#vs i have to be the change i want to see in the world for any quickcut

[rassicas]

Another excerpt from that Splatoon dev interview from a rare 2017 issue of Nintendo Dream. This is about the Squid Sisters in Splatoon 2 and the Squid Sisters stories. Translation under the cut:

Q: What's with the continued involvement of the Squid Sisters in Hero Mode?

Nogami: We didn't expect the Squid Sisters to get as popular as they did in the previous game, and we felt that they were growing as stars beyond what content we had prepared. So we desired to connect that growth to the next part of their story.

Inoue: Rather than having them continue in the same roles, we decided to reflect the choices made in the last Splatfest, "Callie vs Marie," to give the players a sense that they were actually involved. We didn't plan this from the beginning, but decided on it after seeing the personalities of both Callie and Marie emerge through live performances, and the popularity of the two of them.

-- Depending on the results of the Splatfest, would Callie and Marie's appearances in this game been reversed?

Inoue: Yes. So we were thinking about the both of them throughout development.

Nogami: We were thinking of saying directly that the content of the next game would change depending on the final Splatfest, but at that time we were not ready to announce S2 yet. So, in order to connect the last Splatfest of S1 and S2, we decided to start the "Squid Sister's stories" on our official Twitter. We wanted to let people know that the world of Splatoon is changing little by little, and there is a passage of time between the world two years ago and the present. -- So that's what it was all about.

Nogami: In the Squid Sister's Stories, each story is written in such a way that lets the reader imagine different possibilities. We wanted to create something that the audience could imagine and enjoy.

---Did you write the rest of the stories based on how people reacted to them?

Nogami: We basically wrote the whole story all at once, but there were times when we adjusted the descriptions in the middle of the story.

Inoue: We tried to make the Squid Sister's Stories feel like newspaper novels. I think the novel format is a good fit, with the depictions of subtle changes in emotions.

Nogami: If I were to adapt it into a movie, almost nothing would happen. Marie and Crusty Sean would have tea, and then Callie would come and go (laughs). By the way, we didn't write that from Callie or Marie's point of view, but from the point of view of the SRL researcher in charge of the Squid Sisters who watched them in secret, and wrote the story with a bit of imagination.

Q: What's with Marie's Japanese-style clothing?

Inoue: each of the Squid Sisters have become more popular as their solo careers have grown, but they started off singing folk songs, and that kind of work is on the rise for Marie. Because of this, she often wears a kimono.

[salbertwolf]

Sevika's Ending (But for real I don't think it's an Act 3 issue... It's an Act 2)

See, hindsight is a very powerful tool that helps us visualize when things should've been done differently. Hindsight is realizing I shouldn't have been a coward back in my early teens and should've gotten a headstart on youtube, alas we are here. Hindsight in this case, is judging the way act 3 of Arcane ended in relation to the show and where they went wrong, if they did.

I genuinely, genuinely loved the show, and like the ending, I think the conclusion of the characters makes sense with the way they were presented, despite my previous post regarding Sevika's ending maybe being interpreted as "Character assassination", it wasn't, I think taking a position of leadership inside of Zaun was what she needed. My post mainly came from the heartache taking that position must bring her, now with emptions more settled after episode 9, I wanted to touch on the fact that, for me, the issue with the conclusion wasn't an Act 3 problem, rather an Act 2, because Sevika's arc concludes in act 2.

Now, Wants vs Needs is something character arcs are usually based around, what your character wants is not necessarily what your character needs. In this case, Sevika's arc follows this structure pretty well, she does not want to be in a position of power, rather reserving her loyalties to someone she considers better fit to lead, this however comes to an issue as she, more often than not, is the only one willing to put her actions where her words are, she is calm, collected, and knows loyalties better than anyone, she exhibits qualities a leader should have, but the issue is that the attention of the world around her, much like our own, is taken by figures bigger than her, Vander, Silco, Jinx. This leads her to the logical conclusion of being the support rather than the spotlight.

Let us recall then the scene in episode 4 of Sevika rallying the Undercity residents by the Vander statue, this is a big moment in the story, and possibly the culmination of her arc, she has spent her life following, and now the latest person she tries to follow is unwilling to risk everything for their city, so she must step up.

