#is there something similar but for antagonistic forces?

[brutalcritical]

The Knight's Dark Soul (Deltarune Theory)

So I'll say it right now, I believe The Knight is some form of Dess. But exactly how seems hard to be certain right now. There is one theory going around that has the most promise in my mind, that being the knight's "true" nature being a disembodied SOUL (specificly one with the ability to take on vessals like us).

At the end of chapter 3, Susie phrases her words in a specific way to suggest she only saw one individual make a bee-line to the Shelter:

Kris! I... I still see someone! They're down there!

Followed up by this when she gets to the shelter door:

Followed up by this:

HEY! HEY OPEN UP! Undyne...! Officer Undyne, say something!! You're about to come out there, right!? H-hey... hey, this is a joke, right!?

Despite the knight taking someone captive, Susie's words highlight she just saw one person leave the Dark World and enter the Shelter. It's why Susie's hoping Undyne's just playing a prank of them, before she gets no response and is forced to come to the terms that yes, the Knight just did kidnap Undyne somehow.

If the knight is a SOUL, it's also not unreasonable that the knight can possess undyne (note how in chapter 4 it transitions to its ball form before leaving through the grand door, something we don't see in chapter 3 due to it leaving offscreen) if it is indeed a human SOUL, as theorised elsewhere, this might explain why Dess's species is kept so ambigous so far: Its because its intrinsictly tied to what the knight exactly is.

We know for a fact that human souls can take control of a monster host (see also Asriel recounting Chara nearly using Asriel as their personal weapon of destruction back in Undertale when Asriel took in Chara's SOUL). Hell, we even know that a human soul can persist after death from that game, too, so you can still do Dead!Dess under this theory (even if I'm more convinced that the Dess in the code is just Dess's soulless body).

Indeed, let's take it that the Weird Route serves as Deltarune's equivalent of the Genocide Route, in that it serves to emulate and one-up the actions of the main antagonist. It's theorised that the Weird Route would entail us taking Noelle over as OUR vessel over the more resistant Kris. Not to mention the idea of the Knight being a SOUL without a body neatly parralels Flowey whose a body without a SOUL.

While I'm not 100% sure how the knight takes on that form in the Dark World (my current bet is that it has something to do with possessing darkners, as they can take lightner SOULS as alluded to by Spamton G. Spamton, possibly a Titan Spawn in specific), it does explain its odd look and behaviours. In a sense, the humanoid form it takes on by default is just sorta a mirage, and its ball form it shifts in and out of (notably sometimes to dodge attacks, similar to OUR SOUL) is the knight's true dark world form.

Going by the amalgamites, and the fact that the shadow crystals (going by the shadow crystal bosses handing them out) are associated with shapeshifters, maybe it's possible for Dess to bend and contort regular monsters into whatever form she wanted at the time (turning them into the weird fucked up pseudo titans in the process).

Papyrus

So I'm not the first one to notice the similarities between the Door to Papyrus's Room and Dess's Closet door. There's also the fact that the knight has a few superficial similarities to Papyrus (not to mention him being MIA entirely when the knight physically shows up). Why is that? Well i do have an explanation under the idea that the Knight is Dess's SOUL.

That at one point in Deltarune (likely chapter 5), the knight would be "revealed" to be Papyrus. Or at least, something wearing his skin (bones?) as it's made clear that something else is in the driver's seat. In this theory, the door thing is something of a remnant of when Dess took control over him. If this is happening in a Dark World (since we only see the knight in Dark Worlds so far), which has sans in it, I imagine sans would be the one to notice something isn't quite right and will call the Knight out on it.

Maybe what came up back in chapter 2 has something to do with the knight (after all, if I saw a floating glowing heart in my house, i'll start getting spooked too). The knight likely has papyrus in the shelter alongside Undyne too, explaining his disappearance in Chapter 4 (as he's unaccounted for in Chapter 3), till his theoretical reappearance as the knight's "host" in the dark sanctuaries.

[biggest-gaudiest-patronuses]

careers in science & academia are so Cassandra-coded. you possess a Great and Burdensome Knowledge (at heavy cost*), which is both its own reward and its own punishment. and no one fucking listens to you

[shuvva]

I think I should give both of the Void Sibs undiagnosed OCD-type autism as a coping mechanism for fun

[percheduphere]

LET'S TALK ABOUT LOKI'S SHOES (ACTUALLY, HIS WHOLE WARDROBE)

Production costs aside, clothes tell the audience about how characters think of themselves.

Loki's shoes in the S2 finale raised a lot eyebrows, but I find them quite fitting: they are comfortable, practical, and most importantly, they are humble. The camera brings this to our attention to communicate his evolution in character.

Loki has always dressed well, often times ostentatiously. Whether he is at war, passing as a Midgardian, or held captive as an Asgardian prisoner, Loki communicates his social class and sense of superiority through clothing. For him, clothing armors his fragile sense of self and against others' opinions of him. He intends to be perceived as deadly charming but ultimately unapproachable.

His attire in the first Thor movie is roughly equal parts green and gold, signifying his royal status. His style is dressed down for his brother's misadventures in Jotenheim, yet overall both silhouettes are lofty, princely, but not hardened or threatening.

In Avengers, Loki's look has more black and leather, with exaggerated emphasis on his shoulders meant to intimidate as he assumes the role of villain. The silhouette is very hard, heavy, and edgy. Gold detailing is prevalent as well. Combined with the goat's helm, this is Loki's most pretentious outfit, which speaks to an undercurrent of low self-esteem and a compulsive need to impress. There's no mistaking he is the main antagonist of the story.

In Thor 2, Loki's attire is similar to Avengers but the overcoat is exchanged for a less bulky version (perhaps conveying he is less guarded now that the effects of the Mind Stone are no longer influencing him). Loki's role likewise pivots from the harsh lines of a villain to the more flexible edges of a reluctant villain-turned-ally. This aligns with his character arc when he protects both Jane and Thor, seemingly sacrificing himself.

In Thor 3, Loki's silhouette is streamlined even further. The overcoat is done away with in favor of what appears to be a leather doublet, pauldrons, and vambraces. Gold accents are minimal. While stylish, Loki's attire is more practical than showy, and his helm serves the dual purpose of protection as well as weaponry. At this point in his arc, Loki has become a full antihero, joining his brother's side in rescuing as many Asgardians as possible, and eventually dying in a vain bid to protect Thor from Thanos.

The TVA does something very fun and interesting in taking away Loki's ability to dress himself. Since Loki cannot use his magic in the TVA, he is forced to wear the same clothing as his captor/advocate, who eventually becomes his best friend and peer.

