#tell me this isn’t the most Link coded bullshit

[crazylittlejester]

I’m watching Pirates of the Caribbean and I’m at that part where Will and Elizabeth get married IN THE MIDDLE OF A FUCKING FIGHT and my first thought was “That’s so Time coded” but like, let’s be so fucking for real right now: Name me a Link who WOULDN’T do that

[ladykailolu]

I read this fanfic where Godot gets on a rather shady person’s bad side,

Said Shady person makes bullshit health code violations and gets Godot’s cafe/home taken away

Imagine if some absolute garbage Karen trash tried to fuck over Godot by making bs calls to child services to try and get Marigold taken away from him

Arguing “since he was a convict and stuff he isn’t fit to be a parent” “he couldn’t possibly care for this child properly”

The shady person in the fanfic had certain ties to the legal world that allowed them to get away with getting Godot’s cafe place shut down, so if they had similar ties to cps

That could end badly

Hopefully Nick and pals can help (you don’t get trials for health code violations, but you do for child abuse and custody)

Uuuhhhhhhh.....link to me the fanfic??? I love some post aa3 Godot content!!

I'm not sure how that would work, but for the sake of angst, that sure would be fucked up! And make it that this shady person is sooooooo damn good at navigating the legal system either by himself or through some powerful friends that it's basically a done deal for Godot. It's unavoidable. He can't get out of it. Marigold will be taken away from him, and that's the final word.

So Godot runs to Nick for help, and now that it involves Marigold's life, Nick is furious too and takes Godot's case. Instantly, Nick can see that the whole trial was a sham and that Godot was not the monster the prosecution (which is not Edgeworth or a prosecutor whom Nick previously fought) was trying to paint him as. But it seems like the whole world is against him right now because it doesn't sit right with any of the witnesses how a murder convict is the legal guardian of a vulnerable young child. Basically, the prosecution twists the facts to align with the people's fears. It becomes pretty damning.

How do you think that this case would turnabout? As in, could Nick sniff out this shady person and reveal their plot? Would that shady person be proven suspicious and Godot be exonerated? Maybe Nick would catch the person in one lie on the stand then reveal that he's been lying the entire time, which would exonerate Godot and make the shady person into the defendant.

Even so, the damage has been done. Godot was sitting in jail, away from Marigold, and as a condition of his confinement, he was not allowed to see Marigold unless he is found not guilty and free to go. Meanwhile, Marigold was probably placed in foster care because she doesn't have blood-relatives available to raise her. And she's not allowed to see her dad when she wanted to see him most.

I imagine though that they would use Nick as a proxy. Nick visits Marigold at the youth center then he goes to the visitor's center at the jail and tells Godot all about how Marigold is going. It gets touching when Nick tells him more sentimental things, like Marigold can't wait to see Godot again, and vice versa.

[rangerlink]

HKU Theory: Larcsunder

Helloooooo I am throwing my hat in the ring I’m going all in, this is my most beloved and strongly held hku theory and if it doesn’t turn out to be true I will eat One Dozen Hats

Now let’s talk about the Asunder Incident, can we talk about the Asunder Incident, I’m dying to talk about the Asunder Incident with you all day okay. Now listen, people theorized that Larc was the Yiga spy and he wasn’t. They theorized that Larc was the Wing Clipper and he wasn’t. This might discourage some people from further Larc Sus theories, but I say third time’s the charm! I have been on this bullshit since I first caught up with hku and since then there has been very little to dissuade me.

This theory is two-fold:

1. Larc is the one who did the original arm-chopping that would come to be known as the Asunder Incident, not Siv, and

2. Siv learning/remembering this was the “fourth tie”, the thing that finally made him go all in for Ganon

I’m actually gonna start with that second one though, so here’s the Game Plan:

1. Larc Was The Fourth Tie

2. The Fourth Tie Was Related To The Asunder Incident

3. Larc’s Behavior

4. Some Contradictory Evidence

5. Extracanonical Evidence

6. Baseless Speculation

Larc Was The Fourth Tie

This one I don’t think needs a whole lot of proving, Larc is Siv’s little brother who he took care of their whole childhood, the connection he’s had the longest.

There is evidence to support this, though! At the end of the Yiga hideout rescue, just before Siv slurpees all the malice out of Larc, he says this:

At this point, Siv already feels he’s been betrayed by the other 3 people he was closest to (Zavis, Link, and Mallory), and Larc is the only one he feels he can still trust. So if something were to break his trust in Larc as well... I think you can see where this is going.

Siv post-Fourth Tie also reacts very interestingly to Larc being brought up:

So, if Larc is the fourth tie, then what could he have done that would make Siv believe Larc had betrayed him? I think the most likely possibility is that it has something to do with-

The Asunder Incident

The incident that set Siv’s life off the rails and onto the path he’s on when we meet him. The BIG disaster. And there are A Lot of indications that it isn’t what it seems.

First of all, Siv doesn’t actually remember what happened. And yes, he was drunk at the time. But even though we haven’t been shown the actual incident, we have gotten little teases of it, in “lightning and gaslighting” and “oh brother. look who’s grounded”. Once before and once after the fourth tie, and both shown to Siv by ??? aka Calamity Ganon.

In fact, throughout the story, ??? really pushes the idea of a memory he can help Siv recover, something he claims people have lied to Siv about.

There’s this, which we’re given during the time-skip, but actually takes place in the “wood you tell me what you saw?” arc, which is (as far as we know) the first time Siv consciously uses the calamity’s power.

There’s also this conversation, which was in code (with the keyword “Asunder”), in the same arc, after Zelda’s birthday party:

This conversation doesn’t specify who “he” is, but given this is also the same arc where Siv confronts Larc about what happened in the Asunder Incident, I think it’s pretty likely the “he” is Larc.

These conversations are also very vague as to what this memory ??? is talking about is, but based on the point above, dialogue like “there’s no one to blame, it’s me”/“you were a good kid”, and one more thing I’ll get to, I’m positive they’re talking about the Asunder Incident.

That one more thing is this conversation from “lightning and gaslighting”:

The main point of interest here is that “supposedly”. That creates some room for doubt, and Astor also goes on to say that Ganon wants to show Siv “the truth” about the Asunder Incident, which strongly implies that what Siv has heard about the incident is not the truth.

So, Ganon is pushing Siv to look at this memory, the memory of the Asunder Incident, and Siv refuses for years. But post-fourth tie, we get this:

The wording here is also vague, but given everything else I think it’s a pretty safe bet to assume that he’s talking about the same thing as all those times before. The post that shows Siv actually waking up after remembering also reinforces this.

Now, ??? is a gaslight-y, untrustworthy bastard, so why should we even believe what he tells Siv about the Asunder Incident? Well, the really insidious thing about ??? is that he only lies just as much as he needs to. Zavis, Link, and Zelda were, in fact, keeping secrets from Siv. What ??? does lie about is the intent behind the secret-keeping, framing it as a personal attack against Siv, pushing Siv to believe that these things happened because none of these people really care about him. So if ??? says something is Up with the Asunder Incident, that it didn’t go down how we’ve heard, I do believe it up to that point.

So the fourth tie is Larc, and the fourth tie is the truth of the Asunder Incident. How are these two things related? Now let’s finally look at Larc himself.

Larc’s Behavior

The confrontation with Siv at Zelda’s birthday party has a lot in it. Larc delays answering Siv’s question about what really happened for as long as possible, and when he does answer, it seems very... stilted. Rehearsed, possibly. That’s just vibes of course. But also in this conversation we have some pretty ambiguous wording from Larc:

“It was never” what? And, me being me, I’m laser focused on the way Larc trips over his words in that last screenshot. “One thing that... you... I... just one night”. That could mean so many things, but if you read the beginning of this post you know which one I’ve chosen. And “guilt” is gonna come up a lot.

Then we actually return to the scene with the first screenshot in this post, because here’s Larc’s response to what Siv says:

Larc’s about to make a deathbed confession here, something specifically to do with Siv.

Then, after this incident, while Larc is resting, Launo goes and pokes Siv so he can see some of Larc’s painful memories. His explanation of what he saw has a lot of links in it to previous posts.

Specifically, all but one link to the “lark flies into the woods” arc. All but the link on the word “guilt”, which links to the party confrontation, the one that’s already come up twice in this post.

Then there’s the conversation in these two posts, while Larc, Link, and Mipha are heading to the garrison:

Again, Larc feels a lot of guilt with regard to Siv. And oh goody! More Ambiguous Wording! This could be something like “he never even” blamed me/complained/demanded an apology, which, looking at the scene we have of this event, it seems he didn’t. Orrrrrrr it could be something like “he never even” did what he was being blamed for. It’s ambiguous! But personally, I think that if it was the first option, Larc would’ve just said it. Never misses an opportunity to put himself down, especially not in this scene.

And finally, there’s the diary entry Ligero uses to frame Siv as the Wing Clipper:

This is kind of hard to parse, given Larc’s, uh, flowery language, and Ligero’s taking it out of context. But I don’t think Larc is talking about the Wing Clipper murders at all in this passage. He names the Asunder Incident at the beginning, and in the second paragraph he mentions “an incident”, singular, that he feels guilt around and wishes hadn’t happened.

This seems to suggest that Larc feels personally guilty for the Asunder Incident, which granted he probably would no matter how it went down. But he also talks specifically about “valuing perception and comfort over justice” as something he regrets. And this could be about Larc abandoning Siv to his fate and not contacting him for years, but that’s not a secret. That’s something Siv already knew happened, not whatever new thing Siv learned about this incident, and not something Larc would need to keep hidden away in a diary.

That being said.

Contradictory Evidence

Now I don’t have every single thing that could disprove this theory living in my head rent free like I do with the evidence for it, such is the nature of the brainrot, but there’s a couple things that I feel like I should at least try to deal with.

First up, this bit from right after we first learned about the Asunder Incident:

Siv’s drunken rambling is uhhhhhh. Weird. He seems pretty sure here what he was feeling at the time of the incident, and even says it was “funny”, which fits with the rumor that he was laughing during the incident, which he specifically asks Larc about in That Scene we’ve gone over a whole bunch. But it’s worth noting that later in this arc, Siv again says that he doesn’t remember the Asunder Incident so who even knows what he’s talking about. Definitely not him.

Then there’s actually the second tease of the incident, in “oh brother. look who’s grounded”. Specifically this bit of dialogue that seems to be from Larc:

I can’t really find a reason for Larc to be saying this if Siv didn’t do any arm-chopping, but this is so vague and out of context that it could be anything. It seems pretty likely that it’s Larc saying it, but nothing actually says outright that it is or even that this and the other dialogue are from the same moment.

So yeah, I don’t really know what to do with these two things, but the thing is that just about everything related to the Asunder Incident is super vague, and there’s a lot more vague things that suggest Siv at least wasn’t fully responsible, than ones that suggest he was.

So now it’s time for the fun stuff!

Extracanonical Evidence

This is stuff that isn’t actually a part of the story, like teasers and things Quill has said out of character. So I wanted to put this stuff at the end, because since it isn’t actually in the story yet, it’s less reliable. But also there’s some Juicy stuff here.

First off is a ratbox secret that I don’t actually have a screenshot of, unfortunately. But as far as I remember, this had to do with Ligero, and was something like “it’s not blackmail if it’s family”. Doesn’t say who is being blackmailed, but then someone asked for Larc’s darkest secret for an ask game, and Quill gave us a cipher that decoded to this:

Which could suggest that Larc is being blackmailed by Ligero. The connection between this and the Asunder Incident comes from the keyword used to decode the cipher:

“the fourth tie”. 20 years is also the time between the Asunder Incident and Larc getting Siv the orator job.

Then someone asked for Ligero’s darkest secret:

There’s nothing to really indicate this aside from proximity, but I think it’s possible that this is also related to the two blackmail secrets. That maybe this is talking about a specific favor Ligero did for Larc, at the expense of Siv.

I can also see a possible connection between this secret and some of Astor’s dialogue from this earlier conversation:

This is sandwiched right in between Astor talking about the Asunder Incident and Astor revealing his relation to the Hartells, so it could be related to either of those topics (or both of them).

Then there’s this little teaser, in response to the “send me a word and I’ll give you a sentence it appears in” ask game (this was actually my ask hehe):

This is what I consider to be my biggest smoking gun, which is another reason why I saved it for last. Assivus Asunder is a catchy name. It shouldn’t go to waste. Siv got this name for cutting off someone’s forearm in the Asunder Incident. But if it would go to waste if not for Siv doing something in this moment...

To me, that implies that he hasn’t actually “asundered” anyone before this point, but is about to try. And if he hasn’t asundered anyone, then someone else must have done the arm-chopping that fateful night as well. And given all these other suspicious little things, Larc’s guilt, the fourth tie being what it probably is, I’d say there’s no more likely suspect than Arcadius Hartell.

Which brings me to...

Baseless Speculation!

Well, not really, as it’s informed by all the evidence in this post, but I don’t have any new evidence to back up the specifics here.

So, apparently back when I first started yelling about this theory it was just a basic “Larc Sus” thing. But then I changed my mind. Whatever Larc did, I don’t think it was with any malice towards Siv, none of the four ties have been. Something I said before in tags was that maybe Siv got into a fight with the two knights, was badly losing, Larc jumped in to protect him and things got a bit... out of hand. That would parallel his reasons for keeping Link from his role as the hero, not out of a desire to hurt Hyrule, but in order to protect his son. Hyrule was just collateral damage.

So, Larc chops an arm. Then Ligero shows up. He still has hopes that Larc will turn out to be the hero, and in addition, Larc needs to keep up the reputation of House Hartell, cause Siv’s certainly not gonna do it. So nobody can know that Larc was responsible for this. Siv is the perfect scapegoat. I don’t know what Ligero could have used to make Larc go along with this plan, maybe it had something to do with Launo? But this is where the blackmail comes in.

So Siv is blamed, and Larc never stops feeling guilty about it.

Aaaaaand that’s all I got! So anyway, in conclusion,

[newvegascowboy]

i think deacon’s idle voice lines reveal a lot more about him as a person than anything he says during affinity conversations, and here’s why

get ready for a long meta post about deacon that nobody asked for, because we’re deep diving today.

okay. so Deacon’s a liar, everybody knows this. He tells you straight up that he does and WILL lie to you, and will praise you if you call him out, but i think his idle voice lines are more honest about himself than he would have you believe. 

Personal Life

i first noticed stuff he says in idle conversations when we were taking rad damage and he said, “Great. I didn’t need to have more children.” (0:58 for anyone interested) and “Guess there won’t be any little Deacons scurrying around in the future.” The above video doesn’t include it, but I have heard him say it in game. Unfortunately, I can’t go digging around in the game files to find it, so you might have to take that one at my word! 

I always take his affinity conversations with a grain of salt because, well, it’s Deacon, but given how angry and upset with a dismissive Sole Survivor he becomes, I’m willing to give him a little bit of leeway and believe that Barbara either was or is real, and she’s no longer in his life. Plus, given what he says about them “trying for kids”? It’s not unreasonable to think that he has or had children. If he ever did, they’re not in his life anymore either. 

(the reproductive ability of synths is debated. i couldn’t actually find any information on the fallout wiki, but there were a few forums discussing the topic where the general consensus seemed to be “no”, but if synths are 100% biologically human, then i don’t see why they technically couldn’t. it’s kind of a YMMV thing.) 

Plus, it’s pretty consistent that he gets freaked out when up in high places. (:44) here to listen to his voice lines about being up in the quarry, and here to listen to his dialogue during the Railroad aligned quest Red Glare. Safe to say this man is honestly afraid of heights. 

