said I poisoned either of our glasses.”

“You said you hoped I’d enjoy it!”

“An entirely benign thing to say—”

“No no no,” Amane says. “You said it like—” She lowers her voice to a purr. “‘I hope you… enjoy it, Amane-san.’”

Takada is now clearly fighting down a smile. “You’re imagining things.”

“‘Because it would be such a shame if this was your last meal, since the Kira activity has been ramping up so much lately’—”

“Is that really what I sound like to you?”

“Yes. And, and then: ‘it’s really rather fitting we have red wine, just as Judas did before he kissed the Messiah’—”

“I absolutely did not say that,” Takada says, amusement dancing in her eyes. Halle almost does a double take; she looks so different from the Kiyomi Takada who exits hotel rooms with the beginnings of sadness in the creases of her smile. “Where did you even get that from?”

“The goth look is researched, you know,” Amane huffs. “I don’t just slap crosses on and call it a day, the aesthetic has to make sense!”

“Unlike you,” Takada murmurs.

“Hey!” Amane leans even further forward, almost knocking her wine glass over, and pokes Takada in the shoulder. “I heard that.”

“I know,” Takada says, and slaps her hand over Amane’s, trapping it on her shoulder. Amane freezes. Halle expects her to pull back, but — no, they’re both just staring at each other now, Amane’s eyes wide and Takada’s narrowed. A stalemate.

Halle gives it ten seconds before she clears her throat.

“Ah—!” Takada lets go, leaning back. Amane collapses back into her seat, eyes still rounded. “Apologies, Lidner-san, I…”

“Hey,” Amane interjects, “I almost deduced your whole thing there! You distracted me. Which means the poison has to be in your glass!”

Halle internally revises her report to Near. This is not a catfight. This is something much weirder than that.

“Yes, congratulations,” Takada says dryly. “You’ve uncovered my evil plot.”

Amane reaches for her own glass, then pauses again. “But then… why are you letting me think that?”

A smirk is growing on Takada’s face. “Why indeed?”

“Alright, Kiyomi,” Amane declares, slamming both hands onto the table. “This battle of wits begins! Today!”

Honestly. If it hadn’t been for the fact that Halle had prepared the wine herself and therefore knew perfectly well that it was nontoxic, she’d probably be hoping both glasses were poisoned by now.

On the plus side, at least she’ll get to surprise Near with the knowledge that the suspected second Kira and Kira’s spokeswoman have started flirting. This is probably good for the strategy. Somehow.

“I accept your challenge,” Takada says coolly, but it’s all too easy to see the sparkle in her eyes.

Please for the love of god let this be good for the strategy.

[ @deathnotetober day 20: poison (with apologies to the princess bride) ]

[cheeseanonioncrisps]

One of my favourite things about Deep Space Nine is imagining how Sisko's superiors must have been reacting to his shenanigans behind the scenes.

I mean just imagine it.

You're an admiral or something in Starfleet. You belong to an organisation that spans half the galaxy, has access to unimaginable (to many civilisations) levels of technology, and contains numerous different cultures.

You are well aware that the power and technological advancement of the Federation makes you inherently dangerous to less technologically advanced peoples. Like the moment any group is introduced to you, the development of their species is basically going to be changed forever. A single individual fucking around can, if careless, negatively impact an entire world.

Avoiding this kind of thing is therefore one of the core values of your civilisation. Your Prime Directive. There are huge lists of rules and regulations over when it is an isn't appropriate to intervene. People have literally died rather than break them.

And then there's this one world, whose people have only just overthrown an oppressive regime and are looking to join your Federation. You and your colleagues vote to help them rebuild, while steering clear of interfering with any of their politics, of course, and send some of your guys over to help administrate.

One of those guys then goes and DECLARES HIMSELF A GOD.

Like, we, the audience, know that Sisko was chosen by the Worm-Hole Aliens to be their Emissary. We know that he struggled with accepting the role at first and that he had visions and eventually came around to whole-heartedly believing in the Bajoran religion.

But Starfleet doesn't know that! Starfleet isn't inside Sisko's head!

From Starfleet's perspective the most logical explanation for all this is that they sent some guy to the back of beyond, the local people got him involved in their religion and then he either went crazy or saw an opportunity to gain power, and now he can impact the entire planet's political decisions on a fucking whim and there's nothing anyone can do about it.

I mean, this has to be every higher-up's worst nightmare, right? This is the sort of extreme scenario they'd come up with in school textbooks to explain to children why the Prime Directive is necessary.

If the Dominion War hadn't happened, Sisko's main legacy in the Federation would have been "the reason why we have all these extra regulations about interfering with non-Federation worlds, and why all Starfleet Captains operating in the vicinity of such worlds have mandatory psych evaluations every couple of months."

And they can't even do anything about it! They can't remove him and replace him with another Officer, because the local people are 100% on board with this 'Sisko's the Messiah' thing and won't work with anyone else. You can't back away from the situation entirely and give them a few years to repair the damage because it's super critical for the war you're currently fighting.

