#but i do think there's plot potential in all of these that we don't necessarily see explored

[ingravinoveritas]

A couple of quick thoughts about today's events (or "EVERY 2.0," as I'm seeing some folks call it):

Everyone is passionate about and excited for Good Omens 3. There have been little to no details over the last few months, even during the course of filming earlier this year. This production has been a precarious one, from nearly being cancelled to being brought back as a 90-minute movie instead of the previously planned full season. Emotions have been running high almost nonstop, to where the atmosphere is nearly perfect for someone--be it marketing, be it PR--to tap in to the vibe for their own purposes.

It has been almost exactly two years to the day since Every, the now infamous "leak" of Aziraphale and Crowley's kiss at the end of season 2. Given that, it also feels like far, far too much of a coincidence that another, similar "leak" would occur so close to that incident. In all likelihood, today's events were not an accident, but rather a planned test to take the "temperature" of the fandom, among other things.

Further supporting this theory is the fact that the images of the concept art were posted on the art website one week ago, yet somehow the fandom was suddenly made aware of them today, in such close proximity to the anniversary of "Every." The images are also still posted on the website, on the artist's portfolio, meaning that had this been an unintentional oversight, it seems likely that the photos would have already been taken down, instead of left up for an entire week.

There has also been a great deal of discussion about consequences for the artist, yet it seems shortsighted if not unfair to blame fans for the artist's job being put in potential jeopardy. This person chose to post the concept artwork publicly, where anyone could find it. Even now, hours after all of this has happened, the concept art is still not password protected, and so the explanation of "It was supposed to be password protected" does not seem to hold much water. Ultimately, however, it was this artist's responsibility to ensure their work was secured, and it is also their responsibility if they did not.

Much has also been made about the possibility of season 3 being cancelled as a result of this incident, and I would just urge folks to think logically about this instead of blindly believing everything that you read. It is especially imperative in moments like these--where marketing and money are the chief motivating factors and the people behind these efforts have no qualms about emotionally manipulating a fandom--to think for yourselves and come to your own conclusions. Other fans may rush in to tell you to do this or do that, or don't do this, don't do that...but "groupthink" and hivemind mentalities are more often harmful than helpful, both to you as an individual and to the fandom at large.

Finally, to say that today's incident could cause GO 3 to be cancelled sounds and feels like little more than scare tactics. The concept art we saw today does not necessarily definitively give away plot points of the season (unlike "Every," which absolutely did). Given that filming is already completed and the amount of money that Amazon would stand to lose by pulling the show, it feels increasingly like this line was put forward to provoke an emotional response in fans.

Yet as the old saying goes, any press is good press...and the only thing that will get people talking more than a "leak" is that leak being an "accident" to cause panic and get folks to take everything down. Which will then make those who did see it chatter endlessly about what happened while making those who didn't see it wonder about it even more.

So those are all of my thoughts on what happened. The drama around all of this is truly exhausting, but hopefully we can find a way to discuss all of this calmly and collectively move forward as we await the release of the third season.

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Watchers Anonymous

Warnings: non/dubcon, stalking, and other dark elements. My username actually says you never asked for any of this.

My warnings are not exhaustive but be aware this is a dark fic and may include potentially triggering topics. Please use your common sense when consuming content. I am not responsible for your decisions.

Characters: Peter Parker, skinny!Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes, Thor, Loki, Curtis Everett, Jake Jensen, Cole Turner, Captain Syverson, (so far)

This AU is called Watcher Anonymous and will include different series for each of the above. This is our introduction to the group.

Summary: men with illicit infatuations come together to share and plot their perfect fantasies.

As usual, I would appreciate any and all feedback. I’m happy to once more go on this adventure with all of you! Thank you in advance for your comments and for reblogging ❤️

Introduction

"Do you really think we need snacks?" Jake asks as he unwraps the pan of rice crispy squares with sprinkles and chocolate drizzle. "I didn't think so but my aunt gave them to me," Peter shrugs. "I don't know."

"You're aunt?" Jake scoffs. He might be a loser but he's no mama's boy.

"Yeah, I mean, I usually go to bingo with her on Wednesdays but then this came up and... I had to make an excuse. I told her we were campaigning," he shrugs. "So she said, oh I'll make you boys some snacks..."

"Right," Jensen crosses his arms, reassured that he's not the lamest one in the pack. Not so far.

"When's that buddy of yours showing up?"

"Curtis? Oh, he said he wasn't sure," Jake shrugs. He hopes he has a friendly face there but he understands if it doesn't pan out. They all have places they'd rather be.

"Kinda nervous, not gonna lie," Peter confesses. It was his idea that they all meet up but now he's kind of regretting it. Strangers on the internet, on discord of all places, aren't necessarily the trustworthy type. He figures he's on there though and he's not that bad.

"Well, you seem chill," Jake offers. "So..."

"Thanks, I guess," Peter huffs.

There's a scuff at the door. A skinny blond stands in the doorway, looking down the hall behind him. He smooths his hair with his sweaty hands, slightly trembling. "Buck," he calls out in a voice deeper than one would guess by his appearance. "Down here." "Yeah, yeah," another replies behind the tramp of thick treads. "Looking for a john in this place. Shouldn't have had coffee."

"Oh, uh, Steve?" Peter greets uncertainly, "if I have that right?"

"That's me, yeah." He clears his throat and faces them. His nose is too big for his face, like a beak. The rest of him is tiny. He makes Peter feel big. Just like his special one... they'll get to that in a minute.

His friend catches up to him. Stood right behind him, he looks massive. Peter knows him too. Virtually at least. 

"And Bucky?" Peter adds. The other guy grunts and nods.

"This all?" Steve looks around at the mostly empty room.

"There's food?" Bucky wonders as he combs through his long hair. "Wasn't aware this was a catered event."

"Just snacks," Peter insists. He doesn't need any more hazing. Next time, he'll leave May's baking at home.

Steve wrings his hands before tucking them into his pockets. He chews his cheeks as Bucky heads for the snacks and greets Jake. There's more voices coming.

"Brother, don't be so grim," the large blond enters buoyantly, "it's about time you made some friends."

"I have friends," a slither returns dully.

"Ah, it is Peter!" Thor booms, not needing any introduction, though Peter wonders how he recognises him. "And let me guess, Jake with the glasses. Bucky has the shaggy hair like a dog, and Steve is slighter in frame."

"How..." Jake mutters.

"It is a gift of mine," he proclaims, "I'm Thor in case you couldn't guess. Oh and this," he pulls the other man forward and slings his arm over his lithe shoulders. "Is my brother, Loki."

Peter considers the uninvited sibling. Not as tall as his brother, or thick, and with sleek black hair and a long nose. They don't look related at all.

"I didn't know we were bringing plus ones," Bucky chews on a tart.

"Me either," Jake says.

"Oh, I do hope you don't mind. I wanted to invite him to the chat prior but... he is not often on the phone."

"It's fine," Peter assures, "I guess."

Bucky grumbles with less optimism and Jake sways. It's not exactly a gaming group or wholesome in any manner. Outsiders aren't safe.

"Relax, he has a special one," Thor girds. "Haven't you, brother?"

"I told you to mind your business," Loki retorts and gets only laughter in return.

