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artyandink · 9 months ago

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we could be more | dean winchester | 5

Summary: Ivonne Rainer was practically a trained killing machine. Stripped to the bone then built back up by her father in order to become one of the best, like he was. She was forced into hunting when she was nineteen, having developed powers that couldn’t be explained. That is, until she was paid a visit by Azazel’s lackey. Her powers were gone, she needed help, and that’s when she found her father’s journal. Pointing to Sam and Dean Winchester.

SERIES MASTERLIST

A/N - My first OG episode, so enjoy!

DEAD MEN CAN’T SCREAM

ᴺᴼᵂ ᴾᴸᴬᵞᴵᴺᴳ : CAN’T CATCH ME NOW - OLIVIA RODRIGO

“XAVIER NICHOLAS JACKSON!” I yelled. Xavier shrieked, jumping six feet into the air.

“Here we go.” Sam muttered.

“She used his middle name.” Dean smirked.

I picked up a pointer stick, slapping it on the sign. “SHOES OFF!”

“Damn, fine!” Xavier hurriedly took off his shoes. I walked up to him, then smiled sweetly.

“Thanks, love.” I gave him a kiss, leaving him dumbfounded.

”Welcome to our world, soldier.” Dean chuckled.

”Tough world.” Sam snorted.

“So, Sammy, got any new cases?”

“There’s one, and I think Ivy will be interested.” He placed the paper down. “String of murders here, all done by different people with no connection. However, once the murderers were caught, they turned out to be sleeping.”

“Manner of death?” I asked, rushing over and taking the paper.

“A knife.” Sam frowned. “In the jugular.”

“Map it out.” I ordered, gritting my teeth. It was like a switch flipped in my brain. “I don’t care how we do it, we’re finding this dreamwalker.” Sam mapped out the killings, and I took a quick look.

“Looks like nothing to me.” Dean shrugged.

“This is Morse code.” I got out a sheet of paper, writing it out. “You… can… run… Ivy. It’s coming back. For me.”

“T-To finish you off?” Sam stammered, leaning forward.

“Seems like it.” I exhaled. “It’s taunting me. Telling me to run. I’m guessing that the next killings will spell out ‘but you can’t hide’.”

“So we find out where. Find out how to kill this thing.” Dean resolved, placing his hand on the map.

“How many sleeping people will we rifle through before we find this thing?” Sam scoffed. “We can’t barge into every home on a street and find out who’s sleeping, we’re going to have to try and track a person down, but even that’s impossible.”

“That also means we can’t sleep.” I sighed.

“What?” Xavier folded his arms.

“That dreamwalker is coming for me. It could possess any one of us and the only thing it needs is for us to take a nap. After that, knives galore.”

“Why knives?”

“A murderer’s principle of extravagance. Or, a more plausible one, the ability to get the holder caught cause the dreamwalker isn’t gonna put on gloves before going psycho.”

“And the, uh, neck bit?” Dean asked, pointing to his jugular.

“There’s an ancient saying in dreamwalker lore everywhere.” I clicked my tongue. “‘Dead men can’t scream.’. The whole point to stab someone’s neck is to silence them. Their screams, their words, thoughts, everything. Cause if you take out part of the airway, you take them out.”

“How are we gonna find out where it strikes next? Cause so far, the only thing we have is what it is and who it’s after.”

“I don’t think so.” I drew an arrow from the first killing to the last. “Point A to B. We’re here,” I circled a place on the map, “and all the killings are making its way to us. It’s like it’s been tracking me.”

“This is a change.” Sam chuckled. “We’re the ones being hunted this time.”

“It’s not gonna be pretty, Sam.” I sighed. “Wherever we’re going, a trail of dead bodies are gonna follow.”

”That’s not particularly ideal.”

”Didn’t seem like it.” I loaded my gun, exhaling. “Well, we know what has to happen. You guys need to get far away from here, and I’ll deal with the ‘walker.”

“No. No way.” Dean refused almost immediately.

“We’re not leaving you.” Xavier agreed.

“It’s not like I’m giving you a choice.” I retorted. “Get in your cars. Go.”

“You almost got skinned last time you came into contact with that thing.” Sam frowned. “How do you expect to survive this time?”

“I have books, lore on how to deal with something like this. If someone summoned it, I send it back to hell. If not, a destroying ritual will do the trick.”

Dean scoffed. “You need backup-“

“I need space, Dean.” I started sharpening my knives harshly. “You stay close and you might end up with a knife in you.”

“And if we turn our backs, you could be on the receiving end.” Xavier argued.

“I know, but if I die, it stops the cycle.”

”You don’t know that.” Sam frowned.

“Fine.” I gave up, folding the map. “We can all set off at sunrise. Just draw a protective rune with holy water on you before you sleep.”

However, I had other plans. I waited until the boys were asleep before gathering Sam’s research, stuffing it into my satchel before I grabbed my copy of the house keys, unlocking the door and leaving. I’d decided that the first place to go was the house where it all started, so I could figure out where it went. I ended up in Madison, New Jersey.

“Can I help you, miss?” A local asked. He was old, and I recognised him.

“Arthur Paisley?” I grinned.

“Who’s askin’?” He retorted gruffly.

“It’s Ivonne. Rainer?”

”Ivy, dear girl!” He broke out into a toothy smile. “Welcome back. Let me take you for a drink.” We ambled towards the bar, talking. “So, where have you been all these years?”

”On a road trip. I found some family friends and went with ‘em.”

“The Winchesters, right?” He nodded. “Such a shame what happened to ya family. Little Carter…”

I breathed out shakily, managing a smile. “Yeah. He didn’t deserve that.”

“You did what you had to, girlie.”

“I could’ve done something else.” We entered the bar, which was eerily empty.

“But you did the first thing that came to your mind.” He vouched. “Lucky that gun was still on your father’s bedside table.”

I stopped, turning around slowly as my hand slowly went to my gun. “Hold on. How did you know that it was a gun? Carter’s manner of death was kept private by the police. And nobody knew that I was with Sam and Dean.”

“You’re famous around town, here, girl-“

“Cut it.” I snapped, taking my gun out. “And let Mr Paisley go.”

“Ok.” He smirked. “But I’ll find you again. I need to finish my job off with you.”

“Good luck.” I scoffed, flicking down the safety pin. Then the darkness disappeared from Paisley’s eyes, and I caught him before he fell, setting him down on a comfy chair before running off. The moment I was sure I wasn’t being followed, I got into my car, dialling Ellen and driving off.

‘Hey, sweetie. Are Sam and Dean with you?’ Ellen greeted.

“Hey, El. And, uh, no. Just wanted to run a few names by you. There’s more, but I’ll give you a few.”

’Shoot.”

”Edward Sarkis, Pete Barnes, Vincent Wylie, Harry Terman, Lloyd Cole, Mark James…?”

‘I know the names. All seasoned hunters, with a wife and kids. None would stop comparing baby photos.’

”They’re dead, Ellen. I gulped. “Killed like Dad. Then their family was found with a knife in their throat the day after. The one who was blamed was the oldest kid of the family, and they’re all now in a mental asylum.”

‘You don’t think that it’s the same thing that killed your parents, do you?’

”I know it is. The killings spell out ‘you can run, Ivy’ in Morse. I need Ash to help and find a way to kill it.”

’I’ll get him on it. What am I supposed to tell the boys?’

”Nothing.” I frowned. “If they come knocking or calling, you can’t tell them where I am.”

’Ivy, you know I can’t do that.’

”Ellen.” I begged. “Just do this for me, please.”

Pause.

’Fine. But you better live.’

“I’ll try.” I shifted gears. “Can you find out a hunter who lives close to the last murder site?”

“Yeah. His name’s Xavier Jackson.” My heart dropped out of my chest as I turned the car around, flooring it.

“XAVIER!” I screamed, bursting into my house, but the boys were gone. “Oh my god-“ I got a phone call, and I picked up seeing Xavier’s calling ID. “Zay, where are you?”

‘A warehouse south from your house.’ I heard on the other end of the line. ‘I told you that you could run, Ivy, but I’d find you. Xavier seems like such a good guy. Why waste this opportunity to save your boyfriend?’

“Let him-“

‘I know why.’ He chuckled. ‘Because I’ve got your precious boys here with me.’

‘Don’t come here, Ivy!’ Dean ordered. ‘I swear, if you do-‘

“Dean-“

‘Ivy, please.” Sam begged. ‘Whatever you do, don’t come-’

‘See, Ivy, I don’t think you can listen to them.’ Xavier took back the phone. ‘Because you are going to come here. You’re going to come alone, and you’re gonna give yourself up. And I don’t think you can raise your gun again because to kill me you have to shoot your boyfriend. Just like you did Carter.’

“I’m gonna kill you.” I growled. “I swear to god, I will do it.”

‘I’d like to see you try. You’ll find me, but get here by sundown. If not for me, do it for Carter.’

“Carter.” I whispered, getting back in my car. I fought off tears, putting the pedal to the metal as I sped off, but carefully not exceeding the speeding limit. I hit the wheel, my teeth gritted. “DAMN IT!” I knew which warehouse Xavier was talking about. There was an abandoned one south of my house here. Nobody cared about it. Nobody thought there was anyone in there, but right now, there were three captive men and one monster. I pulled up at the warehouse, taking a gun out of a compartment under my seat, loading it and getting out, kicking down the door to the warehouse and holding my gun up.

“Don’t move.” Xavier had a knife held aloft, holding Sam’s head back by his hair. Dean was bound, his head hanging down with his eyes half open. “Put the gun down, Rainer. Come on, do a favour for your boyfriend.”

“Zay, I know you’re in there-“

“Put the gun down.” He pulled Sam’s head back further, so I put my gun down, holding my hands out.

“You got what you wanted, now let him go.”

“I don’t think so.”

“Fine, then take me.”

“Ivy, no…“ Sam muttered, his eyes barely open.

“What have you done to them?” I gasped, my fist clenching.

“Relax, it’s just a sedative.” Xavier smirked. “It’s not hurt them, just kept them incapacitated.”

“You’re sick.”

“None of this would have happened if you had just given yourself up. The cycle would stop. I’d leave and never bother anyone again. I was always after you, Ivy, little Carter didn’t need to die.”

“Wh-What do you mean?”

“Your anger was powerful to latch on to, but that night you just wouldn’t sleep. But Carter was asleep in the room opposite. I felt his pain, his animosity towards his older sister and, well, I just had to take the opportunity. But, as you can see, my revenge isn’t complete.”

I was breathing heavily, my body feeling like it was on fire as red hot rage boiled up in me faster than a bullet could travel from point A to B. “I’M GONNA KILL YOU!” We rushed at each other, and I knocked the knife out of Xavier’s hand, ending up a metre from Sam. I elbowed Xavier in the face, punching him so hard that he fell on the floor. I climbed on top of him, punching him over and over, watching blood run down his cheek as heavy breaths escaped my mouth. I pulled out my gun, holding it to his head. I had prepared a replica, which was the one I’d surrendered before.

“Is this what this was about the whole time?!” I shouted, my hand shaking while my finger tightened on the trigger. “You wanted me to take the blame? Why didn’t you do it? My brother was fifteen, fifteen, but you marked him for death.”

“It’s no one’s fault but yours, Ivonne.” He smirked. “Had you taken care of your family, he’d still be here. Now your two friends are next.” I was pushed off, and Xavier scurried to the knife, picking it up and holding it to Sam’s throat. “Dead men can’t scream-“

BANG.

A cloud of black smoke escaped Xavier just as the bullets pierced his body, his eyes turning from dark blue to their usual light blue. He swayed, looking down at the two holes in his chest before he collapsed. Sam regained his strength and managed to cut himself and Dean, who was still half-asleep, loose while I rushed to Xavier’s side, holding his face in my hands. What had I done? What had I…

“Zay, please, no.” I sobbed. “We’ll get you an ambulance, anything, just don’t leave me.” I kissed his forehead, smoothing his hair back. “I’m so sorry.” It felt like my heart was breaking all over again, like I was out of control again. I hated it, but I couldn’t escape it. But the dreamwalker escaped… and I wasn’t quick enough.

