#where the question was ‘is the clone/new version still you? or are they an entirely new person now?’

[crybaby-bkg]

cw: Bakugou dies but comes back to life, “comes back wrong” trope, implied fighting, angst

When Bakugou died, you’re not sure how you went on living. Grief had taken over your life, sat you in the passenger side while it cruised off the highway into icy waters. And even then, you couldn’t find the energy to drown.

It’s why there’s a sudden uptick of energy when you’re promised to have him back. Some top scientists contact you months after his death, tell you to hurry down to the headquarters labs, come and rejoice for what you’re about to witness. And you’re horrified, to say the least.

“This isn’t my husband.” Are your first words when you walk in, watch the figure on the other side of the glass examine its own hands. It looks like your husband but—but his hair isn’t the right shade of blond all over. His nose bridge had a slight bump after a scuffle with a villain. He had a scar on his hand but—but it never looked like it was to sew a pinky beside the other fingers.

“Is that really my husband?” You ask next in disbelief, slowly entering the room. Bakugou’s head snaps up, his eyes a little brighter than you remember but—they hold so much emotion. So much memory, so much panic, so much guilt.

“I left you.” He mutters, his voice raspy and ragged, and you wonder if it’ll always be like this now. It makes you cry a little harder than it should, but you only embrace each other. He’s cold and his shoulders don’t hold the same mass and his back doesn’t carry the same scars. There’s one, jagged and rough, running down his back, and you think, you think that’s where they slipped a new spine in.

“Welcome back home.” You tell him, weeks after meeting him again, new and not totally—Katsuki. He’s stiff and he doesn’t immediately take off his boots when he enters, and it worries you. Makes you think if you’ve just let a stranger into your home, one that has stolen your dead husbands face. Makes you wonder if he’ll be as loving as Katsuki once was, or if he’ll become your monster looming over you with the guilt of not being able to rest anymore.

“I’ve missed you so much.” You whisper against his mouth one night, a little while after he’s moved back. You don’t know why you lay under him, why you let him nestle himself inside of you, why you let him hold you against his chest. Katsuki always ran his hands over your cheeks and neck whenever he held you like this, but this…man, only holds himself up with his hands resting beside your head. It’s alien, how he looks at you, how his hips are methodically measured with every thrust, how he kisses you every 8 seconds. You wonder if he’s more robot than Frankenstein monster.

“Why did you come back to me like this?” You ask him one night, barricaded in the bathroom away from him. You can hear his sobs on the other side, his pleading to be let in. He tells you he never wanted to come back if he had to be like this, that he’s sorry, please let him in, he misses the warmth of your skin, he’s never been so cold before, he’s never liked the cold.

“Is this considered cheating?” You ask yourself aloud one night, when Bakugou is forced back to the lab when he becomes too…un-Bakugou. To sleep with a man that is your husband in every way but? Your husband has been dead for a year now, and yet you stroke the chin of the man that tries so hard to be him everyday, but fails so miserably at it every time.

“I’ll come back to you right this time.” Bakugou promises to you when he’s strapped down to leave for the lab and before he’s sedated. But you don’t believe him—you never did. Your husband is dead, and this animated corpse has been nothing but a cheap mockery of everything you’ve lost and something you will never truly get back.

[sexhaver]

my first main gripe with the people responding to the Star Trek transporter question by invoking sleep as a similar interruption of conscioussnes is that that comparison kind of breaks down when you consider the case(s) where the copy is assembled at the destination before the original is destroyed, including the scenario where the original is never destroyed and is effectively cloned. because then you're forced into a bunch of awkward answers:

in the case where the teleporter malfunctions and clones you without killing the original, would you keep experiencing the world through both bodies at once, or would the version of you at the destination be an independent person with their own consciousness/soul/whatever term you want to use? i feel like making the argument that the clone is still an extension of you and "you" experience the world through both bodies simultaneously would be a hard sell to most people, especially with identical twins, like, existing

so if you accept that the version of you at the destination is an independent person when they're created before you're destroyed, why would that magically change if they were created simultaneously with or after your destruction? is there some non-corporeal component to human consciousness that would need to be "liberated" from your original body before it would even need to take up host in an identical body, like a hermit crab moved from one shell to another? this is really the root of the issue, and i have yet to hear a compelling answer to this that doesn't invoke religion or the concept of a "soul". which, to be clear, are fine arguments if you buy them, i don't want to start arguing about religion on top of this, but they do nothing for me personally

my second gripe with the sleep comparison is that, at the risk of stating the obvious, going to sleep does not physically destroy your brain and entire body by reducing them to atoms and scattering them to the four winds. yes, i'm aware that bodies cycle individual atoms in and out so on a long enough timescale you could argue that they naturally do get "destroyed", but that's just doing Ship of Theseus all over again. the teleporter thing would be like if Theseus destroyed the original ship entirely and then built a new one and claimed it was still the same ship

[mutantjellybeans]

Not to go on about this again but like it does get a little frustrating sometimes when people incorrectly announce that something is 100% canon for real in the comics based solely on like a single panel they saw someone else post online, it’s mostly harmless because, yeah, they’re fictional comic books but yall should know by now people can make jpegs do anything they want so next time you see a panel with someone insisting that its contents are 100% canon for real:

Have you read the comic the panel came from? The panel could be taken out of context and have an entirely different meaning within the story itself or it could actually say something completely different all together

Did the OP provide a comic name and issue number? If OP doesn’t provide an issue number that’s a major sign that the panel could be edited, especially if the character is saying something particularly outlandish

Speaking of outlandish: is the text in the panel a reference to another piece of media or do you think it might be a reference to another piece of media? This could be a sign it’s taken from an incorrect quotes account and not an actual comic

Does the text look weird? Is the text different sizes/fonts or weirdly spaced in the bubble? This one might be hard to notice if you’re not into graphic design or typography so no judgement if you don’t but things like letter/word spacing, text size, font, bubble shape, etc is something that’s taken very seriously, bubbles need to be easy to read, pleasing to the eye, and take up as little space as possible, that’s why lettering is a whole separate job in the comic book industry. For example, in these panels “sons…” would not be left on it’s own in one line, “ya basic” would be given more impact, and all the text in the bubbles on the second panel are way too squished together (notice how the words are basically touching the outside of the bubble and how “devastating” is squished and small)

Similarly, is the text a higher quality than the rest of the image? In the infamous “I know you’re here Dracula, where’s my goddamn money?” Moon Knight image that a lot of people thought was real, for example, there’s a certain graininess to the image that doesn’t extend to the text bubble, which is notably clean-looking, in higher quality versions of the image you can even see the pixels of the text bubble that was slapped over the original text (which shouldn’t be possible considering the comic came out in the 80’s)

Did you look at OP’s page? Are they a fanartist? Some extremely talented fanartists dedicate a lot of time and effort to mimicking the comic book style, and they can be really good at it, though unfortunately these fanartists’ work are often reposted without credit which can lead others to believe they’re canon when they’re not, in this case remember: 1. look for an issue number, 2. reverse image search to see if you can find where the panel came from, and 3. keep in mind…

An A-list superhero being canonized as queer is a huge fucking deal, like mainstream news big deal, if an A-list character was confirmed as queer it would be absolutely goddamn everywhere, from IGN and comic book YouTubers to fucking Joe Rogan and late night talk shows, you wouldn’t be able to hear the end of it, so if you think “hey, shouldn’t this be a bigger deal?” stop and investigate further

And finally, the most annoying question: are you sure this is the right version of the character? Comics are filled with alternate timelines, parallel universes, clones, shapeshifters, and so on, are you absolutely positive that the panel you’ve found is the classic character from the main timeline? For example, people frequently used to use Harley and Ivy’s kiss in Bombshells as proof that their relationship was canon in the main DC timeline (it wasn’t, but it is now!), and people still use Logan and Hercules’s relationship in X-Treme X-Men #10 as proof that Wolverine is bisexual in the main 616 universe, which he is not, though it is kind of implied sometimes

I know a major part of this is me being an annoying, nit-picking comic book elitist and, yes, this is all mostly harmless BUT I also think this could be a really great way to exercise your media literacy skills as well as a good, harmless lesson in not taking everything you see online at face value and, hey, it might even get you to read some really great comic books in the process!

Improve your media literacy and critical thinking skills one edited comic book panel at a time! K thx, love you, bye!

[finalgirlminamurray]

saw companion last night, which was a pretty fun watch. as robot movies go it wasn't really saying anything particularly new or groundbreaking but that's not what it's supposed to be, i don't think. it's more of a comedic twisty crime movie where things keep going wrong in unexpected ways, and it was definitely good at being that. i'd heard it described as one of those films you should go into without knowing anything and you probably don't have to, but i think my experience was enhanced by not knowing what to expect next. thankfully the film knows that "sophie thatcher's character is a robot" is not the main twist and gets that out of the way as early as possible. (i'd only seen one teaser trailer, which is just her handcuffed to the chair and burning her arm on the candle, and tells you nothing about the plot of the film, so i was going in pretty blind.)

the figure of the robot woman is usually used as a commentary on misogyny and the idea of men wanting girlfriends they can literally own and who will serve them devotedly without a single thought for themselves, and there's certainly plenty of that here, but it's not entirely about that. (diversity win! gay men can treat their partners as objects and possessions too!) this is not the kind of film that's really going to explore that theme in all its implications. it's a tight runtime. still i think the opening shot of iris serenely walking through a grocery store aisle pushing a shopping cart is intentionally evoking the iconic final shot of the stepford wives

having just caught up with severance i think there's a lot to be said about the parallels between that situation and fiction dealing with clones, sapient robots, and other artificial versions of "real" people developing self-awareness and questioning their individuality and personhood, and their rights as sapient people. i just hope no one tries to comment on any new fiction about this kind of thing with "this is more relevant than ever in the age of AI technology!!!" because fully sapient ai is a completely different world than what "ai" is used for in reality, and very much not what we have to worry about regarding it, and any commentary you can make about the current discourse surrounding ai will have to be different from "what if it gains self-awareness and Takes Over???"

that said, i like that our more modern examples exploring that theme are tending to come down on the side of the robots asserting their personhood. since fully sapient robots are not likely to be real anytime soon i feel like i can identify with them more easily; just because i think and process the world differently from you doesn't mean i'm any less real, right?

[jsaunderswrites]

Watching Jurassic World Dominion, hoping for it to be less bad than the others but ready for it to be the worst.

My various opinions pro and con:

Pros:

The cretaceous prologue was cool, if not entirely accurate.

Seeing dinos in the wider world is cool, the found footage in the newsreel is all reused from Battle at Big Rock but still rocks.

Poachers and breeding mills make perfect sense in this kind of world.

The apatosaurus at the lumber yard was kinda magical.

I never gave a shit about Blue, but dinosaurs building nests in the detritus of human industry is soooo cool!

Neil and Dean IMMEDIATELY have so much better chemistry than Pratt and Howard, it's night and day.

I wanna pet the baby dino too!

Grant being unhappy to learn the T. rex is at the sanctuary, and sarcastically deriding Malcolm's personality are references that feel organic, not forced.

Turning Henry Wu into a supervillain was stupid, so I'm glad they're backtracking that.

Okay Ramsay is cool!

Grant catching Malcolm was a nice moment, should've been built up to more, imagine a version of the movie where they're rocky relationship is the emotional throughline instead of Maisie's clone mum. But it was still nice.

Ian gives shitty directions.

Rexy framed in the water feature was cute.

I hope Rexy (being a very old gal at this point) gets to enjoy her new family in her last years. Apparently they're now theorising that tyrannosaurus was a social hunter too!

Cool shots of dinos in the world.

Cons:

The T. rex's appearance at the drive-in was filled with people acting pointlessly stupid for no reason. Why weren't they watching a monster movie so them assuming the screams and roars were from that, instead of an ad for the snack bar?

Owen is still in these movies.

The newsreel brings up Maisie for absolutely no reason as there was no connection to the topic she was discussing, it's just for bad exposition.

I am soooo sick of the clone question in fiction. DNA isn't your identity, identical twins and even natural clones already exist. It's a quirk, not a sign you're not "real". Stop whining about it already.

They got through literally 8 words of trying to be nice, and immediately went "Ew, sincerity? Gross! Better cover that up with a joke before people start to think our characters have souls!"

Maybe it's just me but I think hiding your child from the world is waaaay more suspicious than her sharing the face of a woman who died decades ago that no one has ever heard of. If I were a perfect clone of some 80s guy how would anyone who met me ever learn that?

Owen has a psychic raptor sense? What was that shot after Blue attacked the hunters trying to communicate?

Ellie shows up in the exact pink top and dramatically removes her sunglasses the same way as in '93. Did they think they were being too subtle?

Teenagers and phones jokes, gotta play to the septuagenarian crowd. And why is he giving a presentation to just two teenage girls who didn't care?

Owen being able to talk to Blue always feels unjustified, I bet when our ancestors were first domesticating wolves they had big sticks for when they didn't listen.

Hipster coffee jokes, the height of comedy is that young people suck.

The small feathery dinosaur does a chicken thing because we think it looks chicken like, despite all the therapods being just as genetically bird. Details like that pull me out of the film because you know they wouldn't have the velocoraptors or compys run around headless.

Claire sucks at investigating.

Owen's stupid hand thing isn't cool no matter how much they think it is.

Just interrogating a guy while he's being eaten, good guy things.

People just standing around watching while giant predators rampage behind them.

Every chase that relies on the heroes being faster and more agile than raptors feels so dumb.

Oh god two-person hand thing.

Evil smuggler lady signed up for a 1940s noire and doesn't know why no one is matching her lack of energy.

Raptor gets hit by a truck, no problem, because they aren't animals but super monsters.

The movie says "you the audience only care about what happens to Maisie, you have no concern for the people of Malta as they're eaten on screen. That's just fun spectacle."

In some movies having to jump a motorbike onto a plane before it lifts off would be cool, these movies have robbed me of the ability to enjoy that.

Owen shouting "ARE YOU HURT!?" at claire is the first sign he actually gives a shit about her, and it still feels douchey.

(looking back and seeing how long since I listed a pro, nothing in the Malta scenes!)

How are you cloning "pure" dinosaurs? The whole franchise is based around the idea you need to bridge the inevitable gaps!

