#which means I might be able to get away with contradictions

[paper-possum-party-pal]

Meet The Narrator!

And it appears that there are two other characters to unlock in this lineup!

I’ll give you all the lore for main tsp AU once I reveal the design for the final character, but for now you get to learn about my Narrator!

The Narrator is a being known as an Informis Voxumis that has spent years observing humanity. The Narrator and other beings like him do not have natural physical forms, they’re just a voice/consciousness stretched across planes of dimensions and reality. This existence intersecting these planes can allow them to build physical forms for themselves, but it’s incredibly difficult to do so considering the matter that needs to be pieced together in a functional manner. It’s a miracle that The Narrator would eventually manage to pull it off. Informis Voxumis, or ‘Voices’ for something simpler, existed across the galaxy since near the beginning of time, but their numbers have dwindled to the point that The Narrator and his two cohorts have only interacted with each other, and while there’s still probably more out there, it’s unli they’ll ever meet. There are two more Entities similar to the Informis Voxumis that are also watching over Earth and the three Voices, but that’s a story for another day.

The Narrator’s Bio!

(The Narrators fear and disdain for humanity is completely warranted. Not only are living things, to him, gross meat things that do awful gross stuff, but intelligent mortal beings are fully capable of killing or controlling the Informis Voxumis. How? Oh I definitely totally remember how and am certainly not stalling to tell you when I figure it out)

After spending years watching humanity The Narrator begins to grow bored, and while he’s weary about interacting with any aspect of Earth, he’s become insatiably curious. The Narrator gets the clever idea (in his opinion) to create a human and place it in a little sandbox he’s created to study the idiosyncrasies of humanity.

This is the start of The Parable.

Unfortunately for The Narrator, he doesn’t really know what he’s doing and while he thinks he’s making a completely original human, he’s actually plucked the recently deceased soul of one Stanley and has begun fiddling around with it. The original Stanley is mostly lost in this process, and beyond the few remanents left of Stanley, he is nothing more than a shell of what he once was, so at first he doesn’t really do much. The Narrator then has to tweak Stanley until he can move around, understand orders, etc. This creates a new Stanley with no memories of the past beyond what the Narrator has shoved into him for his character. This new Stanley starts out curious and optimistic, but you know how the story goes by now. He loses that optimism, starts doing everything he can to go against and irritate The Narrator, and they start butting heads. This begins their on again off again friendship and rivalry.

I’m still deciding when in the timeline it happens exactly, but The Narrator eventually makes his human form, partly to prove that he’s better than humanity and that he’d make a great human. Another repressed part of him did it because he was curious and lonely, and the most repressed part of him did it because he noticed how lonely, depressed, and touch starved Stanley was becoming. He doesn’t use it for a long time after making it, he hides it and doesn’t tell Stanley, but eventually he’s given the push he needed to try it out and finally greet Stanley in person.

He is immediately punched in the face.

Stanley doesn’t apologize, which is warranted, but that’s the moment they really start over and try to get along better.

That’s one(ish?) part done. Sorry if I’ve rambled on too much or if it’s disjointed. I’m honestly not used to writing things down like this and I needed to put what I had in my head out into the world. I’ll probably write a more comprehensive document or something, maybe answer questions, idk. It probably doesn’t help that there are certain aspects of this AU that I’m still trying to develop. I’ll need to make a separate things so I can make it clear exactly what’s going on with Stanley.

One final note, my Narrator does share a human name with one of @shinakazami1 Narrator’s from her lovely Ao3 fic “Destiny Surely Likes to Play Tricks” that she made with Taking_L’s. I wanted to make sure they got proper credit, and if you haven’t read it already, you really should! I’ll be posting a link to the fic separately since this post is already long enough.

Congrats if you managed to wade through my idea speghetti, good job! And thanks for all your lovely words in my last posts, it really makes my day!

The first image but without the character shadows

[justporo]

Randomly asked myself what Astarion's love languages would be, as in receiving.

Words of affirmation: On the outside it might feel like this is merely a game, shallow praise and such, but he dies for genuine compliments. No one can tell me he wouldn't actually drop to his knees if Tav called him a "good boy" - only it's contradicting his image, so he reserves the big goofy genuine smiles for when you are private. But be sure that he would give you the absolute wettest eyes if you tell him how smart and wonderful he is.

Acts of service: I mean you went with him to kill his master. Of course he'd enjoy you doing things for him, he's a bit of a princess of course. But I feel like this one is not as big for him, because maybe he'd like to be more independent now that he is able to. Not that he would say no if you were to offer doing him a favour of any kind.

Receiving gifts: He loves being spoiled. He had nothing but the often stitched up shirt on his back for so long. So just about every little thing you might gift him would mean the world to him - which also might mean that your place is getting a little cluttered. But who really cares if you see how happy it makes him?

Physical touch: This I feel like is the biggest one for Astarion. Sometimes it's hard of course, because sometimes trauma has a way to come back to haunt him. But he's desperate to work through it because nothing feels quite as good as being as close as possible to you. To feel your fingers softly detangle his curls, your legs all wrapped around him as he lays between your legs, face buried at your warm chest where he feels your warmth seep into his body and your smell surrounds him - and he found his personal heaven.

Quality time: This is a big one because that is something he didn't ever get to enjoy properly before. Astarion could waste away centuries with you just cuddled up with you, or just sharing a space in companionable silence as you each do stuff. Maybe you're reading while he's doing soke embroidery. The silence isn't heavy and you keep throwing each other loving glances across the room.

[simonsoys]

Hello I’m here again with another question lol, I’ve just noticed an interesting contradiction in flowey’s statements that I hoped to know your perspective on since they always made sense

I think this made me a bit taken back since (back than) he had the ability to save and load and memorise attack patterns or even the element of surprise, but this made me pause since now I’m questioning who “everyone” is.. (sorry if this has been asked before.)

I think I always read this as Flowey being unable to kill Asgore while the Human Souls were exposed for the taking, enabling him to become Omega Flowey. But there's definitely room for me to be wrong.

I'm with you, that I think it seems unlikely Flowey *couldn't* have killed Asgore if he tried long enough. Similarly, I think the line Flowey has about Sans causing him his share of resets doesn't mean he was never able to beat him in the end.

There's two possibilities here:

1. Flowey *could* beat strong characters, but maybe if they're too tough he just gets bored and moves on. He doesn't have Frisk's determination to see it through.

Considering he's really NOT a bad person and is just trying to make sense of his trauma and current situation, it's possible he's not actually curious or sadistic enough to keep working at it. If he were getting frustrated, he'd convince himself that it wouldn't be any different than Papyrus or Toriel or Undyne-- as novel as it might be for a few minutes, he still won't feel anything.

He also seems like the type of kid to rage-quit easily lol

So even if he says he "never" could've beaten him, he definitely could have, if he had just cared a little more.

There's also the fact he's trying to rub it in your face that you're an idiot who sucks, so he could just be embellishing your necessity.

2. He *did* beat the strong characters, but without the human souls as a reward (they remain locked away/unobtainable until you come along), there's not much reason to continue the timeline.

He sees the characters die, but then nothing changes for him. He's still bored and feels empty. The timeline is just a little worse, and he still doesn't have "the answer" to his pain.

Regardless of which one is the real case, eventually he "gives up" anyway. After messing with the timelines long enough and getting bored, he seems to have just stopped. In his final timeline, he's just hanging around as a nobody in the background (except, apparently, to encourage Papyrus), not hurting anyone, until you show up.

Personally, I could go either way because it doesn't change his characterization significantly to me.

If anything, the distinction would just make Asgore seem more powerful. Perhaps against you, a human, he feels more guilt and is more vulnerable than he might've been against Flowey. I don't think we get to see enough from Asgore for me to make that analysis though.

[foreverfangirlsblog]

Redemption (Husk x Reader)

Summary:

The reader and Husk try to get redeemed but one of them is left behind. Will they be able to meet again? Or is their relationship over?

Notes:

Word count: 3012

You and Husk were in his room, laying comfortably in each others embrace. It’s moments like these that you loved. Just you and him with no worries about soul binding deals, war with angels, or even getting redeemed. Just you laying with your big kitty, purring as you cuddled.

Admittedly you have been thinking about getting redeemed a lot recently. You and Angel have been working really hard towards redemption but have yet to get anywhere with it at the same time. You quietly sighed and Husk noticed right away. He nuzzled his face into the space between your collar bone and neck. “What’s wrong love?”

You hesitated a bit before speaking “I’m just wondering if we’ll ever get redeemed. If we’ll ever get out of this literal hell hole”

Husk tensed up a bit from your words. He knew that your goal here was to actually get redeemed, unlike him. Yet you still phrased it as “we” as in you and him, together. You always were a positive thinker, contradicting his glass half empty attitude. You had so much faith in him getting redeemed, he just couldn’t see it. “If anyone can get redeemed and welcomed into heaven it’s you doll”

You smiled at his words. “I guess this place isn’t total hell, not since I have you” you kissed his cheeks one at a time, then his forehead, then his cute little heart nose. He laughed at you sweetly before bringing your face to his for a short but passionate kiss.

“It’s just a matter of time”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Everyone gather around!! I have great news!”

You and Husk were at the bar, chatting together. Upon hearing Charlie announce for everyone to gather you both walked over to the lobby, sitting side by side on the couch.