You can't even really control Sisko, because although he makes a show of being The Good Starfleet Captain, in practice there's always a risk that if you say something he disagrees with too strongly he'll just go off piste and do something else entirely and justify it with: "the Prophets told me to".

Which, again, the audience knows is a very real thing that is actually happening to Sisko, but from Starfleet's perspective could be anything from "Sisko is hearing voices" to "Sisko is legit just pulling things from his ass and trusting that we won't risk pissing off the Bajorans by contradicting him."

Just saying, from the perspective of the Federation, Sisko is probably as well-known a cautionary tale as he is a hero.

[chaifootsteps]

*sighs* Hello, Chai, this is Metallica Anon with a bit of a lengthy post. 🤘

It's been a while since you last heard from me. Mainly because I've been busy with life, getting sick with the flu earlier this month, and often times coming onto your Tumblr when the ask box is locked.

Last time you heard from me, I told you I was going to see Metallica live that weekend. I did... twice. I'll make the Metallica gushing brief. Both shows were fantástica and they had different setlists with no repeated songs. They even played "Leper Messiah" on the Friday show... which segways into the main subject of this rant.

Yep, I'm ranting about Viv again. More specifically, I have this issue involving her... *ahem*

Why can't I move on from her and her shows?!

Why am I still thinking about vile woman and her shit-shows? Why am I still reading fanfics and viewing or even commissioning fanart of her shows? Why am I still even dreaming about her shows?! It's like my mind is forever clouded in a thick red smog. I honestly can't fathom how I let myself become a fan of this demon drivel for four years. Granted, I did manage to break away, but the damage has been done. Right now, I'm feeling like Pearl from Steven Universe.

♪ It's over, isn't it? Why can't I move on? ♪

I mentioned this to you before when S1 ended (which I still refuse to watch), but the one thing that Viv did that really detonated the H-bomb inside me was the twist of Vaggie being a former exterminator. I endured a lot of her shit, but somehow this was the final straw for me with Viv. Why? Was it because of its plot-hole laden ridiculousness? Was it because I perceived it as Viv sucking the fandom's dick by implementing fan theories into her show? Was it because it made me foolish that I didn't see this twist coming? I think the answer is all three, though mostly the fandom dick sucking part.

What's sadder is that I've had a similar experience with My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. Hell, it was late 2019 that I officially sent MLP:FIM to the glue factory while checking into the Hazbin Hotel. I guess history really does repeat itself. 😔

I know I've thanked you a lot, Chai, but I still feel the need to thank you for all you do. Frankly, you're the only person I feel comfortable talking to about my issues with Viv, despite the fact that we're likely thousands of miles apart. I'm actually terrified of mentioning anything Hellaverse related to my family or friends. Mainly because they would most likely not understand what I'm talking about, or I might inadvertently turn them into fans. 😬

Wowie-Kazowie, that was a load off of me being hard on myself. It's probably longest ask I ever sent you. Now I shall close this rant with a Metallica reference...

Viv, I dub thee unforgiven. 🖕

Hey, I get it, especially the dreaming part! It's annoying as hell, but you can't just switch off something that meant a lot to you...not when the quality dips or when the creator turns out to be an asshole, not even when it hurts you. The love stays with you forever, like HPV.

That's awesome that you got to see Metallica twice, though! At least the universe threw you that bone to make up for it.

[ultimate-marysue]

I feel like Chani choosing to save Paul through the prophecy would make their reconciliation so much easier. I really dislike Jessica's use of the voice in general but especially at this moment.

It would have been such a great moment of tension with herself, completely devastated by the loss of her Usul. And then she remembers... the tears of the desert spring, a stupid prophecy. She isn't sure that's how it works. The desert spring is supposed to be a metaphor for the ecological change, right? But it is her name and she does feel like crying. She isn't convinced it will work because it's a silly prophecy, but she just has to try.

She springs into action she grabs the water of life and Jessica tries to stop her, probably thinking she's trying to join Paul. But Stilgar, who knows Chani's, name stops her. And Jessica sees her mix the tears with the water of life, she know another drop of it might either kill Paul or bring him back so she let's it happen, hoping for the best. We get some much needed nuance with her character, clearly worried about her son and asking Alia "what have we done?".

Chani, who doesn't believe in religious prophecies nor Bene Gesserit bullshit holds the two drops to Paul's mouth. A part of her simply wants to show everyone how stupid this is, how there's no prophecy, and how they're fanaticism has killed a great man. But then Paul wakes up.

The relief, the horror, the completely upending of her entire belief system... chef's kiss. She isn't sure if this is some Bene Gesserit thing, if Paul was pretending so he could get her to fulfill the prophecy. And then she hears Stilgar's voice "Tears of the desert spring".

Everyone around them drops to worship the Lisan Al-Gaib. Jessica is relieved, Stilgar is overjoyed and she's just confused. Paul tries to hold her, tk kiss her to thank her but she isn't ready. She feels tricked. She has spent her entire life believing one thing and now nothing makes sense.

So she keeps her distance, she tries to resist the prophecy that Paul himself called bullshit but she's confused. She isn't going to abandon her conviction that their savior must be Fremen. She remembers Paul asking in the tent if he's not Fremen enough after passing every test and she doubts.