"Alright. You got me up here... let's go down. Now?"

At the top of Trinity Tower. 

The Railroad

Not going to spend a lot of time on this, since his voice lines about it are minimal, but it is of note. 

Game files and terminal entries hint at Desdemona believing that Deacon is “John D”, the sole survivor of an attack on the Railroad back in 2266. Post 2273, there is no more mention about “John D”. Admittedly, this is pretty weak evidence considering it’s in-game conjecture, but Deacon mentions knowing Desdemona as a green recruit, finding it hard to take her seriously at times.

Even if his claim about being the real leader of the Railroad is bullshit, he’s obviously one of the eldest members of the Railroad, confirmed membership going back at least 12 years to 2275. He could very well be the oldest surviving member of the Railroad. 

Hidden Depths

this one is pretty well known, so I’m not going to say too much on it either. 

the man knows a lot of stuff about the pre war world! Don’t know why! He never offers any reason for why he’s so familiar with the pre war world. It’s very clear that he either had a much, much more thorough education than most Wastelanders, or he was around people who did. University Point was a pretty major settlement until the Institute wiped it out, so I suppose it’s possible that he could’ve been schooled there, but I find it unlikely. He never makes any mention of his childhood other than an obvious joke where he says, “I grew up just over there. Lot of fond memories by that...thing.”  (this link is a compilation of voice lines, so it may take a moment to get there.) 

Obviously there’s the famous Proust line, indicating he’s pretty well read, though, oddly enough, he doesn’t have anything to say about Henry David Thoreau’s cabin! You’d think he would. In addition to Proust, he has the combat voice line, “Insert something Shakespearean about your death and inevitable doom here,” indicating he’s familiar with Shakespeare. 

He also mentions knowing and wanting a talk radio show. I mean, the Charles River Trio exists, but it’s a stretch to call that a talk radio show. He also mentions having read “a few textbooks” and asks if we were planning on an invasion of mathletes. This hints at nothing, but i do think it’s funny that he knows the word mathlete, but refers to pre-war objects as gizmos. 

Involvement in other games

It’s canon that Deacon has been to the Capital Wasteland, and based on his dialogue, may have been VERY involved in the goings on there. 

The events of Fallout 3 take place in 2277. The wiki tells us that sometime in 2275, Deacon was kicked out of the railroad by then-leader Pinky Thompson because Pinky was "sick of the lying, face-changing son of a bitch." So maybe unlikely, but very possible for Deacon to have been in the Capital Wasteland during the entirety of the events of Fallout 3. Though this pretty much kills the idea that Deacon was the Lone Wanderer, that’s a headcanon i love and probably one that I want to do something with in the future. 

He also seems to have quite a history with the Brotherhood of Steel and seems familiar with them and their actions in the Capital Wasteland, going to far as to say that they did good work in the Capital. Not only that, but he mentions “Code Violet”, part of Harkness’ override code from Fallout 3. It’s possible that Deacon could’ve been a runner for escaped synths heading for the Capital Wasteland sometime around 2277, which could be why he’s so knowledgeable about Capital-era Brotherhood and President Eden. 

Deacon talks about winning something from Robert House in a poker game while chatting with Deezer in Covenant. (1:26) Also interesting to note - he mentions “Being a soldier in the west” (17:43) at one point, hinting to possible involvement with the NCR (or possibly with the Western chapter of the Brotherhood). 

of course it’s possible that Deacon is bullshitting. He’s a liar. even if he doesn’t have a “reason” to lie, that doesn’t make every random word that comes out of his mouth the truth. simply - this man knows a lot. Knows things that, arguably, he shouldn’t or would be very hard for him to learn without some dedicated poking around. 

in conclusion? 

is there more? most definitely. what does this mean? well...not really anything. part of why i believe that his idle voice lines are more truthful than anything he says during his affinity conversations is because during those conversations, a lot of the time, he’s lying to try and prove a point. 

"But I had a point here. A lesson, if you will. There're other organizations out there. And, in time, I'm sure they're going to spoon-feed you their own patented form of bullshit. Ignore the verbage and look at what they're doing. What they're asking you to do. What sort of world they'd have you build and how they're going to pay for it."

I believe a lot of Deacon’s lies are meant for himself. To run from himself, to comfort himself, or simply because he doesn’t want to be affiliated with the man he was when he was younger. To me, his idle lines are him “thinking out loud”. Grumbling because the Sole Survivor dragged him into an irradiated hell hole, or freaked out because they’re standing on top of Trinity Tower and by god, he can feel the building swaying. 

Maybe his honesty is completely on accident. Maybe he’s just hinting at a personal life with a max affinity Sole Survivor because this person is his best friend and despite everything he’s ever tried to teach himself, he trusts this person. Or maybe it isn’t honesty at all, and he’s just bullshitting to bullshit. It’s impossible to know for sure. 

Either way, we’ll never truly know the real Deacon. 

[but-the-library-of-alexandria]

A Character Questionnaire

Here’s my character questionnaire for writing and/or rpgs! They’re a mix of stuff that comes up surprisingly often though you wouldn’t think of it, stuff that seems meaningless but tells you a lot about someone, and stuff that just entertains me.

Why is your character called what they’re called? Who picked their name, and why? (and I don’t mean you, I mean in-story.) Does it mean anything?

You know how your character looks, but why do they look like that? Why do they wear their hair like that, or choose those clothes? 

How is this character’s relationship with their hometown? What about where they live now, if it isn’t the same place?

Can this character sing, play an instrument and/or dance? Do they?

What is this character's role in their friend group? How do their friends see them?

Tell me something cool or stupid this character did when they were younger. 

What motivates this character to take risks, and what tends to hold them back?

Is this character good with kids? What about babies? Preteens?

What draws this character to a potential love interest? (or friend, if they’re not into romance.) Conversely, what’s a personal ‘red flag’ or turn-off for a potential partner?

What do other characters like about this character? What do they not like?

Does this character like people who are like them, or prefer to hang out with people who are very different from them?

What tarot card does your character draw from the deck at the beginning or the turning point of their story? And no, you can’t just pick a card that means ‘beginning of a story’.

How does this character walk, or carry themselves when they stand? Can they sit in chairs normally, or in dumb ways that are bad for their back?

Hogwarts houses are bullshit, but justifying your answer is still interesting.

Jung’s archetypes, however, are great for character building. 

Does this character talk a little, or a lot? Why, and in what way?

Which other character is this one similar to, and what makes them different? Can be someone in-story or from some other piece of media.

How does this character feel about animals or pets?

What is this character afraid of? Give me one deep, meaningful fear and one dumb, surface-level fear, eg. spiders and dying alone. 

What does this character want most out of life?

Does this character generally avoid offending people, or do they tend to cause upset? By accident, on purpose, or in spite of their best efforts?

This character is throwing a party. What is it like? How do they generally behave at parties?

This character is getting married, or organising a wedding for a loved one. What is it like? What do they wear?

What is this character’s attitude towards love, especially romantic love? 

What is their philosophy on life? Does this character believe in fate, karma, ‘everything happens for a reason’ etc? Or do they believe in nothing?

What kind of story or role - be it another genre or a particular example you can think of - would this character do terribly in? And which would they suit better than the one they’re currently in?

What kind of sense of humour does this character have?��

How does this character handle diplomacy?

Is this character more high wisdom, or high intelligence? Both, neither?

What does this character think is their core motivation, and is this different from their real one? 

What’s a quote from another piece of media that makes you think of this character? It can, indeed, be a vine.  

Alcohol? 

What kind of person was this character (or would they be) in high/secondary school? 

Assuming this character lives/lived in this world, what’s their favourite movie?

Does this character tend towards self-deprecating or self-aggrandising humour? Does this differ from how they actually see themselves, or does it reflect it?

If someone was pinning quotes, images etc. from this character to an ~aesthetic~ Pinterest board, what would the board be called? Note: ‘nobody would see aesthetic value in anything relating to this character’ is a valid answer. 

Who does this character trust, and why? You can say ‘nobody’, but only if it’s actually true.

How does this character feel about their height? 

Who has this character stolen personality traits from? We all do it. Their friends, siblings, partners, celebrities, fictional characters?

Can this character ‘code switch’, or are they consistent in how they talk to all kinds of people? 

Are they an optimist, a pessimist, or something else?

How does this character feel about traditions and institutions?

How would a preteen fanfic writer say your character smells? The formula is: one thing that smells good, one thing that smells kinda questionable, and one thing that definitely doesn’t have a smell or even a corporeal form. 

Does this character have a good memory?

What about this character is surprising or non-stereotypical, given the rest of their personality? eg. are they a barbarian who loves to crochet, a sweetheart with hidden anger issues, a genius who can’t read 24hr clocks? 

In what way is this character hypocritical or contradictory? No real person makes perfect sense or plays true to their values all the time. 

Coffee or tea?

What would this character’s DnD class be? And if this character already is a DnD character, what class would they play if they played DnD? 

Is this character datable, or are they hirable? ‘Both’ should not be an option, but ‘neither’ is.

Free question: just state some dumb, random detail about this character. 

I highly recommend filling in this and any other character questionnaire with maximum humour, tangents and breaking of rules. 

Link to the google doc for better formatting.

[griavian]

the 36 questions that lead to love

x <- read on ao3

dream finds a list of questions that can supposedly lead to two people falling in love, so him and george try it out on stream. turns out, they don't really need all 36.

“Come on, George. It’s just a couple of questions.” Dream pleaded into the call, making George roll his eyes. He’s been trying to end stream for the past 15 minutes, but Dream always convinces him to go “just a little longer!”.

“36 questions is not just a couple of questions, Dream.” George glances at his second monitor to make sure his green screen was still black and to check a few discord messages. He had no intention to fall into Dream’s trap for another hour of streaming.

“But it says it’ll lead to love!” Dream says, exasperated. He googled ‘questions to ask your friend’ earlier and found a list of them that apparently lead to falling in love. To George, it was bullshit.

“That’s such bullshit.” He expresses.

“You’re no fun.” Dream’s voice lowered, and George can feel the pout Dream has plastered on his face. He can already predict what the next 12 hours would be like with Dream: silent treatment and being a general dickhead. George was used to it when they lived an ocean apart, and even found it amusing, but it was a totally different experience living with him. Dream would mope around, go into George’s room randomly just to not talk to him, and go as far as to blast sad music from his own room across the hall while George was trying to finish up some editing. Sure, it was all light-hearted jokes, and Dream would stop his act in a heartbeat if George was truly annoyed by it, but George still dreaded it.

“Fine.”

Dream immediately cheers up and starts typing on his keyboard while George watches his chat fly by, seeing a lot of emotes and positive messages.

“Okay, um- first question. Given the choice of anyone in the world, whom,” Dream mocks the formality, “would you want as a dinner guest?”

George’s nose crinkles. “How is that gonna make me fall in love with you?”

“Just answer the question.”

“I don’t know! The queen?”

“That’s a stupid answer.”

“What!” George screeches and Dream barks out a laugh. “You’re so dumb.”

“You gotta give me a better answer than that, or else we won’t fall in love with each other.”

George rolls his eyes, but decides to think about his answer. Truthfully, he wouldn’t want anyone special as a dinner guest. “Um. My mum.”

George eyes his chat as it’s filled with “aw”s. He almost scoffs.

“See? That wasn’t so hard.” George wants to punt Dream into another universe.

“Alright, who would you want as a guest?”

“Tom Brady.”

“That’s the stupidest answer ever!” George yells, his eyes wide, perhaps offended that Dream picked Tom Brady out of anyone else in the world.

“Question two!” Dream ignores, “This one is kinda dumb, but would you like to be famous and if you do, what for?”

George hums. “Probably don’t want to be famous-famous. Maybe being well-known for being the first person to invent IRL-VR. I want my body to be submerged in the Minecraft universe.”

“That’s sick. I dunno what I’d want-”

“You’re already famous.”

“Shut up. I don’t even- I don’t even want to be famous, really. I just want to make whoever knows me smile.”

“Aww, isn’t that sweet, Dream.” George teases and he knows Dream waved him off. George has his habits practically memorized.

“Whatever. How about you ask some questions?” Dream sends a link on discord and George reads through them.

“There’s no way these can make people fall in love. What even is this question? Before making a telephone call, do you rehearse what you’re going to say and why?”

“Trust the process. I mean, I do that. I don’t want my brain all jumbled up, I guess. Words are hard.” Dream answers.

“I don’t think I’ve ever done that. I wing it.”

“That’s very you. Next question.” Something about Dream saying that made George smile the tiniest bit, made the serotonin flow through his brain.

“What’s a ‘perfect day’ for you?” George reads. It’s quiet for a moment.

“Hanging out with you,” his voice is sincere, “You and Sapnap. Recording, streaming, anything like that. What about you?”

“Hm. Me too.”

George isn’t one to show his feelings often. He remembers being asked if he did, and he answered with “not ones that matter”. It still rings true to this day. His walls are still built up and that’s okay to George. Mushy feelings aren’t important, but he’d be damned if he didn’t say his heartstrings were playing a beautiful melody during this moment.

The questions and answers fall easily after that. George knows it’s around 1 am, and he should go to sleep, but answering the questions was kind of addicting.

“Do you have a hunch on how you’ll die?” Dream reads the question with a chuckle. “That’s such a weird question to ask someone you wanna fall in love with.”

George tries not to read in between the lines.

“Heart failure. For both of us.”

“You know how I’ll die?”

“We’re Minecraft streamers, Dream. We’ll probably die at 40.” They share jokes and giggles of scenarios where they die and what they’d do, and something about it feels a bit too honest.

“I’ll die the day you die, George. Emotionally and physically.” Dream says, dramatic as ever. George only huffs, and they leave it there.

“Name three things you and your partner have in common. Dream, do you have a secret girlfriend?” They start to bicker back and forth, because of course they do.

“It doesn’t mean romantic partner, you dumbass. Like- it’s like a science partner,” Dream sighs, “Well, we do have a lot in common. We have the same job, we care about the same things, and we love each other! Easy.” Dream answers.

“Who said I loved you?”

“You literally did last night.” George had closed chat a while ago, already prepared for what was to come. He can only imagine what they’re saying.

“They’ll never believe you.” George says with a sadistic grin.

“Ugh. Okay, what are you grateful for in life? You have to answer this.” George can hear Dream get a little closer to his mic, almost anticipating George’s answer. Dream knows how much he doesn’t like to express any feelings, and probably expects him to skip the question overall. George prevails.

“You. Obviously,” and before Dream can get out an aww, George says, “You made my career, dummy, and I’m grateful for that. And my friends, family, all the normal things. Chat! I’m even grateful for chat.”

“Well, I’m incredibly grateful for you especially.” Dream’s voice is soft, almost loving. George rolls his eyes. He could’ve guessed Dream’s answer, but it weirdly hurts him when it was spoken aloud. He doesn’t know whether it hurts because it might be a fun little joke or if it’s because someone might care about him that much. George decides to stop thinking.

They answer more questions, from taking four minutes to tell each other their life stories (“There was no reason to add that detail; you’re so gross, Dream.”) to what significant quality they would want to wake up and suddenly have (“You’re already good at code shit, George. That’s the saddest answer ever.”). They move onto section two of the list, which are deeper questions.

“Is there something you’ve dreamed of doing but haven’t yet, and why haven’t you?” George asks. He knows about Dream’s unfinished projects. There’s probably a million answers to the question, and George would listen to every single one.

“Uh, well. You know I was writing a book, yeah? I was halfway done with it, and I can’t make myself finish it. It’s probably writer’s block, but I don’t think I’ll be able to do it.” George frowned.

