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formula-nyoom · 1 year ago

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Rookie Reflections | LS2

Platonic! Logan Sargent x Rookie!Reader

Summary: Being the only new addition to the grid, it may seem intimidating to try and introduce yourself to the other drivers. Logan remembers exactly what it's like to be the new rookie and doesn't want a repeat of what happened to him to happen to anyone else.

A/N: Pronouns weren’t specified so I tried to keep this as gender neutral as possible. I still haven’t decided if I want to write in 2nd or 3rd person, it really depends on the fic/request. Previous reader inserts I have written have been done in 2nd person so I defaulted to that with this fic, but do let me know which one you prefer. Logan, my favorite driver, I’m glad my first request is for him. Also I have no hate towards Daniel, it just made a lot more sense to me for the reader to take his seat.

Silly season didn’t come with a lot of shake ups like people expected it to. The only team to switch up their driver line up for the upcoming season was RB, with Daniel being replaced by the newest Formula 2 champion after not delivering the results Red Bull had wanted from him.

You had met Yuki for the first time during the car launch before pre-season testing, but with all the cameras, interviews, and excitement surrounding the new car launch, you were unable to find the time to properly get to know each other. You had hoped to get a chance to maybe sit down with Yuki and get to know your new teammate, but now in Bahrain with all the drivers in one place it seemed that all of them had already split off into their pre-established friend groups that had been built up over years of racing alongside each other, Yuki included.

That’s the thing with being the only new driver for the season: All the other drivers already knew each other well enough that you felt too intimidated to approach any of them. Going to Formula 2 where you knew almost all the drivers to Formula 1 where you knew no one, it was like being the new kid at school. And that seemed even more evident during the pre-season photoshoot.

Yuki still had some last bits of data to go over with his engineer so you arrived at the photoshoot without your teammate. While you did arrive early, most of the drivers were already there, either talking with each other or members of their team. A few gave you curious glances, maybe an awkward smile or two, but none felt the need to approach. Not wanting to risk bothering anyone, you decided to find a spot secluded from the various groups of people while you waited for either Yuki to show up or for the photoshoot to start. Maybe when the photographer started to position people for the photos, you could possibly strike up a conversation with whoever was placed near you. But for now, you felt content standing off to the side where no one would really approach you. Or so you thought.

Logan had forgotten something in the Williams garage, making him arrive at the photoshoot after Alex. And while he could have walked over to his teammate, who was currently chatting with George, he noticed you standing off to the side. You were away from everyone to where you wouldn’t get in the way as you scrolled through your phone.

Logan knows that move. He did it many times during his rookie season because of how out of place he felt. But he also wasn’t the only rookie during his season, unlike you who was the only new person to the grid. He can probably guess how nervous or out of place you may seem. Logan knows that feeling. He hates that feeling and wouldn’t wish it on anyone.

Maybe that’s why he had decided to approach you. Or maybe it was because he didn’t have anyone else to talk to since Alex was busy talking to George, and Oscar was busy talking to Lando. Either way, he thought it was a good idea to introduce himself.

“Hey,” Logan said, getting your attention. “You’re the new RB driver, right?”

Logan already knew the answer to that question, but he thought that was a better question to ask than pointing out the fact that you’re the new rookie.

“Yea, I am.�� You said. Guess you were wrong about people not approaching you as you looked at the man standing before you.

“I’m Logan.” He said, holding out his hand for you to shake. You already knew his name before he introduced himself. Hell, you knew all drivers names on the grid but that was another intimidating reason why you hadn’t tried to approach anyone.

“I’m (Y/N).” You said, shaking Logan’s hand.

“So, are you excited for the upcoming season?” Logan asked.

“Yea. The car seems to be a good contender with the testing we’ve done so far. Hopefully I’ll be able to score some points by the end of the season.”

“What makes you think you won’t get points at the beginning?” Logan asked.

“Well I am the rookie this season. I’m still getting used to the car, it’s a huge difference from the F2 car I was driving last year. Plus everyone else has been racing longer than I have. It's gonna take me a while to catch up.” You explained.

“Oh come on, don’t doubt yourself this early. Trust me, it doesn’t help.” Logan said. You shrugged.

“I guess you’re right. I mean, I’m gonna try my best no matter what, but the highest I can see myself getting for the first race is P15.” You told him.

“That’s a good start. “ Logan said. He smiled and you couldn’t help but smile as well. The two of you ended up talking about what you both did over the winter break and your expectations for the season until the photographer called for the photoshoot to start. You hadn’t even realized Yuki had arrived until the photographer positioned you two next to each other.

“I saw you and Logan talking earlier. I hope it was a good conversation.” He whispered as you waited for the photographer to take a picture.

“He was just introducing himself. We talked about our expectations for the season.” You told him. Yuki smiled a bit.

“Logan’s always been nice. I’m glad you’re getting to know some of the other drivers.”

~~~

“Come on Yuki, pick up!” You mumbled as the call went to voicemail again. After pre-season testing had wrapped up, you had finally managed to get to know Yuki by going out to get dinner together with the rest of the team. He had promised that the two of you would walk together through the paddock on the first day of the season, but after arriving at the entrance you saw no sign of your teammate. And the fact that he wasn’t answering his phone didn’t help either. But looking around towards all the cars pulling in towards the entrance, you did however see Logan arriving.

“Logan!” You quickly walked over to him as he got closer to the entrance.

“Hey. What are you doing out here? Shouldn’t you be with your team?” He asked, noticing the lack of anyone from RB with you.

“Well me and Yuki were supposed to walk in together, but I can’t find him anywhere and he’s not answering my calls.” You said. You looked past the turnstiles at the entrance to the paddock. “I don’t really want to walk in by myself.”

“Do you want me to walk in with you?” Logan asked. You looked back at him.

“If it’s not too much to ask.” You said. Logan just shook his head and smiled.

“It’s no bother.” He said. He gently ushered you towards the entrance and the two of you walked through. It was an understatement to say that you were nervous to greet the cheering fans that stood by the barriers with things to sign. But knowing that Logan was right next you signing things as well and taking pictures with fans made you less nervous. You even got to take some pictures with him and fans as well.

“If I wore all these friendship bracelets in the car, I think I would add an extra pound.” You joked as the two of you walked past the various team garages.

“Soon you’re gonna end up having a full storage closet at your house just full of stuff that fans have given you.” Logan said. You smiled at that idea.

“Hopefully I won’t develop carpal tunnel from all the stuff I’m gonna have to sign over the year.” Good thing being a Formula 1 driver consists more of driving cars than signing things.”

“You say that now, but just wait until the RB merchandise team sits you down in a room filled with driver cards you have to sign. Your wrist is going to be so sore afterwards.” Logan said. You let out a chuckle.

“(Y/N)!” You turned to see Yuki, coming from the RB hospitality, running over to the two of you. “(Y/N), I’m so sorry. They put me in the press conference at the last minute. I had to come early.” Yuki explained.

“It’s ok Yuki. Logan walked in with me.” You said. You turned back to Logan. “Thank you, by the way. I should probably go see my team.”

“Like I said, it was no bother. I’d be happy to walk the paddock with you anytime.” He said. “I’ll see you two on the track.”

He waved goodbye and then headed to the William’s garage as you headed with Yuki back to the RB hospitality to get ready for the upcoming practice sessions.

~~~

“Ok (Y/N). We’ve been knocked out of Q1. You are P17.” Your race engineer said through the radio as the qualifying session ended and you slowed your car down for a cool down lap.

“Not the result I had hoped for, but it’s something I can improve upon. Did Yuki make it to Q2?” You asked, making your way into the pit lane.

“Yes, Yuki did make it into Q2.” Your engineer said.

“That’s good. Hope he can make it into Q3.” You pulled into your designated pitlane and flipped up your visor to let some air into your helmet as the pit crew pulled your car into the garage.

After changing out of your race suit and fireproofs, you put on a pair of headphones and joined the crew in watching Q2. You were happy to see that Logan made it into Q2 as well, and was secretly hoping he would make it into Q3 along with Yuki. Both of them did good laps during Q2 but Yuki unfortunately was only able to place P11. Logan barely managed to get by into Q3, but couldn’t place any higher and ended up in front of your teammate, placing P10 for tomorrow’s race. After congratulating Yuki on his placement, you left the RB garage to go look for Logan to do the same thing. You didn’t have to look far, as the American driver was exiting the William’s garage as you approached.

“Hey, nice driving today!” You said, giving Logan’s shoulder a congratulatory pat.

“Thanks. I’m shocked I was able to make it into Q3. I thought I was going to get knocked out in Q2, I didn’t expect Lance to get his lap time deleted.” Logan said. “Where’d you place?”

“P17. I wasn’t able to gain enough speed on my last lap to get myself to a higher placement.” You said. “But that’s ok. I just need to overtake the 7 cars in front of me to get to P10 and get into the points. How hard can that be?”

You laughed, your last sentence meaning to be a joke. Logan let out a small chuckle, but he was taking what you said seriously.

“I think you can do it. But only do it after I’ve overtaken a couple cars myself. I’d also like to get some points during the race.” He said.

