#intelligence implies belligerence

[positron2399]

Who lies within the night sky?

“Survival of the fittest” is an often misunderstood quote, “fittest” doesn’t mean being the strongest smartest, most complex critter, but being adequate enough to survive and reproduce in whatever environment the organism finds itself in.

That being said, don’t expect a species that can reach the stars to be stupid wimps, and if they ever glance in our direction, pray they liked what they say, at least for passive indifference. Those nuclear firecrackers and men with peashooters likely won’t even scratch the “cleaning products.”

Even those who merely wish to control and conquer with “primitive” technology are still going to use self-replicating probes armed with railguns capable of shooting nukes and telephone pole-sized tungsten rods like a semi-automatic, God forbid a full-auto.

This doesn’t mean space is a “Dark Forest,” however, as it’s not exactly easy to hide with all that nothing, as far as those much smarter than me can tell. So all the Xeno’s crimes against intelligence will be visible for all to see. Still, even if there’s another civilization out there who could protect us, whether it be completely alien to the attackers or merely another faction of their race, at the quickest, it’ll be years before the omnicide is seen, but more likely, decades or centuries give how “slowly” light crawls across space.

[mariacallous]

In one form or another, all of America’s major enemies — China, Russia, North Korea and Iran — are intervening in and taking advantage of our election.

North Korea just had its say by directly joining Russia’s invasion of Ukraine; South Korean and Ukrainian officials reported last week that some North Korean personnel, probably military engineers, were killed in Ukraine.

U.S. intelligence then declassified a report that said at least 3,000 North Korean soldiers are undergoing combat training in Russia, a development that U.S officials say could have global implications. Ukrainian intelligence places the number at 12,000.

“It’s effectively the participation of a second state in the war against Ukraine on the side of Russia,” President Volodymyr Zelensky announced to Ukraine’s Parliament.

Though Western intelligence and political leaders were clearly surprised by the deployments, they logically operationalize the Russia-North Korea strategic partnership announced in June. In that agreement, the parties pledged mutual cooperation should either come under “attack” or “armed invasion.”

The document did not specify whether it would apply to retaliatory action taken by a third country in response to aggression perpetrated by either of the parties, such as Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, or Ukraine’s recent responsive incursion into Russia’s Kursk region. But the infusion of North Korean forces in the last few weeks into the Russian-occupied territory of Ukraine, and their possible use in the Ukrainian-held part near Kursk, signifies that Moscow and Pyongyang make no distinction between offense and defense, and are acting in flagrant defiance of international law.

The Russo-North Korean pact, which Kim Jong Un insists on calling an “alliance,” cites Article 51 of the United Nations Charter as somehow validating North Korea’s intervention. But that provision affirms “the inherent right of individual or collective self-defense if an armed attack occurs against a Member of the United Nations.” It authorizes the use of defensive force by the victim of aggression and its allies — not, perversely, further offensive action by the aggressor nation that triggered the conflict in the first place.

Article 51 protects Ukraine and those who help it, not Russia and North Korea. Their invocation the article to justify expanding Russian aggression (and now North Korean aggression) against Ukraine makes a mockery of the U.N. Charter and turns on its head the principal international lesson of World War II. If left unchallenged and unchecked, it increases the chances of World War III.

National security spokesperson and former Adm. John Kirby put the matter in terms of the laws of war. “We recognize the potential danger here,” he said. If these North Korean troops are employed against Ukraine, they will become legitimate military targets.” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin implied the North Korean intervention could have military ramifications beyond the immediate War zone: “If they’re co-belligerents — if their intention is to participate in this war on Russia’s behalf — that is a very, very serious issue. It will have impacts, not only in Europe. It will also impact things in the Indo-Pacific as well.”

That is already happening.

South Korea just announced that, given the enhanced capabilities to attack the South provided by North Korea’s participation in the Ukraine War, Seoul is seriously considering sending weapons to assist the Kyiv government’s self-defense. It is possible, depending on how North Korea reacts to that development, that at some point South Korean soldiers could also be sent to fight the North Koreans there.

Ukraine is already experiencing a reprise of Nazi-like aggression as in World War II; conflict between North and South Korea in Ukraine would also make the besieged country a proxy site for the renewal of the Korean War.

China and Russia have their strategic anti-U.S. partnership, announced in February 2022 by Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin just before the invasion of Ukraine. China and North Korea have had a “lips and teeth” diplomatic and economic partnership for decades. While Iran lacks similar formal arrangements with any of the other members of the new Axis of Evil, it engages in weapons transactions with all of them.

The other three members of the group have all provided Russia with essential weapons, munitions and other material aid, but North Korea is the first so far to provide fighting forces in support of Russia’s aggression. Yet, because of the Biden-Harris administration’s inhibiting fears of escalation, no NATO members have dispatched organized military forces to Ukraine. That may now change.

Kirby said, “We’re going to be talking to allies and partners, including Ukrainians, about what the proper next steps are going to be.”

Given Israel’s widening conflict with Iran and the demands on the West from Russia’s war with Ukraine, which existed before North Korea’s unwelcome intervention, many in the U.S., including some in Congress, may feel that America’s security circuits are already overloaded. That is a dangerous predicament even before considering the looming China threat against Taiwan.

Yet, fraught as the international situation is, there has been astonishingly little in-depth discussion of foreign policy from either Donald Trump or Kamala Harris, and a paucity of substantive questioning from the media. Over the coming weeks, members of the new Axis of Evil may have further unhappy surprises for the democratically distracted West.

[fat-rolls-frictions]

document added to your inventory. transcript below.

CW: referenced self-harm, implied teeth horror, torture, unreality. @fiddles-ifs

(The document is marked as CONFIDENTIAL with various administration stamps and handwritten notes on the top margin. Much of the dates and serial numbers are illegible.

A ring stain from a cup is clearly visible on the bottom right corner.)

PARANORMAL INTELLIGENCE AND RESEARCH AGENCY

TRAINEE EVALUATION REPORT

Trainee's Name: Nguyen, Kim

Subject: Mission no.06 - Simulated Interrogation

Handlers: A. Itamura, V. Wallace

(Scattered throughout are fragmented phrases. They read: "who were?" "do you even care? do you" "you did not" "remember" "do you ever? di")

Addendum-120320A: Agents reported "unexpected" degree of resistance. Preliminary injuries logged. Mission proceeded without further complications.

("They have pliers.")

Overview: Trainee's previously recorded paranoia exacerbated after preparation period. Roommates reported heightened stress unrelated to anticipation of mission; effect attributed directly to trainee. Arrangements for extraction made with regards to trainee's evals and Dr. (redacted)'s suggestions.

Proceeding:

Trainee exhibited remarkable contentiousness despite several injuries, including a fractured collarbone and mild concussion. Agents instructed to secure with force given trainee's well documented volatility. Mission hook revealed. Dr. (redacted) correctly predicted that trainee would fail to respond to accusations of collaborating, or otherwise spearheading, the information leaks. Agents instructed to proceed with physical methodologies.

Stalemate achieved approx. 0500 hours after agent Itamura di ("his hands on your this pulp is not yours"). Trainee made multiple attempts to ("retaliate / retribute / requiter / illegible text"). Evidently unsuccessful (See A-120320B below). Trainee continued to redirect attention away from mission hook, oftentimes inciting, and appearing to relish retribution from agents. Previous psychological evals point to this being a product of mere belligerence. [break] ("It's the only thing you're capable of.") Nevertheless, agents pursued this lead to its completion, as is protocol.

Agent Wallace discovered healing injuries unrelated to mission at the 0619 hour mark. Injuries appear to be self-inflicted in nature, located in both inner arms. It was surmised that [break] teeth [break] match ("you didn't mean to but it happened what kind of person do this it just happened" "you" "tear into" "fuck off") unexpected emotional and psychological reactions. Agents authorized to remove part of trainee's sleeve in order to continue the interrogation.

(Overlay in the break, nearly illegible: "they pour water down your throat and it comes spilling out then he (illegible) hands teach you again the shape of your jaws you know intimately someone stupider would say-")

Incident C133-120320 took place at 0922 hours when agent Itamura prepared to [break] after several threats to [break] if trainee did not ("repent"). Neither agents anticipated the outburst. Agent Wallace remarked that [break] ("pliers")

("-bunny". The word "bunny" repeats several times after this instance in the margins.)

("sometimes you see people they do not stop even when they should even when" "metal on molars on gum on tongue" "you are horror under a pin with not dead cells taken off piece by piece a stream of un-consciousness good for nothing but self-cannibalizing desperate for something to fill your detritus a hate for something you can't name" "a you that do not" "are not")

("sometimes you see people they forget that they are people. sometimes that is for the best.")

[break]

Addendum-120320B: Itamura submitted for performance review after mission. Agent demonstrated certain lack of discipline in carrying out the mission and was influenced easily by trainee's provocations. Additional psychological eval recommended along side with physical therapy.

Incident log C133-120320: You cannot forget how bone feels between teeth.

("something hungers in the woods somewhere and it always finds you among the trees." This sentence repeats in the background, going off the margin.)

Department of Training. 21/02/(redacted)

("you had bunny teeth. you remember

someone

calling you

puppy

though.")

[nichtschwertart]

Earth is the stage of many conflicts big and small, miraculous and mundane, grand and petty. It is, perhaps most notably, one of the main battlegrounds of the Bellum Magnum. But Earth is also the site of an ongoing struggle that is notable only in its peculiarity: the Sierpiński War.