Maisie's backstory is all retconned for more clone BS.

Figures miss "let's release all these incredibly dangerous creatures into society because I'm sad I share my genetic code with someone else" wouldn't care about stopping the apocalypse.

Quetzalcoatlus murders a plane because... <shrug>

That "I love you" felt fake, how are they so bad at being a couple?

Gotta make sure the new character is military like her parent, because what idiot would make a non-soldier hero!? I am so goddam sick of characters just having a military background for no fucking reason in movies, bring back unlikely heroes!

I'm sorry but I don't care about Maisie's mum and the movie is banking on me actually caring.

Genetic Power is a dumb term.

All the classic heroes met Rexy once and it changed cinema forever, Owen bumps into her every week and we couldn't care less!

There's no reason the bad guy had to be that random guy from JP1. That guy didn't read like evil Steve Jobs.

Dimetrodons do not read dangerous pack hunters to me.

Owen strangles a dilophosaurus because he is a Mary Sue. It's just to show how cool he is while undoing the actual threat of the scene.

When the chamber specifically built to contain and immolate the locusts fails without any kind of sabotage or outside interference. Because NOTHING just works.

And Ian just parks and suddenly they're teetering on the edge of a cliff!? Can't they put in reasons why things are going wrong!?

They try to parallel the old heroes with the new ones and I'm sorry but the old ones have actual fun personalities.

The LARGEST TERESTRIAL CARNIVORE OF ALL TIME eats single bug. Big scary entrance ruined.

Treverrow said the giganotosaurus is "like the joker" it's not in the movie but it's still stupid.

It's chasing them is so understated, where's the freaking music? It doesn't sound big at all!

Oh man this whole giganotosaurus sequence is so bad! So slow and clumsy!

Owen tries to explain how raptor training works, still doesn't work.

Ellie talking to Claire about regrets, why? What regrets is Ellie talking about?

Goddamit Maisie AND Grant double hand thing!? I do not like this movie!

The computers reboot and the bugs come back to life, so the scene communicates that the bugs were rebooted.

Dodgson getting Nedry'd to the extent of LITTERALY HAVING THE SHAVING CREAM. And the cream has no purpose in this film, it's ONLY a blatant reference.

From the dumbass motherhood stuff in World to the obsession with Maisie's biological mum in this, these movies have an incredibly basic and bland view on parenthood. (Goldilocks > Maisie Lockwood)

"It's always him!" Except those times it wasn't, including YOUR OWN movie!

At the start the giganotosaurus killed the T. rex, later they mention there can't be two alpha predators, and now they're fighting. But unlike HtTYD2 that alpha stuff has nothing to do with the rest of the film, so this "rivalry" feels meaningless.

Genetic dino memory.

Why should I care that giga is dead? The humans had already escaped, the fight was meaningless.

Every relationship that is being wrapped up in this ending wasn't built up adequately, Grant an Ellie were ready to get back together in scene one and Maisie ONLY sees that Owen and Claire come to find her and immediately gets over her mummy issues.

Kayla was such a nothing addition to the movie. I don't know why she's here.

"Life has existed for hundreds of millions of years" and "life existed 65 million years ago" dude life has existed for BILLIONS of years! Dinosaurs are our next door neighbours on the ocean of time!

The ending speech is about coexistence, unlike the entire rest of the film.

Neutral:

Atrociraptor is so fake sounding when I saw the toys I thought they would be the new hybrid dinos, not just an actual name some palaeontologists came up with. Honestly, that makes me chuckle.

Howard is shot weirdly, I looked up if she was pregnant during this film because I feel like she's always either wearing heavier coverings or just has her torso blocked behind something. (specifically I am about 1 1/4 hours in) Apparently she was dealing with weight shaming behind the scenes, I don't know if that has anything to do with it though.

So this is the Jurassic Park III; Alan Grant is asked to travel to a location full of free range dinos, and they're searching for a missing kid.

The gate code should've just been 1234 because no one bothered to change it from default.

Final opinion:

Probably the least bad of the three Jurassic Worlds, still an utter mess made up of disparate moments and meaningless speeches that do not add up to any thesis.

I hope Edwards' Jurassic Park 7 is ANYTHING of value, despite not caring for his Godzilla or Rogue One.

Now to get back to Camp Cretaceous.

[discet]

Here's a fun question, how would your swap au versions of the calamity trio and the canon versions react to each other based on where they're at by the end of their respective season ones?

I love this question so much. Gonna use C! for canon and then AU! for Alternate Universe. We're going to assume that the AU! counterparts are in a slightly better emotional spot then where we left off at, maybe a few days after Reunion. Also assuming that Canon!Trio had the same pre amphibia stuff as the AU!Trio.

okay so starting with the easy one.

Sasha strikes me as the person who would absolutely hate to be around themselves. I think it starts with the two of them trying to one up each other passive aggressively before things grow increasingly more aggressive. Until they come to blows

C!Sasha: I had a entire floor of Toad Tower all to myself and servants waiting on me hand and foot

AU!Sasha: While I got shit done. Half the continent knows my name while you were a big fish in a small pond. Plus I didn't spend half my time in a cell.

C!: At least I didn't lose to Marcy.

AU!: Oh cause losing to Anne is less embarrassing? And my Marcy managed to destroy your little tower and its toads by herself.

C!: At least my Anne didn't ditch me.

It pretty much immediately comes to blows after that.

Marcy: The Marcy's immediately geek out upon seeing each other and after establishing whats different in their timelines briefly debate whether they should wait for a third Marcy from an AU where they dropped near toad tower to show up. Ultimately the debate is moot cause they are too excited to talk about things and compare notes.

AU!Marcy talks about how things have been pretty rough for her but she's made a lot of good friends in the valley and has been adopted by the Plantars. Also that she's been learning magic.

C!Marcy says that's weird cause in Newtopia she's just been thriving and absolutely crushing every challenge that comes her way. Also brags about her friendship with the king. Also super psyched about the magic and shows off her crossbow.

As C! is talking AU! starts to realize that she is still totally lost in escapist mindset and hasn't really faced any great trauma yet. AU!'s brand new older sister instincts kick in.

AU!Marcy: Hey, you know that trope where a character gets cloned and ends up basically being family to each other?

C!Marcy: Yeah, that's a really sweet trope.

AU!, now hugging C!: Great so we're sisters now and I'm going to take care of you.

C!, slightly misty eyed: O-okay

Anne is the funniest so I saved her for last. So both of them are in denial and just acting like everything is good. They bond over both having spent time in Wartwood. C! talks about the Plantars and how good they were to her.

There's a little drama when AU! says how Hop Pop tried to steal the box in her version of things, and C! says that HP would never do that to her and that Hop Pop actually sent the box out to some contacts of his. AU! can tell C! got duped, but ultimately decides that C! probably wouldn't believe her and it isn't worth the fight.

They make small talk until basically this exchange happens.

AU!Anne: Yeah, its been wild I never thought I'd start dating in a place like this...

C!Anne, incredulous: Dating? Who are we dating? One of the frogs?

AU!: What? No! We're dating Marcy.

C!, blushing and eyes wide: Marcy!? Wait, you're gay?

AU!: No, we're gay, have you not figured that out yet?

C!: Woah, just because I thought Mrs. Croaker was hot doesn't mean-

AU!, now also incredulous: You thought what?!?!

[bigskydreaming]

Hi, I was reading your post about Jason punching Dick in the face when Dick revealed he fake his death was bullshit ( which it was) and it reminded me of an issue/question that has bothered me for sometime.

Why did people believe Dick was actually dead?

I’m not the most avid comic reader so maybe I missed something but it was always weird to me that everyone just accepted this especially given how Bruce was acting or should I say wasn’t acting.

This is a man when his child died another child had to come along and told him sir you are being too violent and emotional you need supervision. When his other child died he went all over the universe to bring him back to life because he knew it was possible ( which was happening at the same time), so why didn’t anyone think it was weird he wasn’t doing that for Dick. Can you imagine Dick really dying that soon after Damian it would be injustice Batman Version. You are telling me that Tim, Jason or Barbara didn’t think it was weird that Bruce didn’t also bring Dick’s corpse to the bring Damian back to life mission or mention it to themselves. Like what more likely Dick dead and Bruce is handling it well or that he fake his death to do something stupid and Dangerous after his partner/brother/ little bit my son the feelings are complicated died after he was knocked out and woke up to his corpse.

Oh man, this is like, the entire nature of my beef?

(Slight derail just to emphasize the fact real quick that Dick DID actually die, he was just revived quickly, but like, the trauma of his death was very real and its not like anyone was clued into Luthor having a resurrection backdoor built into his literal murder of Dick in the actual moment of it happening. So Dick’s death wasn’t fake, and additionally, he didn’t have anything to do with like, telling people about it, because he was literally comatose in the cave and recovering while Bruce was telling people....by the time Dick woke up in the cave, we already know that Alfred at least had already been convinced by Bruce that Dick was dead, so I have a kneejerk need to pushback against the Dick faked his death narrative by reminding people wherever possible that Dick had no agency in the spreading of that narrative. 

It happened without him being involved, and the only actual contribution he ever made to it was just not revealing he was alive before Grayson #12, after Bruce like.....emotionally, mentally and physically badgered him into accepting that doing so would be directly harmful to his family and he didn’t want to be the reason more people died when like, people had just died because he ‘let’ himself be captured and interrogated by Power Woman’s Lasso of Submission, did he?

SORRY TO BE PEDANTIC, just wanted to start this off on a clarification, even though I know the aim of your ask was very much in tune with the rest of my response. A lot of people don’t read the actual comics, so like, I’m never gonna skip over an opportunity to emphasize that the shorthand people use to refer to Dick’s death and the year he was with Spyral, is like, literally just shorthand for describing it. Its not actually an accurate description of how all that went down and who had the most hand in it).

BUT ANYWAY. BACK TO THE MEAT OF THE BEEF.

Okay so like, not only was the entire family and Bruce himself giving Dick shit for his death and Spyral, like, PAINFULLY egregious because it was literal victim blaming in every possible sense of the word....

None of it made a LICK of sense with ANY of their characterizations, and they ONLY all accepted it on face value because the Plot Demanded It, and when you're like, no, as a reader I say The Plot Demanded It is not a good enough reason for me to be like well sure, that makes sense......looking at the characters ACTUAL actions at face value pretty much just makes them all look like assholes?

Like, Tim has never gracefully accepted anyone's death. Ever. This is core characterization for him. He will go to the ends of the earth for his loved ones and to bring them back, prove they're not dead, refuse to let death be the final verdict for them. He was tempted to use the Lazarus Pit to bring his parents back to life. He refused to accept Bruce was dead long before he had any proof whatsoever of that theory. He tried to clone his BFF/future-husband Kon in his fucking basement like, dude was two whole inches away from going Full Dark Side in his quest to bring back a lost loved one no matter WHAT the cost.....and then you've got Dick unmasked onscreen, killed offscreen, and Bruce then reporting to the rest of them with zero inflection 'oh Dick's dead now. Its very sad' and Tim's just like, sure. Sounds legit.

I mean?!?!

And you're SO RIGHT ABOUT THE DAMIAN THING! Bruce LITERALLY LITERALLY LITERALLY went BEYOND the ends of the Earth, like, he full on chartered a fucking space ship to fly his whole family out to APOKOLIPS to bring Damian back from the dead by going to EXTREME lengths.....WHILE everyone else thought Dick was dead....

And not a single person looked at Bruce and was like, okay, not that we're not down to do this for Damian because we miss Stabby Smurf something fierce ourselves, but.....what the fuck is UP with you dude? Why aren't you displaying ANY hint of this same kind of energy in regards to your eldest son that you said you watched die right in front of you?

Like....I don't know that we were actually ever told that Dick's coffin was empty or had a fake in it, but like....this family of detectives who refuse to accept death, defy death, COME BACK FROM THE DEAD....not a single one of them said like, okay, if I'm gonna like, ACCEPT accept that Dick is dead and gone for good, I need to at least just see him one last time? That's literally all it would have taken for someone to realize hey something's a little wonky here. Where's the dead body, Pops?

Since when has Jason ever missed an opportunity to prove Bruce is a) full of shit, b) acting like an emotionless robot and all his kids deserve better especially when they've just like....died, c) just factually incorrect and wrong and jumped to a conclusion before it was conclusively proved, d) lying like a liar or e) all of the above?

Nobody even ASKED if Dick's body could be put in a Lazarus Pit? Yeah, Jason wouldn't necessarily recommend it himself, given what it put him through, but actually fuck that, I take that back, because I'm NOT actually of the opinion that Jason full on hates his life and actively spends every second of every day wishing he hadn't been resurrected, even if it had come with a huge buffet of additional trauma and pain.

And that's kinda what's implied when people just take it for granted that he would never be on board with any scenario involving using a Lazarus Pit to bring Dick back, because it suggests that based even just on his own experiences and feelings, he honestly believes Dick would prefer being dead and not have ANY further opportunities to be with his loved ones, his friends, help save the damn world again at some future point.....that Jason, projecting based just off himself, legit feels Dick would rather be dead than have another shot at life even WITH the downsides of Lazarus Pit usage? Nope. Sorry, I don't buy it.

Speaking of not buying it.....you know what was missing from all those soliloquies the others monologued at Dick about how they felt and were hurt and just devastated by his death, to such a point they can't seem to muster a single shred of happiness that he's NOT dead still -

(seriously, Damian was the ONLY person in ALL THE LANDS OF EMOTION-HAVING who expressed ANY kind of positive reaction to having Dick back. We were so fucking cheated of like.....ANY opportunity to have the characters show just how much they valued him by just being fucking HAPPY he was alive, no matter what else was involved....and then most of fandom compounded that by for years being like mmmm, no, Dick didn't get yelled at enough by his family for what HE put THEM through. Needs more yelling. More punching too. Bad Dick. Bad. This is the only way you'll learn not to die and get shipped off on a mission that you don't want but at least is to protect your family after being beaten into it by your dad whilst victim blaming you for dying in the first place. WHEN WILL YOU LEARN TO THINK ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE AND THEIR FEELINGS FOR A CHANGE, DICK?!?)

- But like, BUT I DIGRESS aside....you know what was missing from all those monologues about how hard DICK'S death and ensuing year of basically exile from his loved ones was for EVERYONE BUT HIM?