"Jensen," a man enters without hesitation and marches to aforementioned man.

"Curt," Jake greets him with a nod, "you made it."

"Not thanks to... you!" He spots Thor and squares his shoulder. "You know, that truck is too big for your skillset."

"Ah, yes, it is only a ding, we will exchange info after," Thor rubs his neck with a guilty smile.

"Who are we missing?" Steve asks.

"Sy?" Jake suggests. "Don't think anyone else could make it."

"I'm here!" A sudden scramble through the door ends in a heap on the floor. The group of men turn to face the newcomer. "Urgh, ow." The man lays on his back after his slip. "I'm okay!"

He sits up and rubs the back of his head. Bucky tuts, "smooth."

"I'm--" the man pushes himself to his feet, "Cole. Ugh, I had to drive all the way here-- well, I know we all did, but, just not used to city roads."

"Cole," Peter is the first to approach, it's strange being the one doing most of the leading. Especially among this bunch. "Hey, nice to meet you. Peter."

He goes around the room and introduces everyone. Cole repeats each name anxiously. A sole squeaks through the door and a throat clears. A burly man with a baseball cap and scuffy bear wears a canvas jacket in grey camo.

"Sy," he intones as he enters. "Oh, are those brownies?"

"Right, that's everyone," Jake declares. "So, uh... what now?"

[detective-pancake]

Hey, so I don't want to be that guy, but when are we going to acknowledge that Akechi was right?

No, I obviously don't mean about the things he was very clearly wrong about. I'm referring to the things he says in interviews about the Phantom Thieves. I hate how many people switch up after playing through his betrayal who previously agreed with his views, because nothing he said is wrong and nothing he did changes that fact. He speaks in the TV Station on the objective facts that he should know about, and with or without the context of his form of justice those facts stay true. It's a fallacy to claim that his form of justice being universally less approved of makes the Phantom Thieves better by comparison, or discredits anything he said. I don't think the Phantom Thieves are evil, or that they should necessarily be imprisoned, but I do think that they are not morally sound. They're kids. Prior to his betrayal I think he served his purpose well, but it's easy to disregard the validity of his words when you find out that he's a murderer. With the knowledge he SHOULD have had (and that many DID have), everything he says is true. And honestly? It still can be true for basically the entire plot of the game. Mishima's confidant tests the thieves in that way. They could have changed the hearts of anyone who's not a persona user, for any personal reason. It's a slippery slope.

I'll use these three options as an example for why he's right:

"They're justice itself" is just subjective and incorrect, because justice as a concept is individualized and given how each Phantom Thief has different reasons for being one it's ridiculous for even them to say. Their first target was before they even formed a group, and Ann was ready to kill Kamoshida. The others were not even going to step in, and they were going to respect her choice either way. All the members are so different, so this is an insane claim to make.

"They're necessary" is wrong because to say they are necessary is pretty disingenuous to all "justice" that has ever happened BEFORE they existed. I don't believe that the Thieves were a necessity per say, and personally I think their actions can only be judged on a case by case basis. Some Mementos targets for example have issues that stem beyond what they have done. Now they have their desires stolen but still have the issue that pushed them to immortality in the first place, plus a shitton of guilty baggage. The Thieves only help with the atonement, but not the push. How many of those people didn't just go right back to their past behaviors? How many of them got worse in other ways? Think about Futaba, she felt so guilty for something she thought she did, she formed a palace to condemn herself to die alone. To claim the Thieves are necessary to reform society implies that their method is the most effective, and I think that's a lot to claim for something they don't understand.

"They do more than the cops" I almost agree with. Legally the police in Japan in this game anyway (yes I'm aware it extends to reality in many ways, but I'm referring to just the game right now) are corrupt and flawed for the most part, but the thing I don't agree with is that this makes the Thieves a better alternative. They're not. For the same reason Yoshizawa says later, the Thieves can only do so much as vigilantes, and to imply that society should rely on these faceless nameless flawed people to fix society is not any better than what they have now. Especially with the method being unknown, potentially unsafe, and easily exploitable. I cannot be the only one who if the Phantom Thieves were real, would be extremely alarmed by the prospect of a group of vigilantes "changing hearts" right? It's so vague, and the pattern is dystopian. At least police methods are familiar

What I'm saying is that they're kids, and it's kind of insane that this game places Akechi as the narrative foil for the Thieves in their message and then makes it so easy to disregard because "he's an assassin so how could he know anything about justice". The Thieves don't either, and Ann was nearly a murderer. If the bar is "don't commit murder when you're infiltrating someone's mind" then it's far too low. I wouldn't trust a group of adults with this power to reform society, even less a group of teenage vigilantes. I'm 19, and I find this odd. And Strikers frames them as even more righteous, and it bugs me even more in that game. At least Royal has the third semester to give a bit more nuance to how big of a responsibility Ren was given, but that's also very frequently misinterpreted.

I love this game, and I love this fandom, and I have thoughts that get weird and ranty. I apologize, but I hope you all found this as interesting as I did.

[twilightofthesandwiches]

how do you suppose the holiday's lives were in the undertale universe my thoughts:

rudy was KIA in the war, asgore's second in arms

vizier carol was highly concerned with chara's presence in the underground and thought she would bring disaster, growing further distant from the dreemurrs after her suspicions were confirmed with asriel's death

dess became a recluse after asriel was killed

the 3 of them moved out to snowdin sometime after perseverance was captured, not as far as toriel on account of her taking chara in being deemed foolishness, but still distant enough from asgore and his madness

Well, the thing is, that I don't necessarily need to imagine, because we did get a few details of the Holidays' existence in the Undertale Timeline.

In fact, the Holidays were first mentioned before Deltarune even released, as part of Undertale's Anniversary Winter-Themed Alarm Clock Dialogue Thingy, where Asgore reminisces about Rudy in detail.

Rudy seems to have been born in the Underground, as Asgore implies he has never seen the sun.

Asgore and Rudy met in Hotland University, similarly to how in Deltarune they were old college buddies, but here it's a bit... unclear what Asgore was doing in College. Like, Rudy is said to have 'suddenly fallen down' but Dess and Noelle are explicitly alive to see the Barrier fall.

(And 'get to grow up' seems to imply that Dess and Noelle are still fairly young.)

So the Holidays are not from the War of Humans and Monsters Era, and not from the Royal Siblings Tragedy Era, they are explicitly contemporary to the current-day of the Underground. So what was War Veteran Legendary King Asgore Eternally-Stuck-at-40-Years-Old-Cause-His-Kid-Died-a-100-years-ago-That's-Just-the-Lowest-Estimate doing at University? Was it, like, he came in to give a speech and started getting chummy with one of the students? Or was he just like "Well, now that the Underground finally has Higher Education, I guess it's about time I get my BA that sounds like fun?" We don't really have any clarification on that.

But it is pretty clear that the Holidays are around at the same time as the events of Undertale, they live in Snowdin (cause, I mean, obviously)

Rudy died very suddenly, presumably from the same illness that he's suffering from in the Deltarune timeline (The Underground has a mish-mash of fantastically-advanced and slightly outdated technology. Is it possible that they just didn't have the medical technology that is available in Hometown to diagnose his disease?) and that Dess and Noelle are both alive when the True Pacifist Ending happens.

