#what happened to discussions and theories

[sammysdewysensitiveeyes]

Okay, I greatly appreciate the discussion here about the need for interdisciplinary work in academia, and the need to reach outside of academia and talk to specialists when looking at the uses of tools, but somehow people always have to turn this into a "gotcha!" where the stuffy academics get shown up (even though this very thread shows some archeologists reaching out to craftspeople to ask about how tools are used because they recognize the need for that knowledge and expertise).

"A hairdresser comes a long, looks at a few and is like, “Yeah, they’re sewn.”

“Don’t be silly!” the archaeologists cry. “How foolish, sewn hair indeed! LOL!”

So she went away and recreated them on real people using a needle and thread and the mystery of Roman hairstyles was solved."

Did they? Did they really? The archeologists all laughed at the plucky hairdresser and then she proved her theory by simply recreating the styles?

See, what actually happened is that Janet Stephens (the hairdresser/hair archeologist in this post), who published an article about her theory in The Journal of Roman Archeology in 2008, spent about 6 years of research pursuing her idea that perhaps Roman hairstyles were sewn hair and not wigs. She did both hands-on experimentation sewing the actual hair, and more traditional research reading through a ton of sources. This is coming from an interview done with Stephens herself:

"Lots and lots of reading, poring over exhibition catalogs, back searching the footnotes to the reading and reading some more! It helped that I am fluent in Italian and, in 2006, I took a German for reading class. Working in my spare time, the research took 6 years."

"I am an independent researcher, but my husband is a professor of Italian at the Johns Hopkins University, so I have library privileges there. We are friendly with colleagues in the Classics/Archaeology department and at the Walters Art Museum. They were kind enough to send me articles and clippings, read drafts and help with some picky Latin, though I try not to impose."

(Source: http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/14729)

Wow, so people in the Classics/Archeology department and at the art museum sent her articles and clippings and HELPED her with her research as opposed to laughing at her in their gentleman's club! It's almost like people working the archeology/art history these days aren't all stuffy old white guys from the 1950's!

Stephens also presented her work at the Archeological Institute of America Conference, and according to the interview I cited above, it was apparently well received: "It seemed to create a a lot of buzz and people said they enjoyed it. It’s not every conference where you go to the poster session and see “heads on pikestaffs”!"

Like, there's plenty to be said about the ivory tower and the need for interdisciplinary work, and the racism/sexism etc. that newer researchers are working against, but framing this story as "hairdresser totally shows up the archeologists with her common sense!" is needlessly shitting on the academics involved here (and the humanities in general have been struggling to maintain funding at many universities in the US, they don't need to be further attacked), as well as greatly over-simplifying and downplaying Janet Stephens' achievement. I think it's more respectful to acknowledge the six years of work that she put into the project than to tell the story like she just sewed some hair and then all the archeologists' monocles popped out.

Something I find incredibly cool is that they’ve found neandertal bone tools made from polished rib bones, and they couldn’t figure out what they were for for the life of them. 

Until, of course, they showed it to a traditional leatherworker and she took one look at it and said “Oh yeah sure that’s a leather burnisher, you use it to close the pores of leather and work oil into the hide to make it waterproof. Mine looks just the same.” 

“Wait you’re still using the exact same fucking thing 50,000 years later???”

“Well, yeah. We’ve tried other things. Metal scratches up and damages the hide. Wood splinters and wears out. Bone lasts forever and gives the best polish. There are new, cheaper plastic ones, but they crack and break after a couple years. A bone polisher is nearly indestructible, and only gets better with age. The more you use a bone polisher the better it works.”

It’s just. 

50,000 years. 50,000. And over that huge arc of time, we’ve been quietly using the exact same thing, unchanged, because we simply haven’t found anything better to do the job. 

[crowleysgirl56]

Good Omens season 3/finale thought of the day:

So today’s thought is to discuss a potential confirmed filming location. Due to the nature of this as a possible spoiler (because understandably there are some out there who wish to remain completely unspoilt until the finale airs) I shall place all my thoughts under the cut!

We’ve seen a couple of filming locations pop up on the socials but the one I wanted to focus on is Tills bookshop and cafe in Edinburgh (photo credit taken from a Google search).

First things first, this is a super cute bookshop and goddamn I wish I was in the UK just so I could pop over and visit it regardless of the fact that it’s a possible filming location for Good Omens. I love me a cute bookshop especially if it’s also a cafe.

Now that’s out of the way OMG WHY IS THERE ANOTHER SUPER CUTE BOOKSHOP?! WHY HAS THE FANDOM NOT BEEN GOING OUT OF THEIR GOD DAMN MINDS ABOUT THIS YET?! WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?!