We never got a single line of explanation as to what everyone else officially thinks even happened to him in the first place?

Like, did Bruce straight up just say oh bad news kids, your brother umm. Expired. Spontaneously. There's no one to blame, he just keeled over, its all very sad.

Is that how that went down?

You're telling me that the explanation of Dick's death didn't come with a single pointed finger at someone for this family of blame-happy vigilantes to like, BLAME for the loss of this brother they all mourned oh so much, they just couldn't help but blame him for all the hurt it caused them?

The family that in every other fic is like OBSESSED with avenging and being avenged and all things vengeful and even tangentially vengeance-y....like didn't ask for a single detail on whomst the fuck deprived us of our brother-having?

Where were the attempts on Luthor's life by Jason (who I mean, yeah I know it was in a previous continuity, but erasing that timeline doesn't erase my awareness of the time Dick killed Jason's murderer so like.....mmm, just saying, woulda been nice)....where was the rage directed at the Crime Syndicate and references to how seriously and personally the Batfam took making sure that they were PUNISHED for all this and would never be free to wreak havoc on their world or their family again? What did they tell Damian when he came back to life, and how are you going to tell me that this fraternal little ball of fury didn't aim himself like a cannonball at whomever the fuck had DARED take HIS Batman from him when Damian wasn't around to have his back?

Not only does everyone else's desire to be avenged start falling really flat the second you factor in hey maybe Dick feels "mmm what about MY avenging" sometimes, and why doesn't anyone ever care about doing that for him.....but also, y'know what REALLY sucks about the ONLY person we actually SEE being blamed for Dick's death and ensuing absence being like....Dick himself?

Not only were his family all super keen on making all of this HIS fault and HIM the bad guy because of how it made them all feeeeeeel (and meanwhile fuck his feelings, am I right Batfam hfaklshfklahfkla).....

They somehow found a way to justify prioritizing this OVER ever even getting around to blaming some villain for his death in the FIRST place, in the entire year or so they thought he was still dead!

Like, you couldn't come up with a single target in all that time, but Dick's back two seconds, and you don't even give him a chance to EXPLAIN before you're punching him, shutting him down with 'I expected better from you' and turning away with 'I don't want to hear it, why am I surprised Dick Grayson disappointed me again'?

afshklfhalfhalfhla

Make it make sense!

And like, it won't, cuz it doesn't, and it never will, and like I said at the top, the ONLY reason it all played out this way is because DC doesn't give a fuck about character development and deemed it necessary to go down this way for the sake of the plot (which was totes worth it, I mean, glad we sacrificed characters for this A+ plot which was clearly the greatest plot of all time and definitely justified every story choice made or not made around it loooool).

BUT.

BUT BUT BUT.

The problem isn't JUST that DC is stupid, even though that is an eternal mood and quite the problem.

Its that the SECOND large parts of fandom decided to play along with DC and just accept the story at face value, only add to it and play into it exactly as it happened in canon with no significant deviations, and like, heaping on the LITERAL abuse from Dick's siblings while ignoring the LITERAL abuse from his father....

THAT....is when all of this becomes relevant.

Because the second people decided TO engage with the reasoning DC gave for what Bruce did and how and what Dick did and how and just not mess with any of that and have it all play out exactly like that...

The second people are like, okay we're FINE with not just dismissing this story as OOC writing that doesn't make any sense, and actually VALIDATING it to various degrees by engaging with it as is....

That's when 'OOC writing' stops being an excuse or explanation for alllll of the above gaps in character logic and actions.

Because its like, when you had abundant chance to REJECT this story and say nope, this was bullshit from start to finish and I'm not here for it, when you were just as capable of transforming literally ANY aspect of this story you didn't like into something that made more sense to you....

And you chose not to.

That's.....accepting it as valid writing. You were like, okay, I'm game to just treat this as a thing that happened, just like they said that happened.

For the chance to give Dick shit for it, see. For the angst, see.

And that's when I'm like okay cool, so when engaging with this story as is and accepting it on face value and just delving into the characters as they were SHOWN interacting with and around these events......for the angst or whatever....

You guys just all decided en masse to just hop, skip and jump over allllllllll the opportunities for angst inherent in examining even ANY SINGLE ONE of the above lapses in judgment or hypocrisy on the parts of the characters (who don't get to be excused by OOC writing if you're not going to call the story an example of OOC writing, whoops).

And its just like, uh, what's up with that?

[volucerrubidus]

Tim Drake did not want to die, nor did he plan on dying. But in the event that he did, he had written letters to his loved ones, which were sent in accordance with his will. 

This one is meant for Thad Thawne II. 

Thad. 

Okay. So. Wow. If you're reading this, I guess that means I've passed recently. To be honest, I'm a little weirded out thinking about that because I definitely wasn't planning on this, and I really wasn't sure this would ever be read. Or, I'm not sure, since… From my perspective I'm still writing this. 

Sorry. That's the introduction I've used in all of these. Mostly because I don't know how to start these, so if I use one start, maybe it'll help me finish the rest of them. 

This one is addressed to Thad Thawne, a.k.a. Inertia. The original one, that is. Not a clone, or a time travel copy, or a double-evil doppelganger (if you're an evil doppelganger of an evil clone, does the evil cancel out?). 

…I'm not so sure, to be honest, because, actually, I don't think you're evil. I don't think you ever were. You had a lot of things going on in your head, and, okay sure, that's not really a reason to go around hurting people, but, I just think it's unfair to call you evil. 

Because the you I got to know was… okay, rude, stubborn, and kind of a jerk at times. 

And, you were beautiful, funny, challenging, and caring. Say what you want to, but you loved me, and I know it because you told me.

Of course, even if you didn't, it would have still been obvious. I think you did a lot of things I did, when it came to love admissions. 

It was in the "are you hungry?"s, and the "that was stupid"s, and the "at least let me put a bandage on that before you go tracking blood in my kitchen, Drake"s. As if that wasn't our kitchen eventually. 

There was a lot that became ours, wasn't there? 

Love is a Battlefield by Pat Benetar. The art of the fondly spoken threat. Doctor Who. Movie interpretation. The color green. A new version of the dynamic duo. 

(Seriously, a lot of my rogues were not pleased when they found out I might have an overprotective speedster on my flank at any given time). 

Anyway. There's a million things I could list here, and a million more that you'll think of, that I didn't. And since I want this to do us justice, but I also don't want to have to use an entire hard drive for just one letter, I'll avoid going on for a bajillion pages about everything I'd call ours, and I'll just say that all of it, every piece, it was awesome. It was ours. It was all my favorite part.

And I know, I can hear you telling me that that's a cop-out answer because that defeats the purpose of a favorite, and normally I'd agree with you (and then not admit it and argue with you just to see that happy little glint in your eyes) but just this once, let me break reality to say that all of it was my favorite part, and that I wouldn't take a single bit of it back. 

Even the worst parts. Even those. In fact, I maybe even loved those the most, because those are the things that need the most love sometimes. 

For better or worse, y'know? 

I'm pausing in my writing here, even though you can't see me doing that. I just want you to know I'm doing it because it's, uh. Gonna get hard from here on out. 

We've grown impossibly close, you and I. It's been many, many more years of a relationship than most people would take to, as they say, pop the question. 

For the sake of transparency, though I imagine this might hurt a lot, I…

It's in a locked part of my desk, where it's been for three months, as of writing this, because I just. Can't. Figure. Out. How. To. Do. It. 

I hope this version of this letter isn't the one you see, and that if you ever do have to see this, it's one where I get to erase and rewrite all of this to be about a wedding that I have no doubt gave us both tension headaches for six months straight as we planned it. 

Because. Yeah. In my desk. The one in my Nest; the real one. The one I did all my most important work at, and the one you yourself have forcibly removed me from on multiple occasions. That desk. 

There should be a box in there. With a ring in it. 

I hope you like it. I saw the emerald and silver together and I forgot how to breathe for a second because it reminded me of you so vividly that I bought it on the spot. 

Don't ask me how I knew your ring size; I've known for about five months.

If this really is the version you see… I'm sorry I didn't ask three months and two days ago, when I bought it. I should have, apparently. 

Then again, canceling wedding plans might suck worse, so maybe it's a good thing that I was too chicken. That I kept making the excuse that I couldn't plan the right proposal, so I'd do it in three weeks. In a month. In two. 

It just. It had to be perfect. For you. Nothing less than perfect would have sufficed. 

You deserve perfect, Thaddeus Thawne II. 

Although, since that’s true, I’m sorry you would have been stuck with me for your lifetime, then. But maybe not sorry, too, because I bet you'd glare at me so hard for saying that. 

Anyway. 

Keep the ring, if you'd like. It's for you, so it's yours to have (and to hold– okay I won't do that, that part hurts). 

The point is. 

Keep it and remember me. 

But. BUT. 

Thad Thawne, I know that you aren't gonna wanna love anyone again after this. I know because I've been there. It's awful, and cruel, and it sucks.

I won't pretend to know how you're feeling because I've been through grief plenty, but it's different with each person, really. Similar but different, nonetheless. (Kinda like us, no?) 

You're gonna feel like this for a long time, and, honestly, I don't blame you. It's easy to feel like you'd be betraying me somehow if you find someone to move on with, and you're definitely gonna get mad at me for saying this at this stage in your grief, but… I really, sincerely hope that you never stop loving, Thad. That you do find someone to move on with.

You have a massive heart, and it longs to love and be loved in return. That's beautiful. Please do not squander that. 

For me, Thad. Please do just this one last thing for me. Please never stop loving. 

I want you to love and to love and to love and to wear it on your sleeve and to pour it out on everyone you can, and everyone who you deem worthy of your trust and companionship. I want you to love until it's unbearable and then keep loving after that. I want you to let the hurt come so that you can heal it and be with the joy that remains after it's gone. I want you to create new "are you hungry?"s and "that was stupid"s and "at least let me put a bandage on that before you go tracking blood in my kitchen, Drake"s. I want you to share your kitchen with someone again. 

It doesn't have to be now. It's okay to take your time in this. In fact, I'd be worried if it didn't take time. That would most certainly not be healthy. 

I dunno how much of this I have to tell you, to be honest, though. 

You know me. Better than anyone, at this point. Maybe even better than me. So I know you know, deep down, what I would want for you. Don't lose sight of that, okay? 

Thad, I will never, ever want anything but love, peace, happiness, and an honest, unabashed love of life itself, for you. I want you to know that you deserve those things, even if it's hard to believe sometimes. 

I think I'm running out of words to say. 

Isn't that crazy? I used to have endless words to say in our endless, constant fights and bickering, especially in those early days. It was like I couldn't shut up around you. 

But now I'm running out of things to say. 

So… imagine me sitting with you in silence for a while. 

I hope it's loving, peaceful, as happy as it can be, and brings you a crumb of love of life, just for a few seconds even. 

And if you're ever in Gotham, I hope you sit in silence and think of me being there, somehow. Maybe you can imagine me overhead, or fighting some random crook of the week, or arguing with my brothers, or breaking traffic laws on a motorcycle, or sneaking up behind you to put my hands over your eyes and copy the Batman voice, before I sit myself beside you, and then we rest there until our legs get numb, or until some poor mook tries something directly beneath Robin and Inertia, or Batman comes to yell at you to get out of his city (like it isn't mine, too), or that we're staring at the places where stars could be, if we just imagine hard enough…

Anyway. 

Don't shoulder this alone. Don't stop loving. 

I'll never stop loving you, that's for sure. 

Take care of yourself, Thaddeus Thawne II. I'll be sure to check on you from over here. 

I love you. 

-Tim

[pitch-pearl-void]

(The borderlands anon from however long ago)

So, I finished watching the show a couple days ago, because there were a couple things that showed up consistently in fics i that I didn’t understand (blood blossoms, some of the baddies, a handful of fenton inventions, etc)

First off, I still very much prefer pitch pearl to amethyst ocean or whatever the hell it’s called

And also, do you know where pitch pearl as a ship came from? I know there’s the episode with fun and super, but is that all there really was? Or were there more early fandom headcannons that supported them as separate beings?

Hello again! Sorry this took so long, I wasn’t sure how to answer 😅

Canon did a poor job with AO. I would even say it did it dirty, but it's popular enough it doesn't need that kind of support lol. If you really want to give it a fair shake I’d recommend reading fanfiction for it, but I understand everyone’s preferences are different. I personally don’t ship it because shipping best friends is something I have real issues with, but it’s not a bad ship if you want something that’s soft and makes you feel all warm inside.

Onto pitch pearl tho!

Tbh, I’m not entirely sure myself how pitch pearl as a ship started. I don’t believe it was because of the Fun and Super episode, largely because those two are rarely used in the ship. 

I asked someone else, and they thought that moment in What You Want when Phantom was first torn from Fenton as this colorless ghost might have been what started the concept they weren’t one whole person. Because, honestly? This ship goes far, FAR back. A lot of the older fics made Phantom into a voice in Danny’s head or a spirit that could separate from him at will without the need of the Ghost Catcher in order to offer Danny comfort. They had no rules because there weren’t any set way yet. The fact that Phantom could move and think independently from Danny was enough to get people thinking. It wasn't all romantic, most of it was borderline at best. They mostly focused on hurt/comfort and self-love, finding a balance between human and ghost with the occasional kiss thrown in.

Then there’s TUE, where Danny meets his evil future self and learns that his ghost half killed his human half after merging with Plasmius. It definitely gave more credence to the idea there might be more to Danny’s ghost half than simply having ghost powers. It aired before Identity Crisis, so it set the stage with a BOOM and had a much bigger impact on the ship. Phantom being seen as his own person is a bit more credible when he’s willing to kill Danny. It helped that TUE was a VERY popular episode. It drew in a huge crowd, and everyone was curious about what made the ghost half snap like that if he’s supposed to be Danny.

Supporting that idea is that a lot of the older art and fics took a darker view of Phantom in general, seeing him as Danny’s darker half or a ghost out for revenge after being imprisoned for so long. Even the name “pitch pearl” was created with that in mind. I always thought of it as “white hair/black hair” in the same vein as AO taking inspiration from Sam’s purple eyes and Danny’s blue, but when I went searching for the origins for the name, the old explanation set Danny Fenton as white pearl and Phantom as pitch black. The reasoning for that was partly their jumpsuits pre- and post- accident, but also because Fenton is human and “pure” while Phantom is a ghost and dangerous--because without Fenton, Phantom became Dan and destroyed everything.