Its history begins with the rise of Cold War espionage agencies. As the various spy networks of the world constructed, confabulated and investigated all manner of plots and conspiracies, a number of cells all over the world found a strange pattern in their collected data. They found certain sets of code names, shell corporations and false government divisions that could not with any amount of work be resolved down to anything real, but kept popping up in otherwise totally unrelated documents. This bizarre pattern came to be known as the Sierpiński conspiracy. No agent that ever tried has managed to unravel it. There would always be further clues to find, but following them was less like tightening the noose around the neck of a grand conspirator and more like falling endlessly down into a fractal hole of deceit and hidden meaning. To those who fail to cut their losses it becomes the ultimate mystery: A picture that seems to consistently become clearer and sharper without ever fully resolving. Surely there must be an end to its complexity! Surely Sierpiński cannot be everywhere, involved in everything, manipulating absolutely everybody. Surely the end is just out of reach. Surely you've nearly got it. You're so close. So close you can feel its edges on your throat. All major modern intelligence agencies forbid research into Sierpiński at this point. The patterns are identifiable enough to allow supervisors to effectively warn would-be obsessives away, but around a dozen rogue cells of compromised operatives seek the truth to this day, all hot on the heels of this mastermind conspiracy. The truth is of course, that the patterns lead them in circles and so they are mainly tracking, ambushing, raiding and fighting one another. Funding, scarce and largely funneled into these outfits from the black budgets of the richest nations by mysterious means, is augmented by the tried and true spy methods of fraud and con artistry. Police actions against all parties still involved in this Sierpiński War fall prey to the fractal patterns just as surely as any investigation into the conspiracy at its heart and so the struggle continues, a shadow war of immeasurable cost and unknowable purpose.

The ultimate truth, however is surprisingly simple: The Sierpiński conspiracy does not exist. It is a mere dream of the void; a pattern from the unfathomable systems of correspondence, misdirection and implied meaning within the Ineffable Bureau of Ninuan. It was never meant for Creation. It fits itself snugly into the code-word-riddled, massively redacted and highly temporary practices of non-documentation and communication of Earth's Espionage and Counter-Espionage communities. It constructs itself in the paperwork to always present the tantalizing lure of deeper truth. But it's ultimately nothing at all, doesn't actually make any sense or have a resolution.

If anybody had the means to tally up the actual funds held by all belligerents in the Sierpiński War over time, they would find that a portion of untraceable lost assets totals a number perfectly matching the income on a Swiss bank account owned by one Ildinia Kills-With-Words.

[cloudyspider]

Rereading/watching BBCT to look for intriguing missed out bits and partially reviewing them now tbh part 4 featuring Carl and Arakune.

Carl's CT story has a bit in common with Jin's where they're both more nuanced in how they act in comparison with how they act in other's stories. Like they're more well behaved and understandable rather than just plain belligerent and/or insane. Not that he doesn't have his moments of belligerence or insanity but he does start off with more moments of sincere civility with others rather than barely concealed hostility.

There's something odd though where after he wins his match against Rachel she tells him what he need to help return Ada is a more powerful Nox Nyctores and points him to Jin and Noel's. Almost every Nox wouldn't help him barring Muchorin, and maybe Musashi if something needs slashing to separate Ada from Nirvana, wouldn't help him in the slightest in helping Ada so I don't know why Rachel tell him that's what he needs. Pointing him to Kokonoe would've been better because she probably can restore Ada wholly. Just a really odd choice on her part.

Arakune's is weirdly straightforward albeit insane with the dialogue option to actually have his lines be normal and not missing large chunks of it. It's just seeing behind the eyes of an insane monster that's operating on instinct and warped intelligence. Not really much trace of Roy here besides some grudging shade he throws at Kokonoe and asking Litchi for help when he's getting beat by Hakumen.

His story makes it clear that eating Ragna and his Azure Grimoire is also a bad idea but not for the obvious reasons. In the scenario where he does eat Ragna Hakumen calls Arakune a fool who's action would imprison them all in the Boundary. In the scenario where Arakune decides not to eat Ragna he says "I, who can't take it, am... this soul has a huge mass of heat and hence the fountain has exsiccated and continues to burn... the should... a horrible nightmare..." and then laughing confused. The former has an overt meaning, if unclear how this would happen, while the latter I think implies that Arakune can't "digest" someone with a strong enough soul without risk to himself. He doesn't seem to have this problem later when eating things like Nox Nyctores and their owners but he was also got upgraded by Relius later so idk. Got me thinking if what also makes Arakune a failed Black Beast is that he can't truly internalizes what he consumes in a meaningful manner but that's for a different day.

Welp up next Litchi and Taokaka.

[seriousbrat]

You're so right about all of this and as a fan of the Marauders as well as Snape it's so hard to find fics that portray Snape in a way that is AT ALL sympathetic or reasonable. You'll find woobified Rosier and Barty who imo aren't deserving of sympathy at all before finding just a normal well-rounded Snape that isn't a sociopath. I don't believe in excusing his actions but like. You? Don't have to? In order to portray him as the complex character that he is. Like not having an ounce of sympathy in portrayals of a bullied, abused boy- and even rewriting the text to imply that he deserved the bullying in the first place is... A Lot. because as you've said he's frequently made out to be randomly homophobic in a story that, to be frank, probs does not need a contrived and insensitive homophobia plot shoehorned in just to add drama.

There's no canon evidence to support this. If he had been intended to be homophobic wouldn't there have been, idk, SOMETHING in his interactions with the only confirmed gay character in the series, probably the character he interacts with most besides Harry?

I mean if I'm being real it is the 70s and I guess DE characters could be homophobic. Personally I see Snape as not giving a shit either way lol but the real question is to what extent is this necessary? To me homophobia plots sometimes just feel kind of... Idk flippant and excessive, ESPECIALLY when there's clearly an ulterior motive behind their inclusion beyond just exploring a sensitive subject, which in this case essentially is to victim-blame Snape. (I imagine the same might go for racism or transphobia plots but since I have no personal experience with that the way I do homophobia I won't speak for others)

As you've so rightly pointed out he's got plenty of canon flaws already to work from so what is even the point? And he literally is brilliant like he's extremely intelligent IN CANON bro it drives me maaaad when he's just this blundering belligerent oaf who is randomly evil and violent to everyone for no reason. If Lily disliked James for hexing random people, why would she be friends with Snape if he was also doing it but worse? Wouldn't this have come up when she confronts him? Like I think it's pretty fair to say that at least prior to SWM he was not doing anything of the sort? Gah

All this to say it's equally as frustrating for me as a Marauders fan!!!! Tbh I used to be a snater (over 10 yrs ago rip but still) and it was seeing so many people whitewashing the characters I DID like and justifying/downplaying bullying that made me start liking him and becoming interested in him hahaha. And that was years ago, now it's morphed into something so totally unrecognisable that it's just boring. I mean write Snape Is Basically Voldemort AUs all you like, but it's just that, it's not canon compliant.

If there was ever a spinoff (which I doubt, at least for many years) Snape would absolutely be a main character, as he should be, and if they do their job properly they'd portray him as the complex, interesting, morally grey, occasionally sympathetic anti-hero that he is so like too bad lol

It's so funny to see a certain type of Marauder stans outright say they want a Marauders Era Netflix series or something of the like – but JKR, the actual creator of the characters, shouldn't be be involved in it at all because she would ruin her own characters and 'give the Snape stans more fuel' etc. They so honestly and unashamedly proclaim that essentially, what they would want out of a hypothetical Marauders era series is not an expansion of canon but a professionally made, high-budget fanfiction that explicitly deviates from canon.

I mean... These people are really out here admitting that they exclusively stan fanfiction versions of their 'favorite' characters. They're really out here admitting they don't actually even like their faves – and ironically also admitting that canon Snape is not as irredeemably awful as their fanon and headcanons make him out to be, since they acknowledge that a story by JKR would portray him more sympathetically than he generally is in the Marauders part of the fandom.

[fertbutt]

recently watched the sea beast for like the 3rd time now, rlly love it a lot so i drew a very quick red

Ik there are some weird design purists who are bitter and picky about her but i really?? Disagree?? she looks cool and her design is really effective imo

I think overall her designers focused on a few "big" elements, while all of the smaller details are a lot more subtle, which doesnt make it bad at all imo. too many big elements would take away from the rest of the movie. her red color, her horn, her aerodynamic (aquadynamic?) shape and her cat-like yellow eyes are very distinguishable and serve actual roles in the rest of the movie. for instance her color and horn are what distinguish her from other sea beasts and make her so prized, and her eyes are used to express the two sides of her- the more intelligent, caring part and the animalistic, belligerent part.

her being red is also just so cool on a few different levels. For one, again, it's just very distinguishable and iconic. shes named after the color, the inevitable's red sails and firecrackers are colored after her, she's literally known as the red bluster. Its also super important visually. This film is unsurprisingly very blue, taking place mostly in the sea. her red hide helps her stick out against the background, no matter where she is. it also makes sense on a biological level- many deep-sea predators are red, since red is the first color to fade the deeper you go as light filters through the water. this implies she might be more adapted to deep waters, which could be another reason why the red bluster is so mysterious and unique

and again, she does have many more subtle design features. for one, her red skin isnt just one solid color- she's mottled and freckled and every shot you can see faint marks and scars all across her body. her fins and horn specifically have faint stripes as well. And a plot point of a movie is the numerous spears sticking from her back, a small bit of environmental storytelling, reminding the viewer and the characters of the war waging and the battles she's survived.