“You can’t finish it with that attitude, silly. You’re annoyingly amazing at everything.” George says with a snort, “I don’t have an answer to this. What did you say that one time? Your future is my future? Well, your dreams are my dreams, then.”

George cringes a little at what he said. He doesn’t know his viewer count, but knows that at least a million people will watch that clip out of context. Dream doesn’t say anything back and moves on to the next question.

“What is your most treasured memory?” Dream asks, and George immediately laughs.

“I definitely know your’s.”

“Do tell, George.”

“Our first Christmas together. Sapnap insisted on getting a real Christmas tree, and when we started decorating the stupid thing, Sapnap sees a spider and screeches. Then, our neighbors come knocking on the front door and you had to explain to them that nobody was being murdered, it was just your roommate being a big baby. And as if it could get any worse, I got tree-sap all on my fingers and clothes and you couldn’t help me because you were laughing too hard.”

“Pretty sure I almost choked on my own spit.” Dream adds, and George scoffs. “But no, that’s not my treasured memory.”

George sputters. “What? You’re telling me I told that to thousands of people for nothing?”

“To be fair, you were all soft on Christmas morning, so our first Christmas might be your treasured memory. Anyways, remember the first time you helped me with a code?” George stays silent, giving Dream the answer. “Well, that was the first time we had a real conversation. I made you laugh, then I started to laugh because you laughed, and we didn’t get the code done. It sounds dumb, but I always smile whenever I think about it.”

George’s face falters a bit. God, he just wants to hug Dream; he wants to make a beeline for his room and attack him with affection and make sure he knows that George loves him, platonically or romantically, George wants him to know.

He just can’t express it with words.

“That… sweet.” George’s eyes travel down the following questions and panics, seeing how personal the questions are. He fakes a yawn. “As mushy and stupid this thing is, I’m really tired.”

Dream doesn’t say anything. It almost scares George, but he deafens on Discord and bids farewell to his viewers, who were completely freaking out. George doesn’t blame them. He’s abruptly leaving after a sweet moment? That’s a recipe for disaster, and George knows better. Yet, he clicks the end stream button.

The door to his office swings open instantly and startles George. It was Sapnap, someone he didn’t particularly want to see.

“What the fuck was that?” His roommate whisper-yells.

George groans and slides deeper into his chair, covering his face. “I don’t know,” he muffles.

“Are you even trying to hide your feelings at this point?” He can hear Sapnap close the door and flop on his office’s couch. “You might as well buy a billboard that says ‘I’m in love with my best friend! His name is Clay!’ with a big ass picture of your dumb face beside it.”

“I know,” George whines. “Do you think he knows?”

“He’s not the one I’m worried about knowing. I’ve told you a million goddamn times that he’s too whipped to notice. I’m worried about the fans. They’re gonna go fucking bonkers because of this stream. Clips are gonna be shared. People are gonna speculate.”

George uncovers his face and narrows his eyes at his friend. “Thanks for the reassurance,” he deadpans.

Sapnap rolls his eyes. “I’m being serious, dude. I know you’re very deeply in love with him in the gayest of ways, but you gotta be careful in front of the fans.”

“Oh my God. I know, Sapnap! I know. I forgot we were even streaming. It felt like it was just the two of us, and I got too comfortable. And it was so nice. I can’t even do anything about it now, so it doesn’t even matter.”

Sapnap sighs and pulls himself from the couch. “You need to talk to him before this gets out of hand. You know I love ya, and that I’m here for you.” George cringes out of habit, but nods. It reads as ‘I love you too, I guess’.

Sapnap leaves without another word, and George is left alone with his thoughts. It’s not long before he sluggishly makes his way back to his bedroom. He opens the closed door, enters, and shuts it. He turns around, only to be greeted by a familiar person in his bed, and yelps.

Dream laughs. He’s wearing blue pajama pants and a white t-shirt. His hair looks messed with, and his cheeks seem to have more color to them. George can’t help but stare.

“Well? Aren’t we gonna finish it?”

George cocks an eyebrow.

“Finish what?”

“The questions, dummy. You don’t… you don’t have to. I mean, it’s kinda stupid that I want to do it in the first place, but…” Dream trails off. George hops on his bed and grins lightly.

“Go for it.”

They answer questions they skipped, like what is your most terrible memory (“My, uh, grandma. She died when I was about 14. It was… hard on me.” “Oh, George…”).

The overhead light was off at this point, the only light coming from a lamp on his desk and the stars shining through the window. The two are on their sides, Dream on the right of the bed and George on the left, facing each other, occasionally looking at their phones to ask the questions.

“What roles do love and affection play in your life?” Dream asks, his voice softer than ever. George can almost not answer. He doesn’t know.

“I’ve never been a super affectionate person, so I don’t know. I’ll give you guys quick hugs of course, but with really close relationships, I don’t know what to do.”

Dream looks as if he’s searching for something in George’s face, and George can’t tell what he’s looking for. His movements are hesitant, George sees.

“Do- um. You wanna maybe,” Dream pauses, closes his eyes,and scrunches up his face. “Try?”

“Try what?”

“Affection.” Dream lets out a breath and opens his eyes. “Affection is my strong suit, afterall.” His mouth forms into a teasing smirk despite his eyes showing nervousness.

“Um. Take the lead.”

It’s slow. So, very slow. Dream’s hand raises up and lands itself on the dip of George’s waist. He’s whispering instructions, and George listens. His hands are hung around Dream’s neck, and their legs are starting to tangle together. They laugh when they realize how far apart they are, and Dream pulls him closer. George can feel his heart beating out of his chest as he lays his head where Dream’s right shoulder meets his neck.

“Do you want me to ask the rest of the questions, sweetheart?” It sounded like a coo, and George is surprised at how effortless the pet name comes out of Dream’s mouth.

“Was that okay?” Dream whispers after a moment of George going still. He perks up.

“Yeah! Yeah.”

“Okay.” Dream pulls George closer and rests his left hand on his back. He starts rubbing up and down in slow motions.

George simply melts.

The questions and answers go by slower, and their voices become gentler. Dream announces that they’re on section three now, and to state three true “we” statements. Dream goes first.

“We… are cuddling?”

“Obviously, idiot.” George chuckles. “We are really tired?” Dream hums.

“We meant everything we’ve said tonight.”

“We are going to mean everything we say tonight.”

“You can’t just steal my answer.”

“Just do your third one.”

“We will be ‘Dream and George’ forever.”

Forever is a long, long time. And yet, Dream’s statement is still true.

“We don’t know what is going to happen tomorrow.”

There’s a beat of silence.

“Very vague.”

“Next question, Dream.”

“Alright, alright. Complete this sentence: ‘I wish I had someone whom I could share…’”

Without a second thought, George replies, “My emotions with. Your turn.”

George swears he felt Dream squeeze him.

“My everything with. Every single little thing. Physical, metaphorical, emotional.”

“Even Patches?”

A laugh.

“Yes. Even Patches.”

“Next question.”

“Tell your partner what you like about them and be very honest.���

“Your voice. It’s like… I don’t even know how to describe it.”

“Does it get you going, George?”

“Shut up. I definitely don’t like your smart-assery.” George can feel Dream lean down into George’s shoulder and smile. “I like how you act around people. It’s always different depending on the person. Different with me.”

“I like how you act around people too. You’re almost always bubbly, even though you like to say you aren’t. And, God, your laugh. It’s so overwhelming, but in the best way possible. You have no idea how many times I’ve said the stupidest shit just to hear your little laugh.” George digs his head deeper into Dream’s shoulder. “I also… really like it when you say my name. My real name.”

George raises slightly, gaining the tiniest bit of confidence. “Clay?”

“Yeah. Yeah, that.”

“Clay,” George whispers.

“George.” Dream sounds weak. So, very weak. George gets closer to his ear.

“Clay.”

George can’t tell if he’s joking.

“You’re gonna kill me, George.”

George’s lips brush against the outer of Dream’s ear, and his friend shivers. He decides this isn’t a joke anymore. He thinks the invisible line they had drawn in the sand many years ago has been kicked and stomped on to the point where neither of them remembers the line being there. George goes further.

“Clay, Clay, Clay,” George is still whispering, slowly brushing his lips across Dream’s jaw, and the hands around his waist get the littlest bit tighter.

George finally raises his head to meet Dream, who was a mess. His cheeks are glowing and his eyes are almost bloodshot. His breath is labored and his hands are shaky.

“Calm down, love.” George whispers and raises his right hand to meet Dream’s cheek, who leans into the touch.

“Kiss me.” Dream begs quietly, as if saying anything louder would shatter the moment in little pieces.

An adrenaline rush fills George’s veins. “Anything you want,” he says, and closes the gap.

The kiss is soft. Dream is maneuvering their bodies to be more comfortable, meaning George is pulled on top of Dream. Their lips didn’t part once.

They move together in harmony, both in the kiss and their bodies, putting everything they got into it. It was unsaid feelings and years and years of thoughts, and George felt every single one of them. George is straddling Dream’s middle and Dream is leaning up to meet George’s touch. His hands are rubbing up and down and squeezing George’s hips and George’s hands find their way into Dream’s hair. It’s perfect and imperfect and everything George has been waiting for, yearning for.

They part, and Dream pushes their foreheads together. George assumes they look dumb, but how could he care in this moment?

“Beautiful. You’re beautiful.” Dream says, his breath tickling George’s mouth. He lets out a breath and breaks out into a smile. His hands start brushing through Dream’s hair and George backs away to get a good look. Dream is staring back.

George lunges forward and wraps his arms around Dream’s neck, sending him flat on the bed with an “oof”.

“Jesus Christ, George. A warning would be nice.”

“I love you. I-love-you-I-love-you-I-love-you-I-love-you-I-love-you-I-love-you-” George couldn’t get enough of saying it. George’s dam cracked when Dream held him and fucking exploded when they kissed. He doesn’t have to hold back anymore, so he doesn’t.

“Slow down, baby.” Dream says through a chuckle. He makes George lean up with tans hands on pale cheeks and a lot of eye contact. “I love you, too.”

George’s breathing slows down to a normal, less-adrenaline-filled pace, and Dream kisses him again. George forces his head back up.

“What does this mean for us?”

“Isn’t it a little obvious?”

“Not really.”

“Boyfriends, George. We’re dating now.”

“How do you know I wanted to even be your boyfriend.” George narrows his eyebrows in faux-suspicion.

Dream’s stare is blank. “I mean. You’re- well- you know, um-”

George dismisses this shortly and confirms, “I want to be your boyfriend.”

Dream sighs in relief. “You’re such an idiot.”

“Yeah. Whatever.” George slides off Dream’s waist and lays facing him. Dream turns as well. “Was that question the last question?”

“No, actually. There were a few left.” Dream blinks, then muses, “Guess we didn’t need 36 questions after all.”

“That was the cheesiest thing you’ve ever said and I hate you for it.”

“You wound me, George. You wound me.”

George makes up for it by letting himself be engulfed in Dream’s embrace, and feels tiny kisses on the top of his head. George nuzzles closer.

Yeah, everything was going to be fine.

[radiantmists]

ooooh i'd love to hear your thoughts on an rqg and stormlight crossover!

absolutely.

(send me 2+ fandoms and i’ll give you thoughts on crossing them over)

okay so first of all I’ve thought about this just a little already, in that i saw a significant link between zolf’s new ethos, the whole not-hope what-comes-next thing, and the first ideal, especially as presented in Oathbringer. The radiant orders in general actually feel like... especially codified paladins/clerics, where you get powers in exchange for subscribing to a certain set of ideals.

so i cheated a little and consulted a conversation i had on the rqbb server about radiant orders for the party; using that plus this radiant order guide, i came up with the following:

sasha’s an edgedancer. this is the one i’m most sure about; the slid-ey powers fit, but ‘remembering those who’ve been forgotten’ is also very sasha, especially with her Good End being starting an orphanage. plus she just has The Vibe, you know?

grizzop would make sense as a skybreaker, extremely lawful good and focused on justice, defending the innocent and punishing the guilty. also the idea of him being able to fly brings the chaos gremlin in me joy.

I’d make hamid a dustbringer, honestly because the description in the link above fits the narrative i’d like him to have, regarding the importance of responsibility and self-mastery as one’s destructive power grows.

cel i’m less confident on, but i think i’d go with willshaper; there’s a focus on personal freedom and self-expression, liberation from tyranny, and the order also has an association with creators. (if ppl have thoughts on this lmk because i dont have that great of a handle on cel tbh)

sidenote, skraak would definitely be a willshaper too.

azu is... difficult. i want her to have regrowth as a surge because i feel like healing is a really important thing for her, and she does kinda vibe as an edgedancer... but the stonewards’ focus on dependability and team dynamics, their refusal to bend their ideals, and even just the minor bits like interest in athletics just really fits for her, so i’d have to go with that. i guess kaladin has healing as a central part of his character without it being a surge, so... yes. stoneward. go read the description, the more i think about this the more it seems Correct.

and finally, zolf. the source of so many headaches, i do not understand this man. i can kinda see him as a windrunner, stoneward, skybreaker, or bondsmith, but i’m not confident with any of them. i would lean toward bondsmith just because both the source above and the textual evidence we have with dalinar and navani suggest that bondsmiths are hard to categorize, as far as values, other than them being leaders.

but the question of zolf brings me to a big question-- would they all be radiants? i think they would all have the potential, certainly, any one of them has enough bullshit in the backstory to have cracks that would allow a nahel bond, and enough determination to speak the first ideal and mean it. but that doesn’t mean they’d all attract/bond spren, and i havent even decided how, if at all, i’m dealing with the whole humans vs. singers thing.

(adding a readmore discussing where i see zolf going bc it’s getting long)

but, uh, here’s something rough: i think zolf would pull a baby-shallan and kill his first spren. probably, this would be a highspren; early zolf is very strongly dedicated to the idea of an unbendable truth, divine justice. and i think his point of breaking might even be similar to his questioning of poseidon in canon, because stormlight/cosmere actually engages with the question of “how does someone become a god,” and the answer is “by killing the old one” which very much would not qualify them to be an arbiter of justice in zolf’s eyes.

i think stormlight!zolf would find out that honor is dead, along with the revelation about humans being the invaders (if that’s still what’s going on in this crossover), and have a paris-equivalent breakdown about what ‘the right thing’ or ‘justice’ even mean. he wouldn’t believe in his ideals anymore, he’d ‘kill’ his spren, and that would make his spiral a lot worse.

i’m not sure what would happen from there. 

it’s possible that he’d wake his highspren again by speaking a higher ideal the way kaladin does, though i’m still not perfectly clear on the mechanics of that; zolf actually does still have the dedication to punishing the guilty, he just doesn’t look for an external code as the source of justice anymore, and that’s actually consistent with some higher skybreaker ideals. but he doesn’t really vibe with the whole ‘order and codified law’ thing.

i can see him returning as a bondsmith, but in an awkward sort of situation similar to navani’s, where the spren isn’t fully comfortable with him and he’s doing it largely out of need. but also i don’t want that for him?? his turn in canon to the new source of power feels like it was good for him, and i’d want to do something equivalent, and this feels like it would be almost self-destructive.

but as i was noodling around on the orders explanation page, i noticed this in the description of bondsmiths: “Beyond that, many of the retinues that protected the Bondsmiths were considered members of the Order–going so far as to swear oaths, even though they didn’t have a spren and never would. Some even called this the most pure form of being a Radiant, because these were oaths sworn not in the name of gaining powers, but simply for the good of the oaths themselves.”

and my brain lit up at that, bc you know whose arc is about growing as a person and dedicating themselves to uniting people and leading? wilde. so i’m imagining wilde becoming a bondsmith, and zolf not bonding a new spren but swearing the first ideal in spirit because that is genuinely what he believes, and just being part of wilde’s team, keeping him safe as a regular human/maybe having some squire powers.

