#But the no kill code doesn't hold the same meaning to her as it does to Dick and Cass

[aingeal98]

I love that Barbara's slightly grey morality during her history as Oracle is just something half the batfam cannot acknowledge for the sake of their own mental health.

Steph: Oooh you used to work with the Suicide Squad? Did you ever have to kill people?

Babs: Well I-

Dick: Of course she didn't!

Cass: Barbara would never kill how dare you.

Babs, knowing full well everyone in the room knows that's a flat out lie:... Yeah sure. Let's go with that.

[sporadicthingcollection]

Kiss, Marry, Kill: Part 1/2 (LA!Buggy the Clown x F!Reader)

Summary: In which Buggy overhears a private conversation and uses that knowledge against you. Pairing: LA!Buggy the Clown x F!Reader Rating: Semi-explicit. Word Count: ~3k (of 5.3k) Warnings: Clown abuse, strong language, incorrect use of a straight razor.

Never had you on my mind Now you're there all the time Never knew what I missed until I kissed ya

---

By all accounts, Buggy should be having a great time. There's food, alcohol, gambling... hell, there's even a swimming pool. Not that he can partake, but he can live vicariously.

Instead, he's got a whole school of shark eyes trained on him as he sits on a stool next to Arlong's throne. This water park sucks.

He's not chained up or anything. The threat of a couple dozen sets of teeth ripping into him is reason enough to sit perfectly still, keep his mouth shut, and try to look as small as possible. No sudden movements, no change in expression, no—

"Kiss the clown, marry the waiter, kill Pink Hair."

Buggy sits bolt upright and looks around. Who the hell said that?

Arlong doesn't even deign to look at him. "Hear something?"

Clear. Crisp. With a little bit of an accent, maybe. He's heard it somewhere recently, but where?

Certainly not here. It was a woman's voice, and Arlong Park is a bit of a sausage party at the moment. Not that he can tell on sight with fishpeople.

"Answer me, clown," Arlong rumbles.

He forgets who he's talking to for a moment. "Eavesdropping's an art," he snaps. "You can't rush art."

Big mistake. Arlong responds with a low, wet growl. "It's been three days. My patience is running thin."

Quiet chatter. The clinking of silverware. Someone chewing with their mouth open. The little pirates are at a restaurant, it seems.

He relays this to Arlong. He's less than pleased. He enunciates every word to show his teeth. "Care to be more specific?"

A shudder crawls up the back of Buggy's neck. He takes a swig of his drink to cover it. He places his fingers over his remaining ear, straining.

"You're shitting me." That voice he recognizes. The redhead. The one who ruined his show. The one Arlong's so interested in. Nadi? Nani? Noni?

The other woman speaks. "Nami, you rejected him," she says. "Girl Code only applies if you were dating."

Nami. That's her, the conniving little bitch. "No, not the waiter. I mean you'd seriously kiss the clown? He nearly killed us."

He'd recognize Rubber Boy's voice anywhere, the little shitheel. "And his nose would get in the way."

The mystery woman speaks up again. "That's nothing new. I’ve smacked noses with plenty of guys."

Okay, that narrows it down. It’s not the redhead, it can't be Rubber Boy or the bounty hunter, so that leaves...

...you. Of course it's you. How could he forget you? You're the only one who laughed at Axe-Hand Moron. Granted, it was more like a snnrrrk and you immediately clapped your hand over your mouth, eyes wide with horror, but it was a laugh all the same.

And in that moment, he knew he liked you. Bad sense of humor. Cute smile. A little bashful. He appreciates that. Sure, you helped humiliate him not an hour after the fact, but all's fair in love and piracy.

"Look, I'm not saying it’s a good idea," you continue, "but sometimes you gotta live dangerously."

The bounty hunter speaks, dry and droll. "Storms are dangerous. Bar fights are dangerous. You're just insane."

"Oh, c'mon, you're not seriously gonna hold Fu..." You pause. "Kiss Marry Kill answers against me."

So that's what's going on. "They're just chattering like they always are," he says to Arlong.

Arlong does not like that answer. He snatches Buggy up by the neck, lifting him clear off the ground with only one hand.

"Wait! Wait wait wait! They're still talking! I might have something!" He kicks and struggles, but it's no use.

You speak. "You think everything pops off? ‘Cause a gal could really— hyurk.”

Laughter all around as you’re cut off by something. Sounds like you choked.

“Thank you, Usopp,” Nami says. “I am not having that conversation.”

Arlong saunters over to the pool, carrying Buggy like a ragdoll. He has precious few seconds now. C'mon, he wills them, say something useful!

A slap, a spit, then a couple of hard coughs. “Nice shot,” you wheeze. “Use the unspicy peanut next time. I think I burned my windpipe.”

The new guy — Usopp — scoffs. “Spicy? Please. This isn’t spicy. Baratie spicy is barely a zip. Now, you want spicy, you gotta hit up the Great Pepper Isles. Their chilis are so hot, I had an out-of-body experience.”

And boom, there it is. Right as he's about to be dropped into the water, his ticket to life.

“Baratie! They're at Baratie," he chokes out. "That floating restaurant. That really nice one I got thrown out of, the pricks."

It was Cabaji's fault. Turns out whipping a unicycle out at the bar is frowned upon. Who'd've thunk.

Arlong 'smiles.' All teeth and gums and no mirth at all. "Consult our charts," he says to the nearest fishman. "I'll prepare our compass."

He grabs Buggy by the hair and yanks. In the interest of not getting his neck broken, he separates his head from his body. Unfortunately, gravity takes over and his body plunges into the pool.

Weakness swamps him like a rogue wave. He can't say a word as he's stuffed into a cloth sack and everything goes dark.

In both ears, all he can hear are the sounds of laughter.

---

Someday, Buggy will learn not to run his fat mouth. That day is not today.

Usopp barges into the galley and lobs his head through the air, a low slow toss. He only has a moment to appreciate not being overhand pitched before landing on the floor. Not on his nose, fortunately, but it still hurts.

He points at the blonde guy — Sanji? Sanji. "I can't take it anymore. He's your problem now. I'm going to bed. Goodnight."

He tramps off as Buggy flips himself upright. “What’s his problem?” he asks no one in particular. “Sheesh, you make one ‘your mom’ joke and—“

A decidedly unmanly yelp escapes him as he's popped up into the air. The world spins and turns and he braces himself to hit the ground again, only to be caught in soft hands. He's spun around...

...and comes face to face with you, regarding him with curious, contemptuous eyes.

Oh, you're even prettier up close. The redhead's a looker, but she's still a kid. Soft. Pale. Set like a mousetrap, ready to spring and break some poor chump's neck at the slightest provocation.

But you? You're a grown-ass woman. Comfortable in your sun-kissed skin. A twinkle of experience in your eye and the ease of someone who's been sailing her ship for years.

He can't help but smile. "Well, well, well. Fancy meeting you here, gorgeous," he says with a wink.

From the corner of his eye, he sees Sanji shoot him a glare. Your expression remains cool and uninterested. Shifting his head to your side, you hold him against your hip like a laundry basket. Even through your trousers, the soft swell of flesh warms his cheek.

“Weren't you just on buggysitting duty?” you ask Sanji.

Buggysitting? Really? "I'm right here, y'know," he grumbles.

He's ignored, as per usual. Sanji straightens up and huffs. “New guy always gets the shit jobs.”

“Let’s trade,” you say. “You take my watch and I’ll mind our chatty compass.”

Rude. “I’m still right here.”

Sanji shakes his head. “Go get your beauty sleep. Not that you need it, of course."

Wow, that was a bad line. Buggy makes his displeasure known with a retch.

“Sleep is for people who don’t have coffee.” You flap your hand toward the door. "Shoo.”

Sanji glances between you and Buggy, but heads for the door. "Any trouble at all, love, and I’m a shout away."

A little smile colors your voice. "If he starts gnawing my ankles, you’ll be the first to know."

Sanji returns the smile, sickeningly sweet. As he leaves, you sit at the table, placing Buggy across from you.

He wants nothing more than to plant his leg on a stool, lean in on his knee, and give you a toothy grin. But alas, he must settle for the grin. "Alone at last. Come here often?"

You don't even bother to look at him, too preoccupied with picking up a very shiny straight razor and a strip of leather. Muscle ripples under your skin as you slide the blade back and forth.

"So you're the barber," he says. You don't respond. "Can't imagine you're too busy on a ship with a bunch of babyfaces." Still nothing. "Don't suppose I could get a shave, then? Last time I used a straight razor, I ended up like this!"

"Barber surgeon," you say as you inspect the blade. Dissatisfied with some invisible blemish, you continue stropping.

He shrugs, only to remember he can’t. "Say, doc, I can't feel anything below my neck. Could you take a look?”

Irritation tints your voice. “Not a doctor,” you say. You’ve clearly had to explain this countless times before. “Doctors treat the inside. I fix up the outside.”

“Splitting hairs, Miss Sawbones.”

Shiff shiff shiff goes the razor. "If you don't stop talking, we’re gonna see if cutting off the nose really does spite the face. Might be an improvement for you.”

That’s just low. “Keep talking shit and this bark is gonna turn into bite.”

You finally look up. You level the razor at him, glaring down the blade. “You’re the only one talking, clown.”

Damn. Your eyes are pretty. Warm as the first sunbeam of a summer morning, but dark as the blotches he gets in his eyes when he looks into a spotlight by accident. Hot like one, too. Heat lurks below the dark surface, like warm charcoal about to catch fire.

Nerves ball up in his absent chest. He swallows them and summons his bravado. “Can ya blame me? I’ve got shit else to do. I’ve met parrots with more to say than you.”

"Count the cracks in the ceiling."

"One, two, three—“ He gives an exaggerated groan. “Didn't you say you were gonna make coffee? Can I get in on that?"

You scoff, but you do stand. "Last thing you need is caffeine.”

“The last thing I need is to be held hostage by a bunch of greenhorn nobodies,” he says, "and yet here I am."

“Sucks to suck,” you say. You pull a pot out of a cupboard and fill it with water. “How do you take it? Sugar? Cream?”

“Black. Like my heart.”