Once everyone was in the lobby waiting anxiously for Charlie’s announcement she began to speak. “Alright so I’ve been allowed a meeting with heaven. Seems like they’re finally going to consider redemption as an option!”

At first there was silence, no one sure what to say. Last time Charlie had a similar announcement it resulted in a war with the angels and Sir Pentious dying…..

Husk was the first one to speak what was on everyone’s mind “You mean just like last time? When it resulted in us getting in deeper shit with heaven?” Of course he was skeptical, you all were. But how could you not hold onto hope.

“This time is different” Charlie said confidently, she didn’t explain how or why but told us to trust her, and you did. She told everyone to stay in the hotel, suggested having a game night or movie night while she’s gone. Then, her and Vaggie left to their meeting in heaven.

“Well might as well get comfortable” you said has you leaned into Husk then snuggled deeper into him. Angel and Cherri debated on which movie to watch. We ended up putting it to a vote and chose the less violent option that Angel surprisingly chose.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ You were leaning back, practically on top of Husk’s chest as he played with your hair instead of watching the movie.

You all finished the first movie by now and went onto your second choice, a basic romance. Everyone acted like they didn’t like your movie at first but you could tell they were enjoying it, at least no one fell asleep yet.

Suddenly a bright light shone down from somewhere in the sky. ‘But how is that possible? We’re inside?’ You thought to yourself. Then you realized that the light wasn’t just shining down on the room, it was shining down on you.

Your whole body felt warm, and almost tingly. Your back particularly started to almost vibrate. That’s when you also realized that you were floating, no, levitating upwards.

“Husk?!” You called out in a panic. Your body was levitated above his now, far enough that you could only hold onto his hand as he reached for you.

“Y/N?! What the the hell??”

“More like what the heaven” Angel suggested.

Husk glared at him quickly before realizing, he was right. This had to be Heaven. You were getting redeemed.

“It’s okay Y/N. You did it, you’re a winner.” He squeezed your hand to comfort you best he can “you’re going to a better place now” he smiled sadly at you before slowly letting go of your left hand.

“Husk no. We’re supposed to go together, I want you to come with me!” There were tears forming in your eyes as your body floated further and further away, the only thing keeping you down was your right hand holding onto his like your afterlife depended on it.

His heart broke seeing you this sad, and even though he wasn’t sure he promised you “I’ll see you soon, don’t you worry”. With that Husk softly kissed the back of your right hand before letting go.

You were now on your way up to heaven. Your eyes glowed an unnatural golden color. Your entire color pallet now shifted from dark hues to light. And now, you had magnificent wings sprouted from your back, even larger than Husk’s.

Then you were gone, the light was gone. All that was left was Husk by himself staring at the spot where he once held you, and his friends gathered around him.

“Well shit” Angel said awkwardly trying to fill the silence.

Before Husk could even think about saying anything another portal opened. His ears perked up, he got excited hoping it would be you. He should’ve known it was too soon. It was just Charlie and Vaggie.

“YAYY!!!” Charlie said excitedly as she stepped through the porta, back into the hotel lobby. “The angel council decided to redeem one of you as a tester! Isn’t that….great” she was excited to reveal the good news but faltered off at the end when she noticed the grim faces on everyone. “What’s wrong?”

“They took Y/N” Cherri told Charlie.

She gasped before turning to Vaggie, exchanging a knowing glance. “Oh Husk I’m so sorry”

Husk couldn’t say anything. He couldn’t do anything. He just sat there silently. Hoping it was all some bad dream, like all the other times. But it wasn’t.

“Hey I have an idea!” Charlie exclaimed trying to lighten the mood. “Why don’t we go visit her!”

Husk perked up again. “You really think we could see her??” He didn’t want to get his hopes up.

“I don’t see why not! They want Y/N to be an example! What better way than to show you all what it’s like after you’re redeemed??”

Husk nodded at this, happy for the chance to see you again, but still didn’t want to get his hopes up. “That sounds good Charlie”

~~~~~~~~~~~~ A month went by before they were able to schedule a meeting to visit Y/N. Charlie had brought the idea up to Emily and she was also for it! Excited even. Although she said only after you became officially settled. So Husk waited. A whole month. Damn was it the longest month in his entire existence.

To say he missed you would be an understatement, it didn’t describe the severity of the situation well enough. He missed your presence. At the bar while he worked, at Charlie’s exercises, and especially at night in his bed. It felt empty and cold without you, even if he had thick fur. He missed your soft touches, your genuine smile, your sweet voice, your intoxicating kisses.

He had actually been on really good behavior recently. Everyone noticed it. He stopped drinking heavily, he participated in more activities Charlie planned, he was really trying to keep his promise to you. He never thought it was possible before but now you were proof, and like hell he’d let his stubbornness prevent him from seeing you again. So he caved, he’ll become the nicest sinner in all of hell if it meant he’d get to hold you in his arms again.

Today was finally the day. The day everyone got to visit you in heaven. He was restless all night and barely slept. He was first in the lobby ready to go, even before Charlie. His fur was more tamed than usual, his teeth brushed, and even managed to put on his best outfit. He was going to see you today, and it meant everything to him.

*Yawnnn* “You’re here early Husk” Vaggie said as he came down to the lobby.

“Isn’t it obvious! He’s looking forward to see Y/N!!” Charlie squealed in response for Husk “looking nice buddy!” She nudged him with her elbow suggestively. Husk couldn’t help but be a little embarrassed, was it that obvious he was looking forward to this all month?

“Listen Husk-“ Vaggie started. Before she could continue Angel, Cherri and Niffty met them downstairs.

“Alright bitches let’s go visit heaven!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~ Husk and the others were all put into a conference room somewhere in heaven. They didn’t really get the grand tour like Charlie did the first time she was there. Not that Husk minded, he just wanted to see you.

It was obvious Husk was on edge waiting for you, his fur was standing up and his ears were pinned straight against his head. He twitched at every little sound he heard till finally, he saw you enter the room with Emily and Saint Peter.

‘Finally’ he thought to himself, before quickly running to hug you tightly. “Y/N!” He hugged you closer than ever before with his entire being, his tail wrapped around your torso, his wings shielding you from everyone else. All his worries melted away once he had you in his arms and could smell the familiar scent that was you.

“Husk there’s something you need to know” Vaggie said quietly to Husk.

He was going to ignore her but she snapped him out of his trance, he finally realized….you were still within his embrace but you weren’t hugging him back. He knew something was wrong. He untangled himself from around you and looked at closely. “Y/N what wrong?” He asked worriedly examining your face. You looked okay…

“I’m so sorry…” You turned to Saint Peter and Emily confused, “How does he know my name?”

Husks heart shattered. “Y/N, stop-stop messing around it me. It’s Husk.”

You just looked at him with pity and confusion. He hated that look, he never thought he could hate a look on your face but there he was hating that look, wishing it would go away, “I’m sorry I don’t know you have we met before?”

Everyone in the room was dumbfounded, well everyone except for the angels, current and fallen.

“Y/N you’re the love of my life. I’m-I think I’m-I thought I was yours. It’s me” Husk’s words were messy and shaken now as he stepped away from you slightly.

“I’m really sorry I think you’re confusing me with someone else. You do seem very lovely though” you smiled sadly at him stepping back, furthering the distance between the two of you.

He didn’t think his heart could break anymore, but just then it did. His heart broke into a million pieces.

He quickly turned away from you to hide his tears. Angel came up and tried to comfort him but Husk just pushed him away.

“What the hell is going on here” Angel demanded.

“Emily why doesn’t Y/N remember Husk?” Charlie added in concern.

Emily sighed and stepped to them while Saint Peter guided you elsewhere. “I thought you knew….once you become an angel you forget sinners”

“What?!” Everyone asked irritated

“What do you mean forget sinners???” Angel yelled “You mean to tell me my sisters up here and she just doesn’t remember her family?! Y/N doesn’t remember the love of her life??? What kind of bullshit logic is that?!” Angel’s comment threw everyone a little off guard, not everyone knew he had a sister, nor did he talk about her being in heaven.

Emily gave a look of sympathy “It makes it easier for the soul to transition, Y/N was in so much pain being ripped away from the people she came to love. Forgetting was the only way…..otherwise….she may have just gone back down”

“That’s bullshit” Husk growled “you can’t just take away someone’s life”

“Technically it’s not her life, it’s her afterlife” Saint Peter said.

Husks growling grew louder and rage fired his eyes. He was ready to claw those wings right off of that stupid angel. He saw the was he interacted with you, who the fuck did he think he was.

Before Husk could pounce multiple people were now holding him back.

“I’m sorry everyone I truly am”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Back at the Hotel the spirit was worse than ever, amongst everyone.

“I’m really sorry guys” Charlie apologized. In return everyone mumbled an “it’s okay you didn’t know”

“But I knew” Vaggie said, “I’m so sorry I wanted to tell you all, warn you. But I thought that maybe it would be different this time”

No one knew what to say but Husk didn’t care anymore. He got up and left to seclude himself in his room. What did anything matter now? If Y/N didn’t remember him all the work he’d done this past month to be with her was pointless.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few weeks had passed since the meeting and Husk had lost all progress he made. Charlie was growing especially concerned for him “I don’t think I’ve ever seen Husk this drunk before” Charlie said nervously, looking over to the bar where Husk sat drinking himself away despite it being 9am.

“Well what do you expect. The only person who made him happy down in this literal hell hole forgot he existed” Angel said matter of factly.

“I know I just wish he would still work on himself, just because she doesn’t remember him now doesn’t mean there’s not hope”

Angel hummed at this and decided to risk approaching the drunken feline. “Hey you’re cut off” Angel said taking the bottle away from Husk

“The fuck you say spider freak?” Husk snapped

“I said you’re. Cut. Off.” Husk started growling at Angel and was ready to try and snatch the bottle back but Angel was one step ahead of him and stepped back, causing Husk to trip over himself drunkenly. “Dammit Husk you’re really going to sit around here moping when Y/N is up there waiting for you??”

“She’s not waiting for me” Husk hissed “she doesn’t even remember me anymore”

“Who the fuck cares?!” Husk became confused “You promised Y/N before she went up there that you’d try your best to get up there with her. You made that promise before, who cares if she forgot. You’re really gonna make yourself a liar to the one person you care about?? You’re just going to GIVE UP on the one person who made you a tolerable asshole instead of an intolerable jackass?” Husk blinked at him, processing the information he was just given. Angel wasn’t entirely wrong. How could he break this promise to Y/N. Does it really matter if she forgot him? Maybe if he can follow her he could win her back? Was that too cheesy to hope for? Isn’t that how love is supposed to work?

“I hate you when you’re right” Husk pouted crossing his arms “You’re wrong about one thing though, she’s not the only one I care about” Husk gave Angel a soft smile.

“That’s more like it, come on let’s get you to bed. You got a lot of work to do bud”