WELL i’ve done a lot of thinking about orders and almost none about plot or even actual character backstories, but I’ve spent a while on this. i’m very likely to come back to this because rqg is definitely my current Main Fandom and (as you can tell from the url) the cosmere is my beloved, so... yes.

[scope-dogg]

Gundam Unicorn: Final Thoughts

This series probably represented the biggest gap in my mecha fanatic cred, at least after I plugged the last big hole in the shape of Code Geass a few months ago. I’ll keep this one short, because let’s face it, if you’re reading this you were probably way ahead of me on this one so there’s not that much to say - plus this time I’m really just passing through on my way to my true goal of watching Gundam Narrative. Still, I think this was a remarkable series in many ways and it wouldn’t be right to pass up making comment on it entirely.

The plot setup is that it’s UC 0096, after the Grypps conflict and Neo Zeon wars. A Neo Zeon faction is on the hunt for something known only as Laplace’s Box, the contents of which are said to be something capable of destroying the Earth Federation. It’s currently in the hands of the Vist Foundation, an organisation headquartered at the space colony Industrial 7. The “key” to the box is the RX-0 Unicorn Gundam, which falls into the hands of Banagher Links, who gets caught up in a shadowy conflict between multiple factions in their race to recover the box, and ends up being led across the Earth sphere into a series of increasingly bloody and desperate battles.

I found the plot surprisingly compelling - you get invested into what the contents of the Box are, even though you know that what’s inside will ultimately make little difference in the grand scheme of the Universal Century’s timeline - F91 and Victory came out years before this despite being set further down the road and the Federation is still very much up to its old bullshit in both. Still, that doesn’t mean that the journey isn’t interesting regardless, even if character motivations are sometimes hard to follow and can chop and change on a whim at times. Even disregarding the end goal of the journey entirely, as a kind of tour of the UC setting I thought this series was excellent and fleshed it out perhaps better than any other prior mainline entry in this venerable old timeline - it brings the desperation of angry space colonists, the desolation left by years of devastating wars and the shadowy machinations of the Federation government to life in intimate detail across the course of the 22 episodes that made up the TV rerelease version that I watched (it was originally a 6 episode OVA.)

Characters are by and large superb - whether they’re old or familiar faces. Most characters come to be really well fleshed out through the course of their interactions and their voice actors deliver impassioned performances. That said, Banagher, the protagonist, was somewhat hit and miss for me. He’s probably the most Tomino-esque main character I can think of, which is honestly somewhat impressive because as far as I can tell Tomino had little if any direct involvement in the creation of either the animated work or the novel it’s based off (besides, of course, being the original creator of the setting itself.) What I mean by that is that he has a very odd way of talking, following a very strange form of logic and openly talking about feelings to a ridiculous extent - this is a hard thing to put into words but if you’re familiar with Tomino shows that feature this kind of character, especially the likes of Zeta Gundam or Brain Powerd you probably know what I’m talking about. I don’t think this is intrinsically a bad thing at all, but it has a time and a place. During dramatic plot moments involving newtype magic, sure, I’m down with it, but sometimes the off switch needs to be flipped so the protag can come off as a little more human - not everything that comes out of his mouth needs to be a profound insight into the human condition - though when it comes to young newtype protagonists in UC Gundam, perhaps that’s just the nature of the beast.

One thing that doesn’t really need spelling out by me is that this show’s basically at the apex of the genre when it comes to presentation, and probably near the apex of animation in general. The animation is vivid and dynamic, especially during the chaos of battles - this show sells you on the sheer destructive power of the mobile suits that star in it better than any other entry in the franchise. This would be impressive enough by itself, but the animation is also immaculately detailed at all times. Mobile suit designs new and old are brought to life impeccably. Meanwhile, Hiroyuki Sawano’s ridiculously sublime musical score elevates the entire thing to stratospheric levels. Honestly, the entire production just feels like an enormous flex by Sunrise, as if to proclaim its dominance - and honestly, it’s hard to argue with it when the level of quality is set this damn high.

Overall, I feel slightly foolish for not finding some form of excuse to watch this sooner, although perhaps it’s best to keep things like this in reserve to savour them fully when the time is right. I’m hoping that Gundam NT manages to live up to this, though I know critics weren’t as kind to it as it was to Unicorn. Regardless of what the case may be, I’m watching that next.

[biwenqing]

So this is for the day three prompt: Social Media AU for Spring Sleuthing over at @tsomdevents! I wrote this fic a while ago, and it fits perfectly for this. But I realized it was going to be more than one chapter. I will continue it once the prompt week is over!

teen | pre-relationship | WIP | ao3 link | formatted as tweets | wc:1767

WZ @theroommatedilema

i made this secret account to live tweet my two oblivious roommates having a quarantine romance. or not. they are idiots. follow to find out will they/won’t they.

he/him | Joined March 2020

WZ @theroommatedilema . March 27 we are starting week 2 of quarantine and i realized i needed to document this. my two roommates who have been dancing around each other since before shit hit the fan are driving me crazy and if i have to watch this the world has to as well.

WZ @theroommatedilema . March 27 we need to give them code names because, while i don't think either of them will find this account, best not to tempt fate. so we have 'hot chef' and 'smart aleck'.

WZ @theroommatedilema . March 27 all that out of the way, we can now get to the live tweet. hot chef was doing his laundry so he was walking around the apartment shirtless. smart aleck walked into a wall, not once, not twice, but three times. hot chef didn't help this when he put on an apron

WZ @theroommatedilema . March 28 smart aleck started the day by almost burning down our kitchen trying to make breakfast to impress hot chef. luckily i was awake and stopped things before there was a grease fire, before making breakfast myself. they both seemed to like it.

WZ @theroommatedilema . March 29 hot chef thinks we should try and exercise, but i think it is cold and slippery out, so if he expects me to join him on his morning runs, he is wrong. smart aleck did make an attempt and i got to watch him wipe out from the window. lucky for him hot chef caught him. yea i know

WZ @theroommatedilema . March 29 follow up to wipe out: hot chef helped smart aleck back into the house and then took care of him, before then still going on his run. smart aleck pouted next to me on the couch, watching out the window for when he came back like a puppy.

WZ @theroommatedilema . March 30 smart aleck has decided he needs to clean and organize the whole apartment. i think he just doesn't want to do his real job. this has led to an argument with hot chef because smart aleck has taken everything out of the kitchen cabinets and messed with his books.

WZ @theroommatedilema . March 30 as a household, we have a pretty solid 'don't touch my stuff' understanding, but that apparently goes all out the window during a pandemic. hot chef keeps all his cooking tools and supplies in a special order that makes sense only to him and i leave it be

WZ @theroommatedilema . March 30 but smart aleck wants to "help" and didnt ask if anyone wanted help so here we are. don't worry, this account isn't in vain, i can confirm that their argument is more bickering and that bickering is the stereotype of an "old married couple"

WZ @theroommatedilema . March 30 SA: but you do so much, i wanted to help! HC: if i need help, i'd ask for it SA: *arms crossed* would you? give an example of when you have asked for help. HC: ....i haven't needed help SA: bullshit! remember when you got the flu last year and didn't tell us?

WZ @theroommatedilema . March 30 SA: you practically passed out before you let WZ and i take you to see a doctor! and then you still argued about us making sure you got the food and fluids and everything you needed so you didn't die! HC: ...i didn't want either of you to get sick

WZ @theroommatedilema . March 30 SA: oh yes so ignoring the issue really helped? it’s better that you almost died? in case you didn’t already notice, smart aleck is always dramatic.

WZ @theroommatedilema . March 30 for those wondering, smart aleck is not wrong here. this is exactly how events occurred. it was only a few months after I moved in with them. for the fight i think smart aleck somehow won this round. tune in tomorrow for what happens next!

WZ @theroommatedilema . April 4 no updates because they have been pretending to ignore each other and focused on work. hot chef in particular. smart aleck claims it is because hot chef isn’t used to being cared about. he told me this in a deliberate stage whisper.

WZ @theroommatedilema . April 4 i think it is important to note that hot chef did still make dinner each night to share... he just went back to his room after.

WZ @theroommatedilema . April 5 i got a question asking what we all do for work. that’s classified. and mostly unrelated. though it is how we met in a very odd course of events.

WZ @theroommatedilema . April 5 that was not an invitation to send me more questions. i know you are all nosy, or else why would you be following this account. but we have established this account must go unnoticed.

WZ @theroommatedilema . April 5 fine. general ages = smart aleck is in his 20s. hot chef is in his 30s. and because you for some reason all want to know: i am also in my 20s.

WZ @theroommatedilema . April 5 pets = yes one. smart aleck has a pet cat named goat he inherited from a past roommate. goat the cat tries to eat anything and everything, thus the name. she particularly likes to eat house plants. she likes smart aleck the least, hot chef the most. i hold a pretty solid 2nd place.

WZ @theroommatedilema . April 6 update: they made up. a package arrived today and it was apparently a pan to replace one smart aleck had destroyed. hot chef made smart aleck’s favorite dinner. SA talked the whole way through to meal, and HC looked smitten. so we’re back to normal.

WZ @theroommatedilema . April 10 where do we rank the level of domestic where one person brushes their teeth/gets ready for the day while the other is in the shower? bonus points for some mild discussion and/or bickering.

WZ @theroommatedilema . April 11 smart aleck has a new scheme. he is trying to persuade hot chef to teach him to cook. so far HC has held firm. we mark day one of this new standoff.

WZ @theroommatedilema . April 12 i’ve been asked a few times why i don’t just use initials of smart aleck and hot chef’s names. it’s all part of keeping this hidden. i have also chosen nicknames that i don’t think they would think i’d use for them.

WZ @theroommatedilema . April 12 smart aleck is the type to figure this out if i’m not careful. he’s both too clever and too dumb for his own good. which is part of the reason i must document all of this, so i can shove it in his face later.

WZ @theroommatedilema . April 12 we are also on day two of cooking teaching standoff. i think some of you rightly assume SA is imagining hot chef standing behind him and idk helping him cut vegetables

WZ @theroommatedilema . April 13 standoff continues. i made dinner to see if that would throw the balance off. no change yet

WZ @theroommatedilema . April 14 resolution! hot chef did give in, on the condition that he teaches both of us. i didn’t manage to escape because smart aleck seemed to decide this was the only way. don’t know how this fits into whatever romantic daydreams he had.

WZ @theroommatedilema . April 14 i see those comments that this might give me a chance to put them together. but i think it is more fun to not help them at all. they need to do this on their own

WZ @theroommatedilema . April 15 to do such teaching, a grocery shopping mission is needed. because the world is... well. i suggested just they go together so fine. maybe i will try and assist.

WZ @theroommatedilema . April 15 level of domestic of sneaking things you know your “just friends roommate” loves but won’t buy for themselves in the cart without them knowing?

WZ @theroommatedilema . April 15 you ask how i know that and it is of course because smart aleck, so proud of himself, announced it as soon as he reentered the apartment. goat the cat tried to get into the bags to eat raw fish while this occurred.

WZ @theroommatedilema . April 16 first cooking lesson, some simple stir fry. i already can cook this so i get to just perch at the counter and watch. vote on the poll below how you think this will turn out

[hands brushing softly] [sparks, and not the sexy kind] [food hopefully?]

WZ @theroommatedilema . April 16 everyone who voted for fire won. the neighbors are quite upset. and not even goat the cat will eat the final product. i ordered take out and a fresh fire extinguisher while they dealt with the mild fire and smoke detector.

WZ @theroommatedilema . April 17 smart aleck is pouting so there will be no cooking lessons today. the good news (for his employer) is he seems to actually be focusing on doing his job.

WZ @theroommatedilema . April 20 hot chef actually asked smart aleck if he wanted to try cooking again. very interesting. this has mostly been coming from SA’s side, so i would call this positive movement.

WZ @theroommatedilema . April 20 SA has completely perked up and agreed.

WZ @theroommatedilema . April 20 oh apparently the plan is SA will watch and i get the place as the student in the kitchen. this is probably safer for everyone

WZ @theroommatedilema . April 21 for those asking what happen: dinner was made with no issue. I was in charge of the main dish and that left HC to work on side dishes. SA even helped wash and chop some vegetables. goat took some chicken right off SA’s plate and ran away with it growling.

WZ @theroommatedilema . April 21 i take that to mean the cat approves of my cooking. but she also tried to steal things from the trash, so that isn’t much of an endorsement.

WZ @theroommatedilema . April 22 SA is avoiding work and trying to clean again. he actually asked if he could move stuff around. growth.

WZ @theroommatedilema . April 25 hot chef spotted leaving smart aleck’s room this morning?

WZ @theroommatedilema . April 25 false alarm, he was just looking for the cat.

WZ @theroommatedilema . April 30 final report for this month: progress made in communication. new together activity established. the apartment has not burned down. a baby step closer, yet still so far away from them figuring this out...

[wildlyminiaturesandwich]

It’s time we talk about SimsDom again.

Most of you probably already know who and what Simsdom is but for those that don’t, Simsdom (or SimsDomination) claim to essentially be a CC finds website, which in essence I suppose they are... But don’t get your hopes up for a Lana replacement because they are SO much more than that. And not in a good way.

I know this is an old subject, and most people probably thought it was all over and done with, but Simsdom is still around and what’s worse is that I’ve noticed a growing trend among my fellow Game Changers who create content for Youtuber and Twitch/Mixer of promoting the site by using it to do CC shopping haul videos and streams, which is encouraging their viewers to use Simsdom. I’m not going to name names or point fingers but it made me realise that maybe some people don’t understand just how bad Simsdom is for the community in general, but especially for the amazingly dedicated CC creators of Simblr. And it’s just so disappointing to see people that some many in the community, including myself, look up to promoting this garbage site!

If you’re curious to know why this is a problem, I’ll explain under the cut. If not, keep scrolling... But don’t say I didn’t warn you.

If you visit the Simsdom website (which I’ve purposely not provided a link to because you absolutely shouldn’t visit it) you’ll notice a whole bunch of custom content is available there, more than likely you’ll even find quite a bit from some of your faves like @peacemaker-ic​, @nolan-sims​, @storylegacysims​, @crypticsim​, @renorasims​, @savvysweet​ and MANY more. My stuff is even on there as well and if you’re a creator, the chances are high your stuff is too; whether you want it to be or not.

But don’t be fooled, myself and most of the other creators whose content appears on their site did not give permission for our content to be shared on there. In fact, most of us have specifically asked Simsdom to remove our content from their site. I say “most” because there are some people who willing uploading their content there (god knows why). The easiest way to the tell the difference is to look at who posted the content. If you see this:

That content has been shared by a bot, without the creator’s permission and more than likely against their many requests that Simsdom NOT share their content. If it says the name of the actual creator instead of “Exchange”, that creator uploaded it themselves.

You might also ask why anyone would care if their content was shared on a CC finds blog, after all, it means more traffic to our blogs and content, right? First of all, whether it brings in more traffic or not, is beside point. These creators have specifically requested Simsdom not share their content and they have been ignored, disrespected, threatened, and harassed. Simsdom claims that their users make up 30-90% of Tumblr creators traffic, but I call bullshit. I check my Google analytics every single month for traffic coming in to both my Tumblr and Blogger from Simsdom and I can tell you that LESS THAN 1% of the COMBINED TOTAL traffic from BOTH BLOGS comes from there. And when you understand how they operate, you’ll understand why that is.

