#this is a lot of jumbled thoughts

[invinciblerodent]

This is going to be very ranty and disjointed, probably borderline incomprehensible post, but with the "return" of Dragon Age Discourse (and really, did it ever go anywhere?) and me repeatedly seeing the complaints and dismissals of DA:I as a "chosen one"-type of a narrative, I just.... I keep finding myself thinking about the relationship of truth and lies within the game.

Throughout the course of DA:I, the idea of a malleable, flexible personal identity, and a painful confrontation with an uncomfortable truth replacing a soothing falsehood, follows pretty much every character throughout their respective arcs.

There are some more obvious ones, Solas, Blackwall, The Iron Bull, their identities and deceptions (of both those around them and themselves) are clearly front and center in the stories told about them, but this theme of deception (both of the self- and the outside world) is clearly present in the stories of the others as well.

Like, for example, ones that come immediately to mind are stories like that of Cullen, who presents an image of a composed and disciplined military man, a commander- all to hide the desperate and traumatized addict that he sees himself as.

Dorian grappled with the expectations of presenting the image of the perfect heir to his father's legacy, the prideful scion of his house, his entire life (he even introduces himself as the result of "careful breeding", like one might speak about a prized horse)- all while knowing that his family would rather see him lobotomized and obedient, than anything even just resembling his vibrant and passionate self.

Cassandra calls herself a Seeker of Truth, and takes pride in that identity- only to learn that in reality, she has been made a liar, a keeper of secrets, without her knowledge or consent, and it is up to her to either uproot the entire organization and painfully cut out the abscess it is to build it back from the ground up into something respectable, or let the information she had revealed sit, and continue to fester.

And this theme continues and reframes itself in, among others, things like Sera's own inner conflict between her elven heritage and her human upbringing, or in Cole being caught in this unconscionable space in-between human and spirit, between person and concept, etc.

The Inquisitor isn't exempt from this either.

I feel like this is where the core of the many misunderstandings of this plot come from, why so many people continue to believe that Inquisition is a "chosen one" or "divinely appointed" type of story, because I think many might just... not realize, that the protagonist's identity is also malleable, and what they are told in the setup/first act of the game is not necessarily the truth.

The tale of the Inquisitor is the exact opposite of that of a "chosen one" story: it's an examination and reflection of the trope, in that it is the story of an assumption that all wrongly believe to be the truth, and thrust upon you, even if you protest. The very point is that no matter who you choose to say that you are, you will be known as the Herald of a prophet you don't even necessarily believe in, and then that belief will be proven wrong, leaving you to cope with either a devastating disappointment if you believed it, or a bitter kind of vindication if you didn't.

There's a moment just after Here Lies the Abyss (when you learn of the lie you've been fed your entire journey in the game) that I don't often see mentioned, but I think it's one of the most emotionally impactful character moments, if you are playing an Andrastian Inquisitor who had actually believed themselves chosen (which I realize is a rather unpopular pick, lol): it's when Ser Ruth, a Grey Warden, realizes what she had done and is horrified by her own deeds, and turns herself in asking to be tried for the murder of another of her order. As far as she is concerned, she had spilled blood for power, and regardless of whether she was acting of her own volition at the time, whether she had agency in the moment, is irrelevant to her: she seeks no absolution, but willingly submits to any punishment you see fit.

And only if you play as an Inquisitor who, through prior dialogue choices, had established themselves as a devout Andrastian, can you offer her forgiveness, for a deed that was objectively not her fault- not really.

You can, in Andraste's name, forgive her- even though you, at that point, know that you have no real right to do so. That you're not Andraste's Herald, that Andraste may or may not even exist, and that you can't grant anyone "divine forgiveness", because you, yourself, don't have a drop of divinity within you. You know that you were no more than an unlucky idiot who stumbled their way into meddling with forces beyond their ken.