You let out that snnnrrrrk of a suppressed laugh again. What a nice sound. “Something we got in common.”

“Black heart or black coffee?”

“Yes.”

Such a simple, easy response. Not even particularly clever. But the delivery with no hesitation, no intonation, no second guessing the punchline. He laughs. “I knew I liked you!”

You glance over your shoulder at him. “You try to kill everyone you like? No wonder you have no friends.”

He hops to the edge of the table. Not an easy feat with only a stump. “C’mon, babe. All’s fair in love and piracy.”

Calling you babe was a blindfolded over-the-shoulder shot in the dark, but it lands. You add a smile to your glance. “I’ll give you that and nothing more.”

Somewhere, miles away, his heart flutters. He lets it. “Will you still give me coffee?”

“Only if you shut up ‘til this water boils.”

In this state, he’ll take any scrap of stimulus he can get. He bites his tongue and bites it hard, willing himself not to speak.

Silence creeps in. Silence leads to stewing, and stewing leads to bad thoughts. Bad feelings. Lonely feelings. Like how long it’s been since he’s had a friendly cuppa joe with someone. Or had someone honestly laugh at his stupid jokes.

Especially not someone as quick as you. Or as pretty. Or with such a nice ass. Or who maybe-sorta-kinda-might-possibly be interested in him. Potentially. Hypothetically.

There’s no damn way, he tells himself. You’re humoring him. You’re definitely shacking up with that cook — young, charming, handsome. Or the bounty hunter, maybe — tall, dark, broody.

You wouldn’t give him a second glance. Him, a pathetic, painted, big-nosed weirdo. Who is currently a severed head. A temporary state, but still not a good first impression. Even though his actual first impression was trying to kill you and your buddies. This second first impression is just as bad.

A sharp groan escapes him before he can stop it. He eyes you, expecting you to snap at him or worse.

But you don’t. You pause in your pouring to peer over your shoulder at him, gaze soft. “Y’alright?”

There goes his heart again. Ugh. “Peachy. That coffee done yet?”

You curl your lip. “What’s got your panties in a knot?”

“Just realized I’m gonna need a straw or some shit.”

Still sneering, you set a shallow mug in front of him. “I’ll see what I can find.”

See? You definitely don’t like him. Stupid fucking jackass, letting his hopes get up. This is what he gets.

…A nice, warm cup of coffee. If you really hated him, you wouldn’t have given him coffee, right? Or be looking for a straw?

You’re just humoring him. You just want to save your friend. Catch more flies with honey and all that. He’ll be more agreeable if you’re friendly.

Across the room, you open a drawer. “Hey, bendy straws. Perfect.”

You’re breaking out bendy straws for him? There’s gotta be something there! At least a little something!

No. No way. Coincidence.

You place an oddly long straw into the mug. He realizes it’s three normal ones jammed end-to-end, creating a pipe ending just about level with his mouth.

You just pulled some engineering shit so he can drink coffee with you. There’s definitely something.

An ice cube plops into the mug and you slide back into the booth with your own cup. “Might dilute it a bit, but can’t have you burning your mouth.”

His distant heart flips again. He has to say something. Before he can convince himself otherwise. He says the first thing that comes to mind.

“So,” he says, “‘kiss the clown,’ eh?”

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. That’s the first thing he thought of? Seriously? He braces himself for boiling coffee thrown in his face.

You freeze mid-sip, brows raised. “Excuse me?”

Okay, you don’t look mad. “Don’t deny it, babe. I heard everything. Kiss Marry Kill? Nice job keeping it kid-friendly, wink wink."

You stare at him with those dark eyes. "No idea what you're on about."

"I know you know. And I know you know I know." He waggles his eyebrows, hoping for a laugh, but he gets nothing.

You watch the steam swirling up from your mug. "What do you want me to say, exactly? That I chose you to kiss?"

"I just wanna know what possesses a woman to make her want to shack up with the guy who tried to kill her and her friends." He lips the straw into his mouth and takes a test sip. Still quite hot.

"Circumstance. Process of elimination. Being put on the spot." You pick up the razor. Your fiddling with it belies your agitation.

"Don't lie to me, babe," he croons. "I can see right through you."

You stare at him. "And what is it that you see?"

What does he see? "A woman on a knife's edge of self-satisfaction and self-destruction. Once bitten, twice shy, but when he comes around the third time, you just can't help yourself."

Your fiddling becomes more insistent. You break eye contact to look at the razor. He's hitting on something. Time to push some buttons.

"You bet on the wrong horse every time. You think it'll be different this time. But it never is." He smiles bitterly. "Something else we got in common. Birds of one ugly feather."

Your gaze softens as you return your gaze to him. "So you found the problem, Doctor Headshrink. What’s the prescription?"

Shoot your shot, Buggy. "Kiss the clown and maybe we'll find out."

You're still for a few moments. Then slowly, carefully, you slide your hand across the table. You pull him closer as you lean lower in your seat to eye level with him.

He can't help the way his breath quickens. It's been so, so long since he had any kind of intimacy. Your reedy fingers trace his jaw down to his chin. Your thumb comes up to pull at his bottom lip, and he lets out a satin-soft whimper as he opens his mouth to you.

You strike like a snake, yanking his tongue out with one hand and readying your razor with the other. His choke turns into a scream as you bring it down, severing his tongue clean at the root.

It's one thing to disconnect body parts. Pop a leg off, drop an ear — he’s used to it. But it's a different story when said part is supposed to be inside of him. His tongue waggles like a fish as he tries to return it to his mouth, but you keep a firm grip.

"You can have this back in the morning," you say.

He wants to cuss you out, but what comes out is ew bihck, whadda fuhck iss won wif ew, gif ih bahck.

You laugh. And lord, what a laugh you've got. Loud, like a party gone late into the hours of the night. Clattery, like a dozen plates shattering on the floor. Full of mirth, like a drunk on payday.

And, for the briefest of moments, his rage is forgotten. He wants to make you laugh like that.

But it returns with a vengeance, replaced with a desire to see you squirm.

---

⬅⬅⬅ | To the "Curious Courtship" Masterpost | To the Mastahpost | Tip Jar | ➡➡➡

[forsaken-headcanons]

"YOU CAN'T ON FROM LOVE, LOVE IS THE ONLY THING THAT NEVER DIES" - Kelley Lynn

It's more like an AU after what happens after

Post-forsaken [John doe and C00lkid tragically dies]

Jane doe

• Would distract herself with various works to not think about her loss

• Would really avoid talking about John doe as she assumes nobody will either really listen to her or care

• ^^She would try to isolate and distance herself due to this belief and not wanting to need to experience this all over again

• She tries to avoid places, items, or just anything that gives her the memories of her beloved late husband

• ^places like John's workshop (where i hc he likes to build and try stuff with the access of builderman's tools as an act of hobby, and he used to build various things for her)

• In mid- forsaken, she saw her husband die in front of her with their final goodbyes because the spectre decided John is useless and made his corruption worse

• She is quite jumpy and a bit aggressive due to forsaken and the trauma developed

• The common saying "get over it" affects someone a lot and makes them wonder if their love (both platonic and romantic) for somebody is in an expiry date, this ultimately drives Jane to avoid this very grief she needs to process

007n7 [no way i am letting this man slide without at least a sprinkle of this]

• Previous (very first headcanon of mine): He lost c00lkid pre-forsaken

• C00lkid was revived unnatural by the spectre like a zombie, hence his sunken fleshy appreance and how the minions spawn from the ground like zombies do in movies

• When he first saw c00lkid like this, he had a panic attack due to his developed ptsd from child loss and depression

• Shedletsky saw this and told 007n7 to 'snap out of it' and slapped his face (something you SHOULDN'T do when someone is having a panic attack!!)

• At the end of the round, 007n7 survived the round as a lms luckily, and when Elliot saw 007n7 still being put off by the whole "run or be killed" idea and is in the verge of crying or having a breakdown, he couldn't help but be an mean to him. He tries to hide this inefficiently with the quote "Get over it." [Elliot don't understand nor remember what he was thinking in that moment and feels guilty afterwards knowing that quote is anythingbut helpful]

• The last time 007n7 sees c00lkid is in his arms, in the position he used to cradle him as a pill baby, on the ground, on his kness, with tears rolling down his eyes, and singing one last lullaby to his poor little baby boy.

• This time, though, he handles the grief better. Even if his whole purpose of living isn't here anymore, that boy wouldn't be lost if he kept his legacy with the team C00lkid

• He experienced this exact same grief over again. While the pain isn't any lighter this time, he knows he needs to let himself grieve over his kid and the methods that help him. It's not easy, but it won't be easier to hold onto that either

• [No, he doesn't start exploiting again under the name of c00lkid, but instead with his coding skills he starts a small website that grows big for not only parents but also a friend, a child or a spouse grieve over their loved one anonymously and support] eachother (may be a bit cliché idea, but he would def start something under the name of team c00lkid to honour his son and bring out the joy his son brought to him to the world... with hacking 101)

Jane and 7n7: (These are all meant to be platonic)

• 7n7 would definitely help Jane to process her loss of John doe better, as they are in the same boat, and 7n7 knows how lonely it can be when losing a beloved one and being a somewhat outcast due to them being a killer

• He would ask Jane how her husband was pre-forsaken and what she loved about him and try to talk it little by little

• They would visit John doe's grave together, Jane would first hesitate as she can't bring herself to go there, but with support beside her she faces the ugly, sad, and depressing emotions while also feeling a bit of relief in her heart

• She later holds dearly to things John has crafted for her and preserve them neatly as pride for her lovely husband and displays them in their home

•[ She'd help 007n7 with the website and later on expanding it to a non-profit organisation to help others go over their grief. With one of John's work with the roblox logo as the main logo and a slogan of "team c00lkidd! Join today!"]

Thank you for listening to my yap session

🔫🐟

Aww. I like that they help each other get through it. That's adorable.

[princeescaluswords]

Egotism?

Since Amazon Prime started streaming Teen Wolf again, I'm seeing a resurgence of takes that drive me crazy.

Such as this gem: "Scott demonstrates his egotism by trying to have a fluffy romance with Allison in Season 1."