- UPDATE -

In reference to Simsdom’s response to this post, they linked 5 creators that they claim meet their crazy statement that their site provides creators with 30-90% of their traffic. So I just thought I’d point out some interesting facts I noticed while looking at those sites.

One of those sites is dead; literally, it doesn’t exist anymore, if it ever even did. Another, @simiracle​, is a fellow Game Changer who reblogged this post, so I’m guessing they don’t have support there. And the other 3 are alpha CC creators, none of whom have ever uploaded any of their CC to Simdom, nor have they ever mentioned Simsdom on their sites in any way. However, all three earn money on their own content via either adfly, adsense, patreon, or some combination of the three; my guess would be they wouldn’t be too happy to find out Simsdom is making money off them too.

You see, Simsdom might sometimes link back to the original creators site, but often times they don’t. I’ve noticed quite a bit of the content of my own on their site directly links to the file on SimFileShare, completely bypassing both my Tumblr and my Blogger. This might not seem like a big problem, but what about if the creator has put specific instructions, requirements, or notes on the original download page that if the downloader doesn’t read could result in broken/unusable CC, or worse, a broken game?

- UPDATE -

In reference to Simsdom’s response to this post, they linked to SimFileShare’s page on SimilarWeb and claimed that I was lying about direct-linking to my files there because their site does not appear in the list of referring sites. What they failed to mention is that that list only shows the TOP 5 sites that link to SimFileShare regularly. There are still 385 other sites that aren’t shown and can’t be seen without having an account with SimilarWeb. Convenient, huh?

I also said they only direct-linked SOME content. With my content it was only about 4 or 5 things out of the 15 or so they have on their site and I didn’t check anyone else’s stuff but I have heard other creators say the same thing. So of course they’re not going to show up in the top 5 if it’s only SOME links.

But wait, there’s more.

Anyone downloading from their website without an adblocker is forced to wade through potentially harmful ads as well. Notice the blue button that says “download” at the top? That’s not a real download button and if you click it, it will instantly begin shoving pop ups in your face claiming you have a system error or that your local law enforcement agency has detected illegal activity from your IP. Yes, I clicked it. There is nothing of importance left on my HDD (it’s all stored safely on an external drive that isn’t connected to the PC at all) because this drive has been slowly dying for weeks and I’m destroying it tomorrow and replacing it with a brand new one, so I decided to take a chance.

These ads, which are on pretty much every page of Simsdom, are what’s called “Ransomware”, and it’s whole purpose is to distract you with fake pop up “warnings” when you click on it so that you don’t realise it’s actually downloading a very harmful file to your computer in the background. It’s designed to be next to impossible to close the pop ups, so that even if you somehow became aware of the download happening, you couldn’t get past the pop ups to stop it before it’s had time to finish downloading and automatically begin running it’s payload when it’s done.

What payload? That’s the scariest part, you won’t know until it’s too late. It could be something as simple as a trojan that will force your PC to mine bitcoins, which is still harmful because these mining trojans are resource hogs and put a massive strain on your CPU. Or a trojan designed to target and encrypt specific files on your computer (usually sensitive ones) and demand you pay a literal ransom (usually either in bitcoin or pre-paid cash) and if you don’t, your files will either be complete erased or leaked.

Or worse still, it could be something even more sinister such as a key-logger; a piece of spyware that is designed to track and log EVERY. SINGLE. KEY. you touch on your keyboard. So every password you use, every online banking key code you enter, all the conversations you have via Discord, Twitter, Tumblr, or any other form of instant messaging, that fanfiction you’ve been working on that you are too scared to show anyone in case they think you’re a pervert, your credit card and bank account number you use to shop online, what porn you look for, even your Google search history (regardless of if you’re incognito); all of it will be no longer private and in the hands of someone who could use it to steal your identity, empty out your bank accounts, charge thousands of dollars worth of goods to your credit card, or expose every little strange thing you do on your computer that you thought no one would ever find out about, unless you pay their ransom.

Scary huh?

Also notice that those Get Famous recolours I made don’t say that they actually require Get Famous? Why is that a problem, you say? For most people it’s not, you see “Get Famous Recolours” and you automatically know you need Get Famous to use them, but what about people who are new to using CC and don’t know that for my recolours to work you need the pack they came from? Yeh, that’s a problem, because that particular download is one of those ones that leads straight to SimFileShare:

It leads directly to the merged file, which is NOT the only file available for download in that set, just the largest. But no one who finds my content on Simsdom will ever know that will they? Nor will they read the part of the download page that clearly states Get Famous is required to use the recolours.

I hear you saying “But adblockers are a thing”. Yes they are, but that doesn’t solve the issue of them linking straight to the file. And also, here’s what happens when you try to download something from Simsdom with an adblocker enabled:

You’re forced to wait 180 seconds before the download button appears. THREE WHOLE MINUTES in which you cannot move from that page or the counter will stop, and it will only restart when you go back to that page and stay there for the entire three minutes. Even Adfly isn’t that gross.

So, all of that isn’t enough to discourage you from using this vile site you say? Well, let me introduce you to the person/people who run the site. There are plenty of examples floating around Tumblr of how disrespectful, arrogant, immature, and disturbing the owner/s are (just search for “Simsdom” and you’ll see) but here’s just a few posts showing “receipts” of what happened to creators when they ask for their content to be removed from the site: Here,  here, and here.

They have threatened to doxx several creators, tried to blackmail others, threatened to shut down some people’s sites, and even actually refused to remove people’s content unless they say “please”; as though these creators are six year old children who need to learn a lesson for not wanting THEIR content on someone else’s website!

All of this was said AFTER they made a post on their Tumblr saying they would respect creators wishes to not have their content on their site. I myself had a run-in with them as well but I don’t have the receipts because as soon as they finally agreed to remove my content (after almost 4 days of arguing with them and being threatened several times) they blocked me... and they continue to share my content to this day. That’s part of the reason why my motivation to create has been so low lately; I know its just going to end up over there, locked behind a paywall making money for these disgusting people and tricking simmers into thinking they have to pay to access my stuff.

But back to the story! Once they realised 99% of Tumblr creators — the people they get most of their content from — were going to ask to have their creations removed however, they changed their mind and instead started refusing to remove content. In fact, if you go to their website and use the contact form and choose the option “Remove my Content” they literally ask if you are Tumblr creator or not, and if you say you are, this is what you get:

And that “Our Rights here” link? That leads to this nonsense that literally contradicts itself with almost every single sentence:

“Creations can’t be uploaded without the creators permission... but we do not need permission to share your creations” “Feel free to contact us to ask to remove your content... but actually don’t bother contacting us asking to remove your content because we won’t” “SimsDomination is a free website... We don’t steal any content... *literally has other people’s free content locked behind a paywall and charges people membership fees to remove said paywall*”

And as for the EA terms part... I have news for you Simsdom, YOU are the only one breaking EA’s terms of use by putting content behind paywalls. I’m an EA Game Changer, I have actually read the terms of use AND spoken at length on the topics of earning revenue from CC, and why paywalls/memberships/exclusives are against EA’s terms of use with the Sim Gurus, have you? Didn’t think so.

If you had, you’d realise that we are allowed to earn revenue from our CC by having ads on our blogs/sites provided they aren’t deceptive — you know, like that ad with the big blue button you have that shows up on every single page of your site — and don’t lead to anything malicious, which yours do. I clicked several of the ads on your site and they all either lead to disgusting 18+ websites, started producing ransomware pop ups like I described earlier, or tried to download a mysterious file called setup.exe to my computer (which was most likely a trojan as well). We are also allowed to earn revenue via donations and Patreon early access systems provided the content is also made available for free to the general public within 14 days.

We are not, however, allowed to lock content behind Patreon exclusives, memberships and paywalls such as Adfly; which is exactly what you are doing. Like Adfly, you are not only potentially exposing underage children to 18+ content and risking the safety of people’s PCs, but you are also forcing them to wait to click a link and charging membership fees to avoid having to wait to download said content that isn’t even yours; content that you have been asked REPEATEDLY to remove. That is the very definition of a paywall. It is NOT the same as Pinterest or Facebook AT ALL, they might have ads but they aren’t malicious and they do not force people to wait to view content.

- UPDATE - 

In reference to Simsdom’s response to this post, this is probably one of my most favourite Simsdom lies, because it never changes but it’s so easy to prove false! “Users don’t need to pay to download any content and don’t need to wait to download them” Oh really? Shall we take a look at your site on the old SimilarWeb that you love so much?

How strange. If you don’t make people wait, then why do you need adfly? And if no one has to pay, then why do you need premium memberships to get rid of the ads and wait time you don’t have? Odd.

Also, lets talk Adsense. I never said I had a problem with you having ads on your site; I said I had a problem with the TYPE of ads on your site. If you seriously don’t think your ads are in any way harmful, I’d suggest you take another look at your Adsense, because either it’s been hacked or you seriously don’t know what you’re doing. Oh, but that’s right, “Google will never display suspicious ADs“... Mmm hmm, you just go right on believe that. Yeh, it’s definitely not possible for Google to be hacked... Nope, definitely not.

Also, if you use your Adsense revenue to pay for your site.... what happens to the extra? Because based on your SimilarWeb page I can take a rough guess at how much you earn every month through Adsense alone and there’s no way your site costs that much to run. For that matter, where does all the extra revenue from Adfly, Short.st and this mysterious “other” go? And all the revenue you get from your premium subscriptions that you totally don’t charge people money for?...

Is that fish I smell?

You are not doing anyone any favours here, so stop pretending that you’re in this for anything other than money. Stop sharing content you’ve been asked REPEATEDLY to remove/not share and breaking EA’s and many creators TOUs!

If you’ve managed to make it this far, congrats lol I know this has been long and probably boring but thank you for taking the time to read the whole thing. All this post was meant to do was explain why people should not support Simsdom, and why I’m so disappointed in other Game Changers for promoting it, but it kind of got away from me a little.

Oh well, now you know what Simsdom is and why I will NEVER support them or willingly allow my content to be shared on their site. And if you do decide to still use their site, just... please be careful. My content will always be free and safe to download, just like the majority or CC creators here on Tumblr. Don’t pay for something you can get for free from the original source.

Also, if you’re looking for a Lana replacement (aka a good CC finds blogs that isn’t shady af like Simsdom) check out @maxismatchccworld!

- UPDATE -

This isn’t in relation to anything specific, just the situation as a whole. It seems Simsdom has just removed the search box from their website completely:

I’m sure it was totally legit reasons and not at all because they didn’t want anyone searching for their own content on the Simsdom website. Just like it wasn’t for that reason the last time too...

[the-hidden-writer]

Lucidity

A WandaVision oneshot (SPOILERS!) Words: 1,623

Summary: When White Vision leaves WestView and discovers that Tony Stark is dead, he starts to realise that he is very different to who he used to be, but isn't sure how.

Read on AO3! (check reblog for link)

Lucidity

He is Vision.

That was the one clear thought in his mind. It pierced through the stitches of the (now unfamiliar) mismatched coding, giving him clarity and yet confusing him at the same time. The overwhelming instinct to destroy The Vision and Wanda Maximoff slowly began to recede, leaving behind only the memory of an order and a small urge to comply.

It would be wrong to terminate Wanda Maximoff, would it not? He recalled telling her that he loved her. Loved ones do not harm each other, do they?

(“I love you,” he grits out, as her magic finally manages to penetrate the stone. The tiny sliver or relief overpowers the immense agony he is in and he releases the breath he has been holding, drinking in her features one last time before squeezing his eyes shut to embrace his fate. The last thing he knows is pain beyond imagination as she destroys all that he is.)

Or perhaps they do, depending on the circumstances. He felt like he should know the answer. He did not.

As the last of his new programming was broken apart, the order itself did not leave him.

Terminate Wanda Maximoff. Neutralise The Vision.

But he was The Vision. So… he must destroy himself, correct? That was the logical thing to do. So then why was he feeling hesitant to do so?

He flew straight upwards to set about to accomplish this, surpassing the strange red barrier of Wanda’s creation until he was far above it. Since the sky was clear that day, from his perspective he could see that it was hexagonal. He then angled his body so that he was upside down, decreased his density to more closely match that of a human’s, and let gravity do the work.

Eyes closed, he started to fall.

(“Mr Stark, there is something I have been meaning to ask of you.” Tony turns to him in surprise, but that surprise quickly morphs into that odd, warm expression he wears whenever he talks to him. He tells him to continue, so he does. “I have discovered that… that you and Dr Banner have programmed me in such a way that I am unable to bring harm to myself.” Tony’s eyes widen and there is an unspoken question which he does not answer. “I was wondering if you could change that. If I were to be corrupted in some way, I want to be able to stop myself before I hurt others.” The reasons he goes on to detail are perfectly logical, but he does not understand the heartbreak written on Tony’s face.)

He stops himself just as he is about to enter Wanda’s domain.

Life review is a phenomenon encountered by those having a near-death experience where it is said that their life “flashes before their eyes”. Not once did Vision ever think he himself would experience it. He did not when he was being killed by Wanda, he did not when he was being killed by Thanos. So it stands to reason that he should not in this situation, either. And yet he did.

Countless vague memories of Tony Stark. Much clearer memories of the destruction of Ultron and Sokovia. Of stolen moments with Wanda Maximoff. Of the mind stone communicating with him. Of Thanos.

He no longer had the mind stone. Wanda Maximoff was somewhere beneath him that very moment, appearing to fight a witch. The last he saw of Tony Stark was when he was on a news broadcast somewhere in New York. The last he saw of Thanos was when his hand was clawing through his skull in Wakanda.

He tried to access the Internet to find their whereabouts, but rather jarringly realised that he was completely cut-off. Unlike his memories that had simply been blocked from him, connecting to the Internet was now something he was physically unable to do.

He grimaced. That could prove to be a problem.

A problem that Tony Stark could fix. As the world appeared to be in no immediate danger, he could only assume that Thanos was not currently a threat. Once his disarranged mind had been mended, he would then go to Wakanda to assess the situation. Until then, he had to find Tony Stark.

Being restricted from using the Internet felt akin to the loss of a limb, which is why it took him a few moments to search through his memories and decide that the most rational place to start looking would be the Avengers Compound.

(“I never thought I would share a house with Tony Stark.” Wanda tells him after he asks her if there is a difference between a house and a home. “But I’ve always thought of a house as just where you live. A home is the people and memories attached to it.” He is still confused. He supposes that the Avengers Compound is his house, but is it truly his home if he has never lived anywhere else? Wanda seems to sense his doubt, as she always does, and she takes his hand comfortingly. “Vision… I think this our home now.”)

And so he began his flight, as fast as could, to New York.

~-.-~

The Compound had been destroyed.

Where the New Avengers Facility had once been were acres of flattened forest. From where he was hovering, he could see the teems of teams of people, all hard at work completing various tasks. Some were clearing the remainder of rubble, others were attempting to rebuild the facility from the nothing that was left, and, perhaps the most curiously, in the middle of it all there was a large group of journalists surrounding a small monument.

What had happened?

Unlike the rest of the facility, that mysterious monument was the only thing that appeared to be fully built. In an attempt to better understand the situation, Vision moved closer and partially phased into a tree to privately see it more clearly.

He waited for the crowds to move in such a way that he would be able to see what was written on the metal pillar, and when he could finally read it he felt his whole body tense.