Speculation time! What is the significance of this bookshop? I have thoughts and theories below each more outlandish than the next!:

- Aziraphale has opened another bookshop that no one, not even Heaven or Crowley is aware of.

- Crowley opened his own bookshop to feel close to his angel (that’s where he was driving off to at the conclusion of the final 15).

- Aziraphale falls, has his memory wiped, and ends up working in this bookshop, thinking he’s human and Crowley finds him here! (Cue this thought of the day).

- it belongs to another angel and is also an embassy for Heaven. Turns out a bunch of angels started opening up embassies and modelled them after Aziraphale’s because that’s what they thought they should be. Aziraphale had no idea this was happening.

- it will have something to do with the book of life. Perhaps Aziraphale hides it in this bookshop. Or Aziraphale/Crowley/Muriel needs to go find it because it’s missing and there’s a rumour it might be here (or any bookshop and this is one of the ones they visit).

- there’s no real significance to it. Characters happen to be in Edinburgh (or perhaps anywhere) and they happen upon this shop and just go in for mundane reasons. Crowley might even give a bored quip about another bookshop.

- the fact that it also doubles as a coffee shop is interesting. Could it be somewhere the Metatron like to hang out?

- does something happen to Aziraphale’s bookshop? Do they cast a miracle to change it, perhaps disguise it maybe, and this is what it now looks like?

- perhaps it’s an alternate universe? (I know I’m starting to reach here)

- maybe Aziraphale and Crowley really do become humans in the end with no memories of their past and Aziraphale works in this bookshop and Crowley finds him here (HAHA! I choose violence!)

So what are your thoughts? Please let me know your theories and headcanons. I’d love to speculate more!

[colombinaa]

i honestly don’t know why we’re still having conversations about whether men can or cannot change. that’s not the point.

men will change. period. it’s not a request, it’s not an option.

the matriarchy is natural, we always were a matriarchy until they imposed the patriarchy millennia ago. we were a matriarchy for way longer than we’ve been a patriarchy. going back to the natural order is completely possible. and it will happen. either that or extinction, that’s what happens in nature and we’re not exempt from it.

i don’t care if men are willing to change or not. did they ask us if we could when they imposed their unnatural, anti-evolutionary system? did they wonder whether women could go their entire life in survival, being constantly raped and pregnant? do they now?

they could “change” us to fit their made-up system, they are more than capable of going back to the natural one. many patriarchal institutions work as a violent degeneracy of the nature of the male anyway (hierarchies, war, etc.).

like we all read the SCUM Manifesto here, did Valerie Solanas ask herself if men could change or not? no, her method is exactly what nature does: either live without defying the rules of nature, or nature will fix the problem.

we know it’s socialization, or we wouldn’t be here, as Andrea Dworkin said. we know the matriarchy is the natural system, the one that celebrates life instead of destruction. we all know that men will change.

so why are we as radical feminists still asking ourselves this question? our freedom was stolen from us violently, asking each other or men if they can or cannot change will not get it back. we’re doing exactly what they socialised us to do, and it’s taking the focus away from the actual goal.

i love discussions between us on various theories that are raised, some of those which i read were brilliant. but this one question is not the case. i think it’s a waste of energy.

just wanted to add my opinion cause i saw the discussion reopened in the course of last week. i was finally able to word it in a decent way.

[quitealotofsodapop]

Macaque doesn't ever come face to face with Wu until after New Years, something MK had sort of intentionally did. Look, in his defense, it hadn't been the first time soemone had mistaken his Uncle Wu for the Monkey King (see the Calabash episode) and he didn't want to risk Macaque attacking his uncle for no good reason because he thought he was someone was wasn't, he wasn't dumb enough to not realize that Macaque would do something rash based on what he did when he thought MK had connections to the real Great Sage!

After New Years, however, Wu is revealed to have been Sun Wukong this entire time. And after being convinced to stay by weaponized puppy dog eyes form MK and a pleading Sandy telling him they love him legend or no legend during Sleep Bug, Wu had been dealing with a lot of fuss and harassment from the demons who'd been in the spider web with him, the Demon Bull Family included (albeit they weren't really HARASSING him moreso not leaving him alone after father and son eavesdropped on why he disappeared and how he felt he being Sun Wukong was akin to being a monster). So Tang comes up with the idea of seeing a shadow play. The room would be dark, nobody would see anyone else in the crowd, and it'd give Wu a chance to just relax and enjoy himself.

Unfortunately, the person doing the play happened to ve the person the most obsessed with the Monkey King, and he recognizes him in the crowd.

I'm just thinking of Macaque brooding after his attempt to draw Wukong out in his debut episode failed - only to overhear a certain pair of horned demons bouncing conspiracy theories off one another. Turns out having your former-mentor's nutty kids around doesn't leave much room for silence.