Her design isnt "plain" at all, she just looks like an actual animal instead of an action figure. Yeah, she's not gonna have spikes and multiple limbs and scales and tendrils, shes an aquatic predator. she needs to be smooth and aquadynamic.

just look at leopard seals, sure they look goofy in some angles..

but also absolutely terrifying and dangerous.

[yandere-toons]

Can you do yandere headcanons with the I.M.P crew from Helluva Boss? (Platonic & Romantic)

Yandere Blitzo, Moxxie, Millie & Loona (Platonic & Romantic Headcanons)

Warnings: Mentions of Violence & Death, Implied Home Invasion, Mentions of Stalking, Emotional Manipulation, Toxic Mindsets.

A.N. - Why are these some of the longest headcanons I've ever written? There was a lot to unpack here.

Platonic:

Despite indulging in a few from time to time, Blitzo takes great offence at any slights against their friend's intelligence and appearance as if the insults were directed at himself. Snide remarks from random demons are met with a slew of aggressive jabs, and if the demon refuses to capitulate, either Moxxie or Millie are obliged to convince Blitzo that he won lest he attacks. Loona is inclined to entertain their friend with a funny video on her cell phone and walk away with them while leaving her adoptive father in the heart of a vicious fistfight.

Blitzo enables every harmful and self-destructive impulse that flies in their friend's mind, wanting to accompany them on any binges and escapades that happen as a result to prove that he still likes them at their worst. He believes it to be a form of bonding, but this careless indulgence begets much criticism from Moxxie. As the imp argues that Blitzo is projecting his own insecurities onto their friend and monopolizing their time, Millie offers their friend a bit of relaxation away from the I.M.P headquarters with the help of Loona.

The assassins are persistent in requesting that their friend lives with one of the duos. Moxxie and Millie come from a place of -- generally undue -- concern for their wellbeing and a desire to protect, while Blitzo and Loona inherently distrust and dislike the possibility of them living with anyone outside of the company. The least intrusive option that the group is willing to begrudgingly accept is moving their friend to the same street as either Moxxie and Millie or Blitzo and Loona.

If their friend is determined to live alone, expect constant visits from an uninvited Blitzo desperate to be around them even if that means climbing through the window or picking the lock on the front door. Any loud noises or prolonged silences earn a worried phone call from Moxxie, and should he catch his boss, Moxxie scolds him for invading their privacy despite most likely having come over himself at this point.

Although one half's overprotective instincts clash with the other half's belligerent lack of boundaries, the assassins are capable of teamwork due to sharing the common goal of preserving their friend's safety. When in public, one member engages with their friend while the remaining members obstruct anyone who tries to interrupt or harass them. The assassins take turns dominating their attention with unique activities, ranging from Millie teaching them self-defence to Loona just enjoying the fact that they are talking to her about anything.

Romantic:

Moxxie and Millie invite their partner to join them on date nights, which Blitzo inevitably crashes after observing from the shadows for an hour or two. Though her frustration with being excluded is obvious, Loona prefers not to stalk. Instead, she filters her emotions through periodic outbursts and an especially hostile attitude towards whoever got to spend the day with them.

Blitzo is drawing his pistol and Loona is preparing to close her jaws on someone's skull when an insult is hurled at their partner, and Millie is sharpening her battle-axe as soon as they sniffle or cower in the presence of anyone. Moxxie requires a more profound rationale before he is ready to go on the offensive. Disrespect is the quickest way to ignite his temper, which is evidenced by him dumping the idea of diplomacy in favour of demands for the offender to back down.

If the offender is among the living, Blitzo employs the tracking services of Loona, who has no qualms about aiding and abetting the murder after hearing her adoptive father's dramatized retelling of the alleged crime. After the deed is done and cannot be reversed, gales of bragging occur as Blitzo expects their partner's undying gratitude for terminating that fool. Loona is more withdrawn in her quest for their admiration, sticking to passing comments about how terrible of a person the victim was and how they had it coming.

The freelance business is a recurring topic in conversations with Blitzo, as he sees I.M.P as the shining achievement of his life. Much to Moxxie's disapproval, Blitzo routinely offers a free killing and pressures their friend to give him a target so he can demonstrate his superior marksmanship. For anyone who is a significant enough thorn in their flesh to mention by name or other identifiable information, Blitzo pursues with deadly intent. However, he will settle for maiming if his time is restricted or the victim's non-lethal pain is sufficiently amusing to him.

Moxxie confronts him about hunting without first discussing it with the group, and Millie seconds her husband's stance if their partner expresses displeasure with the taller imp's behaviour. Should the only one who has reservations about the deaths be Moxxie, then he accepts that their partner wanted these individuals gone. Still, he asks that all attacks on their foes be pre-approved by the group in the future.

[scoobydoominuscoobydoo]

Not me rolling my eyes when some members of the fandom screech at me for pairing an “obvious” lesbian like Velma with Shaggy or Fred when at most she is bi.

Is it because she doesn’t look like the conventionally attractive Daphne? Is it because of her glasses and bobbed hair? Is it because she’s smart?

Whatever the reason may be for the most popular fanon interpretation, Velma Dinkley is [also] attracted to men. Nothing wrong with that.

There are at least 10 guys she’s canonically interested in, even if they: turned out to be bad and she changed her mind; were just passing crushes.

(Side note: Admittedly, I’m on the fence on whether or not I approve of Velma x Sam Winchester bc it wasn’t stated in the crossover if the gang were considered teens still or adults, since Dean and Sam are obviously not teens and Sam’s disapproval of Dean’s crush on Daph stemmed from her being implied to be with Fred, and not the age difference, but the episode used is based on their earliest adventures of when they were teens, so yeah. On the fence until further clarification.)

In the Scooby Doo Apocalypse comics, she’s officially together with and happy with Shaggy.

In the Velma + Daphne books, she’s implied to be interested in Fred. (I really hope the author continues her series and explores those avenues further despite what the current movies and series say.)

I don’t see how these adaptations are an “insult” to her sexuality.

My hang up with the “confirmation” that Velma is “canonically a lesbian” I guess is mostly how it was executed and how they try to explain it.

In Mystery Incorporated, Velma’s relationship with Hotdog Water doesn’t reduce her to an babbling idiot. Neither do most of her relationships with the men. At most, she was adorably awkward, but still capable of being objective. Plus, if the male love interest in question was an irredeemable bad guy, no way would she compromise her morals!

With the Coco girl, on the other hand…yeah…Velma pretty much got the canon-character-in-this-medium-who-is-now-the-adoring-love-interest-of-the-mary-sue-self-insert treatment and was practically worshiping the ground this lady walked on on (I will acknowledge that Coco has a cute design; as for how Velma could possibly be attracted to her, I cannot tell you.)

Even her newest TV series doesn’t know what to do with her romantic/sexual orientation.

As a Frelma fan, I am unhappy that she is reduced to being a bitter jerk and that he is reduced to the stupid, self-absorbed and secretly insecure white boy born in privilege template instead of them both being likeable characters equal in intelligence in different areas.

As someone who sees Velma and Daphne as just really close opposites-attract-besties but will be objective for the sake of Delma/Vaphne shippers, it really bugs me when adaptations paint Daphne as mostly at fault for whenever caused their fallout as childhood friends and how they cannot have a civil conversation in their present years but oh-look-not-so-secret-belligerent-sexual-tension-explains-why-they-clash-and-why-now-they-should-be-considered-a-possible-thing instead of having them naturally drift apart for a few years bc school be like that, reconnect after some friendly, albeit awkward “oh how have you been? Oh fine i guess, you?” moments, be besties again, and then maybe lead up to a more natural and less rushed heat-of-the-moment developments. But nope. Suddenly they kiss at the end of episode 2.

As a formerly major and currently neutral Shelma fan, Norville (Shaggy) deserves better. That’s it.

So yeah, I’m annoyed by Trick or Treat, Scooby Doo! for claiming Velma as explicitly a lesbian now when they portrayed her romantic interest as such an insult to her core character, and moreso at the fans claiming it, James Gunn’s initial drafts of his films, and one of Velma’s live actress’s real life sexuality as the “correct interpretation” of Velma’s romantic inclination.

I’m annoyed at Velma the Series because whatever Frelma moments will happen, it will happen between the most negative and superficial interpretations of each character.

I feel like it's a little late to come forward and be like "Velma the Series" is a travesty and forever taints the otherwise fine Scooby-Doo repertoire. That is not a new observation especially with the news of it officially being the lowest rated show on IMDB. I knew from the minute it was announced that I wasn't going to be watching it. I just knew that the people working on this did not care or have a deep understanding of Scooby-Doo and why people like it.

I now feel validated in that initial judgement and can say with full certainty that I would rather watch Mystery Inc. (a show I have well vocalized my hate towards) for the rest of my life than even watch a MINUTE of Velma.

Velma as a character is loved and (although it obviously varies) she has a relatively consistent characterization across every show. She's the brains, she's the voice of reason, she's the skeptic. She acts as the person who keeps everyone down on Earth. And she is a great character but people always forget that she is great IN AN ENSEMBLE. She has the rest of the gang to bounce off of and the charm of SD is in that group chemistry. If you watch the show and think "Wow Velma totally carried this show" it's clear you have a fundamental misunderstanding of the SD franchise as a whole. Again, these observations seem moot at this point. Saying Velma is bad is like saying ice is frozen water.