(“Listen V, it’s my will and I get to decide who’s on it. Clue’s in the name.” He tries to argue but Tony interrupts him. “Nope, not gonna hear any of your ‘ohh but I’m not human’ bullshit. I had JARVIS down to inherit a bunch of stuff before this, and- yes, I know you’re not him, this is just to prove a point.” He listens in silence, still disagreeing with Tony’s decision. The man’s voice takes on a solemn tone. “I want you to have this much because believe it or not you’re like a son to me, Vision.” All of a sudden, all of his questions regarding his and Mr Stark’s relationship are cleared up. Having Tony say it himself helps it all make sense. Their bond had grown to be more than just inventor and creation. It was that of a father and son. “And I’m gonna treat you like one, even on my will, alright?”)

Tony Stark was dead. Anthony Edward Stark was… dead. If the words on the plaque of red and gold were to be believed, he sacrificed himself to save the universe on October 17th, 2023.

2023? He had lost 5 years?

Vision had felt different since the moment he was rebooted. It was not an unpleasant feeling. Just… different. And that difference had not been more noticeable to him than it was in that moment.

This was because a part of him (the JARVIS part of him) was stunned with disbelief. Then that disbelief was gradually replaced with other sensations. It was as if the voice in his head (he was uncertain if the voice belonged to him or JARVIS) was screaming in the confusion of what could have happened, the guilt of not being there to prevent it and protect him, and the overwhelming grief of losing the closest thing he had to a family member. His father. Sir.

But that’s all it was: a voice in his head. Outwardly…

He felt nothing.

He absentmindedly wondered if that should worry him.

With the knowledge that Tony Stark was dead and therefore could not help him, Vision decided to find someone who could. As far as he knew, Dr Banner was still missing and he was strangely hesitant to seek out the help of Shuri. So perhaps he could attempt to help himself?

No, stay! Stay and ask these people what happened! Ask if they need help! Find the other Avengers! Find out how Mr Stark died!

He left New York.

He had the memories of who he had been. He was not the same. Using those differences he could try and piece together an explanation. The world did not need saving at present, which meant that Thanos had most likely been defeated. And as Vision had nobody and now nowhere to go to, he would just have to wait until the world needed him.

(“Just so we’re absolutely clear,” the man says, “you are to terminate Wanda Maximoff and neutralize The Vision by any means necessary. She’ll be powerful, so be careful. And The Vision will match you for every move you make. After that, you report back to me and wait for your next orders, understood?”

“Understood.” He affirms, and for the smallest of moments his voice sounds wrong.)

Yes, he will wait. He will be useful again. They will need him- who? Humanity or those that weaponised him? Who was the old Vision loyal to? Is he truly Vision anymore? Why doesn’t he care?- and until they do… he will wait.

[wthelvetica21]

Linked Souls / Timeline Splitting Delirium : Part 3

(at a set of cheap apartments)

Lewis: Well shit man, YOU talk to him not me since he’s… you know... ehh

zero_one: A version of me from another timeline. *sigh* We talked about this Lewis I CAN’T interact with any none merged versions of myself or our reality will collapse. It’s… really complicated to explain in layman’s terms. 

(zero_one said as he pushed his fingers together nervously)

Lewis: Who told ya that? That smooth talking German guy in the pink?

zero_one: You mean Tesla? Yes. I was about to say that’s rich coming from you but... I don’t know. 

Lewis: Fine, but can we call someone like Armstrong or even Arthur to be backup? Cuz I ain’t goin’ in there alone. It’s awkward enough to know you used to be like… no offense but a…

zero_one: An alcoholic…I’m fully aware of that. Listen I can’t really remember anything from my past life Lewis but I can recognize myself when I see it and it’s just… upsetting to say the least.

- Lewis couldn’t just tell but feel the emotions going through zero_one right now. It’s a mixture of fear and resentment. Even though the symboite part still represses his emotions somewhat he really didn’t want to be here as much as Lewis. He felt really bad for him. 

Lewis: I’m sorry man, I didn’t know. Arthur and Vivi might be more on the same wavelength with you on that part. Kinda sorta but… sigh 

(sarcastically : Well shit, great job in making him feel better. You’re a great friend indeed Lewis Pepper. Like with Arthur and…) 

young modulated male voice: Huh? Another distortion? What’s going on here?

-Both look behind them and see a double of zero_one. His circuit line markings were different and is slightly shorter but Lewis couldn’t really tell to actually care.

zero_one: This… can’t be could it? (Uhh it’s most likely NOT a good thing if he just shows up out of nowhere.)

Lewis: Oh hell no, it’s like fu*king deja vu here. This alternate timeline bullshit with the hungover drunk guy in that apartment is confusing enough. Now this shit? Dammit!

prime!zero_one: I’m sorry what? Huh. another variant of me? … Wait a moment…

-Out of nowhere Lewis could hear two synthetic sounding voices speaking at once

synthetic voice 1: host identification code : v13DG/SD : code name zero_one v / threat level : 0 / aberration detected within zero_one v’s code / completion status : unknown percentage

synthetic voice 2: host identification code : a01WIW/YL : code name zero_one a / threat level : 0 / zero_one a is from the prime timeline / aberration detected within zero_one a’s code / completion status : 100%

zero_one: huh? (A aberration? But how come? Now I can’t really blame Lewis for getting frustrated about this whole… ordeal.)

prime!zero_one: That’s a relief, I’d assume as much but who’s that next to you? 

synthetic voice 1: subject identified as Lewis Pepper from Vivi Yukino’s universe / threat level : 2 / empathic link detected with zero_one v.

Lewis: sigh (mumbles Juro que esta mierda me está volviendo loco)

(Spanish : I swear this shit is driving me crazy.)

(Oh my God this shit couldn’t get anymore freaky. Wait… A version of Vivi is here too?)

zero_one: Yeah... he’s not a...

prime!zero_one: No worries, I’m a little more concerned about…

-Shortly all three of them winced as they heard…

DrunkGuy: BLEAHH!! *cough cough* Serves you right dumbass for over doing it, *cough* again. What the hell where you thinking?… ugh… I feel like shit...

- All three paused in stunned silence because of second hand embarrassment. It was particularly bad for the zero_one Lewis came to know. He couldn’t even imagine him having a drinking problem this bad since he’s so polite and friendly. But Lewis could remember that Lance had an alcohol problem too for a while before Arthur was put into his custody at 16. And then he could remember zero_one saying something about finding purpose in his boring life while he was having a panic attack last night.

prime!zero_one: umm. That. (he said flatly pointing at the apartment door.) I could go with your ghost friend to talk to him for you since he’s from my timeline or… at least I think so.

zero_one: Much appreciated (he sighed in relief) I’ll be behind the building listening in.

prime!zero_one: You’re welcome. As long as you still have your face shield up and he doesn’t recognize you any further distortions won’t come… At least hopefully. But this… well. Is no doubt going to be awkward. 

Lewis : sigh… I know, I know. What is this shit? Second hand embarrassment Tuesday?

Both zero_ones in near unison: Actually today is Thursday.

Lewis : ehhh fu-king… DON’T START THAT SHIT OKAY!

*SLAM*

DrunkGuy: NOPE!!!

- Lewis hears the door slam from behind him

Lewis : huh… sigh Seriously? (rolls his eyes) You ain’t slick dude, like at effing all. Might as well get over this and he forgot this anyway. 

- Lewis says as he holds a burnt orange hoodie. The bartender says he tends to forget it a lot when he goes past 6 to 8 drinks every night. He then shifts back to his more human form.

- About an hour and a half later after the two are done with their talk with the hungover DrunkGuy; both Lewis and prime!zero_one have the body language of someone who just got a root canal.

zero_one : uhh… How did it go?

Lewis : sigh (Shifts back to his ghost form) Let’s not talk about for now Z. I’m tryin’ to process what I just saw and heard. Uhh…

 (Don’t you f*cking start man, this issue is zero_one’s or this one’s at least. He should count himself lucky he didn’t see the state of that room… or oh OH FU_K now I have that image burned into my skull!)

prime!zero_one : I believe it’s best I don’t interfere with this affair any further. (he said scratching his head)

Young Man’s Voice : Hey, did you over do it again? Seriously man do I have to drag your flat ass to rehab? My God and here I thought I had a binge drinking problem.

prime!zero_one : Oh… shit… let’s get out of here… let’s get out of here… both of you.. (he says under his breath)

prime!zero_one shoved both of them towards the corridor to the parking lot so they wouldn’t be spotted by a young man with a black hoodie and curly hair nocking on the door.

End of Transmission (3/3)

Lewis : Okay… I was wrong about shit not getting weirder and weirder… But I don’t give a damn anymore at this point. I ain’t gonna press the issue further with Z for now. I know he has his shit together unlike his so called “prime self” but it’s still kinda freaky as fu_k to see a double of him walking around that isn’t bonded to that mask… well sorta because of that fake on his face. I can’t even imagine if I saw my human self here too; the person I used to be. Dammit, it’s best not to screw with the past even further, I need to look towards the future. 

I wonder what Vivi and Mystery are up to in Japan? Z mentioned that he got a call from Vivi with my cell phone saying they found who they where looking for.

[kommakina]

my take on what makes literature good (this is just a rant i am so sorry)

before anything i would like to state that i have no degree, no expertise, no nothing. i am literally just a high school student so like take what i say lightly dudes, it’s all just a relative opinion anyways. this is just 1k of my opinions and thoughts ig.

i am going to start this off by saying that the best story i have ever read in my life is a 100,000 word bts fanfic. you can dislike their music, them as people, i don’t care, thats your right and your opinion that you’re entitled to. i’m not trying to change that. but the reason i say that is because, lets be honest here, fanfiction? a lot of the time it’s written by 13 year olds who haven’t learned the difference between you’re and your. no shade to those 13 year olds, though. i’ve been there, and i’m no grammatical saint either, but typically, fanfiction as a whole is a bit looked down upon because of this idealism that it’s all just shitty 1k first-person bullshit. contrary to the societal idea of what fanfiction is (because it is shitty a lot of the time), there’s still that golden story every once and awhile. for me, that golden staple was up we go. 

I feel like they, the author, encompassed a lot of feelings that i, myself, was feeling at the time at which i had read it. it described that feeling of being sad but having nothing to be sad about, that feeling of loneliness in a room full of people, hopelessness in a world full of answers. this 100k bts fanfiction put into words emotions that i didn’t even realize other people could have. it helped me to sit and reflect on my own life a little, think of what could make me happy, what could make me grow and flourish. the writing style in of itself was absolutely spectacular in capturing the essence of the story and these feelings, and even with the disregard of the craftsmanship of  the storyline, its foreshadowing, ect. ect., it’s still a beautiful story. yet even still, i find myself hesitant to tell people about my love and appreciation of this story because i’m scared of what they would think when they found out that i think so highly of a story that societally shouldn’t be good in any means. 

that thought process isn’t at all fair to the creators of these stories (btw here’s the link to up we go, fan of bts or not, i still highly recommend it - https://archiveofourown.org/works/12297168/chapters/27954360 ). they poured their hearts out into the creation of these works, and will never get the recognition they so deserve in the world of literature beyond tumblr posts and twitter threads. 

this is just going to move me on into literally the best page turner i’ve ever read didn’t even fucking have pages. it was a 200k fanfic, once again. the songbird and the sea. best fucking plot line and universe creation since tolkienism. i literally read it at every moment i could, even when i reread it for the tenth time, i still can never put it down. it brings the beauty of life and hardships to life in an exciting way- the kind of exciting thats hard to find in a book. it really was a story that held your hand through it’s pages, despite its coding. (odd place to put it but once again here’s the story, bts fan or not, high recommendation - https://archiveofourown.org/works/10795731/chapters/23946774 )

i haven’t been able to find a single printed book that brings me as much joy and emotion as these books, and i’ve read plenty of classics in my time. and then there were none, the odyssey, pride and prejudice, shakespeare sonnets, edgar allan poe, ect. ect.. i’ve read some of the most popular novels in modern history like twilight, harry potter, the fault in our stars, scythe, all of these books- but none of them have ever brought me as much emotion and happiness as two fanfictions i found on ao3. that kind of thinking kinda leads on into - who decided these books were good? what decided they were the grounding for movie franchieses that make more money in a year than yemen and panama’s national incomes combined? 

really my question here is this, and i highly recommend you sit and recollect on this yourself, please add your own thoughts, id love to hear them, but- 

what makes literature good aside from a societal view?

honorable mentions of fanfiction authors that make me happy-

fruitily on ao3 - https://archiveofourown.org/users/fruitily/pseuds/fruitily

their twitter - https://twitter.com/fruitilys

notyoongs on ao3 - https://archiveofourown.org/users/notyoongs/pseuds/notyoongs

their twitter - https://twitter.com/tododucks

arobeebee on ao3 (has a lot of nsfw stuffies on there but also has more wholesome stuff so yeah take that as you will) - https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arobeebee/pseuds/Arobeebee\

her twitter (is a nsfw twitter im sorry i dont know if she has another one this was all i could find) - https://twitter.com/arobeebee

MENTIONED LINKS:

Oh_Hey_Tae on ao3 (up we go) - https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oh_Hey_Tae/pseuds/Oh_Hey_Tae

their twitter - https://twitter.com/oh_hey_tae

maia_archives on ao3 (the songbird and the sea) - https://archiveofourown.org/users/maia_archives/pseuds/maia_archives

i cant find any of their socials im so sorry lol

[sceptilemasterr]

MW Act 2, Scene 2 - Dinner Confrontation

Title: Most Wanted: The Hollywood Killer (A CIU Screenplay)

Main Pairings: Dave x Sam

Other Pairings: N/A

Genre: Full Rewrite

Rating: PG-13 for violence, blood, swearing, alcohol, and sexuality

Summary: Dave, Sam, Rhea, and the analysts go out to dinner for some team-building... and obtain a clue from a surprising source.

Previous Scene: Off-Duty

Masterlist: Link

INT. ELLIOT’S RESTAURANT - EVENING

A waiter, whose name badge simply reads ‘DANIEL,’ stands at the entrance to Elliot’s, which is clearly an expensive, upscale restaurant. He smiles at an unseen group standing behind the camera.

DANIEL THE WAITER: Welcome to Elliot’s. Do you have a reservation?

DAVE (O.S.): Yep, should be under ‘Reyes?’

Daniel glances down at his clipboard, flipping through it for a moment. Then he looks up.

DANIEL THE WAITER: Ah, yes, I see it. Right this way, please.

Daniel turns and walks further into the restaurant. One by one, the group follows him, in order: Dave, Reza, Mirasol, Nikhil, Rhea, and finally Sam. All but Sam are dressed in formal outfits. As they take their seats, Daniel shoots a brief look at Sam but does not comment.

DANIEL THE WAITER: I’ll be right back to take your orders. Enjoy!

He walks away as everyone opens their menus. Sam scowls.

SAM: He gave me a look.

DAVE: To be fair, I did warn you to dress up. “Texas Shootout Chic” isn’t exactly the usual dress code at Elliot’s.

SAM (defensively): Look, I didn’t exactly bring a change of clothes with me-

RHEA: Hey! I did offer to lend you one of my dresses, you know...

REZA (teasingly): Looks like you aren’t talking your way out of this one, Sam.

Sam shrugs.

SAM: What can I say? I have my style.

NIKHIL: Well, I approve. Dress codes are unnecessary and overrated, after all.

MIRASOL: You’re dressed up.

NIKHIL: That is entirely irrelevant.

The banter is halted for a moment when Daniel returns and starts pouring everyone water.

DANIEL THE WAITER: Can I interest any of you in some drinks?

SAM: Hmm. I’ll have a whiskey. Neat.

Dave raises an eyebrow. Sam shrugs.

DAVE: Could you stop being such a cowgirl for five seconds?