Perhaps, on a subconscious level, this helped Loki to feel included. We know by his pwn admission that Loki fears being alone and desperately craves a sense of belonging. At the same time, he intentionally dresses to put people at a distance, thereby protecting himself from potential rejection at the cost of isolating himself further.

When Mobius gives him that TVA jacket for the first time, Loki seems uncharacteristically pleased. It is not an attractive jacket by any means, yet he neither scoffs at it nor refuses to wear it. Instead, Loki puts it on and is content when Mobius says it looks "smart" on him. He continues to dress like Mobius and, indeed, mimic some of his mannerisms such as placing his hands on his hips. Without clothing meant to push people away, Loki opens up, has more fun, and makes friends.

Loki's choice of attire as he assumes the mantle of God of Stories (and time) is fascinating. Setting aside the clear design inspiration from the comics, Loki's silhouette is soft, remarkably so. His colors are earthy hues of green, and the only bit of flare are the light gold trimming and crown. The look brings to mind the garb of sages and wise wizards rather than royalty or warriors. He's powerful yet approachable because there is humility in his bearing. And that humility springs from a well of healthy self-worth, self-love, and a deep love for others.

The shoes are not meant to be attractive. They are meant to help him ascend the throne, nothing more.

[comicaurora]

in that ask you mentioned other villains in your stories having similarly “tempting mistakes” — what are some other examples of that, in aurora or elsewhere? i’ve always been really interested in the characterizations of your antagonists, and i’m wondering if this has something to do with it

The Collector is so fixated on solving a problem that she's completely divorced herself from the world around her, and will disregard any cost in lives or suffering because it is truly irrelevant in the paradigm she's anchored herself into. Hyperfixation is a bitch, and obsession can make anything outside of it seem unimportant. To create a character capable of such effortless widespread suffering, she needed to be truly incapable of seeing it as relevant. Jolon is the same way, but in a much smaller scale.

Tahraim is a similar model of "disregards everything beyond extremely narrow priorities of what he cares about" but he's much less of a dick about it, so while he's not really a villain, his morality is still pretty situational.

Zuurith, like Shrike, is obsessed with control. He's the epitome of "the world would be perfect if everyone just did what I think is right," and that paternalistic impulse feeds into every savior complex and vigilantism fantasy. He wants the world to work Just So, but he can't even make his own domain do that, and rather than seeing that as a failure of the goal itself, he sees it as a failure of his execution.

Tynan just wants attention. Terror is the easiest way to get it. He's the star; he's the coolest, deadliest thing around. He's unstoppable, a literal force of nature. And yet he still only has so much control over how he's perceived, and that makes him so angry.

The Void Dragon is self-awarely evil. He is a monster, a nightmare, the dark heart of this tomb world. He knows what he is, and that makes everything so easy, because he's not capable of kindness or mercy or creation or anything beyond his role as the eater of stars. He knows what he wants, and he knows how to get it, and the only joy in his existence is how much he gets to play with his food. When you're trapped and the world feels small, cruelty is very, very easy. When you're certain you're only good for hurting things, hurting things can become all you do.

The Paladin Champion knows he's right. He has built everything around the rock-solid understanding of what is Good and what is Evil, and because of the cause he serves, what he does is Good, even if it is at times cruel or imperfect. Being certain you're right is a very dangerous thing. Being certain of the morality of your cause can make it very tempting to stop listening to the morality in your head.

[twilightofthesandwiches]

A lot has been already made of the comparisons between Spamton Deltarune and Flowey Undertale. Obsessed with acquiring the Player Character's SOUL, playing a similar narrative role in the Murder Routes of each game/chapter, the visual similarities between the wires and strings to Flowey's vines (to the point the musical track related to them is literally called "Digital Roots") and Spamton even kinda paraphrasing some of Flowey's lines in his own... Spamtony way.

So now I'm thinking about how Flowey/Asriel and Gerson/the Hammer of Justice really are mirror images of each other.

These are both examples of Monsters being resurrected via their Symbolic-Objects-Covered-in-Dust being exposed to the Big Metaphysical Force of the game, Asriel was revived via Determination and Gerson was revived via the Dark. They're both even named after their Objects (a Flower and a Hammer).

You can even draw comparisons between Asriel being a young child who died under tragic circumstances, leaving behind his grieving parents, while Gerson was an old man who seemed to have died from natural circumstances and left behind his son.

And the fact that Flowers are generally seen as nice, innocent and peaceful, while Flowey is the cruel antagonist of his game. Meanwhile, Hammers generally symbolize violence and brute strength, while the Hammer of Justice is a helpful and scholarly mentor.

And even kinda the fact that they both dabble in misdirection. Flowey tries to present himself as a helpful tutorial character as a trap for Frisk. The Hammer of Justice presents himself as a hindrance and a Load to the Three Heroes so he can secretly mentor them.

...I was originally thinking of presenting their animating forces, the Dark and Determination, as also kinda opposites from each other. Since Queen's speech in Chapter 2, I've been assuming Determination is a trait/concept associated with Light (since Queen said "the Power of Determination" is something all Lightners possess).

But... with Ralsei's explanation of Darkners in Chapter 3 including a creature obviously inspired by the Amalgamates (another result of Alphys Undertale's experiments with Determination)

And then the Final Boss of Chapter 4 being a Titan, a being that is like the Dark incarnation of the Dark itself, having a very obvious and very prominent SAVE POINT Motif

...I am beginning to wonder if Determination and Dark are less mirror opposites and more two sides of the same coin.

[stonesense]

Would you mind if I asked what the overall, like, thoughts and plot stuffs you have on a 'the inquisition as antagonists' story? Honestly sounds really interesting as an AU. Is it built off (the scant bits we have) of the cancelled Exalted March? Like the Inquisition redeclared and exalted march enacted on the Free Marches while the Qunari attack from the north and Hawk (or some other hero) trapped managing it all in the middle along with the growing red lyrium crisis? Or something entirely different?

there i was, banking on my explanations of how cool and hot the female characters would be, sure no-one would ever ask me to come up with a plot or logic... foiled...