“It’s ok.” He smiled weakly, reaching up to tuck my hair behind my ear. “It wasn’t your fault.”

“It was.” I sobbed, shaking my head. “You could have broken free-“

”It was too strong.” He whispered. “I love you so much, Ivy. But I wish we had more time.”

“Don’t say that, don’t say…” He gently brought me down to kiss him, but halfway through, his hold on me loosened and I felt his arm fall onto the floor, going cold. I sat back up, the bitter truth hitting me.

Xavier was dead, and it was my fault.

I screamed, the sound falling deaf on my ears as Sam wrapped his arms around my midsection, trying to pull me away.

“Ivy!” Sam yelled, but it sounded muffled. Like I’d shut everything out. “Ivy, we can’t help him! We need to go!” I went limp against him, crying my eyes out as the image of the dead body flickered between Carter’s and Xavier’s, lifeless and cold, with the same expression of terror. Please, not again. Not again.

“Yeah, you can’t help him.” Dean smirked, walking casually towards the body. “Another body, Ivy, what a shame. People just seem to be… dropping like flies around you.” The dreamwalker had possessed him, and both Sam and I took out our guns. My hands shook as I pointed my barrel at his forehead; please don’t make me shoot Dean. Not him. “Relax, this is only gonna be for a bit. You’ve only gotten away this time, Rainer. I’m going to complete my revenge someday.”

“What revenge?”

“I used to be a vampire.” Dean snarled. “But then my heart was carved out by none other than a gang of hunters, one of them happening to be Michael Rainer. I couldn’t resist it. I went after his family, and I found you, the strongest of the lot that was left. He trained you as well, so why can’t I put that to good use? However, you just couldn’t let me possess you. So Carter was a perfectly acceptable second choice.”

“Get out of my brother.” Sam snarled.

“As you wish.” The darkness left Dean’s eyes, and he immediately gasped, recovered and hugged me tightly, Sam joining in. I shook violently, tears still silently streaming down my face as my eyes landed on Xavier’s body in the middle of the empty space.

”Xavier had gone insane.” I lied, later on, shaking as I sat down in the interrogation room in a police precinct. “I went to visit my old family house in New Jersey when I got the call that Xavier had kidnapped my friends and he needed me to come and save them. We fought, and he had a gun on him, which I stole. I shot when he was about to murder Sam, and then I untied them.”

“Story matches up.” The policeman nodded. “And injuries suggest the same. I don’t think we can press charges. You shot in self defence, and you stopped a kidnapping. Why you didn’t call us, I don’t know, but you did a good job.”

“Can I leave, officer?’ I asked.

“Yeah, I don’t see a reason to keep you.” I left the office, meeting Sam and Dean outside. Dean took me into a hug, kissing my hair.

“We can take a break from hunting, if it makes you feel better.” Sam whispered, hugging me once Dean released me.

“No.” I shook my head. “I need a distraction.”

I decided to go on a drive alone, ignoring the fact that Xavier had just died. It was how I dealt with Carter and my family, so it didn’t seem much different. Just numb, like I’d forgone emotions entirely. So, yeah, repetitive.

Apart from how people seemed to die around me.

I got a phone call, seeing that Sam was the caller ID. I picked it up. “Hey, Sammy. What’s up?”

’Look to your right.’ I looked to my right, which had a long abandoned runway on it. There, at the top, was a figure that looked like Dean, tied to a chair yet again. ‘I’ve got him. And I’m gonna ram a car into him, unless you come over here.’

“Are you ever going to leave me alone?”

‘No, I don’t think I will.’ Just as I was about to floor it, a bullet grazed my head, lodging into my seat. I immediately floored it, wincing at the blood running down my head as I turned the car sharply.

“Did you send that bullet?”

‘No, I’m in a car.’

“This is the worst way to die.” Dean groaned, struggling against his bonds. "Beanie, if you save me, I will personally get you your favourite coffee every day.”

“Any last words?!” Sam yelled from the car, and Dean thought.

“You’re a twat!” He yelled back. “That’s right, I used British insults!”

The car started, headlights on as it revved, driving up towards where Dean was. He looked away, a feeble attempt to brace for impact. Sam determinedly pressed the pedal harder, ready to ram right into Dean-

I drove my car straight into the side of the one Sam was in, glass cracking and flying across my face as dust dirtied my face, the impact knocking the wind out of me and my head against the wheel. The world spun around me as I gasped to get some air, but my head felt heavy. I rested my head on my arms, passing out almost immediately.

Sam stumbled out of the car, the darkness gone from his eyes. He stared at Dean, and then himself, realising that he was barely injured.

“What happened?” Sam panted, checking himself.

“You almost killed me!” Dean yelled. “Get me my pocketknife from my jeans and then go get Beanie out of the car. She almost killed herself trying to stop you.” Sam gave him his pocketknife then sprinted over to the Corvette, yanking open the door and picking me up bridal style, turning to Dean.

“She’s not awake!” He called, and Dean ran over, grabbing a water bottle from my car and taking some water in his hand, flicking it over my face.

“C’mon, Ivy.” Dean whispered, checking for my heartbeat and breathing. “She’s alive, so that’s good.”

“We need to get her to the hospital.”

”She’s not got any major injuries.” The doctor explained to Sam and Dean, who were outside the ward. “Just a few cuts and grazes, and her hand took a bit of a sprain. We’ve cleaned and bandages those, and she’s awake now and almost out of shock. You two can see her.”

They speed-walked into my ward just as I was sitting up, my hand kept aloft and bandaged. As soon as I saw the boys, I grinned as they sat down and started showering my head with kisses.

“Thank god you’re ok.” Sam whispered, burying his face into my shoulder. Dean cupped my cheek, rubbing circles with his thumb.

“I…” Dean paused, “I am never letting you out of my sight again. You almost died. Again.”

“I told you, I’m only dying by a knife to the jugular.” I joked, sipping some water. “How long have I been out?”

“A day.” Sam smiled.

“So, ready for another hunt?”

“How does she not remember but we do?”

“I don’t know, Sammy.” Dean smirked.

“Am I missing something here?” I asked.

They both pulled out a cake, grinning. “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!”

But I'm in the trees, I'm in the breeze My footsteps on the ground You'll see my face in every place But you can't catch me now Through wading grass, the months will pass You'll feel it all around I'm here, I'm there, I'm everywhere But you can't catch me now No, you can't catch me now

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#dean x reader #dean winchester fanfiction #sam and dean #ivonne rainer #supernatural #spn masterlist #spn #dean winchester x reader #dean winchester #dean winchester x oc #dean winchester x you #sam winchester

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dangerous-advantage · 1 year ago

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why is usagi yoimbo so fucking good? (an analysis.)

usagi yojimbo is one of the most interesting, well-told, intelligent, heartfelt stories i have ever read. it's stories are nuanced and likable, supported by characters and relationships you root for.

it's simple, balanced, and when things get serious, you feel it.

and if anyone had recommended it to me, i probably wouldn't have read it.

(spoilers for usagi yojimbo: volume two; jizo. fair warning: this will probably go long.)

i picked up uyv2 on a whim. i wasn't really planning on reading it, and if i did, i didn't think i would particularly like it.

but it was related to my current hyperfixation (they didn't have 'the last ronin' in stock, which was what i was looking for), and it was a special day, so i thought, "fuck it, i'll buy this."

a couple days later, i finished it and immediately needed more. yada yada, tale as old as time.

but what exactly made it so good? a lot of people will get into media and be hooked by the very first installment. usagi yojimbo, for me, required a little bit of faith.

i started with uyv2: issue one, aka 'shades of green.' if you're a tmnt fan, this is a great jumping off point, because it lures you in with tmnt lore all while putting intrigue in your mind about what these other guys are doing, i guess.

there are callbacks to past comics that might interest you by creating a greater sense of lore and history. you'll find yourself eventually wandering back and maybe reading the next installment, just because.

this is very good, because the next installment following the shades of green arc (at least, in the usagi yojimbo saga: book one') are the "side stories," which will stick in your mind until your thoughts are overtaken by the funny rabbit guy, and you give in.

i love shades of green as much as the next guy, but damn, those side stories fuck. even if you didn't give a shit about the turtles and only read the stories (and maybe the origin tale), it is my belief that you would know basically everything you need to know.

jizo is what originally "hooked" me. in the og comics, it was a side story for the first part of the shades of green arc, which was ingenious, seeing as it's fucking amazing.

in my humble opinion, jizo is an example of sakai at his best. it's eight pages long with three panels per page, each following the same composition. its so simple, and yet, throughout my read-through of volume two, i found myself returning to it again and again.

it starts off with an image of a road, with a series of travelers passing by. a woman toting a small stone statue brings it to the edge of the road and starts on an iconic sakai infodump, with might disinterest some, but fully delighted my autistic mind!

(here she is, by the way.)

she explains (by talking to the statute) that said statue is a representation of 'jizo-sama,' "guardian of the souls of lost children. her son was murdered five days ago on this very road, and the ones responsible, a party of bandits, have not yet been caught.

her hope is that by praying to the statue, nobody else will suffer the same fate.

she also explains some lore-- that the souls of lost children are "doomed to pile stones in the dry river bed of souls." by offering pebbles at the statue's base, she hopes to ease her sons' burden.

she then leaves, noting a chill in the air, and promises to bring back a coat for the statue the following day, in order to keep it warm.

now, by all accounts, this is an example of bad storytelling. just info-dumping is uninteresting to the audience, and clunky. well, here we are reminded that actually, if your story is worth telling, nobody gives a shit if you commit "writing sins" (see 'lord of the rings' for more examples of this. yes, uy is good enough to be compared to lotr.)

but anyway, the day progresses. there are lots of fun details in these scenes --

--like this guy ^, who we meet/meet another person akin to later on in volume two (music from heaven). we also see a couple of people make offerings on their way past, which is nice (:

night falls, and with it comes-- holy shit-- its the funny rabbit guy again!

he's alone, just passing by. he doesn't even seem to notice the statue on the side of the road.

we then get some of my all-time favorite uy panels, and a perfectly-executed scene showcasing some of usagi's core beliefs and character.

so the bandits (yes, those bandits) attack. and usagi five-v-one's them. the guards come, clean things up, etc etc. more usagi characterization shines through. and usagi leaves.

all the while, jizo-sama observes.

but wait. if you're anything like me, you might notice a small detail between in two frames.

that's right-- the statue of jizo smiles. which could be creepy in any other context, but its only for a single panel, so you might assume it was just a quirk of the artwork on that one page.

but, no.

in the morning, the woman comes back.while wrapping the statute in a coat, she says, "huh? your expression has changed-- you look more at peace-- but that's impossible! isn't it?"

she ultimately decides not to worry about it, but does mention that it'll probably cause more people to be willing to give offerings as well. which leaves us with our final panel.

so. what exactly does jizo accomplish?

well, a lot of things. it sets up worldbuilding for the more 'mystical' side of uy, introduces us to sakai's ability to make you feel like you've been punched in the gut in a good way, and characterizes usagi using only eight of the twenty-four panels that make up this story. in which, he doesn't say a word.

but beyond that. why does this work so well?

for me, a part of it is the inversion of the idea of "fate." let me explain-- in a lot of stories like this, there's this underlying trope of the "chosen one" or that things will end up a certain way. while these stories aren't bad, i generally find myself uninterested in the idea of beings beyond our comprehension pulling the strings for characters that are "special."

these characters are chosen ones. they're supposed to know everything that will go down, because they're important. whether or not fate actually plays a part, you get this idea that they were always supposed to be 'chosen,' in some way or another.

uy doesn't do that. while there is some "meddling" implied, it's not because usagi is the specialest boy ever. he's just some guy making his way through japan while trying not to starve. just... figuring himself out.

in thise story, the only people who know the full extent of the narrative are ourselves and the statue of jizo. the woman shows no indication that she's heard of the bandits' capture, and for usagi, this is just another night.

it's meaningful because we get to see all these parts of the story come together, while knowing we are the only ones this is meant for. this isn't a grand story or some epic of old. it's just a small, intimate moment of retribution.

the gods-- or, in this case, jizo-sama-- doesn't care about heroism outside of this moment. it's left vague whether or not the statue or any being it represents put this moment into fruition. if anything, it could just be a coincidence, and the statue is smiling at in gratitude.

regardless, it feels so much more meaningful than if it had been done any other way. usagi is just a character traversing these lands, weaving in and out of stories, many he will never know the full extent of. and that feels real. genuine.

i do think that this changes a bit, later on in the comics, but this beginning sense-- that usagi is just travelling through a greater world, pulled this way and that for no particular reason (unless otherwise noted) is very refreshing for a series like this.

jizo does a lot of other stuff, too-- like that core characterization i mentioned above-- but this post is long enough. i wanted to get more into other aspects of why uy is so good, but there's just so much, and honestly, you should read it yourself if you haven't already to find out what. (at the very least, read jizo-- it's short, but very, very good.)

i might do more of these for the rest of uyv2 and how it hooked me, but for now, i this this works well enough to begin answering the question of why this series is so good.