SAM (smirks): Couldn’t turn this off if I tried.

As the others place their drink orders, Daniel eventually gets to Rhea.

RHEA: I’ll take a martini.

DANIEL THE WAITER: ...Very funny, miss.

RHEA (indignantly): I’m twenty-three!

She hurriedly pulls out her I.D. to hand to him, as the rest of the group laughs good-naturedly. After Daniel checks the I.D. for a moment, he hands it back to her and leaves.

RHEA: Do I seriously look that young?

EVERYONE EXCEPT RHEA: Yes.

Rhea sighs. Reza pats her on the shoulder reassuringly as the conversation resumes for a few moments. Eventually, Nikhil leans toward Dave.

NIKHIL: I don’t see Rebecca here. Is she coming?

Dave shakes his head.

DAVE: I offered, but she’s staying late at the precinct. Says she’s got a big new lead on the La Huerta case to follow up on.

Sam sighs in frustration.

SAM: We’ve got a big new lead on our case, you know. Wish we could be workin’ on it right now instead of wasting our time here...

RHEA: Wait, am I missing something?

DAVE (to Sam): Learn to relax a little, would you? We’ll get a lead sooner or later. Just gotta be patient.

SAM: Easy for you to say. At this rate...

As Dave and Sam continue to argue, the sound of the restaurant door opening and closing can be heard.

DANIEL THE WAITER (O.S.): Welcome to Elliot’s. Do you have a reservation?

The sound of cash rustling is heard.

LI (O.S.): We do now.

DANIEL THE WAITER (nervously): Right, right, of course. This way, please.

Daniel enters the main dining room, nervousness clearly showing even through his professional demeanor. He starts crossing toward a table in the far corner of the room, followed by three individuals. First is the enigmatic woman known only as LI, who strides powerfully through the dining room with a distinctive, unshakable confidence. Behind her is her right-hand man, RYE, dressed impeccably in a suit and tie, surveying the area with a scowl on his face as though everything he sees is a potential threat. Finally, trailing the two of them is ERIS, tense and agitated, clearly uncomfortable in her dress and looking as though she’d rather be anywhere else.

DANIEL THE WAITER: Your table will be right over here.

Dave, Nikhil, Reza, and Mirasol all tense up, immediately turning their gaze to their table and trying as hard as possible not to notice the newcomers. Sam, however, does not follow their lead, and Li gives her a glare.

SAM: Hey. What’re you lookin’ at?!

RYE: You. You’d better watch yourself...

Gazing curiously at Sam, Li turns her gaze to the other occupants of the table... until she notices Dave.

LI: Wait. I know that face. Reyes?

Dave and the others all groan, knowing that Sam has inadvertently given away their position. Dave reluctantly faces Li.

DAVE: Congratulations, it’s me. What do you want this time?

Li crosses her arms, scowling down at the group.

LI (annoyed): I want to have an enjoyable evening out with my friends, Reyes. But of course you’d just assume I’m up to no good. Without any proof.

MIRASOL: Can you blame him? After everything you’ve--

Dave gives her a look, and Mirasol falls silent.

DAVE (casually): Believe it or not, sounds like we’re here for the same reason you are. So how about we stay out of each other’s way tonight, huh?

SAM: Sorry, am I missing something? Dave, you know these people?

DAVE (sighs): Unfortunately, yes.

ERIS: What was that?! Li, can I--

LI (sternly): Eris.

Throughout the exchange, Rhea has been studying Li intently. Suddenly, she lights up with excited recognition.

RHEA: Oh! Wait, I know who you are! You’re Li, aren’t you? The criminal mastermind? The master thief, the genius behind the Geneva Job and the Monaco Heist, the international woman of mystery who--

Her eyes go wide and she covers her mouth as she realizes what she is saying. Li laughs as Rhea visibly shrinks in her seat, mortified by what she has just blurted out.

RHEA: Oh God, I’m saying too much again, aren’t I? I should probably just be quiet.

DAVE: Yeah. That might be a good-

Before Dave can finish his sentence, Sam abruptly stands up, charging roughly toward Li.

DAVE: Wait, Sam! Stop!

Sam ignores him, only to find herself grabbed by Rye and Eris. Mirasol, Nikhil, and Reza tense, but Dave waves them down. Li smiles.

LI (laughs): Picked up a new partner, have you, Reyes? I gotta say, I like her.

SAM: You’ll like me a lot less as soon as your goons let me go! Now tell me, where can we find Tull?

LI (genuinely confused): ...What?

SAM: Don’t play dumb! Doesn’t take a genius to figure out a criminal mastermind might be the one behind all of this!

RYE (to Li): Want me to punch her?

LI: Let’s not make a scene.

The camera pans around the group to reveal a large group of restaurant staff watching the incident. Sam notices this as well, and after a moment’s hesitation, she relaxes and steps back. Rye and Eris let her go.

LI: You people are all the same: jumping to conclusions with absolutely zero proof. For what it’s worth, I had nothing to do with the Tower Murders. Trust me.

SAM: Bullshit.

Li shrugs innocently.

LI: Hey, don’t get me wrong, we aren’t above criminal activity: stealing here and there, a little fraud, a little extortion... but murdering innocents? That crosses a line. Believe it or not, we do have standards.

RYE (angrily): If we ever got our hands on Tull, we’d kill him ourselves.

DAVE (to Sam): Gotta admit, she ain’t wrong. Li’s record speaks for itself.

SAM (skeptical): Alright, then... if you hate Tull so much, care to give us any leads?

LI: Ha! Like I’d ever help out a cop.

She frowns, thinking for a moment. Then she looks over at Rhea, who somehow manages to shrink even further in her chair under Li’s piercing gaze.

LI: You... you’re not law enforcement, are you? And you’re definitely too innocent to be a celebrity. What’s your angle?

RHEA (nervously): Me? Oh, I’m nobody, just--I’m just a journalist, that’s all! Honest!

Li smirks, and her gaze softens slightly.

LI: Huh. Well, you seem like the genuine type. (to Rye) That ticket stub. Would you kindly?

After a moment’s hesitation, Rye fishes in his pocket, then pulls out a small, torn ticket stub and hands it to Li. She holds it out to Rhea, who takes it.

RHEA (curiously): What’s this?

LI: A clue. From one neutral party to another. (smirks) Give Tull my “regards” when you catch him, would you?

RHEA: Oh! Wow, uh, thanks-

Li, Rye, and Eris turn to continue toward their table. As they walk away, Li turns back toward the group, gazing at Dave.

LI: Reyes. Tread carefully. Tull ain’t just some psychopath. The people he runs with... This is bigger than you realize.

Li continues walking toward her table.

DAVE: Wait! Li, what do you mean? What’s--

LI (firmly): This conversation is over.

Dave turns back toward the others at his table, shrugging. Sam looks curiously at Rhea.

SAM: What is it? What’d she give you?

Rhea holds the ticket stub out, and everyone leans in to get a closer look.

RHEA: I’m not sure... but it might help us find Tull.

_______________________

Next: Technicality

CIU Tag List: @brightpinkpeppercorn @endlesshero1122 @bbaba-yagaa @acidsugar0

MW Tag List: @griselda1121

[pyrokinesis]

So I lost the patience and watched Kizuna

! Major spoilers ahead !

Listen, I know I said I will wait until the Blu-Ray comes out, but I was impatient little bitch and I found a working Sample 3 link with English dub, so I said, fuck it! My brother joined me 20 minutes in, lol. Anyways, onto the movie.

I don't really know what to say, Digimon Last Evolution Kizuna was exactly what I expected from the movie of such name, a movie that promotes end of relationship between Digimons and their human partners.

I kinda didn't have my hope up, mostly because I rewatched Adventure & Adventure 02 last week and finally watched Tri, and the whole point of Digimon has always been, no matter what happens, Digimons and their humans will always stick and stay together, I think the quote goes "humans and Digimons forever" (?). I kinda was hyped up though, partly because of art style (it was much better than Tri, less dark and more symmetrical when it comes to faces and bodies, Tri was annoying at times with weird asymmetrical faces; also Yamato!!!! Yamato is so hot and pretty in Kizuna, wtf Toei leave this poor lesbian alone), partly because of Adventure 02 kids (my brother is so annoyed with me, but I'm a huge 02 fan, Wormmon is my baby and I can rewatch 02ep25 anytime, Stigmon's first appearance is fucking iconic).

Adventure 02 kids got much more screentime than I expected, especially Iori/Cody because he is sometimes really put aside. I love how they were staying in touch with Original Six/Eight through Yamato, and how Hikari and Takeru stayed part of their team (Tri lacked this so much, it was so weird to have Hikari and TK not knowing what happened to their friends when they were supposedly a new team/best friends). Also my baby Ken's hair (*le cries*), I miss his long hair. Both my brother and I expected Paildramon to appear near the end, but there were no DNA/Jogress evolutions besides Omegamon/Omnimon.

Yamato was so fucking hot it's unbelievable, he's become top Digi-destined to me, 2D character or not. He was so smart, so persistent, so consistent, so selfless, so cute, itty-bitty blind (those cute glasses that appeared on his face for a mili-moment during him being in uni classroom panel, all of my uwus gone), still has one of the best relationships with Gabumon (he plays harmonica for Gabumon, even after all these years, he keeps Gabumon by his side, and they both tried to find that bad-guy-turned-FBI-agent-guy sneakily, so so cute). Overall, Yamato is a emotionally much more main character than Taich is, probably because emotionally, Taichi was the main character of Tri.

Now onto our second main, Taichi. Honestly, technicall, both Yamato and Taichi are Kizuna's main guys, but emotionally, Yamato left much bigger impact. Taichi was the main character in the beginning, but as the story progressed, I could feel Yamato much better. Still, Taichi isn't left aside (like all other Original Eight kidz/people). He is a struggling university student who has no idea what to do with his life (my brother sorta compared him to me, LMAO). This is very consistent with Tri's Taichi, who is full of self dubts, abstract ideas of future, and melancholy when he thinks about his future self. Toei nicely showed it when they let us know Tai earns for his future by working part-time as a waiter (?) in an automat casino. He is kinda really down all the time when he starts realising he has to make huge choices about the future, even though he has no bloody idea or genuine thought what to do (also his porn stash, LMAO what was that Taichi, who even uses porn magazine after the age of 14).

Thinking back about it now, it's kinda underwhelming with how it actually, emotionally, focuses on the whole "Digimons have to leave their partners" philosophy. Like, it barely shows interactions between humans and Digimons (which Tri did at least, with I think all characters, so I would expect at least some focus on Yamato and Taichi). There were some interactions between Taichi and Agumon, and Yamato and Gabumon at the end, but it just felt uncomplete and unfullifying. Also whole concept is bullshit (did I mention it? Because if I didn't I will, because this whole thing really is). It all started with Tri, which felt like it was produced by random people who watched Adventure & 02 after fifteen years and decided to make their own spin on it, without actual respects for stories and characters Adventure & Adventure 02 were trying to make us feel and understand (though feelings of OOC-ness Tri had at the times were minimal in Kizuna, thank goodness for that).

Then, Kizuna continued it with the concept of "when Digi-destined grow up, their Digimon partners disappear because they are not on the same mental wavelengths anymore" which is the complete opposite of one of like three main Digimon philosophies, "Digimon and Digi-destined, together and forever"; like while I disliked 02 epilogue, it showed us that after all hardships, Digi-destined and their Digimons get their happy endings, together. Both my brother and I (we watched it together) groaned at the whole concept (along with predictive bullshit plot and plotholes).

While I understand the reason behind this (I read some spoilers on here afterwards, to broaden my post-Kizuna horizons), that humans/Digi-destined grow up, and Digimons kinda don't, it still makes me really dissatisfied. Tri showed us in flashes that, when given time spent with their and other humans, Digimons can grow and become mentally wise adults (cue to the cutest scene when Patamon closes his one eye because he understands the tension between Hikari and Takeru, as in, that they like each other and they might need some time "alone"), so Kizuna kinda fucked up all previous Adventure works by telling us everything is in vain, Digimons leave, their connection to humans they had will become meaningless and humans will have to move on. Bullshit plot(hole), but whatever.

The amount of screentime non-Taichi&Yamato characters can be underwhelming, especially if you don't read spoilers like I did. The movie starts with Takeru and Hikari as important as Yamato and Taichi, but as the movie progresses, they just fade in the background. Kinda happens to everyone else except Koushiro/Izzy, who kinda has a really leading role, considering how much screentime Taichi and Yamato have (I feel like wordcount apps will find Yamato&Taichi as my most used words in this rant review), and he is probably third most important role, until he undramatically disappears because of psycho main lady.

Now towards real ranting. I'll try to keep it short because I have no real emotions behind it and I feel some other rants might articulate it better. Anyways, the plot of the whole movie is so goddamn predictable. It starts so weirdly, with Taichi, Hikari and Takeru fighting Parrotmon (what the fuck was that even, btw???). Like, Parrotmon, again? It feels just very reused, and that feeling that doesn't leave even during the credits. Soundtrack—while nice, nostalgic, and very fitting—is also just reused Adventure 01 soundtrack, and it just brings kudos from my memory lane road nostalgia. Deja Vu is the feeling that sticks to your skin and bones, if you like me, watched Adventure 1-3 just before Kizuna, and understand how so many scenes are just reused wanna-be old seasons references.

From two older adults (I honestly thought there will be two goverment agents, again, and mentally groaned) sticking up into Digi-destineds' business like some omni-knows creature, same as agents from Tri, fucked up (female) main antagonist who pretends to be a good guy (lady?) for the sake of gathering intel and trust, who is a complete nutjob (full-time pyscho in Kizuna lady's case) because of the loss of her Digimon partner, to bullshit powered-up Digimon created from human coding (my brother pointed this one to me, and honestly, half of this movie is both Diaboromon movies rehashed/redone in 2020 shine), Omnimon fighting in some weird Digital World room powered-up creature (first Diaboromon movie straight up scene for scene), even that first scene with Parrotmon and this time completely unexplainable appearance of a Digimon in the real world, and Digi-destined having to fight it, and of course, bullshit new unexplained Digi-evolution with new (human???) mega forms of Agumon and Gabumon. All in all, it just feels very forced and all very already seen.

Now onto the less main, even less supporting characters. 02 teens are amazing, considering they have barely any lines and some little fighting moments. I love them, and I'm happy they got this, considering how they were blatantly forgotten in Tri, and how obviously nobody in the production of Tri even cared to hide that. Wormmon and Stigmon are my babies and I'm happy to see them have some screentime.

Original Six/Eight (excluding Taichi and Yamato) are kinda disappointing, though. I read some spoilers, so I knew Sora wouldn't appear much, but damn, even that was much compared to her actual screentime in Kizuna. She is almost as forgotten as 02 kids were in Tri. I get that she is shown to have moved on faster than other Original Eight kids, but still, they didn't even show her losing Piyomon (which did happen, and it was emotionally, overwhelming, in a fucked up sense when you realised Piyomon wasn't by her side). Jou, Mimi, Takeru, and Hikari were shown at the beginning of movie with so much potential screentime, but in the end they mostly were there for the dramatic cliffhangers (I didn't understand at the beginning what happened to Mimi and Jou, and I thought Hikari was murdered and that the FBI agent straight up shot Takeru), during that mini battle scene sometime in the Neverland, and of course, during the end credits. It was kinda really both overwhelming and underwhelming to see them during the credits when they could've had much more moments during the movie (I sorta had some hope because the movie is almost 2 hours long, and usually movies are like 20, 30 minutes long, but even during those one-episode-length movies there is more of main-supporting characters shown).