I mean, I shouldn't have to explain why this take is just dumb. It must be due to either inattention, racism or misogyny. Most likely, it is a combination of all three.

A werewolf attacks Scott in the woods; another werewolf (who doesn't bother to explain that he is not the monster who bit him) suddenly says that they're family. Does Derek take the time and effort to get to know Scott and explain how his life has changed? No.

He lures Scott out into the woods on Scott's first full moon with Allison's jacket.

He breaks into Scott's house, assaults him, and threatens to kill him.

When finally forced to tell Scott about the alpha (Uncle Peter), he conceals information and says that if Scott doesn't do what he says, Scott will kill everyone he loves unless the alpha kills him first.

He also demands that Scott treat Allison as an enemy, a girl who doesn't know that werewolves exist and who was 7 to 11 years old when Derek's house burns down, because Derek was deceived by Kate, but he won't explain that to Scott, he just insists that he has the right to tell a boy he had never met three weeks ago how to live his life.

Who's the egotist again?

And we're not even talking about Peter Hale. Scott was so self-centered to spend time learning how to anchor himself so he wouldn't kill those he love or trying to fight off Peter, who threatened to turn his mother, who kidnapped Stiles, and literally mind-controlled Scott into killing his friends.

Or they talk about how Scott's desire to date a girl is somehow an insult towards Stiles, Scott's best friend, because if you have a best friend, you can never have any other friends, right? After all, Scott should have spent the majority of Season 1 taking care of Stiles's problems. What were they again?

Obviously, it was about Scott not somehow enabling Stiles's and Derek's epic romance which consists of insults, death threats, and Derek bouncing Stiles's head off a steering wheel.

I can see how Scott and Allison's romance was so cloying. They were nice to each other! They cared about each other's feelings! They did things together! So gag-worthy. Now, about the nightmare hallucinations of Scott killing Allison or Allison breaking up with Scott because he lied to her about werewolves or Allison's dad running Scott over with a car, twice or Allison shooting him with exploding flash arrows, why would we want to watch all that fluffy stuff?

I mean I suppose you could call Scott an egotist if you insist he should only exist to service the needs of white male characters like Derek and Stiles and Peter. If you want to dehumanize him enough to say that it doesn't matter that he was transformed into a werewolf against his will, beaten, blackmailed, or being physically and mentally violated; nothing should keep him from being the Hale Family minion or Stiles's servant. I mean, you can do it if you hold your nose enough to overcome the stench. But it's possible, since Scott never acted selflessly in Season 1.

Unless you count him stealing a bullet from Allison's house to help Derek not die in Magic Bullet (1x04).

Unless you count him stopping Derek from killing Deaton in Heart Monitor (1x06).

Unless you count him going to get the keys from the janitor's corpse in Night School (1x07).

Unless you count him (and Stiles) engaging in a high-speed chase to save Derek from the Argents in Wolf's Bane (1x09).

Unless you count him stealing a necklace from Allison's house to help Derek (again!) in the same episode.

Unless you count him stopping Derek from murdering Jackson in Co-Captain (1x10).

Unless you count him rescuing Derek from Kate in Code Breaker (1x12).

My, that's a lot of things you have to NOT COUNT in order to say Scott never did anything for anyone else.

It's 2025 and I can't believe I have to defend Scott from charges of egotism when these people can't even explain why a victim has to put the wants of the people who attacked him before his own wants.

[casscainmainly]

"You followed orders. Good job soldier."

Reading batman #569 and just read legends of the dark knight #120 and the way this guy treats helena and cass...

All i can say is if i ever get a hold of Bruce Wayne he is gonna be hearing the 7 trumpets

HELP average experience of reading Bruce Wayne with any woman in that era 😭😭😭 Bruce and Helena in No Man's Land is so interesting because Helena WAS upholding the Bat symbol and doing good but Bruce tests her again and again and again (even when she's already passed) until she eventually fails because he asked her to cover an entire territory by herself. He also tests Cass but I honestly feel like he was less mean to her because he could tell how much she believed in his no-kill code, which isn't really the same for Helena. But this is really the peak of his 'my way or the highway' approach, and the 'soldier'/'following orders' thing does read as condescending.

I think it's really telling that he doesn't just say Helena is 'Batgirl' instead of what she was calling herself, but he also takes the costume and gives it to Cass AS Batgirl. Thus he not only revokes Helena's place in the Batfam, but also erases the original intention of her costume to completely rewrite it as Batgirl. He also calls Helena "too emotional" which is so urgh like alright. I think actually some of Bruce's treatment/veneration of Cass follows directly from his treatment/mistrust of Helena; idk enough about Helena to make an actual argument, but I do think Cass passing the test by ensuring no one died in the gas station is particularly important after Bruce perceives Helena's 'failure' by seeing the dead bodies in their territory. But yeah Bruce could NOT be normal about them 😭😭

[darkwing-ramblings]

The Dragon Prince Season Seven: Ezran

Hello @leavemealoneniw ! My explanation is long so I have made a separate post but shall reblog yours with a link too? Also much of this text was drawn from discussion with @fanf1cadd1ct , if you want to check that out for further elaboration. But first, your request:

 “So… why we making it seem like Ezran  went down a “Dark Path” when literally all he did was put a criminal (in Katolis eyes)  in custody? I’m confused please tell me without the Rayllum code cause I couldn’t honestly care less.”

It’s undeniably unfair asking Ezran to just forgive Runaan but not acting to imprison Runaan is in no way equivalent to the personal nature of whether forgiveness has been granted and so pretty irrelevant to the debate. Ezran doesn’t have to forgive Runaan at all: him being angry and resentful was all within his rights and shouting and being upset and walking out of the room and refusing to look at Runaan would all absolutely have been deserved. But the other four assassins involved are notably dead so in terms of consequences four out of five of the team who infiltrated the castle to kill the king have already paid with their lives not to mention Runaan himself has paid with two years of his freedom to summarise why, on principle, it was imprisoning Runaan I find to be where Ezran crossed the line. If Exran had simply banished Runaan from Katolis it would be a different story- that’s absolutely reasonable and everyone involved would be happier I imagine if Ezran let Runaan disappear half a continent away where Ezran never has to see him again (which is an extremely reasonable urge and I utterly support).

Rayla does not phrase her demands Ezran release Runaan politely but they hold water in my eyes: Runaan is essentially a prisoner of war from a kingdom Ezran has no authority over who was just released from the custody of Katolis by Katolis’ high mage and crown prince/heir to the throne (aka Callum), who additionally gave permission for Rayla to bring Runaan to Katolis as a guest. Politically it complicates Ezran’s reaction significantly as a result and this is where Zubeia herself is most relevant: Runaan is essentially military personnel under her authority who acted under her orders assassinating King Harrow. 

At the time Runaan killed Harrow Katolis was essentially at war with Xadia, the kingdoms were not allied in any way at all and open hostilities were ongoing such as concerning Harrow and Viren’s personal assassination of Avizandum, Xadia’s king, and believed lethal violence against Azymondias the unborn heir (that in reality it turns out Azymondias was kidnapped and stored in a basement for likely dark magic usage under conditions he couldn’t hatch in which would eventually kill him- it’s barely better). Harrow is the king of Katolis and Viren its high mage who killed another head of state (that he commits treason by lying to Harrow about Azymondias is completely irrelevant to the case of killing Avizandum where he committed no crimes so far as Katolis’ law was concerned)- retaliatory military violence is more of the same and not special. Runaan’s arrest and imprisonment by Katolis post-killing Harrow is absolutely legitimate: he’s a foreign soldier (an assassin is not a separate category that means anything tangible given what we’ve seen of Katolis’ actions against Xadia) who just killed their king.

And yes, it is by Katolis. Callum and Ezran have voluntarily left the castle and Amaya is away- Soren is the legitimate head of the crownsguard and Viren is the legitimate high mage of Katolis and they are two of the major authorities for Katolis left in the castle at that point post Harrow's death. Additionally, Viren is later legitimately given leadership in a peaceful transfer of power (no matter the circumstances of political stuff surrounding it) when Ezran steps down so I don't feel he's exactly divisible from the authority of Katolis. It is understandable Ezran probably doesn't feel that way, yes, but Viren very much is not practically separable from the kingdom at that point in time or following. Soren as head crownsguard with delegated authority also is particularly legitimate on behalf of the crown of Katolis. Runaan remains imprisoned by Viren and to his knowledge during his time as regent and king. The imprisonment of Runaan itself is fine as a hostile agent of a kingdom they’re essentially actively warring with- the torture isn’t and Claudia implying Runaan may be used as dark magic spell parts isn’t (Xadia’s cultural taboo on dark magic is absolutely enshrined in their laws and so it may be legal in Katolis but I still object to treating anyone that way regardless).

Zubeia being brought up to point out the hypocrisy of not holding it so tangibly against her yet holding Runaan accountable is why it matters as a discussion point.

But that’s all well and good for somewhat covering the two year time skip period where Runaan can arguably be seen as facing consequences for killing Harrow already by Katolis- which is what Ezran we see feels he should do. The other four assailants also died in the break in- during combat or slain afterwards perhap-. Harrow’s death has not gone unpunished or unaddressed under the authority of Katolis. Hence my issue with Ezran ordering Soren to arrest Runaan who is not a citizen of his kingdom and is a prisoner of war just released from Katolis’ own imprisonment by a legitimate authority of Katolis (its new high mage undoing the actions of its old one rather poetically, neatly stopping the cycle of violence on a microcosm pleasingly). Because Katolis and Xadia AREN’T AT WAR after the time skip they’re diplomatic allies- Ezran, if he wants to legitimately prosecute Runaan needs to go through Zubeia for permission who is his ally or it’s potentially an act that could justify renewed war and reopen hostilities. In other words it’s utterly irresponsible, dangerous and unjustifiable by any legal principle if Ezran intends to honour his agreements of peace.