~~~~~~~~~~~

Ever since that wake up call from Angel Husk really did try to change his ways. Maybe it didn’t matter if you forgot him, he remembered you and always would, that’s enough for him. He’d hold onto the memories you created together and cherish them. And maybe, just maybe you could still make more.

When Husk was eventually redeemed it was unexpected. He hadn’t done any heroic act, or done anything particularly kind at all, it was just a normal day. The sensation was dramatic and unfamiliar, identical to the light show he saw you go through. Although this time he saw his friends proudly wish him good luck as he rose to the heaven, to you.

Overall he noticed his appearance was generally the same just lighter. The reds were dulled down to dark pinkish colors instead. His clothes were also white instead of black, his wings now white and pink.

As soon as he regained composure and steadied himself he frantically looked around the empty room “Y/N??” He called out desperately.

“I’m sorry it’s just me” Emily said emerging from the shadows.

Husk tensed slightly but still had hope “Where Y/N? Can I see her please?” He asked nervously.

“Husk…I don’t know what will happen when you see her, I can’t guarantee that she will remember you again or even want to talk to you considering what happened last time”

“I need to know” Husk said firmly despite Emily’s warning.

“Alright I’ll send for-“ before Emily could finish her sentence the doors slammed open, startling her and Husk.

Y/N stood in the doorway looking out of breath and a bit panicked, but still beautiful. “Husk?!” She yelled into the room scanning it to find him. As soon as her eyes landed on him tears welded up in her eyes “HUSK YOURE FINALLY HERE!”

Emily was shocked and so was Husk as you ran and engulfed him into a big warm hug. Despite his initial shock he melted immediately in your arms. “I miss you so much” his voice said, barely above a whisper into your chest.

“I can’t believe I didn’t remember you” you squeezed him before pulling away slightly “I’m-I’m so-“

“Shhhh it’s okay” Husk comforted, bringing you back into the hug. “I’m here and we’re finally together, that’s all that matters”

You smiled. “Now we’re both winners”

“That we are love”

[opencommunion]

"The fact that independence movements are generally marked, even in their early stages, by an upsurge of cultural activity, has led to the view that such movements are preceded by a 'cultural renaissance' of the subject people. Some go as far as to suggest that culture is one means of collecting together a group, even a weapon in the struggle for independence. From the experience of our own struggle, and one might say that of the whole of Africa, we consider that there is a too limited, even a mistaken, idea of the vital role of culture in the development of the liberation movement. In our view, this arises from a fake generalization of a phenomenon that is real but limited, that is at a particular level in the vertical structure of colonized societies—at the level of the elite or the colonial diasporas. This generalization is unaware of or ignores the vital element of the problem: the indestructible character of the cultural resistance of the masses of the people when confronted with foreign domination. Certainly, imperialist domination calls for cultural oppression and attempts either directly or indirectly to do away with the most important elements of the culture of the subject people. But the people are only able to create and develop the liberation movement because they keep their culture alive despite continual and organized repression of their cultural life and because they continue to resist culturally, even when their politico-military resistance is destroyed. And it is cultural resistance that, at a given moment, can take on new forms, that is, political, economic, armed to fight foreign domination.

Repressed, persecuted, humiliated, betrayed by certain social groups that have compromised with the foreign power, culture takes refuge in the villages, in the forests, and in the spirit of the victims of domination. Culture survives all these challenges and, through the struggle for liberation, blossoms forth again. Thus, the question of a 'return to the source' or of a 'cultural renaissance' does not arise and could not arise for the masses of these people, for it is they who are the repository of the culture and at the same time the only social sector who can preserve and build it up and make history. Thus, in Africa at least, for a true idea of the real role that culture plays in the development of the liberation movement, a distinction must be made between the situation of the masses, who preserve their culture, and that of the social groups who are assimilated or partially so, who are cut off and culturally alienated. Even though the indigenous colonial elite who emerged during the process of colonization still continue to pass on some element of indigenous culture, they live both materially and spiritually according to the foreign colonial culture. ... Yet despite the apparent exceptions, they do not succeed in getting past the barriers thrown up by the system. They are prisoners of the cultural and social contradictions of their lives. They cannot escape from their role as a marginal class, or a 'marginalized' class.

... It is within the framework of this daily drama, against the backcloth of the usually violent confrontation between the mass of the people and the ruling colonial class, that a feeling of bitterness or a frustration complex is bred and develops among the indigenous petite bourgeoisie. At the same time, they are becoming more and more conscious of a compelling need to question their marginal status, and to rediscover an identity. Thus, they turn to the people around them, the people at the other extreme of the sociocultural conflict—the native masses. For this reason arises the problem of a 'return to the source,' which seems to be even more pressing, the greater is the isolation of the petite bourgeoisie (or native elites) and their acute feelings of frustration, as in the case of African diasporas living in the colonial or racist metropolis.

... But the 'return to the source' is not and cannot in itself be an act of struggle against foreign domination (colonialist and racist), and it no longer necessarily means a return to traditions. It is the denial, by the petite bourgeoisie, of the pretended supremacy of the culture of the dominant power over that of the dominated people with which it must identify itself. The 'return to the source' is therefore not a voluntary step, but the only possible reply to the demand of concrete need, historically determined, and enforced by the inescapable contradiction between the colonized society and the colonial power, the mass of the people exploited and the foreign exploitive class, a contradiction in the light of which each social stratum or indigenous class must define its position. When the 'return to the source' goes beyond the individual and is expressed through 'groups' or 'movements,' the contradiction is transformed into struggle (secret or overt) and is a prelude to the pre-independence movement or to the struggle for liberation from the foreign yoke. So the 'return to the source' is of no historical importance unless it brings not only real involvement in the struggle for independence, but also complete and absolute identification with the hopes of the mass of the people, who contest not only the foreign culture but also the foreign domination as a whole. Otherwise, the 'return to the source' is nothing more than an attempt to find short-term benefits—knowingly or unknowingly a kind of political opportunism."

Amílcar Cabral, "Identity and Dignity in the Context of the National Liberation Struggle" (1972)

[codenamesazanka]

The word used here is actually "extermination" 「退治」 which is very much in the context of getting rid of evil/harmful things, like pests and demons.

I was going to let this one go because, fair. Shigaraki killed her friend, or did something to lead to the friend’s death.

But then I remember that you could say the same about Hawks. Twice passed away. Hawks is a damn murderer! Yeah, yeah, Hawks killed a terrorist, Hawks was doing it to protect people. Hawks is still a murderer, and someone was very angry with him for it. Shigaraki paid for killing the girl's friend with his life, as he should; Hawks is now President of the Hero Public Safety Commission.

A little confused about what this lady means, but it sounds like she thinks Shigaraki couldn't control himself? In any case, in the context of her being the lady that stopped to help but ditched Tenko because he looked wrong to her, this becomes a lie. He could've been stopped. If she had fucking helped him.

(Or, well. With the 419 Reveal, I can't see how AFO wouldn't have just eventually snatched Tenko out of the police box or orphanage even if he had been helped. But at least in Shigaraki’s telling, this lady did make him feel that itch again.)

Also noticed that her occupation is listed as ‘housewife’. I know it's been 16 years, and she’s 70 now, so maybe she retired (wouldn't her occupation be labeled as ‘retiree’, then?) But now I have to wonder if she didn't just lied about needing to hurry to work just to abandon Tenko.

This is false. We know it. Shigaraki wanted to destroy the society that rejected him and his friends. He wanted to destroy the illusion of peace All Might gave everyone. He wanted to be a Hero to the League, to the Villains, to those who suffered under Hero Society. He was never able to release a statement about it, so I can't blame people for thinking this of him, but he did have a cause and he did have ideas and it wasn't just a tantrum.

And because the League is an Alliance, the goals of each of his teammates was part of his goal - Dabi wanted to destroy Endeavor (succeeded, portrayed as right just last chapter); Toga wanted to destroy the idea of normal; Spinner wanted heteromorphobia dealt with; Compress wanted reform.