Dess and Noelle are also alluded to in Sans' dialogue in the Exclusive Dog Shrine/Casino in the XBox Version of Undertale

Outside of once again reiterating that Dess and Noelle are alive in Snowdin at the present-day of Undertale, the only potentially-interesting detail is Sans describing them as "the antlered girl and her big sis"... which sounds like it's implicitly saying Dess doesn't have antlers, which is contradicted by Tenna's Flashback in Chapter 3

So either Dess started filing-down her own antlers as a sign of rebellion.... or this was just a slightly-awkward bit of dialogue for the sake of the audience understanding that this is about Noelle and Dess.

(I also think Dess and Noelle are likely to be the sisters from this set of Echo Flowers in the Wishing Room.

But I have to admit my evidence is rather circumstantial and vibe-based.)

Most of the details we have about the Holidays in the Undertale Timeline are rather... ordinary (even considering Rudy's friendship with the King of All Monsters and his tragic early death). I think it's a very deliberate sort of 'roleswap', that a lot of the major Monsters in Undertale have more secondary or background roles in the Deltarune Timeline. While the Holidays were basically just ordinary civilians in the background of the Undertale timeline and now they are extremely central to the plot of Deltarune.

But the most curious thing with the Undertale Holidays is Carol, or rather, Carol's absence. The only reason why know she probably exists is because Asgore mentions Rudy's marriage.

But otherwise he only ever talks about Rudy and his daughters. It's also notable that they live in Snowdin, when one of the most memorable pieces of Minor NPC Dialogue there starts with...

Everything we've seen of Carol so far seems to imply she's very serious about her job, an extremely competent leader and a take-charge kinda lady... It seems kinda weird of her to just let Papyrus become the unofficial authority of Snowdin Town. It really makes one wonder...

I've seen people speculate that Carol Deltarune's attitude is primarily a result of Dess' disappearance, that in the Undertale Timeline where Dess is fine, she's just more chill (...no pun intended) sort of person and maybe doesn't even have any interest in power or authority anymore. Or alternatively, that the trauma of Rudy's early and sudden death + the general hopelessness of being stuck in the Underground had drained her drive and passion, causing her to retreat from the world.

I dunno what I believe just yet, I think I'll have to see more of what makes Carol Deltarune tick before I begin to speculate of what might've been different in the Underground.

[hawkinsschoolcounselor]

Why do you think so many people (at least from what I see on other platforms and some conversations I had irl) seem to be completely ok with the idea of Will dying at the end, never getting to live a happy life and/or not having any romantic feelings reciprocated on-screen? Is it because they see him as a background character whose arc doesn't really matter? Is he just not a character that resonates with the average viewer? I can't imagine everyone is a homophobe but does him being gay contribute that much to the indifference? And do you think that will change as season 5 comes out? I'm not saying that no one cares about him but I get the impression that most people who aren't already Will fans just don't care that much what happens to him.

It's homophobia, plain and simple.

I was talking to @nobylerdoubt yesterday, and we were discussing the Will hate. It came up that fans really didn't start to openly hate on Noah until season 3, when the issue of him being gay hit the mainstream. Until then, fans largely felt bad for him. It ramped up even more after season 4. Why? Because it wasn't a question anymore. The possibility of Will just being behind his friends in liking girls was off the table. Will was gay.

Some assholes just don't like the idea of liking a gay character. And this doesn't even necessarily have anything at all to do with him being a potential romantic partner for Mike. Fans liked him, it became obvious he was gay, then they hated him, and they were probably angry that they were "tricked" into liking him in the first place.

The irony is that the fact that they're acting like Lonnie or Troy is totally lost on those mouthbreathers. They've totally lost the plot.

[sorcererofsolitude]

Alright, folks. By an overwhelming majority, you've voted to see my detailed breakdown of my thoughts on the first half of Wednesday Season 2!

Spoilers under the cut, obviously.

I'll start by saying that I went into this season with low expectations. My only real hope this season was to be entertained. Though I was certainly entertained at times, more often I was left confounded, and not necessarily in a good way.

That said, this is only the first half, and I'm sure that at least some of my criticisms will be nullified by events yet to unfold. I truly hope this is the case since I much prefer to like things than I do to dislike things.

Let's start with the positives!

- Outfits and set design. Everything looked beautiful and expensive. The campgrounds especially were well-decorated and very fun to look at. The outfits were tailored exquisitely to each character and fit their personalities nicely.

- Wednesday and Bianca pair up. Though they did work together a little in the previous season, it was nice to get the two sharpest minds at Nevermore back again to kick some ass.

- Morticia Addams. Need I say more? Getting the family to be close by was a great choice with lots of interesting narrative potential.

- Thornhill coming back only to get absolutely walloped by Tyler had me grinning from ear to ear.

- Grandmama's here! And looking amazing...👀

- Showing more of Nevermore Castle!

- Kent singing like a flaming homo will never cease to amuse me.

Now, for the negatives:

- Pacing. The speed at which new elements to the plot are introduced or solved is... jarring. The audience seems to have no time at all to catch their breath before being flung into yet another mystery.

- Enid's strange shift in attitude. While I'm sure some of it can be explained by Enid's ever-present need to be accepted, especially after wolfing out, I don't think it can excuse everything.

The most obvious example would be her essentially cheating on Ajax and refusing to communicate with him. But the thing that really stuck with me was the blood prank scene.

We see Enid lying in a pool of "blood" with her throat apparently slit. It then quickly becomes obvious that it's just a prank, brah! As much as this felt like a cheap jumpscare for first-time watchers, it also felt quite cruel on Enid's part.

Enid is, at least as we know her in Season 1, a very kind and empathetic person. I have a very difficult time believing that the girl who faints at the sight of bloody crime scene photos would choose a prank of this nature, even for an Addams.

Moreover, Wednesday nearly died last year. SHE nearly died last year! You're telling me that during the time it took to set up this prank, Enid didn't think, "Hmm, this may not be the best joke to pull on my high-strung and possibly traumatized roommate who I care for very much..." ???

- No proper introduction of many new characters. Everything is better with a backstory! This is likely due to runtime constraints. Which leads me to my next issue...

- 8 episodes is far too short for the kind of story they're trying to tell. There are multiple active antagonists and a few more possible antagonists such as Agnes and Thornhill (if she lived). What made Wednesday Season 1 so special was that the characters are the heart of the story, and the action was secondary. It feels a bit flipped this season, to its utter detriment.

- Way too much verbal exposition. This is likely also exacerbated by the issue above, making it much harder to "show, don't tell."

- Eugene/Pugsley pairing. Very little chemistry between the characters, and generally quite boring to watch.

- I really wish Morticia would have just told Wednesday about her aunt Ophelia instead of remaining so staunchly secretive. That honesty would have brought them closer together and given Wednesday some insight as to why Morticia didn't want her having Goody's book.

- Not having Yokovina in this season was a mistake, full stop. So many funny little comic relief moments that could have come from them. Plus, it would have been good to have two recognizable characters in a sea of unfamiliar new faces. Hell, they could have been genuinely integral to the plot if the writers had any good sense. What a waste.

And that's my breakdown! Do you agree? Do you have anything to add? Polite disagreement is always welcome, but hate comments will not be tolerated. Thanks for reading!