Ezran, as king of Katolis, being on first name terms with Zubeia, the queen of Xadia, does not make the political and diplomatic implications go away. Peaceful negotiations with her for reparations arguably owed when the kingdoms are at peace once again is what he needs to open up process wise and a bag of worms it’s extremely ill-advised to open: Zubeia would be within her rights to open up equivalent cases against Katolis’ citizens and military personnel felt to have committed particular crimes she’s decided she cares to prosecute. Amaya was on the expedition to kill the magma titan and killed Xadian elves on the border and helped establish new military outposts by pushing further into new ground aka she’s not an innocent to this type of situation. It isn’t inconceivable Zubeia has solid grounds to push for Amaya’s death in such a situation (slaying the magma titan was the expedition where Avizandum defended their own border from invasion by foreign powers on behalf of one of their civilians or else sentient beings under their protection who was killed and used in a dark magic spell as parts desecrating the corpse that King Harrow/Katolis drew on to “justify” Zubeia’s mate’s death). The goodwill between Xadia and Katolis is new and fragile- Ezran’s confidence Zubeia was injured and perhaps unlikely to object to her subject’s ill treatment for actions taken during a war undertaken with her authority is no justification for Ezran risking everything he’s worked for and the safety of the people in his kingdom who are unusually vulnerable given the loss of their fortified capital has just happened because of a personal desire for vengeance. Imprisoning Runaan is a significant political failure and provocation on a practical level.

(Yes, I do have complaints about Azymondias here too- he may be young but he's prince and Runaan is his subject and frankly Zym getting involved would have made sense on a practical political level at least, particularly given Rayla is one of his citizens he knows and it's her father and Runaan did it on Zym's mother's orders, he could at least have said something passed on through Ezra. Ezran is a young king rising to the challenge Zym also ought to try and act fittingly as a prince. But he’s practically a toddler so it’s still significantly younger than Ezran’s age equivalent so there’s that.)

Additionally, it’s hypocritical of Ezran to not hold both Zubeia and Runaan equally accountable for Harrow’s death- he can’t pursue only one and have any moral high ground because as understandable as Runaan seemingly registering as the sole perpetrator is it’s utterly baseless in how royal power works. Ezran is a child but he’s also a king- having emotions is no crime but it’s extremely important what he does with them and if age was an excuse and the reason he couldn’t be expected to work past them in any scenario then the argument becomes not about Ezran’s choices and slight moral decline in the throes of anger at all but about how actually Opeli or whoever should be regent as Ezran shouldn’t hold the throne in the first place. I do wish the conflict had bubbled up concerning Zubeia and her delegated authority more though previously in the show yes as her and Ezran having such a harmonious relationship has always confused me because she factually ordered Harrow’s successful assassination- and ordered Ezran’s own too even if it was unsuccessful without fact checking what his age was at all (which we know because Rayla was on the mission and fully briefed and didn’t know that Callum wasn’t Ezran at first). It’s a failure of due diligence but even a toddler is comparatively less bad than an unhatched egg so given Ezran is named and it’s reasonably inferable he’s an unborn child it’s not hard to see why it occurred: Zubeia just didn’t care that much she wanted someone to pay for her pain and didn’t much care about the specifics of it. Zubeia actually saying something about the whole mess she created feels like the missing piece of character moments I’d personally have enjoyed being touched on a little further.

Now I personally think imprisoning Runaan (note that Soren may have done it but as it was under Ezran’s command Ezran is just as accountable) made Ezran very compelling as a character with all of his complexity and it was an extremely entertaining watch as no character is flawless and they can all make mistakes, but it was absolutely not a path taken free of darkness in terms of his decisions becoming morally murkier. It reminded me of Harrow as a character foil to Ezran wherein they both fell prey to the same impulse that Harrow denounces before his death: it's all well and good denouncing the cycle of an eye for an eye and a life for a life and a wrong for a wrong until it's your loved one who suffers it if you can’t put your money where your mouth is! Blood feuds (rarely considered morally a-okay) are a staying feature in history for a reason! Ezran paralleling Harrow oh so well was neat (whilst Zym has it seems actually for the time being moved away from Avizandum's shadow of violence more fully following Zubeia's over reformation, her wholeheartedly rejection of it is neat as it parallel's Amaya meanwhile and gives proof adults as well as children can change no matter how far down it all they may be!). I particularly loved the ensuing Rayla and Soren dynamic reprise too where they're both opposed because of principles and personal loyalties! How it worked out perfectly showed the show’s themes in the microcosm I thought!

Another character who was crucially missing at the key window of that situation imploding was Amaya. I feel like Amaya’s presence would have helped mediate a lot more than Callum’s and that her presence was sorely missed as an adult, a family member and a soldier more accustomed to situations of complexity like it to talk to Ezran and help him process it all better. Perhaps even to suggest banishment. Surely she was needed in Katolis more than in Lux Aurea even if she's newly married? Sigh, oh well, she did hug Ezran before he left at least? I still sorely missed her experience and wisdom from being an adult tied to the crown family as long as Ezran's entire lifetime and then marrying into a separate one (kudos to Janai for lucking into a spouse with both a military and political background that's dead useful in an advisor who has actual experience supporting a king and queen!). The disparity highlighted of Callum taking Harrow’s death better as he’s both older and unlike Ezran has grieved a parent he can remember (as well as one he mostly can’t/can’t at all about his birth father which their mother is the equivalent for to Ezran)

before Harrow was also pronounced in a very cool way. Callum feels like he comprehends Zubeia played a significant role in Harrow’s death and has a relationship in spite of that- Ezran it feels didn’t and may never get closure on fully now Zubeia isn’t around to face the fallout of her actions directed towards her anymore (but he had two years so honestly he did have time to seek it out if he really wanted to and he has Zym who parallels him directly and lives with the knowledge Ezran’s father killed his own father so they can support each other at least?).

The following is less about why I don’t think it’s ambiguous that Ezran failed to adhere to his own standards and principles- hence undeniably showed decline from his more established role as the ideal moral example to everyone in the show- but is relevant to the discussion in terms of aggravating and mitigating circumstances.

To me it feels notable that in the scene Ezran spots Runaan and during their stay in Katolis briefly Runaan was always unarmed- Rayla had the sense to not return his bow to him etc in that period because that would have been horribly undiplomatic. Runaan being an invited guest and unarmed when he’s arrested are ways that the disproportionate scale and immediacy of the escalation cannot be pinned on him or Rayla regarding them. Runaan on his part is very helpfully not making things worse by resisting arrest or denying his actions or adding fuel to the fire saying anything horrible and went quietly when arrested by Soren (again... the deja vu cannot have been fun, it was very handy there were no explosive PTSD reactions to chains and guards from Katolis soldier's uniforms later either, given the timeline for him is barely a week since being conscious outside of Katolis' dungeons that could have been much worse, he also didn't beg for death this time). I only imagine Rayla appearing on good terms with Callum and Ezran regardless, helped enormously in soothing worries Runaan might face "more practical uses" as Claudia put it again in any type of dark magic way as was said at his previous capture. None of it needed to be written that way but Runaan shows no signs of present hostilities and beyond breathing cannot be said to have aggravated the situation- making Ezran’s choice that much more clearly unjustified in his handling it the way he did and his own. 

Callum informing Ezran that Runaan would be arriving with Rayla beforehand would have helped, possibly, but that’s something it’s reasonable for Rayla and Runaan to assume he would do if it was necessary and not on them given they have literally just arrived in that scene. Callum hasn’t seemingly been there much longer but has met up with Soren and Ezran for a bit beforehand so had the time practically if unlikely emotional capacity. Again, I reiterate, Ezran screaming for Runaan to get out of his sight I would stand by- having Runaan dragged away by an armed guard not so much.

Callum starting with "I understand how you feel and why Ezran, it was wrong that our father was killed and I grieve him as much as you and it is a terrible tragedy that Katolis was destroyed and I am here with you and just as grieved. But it is still not Runaan's fault and I don't think you should be holding him prisoner" would have helped, but to some degree Callum DID cover most of those points so... I can see how they were all trying and it still fell apart. Callum's approach in private later if repeated a couple of times would have eventually gotten somewhere, I imagine, but not in a time frame that was fast and it’s not actually fair for Runaan to await Ezran fully processing Katolis’ destruction before he’s given his freedom back.

Rayla breaking Runaan out in the middle of the day as a MOONSHADOW ELF was absolutely hilarious, I have to say, waiting less than a day would have helped greatly but she was really just that impatient. It’s utterly terrible decision making. Without it we wouldn’t have gotten confirmation that Ezran is willing to violently recapture Runaan at potential cost to his soldier’s lives though which was another yikes when the imprisonment was for reasons I put above not one I felt was warranted, sensible or particularly justified in a legitimate capacity. After all, if “any actions taken against someone once they’ve killed a king are inherently justified and there is no disproportionate force etc and diplomacy doesn’t matter judging if it’s fine” then Harrow’s death was absolutely justified so Runaan facing consequences for it is… both shaky and exploration of why the cycle of violence continues: which Ezran’s actions endorse in spite of his words about the cycle in how own view being bad and hurtful and something to stop because continuing it isn’t right. For her part, Rayla just had to see two of her parents pass on and pick only one to save and chose Runaan, she's not seen Ethari in two years and when she did he was hurting and she was hurting and they were both grieving so she wasn't ever going to compromise her family given the poked at wounds of her own grief. If grief is a good enough defence on its own she and Ezran’s ought to cancel each other out. To her minute credit she did try to ask Ezran release Runaan before resorting to breaking Runaan out: her father the tortured ex-prisoner-of-war imprisoned by her kingdom’s allies for actions taken when their respective kingdoms were not allies and were not those of a renegade but their monarch’s will making disobeying if ordered arguably treasonous and ergo illegal. 

Ezran sits in the ruins of Katolis on his violently killed father’s burnt throne, having not fully grappled with the nature of Harrow’s death as he's young and it's hard and unlike Callum he has no memory of working through grief of the type where a parent is remembered was never going to resolve smoothly. Amaya isn’t there. Callum tries but him having a romantic relationship with Rayla doesn’t help with mediation and Ezran is just not at a point that sort of plea can get through to him yet. He’s snapping at Zym because of stress later on in the season for instance and talking about weapons against the dragons in very cold war-esque terms oblivious to Zym being a dragon and right there and looking extremely uncomfortable about it. Ezran seeing Runaan was never going to end well but the specifics of how it goes are what raised flags to me. Ezran and Rayla are friends so there’s elements of mutually feeling personally betrayed by each other over the entire mess because they wanted more support that doesn’t help. 