She fights for the Fremen at the battle for Arrakeen, she does her part and she wonders if she had any choice at all. And then the thing with the princess happens, and she's distraught. Paul reassures her that he will love her as long as he breathes and it comforts her. At least until she remembers how he stopped breathing after the water of life. What's worst, he declares himself an emperor, forcing the old man to kiss his hand like a petulant child. And he threatens to destroy the spice if people don't accept him as their new ruler ...is too much.

She made a promise too, to love him as long as he remained himself. He changed and the most frightening thing is that she still loves him. She needs space, she needs the desert.

This would offer the possibility of Paul finding her and saying "You are angry at me for participating in the prophecy to save this planet but you used it to save me when you thought I was dying". He could try to convince her with that whole "when everything and everyone you love is at stake you'll take whatever chance you get" which is kinda how he locks himself in that specific future in the books.

I don't know they could have a conversation on how things would be different if he had died in Siege Tabur or after the water of life. He would explain to her (and the audience) the narrow golden path, and how the alternatives are so much worse.

I think it would be interesting if Chani comes to the conclusion that she has to end Paul's tyranny out of love, because her Usul would rather die than become a monster. But she pretends to accept Paul's argument (the audience unsure if she does buy it or not). That would set the stage for Dune Messiah much better and have a very interesting dynamic between the two (specially for that ending).

Jessica forcing her doesn't accomplish anything it only confirms for Chani that the Profe y is some Bene Gesserit bullshit (Jessica calls for her and forces her to do it). The reconciliation is going to be so much more difficult after that. Also, for a guy that wants to tell "a bene Gesserit story" the director is misusing Jessica. If they let her be more manipulative (talking to Alia about how the drop from the water of life will trigger the reaction for him to wake up) we could see how the prophecy is planted while allowing the Fremen to believe something magical happened. It would open Chani to her manipulation...but no, she had to scream.

I feel like, for all that they show us Jessica manipulating the religious people, that scene left a lot of people confused. I saw the people at the theater saying "wait so the prophecy is real" which is the last thing you want to do in a Dune adaptation.

What I described would only take two more minutes (and a lot of acting) but I think it would make the themes clearer and make Chani and Jessica a bit more interesting. I liked the movie but this is one of those moments I simply can't understand, specially from a fan of the Bene Gesserit.

[demon-of-the-ancient-world]

Ok. Ok. I honestly have no idea how Chani and Paul's relationship will be handled in the 3rd movie, and honestly? I don't care. I'm confident that however it's handled (so long as it's not some extremely OOC plot with her forgiving him and going back to him willingly, but I'm pretty confident it won't be that) it will change my brain chemistry.

But hold on. hOld on. Because as much as I love the thought of there being a lot of heat and tension and Feelings Feelings (99.9% of which are NOT positive) between the two of them, and it's likely that's the direction the film will go, I'm also somewhat intrigued by the alternative. That there's...nothing. Maybe not at first. But after twelve years, if Denis intends to keep the time jump as written, things fade. No hate, but no love either. As if they'd never known each other at all.

Because it's been twelve years. Nobody knows exactly how old the two of them are supposed to be in the films, but my personal headcanon is like 18/19. Meaning if Messiah keeps that time jump, it would put them in their early thirties. That's...a lot of time. That's a big difference in psychology, in emotional processing, in just...ways of life and ways of living. It's strange to me to assume that both of them would be exactly the same people - on their own or in regards to each other - after all that time.

And of course, that's not to say they'd forget each other entirely. Scars don't fade that easily. Everything Paul went through leaves a mark. Watching your lover succumb to the clutches of power and essentially becoming somebody entirely new, becoming your people's oppressor after swearing to fight alongside you in your rebellion as an equal (and for all you know, that was his plan all along) definitely leaves a mark. But twelve years is still a long time, longer still for people dealing with the level of shit these people deal with in day to day life. Whatever both of them could be up to for all that time leaves marks too, and adds to the pile of shit.

Especially, I think, for Chani. Because her anger and defiance against her oppressors began long before she met Paul. That is her purpose. Paul changed and grew along with her and because of her presence. He is forever touched by her and her memory, and won't, I don't think, ever be able to let go of that. And while Chani's rage and despair and pain at what he did is very real and very much not something I can see just fading away, I could also see her almost using what happened as an excuse to go back to whatever "normal" was before Paul for her. Almost as a coping mechanism. Because Paul did, in her eyes, essentially become a different being after the Water of Life. He's not the man she fell in love with. And maybe it would be easier for her to, rather than engage with that anger directly at him, just...let him fade into the background. He's not him anymore. He's just another evil to defeat.

