#the intent and capability is here and has been. we cannot allow them to do it

[under-lore]

What could Sans find out about Flowey ?

By finishing a neutral route over and over again multiple times, Flowey has some unique dialogues in which he mentions various trivia or shares his thoughts on some of the other characters.

One such character is Sans, who Flowey notably gives us a warning about.

However, the way he words that warning feels a little intriguing :

While Sans is generally a very perceptive character who is often capable of making pretty good guesses from limited information, Flowey makes it rather obvious that he is speaking from experience rather than simply making a general comment about Sans' observation skills.

But a question that isn't brought up very often is, what was it exactly that Sans would frequently "find out" about Flowey to warrant this warning ? And how ?

While the question may seem unanswerable at first due to Flowey not giving us any specifics whatsoever, there are a few details scattered throughout the game which may allow us to deduce our way towards what was most likely the intended answer.

First, we know what solution Flowey ended up settling with in order to deal with whatever that issue was : Simply avoiding Sans.

In any given timeline, Flowey took the habit of avoiding to be seen by or around Sans at any point, unless he specifically had something in mind that required him to do so. (such as in the pacifist ending) As a general rule of thumb, he would avoid Sans altogether as much as possible.

However, even with that effort on Flowey's side, a quick mention of a talking flower from Papyrus is already enough to seemingly get Sans at least a little suspicious that something may be up with that.

This is our second clue : The fact that it took Sans so little information for him to get suspicious of what Papyrus told him about a flower.

Our last clue is the few words we hear from Sans after he sees and hears Flowey at the end of the pacifist route :

In order to find out what to make of those clues, we need to introduce a fourth element : Sans' scientific background.

Luckily, none of the more complicated or speculative nuances of that side of his character are required here, all that we need is to highlight his somewhat-hidden friendship with Alphys.

She knows him well enough to call his jokes in advance :

Or here, the game more obviously points out that these two seem surprisingly friendly.

Sans tries to play it off, but it is clear they know a lot more about each other than seems at first glance.

But how much exactly ?

Well...

To go back to our main point, if one were to call Papyrus' phone in front of Alphys' lab, the conversation between the skeletons brothers would eventually deviate towards the question of wether or not Alphys is hiding dogs inside of her lab.

To which Sans answers, winking :

If it had just been this one joke, it may have been a coincidence, but the game doubles down on this exact same implication if you call Papyrus from within the lab as well, showing that this connection between Sans and Endogeny was absolutely intentional :

While the determination experiments were sorely Alphys' entreprise, it appears that Sans was at least made aware of the way they ended up playing out.

We cannot affirm with certainty how much detail exactly Sans has regarding the experiments, but if he is aware for the dogs and possibly even involved in dealing with them (as he had the dog food bag in his room), then he most definitely would also know about the vessel too. It was the main goal, after all.

This vessel had a few particularities.

First, it was a golden flower, the flower from the outside world, chosen for symbolic reasons.

But second, that specific golden flower was chosen because it was different from the rest.

It was at the center of the garden, it had grown before all the others, those were the ones mentioned by Alphys in her entries. But there was one more specificity which she omitted to bring up :

Golden flowers in Undertale are a species of flowers which has 5 petals.

But our "vessel" had a mutation, resulting in an extra 6th petal.

A design choice in part, perhaps, but one that takes a very real in-world importance within this context.

Adding to this that, from the view of the current timeline iteration, the vessel seems to have suddenly vanished one day and...

Since it is likely for Sans to have been aware of all of this, now, it makes a lot of sense that the mere idea of a new mysterious talking flower that says strange things showing up out of nowhere would immediately put him on high alert. A potential connection with the missing vessel is easy to make.

Actually, now that we have this context, even Alphys seems to make the same connection as well after hearing Papyus mentioning a talking flower just before Flowey arrives.

But most of all, it now feels incredibly clear why Flowey needs to avoid being seen by Sans so much.

His entire appearance, and particularly his obvious extra 6th petal, are all dead giveaways of his origins.

Could Sans, who is skilled enough at analysing faces to tell the difference between the face of someone that has died 9 or 10 times in a row, really miss out on such blaring evidence ?

Of course not.

Flowey might as well have written "i am the vessel" on his face with a marker as far as Sans is concerned.

Chances are that merely seeing Flowey even once would be all it takes for Sans to be practically certain that Flowey must be the former vessel.

Not only that, but given that those experiments were all about determination, the so called "resolve to change fate", Flowey would also immediately be considered extremely likely to be the anomaly, too.

This is what we see in this scene :

Not only does Sans get to see Flowey here, but the speech that Flowey makes during this scene also provides him with definitive evidence that Flowey really was the "anomaly" he had been worried about, as his psychological profile matches extremely well with the one Sans shows us to have built for the anomaly in a genocide route. But, it also shows him that Flowey has, for now at least, lost his anomalous time powers to Frisk, and is thus struggling to keep them in his "game".

This suggests that for now, Frisk actually still has the advantage, and that despite all those crazy speeches, without his reset powers, that weirdo has got nothing on them.

But this is all later on in the story.

During Flowey's earlier RESETs, being seen by Sans, even once, quickly becomes a major pain for Flowey in every timeline iteration in which it happens.

At best, he might get "pranked accross time and space" a number of times. At worst, Flowey might have no choice but to reset and start all over again on whatever he was aiming to do.

Except this time around, without letting the smiley trashbag learn ANYTHING about him.

[lets-try-some-writing]

Getting more information on what the femmes do was very exciting (idk if that's the right word) but if it's not a spoiler I would love to hear more about the process when a femme finishes the preparations

(And it makes sense, find someone insignificant and reuse them to make someone new, someone potentially more useful)

The Grim Dark Archives: Statement #007 Cold Forged

[Statement taken from [Redacted] on [Redacted: Sensitive data] regarding femmes and what they do to their chosen subjects. Concerns have been rising after [Redacted] made it clear that Arcee can latch onto humans just as easily as she can another Cybertronian. Personnel working at the Autobot base have begun attempting to go on strike in an effort to escape.

I can't say I blame them, but [Redacted] was called to explain the process that femmes put their targets through to hopefully give us some answers. I suspect the higher ups just want enough information to weave a half baked like for the staff, but the information is vital nonetheless. The more we know, the better a chance we have of fighting back if need be.

Statement begins.]

══════════════════

Femmes... yeah, I've known a few over the course of my life. Elita was one real piece of work. She wanted Orion when she was still Ariel, and she threw a fit when the Archives got him before she could. She wanted Optimus as well once she found out he had been Orion at some point. She nearly got him too. I think the only reason Optimus managed to get out of her clutches was because of his rather murderous tendencies. I don't know if he meant to or not, but he allowed Elita to try and claim him and then watched on as her abilities backfired.

There is a reason femmes only target the weak. If their will cannot overcome the will of the target, their abilities will kill them instead... and in a rather brutal fashion.

It was a shame. Elita, when she wasn't enthralled with her targets, was a good femme. She treated her cold forged well and was a brilliant tactician. She actually kept Optimus in line for a long time. She ensured he couldn't do anything nearly as extreme as what he does now. That's the good thing about femmes. They are good and kind to their targets. They fill the void in the bot's life that no other could have ever hoped to fill. It is a peaceful end for a mech that would otherwise be cast away by society. Elita was the companion Optimus needed, a level helmed and gentle being who served as his equalizer when his plans demanded more pain than required. I appreciated her for that, especially when I served as as a special agent-

Ignore that remark. No. Ignore it.

Do you understand me Witwicky? You will ignore that remark.

[Note: [Redacted] expressed a severe violent reaction the moment I made it clear that I had no intention of adhering to his wishes. He only calmed when he watched me scratch it from the records. Of course I added back the redacted information following the conversation, but [Redacted] has things he wants to hide it seems.]

Good.

As I was saying, Elita was a fantastic person. Femmes are more than capable of being normal members of society when they are tended to. In fact, they are even worshipped in some circles and given the lowly members of society so that they may be remade. But Elita aimed too high, she went beyond the bounds set by the rules of femmes. She tried to go after a mech who was too strong, and for that reason, she fell.

Femmes are of the line of Solus Prime, the first femme created by Primus. At least that's what the Primacy will tell you. I'm not all that sure on the theological stuff, but there are records pointing to the fact that Solus existed. Because of that, I am willing to pin the femmes existence back to her. I don't know all the details about the first femme. That's the kind of thing you'd need to ask Orion about. He always loved talking about the theological details of history. He always got so passionate about it...

Sometimes... I forget Orion isn't here to answer anymore. I mean, he is, but he also isn't. But that's beside the point. This isn't my forte. Sorry, its just seeing Optimus so often after so many millennia, it can bring back old memories yanno? I will get back on topic.

No one knows what makes a newspark become a femme. In fact, there are no signs at all until the newspark sheds their second armor set. They behave just like every other Cybertronian, and then sometime in their early adolescence, they start following a specific individual around. Usually their first target is someone very old or very young, the weak of society or those without enough knowledge to fight back. Once the femme has picked, that's when the Council steps in and slaps a sticker on them to denote what they are. The poor target is cut off from everyone and left to the femme. Why? Because the first target is always the one who suffers the most.

Femmes are highly territorial. They will never aid one another unless both their targets are in danger and cooperating is in their best interest. So every young femme is on her own, left to figure things out as she ages. For young femmes, they will pick their victims apart. There is no peace to be found as they sink their connectors into their target to try and tear apart their CNA and remake it. The process kills the target without fail. A more experienced femme knows that she must follow a ritual, a process of sorts. She must know her target, she must care for her target, and only once her target is open to her... only then can she dig her claws in and remake them.

Yes, yes I am getting to the actual process now. Calm down. I swear you fleshies are just as impatient as Cyberfelines sometimes.

First she will get to know her target and release a chemical, a pheromone as your kind call it. This chemical causes the target to become calm, more trusting, and it also weakens their immune system. It has some benefits, such as increased processor function and heightened senses, but all this comes at the cost of increasing weakness. Not to mention the increase in processor activity is largely so that the femme may attract her target's attention and push them into seeing her in a light that best fits what role she is aiming to fulfill until the time for harvest arrives.

Around a vorn into her work, the femme will start to introduce her coils, her touches if you will. She will start to touch her target as often as she can, and it is through this that small injectors in her digits will begin to input a specially made protomatter into her target. The target will feel no pain since the injections are so small. But over months, years, vorns... slowly her target will start to think less, feel less, until at last they start to collapse.

Femmes are not needlessly cruel in their efforts. She will be very gentle with her target in their dying cycles. When they begin to forget, she will remind them of the things they lost. She will help them fuel, she will take them places they enjoy, and she will allow them ample time to deal with their lingering affairs. Any living relatives will not be compensated, but that is because she sees her work as the greatest compensation any being could possibly receive. She is remolding the worthless into something greater, and for that reason she is both compelled to her work just as much as she heralds it as something sacred. It is her nature to be gentle in this stage, for by that point, her target will be carrying the beginnings of her cold forged, her perfect creation.