(okay, i caved-- the core characterization is his unwillingness to fight unless it's necessary. now, go read jizo!)

#tw blood #blood #yes btw that is leonardo #another win for the leosagi community /lh #long post #tw long post #analysis #my writing #my analysis #usagi yojimbo #uy #undescribed #i was gonna do an entire thing but like.... maybe some other time.#i have stuff i should be doing instead lmao (though this was fun)#less picture this time guys i'm sorry #i just didn't want to bog it down with stuff i felt it didnt need #unedited #sorry about that but i really should be writing my fic lmao

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amouress16 · 1 year ago

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RUIN Thoughts!

Under the cut for your convenience to avoid spoilers!

I have seen pretty much everything that is out/widely known about as of day one so I'm just gonna ramble about everything. Starting with positives and then getting into the things I didn't like towards the end. Cause hoo boy are my feeling very mixed about this whole thing let me tell you.

I like Cassie! We have proper context and motivation for her right off the bat. Immediate story improvements there!

The gameplay of the whole DLC looks way better. Personally I've never liked games that box you in to one path too much in a way it's too obvious, but the DLC makes it realistic and gives paths that loop back around to places you've been. The map still doesn't make sense but that's just the SB experience at this point I guess.

Eclipse. ECLIPSE. ECLIPSE CANON OH MY GOD. He's sweet and gentle and acts just like how a caretaker should! Sun pleading for help and Moon expressing their pain being forced to work as entirely separate programs, both of them fighting each other's triggers.... Aauughhhh I love them. The fact that all they needed for so long was a simple reboot and there were just no human workers around to do it.... 😭

AND ROXANNE. Seeing the side of the characters actually being child entertainers is so nice! Even if it was done just to make the moment bittersweet. "Do you still like carrot cake? I like carrot cake." They're all supposed to be kind. They're supposed to be good and wholesome and they've all been twisted into monsters that aren't their true selves.

High tech AR Vanny mask.... but no Vanny... 🤔 sure game, whatever you say

On the other hand, no map bot, but mask bot? Clever sleight of hand Steel Wool, I see you

Bonnie design reveal!!!! Further implications that Monty murdered him!!! I...! I'm not sure I like it. It's difficult because he has no consistency in his appearance. The Bonnie Bowl mascot is purple like OG Bon but the design we see in the gator ride telling Monty's backstory is blue. What are those shoulder pads and how would that work on an animatronic, like at all?? He has no room to move his head! Don't get me started on the inconsistent coloring between his gloves and his outfit. Idc if I sound pretentious for this, the clothing choices hurt me as an artist tbh. If you're gonna make him blue let him wear hot pink or or even yellow. Idk idk it just didn't mesh to me. Oh and his neon sign had the star glasses but his cut outs didn't. Inconsistency is Steel Wool's middle name.

What is with the glitchy shadow rabbit? Why is it shaped like a map marker? Is that supposed to be Glitchtrap? A security system...? I don't understand the point of this storywise at all but sure gameplay go brrr I guess

What the fuck is the Mimic. No seriously. I don't know what it is. Why is it here. What is happening. I am well versed in the canon of these games what is- .......... So it's another Book Thing. Haha. No. Bad. Stop that. Whoever signed off on the "let's add book lore to the games with no explanation or fathomable reason" decision, I am spraying you with a water bottle. Stop alienating those of us who don't have the time/money/desire to buy and read the books. I hate the books personally and have been actively ignoring them since the Plushtrap Chaser one. They are meant to be fun side stories for people who want that, not main game canon!!! Stop it!! I am actually begging you!!

TL;DR I like the characterization given to everyone this time around, it felt right for them. Bonnie's design is inconsistent and kinda mid. And trying to force in booklore most people won't know about is just stupid and I'm mad about it. That's about it.

I definitely wanna draw Cassie with Roxy post game- because I do believe she survived that elevator crash- and maybe make a Bonnie design I'll like better. And I definitely wanna see other people's art. That'll be the best part of all of this.

#ames rambles #fnaf security breach #fnaf ruin #ruin spoilers #security breach ruin #five nights at freddy's

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friendsim2 · 2 years ago

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Personally what’s your favourite trolls and least favourite? (Reasons why would also be really appreciated)

Personally I like Elwurd and Lynera the best for reasons that are definitely not related to projection. Least favorite is hard for me to pin down because I've spent so much time thinking about these folks and trying to expand on areas where they're less developed. I guess Vikare because he's pretty one-note. -Jonaya, director/lead writer

my hs og fave trolls have always been the meteor ones bc im tragically unoriginal but i don't have strong preferences for friendsim (wait i forgot i do love chixie) -Sollay, artist

Love me some clowns, I've always had an appreciation for unhinged characters, but my absolute favorites are Chahut and Karako. Least favorite… I dunno, there aren't really any that I dislike in FS? In Homestuck in general I took personal issue with the Zahhaks because this is not how I want Sagittarius to be represented WHY -Hal Elsen, voice actor

I like Elwurd, Daraya, Lanque, Mallek, Tagora, Polypa, and Skylla. I'm gay. Not a huge fan of Zebruh, but damn do I love voicing him, and also not a giant fan of like. Fozzer, idk why. I'm a bad VA so I haven't played the game yet. -CL, voice actor

If we're gonna go with Friendsim- Elwurd, Chixie, and Tyzias all appeal to my typical Character Likes. Chahut also appeals, but I feel Incredibly Conflicted About It because of my stance on purple characters in general also Polypa is my Secret Homegirl Now because I can't help but develop attachments to characters I've voiced X,D Tagora's smug aura mocks me and I don't care for it -Juniper, voice actor

As a cancellable offense i will still admit Zebruh still holds my thoughts on a gorilla grip because his route is absolutely hilarious despite his yikes. But Galekh is my baby boy baby and skylla is the queen i would give everything she ask me to. for fs2. Marsti because how can you not? i mean gestures then dies of gay. -Mikky, artist

specifically referring to their canon appearances and not fs2, our favorite is probably Chahut? She's got a lot going on, we like her design and her relationship with Amisia is very cute And uh - We… Don't really care for any of the ceruleans tbh (Wait, append that: mallek is cool he can stay - The rest of the ceruleans we dont care for)

As for fs2… Control in volume 11 is great we wish we could take credit for her The murder victim in volume 1 always felt kinda flat to us, like they're more of a plot point than an actual troll so they're our least favorite -Lorelei, writer

Favorite - i like mostly any trolls but also… tirona. Shes a lik freak. Least favorite - tirona. She is like scrappy doo of the homestuck universe. I want to throw here baby soft spot head towards a wall -Fable, artist

i'm not well versed in the ~lore~ but i like diemen's character lol no particular reason -Seth, voice actor

Favorites: all the members of Daraya's Punk Band (especially tyzias, no need to explain, I am her canon voice), plus tagora (he's the honorary 5th member) Least favorites: Vikare. He bores me. -Anna, writer/composer

Eridan has always been my personal favorite. I'd say my least favorite would be Karkat--I get he's set to be redeemed but the team did nothing with him except make him whiny and force vriska into leading everyone -Valentine, voice actor

hmm, well for favs theres Ardata, then Daraya and also Chixie or Elwurd. Partial to Chahut and Cirava bc they make me go :DD Least faves: Tirona and Zebede, just not my type of characters :/ -DDP, artist

amisia because he's pretty chill -The Dandy Man, voice actor

My favourites are xefros (because he's a good boy doing his very best) and cirava (because they're a fucking gremlin) -Alex, voice actor

hmmm we wanna say favorite hiveswap troll are either folykl or mallek, but really it's more of a rotating cast and whoever we thought about last is our fave. least favorite has to be zebede on the basis that we forgot he even existed. -Breeoche, artist

I will have to say Marvus is certainly my favorite ! I love his design but also his whole presence and attitude in his volume.

A least fav is harder because there is a number of trolls I don't "like" but they are such good characters that I still enjoy them a lot ! So I'll have to go with zebruh even if he is very entertaining as a bad guy xD -Herk, artist

Chiming in to say chixie is probably my favorite troll cause her struggles are relatable. Second place goes to Marvus cause he's pretty chill all things considered.

Least favorite is zebruh for because he's like THAT -Rainy, composer

Marvus! And I don’t have a least favorite cause I only really know the purple bloods and THEY ARE MY DARLINGS ALL OF them -Miranda, writer

I think Wanshi and Nepeta are my favorites for Cat Reasons, but also because I was a strange little catgirl before I was a boy and I appreciates them a lot. Zebruh seems like the obvious choice to dislike, but Ardata legit scares me and I am unsettled by ticks and leeches -Bucky, writer

I think this will be stupidly obvious but my favourite trolls are Terezi Stelsa and Tirona, basically just the ones I usually voice haha Terezi because I voice her and basically am her at this point honestly, and the other two are silly and dramatic and I love voicing them I also love Nepeta, Karkat, Aradia, and Tyzias Gamzee is my least favourite ever I hate him -Tex, voice actor

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svartalfhild · 1 year ago

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What’s your favorite High Fantasy Story?

Oh boy. What a big question. Buckle in; this is going to take a minute.

Okay, so as you might expect, it's very hard for me to say one particular story is my absolute favourite, especially considering how I engage with the genre across many different types of media, so let me talk about a few different stories arranged by medium.

Books

Obviously the works of Tolkien are high on my list of favourites. LOTR is the ur-story of Western high fantasy.

I've mentioned it many times before, but the Starlight & Shadows trilogy by Elaine Cunningham has always been a big favourite of mine and a very formative read for me when I was a preteen. If you like DnD, elves (esp. dark elves), and/or morally complicated female protagonists, this one is for you. It also has a romance between a wizard and a barbarian and incorporates lots of aspects of Forgotten Realms lore that take inspiration from Norse and Slavic mythology.

Film and TV

LOTR defs makes this list again. I am the Spiders Georg for Times Watched LOTR Movies.

The Witcher. "But Svar, why did you list this here and not under books?" Because the books are full of misogyny. Don't get me wrong, the books have good stuff, but the Netflix series got rid of a lot of the misogyny that I greatly dislike about the books (and games). I also just really enjoy the show in its own right. The Blood Origin miniseries spinoff is super good too and I'm sad it got no attention. Are there flaws? Yes. But I really like the story they're trying to tell and Slavic folklore doesn't get nearly enough interest in Western media.