I've just...realized I kind of have mixed feelings about the thought of her spending twelve years nursing her rage at Paul specifically. Of course it was a betrayal - probably the biggest betrayal she's ever known - and that kind of thing doesn't just go away. But she hated the empire before he was emperor. There's a depressing kind of power in going "ok, I guess it's no different than before, I'll just keep on going the same way I was before any of this happened." As if the months she spent with him were nothing, weren't even real. Just...the thought of Chani as an adult going on day to day with whatever she's doing to fight for her people's freedom, trying desperately to forget that the man who now holds that freedom in a yoke was once one she loved and trusted. And it getting slightly easier every day. Her dreams of her people's political victory mattered long before Paul came into the picture and will matter long after he left. It's not about him, it's still about the emperor. Whos is not the man she loved.

idk I *love* Chani's Feelings after part 2 and all that could come with that, I love it but part of me is also like...if they really do spend 12 years apart does she really have nothing better to do with her time (ESPECIALLY if it turns out she has a child) than plan her revenge against him specifically? Like. as the Emperor Of The Known Universe, yes, because he is at the top of the food chain of oppression she's spend her life trying to bring down. But not as Paul. Not as the man who betrayed her. Because all of that is wrapped up in personal, vulnerable feelings that I feel like to her would seem like a waste of time. She will not give water to the dead, and Paul is dead to her.

And all this would be more tragic because I'm sure, I'm sure that with Paul it's the complete opposite. He cannot forget her. He cannot have a life where he doesn't think of her. And a part of him would be still trying to protect her from his position probably, maybe even hoping in some distant part of his mind that she'll one day come back. Twelve years of grief and guilt cutting a hole in his chest versus twelve years of practicing how to forget.

And then. Again, I doubt this is the route they'll go because it's not as dramatically interesting, at least I'd love to see it in a fic (maybe I'll do it), but it would be so unusual to me to see them meet again, and their story not end in revenge or reconciliation. There's no forgiveness, there's also no surprise killing or coup or anything. Maybe Paul thinks it'll go one of those ways, but instead it's like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, for lack of a better comparison. His relief at her being alive, the indescribable regret, love that is still there, all of that met with...nothing. Because Paul, kid, it's been twelve years. She's moved on. She's fighting her fight, and you are her political enemy and that is all you are. She can't even hate you, because *you* aren't the one betrayed her. For there to have been betrayal, that would mean she had to have loved and trusted you, and she never did. She loved and trusted Usul, and you're Emperor Muad'dib. The two do no equate. She will never love you again. But she can't hate you, because she doesn't even see you as a person - let alone one she used to love.

@fuckyeahisawthat idk if you have a counterpoint or thoughts or whatever i just wanted to tag u

[fuckyeahisawthat]

There are so many places in the Villeneuve Dune adaptations where he just...takes all the narrative pieces that Frank Herbert laid out and subtly rearranges them into something that tells the story better--that creates dramatic tension where you need it, communicates the themes and message of the book more clearly, or corrects something in the text that contradicts or undermines what Herbert said he was trying to say.

The fedaykin are probably my favorite example of this. I just re-read a little part of the book and got smacked in the face with how different they are.

(under the cut for book spoilers and length)

The fedaykin in the book are Paul's personal followers, sort of his personal guard. They show up after his legend has already started growing (the word doesn't appear in the book until chapter 40) and they are people who have specifically dedicated themselves to fighting for him, and right from the moment they're introduced there is a kind of implied fanaticism to their militancy that's a bit uncomfortable to read. They're the most ardent believers in Paul's messianic status and willing to die for him. (They are also, as far as you can tell from the text, all men.)

In the book, as far as I can remember (I could be forgetting some small detail but I don't think so) there is no mention of armed resistance to colonialism on Arrakis before Paul shows up. As far as we know, he created it. ETA: Okay I actually went back and checked on this and while we hear about the Fremen being "a thorn in the side" of the Harkonnens and we know that they are good fighters, we don't see anything other than possibly one bit of industrial sabotage. The book is very clear that the organized military force we see in the second half was armed and trained by Paul. This is exacerbated by the two-year time jump in the book, which means we never see how Paul goes from being a newly deposed ex-colonial overlord running for his life to someone who has his own private militia of people ready to give their lives for him.

The movie completely flips all these dynamics on their head in ways that add up to a radical change in meaning.

The fedaykin in the movie are an already-existing guerrilla resistance movement on Arrakis that formed long before Paul showed up. Literally the first thing we learn about the Fremen, less that two minutes into the first movie, is that they are fighting back against the colonization and exploitation of their home and have been for decades.

The movie fedaykin also start out being the most skeptical of the prophecy about Paul, which is a great choice from both a political and a character standpoint. Of course they're skeptical. If you're part of a small guerrilla force repeatedly going up against a much bigger and stronger imperial army...you have to believe in your own agency. You have to believe that it is possible to win, and that this tiny little chip in the armor of a giant terrifying military machine that you are making right now will make a difference in the end. These are the people who are directly on the front lines of resisting oppression. They are doing it with their own sweat, blood and ingenuity, and they are not about to wait around for some messiah who may never come.