“Deal!”

~~~

It was officially race day and your nerves seemed to be bouncing as fast as the cars that would be on track soon. You had felt confident throughout the week, being on the track and going over data with the team. But with the race starting in a couple hours, the fact that you were about to debut in your first Formula One race was starting to become very real.

“You squeeze that water bottle any tighter, it’s gonna explode.” You were brought out of your spiraling thoughts by Logan as he approached you from the side. Looking down, you did see that the water bottle you were holding was almost ready to burst from the steel grip you had on it.

“Sorry, I’m just thinking about the race today.” You said, loosening your grip on the bottle.

In a similar scenario to pre-season testing, the two of you were waiting to start the drivers parade.

“It’s ok to be nervous about your first race. Every driver is.” He said.

“What if I crash the car?” You asked. Logan shook his head.

“You won’t.”

“What if I can’t overtake any cars and finish last?”

“You won’t finish last.”

“What if-”

“Hey.” Logan placed his hands on your shoulders and made you look at him. “You’re going to be fine. You drove well during testing and practice. You can overtake the cars in front of you. And even if you finish last, so what? It’s your first race. You’re going to make mistakes and that’s ok.” Logan said. His hands on your shoulder and the speech he just gave you seemed to steel your nervous a bit as you took in what he said.

“Just try to have fun. Can you promise me that?” Logan asked. He held up his pinkie and you almost laughed at the childlike implications. But the serious look on Logan’s face stopped you. You linked your pinkie with his and nodded.

“I promise.”

The two of you ended up staying next to each other during the drivers parade, waving to fans as the truck drove by. Interviews were also happening during the parade, and with you being the new rookie, you had to be interviewed.

“So (Y/N), you're about to make your Formula 1 debut in your first Formula 1 race. How are you feeling?” The interviewer asked.

“I’m both very nervous and very excited. I’m starting at the back of the grid, but I’m gonna try to do my best.” You said.

“I know, with being the newest addition to the grid, you may feel like you stand out. Besides your teammate Yuki, have there been any other drivers that you’ve gotten to know during pre-season testing or this weekend?”.

“Logan actually introduced himself to me during pre-season testing and we’ve gotten to know each other a bit.” You told the interviewer. “It feels a bit intimidating being surrounded by these great drivers that I’ve always hoped to have a chance to drive alongside, so I’m really grateful to Logan for being someone on the grid that I can talk to and get to know, besides Yuki of course.”

“Have you guys talked about anything in particular? Any expectations for your first race?”

“Logan actually gave me a really good pep talk before the drivers parade. It really helped calm my nerves down a bit. I’m gonna take Logan’s advice and try to have fun.” You said with a smile. The interviewer thanked you for your time and moved on to interview a different driver as you made your way back over to Logan. After waving to a bunch of fans, the parade concluded and you and the rest of the drivers got off the truck.

“What are you going to do during this race?” Logan asked you before the two of you departed to get ready for the race.

“Have fun!” You said.

“That’s right.” He gave your shoulder a reassuring pat and left for the William’s garage while you headed back to RB, your nerves seemingly having lessened.

Logan’s pep talk seemed to be exactly what you needed. You ended up finishing the race in P11, just out of the points but only two spots behind Yuki.

“(Y/N) that was a fantastic first race! Well done!” Your engineer's voice came through the radio as you waved while driving around the track.

“Oh my god! Thank you so much! That was so much fun! I couldn’t have done it without you or the team!” You said enthusiastically as you pulled into parc ferme. You sat in the car for a couple seconds, taking in the feeling of making it through your first Formula One race. Then, you took the wheel out and stepped out of the car.

Some of the pit crew workers gave you pats on the back or the shoulder, congratulating you on making it through your first race. As your eyes scanned the pit lane, looking for your team, they landed on the familiar America-decorated helmet of Logan.

“Logan!” You called as you jogged over to him. His eyes lit up at your approach and met you halfway.

“Nice one champ! P11 on debut!” He said, raising his hand for a high five before bringing you in for a brief congratulatory hug.

“I was so close to getting into points but I couldn’t catch up. You drove amazingly though! Congrats on P5!” You told him.

“Hey, don’t put yourself down for being “just” out of the points. Next race, you and I are going to be in the top 10.” He said. “Did you have fun?”

“Yea!” You exclaimed. Both your smiles seemed to grow.

“I told you! Come on, let’s go get weighed and you can tell me everything about the race.” Logan slung his arm over your shoulder as he led you over to the weigh stations.

The two of you spent the rest of the night recounting each of your guys' events of the race, every overtake and every mistake either of you made. Eventually exhaustion started to hit both of you and the two of you decided to head back to your hotel rooms.

“Thank you.” You said to Logan as you stood infront of your room after Logan offered to walk you back.

“For what?” He asked.

“For introducing yourself to me during pre-season testing. I honestly didn’t think I would be able to get to know anyone on the grid this season. All the other drivers seem to know each other really well or are just really intimidating.” You said, fidgeting with your fingers for a bit before looking back up at him “But I’m really glad to say that you're the first friend I’ve made on the grid.”

Logan’s smile seemed to lower and you grew concerned. But he noticed this and quickly change his expression to reassurance.

“I know how hard it is to make friends in this sport and I also know how isolating it can be. I didn’t want what happened in my rookie season to happen to you.” He told you. “I’m glad that you’re my friend too.”

You smiled, touched by what he said and happy that he considered you a friend as well. You held up your pinkie towards him.

“Promise that we’ll both be in the points next race?”

He linked your pinkie with his and matched your smile.

“I promise.”

#formula 1 x reader #f1 x reader #logan sargent x reader #platonic grid x reader

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aireia · 10 months ago

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And now I'm burning brighter than your dreams. — He grieves for you.

Extra notes: Read part 1 here! The fic makes just about 0 sense without it unfortunately.

tw/cw: minor spoilers for chapter 261. no pronouns used for reader but uses she/her in first part. death. angst with little fluff. hurt with a little comfort. minor implications of suicidal thoughts. dreaming. mentions of blood. minor violence. blades. death. injuries. author's first language still isn't english. no beta we die like everyone. wc: 6.8K

note: This fic makes 0 sense to me. It sucks ass, but there's 2 days till my birthday so I decided to become a genshin character and send you guys a gift (angst) instead of someone sending me gifts instead. I also have no idea how to tag this. —masterlist

y/n l/n’s death has been confirmed by second grade sorcerer Megumi Fushiguro.

It’s been a few weeks since your death. Has it really been that long?

It's spring. The seasons have just shifted, and it’s still cold early in the morning. Megumi tries his best to get out of bed every morning, but the chilly breeze in the morning doesn’t help at all. It’s been like that for the past few weeks. He’d feel the cold air in the morning, and his mind would flash back to the time where he was holding you in his arms.

He remembers everything. It was especially cold on that winter night, which meant bodies got cold way faster after dying. He remembers wanting to get your corpse back to jujutsu high as quickly as possible, but that meant he would’ve parted from you faster than he would have ever wanted. In fact, if there were a choice, he doesn’t think he could ever let go of you.

Megumi remembers telling himself to hold you for just a while longer after you began to get cold, to give you the warmth you deserved. You’re a child too, just like he is, and from his knowledge, most, if not all children hated the cold.

He doesn’t remember being a selfish person. He’s only been like that once, for all he can recollect. Although he knows how he was when he cradled your body. His lips were trembling, his arms desperately trying to keep you close. He didn’t shed many tears, no, but he remembers his throat threatening to spill words such as “don’t go” or “don’t leave me”, yet he choked on all of them.

Megumi was certain it wouldn’t have cursed you, considering you were killed by a cursed tool, but for the short period of time you were hanging onto the thread of consciousness you had left, he was sure he would’ve cursed not you, but himself to death with his words had you heard him.

He hasn’t been doing much either. Every single day has been a constant loop for him where he struggles to get out of bed, does a bit of training, eats a bit, and heads back to sleep earlier than he usually would. His mind keeps yelling at himself that he’s being pathetic, and that you were the same as the people who come and go in a jujutsu sorcerer’s life. Despite that, he doesn’t quite understand why every part of him refuses.

Megumi doesn’t dream about you often. In fact, he hasn’t dreamt of you for over a month now. It's for the better, he thinks, and he hopes it stays that way. Though, there's a part of him that wishes he could see you every time he closes his eyes, then maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. No, actually, screw that. Your name has rotted in everyone’s mouths. It tastes like vomit and dust on their tongues.

“They didn’t even give you a proper burial,” Megumi thought to himself before his eyelids finally closed. He doesn’t know what they did to you after he turned your corpse in. He doesn’t want to think about any of that either.

Thinking too much was going to be the reason he died, he swore of it.

Megumi can hear the sound of soft grass swaying. Wasn’t he in his room just a few moments ago? For once, he can breathe the air normally without feeling like he doesn’t deserve to, and the sunlight is kissing his eyelids so beautifully, so much more gently compared to the morning breeze that pricks his skin.

He opens his eyes, and Megumi finds himself in a field of blooming flowers. He softly reaches out to touch the petals before standing up. He walks around the place, the sound of the grass rustling as he walks around now the only thing in his ears.

Megumi stops and takes a large breath of fresh air. If he could, he’d live here forever, he thinks.

Then he spots a butterfly fluttering around him. It’s pretty, a shade of deep purple and black, and he can’t help but follow it as it flies away from him. Suddenly, he feels like he’s three again, and although he doesn’t remember most of his childhood, he vaguely remembered that he would play like this with his mother.

He loses the butterfly a little while later, and he’s greeted by falling sakura blossoms. He reaches out to touch the pastel pink flower, only for it to dissolve as soon as it comes in contact with his hand.

Megumi walks up to the tree, looking up at the flowers to see the sunlight that bled through the gaps. Then, he spots someone else. Someone who’s also wandering around, lost, like a child without direction.

His eyes shot open. Megumi touched his face. It was covered in beads of sweat, and his hands lightly trembled, he swears he saw you in the distance. You weren’t facing him. He walked around the field, aimlessly wandering around while admiring the violet butterflies that danced around the flowers, just as he did.

He walked up to you, and there you are. That’s when he woke up.

“2am..” Megumi sighed once he looked at the clock on his nightstand. You’re in his dreams. Damnit. He’s not saying you weren’t before you died, but then, everything was simple. He dreamt of your futures together, not what this was.

He wasn't able to fall back asleep after that, tossing and turning on his head, only thinking of the image of you in the field of flowers. You looked so beautiful, and he wondered for a moment if it could be reality. It’s selfish, but he really wants it to be.

“Woah Fushiguro! You look more tired than usual today. You sure you don’t wanna sit this one out?” Yuji asked the next morning, clearly concerned. Of course he was. Anyone would be if they saw the dark circles under his eyes.

“I’m fine. Let’s go,” he replied, stretching in hopes of getting rid of the tiredness he felt. Each step he took after that felt heavier than the last, and Megumi felt like crumbling to the ground and falling asleep, but the world continues to spin no matter how he feels, so he decides to continue taking missions and working himself to the bone.

At first, it’s fine. He easily distracts himself from the thoughts of you, but with each second that passes, he finds it harder and harder to do so. He’d thought that he would be able to forget you, but it seems to haunt him more and more now.

He doesn’t get it. He remembers when Yuji died for a few weeks after he met him, and he easily got rid of the heavy feeling in his stomach, but now you’re gone forever, and if he’s honest, he never knew much of you, or had that much time with you, and it was a single dream, so why can’t he return back to his normal self?

Despite all the thoughts that plagued him, the day passed by quickly… He thinks.

It felt like a long time when they were battling, but everything before and after that is a blur of memories he couldn’t bother to recall. Maybe it’s the injuries the curse inflicted on him that’s messing with his mind. Or it’s just like any other day, bleeding and merging into each other.

“Another dream…” Megumi thought to himself when he opened his eyes to see the dark sky. He’s lying on something hard. The floor, probably. He stretched his arms and sat up, only to get startled by you, who’s holding up a lantern in front of him. He stares at you for a while, trying to process finally seeing you, and you cupped his cheek with your free hand.

“It really is you. You disappeared just as I was about to call out for you last time,” you said, smiling. You set the lantern down and hugged him tightly, and Megumi couldn’t help but feel a little odd at the warmth of you. He’ll remember this feeling, he tells himself, because at least, he wants this nice, warm feeling to replace the final time he touched you before this, when your skin was cold to the touch.

“Where are we?” Megumi asked as you helped him up after you parted, and you picked the lantern back up. You looked in the sky, where the clouds swirled and drifted. “I don’t know,” you answered with a cheeky smile. You’re just the same as ever.

You grabbed one of his hands and began running towards the nearest door. “I guess we should explore, right?” you laughed, entering the manor, both your footsteps now echoing through the empty halls.

The walls were mostly lined with paintings of people you both recognised. Gojo and Shoko, along with a painting of a male with long, dark hair. The both of you slowed down to admire the art, and as you walked along the halls, you realised that the mysterious person’s paintings had been torn, namely the large gash that ran along his forehead.

As you kept going to what seemed to be an endless gallery, Gojo’s paintings also seemed to be growing weirder and weirder. His were stained with crimson, and eventually, his paintings too shared the same destruction as the ones beside him.

Shoko wasn’t in the frame of her paintings anymore.

Megumi was about to push the door to the next room open when you suddenly asked, “How’s everything been?” and his hand froze.

“It’s not been the best,” he answered, not wanting to go too much into detail. You didn’t want to push him, but if only you did, because right now, you miss him too.

The door opened to a garden, casted over by the shadows of the plants and trees. There’s a table in the middle of it, with tea and coffee and snacks. It seemed like too much of a set up for a date. Megumi wonders because it’s his dreams, maybe this is what he wanted when you were alive? To take you out to a coffee shop, one where there were barely any people so you could focus on each other.

Without thinking, he pulled you over to the table and pulled the chair out for you, before walking over to one of the bushes and plucking out a rose for you. He goes back to you and slips it into your hair, brushing some of it out of your face to admire your pretty eyes. You’re the same as ever, and he thinks it’s the best thing that he’s felt in the past few weeks.

Megumi pours a drink for you before sitting down to sip on his coffee, shyly biting into the cookie that you offered him with that pretty smile on your face.

He doesn’t know how much time has passed in this dreamland before the both of you finally get up and start walking around again. This time, you’re looking at the many flowers grown in the garden, and by the time you reach another door, you’ve woven a flower crown and placed it on Megumi’s head.

The both of you stared at the wooden door in the middle of the garden. Considering its location, it was safe to assume that this was the pathway back to the real world. You felt his lips brush against your forehead before he opened the door, and then he was gone.

Megumi awakens this time from the sound of knocking on his door. He looks at the clock on his bedside. It’s already 9AM in the morning. He lazily throws himself out of bed, before rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, then opens the door.

“Wow. Look at this guy.”

Nobara pointed at his bed head. Her and Yuji were both dressed in casual clothing, ready for the day as compared to him, who still looked half asleep in his dark, long sleeved shirt. Megumi listened to the duo talk for a while before they focused their attention on him.

“Fushiguro! Did you not listen to anything we said on the way back from our mission last night?” Nobara asked.

“I was asleep.”

“Then go get ready or something!” she half yelled, and pushed Megumi back into the room.

Once Megumi stepped back out, he was immediately dragged off to Shinjuku, where they continued to pull him around while shopping for sweets and clothes and just about anything. Just for those few hours, his mind was lifted from the thoughts of you, and he felt a little at peace, even though you were still in the back of his mind.

He felt a little guilty. Even though his expressions don’t show it, he feels so, so happy for the first time in weeks with his friends, but you aren’t here to feel it with him, and he can’t help but feel like he can’t feel what he does, because he wants you to be beside him too.

He looks at the sight in front of him, drinking in how Nobara and Yuji looked trying to win a plushie from the claw machine, his own breathing the only sound in his ears as the chatter of passer-bys drown out every other sound. The two are raging over a rigged machine, the sensitivity of the claw set just a little too high for it to be able to tightly grip the plushies.

And then, he thinks of you.

Through his eyes, he can picture you laughing along with them. You would’ve loved this. You would’ve loved every part of the life they lived.

After they successfully managed to bag two plushies, they continued their journey, running around Shinjuku before they ended up at a mall, where they took Megumi to a photobooth.

Yea. You would’ve loved this.

That night, Megumi pulled out the drawer of his nightstand where he kept your photo and compared it with the new photo in his hand. He noticed that Yuji had a few new scars on his face, Nobara looked a little bit more mature, and he… Still had his eyebags. And the most noticeable difference, you weren’t in the picture anymore.

He places both of them into the drawer and shuts it. He wants to take another picture with you again. Just the two of you, together.

“What’s it like being dead?” Megumi blurted out. He was dreaming again. You take your eyes off the cloud like fish that turn into mist at every touch. A whale swam by just then, turning into smoke and mist the moment Megumi reached out to touch it.

You stared at him, mind wandering. You fixed your gaze back on the creatures around you as you walked through the aquarium, and finally responded. “I’m just… There? I guess.”