A03: SorcererOfSolitude

[liketwoswansinbalance]

what wouldve happened if the Saders (especially Marialena) didn't foretell the prophecy? What wouldve happened if Rafal didn't leave?

This has been in my ask box for months. I hope anon is still around if they still wanted the answer.

@fourleafclovxr Feel free to ignore this, but if you're interested, do you have any thoughts about this question—since it deals with seers and Saders?

⸻

If the neither brother had knowledge of the prophecy then there's a slight chance it may not have happened in a self-fulfilling way with their attempts to prevent it from coming true only furthering its completion. They might've been able to maintain peace.

Yet, even if the prophecy were not told, well, their world is still governed by fate, and considering how much of an inescapable grip that predestination has over everyone's lives, how fates that can't be circumvented���I'm not sure if the innate genre they lived in could have changed from "tragedy."

Even if fates can be subverted by being fulfilled in unconventional ways (as any room for interpretation could be exploited by participants) I don't see how fratricide and there being just One left standing(?) could contain some kind of exceptional clause.

Regardless, this possibility would mean that some sort of "user-friendly" loopholes could exist in their world, like how Chaddick's blood on the handkerchief allowed Rhian II to pull Excalibur when he otherwise wouldn't have been able to.

That instance of cheating is the best example I have at the moment. The rightful son didn't pull the sword, but the event itself, of the sword being pulled, still was able to happen given situational factors. The rightful heir's blood still came into contact with the sword, the sword was pulled (by someone), and the "right" candidate became king by the end. What happened between seminal events may not have mattered in the grand scheme of things.

Thus, prophecies may well work in a top-down way, only going as small-scale as they need to, to ensure outcomes.

So, from this, we could take away that the endings may be predetermined, but that the path to such endings could be open to interference—only to the degree that the ending wouldn't change as the result of any meddling, even if unanticipated third parties involve themselves.

The parties not affected by the prophecy, outside its bounds, could plausibly do whatever they wanted, and have free will (ostensibly, everyone has free will though), but I could venture to say that the consequences of said, seemingly free actions could be manipulated by the hand of fate, to produce those certain outcomes.

Basically, in the Woods, no matter what you try, since you at least have the freedom to try, you won't change a thing with your actions. All those actions would still snowball to produce the exact outcome that's set to happen. (And, if this were true, trying to change your fate would be futile. E.g., think of how Sophie and Agatha were locked into their true natures. They couldn't switch sides.)

(Keep in mind that this post just represents my view of things. We don't necessarily have canon confirmation of anything I'm speculating about.)

Applied to the prequels, if Midas' or the Pan's presences/roles were never predetermined, then they just helped the inevitable end along. If neither of them had been there, perhaps the prophecy still could have reached the same ending by other equally-as-effective means. (Different potential plot(s), one outcome.)

We could also argue that Adela's wording was vague enough to exploit.

So, the same thing could apply to the twins: the prophecy of the One and Adela's betrayal, war, death could happen, and lead to the same outcomes, but the specifics could unfold differently. Or, the events could all happen in the same way but hold different meaning/implications for the future (no 200 year curse despite fratricide or death of another form for Rafal?). Or, none of the events could happen in the same way, but the final ending would be fixed, like I proposed before. I guess we don't really know how malleable or interpretable prophecies or visions are.

And seeing that it's Marialena, I wouldn't put it past her to use red-herrings or mislead, even without saying a word of prophecy. Lying, other methods, or other dialogue/persuasion could produce the same results.

It's hard to separate out the cause and effect to me. We should ask: did (early) knowledge of the prophecy affect how it played out? Or was it set in stone? Or was it inevitable that Rafal's particular combination of character traits (the extorting, the threats, etc.) and the situation (in Monrovia) would have led him to finding out about the prophecy and that that very moment was also a part of the prophecy in action, happening or beginning?

⸻

Second, if Rafal hadn't left, I think the characterization that would hold true was the bit of internal monologue we saw in Fall, that he intentionally cedes some minor(?) arguments to keep the peace with Rhian.

Rhian might not even realize anything were wrong or that Rafal were (probably) hurt by his side being devalued.

I would suspect if Rhian were aware, not much would change. Rhian is prone to burying conflict and truth after all. But, I couldn't see him dwelling on the conflict Rafal lay to rest, unless he had good reason to, or lasting guilt/shame over it.

Rafal on the other hand holds grudges, and while we know he isn't the Evil brother now, he has Evil tendencies, of course, so he could easily let his resentment accumulate and fester inside until he found it in himself to do something: either leave, like he did, or perhaps, display passive aggression?

Outright anger against his brother would not be productive, but if his resentment became that severe, he could potentially lash out, and Rhian would see Rafal's "unprovoked" response as coming out of nowhere. Then, Rhian could accuse him of being irrationally antagonistic, like a villain without motive, or Evil that "always" (often, as of late) loses and that has to deprive Good of an ending to gain one for itself, as we would see the beginning hints of Evil's losing streak no matter what.

By that point, Rafal might either drop the issue, but secretly continue to hold the grudge for the rest of time, a reasonably moderate and functional if not flawless happy ending for the both of them. (Would it last? I'm doubtful.)

Or, Rafal could argue back, setting off the prophecy, even if it had a delayed start this time since I suspect any major enough argument could have set the brothers down the wrong path, no matter what the argument was about, Aladdin or someone/something else, if their bond had weakened over the decades, like it might've been implied to have done in canon.

[olderthannetfic]

I remember awhile ago there was wank about people using the DD:DNE tag too broadly, and not using it for exclusively for dark stuff, and basically just using it as a general "I mean these tags". I'm honestly not too bothered by it though - I mean, the tag IS still generally used/understood to mean darkfic colloquially. If I hear someone say "I write a lot of dead doves" I'm gonna assume they write a lot of dark or potentially triggering/squicky material, not that they are someone who Really, Really, Means Their Tags.

So honestly I think the amount of people who misuse dead dove to be something like "hey guys! this is a crack fic! i'm serious about it being a crack fic! dont read if you hate crack!" are honestly a vocal minority, and not really worth ranting about. By all means we should (gently!) tell people the correct definition of the term if someone misuses it, but like...if I see a dead dove on a silly thing like a fluff fic or a chat fic (not that chat fics cant potentially be edgy but you know what i mean) I'm not gonna assume that there's actually dark stuff hidden somewhere untagged - I'm gonna assume that it really is just silly a fluff without plot fic, and that if I want something serious I should stay away from it.

I've also seen it used for non-edgy but more "stigmatized" things, like fanfics that have a really unique/different take on a popular or character or ship that fans who like the canon/fanon versions might not enjoy. Seen it in RPF too a few times, because unfortunately RPF writers DO often have to signal "hey. this IS rpf. i write these celebrities fucking. if you do not like that please leave now. because i have already tagged it in several different ways. if you still dont get it thats on you."

Like...it's definitely a bit *silly* to use dead dove as a way to signal that you're serious about something goofy, when it IS primarily used for rape, incest, underage, severe mental health issues, abuse, torture, MCD, etc, but like...I see those cases as "theyre a little confused but they got the spirit".