From a character standpoint, this is really the best possible environment you could put Paul Atreides in if you want to keep him humble. He doesn't get any automatic respect handed to him due to title or birthright or religious belief. He has to prove himself--not as any kind of savior but as a good fighter and a reliable member of a collective political project. And he does. This is an environment that really draws out his best qualities. He's a skilled fighter; he's brave (sometimes recklessly so); he's intensely loyal to and protective of people he cares about. He is not too proud to learn from others and work hard in an egalitarian environment where he gets no special treatment or extra glory. The longer he spends with the fedaykin the more his allegiance shifts from Atreides to Fremen, and the more skeptical he himself becomes about the prophecy. This sets up the conflict with Jessica, which comes to a head before she leaves for the south. And his political sincerity--that he genuinely comes to believe that these people deserve liberation from all colonial forces and his only role should be to help where he can--is what makes the tragedy work. Because in the end we know he will betray all these values and become the exact thing he said he didn't want to be.

There's another layer of meaning to all this that I don't know if the filmmakers were even aware of. ETA: rescinding my doubt cause based on some of Villeneuve's other projects I'm pretty sure he could work it out. Given the time period (1960s) and Herbert's propensity for using Arabic or Arabic-inspired words for aspects of Fremen culture, it seems very likely that the made-up word fedaykin was taken from fedayeen, a real Arabic word that was frequently used untranslated in American news media at the time, usually to refer to Palestinian armed resistance groups.

Fedayeen is usually translated into English as fighter, guerrilla, militant or something similar. The translation of fedaykin that Herbert provides in Dune is "death commando"...which is a whole bucket of yikes in my opinion, but it's not entirely absurd if we're assuming that this fake word and the real word fedayeen function in the same way. A more literal translation of fedayeen is "self-sacrificer," as in willing, intentional self-sacrifice for a political cause, up to and including sacrificing your life.

If you apply this logic to Dune, it means that Villeneuve has actually shifted the meaning of this word in-universe, from fighters who are willing to sacrifice themselves for Paul to fighters who are willing to sacrifice themselves for their people. And the fedaykin are no longer a group created for Paul but a group that Paul counts himself as part of, one member among equals. Which is just WILDLY different from what's in the book. And so much better in my opinion.

[the-tulpar]

My thoughts on Jimmy from Mouthwashing (as someone with mental illness and who has been SA’ed)

TW for talk of SA, mental illness, su*c*de, and bullying

I need to start this by saying that if at any point it sounds like I’m trying to justify him then it came across completely wrong. This is in no way me trying to defend him or be an apologist, what Jimmy does is terrible and I don’t want anyone to assume I am trying to justify it, this is just my thoughts and feelings as someone who related way too much to parts of the story. 

This is very long, so if you read even a little bit make it the part about the fandom. I always enjoy reading peoples thoughts about things they have experience with, so I think it’s important for people to hear from someone with similar mental issues as Jimmy, who has also experienced Anya’s situation. And this isn’t me saying I’m the fucking messiah of mental illness in video games it’s just a perspective to consider. There is a TLDR at the end.

There will be bullet points, they will consist of; Jimmy’s mental illness(from my perspective), his relationship with each of the characters, his relationship with the Pony Express, and my thoughts on the fandom

Jimmy’s mental illness(from my perspective)

The portrayal of mental illness in Mouthwashing is done very delicately, and I truly admire the game developers for that. From the very beginning of the game, from the first time one of the “weirder” scenes happened, I assumed Jimmy had schizophrenia. It was exciting to me, as someone with schizophrenia, that it was included and done so in a way that can demonstrate just how hindering it can be to tasks. However, it isn’t completely accurate, but it is different for everyone, and I won’t hold that against them. I do like how it’s shown. Now I know it isn’t ever stated that he’s schizophrenic, this is just my interpretation. 

Throughout the game I got the impression that he also has borderline. And I’ll be the first to admit maybe I’m projecting what I have onto him because I hope that it’s true, but it was such a strong feeling. A big part of my BPD is reality and identity issues, which can present itself in a few different ways depending on the person. For Jimmy it feels like his idea that he’s the hero, that he is truly fixing everything, that stems from his reality issues. I also want to touch on stuff with Anya’s death but I’ll do that later on. 

Now this part; this is probably mostly just fan theory. I have very little evidence for this specifically other than personal experience, but I think there was some repressed one sided feelings for Curly. Now, I am not saying Jimmy was so in love he ended up hurting Curly. I’m saying that he is obsessive, and probably homophobic, and I wouldn’t be surprised if his internalized homophobia paired with his violent tendencies translated into hatred for Curly. And I’m sure his already heightened jealousy of Curly didn’t help. 

He didn’t view Curly as perfect, but he knew everyone else did, therefore Curly was the standard he should be reaching for, AKA “perfect”. I know him having internalized homophobia is like somewhat common among fan theories, but I still think it’s a fan theory. My thoughts about his schizophrenia and BPD just can back up with in game evidence and personal experience, him being gay(not necessarily) is only based on my experience as a gay man. 

I don’t want or need people to tell me to “get help” for this next part. I’ll come into your blog and tell you to “get help”. It’s just rude and unwanted. Jimmy’s anger issues hit home for me. Splitting is a pain, but it’s helped me to recognize it. When I get suddenly so angry out of nowhere telling myself I’m splitting somehow grounds me. It doesn’t always work, I still blow up and I still get unreasonably mad. I don’t like that about myself. When I saw this with Jimmy I felt seen, in both good and bad ways.