“That isn’t an answer,” he said, slightly side-eyeing you, and you laughed. “I can’t say. I haven’t been dead for long, have I?” but that’s only to you. To Megumi, it’s been a lifetime without you, and hearing you say it again reminded him of just how much he’s grown to lean on your shoulder when he felt weak.

“Or maybe it’s because I’m waiting for someone that I’m putting off finally laying my soul to rest,” you said, pressing your finger against the glass of the aquarium tanks and watching as curious sea creatures gathered.

“Who?” Megumi asked, only for you to turn around and boop his nose with your finger.

“You, obviously.”

“You want me to die early?” He questioned again. What? Where’d he get that type of idea?

“Silly boy,” you laughed, grabbing his arm before running towards the exit of the aquarium, the stray animals around you disappearing as you ran through them, leaving large trails of mist behind you, as if you were deconstructing Megumi’s dreams for him, leading him back where he belonged.

“I’d wait an eternity for you, so don’t come here too early.”

When he woke up again, the rain outside was as heavy as ever. With the way it’s pouring down, it looks like there’s clouds of mist everywhere. That would explain why he dreamt of… Whatever that was. He pressed his finger against the panel of the window, wondering if there was even the slightest chance for him to create shikigami that resembled the ones in his imaginations.

Actually, nevermind. That sounded stupid.

Megumi got ready for his day. For once, he felt just a little bit more energised. Maybe it was because he felt reassured. You’re waiting for him, and he won’t be alone. Even if he can’t see you now, but still! He knows now that if he does somehow die, which you wouldn’t be happy about, at least he’d be able to have all the time in the world with you.

The grief doesn’t feel as heavy anymore, now replaced by his hopes that you’d keep visiting him in his dreams, entering his mind and pulling him out of his own, it felt almost as if it were him who was in your dreams, and not the other way around.

It’s been a few months now, and he’s dreamt of you so, so many times. Each time he left those dreams meant that he made new memories with you– something you weren’t able to do in the real world. Megumi can’t help but find himself wanting to be with you more. He wants to make up for the lost time, for every second he wasn’t able to be by your side. If anyone knew, they’d call him obsessive. Hell, they’d say anything, but to him, this felt like hope he seemed to have lost.

He sat in his bed, reading one of his novels. Actually, reading… Wouldn’t be the right term here. He found himself mindlessly staring at the words and flipping through pages he hadn't read as he thought and dwelled on memories from when you were still alive.

Megumi looked out the window of the classroom. It’s autumn again. The trees have begun to turn a shade of orange, the wind has gotten just a little colder, and everything seemed a little bit duller.

Today, grey clouds covered the skies, and he looked at the front of the class. It seemed just like the day you first stepped foot into campus, where one day they’d all get permissions and have sleepovers and drink hot chocolate, and he can’t help but feel a little saddened.

Now all the memories he has of you are from the figments of his and your imaginations. Is it so wrong for him to wish to see the stars with you again? Is it so wrong for him to wish for you to take his first kiss in the winter on the roof again?

Megumi wants nothing more right now than to relive each of those memories, and with each passing second, he finds himself wanting to do those things in his dreams, even though he can’t control any of them.

“It’s almost winter? Brings back memories,” you breathed out, walking ahead of him. “I wanna play monopoly with you guys again. I was so close to winning last time.”

“Why couldn’t we have ended up like that?” Megumi asked you one day.

He was at a beach with you this time. When he opened his eyes, you were dancing in the cool water, freer than any bird with your arms spread wide to welcome the breeze and sunlight that kissed your skin.

He was mesmerised by the way you moved, and before he knew it, you pulled him by his arms to dance with you, the warmth of your hands surrounding his skin. And then, you sat by the ocean with your feet in the water, your head resting on Megumi’s shoulder.

“It would’ve been selfish,” you replied to his question, closing your eyes to listen to the sound of the waves.

“It’s okay to be,” he retorted. “We could’ve been so much more.”

Silence took over, and you think for a moment. He’s right. You could've been everything.

“There wouldn’t have been a point to it with what I was.” There was bitterness in your voice. “And besides, I don’t have the right to feel that way.”

“I should’ve been more selfish for you.”

You looked at the water splashing over your legs and stood up, slowly making your way to the deeper parts of the water. Maybe it's your fault for showing up so much, but you miss him just as much as he does, and you're unsure of how to get him to stop, or for you to let go, too.

“It’s time for me to go. See you?”

The uncertainty in your voice made him feel worried. He got up and tried to reach out towards you, wanting to do anything to keep you from leaving again, but the waves had consumed you before he could, and suddenly, his eyes were open, and he’s awake.

He doesn’t like how quickly the dream went by.

He doesn’t dream of you again after that. You’re always on his mind, just like usual, but he can’t seem to speak to you or dream of you. Each day spent was a day spent in disappointment, and he doesn’t want to stop trying.

Megumi could walk down the streets and see various flowers and plants, or a pretty bird you’d like, and he’d want to talk to you about it.

Despite how strong his desires are, he can’t find you anywhere. He swears he’s about to start writing letters to heaven and somehow hoping they get to you. He’s dreamt of you so much now he’s starting to think you’re alive again, and more often than not, he finds himself picking his phone up and clicking on your contact in hopes of being able to text you about his day, and for you to respond to him, but that won’t happen, and he knows it.

And then all of it repeats. He’s going to bed earlier and earlier, hoping that by some miracle that he was going to see you in the fog of illusions his brain made.

But you never showed up, and he was getting tired of it. He found it harder to concentrate on missions, because there were just so many things he wanted to tell you, and he kept telling himself to remember because he’ll see you again, and then he’ll get to tell you of everything he’s seen, because you were never able to see them.

He’s so full of you, you, and you, and all the heart he has for you, so please, he begs, for once he's found something he can look forward to, why won’t you just comfort him again?

“Megumi…”

His eyes opened abruptly to scan his surroundings. Another few months have passed, and a year has probably passed since you first started appearing in his dreams, he’s finally heard your voice again. There’s nothing around him. It’s pure darkness, and he can hear your voice echoing somewhere.

Megumi started following the sound of you, and eventually, the ground crunched with each step he took. He looked down. He’s stepping on white snow, then he looks up again, and there’s a trail of blood.

And he hears your voice in that direction.

He gulps and freezes. His legs are physically impaled into the ground, as if something were holding him down, and he can’t find it in himself to move. And then he thinks, and thinks, and you’re in danger, and suddenly, he takes one step, and then he’s running towards you.

The trees seem to become blurry as he increases his speed, and he doesn’t know how long he’s been running. One moment it’s dark, and then there was light as he stepped into the snow, and now, the sun has set, and he’s running in hopes of reaching you before he fails you again.

He’s panting heavily, his legs are about to give out from the running, and he finally sees you. The blood on the ground he saw earlier had gotten thicker with every step he ran, and he sees you laying in the cold snow again, with your arm extended towards the skies. There’s a star you’re hoping to grasp, to reach and it’s shining so brightly, so radiant and pretty for everyone in the world to see as you finally realised– It’s always been out of your reach.

Megumi ran towards you and pulled you into his arms. He wondered to himself just as he did it, what is he doing? Why does he have to experience this again? It’s completely the same, and he can feel how cold your body is.

He feels like he’s on autopilot, vision shaky and blurry as he holds your freezing hand up to his cheek, and he can feel his heart thumping in his chest, his mind running thousands of miles per second, and yet just one word from you snapped him out of all of it.

“I’m sorry.”

For some reason, Megumi dreaded that you’d apologise. He didn’t want an apology. He knows you felt guilty for the pain you’d caused him, but he’s over it. He could never hate you, because why would he? How could he hate you when you gave him company, love, and comfort? How could he hate you when he’s himself?

He doesn’t respond to you. Not this time. Instead, he looks up to see the moon, and just as he thought, there wasn’t any moon again, because why would there be when it was right beside him? And for how much you loved the sun, isn’t it cruel that it never shone upon you?

His eyes shot open again. It feels even worse now. He knows it’s just a dream, but you were dying, and he’s awake, and he wonders if he was still there holding you so you felt warm before everything went dark. He stares at his hands. It’s not stained with blood. Not anymore, for he washed it off over a year ago, so why does it feel so devastating knowing it wasn’t real?

Perhaps it was the feeling that he’s failed you again, and there wasn’t anyone by your side, or maybe he’s thinking from your perspective. Maybe he was never beside you and he’s invisible in his dreams, and you think you don’t deserve the grace of a little mercy, just a little bit of company and kindness when you die.

The tight feeling in his chest from the day he woke up after your passing was back again, and he can’t help but think it’s only gotten worse.

Megumi wipes the sweat off his forehead and gets up. He has a solo mission today. He can’t mess up again. Not when you’re no longer around to have his back.

Once he’s ready, he meets up with Ijichi, who briefs him on his mission while driving. It seemed easy enough. Worst case scenario, he’d run into a grade two curse, which he wouldn’t have that much of a problem defeating.

So why exactly was he being stared down by such a creature now? He can’t help but feel a sense of deja vu. This exact thing has happened before, but at least you were there at the time. Now, he’s alone, trapped in a veil with no way to contact the outside world, and with the way the curse looks, he feels that he’s about to be beheaded.

He snaps out of his thoughts when the curse swings at him, and he barely dodges the attack. He’s convinced he would’ve been turned into minced meat. He can’t do this. He can’t, not alone.

He needs you, but you aren’t there again.

He knows he can’t keep dodging forever. His stamina would run out soon, but every single attack he tried to deliver just wasn’t working. Nothing was. Every hit given was just another dent in his blade. It’s near its breaking point too, he can tell.

Megumi’s eyes close as another impact lands on his weapon, and he doesn’t process it, but another hit, and everything hurts. He’s not sure if he’s broken a bone or not, or if anything inside his body is bleeding, but he’s very, very sure that he’s bleeding out. He’s tired.

He doesn’t want to do this anymore. He can’t bring himself to get up. He can only stare at the curse before he finally blacks out.

“Hello?” he hears a voice sing out, and his eyes flutter open. “You’re awake, finally”

You’re looking down from above him.

“What… Where am I?" Megumi questioned you, looking around the blank space around him.

“The border between life and death. I'm just here to make sure you don't die early, that's what partners are for, right?” you crouched down and flicked his forehead.

“You’re dwelling on me too much. It’s been a year, you know?” you looked straight at him, noticing that he was avoiding your gaze. “...It’s because I've been appearing in your dreams, haven't I? That's what's holding you back.” Megumi finally looked at you at the mentions of his imaginations. Yes, you have been in his dreams. You are his dream, but he doesn’t want you to feel bad because of it.

“I don’t want to let go.”

You sighed at his words and sat down next to him. “Megumi, you have to understand that I’m only a small chapter in your life. I’m not much of a psychologist, but that chapter has ended– Our chapter has ended. You’re still young, Megumi, there’s so much you can experience, so don’t end it all–”

“You were young too,” he blurted out. “You had a lot you could’ve experienced too, but you couldn’t.”

“I wanted to live beautifully too!” you suddenly snapped at him, and everything went silent.

The tension between you two only increased with each passing moment, and you both sat in silence for a while. Truthfully, you were wondering how much time had gone by while Megumi was unconscious. You felt like there was a weight in your heart, a lump in your throat, something that prevented you from speaking.

You finally decided to speak up after some time. You needed a way to get him out of this place one way or another.

“Say, Megumi. What do you see me as?” Once you asked, he didn’t hesitate to respond.

“The moon.”

"Even after so long you're still looking at me as if I were the moon," you chuckled.

"...It's unfair." You whipped your head to face Megumi when you heard the crack in his voice. "What's unfair?" You shakily reached out for him, but stopped when tears began to stream down his face.

“Megumi–”

"Not just the moon," he interrupted through his hiccups. "I wanted to make you my entire universe."

You sharply inhaled, and pulled him towards you. He clung onto you. You noticed how his hands were tightly gripping onto your shirt, and you gulped. “I’m sorry,” you choked out. “I’m sorry,” you said again, running your hand through his hair.

“I never properly apologised to you for hurting you, did I? I’m sorry.”

The next few minutes were filled with apologies, his tears staining your sleeves. You pulled away after he stopped crying, your hand now tightly wrapped around his. “Megumi, listen. You have unfinished business. You need to get up and go, or I'll kill you myself.”

“Don't steal my lines,” he weakly croaked out in between sobs.

Megumi sighed and wiped his tears away, finally standing up. He couldn’t help but notice your hand tightening around his just a little after he helped you stand.

“I’m gonna miss this feeling once you go,” you confessed to him, fingers now running over his calloused knuckles.

“I have a request, Megumi,” you said, smiling at him. “I know I told you to move on, and I won’t appear in your but remember me every once in a while, okay? Somehow, I feel that there isn’t another soul that’ll remember me for anything good I’ve done,” and he bites his lips at your words. It’s true, everyone will forget you.

“Hey, wait,” Megumi says before you pull away from him. “Do you think I’m going to be alone when it’s my turn to die?” he asked.

You wondered for a while, then responded, “You won’t,” you said as you interlaced your fingers together. “You’ll be surrounded by so many people, and they’ll be there to help you live on for so much longer, I’d doubt you ever died,” you continued.

“Even if you are, and you feel alone” you wrapped your arms around his neck and kissed him goodbye one last time. “I’ll be here to kiss your lonely soul,” you teased, and he smiled before you detached yourself from him and turned around to walk away.

“Don’t take that as an invitation to come here early!”

“Oh! And let’s meet up on that mountain again. Under the tree!” you waved.

Megumi’s eyes opened. He looked around him. There were remnants of curses that weren’t there before he became unconscious.

“He’s awake!” Yuji shouted, and Nobara came over to help him walk to the car they came in with Nitta.

“We got worried about you since you didn’t come back,” the pink haired male said, helping him into the car before the both of them got to (aggressively) bandaging him up. He looks at the clock at the front of the car. It’s late.

Once they got back, Megumi got out and began walking in the direction towards the cliffs. “Hey! We need you to get checked by Shoko! She’s been waiting ever since we started searching for you!”

He groaned, but begrudgingly followed them, and all the way throughout his check-up, he’s only been thinking about everything you’ve said to him. The minute it was over, he darted out the door and ran for the cliffs.

Megumi was panting slightly when he got there. He went right after the mission, with blood still staining his uniform. The moon hung high in the sky, watching as he summoned his demon dogs and began digging the spot under the tree. Megumi began clawing at the soil using his hands at one point, getting dirt stuck in between his nails and fingers. He only stopped when he found a slightly rusted metal box.

The boy didn’t know what to expect inside, taking a deep breath and gulping before his shaky hands lifted the cover of the box.

Megumi saw a few pictures of you and him, some of the accessories you wore, a book, and a piece of letter that had been neatly folded.

He sat down under the tree and unfolded the letter, and began reading.

My blessing,

Truthfully, I don’t really remember my first day at the school anymore, because when I stepped foot into campus, my goal was to get information from all of you, acting like a shadow that didn’t exist. I know that I felt alone before that, but before I knew it, I had been shone upon by stars that burnt brighter than even the sun, but yet, you seemed to be the darkest shadow among all the students.

I planned to die from the first day, but I only made it worse by getting closer to all of you. Had I not done so, you wouldn’t be feeling any of the grief you do.

I’ve only been in your life for a few months, Megumi. I want to think I’ve made a change in your life., because I’m looking back on it right now, and you’ve made such a big impact in my life. All of you.

Come to think of it, we never got to see spring together. Next time we see each other, let’s meet in spring, so we can have picnics at night while wishing upon the stars, just like children do.

And I’ll make sure I’ll be the one to greet you first, because you were the one who waved to me first in this life.

Let’s meet again in a more forgiving world.

He held the letter in his hands after he read it, trying to figure out what he felt about it. His eyes are blank, and he’s cried so much for you that he doesn’t know if he has the energy for it anymore.

A heavy feeling settles on his heart as he sets the letter down and picks the book up. It was a book he’s wanted for a while, something he mentioned to you once while you were stargazing, but he never brought it up to you again afterwards.

Megumi flips open the cover, and there are wilted sakura blooms pressed flatly against the blank page, along with your handwriting.

“They bloomed early this year, Happy Valentines Day, Megumi.”

He continued flipping through the pages, and you had annotated the book, highlighting everything you felt he would look back at, the cute moments between the people in the book that reminded you of the both of you, and a bookmark made of wilted flowers that bloomed all year round on the page of the couple’s wedding.

Suddenly, he feels tears in his eyes again, and they overflow and drip onto the pages, slightly staining them. You told him to move on, but how could he? It was obvious you were lying to him again. You never planned to die. Even if you did, it’s obvious you never wanted to die. You wanted to spend your life with him. You wanted to swim in the ocean at night together, you wanted to wake up next to him, go on dates to carnivals just to ride the ferris wheel and admire the view of Tokyo.

And then it finally sunk into his soul that he’d never see you again. Not now, at least.

His hold around the book tightened, and he hugged his knees close to his chest. He wished on every universe that you’d somehow appear beside him and wipe his tears away, chasing away the heavy feeling in his heart. He knows the feeling is temporary, and it’ll go away in a while, but he feels so alone.

By the time he finally stands up, his legs ache from how long he’s been sitting on the ground, and the sun is peeking through the horizon. He’s been consumed by his own thoughts for hours, and he thinks maybe it’s in his mind, but just as he turned around to walk away, a breeze of air went by him, and it felt as if something hugged him, just for a second.

The universe is watching over him after all.