Macaque finds the twins in the theatre's prop room discussing over a large cork board containing MK's and multiple peoples' photographs. There's drawing attached to each photo, seemingly ripped from books.

Jin: "What about the cook? He seems to be both the Monkie Kid's dad and his boss?" Yin: "Must be like when we work for mum." Jin, nodding: "Ah, true. Why hire staff when you got perfectly good kids right there? But then again, wouldn't that make him the Pig Kid?" Macaque, makes presence known: "What are you two doing?" Jin & Yin: (*jump a little at seeing the shadow monkey emerge from the shadows*) Yin: "'Ello bruv!" Jin: "Ever since we tried capturing the Monkie Kid in the Dream Calabash, we've been thinking lots." Macaque, snarking: "An extreme sport." Jin: "Hardy har." Yin: "Well, we tried recreating the Monkie Kid's uncle in the Calabash, and you know what? He looks an awful lot like The Monkey King!" Macaque, stunned: "...what?" Jin: "Working theory. We actually thought it *was* the Monkey King when we tried making the calabash copy! But the kid didn't see it that way. Kept calling 'im Uncle Wu for some reason." Yin, gesturing to the noodle gang's photos: "So now our theory is that the Monkey King has been in hiding, acting the Uncle to his old bruvs descendants, and choose MK as his successor cus he's the pig's something great-grandson!" Macaque: (*slowly blinks as the sheer weirdness of the theory sinks in. Sees a blurry photograph of someone who is definitely Wukong giving younger MK a piggyback ride*) Jin & Yin: (*look very proud/smug of their detective work*) Macaque: "I need a drink."

Macaque swears he can hear the twins yell "I FECKING KNEW IT!!!" on New Years.

And now the shadow monkey is secretly scaring suitors away from his Wukong like they're cubs all over again.

Macaque tries (key word: tries) to put on a dranatic show to his mate so that he can get it through Wukong's head that no matter how he feels about him in the moment's he's still His.

Then MK stumbles in mid-confession, and panics thonking Macaque is planning an attack!!

Wukong is left more confused, an convinced Macaque hates him more than ever.

Macaque curses MK for having terrible timing.

[opbackgrounds]

is there any particular reason you don’t like theorizing?

well, to be honest, a lot of it is because most theories are shit. A lot of the well is poisoned by the nature of the series. Every week there are these big discussions, videos, and the like trying to project what’s going to happen next. There’s just a lot of slop, and trying to pick through the shit to find stuff that’s good isn’t worth the effort.

But more than that…I just prefer to wait until we get what Oda gives us. He’s a good enough storyteller that even if I were to pick up every little hint he dropped, there’s still stuff that would catch me by surprise. It’s much more fun for me to break things apart after we have the whole picture than trying to put the puzzle pieces together myself.

Now, if One Piece were fully released you can bet your ass I would spoil myself immediately. When I was first getting into the series I read knew every major plot point up until the point I caught up. Every week since I was a kid I’ve always read the last page of a book first. It’s so ingrained I even do it for nonfiction, which is just about as stupid as it sounds but I can’t help myself.

So yeah. I don’t want to hear other people’s fanfic of what they think will happen, but if Oda accidentally revealed the secret of the One Piece in an interview I would not be angry.

[the-bee-graveyard]

Yellowjackets S3 theories

I've been wanting to make a post on this for a while so instead of making a bunch of little ones I've decided to just make one big one. I don't necessarily believe all of these to be true but I think they're all very interesting and I wanted to talk about them all. They're in this order:

Queen Card Theory (Alternating Antler Queens)

Pit Girl Theory

Woman In Trailer

Coach Ben is alive

Split Theory

I'd be really interested in discussing these or hearing any other theories!

Queen Card Theory (Alternating Antler Queens)

This is the first theory that really captured my attention when I watched Yellowjackets, and it's basically that there will be four antler queens throughout their time in the wilderness, each representing a different one of the missing queen cards. Natalie is obviously the queen of hearts, but there would also be a queen of spades, queen of diamonds, and queen of clubs.

I've gone away from this theory for the most part since the season 3 trailer, since there's obviously been a significant time jump and I'm not sure if they have enough time in the woods left for there to be three more different antler queens. I do however think the remaining three queen cards will become a significant plot point at some point in the show, and that they will be uncovered.

Pit Girl Theory

I don't have much to say on this one, other then I think that the Pit Girl will be there last kill in the wilderness. I do believe in to be Mari, and I don't think they're hunting her in the scenes from the trailer. The parallels in those scenes though confirmed it for me.

For side characters I think will die this season, I think because Melissa is getting a larger role in the trailer, she's most likely to die. Which brings me to my next theory.