There is no set time for it, but at some point in this final stage, the femme will continue her injections of protomatter and her quiet indoctrination until finally, her target shatters. This can take various forms, usually some type of explosion or contortion of the frame, but the end result is always the same. The target dies, and from their corpse, a new being emerges. Much like a newspark, it emerges without armor, but unlike the newsparks from the Well, it will come forth with memory and a mission.

We call these things the Cold Forged. They are beings that completely lack emotion. Or perhaps the ability to empathize. It is hard to tell with them. They all seem to take sick glee in watching others squirm. But anyway, the Cold Forged have a purpose that their femme gave them, and most often, they do not care to reveal it. Those that have felt like giving up data have often been given a mission that amounts to a concept, a thought or ideal. The most common mission these beings receive is by far the most terrifying.

Perfection.

They are given one concept, and they live out their entire lives embodying and striving to reach it. The Cold Forged are Cybertronian by every single stretch of the word, but they are not... like us. Does that make sense? My kind do not really do the empathy thing. But they have SOMETHING. The Cold Forged don't even have that. They are true machines.

You know what's so funny about this whole thing?

The femmes don't even care about their Cold Forged. They make them, and then they move along to the next target. The Cold Forged are the closest any Cybertronian has to actually having a biological creation, and the femmes don't care!

[Note: [Redacted] laughed for a rather long time following this statement. He seemed to be... unstable while speaking on this matter.]

Sorry about that.

It's just, it feels so clinical to me even millennia after learning about the process. These femmes go through so much effort just to make a creature that they then throw away. Elita was a rare exception in this regard. She liked to keep tabs on her Cold Forged, and I think one of hers even ended up with the Elite Guard. Her missions to her Cold Forged were always super specialized too.

Yeah. Femmes. Cold Forged. It's a hot mess I tell you.

Jack will be fine. Arcee will care for him as best she knows how until his dying day. That much you can be sure of.

══════════════════

[Statement end.

I am unsure how to feel about all this. Every detail I gather about these aliens tells me that there is something deeply wrong with them. I have my theories, but considering [Redacted]'s disposition and what info we have on everyone else, I think I can say that this race has been altered somehow. If [Redacted] is able to comprehend empathy, there must be others.

They are capable of feeling and being reasonable, but there is some factor that changes things for them. I shouldn't get involved...

But I want to know. I want to figure this mess out. I am just one man, but if I can put some pieces together, then perhaps there is something we can do to fix this. If nothing else, I want to understand these aliens. I want to know why.

Why start a war? Why do all this? And why in God's name would they shatter in such a way culturally? There must be an answer, and I have a sinking feeling that the only ones who can give me answers are going to be very dangerous.

Agent Witwicky signing off.

Recording ends.]

[jasontoddsno1simp]

If Jason Todd is a cop, then so is every vigilante in Gotham

They are ALL taking the law into their own hands - in case you numb nuts forgot, vigilantism is illegal. The only difference is that Jason is up front about the fact that he kills people, sometimes.

Instead of hashing and rehashing this stupid moral debate for the 3928281th time - like DC wants us to because they refuse to deal with the way they let one of their writers kill off a kid and the subsequently retconned that child's story so they could keep selling Robin merch - we have some fun with it.

Why does Jason kill?! What experiences in his life led him down this path?! I read an excellent post earlier about how Jason has all these monologues about Big Moral Ideas^TM and how that juxtaposes his actions. And instead of digging into that, people just leave it at "Oh, so you're a hypocrite, eh?! Got standards for everyone else that you feel you shouldn't have to follow, huh?!" as if that's an indictment of his character. And I mean, it is!! But why?! Why would Jason hold the heroes to standards that he doesn't deign to hold himself to?!

Could it be that he's positioned himself as a necessary evil?! That he's subconscious absorbed Bruce's inflexible moral framework?! That, according to that framewok, he understands that heroes must conduct themselves in a specific manner, else their heroism be called into question?! That he feels he's been called into a different direction?! That Gotham - Park Row - doesn't need another cape to save them, but rather they need someone who will avenge them?!

Jason, at his best, is jaded, but pragmatic. He doesn't rly believe in the hero community anymore, but he understands the necessity. He understands that he cannot be Batman, because he doesn't possess the moral inflexibility of Bruce. He doesn't feel regret after killing someone, because in his mind, that's what needed to happen to keep his people safe. And that makes him a villain. Something he does a lot of work to do to make himself feel okay about (which I don't think he does, but that's for later).

A more cynical interpretation of Jason would be that he doesn't believe in redemption. That once someone strays off the straight and narrow, their life needs to end. And I mean, in some cases that might be true. Humans are capable of some truly heinous shit and once you unlock that part of your soul, there's no going back. That's what I think, anyway. But to someone like Bruce, someone who condemns all killing, he'd make no room for any such distinctions. Especially with Jason being unrepentant.

And this is where we get into the meat and gristle of Jason and Bruce's dynamic - for Jason to operate under his own moral framework, Bruce must compromise his own.

In other words, for Bruce to sleep tight at night, he must strip his son of his agency. And Jason, someone who has had his agency stripped of him many a time in his life, is not too keen on that.

To me, Jason's story is about agency - about how those of us who aren't born into privilege must fight for our agency at every turn. As a child, Jason was stripped of his agency by poverty and doomed to be another lost cause by a system that isn't designed to help. Meeting Bruce and becoming Robin was a turning point for young Jason's life because it allowed him to claw back the agency that was stolen from him. Or so he thought. Because the second he didn't behave the way Bruce expected him to (and lest I remind you all that Bruce had been subtly adultifying this young boy since the second he met him), there goes his agency. Bruce strips him of the Robin mantle, therefore stripping him of his agency.

And before the Good Dad Bruce truthers come after me, I know this wasn't Bruce's intention - he took Robin away because he saw the way Robin was negatively affecting his son. And, to get a little meta here, Bruce probably clocked that even if he was able to get Jason the help he needed to manage his trauma, he couldn't allow him to be Robin anymore. Because Robin is a hero, and - according to Bruce - a hero's convictions must be unshakeable, lest their heroism be called into question.

And what makes for unshakeable convictions?! An inflexible moral framework with hard lines that must never be crossed. And if they are crossed, then said hero must throw themselves upon the sword in repentance.

Something that Jason refused to do.

And... if I'm being honest with you, there's no way forward with Jason's story without him reacting caustically to Robin being taken away. No matter how gently Bruce broke the news to Jason or how empathic he was, Jason would have reacted like a cat that had been slapped and thrown out the window. Because it was more than Robin. It was always more than Robin.

I'm gonna cap my analysis here because this has gotten way too fucking long, but my point is that if you're gonna do any kind of analysis or criticism of a character, I need y'all to reach deeper. Because what's the fucking point of shallow ass takes like "Jason is a cop cause he kills"?! Huh?! Not only is it fundamentally misinterpreting the character and his motivations - cops are authoritarians, something Jason is diametrically opposed to - but it's a dead end. It's a conclusion with no thesis statement.

[kogiopsis]

Kogi's Devouring Storm Theory

Okay, this may now be almost completely moot as with recent Bioware staffing changes, I'm not optimistic we will EVER get DA5.

However.

Just in case, I want to write this out and also have it on record that I said it now, because I would love to be proven right later.

So, let's talk about the future of Thedas. (Obviously, spoilers below.)

My core thesis: I think the Devouring Storm is something which consumes/feeds on magic.

And if so: I think dragons and possibly Titan/Stone magic will be integral to defeating it.

The most obvious source of information we have about the Devouring Storm is the hidden epilogue and associated dialogues/codices. (As an aside, I am in favor of the epilogue as a whole and think this post is a great explanation of what makes it interesting and also collects some resources I will refer to.) There are also mentions and references - some more subtle than others - throughout Veilguard and even in Inquisition.

Here's what we know from these sources:

From the epilogue itself: someone, possibly the Executors (who I believe to be agents of/part of the Devouring Storm) has engineered many of Thedas' recent crises, and are particularly satisfied to have had the last of the Evanuris removed from action; this seems to be the thing they've been waiting for to make their move, in fact.

From Codex Entry: A Mysterious Circle: The Circles feel 'wrong' in a way which is completely unfamiliar to the people who encounter them.

From Codex Entry: A Second Circle: The Circles make the air feel 'greasy' and remain cold to the touch, even when exposed to heat.

From Codex Entry: A Final Mysterious Circle: A figure associated with the Circles (presumed to be an Executor) seems to have an amorphous physical form and causes extreme paralyzing fear, but can be driven off/dissuaded by a physical attack such as an arrow.

From the dialogues when Rook finds the Circles: The Executors seem to be encouraging towards Rook, and have been hoping for Rook's involvement. They do not want to 'alarm' Rook by revealing themselves too soon. (They also speak in the first person plural, which makes me suspect there may be a hive mind element to this as well. That's a tangent, though.)

From Rowan's translation of Shathaan's Qunari tablet: There is a concern that written history can be manipulated by the Devouring Storm. Dragon blood was 'embraced' by the Qunari when a 'great foe' struck and allowed certain people to protect the populace and 'see the unseen'. At the time of the tablet's writing (the First Expedition, centuries ago) the Devouring Storm was an ongoing threat to the Qunari people, and one they expected might drive them across the ocean.

From the unnamed Qunari Linguist's translation: Those with fire should be protected, as "they see what we cannot".

From Codex Entry: Freed from the Evanuris: The threat of 'Those Across the Sea' was known in the time of Arlathan and seems to have been considered a significant threat. It is notable that Andruil - who we know in other stories had interactions with 'the Void' that corrupted her - is the one mentioned as using fears of Those Across the Sea to manipulate people.

From Codex Entry: Urthemiel's Shield: The threat of Those Across the Sea was also known in old Tevinter, and their initial reaction was to create a defense - not an offensive weapon - against them. Infighting led to giving the Shield - which seems to be the old name of the Archon's Palace - offensive capabilities as well, but this was not the original intent.

In Inquisition, the Executors present themselves as generally friendly to the Inquisition's purposes, and invested in seeing Corypheus fail. They say they are not the Inquisition's enemy 'for the moment' and that agents they seem to have taken have 'given themselves for a higher cause'.

In Tevinter Nights (see Wiki link above), Solas petrifies an Executor before they can speak. (I'm not actually certain what to make of this, except that I disagree with the theory I've seen that Vorgoth is an Executor - its form does not seem like it could be petrified.)

From Karash: the Devouring Storm is associated with green clouds, and this is something passed down to Qunari weather-watchers.

This is everything which directly references Those Across the Sea, the Executors, or the Devouring Storm. What I get from this, in summation, is as follows:

This force or forces are opposed to anyone on the continent of Thedas with god-like power (the Evanuris, Corypheus, Solas) moving freely. They also may have acted in opposition, at least in the form of sharing knowledge, to Solas' plan to bring down the Veil, specifically.