The Mythica Films. This is a series of five indie fantasy films that are clearly inspired by DnD and they are the best indie fantasy movies I've ever seen. They tell the story of a young disabled woman talented with magic who finds out she's got dark powers and has to run for her life. Matt Mercer plays the main villain and weirdly enough, these movies were the first time I ever saw him, and I was actually wary of Critical Role at first because those movies gave me the odd impression that he's an edgelord, even though he's a very sweet person irl lol.

Honor Among Thieves is brand new, but it instantly won my heart as a favourite. How can it not? It's set in DnD's Forgotten Realms and is about platonic friends raising a child together while also being about whacky heist shit. A story after my silly aspec heart.

Games

Okay, I'mma have to restrain myself and give you top five here, because otherwise we're gonna be here all day.

The Baldur's Gate Saga. Fucking old but truly great. The OG. The 90's graphics might turn a lot of people off these days, which is unfortunate, because they are amazing games, especially with the Enhanced Editions and the new Siege of Dragonspear expansions. It's the story of an unwitting child of the God of Murder, and you can either embrace what you are, struggle against it, or try to ride the line. I personally find the struggle against one's blood and supernatural urges a much more compelling story. It's the struggle to become something other than what you were made to be while also being pulled towards your destiny and have to choose what to do with the power that is given to you. It is the struggle for your soul and the souls of those you love. It is a journey to the Hells and a rise from its ashes, and you have to choose what the phoenix looks like. Also there's a man who carries a miniature giant space hamster everywhere with him and a gnome obsessed with turnips, to name just a few of the incredibly silly aspects of the story.

The Elder Scrolls series. The worldbuilding in TES is amazing for the specific reason that it's such a fucking mess. The folks at Bethesda and Zenimax have taken the unique approach of building the lore like historians collecting a bunch of conflicting primary sources. That's fucking fascinating because it makes the world feel more realistic. The real world is full of conflicting information, especially regarding history, and we all have to decide what we think is true based on the information given to us. Also TES III: Morrowind in particular is the most game of all time. You can tell it was made by a bunch of freaks and it's creatively braver than many of the major RPGs that have come out since. Bethesda just went "what if we did a game about the land of the dark elves, and that land is full of mushroom trees and all the fauna is either some sort of unique reptile, insect, or jellyfish- no it's not underground- anyway, here's an epic story about destiny, revenge, cultural conflict, and the gods being deeply flawed- also there's a bit where you have to kill a giant jellyfish with a fork you got from a lizard man called Big Head".

The Dragon Age series. All things considered, DA is a pretty conventional high dark fantasy story, but it has enough of its own unique twists and interesting writing/worldbuilding to be special to me. Each game has a different protagonist and a different type of story, but there's some themes that are consistent across the series. I would say the central theme of DA is finding the strength to do what must be done, even though you never asked for the responsibility and by rights shouldn't even be here. I think that's really compelling if you're the kind of person who has dealt with a lot of imposter syndrome in your life.

The Pillars of Eternity games. I don't think PoE gets nearly enough love. It has rich, carefully crafted lore that gets into things that other series tend to half-ass, like the linguistic aspects of the worldbuilding. Across the two games, Obsidian really delves deep into difficult discussions about mental illness, the relationship between gods and mortals, the cycle of life and death, ethics in magic, the effects of imperialism, and trying to make huge decisions when the right answer isn't clear. Also the visual style of these games is impeccable, as is the music.

Neverwinter Nights. This is where my love of DnD began. I watched my uncle play this game when I was a kid and I instantly fell in love with its whole vibe. The main campaign might hit different these days, because the story involves a deadly plague and the protag has to recover the pieces of a potential cure while also uncovering cult shit. There's a whole betrayal/scapegoat thing going on that's super tragic. Anyway, pile this one on the list of reasons I grew up to be a DnD obsessed goth.

Other

If you follow me, you're probably familiar with how much I love the DnD actual play show Critical Role. I've been watching since 2016 and I'm forever amazed at the compelling stories the cast and the dice rolls have built across three campaigns now.

Black Dice Society is my other favourite DnD actual play show. It's Ravenloft, so it's a gothic horror/high fantasy fushion. It has two seasons and tells such a beautiful story about the struggle for love and power.

#ask #sorry this took me so long to answer it's been a busy ass week #and I had to think about it a bunch

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ridragon · 2 years ago

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Sorta kinda spoiler-ee for Arcane but only in speculative ways since I'm just guessing which characters from league may be included from my own prior lore nerdiness. There are references to things that MAY occur in Arcane that may be spoilers if they're not changed around for Arcane.

Characters I know will appear 100%

Warwick (You Know Why)

Zeri (Part of Ekkos gang iirc)

Characters I'm pretty sure will appear:

Camille (extremely important character and villain in universe in Piltover, knows of our current MCs in og league lore and is hinted at to have murdered or hired the murder of Cait's parents)

Renata Glasc (similair reason as Camille but in Zaun)

Blitzcrank (Viktor's son)

Ziggs (Knows Heim and Jinx personally in og lore)

Characters that would make sense to appear but I'm not sure about:

Ryze(?) (Jayce encountered him though still a theory it's widely accepted)

Twitch (The rat they tested shimmer on)

Dr. Mundo (pretty relevant and extreme example of a victim of shimmer)

Janna (or just a reference to her being Zaun's patron Goddess)

Seraphine (because riot loves Sera.)

Orianna (A stretch but she is relevant as an example of what the crystals can do)

Swain (Noxus being Noxus and doing Noxus things.)

Characters I really want to appear but are extremely unlikely at best

Ezreal (I love him. He's such a fucker. I want to hear him being a smartass again, but he kinda has his own story going on and it would bungle up the main story a bit.)

Samira (I just really like Samira. And hey Noxus is visiting right??)

Jhin (If Camille is added then it'd make more sense.)

Skarner (who am I kidding they're probably completely erasing him and the Brackern from this entire plotline Riot hates these guys.)

#speculation #arcane #arcane spoilers #league of legends #lol lore #ri rambles #arcane speculations

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auggielovesreading · 2 years ago

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Security Breach is the WORST game in the franchise.

Let me explain.

Now, hear me out. This might get hate because, as we all know, when SB was released the entire FNAF spotlight shifted to it. Everyone was talking about it and the fandom grew 10x bigger overnight. From a gameplay point of view it was amazing. The graphics were really cool and the free roaming was well designed, but that was about it. To me it played like the knock off FNAF games people developed in 2015, almost FNAF, but not enough. Let’s be honest here, the characters just didn’t feel like Five Nights at Freddy‘s characters. I know they’re meant to be modernized versions of the original crew, but it wasn’t well executed. Freddy and Chica remained in the game, but Foxy and Bonnie were completely written out. Not to mention the complete bastardization of Freddy and Chica. I loved Glamrock Freddy while playing the game solely because I do believe he was meant to be possessed by the ghost of Michael Afton, which is such a cool viewpoint to be lead by the character you’ve been playing as since 2014. It was fun in the moment but still didn’t translate to Five Nights at Freddy’s.

One of the best things about FNAF is that it has a very signature feeling to it. I think that feeling was lost at Sister Location. The characters we see in these games have the same basic design but we’re completely lost in translation. Freddy has been overdeveloped, between OG Freddy, glamrock Freddy, withered Freddy, shadow Freddy, toy Freddy, nightmare Freddy, twisted Freddy, golden Freddy, Lefty? Not to mention the others that I literally do not have it in me to name. There’s just TOO MANY!

Serious question. How did a single dad running a pizzeria afford the materials it would take to make over 100 animatronics? One animatronic costs anywhere from 10,000 to 1,000,000 depending on the quality. These ones are massive and have free movement, allowing them to roam on their own without coding to do so, these things would probably cost about 700,000 dollars each (probably more. definitely more but whatever.) You’re seriously telling me this man spent 70M dollars on animatronics just to shove some kids souls in there? No way.

And let’s address the elephant in the room, SB is a children’s game. Sure, there’s some measly jump scares, but it’s the children’s equivalent of the original games. The original games featured the eerie 8-bit murder scenes and bone chilling lore of the heartless child serial killer luring kids to the back room of his pizzeria and slaughtering them, only to shove their corpses into the suits of the characters he made. Never once in security breach did I ever feel a hint of fear or that signature eeriness that made the old games so amazing. If you play security breach to the end, you escape the pizzeria and woohoo yippee no scary suits or child murder or anything. Where’s the fun in that? In past games the endings have still left you feeling weird. Like burning down a building (and yourself) or being reminded that you have to come back the next week, or just flat out being brutally murdered anyway. My personal favourite has to be in Help Wanted (the VR game) when, despite completing the game, you’re led by glitch trap to the back where there’s a more than creepy birthday display for you, complete with your favourite lifeless animatronics sat against the wall and our signature rabbit leading you to the back room, cut to you standing on stage and realizing that you’re now trapped in the bear suit you so loved as a kid! AMAZING! Experiencing it in VR is absolutely chilling and I never got that feeling from SB. It’s just too Disneyish.

Anyways. It was also a huge part of the plot that the Freddy Fazbears Pizzerias’s were unable to stay open for long because of the reputation. Five Nights at Freddy’s 3 was literally set in a haunted house they made based on the restaurant. A company that can only continue making profit making a haunted attraction based on the horrific tragedies that took place in their establishments would not go on to continue making very successful multi-level MALL SIZED attractions in the future. Does nobody care that every single building this company has made, people have been horrifically murdered in? specifically children? To put it plainly, SB’s restaurant would’ve never existed in the first place. The modern setting alongside the crappy lore being added to the plot completely ruins the feeling of Security Breach. The characters we’ve all grown to love and the setting and timeline thats held the story together have been detached and destroyed. Nothing is holding SB to the FNAF franchise besides its tiny additions to the lore. Oh great, William is back from hell? For shits and gigs?

To sum it all up, I miss that straight out of 2014 feel that FNAF games 1-4 clung onto so well, but it’s been ruined and I don’t think it’s gonna get any better. Let’s all pray that the movie is set STRICTLY in the universe of the first few games, because I stg.

(I love fnaf. This definitely may have made me seem like I don’t but I 100% do and could sit down and give you the entire lore in about 20 minutes. This is just the harsh truth)

#five nights at freddy’s #security breach #fnaf #fnaf lore #the loreeeee #I hate security breach as an fnaf game and NO ONE CAN STOP ME.#Glamrock Freddy #Freddy fazbear #fnaf universe

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brawlqueen · 2 years ago

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random friend love letter to lynnie .