I felt seen because I saw someone I can relate to. I don’t want to relate to him and the thought that I’m like that disgusts me. I saw him acting the way he does and all I could think is “am I like that?”. I think being able to recognize that is definitely a plus, I don’t want to be like him. It is slightly comforting, seeing an MC that I can relate to, common minds and such. But it still disgusted me. 

Jimmy’s relationship with the crew

-Curly

I already kind of touched on this so I’ll keep it brief, more of a summary. I think Jimmy has internalized homophobia especially towards Curly. That paired with his jealousy of Curly being what drives him to be well himself? I don’t think he’s “in love” with Curly. I think he’s unhealthily obsessed with him. I’m begging you to read the part about the fandom because it will add to this part by the way. 

-Anya

I don’t want to talk about this. I’ll be straightforward, I don’t. But I will, because I don’t think pretending something doesn’t exist fixes the problem. His treatment of Anya disgusts me, it’s the one part of his character I can’t move past. I’m a huge horror fan, killing and such has never stopped me from liking a character. Anya’s assault truly felt like a bullet through the heart. At that point I had already attached my own thoughts and feelings to Jimmy and it came crashing down when I realized what he had done. 

About Anya’s death; that hit close. As someone who’s attempted, and attempted due to SA, that hit close. When we see the visual of Jimmy quite literally blocking out Anya, I didn’t take that the way many others did. It seems to be the common opinion that he didn’t view Anya as something to feel guilty for, and I agree. I don’t think he did, he didn’t have a guilty scene like with the others. 

I think there is more to it though. Jimmy’s mind quite literally blocked her body from his view. He could not see her, he could not react to her death, he didn’t get the chance, because his mind would not let him. It was very familiar, it’s happened to me as a trauma response, I quite literally cannot take in and comprehend what has happened. That is how in interpreted that scene. At this point so much has happened in a short span of time, his brain said no more and would not let him comprehend what he pushed her to do. 

(And I am once again begging, please do not take this as me trying to make you feel sorry for him.)

I will admit that is probably me projecting, I’ll admit that. I don’t think I know every single thing about the game, I didn’t make the game, I didn’t write these characters, this is just my personal thoughts on the story.

-Daisuke

Daisuke was tricky for me to figure out. I do think it comes down to someone that was easier for Jimmy to control. Controlling is unfortunately a big part of BPD at least for me. I feel the need to be in control, when I lose that I get mad. I think in some weird way he found comfort in being able to control Daisuke. 

I feel bad for Daisuke, I really liked him. And I think Jimmy did too. As much Jimmy can like anyone “normally”, he was probably the one Jimmy hated the least. It’s tricky to interpret the tone of interactions in certain cases, at least for me. But with Daisuke I didn’t get the same feeling of tone as I did when Jimmy spoke to Anya or Swansea.

I don’t think Jimmy liked Daisuke, I don’t think he liked anyone. He liked the control he had, and he liked that Daisuke didn’t defy him like the others. I don’t think he cared for Daisuke, but in some weird twisted way he saw him as important. 

-Swansea

Swansea is everything Jimmy hates. Someone he can’t control, and someone that sees through him. Jimmy always tries to put on this hero mask, he quite literally deems himself captain the second he is able to. What he hates about Swansea is that Swansea can see through him. 

Swansea directly tells him that he is delusional which, from someone who has reality issues, can be so super harmful. Daisuke’s death scene always hit me so hard, not only for the brutality of the death, but because of the dialogue exchange between Swansea and Jimmy. 

Jimmy sounds so desperate, “I could have fixed it why don’t any of you give me time to think”, and boy did that sound like my own words being thrown back at me. Swansea proceeds to say he’s still delusional and this all happened because of his delusions, and that is the problem.

No, it’s not Swansea’s fault, Jimmy is the only one to blame for Swansea’s death. I am just using this as an example to talk about approaching someone with mental issues like Jimmy. 

Jimmy and the Pony Express

This company got on my nerves so bad. This won’t just be about Jimmy but he’s the main subject. Pony Express’ endless string of cutting corners drove me mad. I have a million questions for this company, starting with who ran background checks? 

Jimmy has a history of being violent, committing crimes that we assume Curly knows about. If it wasn’t for Curly, Jimmy wouldn’t even have this job. That only fuels his hatred of Curly. 

Anya never finished nursing school, and I’m not faulting HER for any events that took place on the ship. The blame falls on the company, who chose to hire her despite her not having any experience. They’re also to be partially blamed for what happens to her. It will always be Jimmy’s fault, he was the one that did it, but we can’t ignore the ones that allowed him to do it either. Pony Express AND Curly also need to Take Responsibility. 

There were a number of things Curly could have done to prevent that from happening, as well as actually fixing it as much as he could after it happened. The fandom’s inability to hold curly accountable is astonishing.

My thoughts on the fandom

As someone who has both the mental problems of Jimmy and the experience of Anya, I have many thoughts and feelings about this fandom. The way people respond to Anya’s SA is so telling of who they are as a person.