What I will say is that it's upsetting that every character had their personalities stripped to just fit the very specific self-insert fantasy that Velma is trying to sell. Velma is no longer Velma, Daphne is no longer Daphne, etc. And that is obviously going to do no favors for Frelma at all. In every show (even MI) Fred and Velma are the brains. They're obviously smart in very different ways but anyone paying attention can tell that they are the ones who love to solve mysteries. They are a detective duo and are usually on equal footing. Obviously if you think Velma was the one carrying the team then you can't really portray her on equal ground with anyone.

But if I like Frelma, there is no way I am going to enjoy seeing the scale tipped so high in Velma's favor that Fred might as well not even be there. Their relationship dynamic is why people (me) love them and if that dynamic is done poorly then there's not much point in liking them.

Anytime Velma has shown any romantic interest in someone (male or female) she's typically pretty collected about it. Which makes sense - again she is the logical one in the group. And I suppose that only makes the discrepancies in her current character even more glaring.

I know that being bummed that we won't be getting well done Frelma/Scooby gang representation is a little ridiculous when we're looking at the other complaints made against it. The disappointment from the Indian community at how poorly they feel represented being the most important one (at least to me). Compared to that, this complaint is almost nothing. But it is also a reminder of what happens when people are given the rights to properties they clearly don't have any respect for. Riverdale having no respect for the Archie comics is another good example. I am hoping that all of the bad reception Velma has gotten will show that you can't just take any franchise you want and use it as a skin for your poorly written self-insert fantasy.

[ironmanstan]

the latest comic in cantwell run was so fucking awful how unsatisfying ... how do you do that you build up to this huge grand finale and im not even expecting anything because you're cantwell but I at least like think oh maybe you'll wrap this mess up somehow and Im so curious to see how you do it but you just dont. you have the main villain pity tony so much he just takes tony to the hospital for his withdrawals and he kills himself. he ends the conflict himself. cantwell seems to care so fucking much about korvac that he even said he was looking for stories he could work on that he could put korvac in before he got hired for iron man, but he acts like the rest of us are also invested. we dont fucking care about korvac for the same reason we dont fucking care about your shitty god complexed version of tony. it's not interesting, its not new, it gets us no where, why the fuck would we care more about the villain and his arc when he's not given the same level of importance as like any of the villains in something like batman where their characters are important and relevant to the plot and the main character's arc, instead you act like tony is the main character and at his biggest moment he doesnt even fight, and you act like just laying down and being beaten to a pulp is the best thing he could've done when he didn't even have a choice . the biggest turning point and the climax of your comic and the main character is so fucking passive its unreal. i dont even care enough to fully be mad about the other shit. patsy just happy go lucky taking tony to rehab and being all lovey dovey with him when he said flat out he was going to kill her for getting in his way a couple issues ago and Meant It. Rhodey not even showing up on screen or reconciling with tony when tony MURDERED HIM POINT BLANK and said he'd bring rhodey back WITH HIS MEMORIES INTACT which means rhodey remembers tony killing him, and is just, okay with this. this entire run has been stuff you could brush off if you just didnt like tony or didnt know his character at all but what is this blatant laziness and disregard for tonys best fucking friend. curious to me rhodey gets treated like random hostage #3 half the run, gets sidelined as taking care of tony the other half the run, and then is murdered, and off-screen has probably forgiven tony. Meanwhile cantwell cant write tony using the power cosmic to give people more intelligence without implying that the two black characters we see this affect would stop fighting and being so belligerent if they were just a little bit smarter. fuck cantwell and fuck his entire iron man run i miss my boy every god damn day

[mask131]

The other campers at CHB: the Athena cabin

Next stop in our tour of the non-protagonist campers: the Athena cabin!

Despite being the cabin from which one of the main protagonists of the Half-Blood franchises, Annabeth Chase herself, we actually know very little about the Athena campers. Annabeth takes most of the place and thus overshadows her half-brothers and half-sisters. 

In The Lightning Thief we get a generalized description of the Athena kids as a “bunch of serious-looking athletic kids, all with the gray eyes and honey-blond hair” of Annabeth. This is confirmed in Sea of Monsters, where they are described as a “dozen of boys and girls” (without counting Annabeth) “with blond hair and gray eyes” just like Annabeth. Many fans have noted that the fact all the children of Athena are blond could limit the ethnic diversity among them, or implies some unnatural hair color for some of them. 

The Lightning Thief also mentions that the Athena kids “always have a plan”, something repeated in “The Hidden Oracle” where Lester identifies the Athena kids as the biggest threat in the three-legged race because they always have a plan, just like their mother. The Athena kids are depicted as being the intellectuals of the camps, the martial geeks and bookworm nerds, the sources of strategy and knowledge - there is a great emphasis on their intelligence supposed to be higher than normal, Circe described Athena children as always being the same “seeking knowledge and admiring greatness” (Sea of Monsters), and during the fight in Battle of the Labyrinth they set up a command tent to direct the camp’s military operations (Malcolm does the same in the battle during The Hidden Oracle). 

However there are nuances to all that. In the Sea of Monsters, Percy mentions that some of the sword-fighters of the camp are in the Athena cabin (the others are in the Ares cabin), which ties to how they were described as athletic in the first book ; and in Battle of the Labyrinth it is mentionned that the children of Athena are supposed “to be wise, not just clever”. Outside of that, we know that during The Last Olympian their part in the war involved bringing the giants down to the ground with hooks and chains, that in Battle of the Labyrinth they organized a chariot race with the Demeter cabin (an event not out of the ordinary according to Percy), and during the Sea of Monsters when the Stymphalian Birds attack they demand to have shields to protect themselves and others (truly showing Athena’s style of combat, protecting and defending before attacking). 

The last interesting note is that in The Sea of Monsters, it is mentionned that Annabeth is not the oldest of the residents of the Athena cabin, but she is their leader and head because she spent more summers there than any of them and thus they do not contest her right to lead.

  Now, the only camper of the Athena Cabin truly identified is actually Malcolm... who we could sum up as “lesser Annabeth” or the “Annabeth replacement”, but let’s go into more details...

Malcolm first appears in The Battle of the Labyrinth, when he fetches Annabeth for archery practice and stumbles upon her emotional hug with Percy. He is very embarrassed, his whole face bright red, and quickly leaves them alone. No physical description of him is given, and in fact we will never have one of the entire books - though we do know that he has blond hair and gray eyes like Annabeth’s, because in “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” it is the rule for Athena children. He reappears in the Last Olympian, where he is identified as the “second-in-command” to Annabeth and he takes over her role when she has to leave. 

For the Heroes of Olympus series he only reappears in “Blood of Olympus”, where it is explained that he is the new head counsellor of the Athena cabin in Annabeth’s absence, and contrary to Clarisse’s belligerent plans to fight the Roman legions he advices for a more patient and careful approach, considering the technological advantage of New Rome. 

He makes a bit more appearances in “The Trials of Apollo”, and it is actually in “The Hidden Oracle” that we finally learn of his last name - Pace. His full name is Malcolm Pace. His appearance there basically repeats all I mentionned above - he shows Meg and Lester maps of the woods so that they know the places to avoid and where to go (information-giver) and when the camp is under attack he coordinates the fight from a command camp. However this book also gives him some details that make his character a bit more noticeable, even though not much deeper: he is the only child of Athena in his cabin at this time of the year (revealing he is a year-long camper), and when the camp is under attack he is dressed with his leather cuirass but forgot his pants, showing off his red briefs - this implies that he is the kind to rush into action when the camp is in grave danger and to not care much of his appearance when the situation is critical. 

Malcolm’s final appearance is in the Tower of Nero, where he is now the official and fully-fledged head counsellor of the Athena Cabin (instead of a co-counsellor or assistant to Annabeth). At one point Lester asks him for information to prepare a plan of attack, and he explains that he can build up an intelligence dossier and plans of attack, but that it would take him (and his fellow Athena siblings) four weeks, “three if we push it”, which might be a hint at how perfectionist or overtly cautious and working he is. Or just be a way for Riordan to torture his characters further... 

So yes, unfortunately, it seems Malcolm was mostly designed to be a male and lesser-talented version of Annabeth, mostly existing to fill her role whenever she is gone or to assist her in whatever task she has to do. 

  EDIT:

There is actually a second identified camper of Athena in the franchise, that I overlooked because she appeared in a side-book/bonus material, but it is a very interesting case... Bea Wise, from the Camp Half-Blood Confidential book. 

Bea Wise resided in the camp in the 1950s, and participated in the “Camp Half-Blood” quiz show featured in the orientation movie used on all new demigods. Bea Wise quickly gets annoyed at the game and at how Apollo (the host) runs things, but her reactions are quite interesting... she answers “Are you ready?” with “I think therefore I am” which is a clever pun and philosophical reference, possibly showing a hint of sly humor there. However after the first question is asked, she actually takes her answering time to object that it is not a question (Apollo used an order form “Name the snake I slayed!” instead of “What is the name of the snake I slayed?”). It hints that Bea might be one of those “textbook” people that can object to very little details for not much.

However her next objections are more legitimate - she is angry when Apollo gives the answer to another question after one failed answer by another contestant, legitimately shouting that Apollo did not let the other contestants answer. She then points out how Apollo is inconsistent in his speech (he asks about the Marsyas case, saying in his question that he was falsely accused of skinning him alive, but once the answer is given he brags that he taught the satyr good by... well skinning him alive). And finally, when Apollo just abandons the quiz show to start a big party with satyrs, Bea is just fed up with everything. “I cannot believe I studied for this” are her last recorded words.