( aka thank you for putting up with my mizuki propoganda)

okay so i realized i have sooo many typos in that post that you were so unbelievably kind about @nulltune ! mizuki somehow became my favorite female character and someone i personally relate with in a very personal way. a lot like my main muse really! just the ultimate girlboss queen of the brawl beyond superhuman prettiest girl on the planet (besides hakuno ofc). it means so much to me that you read that and trauma while horrible and painful, is so key to mizuki’s character? so i never not stress how crucial it’s made her, and i know how niche the aistf games are, personally the first / OG game by far is my favorite, the writing is chef’s kiss --- nirvana was so fun to play.

like you i’m full canon divergent and if you ever get into these games i strongly recommend it because while the OG has a lot of gore, the second does not, and while i don’t consider it a ‘true sequel’ but more an alternate timeline? it’s still worth seeing a grown up mizuki, although trust me, i have many grievances, and many praises for the quality of life updates! really i’m just embarrassingly obsessed with kaname and mizuki date and their artificial eyeball shrimp named aiba (did you know mizuki and aiba are voiced by the eng vas of paimon and venti? yeah wild. also while i’m horrible at genshin sometime i’d love to add you! i’m becoming thanks to my best friend ... dramatic hand wave.... smarter. my main dps is actually jean and my favorite charas are yae miko who i got all her things (i legit screamed) and kaeya (please make him a five star and happy) )

you’re always so supportive of my metas and posts, and while i do believe i owe you an ask from hakuno, totally lost the meme hope you don’t mind queen, it means the world to me that you love mizuki and haven’t even touched ai the somnium files / nirvana initiative which makes me think i’m doing an okay job with my favorite female character. if you can handle dirty humor, absurdity, but the BEST found family tropes and things and the surreal along with core elements that make the murder / noir detective / horror genre so great? you would love them. they play much like a visual novel.

in that same vein i really admire hakuno’s lore and effort you put into her. also your drawings? are insane. like how do you draw when i could only do a blurry stick figure?! another of your talents. and your psd is beautiful and everything about your blog screams love and care for YOUR FAVE GIRL. and i cannot wait since i’m sure you’re drowning in drafts, i’m in love with hakuno and i know nothing about her origins save i want to do all the writing with her when you are less drowning in drafts. you do know you can take your time right? i just don’t want you to feel stressed because life outside of tumblr is important and we all have valid reasons that we’re not engaging or quiet, i know i do! but really i had to write a note i hope you don’t mind.

basically thanking you for being so patient with me, know that you can write with me anytime and i’ve love these girls to have some kind of relationship that’s wholesome and sweet. we all know mizuki needs friends, it’s not exactly easy being a go.ku level superwoman, and it meant so much to me reading those comments! i won’t shy away from the brutality of mizuki’s life, and the negative and positive aspects of her.

thank you for always being a ray of sunshine on our dashes and being so sincere and heartfelt in all you do, be it funny content or serious, it makes me genuinely happy to see a friend loved and appreciated. anyway this made my night earlier so.... thank you so much lynnie-lynn! you’re a friend that i don’t need a week to talk to, it could be five months and we’d fall in rhythm. i hope you’ll stay with me as i mizuki froth at the mouth, let’s over time slowly, at our own pace if you want, make the mizuki and hakuno duo or at least scream love to each other from giant story buildings as friends! your friend, lily.

#nulltune #i-i just wanted to write this #i was yelling excitedly #when i saw your notifs #since i admire you as a writer and your dedication to your beloved character.#also btw every game ends in a flash mob song so take that as you will please tell me if you watch either one because i'll scream #𝐎𝐎𝐂 *ೃ༄ what looks gone but comes back even stronger.

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cartoonsarelife11 · 6 months ago

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Reblogging this again, this time with an essay (sort of) for TDKR because it has now occurred to me that it's losing. So just hear me out on this.

(Warning now that this is somewhat long and without pictures. Although I may add some later.)

Now as much as I love Weblena and Violet's introduction in Friendship is Magic as much as any other person, The Duck Knight Returns is just too powerful of an episode to compare. (Plus there's plenty of other amazing Weblena episodes that aren't as appreciated and you should definitely vote for as well)

Or you may be finding Darkwing in DT2017 fairly annoying as he gets so much screentime that could've been used for the actual show itself, and that I understand. Especially with the fact that Lets Get Dangerous is 40 minutes long and has much more going on; we don't need all the DWD episodes to win the poll, let alone this one.

However, I actually find TDKR a stronger episode than LGD. Yes, I know. And before you all murder me for that, let me explain myself on why it's so good and underappreciated

It's not just a Darkwing introduction episode (which by itself is already so so amazing), it shows DuckTales 2017's struggles of being a reboot of an old loved TV show.

There's so much symbolism behind this episode, such as LP and Starling representing the old die-hard fans who can't accept new things, and the "Darkwing: First Darkness" movie producer guy (forgot his name sob) representing the people who are just taking advantage of the old shows popularity to make something out of it only what they want it to be. But I guess Dewey and Scrooge play that role as well.

Then there's Drake, the fan of the old show who's making something new out of it, and mentions, "Look, I know this new movie's not perfect, but I really want to make it better. And maybe someday I'll inspire some other kid like me." He's not trying to ruin the show into what he thinks is best, he is a true fan who genuinely wants to make the best of something he loves. And that represents the DT2017 writers.

So go try and tell me the writers weren't using this episode to call out their experiences while working on DuckTales. This episode was definitely their way of expressing their intentions behind the reboot.

Now onto the second point. Not counting the fact that it is literally showing us what the creators intentions behind creating the show, the episode as a DWD introduction by itself is absolutely so genius.

For example, Jim Starling being NEGADUCK from the 1991 Darkwing TV show caught me so off-guard and is SO PERFECT AND FITTING. I did not see that twist coming. (I should've, though. I'm ashamed to say I didn't expect it despite the chainsaw and the other dead giveaway details). This gives us a whole new look at Negaduck, who in the original show, was merely existing to be an evil clone of Darkwing. Now he gets a more complex backstory and character just how Glomgold did!

Additionally, Drake's attitude of "get back up" was a really cool character motif that I think the original show missed the opportunity to give to their Darkwing. It may be just me, but I love this idea of Drake having this reason to be so willing to fight crime and never give up, its the extra character lore we never knew we needed.

AND HOW CAN I FORGET DRAKEPAD? (Not necessarily as a couple; I do ship them but this is not about that right now) Their dynamic here is just so powerful; no offense to the og DWD, but I prefer that DT2017 Drake and LP have something to bond over rather than the idol-worship dynamic they had in the 1991 show.

In conclusion, this episodes writing is so clever and I could spend so many more hours rambling about how good it is. It deserves to pass at least the second round. Unfortunately, this is already getting really long (also I'm on mobile and its a real pain to type :,D).

So please guys-

Vote for The Duck Knight Returns, one of DuckTales 2017's best episodes.

Do it for its brilliant writing. Do it for Darkwing's introduction into DuckTales 2017. Do it for Drakepad.

Do it for Jim.

ROUND #2

#help this took me so long to write #why am I overthinking about a poll about a silly duck show #ducktales 2017 #dt17 #darkwing duck #hey guys did you know today is also friendship is magic's fifth anniversary??#yepyepyep im over here shamelessly propaganding against it on its own anniversary day lmao #in my defense the duck knight returns anniversary is in a few days as well so i get a pass

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waterblobbu · 1 year ago

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hi would you mind more asks. if not can you sell tgcf to me I cant bring myself to start. also whos your wings of fire favorite

hi!!! i dont mind asks at all :)

its a bit long so ill put it under the cut!

im not very good at summarizing or advertising things to people but ill do my best!!

for a quick summary, tgcf is a chinese bl that tells the romance between a fallen/disgraced god and a demon king as they unravel mysteries of their pasts. i wont get into spoilers here, but the plot starts off with the main character having to solve a demon problem, and then encountering the love interest on the way. from there, their problems just escalate further...

the main character is a man named Xie Lian. he has ultra bad luck, gets into trouble often, but is charming and very funny to witness. his backstory is also heart-wrenchingly angsty, so if you love that kind of stuff, then this seems like a good story for you. (just be warned that there are explicit mentions of suicide, depression, murder, alcoholism, all that stuff)

meanwhile the love interest of the book is a man named Hua Cheng. he is mysterious but in a suave way, he has awesome character design (though ill argue that almost every character in this series is amazingly designed), and his reasons for his devotion to the main character are similarly heart-wrenchingly angsty (but still sweet).

for illustration purposes, here they are:

(xie lian is dressed in white, while hua cheng is dressed in red)

their chemistry is really cute, because you have several elements of their personalities that compliment each other (for example, xie lian is sometimes clumsy while hua cheng is almost always perfectly poised and always there to catch him). their linked pasts are also...really good. i cant say much else without getting into spoilers here..but there's a shit ton of really good angst. i keep repeating myself but the angst in this story is god tier. i love it so much.

also, keep in mind that there is a 7 year age gap between them, so if you're uncomfortable with that, then maybe dont get into this series...

now, aside from the two main characters, there are lots of other side characters with various personalities and motivations in this story, but all of them indulge in a bit of clownery in the end, they're simultaneously funny but interesting. they dont feel like 2d characters in a sense and all of their lores are all connected to the main character in some way, which ties everything up into the central focus of the plot nicely (he keeps getting into a lot of situations...)

here are some of the side characters, just to show you some of the designs (in the donghua version):

if you enjoy reading, then i wholeheartedly suggest you read the books, as it originally started out as written literature. the narration is pretty easy to understand, but it does drag on a bit at times (because of the sheer amount of Plot happening). some translations are available online, but seven seas has official published english translations available for purchase.

there's also a manhua/comic, though i havent read it yet so im not sure where to access it, but from what ive seen so far the illustrations are gorgeous!

the first season of the animated version/donghua of tgcf should also be available online or on netflix, if you prefer to watch a moving version of the story

tl;dr tgcf has great visuals, great storytelling, awesome characters, an interesting and heart-wrenching dynamic between its main leads, and FANTASTIC angst. go watch it. or read it. whichever you prefer :)

anyways, whew! that was long

as for the second part of that ask...

tough one... i enjoy a lot of characters (sunny, kinkajou, moonwatcher, sundew, winter) but i gotta say Glory, she's my og fave :)

thanks for the ask!!

#blob text #i hope nobody from the main tags see this or else im gonna crumble to ashes /j

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shadowqueen1220 · 4 years ago

Text

Analysis on C! Tubbo's Emotional State

Disclaimer: I am in no means a professional and I am heavily basing this off of my own experiences and general observations. (Please let me know if my wording is bad)

This is all about the roleplay characters if it wasn't clear

Warning: self harm, self sacrifice, self destructive behavior and talk of mental health and canon typical violence

Tubbo has always been a self sacrificial character. He always helps his friends at the expense of his own safety (ie disc war and L'manburg). He is a bit of an overachiever and that has gotten worse when combined with tendencies of paranoia. (all og members of L'manburg have paranoia issues, stemming from the final control room)

After the Independance War, Tubbo was involved with the elections. He made a secret bunker, saying "hope for the best plan for the worse" in case the electrons went wrong. He was proven right and then had to endure a harsh dictatorship.

Spy Tubbo was constantly under stress. He not only was secretly slipping information to Pogtopia but had his role of Security of State as well. At the Elections, Schlatt verbally abused Tubbo and scared him into following his orders. Most of the things Schlatt had told Tubbo to have shaped him into the Tubbo that internalizes and represses all his emotions. (ie don't complain, don't cry, don't talk back, agree with everything I say). Tubbo, who already naturally liked to help his friends, was forced to become a yes man in order to stay safe.

The Festival was a disaster and a huge blow to Tubbo's self esteem. The famous line here is "Wilbur said he wasn't going to hurt me" and Tubbo wholeheartedly believed that he could trust Wilbur, his former president and older brother figure. However, all he got was the fact that he was now expendable to Wilbur. His death was brushed aside and it seemed like the only person who cared was Tommy. Even Tubbo quickly became desensitized to the fact that his own pain did not matter in the chaos of the situation.

His life becomes even more chaotic when he is thrust into the role of President and his self sacrificing nature kicked in when no one else would take the presidency. And then in the first 10 minutes into his presidency, he is shot and his nation is blown up.

Tubbo takes this all in stride, repressing everything in order to rebuilt but his cabinet does not listen to him and constantly talks over him. When his vice president and best friend gets into trouble, Tubbo learns that he must be louder in order to be heard.

Tubbo felt betrayed by Tommy's actions during the exile negotiations. He felt as if Tommy didn't respect his power and the pressure of living up to President Wilbur, the threat of becoming like President Schlatt and the expectations of the entire nation all depended on him.

Tubbo once again choose sacrifice but this time, he was not only sacrificing himself but harmed Tommy in his decision as well. Immediately Tubbo regretted his decision and regressed into his yes man habits to cope with the situation.

From here on out, this may be a bit of a stretch but I love putting lore goggles on to every scene for analysis purposes and with a character like Tubbo who is rarely played, we can get some character depth from seemingly "silly" bits.