For obvious and somewhat personal reasons, I don’t subscribe to that. But it does make all the art where Phantom looks evil while holding Danny make sense. I don’t like dark romance, and I’m personally thrilled we moved away from such a dark beginning, but it likely had a hand in the early popularity of pitch pearl.

If I were to guess how else it started when the source has them as one person, I would say it was most likely the fanart? Putting Fenton and Phantom side-by-side has a yin-yang appeal, and when they interact in art, you get the sense that these are two characters, not one. This was really popular when the fandom was much bigger than it is now.

For instance

Save Our Soul by nycken isn't a shipping piece by any means, but it could very easily give rise to the idea, especially if someone is new to the fandom.

They did not shy away from it being a self-cest ship back then, though. The idea that Phantom wasn't Danny was there, but I don't think anyone looked for evidence in the show to support it. That seems to be something the ship has evolved into rather than something it started from, and it is honestly my favorite way to see it.

I do have many headcanons about how they aren’t the same person in canon if you're interested! There’s the out of sync transformations, the title sequence and how Super and Fun are shown to separate in the Identity Crisis episode, Vlad’s inability to clone Danny, the way Danny talks to himself, just all kinds of things! If you want to hear more about those I'd be happy to answer 😁 (they'd probably be easier too lol)

But yeah, I think it was TUE and fanart. There may have been other factors (I think this was around the time Yu-Gi-Oh and puzzleshipping was popular too) because fandom doesn't exist in a vacuum, but I really couldn't say for sure. It's a ship that means different things for everyone who ships it. I like the psychological questions when they start off as "one" (the bonded peeps version) and enjoy the aus like soooo much, but others like it only for aus, and others like it as a crack ship, and then there are even others who like it as something dangerous. Some people love it for Fun and Super in Identity Crisis because they're just fun caricatures. It's hard to find the origin point when it has so many branches lol

[inafieldofstarflowers]

I know that this isn’t exactly canon, but the fact that you have two different versions of the Jedi Code that mean vastly different things is wild. The one that’s well known, of course, is the newer version (chronologically, in the SW timeline):

There is no emotion, there is peace.

There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.

There is no passion, there is serenity.

There is no chaos, there is harmony.

There is no death, there is the Force.

But then there’s ALSO the other, older version:

Emotion, yet peace.

Ignorance, yet knowledge.

Passion, yet serenity.

Chaos, yet harmony.

Death, yet the Force

So at first glance, the two seem pretty similar—the new one is just clarifying the older one, right? Except that it isn’t; it’s entirely changing the meaning. The old Jedi Code recognizes that, while some ways of living are to be sought after and worked toward, they are not always possible. Jedi will feel emotion, yet should seek to find peace with those emotions. Ignorance will always exist, so Jedi should seek to counter it where they can with knowledge. It isn’t bad to be passionate, yet that passion should not come at the expense of serenity, moments of true calm & peace. The world will offer chaos, and the Jedi seek to transform that into harmony. There will be death—such a thing is inevitable—yet, through the force, the Jedi are able to find peace knowing that death is not the ultimate end.

The new code, though, destroys that balance. It fully denies the existence of emotion, ignorance, passion, chaos, and death, stating that they are incoherent with the ways of the Jedi. This shift in the Jedi Code isn’t just a clarification, it’s a transformation from words seeking to embody the line on which Jedi must walk into absolute statements—and, it is said, only Sith deal in absolutes.

And I feel like this shift in the Jedi Code reflects the decline of the Jedi Order: they shifted how they saw things but still tried to hold onto the sentiments of their past. By the time of the Clone Wars, it’s no wonder the Jedi Order falls under the control of the Senate so easily: in accordance with the “new” code (which is, by then, quite old) they feel the need to eliminate emotion, chaos, ignorance, and passion from themselves, and, inasmuch as depends on them, from the galaxy. And if that comes at the expense of death? So what—there is no death, after all, only the force.

And so even if the individuals in the Jedi Order have doubts or uncertainties about this war, they’re drawn in by their Code, and so they don’t stop to ask the questions they otherwise would have, and war only heightens that moral deterioration, and that’s how you get Anakin Skywalker, who thinks his Order won’t let him love anyone. It’s how you get the council refusing to aid Ahsoka and then telling her it was a test from the force. It’s how you get an army of soldiers who are entirely human, but who were bred and genetically altered for war, and yet no one looks into it much—because aren’t they helping put an end to the rule of passion and chaos and wild emotion that the Sith are threatening to take over with?

[ordinaryschmuck]

What I Thought About “Eclipse Lake” from The Owl House

Salutations, random people on the internet who certainly won’t read this! I am an Ordinary Schmuck. I write stories and reviews and draw comics and cartoons.

If I had to take a guess at who's the most popular character of The Owl House, I'd say that Amity would be a pretty safe bet. And not entirely without reason. Her home life is something several fans can identify with, she wins representation points for being a lesbian, and her development is the most impressive out of every other character. Not to say no one else develops, far from it. It's just that with Amity, her growth is a lot stronger, to the point where the version of her we're introduced to is practically a different character. The rest of the core cast has grown and become multi-layered over time, but in terms of personality, they haven't changed that much as Amity has.

But here's the thing: Amity has grown exponentially all through the sidelines. Despite being in episodes that heavily involve her, there hasn't been one where she had the starring role. Except for now, in "Eclipse Lake," the first-ever episode where Amity takes command. Is the episode better because of it? Or was Amity better off in a supporting role rather than a leading one? To find out requires diving into spoilers, so keep that in mind as you continue reading.

Now, let's review, shall we?

WHAT I LIKED

Belos Has Been to the Human World: Welp, I guess I'm tossing my "Belos was Philip" theory into the trash. As are many of you, no doubt. With that said, we still get a nugget of intrigue to know that he did, in fact, see the human realm at some point. Even more than that, he wants to go back. And from the sounds of it, he probably wants to return because it's significantly more pleasant to live there than the Boiling Isles. That bit of information interests me far more than him wanting to invade the human realm and rule it with an iron fist. While that last bit is not entirely out of the question yet, it's still pretty cool to learn as much as we can about Belos' grand plan.

Amity Taking Charge of Luz’s Recovery: Yup. That's about as much as I expected. We're barely into this episode, and already, it's established that Amity would go to great lengths to help her girlfriend. What more could you ask for?

Ghost: I want to pet Ghost. I don't give a s**t that they're a fictional being because I want to PET THEM! 'CAUSE I LIKE CUTE S**T DAMN IT!

Eda Learning How to Turn into “Harpy Eda” on Command: Cool concept for sure. Eda just figured out that she can turn into this thing, so there's going to be trials and tribulations to figure out how. What I personally enjoy is that to transform, not only does Eda have to talk to the Owl Beast, but at times she might have to make a deal with it. They made a truce, so the only way for it to work is for both sides to make compromises for it to work out. Like I said, cool concept. And I hope to see what else happens with it in the future.

Eda Using Anime as a Workout Tape: Well, that certainly explains the screaming. The fact that it was a Dragon Ball clone makes it even more perfect.

Eda calls Amity “Boots”: I love this. I don't know why I love this, but I do. So shove it.

Luz: Now let's take the time to talk about my favorite character. Luz may have taken the back seat in this episode, but the few moments she does show up, she's is on top form:

The way that she's all loopy and delirious from the common mold is hilarious.

The fact that everyone had to literally strap Luz down to stop her from going on an adventure is hilarious and admirable in terms of her character.

The fact that Luz does everything she physically can to warn the others about Titan's fools' blood is incredibly admirable.

And the way she just hurls herself at Amity when she gets back is just downright adorable.

The main protagonist being absent while the other characters go on an adventure is nothing new. But it's still nice to know that the quality of writing I expect from Luz didn't go away just because the episode isn't about her.

Amity and Luz using Tamagotchis to Text: I also didn't know what those things were until someone else pointed it out. I'm not that old...and so help me, I never will be.

Joking aside, I find it incredibly adorable that Luz and Amity have this way to communicate with each other that's only exclusive to them. Maybe Willow and Gus have Tamagotchis of their own, but we have yet to see them with ones, so it's plausible that only Luz and Amity can talk to each other through theirs. Which, again, is adorable. The fact that these two nerds found a way to text each other without Luz using a scroll or Amity using a phone fills my heart with glee and makes me extra happy that they're girlfriends now. Large in part because we get to see more cute s**t like this.

(Luz calling Amity pretty is also a bonus)

Amity Wants to be the Most Awesome Girlfriend: Just the very fact that I can write that is a win. Sidenote: Love the fact that Amity explicitly says the word girlfriend. No beating around the bush, no implications. The writers have her go for it with no looking back.

Loved it. Loved all of it. And I hope to see more bits like this in the future.

King Mentions the Dissection: Hey, sometimes the best and most defining relationships start off on the wrong foot, King. Don't have to call someone out for it.

Kikimora: I admire good comically incompetent villains, which is what Kikimora is to me in this episode. She might have her terrifying moments here and there, but when she's just screeching about how she hates Hunter and focuses more on showing him up, it's a ton of fun.

Coven Guard Captain: This character doesn't do much...but she's still great. She acts as a perfect straight man to Kiki's psychotics, has this weird respect for Kiki that I hope gets explored, and wins comedy points for instantly getting bored by guarding Amity and just ditching her in a hole. This captain may have had a short role in this episode and an insignificant one in the series, but it was fun seeing her give her all despite the short time.

Hunter Bonding with Bird: I prefer "Little Rascal," but I can live with "Bird."

In any case, it was pretty sweet to see these two grow more of a bond. Bird suddenly making himself Hunter's palisman isn't an easy change to accept as much as it is easy for Eda to figure out how to turn into a harpy. Meaning that there will be an adjustment period alongside moments of Hunter learning to trust Bird. And, yeah, it's charming to see Bird try so hard to brighten up Hunter's life. Whether it's leading Hunter toward people who are actually nice or trying to cheer him up when he's digging his own grave, there are so many moments that make Bird the closest friend Hunter could ever ask for. The bond can only grow further from there, and like a lot of things this week, I can't wait to see more.

(Which is basically a recurring theme of this episode. It makes me excited to see more)

Character’s Commenting on Hunter’s Annoying Voice: My favorite part about this is how Hunter suddenly becomes self-conscious about it. On the one hand, I want to go, "Ah, poor baby." But on the other hand, I can't help it when I say, "Haha! You annoying-voiced bitch!" It's just great.

Amity has Abomination Goo in a Bottle: We get it. Amity's VA also voiced Katara. You don't have to rub it in our faces.

(But, seriously though, I do consider this a clever workaround for how Amity can use abomination magic when in a fight. It's pretty cool)

Amity and Hunter: Whoever thought about pairing these two up for an episode...you're the best. You're just the best!

Because this is a brilliant concept. Amity and Hunter are so much alike in terms of personality and homelife that it makes way too much sense to have them interact at least once. What I'm specifically grateful for is that when Hunter tries to associate himself with Amity, the only other intelligent person there, she's quick to shut him down. The Amity in the past might have been slightly easier to sway, but not the one we know now. It isn't until he finds the one thing that can get to Amity that Hunter knows how to exactly break her. Even then, she just barely falls for it, only being swayed when in a panic or in a desperate situation.

But regardless of how much of a jerk Hunter comes across as, it's great Amity tries to reach out to him near the end. She knows how it feels to try and gain respect from family, only to learn what love truly is from someone who cares. It's a moment where even though Luz is absent, her presence still shines through Amity's actions. She is now the person who's willing to be kind for someone she barely knows, and it's fantastic. It's everything I could have ever wanted when these two interact, and it's all delivered so well.

Willow Owning the One Brain Cell Between Hooty and Gus: Ah, Willow. Even when you got severely screwed over this season, you're still the best...Yeah, I'll get to that in a minute.

Owlbert Cracking Apart: Don't mind me. Just having heart palpitations at the sight of Owlbert almost dying. NoThInG tO sEe HeRe!

Expectation Subversion to the Minecart Chase: ...I f**king love this show. I'm telling you, it's hilarious when it really tries.

Hunter Cracks: Yes, I laughed. A lot. But can we talk about the fact that Hunter would rather dig his own grave than disappoint Belos again? That alone says so much where despite having a similar situation to Amity's, it couldn't be more different. If Amity angers Alador or Odalia, she'll either get grounded and cry about it to Ed or Em. But if Hunter angers Belos? Well, I would like to point out how close Belos' weird goopy spear got to Hunter's face and how there's got to be a reason why Hunter has his scars.

You know what? I think I'd bury myself too if I was in Hunter's shoes at that moment.

King and Amity vs. Hunter: Three things!

One, this is the coolest fight scene of the series so far. And no, I will not take any arguments about it.

Two, Amity is right. She is an awesome girlfriend. Seriously, abomination magic is no joke.

Three, I genuinely appreciate these small moments where King actually does something beneficial when contributing to the fight. It makes him much more than a comedic Disney sidekick and someone who can be useful from time to time.

Overall this was an epic, incredibly animated fight that proves that this series is no joke when it comes to action.

Hunter Threatens Luz to get to Amity: I'm not too surprised by this. Amity doesn't care if someone threatens her because, if you couldn't tell from that fight scene, she can take care of herself. But Luz? Well, she's certainly formidable, but that doesn't mean that Amity won't worry about her girlfriend. She will do everything in her power to help Luz, made evident by how much Amity went overboard with a simple illness. So Hunter using that for his benefit is a pretty devious move executed phenomenally.

The Key Cracks: I like to think this was intentional on Amity's part. It's plausible that Hunter's words got to her so much that she accidentally broke it, but it's also likely that Amity knew she was backed in a corner that risked Luz getting hurt, so found a way where Hunter sort of wins but still loses. It's somewhat similar to how Luz destroyed the portal after giving it to Belos. The end result was a situation where everyone is safe but at the cost of delaying the inevitable for the villain's victory. They're both moments where everyone wins and loses, all to move the story forward at a slower pace than one would expect. And, for the fifth time now, it makes me curious about what happens next because of it.