And one common argument I see against this 'softer' definition of DDDNE, is, "well, doesn't EVERYONE mean their tags? Otherwise you'd be tagging improperly!" Hell, I don't even disagree with this, but I think DDDNE has always been about the quantity of the content, right? For instance, a fic with background or past rape might be tagged with rape non con, but it wouldn't necessarily mean use of DDDNE is necessary - whereas someone who writes graphic rape might want to use DDDNE. Similarly, a fic that simply has funny scenes might use "Humor" or "Crack" in the tags, but that does not a crack fic make, hence why someone might dead dove their fics that are pure crack, if they don't fully grasp the meaning of the tag.

--

[rmgold-blog]

I posted this in a reblog but I worked really hard on it so I wanted to make it into its own post.

Tarot in Episode 7

Before I begin: how Tarot is read in the show is a very watered down version of how Tarot is read irl, so I'm gonna try and keep it within the simplistic bounds of the show.

My thought was when Billy and Agatha were doing pulls - they weren't doing it right.

Billy was pulling with intention - but he was the one pulling the cards, and he wasn't answering any questions. So he was just "reading vibes".

As for Agatha's pulls - she wasn't using intention. To her it was a numbers game. Therefore the cards may not mean anything. But I did attempt to read them since set dressing is important to read.

Billy's Tarot Reading for Agatha

The Chariot

Direction/Control/Willpower

I feel like Agatha has been pretty aimless up until this point. In combination with some of the cards in Agatha's reading. I think this is a message of what Agatha needs - but not necessarily what she wants.

Agatha has been falling to this perpetual cycle of hurt - people say she's a bad person, so she is a bad person, so people say she's a bad person... and Agatha needs to break free from that cycle in order to grow. Take control of her own narrative.

The Seven of Swords Reversed

Deception/Trickery/Tactics and Strategy

Telling the Truth/No Deception

Billy describes it as trickery and deception - but it's reversed so it's the opposite ("but that can't be right"). To me this is the more important one to the story. It's more than just talking about "the truth coming to light" it's saying: Billy thinks Agatha is deceiving him. He looked up to her until Alice died, then he felt betrayed, because he believed she could control what she was doing and she killed her on purpose. That she's been deceiving him this whole time. But this card is telling him she's not.

Before we get to the cards Agatha pulled in the beginning of the episode, let's look at what Lilia read for Billy first, because Agatha's pull has a lot more cards and leaves a lot more things up to interpretation, so it's a bit lengthy

Lilia's Tarot Reading for Billy

Perhaps the most important thing to come out of this part of the episode is this conversation about who you need to have a question - not just on how to get out of here, but something that's important to Billy's journey on earth.

Now - later when Lilia does her own reading we don't see her ask a question. In fact she pretty much already knows the answers. So that means this question was solely important (plot wise) for this reading for Billy.

Billy asks: "Am I William or am I Billy?"

Essentially - Who am I?

The Traveler: The Magician

Willpower/Desire/Creation/Manifestation

Lilia describes this card to Billy as him having enormous potential and the ability to turn all his goals into a reality.

This card is very literal - the question is "who am I?" and the card slot is basically the arrow on a map saying "you are here".

Wiccan's powers deal not just with telepathy, but with Willpower. We see this a little bit in the episode when Billy says "I wish Lilia were here". (Now this could just be a nod to this power, since it's not like they just appeared, we know they had been making their way there before Billy said this. But we also know from Lilia that time isn't linear so idk).

What's Missing: The Sun

Joy/Success/Celebration/Positivity

Now this is obviously the interesting one. Lilia brings up "Reunion", which perks Billy's interest.

Obviously we are made to believe that it references Tommy. However the question wasn't about Billy's journey on the road, or even about his life. The question was "Who am I?" "Am I William or am I Billy"

So this reunion has something go do with Billy's identity. It could be the reunion between Billy and William, as many people have speculated that these two identities - William Kaplan or Billy Maximoff - become one Billy Kaplan.

Or - if my theory about the origin of Billy's soul is correct - it could be a reunion between Nicholas Scratch and Agatha, as I believe that Nicky is the original holder of the soul and is the secret third part of Billy's identity...

Agatha's Tarot Reading

A (Vertical): The Traveler

B: What's Missing

C: The Path Behind

D: The Path Ahead

E: Obstacles

F: Potential Windfall

A (Horizontal): Final Destination

The Traveler: Five of Wands

Competition/Rivalry/Conflict

So right off the bat my thoughts are that this relates to the coven as a whole - or Agatha's relationship with Rio. Therefore I'm going to attempt to read both. Alternatively it could just be referencing Agatha as a whole - as she is someone who likes to stir conflict as her means of survival.

Warning: I am not Agathario fan, and I honestly think they're going to come to head to head in the finale.

What's Missing: The Two of Wands

Planning/Making Decisions/Leaving Home

Agatha: this card really marks the beginning of a journey - so I'm interpreting this as taking the first step. She needs to take the first step away from the life she's leading now. Leaving the familiar.

The Coven: was missing in this group is their ability to work together. Consistently, they're always fighting and they don't trust one another.

Agathario: what's missing is making the decision to leave. Leaving this relationship behind. To stop holding on.

The Path Behind: The World

Fulfillment/Harmony/Completion

Agatha: from my perspective Agatha chose this life because it's what everyone told her she was. They said she was evil, so that's what she became. This was her harmonizing with how the world saw her.

The Coven: after Alice's trial things had seemed to be looking up for the coven - before everything went to shit. They had worked together - literally harmonizing - and around the fire they were bonding. But that's in the past now.

Agathario: their relationship in the past was fulfilling - they both felt loved, Agatha got someone who believed in her, and Rio got someone who wasn't scared of her.

Obstacles: The Wheel of Fortune

Change/Cycles/Inevitable Fate

Agatha: using the mental energy, allowing herself to be curious - what more can she be, who can she become? Restlessness, breaking free from the mold she's been made to fit.

The Coven: they need to learn more about one another - break out of their past perceptions of each other, and think critically. What have they heard that could be lies? Biases? Do they believe that?

Agathario: to move forward Agatha needs to be inquisitive, critical. I feel that Rio is reeling Agatha in - she's trying to simultaneously make Agatha look bad to the rest of the coven, make the coven look like they don't trust her despite how much Agatha is frying, and make herself look better in Agatha's eyes for continuing to be so caring for her. The message Rio wants Agatha to receive is: no one will ever love you like I do. Agatha needs to be critical of that claim.

Windfall: The Hanged Man

Sacrifice/Release/Martyrdom

Agatha: falling into old habits, throwing up her defenses whenever she feels threatened. See: when Billy stopped believing in her, she didn't push being genuine, she decided to play the role again - not show weakness. She needs to be vulnerable to grow.

The Coven: cycles of falling back on assumptions - Jen especially always brings up that Agatha is dangerous, not to be trusted. I'm sure she may feel similarly about Billy, knowing who he is too, and what he did to her. They need to overcome this.

Agathario: Agatha is falling into the same trap - this toxic cycle they existed in. "You kill every Witch around you and I get my bodies" They have a working relationship, and it can be easy to fall into those same patterns.

Destination: Ten of Swords

Failure/Collapse/Defeat

...seems kind of final doesn't it. No matter what way I read it seems like the end of the Road leads to complete and tragic failure.