so. loosely. as we established in da2, the mage circles are in rebellion. the divine gave cassandra one chance: to find hawke, discover the truth about kirkwall, and string them up as an example with all the blame pinned on their shoulders. (remember cassandra’s certainty that hawke and their allies planned everything from the start? i really think this makes more sense than the idea they always wanted to recruit hawke.) the mages would then have a chance to return peacefully to the circles, graciously forgiven for either being swayed by hawke’s lies (supported the mages) or being forced to react to hawke’s crimes (supported the templars). it was supposed to bring things back under control & prevent the divine from having to take more drastic measures. but varric lies, and cassandra fails. given that the rebellion is not centralised in one place anymore, an exalted march isn’t suitable. the divine declares an inquisition. and from then on, nowhere in southern thedas is safe from catching its eye

my intention was that the protagonist would still be the herald of andraste, because i think that’s the most compelling thing dai has going on. i think i’m keeping a lot of the plot with corypheus too. so: after an incident (still figuring out exactly my take) at the temple of sacred ashes, rifts pop up everywhere, and you’re the only one with the mysterious power to close them. in a time when both chantry and mages are doubted and feared, common people mark a sudden saviour as the herald of andraste who is going to bring everything back to rights. their beliefs get you help you can’t afford to refuse, as this time you’re really a prisoner and underdog in every way possible, no army of scouts here. but it also paints a target on your back. the inquisition doesn’t believe in corypheus; it’s obvious to them that these rifts are the work of the loose rebel mages everywhere, taking their vengeance on ordinary people. and you yourself must have dealt with demons to have such power, yet you dare to operate under andraste’s name. whether or not you want to be, whatever you were before, you immediately become the inquisition’s enemy #1

kind of similar structurally to how dao has loghain and then the archdemon, the inquisition would be the enemy you can deal with in multiple ways and corypheus would be the ultimate threat. i wish i could say i have something more solid than that but i really don’t, i haven’t put in a lot of work on this and there are lots of inquisition characters & subplots i don’t consider myself an expert in at all. but that’s sort of the direction in my head

[literaryvein-reblogs]

15 Writing Ideas: To Improve your Fiction

Throw an obstacle in the way if you don’t want to kill a character off. Throwing a banana peel on the path will force your characters to fall or act quickly.

Give your protagonist an external and internal conflict in every scene.

Always be aware of what your main characters (i.e. the protagonist and antagonist) want in every scene of your novel. When you’re clear, your reader will be, too.

Cut lengthy descriptions because they can slow the pace and make for an uneven reading experience.

Show how the characters are feeling by describing what they’re doing.

Take a break (of at least 2 weeks) before you edit your first, second, and third drafts.

Write to move yourself. If you don’t feel sad, happy, scared, or otherwise for your characters, your reader won’t either. You need to be moved if you expect your reader to be affected, also.

Take a notebook with you wherever you go because you will forget your marvelous new idea.

Disconnect from the Internet when it’s time to write.

Don't use exclamation points! (Okay, you can use them, but only twice in your entire book, so choose wisely.)

Journal from the perspective of your character.

Watch a movie or documentary that is similar to your subject matter.

Remove passive language.

Give yourself a short deadline to write your entire first draft. (A month is a healthy deadline.) A month may seem like a short time, but the idea is to get everything on paper so you have something to work with.

Loosely outline your chapter right before you start writing it.

Source ⚜ Writing Notes & References Writing References: Plot ⚜ Character ⚜ Worldbuilding

[iscdisc]

Mini rant I guess?

But something that isn't talked about enough or acknowledged by 2012 itself is that the Utrom are victims of a Hivemind,,??

It's a bit jarring sometimes to hear the way the Turtles (And other protagonists / allies-) speak about the Kraang (i.e. In, "Operation: Break Out" when the Turtles point out the fact that the Newtralizer enjoys attacking the Kraang and Mikey says, "Who doesn't?"-), because a majority of them are being forced to act in the name of Kraang Prime. The only Utrom exempt from this (Aside from the Utrom Council and the few survivors they had accrued-) is Kraang Subprime, primarily because they're in cahoots with one another. This fact is never once acknowledged by the heroes of this story and I find that to be upsetting a little bit- I understand that they were the antagonists in the beginning but it would've been interesting to see the group's perspective on the Kraang situation change as they learned more about them / their origins,,

Because when we see the Utrom finally free of Kraang Prime's control by Season 5 (These screenshots coming specifically from, "When World's Collide (Part 1)"-), they're super chill and peaceful aliens- Which implies that the Kraang / Kraang droids the group has been fighting this whole time (Up until S3-S4) were the exact same Utrom,, Which makes me sad honestly, because some of those Utrom went out in very cruel ways in the previous Seasons- It makes it even worse when you factor in just how long the Utrom were under this Hivemind control via Kraang Prime, since in Season 2 Kurtzman claims they've been around since "the dawn of civilization".

I just wish we got to hear their story a little bit more. Why was Kraang ("Kraang Prime") such a bitch? Why did he do all of this? If the Utrom species is inherently peaceful, what causes Kraang to stray from those morals and ideals? So many questions and no real answers.

This also pisses me off because this is yet another plot point that could've elevated April's character given she's Half-"Kraang" / Half-Utrom. They could've done so many things here- Like April feeling as though she's "evil" because she (Along with the others at the time-) didn't know Kraang and Utrom were two separate things, which could've played a huge role in her Aeon Crystal Arc in my opinion. Or April figuring out that the Utrom are trapped in a Hivemind way sooner than everyone else but struggling to convince her teammates that it's true (Which wouldn't be because they don't believe her or value her input, it would definitely be a similar how Mikey would try to prove something but his evidence would conveniently "vanish" or whatever- Lmao). Or my personal favorite take, Kraang Subprime using the truth to gaslight April into being on their side but omitting his involvement in Kraang Prime's schemes !! 🗣️🗣️

Anyway, that's all I got- I didn't have time to make art about it, so I'm just yapping for today- 😔👍

[phoenixfire-thewizardgoddess]

Okay but consider this...

Lillith did not, in fact, order Alastor to go to the hotel or protect Charlie (per say)

In fact, she might have slapped the exact opposite order on the deer, because she knew what a nightmare he could be.

It would be inifinitely more fun to have her reveal that when she drops in for a visit.

"So you sent Alastor here to protect me?"

"My dear, I told him explicitly not to fucking come here in order to protect you. But he's a wilful bastard and I should have known better." Lillith sighed, rubbing her eyes.

"So why did you come here?"

"Why, pure spite and a desire for entertainment my dear. Why not?"

"...if that's true, why didn't you ask for my soul in our deal? I... would hope my mother would trade it for your own."

"She may have, she may not have. She could just force me to release it to her too, you know that's in her power."

"That didn't answer my question..."

Lillith laughs, "Darling, I think you actually endeared yourself to the Overlord when you fought that horrid mantis woman on television. He genuinely enjoys that level of chaos... and the fact he remained against my many subtle attempts to have him leave, means perhaps the stubborn deer might actually like you."

"Preposterous, it's mere entertainment..."

"Like Rosie? Like Vox? Are they entertainment? You let her hug you and didn't even try to bite Charlie once. Oh don't get steamed, deer, I'm just yanking your tail... it's not a bad thing to care for someone. And my-... Our darling daughter..." here she winked, having scryed the initial song battle between Alastor and Lucifer, grinning widely. The two were so similar when it came to theatricality, and yet, so different in terms of everything else. "here is just the sort of creature that no one but the bleakest of fools could fail to care for."