February 14th, two years after your death.

Megumi’s back at your spot again. This time, there’s a grave he had made for you, with a few plants planted beside it, and the ribbons tied around the stems sway in the wind. He sits down beside it and his fingers graze the tips of the soft grass.

He closes his eyes, and he realises he can no longer remember what you look like. Well, not really. He remembers clearly what you look like. He still has the picture all of you took at the mall together, and he holds it dearly, but all of them have grown, and it’s not enough to remember you anymore.

There are new scars around their bodies, they’ve grown taller, become stronger. Megumi wonders what you would’ve looked like if you stood beside him now.

He looks around him, and maybe that’s his answer. The grass is greener, the trees have grown taller, the waves of the ocean are just as if not even more calming now…

You would’ve turned out just fine.

He can’t remember how many times he’s reread the book you’ve given him, but he finds himself turning to the page where the two lovers separated.

“Do you think we’ll be like this forever?” the protagonist asked her partner, and you highlighted the phrase, a small note made in the gaps between words.

“Not forever, but definitely for a long time.”

Year ????

A young male with black coloured hair is walking through a park in Tokyo. The sun is shining brightly, and there are sakura flowers blooming. Some petals have fallen onto the sidewalk and grass, and he inhales deeply before stopping to admire… Everything.

The world looks especially pretty today. He doesn’t know why, but the sky seemed to shine just a little brighter.

A rare smile graces his lips, and he spots his friends and teacher waiting for him under one of the trees, all set and ready for a picnic. Someone taps his shoulder just before he takes a step forward, and he turns around to face someone with a face that seemed too familiar.

You.

He sees you. You, who’s waving at him with that smile on your face that he adored.

by user @ aireia, do not plagiarize and/or translate.

#signed by aireia!#jujutsu kaisen #jjk x reader #jjk #jujutsu kaisen x reader #jjk imagines #megumi x reader #megumi fushiguro #jjk megumi #megumi fushiguro x you #fushiguro megumi x reader #jjk angst #megumi x you

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iminyourwallsbabe · 2 months ago

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One of the Good Ones (or why CaitVi in early season 2 was... like that)

Okay so I, like many people, were struggling with figuring out why Vi became an enforcer. I had a vague idea, and I also chocked it up to League lore making things a little strange but that wasn't enough for me. With how intentional everything is in this show I had to try and get to the bottom of it, and I think I have the answer.

Tldr; Both Caitlyn and Vi operate under the idea that the other is one of the "good" ones/an exception to their bias while both striving to be that to each other.

Let me cook

Okay so starting with this situation from Vi's perspective, all she's ever known and seen enforcers be are evil asf. This is a valid conclusion to draw, but naturally it creates a lack of respect for and bias against them. So, when Caitlyn shows up and isn't immediately an asshole and goes so far as to be *gasp* pleasant to be around, it's a huge shock. It's like "oh wow, finally, somebody with some sense". Plus, she just got out of prison and most of her family is dead so it's only natural that she'd attach herself to Caitlyn a little faster than she should have. I've said that before and people disagreed, which is fair, but I'll stand on that.

For Caitlyn, it's a similar situation but MUCH less traumatic and brutal. She's a sheltered rich girl who's only ever been told that Zaunites are the worst ppl ever, so naturally, even though she doesn't outright hate them, she has those implicit biases. But anyway, despite that, Vi shows up in her life and it's still a shocker to her. That's not what she was told would happen. Zaunites were supposed to be violent and scary and all sorts of other things but Vi is not that. At least not to that extent, she definitely is a little bit violent but not in the way Piltover would assume she would be. She was one of the good ones.

So that kind of becomes the foundation of their relationship, which is why it gets so rocky. They both like each other for the person they are but a lot of that is attached to the fact that they are not like the assumptions they had about the other's class of people. They both want to try and uphold that view though, and that's the problem.

For Caitlyn, she acknowledges that there's some issues with how Zaunites are treated and wants to try and avoid being part of what she thinks is the problem. She wants to be one of the good leaders who does the right thing. At least in season 1.

For Vi, she's the token minority. She understands how fragile her position is in all of this. As far as representation for Zaun, she was damn near all they had. As far as she knew, nobody was in that council room looking out for them. So the fact that Caitlyn even brought her with her to explain the situation with Silco was an insane opportunity. She had to do what she had to do to keep it because there was almost no chance that anyone else would make it that far, especially if she didn't try to disprove people's assumptions of her and her people. This isn't to say that she changed the way she acted a whole lot. She really didn't. Most of this was an accident, but now she was aware of how she acted in comparison to what Piltover's citizens thought of her.

To try and break that down I'll tell you a personal story. One time, I was with my aunts and they complimented me on how I wasn't like "those other girls with the big lashes and the wigs and etc" and how I was "so true to myself". I've heard things like that a couple of times but it made me hyper aware of it. I never intended to be contrary to most black girls, I just never really had an interest in lace front and lashes and that specific aesthetic, which isn't even a bad thing nor is that representative of every black woman. I wore a lace front for prom and I'm never doing it again, it just isn't my thing, but I'm not striving by any means to not be like that, whatever that means. But now that they said that, that's something I was thinking about. Were they disappointed when they saw my prom photos and saw me in that wig? Did they think I was trying to fit in? What would they think if they knew how many of "those types" of girls I hung out with?

That's the position Vi is in by the end of season 1, but with much higher stakes. Especially after Jinx blows up the council building. Now she has to try and be one of the good ones, because there's extra animosity towards Zaun.

Eventually, this culminates in the cop era. Vi kind of gets backed into a corner, I think. Not necessarily by Caitlyn but by the social pressure around them. As things get more and more tense after the second attack, it becomes less about siding with the enemy and more about "what's the best way to keep my people from suffering and dying", because that's the next move. If she takes the badge and works under Caitlyn, maybe she can have some control or at least some say in how things get handled. It wasn't her forgetting what they did to her and other people, in fact it was a hyper awareness.

This is also why Vi tells Caitlyn to take the shot at Jinx if she gets the chance. Once again, she was backed into a corner by the political situation. She didn't just suddenly give up on her. Look at how Caitlyn was moving in her pursuit of Jinx, y'all think Vi didn't see that? Y'all think she didn't know how much worse it could get? If killing Jinx was the only way to spare thousands of people, unfortunately that would be the better choice. I think people forget just how much Vi cares about Zaun. She is just as much an advocate for them as Ekko or Sevika. She just has a different approach due to her circumstances.

But as we've seen in the real world, holding power like that won't stop the oppression you face. Having black cops doesn't stop police brutality, having a gay governor doesn't erase conversion camps. If they don't want to hear you, they will not hear you no matter what position you occupy. And that's exactly what happened to Vi. Caitlyn didn't wanna hear her because she was too caught up in her own biases and feelings, and next thing you know, things get 10x worse. That isn't a dig at Vi, I think she tried her best given the circumstances but it was an uphill battle she was fighting, even with her girlfriend. Caitlyn took her opposition as a defense of Jinx, which was a reaction loaded with personal trauma and implicit bias. That would not have happened if she didn't see Vi as "one of the good ones".

That's a very heavy crown to wear, and it can and will fall off your head eventually.

It sounds like it's a wrap from there, but they do eventually get back together. I think that split needed to happen the way it did, they both needed to see that being an exception serves nobody. For Vi, she was the first to be hit with that but Caitlyn got that later. When she started to understand the scope of Ambessa's plans and began to recognize her own cruelty, Caitlyn started to see it too.

We all joke that she folded the minute she heard Vi call her cupcake again but it was deeper than that. She already had doubts about what she was doing, not enough to do anything yet but there were seeds. One moment I can specifically point to is when she sees the commune. Something like this, a place where you're not even allowed to have weapons, feel unreal in a place like Zaun. Then, she sees Vi, she sees her family, Vi calls her cupcake again, that is what solidified her decision to betray Ambessa. It wasn't really about Vi in that moment and more so the fact that this is exactly what she wanted at the end of her season 1 character arc. The plan she helped put into the world would have (and did) wreck all of that. She wanted to think of herself as the exception, not as cruel as Ambessa, not as intolerant as a regular enforcer, but in that moment she realized that her intentions and everybody else's were not the same and they weren't trying to hear her. The fact that they supported her so much means she was probably doing more harm than good. Still, notice how she doesn't renounce her position as an enforcer or even really criticize Piltover as a whole yet, she just separates herself from Ambessa.

I don't think it was fully drilled into her brain until the final battle where she's about to die. She's got a knife in her stomach and a gun to the back of her head, she's cooked, it's over, and that's when she really learned that this was so much bigger than her. I think going into the battle she still saw herself as the noble exception that was going to save the day, but when she was faced with the severity and how deep rooted the glorious evolution was, she learned then that her good deeds would never be enough to even come close to fixing this mess. Being one of the good ones did nothing for anybody she cared about.

This is why I'm of the belief that, even if she didn't lose her shooting eye, she probably would've stopped being an enforcer after that battle. Look at the ending. I know it isn't the perfect solution to all of this, but it still says a lot about where Caitlyn is headed post-canon. The council has new people on it including Sevika, which is presumably her decision because idk who else would have (at least anyone with the authority to do so). And, when we do see Caitlyn, she's at that computer thingy. I don't think she was just there to look for Jinx, she was probably also looking into her mother's solution to the air problem in Zaun. I'm also going to assume she's officially on the council now. Again, not what needed to happen but the very fact that she's no longer an enforcer says volumes. The very core of being an enforcer is holding up preexisting systems and whatever decisions are made by the council. If she wants to do anything helpful, that's not where she needs to be. She doesn't need to be enforcing the law of the corrupt, she needs to actually put out orders that at least force them to be better. She's arguably the most socially powerful person in Piltover right now, she has that power. They may not want to hear her, but they will. A really nice enforcer isn't shit compared to a firm leader who actually puts their ideals into action.

So long story short, that's why season 2 CaitVi had such an insane breakup, bye

#arcane #arcane s2 #arcane spoilers #caitvi #caitvi nation #caitlyn kiramman #violyn #vi arcane #arcane analysis

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coraniaid · 12 days ago

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buffy/angel

I think Buffy's relationship with Angel is a hugely important part of her character and something which is vital to understanding all of her future romantic relationships. Yeah, maybe Boreanaz isn't the world's best actor (or second best, or third best, or ...) but Angel's hardly the only character in the first couple of seasons whose actor could be doing a better job and at a certain point all of the clowning on him starts to feel a bit tedious. I honestly kind of hate the way some fans of other ships will try to handwave away the importance of this relationship and pretend that Buffy wasn't ever really in love with Angel or that she'd be fundamentally the same person if she'd never met him. It just feels like a total refusal to engage with what is actually happening on screen.

That said: I don't ship it, no.

1) Why don't you ship it?

For me there are three main issues.

First, there's a bit of a pacing issue. The late Season 1 dynamic -- Buffy is attracted to Angel but conflicted about the fact he's a vampire and they definitely aren't dating as such -- is pretty good, I think, if not anything groundbreaking. As Xander says early on, Angel is "a very attractive man". He's a mysterious older guy who shows up now and then whenever there's danger and he's very pretty and brooding and troubled and he gives Buffy his leather jacket when she's cold and tells her to keep it because it "looks better on you". Buffy is into him. I get it.

That's how we start Season 2, too. In When She Was Bad Buffy tells Angel "there is no us" and claims she didn't spend the summer "mooning over" him, but we also see that she missed him and she tries and fails to tell him that. In Reptile Boy Buffy admits to Willow that she's been dreaming about Angel a lot but insists that "the vampire thing" means she can't have a relationship with him; Willow later gets angry with Angel on Buffy's behalf and asks him why he can't make time for a cup of coffee.

But by What's My Line?, just four episodes later, Buffy and Angel are definitely dating (he takes her to the ice rink, she claims that Spike has crossed a line because "nobody messes with my boyfriend"). So that gives the show just three episodes to go from "Buffy is attracted to Angel but they aren't in any sort of relationship" to "wait, yes they are" and I'm not sure it manages it. (Especially because the question of their relationship doesn't even really come up in The Dark Age.)

Are they already dating in Halloween, when Buffy dresses up to impress Angel and he tells her she's "not like other girls"? Are they dating in Lie To Me, when Angel seems jealous of Buffy's newly arrived ex-crush Ford and Buffy tells Angel she loves him but doesn't know if she trusts him? This isn't a rhetorical question: I genuinely don't know. In the same episode Ford asks Buffy if Angel is her boyfriend and her reply is "No. Uh, yeah. Maybe." before she asks for a break from "the tough questions". The show needs Buffy and Angel to get together, for Surprise and Innocence and everything that follows, but it feels like large parts of their developing relationship must be happening entirely off-screen.

That ties into my second problem, which is ... well, I'm not sure the show is actually very good at writing this sort of romance plot? It's a teen supernatural drama set in a high school, so all these rituals of first dates and crushes and saying "I love you" for the first time and putting labels like "boyfriend" or "girlfriend" to things are hugely important to the characters, but I don't think they really matter to the writers much at all. And more broadly I don't think I really share the writers sense of what is and what isn't romantic. (As I've said before, the Riley stuff in Season 4 explicitly shows us what the writers think a healthy relationship for Buffy looks like and it's kind of awful?) The speech Angel gives Buffy in Halloween about she's not like other girls (because said girls were uniformly "dull, simpering morons" who he "hated") is obviously meant to be romantic, but ... uh. Yikes.

And it certainly doesn't help that a year and half later Angel will give Buffy the "not like other girls" speech again and describe a completely different set of girls who he finds boring and hateful. (A scene that is, again, portrayed in a way I really don't understand.) For that matter, it doesn't help that in Becoming (Part 1) we get a slight retcon when we see that Angel didn't actually meet Buffy for the first time in Welcome To The Hellmouth ("truth is, I thought you'd be taller") but actually ... well. Was driven past her school in a dark car with tinted windows to check her out while she was a fifteen year old high school student. (In context, I want to believe that this is a deliberate choice on the writers part to make us feel uneasy about the basis of the relationship -- just like the choice in I Only Have Eyes For You to parallel it to a relationship between a teenager and his adult teacher -- but in practice I'm not so sure! The Becoming flashback gets brought up again in Season 3 but the framing when it does seems to suggest it's a lot more romantic than I ever took it as being.)

I find it easy to believe Buffy would be attracted to Angel. I find it easy to believe she is (was) in love with him and that the fact she was forced to send him to hell still haunts her years later. I just don't really think the show does a good job of showing how she goes from being attracted to him and "mooning after" him to being in love with him and not even noticing when he vamps out. I think the viewer just needs to do too much of the work. (Maybe this is something where the show suffers from being watched on DVD or steaming services on demand rather than at most one episode per week. In real time, over a month passed between Reptile Boy and What's My Line? which is plenty of time for the audience's imagination to fill in some of the gaps. On my last season-long rewatch I think I watched the three intervening episodes over the course of two evenings.)

And this ties into my third problem, which is that while I believe her relationship with Angel is hugely important to Buffy it never really feels like Buffy means that much to Angel. And maybe that is on Boreanaz's acting, at least a little bit. Maybe a better actor would have done better in the role. I'm not sure they would have been able to do much with the material they were given, but it might have helped.

But it's also down to the writing. Both in Buffy -- when, because Buffy is the main character, we don't really get to see Angel's side of things at all -- but mostly because of how Angel is written in Angel. There was a very deliberate choice on the part of the Angel writers (specifically Greenwalt, I think?) to play up Angel's past relationship with Darla in a way that reframes his relationship with Buffy. And while I understand that decision from a writing point of view -- the show needs to give Angel's character more depth, it doesn't want to live forever in the shadow of its parent show, SMG can't keep making cameo appearances -- and I do really like Darla as a character, it does a huge disservice to Buffy.

Because the retcon means that, while Angel is the hugely important figure in Buffy's life and always will be, to Angel Buffy is ... just a teenage girl he saw one day who reminded him of his old lover Darla. Darla is to Angel what Angel is to Buffy. It doesn't sit at all well with either of those "not like other girls" speeches he gave her. We know now that Angel met somebody "exciting" centuries before Buffy was even born. We surely don't believe Angel when he tells Buffy he's been with "hundreds" of girls like Faith but Buffy is the only woman he's ever loved. There's just this fundamental asymmetry there that makes it really hard to be emotionally invested in the ship. (To be clear: the problem isn't that Buffy isn't the first person Angel's loved, it's that so much of their relationship on her show involves him repeatedly telling her that she was, only for it to be later revealed that this can't be true. It makes him fundamentally dishonest in a way I don't think he was originally written to be.)

2) What would have made you ship it?