The Qunari, ancient Elvenahn, and ancient Tevinter have all had contact with Those Across the Sea/The Devouring Storm, all of it seemingly hostile. The Qunari, specifically, created adaari to combat the Devouring Storm, and noted that their fire and an ability to 'see the unseen' were both critical.

The Devouring Storm is associated with 'green clouds' - a color we have also seen repeatedly associated with the Veil/Fade, especially in Inquisition. (This may be a reach, but it's interesting.)

What really gets me interested, though, are the more peripheral references which don't explicitly reference these forces, but are probably about them to some degree:

Ghilan'nain overheard at the Crossroads listening tree: A reference to 'a storm that drinks the sky', as well as 'the living abyss'.

From Codex Entry: Mystery Substance: Anaris encountered a yellowish, blood-like substance which remained cold in all conditions and also absorbed magic, unless the magic in question was extremely powerful. Bellara's note underscores the use of the word 'devour' in this note.

From Codex Entry: Final Notes on a Mystery Substance: When Anaris had one of his lackeys consume the mystery substance in large quantities, it resulted in his complete annihilation, with tremendous power.

From Anaris himself as he is defeated:

He indicates that the purpose of his ritual is to give him 'succor from the storm' and escaping 'its eye'. This suggests, to me, that he feels he is at greater risk from 'the storm' while trapped in the Fade, and that being in the physical world would provide protection.

This is what makes me think that the Devouring Storm consumes magic. The 'mystery substance' shares a key quality with the mysterious circles, in that it remains cold despite external sources of heat, and is completely foreign to those who encounter it. While Anaris is not a reliable narrator, I think we can remain fairly certain that he was a powerful mage in his own right, so his unfamiliarity with this substance is telling.

The description of Atrahel's death also sounds a lot like the concept of a matter-antimatter reaction - complete and total annihilation of both components, as they consume one another. Given that we now know that the ancient elves were spirits and inherently magical, the substance could have reacted with Atrahel's own magic to produce this reaction, consuming and destroying it.

The goal of Anaris' ritual supports this. Trapped in the Fade, he is vulnerable to anything which consumes magic; physical form would protect him from this sort of reaction.

Ghilan'nain's phrasing of 'a storm that drinks the sky' also supports the idea that the Devouring Storm will consume the Fade in this reading. The 'living abyss' also stands out to me - an abyss is defined by absence, and what could be more abyssal to a former spirit than the absence of magic?

So, where do the dragons come in?

If we suppose that the Devouring Storm consumes magic, then the creation of the adaari seems very significant. Taash specifically points out in their first personal quest that fire-breathing is not a magical process; it's entirely physiological. Dragons, from what we know of them, seem to be the same. This means that both dragons and adaari are not reliant on magic for combat or self-defense.

Relevant question: why is this time period in Thedas the Dragon Age? Well, because dragons have been sighted again. Why is that? Here's a great post explaining it. What stands out to me here is that the person going around waking dragons up is Yavana, a daughter of Flemeth (ie, of Mythal). If anyone was going to have an idea of what threats the world might be unprepared to face, and what they would need to face them, it would be someone in the lineage of Mythal, the Protector.

I also want to point out that in addition to all the in-world factors, there are Doylist considerations as well. In particular, note that the last two games have given us lots more information about different dragon species, and Veilguard in particular takes the approach that dragons are not monsters to be hunted, but animals to be respected and even admired. It feels like there is a tonal shift towards dragons as inherently neutral beings or (as in Inquisition, if the Inquisitor drinks from the well - and by the way, isn't it interesting that that's associated with Mythal) potential allies.

It also may be relevant that the Qunari - ie, the only group which has maintained a tradition of being on watch for the Devouring Storm - are the only culture to have developed gunpowder and firearms at this time. This could just be because they are the most industrialized society, but it could also point to a need for non-magical power, even if they don't generally remember the reason why.

Aside: Qunari, saarebas, and emotional control.

From what we've seen to date, I think it's fair to characterize the Fade as a place of emotions; at the very least, we know that strong emotions attract (or create/shape) spirits. It would make a lot of sense to me if we found that the extreme social control of the Qunari, including the horrid way they treat their mages, was a way of keeping emotions in check to avoid attracting spirits and, thereby, the attention of something that feeds on spirits/magic. Hold to your role, avoid passion or interpersonal conflict, and stay as neutral as possible, and nothing in the Fade will take notice.

This would of course not excuse the worst parts of Qunari culture, but it would make a lot of things make sense.

Taking a step back to look at DA as a franchise, I also think this would be one of the most interesting writing/gameplay choices going forward. Mages are generally insanely powerful as player characters, often disproportionately so compared to other classes, so reducing their efficacy would make for a very different gameplay dynamic. It would also make room for other types of characters to take center stage - adaari, dwarves like Harding and Valta who have Stone magic (which, being a fundamentally different connection than conventional magic in Thedas, could be unaffected by the Devouring Storm), people working/partnered with gryphons, anyone who's learned to use gaatlok weapons. It would break the patterns of previous games, but as the stories enter the latter half of the 100-year Dragon Age, that may be a good thing, either to close out the franchise or to transition into the next Age of Thedas.

As I said, I'm no longer confident at all that DA5 will happen, but I hope that if it doesn't, the former devs will at least be able to disclose what was planned, because I would really love to know if I'm right about ANY of this.

(I do also want to note that, as I write this up, I'm now not quite convinced that the Executors/Those Across the Sea are the same as the Devouring Storm. It's entirely possible that Those Across the Sea could be genuine in their statements that they are not Thedas' enemy, and may oppose the Devouring Storm themselves - possibly by means that we won't like, when we meet them.)

[rise-my-angel]

I am here for your takes on Dani. I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought her x Jon smelled of hot garbage. Like at best she was meh, and then when the two of them met I was just like "oh no....you're an entitled bitch". And now that its been years since I last consumed GoT, my thoughts have fermented into "oh no, she really is a conqueror" "oh no, everyone loves her because 'pretty badass lady'" "oh no i'm the fandom minority again". Anyway, where was I. She and Jon had no chemistry. The end.

The *only* way putting them in a romance even makes sense in concept is when you realize Benioff and Weiss gave Jon the Young Griff arc. It's why they gave him a Targ name, beacuse if they call him "aegon" then they can fufill that part of the books without ever having to establish Young Griff as his own character. He is the supposed son of Rhaegar Targaryean and Elia Martell, he goes to Westeros with intentions of using his better claim to take the throne and intends initially on marrying Dany, and it's theorized heavily that Dany will see his claim as a threat and the Burning of Kings Landing will come down to Aegon against Dany.

Jon Snow has nothing to do with that. He is a moral opposite to Dany as a charecter, and we've seen him time and time again be at strong odds against people with her morals. But by giving him the Young Griff arc, it means putting him into the romance spot when it makes no sense for him.

Hey I put a read more beacuse I cannot shut the fuck up about how this relationship is just rape and abuse but beacuse Jon's a man we think he wants it.

All of season 7 Jon is so out of place because he doesn't belong anywhere near Dany's Iron Throne plot, and he's being forced to interact romantically with a charecter that clearly he does not like as a person and is uncomfortable with.

But, Dany is the sacred cow of the GoT/asoiaf fandom. You love her and if you critizize her for villanious actions or morals then you are using bad faith towards her. While I personally don't like her, I don't mind other people liking her but I despise that her stans all refuse to allow any conversation about her being a morally bad person. A person who enjoys cruelty and death, enjoys creating fear and is smug when she can control others. That is not a person Jon would love, let alone even respect.

Their entire relationship wreaks of abuse, of Jon being forced into this and knows he cannot leave it without risking his and his families lives. Remember when Tyrion gave a very small level critisism of her actions and she angrily accused him of treason and siding with his family instead of her? Well what do people think would she have done, if her attraction to Jon was refused? Someone who she took all the defenses away from, all the power from, and could have killed at any moment (dont make an ygritte comparison mimi dont make an yrgitte comparison this is a different anti jon x fandom female fave charecter post).

I don't care how the show frames it, or what the intent was. What we got on screen, was Jon Snow being held prisoner to an immoral, cruel, military conquerer. And when that woman was attracted to him, she essentially forced herself into his life and gave him all but no choice. The Jon bending the knee scene and..the uh...boat...scene...later...uhhh....anyways, those to me feel so out of charecter. You cannot convince me Jon did any of this willingly. He is clearly trapped in this situation and cannot leave and is only with her beacuse she is violent and bloodthrirsty. But beacause Jon is a strong, capable man, it's not talked about as if he's the victim and that is insane to me. (Oh my good god the ygritte comparisons are almost laughable send help).

I don't consider a lot past season 5 to be canon, but if I am forced too, then I refuse to accept Jon was a willing participant in that relationship.

Jon's parentage reveal will always be about the revelations of his mother, and the understanding and acceptance of WHY Ned raised him the way he did. And how it was both his parents, his mother and his adopted father who loved him and kept him safe. The very fact that Young Griff's entire story is based around whether or not he truly is Rhaegar's son as opposed to that being a twist reveal is beacuse HE is the charecter whose Targaryean links is the important one. Jon's story is about him as Stark, and is always shown to be the moral opposite of Dany.

Their relationship in the best senario is not canon, but if it has to be, then there is no world in which Jon is there of his own free will. He is being forced into this relationship against his will. But considering his other love interest was another charecter who essentially forced him into a relationship against his will, and we were supposed to root for that tells me all I need to know.

Dany is a sacred cow charecter, and her stans are unreasonable in defending her. When you can like a charecter and critize them for their actions. Ned Stark was an idiot for ever trusting Petyr Baelish, Catelyn Stark's spiteful attitude and neglect of Jon Snow is was abusive behavior, Theon Greyjoy was a moron who ruined his own life for a father who long since abandonded him. Bam all charecters I love and there are some major flaws that I refuse to defend them for but thats also what makes them good charecters. Their flaws arent writing flaws, they are personal flaws for them as people.

Dany is not allowed to have personal flaws she is always to be justified even with incredibly bad faith defenses, but when she is flawed it's the writings fault not hers. Dany is a cruel, sadistic, controlling, military tyrant who enjoys watching her subjects fear her and her dragons. And she forced Jon Snow into a relationship with her beacuse otherwise then he is against her and we already knew she has no use for people who dont support her to be alive.

Jon Snow deserved better then to have both his love interests be domineering, controlling, abusive women who forced him into a romantic and sexual relationship.

Also, I mean, incest being normal is only a learned trait from Targaryens supporting their own blood purity. Jon was not raised to think incest is normal. Dany thinks its normal beacuse she and Viserys both were raised to think that, and Young Griff thinks marrying Dany is normal beacuse he too was raised with the mentality that Rhaegar would've been raised with. Jon finding out Dany was his aunt would've had Jon looking right at Sam and just

[chromaticflare]

What the new signs and sigils in volume 12 probably do.

I can’t thank the WHA community enough for helping me with translating the spell info on volume 12’s bonus page. As of now, 7 people have sent and/or shared translations with me, and having so many sources to draw from really helped me to draw some meaningful conclusions. Here are my findings.