"...how dare you imply I have any emotions, you wretched diva." The tone was mock offence and joviality, and only Lillith's echoing laughter stopped Lucifer from defending her majesty's honour.

"Oh, you do, and I'm sure you're quite fawn'd of Charlotte, you antagonistic anachronistic ancient artifact." She bounces back, airily.

"Ho, I know one should never ask a lady her age, but I don't think there's a number high enough for you to provide in answer."

"I missed these little banter sessions, Bambi, it got quite boring without someone mocking my every waking moment."

"And your husband is a poor substitute for your cruel wit, Siren, and yet... we made do with what we had. Now, how are you here? I thought Adam's little nonsense kept you pinned in place?"

"I believe Niffty took the pest out on my behalf and snapped the threads binding me there. Do get her something pretty from Rosie's and put it on my account, I know the demonic doll will adore anything from her boutique."

"Hello, can I get a word in edgewise?" Lucifer has this too-cheerful grin on his face, waving his hand like an eager student aiming for the attention of the teacher. "Hi, your husband, hello. Quick question, what the fuck are you talking about? How do you know the bellhop? How is Adam involved in any of this? And again, what the FUCK is going on here?"

"Oh... did I not say, my love?" Lillith coos, a trembling note that she knew angels used between one another to help settle ffrazzled nerves. It was always a delightful amusement to see Lucifer's ruffled feathers settle. Intriguingly, the little ex-orcist does to, and then looks confused about it. "Why, I was trapped in Heaven with my boorish first fool of a 'husband', to prevent more 'rebellion nonsense'. I had to make a rather clever deal to help Alastor get back to Hell, and I technically own his soul... but we've been friends for decades, dear. You've met twice..."

Ah, that might be why Alucard was so pissed to be dismissed, Lucifer realises. Wouldn't be the first time he'd forgotten a face.

"Charlie was abooooout ten at the time, in terms of age, my dove..." Lillith prompts. "The television sinner was there too? Do you recall that?"

"...no. But a lot of those decades were a foggy mess." Lucifer admits, trying to work out how he forgot a guy with a tv for a head. Wait, he remembered the guy with a tv for a head. "Did the television have a yellow sweater on and I kept subtly asking how the fuck he managed to get it on given the neckhole didn't seem that stretchy?"

Audience applause played from the air. "That's the one. The secret was, of course, velcro down the back. He'll say he used his powers to put it on, but he didn't have that ability back then." Alastor explains. "I do believe it was a vaguely productive meeting, even if you were only physically present, your Lowness. Why, I recall we'd taught deer Charlotte at least four new swear words by the time we left..."

Charlie, whose eyes were wide as she Recalled Something, felt her mouth fall open. "Oooooh, so you're the ones who taught me to say [very long and complicated series of words that seem to be sending Lucifer into a state of rage as yet unattainable to sinners with every syllable]... right? I said that to dad when he told me it was bathtime and I didn't want to, and he had to go set something on fire before he came back to talk about 'good words and bad words'."

Vaggie looked horrified, and snapped a glare at the radio demon.

Alastor's grin was WIDER than it should be possible to get. "Are you telling me, my dear Charlotte, was that his Majesty's tantrum was the reason that half of pentagram city was burned to the ground shortly after we left that day? Oho, that's just... delicious."

"Well I shouldn't have said it..." Charlie agonised, "I'm sorry Dad. I mean, it was a while ago,but..."

"Oh, you're not to blame Char-Char... this fucker is." Lucifer launches for Alastor, whose tendrils are manifesting... and then a startled bleat escapes as Lillith yanks him practically into her lap by the collar.

"Hold, Luci, there was no harm done in the long run. And you know I found it hilarious, in the aftermath." Lillith waves it off. She turns to the Overlord trying to right himself. "And you, you terrible influence, I do hope you haven't taught our darling anything worse while I was away?"

Charlie, caught back on the bleat sound, is watching on with stars in her eyes. She blinks. "What? No, he hasn't... well, unless you count [a strange warbling static came out of her mouth as her lips moved in what seemed like words]?"

Alastor's ears went flat in shock. "I promise you I didn't teach her that... I had no idea she could even hear that frequency, nuch less verbalise it!"

"I heard you tell Vox he should-..."

"DO NOT REPEAT THAT!" Alastor just about begged as static spilled about the room. "Do you WANT your parents to reduce me to atoms?"

Charlie blinked. "No? It was a pretty creative threat, but it wasn't that bad..."

Lucifer was pulling at a mental thread from the conversation. "Hold on, can we back up to the part where the deer was in Heaven...? How did that happen?"

Angry static filled the room until it was oppressive. Vaggie clutched at Charlie's arm whilst also putting herself between Charlie and the Overlord.

"Enough of that..." Lillith murmured and tugged at an antler. She received an indignant noise that Alastor wouldn't ever admit to with a gun to his head. "They were going to find out eventually you overdramatic cervine... might as well out with it."

The ears pinned flat. "No."

"Fine, I will... this canibalistic mass-murdering psychopath somehow got accidentally redeemed whilst fending off angels during an extermination. I strongly suspect it was because, even though they had just been fighting to the death, he still put himself in the way of those who would have killed Vox..."

Charlie was flickering between shock, anger, confusion and something that looked like it wanted to be weepy and affectionate. Hopefully she didn't settle for the latter because Lillith and Lucifer would have to pin the deer in place to avoid Alastor throwing himself out a window to avoid the whole mess.

"You... you knew it was possible... and you didn't TELL ME?!" Charlie yelled, settling on Anger.

Alastor grins, "Well, you never directly asked, did you?"

Charlie steamed, then pivoted in the old Charlie Fashion (TM) to joyful. "It's possible?!"

Lillith also adds, "From what I have heard around Heaven, it may not have been the first time... they just keep it quiet. And... well, if someone gets up there who starts doing things like, say, eating Cherubs because they were furious they were trapped there... they usually just killed them off. Unless, of course, they had the Queen of Hell there who could convince them to try another way."

"You ate CHERUBS?! They're like CHILDREN?" Lucifer is aghast.

"They are infuriatingly too-positive little nightmares with no common sense or ability to accept anyone else's viewpoint. Yes. they were delicious."

"...well, okay they're a bit of an experience but eating them?!"

"Most of them are centuries older than myself, they had enough time to learn to back off. I warned them, they persisted, I got to try angelic veal..."

Vaggie looked like she wanted to throw up. "Don't. ever. say that phrase again."