Woman in Trailer

I know a lot of people think that the woman in the trailer is adult Melissa, I personally do not think this. I don't think she's any of the Yellowjackets, really based on one line she says "you really are crazy" (or something like that). If it was one of the Yellowjackets I feel like she would know this.

More likely I think she's a private investigator, or a family member of one of the deceased Yellowjackets, poking around in the Yellowjackets investigation. I think both Travis and Natalie's death happening in such close proximity to each other would seem highly suspicious to anyone who's been following the Yellowjackets, and could get them some attention.

I saw a really interesting theory on tiktok that she's hired by Paul, who is trying to find out what happened to Ben, which I'm not going to cover in this post but I thought it was really compelling and would love to explore more.

I do believe all of the living Yellowjackets have been revealed. In the trailer Van says, "everyone who knows about this is us or dead", which could be said after the eighth survivor is revealed, but I don't think so. I think the eighth survivor is either already dead in the adult timeline or...

Coach Ben Is Alive

This one is a longshot I know but I've been obsessed with it for a while. I originally was a Javi is alive truther, but since that obviously is not the case, I've turned my attention to Coach Ben being the eighth survivor. I just feel like him dying is too obvious.

It's assumed from the trailer that Natalie is protecting Coach Ben from the Yellowjackets, maybe even helping him. I think the trial shown in the trailer is not for him, but for Natalie, for helping him.

Somehow Ben makes it back, whether he is rescued with the girls or on his own. For whatever reason the girls either do not know he was rescued, or believe him to be dead.

The "somebody wants us dead" in the trailer in this case would be referring to Ben, who, after learning about Travis and Natalie's deaths, could believe the Yellowjackets are up to their old tricks again.

Split Theory

This theory follows the Lord of the Flies parallels in Yellowjackets, which I simply had to talk about because I love the book. Basically sometime during their time in the wilderness, the girls split into two separate factions.

Based on the path the end of season two and season three seem to be following, I believe the group will split in half, half of them following Natalie (who represents Ralph in Lord of the Flies, righteous, "chosen leader") and Shauna (who represents Jack in LOTF, more violent and careless)

I believe the groups will split like this

Natalie's group: Travis (obvious reasons), Lottie (she believes Natalie is the rightful leader), Mari (follows Lottie loyally, also if she's Pit Girl her death could represent Piggy's in LOTF)

Shauna's group: Taissa (follows Shauna, pictured with her a few times in the S3 trailer), Van (follows Tai), Akilah (again, close with Tai, not very invested in Lottie's spiritual stuff)

Unsure: Melissa, Gen, any new characters

I'm also on the fence with Misty. Although she does seem very devoted to Natalie in the adult timeline, if we're following Lord of the Flies imagery, I could see Misty falling into the role of Roger, who does side with Jack. I also believe Misty could possibly switch sides to protect herself if she sees Natalie losing support.

Either way I think the groups come together at some point before the death of the pit girl.

[staarriezz]

HIII I LOVE YOUR LAST DOTTIE FIC. can i pls. request. akademiya zandik smut? he’s a huge loser.. like… huge nerd, he doesn’t talk to anyone, has never felt the touch of a woman…. soooooo when he gets a massive crush, his feelings for them are so intense, poor baby doesn’t know what to do the first time he gets a big ol boner thinking about her :( and so he experiments… rubs one out to the thought of her… and has like a whole epiphany

thank uuu!!

YAYAYA I LUV THIS REQUEST!! akademiya zandik rots my brain ughghghgh he’s such a loser i love him

i luv how this is turning into a zandik blog LOLS

dottore x reader — an unexpected discovery

pairing: dottore x reader

genre: smut

warnings: nsfw! 18+ content! minors dni

word count: ~1.4k

zandik had never been one for distractions.

his life revolved around progress— an endless pursuit of knowledge that left no room for frivolous indulgences. while others at the akademiya wasted time socializing, he remained fixated on his research, on theories and experiments that would one day revolutionize the world.

but lately, something had disrupted his focus.

you.

it had started subtly. a lingering glance when you passed him in the halls, an unfamiliar warmth spreading through his chest when you sat beside him in lectures, an annoying awareness of your presence even when he was supposed to be concentrating on something else.

at first, he dismissed it. It was nothing. a mere anomaly, one that would pass with time.

except it didn't.

he had never spoken much to his peers— most either feared him or ridiculed him— and he didn’t really like any of them anyways. but you were different. you weren't afraid of him, nor did you mock his work.

instead, you seemed genuinely intrigued by his research, asking questions, challenging his theories, engaging him in discussions that left his mind buzzing long after you had walked away.

and then, the worst of it happened.