It’s brilliantly entertaining and a delightful powderkeg of politics and diplomacy and vengeance and grudges and grief. I have no complaints as it let the characters all be complex and none were one dimensional and loved them all the more for it!

[gz-missfit]

God the more I rewatch Etoiles fight the more it hurts. Hell the more I watch any parent fight their egg it hurts, from Max bawling over Trump to Quackity being basically insta killed by Tilin and Roiers anger as fake Bobby didn't attack them while Jaiden was filled with conflicting delusional happiness.

But especially this Etoiles fight yesterday puts the whole dinner into a much bigger perspective and I'd like to think that that's the reason why they put Phil in the fight with Etoiles.

They wanted him to hesitate.

They wanted Phil to be the burden during that fight because those things carry the names of his children, the children he'd burn the world down for. But they underestimated how strict Phil is with his trust and decision making to the point that even in egg form he treated them like they were monsters instead of his children.

Phil's special because while yes during Etoiles fight the code got better at adapting to an egg its still the same concept. He still had definite proof that that wasn't her but he still hesitated.

And I wanna go into the why of that, Phil's a hard-core player through and through and you will not get that out of his playstyle, you can see it on every multi-player server he's been on in the past because thats just how he plays the game. And as a hard-core player he probably has the most interesting relationship to mortality and is someone who can understand the eggs on a whole different level. But this means he's also INCREDIBLY aware of how much weight decision making carries and how even a single decision could decide over him staying alive or dying, he's used to that, it doesn't bother him anymore. That's why Phil is also someone who's very confident in his decisions, when he says he won't do or go to something because he knows the outcome then he means that and not even curiosity will get the better of him if he sees any form of danger or risk. If he tells Tallulah or Chayanne an instruction he expects them to follow it to a T because he gives those for good reasons each time (and both of his kids know that his instructions are teachings more than they are just him telling them to do something). And this confidence in his own decisions is why he fought those codes so relentlessly at the dinner, I'm convinced even if he hadn't gone back to get a picture of his kids he still would've fought these codes the same way. He trusts his experience and he trusts that he'll be able to deal with the consequences of his own decisions no matter if the outcome is good or bad. There's a reason why other players usually come to him for advice or when he spends time with someone he naturally falls into a teaching role, it's because he knows so much because he's had to know it all to survive in a world where death is inevitable.

Now why does that differ him from Etoiles? Well Him and Etoiles are good fighter's in their own ways. There's no doubt about that. But Etoiles is more upfront, he's smart during pvp and incredibly knowledgeable about statistics and strategy but ironically enough he still struggles to trust in his own words and decisions. He's someone who's quickly plagued by regret or doubts, it's why he praises Bad and Phil so much. Because both of them are incredibly headstrong and confident in their decisions just due to sheer experience. Etoiles just isn't even if his experience is just as good. And you can see this hesitancy even during the dinner fight, he didn't want to fight the codes until they hit him first. And it was Phil screaming to kill those things that made him set on actually attacking. Even when he got singled out later on and had a fake Tallulah follow him, he didn't attack until Phil confirmed Tallulah was safe with him. Etoiles trusts Bads and Phil's words a lot and holds them both in high regards when it comes to their opinions and decisions because he knows how much sheer experience those 2 carry. But during that fight yesterday he was alone, each of his actions couldn't be reassured because he was fighting alone and the actual Pomme wasn't there. He was terrified of making a wrong decision, even with Pierre reassuring him that it wasn't Pomme Etoiles couldn't bring himself to trust his own decision, even with their secret code not working Etoiles couldn't trust himself, even with seeing it carry the codes swords he couldn't trust himself. Even after the fight was over, after he saw Pommes bed with her sleeping tightly in it. He couldn't trust himself. He didn't feel like a winner to himself because his mind went into a spiral about of his decision was right or not, his mind screamed at him because he was sure he had fucked up royally and that's what makes it so interesting. Because Etoiles is a good fighter! And I'm pretty sure with equal gear he'd beat the 2 he holds in high regards to fighting skill a good amount. But he doesn't hold his own decision making very high, he's happy to be as help as a weapon that when he has to make a call he hesitates. And it didn't help that he had his daughters face stare at him while he had to make that important decision because while Phil loves his children just as much as Etoiles does, Phil never had to earn to be trusted with them. Phil's always been someone people trusted with the eggs while Etoiles had to earn his time with Pomme in promising he'll never let her die on his watch and will be careful beyond believe while he's with her.

It shows in the confidence of their decisions, and it's fascinating how much more it shows during these high tension moments. Etoiles is someone who struggles so much with the knowledge of failure and its what made his fight hurt so much more, because he was convinced he'd fucked up bad even after he saw her bed.

Just some food for thought about our codebreakers

[outer-edges]

i think we need to talk more about how in daredevil s2, karen is the first person to cross the line around frank's bed in the hospital room. that taped line is small, but it's everything. it's a physical representation of the line that separates the evil (frank) from the good (everyone else). it shows the way everyone separates frank from his emotions and his humanity, it’s the black and white morals everyone else is viewing the situation through, and the way everyone sees him as a monster because of what he's done, regardless of his reasons. everyone except karen. she doesn't care about crossing the line, even when matt is pulling her back.

this can also be read as the reason why karen and matt will never work. because karen is willing to cross that line in order to find the truth, which is where justice lies in her eyes. she doesn't hold herself, or anyone else, to the same exact moral standard matt does, and matt pulling her back is the reason they would have inevitably fallen apart even without the intervention of both frank and elektra. it's important to note that he is not "holding her back" by any means because for the most part they are on the same side and neither are necessarily one hundred percent right or wrong, but they are just fundamentally incompatible because of internal values and moral codes. matt will NEVER cross that line, but karen has and is willing to do it again.

it's also why her and frank are perfectly matched for each other in a way (though, they will never work out because of the thousand and one other circumstances holding them apart, but that's a completely different set of issues) because even though frank is in the wrong for killing all those people and karen doesn't agree with his methods, shit, she understands them. she's killed people, not for the same reasons at all, but she has. she's killed, and she's willing to go to any lengths to find truth and justice, and she knows that about herself. she sees those parts of herself - the parts she may not like that much - mirrored in frank.

[pagets]

my initial gripes with tlou after watching ep 2 are that every scene w abby and the salt lake crew is horribly written and gives needless exposition without actually giving you anything to make you invested in any of their characters or their relationship dynamics and two — that in a very clear effort to protect kaitlyn dever and combat a repeat of the absolutely unacceptable vitriol laura bailey received for playing abby they inadvertently compromised abby's character and misrepresented her core character motivation in a way that i feel massively weakens the narrative.

i can genuinely put 95% of my criticism down to poor execution, poorly written dialogue, dumbing things down for a mainstream tv audience etc. still frustrating but not character or story breaking and i accept i'm also holding it to a very very high bar because i love it dearly, i am so protective of it — this is my favourite game and one of my favourite stories of all time but issac's whole "code"??? that has massive ramifications for the story if we take it at face value. it is at complete odds with how the wlf are represented in the game and in my opinion it's just not how game abby ever justified her choices to herself.

i always saw the mercy they showed ellie and tommy in the game as a reflection of their upbringing as fireflies, especially in light of the utter disregard issac and by extension the wlf has for human life. the reason they all break rank for each other at one point or another throughout the game, at least the core members we are seeing in the adaptation (abby, owen, manny, mel and nora) is because despite their best efforts they still value their shared identity as fireflies above their allegiance to the wlf. that's not an endorsement of the fireflies it's just that ultimately the ideals of the fireflies, as naive as they might be, were ingrained in them. plus, the fact it was a research facility. abby was raised by a doctor. mel was training to be one. nora is also medical adjacent from what we can tell. that matters. that shaped their worldview and their moral compass. issac doesn't have that. he is literally genocidal in the game.

and i'm not saying abby isn't indoctrinated to the wlf in the games, she is. she does fucking horrible things in it's name but it always served the purpose of helping her reach her goal and that mattered more than anything. it gave her relative security, resources and skills she would not have otherwise had that made it possible for her to find joel when the time came. but her loyalty was fickle and once she had achieved her goal it wasn't even a difficult choice for her to go against them. first when she breaks rank for owen and then ultimately when she meets lev and yara. it works. it makes it believable to us the player that abby would have such a swift change of heart. it's what always annoyed me about mel's disbelief and fundamental misunderstanding of her but it should be obvious to the player if they're paying attention. it doesn't excuse her past but for abby, being the good soldier was merely a means to an end.

in the game the whole salt lake crew thought joel deserved it, even mel — even if they weren't willing to go to the lengths abby went to they believed it was justified. in theory. because he killed their friends. he destroyed their home. and that was an easy way for abby to make them fall in line and it was always personal. not for a second did she want to kill joel for any reason other than the fact he killed her dad. just like joel didn't hesitate to kill every single person standing between him and ellie. just like ellie won't hesitate to hunt down every single one of them. they are, all three of them, consumed by GRIEF and they are bound to make the same choices in that grief, that's what makes it a tragedy.

until it's not. until they make a different choice. (and they do. and that's why i love this game. it's why it fills me with HOPE and not dread).

[queer-ragnelle]

Have you read through Daniel von dem Blühenden Tal yet? Curious to know what your thoughts are on it!

Yep I sure have. I've been trying to read things soon after getting them so I don't abandon them and forget. I've been liveblogging it in the Arthurian Theater Discord Server and I'll tell you some of my favorite parts! I've included highlighted passages which contain spoilers but if you love all manner of monsters, from automatons to vampires to mermaids, this story's got you covered!

Also this is all I can think of every time Daniel does anything. (It's a youtube link to a short SFW meme.)

Anyway here's a link to read the text and below the cut are some quotes and thoughts!