Hand on heart I'm not sure anything could have made me ship it as such.

Maybe there's some version of Buffy in which Angel never left for LA and we didn't get those 1996 flashbacks in Becoming and Season 3 really played up Angel's time in hell and had him more slowly rebuild his strength and memories before starting to think about a relationship with Buffy again that I'd have got more invested in. Maybe if Angel had stayed in hell for longer, and only come back in Season 4 (and Buffy could have been hiding him not just from her friends but from the Initiative). But I don't really think so.

Season 2 of Buffy is really good -- maybe the show's best, honestly -- and a huge part of that is the whole Angel-losing-his-soul side of things. I wouldn't want to change that. But once you've gone through that arc, once you've done the "Buffy sleeps with a guy she likes and afterwards it like he's a whole new person and she never really knew him at all" metaphor, I don't think you can go back to the status quo.

3) Despite not shipping it, do you have anything positive to say about it?

As I said above, I think it's a hugely important relationship for Buffy and I'm a little suspicious of people who try to pretend it isn't. I don't hate it: I just find it a little underwhelming in execution. Angel and Buffy do have some nice moments together before he loses his soul. I don't dislike Amends as much as some people do, and I think Buffy's speech to Angel about the importance of fighting day after day and never giving up is good. I like the fact Angel comes back to Sunnydale after Joyce dies to check in on Buffy. I even like his cameo in the finale. It's a bit perfunctory, sure, and there's more than a bit of the deus ex machina about the whole magical amulet thing, but it wouldn't have felt right to Buffy's story for him not to be there.

(She should have asked how Cordelia was doing while they were catching up though. Make him lie to her once more for old time's sake.)

#btvs #asks #thanks for the ask!

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winx099 · 25 days ago

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Why I Love the 4Kids Winx Club Dub

youtube

Why I Love the 4Kids Winx Club Dub (And Why It Deserves More Love) (not bashing other dubs, just hoping to create some more understanding in the community)

I know it’s a pretty hot topic, and I’m not here to bash any other dubs, but I really want to take a moment to explain why I love the 4Kids dub of Winx Club and why so many fans, including myself, still hold it close to their hearts. Yes, the 4Kids dub has its flaws—like the episode cuts and missing scenes—but there’s a reason it has such a dedicated fanbase. Here’s why it stands out to me.

The Immersive Experience

First, let’s address the editing. Sure, 4Kids did a lot of splicing and dicing, and while I do wish some scenes were left in, they truly created an immersive viewing experience. The 4Kids dub was my introduction to Winx Club, and it taught me more than just magic and fairy adventures—it taught me about real friendship and life lessons I didn’t quite get from the RAI dub.

For example, in the RAI dub, there’s a scene in Season 1, Episode 3, where Musa makes a snarky remark about Tecna’s dress, calling her a “total diva.” It felt unnecessarily mean to me, and honestly, I was pretty taken aback. In the 4Kids version, Musa’s comment was much more playful—she just says Tecna’s dress is “fresh.” Sure, it's a bit of early-2000s cringe, but it felt more in line with the supportive friendships the show was trying to showcase.

Character Consistency

Another scene that stands out to me is from Season 2, where Bloom hits Aisha because she’s jealous of her and Sky while in Shadowhaunt. This scene was completely cut from the 4Kids dub, and I’m glad it was. Bloom, in the 4Kids version, is portrayed as much more secure in herself (though, yes, a little insecure about Diaspro, which was more understandable). She doesn’t let petty jealousy get the best of her, and the show really emphasized that sense of empowerment and positive growth—something I found lacking in the RAI version.

Voice Acting That Felt Real

Let’s not forget the voice acting. The performances were phenomenal. It didn’t feel like a dub at all; it felt like the characters were alive and speaking directly to me. The energy, the tone, the chemistry—everything clicked. It’s so immersive, in fact, that I can’t help but feel like it was one of the major factors in making the 4Kids version feel special.

Lessons About Consequences

One of the things I love most about the 4Kids dub is how it gave us important lessons about responsibility and consequences. Take, for instance, the episode where Bloom beats up Diaspro due to a misunderstanding. In the 4Kids version, they added a scene where Bloom faces the consequences of her actions. This was an important moment for young viewers, showing that even the hero isn’t always right and must take responsibility for her mistakes.

This moment also helped explain why Bloom was so easily defeated by the Trix on Earth later on. Her powers were diluted as a consequence of her actions, which added a layer of depth to the plot that wasn’t in the original. Sure, some of the dialogue was a bit cringey, but the lesson behind it was real, and I respect the effort 4Kids put into this.

The Dub and Cultural Adaptation

As someone who speaks multiple languages, I also understand the challenges of translating a show to fit a different culture. When translating something, sometimes it’s necessary to adapt certain phrases or ideas to make them resonate with a new audience. The RAI dub stayed pretty close to the original Italian version, often translating things as literally as possible. On the other hand, 4Kids took those translations and made them fit for a Western audience. The essence of the dialogue stayed the same, but the language was updated to reflect the early 2000s culture.

For example, in my language, we have an expression for when something is almost finished: the literal translation is “the horse has passed, all that’s left is the tail.” If I were to translate this for a Western audience, I might say something like, “You’re in the home stretch.” It’s the same meaning, but it fits better in context. I think 4Kids did something similar, adjusting the dialogue to make it relatable without losing the core message.

Bloom, Flora, and the Dub Differences

One interesting thing I’ve noticed is that your favorite character can totally depend on which dub you watched. For me, I always loved Bloom in the 4Kids version. But after watching the RAI dub, I find myself leaning more toward Flora, who felt much sweeter and gentler in that version. This just goes to show how different the dubs can shape our perception of the characters. The 4Kids version didn’t include a lot of the mean-spirited scenes that you see in the RAI dub, which is part of why I prefer the former.

Winx

I also love how Winx wasn't just a name that Bloom came up with, like in the RAI dub. 4Kids gave the word Winx meaning. The video touches a bit more on this.

Final Thoughts

I could go on and on about the differences between the dubs, but I think the video does a great job of covering the main points. Again, I’m not trying to start a debate or claim that 4Kids is the best dub—every version has its strengths and flaws—but I do think it’s important to shed light on why so many of us still love it. It was part of our childhood, it taught us valuable lessons, and it gave us a version of Winx Club that felt authentic in its own way.

At the end of the day, all the dubs have something to offer. It’s about which one speaks to you the most. For me, it’s the 4Kids dub—and I’m not afraid to say that loud and proud.

Side note: I love the 4Kids dub soundtrack. sometimes when im doing my chores, i have it playing in my headphones LOL

#winx club #winx #winx4Kids #4kids dub #4kids #winx bloom #winx stella #winx flora #Youtube

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spaceorphan18 · 10 months ago

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The Lady Whistledown Papers : 1x01 - A Diamond of the First Water (Part 1)

An Introduction

Dearest Gentle Reader... ;)

Well, okay, looks like there a good handful of you for this idea! Yay!

I did want to preface this with a couple of notes first, though if you want to skip to the show meta, head straight for the 'read more' below...

My intention with this project is to explore the individual stories as well as the romantic relationship between Penelope Featherington (who is my favorite character on the show) and Colin Bridgerton. So, I'll be looking at every episode of the entire show and kind of go through their character arcs with a fine tooth comb. The first two seasons I plan on batching scenes together while Season 3 might end up almost scene by scene because it is so rich and dense with story.

The whole point is that I enjoy meta and media analysis and breaking down stories and looking at stories from every angle possible. I am usually pretty positive, but that doesn't mean even my favorites are not exempt from a critical eye from time to time. And I'm not hesitant to explore character, story, and production flaws when discussing things. I do, however, try to remain respectful.

While this is primarily Pen and Colin focused, I'll probably still end up opinioning on other things I like as well (and do have respect for other characters and ships on the show).

The only book I've read is The Duke and I. I don't plan on doing any book to tv analysis, but I do hope to get through Romancing Mister Bridgerton before I get to Season 3 so I can point out Easter Eggs.

I'm also no historical scholar. So, probably won't be doing any kind of historical analysis either. Sorry.

I'm a multi-fandom blog, and have lots of projects I'm working on, so I plan on rotating through them. Plus, I have a full time job and family and friends, which means please be patient as I work on the project. It's a labor of love! But maybe a slower one. <3

Not here to discuss the actors', creators', crew, etc's personal lives. While I may put in a tiny BTS tidbit I've picked up, I have no intention or desire to talk about anything but the story.

I always enjoy talking with you guys about things, my meta is only one interpretation of what's going on, and I'm always open to discussions! However, I block or ignore any kind of wank, so please be civil. :)

Tag : the lady whistledown papers (in case you want to follow along or black list it away)

Okay, let's dig into some meta!!

Episode 1 : A Diamond of the First Water (Part 1)

So, it may be something that's easily forgotten or overlooked, but the very first thing we hear when we open the show is Lady Whistledown's voice -- which of course, is really Penelope. Since it's the delightful Julie Andrews doing the voice, it doesn't really feel like it's an 18yo girl's commentary about life in the rich part of London society in the early 1800s, but here we are. It's all done to build a bit of mystery around Lady Whistledown.

But what I think is more fascinating is the fact that the show opens -- not with the Bridgertons but the Featheringtons. They are our starting point. They are our dysfunctional family unit that we may closer resemble in our own lives that we get to peek in on before heading over to the esteemed, charming, and seemingly perfect Bridgertons.

The Bridgertons might be the protagonists of the show -- but Lady Whistledown and (by extension) Penelope Featherington is our framing device. She sets up the world, gives us the expository layout of the land and gives us an insight into the world. So it makes sense that we're starting in Penelope's home -- the person, like the audience, who gets to look into the Bridgerton home, but not actually be a part of it (yet).

When we open, we get a great introduction to the Featheringtons, and in a quick few shots - learn a lot about of them.

First of all, the narration -- while I'm not going to take note of every single narration throughout the whole show, it is important to remember that it's Penelope who is ultimately speaking. And when we open the show -- the first thing she does is blast her own family.

Why? Because it's her only way to push back. Look at what's happening in this scene? Prudence is being forced into the tightest corset ever imaginable as Penelope (and Phillipa) look on in horror. Penelope is still young (she is 18yo) and is being thrust into the market earlier than she wants so that her mother can have all of her daughters out in society at the same time.

Unlike what we'll find over at the Bridgerton family household, the Featheringtons are ruled by a seemingly iron fisted mother who only wants her daughters to marry rich so she can retain her lifestyle and place in society while her father is uninterested in anything other than himself.

Later in season 3, she'll mention that this particular issue is her first issue. So, it's no surprise that she starts writing just as she's coming into society. It's her way of coping and her way of expressing herself. But, I'll also remind everyone, while she is incredibly savvy at her craft, she's also still so young, and not entirely aware of the power she's going to wield.

As for Pen herself -- she's genuinely concerned about her older sister. We don't get a sense of their dynamic yet, but at least we get to see Penelope's kind hearted nature. Prudence looks like she's being down right tortured by her 'tasteless, tactless' mama. And nothing about this is appealing to Penelope.

(As an aside -- this also sets up a couple of things for the show -- for one, throwing us into the historical nature of the show, as well as adding a slight bit of comedy to the over-the-topness of Portia's insistence. The show is telling us that, yeah, there are crude and unpleasant things going on, but we're not taking ourselves too seriously, so neither should you.)

Next, we shift over to the Bridgerton household, but I want to point out something first... Notice how the Featherington door knocker from earlier was much more adorned and intricate? The Featheringtons are more concerned with status and money and appearing as if they're better off than they really are, while the Bridgertons don't need nor want to show off in the same way. It's a neat little detail.

Also, the bee imagery for the Bridgertons always is amusing. Symbol of death there ;) In case you were wondering - the Featherington symbol is the butterfly.

So, it's important to note that the Featheringtons are the next door neighbors of the Bridgertons, and it's of no surprise that Penelope would, after disparaging her own family, turn her attention to the family that has captivated her most of her life.

Okay, I kind of love these paintings as an introduction to the Bridgertons. (Are there ones for Gregory and Hyacinth?) I think it's a fun touch to the whole historical setting of the show. And it makes them look as if they're these frozen, idyllic pictures and who are not exactly real. Which is great when combined with the Lady Whistledown dialogue going on how wonderfully attractive they are - because it sets us just slightly apart from them.

Like I said above - Penelope is on the outside, and as we move in, so are we, but we get to finally move in to see real people behind the paintings. (Also - omg, the look on Eloise's face is priceless and I love it)

Also. A+ casting, guys. I really believe they're all related. ;)

I also love the juxtaposition that when we first hear the Bridgertons talking, unlike their perfect, picture-esque counterparts in the paintings, we get Eloise complaining. (Look, I love Eloise a lot -- and she's the third in this crazy triangle, so we'll be talking a bit about her, too.) We also get a bit of chaos as the camera descends the stairs, with Gregory running around them and the banter between the sisters.

It's all great, quick character set up as each of the Bridgerton siblings gets a little beat in this sequence.

And... we get our first glimpse at Colin!

And here's the thing about Colin. He's the third son. Anthony may not be around at the very moment, but he's very much a father figure to a lot of them and is in a different place being the oldest and actual Lord of the Estate. His role is much different. And then there's Benedict - who is that second in command while Anthony is away. Benedict, though is the artsy one and the experimental one and is a bit more aloof in nature. Which brings us to Colin... Who doesn't have the same set in stone sense of purpose Anthony does nor the happiness of just floating through life the way Benedict does.

And so, this scene has a couple of tidbits to kind of illustrate his place in this huge household. He's says he'll go get Daphne (who is currently hiding out in her room, and whom everyone has been arguing about). Colin does like having purpose, and does like to help whenever he can.

And then there's his banter with Benedict about how he's better liked by Daphne than him. It's a great little moment, not only the show again allowing to us to know that we should not be taking this historical show too seriously, not only showing us the beloved sibling antics (which -- i really love all the sibling dynamics in this show), but also showing that Colin has a bit of a cheeky side, and isn't afraid to bring a bit a levity to the situation when he can.

Also, a tiny tidbit in relation to the book, Colin and Daphne (being close in age) are rather close in the book. We don't necessarily see it in the show due to the nature of wanting to highlight Anthony more, but I feel like these lines are a little nod to that, too.

Of course, then, Eloise screams at the top of her lungs, which is a moment I still laugh at. I love that while Benedict's jaw is dropped, Colin is entirely amused by her, as I'm sure she livens the entire household up.

We get both households coming out of their houses, and we get this sweet little moment where we see that, not only are they neighbors, but Penelope and Eloise know each other and are friends.

I love that Penelope is so overjoyed to be looking over to the Bridgertons that she kind of freezes in excitement and has to be ushered along.

Also as the camera pulls back, we see Eloise reading a Lady Whistledown pamphlet! The first time we see someone do so!

You guys remember Disney's Sleeping Beauty? There's a moment when they enter the castle the three good fairies are announced. The dude who announces the Featherington sisters reminds me of that -- introducing Flora, Fauna, and Merriweather! (Don't even come at me, it's my favorite Disney movie)

Anyway... we get LW's narration that this is a pivotal moment for London society at the time -- when the girls are presented to the Queen and enter the marriage mart. Basically, it's a coming of age for young women. And while Prudence might have the most embarrassing moment by fainting (I mean - who's to blame her, really) Penelope looks so awkward going out there -- before her time, really not emotionally ready, and just not graceful in the way that the other girls, including even her sisters, just are.

Okay, so it's not really our first Polin moment, but there is a pseudo moment buried in here.

But first - I want to acknowledge that Penelope, feeling out of place, and at ill-ease with her surroundings, throws a glance over to Eloise. I love Eloise's truly perplexed look as she watches her friend go through something that neither of them really want -- as if trying to grapple how any of this is real. Penelope and Eloise's bond is incredibly important to both their characters and the show (and is something I enjoy as much as I love all the Polin).

As for Colin standing over there in the corner... No, there's not really anything to pull out here. But! There is going to be a moment in season 3, when Colin is writing in his journal, where it's clear that he's thinking about this moment, and describing watching her as she heads towards the queen. It's a cute callback to this moment, and even if we don't really see it -- it's still there. He's still noticing her, even if it's very, very subtly.

LW continues her narration about how important the Queen's opinion is of the ladies of society, and how important it is to make a good impression. But fascinatingly, Penelope is too busy looking at the ceilings and being in awe of her surroundings to really take notice of what the Queen is doing. She's a bit, understandably, shocked. (and another great comedic moment as Portia kind of knocks her back into focusing.)

It's great for setting the atmosphere of the show, but also allowing us, through Penelope, to take in our surroundings and be in awe of what we're witnessing.

It's also, I'll add, to be an awkward contrast to when Daphne comes in and is completely flawless in her entrance. Penelope is our side character. She's not our main character. And main characters are supposed to have a level of perfection to them. (Or so we're been accustomed to believe.) I think one thing I'm happy to see on the show is that, while we're still going to get a lot of romance story tropes, the show does try to dismantle a few of the stereotypes as we go along.