"What, angelic ve-...?"

"You stop taunting my future daughter in law or I order you to let them pet your tail." Lillith warns. It's an empty threat, she was a major proponent of bodily autonomy (anyone who'd been trapped with Adam would be) but Alastor didn't need to know that.

"You wouldn't dare!"

"I would. Now, shall I continue? Lovely. We made a deal, with Adam cosigning because I was under his contract, to allow Alastor to return to Hell as a Sinner... with a few rules that the oaf created. Particularly the one around not raising an army against Heaven, and some poorly worded nonsense about not sharing the secrets of angelic steel and implying he should not be 'fucked with' which we took to assume meant no fighting the fool. Because he certainly made passes at both of us."

Lillith's mouth turned down in distaste. Alastor looked like HE was going to be sick.

Lucifer's expression flickered demonic. "If he wasn't dead, I'd kill him again..." After everything Lillith went through in the Garden, to be trapped with a man who could never learn from his mistakes, was blind to making them. Revolting.

"Didn't want to take the Dickmaster for a spin, Bambi?" he snipes, distracting himself with the casual patter of argumentation with the overlord.

"Why, your majesty, I was busy with your wife... although comparatively, I do have good time management skills, I suppose I COULD have managed if I tried..."

"You did WHAT?!"

Lillith was trying so hard to keep a straight face as she threw a pseudo seductive expression at Alastor. "Oh darling, he's not ready to know about that..." she purrs. She sees her husband attain an almost orange colouring. "We're joking, dear... I promise."

"Dad? Try counting to te-... fifty-seven." Charlie intervenes.

"One, two-... wait, why 57?" he says, colour settling again.

"Because the number was so unusual you'd get curious about it and drop out of your funk to ask."

"...you really are so clever, Char-Char, we really made something amazing when we created you."

"Daaaaaaaaaaad, please... not in front of Vaggie." she flushes.

"Unclench, your Lowness, your wife is aesthetically pleasing but we are but friends." Alastor shrugged.

"Because you liked Vox, right?" Lucifer was awarding himself a mental medal because he REMEMBERED bits of the conversation. Wasn't that sad?

Alastor snarled. "Hardly." Oooh, that seemed like a sore spot. Time to press.

"Didn't like you back, huh? Fair. I can't fucking stand you, and-..."

"Lucifer, leave it." Lillith said. It wasn't harsh or sharp, but it conveyed that she knew something about why the Overlord's expression had fallen behind that smile, even as he forced whatever emotion that meant back into a box and reasserted the mask. "It's complicated, and now is not the time for that conversation. Suffice to say, no one slept with Adam outside of his exorcists, but I did manage to get Alastor back to Hell as swiftly as I could in order to have him covertly assisting Charlie."

"How? If you wouldn't let him at the hotel, then how does that help?"

"Destabilise the Overlords, be more lenient about the souls on his chains trying out the hotel, spread information about the place in a covert manner that wouldn't get a target on you, so many underhanded things my dear. Though, I am glad he disobeyed... I hadn't realised how little you understood of management and staffing."

"Heh, yeah... it was the best we had."

"Charlotte, you could have ordered palace staff to come and help at the hotel, you were always too kind."

"Oh, I dismissed them when you left with Charlie..." Lucifer adds, sheepishly.

"It seems there is a lot I need to do in the interim, then." Lillith sighed. "Alastor, would you be open to helping me manage these tasks, even without the deal in place?"

"...I kept the last hotel together with magical duct tape and elbow grease, it's a matter of pride now to continue in the role." Alastor shrugs, as if unconcerned. The collar shatters with a snap of elegant pale fingers. "Thank you... now, what was it you needed seen to? I will need to schedule in a few hours to go and tear the Vees limb from limb, but outside of that, my calendar's quite open."

"Wait, we need to discuss everything we just learned! I have questions!"

"Later, Charlotte. Now is the time for action..." Alastor replies, radio dial eyes flaring, already planning on how he would prepare the Vees for dinner.

"How dare you talk to our daughter that way, Alastor, deer?" Lillith teases, tugging at his ear and laughing as he snaps his teeth at her fingers. "Oh, don't fight in front of Charlotte, she'll end up with a complex or something..."

"On top of her glaring daddy issues you mean?"

Alastor doesn't like the way Lucifer's expression goes from furious to cold, cruel delight in a heartbeat. "Well, it's on you to fix now as well, bellhop... seeing as you claimed her too. So, how about some..." the world seemed o slow down like a horror movie, "Family... therapy...?"

"...If you'll excuse me, I'm going to beg Vox to kill me."

Charlie leaps for him, "No, he's kidding!"

"So am I, Charlotte... do take a breath. Your parents are apparently comedians this afternoon, and I think we'd all best steer clear of them until whatever madness has swept over them, passes. Now, would you like to come and watch me dismember an overlord? You and Vagathat could even tag-team Velvette if you wished..."

Vaggie looks like she might pass out.

His ears flatten. "Ah, I believe I hit another slang term and I'm not going to like what it really means... am I?"

Lucifer curls half his wings around the Overlord, as one might companionably sling an arm over their shoulder if they were at comparable heights. Clearly having decided that he can torment the other better if he REALLY leans into this madness between them all.

He steers the deer towards the corridor as Lillith follows behind, unwilling to miss the fuss.

"Well, you're gonna love this, Al... husbando nuero uno, honey, deerly beloved, blood moon of our life..." Laying it on thick, but Al looked ready to claw his own ears off with each passing endearment. "...but tag-teaming used to mean fighting in tandem, and now it means-..."

The door clicks shut, but seconds later every radio in the c=vinciity blasts an air raid siren and something that sounds mysteriously like a clown falling down the stairs.

Charlie counts to ten, breathing hard.

"What the fuck is my life...?" she whispers.

Vaggie consoles her as best she can, tossing up if Charlie outweighed the insanity of her family enough to propose. She blanches, momentarily, imagining having to ask Lucifer and Lillith and Alastor's permission, before catching herself.

Sure just the first two, right?

Right?

But then she recalled the look in the royal couple's eye, and their infamous penchant for committing to the bit... and resigned herself to like, dragging a sinner home and offering it to the deer for his blessing. Or something insane like that.

"No matter what, I love you, Charlie..." she murmurs externally. "Let's go take a walk in the garden to calm down, okay?"

"...yeah, I could use fresh air after all this."

There'd be so much to talk about later, so much to ask... but for now?

Charlie needed cuddles and connection.

And, based on the sounds downstairs, someone needed a first aid kit or a priest... so they'd be taken the back staircase to avoid all that. The smoke alarms began to blare.

Vaggie tugged Charlie away from the choas just a little faster.