Findings From the Vapor Bubble

The sign underlined in blue had the same translation every time - "cooling.” It likely does exactly what the name implies; cooling stuff down. We'll just call it a cooling sign. I cannot tell you how long the spellmaking side of the fandom has been waiting for a canon way to make ice spells, and we FINALLY HAVE ONE!

Next, we have the sign underlined in red, which I got a few different translations for, including “gathering,” “collection,” and “assembly.” Based on these translations and the spell’s behavior/structure, it is likely that this sign allows spells to pull in and gather material from the surrounding area for the spell to then manipulate. I’ll be referring to it as a gather sign. Gather seems to share many similarities with collection, but gather's ability to pull in nearby material sets them apart, as collection can only absorb material either in contact with or very close to the spell.

Findings From the Pegasus Carriage

An important thing to note before we begin is that the pegasus carriage spell was first shown in Chap 1. Oftentimes, the closer you get to the start of WHA, the less ironed-out and consistent the magic system becomes. Many, MANY spells from the first 2 volumes (especially Vol 1) were retconned, changed, or replaced later on in the story. This spell is a great example of this.

We'll start off with the sigil underlined in green, which was consistently translated as being a "wind" sigil. We actually already knew prior to this that it behaves very similarly to a typical wind sigil based on its behavior in Chap 1, the only chapter it was ever shown in. Within this chapter, it was drawn on both the pegasus carriage and on Qifrey's sylph shoes. By Chap 3, Pg 2, the modern wind sigil had made its first appearance, and by Chap 4, Pg 2, the sylph shoe spell was changed to its modern form, directly retconning this sigil's inclusion within the spell. For all intents and purposes, the sigil seemed retconned, until now. I am unsure why Shirahama chose to bring this sigil back, but I doubt we'll be seeing it anytime soon. Let's call it the old wind sigil.

Next up we have the sign underlined in yellow, which was always translated as "gas." Literally no one knows what this is supposed to mean. However, we actually know this sign and its effects, as it is part of the wind sigil. When wind sigils have this bad boy (which we'll call gas), it makes them manipulate the air nearby. Aeroform sigils have a different sign in place of gas which makes them generate air instead.

Next up we have the sign underlined in purple, which was translated as "whirlwind." It made it's only appearance on the pegasus carriage Chap 1, and appears to be made of modified old wind sigils. That is literally all I know about it. It makes spinning air, I guess? I have zero evidence for this outside the name, so I'll just call it whirlwind. This one gets a big fat IDK.

Next we have the sigil underlined in blue, Wind Underfoot (it already had a name). We already suspected that it creates a wind platform below the spell capable of supporting weight, and all the translations we got (“wind with a foothold seal,” “scaffold-like wind,” and “underfoot wind”) seem to support this idea.

Lastly, we have the two glyphs underlined in red (which do the same thing), translated as "stabilize" and "balance." You might notice that both are float signs. Why would a float sign "stabilize?" Well, after going over it with three of my fellow magic system "experts," we managed to figure it out. Previously, we thought that what float did was make things ignore gravity, but this isn't the case. Instead, float causes the spell and what it manipulates to try and maintain or "stabilize" it's current altitude. We aren't sure weather this is in relation to absolute altitude or the surface below the object or spell, but the idea holds true for the floatglow lamp spell, the carriage spell, and the spell that Beldaruit used to dig up the ground that one time (it's a spoiler if I detail any more). If the official release of Vol 12 matches the translations, we may just have to rewrite everything we know about this sign.

I'm not even done with this post, I still have two more spells to go over, but at this point I've been writing for over an hour. I'll come back to this later and complete it.

Credits

Twitter

@acelessx (translation)

@Bonis_Kkha (spell analysis)

@hypomanix (translation)

@merchantarthurn (translation, scans)

@Okay668 (spell analysis)

Tumblr

@chromaticflare (writing, spell analysis)

@kirbypoyopoyo (translation)

@romistery (spell analysis)

@wild-icarus (translation)

Discord

crayoni#7716 (translation)

sora.haneul#4273 (translation)

@tulipweed (translation)

[tickfleato]

tell us more about the greys i'm so intrigued

WEHEHE ok so i DO have a slightly outdated post about them here! it's accurate about their biology but not 100% on culture and i've since retconned their average height to be a little shorter, though i kept enen's height the same so i didn't have to redraw their ref and because it's really funny if they're a chilchuck situation.

long ass reply under the cut

Anyway. the greys (in my setting) are by far the oldest spacefaring sophonts, and in fact their original homeworld has been uninhabitable and lifeless for hundreds of years. the majority of their population belongs to the imperial culture (which... i should come up with a better name for What empire it is... but it's hard to come up with grey names for things due to their lack of vocal language), which is highly conformist and is the main reason that despite their advanced genetic engineering capabilities they all look pretty much the same.

for most of the empire and most people in it, life is pretty good. they are largely post-scarcity, having access to large mining operations on uninhabitable planets and producing most materials from bio-machines. people are required to work jobs but generally one is given plenty of choice as to what they want to do in life and it's ok to change. basic rights (sustenance, shelter, etc) are guaranteed.

however... there are absolutely people who fall through the cracks, and their society stands on some unethical columns. imperial society is deeply ableist towards anyone who cannot or does not want to be 'fixed'. this mostly applies to mental illnesses & cognitive disabilities, as well as telepathy-related disabilities (enen, for instance, has the equivalent of a bad speech impediment due to what amounts to brain damage, on top of difficult-to-treat PTSD and alien contamination of the mind).

and now of course we get to OVERSEERS!!

i explained it a bit already but they're essentially their equivalent of AI. whether you want to actually consider it AI or not is wobbly. they're fully made out of meat like all grey tech, and their core minds & brain matter are grown artificially, but a significant chunk of their computing power and the source of much of their personalities and memories while still growing come from a hivemind of grey bodies. and well, you might wonder how they get enough people to agree to subsume their consciousness to a hivemind...

coercion! it is nominally a volunteer position but in practice it happens to:

people with certain incurable mental illnesses or severe distress that can't be fixed (whether forcibly or not) as becoming part of the whole usually makes those issues irrelevant to the overseer itself. enen would technically be in this position but for plot reasons they aren't allowed to volunteer.

certain types of criminals that are too far gone for re-educate. this is carefully arranged so that they don't 'infect' overseers and no individual OS is allowed to get more than one at a time so that they don't form a 'clump'

people who were mentally damaged in some way from botched re-ed, therapy, etc. this is sometimes done on purpose when there's a shortage of volunteers but it's rare and illegal

a certain number of greys are grown with the intention of becoming seers when they hit adulthood, to make sure that quotas are filled when there aren't enough volunteers

also there sometimes are genuine volunteers who aren't going into it just because they've been made to believe it's their only option :) but that's relatively uncommon, most people think it's kind of scary

NOW OF COURSE there are other greys that aren't part of this society, and they all have varying customs and views and government and etc. they are all considered "fringe" cultures by the core. by and large they don't have access to all the tech that the core has, but some transhumanist (trans...greyist?) groups have their own technological advances.

heights for the anatomically standard greys are outdated

the empire currently (approximately for the past century or so) has a hands-off approach to interspecies meddling, and doesn't colonize inhabited planets, but they have in the past. their attitude towards other greys, though, is uh... well, it varies, but there are some sticky situations.

it's worst and stickiest when it comes to the claymin.

the claymin are descended from transhumanist/post-flesh greys, but are considered by all parties to be a separate species... sort of. they have access to the same genetic tech as the empire and can reproduce on their own as opposed to solely growing through exiles like other post-flesh groups, and have completely different anatomy as their true bodies have been engineered down to basically just a brain, referred to as the core, which can be put in various modular constructed bodies.

they are, however, mysteriously exempt from the 'hands off other sophonts' rule that the empire has. when enen was a combat mech pilot, this is who they were fighting.

i'll leave off there... for now. i can elaborate on some of the other groups later :3 hope you liked reading all that

[cosmama]

☽ ⋮ ✫ ━  ❛ AKARI AND HER MOTIVATIONS ( tw: suicide ).

akari travels to the past with the intention to kill herself. but she knows one thing: she cannot exist without the galaxy cauldron and the galaxy cauldron cannot exist without her. although something makes her incapable of destroying it on her own: whether out of fear or hesitation - or maybe she physically can't destroy it in her time. regardless, she travels to the past to place that burden onto usagi, her past self. one thing we are specifically told is that the current events happening are starting to affect the future and we directly see it when someone dies in the present: it has ripples effects across the timeline as chibiusa instantly disappears once mamoru is kicked into the cauldron by galaxia.

cosmos' presence in the past is the 'unusual phenomenon' that sailor pluto speaks of due to her intervening to get usagi where she needs to be. it is clear throughout the stars arc that 'chibi chibi' is aware of how everything will play out with sailor moon because she has experienced these events before. she repeatedly steps in to intervene to save usagi's life when necessary but is also shown willing to stop others from doing the same and even allows herself to get intentionally hurt to force usagi to fight alone - just so their shared history plays out the same.

here is everything she can do:

travels to the past without the need of a space-time key

as chibi chibi, she is able to summon chibiusa and the quartet to where sailor moon is to help ( 'note that the 'ray of light' looks similar to cosmos' symbol on her forehead ) and later, she sends the quartet back to their time on her own 

based on her time as chibi chibi, she can apparently change forms

despite being in the body of a toddler, she not only repeatedly stands off against galaxia but leaves her surprised and causes her to retreat ( they are not equals ).

is capable of not only summoning usagi’s items but using them as well ( the holy moon chalice disappears when usagi is confronting galaxia and she eventually passes out. it doesn’t appear again until chibi chibi comes to usagi’s aid - who again is unconscious. ) 

this woman who is capable of doing the above ( and honestly, much more ) and has knowledge about concepts that no one else is apparently aware of ( the lambda power ) so she wouldn’t not know the affect the destruction of the galaxy cauldron would have on her timeline. in the timeline that cosmos is born from, she only exists due to usagi throwing herself into the cauldron and dying. without the cauldron, usagi would not be reborn ( no one would ) and there would be no way for usagi to be reincarnated into the girl who would eventually become sailor cosmos. akari knows that. she knows that should the galaxy cauldron be destroyed, she would disappear just like chibiusa and the others in crystal tokyo did once the effect rippled through time. she knows this and welcomes it.

there is a part of her that feels that the destruction of the cauldron is the best way to stop the war with sailor chaos, but it isn't as strong as her desire to die. to finally relieve herself from all of the years of pain, stress, and horrors she's been through and seen over the years.

there is this common sentiment that everyone is dead in her time and i disagree. is the galaxy in a terrible and awful state? yes. but there are others. she specifically uses ‘we’ and ‘our’ when talking about fighting against sailor chaos in the future. it makes far more sense for there to still be survivors because 1). it adds more weight to her ‘i am but a coward’ line if she has literally left people to survive against sailor chaos alone because she’s grown so tired of the endless fighting. especially when she doesn’t even understand why they’re fighting anymore in the first place:

sailor cosmos: i don’t really understand why there are wars or what the right thing to do is.