You know you're a fraud. You know. The game forces you to realize, as it slowly drip-drip-drips the memories knocked loose by the blast back into your head, that what all have been telling you that you are up to this point, is false. And yet, you can still choose to keep up the lie, and tell this woman who stands in front of you with blood on her hands and tears in her eyes, that you, with authority you don't have, grant her forgiveness for a crime that wasn't hers to commit.

Because it's the right thing to do. Because to lie to Ser Ruth is far kinder than anything else you could possibly do to her, short of refusing to make a decision altogether.

There are any number of criticisms of this game that I can accept (I may or may not agree depending on what it is, but I'm from the school of thought that any interpretation can be equally valid as long as there's text that supports it, and no text that contradicts it), but I will always continue to uphold that the Inquisitor is absolutely not- and never was a "chosen one".

They're just as small, and sad, and lost, as all the other protagonists- the only difference is that they didn't need to fight for their mantle, because instead of a symbol of honor, it acted as a straitjacket.

[roots-symphony]

The parallels at the end between Helly and Gemma are messing me up

Helly throwing the speaker at Mark/ Gemma hitting the doctor with the chair

Helly running through the halls to get to the stairs while being chased/ Gemma running through the halls to get to the elevator while being chased

Helena turning back around and going inside each time Helly tried to leave/ Ms. Casey turning around to get back on the elevator after Gemma tried to leave

Mr. Milchick being there to greet Helena and encourage her to turn around/ Mr. Milchick being there to greet Ms. Casey and encourage her to turn around

Helly waking up in the elevator and falling to the ground after her suicide attempt/ Gemma waking in the elevator and sliding to the ground after her escape attempt

Helly being greeted by Mark who has been like her guide/ Gemma being greeted by the nurse who has been like her guide

Idk it’s not one-for-one but I just think it’s interesting. The illusion of choice. None of Gemma’s innies have a choice in what will happen to them, not even a chance at rebellion. Gemma herself has more options than them and can even try to fight back, but ultimately is just as trapped. Helly may not know the outside world, but she has more chances to affect it and try to escape, but that doesn’t mean anything because she’s trapped too. Helena seems to have all the choices but is caged just the same, by her name, by her family, by the company. When Helena tries to exert her choice to not go back to the severed floor, she is just as easily rebuffed as Ms. Casey pausing on her way to the elevator.

Lumon’s control is all encompassing at each level, but the further down it goes, the more literal it becomes. Lumon is a cult with their hands in multiple industries. It’s all well and good to rule by fear and unspoken threats and devotion, but it is not infallible. But take away peoples agency? Subjugate people without any ability to know better or speak on their own behalf?

Helena knows her duty, knows where exactly she stands, knows what is at stake, and, most importantly, knows to fear. So she walks back into that elevator even after the second attempt on her life.

Ms. Casey knows nothing but to do as she’s told. So she walks back into that elevator and asks what she’s like out there despite the arrow pointing down.

Hey, don’t want to go through the agonizing process of birth? Or a root canal? Or flying? Don’t worry, with this simple procedure, none of that pain or discomfort will touch you ever again. And what do we get out of it? Don’t worry about it.

Imagine how much easier it is to get followers for your cult when they willingly walk into your house. The whole world will be Kier’s children.

[wackywatchdotcom]

something i genuinely adore about tadc is how painfully flawed everyone in the circus is. and not in a small way

everyone does SOMETHING that negatively impacts the others. but it makes the fact that you are supposed to sympathize with and really connect with them all the more potent. because its easy to want to put a bunch of characters in a bad situation together and to just have them all be nice to each other and everyone and never make mistakes because theres no reason to hurt each other, and most of them dont TRY to, but the way they cope is so, so realistic for each of their personalities, and it doesnt always mesh with the others, and sometimes it exceeds self destructive and Just Hurts Others, Too

they still generally care about each other and the mistakes they make and the ways they end up hurting each other dont lose their weight but like. it doesnt take away from their humanity and the fact that they are all trying so hard to manage in an awful situation

and the characters seem to have sooome sort of understanding of this too. not fully, because the characters dont tend to be 100% communicative, but when they hurt each other, it often makes EVERYONE uncomfortable. because these are the only people they have. these are their friends. and theyre all coping. but it doesnt change how much it affects them (best illustrated by ragathas lines at the start of ep 2 or gangles 'i love her, but after a while it gets kinda hard to tell how genuine shes actually being'). its not all like this, theres a good amnt of variety, but characters knowing this but not really knowing what to do about it is very painful in an effective way