Now I did find the “sorry you had to draw ____” jokes funny, I really did. The first 100 times I saw it. However, it gets to a point where it becomes disrespectful to everyone. Not to Jimmy, I understand the thought, we won’t use his name because we don’t respect him enough. I’d like to counter that.

Leaving these comments and only these comments under people’s work feels so disrespectful to me. And of course everyone’s different and I know there’s plenty of artists that would love these comments. But for me personally, ignoring the time and effort someone put into art just to make a joke about the character feels weird. Not to mention the amount of people that have been harassed for even daring to draw Jimmy. 

Pretending he doesn’t exist doesn’t fix the problem. That is quite literally the entire point of the game. The whole dead pixel scene everyone praises, the point of that scene is that Curly is ignoring the problem. By pretending Jimmy doesn’t exist, you are erasing the problem and pretending it doesn’t exist. Pretending Jimmy doesn’t exist doesn’t undo what happened to Anya, and as a survivor of SA, if someone chose to pretend my abuser didn’t exist, that would hurt so badly. That is harmful, and people shouldn’t be erasing one of the core themes of the game.

It is different from situation to situation. I know there’s people who genuinely do want to pretend he doesn’t exist for trauma reasons and that is so valid. My statements here are only about the people that make those jokes for the sake of being funny and nothing else. 

My other complaint, we should not be blaming mental illness for the events of the game. I’ve seen people saying “oh Jimmy probably didn’t have medication and he went crazy” “oh he’s schizophrenic of course he’d do this”. Please, please, do not talk like this. I’m schizophrenic, I have BPD, I have issues, I’m not going to go around killing people. Implying mental illness is the direct cause of his actions is so harmful. Yes, they don’t exactly help, I’m sure many of his actions wouldn’t have happened or have been as severe, but saying he did it just because he is schizophrenic is so so harmful and I am begging you to talk to real people with schizophrenia do research and listen to peoples stories.

Mental “issues” such as schizophrenia, BPD, DID, ect are all so villainized and media often turns us into monsters to tell their narrative. Look at Split, a prime example of DID being used to portray a villain. I’m not shaming the creators because 1. I know most of my speculation of him being schizophrenic is just that, speculation, and 2. I genuinely love this game and the story telling. The way they dive into Jimmy’s thoughts and feelings about things is so perfect, he is such a beautifully written character and it hurts that he is used as a weapon against people like me. We aren’t all murderers, we aren’t all r@pists, and I don’t want people to assume that about us.

Thank you so much for reading this all the way if you have, and if you haven’t no worries I know it’s super long. I’ll say it again, these are all just opinions from someone who saw themself in Jimmy(minus the obvious). If you have any comments or questions drop them in the ask box, I won’t be able to reply in comments so ask box is the best way to communicate. And of course be kind to each other, don’t harass someone for their opinion, if you don’t like, you don’t have to look at it.

TL;DR: I have many opinions about Jimmy mostly pertaining to how he’s portrayed and how the fandom perceives him. It’s important to keep in mind that while it’s fictional, there is always truth to fiction and you should keep an open mind when exploring complex characters like Jimmy.

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Jimmy(mod) personal tag: co pilot zare

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[lvxybby]

Little Witch part 1:pinky power

Kai Anderson X Witch reader!

(AN: this idea has been in my mind since I've started writing. I really hope you like it!)

WARNING: THIS CONTAINS CUSSING AND MENTIONS OF SEX (no actual sex until different parts) Lmk if I missed anything😛❤

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The blue haired man sat across from you, his pinky wrapped around yours.

He began asking you questions.

"What scares you the most?" He asked.

"The thought of losing you." You answered honestly to your boyfriend.

"Hm." He hummed.

"Do you love me?" He asked.

"Of course." You replied. His brown eyes bore into yours. His plain expression sending chills down your spine

"Do you believe in me?" He asked.

"Yes. I do. I'll support you no matter what" you answered confidently.

He finally asked the last question.

"Will you be the mother of our Messiah?"

You froze.

You and Kai have had sex multiple times but, a Messiah?

"I... I don't think I'm ready for that yet.." You answered, now breaking eye contact.

"Hm..." He let go of your pinky and stood up.

He made his way in front of you and crouched down.

"Why not"

"I... Don't know I wanna wait a bit longer" you said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

His hands moved to your thighs.

"C'mon.. With your powers and my smartness... We can do this baby.." He said as his hands moved up and down.

"Kai, please I'm not ready. I still don't know how to fully control anything. And trying to teach a kid things I don't know... It's hard" you said cupping his cheek.

"Can we please just wait? " you asked.

He sighed.

"... 'Kay" he mumbled.

"Kai... Please don't be like that. I want this as much as you do but-"

"You clearly don't." He said getting up

"Kai... Please stop." You said sternly.

"Your so fucking selfish." He said, making his way up the stairs.

"Kai!" You shouted.

You stood up and were about to make your way up the stairs when you realized it was probably best to leave him be.

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(Sorry it's short! There will be more parts!)