Tubbo after exiling Tommy shifted from being self sacrificial to self destructive. Both presidents before him had died and the odds were not looking good for Tubbo, already he had made an awful decision that he immediately regretted. Yet he couldn't reverse it and didn't feel worthy enough to see Tommy.

Tubbo never built himself a home in L'manburg. No stuff, no place to sleep, no roots. He told Ranboo that the presidency was all his when the elections came around. He didn't want to be president anymore. He's worryingly self depreciating.

I don't quite remember the timing of this stream but Tubbo and Ranboo once went nether exploring. Ranboo panicked as Tubbo was extremely reckless during this adventure, jumping into lava without fire res, speed bridging with few blocks and jumping off of tall places without checking his health. In addition, Tubbo went through a series of projects as a President, always doing something new and often involving things that could hurt him (ie Ravenger teleportation, tnt jumping). We can see Tubbo become subtly self destructive during this time.

(sidenote: tubbo has a habit to jump off of high things and expecting the person at the bottom to water bucket. Tommy usually is the person to "catch him" and I find it interesting that they both had self destructive tendencies while the other was gone. I'll come back to this point soon)

We never get Tubbo's opinion on the Butcher Army. He heavily opposed the idea at the beginning of the presidency but agreed to take part in it despite Techno killing him being a traumatizing event.

And then Logsteadshire. The guilt of exiling his best friend and being the cause to his death is too much for his mind to handle and he passes out. We never learn how Tubbo got back to L'manburg and the next time we see him, he is back to throwing himself into project after project.

The next time we really see Tubbo is when Tommy and Technoblade take Connor hostage. Ranboo says that Tubbo is just staring at a grass block and when Tommy appears, Tubbo is severely shaken. He is glad that his best friend is alive and upset that he's teamed with his murder but has to all shove it aside to fulfill his role as president. Tubbo takes Tommy yelling at him and Techno's accusations with no protest and once again, represses everything to move on.

Already the Green Festival reminded Tubbo of familiar events but at this time he was in control or so he thought. He had already failed an execution so he was determined to make this word so L'manburg could be safer. He had failed Tommy so he might as well try to make the server a better place by killing Dream. Yet Tubbo had doubts about it.

Dream was manipulating Tubbo during his entire presidency. Tubbo truly believed that Dream was his friend and thought that Dream supported him as a president. His self esteem was so low that he searched for validation anywhere (ie "rate my kidnapping", "phil tell me I'm doing good pls") and Dream willingly gave him companionship.

But then Dream started screaming at him and calling him and awful president, Tubbo agreed with Dream. Tubbo saw himself as weak and stupid and no one came to his defense so it had to be true.

His fight with Tommy was very impactful and led Tubbo to believe that the discs mattered more than him but we'll get back to that soon. Most of the things said during this fight were forgiven by both parties so I hope it doesn't affect him much.

Sidenote: when Quackity suggests to execute Ranboo, Tubbo chooses forgiveness for Ranboo having been in that position before and snaps at Quackity. Here we get a glimpse of Tubbo's inner emotions and we can see clearly that the events of the festival have hurt him.

Doomsday is further proof to Tubbo that he is the worst President that L'manburg had. He stares at the destruction in mute disbelief and even throws himself into tnt and in front of a firework for Tommy. By the end of the experience, Tubbo is so drained that he has given up on government, the fight beaten out of him and he lets L'manburg go, thinking it was his fault it fell.

Tubbo has suffered the most from government yet strives to make a community. Snowchester was supposed to be his healing. However, Tubbo's paranoia from all the violence and the lessons that he has learned from the others, caused him to built a way to defend himself. He doesn't even make a bed for himself in his new house.

Then his life gets shaken up by the Disc War Finale. He refuses to talk about his feelings on the odds, accepts defeat instantly as they were "doomed from the beginning" and doesn't seem to mind the fact that he might die.

In fact, he says "It was about time anyway"

Tubbo thinks he is living on borrowed time. All of the presidents before him are dead and he is in a seemingly impossible situation. Death seems to be the only option and he has accepted it before hand so he is fine with it. Even Tommy seems shaken by this as Tubbo was so positive about the situation before. But Tubbo had been hiding that all for Tommy's sake as he is very self sacrificial.

When everything seems to return to "normal" Tubbo tests his nukes and later tells Ranboo that be had expected everything to go horribly wrong. He is trying to heal and does a decent job at it, starting a family and building Snowchester.

But then he gets the memo that Tommy has been trapped in prison with Dream. He checks out the prison, being a inconvenience to the guards and is hardly fazed when Sam threatens to kill him. He leaves feeling disappointed that he cannot help but that is what it is and Tubbo thinks that Tommy is the strongest person he knows.

So that's why Tommy can't be dead. Tubbo denies Sam's words and when they finally register, begins an investigation to find out who's to blame. He becomes self destructive again, wearing Dream's armor and building a familiar panic room to research the crime.

He is once again extremely reckless when investigating. With Ranboo's help, they go and investigate the egg and Tubbo shows his lack of care for his own safety. He tries to break open the egg, challenges Bad and Ant to a pvp and suggests to continue investigating. But at this point, Ranboo has noticed this recklessness and gently reminds Tubbo of Michael.

From this point, Tubbo seems to be healing again. And then to make things better, Tommy is back and they are going to kill Dream but that's okay because it hasn't really settled yet. Tubbo is once again shaken by Tommy's return and follows him in silence to make sure he is really there. He is so worried about Tommy, he reaches out to MIA Ghostbur to help him.

Tubbo is still self destructive but less so after this. He still jumps off high places but does so more out of trust. He finally gets a bed in Snowchester and things seem to be looking up.

But then Tommy's words about Dream settle in. Dying is no longer permanent and Tubbo has things he wants to protect. To do this he recommissions the nukes but is panicked when one is stolen.

We have no idea where it is going to go from here, but I can already see some problems with Tubbo's increasing paranoia.

In addition, the details about the nukes and their suicide button and Tubbo's willingness to sacrifice himself for the greater good does not bode well.

Overall, Tubbo is a complex character and I greatly enjoy how he is played.

Thank you for reading and let me know if you have any comments!

#dream smp #tubbo #c! tubbo #tw suicidal ideation #tw self destruction #suicide tw #tw suicide #abuse tw #clingy duo #bee duo #bench trio #shadow talks

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wonda-cat · 4 years ago

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You mentioned rewriting that one analysis post on Tommy’s revival stream and I’d really look forward to it! I never got to read the full og post and that’s the only place I saw these takes. Especially the one about the afterlife being too depressing. It’s not even just about Tommy, the implication that even if every character is safe and happy by the end, this is their inevitable fate is messed up. It’s not “a neat subversion” it’s just depressing and doesn’t add anything.

Hey, anon!

I sorta decided to not rewrite it? I feel a bit differently about the essay in the end, although I still believe in most of my points. I’m also just not nearly as passionate about it as I was when I wrote it (I finished it in a single sitting, which was... interesting.) However, yes, the afterlife stuff still bothers me just the same, as well as the odd changes to Wilbur’s characterization... post mortem.

But—just for you, anon—here’s the entire meta-analysis essay anyway, with some minor edits to the stuff I don’t agree with anymore!

My Many Narrative Issues with Tommyinnit’s Revival Stream

I want to preface this by saying that I dearly love the Dream SMP and understand it isn’t exactly comparable to other mediums like TV and film. With this being the case, most criticism against it is generally in bad faith or strange in foundation. Complaining about streamers for bad acting is the best example that comes to mind.

These aren’t professional actors. Most have never acted in this sort of setting, or even at all. Quite a few have admitted to never roleplaying before. Which is why it’s warranted to praise Tommy, Dream, Wilbur, Ranboo, and others when they deliver stellar performances. The same applies to criticism of music choice, dialogue delivery, focus, tone, etc.

However, one such category I cannot overlook is in regards to its writing. The writing of a story is its entire foundation. It encompasses many things—conflict choice, character development, themes, and morals. The author creates the blueprints for the architect, who then expresses the story with light, sound, color, pacing, and music. It is in its execution that we see if this connection is made or broken.

The reason I find poor writing mostly inexcusable is because it is one of the most available skills to practice and perfect. I don’t mean to say that it’s easy, I mean to say it is something anyone can attempt to cultivate. Whether they do it well or not depends on their methods and experience. If anyone can self-publish a novel and be criticized online for its quality—and even compared to the works of Mark Twain—then I find critiquing the writing of the Dream SMP to be perfectly reasonable.

However, since the Dream SMP script is a set of loose bullet points, tearing apart dialogue and scene continuity—which is nearly all improv—is rather useless. It doesn’t exactly have a clear focus as the plot plays out. The characters talk in circles until they hit the story beat required, and then they move onto the next. Thus, when criticizing it, one should generally critique grand events and narrative-specific shifts, more so than small-scale character interactions.

Which brings me to my main point: The broad narrative choices taken in Tommyinnit’s most recent livestream, ‘Am I dead?’ may lead to disastrous writing pitfalls in the future.

I’ll be outlining each of my issues below, in hopes of creating a better understanding as to why I feel this way.

This might become quite lengthy, so please bear with me for a bit.

Tommy’s relationship to Wilbur has flipped. This change is jarring and seems out of character.

Tommy and Wilbur’s friendship is rather complicated. While Wilbur does care for Tommy immensely, especially during the L’Manburg Revolution and the Election Arc, his mental spiral during exile put a massive strain on their relationship as a whole. Wilbur brushed off Tommy’s feelings and wants, while clinging to him and pushing everyone else away. He was simultaneously distant and suffocating.

Tommy, on the other hand, has an unclear view of his mentor. Since the beginning, and even long after Wilbur’s death, Tommy held him in especially high regard. He saw him as a brother-figure and a wise leader. He followed what he said and did everything he could to impress him. Yet, Wilbur still hurt him while the two were together in exile.

When speaking of him, Tommy tends to flip infrequently between remembering Wilbur the way he was before his mental decline and thinking of him as a monster. Both of these images conflict with each other, but they weren’t nearly as extreme as what Tommy described Wilbur as when he was revived from death. The fear Tommy displays to Wilbur is beyond intense—it feels as if the audience may have missed a month’s worth of character development.

This can make sense, especially since it was stated that he’d spent what felt like two months in the void. However, this shift is still deeply at odds with Tommy’s previous impressions of Wilbur, which is both disheartening and confusing. The fact that Tommy would agree to stay with Dream—his abuser and murderer—over his past mentor is simply head-reeling. It paints a very different picture of Wilbur’s character, somewhat conforming to the fandom’s ableist impression of him—the idea that Wilbur is insane and irredeemable, and always will be.

It also ignores Dream being the driving factor in Wilbur’s downfall, as well as the double-bind deal with Dream which required him to push the button, no matter the outcome. Others have pointed out that Tommy may be lying to get Dream to bring Wilbur back, and there’s compelling evidence for that. For one, Tommy and Wilbur’s conversation seemed uncomfortable, but it was certainly nothing like Tommy implied. (Unless this fear comes from something Wilbur said off-screen.)

Tommy also begged Dream to not bring him back multiple times over, which he should know would make Dream even more tempted to, simply because he likes seeing Tommy in pain. Tommy is also a known unreliable narrator. He may be making Wilbur out to be worse than he is by accident (even still, I’d argue this is a bit of a stretch.)

However, there are some issues with this theory. Tommy offered himself as payment to Dream if he chose to let Wilbur rest. This is a deal Tommy knows Dream is extremely unlikely to refuse. Tommy is what Dream has coveted all this time. If Tommy genuinely wanted Wilbur back, he would not offer this. This sort of compromise is Tommy’s greatest nightmare—something he would only do in response to his friends being threatened or his home being destroyed.