Also, two quick smaller notes... we don't really get to see Colin's reaction to Daphne -- Anthony and the sister are too in the way, and he doesn't have much of a discernable reaction when we do see him. And, the narration makes note that Daphne is going to burn quickly, which honestly made me laugh a little.

And.... that takes us up to the credits! Which is where I'll be stopping for now. Since this is the first episode and an introduction to the world, there's actually lot of both Penelope and Colin in it, so there's a lot to go through... stay tuned ;)

#bridgerton #polin #colin bridgerton #penelope featherington #penelope bridgerton #polination #the lady whistledown papers #ooh the part of me that loves to really dig in has dug in...#thank you to the five people who end up reading this! :)

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itsjustcaroline · 9 months ago

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Alright, I thought long and hard about what we might see in Arcane Season 2, what the Machine Herald is going to look like, who else we might see, and so on.

Also, this post does not contain any leaks, I have seen one picture, which doesn't even make sense (lucky me). If you spoil anything under this post, you are going to be blocked. I will talk about bout the trailers, though.

So, let me get my thoughts in some order:

- if Viktor was the hooded person in the trailer or wears a mask, then it's probably more because of his side in this war: he's not a Piltovan, but also not really a Zaunite anymore. We don't know when he moved from the Undercity to Piltover, but from his concept art, it was most likely during his early teens.

He's slightly younger than in S1 Arc1, but already wearing the Academy's uniform (though it seems a bit too big for him, and his pants are more rigged).

So: Viktor is going to be a Pariah and he is going to need to hide his identity, which makes a Collab with Jinx unlikely since she's on the run from everyone. Singed might be there in the direct aftermath after he got blown up, but they're probably going to fall out again since lore-wise Singed is going to team up with Noxus.

- In League of Legends Heimerdinger is a mage (shooketh, I know), and there's already a scene in S1 alluding to this: when Viktor and Heimerdinger are in Heimerdinger's office, Viktor goes through Jayce's notes and is intrigued. He asks Heimerdinger, whether he could do it (magic) and Heimerdinger hesitates a tell-tale second before he declines. Now, Heimerdinger might be a mage, but he relies mostly on his inventions. But wouldn't a fight between Viktor and Heimerdinger be cool? First, they throw ideologies at each other, then they fight. I think, I'd love this even more than Viktor vs. Jayce. Kinda like Obi-Wan vs. Anakin.

- I think, that Caitlyn is going to shoot Vi. Everyone I read so far thinks that it's the other way around, but that would be too predictable in my opinion. But maybe it is that way.

- Just stating that everyone is going to be contrary than they were in S1 and going from there falls a bit short. I think, that there's more to this quote.

- Divorce Era, because Jayce does, in fact, not understand. I am going to cry.

- The Hexcore will save Viktor's life in the aftermath of the explosion, and there are three ways I can see that happening:

(1) Viktor does it himself, maybe with the help from Singed.

(2) Jayce does it, thus breaking his promise to destroy it. I am going to cry

(3) The Hexcore, which is now connected to Viktor will sense his doom and burst to him. That might also be the shine, that Heimerdinger saw in the trailer.

- That brings me to another point, to the connection towards the Void: I don't think there's much to it and that the Hexcrystals are not shards of the brakken. However, I think the Hexcore is sentient due to Sky. Think about it: it changed its form after it disintegrated (or absorbed) Sky. Then it hurt Viktor (honestly, same. You think, you can walk away after accidentally dusting me and threatening to destroy my new essence? I'd be pissed). It might be interesting, if the Hexcore/Sky talks to Viktor in his head, furthering his spiral into madness. I'm here for it.

- Ekko will learn how to manipulate time and he will use it to try and save somebody. Be it somebody from the Firelights, their hideout or Jinx. Maybe it will go in the same direction like in the Convergence-Comic (which is, I repeat, outside of any lore), maybe not.

- Well then, what Viktor might look like: my favourite head-canon would be just as described in The Pulse of the Machine by bringthekaos on AO3. Mechanical eyes? Voice modulator can be shut off? Emotional suppressor has a switch? Rawrs in cyber-engineering. As it stands, I imagine it more to be like Battle Angel Alita (the manga, NOT the film!) or like a Borg from Star Trek. Definitely NOT like a Cyberman from Doctor Who.

- Who else do I want to see in S2:

Swain, just give me the Noxian General and heal my Daddy issues.

Renata, just give me the Chem-Baronness and heal my Mommy issues.

Jhin, Arcane should take place around the same time when Jhin was in Zaun. But that is a far shot (pun intended)

Camille, she exploits Hextech to become a weapon and I think she is kind of contrary to Viktor, who only ever wanted to help (others, himself, though with sometimes dubious means

I don't see that Orianna is Singed's daughter. That would fuck her beautiful lore. Don't do that to me.

Stuff, I'd also like to see:

- Viktor's apartment in Piltover

- Viktor's parents (flashback)

- Jayce's father (flashback)

- Jayce and Viktor fighting but unable to do so properly

- Mel and Sevika together

Thanks for coming to my Arcane-Talk.

#arcane league of legends #arcane #arcane season 2 #viktor arcane #jayce arcane #heimerdinger arcane #ekko arcane #jinx arcane #vi arcane #caitlyn arcane #predictions #no spoilers #stuff that I think would be neat #mel arcane #sevika arcane #the machine herald

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faejilly · 4 months ago

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@rebelren requested the deeply complimentary if slightly broad "I WANT TO KNOW ALL YOUR RICKY/ESTHER THOUGHTS" and I have so many thoughts

let's see where I ramble, huh? There is no plan here? This is mostly just season 1 stuff because that's where I am in my very slow attempt at fic writing.

They very much have a Lois and Clark vibe to me and that is one of my foundational OTPs, so.

She's too smart and sharp for almost everyone else she's ever met but that is in fact what he likes about her. He's deeply impossibly committed to actually being nice and kind and doing the right thing ALL THE TIME without any ability to tell how that's even more unusual than his superpowers absurd good looks and physical abilities and she recognizes that about him.

Ricky is not subtle about his crush on Esther, but he is completely respectful about it. He texts her whenever he has a thought, but that's because he wants her thoughts back, not because he's trying to make her think about him, if that makes sense?

I spent most of the first campaign being very 'she likes him back?' but not sure if I really thought that based on anything she was doing, or I thought that was how the story was being built/structured and it was just gonna... happen. And I was honestly fine with that because Brennan and Zac have such good chemistry, plus the aforementioned respect in approaching the relationship, so I was just gonna take what I got and be happy about it.

BUT on a rewatch (or transcript re-read on the wiki) it becomes increasingly obvious surprisingly early that she is INCREDIBLY KEYED IN ON RICKY AT ALL TIMES and it makes me *pterodactyl screech* a lot A LOT A LOT:

See how quickly she responds to all his texts every time! In group settings even if she hasn't said anything lately she'll usually answer a Ricky-question before anyone else can! She legitimately seems to enjoy figuring out how to rephrase things she's said that were too academic for him to follow!

Like, she's not just humoring him, she is in fact interested in how his mind works and the way he feels his way around information whether or not he understands it in at all the way that she does.

Usually not, obviously, but that doesn't mean his perspective isn't valuable to her.

And also funny, sometimes entirely on purpose, which is again a Lois/Clark thing because Clark is absolutely a bit of a troll about making terrible Superman jokes for no one except himself and eventually also Lois, and Ricky and Esther give me the same "we're in this nonsense together" vibes whenever Zac managed an especially good dumb-but-hilarious-and-not-actually-stupid Ricky line.

I guess what I'm getting at there is that, even beyond the quality chemistry and adorkableness, they genuinely enjoy each other's company, yk? They like each other even when there's an invisible barrier that the audience (and Ricky) can only sort of tell is there that prevents a deeper relationship/understanding during s1.

There's a really good line in a fic, tenets of devotion by fensandmarshes: "[Ricky] took his Oath of Redemption to the world; he took Devotion to Esther, he thinks, no matter that that’s not really a thing." which is I think incredibly accurate and is a thing I am weak for, the conscious deliberate explicit choice to devote yourself to a person because they are perfect for you (even if you are completely aware of their supposed flaws and weaknesses and humanity at the same time). THEY'RE BOTH JUST SO COMMITTED Y'ALL, I'M LOVE THEM.

While I have no problem with inter-party romance and am deeply fond of battle couples and all that stuff, I do think it's important that Esther is not an active party member, and while incredibly competent at it, is not explicitly designed for combat in the same way the PCs are, because despite his skillset, Ricky is pretty damn conflict adverse personality-wise, so it's nice his partner is a research nerd and not usually a combatant.

Because Ricky never wanted a blade. He accepted the Questing Blade but he didn't choose it, it chose him. (Obviously his weapon-searching-arc in s2 makes me feral. Someday I will manage fic about it, hopefully?)

This is a recurring theme in TUC actually, that except for Cody who is definitely the other side of that coin on purpose (sorry not sorry) most of the PCs and their primary NPC friends/relatives/whatever did not go looking for magic or power, but DID accept the responsibility once it happened. (This adds a nice depth to their relationship, the fact that part of why they're careful getting together is that sense of responsibility, so I'm including it here even though it's more about the setting/campaigns rather than Ricky/Esther specifically.)

They have not even been on a date and her curse is broken and they are immediately "let's live a dangerous life together" aka they are my favorite kind of batshit, 100/10, no notes

(I mean, obviously I have a lot of notes. I have all these things I just wrote down, and a fic about the almost-year before s1, and one about the campaign itself from Esther's POV, and a thing about Ricky cataloguing all the ways he'd broken the tenets of his Paladin Devotion Oath as part of his transition to Redemption, and a thing that takes place between campaigns that is mostly smut and crying for probably obvious reasons, and a s2 epilogue mostly about the proposal, (not currently anything during s2 unlike Esther's POV for s1, but I suppose that might change if I ever figure out the stuff that takes place before it), and possibly an AU where the curse wasn't broken before the final battle so when Ricky dies, Esther falls, and an entirely different Curse Breaking Thing After That, so.

So many notes.)

#jilly answers #rebelren #tangential tuesday replies #I suppose I need a tag for that #dimension 20 #the unsleeping city #my tuc feels #should also be a tag #I may have to go back and add it #is there a #rickyesther #tag I should be using?#idek #ricky matsui #esther sinclair #my d20 ramblings

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brightmalcolm · 28 days ago

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Hello !! You surely mentioned this at some point, but I am rewatching the show for the hundredth time and I keep being surprised by this : the team (including Gil) often dismisses Malcom’s profiles and their legitimacy. It often seems to me that they don’t trust his judgement, rightfully so because well sometimes it lacks rational thinking… but I think they keep going completely over the fact that he’s good at his job!! I’m mostly surprised at gil tbh, he often doesn’t value his points on profiles. I know this happens a few times, and I’m only on season 1 episode 9 of my rewatch

idk if you saw it before/after you sent this but my last personal post actually kind of touched on this! but yes, I definitely get what you mean. it's especially clear in the early episodes, although it makes more sense then since they're all just getting to know malcolm (some of the stuff JT says to/about malcolm in the first few episodes of the show are wild, especially considering he clearly thinks he's weird from the moment they meet and he doesn't even know about malcolm's dad at that point 😭).

I honestly think a lot of this is for the out of universe reason of the show needing some kind of conflict in their "case of the week" episodes, and an easy way to do this is to create tension with malcolm disagreeing with the rest of team. even when we're at a point in the show where JT and dani (and gil, especially, as you mention) should be trusting malcolm's judgment, sometimes the writers will have that not happen so there can bit a bit of Drama about it. but if we want to talk about an in universe reason, it's probably to show that malcolm may never be able to fully overcome the suspension/distrust people feel towards him, both because of him being related to martin and his reckless/eccentric behavior (with the latter often being a result of his trauma from his father, so it's kind of a cycle where people don't trust him automatically because of his father and then they never end up learning to trust him because they find how he acts because of his trauma to be "weird").

and this isn't to say the team/his friends don't care about or trust malcolm, but one of the points of the show is the assumptions people make about him and how they impact his relationships. when it comes to gil especially, I think a lot of this does come from a place of love and concern. he may believe malcolm himself, but he knows others might not! that is why a bunch of his lines that deal with this subject are about how he is concerned that malcolm could lose his job at the NYPD or about what the higher ups will think. he knows why malcolm was fired from the FBI and he doesn't want to see maclolm hurt by losing his work again since he knows how important catching killers is to him. another part of this is gil being concerned about malcolm's mental health since he knows how invested he gets in his case work. it's not really that he doesn't believe malcolm could be right or good at his job, it's that he knows malcolm will throw himself into finding the killer to the detriment of his own sanity. the scene in 1x02 where malcolm is trying to convince gil the killer is still out there is a great example of both of these things: gil asks malcolm if he "wants to be a part of this team" referencing the fact that he needs to follow NYPD protocol if he wants to be employed, and tells him to "take a breath" since he sees how worked up malcolm is getting about the case.

I really hope this makes sense, I think you bring up a great point! unfortunately a lot of this is stuff I think we would have seen develop more had the show not been canceled and now we're just kind of left with a half finished story. but I do hope you enjoy your rewatch and if you ever have other thoughts I'd love to hear them :)

#'people always suspect [maclolm]' show thesis statment and it shows gil is at least aware of it #+ malcolm's line in the next episode abt being 'right before when everyone else is wrong' so he is also aware of it #answered #anonymous #prodigal son #malcolm bright

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crownedwithstars · 1 year ago

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Galadriel in the Rings of Power, Part 1: Warrior of the Plot Hole

Galadriel is perhaps one of the most difficult characters in the legendarium, and I mean difficult in a sense that there are variations as to how her story goes. Tolkien kept developing her tale until the end of his life and his last ideas about her very much contradict his initial thoughts. So what really is canon about Galadriel and what's not? Why do I think her portrayal in ROP is so bad? I would argue there are certain fixed points about her story that cannot really be altered, especially not in the way the show has done, because they actively contradict and/or create problems for how things go down in The Lord of the Rings.

Ever since the first season aired, Galadriel being shown as a warrior has been a controversial topic. I personally think it is a very bad decision, may create plot holes for her later story, and turns her into a completely different character. IMHO it's also misogynistic, as I will argue in this post. However, I shall try to make my arguments deeper than the usual complaint about girlbossification.

I will post my arguments in a few different posts, because that should make the whole much more readable. I will use the tags #anti rop and #anti rings of power for the benefit of those who may want to filter my posts.

I try to confer my thoughts in the most objective and respectful manner possible, and ask the same of those who may wish to challenge my views. If you like Amazon Rings of Power, I have no issue with that; I only take issue with how a character I've loved for over a decade is portrayed in this show.

1. Galadriel as a warrior, as shown in ROP, has little or no basis in canon and it may even create plot holes for The Lord of the Rings.

Galadriel's early history is commonly taken as a defence of the show's portrayal. She is called Nerwen, Man-maiden, and she is tall, strong and athletic. Her intellect is also on par with the loremasters of her people (which interestingly is rarely if ever mentioned by the show or its fans). It is implied - and arguments made in defence of ROP's portrayal stress this too -- that Galadriel in her youth is not like the other women of Noldor and doesn't do feminine things, such as weaving (keep this in mind, it will be important later). The show and the fans stress the line about Galadriel wearing her hair as a crown when she partook in athletic pursuits to such a degree that it's a little bit odd - as if this proved something more than the fact that she is a sportswoman in her youth.

In other words, her being physically strong and athletic does not immediately equal martial inclination, especially when Galadriel's youth, and the time these mentions allude to, is specifically a period of peace in Valinor. So where does this idea come from? Is it because of societal norms that equal physical strength with masculinity, and (toxic) masculinity is connected with aggression and violence? This may be in our society, but why is that norm applicable to an immortal, ethereal race and their society that would have to be in many ways different? I also seem to recall that for the Elves, the difference in strength and physical ability is much lesser between the sexes than for mortals (but please correct me if I'm remembering wrong). Either way, it seems to me like the basis of Galadriel being a warrior hinges on the belief that physical activity and strength equal readiness to aggression and violence. And this is done in a show based on stories by a writer who often lets his male characters be tender with one another and showing their feelings openly: the exact opposite of toxic masculinity.

There are other examples in the legendarium that being athletic doesn't equal martial skill/inclination. Take the character of Aredhel. She is a huntress in Valinor, which probably means that she has skill with bows and spears. Aredhel is an athlete and she is certainly brave, but she is not depicted as a warrior -- and if she were, you would think it would be alluded to during her wanderings in Beleriand. However, she takes guards with her and Maeglin presents himself as her protector when they make for Gondolin, which implies that Aredhel is not a fighter despite being an athlete in her youth.