[eternallyblight]

Highlights from the Talk is Jericho Podcast w/Brendon Small and Gene Hoglan

Listen to the podcast here

Hatredcopter was the first song that Gene and Brendon ever worked together, recorded, and completed in an entire day.

How Brendon came up with Pickles and Nathan - What is the least metal name I can think of?

Toki Wartooth - Tommy or Brendon's name frome Viking name generator. Toki is like a child. Infantilized. (yes Brendon literally said this.) rhythm guitarist, but he's the darkest character.

Skwisgaar's had so much sex he doesn't like sexual things and looks for non-sexual things to get horny from.

Nathan is the guy who can never find the right girl. He's always going for the wrong thing.

Murderface is probably an incel.

Pickles has been around the block. This is his second band. He has a whole history of being in bands.

Part of producing the show is to mind the budget. They charge you by the frame. It would take 4-5 months and done domestically for 15 minute shows. Sometimes they turn it in on Friday, a couple days before the episode airs.

Gene will always be part of this no matter what. Gene is under a lot of pressure. Gene is literally a superhuman. He has to play in time with the animation and looks for the count from his peripheral vision. He takes a month beforehand to bear down on the live show. He will rehearse to the click track.

Gene loves working with Brendon and Ulrich (the producer). He's never seen Brendon stress. He's really reliable.

All the members live in Brendon's head and annoy him in different ways. But he's been close to Nathan a lot this year.

He doesn't know what is his favorite song to play. But he thinks its really fun to play Thunderhorse.

Gene's favorite member is Pickles because of his quote, "Couldn't do it, too damn drunk." and definitely not just because he's the drummer.

Gene's favorite song to play: The Gears, Dethsupport because they're challenging.

Gene and Brendon talk about the fact that Laser Cannon Deth Sentence was so hard to record they decided to never play it live but now Gene says he wants to try.

Questions and answers about the movie under the cut in case you don't want spoilers.

Brendon wanted to up the ante when making Army of the Doomstar. This is the conclusion of the Metalocalypse story, the one that began in the first episode.

The movie is mainly about the ego. It's a dipshit messiah story. Comedy that turns into an action movie. Go from the corporate world of Dethklok to the religious world of music.

This is the end of that story. It's about the search of the song of salvation.

On why Brendon decided to end Metalocalypse:

It's really important to end a story and not let it linger forever. Finishing a project is really important. A project that goes on forever diminishes the story.

Is there a possibility that Dethklok will do something beyond this? There is. I don't know. I think that Dethklok will live forever. This is the end of the Metalocalypse story.

[anarcheamor]

So... About Erzebet...

I'm pretty sure most people agree that there is something a tad underwhelming about Erzebet and a few have waxed poetic about why but I want to add a couple of things.

For one, to get the distaste out of my mouth, there's something about a European woman being the incarnation of an Egyptian goddess and being serviced by a dark-skinned priestess that rubs me weird. It's... Fine, given that she herself isn't a goddess proper, just knows powerful magic and the association with a goddess seems to be closer to being a matter of delusion of grandeur rather than an actual truth about her. It really just comes down to the fact that none of the big powerful vampires in the first show needed any association with deities to be at all threatening. Big Daddy Drax and The Spice Girls were just outright badasses on their own and we're met with immediate displays of their power and not even in combat. Dracula had a huge fucking castle built with machines and magic that he ran on his own with no help at all and Carmilla pops into the scene literally silencing an entire room with her mere presence. Miss SekhySekhySniperwolf needed a whole two episodes for us to finally see how powerful she is and this is after we've all grown tired of different characters sucking her whole ThunderCats-looking puss-puss (that probably meows) while one of them has us praying on her downfall cuz there's no way the writers thought having an indigenous person acting against her was gonna have us still somehow intimidated by her when he was told to bow and he still only did it half-assed at best.

But, for me, and this is the second thing that bothers me, there's this thing about messianic characters being super powerful entities that ruins the point of the whole thing. There's a reason why it fails when it pops in superhero media and that's because the whole point of a (Christian, have to specify because Jewish messianicism doesn't follow the same standards and sure as hell isn't being represented in mainstream media) Messiah is that they are weak and powerless. Literally, Jesus. Just look at Jesus. Home slice wasn't out here boxing with legionnaires and straight up said if he did get slapped, he would turn the other cheek. Plus there's the whole revolutionary aspect that's conveniently forgotten about. Jesus wasn't a Messiah because his morals were just that great and he had god-given superpowers, he was given that title because he was challenging the powers that be at the time. The Vampires in Castlevania are the fucking elite! They don't need a damn messiah, they're just throwing a tantrum because they can't eat din-din at the time they want to. So whole thing just feels shallow when a vampire messiah would be a great source of atory-telling. Imagine if Erzebet wasn't some grandiose vampire queen but a humble lady who is somehow working a now vampire underclass back into the fold of the world because they've been hunted down to such dwindling numbers that humans have went beyond the realms of resisting being food but now have just settled back into their own oppressive ways. Sure that would get rid of the ever-so-satisfying trope of "vampires = upper society" but I would rather trade that for a more compelling villainness who isn't some less- compelling redo of Dracula or The Sisters.