----------

no idea where this was going, it spiralled on me

it could be funny tho

[starryeyedastronaut]

I can’t stop thinking about the Thunderbolts, I haven’t been this invested in a MCU movie in long ago. It’s not by any means perfect, like I think the plot would benefit from being given a slower pace and more space for the scenes to just. Breathe. Also not use a character throughout all the marketing promos only to kill them off 10 minutes into the movie. I don’t know. But the story itself and the characters? It’s just… There’s so much love in there, I was so happy when watching it and it makes me happy to think of it now, it has become a comfort movie in all senses of the word.

And I understand why everyone is having some sort of nostalgia due to Thunderbolts, because I have the same feeling. Not for the avengers though, neither for ‘the avengers live together in the Watchtower’ trope, I was never really into that.

What I’m nostalgic about is that Thunderbolts reminds me so much of Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

And I can’t help but draw the similarities between both movies:

* The main antagonistic force being someone used for scientific experimentation in order to transform them into a human weapon.

* The REAL antagonist being a political authority trying to use said human weapon for their own gain and destroy everyone that gets in their way.

* A team running from the political authority trying to kill them as they fight to stop their plans.

* A blondie haunted by grief and loneliness, fighting hard to help the human weapon.

* Most importantly, love. Love ultimately saves both the human weapon and the world.

(I wanted to use the part where all the Thunderbolts are hugging Bob but I couldn’t find a gif of it, I think this one with Yelena saying “I’m Here” to Bob conveys the same feeling as the iconic “I’m with you ‘till the end of the line” moment)

*And also Bucky.

(Insert here two gifs from Bucky, one from CATWS and one from Thunderbolts. Which would be visible if only tumblr didn’t have a 10 image limit 😔)

But where Captain America: The Winter Soldier has a bittersweet ending with Bucky remaining alone. In Thunderbolts, Bob is able to stay with the team.

And there’s something poetic about the former human weapon being one of the people helping another in the same position he was in. And where Steve wasn’t able to get Bucky to stay, Bucky and the team made a home for Bob to live in with them, I like to think this brings some sort of closure to Bucky. It sure feels satisfying narrative wise, at least for me.

I have so many thoughts yet I can seem to find the right words, so let me just say that now Bob has a home in my heart too, just as Bucky way back on 2014.

I will end this by sharing an edit I found on TikTok that highlights the parallels between Bucky and Bob.

[bunnwich]

have you seen #them and if yes what's your favorite ob animation

Overblot Animation Thoughts (So far)

Unfortunately, I do not usually play on the Japanese server, but for fun, I installed it last night and spedran through Chapters 1 and 2 to see what the animations were looking like! (I need to level up my cards more to beat OB!Leona grrr) Here's what I'll say since I can't share them: (if anyone wants to privately share the other 5, that would be cool!) SPOILER TALK BELOW!

So far, the animations follow a similar pattern: the overblotter holding their face, the blot monster appearing behind, dripping the blot onto them, and consuming them. Then each person is revealed in their OB! outfit. From what was shown, the blot initially is an antagonistic force, but then becomes something they embrace. (I think it's mentioned in either the light novel that Leona was "petting" or "cuddling" his lion-like blot monster post OB) The way it is depicted there is an implication that the blot is a parasite. Which...yeah, it can kill them, so it makes sense, considering it feeds off negative emotions. Seeing it fully animated makes it look quite horrific of a process. And it's interesting how the blot monster just seems to appear behind them. I have to think the animation quality of these clips is what we are getting for the anime, so I am very excited! Overall, they are well done, and we get a bit of screaming/laughingby the VAs. Out of the two I've seen, I have to stay loyal to Savanaclaw and say I was more hyped to see Leonas'. However, I feel Riddle's had some cool shots/imagery. It seems like the main difference between each one will be the method by which the blot "splashes" on the blotters and their subtle reactions to being consumed. With Riddle, the blot monster grabs hold of him and blot leaks slowly on his face, whereas with Leona, it sorta splashes in his eyes and fills his hands. I wonder if there is any correlation in the slight variations to the Disney villain lore or maybe why each person blots. (Leona, for example, being more of an emotional overblot, and Riddles a combination of both, since he used an excess of magic as well.) Leona's struck me. (bc of ofc) So, there is a split second where we see a shadow of the blot monster symbol as a shadow behind them. For Leona, it was a lion head and the way it's done, maybe bc he overblots in a stadium made me think of a spotlight? Like reflecting his desire to be seen maybe?? A similar thing happens with Riddle in teh rose maze, but with Leona, it very much had that "spotlight" look to me. Hmm. ALSO!! There is a small part where Leona reaches his hand up as if to seek something, maybe help or support. Then only for his palm to be filled with blot. OOOOO, just the way it looked, like that got me for some reason?? Like the only thing he feels he has to fall back on is sorrow and anger. But, I love to over-analyze! Anyways, maybe once I see the rest, I can have more to say!

[amuelia]

How do you think Roose is going to go out in Winds, will he be killed by Ramsay like in the show (in a very different style, obviously) or is it something a bit unexpected?

Not fond of it being similar to the show version because it implies he's not gonna get a lot of screentime in tWoW; it's also kind of a cheap way to give him "karma" for killing robb by just reversing the roles and having roose be at the receiving end of a murderous betrayal. Note also that Theon is absent from this storyline now (since he escaped), and i'd assume Roose as an important tertiary character would have at least one more big chapter in tWoW, so he probably escapes the Winterfell situation alive at the very least until another PoV crosses his path (Asha?).

If Stannis takes Winterfell, i'd assume Roose would be a prisoner for the moment, maybe saved for a Stark to judge over as a show of goodwill; and whatever "northern conspiracy" payoff there is would probably mean that the northmen distance themselves from him as much as possible and make him the fall guy for the entire red wedding + fallout events (which are mostly his fault anyways). Barbrey as a character likely has been added to the story in aDwD to give a bit of diversity to the northern politics, as someone who is not a stark loyalist and has some closer feelings towards roose but also isnt guilty of the red wedding. I think her role might be that she is a bit of a thorn in the otherwise likely clean consensus on what to do with the Bolton problem and she might argue somewhat in Roose' favour politically (maybe arguing against him being executed or otherwise buying him some time).