(i think a subtle example of this is how zooble handles gangles situation in ep 4- they were so genuinely trying to help her because they care. but could tell as the day went on that oh, this is not working at all and its making things worse, and they leave gangle alone- something that very genuinely couldve been the moment she abstracted, because of the mask zooble gave her- and we dont get to have a super blatant explanation of zoobles thoughts on it, but they reach a fairly healthy conclusion about it that helps both of them, and i like that a lot, because on paper zooble could be placed at fault but the narrative doesnt dwell on it excessively, because thats not the point. i dont know if that tangent makes sense but i think about it sometimes. i think zooble wasnt 'to blame' but it was still a mistake, which is a hard balance to strike, and having them help at the end feels extremely effective at rounding it off!!!)

but like. in general its complicated balancing making characters in a bad situation act flawed because it can run the risk of seeming like the story is scolding them or blaming them for the situation theyre in, or like youre expected to not sympathize with them despite it (though the inverse also has complications- if characters in a bad situation never mess up, it feels unrealistic and hard to relate to, and can imply that their innocence is why whats happening to them is bad at all), but the show handles it so well

even the characters who are genuinely trying all try in different ways- some of them have similar outlooks or attitudes towards these thing but theres vital differences for ALL of them- sometimes it works and sometimes it doesnt. in fact some of the more painful mistakes characters have made in the show have come from them so genuinely trying (like the thing i mentioned w zooble, or basically Everything Ragatha Does, or pomnis first attempt at helping gangle, etc), which hits harder than if every mistake characters made had wholly selfish and cruel goals.

i mean, there is a selfishness to many of the characters' actions but imo not in a way thats not warranted. because all of them are in a horrible setting. its uncomfortable to watch characters be selfish. but it is a natural instinct to survive. its not the foundation of most of their actions, but when it is, its uncomfortable but hard to completely disparage them for in a way that makes you feel kinda conflicted

and like. it hurts to be doing your best and for that to make things worse, but its what happens often in the show. because no one in a bad situation is gonna handle it well. by the very nature of trying to survive something is gonna give, but it makes the themes of the show so much more powerful. that making sure the people around you dont feel unloved, cherishing them and finding meaning with others is no less important just because everyone is fucking up. it complicates things, for sure, but it doesnt make those characters exempt fromt this. theres a reason pomni tells gummigoo that she doesnt want "anyone" to feel like theyre nothing, and that kinger doesnt add ANY quallifiers to making sure people feel wanted and loved (not that i think either of them were thinking SUPER super hard, but it conveys smth from the perspective of the narrative

it gets complicated when you add in jax for sure, since i think on the surface he IS the exception to this concept- none of the characters like him, including pomni or kinger. but i think this is something thats gonna be examined further down the line, bc hes the main complicating factor in this reading of the show, but i feel like thats on purpose. hes universally disliked (and so is caine, in a different way) and his actions arent mistakes. they are him coping. the show has made it clear that he can be a complex person AND also a piece of shit. his actions dont detract from the fact that hes a person and the show reminds us of this. so it makes things so messy, but im genuinely super excited to see how the show examines that. where his character goes is, imo, going to be a massive piece of how this show fleshes out this concept

[woodswolf]

a tribute to my favorite post that came out of the pikposting phenomena from august to october of 2023, originally written by @olimar-posting. i have loved this post ever since i first read it and i still think of it very fondly. pure poetry

(Image IDs in alt)

[theriverbeyond]

i would yearn for caitlyn's dungeons if im being honest. im yearning rn

[beestards]

Me playing isat for the first time: Wow, what a cute game!! Surely this won't give me an Existential Crisis

Me, watching as Siffrin says, does, or think things I have said, done, or thought near identically: Wait. Is this fucking play about ME?