But what is even more interesting here is Bea’s appearance, because the book is illustrated, and we can see that Bea does not have the “typical blond hair” of the Athena kids, being rather an Afro-American girl with dark-colored hair (I can’t tell which color it is exactly since the picture is in shades of gray and black, but it is a dark color). We can assume she has the gray eyes of the Athena children, though it is not visible on the drawing - we can just see that she has her hair pulled in a ponytail and big glasses on her nose. But anyway, it is quite interesting to get to see an Athena child that breaks the “blond hair and gray eyes” pattern in the camp. 

[cursedwithgloriouspurpose]

(More) Locked Tomb Alecto Meta

OK SO. I semi gave into temptation and started re-listening to the audiobook on my commute yesterday. Anyway, I already did a half-assed explanation of this idea a long while ago, but on a re-read I'm even more convinced that I'm on to something, here.

Again, while I could be wrong, this could also be right and therefore if you don't want potential spoilers for the mysterybox of The Locked Tomb, please don't read this or that linked post.

Gideon's eyes (and body, to an extent) are a red herring.

OK, we all know the scene where at the end of the book where Mercy states that she thought Gideon was Alecto at first, and there's some stuff about Cytherea having thought the same before she realized that the Golden eyes are a product of John's blood, and therefore Gideon is the illicit child she helped to create rather than Alecto incarnate.

I'm pretty sure that this is meant to make us go "Oh, then Gideon can't be Alecto. Alecto has a body, and it's in the locked tomb, and Gideon is just Gideon. Because the Lectors said they ruled this possibility out."

But here's the thing: characters are unreliable. In general with this series, but especially with characters who consider themselves highly intelligent and all knowing. Harrow spent most of the first book swearing that things weren't possible until it turns out they were and she was just thinking about them in the wrong way. Similarly, in book two, everyone dismisses everything about Harrow and her condition. They (the Lyctors most of all) constantly dismiss things as "impossible," and then get annoyed when those things are merely improbable.

So the thing that I keep going back to is... Gideon is just Gideon, then why did she live through infancy?

How did this infant survive not one, but multiple murder attempts as a child?

Because it wasn't just the once. Yes, she was initially gassed with the rest of her generation because if they were gonna murder all their own kids to create Harrow you know damned well that they weren't going to just let the fucking weird, creepy founding live.

She was gassed. She survived.

They thought that was fuuuuucking weird, so they poisoned her food.

She lived.

Now, like, personally I don't know that I would have stopped there (assuming I was a person already committed to killing children in the first place,) but it's implied that they decided to live with this unkillable baby because of their own guilt over the other murders and they were also fucking terrified of the whole thing.

So what does that fucking sound like I wonder?

It sounds like a lyctor. Lyctors resemble living people, because they sort of are and aren't. They still need things like food (or at least, they indulge in them, we aren't really told whether it's a necessity or not,) still breathe, still bleed, and all the other things that might convince you that they're alive, really. But they live for fucking ever because they're also not alive, and they survive mortal wounds all the time on the power of pure belligerence. Hell, half their shtick is purposely wounding themselves on the presupposition that they can use their own body parts to kill their opponent before they run out of belligerence-fueled self healing.

But how the fuck could a baby be a lyctor?

Well.

Alecto wasn't a lyctor, but it was implied by the end of HTN that in a "perfect" lyctor ascension it wasn't just the necromancer who ascended, it was the pair: necro and cavalier together. There's... some other interesting logic issues here, but I'm not going to get into them right now. Instead, I'm going to point out that Alecto clearly had some of the Lyctor's powers. They never say whether Alecto could use or sense thanergetic energy (and I'm willing to say this was probably a no,) but it's clear that Alecto had some version of the same healing ability given that the healing ability has thus far been tied to the extended lifespan of the lyctor, and we all know that Alecto's body is as much alive as the next lyctor's, right? At least, it was the last time Harrow saw it.

(Also it's implied that John can't kill Alecto because doing so would also kill him, and which could explain his ability to shrug off his undoing.)

We also know, thanks to the first experiment chamber in GTN, that some powers are tied to the soul, not necessarily to the body. During that experiment Harrow learned to piggyback off Gideon's soul and see through her eyes. When she did, her necromantic powers came with her, allowing her and Gideon both to see the thanergetic energy in the room. However, in HTN, when Gideon is stuck in Harrow's body without Harrow's soul being present that is not the case. Gideon is merely a cavalier in a body unsuited for a cavalier. This is backed up by the repeated warnings at the beginning of HTN about the fact that once Harrow's soul was in the river, her body would be defenseless because all her necromantic ability -- INCLUDING HER SELF HEALING -- would be gone.

Except it is present when Gideon uses her body at the end, because Gideon brought it with her.

Now, I'll poke a hole in my own theory: this could be because Gideon is the second half of Harrow's perfect lyctorhood which was slightly tainted by their losing Gideon's body in the House of the First. It's possible that's all this is implying: that Harrow is as much a perfect lyctor as John.

But I think her previously stunted-not-stunted powers (everyone says she's broken and "half a lyctor" because her self healing wasn't working properly, however she also managed feats in this state that even God thinks are impossible--ie, the soup) could be indicative of something else:

Gideon's soul is also Alecto's soul. They are literally the same person, but no longer remember this. That lack of memory could be attributed to a lot of things. My favorite is the idea that it could be the literal myriad she spent buried and alone, and potentially wandering the Ninth House has a ghost gradually forgetting whatever humanity she may have had to begin with before finding and shoving herself (purely by instinct) into the fresh body of an infant with her other half's blood in it (that blood-pact being the thing which drew her to the infant in the first place.) Or it could have been that she took the body on purpose, and then lost herself in the years spent helpless inside it's form in combination with the gassing and poisoning processes.

Either way, Harrow's lyctordom appeared stunted not because she did it wrong, and not because of her self-performed libotomy, and not because Gideon's corpse was lost, but because she and God are sharing the same cavalier. They are attempting to share the same connection that God himself doesn't even seem to remember is a Thing because he isolated himself from his cavalier so very long ago.

There is a line at the beginning of HTN when John/God has walked into the infirmary to speak to Harrow and The Body (presumably Alecto, but given the libotomy possibly Gideon) is present with her. Gideon, narrating, points out that "the man you call God" looked directly at The Body and "You thought for a moment that he could see her."

This could be a throw away line. It could simply be meant to illustrate that Harrow is seeing things... but I would point out two things: A) At this point Harrow had already admitted to the reader that she was hallucinating, and B) So very many things in this series that seem to be innocuous are later proven otherwise. In fact, I believe John actually looks at The Body in other passages (I just haven't quite gotten back to them, but I'm going to keep an ear out during my re-read for particulars) and Harrow, through Gideon's narration, continually dismisses it.

What if she shouldn't, though? What if John was also dismissing the specter he very much did see? What if he looked as this necromancer from the Ninth House and thought that Alecto was following her around because she comes from the planet that Alecto has been buried on? What if Gideon being the narrator should have been fucking obvious from the start because The Body is literally Gideon watching the entire thing play out as she reports it? (Granted, the rest of my theory doesn't have to be correct for this one to be true. Lobotomized Harrow doesn't allow herself to recall who Gideon is or what she looks like, and I don't believe there is ever any particular description of The Body given that directly contradicts what we know of Gideon.)

This could also go a long way to explaining why John asked Gideon Prime to assassinate Harrow despite his fatherly treatment of her. He knew that something was wrong, but wasn't entirely certain what, meanwhile his dead cavalier keeps following this girl around for some fucking reason and it's getting on his nerves.

As to people dismissing this by pointing out, again, that Mercy and Augustine both state that Alecto was a "monster" and "inhumane:" please consider the sources. We don't actually know what Alecto was like. It could simply have been that she was antisocial and they didn't understand her, or she had some kind of personality disorder that made her seem "off" to them, or she simply didn't like them (and I mean, fuck, have you met Augustine? I'd be hostile to that, too.)

Or maybe--and most likely--God still hasn't told us everything about how he became god in the first place, and Alecto truly wasn't human to begin with.Or that she was a LOT of humans attempting to be a singular person but didn’t have the side benefit of infant years to figure herself out like Harrow did.

Either way, this doesn't preclude the possibility that Alecto, as Gideon, learned to be more human through watching and doing. She had a myriad as a potential ghost to wander the halls of Drearbur, which weren't necessarily always as stuffy and cold as they are in the modern era. And even if she didn't, being raised in a human body, and brought up (however begrudgingly) by people is still a good way to learn. Gideon may not be an asshole, but she's not exactly going to win awards for Sociability.

In fact, given Muir's penchant for taking very common fandom tropes and plot lines and twisting them on their head (the woman literally wrote canonical fanfic AUs in HTN!!!!) the idea that she's taking a monster-learns-to-be-human story, OR a the-monster-wasn't-really-a-monster-all-along story, and writing it as a lesbian necromancer beauty and the beast isn't all that far fetched.

Anyway, it all comes down to the ending of HTN where Harrow's soul traps itself in a bubble in the river styled to look like Alecto's prison, and goes to sleep not with the alleged corpse of Alecto, but instead on a bier with Gideon's things.

Again, I'll argue against myself and say it's equally likely that last part is just an allusion to Harrow's own torn heart: her love of Alecto's corpse, and her love for Gideon at war with themselves... (or an acknowledgement that she loves them both equally.)