Luz Calling Amity her Awesome Girlfriend: Yeah, my heart melted when this happened. After all of Amity's self-proclamations that she is an awesome girlfriend, followed by a brief moment of doubt, it felt nice to see that Luz explicitly said it too.

(King having hug envy was also a nice cherry on top)

WHAT I DISLIKED

Hey, I actually have criticisms this time...been a while since that happened, huh?

Belos Doesn’t Look All That Threatening: The green scar is cool, don't get me wrong...but this man doesn't look all that threatening without the mask. With it, yes, I'm quaking in my metaphorical boots. But making him look like a chilled-out old man with what looks like a skin infection just takes away all of the horror for me. I mean, look at him:

He looks like a guy who I can easily push over, and boom! The rain of tyranny is over.

I'm more than positive that this is a personal issue. That doesn't mean I won't take it personally, though.

Eda Acting like an Idiot: I get it. Eda wants to figure out how to make her powers work and will try literally anything to do it. My issue is that why does she have to act like a dunderhead at times to do it? I mean, Eda seriously never tried peacefully talking to the Owl Beast, which is what basically caused her to turn into the Harpy the first time? Remember? With the whole making a truce thing?

And why is she being so carefree despite being surrounded by coven guards and blatantly ignoring Hunter's warning, which was very clearly real? Yes, Eda can be reckless and carefree at times, but when a moment clearly calls to take things gravely, she still learns to tone things down a bit. So it pains me to see her act so...dumb!

Willow and Gus Getting Sidelined...Again: I'm not the first to mention this, and odds are I won't be the last, but it really does suck to see Willow and Gus get pushed on the sidelines so far this season. More so with Willow. Gus at least got half an episode to himself, where Willow barely contributes in the ones she's in. Although, in fairness, this is only the first half of the season, and there wasn't much Willow and Gus could do in the episodes we've seen so far. They may get more attention later, but here, it's just disappointing seeing them do nothing more than setting up an inadequate joke.

IN CONCLUSION

I'd say that "Eclipse Lake" is an A- for me. The jokes were solid, it makes me excited for more, and I love everything done with Amity and Hunter...I just wish that the rest of the characters were handled a little better. Most of my issues aren't really that big of a deal compared to everything else done right, but after three perfect episodes in a row, the small things tend to hit a lot harder. Sorry to say, but I can't always let the good stuff eclipse the bad.

(Now, if you don't excuse me, I have to mentally, emotionally, and maybe even physically prepare myself for the heartbreak that will inevitably be "Yesterday's Lie." Which I’m not ready for)

[jetaime-jespere]

Under The Weather

Some pointless fluff that's been floating around my head for a few days. Also on ao3 🙂

It’s not the usual alarm clock that wakes her this time - the tauntingly peaceful melody that she now associates with being ousted from a dream every morning.

In fact, Emily is hardly awake. Her eyes are still sealed shut, she’s still nestled under the covers because the thought of moving is almost unbearable. Even in her sleep induced haze, the only thing she’s fully aware of is just how shitty she feels, like every part of her body has somehow teamed up against her in unison. What started last night as a subtle headache is now accompanied by a persistent rawness in the back of her throat. The same pain has crept in to settle behind her eyes, and now radiates around her head, like a pair of gnarled hands wrapped and clenched around her brain. But that isn’t the only thing - everything just hurts. Her limbs feel like lead, her throat is now on fire, lips cracked and chapped from the winter air. Her mouth is dry as dust as she grapples for the glass of water Aaron had left on her nightstand hours ago - something he’s done since they moved in together.

Cracking one eye open takes monumentally more effort than it should. The wind rattles against the windows, whistling through the bitterly cold February morning and Emily groans at the prospect of even moving from the safety of their warm bed. A glance at the clock tells her it’s 5:40. Aaron’s side is empty, the sheets cooled, but she can hear the steady pulse of the shower, see the steam curling out from under the door. The cloying pull of sleep is too consuming, the glass of water all but forgotten as Emily groans. The notion of having to get up in less than a half an hour is making her stomach roil in protest.

Instead, she burrows herself deeper into the blankets, wishing somehow this day would somehow restart itself. Her eyelids are too heavy to stay open, even though the looming reality of her alarm hovers over her, along with the daunting challenge of making it through the day. Emily remembers the stack of unfinished case reports left on her desk from yesterday, abandoned in the wake of remembering Ava’s ballet class just a few minutes too late to be early for once. That’s about the time the headache started, subtle enough to temporarily ignore as their daughter happily chattered away in the backseat, little legs kicking against the leather upholstered seat - a story about unicorns and fairies, one Emily could probably retell herself she’s heard it so many times. If only she knew then.

The next thing she’s aware of is Aaron bending down to kiss her awake, fresh from the shower and half dressed in an undershirt, his skin still damp as he murmurs good morning . The whiff of eucalyptus soap and his mouthwash only makes her dizzy as she all but pushes her husband away from her with an ill attempted protest against his affection. “Five more minutes,” she croaks. “S’tired.”

“Sweetheart?” Aaron questions even though he doesn’t have to. He’s no stranger to her indifference to early mornings, the way her arms wind around his neck to pull him close most days when he wakes her with the same kisses, the same sweet nothings in her ear. On the rare occasion when they have more time, he ends up back in bed with her, making the most of a few precious moments. Those mornings are his favorites - the ones where he gets to press her into the mattress, get her leg over his shoulder, seal his mouth against hers to muffle the moans he hasn’t grown tired of hearing even years after he first heard them. But this is different. He figures it out immediately, knuckles brushing against her flaming cheek, skin clammy under his touch.

“Hmmph?” Emily shrugs out from under his touch, the cool hand on her burning forehead a reminder of just how awful she feels. “Five more minutes and I’ll get up.”

Aaron laughs softly, already reaching for his phone on the dresser. “Not a chance.”

“I’ll be fine in a half hour.” It’s a futile attempt; Aaron knows her better than she knows herself by now. Emily doesn’t get sick often, maybe once every few years. But when she does, it hits hard and fast, rendering her inherently useless for a day or two, and they’re all a little thrown off kilter without her. Even though her eyes are closed she can practically see him making arrangements - school dropoff and pickup, soccer practice for Jack, ice skating lessons for Ava. It’s also a Wednesday, the one day a week he spends mostly in meetings as unit chief. It’s the day she picks up more slack around the house, handles the after school activities in addition to her own professional responsibilities. It’s a routine they’ve perfected through trial and error over time.

“You weren’t yourself last night,” he sinks down beside her, his weight dipping the mattress down as he pushes some hair from her face. “You barely touched your dinner. You fell asleep with the light on,” he adds pointedly, pressing his lips to his wife’s forehead for confirmation. “And you definitely have a fever.”

“Do not,” she argues. It’s becoming harder and harder to challenge him, a battle she knows she’ll ultimately lose. There’s no way he’ll let her out the door let alone into the BAU at this point. Despite the sweat that trickles down her back, her teeth chatter together.

Aaron wraps her into his arms, aware of how she melds against his chest as she seeks the warm comfort of his body. “Do too.” His tone is light, which only manages to frustrate her more. “And you’re staying home today. Don’t even try to argue with me.”

Emily attempts to pull away from his embrace. “I have a meeting too, you know. Jack has practice and Ava -”

“Has ice skating. I know, Sweetheart.” Aaron gently pushes her back down, tucking the blankets around her. “I know their schedule. And yours. We’ll manage.” But he’s already reaching for his phone, dialing a number he knows by heart.

“Who are you calling?” She asks weakly, succumbing to his insistence. The sky has lightened to a shade of dark blue instead of inky black, the first traces of the winter morning starting to peek through the curtains.

“I’m texting Garcia. If she can take Ava this afternoon, I can get Jack to soccer after my last meeting.”

Emily grumbles while he taps out a message as she runs through her day ahead. There are her own meetings, of course, a slew of chores around the house waiting when she gets home, all the little things that accumulate during the week without fail, over and over. Aaron can almost read her mind as he gets dressed, disappearing into the depths of their closet to pluck a suit from the rack on his side. “Things won’t implode without you, Em. We can survive one day.”

From her place in bed, Emily watches him dress, securing the sleeves of his dress shirt, the jacket stretching across his broad shoulders over the crisp fabric of his shirt. Some days, she can’t believe they’ve come this far. Seven years of marriage has brought its fair share of ups and downs, most recently an ill-timed miscarriage in the days before Christmas. She hadn’t been too far along - ten weeks - but December 23rd was spent at her doctor, Aaron’s hand wrapped around hers as the news was broken, their eyes glued to the ultrasound screen. They hadn’t been trying at all. It was a surprise neither of them expected, which only seemed to worsen the blow when it abruptly ended. Emily had been the picture of composed, smiling through her grief on Christmas Eve, distracted by Ava and Jack’s excitement, the endless mountain of gifts to smuggle from their closet under the tree, only to spend the early hours of Christmas morning crying in his arms until he rocked her to sleep. She closes her eyes, wills herself not to think of it. It’s still a little too soon.

When he’s fully dressed, traces of cologne lingering in the air, Aaron gathers a box of tissues and fills a glass of water, setting both down next to Emily. “I’ll bring you some toast before I leave. You need to eat something.”

“You need to wake -”

“I’m already -”

“Mommy?” The voice outside the door tells them at least one more Hotchner is already awake. Aaron drops a quick kiss on Emily’s head, frowning when he notes how warm she is. He makes a mental note to bring some ibuprofen with the toast and opens the door just a crack to find their daughter on the other side, fully dressed, not a hair out of place.

“Where’s Mommy?” He’s met with the round, concerned eyes that belong to Ava. Even at six, she could be Emily’s clone, with sleek dark locks and the same pale skin. Ava is precocious, sharp as a tack yet sensitive, hesitant to trust but loyal to a fault. Her arrival in the world had been dramatic, at one point downright terrifying for a few minutes, shoulder dystocia to blame. Aaron had turned ghostly pale as the doctors rattled off medical jargon he’d only ever seen dramatized on primetime television. Yet it was that same efficiency and urgency that ultimately brought their daughter safely into the world a short time later. The moment she was placed in his hands, Aaron was completely smitten, his world forever changed.

“Mommy isn’t feeling well, Ava.” Aaron explains with an abundance of patience, his tone soft and reassuring. In the days after Christmas, following the miscarriage, Ava had been confused when Aaron took Emily’s usual place at the new, massive dollhouse from Santa, doing his best to display the same enthusiasm his wife so effortlessly showed. He’d uttered the same words - Mommy isn't feeling well - when she protested, complaining about his doll handling skills and seeming inability to make their hair look half as good as Emily did. Even though his placations  held an entirely different meaning then, Ava questioned him relentlessly. Telling a version of the truth had been harder than he anticipated, for more reasons that one.

“Is Mommy okay?” Ava asks, persistent as ever.

“She’s fine, honey. Just the flu. Remember when you had it in Kindergarten? You got to stay home while Jack went to school. Mommy and I took turns staying home with you? You got to eat popsicles in bed and watch TV during the day?”

Ava nods, not fully convinced as she tries to poke her head further into their bedroom. “I guess.”

“That’s what Mommy has, honey. Grown-ups get sick too. So Daddy is going to drive you to school. Aunt Penelope is going to take you to ice skating lessons this afternoon.”

Ava squeals with delight at the mention of Garcia, clapping her tiny hands together, only to have the expression melt off her face seconds later. Then she frowns. “But Daddy,” she whispers slowly, her resemblance to Emily and similar mannerisms uncanny, as if profiling him even at the tender age of six. “You don’t know the Good Morning song.”

Aaron checks his watch and pinches the bridge of his nose as he peers into the hallway. Jack’s bedroom door is still firmly closed, indicating his son is most likely still sound asleep. Waking him is the next battle, one of his least favorite tasks as of late. “What song, Ava?” He sighs, not missing the fleeting touch of amusement that crosses Emily’s face from across the room, the softest of laughs. Even in her current state, pale and tired, clearly more than under the weather, Aaron thinks she’s stunning.

“Mommy and I always sing the Good Morning song on the way to school.” Ava folds her arms across her chest, tapping her foot against the floor. “If you don’t know the words -” Her dark eyes double in size, widening impossibly as she stubs her toe with disappointment. “How can you drive me to school?”

“Honey -”

“Mommy knows all the words.”

“Ava - “

“Daddy.” She challenges, sticking her lower lip out in a whiny pout. Aaron knows what’s ahead. Even though Ava has him completely wrapped around her tiny finger, their daughter absolutely adores her mother, never missing an opportunity to steal a few quiet moments together. He often finds Ava curled in Emily’s lap, listening to a story, or playing dress up with some of Emily’s old clothes. Aaron has caught a few misplaced tubes of lipstick hidden in her dress-up box, ones Emily thought she lost long ago. He’s seen the pictures she draws, the way Ava always draws Emily next to her in each one. It tugs on every single one of his heartstrings, every single time.

“Mommy will teach me,” he assures her, crouching down to her level, bringing her to lean on his knee. “Daddy will do his best to know all the words before I take you to school.” He ruffles Ava’s hair as she beams, seemingly appeased by his effort. “Can you be my special helper this morning and wake Jack for me?”

Her face brightens instantly, a mischievous grin spreading across her face at the thought of what she’s being asked to do - something that, most of the time, she’s actively told not to do. “Okay!”

Aaron grimaces slightly as Ava skips off down the hall. There’s a finite window of time until he’s left to deal with Jack’s morning moodiness, exacerbated by his sister’s surprise wakeup call. But it’s worth the few extra minutes he’ll get to spend with his wife. Emily is now fully awake, looking even more miserable than she had moments before.

“You’re on your own for the good morning song,” she rasps sarcastically. Her voice is hoarse, even as she tries to smile. “Couldn’t sing it for you if I tried.”

“I think I’m going to take her for donuts. Those strawberry frosted ones she loves?” He slips back in bed beside Emily, pulling her into his arms once again. “Distraction at its finest.”

“The ones I love,” Emily reminds him, swiping her thumb across his cheek. “Good luck.”

“Right. Hopefully she’ll forget all about it.” Then he remembers just who he’s talking about - a miniature version of the woman he somehow got lucky enough to call his wife, instantly realizing how wrong he is. He’s a goner; he won’t hear the end of this for days.

“I doubt it. But you can give it a try.” Emily snuggles into his chest, savoring their final few minutes of peace.