But that's not the only possible outcome.

Agatha keeps going - it's a numbers game after all - and we see her put down another card on top of the Ten of Swords.

Destination: The Chariot

Direction/Control/Willpower

Hang on... we've seen this before. This is the first card Billy pulled for Agatha. It all comes full circle.

As I said earlier - the Chariot here may reference Agatha breaking free from this cycle of selfishness, hurt, and hunger of power. She can put aside people's assumptions of her and do what she wants, instead of filling the role others have cast her for.

Not a hero by any means - but not a villain.

I think by having two cards here, it references there are two ways this can end for Agatha. She's at a crossroads. Will she lower her guard, accept help and understanding, or will her walls stay up, not allowing for input and change?

[yanderes-galore]

Betty Grof (Adventure Time) Platonic/Romantic hc :3 🪲 [Shiny Bug Anon]

Sure! Sorry if it's a bit short... I was focusing on behavior HCs over plot. This is before Fionna and Cake.

❗️Potential Adventure Time Spoilers Below❗️

Yandere! Betty Grof Concept

Pairing: Platonic/Romantic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Manipulation, Overprotective behavior, Clingy behavior, Delusional behavior, Magic murder, Kidnapping, Isolation, Forced companionship/relationship.

Honestly, I feel Betty is a yandere who means well... but ends up not knowing when to quit.

We see in the show all the things she's willing to do for Simon.

Even beating up entities and making herself go insane with magic just to find a way to save the one she cares for.

She's willing to do anything to save the one she loves.

She'll never let the one she cares for go, even if it means sacrificing herself.

I'd consider Betty an overprotective, delusional, and self-sacrificing yandere.

She's willing to sacrifice anything and everything just to live happily with the one she cares for.

She isn't really possessive... just overbearing from what I've seen.

Even if letting you go would be the best course of action, she won't.

She dedicates so much of her time to the one she loves that she refuses to think about living without them.

Also, once she obtains magic, she's one of the strongest yanderes in Ooo.

It would be so easy for her to obliterate anyone she sees as a threat once she has magic.

No blood needed, she'd probably make someone just explode with confetti.

They're definitely still dead though.

The good thing is Betty isn't usually murderous.

The only time she is if you're in danger.

Although with her delusional mind... who knows what that counts as?

Betty is more likely to be a romantic yandere due to how she is with Simon.

Although, it would not surprise me if Betty was like this with a close friend or someone else she saw as family.

She definitely means well... but that doesn't excuse her actions.

She's incredibly devoted and loving, clinging to you and refusing to let go.

She devotes her entire being to you, she lives for love.

I think she's fine with you having friends as long as you reassure her she's your favorite.

Better do that if you want to save your friends from being subjected to magic.

So, she isn't necessarily possessive.

She's mostly just overly protective.

To a lethal degree.

Girl would fight against anything to prevent you from dying and leaving her.

In that aspect, she's similar to how I write Finn.

Except while Finn tries to ignore his obsessive desires, Betty accepts it.

She knows you make her insane.

You're all she has.

If she doesn't live to protect you, what does she live for?

Her obsession becomes her entire reason for existence in Ooo.

She doesn't care what happens to her or anyone else.

As long as you're safe, as long as she can make you happy...

Nothing else matters.

She's a bit manipulative, the entire time just trying to convince you what she's doing is right.

It would not surprise me if she kidnapped you to keep you beside her.

She doesn't trust anyone else to care for you like she does.

You may struggle now... but she doesn't want you to hate her.

She'll do anything for you to love her back...

Except let you go.

Letting you die or go off to belong to someone else sends her spiraling.

It's not like you could get away from her anyways.

She teleports to you easily and could trap you in a pocket dimension only she knows about if she wanted.

Betty essentially can do near anything with magic.

She won't force you to love and care for her...

But she'll dedicate herself to you regardless.

She'll give you whatever you want... as much affection as you want... enough gifts to spoil you...

She loves you, no matter what form of love... she adores you.

It soothes her and makes her happy to commit to you.

Even if you don't accept her adoration... she hopes she can convince you...

She'll never stop loving you... she'll still give anything she can to you...

Including sacrificing her life to keep you happy and safe... or isolate you so no one will threaten that perfect fantasy.

[raayllum]

The creators once posted sometime after S7 concluded that they had considered giving Karim a redemption arc before deciding that having him die making one last poorly thought-out power grab would be a more satisfying conclusion for his arc. I have no complaints about Karim being irredeemable, but how do you think making him beyond redemption is a better choice for the overall story?

Karim is one of my favourite characters in the show, and going forward into S6/S7 I wasn't entirely sure which way his character arc was going to land. I'd expected him to win in S6 (so that he could free Kim'Dael) and so that he'd have further parallels to Ezran (S4/S5 meta on that here). This was mostly due to me expecting Karim to foil and be a contrast to other characters — Callum, Viren, Ezran, Janai — as his primary narrative role.

For Callum & Ezran, it was as brother-mages (Callum) who'd betray the other (over Runaan) whenever that plot point came around. For Viren, Karim was following his path politically and was usurper. For Janai, ridden with uncertainty and doubt, Karim was impulsive and all too certain.

However, it was evident that the brothers would reconcile (they did), that Viren had cinched a continuing atonement arc (already in s4, then outright in s5 — which, afterwards is when the bulk of the linked meta was written), and that Janai would ultimately reclaim/remain being queen of her people.

So where would that leave Karim?

An important note I think, then, is that TDP has never preached complete pacifism. It has always, routinely, framed violence as a last resort but still a resort, and that figuring out what is worth violence vs what isn't is a crucial, difficult, but occasionally achievable process. Ezran is the most pacifistic character by far, and he still has a huge attempted "people I (would've) murdered" body count after all.

So I'd argue that TDP's stance isn't so much as "people can always change" so much as it is "you have to be real damn sure that a person Won't choose to change before you kill them". And even then, it acknowledges that stopping a person from doing active harm in that moment even unto death/murder (S3 Viren with Rayla; S7 Aaravos with the archdragons) is not an exclusively bad thing, either.

Life is precious. Life is valuable. We take it, but we do not take it lightly.

What then, is 'irredeemable' in TDP? To put it simply, there's not much: you can kill someone, or kill someone's beloved family member, or orchestrate a war, or gaslight/deceive people, or burn people alive, or repeatedly use dark magic or consume your own flesh, or all of the above, and still be considered Redeemable within TDP depending on 1) why you did any of the above regarding the Circumstances and/or 2) if you changed afterwards.

That doesn't mean you're going to get endless passes, not every character can have the same arc for both time, variety, and personality, but most characters (Kasef, Viren, Claudia, even Aaravos) have at least the seed of potential to make better/other choices.

With this in mind, Viren's atonement/redemption arc being almost exclusively about his interpersonal relationships > his global political wrongdoing makes the answer abundantly clear as to what TDP thinks is unforgivable if you don't come back from it: forsaking your loved ones.

This does not mean abandoning them, or even standing / fighting against them. It doesn't even necessarily mean killing or trying to kill them!

It means seeing them as JUST the enemy or JUST a thing. Just an obstacle or barrier in your way, or a tool to use for your own ends.