(Unless—Shigaraki meant what he said to Deku. That he was just a crying child. However, that is also later contradicted by him depending on Deku for the destruction to be staying and complete.)

This is the thing that Spinner’s book can counter… Like I said before, it seems like he's valorizing empty destruction, but it really isn't. But will it seem that way to anyone else?

Talked about the "police investigation" and "tragic past" here. Does this mean people know about the Shimura and AFO and the grooming? Do they know???

Do they know about Shigaraki’s tragic past or not??? That he wouldn't have existed without All For One? Or do they think kids like that do get kidnapped and groomed into evil often enough for the next Shigaraki to already be existing and is in fact waiting for a chance to strike?

As for All For One, people definitely don't know his past, so of course they think he’s just an evil that pops up. I wonder if they think he’s evil because he's a lonely man (what Deku said) or because he has a too-strong quirk that is easy to take advantage of people with?

Mostly I think they should make sure there’s no homeless people out there without healthcare (AFOFA Mom).

[pinkeoni]

Theory: The Upside Down is Will’s Original Hiding Spot

“He’s good at hiding.”

In season one, One (either through himself physically or through a demogorgon he controlled) destroyed Castle Byers, which was Will’s final hiding spot and last safe space.

Symbolically, this is meant to show how this experience has literally destroyed his childhood, he no longer has a safe space because no space will ever feel safe again.

However, I think this instance of One destroying Will’s hiding spot might be indicative of a more literal meaning as well.

So atp I’m fairly confident that Will has been connected to the Upside Down since way before One ever kidnapped him, which is why he went after him in the first place.

The Upside Down was Will’s original hiding spot, and One took it over in the same way he destroyed Castle Byers.

I’ll explain:

So in season one Jonathan keeps repeating that Will is good at hiding. And he was hiding— in the Upside Down.

It’s implied that the reason Will is so good at hiding was because of his dad. But once he left, Will no longer needed to hide and Castle Byers became his new safe space. Jonathan even tells Hopper that Will used to hide in Castle Byers.

Now this kinda contradicts what I just said, but it’s also important to note that Castle Byers didn’t go up until after Lonnie left. Before that, Will would have lacked a safe space for himself to go.

So what I’m proposing is that Will had a safe space before Castle Byers, and that space was the Upside Down.

I’m not saying that Will would go through a gate every time he needed to hide from his dad, rather this would work in a similar way to his true sight ability in season two. Will’s physical body would be in the in the Rightside Up, but he would physically manifest in the Upside Down as well. While the real world was dangerous, his consciousness would take him somewhere safe. We know that Will was physically in the Upside Down since the Mind Flayer was able to physically enter his body. We didn’t see the particles in the field where he was possessed, it was able to enter his body because he was actually there too.

So let’s say, for example, Lonnie would come home drunk and start getting violent. Will might find somewhere actually in the house to hide, for example a cabinet, but then as an extra protective measure his powers would bring him to the Upside Down and away from danger.

I think this would be akin to some kind of short-term dissacociation, which is basically a defense mechanism for traumatic situations that are hard to get away from.

This article also attributes dissociating to the freeze response, which is stated in the show to be Will’s fear response.

I don’t think Will was ever conscious of doing this, and he was probably so small when it was happening that he didn’t process what was really going on. Rather, I think this ability is triggered by extreme fear, more specifically fear of his father. In fact, I think this ability might be how Will actually went into the Upside Down in episode one. One was able to trigger a fear response so powerful that Will teleported into the Upside Down. And since the gate was open, all of Will went inside. I think this might be why he brought an impression of Hawkins with him. Kinda like a pinhole in a camera obscura, the moment that Will phased into the UD he brought with him an image of the town at that exact moment.

Now, in season two, Will does not go completely into the UD, despite the gate being open. This is because the Soteria is likely in his neck at this point, greatly supressing his powers. Furthermore, One had some control over when this was happening, although I do think he was amplifying it using Will’s emotions. I think there’s a reason he decided to do this during the anniversary of Will’s trauma.

An important part of this theory is Castle Byers, more specifically when and why it was built. Jonathan says in s2 that they built it the night dad left. As I hypothesized before, Will was phasing into the Upside Down because of his dad specifically, but then Castle Byers became his new safe space. As such, he wouldn’t need to phase into the UD, leaving an opening for someone to take it over.

We never get an exact date for when Lonnie left, but we know that it was some time before the events of s1. Furthermore, we don’t know how much time One was wandering around in the UD before he took it over, but it looks like he had been there for quite a while. I’m willing to bet that Lonnie left either before One took over the UD, meaning that Will wouldn’t have been occupying it and leaving a space for One to easily take it over.

This echoes exactly what One did to Castle Byers at the end of season one: He destroyed Will’s safe space.

Another important facet is how Will was able to hear his mom through the Upside Down, but Joyce was not able to hear him. If you wanted to hide from someone, it’s important they not hear you. However, it would be important to listen for when the coast is clear. Maybe whenever Will hid, it was always temporary, because eventually his mother would always reassure him that everything was okay and make him feel safe.

When Will is in the Upside Down in season one, the fear never goes away. Now that One is in charge, the creatures there are after him, and no amount of hiding will allow him to feel safe. This is why he can’t teleport back, because he doesn’t feel safe. But still, he is able to harness the love he has for his mother and find a way to communicate through the lights.

I know this post is already very long but I’ll write out the timeline here:

When Will is younger Lonnie is an abusive shit. Whenever Will gets scared and hide his consciousness takes him to the Upside Down for safety. When Lonnie leaves Will no longer needs to do this and Castle Byers becomes his new safe spot. At some point between Lonnie leaving and the start of season 5, One takes over the Upside Down, effectively destroying Will’s sense of security both figuratively and literally. Will hides in the UD Castle Byers has his last safe spot and it’s After the events of season one, Will has a Soteria placed in his neck (either by One or by Owens) which filters his teleporting abilities and comes through as True Sight.

[dipendenteconad]

Some LiuHan/BiKang headcanons for MY soul (SFW) pt. 3/?

How do you see their relationship? Because I imagine it to be very discreet, at least during the first weeks. While I believe Liu Kang to be more chill about his relationships, Bi-Han tends to make a big deal out of everything, and he did have to get used to having a partner at first (not that I imagine Liu to be Bi-Han's first, but probably the first actual serious relationship if you get what I mean?). So, he wanted to make sure he and Liu would really work out before making things "official", that's why he'd ask Liu Kang to keep their affair a secret;

Though, after some time passed, and their feelings for each other grew more and more, Bi-Han grew tired of always sneaking around. Liu Kang respected his wish to stay secret: he never tried to rush things or to force Bi-Han into coming out to his brothers, but eventually, the cryomancer admitted he didn't want to hide him anymore. Y'know, he finally understood he was deep in love. He refused to mix his work/role as a Grandmaster with his personal life, but he trusted his family to support him;

Which is what happened. Kuai and Tomas definitely suspected something already because his constant visits to Liu' place were getting suspicious, but they never dared to comment on it and waited to Bi-Han to tell them something first. They def teased him a little at first but if he was happy, then they were too;

As I said before Liu Kang is a big romantic in my opinion, I just know he was so happy to finally be able to be open with Bi-Han (while respecting his need of space and privacy ofc). Would they show affection in public, in your opinion? I think yes, but rarely. Liu Kang would definitely love to leave quick kisses on Bi-Han's cheek or put an arm around his waist, small gestures that don't look like a lot at first but that are still capable of melting Bi-Han's heart a bit;

Also them being public means that Liu Kang doesn't have to hide his heart eyes anymore whenever he's gazing at Bi-Han;

It might look like Bi-Han is the colder one in the relationship, or that he doesn't care about things (even outside of ship discourse, I see people headcanoning him as cold and rough a lot), but the truth is that he's very caring and remembers every little detail about the people he loves: he would listen to Liu Kang talk for hours without ever growing tired; he works on gifts months in advance because he wants them to be perfect; he always writes Liu letters when they are away from each other; he knows the other man's tastes like they're his own; and so, so on;

Bi-Han especially enjoys writing, as it helps him put into words his emotions in ways talking could never allow him to. Whenever he has a moment of quiet, he sits at his desk and frees his mind of all the thoughts that have been bugging him for days. In particular, each letter to Liu Kang reads as a heavy confession, and Bi-Han wouldn't trust anyone besides Liu to read them. In response, Liu's answers never disappoint.

Short post for this round. Even if this is a series of multiple posts, you don't have to read them as connected to each other. I may write something once and then say another thing that contradicts it. I don't have single interpretations for them, and I'm very open when it comes to headcanons.

[688199]

Astruc’s bullshittery: Debunking his tweets

Astruc’s tweets and claims about Felix is something I would never understand. He contradicts himself, for what? To make people hate Felix?

Case 1:

Sure he isn’t referring directly to this “version”. But when the PV was made, the concept of polar opposites was established, even shown through the early storyboards with Chat Noir presenting Ladybug with candles. It may not be a curse here yet, but it shows that Chat Noir was always meant to genuinely love Ladybug.

So it proves that the concept of Felix pretending to love Ladybug is a very “one-off” idea. Heck, even in the PV, you can see Felix being quite eager to transform. Does he look cursed to you?

Lastly, the existence of the 2012 bible is evidence that it’s possible to make Felix/ Chat Noir have an ulterior motive behind being flirtatious yet at the same time not moving away from his love for Ladybug.