This may look as a "She can't lead" moment, I would rather take it as a point of change of perspective for the people of the Undercity, of the fact that while a Symbol is necessary for hope, you can't let it dictate the capacity for fighting, that's why Isha shows up and lights the flare, are you willing to follow just the person? Or do you want to follow the ideal? And if you follow the ideal, does it matter the person that leads you if they know and respect that ideal? This is an important oment in Sevika's arc, the realization that she can do it, she can lead.

And that's why I find it a bit, confusing WHY we weren't given a scene of a conversation between her and Jinx regarding Jinx stepping down from a leadership position, as, pardon if I'm interpreting wrong, as the narrative clearly indicates by taking a detour to solve the Vanderwick plot.

What I'm proposing is basically a writer's scene (a scene that is really only for the writers to know, as what it does it take time that could be better spent elsewhere), but I think 1 moment with Sevika and the Firelights in episode 5, following the prison break, would solve the issue of not really getting WHY she would end up in the council.

In regards to her ending, why I consider it making a bit of sense, is that yes, Zaun did not become independent, and yes, she's in a position of many enemies, but treating her position as having no allies is ignoring the fact she's one of only 2 councilors in the room that chose to stay, I know in my ending break down I put it as forcing her to sit down and accept responsability, clearly that was not the intention for her arc.

I don't think a whole episode was needed to finish her arc, but definetly a scene, she needed a scene, one more scene.

But maybe it's just me, anyway-

[rarepairronpa]

reading the wiki, going "oh mikan didn’t have any friends growing up?" and putting her in an AU where she was childhood friends with ryoko and matsuda

As you should!!! That would be super interesting, tbh. Childhood friends enomatsumiki/ryoumatsumiki would be such an interesting dynamic - especially the Yasuke and Mikan angle! We all know Mikan would grow to adore Ryouko, considering... But her relationship with Yasuke would be the really interesting part. Also, I could totally see the two of them defending her from bullies. Maybe Yasuke's mom sort of "takes in" Mikan in the sense that she let's her stay with her to get away from her guardians. And maybe when she gets dementia, that's one of the first things to go - leading to a very traumatic memory of Yasukes mom forcing Mikan out of her house with little to no warning. That whole thing would probably fuel both Mikan and Yasuke's medical career - not just Yasukes. Can you tell I have a lot of Yasuke's mom feelings? I imagine little Ryouko/Junko and little Mikan both call her "auntie". When Ryouko loses her memories, I think, would be the first clash between Yasuke and Mikan, since Mikan would not buy that it was natural and would demand Yasuke stop erasing her memories. "What are you expecting to happen here? That you can keep erasing her memories until the end of time? It won't work! She'll figure it out!" (Which would maybe lead into Yasuke talking about the NWP, which I think would genuinely scare Mikan.) If he explained that he was hiding her to shield her from consequences, Mikan would accept that as long as it was temporary. The fact that it wouldn't be temporary is where he'd lose her. She'd accuse him of trying to change her, not really loving her as she is, etc etc. Just full on hysterical yelling. I could see, like, her going along with it at first to protect Junko, only to get suspicious that it's going on for so long and confront Yasuke, leading to a truly explosive argument. Because Yasuke knew she wouldn't approve and left out shit just to get her to go along with everything. Oh! I also like to think that Ryouko would remember Mikan as well, and keep asking about her. To which Yasuke deflects everytime, feeling worse by the minute.

Mikan can't really... do anything to oppose this whole thing on her own though. That's why she'd probably go to Mukuro, and they'd have an alliance through most of DR0. Would Mikan actually appear to Ryouko, confusing her with how it seems she's working with Junko? That could be interesting. It could also be interesting that she works in the shadows, but I do like the messiness that comes with Ryouko seeing her working with Junko, feeling like she's been betrayed. Maybe she wants to forget such a thing so much that she never writes it down, and each time is a new betrayal.

But, she would also not be cool with killing Yasuke. And Junko and Mukuro know it. Junko would probably lie after the fact that she only killed him to defend herself - since Yasuke does start choking her. Which... Mikan would have really complicated feelings on. She'd probably comfort Junko about it, though, which is the real kicker.