the first time he had felt it, he had been in his dorm, seated at his desk, deep into his notes on biomodification. it had been a long night, his only company the soft flicker of candlelight and the sound of his pen scratching against parchment.

but his thoughts had drifted.

to you.

your voice echoed in his mind, that smooth, inquisitive tone that always sent a strange shiver down his spine. he imagined the way you leaned in when listening intently, the way your lips curled into that sweet smile when you praised his work, the warmth of your breath when you spoke too close-

his grip on his pen tightened.

a sudden heat coiled in his gut, unfamiliar yet insistent. his body tensed, and before he even realized what was happening, he was painfully, achingly hard.

he inhaled sharply, his hand tightening further around his pen— until it snapped in half.

strings of curses escaped his mouth, grumbling and rising to his feet to fetch a towel.

what the hell?

he knew what this was. he was a scientist, not an imbecile. but this— this sudden, overwhelming reaction— was unlike anything he had experienced before. it wasn't just arousal; it was something deeper, something all-consuming.

his pulse pounded in his ears. a logical man would ignore it. suppress it. focus on something else.

as he ran his hands under the cold water of the sink, wiping the ink off with a soft towel, he tried his best to ignore the throbbing of his hardness.

but the pressure was unbearable.

he returned to his desk with a defeated sigh, groaning in frustration as he sank into his seat.

he exhaled shakily, his grip tightening against the edge of his desk. every rational thought told him to stop, to push these intrusive emotions away before they became something dangerous.

yet, as his mind conjured the image of you— your fingers brushing against his as you passed him a book, your gaze lingering just a second too long, the ghost of your touch against his wrist— his restraint snapped.

before he could second-guess himself, his hand moved, hesitant at first, then firmer, more certain. the moment he made contact, a sharp gasp tore from his throat, his entire body jerking at the sensation.

archons.

a shudder ran down his spine, his breath unsteady as he let his mind wander further.

he imagined your touch instead of his own, your lips grazing his jaw, whispering his name in that soft, knowing tone. would you tease him? would you smile that infuriating, enchanting smile as he unraveled beneath you?

he felt trapped in his own boxers, an ache forming the longer he was so unbelievably hard.

his hands shook and fumbled with his boxers, slowly slipping them down, and letting his deliciously hard cock free,

he swallowed hard, his fingers wrapping around himself, then tightening, his movements becoming more desperate.

the pleasure was overwhelming. he had always believed himself above such primal urges, but this was more than simple need. it was you.

and you were intoxicating.

his breathing turned ragged, his stomach tightening as he chased that unbearable high. his thoughts spiraled, lost in fantasy, in the imagined feel of your warmth, your softness, the way he might gasp if you touched him here—

your name slipped from his lips.

the realization sent a jolt through him, but it was too late. the pleasure crashed over him like a tidal wave, the pleasure overwhelming him as his body tensed and his mind went blank. he had never felt anything so intense, so overwhelming, as he came for the first time, his body shaking uncontrollably.

for several moments, he was utterly still.

the only sounds in the room were his own harsh breaths, the erratic thump of his heartbeat against his ribs. his body trembled slightly, oversensitive and spent, but his mind was reeling.

he had never experienced anything like that.

and worse— far worse— was the fact that it hadn't been just a physical reaction.

it had been you.

slowly, he forced himself to fully sit up, running a shaky hand through his disheveled blue hair.

his skin was still warm, his pulse gradually settling, but the weight in his chest only grew heavier.

this was a problem.

an obsession, even.

his mind, usually so sharp and disciplined, had betrayed him in the most humiliating way possible. all because of you— your voice, your laugh, your presence that lingered in his thoughts long after you were gone.

he scowled at the realization.

he needed to get this under control.

because if just thinking of you could reduce him to this, he could only imagine what more of you would do to him.

and that was a dangerous thought indeed.

[clfixationstation]

yayyyy, after going "Catra was punished and put in work to fix things, here's how" "Nuh uh, I am now going to reframe Catra's active redemptive choices as things that passively happened to her" for eons, I finally got them to reveal their ideology; they don't want Catra to face the consequences of her actions or make reparations - they just want her to be punished more

I lovvve getting into the meat of an argument, this is the best part :D also, the audacity of this person to keep talking about reparations when that clearly isn't part of their theory of justice LMAO

But yeah. This person believes Catra is incapable of redemption, rendering this discussion pointless

also, if saving the entire planet and erasing all remnants of the Horde by restoring native plant life, then vowing to bring magic back to the universe, doesn't count as a reparations, I don't know what does