And the best sword is the one that cuts both ways, he might tell you. Take the Battle of Green Fork. Had his night march taken Lord Tywin unawares and won the battle, he would have smashed the Lannisters and become the hero of the hour. While if it failed... well, you see what happened. The only way he could lose there would be if were captured or slain himself, and he did his best to minimize the chances of that. - GRRM, SSM Feb 3 2001

Roose' storyline so far has been about how he tries to maximize his profits, while also keeping out of harms way and not getting caught. He acts in ways that are morally reprehensive as long as the result is favourable to him and he can get away with it scot free. Yet come aDwD, we start to see that it is getting harder and harder for him to keep this up:

Roose Bolton said nothing at all. But Theon Greyjoy saw a look in his pale eyes that he had never seen before—an uneasiness, even a hint of fear. - a Ghost in Winterfell, aDwD

Ned Stark tried his best to act like a decent person and showed a spine acting openly as such, and after a lifetime of integrity his legacy lives on in his children and people are willing to go to war in his memory. Roose is his foil; he acts morally badly, and spinelessly so as he tries to avoid consequences - so likely as an inversion to Ned his house will go to ruin and the consequences of his actions catch up to him as his modus operandi made him liked by few. So i'd personally find it interesting if he has a fair trial and gets judged the way he deserves, with no way for him to weasel himself out of it again.

My dream tWoW direction would be that he then gets sent to the wall (which also was Ned's initial sentence, another foil moment) and becomes the epilogue PoV and faces an Other - it would be a cool way to hand off the torch from the last big human villain of the wot5k storyline to the center antagonistic force of the war for the dawn storyline (it would also complete the set of Red Wedding architects being epilogue PoVs as the first epilogue in aSoS was a Frey, and the second in aDwD a Lannister). It would also really showcase how inhuman and alien the Others are by taking the coldest and "least humane" human character that everyone jokes is a vampire, and showing that in contrast to them he still is one of us by giving us a view inside his brain and his very human reaction to them.

The real enemy is the cold.  - Prologue, aGoT

Reek wondered if Roose Bolton ever cried. If so, do the tears feel cold upon his cheeks? - Reek III, aDwD

He looked deep into the heart of winter, and then he cried out, afraid, and the heat of his tears burned on his cheeks. - Bran III, aGoT

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

I love your structured rewrite of Playful Land!! I agree that it’s hard to do a rewrite, but I think this one was great!

There’s something I thought about when I was thinking about my own rewrite: the SSR trio having to fight the others when they’re puppetized because while they’re not 100% puppetized yet they also aren’t in control of their actions, so they’re forced to fight each other. Like, imagine Ace being forced to fight Trey and Cater.

Now I get that references to the main story are questionable to include since timeline placement is purposely left vague in these things, since in a sense they’re not meant to be a part of the main story.

But imagine Ace fighting the Leech twins and it becomes sort of a callback to Book 3. Or Ortho fighting Leona and Vil and it becomes a callback to Book 6.

And imagine Kalim? Lk having Book 4 flashbacks throughout this part of the story? Because he was essentially Jamil’s puppet during that time? Made stronger if he’s the one forced to fight the Leech twins, the ones that helped him during that time?

Probably doesn’t make sense. But it is fun to think about

[ Referencing this rewrite! ]

adiubqboyqv Thank you!! As I mentioned in the original post, I still don't think the version I shared is perfect but I'm glad I was able to at least still put something out as a thought exercise.

In the canon, I don't believe Fellow has control of the puppets until they've fully turned but this could be played around with in a rewrite scenario. Play fast and loose with the rules as you like!

In my rewrites, I prioritize making changes that make sense (to me) and/or enhance the story or its themes, characters, etc. in some way. Having Kalim, Ace, and Ortho fight puppet'd NRC students falls into the "fun, but not necessary" category, so I didn't include that. Not saying that this couldn't be done, I just don't think it fits with my particular rewrite. I'm sure it'd be fine to include in other rewrites! This definitely is the kind of scummy move Fellow would pull to make the SSR trio rethink their actions. At the same time, it could "damage the merchandise" (which the boss could get mad at Fellow for). I can see there being a funny moment where the SSR trio just powers through and fights their peers anyway, believing "It's X-senpai!! They can take the hit from me!!" It might be more of a dilemma if Fellow used Yuu, who would disintegrate like a tissue in water, as a meat shield, but I don’t know how that would contribute to advancing the plot.

Something else I personally like to consider in my rewrites is "staying true to the Twst style". Because event stories largely don't make reference to the main story (the few references they do make are pretty vague), I wanted to follow that as well. This is also why I keep Yuu present but don’t give them super huge roles—so that this follows the pattern established in most other events. Yuu’s there to be an observer, and the player can use that as a jumping-off point to expand on using their own Yuusonas.

I think that flashbacks and explicit callbacks to the main story might distract too much from this being about Fellow. In my mind, the SSR trio should complement the Halloween character's plight, not claim the spotlight for themselves. For example, in the hypothetical where Kalim has to fight his peers, he might be able to come to the conclusion that he was Jamil's puppet, similar to how his classmates have become puppets right now. But... what does this do for Fellow's story??? I can see how this might help Kalim better understand that what Jamil did to him was reprehensible, but this then makes the event about Kalim's growth rather than about how he can relate to the antagonist, Fellow. (This may also create an issue where significant character development is locked behind a limited and easily missable event.) Maybe Kalim could try to relate to Fellow in that they're both controlled by another person at some point, but I think the connection isn't the strongest considering that their situations are otherwise entirely different. The writing has to go through extra hoops to establish how Kalim's realization is connected to Fellow's situation, and that's not as clear-cut and easy to convey as "Idia also has a dead brother he's grieving" from GloMasq or even "Sebek also has someone he idolizes" from Nightmare.

My other worry with including the battles is that the SSR trio would have already fought through countless NPC puppet mobs by the time they reach Fellow. It might unnecessarily drag the event out and bog it down with even more battles, which I can't imagine being fun to sit through. This is true both of the actual battles (gameplay) and reading (since visual novel assets are limited).

adkhvkayudvqwo Sorry for the ramble, I just thought this would be a good opportunity to talk about my process for rewrites and how I determine what I do and don't include. Again, fun idea and it’s always interesting hearing the different ways others go about their own writing. I hope you have a good time with your own iteration of Playful Land.

[vsa-pieldepapel]

Do you have any thoughts on what the prophecy Susie shattered is? I apologize if you’ve already answered an ask similar to this.

At first I assumed it was something like, Castle Town’s fountain having to be sealed and every single resident vanishing. I thought that’s why Ralsei was having an existential crisis and encouraging Kris and Susie to just forget about him and “make real friends.”

I think that may be a little anti-climatic, though? Like, yes, that WOULD make Susie upset enough to shatter the prophecy, but I don’t know if Ralsei would be as terrified of her finding out. I’m starting to wonder if the three heroes will need to sacrifice themselves in some way—I know that seems cliche, and like, why would Gaster write a prophecy that requires for three teens to sacrifice themselves to save their world? But this is Gaster we’re talking about, there’s no way he’s not an antagonistic force.