2). after she has her epiphany on not giving up hope, she specifically states that the galaxy cauldron is why they’re all alive and why they will continue to live and start over as much as they want. as long as the cauldron exists, life does too which is why the population hasn't been completely wiped out. and as we see that is possible for star seeds to be instantly reborn through the ultimate lambda power - akari is aware of this power but can’t use it due to her current mental state.

if cosmos has a ‘great lesson’ to learn ( and she does ) then it’s finding her reason to live and it’s for hope. usagi doesn’t defeat chaos through violence or destruction but through the power of life and rebirth via the sailor crystals. usagi believes in the power of her friends, the power of sailor senshi she doesn't even know, and the hope of rebuilding a future for everyone. the belief is why she continues to fight and why she is able to reach out to the sailor crystals in the cauldron and they reach out to her. contrast that to cosmos who has completely given up, has ran away from her few remaining allies, and holds such little value in life that she’s willing to convince someone to destroy the very source of it all.

thankfully, through the help of her former self, she realizes this is wrong and returns to the place she belongs to ultimately defeat chaos once in for all.

[jewwyfeesh]

Black Tea - A Spoonful of Sweet Poison 6

Writer: 日日日 (Akira)

Character(s): Tenshouin Eichi, Sakuma Ritsu

Translated by: jewwyfeesh

Disclaimer: I translated this story from the CN version of the game, which means that it has been double translated (JP > CN > EN). It may be different from the original JP version and/or other fan translation(s).

Eichi: No… instead of ‘heard about it’, I should say… I’ve come to ‘know about it’. I know about how you’re a big liar, and that all you do is to spout nonsense.

Season: Spring

Location: Garden Terrace

A few days later, late in the Spring of the previous year

Eichi: I’ve heard all about it, Ritsu-kun.

Ritsu: Hm~? What did you hear?

Eichi: No… instead of ‘heard about it’, I should say… I’ve come to ‘know about it’. I know about how you’re a big liar, and that all you do is to spout nonsense.

Ritsu: Eh? Who said that about me? Isn’t that going overboard? I’m literally harmless! Ecchan, you’ll believe me, won’t you?

Eichi: Though, I really would love to believe you… I’ve shared quite a few meals with you, and have come to enjoy your presence.

Even if we disregard your position as ‘Sakuma Rei’s little brother’, you are a brilliant and talented individual who’s of great interest to me.

Ritsu: Wow, thank you for the praise… tch, I guess the cat’s out of the bag now.

I said that I ‘ran away from home’ because anija’s been abusing me, and that’s a lie.

I’m just too lazy to go home. In any case, it’s annoying when anija would just pester me all day long… so I made myself a ‘nest’ in school, and spend the night here sometimes.

Eichi: You’re not allowed to remain in the school’s premises after-hours if you don’t have the permission to do so. Goodness, you and your brother are the same – the both of you are such problem children.

Ritsu: The both of us are nothing alike…

Well, Ecchan, doesn’t that mean that your plan this time is a total flop? I’m so sorry to hear that. You only got close to me just so you could uncover Anija’s weakness, right?

Eichi: I will not deny that I did have this intention, yes.

I was at the mercy of the lies you told… and to verify the abuse claim, I hired a detective who specialises in that to investigate.

Ritsu: Don’t do that… While, yes, this is something I had crafted with my own two hands, our family is particularly sensitive about these kinds of things.

If this were in the past, they would’ve captured all those outside investigators and impaled them to death.

Eichi: Mm. I, too, felt that I had been too hasty. I hadn’t expected myself to become so overzealous and forgetful…

That detective is someone who’s very capable, but he still was caught by your family fairly quickly. Not to mention, he was forced to reveal my motive.

Not only that, he was formally invited into your home, and allowed to check every nook and cranny of it.

After making a promise not to publicize any information about your clan, he was allowed to read materials pertaining to your family’s past…

Even though the results of the investigation sound something out of a fairytale, your clan’s modern life has been very law-abiding, and there aren’t any records of wrongdoing.

Rather, I should say that your family is a vulnerable minority in our society.

The position of your family, as well as their characteristics, is difficult for our modern society to comprehend… very strange and surreal…

I wish to avoid such acts of discrimination and trampling on minorities wherever I can.

From today on, this will become a policy in fine.

Ritsu: Yeah, just take note of that, I guess… Don’t stick your hands where they don’t belong, especially when it comes to my family.

Eichi: I understand. The less troubles, the better. When it comes to the non-human communities, my greatest weapons – prestige and monetary power – cannot be used.

It would prove to be a headache for me if I accidentally agitated you all one way or another and incur your wrath and killing intent.

My father scolded me as well. You’re right — there are things that aren’t meant to be touched, and stabbing the hornet’s nest would do one no good.

Ritsu: Mhm, that’s correct. If you want to defeat my brother, I’d recommend you start by breaking his ties with the family.

The best would be to create something joyous or something for him to do in a faraway place… think of something that would make him leave the heart of the clan on his own accord.

In the end, if Anija ends up defeated and beaten down, well… that’s him getting what he asked for. When that happens, our family is bound to get so happy it’s like they’ve been done an outstanding service… sneering and saying things like “it’s you who didn’t listen to us”.

Then, they’ll drag Anija back, and force him to quit being an idol.

Tell him that it’s time to stop “playing house”.

Eichi: ……What a nice surprise. You’re actually giving me advice, Ritsu-kun?

Ritsu: But of course. I’ve said it multiple times by now. I really hate my brother.

Also, he will need ‘an enemy’ or ‘a friend’. He will need someone who doesn’t break easily, an existence that can treat him as an equal.

Eichi: I see… hm… have you thought of becoming such an existence yourself? We fine are currently recruiting~

Ritsu: Nah~ That can’t be done. We’re brothers after all. Not to mention, our family is constantly under persecution… so in-fighting within the clan is a big no-no. If we start fighting in the nest, there would be no more of our own kind in this world.

And, now that it’s come to this, there’s no way I can become his ‘enemy’… neither can I become his ‘friend’.

To ‘Onii-chan’, I’ll forever be a ‘little brother’ that he has to protect well.

Eichi: Is that so? You must feel very upset about this… Ritsu-kun.

Ritsu: …I’ve been spewing nonsense. Ignore whatever I just said. May I have a refill of tea, please?

I wanna drink till my stomach’s about to burst with water. After all, this may very well be our very last tea party.

Ecchan already knows I’m just a big liar, so there’s no reason for you to continue treating me to meals.

With that, our strange relationship finally comes to a close. Thank you, Ecchan… these few days made me really happy. No, I should say that getting to socialize with you is a pretty good way to pass the time.

To people like us, recreational time is really important.

Eichi: ……I was hoping you wouldn’t end this relationship on your own whims.

Say, Ritsu-kun. I have a suggestion — would you be willing to start a club with me?

Ritsu: Club? Why would you bring this up… ahhhh, that reminds me… recently, there’s this weird new school rule where students are required to join a club, right?

Eichi: But, because this particular rule doesn’t carry any penalty, most of the students just ignore it. However, from my standpoint, I personally ought to respect school rules.

But, in the current Yumenosaki Academy, a vast majority of clubs don’t actually host any proper club activities.

Most of the clubs have become analogous to dens where the students can go and loiter. I wish not to associate with these kinds of clubs lest it harms my reputation.

Ritsu: I guess so. It’s precisely because of this that you’ve made a rule that makes participation in club activities compulsory.

It’s because you wish to pile on extra burdens everyone, and from that, reduce the enemy’s strength. Am I right?

Eichi: That’s exactly it. So I’m currently thinking of avoiding all the pre-existing clubs as much as possible, and instead set up a brand new one.

Just like a newborn baby, the impression it’ll give would be one of innocence and purity, no?

Ritsu: Mmm~ ……Sure, doesn’t seem like there would be any downsides for me. I’m already in danger of being held back a year because of my frequent violations of the school rules and skipping classes.

Besides, such a wishy-washy person like me won’t be able to integrate well into other clubs; the one you’re trying to make, Ecchan, is nothing more than a club in name, right?

I just need to sign up as a ghost member; it’ll be fine even if I don’t really participate in activities. The only other member of the club is Ecchan, and I know your personality pretty well by now, so I can kinda relax…

As long as I join the club, I won’t be flouting school rules either. I don’t see any downsides to it.

Alrightie. And signed~ But Ecchan will be the one who has to do all the troublesome procedures to set up the club, kay~?

I’m someone who won’t lift a finger. Even if the club really did get set up, I won’t participate in the activities seriously.

……And you’ll be okay with it?

Eichi: Of course. I should say that this is everything I could’ve asked for. To me, a troublesome matter that I didn’t quite know how to solve was resolved in a quick and simple way. Really, it can’t get any better.

Ritsu-kun, now that this is done, I hope that we can meet up for tea again tomorrow.

I’ll bring all the papers required to officiate our club tomorrow, so I hope you’ll be able to sign and stamp them then.

Of course, I’ll sponsor the meals. It’s a pretty cheap price to keep everything running smoothly.

Ritsu: Ye~p. I’ll come if I remember.

Then, let me leech off of you for a while longer… Young Master~

Eichi: Mhm. Bring it on… All in all, we’ll need a name for our club, and a description of our club activities for the forms.

Some yen for your thoughts, Ritsu-kun?

Ritsu: Mm~ ……Club activities would be to laze around and while our days away, while the club name should be ‘Afternoon Nap Club’. How does that sound?

Eichi: Hm… no matter how you try to put it, this kind of content won’t be approved.

……How about we use what we’re doing now — set the goal of the club to be enjoying tea with elegance, and the name of the club ‘Tea Club’. What do you think?

This way, we can say that our activities include studying the history of tea and tea-tasting etiquette. It’ll also be more convenient for us to fabricate some logical rhethoric.

After all, clubs like the ‘Tea Ceremony Club’ are relatively common, and the public is well acquainted with them, even though our own school does not have one.

Ritsu: Kay, let’s leave it at that. Anything’s fine by me. Ecchan’s free to do whatever he wants~

Eichi: Mhm. I’ll do as I see fit ♪

[sacaeblade]

wind is the guiding force of nature that brings them together, just as fate had under a city's polluted skies teeming with smog thick enough to make her eyes water. gronder's air is cleaner and crisp as sara inhales a shallow breath while competitors take up their positions across the terrain. she can appreciate the stillness in the lull before the sounds of battle overtake this precious, fragile peace.

it does not surprise sara to find lyn amidst the participants representing the golden deer house. had she not transferred recently, they would be fighting for the same side again afterall. she knows it would have been effortless to fall back into that easy trust and rely on lyn's sword.

"if we should meet as opponents on gronder field, i hope you won't go easy on me, lyn," she declares in both greeting and challenge. right hand imitates the shape of a gun, three fingers curled to form its frame. the aim of her index finger is straight and true and self-assured. unflinchingly, she spins to face a friend held only in the highest regard. "because i won't be holding back either."