What about mentions of Galadriel fighting, then? Again, I acknowledge there are different versions of her story. I myself only remember a mention of her fighting at Alqualonde (please let me know if there are other mentions). Some take this as a proof that Galadriel is a warrior, but I would argue that it is not, when you look at the context. At Alqualonde, Fëanor and his supporters attack the Teleri - Galadriel's kin by her mother Eärwen. What does a brave and physically strong person do in a situation where their family and relatives are being attacked? She probably takes up arms to defend them, whether she is martially active or not. Saving a family member's life does not hinge on being a professional fighter. Tolkien also says elsewhere that Elven women did not usually take part in fighting, but they could at need wield arms. Galadriel's kin being slaughtered would be such a need. In other words, this one mention of Galadriel fighting is not evidence of her being an active warrior. Moreover, the show's portrayal seems to hinge - to my knowledge - on these few lines, when the textual evidence of Galadriel being a courtier, politician and a leader is overwhelming. The evidence of her being martially occupied except at utmost need is extremely thin, and so making her a warrior is poor writing and makes you wonder why this change was deemed so necessary by the show's creators.

How does the show portray Galadriel's background before the show? Firstly she is apparently a lonely child who doesn't get along with other children, but gets bullied (for whatever reason) and she lashes out at them violently. The show doesn't establish any particular hobbies or interests, except for a vague pastime of playing with small toy boats (which implies some kind of creativity, but the object itself is nothing that a human child could not make) and fighting with her peers. Apparently, she also adores her brother, who is soon after revealed to die at the hands of Sauron.

Now we come to the First Age. ROP's take on Galadriel appears to be that she is a warrior in the trenches of Beleriand, and her motive is some kind of vengeance against Morgoth for the darkening of Valinor - a generic aim that other Noldor shared, but whether Galadriel has some personal stake is not clear. She doesn't stand out with dreams or hopes or ambitions specific to her. War is apparently the only thing that ever mattered to Galadriel and she is not shown as having any other preoccupations or interests than fighting and hunting for Sauron. Whatever motives she had in canon about ruling a kingdom of her own are absent. And by the show's logic, she would have to be a warrior through this age, because in the start of the first season of ROP she is the commander of the northern armies, and I cannot imagine that role being given to her if she wasn't an experienced fighter by the end of the First Age. And if her initial motive was to fight against Morgoth, then one would expect that she was a member of one of her brothers' companies. Namely Finrod, because he (and avenging him) is her obsession in the show. However, ROP's take on Finrod's role has to be quite different from canon, because Nargothrond was not in the frontlines of Beleriand during his lifetime. If Galadriel in the First Age is specifically concerned with fighting Morgoth, then surely she would not have spent it in a hidden kingdom?

Galadriel is not mentioned as a commander of war like her brothers in the Silmarillion, and neither is she anywhere else to my knowledge. She is not mentioned as taking part in any of the numerous battles of the First Age, in fact she leaves Beleriand before the final showdown. Rather, she is in Doriath with Melian, and at some point betrothed to Celeborn. I would argue that this period is crucial for Galadriel as a character and for who she later becomes.

Doriath ruled by Melian is the blueprint for Lothlórien under Galadriel's leadership. Doriath is the hidden kingdom, the fairest dwelling of the Elves east of the sea, fencing out outsiders and standing up against the Dark Lord. It is ruled by a powerful sorceress whose influence reaches far. The queen of that realm, along with her maidens, is a skilled weaver who fills the halls of Menegroth with wondrous cloths. She is also the giver of lembas to weary travellers, and has the gift of foresight. It is notable that according to The Nature of Middle-earth, Galadriel is one of the key persons in bringing the art of making lembas and the corn required to make back to Middle-earth, and it seems likely that her long stay in the safety of Doriath allowed the new corn and the art of making it into waybread to take root. This would take time and effort that Galadriel the warrior would not have.

In other words, Doriath is where Galadriel learns and combines the skills that she later uses to help the Fellowship, and I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that if Frodo and Sam did not have Galadriel's cloaks and lembas, they would not have endured all the way to Orodruin.

If Galadriel spent the First Age fighting Morgoth's hordes, or even as a march warden of Doriath (unlikely, if she was fuelled by vengeance), she did not have time to learn the skills she needs in The Lord of the Rings to help with the quest to destroy the Ring, nor could she have had a role in establishing lembas in Middle-earth. In Doriath she would have learned the Sindarin and Silvan technologies of stealth and survival on a dangerous continent and absorbed enough influence that she too would one day rule a very similar realm. Her model of rulership is so like Melian's that it's hard to believe she would or could have exercised it without spending a long time in Doriath. She also could not have established the new corn or the making of it into lembas if she was constantly away on the battlefield.

One could also argue that the time Galadriel spent in Doriath and her link to Melian make her a viable option as a ruler for the Elves of Lothlórien. She is not just a Noldo who was born and bred in Valinor, she is also blood-related to Kinslayers. Despite this, she is still accepted as a leader by the Silvan elves and what survivors of Doriath lived in the wood. This could only be if she had taken time to learn the ways and culture of the Elves of Middle-earth in Doriath, and did not spend the whole First Age engaged in specifically Noldorin wars.

Obviously, ROP can't use The Silmarillion, but there are still many ways that the script could work around this if the show's creators had bothered to try. Turning Galadriel into a warrior and making it clear she spent the First Age in the trenches actively denies the chance and time she needs to learn the skills that she will eventually use to help the Fellowship and to establish herself as an individual that the Elves of Middle-earth would respect and take as their ruler. You can't have it both ways. Could she have learned these things elsewhere? Perhaps the craft, but not the art and the magic, which Elven artifacts very much are about. Again we come to the fact that Doriath is the blueprint for Lothlórien and her connection to Doriath is what makes her a viable ruler; its exclusion from Galadriel's story creates too big of a problem. Also, what this change of her story actually does is downplay the importance of feminine skills and the time it takes to learn and perfect them. This is one of the many ways the show, and Galadriel's story in it, is misogynistic.

ROP!Galadriel is also portrayed as too consumed by her quest of vengeance, making it unbelievable that she would actually be interested in learning skills that don't have to do with finding Sauron. Moreover, the mentions of Galadriel being athletic and showing masculine traits are also taken from texts that Amazon does not have rights for, so it is contradictory that this bit is used to legitimise her being a warrior, and other parts where her femininity is shown, are refused because they don't fall in the sphere of what Amazon is allowed to use. Again, you can't have it both ways.

Lastly, the change of Galadriel's backstory during the First Age raises questions about Celeborn. If she was busy being a warrior and did not spend any meaningful periods in Doriath, then when and where did she meet her husband? How did she have time to get to know him, and grow to care about him enough to want to marry him? How long were they married before he went missing? If Galadriel is this angry outcast who has a hard time getting along with others, what endeared her to Celeborn and vice versa? Here the show has the problem that will become familiar later on: compressing too many events in too little time. Between the arrival of Noldor in Middle-earth and the end of the First Age, there are less than 600 years. Moreover, according to Elven custom they did not usually marry or have children in times of war and in canon this is the reason Galadriel and Celeborn don't marry during the First Age, even though they live in Doriath away from the frontlines; so how ROP!Galadriel, preoccupied as a warrior and apparently far away from the relative peace of Doriath, could possibly get married at this time? Seemingly, Celeborn is already out of the picture at the start of the Second Age, leaving little to no time for the couple to meet one another, fall in love, get married, live any amount of time in the married state, and Celeborn to go missing.

&&&&&&&

That's it for this time. In the next post, I will share my thoughts about ROP!Galadriel's so called war trauma, whether it works in the frame that Tolkien's legendarium provides, and what are its implications considering the timeline and her position as a military officer.

#Galadriel #Tolkien #text #anti rop #anti rings of power

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skeefee-sky · 7 months ago

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'Sentience ain't all fun and games...'

@thunder-tober Day prompt: 10 - Speed Characters: Alan Tracy, Thunderbird Three Word count: 570

Hhhhhhhhh, I hate how much I struggled to write this one >w< but! Of course, not all stories are going to be easy to write – such is the life of a creative writer <w< I’ve also based this like, early season 1 so, Alan’s a lil bit inexperienced and brash; don’t mind him >w> Alan persuades his brothers to use Thunderbird Three for a ground-mission… which doesn’t go exactly as planned.

💙❤️ TB ~~~ TB ~~~ TB ~~~ TB ~~~ TB ~~~ TB ~~~ TB ~~~ TB ❤️💙

“I can’t believe you thought that was a good idea… How did they even let you think it was a good idea?!”

Alan opened his mouth to reply, but his words were lost on his tongue. He’d come back down to the hangar to check in with his ship, half expecting a few words of discouragement from him, but Thunderbird Three sounded genuinely upset with him. He did have a sprained wrist to answer for it…

The Thunderbird let out a quiet huff through his vents. “I know I haven’t been sentient very long, and yes, it’s cool and all but... Trying to get to the danger zone before Thunderbird One is, not an excuse to test out what I can do.”

“I just wanted to help…” the astronaut murmured, finally finding a chance to say something. He felt so small tucked against his Thunderbird’s thruster, but it was the only way they could hear each other, without the youngest Tracy having to climb back into the cockpit. The upside was, it was still warm from them being out on a rescue… A sigh drawled from the Thunderbird’s systems.

“I know… Sorry… I’ll admit, I want to test my new limits now too but, we can’t do that at every opportunity,” he explained, rocking the slightest on his refuelling pad to make sure the locks clicked into place. Their little test drive had used up half of his fuel reserves, and he didn’t want to risk being half-empty if they were called out again. “If a rescue calls for speed, or heavy lifting, we already have two Thunderbirds perfectly capable of that. I was built for space missions...”

Alan knew that. Scott had reminded him of it too. He’d just thought, now with his Thunderbird’s sentience, they could be a little bit more useful on missions… Of course, yes, there was the fact his craft was a spacecraft… He tilted his head back, blue eyes trailing up the side of his Thunderbird as he nursed his wrist to his middle.

“… Wasn’t it just a little bit cool to tow that cargo ship though?”

“No.” Thunderbird Three had been rather abrupt with his answer, and there was no way he was admitting out loud that actually, yes, it was a bit cool. The nosedive he’d taken into the water hadn’t been… “We were going too fast for it to be considered safe anyway.”

“Since when have you ever worried about that?” Alan snorted; the craft not being able to tell if he was humoured or annoyed. “You’re always breaking your own rules, Three!”

“When we’re in space…” the rocket grumbled. It wasn’t just their speed he’d been concerned about… His manoeuvrability had been rather shoddy too, and while yes he was fast, he was a lot bigger than Thunderbird One… His pilot could have come away with a lot worse than a sprained wrist had his nosedive not been as controlled as he’d made it… “You know, you worry me sometimes, captain…”

“Makes sense. I’m still ‘just a kid’ after all…”

“That’s not what I-…”

Thunderbird Three quietened when he no longer felt the small of his pilot against his frame, settling a little straighter on his refuelling pad. Had he been too harsh…? He was still trying to figure out everything that came with being sentient… Maybe he should ask for pointers from his pilot’s older brothers at some point…

#sky's writing #thundertober2024 #thunderbirds fanfiction #thunderbirds #thunderbirds 2015 #sentient thunderbird #thunderbird three #the struggle was reeeaaallllll #ick ick ick >w<#*posts it anyway*

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laughhardrunfastbekindsblog · 1 year ago

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I've seen referenced several times a paraphrased quote attributed both to DBB and to Jen Corbett of Bad Batch that the show's creators ultimately decided to kill off Tech because they couldn't make season 3 work otherwise.

Hmm.

I rarely read interviews from creators about a storyline because I prefer to let the story tell itself and let the interpretations come as they will based on what the narrative itself presents. But in this case I looked up the quotes/interview simply because I had to know how in the blazes they came to the conclusion that a storyline HAD to involve Tech (or any Bad Batch member, for that matter) dying.

I have... thoughts. Lots of thoughts. RESPECTFUL thoughts, because I truly do think the writers/directors of this show are absolutely BRILLIANT (which is partly why I had such a difficult time during season 3 and it has taken quite a bit of reflection to come to terms with it... But I needed to come to terms with it because I love it so much I want to enjoy all of it in the future!) But fair warning: if you prefer not to read a post if the post's author isn't 100% in agreement with the show's creative choices, then this might not be the post for you.

Reference: https://www.starwars.com/news/brad-rau-jennifer-corbett-the-bad-batch-season-3-interview

Quote #1: “When we first started this show, we had hoped that we could get three seasons to tell this story," executive producer and head writer Jennifer Corbett tells StarWars.com. "We kicked Season 1 off with Order 66 and the team trying to figure out where they fit in the galaxy. We knew Season 2 was going to be a little bit darker, because we knew that the team was going to lose in some way. As the season progressed, it became clear that the way for them to lose is to essentially have the team be fractured. That's what happens when we lose Tech, and then also with Omega being taken by the Empire.”

I find the choice of words here - particularly "fracture" and "lose" - to be interesting. This is the quote that made me realize my original (starting in season 1) hopes for where the themes of the show would conclude had apparently never been in line with what the show was aiming for. The show's definition of the team "fracturing" and "los[ing] in some way" apparently had to include death and only came in the season 2 finale; whereas I considered the team to be "fractured" within the first 10 minutes of the pilot episode - as soon as Order 66 came through and Crosshair was susceptible to the inhibitor chip, the team was broken. And they weren't ever truly whole in the first place, given that Order 66 occurs before they meet Omega. For me, the team lost big time as soon as the show started.

So, while I went through the entire show (yes, I kept hoping Tech would come back in season 3) hoping the themes of family and never leaving family behind would conclude in at least one instance of this little clone family being whole and truly united again - considering the fact that they were broken since "Aftermath" - I realize now this hope was nigh impossible to fulfill given that the show didn't consider the team fractured upon Crosshair's departure and therefore felt the need to not only break it apart further, but break it permanently.

Quote #2: “There were a lot of conversations that went into that [killing off Tech], and we even tried to talk ourselves out of it many times, because he's such an important character to the show, to all of us and the crew, and we know he is important to the fans,” Corbett says. “But what we're showing in Season 2 is that the galaxy has changed and the Empire is now very powerful in the early years. So we were trying to be logical in the sense that, the Batch keeps putting themselves in these positions and, ultimately, there has to be a time when they do lose."

I can respect this decision, though (as I stated above), the entire show pretty much involves the Bad Batch losing in one way or another and personally I don't care for the idea that the only real way a team can lose (read: "stakes") is if death is involved. But that's just me, and I can get over this personal hang up.

Quote #3: Throughout, they’ll feel the loss of their brother. “It affected a lot of the logistics,” Brad Rau, executive producer, says. “The very mathematical logistics of how we normally would have the team operate was massively different without Tech there. But emotionally, the most important part, the way that the loss of Tech affected Omega, Hunter, Wrecker, Echo, and Crosshair, even throughout the whole season was, I wouldn't say heavier than we expected, but was definitely very heavy.”

I'm gonna be blunt: when first watching season 3, I felt the emotional impact of the loss of Tech for most of the squad was sorely lacking, and this is the main reason why I kept hoping right up through the epilogue that Tech would somehow show up.

Every. Single. Allusion. To. Tech in season 3 hit like a ton of bricks right to the gut. @eriexplosion described it extremely well (paraphrasing) as picking at a wound and not letting it fully heal. After some reflection following the series finale, I came to the conclusion that this might be because the Tech mentions were meant to show how the Batch - Crosshair in particular - were still feeling about the loss, and (in hindsight) it seemed that Crosshair felt deep guilt and pain over Tech's death all the way through season 3. (Heck, I now see Crosshair having a moment to honor Mayday early on but never truly honoring Tech as yet another indication that, while Crosshair felt grief over Mayday, he must have felt even deeper grief compounded with guilt and remorse over Tech that led to him essentially avoiding the subject.) So I guess it turns out my conclusion fits the original intention of the creators.

Thing is, since we don't ever see any actual catharsis or healing for any of the Bad Batch members (Omega is the closest we get to it, and even that's a stretch), this aspect of the show does NOT land well for me - really, many times during season 3 it came across that the only real impact Tech's absence had on the team as a whole was that Hunter had to deal with datapads and decryption was harder. (There have been fan comments that if Tech had been around in season 3, the entire storyline would have been wrapped up in two episodes (and I actually rather agree with this) - but this headcanon/focus still only emphasizes Tech's role/function on the team, not his impact as a brother.)

Again, upon reflection I am quite willing to give the narrative the benefit of the doubt and say the excruciating emotional pain inflicted with every Tech mention was intended to show the impact of the loss on his family; but it was SO difficult to watch season 3 when this wasn't made clear from the get-go. And given that (based on reddit discussions I've seen) half the audience seemed to think the Bad Batch had long since moved on because "stoic soldiers/they have other priorities" while the other half thought the Bad Batch hadn't moved on and were avoiding the subject, I truly do think this ended up being a murky point - and it shouldn't have been.