…

Winter sun streams through the windows, casting the bedroom in a mix of shadows and blinding light.

She isn’t sure how much time has passed - an hour could easily be three, maybe five. Sleep has consumed her, on and off all morning. Yet she’s uncomfortable, alternating between throwing the covers off and disappearing into them, unable to seek enough warmth as she reaches for one more blanket. Everything still hurts, and topped off by a congestion that settles deep in her lungs, rattles her chest with every cough. She almost feels worse now than she did earlier, if that’s even possible.

The house is quiet, so she hears the subtle rumbling of the garage opening, the soft creak of the door leading into the house. Emily smiles to herself - she’d recognize his footsteps anywhere as he makes his way through the living room. He’s undoubtedly picking up wayward shoes and toys along the way, most likely grumbling about the clutter. He’d never admit it (even if she knows it to be true) but it’s one of his favorite tasks. The mess is a reminder of what they’ve built over time, that sometimes things work out just as they were meant to. Even if it means their house will never be spotless.

She pries one eye open as he shoulders through the bedroom door, slipping his suit jacket off to drape over a chair. “You could have stayed at work.” Emily isn’t surprised at all. She knows him sell enough by now.

“I know.” And while Aaron is fully aware of that, there was never a chance he wasn’t going to come home to tend to her. He stayed at the BAU long enough to get things squared away, arranging plans for the kids, and delegating tasks as needed before making a hasty exit. And now, only a few hours later, he’s back. He checks her forehead, refreshes the glass of water on the nightstand and tosses some tissues into the trash. “How are you feeling?”

“Like shit.” Emily shifts to make room beside her. “Worse than before, if that’s possible.” She sighs a little when he wraps her into his embrace. Her head falls against his chest on its own accord. “Ava and Jack?”

“Garcia is taking Ava to ice skating. She’s taking her out for ice cream afterward.” He gets a hand in her hair, rocks her back and forth a little bit until she relaxes fully against him. Almost.

“What about dinner?” Emily mumbles, stifling a cough into her fist. It rattles within her chest, reverberating through her ribs. “She needs real dinner, Aaron.”

“I think she’ll live without vegetables for one night, Emily.”

She’s too tired to argue. “Jack?”

“Dave offered to take him to soccer,” Aaron says, patting her back through the last of the coughing fit and grappling for the water glass on the table. “It’s all taken care of.” His hands are soothing, gentle and strong against the sore, stiff muscles. “You sound terrible.”

Emily pointedly ignores him. “What about you?”

“I cleared my schedule for the rest of the day. Tomorrow too,” he adds with a wink, taking her hands in his own when she starts to object. “I’m making it my mission to get you better.” He shows her the package of popsicles he’d stopped for on the way home, tosses the bag away to the floor. “And I got some of these. Just for you.”

The soft laughter that comes from her is accompanied by yet another hacking cough. It’s the little things he does that are the most thoughtful - a pit stop to the grocery store in the middle of a work day is just one example. “Sounds like you have quite the job ahead of you.” But she’s eyeing the popsicles - it’s the first thing that’s sounded appealing all morning.

“You’re not an easy patient,” Aaron chides as he hands her a cherry flavored one, taking a lemon flavored for himself. “One of the worst I’ve ever dealt with, actually.” He flicks her nose lovingly.

“Is that so?” The cool chill of the frozen ice against her lips and throat is a temporary relief, a moment of reprieve. She doesn’t even notice when a little piece of it breaks off to leave a tiny red stain on the sheets. “You’re no picnic yourself, you know.”

It’s his turn to laugh, because she’s right. He’s just as stubborn, the art of rest and healing lost on them both. “I feel called out.”

“It’s because I’m right,” she quips. And she is.

Emily sleeps fitfully in his arms, only waking up once as the sun sets over the trees in the distance. When her eyes drift open, he has the television remote in one hand, the other anchoring her across his chest. “What time is it?” She mumbles, blinking furiously as her eyes adjust to the dim light.

“Close to five.” He kisses her, rocks her a little to wake her up. “You’ve been sleeping for hours.” Aaron sounds almost pleased that she finally got some solid rest. “I’m going to make you some soup. And don’t tell me I don’t have to.” He untangles himself from her, somehow without disturbing her comfort within their bed. “I’ll be up in a few minutes.”

His fingers brush across her cheek; she’s not as hot to the touch this time. Emily leans into his hand, curling her fingers around his wrist.

“Thank you for coming home.” She hardly sounds any better, certainly doesn’t feel it either. But having him there somehow makes it slightly more bearable, an unexpected silver lining to all of this. And the reverence in his eyes, the same one she sees every time he looks at her, confirms the fact that he’d do it without question. Another example of the unconditional love he’d promised years before when they exchanged vows in Dave’s backyard.

“There’s nowhere else I should be, Sweetheart.”

Four days later, Aaron wakes up with the same aching muscles and raw throat, barely able to keep his eyes open as a new week awaits them. Emily is only more than happy to return his favor.

[willowcrowned]

Double Trouble AU (Part 3)

One Anakin was enough, Obi-Wan thinks. One Anakin was far, far, more than enough, in fact, and so was one Ahsoka. He is barely past his mid-thirties and already graying at the temples and, yes, there is a war on, but he was finding silver hairs even before Geonosis, so there’s really only one person he can blame, and it’s Anakin.

And now there’s two of them. Oh joy.

“Where are you two from?” Obi-Wan asks the Anakin and Ahsoka in front of him.

“This is weird,” Ahsoka mutters to Anakin. And then, louder. “You know where we’re from, Obi-Wan.”

Obi-Wan resists the urge to roll his eyes. “Well clearly I don’t.”

“Don’t tell him anything, Snips,” Anakin says. 

“I know.” Ahsoka narrows her eyes at Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan once again has to resist the urge to roll his eyes. These two are Anakin and Ahsoka— there’s no doubt about it. They talk like Anakin and Ahsoka, move like Anakin and Ahsoka, even fight like Anakin and Ahsoka. Which, of course, begs the question: what the hell are identical copies of Anakin and Ahsoka doing wandering around talking to people like Hondo Ohnaka with a copy of Obi-Wan himself in tow?

“Alright,” he says, “Anakin, you were born on Tatooine and lived there until you were ten. Ahsoka, you were born on Shili and lived there until you were three, correct?”

Neither Anakin nor Ahsoka nod, but neither of them get the grimace on their face that means he’s wrong, so he continues.

“You were knighted at twenty, Anakin—” Anakin’s face stays un-grimaced. “—and took Ahsoka as your padawan that year.” Again, neither of them look disturbed by his assumptions. “She remained your padawan until she left the Jedi order—” Oh, and that gets a real reaction. Interesting.

Obi-Wan frowns. The people in front of him clearly aren’t clones, unless they’re clones with Anakin and Ahsoka’s memories up until a few months ago. It’s not entirely impossible that the Separatists have found technology to do that, but Obi-Wan has to assume that if they had, they would have been a lot stealthier about getting a clone to infiltrate the Order— not to mention, both Anakin and Ahsoka feel identical to his Anakin and Ahsoka in the Force.

Which leaves, well, a vision, time travel, or it’s equivalent. 

Obi-Wan can reliably say that this is not a vision, and he has the bruises from Anakin Force-pushing him into a wall to prove it. That leaves either time travel, or some sort of alternate timeline hopping, both of which sound like the plot of a bad novel.

“Right,” Obi-Wan says, sinking down into the third chair of the commandeered ship. “Ahsoka, how is Barriss doing where you’re from?”

Ahsoka’s gaze sours and she turns away. 

Anakin gives Obi-Wan a dirty look. “Did you have to say that?”

“I’m sorry,” Obi-Wan says, and he is sorry— at least insofar as causing Ahsoka pain— but this is his best bet to getting another hint out of the two of them. “She’s... still alright in this universe.”

Ahsoka snorts harshly, and Obi-Wan grimaces. This really isn’t how he prefers to conduct investigations.

“Look,” Anakin says darkly, turning back to Obi-Wan from where he’s been watching Ahsoka, “please don’t make us stick you in a closet until we meet up with our Obi-Wan. We’re not telling you anything.”

“Why?” Obi-Wan asks.

Anakin lets out a frustrated huff. “I can’t tell you.”

That in itself is worrying; this Anakin evidently likes him— him-him, not just his alternate version— so if Anakin isn’t telling anything, not only must he have direct orders from the other Obi-Wan not to say anything, but Obi-Wan knowing could put at least him in significant danger.

The situation just became much, much messier, which shouldn’t have even been possible. If Obi-Wan doesn’t wake up with at least three new gray hairs tomorrow, he’ll be shocked.

[dreamsinkandcoffee]

A new controversial take, this time about the ending of Extreme Mode. Don't read if you haven't defeated the final boss.

I am DISAPPOINTED.

I understand it's not the ending of the story, it's just the ending of the Prologue, but I am DISAPPOINTED. It was all wonderful until those last dialogues after the monster is defeated...

- I understand there are MANY characters, but the fact that not even half of them appear is depressing. I was ready to read 30 minutes of dialogues about every single one of them, especially after getting so invested in every single one of their stories! Hell, I am not too fond of Brandon but after the fight with Rosanna he basically DISAPPEARED, he was as relevant as Lumie in Normal Mode.

- We don't even know what happens to the prisoners. Not only Joshua and Frederick, but also the ones that came on our side but still need to be judged: Nine, Solphi, Brandon, Baretta? I want to know where Nine and Solphi go! Do they stay in Dakkeon? Do they follow Laphlaes? Have Aslan and Laphlaes even spoken about that? They are in a way parents to the same kids and they didn't even talk about it during the whole scenario?

- I need to expand on this: JOSHUA?? He had a whole story arc about redemption and free will and we can't even have him talking with Kartis? AND FREDERICK?? He is Kartis' clone? Why is nobody TALKING ABOUT THE FACT THAT KARTIS HAS A CLONE? (Or a son, if we consider the thing from Laphlaes' perspective...)

- Speaking about having a chat with Kartis, Olivia wanting an explanation was an intriguing point. Thanks for not expanding on it, I guess.

- Other people that should have spoken with Kartis:  Nine? Solphi? Baretta? They finally meet Kartis and before the final battle they don’t ask WHY their lives were thrown away like that? Baretta was dumped by the Empire and she doesn't have anything to say?

- Talk with Kartis, part four: I didn’t care much to see Rosanna, Charles or other people interact with MC. I was much more interested in seeing what they had to say to Kartis. Especially somebody like Lumie, who lost her whole kingdom to him, technically. Seriously, nobody has a single “Fuck you” to throw?

- Rosanna and Charles in the same environment. And they haven't even spoken with each other. This is a crime against humanity.

- Vanessa's family. That's about it, Vanessa's family. Didn't the game set up a story arc about them? Where was it? Can we at least see what happens to the brother she wanted to smack on the head? Is he even alive? Did the writers forget about him? I thought we'd meet him in East Gallus, he was never mentioned again.

- What happens to Lumie's people? Do they stay in Dakkeon? Do they try to rebuild Lunaris? As much as I'd let Charles step on me, rather than have him curse us for our manners, I would have happily read about Lumie's future plans. We know Rhodon is fine, Lunaris is a bigger question.

- Where is Rouin?

- That’s... All the dialogue we get with Johan? For real? Real real?

- Lairei wanted to leave for the East. Does she? Why didn’t she talk about it with Dhurahan? Honestly, why did they disappear entirely in Gallus? She was Nine’s new aunt before Lumie appeared, but as soon as Lumie and Nine became friends, she wasn’t relevant anymore? Nine didn’t mention her again despite having her as a babysitter for so long?

- Last but not least, actually, I'd say it's the main thing. Everybody SAW their other selves. They experienced lives they never lived before. And nobody is freaking out? Charles discovered Krom and Zaira dumped him and he doesn't bat an eye? Alev finds out she is Aslan's adoptive daughter, no big deal that the king you admire was actually your father? Not to mention how many other lives they felt within themselves we never even saw! Mikhail found out his family in another universe is ALIVE! Helga that there is a version of herself who kills dragon as a purpose in her life! Vanessa that her siblings and family all died! And taking what Fram said, "I saw three Luciliccas there", NOBODY freaked out seeing their other selves there? It was something worth talking about, I think?? I understand some things might get expanded on later, although I think mentioning at least SOME of them would have given us a less anticlimatic ending (honestly, a cut scene where we see what everybody is doing would have been perfectly fine), but this point especially annoyed me. I feel like this part of the story, from Normal to Extreme, was all about the timelines, how to deal with it, meeting people who have the same name and face as the ones we love but that are somebody else entirely, etc. As we reached the ending, and everybody finally experienced their past lives just like Kartis and Lord did (something I have been foreseeing since Hard Mode, so you can understand how excited I was), I really wanted more of an insight about that. Especially considering some of the lives they remember are TRAUMATIC, it's something they'd never dream of doing. Seriously, imagine Extreme Mode Krom or Zaira remembering that they betrayed Charles - but that also that Charles deserved to be betrayed. Imagine Laphlaes remembering the brainwashing. Imagine Helga, Walther and Aslan remembering not one, but HUNDREDS of wars they fought. Imagine Olivia remembering she used to be a RULER instead of a simple soldier following orders. That calls for an identity crisis, I think.

I want to make it clear that this doesn’t change my take on how amazing the story and the characters all are, but to be honest, East Gallus felt a bit rushed compared to the rest, and I expected a lot more after such a huge build up.

Still, can’t wait for new updates, maybe we’ll get to know more about some of the points I made.

[scottymcgeesterwrites]

ScottyMcGeester Plays Every Final Fantasy Game*

*Okay, all the main games except 11 and 14 since they are online only, and also no spinoffs or sequels.

THE INTRODUCTION

Years ago, I had a goal to finish every Final Fantasy game. As of December 30, 2020, I finally reached that goal. I originally started posting these reviews way back in 2017 on VGF(VIdeo Game Forums), and posted one review after another as I completed each game. I had already finished a few before I started reviewing the series, such as Final Fantasy I, II, VI, IX, and X.