But it could easily be an allusion to the fact that, in her heart of hearts, Harrow knows on some level that they are the same person. That her love of Alecto has always been tied up with her love-hate relationship with Gideon, and separating one for the other is impossible. Particularly as she may have already figured it tf out before the lobotomy.

[anocana]

so. Blindsight. bleak as hell. i think the whole “everyone’s being extremely subtly manipulated by intelligences beyond their comprehension with precise results” thing is... well, it’s a compelling premise once, but i’ve already read Echopraxia. it gets kind of tiring the second time around, and i don’t really think brains work like that. but the aliens are very alien, and the whole thing with the first contact protocol was cool.

an interesting thing about siri’s relationship with chelsea is that he tries to not act like a chinese room in it - he tries to actually be himself with her - and it falls apart because himself just completely sucks ass and can’t interact with people. if he’d been a true chinese room he could have done whatever was necessary to get the best outcome, but he doesn’t. some bits were relatable but thankfully not the “explaining through evolutionary psychology why our relationship is doomed” sort of thing, jesus

the rest of this is going to be various nitpicking disagreements i had, because it is indisputably that sort of book.

vampires are obviously rather ridiculous, just too many convienient things all in one place. the crucifix glitch, obviously, but also, how do you evolve multi-generation hibernation that fast? when you must eat one singular species, and failure to hibernate means you completely wipe out your obligate prey and make your territory uninhabitable? and the longer you hibernate, the fewer generations per timespan *to* evolve in? i’d accept this sort of thing in a book that didn’t have a list of scientific citations at the end but it just doesn’t fit as well

the rationale behind Technology Implies Belligerence seems simply wrong. Sure, if you have all your needs perfectly met you don’t need to develop more technology, but the more extreme the competition, the less leeway you have to set up long-term things and the less free time to spend on idly thinking up new ideas rather than directly competing. I’m fairly certain if you tried to track it, you’d find most technological progress throughout history comes from societies with less day-to-day competition due to surpluses, etc.

Rorschach actually kind of proves this - their whole “sit around generating ATP anaerobically for thousands of years” strategy doesn’t work if you get eaten halfway through

Since Rorschach didn’t attack the humans until after they’d hit it with a probe that it actively told them not to do, it might just be wrong in-universe. Who knows?

there’s a lot of questionable evopsych, but I’m not sure how much the book itself puts stock in evopsych, vs. just Siri as a character putting too much stock in evopsych.

he does get called out for thinking he’s objective when he’s just projecting his own opinions onto other people

also one of the main conclusions he draws from evopsych is “every heterosexual relationship is doomed” (nothing to say about gay relationships, naturally) which seems obviously false enough that I’d suspect it’s a personal bias to the character

but it’s the sort of book where i’m not sure if that even counts

EDIT: i misremembered part of it, he was wrong about Bates plotting to mutiny. i remembered thinking she’d mutinied when her drone fucked up Sarastri, but forgot that she later confirmed it wasn’t her. so yeah i think the really dumb evopsych stuff can mostly be chalked up to Siri being biased

the consciousness as parasite thing is obviously an interesting sci-fi premise but i don’t actually buy it, at least not for Earthly life

chimpanzees do actually pass the mirror test, apparently

my personal experience is that, when i focus on it, i have a lot of really quick pseudo-conscious thoughts before they pass up more slowly into full consciousness, but not all of them end up getting into consciousness. i’d be surprised if consciousness didn’t serve the purpose of, at minimum, taking the good bits of unconscious thought and reinforcing them so they get stored better.

Blindsight’s perspective on consciousness does seem to have language being a product of genuine consciousness, because Rorschach can’t do it. but how the fuck else are humans supposed to communicate, besides language? Maybe you can theoretically have intelligence without consciousness, but if it’s necessary for language then I don’t think you get complex human societies without consciousness, even if they’re individually more efficient.

vampires seem to be able to do language which is a bit weird if they’re not really conscious? but also, like, they can’t do complex societies because they’re so individually territorial, so that’s an enormous disadvantage anyway. i suspect they’d have died out even without the crucifix glitch.

��you don’t need consciousness to do math/science/whatever because of a few anecdotes of people waking up having dreamed whole theorems” is completely unconvincing. like, okay, how much of the work did they do consciously beforehand? how big of a leap was the dream, how complete was it, how much did they have to do consciously to make it rigorous? how often do people wake up with incorrect ideas in their heads?

this sort of thing was more plausible with the Bicamerals in Echopraxia because they were basically magic. applying it to actual humans falls rather short.

also I think his evolutionary reasoning in his “dodo” analogy isn’t quite the right line of thought for the point he’s making. Consciousness, as he frames it, is an extra energy cost for no real benefit which persists only because we’re not facing enough selection pressure to weed it out. But the dodo lost flight because it was excessive and useless for its island, which is the exact opposite situation.

A dodo analogy would be appropriate if consciousness was useful when facing unexpected problems but useless on earth due to human dominance, so we evolved out of it

a better comparison might be the Irish Elk, which is often thought to have gone extinct due to its enormous antlers. Its antlers were way too large to be beneficial to survival, but they persisted and grew bigger over time due to sexual selection. then the argument becomes that consciousness makes you more likely to get laid but is actually bad otherwise. still questionable, but at least fits better

[the-redcrate]

Gonna say this

It’s infinitely more damaging to REAL PEOPLE IN THE REAL WORLD when you harass, comment stalk, and flame authors for writing dark themed fic than the perceived harm in dark fic existing. ESPECIALLY when said fic is appropriately and responsibly tagged with umbrella tags that clearly state and also imply dark themes/ending.

Puritanical commenters who partake in these behaviors are actual humans targeting other actual humans with their harassment, bullying, and dismissive behavior (ignoraning authors’s autonomy and intelligence), and typically also use belligerent and sometimes abusive words in persuit of Protecting The Readers.

Fuck you. You’re the definition of what you claim to abhor

[k7l4d4]

Owl House AU Ideas, ZA FIRST!!

Hello all, this has been a long time coming on my part. After procrastinating on the subject, I have decided to upload my personal AU ideas for the Owl House. Here’s hoping ya’ll like them, and feel free to make your own stuff based on them as you please!!

Tough Love: This AU is my own twist on the classic Siblings AU, in which I fleshed it out into my own little niche using whatever I had available in my brain.