This is, notably, when ultimately dooms Aaravos in S7. He forgets about his child (Sir Sparklepuff) till it catches him off guard. He does not fathom that Avizandum's love for his mate and child could be stronger than Aaravos' control over him. And it is this forgetfulness, this 'twisting' of love into something else, that Terry lampshades as well: "Maybe this started out as a story of love, but along the way it got twisted. He isn't doing anything for love. He's doing it out of revenge" when it comes to personal love, and Runaan when it comes to other matters: "I remember I fought you. I tried to kill you! How could I?" / "I was a peacemaker, a twisted peacemaker, I suppose [...] but I am not dead. I am alive. I have a family I love."

Much like Kasef is 'punished' narratively for his impulsivity and penchant towards violence, providing a contrast for our young heroes and proof that not every young person will make the same choices they did, Karim is a cautionary sign of what happens if you forsake your loved ones — and you do not recover it.

There's a reason that despite walking Viren's path in so many ways, Karim does not recover the same way Viren did, because Viren re-learned how to see his children as people, not objects. Not heirs or spell parts or assets.

Karim became so concerned with seeing others — his family members, his loved ones — as symbols (things), he lost sight of everything else. He got so swept up in seeing Janai as a queen, and then a false queen who was in his way, that he couldn't see her clearly as his sister anymore, and this eventually extended to everyone / everything else in his life, including himself (viewing himself as a martyr, a true king, a flame to remake the world through).

This is also why the broyals reconciliation is through the lens of "we're brothers and we need each other" and has nothing to do about being king or high mage. Those are their jobs and especially for Ezran are important parts of themselves, but it's still just parts, not the whole. It also helps indicate that Claudia and Soren at the end of 7x09, who clearly do still hold love for each other, are not as broken as Janai (who retained love) and Karim (who did not). None of them ever lost love like the way Karim did. There's a lot throughout arc 2 about how steadily he got there, which may be worth a meta someday, but who knows.

The actual manner of death — Karim swaggering in arrogant and puny as ever, severely overestimating his power and leverage, with consistent focus on his hands (his red glove, holding 'fate' between his fingertips with the sun seed) being little more than a red smear in Aaravos' hand is also some deliciously chewy symbolism and an ultimate slap in the face (deservedly so) to his own ideals of grandeur.

Is there an interesting story to explore of Miyana, or something else, being a catalyst for Karim changing? Sure! But I think Miyana and her children's situation — as well as her potential dynamic with Janai and Amaya — is infinitely more interesting given his absence, as well as allowing Karim to occupy a more unique part of the narrative with his thematic explorations. He's a fantastic character foil and character in his own right, and I think he embodied everything they set out to do like, absurdly exceedingly well.

So short form answer: yes! I'm inclined to agree that it's a more satisfying ending tbh, especially with his writing in 7x03 onwards! I do miss him dearly, though. I miss him every day.

[planetaryaether]

Where do you think the other doorways to the facility come from?

I meant to answer this before today's episode but they are probably just Easter eggs/exist so that there isn't just a single entrance focused on the JF2 teleporter which would have a whole lot of implications. There is a great reddit post here that breaks down all of the potential references.

now if we are to do my favorite thing and overanalyze this, this is (or seems the at least) the storage room for jaffa headquarters which implies that they are shipping something to/from each of those locations. Narrowing in on the SOI door because lets be honest of course we are going to do that (and it would have the biggest impact on the lore):

The physical cloning machines in yoglabs (bottom right) have always had a lot of visual similarities to those of SOI (bottom left) even down to the freezing/use of water/ice on the person being cloned, with the main difference being the aesthetics of the rest of the room.

The JF2 cloning room (top left), has some visual callbacks to SOI beyond the clone vats specifically I am mainly focused on the amount of green in the room. In the episode there are green lights going all the way up towards the ceiling, on the sides of the walkway, practically everywhere in the clone room. This goes well beyond a green 'ready' indicator. This feels like a callback to the radiation/green themes in SOI (note: both JF2 #53 and SOI #39 where these images are from are focused on defeating evil/failed honeydew clones).

The difference in aesthetics is interesting since this is clearly after yoglabs in the timeline, but whoever is really in charge has moved away from the clean lab aesthetics of yoglabs towards that of SOI. If you assume it is Xephos prime, that could signal a level of desperation or obsession with SOI tech or something specific that happened there/then.

With the idea of technological advancement in mind for both yoglabs and the jaffa factory, moving towards older tech is interesting. Perhaps there is some lost technology that whoever is in charge believes is they key to their goals, or that it is some version of a 'I can do it right this time' plot with SOI tech.

It would be really interesting to see any of the other tech from SOI reinter the yogs canon besides cloning, and this would be a great opportunity to do that, although I don't necessarily think it is likely.

The prominent theme of radiation in both series is really interesting too, and there is a lot of potential development to be done there. Maybe radiation is causing master clones to slowly decay or there is some sort of limit. Maybe radiation could be tied to some other form of immortality (and making clones for securing Xephos prime/Honeydew's safety not necessary). It is too early to say more than this right now but there could definitely be something here.

[mixelation]

have you heard of the dire wolves coming back (sorta?) through genetic engineering?? When I read about it my first thought was of you and how you'd probably write a post about its actually all a scam or something...

Ha! Yeah okay, so multiple people have contacted me over this now lol. For reference the only real article I've read about it is this one, plus some general chatter on tumblr, like this post.

I've posted about the company behind this, Colossal Biosciences, a little bit here. The tl;dr of that post is that I think I'm more pro "de-extinction" or "resurrection" than a lot of other people yelling on tumblr. I don't think the goal necessarily should be re-introduction to current ecosystems, but such techniques could give us new ways to study extinct species and the tools we'd have to develop to get there would be MASSIVELY useful to conservation of extant-but-endangered species. I'd okay with a (responsibly managed) plot of land dedicated to letting rich people go ride mammoths or whatever if the money from that (and the general public excitement/interest in biology it would generate) and the technology made to MAKE that are then put into conserving interesting types of worms or other less charismatic species.

The dire wolf being "de-extinct" thing is........ clickbait. They assembled a "good quality" dire wolf (Aenocyon dirus) genome from DNA extract from fossils, which is a pretty cool feat if true. They then made 20 gene edits to grey wolf (Canis lupus) embryos to make them "look like" dire wolves. In the article I linked, the scientist they interviewed was pretty frankly like "yeah it's like 99.9% grey wolf." There's also been screen shots going around of whatever Colossal Biosci spokespersons being like "noooo this totally counts guys. Species is a manmade concept! It's the phenotype that counts!" which I think people are right to be annoyed by. You made some grey wolves slightly more dire wolf-like, my guys. Claiming you're made a "de-extinct" species is just..... not true.

All that being said, it's not like they did NOTHING. The headlines and the reddit AMA or whatever defending these wolves as "totally real dire wolves!!!" makes it sound like the company is just doing things without know what they're doing, but making 20 separate gene edits in a wolf and getting three healthy puppies is actually really impressive. They also said they used techniques they developed during the dire wolf project to clone some puppies of the critically endangered red wolf, which is potentially amazing news for conservation. Streamlining complex gene editing means potentially helping wolf populations that have gone through huge bottlenecks and are now highly inbred. Being able to put a gene of interest into another organism also means the gene can be studied, so no matter what people bitching on tumblr say, these fake dire wolves could provide insight into studying actual dire wolves, albeit in a limited capacity. I'd rather there just be public support and tons of government funding for research and conservation work, but in the capitalist hellscape we currently live in, a bro-y biotech company selling annoying clickbait but also contributing actual important work on the side is perhaps the strategy we're going to have to live with.