I know I should ignore such comments and I don't usually get so mean, but people not grasping the most basic plot points makes me batty

there's not even a point in talking to these people because I am simply informing them that they are incorrect. and they will view it as a debate. there's nothing to debate. I am correct and my position will not waver

now, if we want to discuss personal interpretations and feelings about characters, I'm down to do that. I'm very understanding about people's personal reasons for disliking Catra, and I won't press the issue if it's personal. but alas, this commenter is basing their argument on incorrect statements about the plot of the show and responding is irresistible

[madame-mongoose]

My hot take is that not everything needs to be fandomized

[moonetta]

Any (non-proship) metal family fans out there? 🥺🥲

[polling-sonic-fans]

What happened to the time stones

They live peacefully in quartz quadrant

Amy turned them into jewelry

Silver eated them

The disappeared/slash crumbled after use

The chaos emeralds kicked their ass to establish dominance

Special zone

Some secret third thing

[Image ID: the timestones from Sonic Speed Simulator, via sonic wiki]

Thanks @composer-of-chaos for the poll!

Polls for the Sonic fandom on just about anything. Share polls you like to get more data. Asks and submissions always open.

[chronicsyd]

And before Act 2 arrives, let's talk about Caitlyn's redemption and what needs to happen For it to happen. Because I'm Pretty sure it's gonna happen, she doesn't stay like this forever.

On her own, she needs to realize that continuously going after Jinx Isn't going to solve her problems, listening to Ambessa Isn't going to solve her problems, in fact she probably is going to learn one way or another that Ambessa is simply using her for her own means. Back in S1 she mentions to Ekko, "The cycle of violence will never stop" and "This city needs healing, more than I ever realized." and while it was naive thinking back in S1 because Caitlyn's pretty powerless compared to the Council's decisions, it's actually one of the things that has Vi start to fall for her (keep this in mind, I'm actually making a point with it). And that's inevitably what has to happen for both cities. Caitlyn herself needs to relearn that, "What am I shooting for?" lesson that Grayson taught her back from episode 5. Because in her vengeance for Jinx, she's lost the true purpose of what she's fighting for, and needs to get her head screwed back on and start thinking about it again. That violence isn't getting them anywhere, whether that be Zaun attacking Piltover, or vice versa. (now how exactly would they be able to come to those terms of ending violence? I have NO idea... that's for the show to explain.)

BUT the difference between S1 and NOW is that Caitlyn can actually DO something about it herself, unlike trying to go about shit "diplomatically" back in S1 (as in trying to rationalize with corrupt politicians that doesn't go anywhere). In order for shit to get better, Caitlyn has to be able to find a way to Work with Zaun in order to try and find a way to bring the two cities together because it seems like Ambessa is going to be the bigger threat once Act 3 arrives. Actually Showing she's Working on getting better, and one HUGE apology to Vi, is what's most likely going to get them back on better terms (and Act 2 most likely showing that they could never really let each other go in the first place, Vi's just missing the girl she used to know and Caitlyn's probably missing Vi all together)

There's most likely more things that she does that I'm missing, but this is the gist of what has to happen.

Now, will it be enough to satiate people? well... hard to say. that's up to the viewer, not me. I can't dictate if that's enough for you to forgive her or not.

But for me, if she's willing to work for it, it's enough.

[nenoname]

me: oh i totally get it if some folks dont jive with same coin theory, plus it's strange to conceptualise at first--

me when i see people call it lame:

[sygneth]

hi hello. i just need to send an ask to someone about how Frogwares Remakes Holmes is afraid of water to the point of passing out in it, and how if I were writing a sherlock holmes/cthulhu mythos crossover i would definitely play with that concept more. can you imagine how he must have felt during the swamp chapter

YES!! I have been thinking about this definitely too much... I know this is mainly for gameplay reasons but I 100% agree it has so much potential! (Btw, I love the concept itself. It makes Holmes seem so... simply human. I think Frogwares did such a great job on Holmes' portrayal in general, they didn't go into the "cold detached logician without emotions" trope and I am SO HAPPY they didn't. This Holmes is nearly 1:1 how I see canon!Holmes, and he is so human in it. And small details like this, they just give depth to the character, and I think this is a great use of the fact that here in fact we see Holmes as he is, with all the aspects that Watson would obviously omit in the stories.... Yeah, I wouldn't miss an opportunity to write an epiphany on a great reading of Holmes)

And the swamps.... I don't think I can even imagine. Honestly, I think it would be great if they addressed that somehow in this part, even Watson asking Holmes if he is alright, would be something.

(And if I am not mistaken, the only locations when there is enough water to make his pass out are the ones where Watson is with us? So I always imagine Watson pulling Holmes out of it, and I was almost disappointed that he didn't even comment on that.)

This is one mess of an answer but! What I mean to say is I am totally with you on this, I love this aspect of the game and I only wish they played with it a little bit more

[roseprincessarts]

Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis The First Soldier Episode 2 Theory and Prediction Discussion

Good evening Final Fantasy VII peepsters!