Victoria Noceda: My name for Beta Luz, who in this Idea is the oldest of the three Noceda sisters. Brash, belligerent, always ready with a smart remark, Victoria is a tough girl who takes no crap from anyone, with her weapon of choice being a metal bat carved with glyphs. A short temper mixed with both a strict demeanor and a flippant attitude has earned her a reputation as a thug, one which she has done nothing to reject or deny. Growing up, Victoria quickly grew familiar with the uglier side of humanity, and when her sisters were born vowed to shield them from the harshness of the world, by any means necessary. She is highly cynical, yet being around Luz chips away at this persona of hers. Despite her attitude and behavior, she is highly intelligent, graduating from school as valedictorian to the shock of everyone bar her teachers. Victoria first ended up in the Isles by chasing down Owlbert after the Palisman tried (and failed) to pickpocket her. She and Eda, to their mutual surprise, hit it off rather well, with Victoria often acting as her Stall Manager, Gopher, Muscle, etc., and has amassed a large quantity of glyphic spells, which she keeps as tattoos climbing up both arms (she actually has enough to cover nearly her whole torso and part of her neck, but uses illusion glyphs to hide them so Eda doesn't ask how she discovered them... some of them were highly unpleasant for lack of a better word). Using her work with Eda to avoid getting a job on Earth, Victoria has a LOT of money, mostly due to Eda paying her with whatever bills and coins Owlbert brings her without consideration for how much they actually are worth. Offered to house her sisters so they could "branch out and get some real world experience," really an excuse to get her sibs away from the toxic environment at school. Convinced (threatened) Principal Hal to have Luz sent to stay with her for the summer. Her aggressive tendencies and willingness to use incredible violence to solve her problems has resulted in her relationship with her sisters partially atrophying, though she is unaware of it herself. Her first encounter with Boscha, in the body swap episode, is meant to illustrate this as she very clearly and deliberately tormented and ridiculed the girl for bullying Luz, refusing to let up even when Luz begged her to stop until Boscha apologized and begged for forgiveness; Luz rushing off to help bandage Boscha's nearly broken hands implies this isn't the first time she has done this, or at least something like this. Victoria has a bad temper when roused and often resorts to extreme verbal haranguing when she's cross with Luz, not knowing that this reinforces the idea that she doesn't like or care for her youngest sister, as she can't bring herself to raise a hand to her sisters. Finds Amaryllis hot and enjoys teasing her. Will answer to Victoria, Tori, or Ria, NEVER to Vic or Vicky, which will result in her threatening to break the offender's legs, THIS IS NOT A BLUFF SHE HAS DONE IT TWICE BEFORE. Mari Noceda: My name for Pilot!Luz, the middle child. Easily the most well-behaved of her siblings, though that isn't saying much. Unlike her hyper-impulsive younger, and her super aggressive elder, Mari is calm, logical, and significantly more easy going. However, she is an absolute snoop with a very poor understanding of personal privacy, resulting in her being sent to the principal for breaking into other students' lockers, on multiple occasions. After Victoria basically dropped off the map, she became hellbent on tracker her down, resulting in her discovering the Boiling Isles and magic. As is her usual, she quickly got over whatever shock she felt and proceeded to brow beat her mom, Victoria, AND EDA to let her stay in the Isles by homeschooling (Camila doesn't know she went to the Isles, just that she wanted to move in with her sister... it hurt her more than Mari thought it would), she soon set herself to studying everything the Isles has to offer, to Eda's chagrin. While her repertoire is much smaller than Tori's, she knows quite a few spells herself, all of which she has studied to a ludicrous degree. After reading up on some of Luz's fantasy novels, she has started viewing herself as an artificer, blending magic and technology together. Is VERY GOOD FRIENDS with Vela Blight (they are dating but don't want anyone to know). Often puts down Luz's fantasies as ridiculous. Luz Noceda: Canon cinnamon roll, sorta. Plucky, sweet, optimistic, and, oh yeah, Kinda mental. Was introduced to the Boiling Isles and Eda via Victoria picking her up and driving through a portal that opened up in Eda's living room. When she asked her sisters' to share what they know about magic with her, they both laughed and told her they would teach her how to use any spells she figured out on her own, and no more. Basically the same as canon, she is somewhat more fragile emotionally as a result of Mari's unintended put-downs, and Victoria's angry rants. She is convinced that part of the reason she didn't have friends was due to everyone being afraid of Victoria beating them silly, or Mari invading their privacy. While very similar to her original self, this version of Luz has a lot of repressed anger, which manifests as a slight twitch in her left eye and a compulsive hiccup when stressed. Eda: Due to taking in Victoria and Mari, she is much more in touch with her caring side earlier on than Canon, welcoming Luz easily and more willing to play the mentor role. Quickly picks up on the warning signs in the sisters' interactions but is repeatedly shut out, to her frustration and concern. King: Mellower than in canon due to having Mari, who considers him a fount of demonic knowledge, and Victoria, who appreciates his street wise wisdom when it peeks through his megalomania, to talk and interact with. Clings to Luz as a "new general in my Army! Rejoice, Mr. Ducky, REJOICE!!" Amaryllis Blight: My name for Beta!Amity, and the eldest sibling. Ruthless, ferocious, and feral, Amaryllis always possessed the hallmarks of a problem child, bucking her parents authority at every turn, which she got away with due to her immense magical power even as a toddler. Wears green hair dye to spite her parents after they virtually disowned her. Regularly forgets any and all information that she deems useless, which includes her parents' names, resulting in her always referring to them as Mr. and Mrs. Blight at all times, even in her head. Leads the Predators, an elite section of the Emperor's Coven tasked with locating and sealing dimensional breaches, as well as purging anything that crosses through. Has a severe survival of the fittest mindset; if you don't have the strength and will to survive and succeed, you are nothing. Ironically, she hates bullies, claiming them as weaklings who tear down those with true potential for greatness, and often curses herself for being too weak to separate from Belos. Her sheer power and accomplishments have forced the Blight parents to recognize her as their child, if only to capitalize on her success and prevent difficult questions being aimed their way, yet none are comfortable with the arrangement. Strongly admires Eda, genuinely believing her to be the greatest Witch of all time, which leads to her verbally, and sometimes physically, tearing a new one in anyone who speaks ill of her in Amaryllis' presence. The biggest inspirations for Amaryllis were Katsuki Bakugo from My Hero Academia, and Esdeath from Akame Ga Kill, being strangely friendly and amicable to her fellow Predators and anyone who she finds sufficiently impressive in terms of combat, though she has no ability to register those she thinks of as weak, often being incapable of recalling any real information about them beyond whatever part of their appearance stuck out most to her. She has no respect or regard for Emira and Edric, regarding them as fools and cowards, and is genuinely incapable of telling them apart, despite the fact that they are different genders, and often needs a moment to remember who they are. Often verbally scolds Vela for being weak, with the first "kind" thing she has ever said to her since graduating was congratulating her for taking the first steps to realizing her true potential. Admires Amity's dedication to be the best, but detests her kowtowing to their parents. Has a huge crush on Victoria, but is both better at hiding it than Amity, by a mile, and severely conflicted over it, due to regarding humans as "the weakest existence on the whole of the Isles." Amaryllis' animalistic mentality is considered extremely unusual, even by the standards of the Boiling Isles and results in everyone being incredibly wary of her. Amaryllis is insanely loyal to those she holds regard to and works with, viciously destroying anything that dares bring harm to her comrades, or "pack" as she insists on calling them, and has a win by any means necessary mindset, being genuinely puzzled by the crowd and Amity's distress at Lilith's cheating during the Covention, seeing the power glyph as a perfectly acceptable tactic and applauding Luz and Eda's mines to circumvent the Human's lack of spells, however even she disapproves of cheating that can result in permanent injury, which is her sole complaint about the duel. Vela Blight: My name for Pilot!Amity, and the Middle child of the Blight Triplets. Timid, meek, and polite to a fault, Vela is near totally lacking in confidence. Is hopelessly mediocre in every form of magic, despite her higher than average power, and regarded as a failure to the Blight name. Her parents disowned her shortly before Canon, but allow her to stay in the Manor as her siblings' attendant, even Amaryllis is better regarded than she is by the Blight parents. Is good friends with the Detention Track kids, and eagerly jumped on the bandwagon when they became multi-track students, joining Luz as an All-Tracker, which also exposed her immense talent for magic mixing, allowing her to merge different forms of Magic with ease and fluidity. Vela's sheer passion for learning magic exceeds both Amity and Luz combined, and is genuinely puzzled why more witches weren't trying to multi-track too. Is something of a teacher's pet, to her own embarrassment, as even with her poor abilities her sheer passion for learning has caused many of the Teachers and Bump himself to develop a soft spot for her. Has a complicated relationship with Ed and Em, as while she loves them, she envies their talent, and despises their pranks, as she is often punished for them whether she had a hand or not, and often when she tried to stop them. When her trip-mates decided to prank Amity, she lividly tore into them with a brutal "The Reason You Suck" Speech before storming off in tears, resulting in Ed and Em chasing after her and leaving Amity and Luz alone in the library. During the trip to the Knee, she was still bitter, and went out of her way to be as difficult for Ed and Em as possible, only forgiving them after took on the Slitherbeast. Vela is very close to Amity, as well as the Nocedas. Vela regards Amity as a treasure and has the healthiest relationship with her out of all their siblings, instantly pegging to Amity's crush on Luz (She ships them so hard), though she doesn't call her out on it. Vela is scared of Amaryllis. Ed and Em: Are wilder than in Canon, willing to resort to harsher pranks to meet their goals. They adore Vela, and assumed she adored them; having her verbally tear them a new one served as a massive wake-up call to how jerky they could be, and often were, provoking them to be better siblings and people all around, still tricksters though. Are jealous of Amaryllis due to her being unshackled from their parents, and are often rendered livid by her casual dismissal of them. Amity Blight: Mostly the same, but a bit more assertive against the toxic influences in her life. Idolizes Amaryllis due to her power and freedom, and trusts Vela with the same secrets as her diary. Sallix Park: Name for Beta!Willow. A maverick and an agitator, she enjoys stirring up trouble for the heck of it, but only when she's the one to cause it. Adores her little sister, but insists on her fighting her own battles, and enjoys training Willow through random plant attacks. Has been secretly gaslighting Boscha, in the hopes of the brat having some kind of epiphany and cleaning up her act, not knowing that her actions were causing the triclops to develop conflicting impulses and feelings regarding Willow, as well as an unhealthy fixation. Is good friends with both Victoria and Amaryllis, resulting in her serving as referee whenever they fight, which is often. Willow Park: Same as canon, but more assertive over her behaviors.

Let me know if any of you have any questions or opinions on it.

[lokidrabbles]

Across Time (Loki x Reader)

Loki reminisces about Sigyn and his current relationship with Reader

A/N: This is also mildly setup as a Loki x Sigyn story, but it is more used as a device for Loki’s perception of his present relationship. As always, Gender Neutral reader! Hope you all enjoy!

Warnings: Some implied smut, fluff n’ stuff

The young prince leaned against the marble column, arms crossed over his chest in a sheer display of disinterest. The large hall in which he stood was inhabited with a variety of Asgardians of all ages and trades, eagerly involved in the splendor of food, music, magic and chatter. While large festivities weren’t foreign to him, that being one of Odin’s sons, he felt out of place. This wasn’t your average conjoining of individuals, for this was Thor’s day of birth, and Odin had made sure his eldest son received every single demand and desire he voiced out.

Thor’s entourage involved the Warriors Three, a loud bunch of individuals who felt forced to involve Loki in their little shenanigans, Lady Sif, a woman too serious for her own good, and other belligerent Asgardians who drank and ate mercilessly. Thor was in the middle of it all, letting out a roaring laughter, blatantly drunk and uncaring of the spectacle he was making of himself. Everyone at the gathering cheered and clapped at Thor’s ongoing display of strength and cockiness, causing Loki to roll his eyes, embarrassed at how this man could ever be considered his brother.

He was content however. It was seldom when Odin allowed Thor to fully be his reckless self without reprimanding him on his role as the eldest prince, and Loki knew his brother better than anyone else. Thor needed these foolish events as to not collapse under the pressure of his royal duties, and so Loki only humored him from a distance.

From the corner of his eye, Loki caught a slender figure slowly approaching him, already recognizing her long golden locks and her habit of holding her hands behind her back when near him.

“My prince.” She began, curtsying before him.

“Lady Sigyn.” Loki replied, bowing his head in recognition. “How are you enjoying the merriment?”