This is where we get to the hill I will die on and my ONLY major criticism of the show: if Tech "had" to die and stay dead, there should have, at bare minimum, been a scene - even if it came at the end of the finale - where Tech's entire family finally had a chance to meaningfully acknowledge and honor Tech, even if it was brief such as Crosshair had with Mayday. If there had been any moment before the finale for any of Tech's brothers to honor and/or memorialize him, the contrast between that cathartic moment versus how the topic had been treated before/by his other siblings would have been more than adequate to cement early on the idea that the squad was still feeling the loss of Tech as an individual and a brother, thereby clarifying the show's intentions. And a moment for Tech's ENTIRE family (and friends) to honor him, even if it came at the end of the finale, would have closed out the dangling plot thread of Crosshair still feeling guilt and grief over Tech.

Anyway, while this interview didn't much change my own conclusions of how season 3 played out and what could have been done better, I am glad I read it since it provided at least a modicum of clarity as to what the show's intentions actually were - even if those intentions didn't always clearly come through in the narrative.

#the bad batch #star wars the bad batch #tbb meta analysis #maybe a pinch of salt?#though saltiness truly isn't my intention in writing out this post #just organizing my thoughts #it's been a lot to process #and i'm still processing it #about to start a full rewatch of the show #wish me luck #and prepare to be inundated with a TON of random musings and analyses #tbb spoilers #tbb season 3

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polyhexian · 11 months ago

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I'm gonna leave a long comment on Tell-No-Lies Ch 3 cuz I have a lot of thoughts, but these thoughts aren't for the fic itself so I'm dropping them here:

Low-key really obsessed with what Caitlyn's existence and death does for Eda's character.

From an extremely basic archetypal storytelling POV, Eda's character isn't what you'd expect. She's the most powerful witch in the BI, she hates the Emperor, she's a rebel, she's the mom figure in the ragtag team of misfits--in the elevator pitch of this story, you'd expect her to be leading the rebellion.

But she's not. TOH isn't a story about a concentrated rebellion against Belos; the rebellion barely exists. Season 1 never even mentions anyone actively fighting against the empire, the BATTs consist of 4 people, the CATTs don't have many more. The fact that resistence efforts were so small kinda annoyed me, but I can believe that any rebellion really is just that disconnected, disorganized, and ineffective. It's not the typical Rebels vs Empire narrative, but it DOES make sense. (And the story does itself the favor of not insisting that there's TOTALLY a massive rebel effort we've never heard about.)

And Eda's not a selfless rebel leader fighting for the greater good. She's fighting for herself. She hates the Emperor, but she hates all authority. She won't lead a fight against Belos, because she doesn't want to be a leader. She isn't going to perform some huge rebellious act against him; just existing the way she wants is an act of rebellion. She helps the BATTs, but she doesn't carry on the fight once they're captured except for trying to get through to Raine. She and Luz barely fight against the empire at all until a week before the Day of Unity.

Eda isn't a selfless rebel leader fighting for the greater good, she just wants to live wild and free, and it really does make sense.

But wow, Caitlyn's story really does enhance Eda's characterization. Idk how much the Clawthornes know about Caitlyn's fate, but I'd assume they know at least a bit. Eda and Caitlyn never met, but family history leaves an impact.

You had an aunt. She was a proud wild witch. She ran away to Latissa to help the rebellion there, and your family has no idea what happened to her.

You had an aunt. She was captured in Latissa. Escaped rebels told your family they saw the Golden Guard himself take her down.

You had an aunt. She was imprisoned in the castle. Her surviving friends who chose sigils over death said the Emperor himself took an interest in her, and they never saw her again.

You had an aunt. She was publically executed, made an example of after seriously injuring a coven official in an escape attempt.

You had an aunt. Your family received a form letter from the Emperor's Coven informing you of her death while in their custody. They never sent her body.

You had an aunt. Her body was returned to your family, but the Emperor's Coven didn't bother to explain her missing arm or anything else aside from saying that wild witches deserve what they get.

You had an aunt. Your family received a crate of pulverized stone.

You had an aunt. She valued her freedom, and she fought for it for herself and others. She ran off to join a rebellion to try and make a difference. She paid a steep price for it, and your family paid the interest.

You're wild and free, and you refuse to take a sigil or bow to the Emperor. You refuse to conform, to fit in a box, to make yourself less.

But you also had an aunt, and you refuse to end up like her.

YES that is VERY MUCH the vibe!!!! and dont worry you will find out what happens to caitlyn in a different GG story i have

this is like a big rebellion push still early in the emperor's reign and its absolutely demolished with a massive show of brutal force. it strongly hampers future attempts at organized rebellion. belos operates on fear. he makes sure people are afraid to rebel. caitlyn was in latissa, but dell wasnt, gwen wasnt. she wanted to fight and it cost her dearly.

eda and lilith both wanted to join the emperor's coven growing up. i imagine very much that dell and gwen downplayed a lot of their own feelings about the coven system because they didnt want their young children to say the wrong thing and get killed for it. lilith knows she has an aunt who didnt follow the rules, and she paid for it. eda knows she had an aunt who died wild and free and strong and shes remembered with pride. they both take away what they take away. and eda very much takes away that organized rebellion is pointless, that it can't work, theres no point. you have to protect yourself. and also, that they WILL kill you if you give them the chance. so don't ever give them the chance. never ever ever submit. fight every single time.

all of my fun little prequels seek to add context that enhances canon lol, all of them are trying to flesh out an already rich world with just a little bit more juice. how the boiling isles history and peoples family lines affect who they become when we get to meet them... thats the good shit. chefs kiss.

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alexanderwales · 10 months ago

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TV Review: Dark Matter

This should be a short review, because it's a show that I felt was pretty short on ideas.

Spoilers follow.

Dark Matter is another Apple TV scifi show, and so far as I'm concerned, Apple TV has had a really good track record for scifi. Severance was one of my favorite shows of whatever year it came out, I thought they did Silo justice, and while For All Mankind has its warts, I have been happy to watch it.

Dark Matter is a multiverse show, and the multiverse is a difficult concept to work with, especially if you're taking it to its logical extremes where there are infinitely many universes. The show is based on a book by Blake Crouch, which I haven't read, and don't plan to.

Most of the plot revolves around a professor of physics, his wife and son, and the alternate version of him who takes over his life. It felt like it took way too long for the basic premise to be revealed, but there it is. Early on, Jason1 got removed from his own universe by Jason2 and placed into Jason2's original universe, sort of a Prince and the Pauper situation. In Jason2's universe, they have created "The Box" which, with a brain chemical, can put a person into a state of "superposition" that allows them to travel an infinite hallway to find other Earths that are always geographically identical but might vary wildly from each other. If the first episode is almost pure setup, then episodes two through seven are 1) Jason1 discovering what happened to him and 2) Jason2 trying and failing to slip into the life he thought he wanted.

Here's one thing I wanted to start with: it makes zero fucking sense that Jason2 would put Jason1 into Jason2's original universe. He obviously could have killed Jason1 and then dumped the body in one of the alternate universes, but he could also just as easily have dumped Jason1 anywhere else. In fact, he does this later on to a different character. If there's a justification, which I think there isn't, it's that Jason2 is not really a killer, and really did feel bad about taking over his alternate's life, and then ... I don't know, wanted them to do a swap, I guess, rather than putting Jason1 in a place where he would thrive.

The whole plot hinges on this decision, but I'm willing to move past it, even as dumb as I think it is.

The reason I love speculative fiction is that it gets to swing for the fences and set up all kinds of scenarios that make metaphors or thought experiments into realities. I have always been a sucker for time travel stories, and branching timelines aren't quite that, but they're close. The thing that this show is most interested in exploring, for most of its run, is "what would it be like for this character to have made a different choice". The choice in question is leaving his then-girlfriend Daniella when she discovered she was pregnant, and this is the main thing that separated the two Jasons: in Jason1's universe, he has a wife and a teenage son, and in Jason2's universe, he builds The Box after some investment from a side character who was really unimportant for how much screentime he got (setting up for a season 2 that almost certainly will not happen unless this show is way more popular than it has any right to be).

As the core of the show, this difference between Jasons is ... fine. It's a very middle-aged sort of question, and a very particular sort of question, since I have to believe that not a lot of people ever had to choose between a successful career as an engineer working on quantum physics or a job as a professor. But there's something about "the one that got away" and "the road not taken" that resonates even with some of the plot beats being a bit meh.

For a show that's including the entire multiverse though, it sure does seem to be shy about showing us other Jasons who had even more different life paths. Jason1 ends up visiting a lot of worlds while trying to get home, and there's not a lot of interaction with other versions of himself. I wanted to see him in different professions, married to different people, with different children. I wanted them to take the "road not taken" inquiries to their logical conclusions. If it's the full multiverse, then there have got to be truly miserable and truly exceptional Jasons, and come on it, it's a character study, you can show us new and interesting things about the character.

The most egregious of these was when he went to a universe where that Jason had gone to prison and his wife was afraid of him, and they don't even tell us what he went to prison for. Come on! This is the bread and butter of an alternate universe story, a real character revealing moment, and they just skipped over it. The show takes the understanding that all these Jasons are, essentially, the "same" person in some way, that the things one Jason does reflect the things that another Jason could do, given the right circumstances, but it mostly does it for a "not so different" message.

Alright, let's talk about the universe traveling, which is the main gimmick of the show. It's only really relevant to Jason1 trying to get back, but there's at least one clever twist: the doors in the infinite hallway that expands when you take the drug do not actually matter, as any door can lead to any world, and instead, the world that you end up in depends on what your mind is doing at the moment you open the door.

This is obviously pretty dumb and not how we would expect this thing to work, but I am going to forgive it because it ends up being really neat in terms of what it allows in the story: any door Jason1 opens leads him to a world that reflects his psyche. If he's worried about the life his wife would leave without him, he'll find a world where she's completely fine. If he's worried about her death, he'll find a world where she's dying. Unfortunately, the show doesn't do all that much psyche-exploring through this mechanism they've set up, which is one of my main problems with the show: it doesn't seem like it wants to go that deep.

There's an upcoming game called The Alters where you're an astronaut on an alien planet who uses some quantum machinery to pull in "alters" of yourself from other timelines. You're doing this because you need people with different skills to repair your ship or whatever, but they have a whole map of every life choice the protagonist has ever made, and look, I just played the demo so maybe it's shit, but they did seem to have mapped out multiple points of divergence.

In Dark Matter we mostly just get Jason1 and Jason2. Jason1 is trying to get back to his family and does not really even have that much of an arc. Jason2 does an absolutely hack job of becoming Jason1 and realizes that this is actually not the life he wants (but partly this is because he keeps fucking up).

Starting around episode 8, we get some plot events that I thought did redeem the show a little bit, if only because they were interesting things to do with the idea. Jason1 finally comes back to Universe1 ... and we find out that he's not the only one. There are lots of Jason1s, because through the power of quantum or whatever, they've been multiplying with every decision made during the universe-hopping trip. I don't think it was necessarily handled all that well by the writing or cinematography, but it was interesting, and I found myself re-engaged.

Unfortunately, the show didn't seem to really know what to do at that point. When there are two Jason1s, they can have a conversation with each other, but when there are thirty ... they set up a chat room where the hundreds of Jason1s talk with each other, and we get some fun stuff like them having identical lines of dialogue, and his wife and son get their phones blown up with identical text messages from all the variants. For what seems like a tenuous reason, Daniella decides that one of the Jason1s has special privilege and gloms onto him as the "real" one, which is not supported by the show's rules, and after some thriller stuff, they eventually leave through the Box and go to another universe where they can presumably have normal lives or whatever.

I thought the "hundreds of Jasons" stuff would have made a good story, or maybe a movie. It's "wouldn't it be fucked up if" scifi, "wouldn't it be fucked up if there were three hundred of your husband and they were all fighting to be the one that's married to you". I kind of want to write my own basic version of that story, with the other stuff stripped away. Actually, now that I think about it, I did write a story like that, but about a man who got his brain uploaded and ends up linking up with the others, who gets an automated response from his college girlfriend saying "I know this is unique for you, but versions of you contact me at least twice a day". I wrote that fifteen years ago or something like that, so it's probably not very good.

The problem for Dark Matter is that they don't really care about the mechanics of the scifi, and it makes the whole rest of the story feel less substantial than it might otherwise have. The hundreds of Jasons thing ends up being a pretty substantial plot hole, on top of a few other gaps.

The rest of this review is just going to be me working out the shape of these holes, sorry.

To start with, the Box is created in universe 2, and when it does its superposition thing, it seems as though the Box gets placed in new universes at the point when the door opens. From what we know, the Box is always in the same location, sometimes underwater, sometimes underground, but usually in the facility where the box was made, or an abandoned warehouse in universes where that company didn't exist. In a few cases, the Box ends up in a park or something, right out in the open. This isn't really explained, and I got the sense the show creators didn't care about it, but it felt like it should be important, especially when Jason exits a Box in the middle of a park and then just ... leaves? As though there's no risk that someone is going to come along and cordon this artifact off, at the very least?

There's also the issue that the box supposedly only works if the door is closed (something something observer effect) but this does sort of not work well with the mechanics of what happens later. Leaving the door open would mean that no one could enter that universe through the Box, unless traveling to a universe closes the Box, but for there to be hundreds of Jasons in the final episode I think it's pretty much a requirement that you can come into a universe even if the Box is closed. It was one of those small things that irritated me because it had implications for how it all worked and was never clarified. (Jason2 does at one point encase the Box in concrete to prevent entry, which I guess he wouldn't do if you could just leave the door open, but ... what happens if the center of the box is filled? What happens if there's stuff in the way? Very unclear.)

The biggest problem for the show is that it's got the Whole Damned Multiverse, and logically, you should be seeing tons of Jasons even before the eighth episode. It should be happening before the start of the show, in fact, because by their logic Jason2 should have shown up eighty different times. (It would have been cool and clever for Jason2 to have some kind of solution to this that Jason1 was ignorant of, but nope.) Having a bunch of Jasons show up is cool, but it essentially nukes the rest of the show. The whole premise of Universe 2 is that no Jason2 ever came back, and that two other test subjects went out and never came back, and ... that shouldn't be the case, right? Funny enough, there's a part where they run into one of the test subjects who's been traveling the multiverse and ended up in a hellish supermosquito world, and ... there have got to be tons of her out there too, right? So they didn't run into her, they ran into a version of her. That's not a plot hole, just a funny bit of recontextualizing, and it makes what felt like a weird random coincidence a bit more logical.

When episode eight came out, and it was revealed there were multiple Jasons, I actually had a different theory about where they were coming from. You see, obviously there's not just Universe 2, there are infinitely many variants of Universe 2, which means infinite variants of Jason2, who had traveled around to get to variants of Universe 1 and Jason1. But assuming that all those Jason1s put Jason2 in Universe 2, I thought it would be a neat twist for all the Jason1s to come back to a universe that wasn't their own, but instead, the idealized version of home. There are billions of Jason1s, all with their small variations, but they're seeking out universes through force of will and mental models, and those probably aren't as varied. There must necessarily be a universe where Jason1's wife cheats on him and he never knew about it, but that's not the universe that he would go back to, he would go back to one where his wife is as perfect as he's been thinking this entire time. But no, it's that the Jason1s were multiplying.

The show somewhat ambitiously sets up a bunch of things for a second season. There are people lost in the multiverse, and at least one scene that had an "I want to talk to you about the Avengers Initiative" vibe. Jason's story felt like it was over to me, but there are at least four secondary characters that could potentially have some kind of plot happen involving them.

Is it good scifi? I would say that it's not. They don't care about the mechanics of multiverse travel, and by the standards of the multiverse, there's nothing that really wowed me. Even the apocalypse planets felt dreary and unimaginative: nuclear fallout, plagues, rising waters, frigid cold ... the supermosquitos were the only one that I really liked. There are two utopia worlds, and the one we spend the most time in is pretty lame. Funny enough, they say that they've discovered cold fusion and Jason just ... doesn't seem to care about that, or about bringing back the technology to his own world. Say what you want about Sliders, but at least it showed a lot of creativity.

So the show that I'm left with is one that cares a lot about its characters and all their varieties, and that's also not everything it could be. I wanted more backstory on Jason, more understanding of how he became the person he is, more on who he could have been, given the right pushes at the right times.

#dark matter #tv review #reviews

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