[smoulderingocean]

Regarding Nick's need to feel safe: I worry that him being the person he is, with the all overruling need to protect those he loves, and the responsibility he feels for those he cares about or is responsible for, that he wouldn't ever feel truly safe because there is no way for him to truly be free to feel such a safety.

Because he does care for Rose and of course he loves his future child and wants and needs to protect both. So I worry about there not being any realistic situation for him where he can be truly free that covers all the facets of his life. What do you think?

Hey!

I def agree with you there! I think without his family safe and together that Nick will never be able to feel fully emotionally safe himself either. Like June said in S2, Gilead is always within you. So it's a matter of being more free of it rather than fully free.

Nick so family oriented that it's likely even in good circumstances, reunited with June, Holly, and Hannah in Canada when the events of The Testaments conclude and with Rose in good health and their child with him in a good place (two things I sadly don't see as likely), that the trauma of everything is always going to leave him feeling unsafe because there will always be the fear of it being taken away from him again. So Nick is likely never going to get what he emotionally needs to the degree he needs.

And yes, as a protector he's always going to feel that stress for as long as he lives. It's only natural, really. That absolutely goes for everyone in his life- June, Holly, Rose, baby, even Luke and Moira as they're part of June. The situation with Rose and baby is a difficult one for him as he's clearly miserable and didn't have a choice, but he's also desperate to be a good father and so he'll do whatever he can there, even if it's torture for him. He doesn't want to hurt them and hurting Rose and baby would be emotional torture to Nick.

I think Nick's freedom and safety is always going to come at a cost, like it is now. It'll never be total and complete like he so badly needs and craves. I do think that the cost he'll experience outside of Gilead is going to be less than inside of it, and so him leaving Gilead is paramount to him feeling safer and healthier and happier. It's a matter of one future unfortunately being less bad, less dangerous, and less difficult than the other rather than it being better. To be free of the inherent violence and moral lawlessness of Gilead, to be safe to make the choices he wants to make (an ability he didn't have in the US), and to love and be loved, that's going to be the closest thing to what Nick needs emotionally. It isn't much, but it's more, and it's what I want so very badly for him.

[spiral-lux]

Oh my god the latest Milgram trial 😭😭 My heart everything is so messed up, I have so many mixed emotions fr

Logically I know Amane has been through so much shit, and I'll still vote her innocent but- How far is too far? It's obvious that voting her innocent in some way validated her beliefs, and now she's fully embracing them in her latest sprite. She's forming her own beliefs, and it seems "purging" Shiidou was her way of punishment? In her eyes I wonder if this is a more "merciful" version of the cult she grew up in? Or will it end up being just as strict to those who go against it.

DAMN AND YUNO, fully becoming Mahiru like 😭😭 This is gut-wrenching, I'm mourning for those lost and the survivors still alive. What's even going to happen, I wonder if Es will try and somehow skirt the trials or try to find a way to stop it?

[kheprriverse]

Look familiar? Bounty Hunter and magic user turned Deity, Ko'jin. Later dubbed as the "Fierce Deity."

Other outfits are a wip. I was gonna wait until they were done but couldn't resist sharing what I was working on for a week.

Masterpost | Lineup | Ko-fi - More info under the cut! This one’s gonna be a pretty long one and the last half below will have the text on the image (coz tumblr’s probably gonna eat the quality) plus some notes sprinkled in.

Plus a look at the Moon Serpent, a common form Ko'jin takes. I'd like to think the Moon Serpent is more commonly known by his followers than the man himself. There are others he takes, like the Silver Wolf, but the dragon is the one most associated with him.

He's relatively unknown after the war before Skyloft's ascent, his image having been completely removed from history. The few traces of him by OOT/MM would be oral tradition, specifically through family members as bedtime stories and legends to tell. Stories about a curious serpent and a powerful artifact.

After the events of MM, the Moon Serpent becomes active again and the festivals dedicated to it return.