Welp, it's November. Today we are going to be discussing what's been in my head while playing FFVII Ever Crisis. Before we get started, this is probably my first theory and prediction to ever discuss. I've probably seen other theories that relates to the episode 2 of First Soldier, so I decided to do this in my own thoughts and my own words, and could agree what other theories could be true or not true. It all takes some patience to find out what will happen in the future in First Soldier! So the topic tonight is going to be about Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis: The First Soldier Episode 2 Theory! (also made a presentation art for future discussions :) )

I was going to do this before and after Halloween, but hadn't got the chance to finish up so I feel like this will be rushed lol. I had a blast yesterday for Halloween, though!

Oh! Before I forget, I must warn to each and every one of the FFVII fans that have never played Ever Crisis, and/or did but hadn't gotten into the second episode of First Soldier, Crisis Core, FFVII, etc., just to warn y'all that this will contain spoilers! Read this at your own risk! Or have an experience on EP 2! So beware of ghosts of spoilers! Ooooooooooo~ 👻

*clears throat* Well, with no further ado, let's get on with the discussion!

Episode 2 of Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier

I have indeed finished The First Soldier episode 1 just before starting the second one. It was just before Halloween started. I really enjoyed the first episode! Really shows the past of Sephiroth! Young Sephiroth looks handsome as when he was a grown handsome man as well hehehehe <3. I really liked how they did Sephiroth as some sort of a 14-year-old hero before his fall into a psycho villain. It also shows who he was before the Nibelheim mission, what he really thought of his friends, which would be Glenn, Matt and Lucia, and what he had wanted other than a hero, but a normal ordinary life as other kids unlike him had. This also shows how he ended up being Shinra's golden SOLDIER (why I called that because he was the first one to even have incredible powers). However, we get to see more as we dive into more of Sephiroth's past. Let's begin!

Sephiroth and Angeal First Meeting

In episode 2 of First Soldier, we see how Sephiroth and Angeal met.

Angeal Hewley was introduced in Crisis Core as a SOLDIER with honor, pride and the most respected member, gifted with the iconic Buster Sword in the FFVII series before the real thing as a symbol of his family's honor. He is also the mentor of another character that was also important to the series is Zack Fair, another SOLDIER member that dreams of becoming a hero like Sephiroth.

Until learning about who he really is, Angeal dreamed of becoming human due to the fact that Dr. Hollander was responsible for the Jenova Project, or rather Project G to make him a perfect monster, as Genesis was a failure at this point, as well as Angeal claiming he has created his very own suffering.

Now, in ep 2 of The First Soldier, a young Angeal plans to leave to Midgar to join SOLDIER to honor his family before his stepfather’s death. He was to dispatch to Robio in Wutai, and boom! Angeal meets Sephiroth for the first time. Sephiroth appears to be pissy, and Angeal tries to cheer him up and lighten him up. Angeal looked handsome as a young fella ^^.

I think Sephiroth and Angeal would be going separate ways. However, what I think would happen is that they would bond later on. Plus, they were friends along with Genesis in Crisis Core.

Masamune Origins

Wondering how Sephiroth got the most iconic sword in FFVII history, and how it became a main thing? Wondered how he got the Masamune? Look no further! As most of the players were playing through all the sections, we now see a new character in the game named Masamune, based on a sword of its namesake.

Now, Masamune appears to be swordsmith of Robio, and he had the katana by his name. What my prediction or theory may be is there could be the possibility of Sephiroth obtaining the iconic Masamune in future chapters. Plus, Sephiroth's Nameless being sliced in half, I would how the aftermath might be ^^;

Well, this is going to be interesting and I'm actually looking forward to how Sephiroth obtains the Masamune from… well, Masamune (character) is going to go. Dark, climaxing, we won't know until future chapters!

Now, about the character Masamune of what I first saw him, he almost reminds me of the actor Christopher Lee lol. Also, I wondered how Sephiroth and Masamune would communicate or how they would have a bond, friendship, or even become enemies. We'll have to see on that one. This will become interesting to see!

Bachman

Bachman, or is another character that appears as a journalist for Shinra as he records Sephiroth and Angeal in action to have a detailed report.

I'd say he could be a documentary guy or something like that!

Well, to be honest, I am not sure if I have an interest about Bachman, but I'll have to see for myself what he could possibly do in future chapters. I thought he was just a minor character, but he could be important. We'll just have to sit back for more of his development as well.

Alissa Goldie

Hey, look! Another female character! Another feminine SOLDIER! Wow! Interesting!

*coughs*

Whoops. Gotten carried away there, am I not? Ahem… where was I? Ah, yes! Alissa Goldie, indeed!