To add, Tommy is not great at lying. Unless he was taught by Wilbur for those two months* in the afterlife, there’s no chance Tommy would be this good at it. Thirdly, Tommy is terrible under pressure. He uses humor to cope. When he can’t, he cries and shouts and spills his heart out. While cornered, Tommy will tell the truth about anything, especially if Dream casually debates killing him again, just for fun.

For now, it’s too early to tell how the relationship shift will play out. In the grand scheme of things, this issue is rather minor.

Season three’s writing is needlessly bleak. The portrayal of the afterlife is a nightmare. There is no rest, not even in death.

I adore the Dream SMP storyline in its entirety. I believe the first season is fantastic, and while the second season has some narrative clarity issues, I enjoyed it just as much. Although, I would argue season one had a more concrete understanding of its Hope-Conflict balance.

To briefly explain, the Hope in stories are its ‘highs’ and good moments. These appear when a character the audience is rooting for is narratively rewarded. They happen during character building in the text—it’s the downtime and peace that allows for connection and relatability. It’s a moment for the viewer to breathe easy.

The other half is Conflict, an obstacle in the story that gets in the way of the main characters’ goals, beliefs, and motives. These are the ‘lows.’ They give the narrative focus and weight. They make the highs feel even higher. They establish consequences and force the characters in the story to change in order to adapt and overcome them.

I bring up the Hope-Conflict balance because a traditional hero’s journey would have an appropriate amount of both. Their highs and lows are generally equalized, as the name suggests. However, this balance has been awkwardly skewed in the latter half of season two and in the current plot of season three. To clarify, it is perfectly reasonable, and even common, for some stories to tip the scale more to one side.

But a common mistake for amateur writers is to create their stories as either hopelessly dark to cause the audience continuous distress for the sake of distress, or to keep everything entirely conflict-free for most of the plot. What do these both have in common? They each make the story boring and predictable.

Season three has taken this concept and thrown a monstrously heavy weight onto the Conflict side and flipped the scale so hard it has crashed through the ceiling. The viewers are hardly given time to find any joy in Tommy’s character, as he’s thrown into yet another abusive situation, just barely after his first narrative reward. The world is painted as relentlessly violent and traumatic.

Every person Tommy meets is morally grey, unhinged, or out to hurt him. Everything most of the characters love is taken from them by those in positions of power. Ranboo cannot even grieve properly because it scars his face. Puffy, Sam, Ranboo, and Tubbo all blame themselves for what happened to Tommy.

The audience watches lore stream after lore stream with the same depressing tone (with the exception of Tubbo’s, but I assume that’s unintentional.) Tommy is revived after being brutally beaten to death by his abuser, surrounded by all of his greatest fears. The afterlife is revealed to be akin to inescapable torture. It’s a colorless void that wraps the individual like fabric.

Time moves thirty times slower within. There’s nothing—nothing but the voices of others who’ve passed on before him. Dying in a world already devoid of happiness takes the characters to a place worse than hell. When a narrative delivers unfair suffering to the entire cast without a moment of joy to speak of, the story will feel simultaneously overwhelming and pointless.

Why watch characters suffer when there’s no light at the end of the tunnel? What happiness could they strive for when we know they’ll never get to keep it? How can I be satisfied with a good ending, if I know that an afterlife too terrible to name is what awaits them, truly, at the end of their story? Death isn’t even a white void that offers rest—it is eternal torment.

Obviously, it isn’t a good message to send by making the afterlife seem like a quiet, perfect place or an escape from pain. But making it an unspeakable anguish which awaits, assumedly, every character who will die in the future? I deeply hope Tommy was only being an extremely unreliable narrator.

More likely, I hope the place Tommy was taken to was a Limbo of sorts, not an end-all-be-all destination for everyone.

The degree of Tommy’s narrative punishment continues to escalate, to an almost absurd degree.

Tommy is one of the most tragic characters to exist in the storyline. He was sent into war at a young age and experienced two traumatic events during it. He was exiled by the newly elected leader and witnessed his mentor Wilbur spiral and break down with paranoia. Tubbo is executed publicly in front of him. When expressing rightful anger at the person who murdered him, he’s beaten nearly to death and never receives an apology.

Schlatt dies right in front of Tommy, after his initial refusal to hurt the ex-president. His brother-figure and mentor is killed in assisted suicide on the same day his nation is blown up. His best friend exiles him from his home for the second time. He routinely self-sacrifices to protect his country and those who live there. His most treasured possessions were taken from him and he was called selfish for trying to retrieve them (although his methods were self-destructive and volatile.)

He was pushed to the brink of suicide after being relentlessly abused and isolated in his exile. He was horrified when he thought he was responsible for drowning Fundy. After making an objectively good decision to stand by his old friends and change for the better, his country was obliterated by the man he once idolized, his father-figure, and his abuser.

He was left scattered and without purpose for many days. Then he fights against Dream and loses, while also reliving his trauma. He watches Tubbo almost die at the hands of someone he once thought was his friend. He doesn’t tell a single person about what happened to him in exile. The day he tries to sever his connection to Dream and heal, he’s trapped with him for a week, surrounded by everything that terrifies him.

He threatens to kill himself, speaking about his own life as if it were an object—something to hold over Dream’s head. He blames himself for everything bad that’s ever happened to L’Manburg and his friends—internalizing a mentality as a scapegoat for everyone around him. He is forced into the role of ‘hero’ despite the title being unfair and distressing to him.

As if that weren’t enough, he’s then beaten to death by his abuser and spends what feels like two months in an afterlife that is worse than hell. When he returns, his senses are excessively heightened. Dream can cause him excruciating pain, just by pinching him. He can send Tommy into an instant panic attack, just by raising his voice.

The punishment Tommy’s character receives is a thousand times worse than everyone he has ever met, or ever will meet. And it shows no signs of stopping, as Dream now has control over Tommy’s very mortality. Tommy now fears the slightest damage and feels as if he’s losing his best friend all over again. He is also forced into a position where he has to kill Dream out of necessity, to protect everyone he cares about.

Characters need fitting punishments in relation to their actions. Not always, but in order to be satisfying? Yes, they do. It is preferred that a main character deal with unfair situations and difficult conflicts, but this is borderline torture p*rn. Putting Tommy in these distressing and abusive situations on repeat and punishing him for doing objectively moral or healthy things is exhausting to watch.

To quickly add, I find the general insinuation of Tommy going to hell distasteful, especially considering the contents of his storyline. I know this may be hard to believe, but Tommy is one of the most moral characters in the plot, besides Puffy and Ghostbur. He’s also the only character, followed by Ranboo, to recognize that they can be wrong and make mistakes. He changed himself in order to heal and be a better person. He was in the process of paying people back for the things he’d stolen.

He’s learned to be hard-working and less violent through the guidance of Sam. He has apologized to everyone he’s ever hurt (with the exception of Jack Manifold, because that man is allergic to communication.) He puts himself in harm's way to protect others. He doesn’t set out to purposely hurt anyone. He goes out of his way to make connections with people and maintain them, even if others don’t reciprocate.

He’s hopelessly optimistic, despite his outwardly bitter façade. He loved so much and put meaning into the smallest things. The thought that a person like him—a suicide and abuse survivor—would go to hell after being beaten to death by the man who took everything from him; it makes me sick to my stomach.

The only thing more morbid than Tommy’s afterlife being different than everyone else’s, is the concept that everyone will end up in this same eternal torture, no matter what they do. Take your pick: Tommy is sentenced to anguish until the end of time for no reason, or everyone will receive the same disturbing ending, regardless of their actions.

The narrative weight of Ranboo’s character is potentially out the window.

For the past few months, I’ve watched all of Ranboo’s lore streams faithfully, curious to see what role he would play in the future. His ‘hallucinations’ of Dream seemed to be sowing the seeds for a plot that has Ranboo taking the fall for every single insidious thing Dream has done. It would also be a tragic parallel to Tommy’s trial.

Ranboo being convinced he was the one who blew up the community house, when Dream himself admitted to doing it, was one of the bigger indicators for me. This is just one of many other unexplained occurrences. Dream seemed to be making an effort to trigger and control Ranboo, especially after Sapnap’s prison visit. It appeared, from the way he went about this, that Dream had some grand use for Ranboo as part of his plan to be freed from Pandora’s Vault.

However, after Tommy’s stream, the way Dream explains himself makes it seem like there was no plan besides seeing if the book worked on people. And if he didn’t after all, then what was Ranboo for? Was Ranboo unimportant? Was Ranboo just some weirdo who happened to phase out when seeing smiley faces and imagined conversations that may or may not have happened?

I bring this up more as a worry, and much less so as an active problem in the narrative. They haven’t actually thrown Ranboo to the way-side or written themselves into a corner yet. In future streams, this could very easily be explained away or developed as more information is revealed.

Only time will tell.

The potential for Wilbur’s future development and importance to the plot is unfeasible.

I feel as if I am the only person on earth who doesn’t want Wilbur Soot or Schlatt revived. There are many reasons for this, but one of them is not a dislike for these characters. I especially adore Wilbur, as he’s one of my all-time favorites. I don’t want either of them resurrected because their stories have already been told. They each had a fitting conclusion that ended their involvement perfectly.

Bringing Wilbur back would especially cheapen the impact of the War of the 16th. It’s the end of a man who was brought to the absolute edge and out of desperation, shame, and self-hatred, he destroyed himself alongside his creation. Bringing him back would leave the climax of the previous story hollow. My biggest issue, however, is that a lack of story importance would likely follow his return.

The only real impact I’d like to see is through a healing arc with Tommy, an apology to Fundy, or a confrontation with Phil/Niki. But that’s really all the potential I can realistically see. While I don’t doubt Wilbur as an agent of chaos, able to create plot out of thin air; what is he going to do now? His country is gone, his friends and family are scattered about, and his mission from the 16th is already accomplished.

What is a well-educated, charismatic politician supposed to do in a world already broken and without nations? Read poetry to himself and cry evilly? However, this is working off the assumption that Wilbur would be returning as his old self.

If Wilbur is resurrected as a ‘villain’ of sorts, then what? He’s not good at fighting in the slightest. He would have no materials. There are no real allies he can make, other than the arctic group. On top of that, there are already more than enough villains to last a lifetime.

We don’t need any more, I promise. Quackity seems to already be shaping up as another antagonist, alongside Sam’s slip into darker and darker shades of moral ambiguity. We also have Philza and Techno, which are already overkill. But then we have Dream who, despite being in a prison, has the ability of selective revival. This is mercilessly overpowered, especially if he makes many allies. The dude could just bring his dead friends back so they can keep fighting forever.

Then there’s Jack Manifold and the Crimson followers; Antfrost, Bad, and Punz. That’s not even including characters who are refusing to get involved. How are Tommy, Tubbo, and Puffy expected to do literally anything to fight back?

Dream’s experiment on Tommy implies he had no backup plan to begin with. This makes his character seem both short-sighted and foolish.

When Tommy woke up after being brought back to life, Dream sounded surprised that the revival worked at all. This instantly shatters the perception that Dream was highly intelligent and thought ahead. With just a few lines of dialogue, it’s implied that Dream killed Tommy, unsure of if the resurrection would even be possible on humans.

Which, to risk something that important, seems unbelievably stupid. Dream needs Tommy, from his perspective. Tommy is his ‘toy,’ the one who makes everything fun. If he lost him and couldn’t get him back, what then? Oh well, everything Dream was doing was all for nothing, I guess.

Why not attempt this experiment on literally anyone else first? Like Sapnap or Bad or, hell, even Ranboo. I suppose it could be that, as soon as Dream got the book, he experimented with it after the 16th. This appears to be insinuated with Friend and Hendry’s revival, although this is uncertain. But even then, he was still unsure of the book’s effect on a human being.

Also, this means, hypothetically, Dream’s entire plan of escape hinged on the experiment working, to begin with, and also on bringing back Wilbur if it somehow did. I find this even more ridiculous. Why Wilbur? That man couldn’t find his way out of a paper bag, let alone get through the traps in Pandora’s Vault. Even if he is intelligent after years* in the afterlife, that’s also a strange assumption.