As mentioned, the ending is bullshit (my brother ended up crying and I had to put Adventure OST on to calm him down), Agumon and Gabumon dying is literally the most senseless thing ever since both Taichi and Yamato love their partners so much, and even among all the adulting and hassles in their lives, they try to make time for their Digimon partners (during their time in the restuarant, Yamato and Taichi literally talk how they don't have time for even their closest friends, hell Hikari even mentions Taichi should give their mother a visit, but Taichi still finds time for Agumon), so in the end both Taichi and Yamato were among the last people to lose their Digimons and I'm really disappointed in this concept, especially how they didn't show Gabumon and Agumon disappearing, Taichi and Yamato deserved explicit goodbyes.

Uh, I don't think I have anything much to add anymore. I read spoilers and some are pretty much novels from how much people put their thoughts in, this is just my ranting review, tbh. I dived into this hoping to get my heart mended from Tri (say what you want about Tri but it was too bad for six hour and half movies, especially general Adventure constistency-wise), but not with high expectations, having seen the trailer and having some spoilers read. All in all film wasn't too bad, but it wasn't too good, solid 6/10 rating from me, mostly for the animation and nostalgic soundtrack, but the whole plot was shit as fuck and the philoshophy behind it.

(Random, but I noticed straight people/shippers liked the movie better than gay people/shippers, is there any correlations between that)

ALL IN ALL, Digimon: Last Evolution Kizuna wasn't the best nor the worst Digimon movie/work, but it probably isn't something I will rewatch or recommend anytime soon (also wtf were those humanoid mega forms, like W T F).

[florrickandassociates]

TGF Thoughts: 4x07-- The Gang Discovers Who Killed Jeffrey Epstein

What a weird episode. 

This episode is something else. The writers REALLY overestimated how much the audience (or at least the fandom) liked the pee tape and Melania divorce episodes if they thought this was a good idea.

My recollection of those episodes is that because everything was fake-but-real, the stakes wound up feeling lower and I stopped caring, and when I’m not on board with the plot, the surreal shit and the whimsy feel more annoying than innovative. This episode might fare slightly better in my opinion than the other two because of its central device (more on that later) but it’s (somehow!!!) even more audacious and wild than the episodes that came before. Not my favorite look for the show. 

I DO like the tributes to musicians we’ve lost to COVID-19 that play over the credits.My one quibble is that they could’ve used a little card to inform viewers what’s going on and why. Last week I caught the artist in the captions but this week I missed it (or it wasn’t there), though I figured out pretty quickly it was John Prine.

Starting off an episode with Liz is always a good choice. 

Liz and Marissa are, for reasons we’ll discover later, in New York and investigating Jeffrey Epstein’s “suicide.” 

It drives me INSANE that Marissa consistently has the sound on her phone on. I think we’d know she was taking pictures without it. 

Liz’s old boss, Wilbur Dincon, has tasked Liz to independently investigate what happened. If this case goes well, RBL will get more business from the DOJ.

I’m sorry, did you just say “S-H-U” instead of pronouncing it like “shoe”? I mean, I’m an expert on prisons because I watched Orange is the New Black so I know it should be said like “shoe.” (tbh i have no idea if one is more correct than the other)

This case has lots of details but it’s really only the thematic points that matter, so I likely won’t discuss any plot points… just what they’re going for. 

Good to know Liz was ahead of the curve on knowing Epstein was a dangerous creep. 

Liz is promised she can investigate anyone she wants and think outside the box. Sure. I believe this as much as I believe Diane is in charge of pro-bono stuff because STR Laurie has great intentions.

“Synergy” is such a great bullshit word. Has everyone ever said it for a reason other than the following three: (1) To mock the word synergy (2) as a euphemism for cost-cutting measures that will fuck over employees (3) because they think it sounds professional and want to cover up the fact they don’t know what they’re talking about?

In this case, “synergy” means that RBL needs to cut their payroll by 20%. Fun times.

Diane and Adrian (Liz is downstairs) are not happy about this, even when Mr. Firth reminds them it’s more money for them. They’d rather have less money personally but happier employees since they’re not soulless.

Mr. Firth says they have to do the layoffs. But if it’s any consolation, they get to hand pick who to lay off!

The dogs are still being walked through RBL, in case it wasn’t clear enough that STRL sucks.

The whole firm gets to work on sorting through the Epstein evidence. Liz tries to keep things organized-- murder evidence on one side, suicide evidence on the other.

Associates, however, immediately begin interpreting the word “evidence” loosely. Is there a photo of Epstein with someone they’d like to suspect of murder? Then it’s “evidence of murder”. Ok, Leah. 

As expected, this immediately turns into bickering over politics. Sorry Liz-- it’s going to be tough to keep your staff on target with this one. 

“No! No conspiracy theories. No insane charges. Everything we do, we need evidence, so let’s start here.” Ah, if only everyone could think like Liz.

The room focuses on evidence for about two minutes. Then they find a way to make it about conspiracies again. Go team! 

Also everyone at RBL thinks they have better knowledge than professional medical examiners of the marks left on someone’s neck after they hang themselves. They also all believe that pretending to strangle themselves is the best way to prove their point. It’s a hilarious sight for Diane and Adrian to happen upon.

Adrian and Diane immediately start seeing their employees as numbers and imagining the cost savings of laying them off. Marissa is making $89,000 a year with three years of experience. Jay is making $89,000/year with eight years. Damn, that is so unfair to Jay. (I could see it if Marissa is more vocal about wanting higher pay or if they’re more concerned with losing her… but being vocal about money is probably closely related to Marissa’s privilege and there is zero evidence Marissa is any better, more efficient, or more hardworking than Jay!)  I can’t remember how this plot ended last year, but I thought Jay ended up making more than Marissa after he complained?

Adrian seems to see Jay as the more disposable of the investigators, which is quite sad, especially since from what we see, Marissa and Jay seem to be equally skilled. 

I wish we got to see the salaries, rather than just billable hours, of the other associates. But I’m glad they finally get last names! 

Kevin Walker has been at the firm 7 years and has 2643 billable hours.

Diane imagines the red X over Marissa. I can’t tell if the Xs are to demonstrate who they think they should cut or just to show deliberations. 

Lucca has been at the firm for 4 years and has 2788. Her title is “associate” but shouldn’t it be “Head of Family Law”? 

Leah Davis has been at the firm for 3 years and has 2657 billable hours.

Jancie Muncy has been at the firm 11 years with 2456 hours; Micah Carroll has been there 5 with 2582 hours. John Danzette with 6 years and 2074 hours; Rosalyn Brock with 4 years and 1991 hours (we learn later she was on medical leave for part of the year). Josh Withers with 11 years and 2162. Linda Keller with 2 years and 2389; Mike Roberts with 3 years and 2147. So what I’m getting is that Lucca has the most billable hours of everyone? 

I wish it told us their salaries. How much do the billable hours matter if we don’t know how much $ each hour is worth?

I really like this device. It’s a good way of showing how tough this decision is and how dehumanizing the process becomes. 

Adrian jumps into the conversation and tries to convince everyone Epstein’s suicide isn’t a conspiracy-- it’s just incompetence. Apparently he has a sink that breaks every week and no plumber can fix it because they are all incompetent. I understand this analogy-- no one does their job perfectly 100% of the time-- but I am really concerned about Adrian’s sink. This sounds like a bigger issue than incompetence.

“People do just enough work to get by,” is a very true statement though. I have often thought that it’s kind of incredible the world is as functional as it is. 

If you have 4 or 5 conveniently incompetent breakdowns at once, though, I’m not sure I believe it’s purely incompetence. Feels a bit convenient. 

Diane jumps in and makes a case for why the conspiracy is also likely. This strikes me as counterproductive since what REALLY needs to happen here is for the associates to dig through the evidence. Why not go back to Liz’s original system where they look through the evidence and see where it leads them? 

Lots of news footage and photographs in this one.

Diane’s larger point seems to tie back into Memo 618: “We all have to obey the law. I mean, if we’re told we have to check into with the police every 90 days, we do it. But certain people don’t have to. They’re given special treatment.” Diane claims this is America-- “a special fucking off-ramp for the well-connected.” 

Isn’t it possible both are true? That there’s a lot of incompetence and also systems in place that protect the rich and powerful? Also none of this is evidence!!! 

(I do like this scene for showing Adrian’s POV (cynical about human nature) vs Diane’s (fed up with the government and the treatment of the ultra wealthy). And the show can’t really dig into evidence they don’t actually possess. But evidence-free speeches don’t seem productive!)

Liz is like, okay then… and splits the room into three groups to look at evidence. I am glad Diane and Adrian helped her so much.

Liz is NOT happy about the layoffs when Diane and Adrian loop her in. She’s opposed to cutting anyone. Diane says she could lose Kevin, but Liz sees Kevin as someone newer employees look up to. Adrian suggests Lucy (who?) and Liz says that Lucy actually should get a raise. Diane points out this will look bad to the clients. All good points. This seems like an impossible decision.

Case stuff happens. Lucca knows a “hairdresser to the stars” through Bianca.

And now for some scenes where Diane and Julius try to report Memo 618 to the government and do the right thing! The Kings have said these were intended for episode 8, and while they don’t really feel that out of place since there’s clearly a thematic link between 618 and Epstein’s connections, this bit of info explains two things: (1) Why this ep is 53 minutes long when it feels like it could make its point in less time and (2) why the Julius stuff that happens later in the episode feels a bit anticlimactic because so much else is also happening. My guess is in an episode where it’s more of the focal point it would feel like a much bigger deal.

Do you ever just see a shot of Diane and think, “Damn, Taylor Swift does really look like a young Diane?” Because I do. All the time.

Lucca visits the famous hairdresser and he makes time for her right away. And he gives her a letter from Epstein that he (a) has in his possession and (b) has in an unlocked drawer in his salon. Whatever. 

Lucca convinces him to let her have it, and RBL makes a video to establish chain of custody. I’m shocked we’ve never seen them do this before.

“It is Thursday, May 21st, 2020” Liz says. Nah. You’re in an office. It is not. 

The envelope contains a key, a secret code, and a letter that says “If I’m dead, watch out for BUD”. Welp, there goes any hope of this not turning into RBL chasing conspiracies! 

Rumors about layoffs (40%! Just paralegals! Everyone!) have spread, in case there wasn’t enough chaos. 

The partners are indeed discussing who to fire, and they can’t decide on anyone. So they decide it’s time to get out from under STRL and buy themselves out. It’ll take 20 million, but they can pull that together. 

This would play better if we knew why they decided to sell to STRL in the first place. Who WOULDN’T have seen this coming? 

Liz tells Adrian not to make any promises he can’t keep and he is like, this is like our marriage. Diane is still in the room which is awkward and funny.

Marissa finds “BUD” on a blueprint. A clue! Meanwhile, Lucca and Jay (really, Jay) figure out the code. 

This is the portion of the episode where I can leave the show playing on my phone and go check Twitter instead of writing any commentary. 

Julius gets arrested for speaking out about Memo 618! It feels less impactful than it should when it’s sandwiched between a bunch of scenes following the conspiracy. (Also I am a little surprised they didn’t have Julius and Diane go to the press before the government.)

The conference room squabbles again and Liz asks, again, to tone down the conspiracy theories. They instead begin fighting about even more conspiracy theories.

Unless there’s another conference room scene later, I think this was the moment I understood what the Kings were doing and started to like the episode more. As soon as I realized “BUD” was a Citizen Kane reference, I burst out laughing. This episode plays way better when you know the point they’re trying to make is that this is a lot of fuss that will ultimately be futile (though Marissa and Jay DO come close to finding BUD) than when you’re supposed to be riveted by watching people debate fake evidence. 

Why does Eli Gold have a cheerleader friend? Who knows! Who cares! 

Adrian suggests that he, Diane, and Liz involve their own homes in the scheme to getting 20 million dollars. Liz objects since she’s a single mom-- very fair. Adrian argues that they’ve done well in the past so they’ll get it back. Liz and Diane attack that idea before I can-- if that were really true, they never would have sold to STRL. 

Liz mentions losing ChumHum and the fallout from her dad’s scandal and then says “let us not forget why we joined STRL in the first place.” I feel like that line would work better if the “let us not forget…” came before the “we lost ChumHum”. Because we don’t actually KNOW why they joined STRL. And, as I said in a previous recap, I can roll with it for the sake of plot, but I can’t take lines like “let us not forget why we joined STRL” seriously when there was LITERALLY NO ON SCREEN DELIBERATION about it. 

Adrian says STRL doesn’t value them, their employees, their history, or their culture. To which I say, DUH. Why would you think they did?  

The only important thing about this cheerleader is that she’s played by the amazing Donna Lynne Champlin. Kind of sad she’s in this silly, non-recurring role. She’s so good. (Also she was totally on TGW playing a different role, shhhh). (Go watch Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, everyone!)

CONSPIRACY THEORIES! It’s another conference room scene. Maybe this is where I realized it was a Citizen Kane reference? But I think it was the earlier one.

Hey, it’s another Julius scene. Watching these and knowing they were meant for a different episode, I can’t help but notice that they do feel like pieces of the A plot of a different episode. The whole system is rigged, Julius and Diane realize.

Adrian, Liz, and Diane tell Mr. Firth they want out. Mr. Firth tells them they need to cobble together an impossible 80 million, not 20 million, because not all of the partners have been bringing in more revenue more than they used to. You see, Diane hasn’t been bringing in any money because she’s been in charge of the pro bono department. Ah.There’s the catch. 

I’m shocked they went up to Mr. Firth without reading every inch of that contract. Aren’t you guys partners at a law firm? I’m shocked Diane went ahead with taking charge of pro bono without looking for a catch. This sucks for the character and all, but how are these name partners at a liberal firm that’s seen more than its fair share of drama this naive about big corporations!? This plot twist is devastating… until I start to think about all the things they had to believe to get to this point. 

Still, it’s satisfying to hear Diane hiss “you fucker!” at Mr. Firth. 

Mr. Firth turns into a villain quite nicely. I wonder if we’ll see more of him next year. My guess is the remaining three episodes were going to tie together the corporate overlords plot and Memo 618 and wrap everything up more or less with a bow so they could do a new concept next year. I feel like they’ll either move on completely and tell us what happened, or do an episode like 2x02 (the one that wraps up all the Maia/Rindell Fund stuff in one go so it doesn’t hang over s2).

Dincon drops by unexpectedly and isn’t impressed with what Liz and the team have done, since all they’ve done is collect conspiracy theories (and possibly travel all over the country? Jay and Marissa go to the Virgin Islands; it is unclear if the architect and key maker and lawyer and everyone else were in Chicago…

In Dincon’s defense these conspiracy theories sound like complete nonsense. 

Dincon shuts the RBL team down, but Marissa and Jay are still off adventuring.

Diane asks Dincon what Memo 618 is because Epstein’s life was built on it. “Then you have your answer,” Dincon replies. This scene is another tell that those Julius scenes weren’t meant for 4x07. 

Aaaaand now we get the direct parallels to Citizen Kane, with some shot-for-shot remakes and even a sled (ha!).

There’s a secret door! Marissa and Jay are excited to investigate! Marissa references Parasite, which I haven’t seen yet because I’m awful at watching movies.

Marissa and Jay find nothing and leave. “I think we lost track of the real story: the underage girls,” Marissa realizes. Yup. That is the takeaway. Looking at all these conspiracies is fun but useless, and the most important truth has already been uncovered. 

After Marissa and Jay leave, we get to see what was in the secret room… BUD is Epstein’s penis. And… that’s a wrap on season 4? What a fucking weird way to end a season.