“Oh it is quite wonderful. My family is so very thankful for the Allfather to have invited us.” She said softly, positioning herself next to him. “Although now I see how different both you and Prince Thor are.”

Sigyn belonged to a noble family, and the rumors had spread out of the possibility of Odin seeking her father’s approval to marry one of his sons. All clues suggested for Loki to be her suitor, as Thor would probably scare her off with his boasting nature.

Loki chuckled. “Yes quite. My brother takes much to Odin in the same way I take to my mother. Though irritating at times, it can be quite amusing seeing him make a fool of himself.”

“Oh, Prince Loki. You shouldn’t say that about your brother.” She replied jestingly. “ Though I do recall the one time he had passed out on top of the entire desert table. A lot of the nobles weren’t to happy about that.”

“Ah yes! That was indeed hilarious. Father had single-handedly dragged him to his quarters by his ankle. He was absolutely furious that next morning, and I did not envy Thor one bit.”

She let out a gentle laughter, causing Loki’s heart to flutter briefly. Both Loki and Sigyn were introduced to each other as young adolescents with prospects of them bonding and forming a tight knit relationship. Sigyn, like Loki, had studied under her family to master the art of seidr. Their first conversations involved talking about the mystic magic, comparing their abilities and attempting to teach each other what they have learned. Sigyn focused on healing abilities, spells which would replenish one’s energy and stamina, while Loki would learn a variety of defensive and offensive spells from Frigga. They complemented each other in abilities, and matched in their calm nature, drawn towards literature and increasing their knowledge base.

One would argue it was a perfect marriage in the making. As Loki grew older, he found himself naturally attracted to Sigyn’s blossoming. She had grown to be a beautiful woman, adorned with wavy locks, beautiful brown eyes and soft, sienna colored skin. She was kind and gentle, but also very confident with herself and with her abilities. While the deal was still to be sealed, both did share hidden kisses and intimate touches behind corridors, away from eavesdropping guards. At times, the thrill of seeing her and perhaps teasing her by playing with her hair or placing a hand at the small of her back was all he could think of. He pondered about a possibility like that playing out now.

“My prince, I take it you have something else in your mind?” She asked as a coy, pink lipped smile formed.

“Perhaps.” He said teasingly. “I admit, I was beginning to wonder what had taken you so long to approach me Lady Sigyn. Could it be possible you’ve grown bored of me?”

“My prince!” She sounded offended. “What could ever give you that idea? I was simply waiting for the attention to be drawn to Prince Thor. And since it is so, shall we meet by the balcony to discuss our affairs more appropriately?”

“How bold of you my lady. Quite inappropriate to be talking to a prince in such a sultry manner.”

She playfully shoved his shoulder, to which he responded with a cocky wink. “Shame on you. But alas, I shall retreat to said balcony all by my lonesome self.”

Loki lowered his head to kiss Sigyn’s forehead, knowing his duty would be to protect her and provide her with the care she so desired. “I shall meet you there soon enough my lady.”

She curtsied again, a flush of pink present in her cheeks. Sigyn soon disappeared behind the columns, far into the depth of the palace. Loki smirked to himself as a comforting warmness filled his chest. Was this love? Or perhaps just the excitement that his youth years would blind him to. He knew sooner or later, both Odin and Sigyn’s father would come to an agreement, and Loki would become her betrothed.

He once had a conversation about the possibility with Frigga. Who best to provide Loki with sound judgement to determine if Sigyn would indeed be a good wife? As any young Asgardian would, Loki shared his uncertainties with his mother. He understood the duty he would uptake once as a married man, while still addressing his duties as Odin’s son.

It seemed to make the most sense, and it was almost expected at this point. Loki and Sigyn simply got along well, they were both skilled and highly intelligent, and both came from nobility. The union of their families would make for some very powerful heirs, which was always an interest for Odin. Yet, the sense of doubt naturally picked at him. He was still young, and arguably inexperienced. Love, while the concept not foreign to him, was a new experience, and Loki wasn’t sure whether this was what he felt for Sigyn.

Frigga, knowing her son best, provided Loki with words of encouragement, for which he forever continued to carry with him.

“Trust your intuition Loki. Perceive your happiness with them, as the best blessing a partner can offer you is the opportunity to grow beside them. I believe in you, my son.”

Both Loki and Sigyn soon became engaged, and for a brief moment in his long life, Loki felt as his everything had fallen correctly into place.

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

“Ugh. Come on.”

Loki popped one eye open upon hearing your groan. You had propped yourself up against your pillow, texting away furiously on the bright screen of your phone. The light was absolutely blinding, especially in the middle of the night. He blinked and squinted, catching how you had knitted your eyebrows together. You were rightfully annoyed, and he deducted you must have been awakened by the beeping of your device.

“Who has upset my dearest?” He asked, covering his eyes with his hand.

“Tony wants me to go in tomorrow for some maintenance crap. I’m telling him to stop messaging me in the middle of the night.” You responded, voice still groggy.

He made a disapproving sound. “I am not eager about Stark having contact with you so frequently. He’s a fool, and now he has disturbed my slumber with you.”

You tossed your phone by your dresser and pulled the sheets up to your face. You scooted closer to Loki, nuzzling your face into the crook of his neck. Loki’s body responded, soon placing his arm around your waist, hand resting on the small of your back.

“He’s my boss, his money pays my bills. But yes he’s stupid.” You muttered under the sheets.

“You have no idea how much I enjoy hearing you insult him.” He chuckled lowly. “You certainly have way with words.”

“Also, if I would have never gotten hired by him, I would have never met you. So technically-”

He shushed you immediately. “No. Do not dare say Stark’s intervention brought us together. I’d like to believe it was simply meant to be due to my charm and charisma.”

You snorted, your breath tickling the skin on his neck. “Fine, fine. I won’t say it. I gotta admit tho, you look super cute whenever you get upset by that.”

“Then it is no wonder why you always seem to infuriate me.”

You both laid together quietly, your soft breaths beginning to lull Loki back into that blissful comfort. His arm continued to be looped around your waist, bringing a deep, inward sense of protectiveness. You were small compared to him, yet it had come to a point where he needed to feel your body closer to his, clinging onto him for security. It was bizarre. He knew his past self would have never dreamed of the day where he would lay in bed with a human, much less have an intimate relationship with a human. The prospect was very difficult to accept at first, especially considering the circumstances of how he had settled down on Midgard. Despite this, Loki weirdly felt as if this made the most sense to him. The planet he swore to conquer almost a decade ago, now became his home. The humans, which he swore to conquer, had now accepted him to some degree. And now, he proudly called one of these humans as his own. This foolish human who had presented him with kindness, genuineness and often made him upset at the foolish comments they would make.

He relished in your touch, and how soft your skin felt. He found himself always seeking out your touch. There was a contrasting difference between human and Asgardian skin. Human skin always felt much more delicate and thinner, while Asgardians tended to have tougher and firmer skin. Your skin would bruise easily, especially if his grip would become harsh. He sadistically liked this, feeling as if he could easily mark you at any moment, claiming territory on this small Midgardian. He mindlessly began to make circles in the small of your back, feeling the shivers spread all over.

He smiled to himself once he felt your own arms loop under his arms, circling his broad chest. You picked your head out from under his chin, and reached up to plant a sleepy kiss upon his lips. A blessing for him. Your lips were much too tender for him to bear, and he kissed and suckled on them in return.

You giggled and pulled back from him briefly. “I need to sleep but I don’t want to anymore now.”

“Oh? Any particular reason?” He asked, smile still displayed.

“Yes. I just really want to get on top of you now. And maybe kiss you all over.”

He hummed approvingly. “I don’t have any reason to stop you. You have laid claim to me already, human.”

Eagerly, you removed your hold and climbed over him, your thighs tightly at his hips. He adjusted himself, just enough so he could ensure his grip on your waist would be secure. You lowered down to his face, peppering it all over with fleeting kisses and pecks. You ended on his lips again, this time kissing deeper and passionately, leaving Loki practically breathless. At times your displays of affection were overwhelming. Humans were always so physical with each other, and always giving themselves into that intense gratification. it was years and years since Loki experienced this type of fondness and the lustful pleasure of feeling someone on top of him. He was undeniably attracted to you, his little human, who proved their worth by his side. Tongues soon clashed with one another, and Loki groaned into your mouth, already feeling his blood rush into his core.

He halted however, knowing you would be reprimanded the following day if you stayed up the entire night. He hated Stark, but he also didn’t want to jeopardize your working relationship with him.

“Sweetling, although I would love nothing more than to fuck you right now, perhaps it is wiser for you to get some rest.”

Even Loki could see your childish pout through the dim light of the window. “I hate it when you’re right.” You said, laying your head on his chest in defeat.

He leaned inward and planted a reassuring kiss at the top of your head. “Once you are done with your duties tomorrow, we can resume our intimacy in the evening.”

You rolled off of him, still laying close by his side, arms clinging onto his chest. “Knowing myself though, I might annoy you about it in the morning instead.”

“Then sleep now. And I promise you will be awakened by a very pleasant surprise.”

The rest of the night continued, and soon Loki felt you doze off into deep sleep. He remained awake, as he always did, until you were fully resting. He focused his attention still to the weight of your arm over his chest, slowly caressing your hand with his. Loki began to feel his eyelids droop, slowly drawing back to a familiar memory, and a familiar set of words which he had forgotten about long ago.

He felted blessed with you. And his intuition affirmed it every single day.