First of all, for the uninitiated, German authors LOVE Arthur and Guinevere, so they're peak here. The best of the best, everyone cherishes them and worships them, they're generous and kind and Arthur gets to go on adventures with the knights! But also who was bullying der Stricker for liking Arthur?? Leave him alone!

Secondly, Daniel is a great main character. He's very sweet. But he's also a savage. Keii had bragged he was a fearsome jouster and when Daniel unhorsed him, he said this:

Daniel is nice enough to give Keii his horse back, so when Keii returns to court, he had clearly had a tumble, so Arthur asks him about it.

Fun stuff. Daniel is all around a sweetheart, I loved his encounter with the daughter of the Duke of the Dark Mountain, this is so tender.

But Danny boy aside, this text has really cool antagonists in it. The first one we meet is an automaton giant who rides in on a camel. He supposedly has indestructible skin and was created by a kooky old inventor who also made this beast in the land of Cluse. (Cluse is Middle East coded based on the fauna (like elephants) but is apparently in a secluded valley 3 days ride from Arthur's court.) The giant also has a brother made likewise indestructible. He rides a camel and carries no weapons save a club.

Anyway after this, Daniel encounters the first giant's brother guarding the entrance to Cluse, and he can't be fought with normal means because of his horn-skin. Here the daughter of the Duke of the Dark Mountain provides a solution, as there's a dwarf-knight named Sir Juran who's in love with her and she doesn't wish to have. He has an evil sword that can penetrate any armor, which he used to kill this maiden's parents. So Daniel sets out to fight Juran. Now Juran is pretty interesting because although he perpetuates the Arthurian stereotype of mischievous/evil dwarfs, he's a named knight who actually does battle with Daniel in the same capacity as a tall knight. He and Daniel agree to use normal swords instead of their magical/high quality ones as a true test of their prowess and "love" for the lady.

Ultimately, Daniel wins, and keeps the magical sword to use against the horn-skin giant. But before Daniel can do that, he's stopped by another lady, the Countess of the Bright Fountain (who is not Laudine, to my disappointment). Her castle has been overrun with demons who killed all six of her children and hold the count, her husband, captive! The descriptions of these creatures are wild, I've never read anything like this in other Arthurian stories. It's long but you gotta see the whole thing.

So crazy. Der Stricker what even. What's so fun about this resolution is the countess ends up giving Daniel a mirror, so he enters the battle with this creature backwards. They have a fun banter where Daniel pulls an Odysseus with his identity...

Then, holding the mirror, and Daniel tricks the monster into seeing it's own demonic head, killing it. From there Daniel picks it up and uses that to kill the whole host of monsters. He then throws the head away and rescues the count from inside the tower, reuniting him with his wife. Last two things I'll mention are first, Arthur is so sexy here oh my days look at him in battle.

Hot. Last but not least, there are so many wild magical items in this story. I love magical items, especially when they're not strictly weapons. So had a look at this wild armor this mute knight was given by a mermaid.

So yeah this text rules and I highly recommend it!

[tinderbox210]

I've been thinking a lot about ND-5’s restraining bolt - again - and have been wondering about its efficiency, especially in regards to whether or not ND would have really killed Kay in the end because of it.

SPOILER WARNING

I'm only talking about the intended story progress and not when you get caught because of your utter lack of gaming skills, like me 😅

In the game ND claims the bolt is absolute, insisting that he can't fight it or Jaylen's orders several times.

But at the same time there are several occasions in the game were he shows at least some level of resistance when he's supposed to hurt Kay. He hesitates to blast her and only does after Jaylen causes him physical pain (he doesn't hesitate to shoot Asara in comparison).

And he keeps talking to Kay while chasing her with the obvious intention of giving her a chance to save herself, which Kay rightfully points out as ND fighting against the bolt.

(He also seems to miss good shots, which storywise feels almost like on purpose, like he's messing with with his aim because he doesn't really want to shoot her)

So here comes my theory:

Not sure how much of it is backed up by other canon, but imo the efficiency of the restraining bolt is influenced by the degree of sentience and experience (personality/free will or what you want to call it) a droid has developed.

Lore established that most droids get frequently memory wiped to delete confidential data but also in order to prevent them from developing too much personality and independence. I imagine it's easier for the bolt to control a mostly "empty" vessel with less code instead of a droid with years of experiences, advance and growth beyond the original programming - too much complex data to suppress and overwrite if you will.

And that’s the crux with ND-5.

He seems to still remember much of his time in the Clone Wars and his mission for Sliro which hints at him having not been memory wiped in a long time (at least he never says otherwise in the game I think) and by that he's been able to develop such a strong personality and sense of self-awareness that he even wears clothes, setting him apart from pretty much every other droid.

I don't think restraining bolts are built to face that much swagger, I mean it's probably not easy to deal with that load of complex data and the bolt has shown difficulties dealing with ND's old battle droid programming when he malfunctions as well, so there's clearly limitations to the working/mechanics of the bolt.

I think it's possible that ND's fear of turning back into being nothing but a battle droid without the bolt, gave the restraining bolt more power over him than the device necessarily had per se, and ND only believed in the bolt being absolute because he never had a reason to put it to the test before meeting Kay.

ND says in the game he likes to have a purpose and being Jaylen’s enforcer gave him such purpose, so that’s probably also a major reason why ND went along with it and didn’t try to fight the bolt before. He didn't know there's another way of living possible for him.

I'm also sure Jaylen never missed a chance throughout his years of service to remind ND that he's nothing but a ruthless killing machine without the bolt, to keep him chained to his side and keep him depended.

But then Kay comes along to challenge everything he believed in with the way she's the first to see and treat him like a real person and not just a servant, tool or weapon and before he knows it she's stolen his poor little metal heart.

So in conclusion, my headcanon is that he wouldn't have killed her. He's close, obviously when he holds her and says he's sorry, but would have managed to defy the restraining bolt last minute and is one step away from ripping that restraining bolt of his chest plating himself when Kay blasts it off.

[smellyidiot]

Doom rant

Isabelle x doom guy is NOT canon. If you ship them fanonically, that's proshipping. you ship a little girl and an adult man. its getting annoying for some of you non-doom fans to try and lecture me on what's "real".

First of all, Nintendo does not own the doom franchise. And second of all, Isabelle is three years old in human years. She's not going to drink jack Daniels she's literally a puppy, she's going to drink apple juice and cry when she gets a knee scrape. They're in two different universes and the picture of their marriage was uploaded to twitter by Bethesda, not the official doom account. Although Bethesda owns the rights, IT software still owns the game. The one where they hold hands is not official and is photoshopped. The official doom account on twitter tweeted things about it as a joke because new horizons and doom released on the same date making them friends. In fact, in smash bros doom guy is a costume for the mii gunner, he is not an actual playable character. If john Romero was still working on doom, i doubt he'd be okay with them getting "married". John Carmack himself said they're just friends. Not to mention that Isabelle is an anthropomorphic dog?? He wouldn't have cute tea parties with her and would probably try to kill her at first because she talks and she stands on two legs. If you've played the game then you know that animals can become corrupted and remnant souls. Also, despite his helmet being able to detect hell energy, we've already seen that some demons don't have any in them. He'd likely think she's either 1. a hallucination (doom 64, his hallucinations never went away) or 2. she's a zombified human in a football mascot costume. There is nothing in his universe that looks like her at all, and the whole point of his character is to be untrusting of literally everything. I mean for crying out loud he shut himself away from humanity for a time being when everything was temporarily over. If he ever dated anyone again, it would be a human. Also who's to say she wont just die? She doesn't have any special abilities, she's a dog with no weapons against demons. She wouldn't even be able to find him at first she'd be wandering around. And again, there are demons that look human enough but are truly vile. He wouldn't trust her for a long time. Besides, how would she even make a portal to his world if the only existing portal around is one to hell? He'd question if she's from hell herself.

He's a grown man who's been alive for eons without dating anyone. He can live a life alone and he literally chooses to be loyal to his wife and son, he doesn't need a plus one. He's always been loyal both to daisy and his wife. If he hasn't given up on daisy what makes you think he'd give up on his wife and kid? He even cut himself out of the picture he keeps on his desk in the newer game because he blames himself for their death. Its implied he was killing a demon boss for killing daisy while his wife and child were burning to death in a village during the first invasion. The khan maykr has unused lines where he mentions doom guys wife and child and doom guy picks up the picture, there was also supposed to be cut scenes about them but things were time sensitive. The picture being under his table is because he cant bare to look at them, not because he moved on. Its meant to be an easter egg and tear jerker, you're not supposed to look too hard into it.

(in the original 1993 version John Romero wanted to make a story but John carmack was rushing it because he wanted people to look at the game and be surprised by the coding and graphics. John carmack was the brains and john romero wanted story but the story was dropped.) It wasn't until doom eternal that Bethesda gave him a proper storyline while John Romero retired from working on the franchise. He then handed it over to john Carmack who decided with Microsoft that he would have a wife and son named Chloe and hunter. Daisy daisy still exists, it's just that your dead bunny isn't exactly a proper reason to go to hell and back (quite literally). Not to mention John Romero okayed this choice as well in an interview but i forget which one. In short you don't need to worry about the game being "different" or think that it ruins the game somehow. The whole "he's a virgin!!" thing was retconned 10 years ago bud. Consider how the bit might be fake because its only source is a potentially made up screenshot whose true source was never tracked down. I also wouldn't be surprised in John Romero added him having a wife and kid And to all the "maybe he's just john wick" commenters have you considered that the dog was a gift to john wick by his wife? Because there isn't a real reason to get that enraged over an animal unless its of course that. The plot has plot holes but i head canon that the bunny was his sons bunny and losing daisy was like losing apart of his son. I feel like wife and kid or not, daisy or not, he'd still fight because who wouldn't? Humans are dying, what else can you do?

The former humans pretend to be your own soldiers, why would he trust her?

[1moreff-creator]

hello my friend 1moreff-creator. today i was rewatching your vivisection of LGI video and came up with a related theory. it's about "subtract four due to tetraphobia."

arei is roman numeral 4. ace has phobias. could "subtract 4 due to tetraphobia" just be code for "ace subtracted arei due to his phobia of dying in the killing game?"

is it possible that it's literally that simple or do you think the surrounding context implies it has to mean something else

Hello my friend accirax. That's a pretty good interpretation! It's true that "subtract 4 due to tetraphobia" could mean "kill IV (Arei) due to fear" for the reasons you stated, and the theory holds up really well...