Case 2:

In what way is this mysterious and evil? Again, even though Felix has the “Adrien” name in the bible, it’s obvious that Astruc is separating Felix (suit wearing, dark personality boy) with Adrien (the canon one).

It is true that Felix may be a bit evil, with that one singular image of him dropping an apple on Marinette’s head. But it’s a super early concept that isn’t present in the bibles (further supported by the fact they are shown to be able to use powers without transformation, and Felix being a pure misfortune manipulator.), meaning the idea didn’t reach that far into pre production.

That version of Felix is also shown more in Quantic Kids concepts, and even then, he was shown being slightly affectionate towards Marinette (cue that image of him smiling at her).

Instead of mysterious and evil, Felix had been long moulded more into someone who is driven, confident and dark (sarcastic). There’s way more art and descriptions depicting him that way.

Astruc even contradicts himself here when he says he cannot imagine Marinette liking Felix because it’s so clearly stated here why she does.

Not only that, Felix is written to have a soft side which he doesn’t show others. He even has fondness towards Marinette. But he doesn’t allow himself to fall in love. This means he actually sees himself falling for her if he gets distracted.

Overall, Felix might have underwent a very rough patch with him being mysterious and evil like what Astruc says (though in the fandom this version is often referred to as Nathan), but the development of his character shows that there was a lot of focus on improving Felix.

The time where Felix officially “became” Adrien is a few months after the earliest bible we have, where you can see the most changes being applied to the “Adrien” name. He doesn’t have a picture attached to the description (showing how they were still coming up with his design), he’s Papillon’s son, and has the goal of wanting to fit in rather than healing his leg. This is “Adrien” and no longer “Felix”.

Based on what Astruc said, he came up with “Adrien” because blah blah blah, but the Felix we’re seeing in the earliest bible is the same Felix he was dealing with before he came up with “Adrien”. Which, in my opinion, had quite a bit of depth to him that could be written well.

So is Astruc just straight up lying/ exaggerating Felix’s development and character in order to justify his decision to replace him with Adrien?

Adrien is significantly easier to write about as he’s more one dimensional, whereas Felix has a lot more inner conflict happening.

Maybe that’s why Astruc said: “Try writing Felix for 72 episodes”. He’s admitting to being a bad writer :/

[yansimstorythatiwillnotworkon]

Hanako Yamada

Name: Hanako Yamada

Gender: Female

Class: 1-2

Club: N/A

Persona: Lovestruck (Social Butterfly)

Reputation:

Overall: +10

Liked: +60

Respected: 0

Feared: -30

Crush: Hazu Kashibuchi

Strength: Carries Pepper Spray

__

Hanako will NOT be portrayed as some sexualized minor with a brother complex in my story, and I like to think that that's because I'm a decent human being. Hanako was specifically very fun to draw because I like drawing happy characters and she's adorable.

But back to the important stuff. Hanako joins Akedemi to watch over her brother and make sure that his mental health doesn't absolutely deteriorate by trying to stop any incident that comes his way. I imagine that on the first day, she's nearly impossible to kill because Taro will be showing her around the school. On other days, she's constantly switching between socializing and checking on her brother, which might make her elimination difficult due to always being around people.

I'd like to think of a super hard task for her so it's worth it when you ask her to follow you or tell her to go away- if she even does, she may want to stay in Taro's general area. I don't think she'll leave if you threaten her because she'll just cry about it and go tell Taro, which might just be a general game over. More beneath the cut.

Some assume that Hazu was meant to be Mida's suitor (which is a horrible thought because he'd be way too anxious to say that he wouldn't want something like that), but I think that it's Toga simply because he's in her class. I'd rather Hazu be with Hanako, and I think that'd be beneficial for him because she's an extrovert and could teach him how to avoid negative social interactions more. As I stated above, Hanako will actively seek out his company, likely because she has a crush on him. I think it'd be interesting if we could get closer to a rival by treating her like the suitor and giving her the tips for winning over her crush.

Hanako may be labeled as an "unkillable rival" simply because of the toll it will take on Taro if she ever dies. Losing a childhood friend is one thing, and considering how much trauma he faces beforehand, losing his sister could break everything. If dangerous things happened before hand and Taro still ignored Hanako's worries, only for Hanako to get killed in the same environment that he's been in the whole time (and her ONLY being there for his wellbeing and safety), I think we could possibly have some sort of alternate nemesis on his hands. On a less depressing note, I think that Hanako will be clingy only when she's anxious. If she sees some blood on the floor, she'll run to Taro and tell him about it. Depending on the general atmosphere, he may decide to tell a teacher or leave the school, of course, with Hanako on his arm. If anything, seeing anything suspicious from a dangerous weapon to psychotic laughing could disturb Hanako's whole routine and cause her to stick by Taro for the rest of the day.

Another idea I had was having Hanako subtly follow people she finds suspicious, but only after seeing them do something strange. I don't mean for this to contradict my earlier statement. My goal is to make her follow Ayano. Only from a distance and only after she does something strange, like giggle for someone else's attention or tell someone to follow her or go away. Hanako might watch from a distance, but open doors that Ayano closes for the sake of being able to see. If she feels like she's being too weird, she might try to start a conversation with Ayano and question her. I think it's worth noting that anything that Hanako sees Ayano or someone else do, she'll refer to them to Taro by name. If the student or Ayano have a good reputation, it's unlikely that he'll believe that they mean any harm. Something else that could force Ayano to be peaceful in Hanako's week is to make it so if anyone dies or goes missing while she's present in the school, she'll force Taro to drop out for both of their safety. Unless you distract Hanako's anxieties with a love interest in Megami's week, she might do the same then, too. Maybe if Ayano befriends Hanako, Hanako will trust her enough to want Ayano to be around and possibly even protect him. But that would likely be adding some new complex function to the game. Lord knows the coding can't handle that. (🙄)

[spider-xan]

Thinking about how there is a pop cultural understanding of Jekyll and Hyde as a morally upstanding scientist who unintentionally creates a formula that gives him an evil split personality that is at war with his good side as if they are two different people sharing a body with two forms depending on who is in control versus the actual concept in the novella where Jekyll is not evil per se, but not a great person, and he intentionally created a formula that would allow him to get away with doing mildly unbecoming to actually evil things he wanted to do even if the end result was not quite what he expected, and Hyde is simply an identity he adopts with a changed appearance and possible lowered inhibitions, and he loves being Hyde until the consequences of his actions catch up to him, in which the problem with the eventual involuntary transformations is that he can't escape being caught and executed for murder.

Anyway, I have been thinking about this in the context of Curt Connors and the Lizard in Spider-Man, and how he is often cited as a classic Jekyll and Hyde character - and I know people mean that in the pop culture sense, but he really does not fit the actual character in the novella at all, unless you count that one three issue arc that ret-conned his entire character in a way that contradicted decades of established characterization and history!

Unlike Jekyll, Connors actually is an unequivocally good person (shaking my head to show I disagree that US military are good people, but that the comics do mean it that way), and he absolutely did not create the formula that turned him into the Lizard with the intention of being able to get away with doing shitty things without consequences - it was genuinely an unexpected effect, and unlike Jekyll's positive feelings about Hyde, he hates being the Lizard and gets no enjoyment out of it, and for good reasons; when he does have regular involuntary transformations later, the horror to him is not that he might be stuck that way and unable to continue escaping justice, but that he's going to hurt or kill people and be separated from his family; whether the Lizard is a split personality or not depends on the writer, but regardless, Curt is genuinely not in control of his actions when he's the Lizard, and when he is, he chooses to do good using the Lizard form; I agree that he's far more comparable to a werewolf archetype than Jekyll and Hyde, at least going by the actual character in the novella.

[tsuki-no-yomi-project]

Mitsuki Analysis (part 2): Romance (Like and Love)

Part 2 of Mitsuki's so gonna kill me for this.. (and a bit of recap, heh.. brace yourself, this is gonna be long..)

Our girl, MY GIRL, is dumb, let's get that straight!

Sure, she might be ACTUALLY smart and creative, if we are looking at brain prowess and wisdom alone. But other than that?

Let's not forget the times she embarrassed herself in front of Itachi (and Kisame)

She could have the most brilliant observation and idea, part of her that made Itachi respect her as a person. But she's also.. very clumsy when distracted to a fault.. quick to act, quick to regret.. and a bit cocky sometime at her own at the expense of her own embarrassment.

(OK I should get to the point before Mitsuki kills me)

One part where she's absolutely, utterly clueless about was...

About romantic feelings.

The first time she learned about it was when observing a common villager which would then become her friend. That's the first time she ever get to know the concept of "like" that is not just a normal "like".

Even when presented with this beauty...

Author Ance: "I WANT TO BE PRINCESS CARRIED!! (by Itachi-kun of course!)" Mitsuki: "Sucks to be you, HMPH!"

She was so clueless to the point where Kisame even bet than she would one day jinx herself. And made Itachi awkward for being gossiped by Kisame and this brat too..

Nevertheless, it was destined to bloom sometime~ Stupid as she was (*bonked) she still has the heart of a maiden (Otome-gokoro lalalala).

Honestly, knowing when she had started "liking" Itachi more than friend, like most of us, it's really hard to draw the line.

But it had always been clear that..

Mitsuki always looked up to Itachi for being able to tell that she was not "human"

She was appreciative of Itachi's subtle version of "pity" and the contradiction between his heart and his words intrigued her

Getting to know Itachi more and more, the feeling of respect, appreciation, and interest had only grown stronger

And, when she realised the meaning of the black mark on Itachi's soul, she feared losing him.