Once they take their places, they will stand on opposite sides of the massive field, set aside for the express purpose of hosting this mock battle. It's a little sad to think about fighting Sara after what they went through together, but Lyn cannot deny the way her heart pounds at the thought of being able to spar against her after seeing what's she's capable of. It's one thing to cross steel with someone, but something entirely different to fight against a magic user. A lance or an axe could be parried; magic could not. Dealing with magic is a different skillset altogether, one that Lyn admittedly has little practice with.

The gesture formed by Sara's small hands is enough to draw a laugh out of Lyn, easing the tension of preparing for the battle.. She mimes the gesture right back at her, mouthing a little "bang!". The weapons they had once taken up out of necessity in the world of a storybook were now no more than a distant memory, existing only in the memories of those who had been trapped in that world together.

"I wouldn't dream of it! I take battles very seriously, you know?" Her pride would never allow her to hold back, especially not against someone she knows can hold their own. That Sara boldly proclaims her intention to do the same is an honor. Besides, she has a feeling that even if she were to attack with everything she had, she could just as easily imagine Sara sidestepping every swipe, unfettered as a wraith. "Even if we don't meet as opponents here, I won't turn you down if you wish to spar later."

Stray droplets of water fall from the stormy clouds, carried diagonally by the wind, and dye the ground a darker color in random little patches. Hardly the ideal weather for combat, but where's the use in a training match with only ideal conditions?

Lyn lowers her finger gun to offer Sara words of encouragement: "Good luck and stay safe out there!"

[septembersghost]

Warning- sensitive topic- but thread gave a very thoughtful response… twitter. com/chinasunrise/status/1656886936550645763?s=20

this is very well articulated, and initially i wasn't going to expand on it, but then i logged back on and saw some of the discussion from today, and i do want to add a couple of things. shock/cringe/edgy humor is not necessarily a sign that someone is a bigot, but i do think if you're comfortable using racist language and slurs (not only racial, but also the r-word and sexist insults), demeaning marginalized groups of people, joking about concentration camp victims, mocking ethnicities - that's not okay. nothing makes that okay. racism and misogyny guised in "humor" is still racism and misogyny. satire is meant to punch up, to strike at the more powerful, not those with less power who are already vulnerable. does intent matter? sure. but impact to those targeted will always matter more. and, sorry for sounding like a wet blanket here, but i do actually feel that what someone is willing to mock and laugh at says a lot about one's character. being progressive politically does not mean you're not capable of being cruel or prejudiced or doing harm.

and then we get into the issue of the p*rn. that's not humor. that's not onstage persona. that's something he chose to bring up for himself privately and then shared publicly as if it was just an anecdote. he himself used the word "brutalized." there is no excuse for the abuse and exploitation of women, there is no justification for harm and violence perpetrated against black women to pleasure white men. it's abhorrent. i'm sick knowing it exists. this is a rich cishet white man who has shown over and over what his inner values are, and that's why people are upset.

no, we cannot dictate this woman's private life or who she chooses to associate with. no, being mad/hurt/concerned/disappointed about this is not activism. no, she is not responsible for his actions or words, but she is complicit if she is aware and chooses to ignore them anyway. she's not online listening to fans, she has the luxury of ignoring it, but we have the right to be critical. as one little blog on the internet who HAS been hearing from fans, particularly fans of color who are hurt by this, i'm sad and troubled. it's not shaming. "let her be fun and messy uwu" is minimizing what the issues are here. we can't change it, but we're allowed to have opinions on it. we can and SHOULD hear the voices of those affected. we should prioritize them.

taylor is beloved and special to many of us, and that often does cross from her music into her person, and maybe that's on us for investing in her, but she herself has helped to build and establish that relationship, so this reaction is on her too. her art is a safe and comforting space for a lot of us, and i've proudly shared and spoken about and cherished that. anyone feeling less safe right now deserves to feel protected by this community, not shut out for perceived "disloyalty." we need to give each other support.

[thepitofjob]

Job 11: 7-9. "The Panty Raid."

Zophar, the "chirper, the leaper" continues his retort to Job, claiming one cannot just start spouting off religious crap at people and expect to go anywhere in life. We don't what planet he is from.

As I mention several times a day, our planet is devolving, frying in the heat of the wickednesses of the past because we have allowed troglodytes in America to run things. They say "lookie here!" flip open their books and we are expected to let them tell us silly, stupid, crazy, ridiculous things and follow them blindly. This practice, of following these blind insipid persons has never turned out well for the human race and there are certainly no signs this time is going to be different.

Every religion struggles to explain the existence of the Unseen and translate His intentions in a way that works for Him and also for us. The Book of Job was written to explain this to Jewish persons so they, the greatest victims of sinister aspects of religion have a chance of fighting back.

The word Zophar, to "leap" can go both ways. We can leap backwards, claliming whatevers are the best ways to be pious, or the opposite, and fathom what is not tangible using empirical means.

We know God is real, He has been sending us signs. So fortunately, we do not need to argue whether or not the universe was an accident or not. Its creation was intentional, by a being of magnificent capabilities, one who is without blame. The Torah and Tanakh are the Instructions He gave us to teach us how to live here blamelessly alongside Him and the other living things He made to support us and give us life.

Mankind has resisted this theorem because it means people like Donald Trump and Jerry Falwell will have to give up having sex with little kids, calling people names, breaking laws with impunity, and the rest will have to put their noses to the grindstones and address the rampant poverty and deadly disastrous climate conditions we have sown on every continent. We know addressing these things are holy duties but no one gets around to doing it.

We know God exists, that He is Holy, about this there is no struggle anyplace. The nature of the existence of the self we struggle with, but in the Shule and then nevermore. Politicians are just not able to define the holiness within the self without the interventions of the Shule.

To close the gap between the perception of God outside the self and within, Judaism emphasizes the power of observation. One cannot invent bullshit crap and then say God wants us to do it. There must be evidence a particular edict made the world a better place in order to claim God commanded it.

We cannot see with the intellect nor think with the eyes. All observations in Judaism are therefore made through a process called Chabad, which is a way to successfully question every statement in the Torah.

The approach in Tanya bears a strong resemblance to what psychologists nowadays call “cognitive reframing”—helping a person adjust his concept of himself and his place in the cosmos until he effects a change in attitude and behavior. R. Schneur Zalman described it as “the longer-shorter way.” Longer, because you have to do the work yourself, step by step opening your mind to the light of your soul until it can awaken the heart. Shorter, because it brings you directly in contact with that light.2

Most of the teachings of R. Schneur Zalman, however, were oral. These came to be called maamarim (plural form of maamar), and were memorized and committed to writing by his students (including his own son and grandson) and later published, often with much elaboration and explanation. They served as the material which a Chabad chassid would contemplate before and during his prayers, as instructed in the Tanya. With each generation, each successive rebbe would expand upon these maamarim, creating the vast library of Chassidut Chabad we have today, with which a Chabad chassid occupies himself on a daily basis.

In his scholarly work on Chabad, Roman Foxbrunner sums up the harmony of character traits that R. Schneur Zalman and his successors cultured within their chassidim:

Scholarly yet sociable; reticent, yet a capable singer of Hasidic melodies and relater of Hasidic tales and traditions; austere and somewhat ascetic, yet possessing a refined appreciation of this world’s pleasures; earnest but not humorless or somber; deeply religious but not unctuous or pietistic; modest but self-confident; devoted to RSZ [R. Schneur Zalman], but fully capable of thinking for himself: this Hasid personified the profound and paradoxical system that came to be known as Habad Hassidism.3

We want, need, and deserve a society that is capable of the highest reason. Proper implementation of the Torah has always been the means:

7 “Can you fathom the mysteries of God?     Can you probe the limits of the Almighty? 8 They are higher than the heavens above—what can you do?     They are deeper than the depths below—what can you know? 9 Their measure is longer than the earth     and wider than the sea.

The Values in Gematria are:

v. 7: Can you fathom the mysteries? The Torah says yes, a Jew is able to fathom God. The Number is 3934, גטג‎‎ד, ghetto, "the signet mark of the winepress."

Classical reasoning suggests man can use his conscious mind to probe the unknown and draw conclusions that make sense:

"The noun σφραγις (sphragis) describes a seal, a wax blob impressed with a distinctive symbol that would secure a message and confirm its authenticity, or the instrument with which to make such an imprint, which was commonly a signet-ring that an authoritative person would wear on his person. Especially when administration and communication began to dominate all forms of government and trade, the king's seal quite literally held the realm together. Someone who bore the imprint of the seal was obviously assigned an office of great importance, but someone who carried the instrument with which to place such seals upon approved goods and people, had the king's power to assess and select, to accept and reject, to assign and destroy. In the classics, on rare occasions, our word could also describe something sealed, or something appropriated by means of a sealed document (commonly, a plot of land).

It's officially a mystery where our noun comes from, but, as we explain in our elaborate article on Hellas, here at Abarim Publications we surmise that much of the essential ideas surrounding information technology — the alphabet itself but also writing materials such as βιβλος (biblos), i.e. paper, spelling standards, even the names Homer, Helen and Hellene — were imported into the Greek world from the Semitic language basin along with the Phoenician abjad (consonantal alphabet). Our noun σφραγις (sphragis) certainly reminds of the important root ספר (spr), which is central to the Hebrew reflections on information technology and which itself may have stemmed from an Assyrian loanword saparu, meaning to send (a message): the Hebrew noun ספר (seper) means record; verb ספר (sapar) means to write; noun ספרה (sipra) means book; noun ספר (sopor) means scribe.

The second part of our noun σφραγις (sphragis) may then relate to the mysterious and powerful αιγις (aigis), which Zeus and Athena carried around with them. It's also officially a mystery what this thing called αιγις (aigis) might have been, but here at Abarim Publications we surmise that it (as well as many more elements of Greek mythology) has to do with the natural contraction of society: the emergence of humanity from the wilderness, the formation of cities and stratified societies, governments and formal law, and ultimately writing and the metaphorical narratives that exposed the deepest dreams and subconscious concerns of mankind.

The first words formed like mist in the natural interactions of vast populations of very early humans (Genesis 2:6). When these first words had achieved a critical mass, language was "discovered": the defining conscious mind of homo sapiens emerged (2:7), words began to be systematically manufactured (2:19-20), rain poured down and the earth was inundated (6:17), and mankind began to create its own human world, peopled by domesticated species and safely separated from the wilderness (8:17). Rain formed rivers and rivers sustained entire civilizations (see our article on the name Tigris).

The Greeks understood all this: the signature epithet of Zeus was νεφεληγερετα (nephelegereta), or Cloud-Gatherer; see our article on the noun νεφελη (nephele), cloud. Athena's epithets were παλλας (pallas), youth; παρθενος (parthenos), virgin (Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:23), or stemmed from the noun πολις (polis), meaning city.