So, those are the potentially positives I see, but I also have very mixed feelings about Colossal Biosciences as a whole because it's unclear to me what their actual mission, like..... is? They could get us some real conservations #Wins, but they could also do shit like copyright genes and refuse to coordinate with outside scientists they'd need in order to move conservation form the lab to real ecosystems. What are they even going to do with their dire wolves, or their cloned red wolves? Is it really just to show off a big wolf or are they interested in actually studying them? Why are their representatives saying insane shit about "de-extincting phenotypes" on reddit? They're privately funded so there's not necessarily peer review or verification that their various claims are even true.... DID they actually successfully make 20 gene edits? DO they actually have a good quality genome? I have no idea. If anyone knows, please point us at their publications in a peer-reviewed journal.

anyway if i were fuck-off wealthy, i'd be resurrecting weird bugs and various diseases, so. could be worse

[detective-pancake]

Hey, so I don't want to be that guy, but when are we going to acknowledge that Akechi was right?

No, I obviously don't mean about the things he was very clearly wrong about. I'm referring to the things he says in interviews about the Phantom Thieves. I hate how many people switch up after playing through his betrayal who previously agreed with his views, because nothing he said is wrong and nothing he did changes that fact. He speaks in the TV Station on the objective facts that he should know about, and with or without the context of his form of justice those facts stay true. It's a fallacy to claim that his form of justice being universally less approved of makes the Phantom Thieves better by comparison, or discredits anything he said. I don't think the Phantom Thieves are evil, or that they should necessarily be imprisoned, but I do think that they are not morally sound. They're kids. Prior to his betrayal I think he served his purpose well, but it's easy to disregard the validity of his words when you find out that he's a murderer. With the knowledge he SHOULD have had (and that many DID have), everything he says is true. And honestly? It still can be true for basically the entire plot of the game. Mishima's confidant tests the thieves in that way. They could have changed the hearts of anyone who's not a persona user, for any personal reason. It's a slippery slope.

I'll use these three options as an example for why he's right:

"They're justice itself" is just subjective and incorrect, because justice as a concept is individualized and given how each Phantom Thief has different reasons for being one it's ridiculous for even them to say. Their first target was before they even formed a group, and Ann was ready to kill Kamoshida. The others were not even going to step in, and they were going to respect her choice either way. All the members are so different, so this is an insane claim to make.

"They're necessary" is wrong because to say they are necessary is pretty disingenuous to all "justice" that has ever happened BEFORE they existed. I don't believe that the Thieves were a necessity per say, and personally I think their actions can only be judged on a case by case basis. Some Mementos targets for example have issues that stem beyond what they have done. Now they have their desires stolen but still have the issue that pushed them to immortality in the first place, plus a shitton of guilty baggage. The Thieves only help with the atonement, but not the push. How many of those people didn't just go right back to their past behaviors? How many of them got worse in other ways? Think about Futaba, she felt so guilty for something she thought she did, she formed a palace to condemn herself to die alone. To claim the Thieves are necessary to reform society implies that their method is the most effective, and I think that's a lot to claim for something they don't understand.

"They do more than the cops" I almost agree with. Legally the police in Japan in this game anyway (yes I'm aware it extends to reality in many ways, but I'm referring to just the game right now) are corrupt and flawed for the most part, but the thing I don't agree with is that this makes the Thieves a better alternative. They're not. For the same reason Yoshizawa says later, the Thieves can only do so much as vigilantes, and to imply that society should rely on these faceless nameless flawed people to fix society is not any better than what they have now. Especially with the method being unknown, potentially unsafe, and easily exploitable. I cannot be the only one who if the Phantom Thieves were real, would be extremely alarmed by the prospect of a group of vigilantes "changing hearts" right? It's so vague, and the pattern is dystopian. At least police methods are familiar

What I'm saying is that they're kids, and it's kind of insane that this game places Akechi as the narrative foil for the Thieves in their message and then makes it so easy to disregard because "he's an assassin so how could he know anything about justice". The Thieves don't either, and Ann was nearly a murderer. If the bar is "don't commit murder when you're infiltrating someone's mind" then it's far too low. I wouldn't trust a group of adults with this power to reform society, even less a group of teenage vigilantes. I'm 19, and I find this odd. And Strikers frames them as even more righteous, and it bugs me even more in that game. At least Royal has the third semester to give a bit more nuance to how big of a responsibility Ren was given, but that's also very frequently misinterpreted.

I love this game, and I love this fandom, and I have thoughts that get weird and ranty. I apologize, but I hope you all found this as interesting as I did.

[ominousgradient]

I maintain the opinion that Snotlout and Ruffnut should have dated for a couple episodes in rtte, the writers clearly felt the need to pair up all their female characters and I think it would have made for some fun interactions with them annoying the other riders and asking for relationship advice. I'm not even a Rufflout shipper it just seems like a good plotline.

They could have ended up paired together for some job, maybe they go against Hiccups wishes like in the speed stinger ep. and while they're annoyed with eachother at first they end up bonding over their similarities, like that they're both troublemakers with a penchant for schadenfreude

Rufflout would go back and forth between being a very publicly affectionate couple because they both think they're tough shit for having a partner and loudly bickering to the point that they jeopardize missions, just middle school tier relationship drama

They'd end up breaking up but have gained a newfound appreciation for eachother. I feel like they'd only really have dated because they wanted to have a partner, not because they wanted eachother necessarily but you could imply that Snotlout still has some lingering feelings for Ruff as a setup for the second movie (it's wild to me that rtte had so many romance plots but they didn't bother to set up the 2nd movie love triangle at all besides two short scenes in the very last episode that don't really tell us anything, at that point you might as well just have left it out)

You could mix in some Hiccstrid as well, maybe things where heating up between them but seeing how disruptive a relationship can be to the team dynamic the two of them might have to reconsider how them being together would affect the group and their mission (they already do that but being exposed to constant Rufflout drama would make things even worse), plus you could have Ruffnut and Astrid and Snotlout and Hiccup have two respective conversations about the opposite sex and dating advice where Hiccstrid gives their opinion on relationships and love in general (bonus points if the convo is extremely awkward and both are clearly thinking about their crush but Snotlout/Ruffnut cuts them off to tell them that they’re acting weird and aren't being helpful at all)

It would also be interesting to see Snotlout actually dating someone, since he's so invested in getting into a relationship. Would it be a "dog that caught the car" scenario or would he be over moon and try his best ?

There’s also some great potential for Tuffnut here, judging by the second movie he'd dissaprove but if we go by Snotlout gets the Axe he might not have a problem with them dating and would support his sisters romantic endeavours. Maybe he provides well-meant but deeply bizarre insights on men and what they're into, or he goes the opposite route by giving purposefully bad advice (that still somehow ends up working) or by just outright trying to kill Snotlout