Text on the image + extra notes:

Ko’jin, Bounty hunter chosen by Goddess Farore.

“Ko’jin” is not his real name. Once a mortal becomes a god, they abandon their original name. He was never given a proper one again aside from nicknames by worshippers and other deities. Ko’jin is a nickname given to him by his future wife when they first met.

He wears facepaint which is mixed with magic to bolster strength and speed. And later he would get tattoos that did the same [seen later].

Before becoming a god he was a bounty hunter [and popular at that, often being the favorite of a neighboring town]. He would take commission to hunt down monsters many others refused to go near.

Ko’jin has a strong affinity for magic [he uses it practically every day] and often imbues the edges of his sword with darkness magic. Though, the element given to his sword can still vary depending on what or who he’s fighting.

His undersuit and white tunic are much more protective than the brass chainmail, which instead is used more for artistic liberty than function.

“Early Days Moon Serpent”

Ko’jin’s god form was often a dragon for the ease of guiding lost spirits to the afterlife [he’s a judgement god with a very strong connection to the dead and guiding those spirits became his secondary function].

[During the first war with Demise] Soldiers often saw this form as the “Spirit of Courage” and their protector. They worshipped him and gave him gifts in hopes that he’d watch over him [and guide them to a better afterlife if they were to fall in battle (that secondary function). He basically became a huge symbol for soldiers specifically and I feel like this would feed the “War God” title he was given way later on despite not actually being a War God.]

In many ancient artifacts [ones that could be found at least], the Moon Serpent would be as either a two-headed serpent or two separate beings with their horns crossed. [There’s going to be a lot of “two���s” with him. Two swords, two lives, etc. in depictions of him the two heads/bodies of the serpent would be called “the Body” and “the Spirit”. Later on he’s split into two to be sealed away in a similar theme. “Two lives” refers to the before and after his sealing as he loses his memory of his “past life” and becomes a new person (hence a different appearance). I can see Hylia having foresaw a lot of this tbh.]

[sapphicscholar]

Set out to watch an episode or two of Kevin Can F**k Himself.

Watched the entirety of season 1.

Oh.

I didn’t know how much I needed this show.

[karmathehalflander]

Why both Eddie and Venom are autistic and how the movies are actually a metaphor for neurodivergence

Includes some of my personal headcanons and concepts that I’ve been thinking about and need to share.

BE WARNED!!! This post is a bit long (and also a cringy, rambling, nonsensical mess) full thing under cut.

Some quick notes before we begin: when I have one of their names at the beginning of a section it means anything in that section only applies to one of them. (Idk, I couldn’t figure out how to organize this, you’ll see what I mean)

I don’t know much comic lore, all of this is based off of the movies. Though the movies are a different universe so I don’t think it will matter too much.

Also I use He/They/It pronouns for Venom.

In the end, Im just one guy with a hyper fixation please take everything I say with a grain of salt and feel free to add on or correct me about stuff. Especially if I say anything stereotypical or offensive about nurodivergance/autism a lot of this is based on some personal experience and I absolutely make mistakes and generalizations.

Alright enough of my yapping let’s get to it.

Overall big picture stuff

Applies to Both of them

the whole concept of them being “losers” together is kind of autistic coded. Autistic people are often viewed as incompetent or childish or useless. And I like to think they are connecting over that shared experience.

Noise sensitivity!!! Both of them have noise sensitivity! I probably don’t need to elaborate that much but that one scene in their apartment was some of the best overstimulation representation I’ve ever seen overstimulation guitar scene

Venom

Venom comes across as unfeeling because they don’t emote in a “normal” way.

They’re very blunt and literal.