In a vacuum.

But like you mentioned, the surrounding context is an issue. Because the phrase itself is relatively innocent, but the problem has always been when it shows up more than anything else.

There are many places where your interpretation could fit perfectly. There's Teruko's numeral, as the number 4's connection to death makes it an unlucky number, and Teruko is Teruko. There's the whole section around Min's numeral, which references class trials and thus could be connected that way. Ace's numeral could have been a bit too spoilery, but it would technically work. And of course, the most obvious place to put it would have been next to Arei's numeral itself. And there's probably more places to put it, that's just the ones closest to the actual placement of the tetraphobia line.

But alas, "subtract 4 due to tetraphobia" isn't in any of those places. It appears here:

[Literature Girl Insane] XIV [Veronika]. Things like substance of the arts ["subtract 4, due to tetraphobia⁴" appears] XV [Whit]. Remaining ignorant, isn't that "happiness¹⁵"?

And... there's genuinely no clear connection to Arei's death here. Veronika and Whit both had nothing to do with it, "the substance of the arts" and the concept of "ignorance is bliss" don't connect in any clean way, and neither footnote really helps, as 4 just defines tetraphobia and 15 just talks about the origins of the "ignorance is bliss" concept. The color coding doesn't seem to help either, since despite what Tumblr makes it look due to the limited color range I have access to, none of the colors present in the scene can really be related to either Arei or Ace. If anything the fact most of the tetraphobia line is in pink just makes the Whit connection stronger. Hence the whole issue of 15 - 4 = 11 -> XI [Mai]. God is dead.

The connection between Arei and tetraphobia comes more from the fact that Arei has number IV in the first place, so I totally agree with you that the connection exists and that Arei was given that numeral explicitly to connect her to death, and I like the new connection you bring up of it specifically being death due to fear. But I don't think that means we can just hand wave away the context in which the tetraphobia line actually appears, especially when it's the only time two Roman numerals are on screen at the same time. It could mean nothing that it appears when it does, but it could also mean something, you know.

Alas, Whit has gotta take the allegations on this one, there's no way around it. Still, though, cool interpretation, thanks for sharing and thanks for the ask!

[snivyartjpeg]

Plz tell us more abt ur swap AU :)

the yomi/yuma swap? ohoho you sly dog! you'll have me monologuing! ;)

(rain code spoilers below. also strap in because this is Long)

so one thing i like to do with these aus is make it so the characters themselves are still... themselves. so instead of a simple "what if yuma was fucked up and evil while yomi was a good detective" it's more like "what aspects of these characters would make them take this different path?"

first off ill give the general roleswaps i think would occur in this au, which go like so:

yuma <--> yomi

shinigami <-> martina (who would be called shinigami in this au since she's the death god, but i will be calling her martina and calling shinigami... shinigami to avoid confusion)

halara <--> swank

desuhiko <--> guillaume

fubuki <--> dominic

vivia <--> seth

yakou <--> aide/hitman

i wont be going too much into detail about the others who aren't yuma and yomi because, trust me, this manifesto is long enough, but i think that the detectives in this au would be a ragtag group of assholes who slowly grow into a found family while the peacekeepers are already a cohesive, established, competent unit of people who all get along quite well, because there is something very scary about the enemy having the power of friendship on their side.

the detectives:

ill start with yomi. so, he's number one in this au. but he's got a different attitude than our canon number one- his methods have little to do with just solving everything on your own. in fact, he believes a good detective takes advantage of everything and everyone at their disposal to reach a solution. canon yomi is real good at hiding behind people and using them for his own means, which is how i think this yomi develops coalescence- he depends on others by using them. in this case, i think coalescence wouldn't require any consent as long as yomi manages to make hand-to-hand contact at any point. amnesiac yomi won't know this, though, as martina will tell him he needs consent and to hold hands the whole time, like canon yuma (i actually think the rules are the same for canon yuma and that number one just lied to shinigami about the rules to force himself to depend on others, but that's like a whole other unrelated thought process lmao).

as number one, he's also got a real strong sense of justice (at least, his definition of justice) and punishes criminals with sadistic glee. though, he doesn't care for punishing innocent people. it's not as fun, and he hates making mistakes.

he's essentially a fanatical megalomaniac leader who still chooses to do the right thing, enacting righteous justice while using the tools at hand... even if said tools are people. a very "end justifies the means" kind of guy.

he makes a pact with shinigami martina for similar reasons as canon number one does- to not only solve kanai ward's ultimate secret, but also to circumvent the police corruption in the city and take justice into his own hands. after selling his memories, he reverts back to the person he was before he rose to the top as number one- a spoiled brat delinquent with a huge ego, but too rough around the edges when it comes to his detective skills. i think he'd spend a lot of time throughout the events of the game brashly trying to do everything on his own, as if he has to prove himself, and that backfiring on him so he has to learn instead to humble himself and gain the help of his colleagues

martina would be a much more serious shinigami, but she'd also be,,, pretty much the same amount of sadistic, smug, and horny lol. yomi is also more enthusiastic about martina coming onto him as opposed to yuma's very Kodaka Protagonist™ reactions to shinigami's advances. yomi could also just be coldly indifferent too, but i feel like he at least gets a little something over being called "Master" all the time.

also. yomi is probably not nearly as upset about using shinigami to kill people as yuma. he still gets his philosophy on justice challenged when killing the aetheria academy girls and his chief zilch, because... well, they had some Pretty Understandable Reasons to do what they did. it could teach him something about how it's wrong to just go about killing people, even if they are criminals. or something nuanced like that.

anyway, as for the other detectives in this au, i think they have an overall arc about learning to get along. the canon WDO already has this vibe where the master detectives are fairly pompous and off to themselves, so the NDA being a group of selfish, antagonistic assholes isn't too far off. over time, however, they form some close bonds with each other. they also have the fortes of the detectives they swapped with, just flavored to their style. sorry i dont feel like coming up with new fortes. for example, dominic might have a more mechanical clock flavor to his time rewinding instead of a natural bloodline related skill (this could also play into fubuki being a forteless clockford and feeling some jealousy towards a detective who can do exactly what she's always wanted to be able to do)

speaking of fortes, guillaume gives us girl yomi in chapter 2 💖 her motivations aren't the same as desuhiko's- she just likes the idea of dressing yomi up and sneaking into a place. and for the rest of ch 2... it's safe to say that kurumi is definitely not a love interest in this case lmao. yomi doesn't strike me as someone who would get a crush at first sight, especially not for someone like kurumi. maybe this au's kurumi is into bad boy detectives and has a one-sided crush on him. idk. i don't even care about the romance in canon.

each chapter, yomi has to lean on his colleagues for help and (very reluctantly) softens up as a person when hanging out with them. by the end of the game, they're all good friends who respect each other, even if they still get on each other's nerves.

imagine how fucking funny all of the gumshoe gabs would be.

now for the bad guys:

yuma is a little trickier to address in this au because him being a villain requires a level of narrative complexity that canon yomi just,,, doesn't have. but they still have to play the same role in this story as a threatening and ruthless antagonist to keep the tension. for this, i think yuma takes more after canon number one, because frankly, number one has all the tools to be a villain but simply chooses to be good (through... questionable methods)

so this yuma, above all else, is a perfectionist. he hates crime, chaos, and unsolved mysteries more than anything. he, just like yomi, has a very strong sense of justice and even has good intentions: he wants to create a city in which everyone is happy. to him, kanai ward should be a utopia, a little piece of heaven in this shitty world.

but the way he tries to achieve this is through absolute control. he figures, as long as he's in control, there'll be no crime. too many differing opinions of what is and isn't justice and happiness exist, so he thinks it's simpler to stick to his own "perfect" ideas on the matter. he has to make all of the decisions for this city on his own. no one else can do it.

(and there lies irony in the fact that he cannot control his own happiness, no matter how much he forces a smile. abandoning emotions for the sake of his job includes even the positive ones, and it's miserable. not that he has time to unpack all that.)

the sweet, kindhearted yuma we all know is still in there too- it's actually how he ends up recruiting his loyal peacekeepers into his ranks. he manages to gain halara's trust over time as they work under him, learning about their secret affinity for cats and deciding to even assist in their cause. he gives desuhiko the platform he's always wanted to perform on, and now he has a show similar to how canon guillaume has one. fubuki, despite being an heir to the clockford family, lacks any powers and feels inadequate, so yuma grants her cybernetic enhancements to become the powerful protector she wants to be. vivia was basically standing on the ledge, ready to meet his end before yuma came along to show him the kindness he needed to keep going. through this, he creates a cast of people who are devoted to doing his bidding, even his more morally dubious requests.

and yakou, his loyal hitman, has essentially the same story as canon: his wife died, and he got his revenge. though, this time, he survived. despite this, he feels unsatisfied with his revenge. it's a hollow victory, and it doesn't make up for what he lost. the murder he committed was investigated by yuma, who solved the tricky case on his own after the peacekeepers couldn't crack it. but yuma didn't feel right punishing the man after learning why he did it (and, as far as yuma was concerned, huesca was a blight upon amaterasu corporation anyway... this is a convenience). yakou's murder plot was clever, impressive, and nearly impossible to solve, so yuma decides to show him mercy at the price of taking on a "cleanup job." yakou, unsatisfied with his revenge, agrees to yuma's terms, hoping that with each kill, maybe, just maybe, it'll make up for the loss of his wife.

also i suppose i also have to address his right hand, shinigami. yuma is completely emotionless in this au because, despite how much he cares for all of his underlings, he also knows better than to get too attached. even if they all may be convinced he loves them, the truth is that if they disrupt peace in kanai ward, they, too will be disposed of. that being said, i think he and shinigami are still in some freaky ass relationship like canon yomi and martina, though shinigami is very obviously way more into it. would this yuma cube her? perhaps not. he doesn't like unnecessary cruelty, nor does he care to keep a compressed corpse on his person. but i can still see him sending her to be executed for failing to perfectly run an investigation on top of failing to quietly get rid of the detectives (he told her to get rid of them, so she thought showing off with a big Boom-Kill would make him happy! ... it didn't)

yuma may care for the people of his city, but ultimately, he understands that peace and perfect justice cannot always be achieved by being nice.

he doesn't enjoy it, but he still carries out the executions of criminals because it's a "necessary step towards peace." he tortures people because he "has to." because there's "no other way to get them to talk." and while yuma wants the peacekeepers to carry out their jobs with perfection and truth, he pressures them too much, and this attitude leads to the peacekeepers trying to make their first assumptions seem correct while refusing to acknowledge the flaws in their investigations.