The whole thing would probably end really messy. If Mikan ever caught on that Junko killed Yasuke for fun, she'd... probably be very unnerved. In this situation, she's built just as much as a bond with Yasuke as Junko. She might just not believe it on its face. She might become scared that Junko would betray her too. I feel like, in a world where Yasuke was a force in Mikan's life from the start, she'd have much more stable attachments, so she wouldn't be quite as obsessed with Junko. (Vs in a scenario where they met later- especially if they met because of Junko, since that would just subconsciously confirm to Mikan that she has all these good things because of Junko, too.) Despite having more time with Junko, I could actually see her as far more sane and stable than her counterpart. Because unlike canon Mikan, she actually did get support when she needed it. (Now if her childhood friend was only Junko, that would be a different story.)

Matsushima already reads as a Greek tragedy, but adding Mikan into it just makes the whole thing even more tragic in this case. (Junko would approve.) But good gosh is the image of tiny Yasuke, Junko, and Mikan eating orange slices that mama Matsuda served them too gosh dang adorable.

[oldrockformations]

Physically disabled fan here and I have so many thoughts about the ending and Viktor’s whole arc in general!!!

A large part of Viktor’s character is his own feelings of inadequacy. A good portion of those feelings stem from him being a Zaunite, but a ton of it also stems from his disability. We see it in his flashback, when he avoids other kids his age. We see it in the way he lets Jayce be the figurehead for Hextech, when he refuses to go on stage despite Jayce wanting him there. And he has a valid reason to feel this way—he is unwelcome in Piltover. Jayce and Heimerdinger seem to be the only people who don’t treat him like absolute shit, not to mention Piltover’s lack of accessibility (note the emphasis on Salo’s wheelchair going down stairs). So it’s no wonder Viktor harbors a lot of internalized ableism. It’s what the world has shown him he should feel.

And this internalized ableism, as well as the ableism he experiences externally, is what causes him to push himself so hard. He wants to help people, and he feels he hasn’t done enough. He needs to prove himself. So when he realizes he’s dying, he abandons his own morals in favor of extending his life (note his reaction to Rio as a kid, vs him saying he understands now as he is the one dying) and continuing his work. But when he uses the hexcore to try to cure his terminal illness, the first thing it changes is his leg. All of this shows early on that Viktor is willing to cross lines in order to fix what he considers “weakness.”

Now this whole time, Jayce has always viewed Viktor as his complete equal. The reason Jayce and Viktor work so well together is they provide new perspectives for each other. Jayce is a dreamer, and Viktor shows him reality. But when Jayce gets too caught up in politics and forgets his own privilege (the whole “I’m from the undercity” scene) Viktor feels betrayed. Jayce has abandoned him, and he throws himself into his work, becoming even more reckless and resulting in the death of Sky. And at this point, Viktor is overcome with guilt and believes he is unlovable, to the point that he is suicidal.

I’ve seen a lot of folks saying that Viktor’s arc in season 2 was wildly out of character, or that the writing was ableist, but I think they’re missing the point. At the start of season 2, Viktor is still mentally at rock bottom. I don’t think his change from “I am wracked with guilt because I acted recklessly during an emotional crisis and got someone killed” to “emotions are a flaw and I need to rid myself of them” is that far of a leap considering the circumstances. Especially once you factor in the hexcore messing with his head and using a manifestation of his guilt (Sky) to manipulate him. Viktor has always wanted to help people, and when you combine that with his internalized ableism, it makes sense that he would turn to “fixing” people’s disabilities if given the chance. He genuinely believes he is helping people like he always wanted, and he’s receiving the validation and respect he craves.

So when Jayce “kills” him, effectively killing everyone Viktor has “healed,” he is once again faced with overwhelming guilt and, not knowing how to handle that, he sinks further into the mindset of the Machine Herald. He avoids taking accountability by letting the arcane take control and he justifies his actions with this Glorious Evolution.

So when Jayce, a man Viktor still loves despite everything, looks him in the eye and tells him that he is beautiful, disabilities and all, Viktor doesn’t know how to rationalize that. It doesn’t fit into his current worldview. At this point, Viktor knows that Jayce has a bad leg, he’s fought him. And Jayce is still here saying that it does not make him weak. Ableism and self hatred are ingrained so deeply within Viktor that being told he is worthy of love shatters his mask, literally and figuratively. We see his face again, and he gives up his facade of being this emotionless herald.