Yet, Itachi was embracing his own suffering, and he was not afraid..

Excerpt from Chapter 38: -----------------------------------------------------------------------

“I heard about everything from Reishi,” said Mitsuki, dropping the bomb. “I see,” said Itachi with a painful smile as he stopped without turning his back to face Mitsuki. Suddenly, he felt light taps from Mitsuki’s fist on his back, repeatedly. “You dummy.. why do you have to..” said Mitsuki, stuttering. To her words, Itachi couldn’t respond. “I’m glad.. that I’m not an ordinary human..” suddenly, Mitsuki said, changing the topic. Confused with her sudden shift of topic, Itachi turned back slightly to take a look at Mitsuki’s expression. “That way, things that humans cannot cure.. I might be able to do something about it,” Mitsuki said as she gazed up to meet Itachi’s eye with a pained smile on her face. Seeing her smile, Itachi knew that it was not a declaration, but merely a hopeful wish from within her heart. Moved by the sincerity within the round, dark blue eye, Itachi gave the girl a light pat on the head before turning his back once more and walking away.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Despite so, she knew nothing yet about Itachi's reason and plan, and all she could do was just.. study, study, study.. Anything to prolong the life of her benefactor. Medicine? Anatomy? Potion-making? Basic knowledge about shinobi and chakra?

However, despite being told not to use Mangekyou Sharingan anymore, Itachi told her that things are not that simple, and sometimes, considering the situation, he'd have to use it, no matter what.

Alas, they were presented with such situation. Time sensitive, outnumbered, enemy's territory, hostage in hand.. He had to use Tsukuyomi..

And it took toll on him, as predicted..

Mitsuki had never been the physically strong one, all she could do was capturing him with her body, breaking his fall.

Everything happened too quickly, and she couldn't blame Itachi for his decision.

Yet nothing she learned helped.. And things are progressing way faster than she thought it would be.

Her frustration for not being able to do anything, whether to stop or prevent such situation, overwhelmed her.

Yet, Itachi told her that he'd just be fine, since he still have some things left unfinished.. something he had to do before he die... All the while she could see that the mark indicated that his time was up, that it had almost taken his soul.

Author Ance: "BTW Mitsuki.. I've said this to my friend before but.. Aren't you ashamed to be ugly crying in front of Itachi? I mean, look.. he's passed out yet he's still as gorgeous as ever.."

Mitsuki: "... Now YOU tell me if you've ever pretty cried!!"

Author Ance: "I'm a cat so anything is forgiven nyan :3"

*COUGH* Anyway..

I told my game character also that it is not wise to follow unknown voices instruction, but.. thankfully for Mitsuki, it was all for the best!

Even though it warned her that she might regret her decision, she was willing to risk the consequences, as long as she could be given chances to repay Itachi for what he had given her. No matter the pain she might experience, even if it was the one that would make her chose death in the past, and sealed a part of herself.

And so she unsealed it. Her knowledge about what she was, her gift, the purpose of her existence, along with a millennia worth of suffering.

Yet, she didn't regret it, since know, she had the means to give the one she care about an extended time.. with a price.. tho she would come to question if her decision was the correct one, if it would only bring Itachi more suffering.

Even so, she kept trying to find a way, to lengthen Itachi's time as much as she could, until he could achieve his goal.. whatever that was.. However she could. With Kina & Reishi's help, she managed to achieve just that, even though it wasn't smooth sailing, and wasn't without risk.

After all, Itachi had been plagued with nightmare. A nightmare that he couldn't wake up from due to temporary blindness.. A recurring nightmare of the accursed night, so real he could almost feel it.. what else could be worse?

But again, she was willing to take in the pain, as long as it would help him. At least, she was there to let him know, that he was no longer alone.

That said, she was not without problem herself..

Along with her memory, came identity confusion, and a semblance of maturity. After all, the her in the past, and her in the present, was so different.. Yet she couldn't let Itachi see her in such state, not when his condition was due to her inability.

But everything could only be bottled up for so long..

After Itachi finally recovered from the side effect of the eye drop, all the bottled up, suppressed anxiety and pain from regained memory inside her.. just exploded.. and so, she hid herself. There was no way she would let Itachi she her break like that.

Yet, somehow, he managed to find the fleeing pet rabbit...

Not without annoying Itachi tho...

Along with the development and the big changes, physical and emotional-wise on Mitsuki's side, something between them had shifted. Itachi, caught red-handed in his nightmare, owing his recovery to the girl who had now shelled up, agreed for a transaction. He would repay his favor, and she would repay hers. But between them there had to be honesty. Not that he had been able to lie to her successfully, anyway.

So, his past for her past, his future plan for her cooperation.

And hence, Mitsuki promised to help Itachi with his goal, no matter what, despite her having an inkling how tragic it might be, knowing Itachi's gentle heart and his love for his little brother.

With honesty, came more respect, emphaty, and.. a sense of camaraderie. Two people with different situation, yet riddled with suffering and responsibilities.. and the shift could no longer be stopped. Soon, Mitsuki found herself unable to treat Itachi casually, like the hugging monster she was before.

^ hug monster Mitsuki hugging everyone for comfort

Jealous Author Ance: "calm down Mitsuki, he only caught you >:("

Yet, since she is A DUMMY, she was not sure yet if it was indeed the different kind of like that her friend was telling her about.

Logically, after recovering her memories, she should have better idea about romance but... being a sheltered princess.. er.. holy maiden (Miko) as she was, no one actually taught her anything ╮(╯∀╰)╭

No one in her recovered memory so far had even dared to flirt with her, so arguably she could only take a grasp in the dark..

But it wasn't easy (or was it made easy?) since for a while, they were stuck together, only the two of them, and it bred.. situations..

If what she knew before had earned Itachi her respect, knowing his past only heightened those feelings and drew her closer to him. Then what came after, the moment spent together, Itachi's personality and his subtle support for her during the challenges she had to face, memories she had to recover.. those are the perfect breeding ground for feelings, don't you think?

Itachi and his very practical jutsu...

Yet, it took her having to go through a small fraction of what Itachi went through, for her to finally realize the meaning behind Itachi's subtle, enigmatic action.

And with it, came the realization of love.

Yet, it was not in the best situation. And she knew that with her feelings, it would only complicate things further. Her wish, Itachi's goal.. Her past mistakes, the consequences..

And hiding it from Kisame to avoid being "I TOLD YOU SO HAHAHAHA" didn't went well for her also

Still tho, ganbare Mitsuki! Hold on to your maiden's heart and maybe one day there would be a solution for everything! It won't be easy, and I know 'm sure that path ahead would be full of pain. For now, enjoy the feeling of being in love!

Author Ance: "Naughty Mitsuki, from whom did you learn that, you natural pervert!" Mitsuki: "......."

Thanks for reading!! To be continued again sometime in the future with Itachi's side (or maybe combat aspect first since that guy is still too busy and depressed for any thoughts of romance)

(and thank you for supporting Mitsuki so far)

(I promise you she's a good girl no matter what)

(She'll do her best to make Itachi happier I swear)

(If not I'll bonk her to oblivion >:3)

Almost forgot, link to fic here !!

[butterflydm]

Story missions and lore updates in DAV...

I think that the Dragon Age series might have my favorite lore that I've ever run across in a video game. It has so much depth and the history of it is just so palpable playing the games. From the very beginning, using the codex system as a way to give information that was very much biased in-game, never free-floating knowledge but always knowledge that was tied down to specific people in the specific cultures that they were writing in.

Even before we started getting some of the big historical revelations in this game, I've been blown away by getting to visit all these places that we've only gotten to hear about or meet the occasional companion from in the previous games. Actually seeing Treviso! Touring Minrathous! Spending time in Nevarra! And each of the environments feels so rich and like so much time and thought was spent on fleshing it out.

I've played some big side quests involving Mythal and Solas, and pushed forward with the next story mission, so there's some big-ish lore spoilers below.

We've gotten so much information that has exploded basically everyone's religion, but none of it actually contradicts the previous lore, because all of that was in-world beliefs that were written down by people in the game world. I love it!

The Tevinter Old Gods were really the dragons that the Evanuris had bound to themselves, and were able to whisper to the ancient Tevinter magisters because Solas didn't understand the nature of the bond between the dragons and their masters. So the Evanuris... were making an escape attempt. There were seven Tevinter magisters who breached the Golden City in an attempt to obey their old gods. The reason that the dragons told them to go there was because they were hoping it would free the Evanuris. But it failed. They released the Blight instead.

Theory: Andraste connected to a Spirit of Faith, and that's where she got all her ideas that she then went running with, and which eventually became the Chant of the Light that we have in the present day. Probably already been speculated before, I wouldn't be surprised! We know that spirits can give people these kinds of big revolutionary ideas (see: Anders).

It's really spirits all the way down, like turtles, it feels like. Spirits are so integral to everything. Spirits and the Titans (I might want to do my second Rook as a dwarf, because that would be a very different and interesting perspective than my elf Rook has, I think. Solas harmed the dwarven people in a very direct and clear way).

It sounds like humans also already existed. But then spirits used lyrium to forge bodies of their own, becoming the ancient elves, who then became truly mortal over the course of living in the world.