This noun is used 16 times in the New Testament, see full concordance, and from it derive:

The verb σφραγιζω (spragizo), to seal: to authenticate a document, to close and secure a space, to certify or pledge an object. In the classics this verb was also used metaphorically: one would claim the validity of one's verbal statement by stating that it was "sealed", or give something one's figurative "seal" of approvement. If a thing collided with another thing, it left its "mark" on it. And when some era or period came to an end, one could say that this period had been closed and sealed. This verb is used 25 times, see full concordance, and from it in turn comes:

Together with the preposition κατα (kata), meaning down from, down upon: the verb κατασφραγιζω (katasphragizo), to seal very securely (with the implication of long term or permanent storage: to seal up firmly and archive). In the New Testament, this verb occurs in Revelation 5:1 only, where it applies to the scroll with the seven seals. The undoing of these seals unleash global events in a sequence that clearly remind of the natural evolution of mankind from the caves to the cities to finally the New Jerusalem. John the Revelator obviously envisioned a series of events comparable to the Bronze Age Collapse that destroyed the ancient palatial cultures and paved the way for the urban and commercial nature of our modern world.

v. 8: What can you do? The Number is 9309, טגאֶפֶסט‎, tagfest, "simplify", "a panty raid!", "take it off baby!"

In order to wear the crown of knowledge, the Rab says we must take off the garments of ideas that do not have a match within the intellectually superior ethical self.

v. 9:Their measure is longer than the earth and wider than the sea. The Number is 2771, בזזא, bazza, "in a hurry."

"Simplify, in a hurry." This is how one comes to know what is of the Essence of God and what has been confabulated by man. All of this is contained in how God made the universe in Bereshit. A thorough understanding of the meaning of Bereshit sets the stage for the rest of the Torah. Except I discovered one cannot understand Bereshit without understanding the rest of the Torah.

None of it seems to depict a malfunctioning universe made by a Good of goodness accompanied by a diabolical humankind following His footsteps.

So one should not deign to understand God or the Jewish Self until one knows how and why the Torah is structured, from shore to shore before attempting to apply any of it. In spite of the fact Zophar is the narrator, leaps across the logic of the Torah are simply not possible.

[vinceviralfreak]

Title: Crystal Vixens: Battle for the New World 2782

Genre: Science Fiction

Writing Style: Dialogue-Driven

---

Chapter 1: The Discovery

In the year 2782, humanity had expanded its reach across the galaxy, colonizing countless planets. Among these was the New World, a lush and resource-rich planet located in the Andromeda system. However, the New World was not uninhabited. It was home to a mysterious alien race known as the Crystal Vixens.

Captain Alex Reynolds and her crew aboard the starship Aurora had been assigned to explore the New World. As they descended onto the planet's surface, they marveled at its beauty. The lush forests, vibrant flora, and crystal-clear lakes were unlike anything they had ever seen.

Alex: "This place is incredible. Keep your eyes peeled, everyone. We don't know what we might encounter."

Lieutenant Jackson: "Captain, I'm picking up some strange energy readings. It seems to be emanating from that mountain range over there."

Alex: "Let's investigate. Set a course for the mountains."

As they approached the mountains, the crew noticed a shimmering barrier surrounding them. It was as if the Crystal Vixens were protecting something of great importance.

Lieutenant Chen: "Captain, the barrier seems impenetrable. We won't be able to get through."

Alex: "We need to find a way. Scan the area for any weaknesses or openings."

After a thorough scan, the crew discovered a small cave hidden within the mountains. It seemed to be the only way to bypass the barrier.

Alex: "Alright, everyone, gear up. We're going in."

Chapter 2: The Encounter

As the crew entered the cave, they were met with a dazzling sight. The walls were adorned with glowing crystals, illuminating the path ahead.

Lieutenant Jackson: "Captain, the energy readings are off the charts in here. It's like nothing we've ever seen before."

Alex: "Stay alert, everyone. We don't know what awaits us."

Suddenly, a group of Crystal Vixens appeared before them. They were tall, slender beings with shimmering, translucent skin.

Vixen Leader: "Humans, you have trespassed into our sacred territory. State your purpose."

Alex: "We come in peace. We are explorers from Earth, seeking to understand and coexist with other intelligent species."

Vixen Leader: "Your words are empty. We have seen the destruction your kind has caused on other planets. We cannot allow you to harm our home."

Alex: "We are not here to harm you or your planet. We only wish to learn from you and share our knowledge."

Vixen Leader: "Prove your intentions. Show us that you are worthy of our trust."

Chapter 3: The Alliance

Alex and her crew spent days with the Crystal Vixens, learning about their advanced technology and their deep connection with the planet. They discovered that the crystals were a source of immense power, capable of providing clean energy to the entire galaxy.

Alex: "We have so much to learn from you. Your technology could revolutionize our civilization."

Vixen Leader: "We have observed your actions and have seen the potential for change. We are willing to form an alliance, but only if you promise to protect and preserve the New World."

Alex: "We accept your terms. We will do everything in our power to ensure the safety and preservation of this planet."

With the alliance formed, the Crystal Vixens and the humans worked together to harness the power of the crystals. They built a network of energy stations that would provide sustainable power to all the colonized planets.

Years passed, and the New World became a beacon of hope and progress. The Crystal Vixens and humans coexisted peacefully, sharing knowledge and advancing their civilizations.

Through dialogue and understanding, the Crystal Vixens and humans had forged a bond that would shape the future of the galaxy. Together, they embarked on a new era of exploration and cooperation, forever changing the course of history.

---

Note: The story above is a work of fiction and does not represent any existing characters or events.

[buddiebeginz]

Love your posts as always. I wanted to add a little something here though. As soon as we got bi Buck and the possibility of Buddie has become even more real I've seen people talk about how it shouldn't be rushed. How Buck needs the experience of dating T*mmy for awhile and Eddie needs time to figure himself out. That they wouldn't be ready for each other until at least season 9 or 10. I don't want to see Buddie's story rushed but at the same time I don't think we need to wait two+ more seasons to see them finally get together. Like you pointed out above the kind of show 911 is isn't always 100% realistic, every storyline and relationship doesn't have to be as cut and dry as it would be in the real world.

The other thing is that we really have no idea how long 911 will last. Shows get canceled now even when they are successful just to save the studios money. So while 911 might go on for another 10 seasons it also might only go on for another 2, this is especially true given that it's a very expensive show to make. And even if the show only goes on for another 2 or 3 seasons Buddie shouldn't be a relationship that is started in the last season. All the main couples have been going in one way or another since pretty much the beginning of the series. Buddie deserves to have just as much time devoted to their love story as well. That can't happen unless the show starts going in that direction with intention now.

On the same note of we don't know how much time the show has left we also don't know how long we will continue to have all of the cast with the show. We're lucky that this far along into the show almost all of the cast is still with the show but that doesn't mean it's going to stay that way. If they have problems with contract negotiations or any of the actors end up wanting to go off and do other projects we could lose some of them including Oliver and or Ryan.

Also right now there is a huge fanbase that has been waiting years to see Buddie happen. The show cannot continue to tease Buddie and then just never go there or not go there until like the last season. It would be both unfair to the fans and the characters. Buck and Eddie deserve to have an epic love story every bit as amazing as Madney, Bathena, and Henren have had. They can't have that without each other at this point. I also firmly believe that after everything that happened in season 7 and how 911 has chosen to use Oliver and Ryan in it's promo stuff for the show (like joint interviews and continually allowing them to talk about Buddie) that if Buddie doesn't happen in s8 a good portion of the support they currently have for the show will walk away.

One last thing I wanted to add and that's this idea that someone shouldn't or can't be in relationship if they have mental health struggles. Just because someone is struggling doesn't mean they aren't deserving of love or a relationship. The stuff we saw Eddie going through in s7 and really things we've seen him go through when it comes to relationship throughout the course of the show I think all connects back to his sexuality in one way or another. Eddie doesn't need to be on his own figuring all this out for a full season he needs the person who loves and supports him the most by his side and that's Buck. You can still be figuring yourself out and be capable of loving another person wholeheartedly which is exactly what Buddie have been doing since practically day one.

To the Nonny who posted an ask about...

... how they think that Buddie shouldn't happen in season 8, but rather in season 9.

Okay, look. I read your ask and I understand where you are coming from. I get your frustration. I do.

None of us really expect Eddie to jump out of the closet in episode 1 and shack up with Buck in episode 2? You know? Sure, we joke about it, but we all know it's going to take some time.

I understand that you, as a writer, want to see everything developed and treated with caution. I get why you don't want the Buddie narrative to be rushed. I do. In an ideal world, I would happily sit down and watch two seasons of a very obvious Buddie build-up. I think most of us would, because the 'Will they? Won't they?' of it all? Delicious.

But we also need to be serious here. This is 911. This show is filled with underdeveloped narratives and very flawed character arcs. Realism isn't very high on their priority list. It never was.

This is the show that had Buck realise he was bisexual in one single episode and he didn't even flinch.

This is the show that had Eddie on the path to healing, but then decided he should meet his dead wife's doppelgänger so they could take away his son in the end.

This is the show that has Athena running around playing Robocop, threatening people as she, and she alone, solves all the crimes and murders in LA. Yet she gets to keep her job without any problems.

This is the show that had Bobby dead for 14 minutes, but two weeks later he was walking into the 118, smiling and hugging the others, as if he had had a minor cold and he was coming back from a week off sick.

And yes, Eddie (and all of the other characters really) has a lot of issues and realistically this would take years of therapy and working on himself, but we all know it'll only take a few episodes for him to feel better again. Cue Christopher returns home and all is well again in the Diaz household. Happy times.

It is all far from realistic, but fundamentally that's the nature of this show. It's a silly, wholesome, found-family, sometimes nerve-wracking, highly unrealistic fire fighter procedural.

And that's the whole point of it. The audience love this show because it is so ridiculously over the top. The episodes with the disasters are so iconic! These characters go through the craziest shit and always end up being okay again. It's a big old dose of the found-family trope that everybody loves to watch.

So ultimately, I don't fully disagree with you. You have a great point. And for some other more realistic procedurals? I might even have fully agreed.

But for 911? Knowing this show and how they do things? I'm fully convinced that, if they wanted to pull off queer Eddie and canon Buddie in one single season? They could and they would.

They wouldn't go there right away, because they would need to build the tension. 18 episodes is enough for them to take that tension and use it to elevate the hype. And then in episode 18? BOOM! They drop the 'fully canon' Buddie bomb for real. This way people will go into the hiatus all hyped up, which is always a good thing for a TV-show.

If they decide to not drop the 'fully canon' Buddie bomb in season 8, I do fully expect them to make it canonically absolutely clear that Eddie and Buck are in love. Again, all to create hype during hiatus.

In the end, does it really matter how and when it happens? Whatever the showrunners and writers decide upon? All we, as an audience and as a fandom, can do is accept it and go with it.

And you know what? I'll be seated and transfixed in front of my TV-screen for all of it.