Final Fantasy X was my very first Final Fantasy game, way back when it first came out on the PS2. It took me years to finish that game, mostly because I was still a novice at RPGs and I didn’t quite know what I was doing. Still, the world and concepts of Final Fantasy gripped me. As a sci-fi/fantasy writer, they inspired tons of elements in my stories. The series spans a multitude of genre-bending stories – sci-fi, fantasy, some steampunk, modern fantasy, space, traditional fantasy with knights in armor – and a whole lot of crystals. I wrote these reviews as if you have no idea what Final Fantasy is – whether you are a gamer or non-gamer. This first post is a general introduction to the series as a whole, but even if you are a die-hard fan already, there are some things that I explore that I hope you'll find interesting. What is Final Fantasy? Final Fantasy is a roleplay video game series that started back in 1987. The first game was reminiscent of Dungeons and Dragons, where you could choose one of six roles for a team of four: White Mage, Black Mage, Red Mage, Thief, Monk and Warrior. Square, now known as Square Enix, developed the game. A legendary rumor about the title “Final Fantasy” comes from the story that they were on the verge of bankruptcy. They only had money for one more game, a fantasy game. They dubbed it “Final Fantasy.” This apocryphal story is nowhere near true. Square had made video games before and they didn’t do well, but the company itself wasn’t on the verge of bankruptcy. What happened was that the developer, Hironobu Sakaguchi, had planned to retire. He didn’t see any foreseeable future in video gaming with Square’s mediocre performance. He wanted to make a fantasy game and dubbed it “Final Fantasy”, since it was to be his personal last work. He also wanted the game to be abbreviated as “FF” – they originally had “Fighting Fantasy” in mind but that name was already trademarked by a board game. Final Fantasy initially sold 400,000 copies in Japan and became and instant hit. Nintendo of America approached Square to release a localized version for the states. Final Fantasy became far from Sakaguchi’s last game. What’s Final Fantasy about? Every main Final Fantasy game has a new story with new characters and even new gameplay. Some games have direct sequels and are recognizable with a subtitle, or an additional number following a dash. For example, there is Final Fantasy VII, and the direct sequel to that Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII. There's a direct sequel to Final Fantasy X titled Final Fantasy X-2. But even though each Final Fantasy game is different, there are still central elements that make them a Final Fantasy game. You can’t just write up a random fantasy story and slap the Final Fantasy name on it. The following elements are what make a Final Fantasy game. Some are obvious while others not so much. Chocobos:

Chocobos were first introduced in Final Fantasy II, but have been present ever since. They are cute, large birds that the characters often ride across fields or sometimes call into battle. They have practically become the mascot of the series. Moogles, Cactuars and Tonberries – oh my!

Moogles (pictured above) are telepathic creatures that help the players, or sometimes they can be a playable character. They debuted in Final Fantasy III.

Cactuars (right) and Tonberries (left) are cute, unassuming enemies that are actually highly dangerous, killing you in one shot if you are not careful or fast enough. The former debuted in Final Fantasy VI while the latter debuted in Final Fantasy V. Summons:

Sometimes they go by different names, like eidolons or espers. Summons are massive, fantastic beasts that you can call upon to aide you in battle to fight the enemy. Summons became a staple ever since Final Fantasy III. In some games, they are merely there to call into battle, while in other games they are central to the story. Airships:

Airships have been present since the first game. They are massive boat-looking airplanes. In the more recent games, airships look almost like spaceships.

Cid:

With the exception of the original Final Fantasy (except in later remakes), every game has a character named Cid. Cid is typically the character who owns an airship.

Items and Magic Spells:

Each game shares virtually all the same items and magic spells. Antidotes. Eye drops. Maiden's kiss. Holy water. Phoenix Down is well-known for reviving knocked-out characters in battle. The spells follow a hierarchy of levels. For example, Cure is the basic spell to heal somebody. The second level spell for healing is Cura. Then Curaga. Then finally Curaja. Most other spells follow the same format. The same high-level spells also frequently appear throughout the games, such as Holy and Flare.

Crystals:

With a few exceptions, crystals appear in nearly every game. They often serve as plot devices, whether they be the force that protects the planet or powerful objects coveted by the enemy. They also oftentimes have a consciousness of their own, communicating with the characters and calling them to their destiny.

Mythological References:

Final Fantasy is riddled with mythological references. Many summons and creatures take the names of mythological creatures or deities, such as Shiva, Bahamut, Leviathan, Behemoth, Odin, and Ifrit. Certain villains share the names of mythological figures or they are derived from certain mythological concepts, such as Gilgamesh and Sephiroth. Many of the games have legendary weapons you can find near the end of the journey. These are typically named after legendary Japanese figures, such as Masamune and Yoichi, or other world mythologies, such as Thor’s hammer Mjolnir. Saving the World:

Final Fantasy isn’t about saving a particular princess, or person for that matter. The ultimate goal is to save the entire world, or even the very fabric of reality. Evil spreads in many ways, such as a sealed darkness trying to break free, empires with ambitious goals, villainous subordinates who pull the strings of politics, or empires destroying the environment. Typically, the main cast consists of characters from all walks of life. They all have to learn to work together and get through their personal struggles to save the world. Existential Crisis (or Startling Revelation):

By the time you reach the third act of a Final Fantasy game, some startling revelation forces the characters to question their very existence. A villain is revealed to be a hero’s family member, a main character realizes they're a clone, another realizes that they cannot live without magic, etc. Typically, the main character questions the nature of their soul, if they die like regular beings and become part of some greater life force, or blink out into oblivion. Whatever the revelation may be – it serves as a final crisis that the characters have to overcome. The Descent into Hell:

Every third act of a Final Fantasy game ends with what I like to call a “descent into hell”. The final dungeon is always some kind of bizarre world. In Final Fantasy II, you literally descend into hell to fight the Emperor. Throughout the series, hell is more metaphorical. The final dungeons can be a massive, sprawling tower or dreadnought, or a strange dimension that appears to have no rhyme or reason. Sometimes I'm reminded of M.C. Escher’s work, “Relativity”, or sometimes it reminds me of some cosmic horror featured in the Cthulhu Mythos. These final dungeons can be inter-dimensional rifts between space and times, pockets in reality, subterranean depths, insane worlds that the villain created, and worlds of darkness. (Final Fantasy IX's Memoria)

(M.C. Escher's “Relativity”)

These stylistic approaches for the final dungeon represent the oncoming battle with the forces of chaos. Fighting God:

After venturing through the surreal and hellish final dungeon, you face the main villain. The main villain always achieves godlike status or the characters actually have to defeat a god in order to save the world from its oppressive reign. Many stories appear to throw in a last minute ultimate god who was pulling the strings of the plot the entire time. The purpose of dealing with gods and goddesses represents the characters’ desire to control their own fate and alter their destiny. Most of these bosses are strange and grotesque, definitely getting a Cthulhu vibe from them. I looked at them and thought, "Christ, what the hell is THAT supposed to be?"

It always feels like THE final fantasy:

Each game, no matter what happens or how it happens, feels like the be-all-end-all of its story – its fictional universe. Direct sequels were unheard of until Final Fantasy X-2, which while fun, was wildly different in tone from the original game, and critics pointed out that it ruined the finality of Final Fantasy X. This is one reason why I think direct sequels to Final Fantasy games fail – what else could the main characters possibly face that is more dangerous than the one they just encountered? Anything else would feel like child’s play to them. NOTABLE PEOPLE Aside from the characters, stories and games themselves, the people behind the series have achieved legendary status. Nobuo Uematsu:

The original composer of Final Fantasy. Uematsu single-handedly scored the first 9 Final Fantasy games. Uematsu surprisingly never had any formal training in music – a trait that would ostracize any composer, such as Danny Elfman. I find that the those who haven't had any formal training usually break the mold with music. Uematsu started working for Square at around 25 for the first Final Fantasy game, starting out with nothing and never suspecting his job would lead him where he is now. His music is unique for incorporating elements of classic and progressive rock, specifically in the battle themes. Uematsu’s themes for each game have achieved instant recognition in the gaming world, as recognizable as the theme to Star Wars or James Bond. Tetsuya Nomura:

Tetsuya Nomura is a video game designer and director who started at Square in 1990. He rose to prominence when he was given full control of designing the characters for Final Fantasy VII – arguably the most popular Final Fantasy game to date because of its characters: Cloud Strife, Tifa Lockhart, Vincent Valentine and Sephiroth. Nomura went on to create more legendary characters for Final Fantasy VIII, X and XIII. Yoshitaka Amano:

Amano is the artist whose work is most known now in Final Fantasy. He has done concept art and design for every game in the series. His style is instantly recognizable. He has also drawn for many anime shows, comics and mangas, such as Vampire Hunter D and Sandman: The Dream Hunters.

And last but certainly not least - THE MUSIC Final Fantasy has left its mark in the musical soundtrack of video games. Each game more or less shares three of the same memorable tracks.

The Prelude:

The Victory Fanfare:

The Final Fantasy Main Theme:

THE REVIEWS

Each review I post will critique major aspects of each Final Fantasy game, such as its gameplay, graphics, story, and music. Today is currently January 3, 2020 (technically the 4th when I post this because it’s past midnight), and I will be posting one review per day so as to not lose my sanity editing and formatting everything at once here. So look forward to the very first review tomorrow starting with the very first Final Fantasy game.

[inkweaver22-blr]

Hi there! So I’ve learned that I can’t focus on multiple big fics at the same time. That means I’ll be focusing entirely on Scattered Cicadas until it’s completed! Yay!

This chapter is an important one so pay attention! Hope you enjoy!

AO3 Link

<Previous | First | Next>

Scattered Cicadas - Chapter Eleven: Soul Searching

Tang gets into an argument with himself.

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He was, once again, in the uninteresting, featureless cave. The voices seemed to blend together as they called out in concern. His name had almost lost meaning at this point with how many times he had heard it. He didn’t even bother closing his eyes as the golden light enveloped him.

----------

Tang was tired.

How long had it been since this all started?

He had been experiencing these time jumps for what felt like an eternity. He’d lost count on the exact number of cycles he had lived through more than a few centuries ago.

It had been somewhere in the 800’s from what he could remember.

Tang was exhausted.

How old was he now?

He certainly didn’t feel the 41 that his body usually started out as each cycle. Each jump tended to last a year with a few outliers lasting two to four and the exceptionally rare occasions where it was hundreds of years before the start of the baseline events.

He was certainly much older than even Wukong at this point.

Tang was weary.

Did the new memories each cycle granted count towards his age?

They were vivid and detailed, so while he may not have personally experienced them, it felt like he had. The amount of times he had been the immortal Tripitaka instead of just his reincarnation would probably double his age from the memories alone.

If he factored them in, it was probably somewhere in the tens of thousands range.

Tang was fatigued.

In all these years, all the cycles and resets, how much headway had he made in figuring out what was happening?

None. Zilch. Nada.

He had scoured libraries, both mortal and celestial, learning many wonderful things. But he still was empty handed when it came to discovering what was causing his current existence.

He worried that the information he sought was entirely unique to his original timeline.

Tang was so tired.

He was close to giving up, resigning himself to this fate of infinite cycles. He could instead focus his energy fully into being there for his family.

There was a certain appeal to the idea, one that felt almost temptatious. All he needed to do was let go and give himself up in his entirety to their well-being.

Tang gave a sigh as he followed MK up the steps of Flower Fruit Mountain.

These melancholy thoughts were getting harder and harder to shake. Talking to Sandy helped somewhat, but his flame of hope was slowly dwindling.

He didn’t like to think of what he would become when it finally died.

Tang shook his head and did his best to refocus.

He was here for MK, not himself. His kid needed his help.

This cycle was particularly nasty on the young man’s mental health.

There had been cycles where he had been the actual reincarnation of Wukong and had been trained by a clone his past self had left behind, but this was worse.

This time, he was Wukong.

When the Monkey King had sealed away the Demon Bull King, he had sealed himself as well. His memories, his powers, his personality, all locked away and leaving behind a baby MK many years later.

MK hadn’t known until he had visited Flower Fruit Mountain for the first time looking for the Monkey King. Instead, he was greeted by the spirit of Tripitaka who had told him the truth and promptly left.

MK wasn’t handling it well. The pressure and responsibility had made it obvious that something was hurting him.

Tang and the others hadn’t found out exactly what was going on until they had been kidnapped by Macaque who threatened to kill them if “the real Wukong” refused to show himself. MK had saved them, but revealed himself in the process.

(The amount of times MK had become a monkey over the course of the cycles should have made Tang prepared, but it was downright shocking to see him look exactly like Wukong.)

They had managed to reassure him that they still considered him to be their MK, but it was obvious he had been agonizing over it for some time.

Which brought him back to the present.

It didn’t happen often where Tang and Tripitaka were entirely separate people with unique souls, but it did occasionally occur. Not often enough to be anything but an outlier though.

Tang was not pleased with how this version of his past life had treated his son. He planned on having words with him.

“This is it,” MK said, snapping Tang out of his thoughts. “This is where he appeared.”

MK had led him to a statue of the ancient monk. Tang couldn’t ever remember one being here in previous timelines.

“Why’d you want to come here again?”

“Well, I was hoping that by praying for guidance, we could perhaps get some first hand knowledge about the Monkey King to help you adjust to your powers.,” Tang explained as he began setting up a makeshift altar with the supplies he’d brought with him. The items he placed on the small fold-able table seemed normal enough, but were actually the components needed for a summoning ritual to call a spirit and commune with it.

Not that MK needed to know that.

“Do you really think this will work?”

“Only one way to find out.” Tang lit the incense he had placed and knelt before the statue and altar. MK quickly joined him on the ground as he began the incantation. Luckily, it sounded enough like a plea for help as opposed to a spell so he wasn’t questioned.

As he spoke, the statue began to glow a bright yellow and there was a slight tugging sensation in his chest. It was probably just the ritual creating an anchor between him and the spirit he was invoking.

Once he finished, the light separated from the statue, coalescing into the transparent form of Tripitaka. MK gaped while Tang gave a respectful bow. The monk seemed surprised for a moment before offering the pair a patient smile.

“Ah, my student,” the spirit said. “I had not expected to see you again so soon. How may I be of assistance?”

“Well, uh, Mr. Tripitaka sir,” MK said while rubbing the back of his head. “My friend Tang here thought it would be a good idea to get some, uh, stories about my past? He thinks it could help me get used to my powers if I heard about them first hand.”

“Indeed?” Tripitaka stared at Tang for a long moment before turning back to MK and smiling. “A more than reasonable request. I’d be happy to reminisce about our time together.”

The next hour was spent listening to Tripitaka as he told stories about the Monkey King. MK was completely enthralled by the tales, his tail swishing in excitement. Tang only half paid attention, making sure to have a polite smile on his face and keeping the incense lit to keep the spell going.

Tripitaka would eye him knowingly whenever he did so, but didn’t comment.

“Now, my dear student,” Tripitaka said after finishing one of the stories. “I have a request for you.”

“Sure,” MK hopped up and began bouncing eagerly. “What do you need?”

“Could you give your friend and I some privacy?” Tang sat up at that and MK blinked in surprise. “I have some things I wish to discuss with him that may potentially be… confidential.”

Tang scowled at the monk. That made it sound like he didn’t trust MK.

“Oh...” MK’s shoulders predictably drooped a bit. “I mean, if you really don’t want to tell me…”

“That’s not-”

“It’s okay MK,” Tang reassured, his interruption earning a brief frown from the monk. “He said it was only potentially confidential. I’m sure I’ll be able to let you know about anything important.”

“If you say so.” MK glanced suspiciously between the two serenely smiling figures, seeming to sense the tension, before he shrugged. “I guess I’ll go see if the stories helped with figuring out my powers.”

Once he was out of sight, the scholar and monk dropped their peaceful facades and glared hard at each other.

“Who are you and how were you able to summon me?” Tripitaka narrowed his eyes in accusation. “This ritual should not have been able to work on me.”

“Well it looks like it did anyway,” Tang said, glaring back. “I’m not sure I feel obligated to answer the questions of a master who mistreats their student.”

“Excuse me?!”

“You left MK alone.” Tang let all his anger show, making the monk step back in hesitation. “You showed up, dropped an emotionally devastating revelation, gave him an impossible responsibility, and then you left.”

“My purpose was to-”

“I don’t give a damn what your ‘purpose’ was supposed to be,” Tang snarled. “MK may not be Sun Wukong any more, but he’s still the Monkey King. He’s still your student.

“And when he needed you the most, you abandoned him.”

Tripitaka flinched as if he had been struck, his face pulled into a pained grimace.

Tang didn’t care. He had started the process of getting things off his chest and let the freeing momentum of it carry him.

“In all the times he’s returned to this mountain, not once did you reappear to offer reassurance or guidance.”

“I- I didn’t think-”

“Oh that much is obvious.” Tang had quite a lot of pent up frustrations. It felt good to have an outlet to release them on. “You left MK shattered and didn’t even think he would need help picking up the pieces!

“If you’re so wise, why didn’t you know how hard this would have been for him?

“If you’re so benevolent, why did you leave him to suffer in silence?

“If we’re so perceptive, why the hell did it take so long for us to notice his pain?”

Tripitaka straightened at that. His expression changed from shame, to confusion, and finally shocked understanding.

“If we’re so smart,” Tang was screaming now, tears flowing down his face as the years of bottled up emotions poured out, “then why can’t we figure out this damn curse we’re under?!

“Why?!” Tang pounded the ground with his fists as he sobbed. “Why?! Why? Why…”

Tripitaka knelt next to the scholar, waiting patiently as the sobs eventually subsided. He spoke only when Tang’s breathing had evened out.

“You’re my reincarnation, aren’t you?”

Tang jerked up in surprise at that. He had been under the assumption that this was one of those rare cycles where he had a separate soul from Tripitaka. If that wasn’t the case then…

“You aren’t actually Tripitaka.”

“No,” the monk confirmed with a sad smile. “I am merely a copy of his memories and essence given form and limited autonomy. I was sealed into this statue for the purpose of guiding my student when he eventually returned.”

Tripitaka gave a sigh and looked away in shame.

“As you’ve pointed out, I haven’t been doing a very good job at that.”

“I- Yeah, kind of.” Tang winced. “I didn’t mean to go off on you that much.”

“Don’t apologize,” the spirit said. “It was a truth I needed to hear. Not everyone would have been as honest or even brave enough to chastise someone as ‘wise’ as myself.” Tripitaka bowed his head in respect. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Tripitaka straightened and gave Tang a smile before turning serious.

“Now, you being my reincarnation explains why you were able to summon me from the statue, as I am essentially a part of you.” Tang supposed that was the tugging sensation he had felt earlier, before returning his attention back to the monk.

Tripitaka stared directly into the scholar’s eyes, concern written in his own.

“But what was that part about being under a curse?”

Whoops.

He hadn’t meant to let that slip.

“I can’t tell you.” Tang sighed and shook his head, as that wasn’t entirely accurate. “I want to tell you. Part of the curse is that whenever I tell someone about it, they’ll forget the conversation even happened a few minutes later.”

“That sounds incredibly frustrating,” Tripitaka said, his voice full of understanding and compassion. “You must feel terribly lonely.”

“You have no idea,” Tang said with a groan, laying backwards onto the ground. Tripitaka hummed, seeming to be lost in thought.

“If the curse disallows anyone except for you to know about it,” he mused out loud, “and I am an aspect of your soul's past life… Or, essentially, if that means I am you...”

Tang shot up into a seated position as he caught on.

“Then you might be immune to the curse’s effects,” he finished excitedly.

“Precisely. It’s at least worth a try.” Tripitaka shifted into a more comfortable position. “So tell me about this curse.”

Tang took a breath. What did he have to lose at this point?

So he told him.

He told him about the cycles.

He told him about the many different changes to the timeline.

He told him about dying.

He told him about the love he felt for his family.

He told him how tired he was.

He told him about losing hope of ever finding a way home.

He told him everything, and Tripitaka patiently listened.

Tang sat catching his breath for a few moments after finishing, his throat raw from both the earlier outburst and from how long it took to relay his story.

He hadn’t felt this light in decades.

It would hurt if the monk would forget, but the catharsis had been worth it.

There was silence for a while as they waited to see what would happen.

“Now that,” Tripitaka said after several minutes, a grin slowly growing on his face, “is quite the curse.”

Tang could have melted in relief.

“Oh thank the Heavens,” he breathed, wiping away fresh tears.

It worked!

“I have never been too knowledgeable when it comes to spells or magical effects,” Tripitaka admitted, before smirking at his reincarnation. “I’m sure you probably knew that already though with the amount of times you’ve been me.”

“Remind me to tell you about the cycle where we were a sorcerer researching magic,” Tang said with a chuckle. It felt so good to be able to talk about this with someone. Even if it was a copy of his past life.

“Truly? Fascinating. We are getting off topic however.” Tripitaka became serious once again. “I may not know as much as you currently do, but I can certainly tell that this is no common affliction. It is a much too complicated and in depth effect to be a simple curse anyone could cast in passing.

“You aren’t physically moving between times, or else you would have stayed dead the first time you had passed or would have aged until death had you not.

“The most interesting part is that you always awaken as a version of yourself. This makes me believe that this curse isn’t just affecting your mind, but is tied directly to your soul.

“You have probably already come to the same conclusions.”

“Yes I have,” Tang said with a sigh. “But I’ve never been able to find anything on what could cause a soul to jump across timelines.”

“Hmmm…” Tripitaka gazed off into the distance in thought. “Perhaps you are focusing on the wrong thing.”

“What do you mean?”

“You have been researching the what of this curse, but not the why.” The monk turned his attention back to Tang, his eyes lit with the satisfaction of figuring something out. “There are a countless number of things that can affect a soul. Far too many to properly look into even without the complications of the random changes to the histories of the worlds you visit.

“What is most important to answer here is why your soul continues to move between time.

“If the point of the curse was to banish your soul to an alternate timeline, then why didn’t it just stop after the first jump? Why do you continue to travel between these realities at set intervals?

“By working backwards from why the curse works the way it does, the what will surely be revealed in time.”

“That’s… That’s brilliant!” Tang frowned, his excitement dowsed as he thought of a complication. “But how am I supposed to figure that out?”

“Have you tried examining your soul? Perhaps that could provide some answers.”

“Examine my soul?” Tang blinked in confusion. “How would I do that?”

“Do you not know how to manifest your soul outside your body,” Tripitaka asked, genuinely surprised.

“You can do that?”

“Yes. Or at least, this reality’s version of your past life could.” Tripitaka squinted in confusion for a moment. “You must get your tenses mixed up quite a bit from all this.”

“Remind me to tell you about the cycles that involved time travel.”

“Oh that sounds like a headache just waiting to happen.” The monk shook his head. “Anyway, your past self had to use this ability in order to create me. Since I have all his memories up to that point, I know how to do it as well. I should be able to guide you through the process.”

“What do I need to do?”

“Take my hands and begin meditating. I’ll be able to do most of the work from there.”

Tang took the monk’s hands and took a few steady breaths. Meditation came easy to the scholar after the many cycles of being the monk across from him.

He ignored the strange feeling of something moving through his arms and into his chest and focused. He soon fell into a relaxing trance.

“Oh my!” Tripitaka’s gasp broke Tang’s concentration and he opened his eyes.

Floating between him and Tripitaka was what he assumed was his soul.

It was a collection of bright golden-yellow threads wrapped loosely into the outline of a sphere with empty space making up the majority of its center. Knots of light were randomly placed across the strands and one had a thread pointing off away from the sphere, seeming to stretch infinitely into the distance.

“This is unlike anything I’ve ever seen,” Tripitaka said, examining the soul closely.

“So I assume souls aren’t supposed to look like this?”

“Certainly not! Souls usually manifest as whole spheres of light.” The monk leaned in to look at the thread that was leading away from the rest of the soul. “It looks like yours has been unraveled like a ball of yarn.”

“Unraveled?” Tang swallowed nervously at that. “That doesn’t sound good.”

“It’s not as bad as it being shattered would have been,” Tripitaka said absently. “Your soul, stretched thin as it is, still seems to be completely intact.” The monk blinked as he sat back up. “I think I’ve figured out how this curse works.”

“Don’t you mean why?”

“Practically the same question at this point,” Tripitaka dismissed. “The point is your soul has been scattered across time and space, but not shattered. It is still a complete soul.

“The reason why you’ve been jumping across these timelines is that you are following the thread of your soul to recollect the scattered pieces, or knots to go back to the yarn comparison. Each time a new cycle begins, your soul merges with the missing piece found there.

“You are literally winding your soul back together.

“I’m not sure why the cycles last a year, but my best guess is that’s how long it takes for your soul to find the next piece.”

“So that means the farther away the cycle starts from my original timeline,” Tang contributed, “the longer it takes to find the next piece. That’s why the cycles that start hundreds of years before my base time last as long as they do.”

“A reasonable assumption.” Tripitaka focused, and Tang’s soul floated gently back into his chest. “You still seem to be missing a fair amount of your soul however. You’ve already been doing this for quite some time, so I can’t even imagine how much longer it would take to collect the remaining pieces.

“But you now know why this curse works the way it does. This effect is so specific, I can’t imagine many things could have caused it.

“Once you find out what could have done this, I have no doubt you’ll be able to reverse it and return home.”

Tang’s eyes began to water once again.

The thought of continuing to be trapped in these cycles until he collected the entirety of his soul was terrifying. He had already been at this for so long.

But now there was a new hope.

He had a new lead he could follow in his research. Something specific and tangible he could look for.

For the first time in countless years, Tang felt the weight of helplessness and despair lift away.

“Thank you.” Tang let his tears fall freely as he held tightly to Tripitaka’s hands. “Thank you.”

“You are welcome, my child.” The monk squeezed Tang’s hands comfortingly. “If you ever feel the weight of your burden become too much to handle during this cycle, please come and speak to me. I’d be more than happy to offer a supportive ear.

“For now though, I do believe you are almost out of incense. It is time for me to say goodbye to you and my student who should really know better than to eavesdrop.”

There was a scrambling noise behind Tang and he turned to find MK nervously peeking out from behind a nearby boulder.

Tang laughed at the expression on MK’s face at being caught. He hadn’t felt this joyful in a long time.

“I’m sorry! I was just worried that you guys were going to fight and-!”

“You aren’t in trouble, my student,” Tripitaka said. “In fact, I should be the one apologizing to you. Your friend here was quite correct to be angry with how I’ve neglected to be there for you.

“I should have told you how to contact me during our first meeting so that you could have had someone to talk to about all of this. Instead I simply fulfilled my original duty and considered my work done.

“That was wrong of me to do. You are a wonderful person, Xiǎotiān, and it brings me great shame to have contributed in the pain you have felt.

“I am truly sorry, and hope that one day you can forgive me.”

Tang laughed once more at the stunned look MK wore.

“Say thank you, MK,” he wheezed out after a few moments when it looked like the kid was just going to stand there.

“T-thank you Mr. Tripitaka! You really didn’t have to apologize.”

“And yet I have,” Tripitaka said with a smile. His form began to fade as the last of the incense began to burn out. “My time is up for now. If you wish to speak to me again, simply channel your power into my statue and I will appear. Please do not hesitate if you ever need advice or words of comfort. I look forward to speaking to you both soon. Farewell.”

Tripitaka vanished as the incense was finally spent, leaving the area still and quiet.

Tang began to pick up the materials he had used for the summoning, MK soon joining him.

“So… You’re really Tripitaka’s reincarnation?” MK’s voice was curious as he helped clean up the altar.

“Yes I am,” Tang answered truthfully.

“Do you remember any of it?”

“Not at all.” Not in this cycle at least.

“Are you really under a curse no one can remember if you tell them?”

“I’m honestly surprised you remember even that much,” Tang said.

“Well there was a lot said in the middle and end that I can’t,” MK admitted, “which is really weird, but I do remember that part.”

“Interesting. Yes I am under a curse. I have been for a long time”

“That sucks.” MK frowned before brightening back up. “But hey! It sounded like Tripitaka remembered when you told him! It must feel good to finally be able to tell someone about it.”

Tang returned MK’s wide grin with his own.

He no longer felt tired.

“Yes. Yes it does.”

----------

Here we have the explanation for the fic’s title! I’ve been waiting to reveal this one for a while.

This cycle takes place in stagemanager’s story The Lost Prince. While the fic itself doesn’t say MK learned about the truth from Tripitaka, this fanart by @smallpwbbles shows that part actually happening.

The plot is picking up from here on! Hope you’re all hanging on tight! Until next time!