Next subject to discuss in this FFVII theory is Alissa Goldie (it's a pretty name for her btw ^^).

Alissa Goldie is another female 2nd class SOLDIER appearing in this episode of First Soldier. She appeared as another missing SOLDIER I believe until found before Sephiroth and Angela's encounter with Masamune as some sort of upbeat kind of person, until she sassed Sephiroth for staring at her after meeting or seeing her.

Now, some people may be in shock when they see Alissa at first. Her character development intends to look identical to Sephiroth's birth mother Lucrecia.

Oh boy! This is going to be nerve wrecking, but here are the list of predictions of what I think will be happening with Alissa and Sephiroth.

Prediction 1: Prediction number 1 of what I am about to say is later on, I believe that what will happen in this episode 2 if that Alissa Goldie will turn out to be either an antagonist, maybe villain and/or a Jenova clone that will trigger Sephiroth’s mental disturbance. Well, we probably have seen clones in the FFVII original story. We'll probably find about this kind of prediction for Alissa’s character development

Prediction 2: This option of the prediction will indicate what I might also think if Alissa will be Lucrecia in disguise. Lucrecia is Sephiroth’s birth mother, as Hojo gives him the photo of her in episode 1 of TFS and claims her name is Jenova, who is actually a calamity from space that tried to destroy the planet but was pulled out of the 2000-year-old rock layer and experimented and was kept enclosed in the Nibel Reactor. We all have seen the Nibelheim Incident, presenting Sephiroth’s descent to madness and his death after his massacre in the village, when Cloud starts to be a real deal for the FFVII series, and Zack as well. In this prediction for First Soldier, I believe Alissa could be Lucrecia in actual see her son in person after what Hojo had done to him, and her. He does dream about his mother after couple of chapters, which warms my heart to see the moment is real mother and son ❤️

Prediction 3: This is probably the weirdest, obscure or awkward prediction, but could be shocking. This would have the Sephiroth fans to freak out over this, but in the third prediction, Alissa could be whether just an ordinary girl and/or to be (here I go) Sephiroth's love interest. Yes, awkward. However, Sephiroth is flustered by Alissa's facial identity to look like his mother. She also tells Angeal the world will change if Sephiroth continues to use his sword. This is the prediction I doubt that would happen. I could be wrong, but this has been in my head that I LITERALLY had been bragging to myself about. Spehiroth’s canon love interest? This would freak the Sephiroth fans out. Even me. Now, my apologies if it does freak you out, but it would be doubtful if Alissa could be a canon Sephiroth's love interest. I was hoping for prediction 2, but we'll sure better get some really good sleep with patience for future chapters to hope if either of the theories are true. This isn't to intend to freak those fans out on purpose. Just to explain which prediction could be true or not.

And that's it for tonight. Well, I hope you enjoy my theory, and this is my first time, so my apologies for the messy typo or not much ha ha ha!

Let's sit back and wait for future chapters to witness more of the story of Sephiroth, and Angeal as well! This could give me some ideas how my CC fanfic is going to go. Better get started (to myself) with it! I can do another discussion that relates to this if there's a new chapter coming. Plus, I'm getting better with catching up with Ever Crisis now! I do plan to do as much as possible so I can catch up to the stories! I was going to add more, but I might do another theory since I don't have time now. Plus, don't want it to make it too long anyway lol. I'll do more theory details later on!

And it's getting late so I hope you enjoy and have a good night! And now I need some sleep before turning into a zombie!

Have a wonderful day, my lovely rose petals!

RosePrincessArts, signing off! Good night!

Art ©RosePrincessArts (Used from Sketchbook app from iPad)

Final Fantasy VII, Ever Crisis, Crisis Core, The First Soldier and Characters belongs to Tetsuya Nomura and SQUARE ENIX

[albino-parakeet]

I was thinking about the dynamics between Danwu and Edwu happening at the same time.

Using the 100% canon compliant Danwu timeline as reference lol. None of this is actual canon. I am just thinking about the timeline of events.

The Edwu situationship goes crazy the more I think of it.

Like Eddie being Wu’s partner in crime against nature is like. Yea going off of the Danwu timeline, Daniel and Wu have known each other for a good while.

But like… does Daniel know about Wu almost dying to the Scorpios? Does Daniel even know about the whole secret hybrid thing going on? He obviously doesn’t know a good bunch since his company recruited Sammy and whoever to get insider information.

I mean it would make sense that Wu would still keep things hidden from Daniel when it comes to his work. Especially his hybrids since he’s so attached to them. He’s still competition, owning Mantahcorp and all.

But you know who was there… you know who does know. Because he’s right there. Because he’s trusted.

A situationship born out of convenience and seeking comfort after nearly dying…