Venom sometimes has a slightly higher-pitched voice when excited or angry. Which I’m going to attribute to him masking. He wants to appear tougher and scarier. This is important to its species and Venom, who is already perceived as weak by their peers, intentionally deepens his voice a bit to blend in. (This is definitely a headcanon but I love this concept so I don’t care that the real reason is that the voice modifier they use does silly things)

This is also why I think it’s so concerned about Eddie and him “looking bad” Looking weak was dangerous and they trained themself to hide “weakness”

It’s always “How does Venom affect people” and never “What does Venom need and how do other people’s actions affect them”

Venom prefers to express its thoughts and feelings through mental connection with its host and then have that person relay the information to whomever they are “speaking” to. Nonverbal communication!

Venom not understanding humans (social interaction, conventions, etc.) is kind of autistic coded.

Eddie

Edie kind of disregards a lot of social conventions. Still hangs out with his ex-fiancé AND her boyfriend. He also doesn’t seem to mind talking to Venom out loud.

Eddies is just kind of anxious in general.

Eddie struggles to find full time employment.

On that vein, he also struggles to maintain relationships.

Eddie's sense of justice. Eddie has a strong sense of justice and morals that often don’t align with generally accepted values and he follows this view of justice and morality to an absurd degree and it often gets him in trouble. Aka, the entire plot of the first movie is because Eddie has autism.

He wears the same clothes all the time.

Specific moments that I think about

Venom

Venom chewing on the tire swing (they both have oral stims btw)

Sand between his toes. Idk I just thought it was cute and chose to believe they like the sensation.

Say it with me. Tater tots are a safe food!!!

Venom rocks back and forth a lot.

This is a stretch but when Venom is like “look at all these weirdos, my kind of people” it’s a metaphor for him being queer but I’d argue it also kind of fits with neurodivergence. Neurodivergent people often connect with “weirdos” (other neurodivergent people)

Likes organization “Pile of bodies, pile of heads”

Eddie

I’ve been told Eddie chews on his necklace at the beginning of the movie but I can’t find the clip and can’t do a rewatch right now so take that with a grain of salt… (I chose to believe this happened though. Also his bracelets are stim heaven)

When he says “Oh, I have a parasite” to Mrs. Chen he had no clue what to say here. He just said the first thing that came to mind and panicked instead of explaining.

Also the way he says things funny. Ex: “✨It’s a treeeee✨” supa, supa, fhasstt” “Heee…. has. one. up. hi’s. Ass toooooo” “ET. Phone home. Aliens? 😃” I chose to believe they are vocal stims (I also attempted to find a compilation but I couldn’t find any. Maybe I’ll make one sometime)

Eddie also makes sound effects a lot.

Eddie writes notes on pen and paper instead of digitally.

He apologizes an excessive amount. Like he says “I’m sorry” to people actively trying to kill him. Which is so real.

“I just bit that guys head off” “I, uhhh, yea I’ve been there it’s not fun” 😕

Eddie also rocks back and forth. Which can be seen in this scene

Quick segment into why I think Venom was rejected by other Klyntar (it’s because he has autism)

Venom doesn’t adapt as quickly or as efficiently as other Klyntar. It doesn’t handle change well.

All of the normal Klyntar weaknesses are turned up to 1000 with them. Instead of just certain frequencies, the range that hurts him is larger and is also affected by loud noises. As shown by: “Venom” car alarm scene

instead of just fire, heat also bothers it. Also doesn’t adapt to light well. (Just a headcanon)

Can’t create weapons out of their body like other Klyntar. struggles with “simple” skills.

Much more emotional than other Klyntar and develop attachments (also purely a headcanon)

Just overall didn’t fit well into their society.

Just headcanons

Venom and Eddie are so compatible because their brains work the same way.

“I wish I could just mentally project my thoughts and feelings directly into your brain. Oh wait, we can do that!”

Venom also has temperature sensitivities. He gets hot.

Venom likes to stim to low key music, mainly jazz and lo-fi. Does the one song on repeat for three hours to wring all the happy chemicals out of it like a dish rag thing.

Venom also absolutely loves cheesy pop music (unrelated to anything here but I’m right and I needed to include it)

Venom functions as a weighted blanket for Eddie when he’s anxious. Maybe even hides under his shirt and stuff and becomes an extra weight.