I also get the feeling that both Susie and Ralsei feel like they’re running out of time. (And Kris too, if they’re aware of the prophecy’s end.)

I honestly don't know! Sometimes there are things where i feel like its just too early to tell with the information we have.

However, my gut feeling is that it involves a sacrifice from Ralsei specifically, and sacrifice here can mean either destruction or immense suffering (i'll elaborate on why I think Ral is agitated in just a second). And it hinges on ralsei for a number of reasons:

susie does suicide jokes and has low self esteem, described herself as a broken toy no one wanted. I dont think she would be as affected by her own death/sacrifice; I feel like she may be more affected by how it would affect her friends. Susie and Ral are very much mirrors of each other in this regard, it's fascinating.

This is why I think Ralsei is upset and agitated: He's not worried about his imminent sacrifice but at knowing from context clues that she would be very upset by it.

Ralsei is set up as the first Darkner we meet, and the Prince of the Dark; if any figure would have to sacrifice for the sake of the darkners, it would be him. He is also the only darkner in the heroes, and the only darkner that is not affected by wandering around dark worlds whatsoever, and the only darkner that has innate knowledge about the working of the prophecy and the world.

Ralsei diminishes his own importance and role constantly and susie opposes this also constantly. I think this was a cope he had from the very beginning to accept his sacrifice with poise and stoicism, and why he says if someone has to suffer, let it be him.

Pinocchio theme; the way Pinocchio's wish of being a Real Boy is granted is thanks to his willingness to sacrifice being rewarded. It was his boundless love and commitment that proved that he had a soul, so to speak.

susie says "especially you" wouldn't allow that, which seems to make whatever will happen emphatically Ralsei-centric.

I think the reason Ralsei omitted all this (and a bunch of other information about the prophecy) was because he didn't see himself and his sacrifice as important enough to burden the heroes with, and he's gaining a sense of his importance as a person thanks to Susie.

Here I must mention a detail that drives me crazy: The two times Ralsei gained independent personhood appearance wise, was thanks to susie! In the prophecy holograms, he appears as a robed mystery figure, as it was when they first met him (which Susie mentions). He was meant to stay like that. Susie was the one to tell him to take off both the cloak and the hat: To give him a face. That was the initial rolling of the snowball to give Ralsei agency as an individual. That drives me so crazy.

Im not gonna say anything about Gaster because to be honest I'm not big on all the tinfoiling around him so I'll keep quiet on that regard until the game shows its hand LOL

I think the sensation of running out of time comes from the dark world shenanigans "leaking" into the real world, more than the prophecy itself; they're more running out of time to save undyne and find out why the knight is doing all this, basically. And after having seen a Titan that makes even more sense. Ral especially, since he knows how the story is "meant to end".

However thanks to the gerson fight I think aomething new has clicked in my head. Toby did say there was gonna be one ending-- but Gerson asked susie how she would like for things to end.

So, I think the One Ending, will be whatever susie chooses. And our influence through kris shows in the minutia on the way there. The one ending is not the prophecy, but her subversion thereof.

My theory is whatever inevitable sacrifice he must do, plus the blood, means if susie has some human in there she is willing to give Ralsei her own [Heart shaped object]. And this, like pinocchio, will be rewarded by the narrative.

Hope this speculation is satisfactory enough! We'll see how wrong I was LOL I honestly don't know this is just my Intuition

[murderbot-moodboard]

Okay, first thoughts on Murderbot (below the cut for light spoilers):

- I like that the show is emphasizing some of the things that are easy to forget as a fan who's read the whole series multiple times. Murderbot is a killing machine. It does consider killing everyone a legitimate option. It is not a human, it's a corporate product who's been forced to take a very pragmatic view of life due to its harsh experiences. All of this is good soup.

- Skarsgård as Murderbot is endearingly awkward and I'm really loving his performance!

- All the PresAux characters seem to fit pretty well with their book characterizations, and the small changes/additions only enhance their characters imo. I love them all and am gobbling up their added lore like Hostile One tried to gobble Bharadwaj (too soon?).

- Something that was never spelled out in the books but has been discussed by book fans is that Gurathin is kind of a human counterpart to Murderbot, and most of the things Murderbot dislikes about him are traits Murderbot itself has to some degree. The show seems to me to be deliberately playing up this theme, such as by having Murderbot and Gurathin react with similar disgust to Arada's comment about Murderbot's face, and showing Gurathin getting uncomfortable watching the visual of the throuple making out. I think this is a great choice and am really looking forward to seeing how their dynamic develops from here.

- Also, Gurathin is definitely acting more clearly like an asshole than in ASR, and that choice not only makes his character and the overall interpersonal dynamics more interesting, but it gives Murderbot a chance to make all sorts of snarky comments in its head which are very funny.

- Interestingly though, Gurathin is the one insisting on it/its pronouns for Murderbot early on, which could look like him being antagonistic but I suspect might be shown to fit Murderbot's preference later on. Also he is now show-canonically from the Corporation Rim, which is something that was sort of maybe implied but never actually confirmed in the books, despite its being the more popular fanon interpretation. (Fwiw I think it's the more interesting choice so it's nice to have confirmed.)

- Giving Mensah panic attacks seems like a good strategy for reflecting her inner fears and sense of responsibility in a way that translates better to TV.

- I laughed out loud at Pin-Lee's snark at the corporates, and I'm really interested in the way they're being fleshed out as a character who is aggressive but with a softer side, to paraphrase something Sabrina Wu said.

- Arada seems pretty similar to book characterization, and I love that we get to see her getting defensive of animals.

- Bharadwaj is more clearly going through it and her character seems more involved in the general events than at this point in the book, which are good choices.

- Ratthi seems pretty similar to the book so far, just with more details added which all seem consistent. We also got the iconic line "For fuck's sake, Ratthi!" lol.

- From Murderbot's early comments and what it sees of Pin-Lee's reactions, it's clear that the throuple is probably not going to be all smooth sailing, but any issues will likely be due to lack of clear communication about each person's feelings and preferences, so it's also theoretically solvable.

- The only thing that bothered me during the episodes was the parts where the audio was different or differently placed than what was in the trailers. But the changes between the first and second trailer (iirc) had already clued me in that they were being a bit flexible with the audio, so I wasn't as surprised as I would've been, I guess. Personally, since I tried not to have too many expectations outside of what was confirmed in the trailers and previews, it annoyed me that even those expectations weren't 100% reliable, but that's mostly an autism problem and I know I'll get over it.

- Other than the trailer thing I have zero complaints about the show so far! It seems to maintain the spirit of the books and their characters even in the parts that are added or changed, and I'm really, really looking forward to seeing the rest!