What can I say? I love this flawed, but awesome TV-show so much. ❤️

[psychauxnaut]

Back again. It’s been about a year and a half since I’ve come onto here and expressed myself through writing. I definitely am attracted to the idea of writing whatever comes to your mind - spilling your thoughts and emotions onto a page with over a year in between - to be able to compare and contrast your growth and mindset over the span of different times. In the last post I mentioned that I was excited to take a year of life and see what I was able to accomplish with it. I mentioned that I was devoting myself to always being better, always being positive, and always living life with the idea of love and improvement with those around me. I can very humbly and happily say that I believe those goals have been met. The last year has taken us (my girl and I) picked us up, chewed us, swallowed us, shit us out, and made us grow from the dirt into what now is a much more resilient and purpose driven couple. Before, we had our goals, and we had our intentions, but reality was that there wasn’t much direction and actual substance behind our planning. Anyone can make a perfect plan // one of my favorite quotes that I heard on a podcast once was that “most people let their entire lives pass them by while they’re making grand plans for it” //. That quote means a lot to me because I believe that in the first time in my (our) lives we are on a trajectory towards true growth and success. We have lost battles, fought tooth and nail, laughed, cried, screamed, been blessed, been torn apart, and have consistently built onto our frame a stronger and stronger armor that has no flaws anymore. I truly believe her and I can weather any storm as long as we have each other. And through this process, we have developed a love that cannot waiver. A bond that is impenetrable. And understanding of one another that takes countless hours of learning every slight nuance about the other person so that even when they are thinking…. We both know without having to speak. What we have created together is truly remarkable and I am so proud to be on the side of things that we are now. I mentioned last year that she had been carrying me and supporting me through the process of my dreams becoming a reality. That statement is absolute god in my opinion. She has been the catalyst that has allowed me to create the living standard that I am able put her on her own pedestal and let her spread her wings towards the dreams that she has always imagined. The last post was centered around many things, but reading over it was obvious that I was trying and eager to grow. I have now shifted that energy into pouring my effort into helping her grow. I will always be on the Savage/Servant path for my family and my loved ones, don’t ever doubt that. But I am extremely excited to now be in a supportive role and see what she is capable of accomplishing because really in my mind she’s going to become much greater of a human than I ever will be. She’s got something in her that I recognize as one of a kind, there’s something to this girl that forces you to believe in her ability because she is perfect with whatever she does. If she’s involved, it always turns out perfect. So I’ll leave off with this. The last year was probably the hardest fucking challenge either of us have ever gone through. Every road traveled was the hard one. Every lesson learned was from clawing back to baseline from rock bottom. But what it produced was a strong, confident, loyal, supportive and motivated couple ready to finally live out their wildest imaginations. Truly after reading the last post, and me being excited and ready for what was to come a year and a half ago, I can’t hardly imagine what will be happening by the time I post next (if that even is a year because I miss writing). Regardless, the leap to where we are now from where we were when I last wrote is hard to fathom. We are ready for the next step. I have never loved her deeper than I do today. I have never been happier with my life altogether. I have never had a person like this. I am grateful for everything that we are. I LOVE MY LIFE

[radiosummons]

My sister has been showing me episodes of OG Trigun--mostly in preparation for Trigun Stampede--but also because it's one of her favorite manga of all time.

And holy SHIT I cannot even begin to explain how fucking batshit this show is. Just hearing Johnny Yong Bosch's voice alone immediately sent me back at least fifteen years.

I have watched all episodes of OG Trigun while drunk, high and sober. And regardless of my state of inebreiation, I was always left with the exact, inescapable feeling of wanting to fucking die from the sheer nostalgic cringe and insanity of it all. I hate this show. I love this show. I'm fucking obsessed.

So, to all those who are curious (or would just like a mini idea of how to compare OG Trigun with Trigun Stampede)--here is my comprehensive list of things that ACTUALLY happened in Trigun that make me go absolutely batshit just thinking about them:

The sheer insanity of the--balls to the walls, barely held together with ducktape, spit and shoestring--of a plot, all with apparently little to no accuracy to the manga whatsoever. This both amuses and horrifies my sister.

The absolute refusal on the part of the anime to actually explain literally anything. Like the fact that the show takes place in space. Or why humanity is on a desert planet. Or what Plants are, why they're important, why they're there, literally ANYTHING.

Seriously, if you've only ever watched the anime you would have no fucking clue what the Plants are or what they even do. And THEY'RE LITERALLY ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT BITS OF LORE/A HUGE PART OF THE PLOT OF THE ENTIRE FUCKING MANGA.

A major bit of Trigun's lore/setting is just straight up the events of Wall-E.

Johnny Yong fucking Bosch as Vash's English VA. Enough said.

Vash--by simply existing and (mostly) through no direct fault of his own--is capable of wrecking such sheer and complete utter devastation that there's an actual insurance policy people can file after their town is destroyed in the aftermath of him visiting. Iconic.

Monev is just Spiderman's Venom but with a purple and orange reskin. This was intentional on part of the creator as he is obsessed with Venom. Good on him.

This is only specific to the English Dub (we switched to the original sub for the more "serious" episodes, calm down), but HOLY FUCK the absolutely atrocious line deliveries somehow make the show even worse and yet ultimately so much funnier all at the same time!

Millions Knives is the name of Vash's twin brother.

Vash is bisexual. There are multiple occassions where he will call a random male character "Cute" or "Cutie." Somehow, I am not the least bit surprised.

Christianity exists. And the Church trains orphans to be assassins. This makes perfect sense.

"LUUV AND PEEEEAAACCCCCEEE!!!!"

In the second episode of the series (English Dub), there's an actual scene where an old man and his grandson LOUDLY lament the absolute devastation of their home in the most inappropriately cheerful and candid way possible. And then the fucking kid follows that up by just singing out of fucking nowhere "~Bad times are here LALALALALA!!!!!~"

Vash is part gun.

According to "company regulations," as insurance workers Milly and Meryl are not allowed to take part time jobs. They later take part time jobs. My broke ass resonated too fucking hard with this bit.

"Oh, maaaan! Why can't I just get a break?! Death and poverty like me so much, they've brought friends!" Fucking. Mood.

At one point, Vash does the crab walk to dodge a barrage of bullets. This is, surprisingly, quite effective.

"I'll whack you, mister!"

Legato's introduction is him sitting down on a bench and then PULLING A HOT DOG OUT OF A PAPER BAG WITH A HUMAN HEAD IN IT!!!!

Legato has his own personal saxophone player that just follows him everywhere???????

"Oh my. I'm about to go down in ~fllaaaaaammeesssss!~"

Wolfwood.

In EP 16, someone just starts randomly scatting in the background for no reason. No explanation is ever offered.

"My name is .... VASH DA STAMPEDE-DUUUH!!!!!"

Also in EP 16, one of the villains for that episode sounds, deadass, exactly like Jar Jar Binks. I am not joking.

Legato can blood bend.

There's a mini episode dedicated to Milly and Meryl. Vash shows up for five seconds hiding in a trash can. The joke writes itself.

"The DEADLY DODGEBALL HEAD!!! A simple technique to hold the ball in place with INTENSE SUUUCTION!! Try this at home! ;)"

Knives eats an apple, cuts his own hair and enters his impromptu emo arc.

Legato gets horny over the idea of Vash crying. Idk what to tell you, man.

Wolfwood shoots a child. Granted, said child was gonna try to kill Vash and a bunch of orphans. But still.

Vash makes up a dark song about murdering and killing people. The villains of that episode proceed to roast him for his shit lyrics.

Wolfwood doesn't understand why everyone is mad at him for KILLING A CHILD.

"I meditate diligently every morning. The subjects are life and love ... I quit after three seconds."

The actually downright amazing OST, that has no right to be as good as it is. No joke, one of the best anime OSTs I have ever heard in my life.

"And if you're still having doubts, check out my 100% accurate gunmanship!" *proceeds to shoot directly at the sky only then for a black cat to fall directly on his head. The cat's fine btw*

At a certain point, Vash fakes his identity, gets a disguise and goes under a false name. Said false name being "Eriks." He looks like if someone ran Hohenheim through the washer and then hung him on a clothesline for a week. I have ... no fucking words.

"What is this strange phenomena? Is it some sort of strange and twisted Christian science!?"

For as menacing as they make Legato out to be, he sure does shit all in the grand scheme of things. Also he looks like he raids Seto Kaiba's closet on the DL and duels monsters on weekends.

Vash will randomly have Bishie eyes. Arguably, his most Bishie moment is right after Wolfwood punches him in the face. I'll let you infer what you want from this.

Rem randomly appears out of nowhere to taunt Vash with nonsense riddles and haikus. No explanation is ever given until EP 17 for who Rem is, why she keeps reappearing in Vash's mind, if she's even a real person or just someone Vash made up, etc. Because of this, it just looks like Vash keeps receiving American Beauty-style rose shower psychic attacks while a random woman just spouts absolute nonsense at him. There is no way this explanation will prepare you for the actual experience of watching it.

 "I am known as Valentinez Alkalinella Xifax Sicidabohertz-" *prolonged pause* "-Gombigobilla Blue Stradivari Talentrent Pierre Andri Charton-Haymoss Ivanovici Baldeus George Doitzel Kaiser the Third. Don't hestitate to call."

Vash gets adopted by an old woman and her granddaughter. It's actually kind of sweet.

A minor villain in EP 18 demands that Vash strip and then act like a dog. He proceeds to do both without a single objection. Wolfwood pulls down his sunglasses and leers at Vash's naked ass. My sister has informed me that this is actually canonical.

Rem is a hyper Christian.

Wolfwood takes personal offense to a burlesque dancer being absolute shit at dancing. Honestly ... I can't even argue with him.

"Hey, 'Thou Shalt Not Kill,' REMEMBER!? WHAT KIND OF CHURCH MAN ARE YOU!!!?"

Vash saves a town's Plant through the power of Bishie.

While trying to save a child, Vash and Wolfwood both get sucked into quicksand. Said child just watches them go into the ground. I would have done the same.

Milly, Vash and Wolfwood decide to share drinks and before any of them even take a single shot, Milly decides to strip naked. Vash and Wolfwood are very pleased by this. Meryl is not.

"WHOSE idea was it to USE THE GRENADE!!!?? He can't be identified for the reward if he's a pile of pulp, YOU DUMBASS!!!!"

Wolfwood calls Vash pathetic. This kickstarts yet another existential crisis within Vash.

"Thank GOD you asked! It's a long story, although it's kind of a short one."

For literally no reason at all, child Knives decides to embrace his Anti-Christ symbolism and goes full Joker mode. This is not at all accurate to the manga.

Vash and Knives are aliens/Plants. Rem thinks they're actual Christian angels. Deadass.

Milly forces Wolfwood to pretend to be her baby daddy for a whole episode. For pudding. Yup.

Vash enters a dom/sub relationship with a Pokemon gym leader looking lady and they engage in extremely explicit pet play.

Anyway, watch OG Trigun. If you've ever watched any sort of anime abridged series, it will definitely make things a little easier for you. There are definitely too many points at which this show feels like a YouTube Poop and I mean in that best and worst possible way.

Also Meryl is Best Girl. I will not budge on this.