Eddie stims with his jewelry.

Venom likes to sit in the freezer. Sometimes they visit Mrs. Chen's walk in just to chill (lol)

Purely my opinion but I think Venom also has some light sensitivity for a bit because it’s not used to being in such a bright environment. He gets used to it eventually but every once in awhile he finds the city lights overstimulating.

They are both very tactile. Touching things. Love a good texture.

Venom is super particular about food for someone who eats out the garbage but certain textures and flavors drive them crazy.

Venom hates vegetables. (Except for celery because it likes the crunchy and stringyness of it)

How all of this makes for a great metaphor!

Feeling like an alien in the world is probably the most relatable thing for a lot of nurodivergent people. Like there’s a manual for being human you don’t have. And just the concept of a literal alien showing up and struggling to navigate in a world not made for it is so relatable!

The way they both immediately connect to each other because they have the same weird brain stuff and weren’t accepted by their respective societies is so adorable and wholesome.

“We’re not so different, you and I” This line lives rent-free in my mind at all times. It’s my favorite quote. I think it perfectly encapsulates their relationship and why it’s special. They have autism and are bonding because the other is the first person who truly understands them! (Cries, screams, throws up)

In conclusion

They are in love and have autism. And they cling to each other because they are the first people to truly understand each other. Thank you for coming to my ted talk.

Also I listened to UFO by Smith and Thell on loop while writing this. It’s very autistic symbrock coded so give it a listen if you’re a fan of inde-pop.

[jon-sedai]

A big part of the reason why I’ve always been rather unconvinced by the theory that Rhaegar carefully and purposefully planned for Jon to fulfill or even be a part of tptwp prophecy is that it kinda goes completely against a very key but underrated theme in Jon’s arc: that he is an unfactored force that often comes in and completely upends the status quo. Jon has always occupied the space of a compromise candidate. Think of the Night’s Watch election. Jon was the compromise, not the main candidate. But because those who could’ve risen to the occasion were either dead, unavailable, incapable of coming to a stalemate, or unwilling to take up the job in the first place, Jon’s name was put forth. Even in him being the KiTN, Jon is the compromise after all his siblings are believed to be dead or unavailable. He’s never in consideration until the very last minute when there are no other options left. So it doesn’t make sense to say that Rhaegar ever planned for him because Rhaegar already had a perfect option: Aegon! Dany’s HOTU vision even shows us that Aegon was perfectly curated to be the promised prince, and he was even given a king’s name to set the stage for his heroic journey. Some people have tried to reason that Rhaegar knew that a child of ice and fire would be the promised prince, but there’s actually nothing in the text to suggest that he at any point stopped believing that Aegon was the prophesied savior. Unless stated in future installments, the text shows us that Rhaegar fully believed Aegon to be the main subject of the prophecy…but as we know, things changed. Rhaegar died, and Aegon died after him. So what else could Jon do but rise and become a compromise candidate, just as he’s always been?

[angelnumber27]

violently forcing myself to have better days

[castlebyersafterdark]

it's killing me not knowing what henry wants from will yet! i can just imagine the tense energy between them when they finally meet. it's such a long time coming

We talk so much about Byler this aspect often gets forgotten! Or, when talking about Henry it's the focus of "Vecna visions" and tormenting Will and Mike with each other - and, hmmm. Maybe we are surely getting some of that. But I don't think we're going to get as much of the now common fanon tropes as we thought over the last few years. I think we'll see divergence somehow from the Pennywise/Freddie Kruger style nightmare visions again, we've already done that. Some, but it's not going to rehash season 4 completely. It feels like most think Henry's going to be spending all his time playing Mike and Will off each other with constant visions and taunting and I just think Henry's got other shit going on other than playing sadistic Sims with the resident queers for his own amusement.

I'm really confused as to what Henry wants now that we have the Holly factor, to be honest. It's thrown me and I'm not sure what my theories are now with her in the mix, since we've seen Holly in that fancy dress as Henry appears to her in young, human form on set and with whatever happens in the scene in her bedroom.