How do people learn things in the void? Where do they even get this knowledge? I’d honestly argue Techno is a far more competent choice than Wilbur. And even if Dream did bring him back and tell him he owed him his life, what’s to stop Wilbur from just killing him permanently? Or killing himself, continuously?

No way would Wilbur want to be controlled by anyone, ever. The dude would sooner fuck off into the mountains and become a nomad than help a neon green bodysuit cosplay as Light Yagami.

Dream’s discussion about Sam implies that he wasn't playing any part in Dream’s plan, making Sam appear entirely incompetent and neglectful of Tommy.

Dream talked about Sam in a way that seems detached and unaffiliated. He also mentioned him being broken up about Tommy’s fate and not being aware he’s still alive. Dream not being partnered with, or not using Sam in his plan leaves many plot holes. I’ll go through each one. The initial incident was an explosion, coming from the roof of Pandora’s Vault. This did not affect the Redstone mechanism for the doors or dispensers.

Meaning, Sam could’ve had Tommy leave the way that was expected for visitors after he investigated and found no issues. This likely couldn’t have been done in less than a day, but it would be better than an entire week. If Tommy was required to stay for longer, due to protocol, he could’ve gotten Tommy out and then placed him in one of the minor cells for the remainder of the time.

Also, no one else lost a canon life for leaving via the splash potion of harming and returning outside the maximum-security cell; why would Tommy? To add, Sam being uninvolved means that the explosion could have only been caused by Ranboo or Foolish. That, or it was placed long before and timed for the moment Tommy entered the main cell. (I’m going to ignore how ludicrous it is that someone would know the exact time Tommy would’ve entered the room with Dream.)

If Ranboo was the person behind the detonation, this implies he was necessary for Dream to kill Tommy to test the book. But that makes it even stranger. If this was Dream’s goal all along, why not kill Tommy the instant he was trapped with him? It makes no sense for him to wait so long.

Sam is also directly at fault for not letting Tommy out, even after the week was up. There was no reason not to. He already knew there were no issues with the prison at that point. Although, to be fair to Sam, his character may have been paranoid and checking everything more than necessary, just in case. But this still isn’t a good excuse for him ignoring protocol in this one instance, and yet, not in any of the others.

All of these plot holes or inconsistencies would be removed if it was revealed that Dream was blackmailing Sam in some way, or Sam had been working with him since the get-go. That Sam was the person who set off the explosion in the first place to trap Tommy inside. It would also explain Sam’s refusal to let Tommy out and by keeping him in there for longer than necessary.

This can also coexist with Sam’s attachment and care for Tommy. He probably wasn’t told about Dream’s plan to test the book and genuinely believed Dream wouldn’t hurt him. On top of that, Dream is known to be a pathological liar, so his statements about Ranboo and Sam could be entire fabrications.

Who knows?

The Book of Revival invalidates death entirely. The narrative now lacks both tension and consequence.

Another way the Dream SMP differs from other storytelling media is in the way it goes about its character deaths. In a TV show, for example, there will be characters who die just because, or when it’s important to the plot. However, it seems as if the Dream SMP is hesitant to commit to killing its characters. And there are many reasons for that.

The most important one being, killing someone’s character excludes them from the story and some of their livelihoods depend on them regularly streaming on the server. There is also the issue of the cast becoming extremely sparse if characters keep dying. Typically, in stories, when you kill a character, you should introduce another.

This keeps the cast from dwindling as the storyline goes on. This means the writers would have to find new streamers to join, who will develop their own characters and relationships with the plot’s continued momentum. This can be stressful and daunting to those who may be newly added in the future.

Keeping this in mind, the Book of Revival is annoying from a writer’s perspective. When death is no longer an issue for a story hinged on its characters’ mortality, then what do you have as a consequence anymore? We’ve explored every kind under the sun; from abuse, to betrayal, to loss, to destruction.

In stories, traditionally, death is a finality. It’s a conclusion. Whether it’s good or not depends on the character’s actions, its build-up, and the event’s execution. Without this lingering sense of danger, tension evaporates from the story.

Why should I care if Tommy loses in a fight to someone, if he’ll just come back a day later? Why should I care about what happened to Wilbur, if he just returns as if nothing happened? The answer is simple: I won’t. I will no longer care if Tubbo or Ranboo or Sam die in the story, because the idea of revival even being a possible outcome leaves me unenthused and uncaring.

The Dream SMP likes to flirt with death. It teases the demise of its main characters many, many times. More so Tommy’s than anyone else’s. Wilbur’s failed resurrection, which had unforeseen and unfortunate outcomes, is now strange in comparison to Tommy’s, which happened without a hitch.

To be fair, we actually don’t see how many attempts it took. But here’s the problem; Dream could do it without the book being physically present. He’s trapped in a prison with nothing on him, meaning he doesn’t need any materials either. It’s also implied he could do this as many times as he feels, for anyone he wants. This would be exceedingly overpowered, if not for one thing—Dream himself is mortal (at least, I fucking hope he’s mortal.)

If someone kills him one last time, that knowledge is gone forever. And I’m glad they’ve established at least some way for Tommy to win. Because at this point, I was losing faith.

There is also the bare minimum establishment that Dream can refuse to bring back those he doesn’t care for. He can also use it as a shield, holding this power over other people. If Dream is gone, death is permanent. But isn’t that how death is supposed to be, anyway?

What a bleak premise—the afterlife is pure eternal torture while life is cheapened by a lack of consequences.

Conclusion

All this to say, I am cautiously optimistic for the future. I hope dearly that every single one of these can be disproven or developed in the coming livestreams. Obviously, there’s not enough information to really determine what the end result will be, or how everything will fall into place.

Every time I have theorized about the story, it has done something completely different and pleasantly surprised me. I want this trend to continue.

Surprise me again—I’ll be here to see where it goes.

#answered asks #long post #tommyinnit #dream smp meta #dream smp #dsmp #dsmp analysis #this is slightly outdated still but whatever #hope this was helpful anon #tw abuse #tw suicide

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autisticlalna · 4 years ago

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FHSGGA no ur good ur good!!! ur so good, ive honestly consumed so many weird fandoms over the yrs, most of that lore is like. p understandable to me. honestly a fair amount of wtnv vibes. ty for the lowdown im genuinely interested!!

if og wyatt mason became microphone, how was there an existing god of blaseball? i wouldve assumed they were the same thing. there are multiple gods?

and yoooooo multiple wyatt masons sounds cool!! do they act like og wyatt did or they just share a name? mason x has fantastic vibes, that is such good art, i love all xir pink. v good style. xe seems so incredibly rad.

do all the teams actually play against each other? what happens when there are too many players on a team, do they swap out? i. i realize this may just be a baseball question but regular baseball is more confusing to me than a 15 yr old ascending to godhood, thats just the vibe sometimes

there’s like four gods total so far:

. the Peanut (who was extremely evil and got murdered in a legitimate bossfight which was INSANE to watch bc. this is a baseball simulator. and they programmed a whole-ass bossfight against an evil team made up of players of beloved teams that’d gotten nailed w a status effect over course of 9 seasons) . the Microphone (Wyatt my beloved) . the Monitor (squid, looks after the Hall of Flame where all the uh. incinerated. players go. because people die a lot in blaseball.) . and then the Coin (capitalism and kind of a shitlort)

basically the Peanut was a huge dick and the Microphone teamed up with the Monitor & the Coin as part of the bossfight to murder it, with the other half of the deal being that the Coin became the new blaseball god. and then is VERY HEAVILY IMPLIED to have been the one to sabotage the Microphone?? which like, fuck you????? no one likes the coin. i thought she was chill at first but she very much is not

the different teams have basically taken their Wyatts and ran with them so there is a LOT of diff interpretations depending on what team a Wyatt is on! like, the Tacos have Wyatt Mason IV aka Ivy, who i love, and i actually drew them w MaX today:

i think Ivy is the closest to og Wyatt in looks/personality? on account of being on the Tacos, but the other Wyatts include, like. MaX, who is very punk rock bc of the Seattle Garages being a band and all about self-expression, there’s like... Wyatt Mason 1, who landed with the Tokyo Lift, was transfeminine i think? i dont know a lot about masone id have to bug my roommate orz, uhhh the Wyatt thats with the Ohio Worms is an android i think? and super cute??? also some of them are diff ages, like Ivy is 15ish like og Wyatt (as are a few others) but Wyatt IX was... 24?, and MaX is 19.

OH also our lore for MaX is that like. bc the Garages are a band, and bc of the stadium upgrade that led to the Wyatts being sound-themed, MaX is kinda a digital ghost of sorts is the best way i can think to phrase it rn? like xe’s very physical but also xer physical form is an extension of the PA system and xe has a lot of visual + audio glitching. xe is VERY cool and very much my aesthetic. ALSO XE’S AUTISTIC :D the Wyatts are kinda neurodivergent coded overall from what ive heard talkin to the Tacos

the teams play against each other, yeah! right now blaseball is on its off-season, but:

whenever the game is actually going, teams in each league (wild high vs wild low, mild high vs mild low) will go up against each other in games of 3. whoever has the highest score of each subdivision makes it to the playoffs each weekend, where they duke it out to see who is the season champion! ....as you can see by the Garages being at the bottom of mild high, we did not have a great season ahlfxkhf;klhf

p much all the players ingame are just, like, names and stats? but the fandom go hard on giving them full designs and story that the devs then build off of bc theyre v involved in the community, which led to memorable characters like Jaylen Hotdogfingers & Mike Townsend on the Seattle Garages, who are probably the most well-known blaseball characters on account of the Garages kinda being the protagonists for a bit??? we thought we were done being the protagonists. then we got MaX. then we unintentionally committed necromancy, Again,

there’s also a lot of wacky bullshit like weird weather types (like. crows. where there’s just a fuckton of birds on the field. or feedback, where two players will switch teams, and which is potentially the Microphone’s fault) and player/team modifications that make them pitch/bat better or do weird shit (the Wyatts have a custom modification, Echo, which makes them copy other teams’ mods)

there’s some events that just, like, add a player to your team and they just have a new slot? like normally when there’s like, trades or swapping from roster to shadows (players not playing) you’re having to actually shuffle stuff around, but MaX just kinda. got added on. and the Garages have a History:tm: of collecting pitchers so we have like nearly twice the number of pitchers that any sane team should have bc we got like. 3 events that add on a new pitcher w their own slot. if MaX ended up being a pitcher we would’ve all collectively lost it but xe’s a batter thank god fghlxk;hf;klgxfh

the fun part about blaseball is i barely know fucking anything about baseball (asides from that one time i played it and hit the ball so incorrectly that it bounced off the bat and hit me in the face, which. HOW???) so ive literally been learning as i go fgxhlkhgf so im. more well-versed in the lore than i am how anything actually Happens.

but yeah The Longest Thursday was basically me being like “THANK FUCK TALES IS DELAYED BC I DONT THINK I CAN EMOTIONALLY HANDLE THIS” bc we all got buried in Wyatts and then plot Kept Happening and MaX was uhhh ACTUALLY AT RISK OF DYING??? OR AT LEAST BEING ERASED FROM REALITY????? BC IT TURNS OUT THAT THE ECHO MODIFICATION DOES NOT LIKE ECHOING THE ECHO MODIFICATION. AND JUST WIPES THE TWO WYATTS INVOLVED FROM EXISTENCE. MaX and Ivy are still alive and are in diff divisions so they’ll hopefully never meet but jesus fuck i was Goin Thru It i would not have been able to handle that AND tales on the same day. and thankfully i didnt have to! i skipped the playoffs so i could watch tales lmao

#haha blasebal go brrrrrr #Anonymous #blaseball #leo.txt

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