... also, he quietly disposes of people who challenge his position or his methods because they simply wouldn't understand. he can't trust them to understand. how could these common people determine what's right and wrong on their own?

that last group of people are the worst to him- those who try to disrupt the order in this city, because disruption leads to imperfection. imperfection leads to injustice. injustice leads to chaos. and his biggest disruptors are detectives, which is why he hates them.

i think yomi would start off not scared of yuma at all, but over time he realizes just how cold and cruel yuma can be. all the while, yuma takes a little joy in teasing the detectives and getting the upper hand. he likes to be right, to watch them squirm as their shortcomings justify all of the sacrifices he's making. and, more importantly, their little rivalry almost makes him feel something.

when yuma eventually gets arrested in chapter 4 for his corruption (i don't think money would motivate him, but he simply sees bribery as another tool to keep everything under strict control), he doesn't throw a fit like yomi does in canon. instead, he's very calm and quiet. he almost drops his constant smile. almost. it twitches a little, but remains the same as always. he concedes that he lost, and tells the detectives they've done well.

yomi gets the feeling this isn't the last they'll see of him.

anyway, chapter 5 plays out similarly where yomi and makoto duke it out. i'd imagine their rhetoric and dialogue would be super different but they still come to the same "let's have kanai ward decide for itself" solution because, at this point in the game, yomi has enough respect for others to say that. wait... makoto...

OH YEAH. MAKOTO CHANGES TOO

so obviously, being number one, his appearance resembles yomi now lol. i think he keeps yomi's natural blue hair color and slicks it back so he's not rockin the emo bangs. also, he's way better than yomi at holding in his anger, so he comes off as a lot more put-together, even if he seems really smarmy. he's real manipulative and slippery like canon yomi, but his theatrics lie more in being off-putting rather than throwing temper tantrums. basically, he's yomi if he was actually charismatic lol. he gets his way not through sheer power and money, but through careful social navigation. sometimes, much to his own chagrin, that requires being polite

aaand that's all the stuff i can think of for now! thank you for asking! i know it's A Lot but when i start thinking enough about hypothetical changes that'd happen from a swap, i get super into it lmao. there's also something interesting to be said about if yuma and yomi were the only ones that swapped (we love unexplored character dynamics) but i thought it'd be more fun to touch on the others and how they'd be in their new respective roles because, at the end of the day, both detectives and peacekeepers are a bunch of cops lmao. it's a lot more interchangeable than it seems, y'know?

[sunny-reacts-to-stuff]

okay here we go tma 117 "testament"

gun violence, explosive violence, spiders, body horror, death and dying, assisted suicide

well. at least the explosive violence means they were able to explode the thing?

oh this is their last wishes and words. fuck.

are martin and melanie staying behind to kill elias

since when do we care about what elias wants

"i wish humanity dies to spite elias" wow

back up girlfriend and main dps girlfriend :>

"the sort of thing i've mostly done alone" aw :(

MHM NO MORE PARANOIA

i will hold you on to that

he trusts them T___T (except elias, obviously)

melanie you will be avenged i swear

WAIT HE LISTENED TO BASIRA AND MELANIE TALK ABOUT MARTIN'S CRUSH ON HIM?

AWWW LOOK AT HIM BEING ALL GIDDY AND FLUSTERED

also so sorry you had to hear your coworkers talking about your dating history and whether you and georgie had sex or not

"heh, digging"

oh right jurgen is the german version of george and he did leitner too close to the pipe i mean the sun so makes sense

jurgen leitner motherfucking jurgen leitner

basira <3

:(

"it's amazing how much you can ignore when you keep your head in a book." is this a commentary on mass distruction by entertaiment and stuff? panem and circem?

"and martin." says woman who doesn't care (valid)

"difficult but solid" is such an euphemism for "serial killer"

yeah im not so confident on any of them but you tbh basira

MY GIRL :(

if they're not killing elias i wish they could go have a nice cozy waiting-for-apocalypsis night on martin's apartment

yes kill him

also be careful i dont want you to become hunt-coded

I GET YOU SO MUCH MY GIRL

EVERYTHING IS A FIGHT WHEN YOU ARE A LOW MIDDLE CLASS GIRL AND ASPIRING YOUTUBER

she is JUST like me

SO TRUE

THE SAME OLD BUILDSHIT IN A CREEPY NEW PACKAGE

YES KILL HIM

i fear she is already hunt coded

omg india statement

OH WAIT SHE'S SLAUGHTER CODED

i struggle a bit to tell the difference with the slaughter the hunt and the flesh

"i didn’t do it so you could stroke your chin and call it fascinating." TELL HIM

i get her

MARTIN :>

it's okay to be scared

NOOO MY BABY

NO IT ISN'T

this feels like they didn't know rusty quill was gonna give them 2 more seasons

"I NEED HIM TO BE OKAY" WHAT IF I KILLED MYSELF

I'M ALWAYS RUNNING FROM SOMETHING I PUSH IT BACK BUT IT KEEPS ON COMING AND BEING CLEVER NEVER GOT ME REALLY FAR

"i hope jon isn't listening" hate to be the bringer of bad news

is this why there's so much web!martin content

is he just accidentally spider coded

ah, yeah. my favorite trope: guy that had a terribly traumatic experience at the age of 8 when he witnessed a sentient giant humanoid spider devour a mindcontrolled tween x guy who thinks spiders are just chill and kinda cute when they've the little fur

BURN THE STUFF YEAH

"just don't die, jon. OR EVERYONE ELSE." cutie

"daisy, ig" lmao he didnt even try

what are these two up to

hello tim im a lesbian and im listening bc of clervalstein crumbs

i hate myself too you're not special

yeah pretty much

honestly

i dont want you to die

but if you die avenging your brother it seems like you are gonna be fine with it so. you go !

some cool building

"she was ruthless" but ruthlessness is mercy upon ourselves

yeah let's all be sacrificed by jon

yeah i don't expect you to either

YOU WAITED A WHOLE MONTH TO EUTHANIZE GERRY?

yeah the whole thing about killing yourself is that you stop existing my guy

YOU BURNT YOURSELF AGAIN YOU DUMMY??

tf does he own you

[wc-confessions]

re: WC misogyny

This is solely to get my thoughts out abt this bc I’m probably not gonna be able to articulate this to the best of my ability but I feel like it’s incredibly important to say that these books are pretty damn misogynistic and so was the fanbase for the longest time.

Not saying that to be "throwing the word around without knowing what the word means", because misogyny is defined as a dislike/contempt against women. This can also absolutely be an unconscious bias (which is primarily what I see anyway!) I've seen far more people dismiss these characters while holding up male ones that do similar/worse things (i.e. Thistleclaw primarily but a lot of the MV characters to an extent)

The reason why discussion about sexism usually ends up against cats like Mapleshade, Squirrelflight, Frecklewish, and Nightcloud is primarily due to how the universe of the books is written to chastise these characters while their male counterparts go thru barely half of the shit thrown onto the girls.

Mapleshade gets her kids and herself exiled for breaking the code while Appledusk literally gets a slap on the wrist for breaking the same code she did? The Riverclan leader just tells him "well, you'll not do it again so you don't need to be punished" while Mapleshade doesn't even get to bury her kits. Even if she's the Warrior Cats evil woman that's still really fucked up!? And this goes to Frecklewish as well, who does not watch them drown oh my god. The flood that kills Maple's kits is incredibly loud--saying Freckle would have been able to do anything else OTHER than watch dismisses the fact going to the flooded stones was an idea doomed to fail (of which Mapleshade has a lot of in MV specifically.)

Frecklewish absolutely ended up in the Dark Forest over Oakstar or Ravenwing (who both condemned the kittens to their fate instead of?? idk punishing Maple and not the kits who didn't even know they were half clan?) because of the way the fandom perceived her at the time. Freckle's a lot like Squirrelflight where fandom opinion only recently shifted to people defending those characters--she's pretty awful for calling the same kits she doted on half-clan creatures! But I don't think she deserved to go to cat hell forever when the cat who actually caused those kittens to end up dead (and every other cat in MV!) ends up in Starclan without even so much of a trial.

Speaking of trials--Squirrelflight and Leafpool literally end up almost being sent to CAT HELL for following Starclan's orders. Leafpool ends up having forbidden kits but Starclan goes "it's okay!" until it isn't. Brambleclaw almost being involved in Firestar's fox trap murder never gets mentioned or brought up while both of the girls are questioned about if they even belong in Starclan because they "broke the code and lied"?? There's a pretty damn big bias towards the toms for doing bad/worse actions but Bramble never went to Starclan and had his ticket for heaven almost revoked. Oakstar didn't get put in the Dark Forest because he exiled 3 innocent kits.

I think it's important to note the fandom has a lot of say over how characters like these get interpreted (which is why Nightcloud ended up being hated a lot despite the fact Crowfeather is just. actually abusive to Breezepelt.) That's why I brought up unconscious biases, because I think generally a lot of WC content creators tend to stick to presenting the stories in a more radical/black and white way.

I think the discussion really should be that the books and the stories ARE pretty misogynistic but unconsciously so? A lot of the story beats I mentioned weren't written by just one person, and the Erins have different opinions on these cats than the fans do. That's not me stating an opinion, that's just me saying recognizing that it's very male-oriented IS an issue these books have.

Anyways this got way too wordy, Ashfur is one of my favorite villains so I don't even know why I typed all of this up /j.