Jayce’s message was cheesy as hell, but it was less so about actual disability, and more so about the mindset that is drilled into you when you are disabled. I think it’s impactful to me at least because Jayce chooses to say this instead of fighting. By all accounts he should be trying to kill Viktor, but he risks everything to tell Viktor how much he loves him. That he always has and that there is nothing that could change it. It didn’t come off like a motivational poster like that type of shit usually does, it sounded like an expression of devotion.

That’s my take anyway sorry for writing a whole ass essay lmao. I am very normal about Viktor arcane and I am tired of seeing his character arc being misinterpreted!! Big win for gay people and a massive L for ableism

i’d really like to hear some disabled fans’ takes on the ending of arcane season 2!

because however cute jayce’s sentiment is, when he said:

«but you were never broken, there is beauty in imperfections»

my first instinct was:

«yeah, easy to say when you haven’t experienced being sick and in pain literally your whole life your body failing you in countless ways…»

but that’s only from absorbing stuff my disabled friends have said (i’m able bodied), so if any disabled folks in the fandom wanna weigh in, i’d love to hear your thoughts and takes!

[cheriboms]

spirit boys 🤝 hats

[bumblingbabooshka]

[Tuvok & Janeway: Control, Distance, Duty & Connection.] Sources: St Voyager Transcripts / Mitski 'First Love Late Spring' / Disco Elysium

[sysig]

You could stay forever, if you wanted (Patreon)

[scatterpatter]

Have another QuickCut I doodled in like 10ish minutes earlier today because I'm now obsessed with them HELP

[eddiemunsonsmum]

Just saw this comment on a story posted a month ago.

*cries in Eddie Munson Solo Series no one wanted to read, interact with or request for*

No shade to the person that commented this on their own fic if you recognize it. It's not their fault. I'm not mad at them. More crying in the tags.

[italictext]

I desperately need to befriend a Death Note fan irl who likes Death Note the way I do.. The only DN fans I've met irl are anime only Near haters :'(

[heatwa-ves]

we live in hell

[mirai-desu]

As a huge friends to lovers enjoyer… it makes me so sad that the message of MSATD became don’t ever fall in love with your best friend or it will ruin your friendship 🥴

Like, they had William fall in love with Eliza too deeply too fast for the pacing that what RN/TPTB wanted (their apparent opinion, not mine obviously), despite the fact they are the ones who wrote that pacing. Like the call is coming from inside the house babes--

But then William felt like he had to leave the whole ass country because he couldn’t be around her anymore (and mind you, while he was still recovering from being shot and being in a coma!!!) because he felt like she didn’t return the same feelings at the same level as him, and that fucking sucks so much ugh

Like no matter “the why” this all happened, that’s the ultimate message and it’s horrible and hurts and I hate that they have perpetuated this.

Especially when you SHOULD be friends with your significant other, no matter at what point you fall in love.

And yes, Eliza's characterization ended up being all over the place thanks to shoddy writing, but she DID love him back, RN just refused to let her voice it, because she though that would ruin the show. HA.

And if they were going for something like "well sometimes it doesn't work out" ... if the show is about their bond and everything they've said before, then why just not make it actually tragic and kill him off then??? So what, they just don't fight for each other??? make it make sense

anyway it really doesn't matter which way you slice, it this whole thing still just sucks

[and I needed to get this rant out of my drafts because they are going to start S5 promo soon and I simply want nothing to do with it at all]

[nailtagyuri]

when i was 12 this was the coolest most mindblowing shit ever i was genuinely so obsessed with it I'd read it very day like the bible. I would die for a version of this with the post 3D world content over my country

[kerosene-saint]

Hiiii what’re your fav fiction and non-fiction books??

uhhhhhh (<- me when I haven't read a proper book and liked it for years due to school) look so. the last time I enjoyed books I was like. 12 possibly maybe younger but if we're talking like comic books and graphic novels I've really liked Scott Pilgrim for fiction. I ain't got a single book for you that's non-fiction I'm so sorry :[

[goodomenslady]

Me, getting huffy about the preponderance of fics where Crowley pines after warrior Aziraphale who’s gone off to battle: well i'll just write my own one-shot where Crowley is the warrior and Aziraphale stays home

Also me, months later after the 'one-shot' has grown and morphed into six chapters with no end in sight: shit

[idkimnotreal]

(1:30am)7 dudes on the attack field. 4 minutes until the end of the match, until the end of extra time. we had an advantage of 1 goal. 4 minutes until the semi finals. but there were 7 dudes on the attack field.