Setting that aside because this is an admitted gap in my theories - I think it's safe to assume that Will is going to meet this version as well. What a waste if not!! It's so chilling for Will to learn it wasn't truly just some monster - that was a man. It's always been a man. I'm sure that's incredibly disturbing for someone like him, who he is, the things he's always been told/heard about himself. Wondering how far the implications will go in season 5. What a conversation will mean. Henry was after El's power as we saw in season 4, real time and flashbacks - but then Will comes into the picture in between. What did he see? Why was Will specifically targeted? What power does he hold that Henry wants? There's gotta be more. The whole theory of his victims becoming "part of him" and how in season one we saw Will kidnapped and held near death with the vine in season 1 - what is the plan, man???? Henry killed the others, but does his plans long term mean he's going to keep Will alive? It seemed Will was close to death in season one, and all the others were killed, but in season 2 through the possession it was very clear "Not me. Everyone else." Is Will to be a host, a new human form?

I still feel like Will can create things in ways that Henry or El cannot. I think Will is the Bridge, maybe?? That's an episode title, right? The link between the real world and the Upside Down, and Will is going to be what Henry uses to come into the real world and unleash what ever hell he plans - what is the plan? What physically is he going to do to the real world? He can mentally manipulate perceptions of reality and create mindscapes and control the monsters? Is Will going to be able to control the monsters as well? How would something like the shadow form of the Mindflayer work in the real world? Is this where it's going to appear like some giant dragon, or is there another creature entirely? What can that Vecna version even do on earth now? Blending the dimensions? My brain is a hurricane. I've read a lot of wild theory and cool, interesting analysis and part of my problem is that I don't necessarily agree with much I've seen, even if highly intriguing, but while having only vague ideas myself.

Anyway. On the specific. Need Henry monologuing and bothering Will. Need him haunting his visions. Need him taunting him as the attractive younger version of himself, getting into Will's head, making him promises and threats and doing so in such a way that it's agonizing, but it is tempting. I need Will to be conflicted and disgusted but he's so self-sacrificial that he does get close to caving to protect his loved ones, but he doesn't, but oooh, he might. Just. All over the place. And people constantly there to bring him back to the light, to valuing himself, learning the extent of how he's loved. All that great stuff. Mental battles between Will and Henry. He's tied up, mentally trying to break away but frozen in the real world. Need Will possessed again and the worst he feared happens - that he's a threat, he's a danger, he tried to do something to hurt - but everyone proves he's worth saving over and over, always. There's so much mileage we can get with this concept.

Do we remember all those scenes we got early on in filming I think at the radio station with the screaming and yelling run and how in the feature video we had the directors having Will go into a choking position? Forgot about all that until right now. Ready for it ready for it ready for it...

[double-u-qed]

i think the fun thing about writing outside your English classes is that you really *do* realize there's merit in breaking the conventional 'rules'. punctuation and the way you separate your paragraphs is also a form of storytelling and prose.

a paragraph being a single line gives it more weight, and, in the case of monologue and internal musings, it lays out the character's thought process better. they jump from one thing to the next.

abusing and technically misusing emdashes and hyphens makes things disjointed and can show stumbling, quick-paced thoughts. if there's a lot, it shows that they're not really completing their thoughts, jumping around, disoriented and/or panicked.

periods are also known as full-stops, so stopping a sentence abruptly with one can likewise convey stilted ideas, thoughts, dialogue, whatever.

an 'overuse' of italics shows a character stresses specific points and words a lot, which, depending on the character, reveals a lot about them and their personality.

at the end of the day, writing is also art and you're free to format however you want

[the-bi-space-ace]

Heyyyyy not so positive vibes under the cut

I’m disappointed by this finale. It had its moments but overall it fell really flat for me. Not really sure what to say about it or if I even want to say anything more about it rn.

I have so many thoughts and I can’t keep any of them straight all I know is that I’m not really satisfied and I’m sad.

…..

I’ll be writing and ignoring canon if anybody needs me!