Also! Oh! Learning that Solas was originally a spirit really does give even more poignancy to his and Varric's disagreement over Cole, and whether Cole should become more 'human' or remain as a spirit. Solas regrets his choice. He doesn't want Cole to also regret it.

I did a quest for Harding and we learned that dwarves are essentially small pieces of the Titans -- what has survived of them. So when they say that they came from the Stone... they really did. It was neat. We went to a Kal-Sharok outpost and talked to Shaper Valta (who is now a very big statue). As soon as Harding mentioned Kal-Sharok, I was hoping it would mean Valta.

I did the next big quest and everyone is shook. Especially Darvin and Lucanis -- Lucanis feels like he failed and Darvin is feeling a bit of a loss of purpose, since he killed an Archdemon and didn't die.

Both Varric and Solas continue to be good advisors, I think -- Varric is good as a team adviser (morale and such) while Solas is a better war adviser. But I think both are useful for Rook. I really do love how their dynamic was brought forward and continued from DAI.

Next, we're trying to strengthen people's resolve and get our alliances strengthened as well. Kinda giving me a ME2 vibe with regards to that and I wonder if the endgame of this game will have a 'Suicide Mission' type of component, where different characters' survival depends on if you helped them keep their focus and how strong your alliance is with their faction.

Lucanis is making Rook work hard for that romance! One single flirt with Taash and Rook was being asked if they wanted sex! But I've flirted with Lucanis at basically every turn, and we have still not kissed. I feel like that "Let me in!" at the gates meme, lol. We might have to finish his personal quest before we can move forward with the romance.

I finished up the Solas side-quest and have learned the extent of his history and his regrets. Getting that nice long conversation with Morrigan was great, and I loved seeing all the memories. Solas did a lot of things that he now regrets, and yet he keeps trying over and over. His pride can't let him stop, I think, no matter how many mistakes he makes.

I talked with Mythal (the spirit-side) and was able to talk her into handing over her essence (I did restart the conversation once when I fucked it up; I admit that! But I really feel like my elven Rook should be able to convince her. It also sounds like having the essence might end up affecting how the endgame goes, and I want to see it, lol).

Next time around, I plan to tackle Lucanis's personal quest, and then move forward with Neve's story quest.

[shadelorde]

Hello this is me asking you about Unalaq and Vaatu from that one Korra post!

OMG I’ve broken out my Bluetooth keyboard for this

So, first of all: TW for sexual assault adjacent topics and parallels (I’ll mark where it starts)

And second, for the people who wanted to see this! @wilcze-kudly @katkastrofa

Also DISCLAIMER: I do not think that this is what the authors intended to be read, this is just my reading of it using evidence from the text.

I made a similar post a while ago but it’s not as detailed as this one, so! Let’s get into it.

First of all, let’s look at the existing dynamic we do know about Vaatu and Unalaq - the show doesn’t give us much time with both of them, but there is some things we do know from the show and what other characters say. The basics that the show tells us is that Unalaq is part of an organization, the Order of the Red Lotus, which, at some point, became dedicated to freeing Vaatu in order to restore the element of chaos to the world.

Another thing that the show says is that Vaatu manipulated Unalaq - twisted him to become something that no longer has humanity or compassion for others.

However, what’s actually shown…seems to contradict that. In a flashback, far before Unalaq ever seemed to come into contact with Vaatu, he already hired bandits to help destroy an entire spirit wild in an effort to kick Tonraq out of the Northern Water Tribe so that he would be in power. Even if he had already met Vaatu, it’s pretty weak storytelling to claim that a character has “become” evil, but never actually show any instances of when they weren’t. He’s also consistently shown to be manipulative and calculating - a trait that never changed as we saw him develop.

But you know who did change? Vaatu. Now, of course, I’m going off of what limited scenes we see of him- but in the Beginnings episodes, he’s shown to be talkative, arrogant, almost playful, clearly taunting and mischievous - “How are you feeling since our split, Raava? I’ve never been better.” And has an air of amusement the entire arc - “No human can stand against me.” But in the current time, he’s far quieter, angrier, tired, and most notably, desperate. He does not talk during his fight with Korra, doesn’t taunt her, only threatens revenge and fights desperately - his movements are quicker, jerkier, more pulled back.

But what does this mean? Well, he will do anything to be freed. And the only person (that he knows) who can manipulate Korra into opening the portals, who is actually in contact with him, and who can give him the tools to free himself is…Unalaq. Despite the fact that independently and sheer strength-wise, Vaatu is the more powerful of the two, the fact he’s imprisoned and Wan ensured that he cannot free himself - the fact that anyone who would want to free Vaatu would have to seek him out of their own will, because he closed spirit portals essentially prevents anyone from finding him by accident, means that in this case, it’s Unalaq who has the upper hand in their power difference. If Vaatu were to piss him off, he could simply…walk away, and it would extremely unlikely anyone would be able to free him for another ten thousand years. Vaatu is willing to do anything to prevent that from happening, and as we can see, he has a one-track mind, focused fully on his goal (and blinding him to the possibility that someone might catch him off track, which was his fatal mistake with Wan, and could easily be his downfall with Unalaq.)

(TW STARTS HERE) Now, about the dark avatar, or “Unavaatu.” There’s several strange things about this that seemed to contradict itself - Vaatu has clearly shown a disdain towards humans (such as his entire monologue to Wan while he was fighting him - “I lived ten thousand years before the first of your kind crawled out of the mud.”) and never had the chance to become warm towards the as Raava did - he was isolated for ten thousand years, and even in the present, still shows a dislike of them. Also, with Unavaatu, for some reason, looking like a…really ugly and poorly designed, frankly, amalgamation of the two, who’s also giant. But…why would Vaatu suddenly want to fuse with Unalaq? Unalaq claims to love spirits, but yet, in the flashback, he sacrificed an entire spirit wild to get rid of his brother, an offense that Vaatu has killed over. (Beginnings Part 2: Vaatu kills the humans burning down a forest and only the humans, the spirits are seen as alive and well in the epilogue of the episode) There’s also a throwaway comment that Zaheer makes in Season 3 that completely recontextualizes Vaatu and Unalaq’s relationship - that Unalaq betrayed Zaheer the night that the Red Lotus attempted to abduct Korra, and “pursued his own selfish goals. Unalaq becoming a Dark Avatar was never part of our mission.” (S3E9, the Stakeout) This implies that Unalaq’s plan to become a Dark Avatar existed right from the beginning, not a plan that Vaatu had instilled in him over time. It had always been his goal - he had always sought that power.

So, combine those things - that it’s extremely out of character for Vaatu to want a dark avatar, that Unalaq has always had that plan, and that Unalaq additionally wields power over whether Vaatu will be free or not, and this starts to form a picture of coercive abuse. And not only that, I would argue that it draws parallels to sexual assault - many people have already (often jokingly, but accurately) noted the obsession that Unalaq seems to have with Vaatu, and how it’s not returned in the slightest. There’s also the fact that a fusion between a spirit and a human is an inherently intimate thing, with the spirit sacrificing their form, their own body, to become fused with the human, lending their power in times of need - this intimacy is a large chunk of the basis of the Waava ship! One could argue that Vaatu could have simply rejected Unalaq and flown off as soon as he was freed, but Unalaq himself noted the dependency Vaatu had to him - “It’s true that when Wan fused with Raava he tipped the scales in her favor, but this time, I’ll be there to level he playing field.” (S2E12, Harmonic Convergence) There’s also the imagery of the design of the Dark Avatar - I would argue that it looks grotesque, almost as if Vaatu had been tortured into fitting into Unalaq’s form. (I do not think this was intended by the designers, but…I do think that is what it looks like.)

So, overall, I think that while the show tries to tell us that Vaatu had the power over Unalaq and that he ‘twisted’ him, in the practice of the plot, Unalaq has the up-power position, and applying that framework to the rest of their interactions makes the dynamic seem very abusive.

[numericalbridge]

To be frank, i think that even as a villain Darius didn't do anything irredeemable or particulary evil. At least not to the extent of what fandom confesses ascribing to him pre ASIAS. Exceptionally cruel? Irredeemably power-hungry? Automatically without standarts and willing to hurt children? Cowardly?! All of these are just not true.

Let's see, what does he actually do in ER? Looking strictly at one episode as if he is meant to be a villain.

Conducts Raine's ceremony, while looking quite pleased and then grumbles when they fumble it.

Then together with Eber sets up the trap for the rebels, captures the Batts and translocates them to the Conformatorium. There is no gloating when he captures them, no targeted malice, nothing beyond punch-clock villainy, really.

Of course, he attempts to capture the 'turn cloak', with a lot of grumbling about missing his 'me time' and how the forest is gross; and, sure, it's a villainous role, but there is nothing particualry cruel about his conduct, and his fixation on the 'turn cloak' part might even contradict the selfish power-hungry aspect and paint him as someone who is loyal to his cause (again, looking at it as if ER is the only episode we have). He does, of course, 'threaten' Raine and Eda with 'hand yourself over before things get nasty' and there is something personal with his fixation on the turn cloak, but this is not something so exceptionally evil that, for example, season 1 Lilith wouldn't have done it.

Then he gets angry after he gets the dirt thrown literally onto his face, but this is also not something that makes an irredeemable villain. There are no additional threats from him ala 'i'll destroy your family and friends' either.

And when he captures Raine and Eda - he should be able to straight up see Eda btw, since i doubt she had time for the invisibility glyph - he lets Eda go, even though he is smart enough to set up the trap for the rebels in the first place:

And, as i've said before, despite nearly getting killed, and then Raine painfully cutting his arm, he doesn't even bring that up (which is a strange behavior for even the most vain person), and when the confrontation with Raine happens there is more focus on his cloak and his threat is fraimed as a comedic moment rather than scary. There is nothing that paints him as 'the worst' or particulary cruel. Comparing ER to, for example, the first episode and Warden Wrath and the way he treated Eda - while his scenes were also mainly comedic there was something real-world creepy about his attitude.

And the scene with captured Raine at the end of the episode. It starts with Darius grumbling at Eber and then he mentions them tormenting Raine, who is caught in the abomination. Obviously it is not a good behavior. But still it is quite telling that what Darius says is 'tormenting Raine', not even 'torturing'. And this is probably the worst Darius does in the episode.

And on the meta level i think the way the scene is framed is quite notable: the scene is comedic, the focus is on Darius being done with Eber's antics and Eber annoying him, not Raine's PoV of being afraid of the supposed torment. And Raine themselves looks done and annoyed, not terrified or actually hurt:

Compare it to how they react when captured by Kikimora, even before Kikimora does anything:

Also this might be a stretch and simply a case of not drawing details from far away, since on the screenshot above Raine doesn't have scratches, but they are shown to have scratches only after being caught by Kikimora:

And then Darius's role ends with him saying he and Eber didn't need help from Kikimora and grumbling about Alador. Neither moment is exactly villainous, and he isn't even particulary disrespectful towards Kikimora (who in return literally ignores him and doesn't respond).

There is nothing exceptionally evil about any of this, nothing really power hungry, nothing that means Darius would not have any standarts at all and is someone who would be willing to hurt children. There is nothing about Darius's ideals or thoughts on the Covens/Empire except wanting to catch the turn cloak and disliking Alador and his inventions.

But actually his interactions with Eber are much milder than you'd expect from a vain individualistic villain. It doesn't show well through screenshots, but when you listen to the voice acting even the 'mutt' comment doesn't seem to have malice to it, and his "Eber, help me out here" (on the screenshot it seems like he is mad at Eber, but when you watch/listen that's not the case) and the way he connects them together with 'we' when talking to Kikimora are not hostile in any way and seem kinda comrade-ry.

And the show could have chosen 'Eber and Darius are villains so they hate each other' route and show them trying to backstab each other or be truly mean or competitive; or even make Darius have a 'kick the dog' moment towards Eber. He also could've been shown actively trying to torment Raine by threatening Eda or Batts... But nothing like that was shown. So why did the fandom immediately chose the worst possible role for him?

And the 'coward' part? Explicitly contradicted by the episode and his (non-)reactions to the corrupted spell that had almost killed him or Raine hurting his arm.

And yet the fandom just admits to immediately jumping to the conclusions and seeing him as the 'the worst'. And instead of writing him as an interesting, worthy adversary or exploring his backstory and villainous friendship with Eber, popular fandom writers admit to - before ASIAS even aired - rushing to write Darius hurting/betraying white child Hunter, and painting Darius as a coward - which seem like very racialized tropes. And in general the fandom's obsession with writing villains of color as someones who hurt/abuse specifically white children? Gross.

And it's quite telling that the people in the fandom still gleefully laugh about ascribing racialised tropes to Darius instead of just not bringing it up and reflecting on why they had done it.

And i wasn't in the fandom when ER aired, but i was when Labirinth Runners aired, and i remember how the immediate reaction to Graye - who actually did hurt children on screen - was to invent all the theories how he is a secret basilisk with a traumatic backstory and wonder about the horrible visions he had.

So something tells me that if Darius was white, the fandom would have noticed all the discrepancies in his behavior like his non-reactions to almost getting killed or hurt and letting Eda go, and the fandom metas about his deep depression and sob backstories would have been finished before the episode's end credits rolled.

So, yes, i think that even as a villain Darius didn't do anything to warrant the fandom's reactions.

[ktlsyrtis]

I've finally slept off enough of the jet lag to piece together some semi-coherent thoughts about last weekend.

First and foremost, it was so wonderful to get to see and talk to so many internet pals in person. Sharing this whirlwind experience with @seahorsepencils, @batnbreakfast, @starfleetwitch, @akaanonymouth, @iordio, @elphiessolsikke, and @ariverandasong is something I'm going to treasure always

(the rest is under the cut because this got long 😅)

Octopolis:

I have never been in a theater as small as the Hampstead. It is literally no bigger than my living room, with only two rows of seats around three sides. So when I tell you that Jemma was RIGHT THERE you can get a sense of what I mean lol.

Truly the wildest part was the moment of this person who you've seen on screen so many times suddenly being a real human person in front of you. Like I think my brain broke for the first few minutes of the show 😅. From that point forward it was just sitting back and taking in how engaging, funny and gorgeous she is in person. There were a few lines and moments in that show which will live rent free in my head forever. Especially what a huge dork of a dancer she is 😂

Afterwards the group of us waited in the cafe to say hello. When she came upstairs she excused herself for a bit because her brother and his family were there to see the show that night, which was very sweet, and then she came over to talk to us on her way out.

I know it sounds trite, but she really is just the sweetest, loveliest person. She took the time to talk to everyone and was so kind and engaged. I was able to give her the scarf I made for her. When she found out I knit it she was like "Really? Why would you do that for me??" 😂

The highlight of the evening came courteous of @seahorsepencils, who had seen the show the night before and told Jemma that a group of Berena fans was coming the next day.

Some actors might've been like 'oh god' and run for the back door. Others might make a big show about dressing up for their public. Not Jemma, oh no.

Meeting her was so overwhelming that I didn't notice at first. But while she was talking to someone else it suddenly clicked that she was wearing Bernie's pink coat! (I think I almost ripped @starfleetwitch's arm off when I realized lol) Slowly, the rest of what she was wearing sunk in:

Pink coat? Check. Black skinny jeans? Check. Sweater over a button down? Check. Chelsea boots? Check.

That's right friends. Jemma Redgrave, glorious dork that she is, FUCKING COSPLAYED BERNIE WOLFE FOR US!!!!!!

Honestly my biggest regret of the whole trip was that in the whirlwind of everything we didn't take a picture with her. Fortunately some other fan was there that night and got some photographic proof:

(yes, she is holding the scarf I made; no, I will not be able to be normal about it lol) (also when we told her we were going to Catherine's show the next day she said to "give her my love" 😍)

Great Expectations:

Another day, another incredible UK theater. The Royal Exchange is a gorgeous venue; much larger than Hampstead, but still very intimate. We were able to get seats in the front row banquettes for the matinee, which was an amazing experience.

Catherine on stage is...the only thing I can think of is a force of nature. Her sheer presence made it seem like she was a foot taller than the rest of the cast and she owned the stage every time she was on it. On top of that, she somehow she managed to make racist, decrepit Miss Havisham really hot??? Which is a contradiction my brain still hasn't been able to fully reconcile lol

Because of all the work that goes into her makeup she understandably didn't stage door after the matinee. Fortunately some of us also had plans to go to the evening show.

This time around my seat turned out to be on the aisle where she made all of her entrances and exits, which meant she was literally inches away from me every. single. time. (shoutout again to @starfleetwitch who was sitting directly across the aisle and therefore on the receiving end of many a gay-panicked stare on my part 😅)

It was a rainy day in Manchester and the official stage door is outside with no overhang, so we took a chance and hung around in the cafe/bar area after the show. We figured that Catherine going to the bar was as likely as the sun rising in the east lol

Fortunately the chance paid off - she came out to the cafe to have drinks with a couple of her costars and was kind enough to come talk to us (after asking if we could talk in the bar so she could get a glass of wine of course 😂)

I have to tell you friends, I have very little recollection of what I said from this point forward lol. Truly talking to her was like having some kind of out of body experience. There were a couple of specific moments that are burned in my memory

I gave her the shawl I made for her, and she immediately flung it around her neck and wore it for the rest of the night *cue internal screaming and flailing*

When we told her we'd seen both shows that day, her response was "Oh god why?? It's bad enough having to be in it twice"

I don't know if she like bathes in the blood of children or something, but her skin is FLAWLESS. Literally she looks 10 years younger in person with no makeup on, its insane. Also her eyes are just as sparkly as you think they are, and when she makes eye contact it is A LOT

She asked if we all wanted to take a picture and proceeded to put her arm around me ☠️☠️☠️

She spent a good amount of time talking to us and was just as lovely, funny, and ridiculous as I could've hoped lol. In particular she mentioned how happy it makes her that Berena has taken on such a life beyond Holby and that we've all made such wonderful friends because of it.

After we let her go to talk to her cast mates, I somehow poured myself into a seat in the bar and someone got me a much needed gin as we all tried to unpack what had just happened. At some point she came back into the bar and went out of her way to come over and talk to us again (she basically appeared right next to me, and when I tell you the sheer relief that it was in the 30 seconds I wasn't spouting my usual girl crush bullshit about her 😅)

...

The rest of the trip was sub-optimal, bordering on karmic retribution lol. The tire on our rental car blew out on the M1 on our way back to London, and what should have been a 4 hour drive came out closer to 9, when all was said and done. At that point there was only time to eat, sleep, and catch the plane home

I may not have had as much time to see everyone and to spend in London as I had hoped, but I have zero regrets about the trip. It was truly a once in a lifetime experience and I'm so, so glad I went

And the most important life lesson: