#part 1 is taking a while because its the intro to everything

[ja9-animations]

I so desperately want to start posting stuff about the pilot I'm working on but it's still way to early into production. Maybe I'll share something when I finish the first part which I am almost done with 👀

[yourfavoritehouseplant]

I watched James Somerton's final video, and all I got was this 6 page document

As soon as I learned his final unreleased video was on Revolutionary Girl Utena, I knew I had to hate watch it. I didn't know that I'd spend the following 4 hours making a comprehensive doc on everything I hated about it. But here we are.

The TLDR (is this too long to be a TLDR?)

The intro section, as well as Part 2, are directly plagiarized from wikipedia. The rest is unclear.

He makes a “haha this show is so weird right guys” joke 10 different times

He reads Anthy as so emotionally stunted she literally has to be taught how to think for herself, and believes that being the rose bride makes her feel good

He says that his reading is ‘vastly different” from the rest of the community, before boldly stating that this is because he sees it as a “deeply allegorical and symbolic story”

He sees the sexual abuse as “not to be taken literally”

Insists that the show be separated into parts that are strictly literal and strictly allegorical for the entirety of parts 3 and 4, before making the contradictory move of analyzing characters as allegories during part 5

The only characters that get dedicated sections are Akio and Dios, who he doesn’t believe are the same person. 

He says Dios gets his powers by “deflowering women”

He calls Akio, known child predator, a chaotic bisexual

Uses 14 year old SA survivor Anthy’s passive personality to make a joke about her being a bottom

His final point is that Utena was the real prince all along

There are no citations

Anyway, full version for people who hate themselves under the cut. With time codes, because I cite my sources.

Part 1: Intro

This entire section is almost exclusively quoted from the Wikipedia article for Revolutionary Girl Utena. Words have been changed, but the order at which certain topics come up is not. Highlights include:

0:56 In his introduction of Be-Papas, lists the founding members in literally the exact same order as Wikipedia.

1:40-2:00 His list of Be-Papas previous works is lifted entirely from wikipedia, only with the words changed. This leads to a strange moment at 1:52 where he claims Be-papas ‘lent their talents to’ Neon Genesis Evangelion, a show which started production at least a year before Be-papas was founded. On the wikipedia article for Utena, this is instead referring to the previous work of Shinya Hasegawa and Yōji Enokido

4:23 he uses a quote by Yūichirō Oguro describing the production as a “tug of war”. He seems to have lifted this in its entirety from Wikipedia, as he does not cite the actual source it is from (the box set companion book, btw)

As for James Somerton originals, at 0:44 he claims that out of all magical girl series,”none to my knowledge have been more discussed and dissected than the 1997 series Revolutionary Girl Utena” He will go back on this at 5:05, where he states that “Sailor Moon takes the lion’s share of discussion” in regard to influential magical girl anime

Part 2: Part 1

(At least I know I’m not funny, unlike James Somerton)

Speaking of which. Here is every single time he makes a “wow this show is sooooo weird you guys” joke: 6:00, 8:50, 10:40, 10:58, 13:46, 17:07, 24:16, 30:34, 41:19, 48:01

Here’s every time the punchline to the joke is the existence of Nanami, a character who he otherwise completely disregards: 10:56, 12:05, 16:22, 42:40

6:16 Claims that the “Apocalypse saga” and “Akio Ohtori saga’ are two names for the same several episodes, depending on the release. This is untrue. Instead, different releases either only have the Apocalypse saga, or split the episodes into an Akio Ohtori saga and then the Apocalypse saga. 

7:58 Claims Utena intervening on Anthy’s behalf begins the first duel. While this happens in the movie, Touga intervenes in the scene he uses clips from (like literally right after the shot he uses in the video). Utena only gets drawn into the duels when Wakaba’s love note to Saionji is posted. Youtuber Noralities’ Utena video also gets this wrong, which makes me wonder if this was copied.

9:09 Claims Akio’s “End of the World” moniker is actually more closely translated to “Apocalypse”. In reality, the translation moves away from a more apocalyptic reading, with 世界の果て (Sekai no hate) apparently translating closer to “the furthest reach of a known world” or “edge of the world”. (Love the implications of this translation, but I digress)

9:10 As can be assumed from the previous point, this means I can’t find any sources that point to them not using the title “apocalypse” for religious reasons

10:10 Uses Anthy’s extreme passivity under her Rose bride persona to make a top/bottom joke. I’m gonna repeat this in case you’re just skimming. He uses a trait that likely stems from years of abuse, (possibly exaggerated by the persona Anthy uses to manipulate people), and uses it to call her a bottom. 

He also just doesn’t seem to understand how the whole point of Utena constantly telling Anthy that she's just a normal girl who should make more friends is framed as Utena imposing her will on Anthy, just as much as the previous Engaged have done. 

11:54 Apologies in advance for my most “um, actually!” point yet, but technically his statement that Anthy stops being host to the Sword of Dios is wrong. Akio literally pulls a sword out of her chest in the final duel. It's a more evil-looking sword of Dios, granted.

13:02 !!! CANTARELLA SCENE ALERT !!! He interprets it as them fighting over Akio?? Which like. I will allow people to have their own interpretations of vague and symbolic scenes. I will. I swear. This is not technically incorrect. It just makes me want to eat my own intestines.

14:44 Bad Anthy take #1: He states Anthy “is emotionally stunted to the point where she needs people to make decisions for her because she does not know how to think for herself” This ignores several moments of Anthy clearly making her own choices throughout the show, including the suicide attempt Somerton mentions about a minute prior. This also strips Anthy of what little agency she has throughout the story, usually exerted through messing with Utena or Nanami. (The fact that she repeatedly makes choices that contribute to her own abuse is, in my opinion, one of the most interesting parts of her character, and it's a shame that Summerton’s ‘reading’ of the story completely disregards that)

Additionally, he once again reads Utena ‘urging Anthy to think for herself” in the first arc as an unambiguously good move, and not as something critiqued in the show.

14:52 Summerton reads the Swords of hatred as symbolizing men’s hatred specifically. Again, I’m trying not to completely disregard differing interpretations to a show like Utena, but this feels very simplistic, especially considering the harm we see aimed towards Anthy by other women

16:42 Here he claims that his reading of the story seems to be “vastly different” from the bulk of Utena discourse. What is this reading? That the show shouldn’t be read literally. Or, in his words, “[we can interpret] Revolutionary Girl Utena as a deeply allegorical and symbolic story about the struggles of coming of age amidst widespread institutional corruption in a high school and which describes a passive culture of inaction in regard to brazen instances of domestic exploitation in which there is not only a question about the caporeality of the events transpiring but also which events can be taken for granted and which events are meant to signify abstract sociological institutions.” The idea that he believes this is in any way a new reading of the material honestly baffles me.

Part 3: Part 2

17:48 through 18:50 differently quotes the Wikipedia article for postmodernism. He even makes a joke at 17:55 about Wikipedia. Please kill me. 

The first three themes he lists at 19:11 are just the three main themes listed on the Revolutionary Girl Utena Wikipedia page. What was that about a “vastly different” reading, James?

You’re gonna have to take my word for it, but this section is so short because it's just him talking about the various ways the story can’t be taken literally. He does, ironically, call this a hot take.

Part 4: Part 3

Here’s where the reading falls apart folks

At 23:15, he states that some things in Utena are allegorically coded, while others are to be taken literally. This is true. However, he seems to take this to mean that some parts of the show are Strictly Literal, while others are Strictly Allegorical for things going on in the Literal World. 

This is apparently why he prefers the Anime to the Movie, where there basically is no separation between the Literal and Allegorical

This take is bizarre to me for several reasons, but here is my favorite. At several points, he mentions how Revolutionary Girl Utena is a work of Magical Realism. Magical Realism is literally defined by its blending of the “literal” and “allegorical”, the mix of fantastical elements in a mundane, realistic setting. This idea of the impossibility of a blurred line, that Utena must either have lore where the magic is all real and means nothing, or dedicated allegory segments quarantined from the rest of the story, is contrary to the very idea of Magical Realism.

I can’t help but wonder if Somerton took his mentions of Magical realism from a previous work, due to how little it is consistent with his final argument. Either way, this section suggests a great lack of creativity in his analysis, a shame for such a creative work.

24:36: Shiori slander, for those who care

After this he gets really worked up about people assuming symbolism in everything, even when the author ‘doesn’t make it clear something is symbolic’. He shuts down a reading of a shot in the Lord of the Rings. Miley Cyrus is there? Very The Curtains Were Blue of him. 

28:22 Claims that Wakaba is the key to telling where the Strictly Literal segments end and the Strictly Allegorical segments begin. He states that, under this lens, deeply personal moments of character suffering such as all of the sexual abuse and Anthy’s suicide attempt (which he literally cites) should be read as symbolic and be “approached with uncertainty rather than confusion”. (28:24-29:13)

This also somewhat falls apart when you consider Wakaba is the jeep in the movie's car chase

And then he rants about people not liking his Attack on Titan video for a bit. Since its potential symbolism also doesn't follow hard enough rules to be symbolism. Once again, the separation of “fact vs allegory” I haven’t watched AOT, so that's all I’ll say.

Part 5: Part 4

Thank god this part is short. Much like Dios’ on-screen presence.

32:55 Makes the extremely bold claim that Dios is not Akio. As in, never even became Akio. because Dios is Strictly Allegorical.

Just to be a pedant, this is pretty explicitly disproven in the show

Confusingly, both earlier and later he will address these two as the same character. 

33:04 he also explains the root of Akio’s name in a tone that suggests this is supplemental information and not like. Literally something he explains out loud in the show?

Part 6: Part 5

This section is nearly entirely about Akio Ohtori. I would like to note that him and Dios are the only characters with dedicated segments.

38:30 The part where he states that Dios gets his powers from deflowering women.

38:46 Claims, once again, that Akio’s abuse of Anthy “may not be literal”. 

38:59 “the instance of exploitation here is used because assault has deep roots as indicating that akio's gender is the source of his imbalance”  THE ASSAULT IS ABOUT AKIO NOW???

39:45 Bad Anthy take #2: “Anthy’s conformity to the Rose bride is based around the fact that she feels good being subservient because this is the only thing in her life that has ever brought her any kind of positive reward”. This is a direct quote. Anyway, I can’t think of any instances in the show where Anthy’s subservience gives her a positive reward, except maybe when she’s intentionally using it to manipulate others. As for her feeling good being the rose bride. She tries to commit suicide. Dude.

Side tangent, but isn’t this exactly what Akio says during the final 2 episodes? That Anthy enjoys being a witch? Is the main villain, who consistently says things during that very episode that are blatantly false, our source of information for this take? I guess so, since this is the dedicated Akio section.

At 40:20 he decides to introduce the concept of Anthy, Akio, and Utena as stand-ins for wider concepts, which is antithetical to his approach in analysis beforehand

Part 7: Part 6

42:40 he finally acknowledges that he’s been spending too much time talking about Akio, and literally no time on characters like Nanami

46:10 states that Utena’s exclusive motivation “is to protect Anthy from the predatorial intentions of the other dualists”, which disregards the fact, which she states herself, that she was largely participating in the duels and protecting Anthy to feel like a prince

48:04 The part where he says that Akio has ‘chaotic Bi vibes’ in regards to him sleeping with Touga, who is 17 and implied to be a long-term victim

Part 8: Part 7

54:01: His concluding point is that Utena was the real prince all along. 

In true Somerton fashion, the video then ends over a scrolling wall of patrons, with not a single citation in sight.

[visualcve]

　　　　　　　　　　𝓐RCANE DR 𝓘NTRO.

　　　　　　　　 𝓐NGELIA STACIE 𝓛A`FLEUR ꪆৎ

　 angelia was born on october 9th◞ in the underground city of zaun. the place known for it’s harsh environment compared to piltover’s shining buildings and lovely environment. her father, viktor, a successful inventor from zaun who creates hextech, and her mother, caramia, an enforcer from the topside itself. oh, let’s not forget her sister, alvida la`fleur. the girl who took care of angelia ever since viktor had moved to the topside. as they refused to be part of a society that has always brutally shown its hatred and disdain for people like them. though they weren’t technically alone, vander, had taken them in along as a few other kids. where both angelia and alvida met people that shortly became their friends. the moment angelia and powder met, they became inseparable. glued to eachothers hip everywhere they went. until that one day, everything went wrong. powder was gone. vi was gone. everyone she knew, were gone. the only person she had left was her sister, alvida.

　 shortly after, angelia’s powers became evident—unnatural powers linked to the very forces of the arcane. the connection of the magic she felt was truly a blessing she thought. until the moment it came clear of the prejudice against mages, they viewed them as dangerous and threatening. alvida’s clear unknowable knowledge about mages comforted angelia. the two, bound by love and loyalty; promised to always protect and be there for eachother no matter the pains it caused. after they both became older, they seeked out their father, viktor. who created them both gifts to help them succeed in life, like alvida’s satchel and angelia’s spear.

　 the only reason they both came to piltover was to number one; break vi out of stillwater. then two; get her to help them find powder. which was, half as hard as they least expected. the guard kept going on and on about how we shouldn’t see vi, which led angelia to grow frustrated. after halfly convincing and a little to no subtle threat thrown in there, they were on their way down to get vi.

　 angelia was never the one for violence, none to less, zaun was full of it. she was always the sweetheart others had seen. she has the smarts and is quick to get a situation over with. she believes that zaun should get the same treatment as piltover does but, that never occurs. zaun was seen that people from there were dangerous, cruel. but in reality, they were the dangerous and cruel ones. her mother, caramia, wanted angelia to become an enforcer with her. saying ‘you’re like me, my dear, you’d be an excellent enforcer.’ but in reality, she wanted nothing to do with them. enforcers are people who hurt others, not saving others from danger, they cause it.

　 　　　“every bond you break, every step you take, i’ll be watching you.”

　 　　　powder or, jinx was always fond of angelia. how the two were quite compatible. it has always been known since they were kids jinx had a thing for her. always clinging onto her, randomly biting onto her shoulder, and so much more. it was a mix of affection and crave of attention. while jinx was more on the chaotic and wild side, angelia was more reserved and cautious. jinx’s attachment never faded for angelia, it always remained. their relationship was, well, lets say chaotic! the two are so similar, they never get tired of eachother. jinx is the type of partner to make everything about angelia, while angelia is the same but with more restraint. jinx depends on angelia’s feedback mostly all the time, if she doesn’t like it, it’s going bye bye!!

overview ! i took a nap when i was first getting this started sooo. um here it is! yippe! i love my arcane dr sm i hope you guys enjoy this plz.... i mainly wanted an arcane dr because of jinx and only for jinx yes yes!! im her wife of 3 years dont play :/ anyways stan starbomb ♡

note 1 ! this is for aeri so sdt to my pookie!!! she’s the one that wanted me to make an intro because this is our groupshift >_< i also dont like the way i did this layout but its 2am so its gonna have to do sigh.

note 2 ! yellow swirl divider ; hexcore divder ୭

[sufferingbooknerd]

Season 2 casually ripping my heart out over Joel and Ellie and her being a part of the Miller Family no fucking question for a whole emotional ass flashback episode straight (part 1/4)

Yes this episode was so phenomenal it warranted a four-parter for this father daughter duo

——————————————————————————

- starting out with the flashback intro, the fact that Joel acted so similarly to the Ellie we meet at around the same age is insane

14 year old Ellie beating up Bethany for disrespecting Riley and 16 year old Joel beating up people for Tommy and taking the fall for the drugs…

“If you and Tommy weren’t my sons, you both would be in Juvie” father and “You’ve never been what I call well behaved” daughter

Like he met her and dead ass probably thought “I know what kind of kid you are, you’re like me”

- then mr. ‘I was calling this kid cargo like six months ago’ ensures he gets a cake for Ellie’s fifteenth birthday because it’s his first time celebrating his child’s birthday in twenty one years and it’s going to be SPECIAL damnit

- he then not only completely revamps a guitar with new strings, new stain, new everything…but he’s noticed that she has made several drawings of moths in the two months they’ve lived together that he ENGRAVED A MOTH ON HER GUITAR SO ITS PERSONAL TO HER

- his immediate concern of Ellie’s condition when Tommy brings her home

- Tommy is also such a great uncle and slipped back into that role so well! he’s so gentle with her

“Don’t touch it”

- “ow!” “easy, babygirl” 🥹 and she just leans into him when he sits down with her because she’s safe

The way he looks at her after she explains why she did it and the kiss on her forehead

“It’s okay and you’re okay”

- Seth’s dumbass writing Eli and it makes Joel think the days already ruined ☹️

- Joel put Ellie’s pictures on their fridge and has already made the house feel like a home for his girl who has never had a proper one of her own

- “let’s hope Seth bakes better than he spells”

“…he does”

These two just laughing and happy!!!

- “Nonono I don’t sing”

“It’s my fucking birthday man, let’s see what you got”

*he caves instantly*

- Future Days sung with so much love and hope and Ellie almost crying

- “Happy Birthday kiddo”

- and then just like that his baby is sixteen a year later

- “you’re not gonna guess” he knows he’s got the perfect day planned 😭

- “IS IT A CONVERTIBLE?!”

“the hell you gonna do with a convertible?”

He probably mentioned he got his license around the same age and she got excited awww

- him having her sweet sixteen planned for months

- Joel wanting Ellie to have a childhood before she’s forced to fully grow up ☹️

“Oh because childhoods been such a joy for me so far” honey…that’s why he’s wanting you to have some actual good childhood years, because you deserve it

- “you’ve been sixteen all but four hours” Marlene probably told Ellie about what time she was born and he knows it…if there’s a legal adoption process in Jackson he did it when they moved in. I don’t care what anyone says

- Jesse not wanting to train her until Joel’s okay with it because he knows better than to cross her dad…smart dude

- Joel wanting her to find someone someday is adorable and being so confidently wrong about her sexuality is hilarious, Ellie’s “excuse me?!” at being accused of liking a boy is so fucking funny

- Joel wanting to make sure she’s aware of the birds and the bees only to find out she’s…more than perfectly knowledgeable for her age

- “I promise I won’t get pregnant if you let me train for patrols” THIS FUCKING LESBIAN 🤣

- the joy on Ellie’s face as she sees the dino and Joel looking at her like she hung the moon while she’s up there

- “Joel there’s a museum!”

“I know! If you don’t fall down the goddamn T-Rex I’ll take you to it!”

[fiapartridge]

bye ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ | jack hughes

“maybe someday we'll look back with love.”

☼ pairing: jack hughes x fem!reader

☼ summary: feeling down, an ad for lacuna inc. makes its way to your doorstep, prompting you to travel to new york city and erase your memory of the one thing that's hurting you...

☼ fia’s note 💌: eee i love this song! this album is 100% a no-skip album! again, thx for joining us on this 13-part-series <3 pls enjoy “bye” ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥

eternal sunshine hq ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚

prev part: intro (end of the world) ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚

*₊ ° .　. • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆

He still lingered around your house. Memories of you two slow dancing in the kitchen, sitting on countertops as he stands between your legs, dolloping whip cream on your nose as you laughed like it was the funniest thing on the planet. Honestly, to you, it was the funniest thing on the planet. You two lived in your own world; on your own planet. Everyone saw it that way, and for while, you did too.

You had been meaning to ship his belongings back to him: the red and black Devils sweatshirts piled on your dresser, the teddy bear he won you during your trip to Coney Island, the cologne he left on your desk in case you missed him while he was on a road trip. You couldn’t stay in your apartment anymore. Every time you came back to the beige walls of your small home, you were greeted with reminders of Jack. And it stung every single time.

Collecting his items from around your apartment, you stuffed them into a white cardboard box. You didn’t know what you would do with it. Maybe you could ding dong ditch Jack and just leave the items at his doorstep, or maybe you could burn it somewhere with your best friend, Courtney. Upon deciding your next step, a slip of paper slid underneath your door.

You stood there for a moment, watching the paper sit in its place, its words tucked to the underbelly of the pamphlet. Walking over, you cautiously kneeled down and turned the sheet over.

“Lacuna, inc.

They say time heals all wounds, but the hardest part about dealing with a wound in your past is not the pain, or having to relive it again and again. The hardest part is that it makes you question who you are. Don’t let the memory define you. Erase it. Start anew. Reinvent yourself without the lingering thought of them in your mind, and the prospect of questioning your abilities in the future. 

Visit Lacuna, inc. at 210 E Grand St. New York, NY 10019. Call us at +1 (917) 964 - 3205.

Become yourself again.”

It felt stupid, right? Erasing the memory of Jack Hughes and your relationship with him from your entire memory? It felt extreme and dangerous—highly unlike you. But that was the thing that broke the camel’s back in the first place. You couldn’t be what Jack wanted you to be. You couldn’t be spontaneous and take risks and be dangerous. Maybe it was time to start? Because for the past two months, you felt this unbearable ache in your chest and you were tired of feeling it. You were tired of wondering if you were enough, or if you could ever be happy again.

This could fix that. It could fix everything. It could fix you. 

Which was why you found yourself in the driver's seat of your car, your collection of items that reminded you of Jack in the passenger seat beside you, and your GPS pulled up with the location of Lacuna, inc. in New York City.

You were going to become yourself again. 

*₊ ° .　. • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆

The waiting room was small: uncomfy chairs lining the perimeter of the room, a table in the center with research about lacunar amnesia and the safety of the practice, and ugly overhead lighting that made you feel like you were little again, waiting nervously at the doctor’s office.

A brown clipboard laid on your thighs with a waiver, asking you if you really wanted to do it. There was no going back. There was no regaining the memory of Jack Hughes after the procedure. Once it was gone, it was gone— for good. No more Jack. 

You could move on—the same way it looked like he already had.

“You have given extensive thought behind your decision and give “Lacuna, inc.” exclusive permission to remove this person completely from your mind: Yes or No”

With a shaky breath, you checkmarked: Yes.

A couple minutes later, your name was called by one of the nurses and you were carrying your box of Jack’s things into the procedure room. They took the box from your hands, laying it on a table with big machinery and lasers. This whole thing felt foreign to you, but you were ready.

Sitting down in a chair at the center of the room, they strapped patches to your temples as you sat with your hands intertwined in your lap. Your heartbeat raced on the monitor beside you as you closed your eyes, letting the memories take you for the last time. 

“Marry me,” Jack blurted as you laid in his arms on the sofa of his apartment. He could feel you tense up. He could feel your breath stutter and you rise from your position.

“What?” you asked, unsure if you had heard him correctly. You started dating Jack when you were 20. You had a year left of college, he was already playing in the NHL, and you had never met anyone quite like him. He was carefree and limitless. He believed that anything was possible; that logistics weren’t important. You were the one that kept him leveled; that yes, ideas and fantasy is important, but the actuality of it is important too.

“Marry me,” he repeated. He said it so simply, as if it held the same weight as asking if you wanted to go out for ice cream later, or if you wanted to stay in or go out for dinner tonight.

You furrowed your brows, your mouth running dry. “We’re 22, Jack.”

He scoffed, mirroring your body language as he rose from his position on the couch. “So?” he shrugged. He took your hands in his as you failed to meet his green eyes. “I want to be with you, Y/N. I know that more than anything. You can move in with me, we could get engaged now and married next year, my grandmother would love you, and—”

“Jack—”

“My brothers already consider you a part of the family—”

“Jack—”

“Why don’t we just make it official, you know? You could be family and—”

“Jack stop,” you scolded, removing your hands from his as he stared at you with a look you’ve never seen before. He’s never been the level-headed type. He’d always been one to fantasize, but this felt extreme. You two were still young, you were still trying to find a stable job and make a name for yourself. You couldn’t get married now. “Listen to yourself. I don’t even have a stable job.”

“You don’t need one!” he exclaimed. “I can work, I can make enough for the both of us, you don’t need to worry about money.”

You stood up from the couch, fuming. How could he just dismiss everything you’ve ever worked for like that? “But I want to work.”

“So work,” he shrugged. “Find a job, I don’t know! All I know is that I want to get married to you. Don’t you want that with me?”

You paced around the living room, trying to wrap your head around everything. “Yes, of course I want that with you, Jack. I just,” you took a deep breath. “I don’t want that right now.”

You watched him recoil. He wanted it now, you could see it in the way he goes silent, and the way he looks as if he wants to be nowhere near you right now. “When do you want it then?”

It wasn’t like you had a set date in mind, but it sounded like all he could hear from you was that you didn’t want to get married. He didn’t want to listen to you. Whenever anything deviated from what he wanted, he shut down. That was just who he was, always has been. 

You crossed your arms, holding yourself as if that was the only thing that felt familiar to you in that moment. “I don’t know. When we’re 24? 25?”

“Two more years?” he questioned incredulously. If he knew he wanted to be with you for the rest of his life, why couldn’t he just wait?

“Jack, your fans don’t even know we’re dating!” you shouted. “How are they going to feel when they find out you’re fucking married? Would you even tell them or would you just keep me a secret for the rest of our lives?”

“You know I wouldn’t do that to you.”

“I’m just not ready, and you know you aren’t either.”

He laughed, but it felt poisonous, like venom was dripping from his tongue. It didn’t feel like his infectious laughs that you wanted to replay in your mind for the rest of your life. It felt like a memory you needed to erase. “What are you saying, Y/N? This isn’t just a random thought. I’ve been thinking about this for a while now. And I guess, I just thought that you were thinking about it, too.”

“I have been! Just...not now, Jack. Why can’t you just listen to me? It’s not just you involved in this! This is both of our lives that this is affecting!”

“Well, I didn’t think it would be such a terrible thing for you.”

You couldn’t believe what he was saying. He was acting as if the two years you had spent together were nothing to you. “I never said that and you know that.”

“Yeah? Well, it sure feels like it.”

“You’re unbelievable, you know that?”

It was like you hit a nerve. Like you touched something that you never knew was beneath him. “Then why are you even with me? If I’m so unbelievable.”

“You can’t be serious, Jack,” you shook your head, rounding the corner of the room and towards your shoes that were laid at the entrance of the apartment. You pointed at him as he followed you. “You’re acting like a child. Grow up!”

“Me? You’re the one that’s scared of committing!”

“I’m not scared of committing to you, Jack. I’m scared of not being me anymore. You need to know the difference!”

“Then tell me the fucking difference, because right now, it just feels like we’re breaking up.”

Your head shook, your fingers didn’t feel like your fingers anymore, and in real life, in that office chair, your eyes scrunched and your breathing quickened. You couldn’t relive this. Somehow, it hurt more the second time.

“I don’t even know who I am yet!” you threw your hands in the air. “And you just expect me to be Mrs. Hughes? To be a part of your family? To make me… yours?”

“Come on, Y/N. You’re being dramatic. You’re acting like I’m taking you, or something.”

“I’m not dramatic, you’re just not listening to me!”

“I’m trying, okay? I’m trying to listen to you, but you’re making this so fucking difficult. You make everything fucking difficult. You’re just too much sometimes.”

You didn’t even know you were crying by then, but you were. You were sniffling as you walked around the apartment, grabbing your jacket from the couch, your purse from the dining table, and your shoes from the entryway. You could hear him pestering you with questions: Where are you going? We’re not done with this. Are we breaking up? If you leave, we’re done.

But you’ve spent your life being a people pleaser. You’ve abandoned yourself time and time again to make ends meet. You’ve skipped so many important events to go to his games, and to meet him in California just because he asked you to, and at the most important times of your career, times when you asked him to just stop by for a second so you could have one familiar, comforting face, he had a game, or he had to go out with the guys for “team-bonding”, or something else of higher matter just took priority. All you asked for was effort from both sides. 

So to hear that you prioritizing yourself for the first time was dramatic? You couldn’t hear him anymore. All you wanted was to get the hell out of there—even if it meant breaking up.

Courtney pulled up outside as you rushed into her car, your chest heaving and tears spilling out of your eyes. She didn’t ask what happened, she could tell from your texts that it was something bad, something unrecoverable.

But, as if saying it out loud would help you comprehend it for yourself, you said the undeniable.

“I think we just broke up.”

[maythedreadwolftakeyou]

Following you was the best decision I've ever made. Where else am I going to learn things like the types of cacti shown in the Anderfels in game are not ecologically accurate? I am being 100% genuine here I love it when you contribute random knowledge in lore discussions, best parts of my day when it happens

LMAO thank you anon this is very kind. the truth is I am simply an ecologist who cannot turn that part of my brain off even when i know better. like i KNOW the reason why there's cacti there is because someone just picked them from a list of vegetation assets to populate the region with but also 😭 😭 😭 ITS TOO WET THEY WOULD DIE

but yeah specifically i double majored in biology and geology in undergrad, then worked in a plant genetics lab during undergrad & the first year after I graduated, then I moved out west to do desert based fieldwork and started adding in a lot of soil science. now i have a masters in soil microbiology and am currently weeping my way through a PhD (dont ask about that one grad school is Hell).

but YEAH MAN specifically i've been living in and researching deserts for the last decade of my life so i'm always extra excited about those in games lmao. I'm the Hissing Waste's number 1 stan they RULE everyone else is just a COWARD who HATES RUNNING ACROSS HUGE MAPS FOR HOURS. have you instead considered taking a job in Death Valley so when you run through the dunes for 10 hours a day in 110º weather you can console yourself with the thought "at least there isn't a phoenix attacking me right now. the worst thing that's happened to me today is falling into a rodent burrow"????? o those were the days. i used to write all my fanfic by headlamp in my sleeping bag while listening to coyotes get alarmingly close, and cursing the moon for how bright everything gets with light colored sand. If there were two moons in real life i WOULD be mad enough to condemn one to the otherside of the earth for 100 years so i could get some sleep too actually.

here have some drylands ive worked in while i'm being nostalgic

worldbuilding is my favorite favorite favorite part of fantasy/sci fi and i know not everyone has my background in how the actual "world" part works. so i don't condemn people who have gone into writing and arts fields for not understanding these things when they build maps but i really cannot turn off the part of my brain that opens a book or game map and instantly sees they have made the rivers 1. go uphill 2. diverge midway through (not a thing) and 3. in places that would make no sense given topography, mountains, etc that would impact weather & rainfall. only my TRUEST AND MOST WIZENED OG FOLLOWERS will remember how much i wept trying to map out the plate tectonics of Thedas in order to explain what the fuck the mountain ranges are doing what they are.

anyway lots of people have followed me in the last couple months so thanks for this excuse to make an intro post with a lil more about me :)

[ourpickwickclub]

Thanks for letting me know my super-long ask from almost 2 weeks ago didn't post. So apparently Tumblr has a 4096 character limit on asks and my ask was almost 30,000 characters - oops, lol. How did it even get through to you guys in the first place?! I mean, I am glad it did, but too bad it wouldn't post. I am going to try and break up the post into parts somehow, although it might take me a while to deconstruct the different parts into separate coherent asks - separating the Chronology Guide for the interview recording dates to correspond with the actual interview quotes - it was so much better as one long ask, oh well.

ps: HOW CUTE WAS B'S INTRO FOR G AT THE AMAs???? Thanks to @reneedebruin for recording for us so we can watch G winning her AMA back in 2005 and then see the proud look on B's face/intro right after on repeat!!! If anyone wants to watch the whole vid of G winning, search "Gwen Stefani Wins Pop/Rock Female - AMA 2005" on YT. So cute and classic G. Thanks to @shefanispeculator for always posting the oldies, but goodies!!!

pps: I really want a MV for Swallow My Tears, especially after what G said about it in her cute little bts on Tiktok.

Ok, here's the first part of the original ask with the usual random ramblings/stats so the future posts will just have the juicy stuff:

Hey fellow Shefani lovers! I hope you are all having a great day/night, wherever you are!

I still can't get over the fact that Hangin' On hit a million streams on Spotify faster than Texas did, WITHOUT a MV, or any Texas-level promo/performances/interviews at all - just imagine the potential if there was a MV and promo - also guys, do you remember when the NBY MV got 3 million views the first day, and then 1 million views a day every day for the first week, and then 1 million views every week for the next 7 months, and up until a couple months ago, it was still getting about a million views every single month for the last 4 years?! That's my next wish, besides just MORE SHEFANI duets (always!!!), but for another Shefani duet or Shefani-related song, like AOML, to reach the level of NBY. So much fun to track and enjoy all the performances, press, and stats that come with it, like:

"NBY hits #1 on the Billboard Digital Song Sales chart with 30,000 COPIES SOLD IN ITS 1ST WEEK!"

"NBY notches NINE weeks in the Top 10 Billboard Digital Song Sales!"

"NBY is the 8th best-selling song of 2020 in ALL GENRES, with 288,000 copies sold!"

and other fun stuff like that, lol.

Also, in less than 2 months, if my calculations are correct, there is going to be a very significant milestone achieved that I think anyone who is a Shefani fan will be VERY happy about. I'll try to remember to post about it when it happens, but I'm sure others will see it happen and post too.

I just wanted to stop by and share all the Shefani quotes I saved from B's most recent FRUO press cycle. Yes, I have watched/listened to every interview at least 10 times, lol, and yes, I listened to my favorite Shefani parts like 100 times, lmao. (Also, please ignore my awful punctuation and formatting, lol, i get way too excited when I'm typing and to stop and fix everything is blah.)

I am going to list them in chronological order from when they were recorded/filmed, and not when they were released (which is never the same order), because I just really like to know WHEN the interviews were conducted, especially when B is giving us precious nuggets of information about UPCOMING SHEFANI DUETS like when he says one new Shefani duet recorded (4/2/2025 and 4/14/2025) vs SEVERAL DUETS recorded (4/25/2025) vs A LOT OF IT HASN'T COME OUT YET (5/6/2025) dfsdfkjdhfkdf

Note: Ok, and here is where there was a Chronology Guide with the evidence for when every interview was recorded/filmed, and then after that, I listed all the quotes under each date. It looks like it might end up being 6 or 7 parts and apparently I am almost at 4096 characters already so I better stop here and I'll try to post the next part soon. btw, I found out you can use quillbot to count your characters, lmao.

.

[aesfocus]

aes' video game gif making tutorial 2024 Part 1

Using your own footage. While everything regarding photoshop can be applied to nearly all media, apart from long form videos(5+mins) and videos not in mp4 format; I am still focusing on walking you through making your own footage look as nice as possible.

Needed:

A game and potentially mods for said game

Camera tools for various games (optional)

OBS

Photoshop

My gif making actions so you too can be fast

This tutorial simply opens your recorded footage in photoshop, no other screen cap software is required. Lets fucking go!

[Part 2]

INTRO: From Skyrim to Destiny, recording your own footage of various games is the best method of making your own gifs.

The reason for this is myriad; 

+ less artifacting vs YT vids, as seen below

+ you’ll have more control over the content + you can have personal characters + you can alter the settings of the game to be better for gif making purposes

While this tutorial does walk you through most of the steps it is light on exactly/why I use various adjustment layers for coloring, mostly because tumblr began to block my images/links. Other folks have tutorials but I can make one if its something people want.

But the real purpose of this tutorial is to cut the time it take to make gifs down by just opening your file vs. screencaping and so on.

1. Select your game and edit game settings for gif making.

Because we are using OBS, and recording the screen and not the game itself(more on this later), what game you are playing matters little. 

Other paid programs like FRAPS still work, as do some free programs like Afterburner/RivaTuner, but when it comes to multiplayer, some may be caught by various anti-cheats and shut down. (ESO will not launch if afterburn is already open, for example). OBS has simply been my go to for around seven years.

Settings.

Please feel free to play around with your game settings to find what works, you may even play a game on different settings from what you record footage under. I do not play with DOF settings on in games but do record with them on.

Dropping your screen-size from and being able to turn on ultra vs medium settings may make your gifs look much better as another example. 

+ At least 30FPS, try to avoid stuttering, lower the settings if needed. + Avoid crushing of blacks or blown out whites, especially when giffing POC! Adjust brightness and gamma as needed, HDR isn't your friend here. + While dark nights maybe more realistic and challenging for you, it often produces a dark gif in which nothing can be seen. + Turn off motion blur and film grain, these both add needless file size and look off when scaled down in photoshop. If you want grain add some after. + 720p is about as low for footage as you want to go unless making gifs for very old games. Work with what you have with old games. + Using mods and things like reshade can make your game shine.

Example time; ENB only on top, heavily modded on bottom, no adjustments were made in photoshop.

Modding can really alter a game. 

Skyrim is very famous for it, but everything from Mass Effect to Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous have visual mods! They can make your footage stand out immensely, they can make your FPS drop, or even make it better. 

Please be respectful of mod authors. As someone who made them in the past, we are not content farms, we are just folks with a fun hobby like gif making!

I highly suggest any mod that removes screen blur, vignette and film grain!

2. Camera Tools (optional)

So you have your game, now it's time to learn what camera tools exist, if any, for your game. Many games like Rogue Trader and Dragon Age, have free camera mods. Some games like Bethesda games and some Mass Effects, have built in, or partially built in fly cams.

I used to back in the day before DA:O had camera tools back myself into a corner and swing the over-the-shoulder camera around to get gifs, so you have to work with what you have.

If you want to go the paid route there are plenty of camera mods available from assassin’s creed games to BG3. These are generally of better quality and work smoothly, but check around for reviews before you dish out your hard earned money!

Each of these tools will have different commands that you will have to learn. 

3. Obtain OBS & set it up

Why OBS?

It's free, it uses very little of your computer's resources. OBS also allows you to switch between screen recording, what I always use, and recording a specific program. Many other recording programs will not record some very old games, some can't record specific games.

Add to that, some hardware recording software will not record shadows or can get light values wrong and you are fighting a battle game after game. So I just go for what's free and works consistently.

I've only known one person for whom OBS failed to work, and that I think was a version issue. 

Install OBS, and then make a specific scene all the way on the left;

You can rename this or duplicate it if you also intend to stream(right clicking scene will bring up the menu to do so), I don't use OBS when streaming so I leave this as is.

Right click on the source and ensure it is set as Display Capture. Because some, especially older games, won't work with Game Capture you are going to record the screen. Double click Display Capture if you have multiple screens(I have 2) and select which you want to record!

Next we need to go into settings, over there on the right under Controls. Once in settings, go down to Video and keep the base and output values whatever your actual display size is. I have a 1440 display so it's set to 1440, if you are running 720 make sure it's 720 and so forth.

Ensure 30fps is chosen. Anything more is overkill, for both photoshop and your rig!

Next go to Hotkeys. This will be different if you are using OBS to stream as well, but because I am not, I cleared everything but the recording hotkeys and I assigned them to scroll lock. This is because I've yet to encounter any game or mod that uses the key for anything. Use what makes sense for you, however.

Finally make your way to Output, this is important. Ignore streaming, look at Recording.

+ Pick a folder you want to save in + pick indistinguishable quality, large file size. + Pick MP4+ which encoder you use is up to your system! This is the one that made sense for me and my system. There are tons of videos on YT that go over each encoder. Also here https://obsproject.com/kb/audio-video-formats-guide is the official guide. We need to be able to open the file in photoshop so I tend to lean toward H.264.

3. Test OBS and your game footage together!

Go into your game, record a menu!

If you see something weird here, like your game footage not actually recording, troubleshoot!

With your recording you shouldn't see any stretching.

Now go into game and for 3-5 seconds record you playing, if something isn't recording well, again, troubleshoot. OBS takes a small amount of resources but for older rigs you may need to adjust settings in either game or OBS to get better recordings.

Once you are comfortable, it's time to go wild!

4. Record your gif footage.

+ 5 second clips are best for scenery gifs, + anything from 2-10 seconds can be used for a character talking + anything more than 10 seconds? You'll hit tumblr's limits instantly and will need to make multiple gifs. Which isn't a big deal, but do make note of it as it is much harder for older rigs to open a 5 min 1440p recording than 10 seconds. Depending on the rig it may not even open, so try and make several recordings rather than one long one.

5. Photoshop set up if you pirated an older version

If your gifs look weirdly stretched, check pixel ratio! If your photoshop is legit, or you know that it isn't stretching your gifs wildly you can skip this step.

I don't care how you obtain photoshop, but photoshop has had the ability to open MP4 videos for nearly 15 years. You do not need to, and I do not encourage you to use any screencapping software. That's great for long-form videos, but my computer 12 years ago could open a 5min music video fine and it was a potato.

Often photoshop 'portable' aka pirated photoshop comes with some wild settings, namely, pixel ratio changes. Please check this first;

And look at what default is actually set at, if your gifs always look stretched oddly when uploaded to tumblr.

It should be 1:1.

Then look at,

Again set it to square! Newer photoshop, and non-pirated versions often will let you look at other aspect ratios but won't save weirdly. so 2:1 will still save to 1:1, this hasn’t always been the case with cracked photoshop, especially the version from around 2014.

6. Open

Either drag in all your videos, or just... file → open.

This is why you saved as 5 seconds and MP4, so you didn't need any extra steps!

++Please be aware that older/weaker rigs and laptops can struggle, and if you are seeing crazy hot temps and such its an issue. Seeing Photoshop pause to open/play an action is normal but not chugging. I tell you this so you remember to dust your case and give your hardware some love, fiddle with settings and if this straight up doesn't work with your version of photoshop it might not be for you.

7. Crop your videos

Once you have your video/s open, select the crop tool. (it should be right here in the default setup. or Simply press C on newer Photoshops)

Step 1-  in the far left box you want to select Width by Height and then type what size you want to crop to. Height Matters little but Width does matter.

Here are tumblr’s current 2024 sizes again!

10mb is the max, anything more will have a new compression algorithm applied to make it under 10mb.

Please look at the sizes closely. I'll give you an example! Lets say you make your widest gif 1000 pixels, a common wrong size.

I could only fit 20 frames in this bad boy, and its squished, despite the saving compression used, tumblr eats the quality to make it pixelated/artifact-filled.

Compare that to this, 66frames

Slightly different cropping but you get the point.

Same thing with using 540px in the 268px spot.

Compare it to the gifs below which is a 4.83mb 133 frame image in the 268 spot. see how it's less pixelated?

Now back to that Image. Lets talk about... Step 2. Select a range from within the image, try to avoid going to the edges, otherwise you get a 1 pixel wide transparent line. It's hard to see on some blogs, and so obvious on others. Mobile users won't likely see it, but it does take a slight amount more file size as well.

This is what I mean.

Step 3. Time is money, friend. And by this I mean I am going to provide you with the means to skip a TON of steps in the gif making process and just use my action, I'm even going to help you figure out how to fix it when it fails. For the low price of free. If you want the how to, I can break down what all the action is doing, but I haven't even thought about these steps in about 8 years or so.

PART 2 THIS WAY

(because tumblr hates more than 30 images)

[valeisaslut]

so im killing myself

im gonna do another couple paragraphs for this part and then part 3 but can i just say val, what the FUCK

you have me here, at one in the morning, REREADING this for the THIRD time, cycling through utter despair, crying and throwing things and falling to the floor, happiness, laughing, cringing hard when reader says ellie during sex, CHEERING WHEN ABBY DIPS, crying more and more and listening to ellies album over and over through these three rereads like i did with readers album for part 1.

i am emotionally destroyed. youre paying for my therapy i dont care.

ive said it a billion times and ill say it again, i need this on my shelf, hard cover, tear stained, written in the margins in pink glittery pen. i would surgically replace my heart with a physical copy because thats how WRECKED I AM.

the writing of the rehab sequence is so fucking good. like, as someone who hasnt been to rehab but has lots of family who have (i dunno if u remember but u had an anon with a relapsed sister. that was me i was just a bit ashamed of sharing that much on the internet)? thats really good representation. the shit i heard from them SOUNDED like what i JUST READ. i think after reading for the first time i stared at the roof for an hour.

you are literally the intro to GOLDWING by Billie Eilish in my eyes right now.

im like actually at a loss for words, i just want you to know that what youve put so much work into making and sharing to people means something. it means a lot me than you think. i dont think collide will ever actually leave me. like tell me why my perspective on life has changed from an ellie x reader fanfic i originally thought was just going to be surface level angst, hasty sex and some taco bell fluff.

i think this was my favourite chapter so far. its so miscom right now. the whole "why didnt she call?" when ellie had tried but her number had been nuked to the "shes with someone else now, why would it matter?" when reader had never fucking moved on, never really loved abby, never appreciated her (i wouldnt either bitch wdym why is the only thing you do give expensive shit and have sex like PLEAAASE lets put on a record, smoke cigs, order fast food and sit and talk on the balcony like real women)

like i am just yabbering on rn and i know that but that is because i am genuinely at such a loss for words. it takes a real woman to take two cliche (rockstar x popstar and fake dating) ships and shape it into something thats literally changed a life. i see a lot of their problems i saw as a kid a lot differently now because i dont think i ever took the time to really understand

collide helped understand.

i think, like ellies 5 songs (KNEW MATCH INTO WATER WAS GONNA BE IN THIS) being in the five stages of grief is literally fucking me revisiting my childhood right now

and also, add on, my favourite book of all time is house of leaves, and tell me why this is actually better. like. im not even fucking joking. YOU BEAT ERGODIC LITERATURE YOU BADASS.

this makes me want to make collide fanart but i think itd just look like a fucking tsunami because of how much ive cried.

when i die, this fic is going to be an heirloom in the williams family for multiple generations to come, im going to pass this down to my adoptive children and theyre gonna read it as a bedtime story to their little ones just as i will for them.

and to the collide nation, ive booked group therapy for all of us. hold hands, seance, prayer circle, mosh pit, booze? everything is supplied.

okok im done now if its too long it might no go through but seriously, val. this fic IS the second coming of Jesus, direct quote. im going tk treat you to a nice, fancy australian dinner and then we're gonna go to mine and watch mash while i cry in your arms and brutally curse you out. i fucking love you, and i love collide, and BEST OF LUCK WITH PART 3 im transferring my period cramps to you right now cause TELL ME WHY THIS RELEASES THE DAY MY ENDOMETRIOSIS ASS GETS MY PERIOD.

fuck you, youre the best, im personally going to book flight tickets to argentina so i can throw my many guitar picks straight at your face as revenge until all you can taste is cigarette smoke, plastic, and the sweet sweet taste of jeff buckleys steel guitar strings.

p.s. genuinely thank you for making this golden child piece of literature, like published books are so tiktokified lately that im so sick of it. so the raw originality of all of this just kills me. like i adore it, i love it so much, i love how much effort and time and research youve put into every little word, every topic, every THOUGHT for gods sake, even in the things that didnt end in the final cut. i aspire to be like you and to write with such purpose one day.

im making collide posters for my wall on canva as we speak

at this point its not even the last of us anymore, its just collide. i cant see ellie without getting flashbacks of zzelysians old 'cocaine' header and or flashbacks of the entire fic playing before my eyes like a damn movie.

this fic made me dissociate for an hour, val, take a fucking bow because im clapping and you deserve it.

xoxo, ILSYMMMRGJS

jazzy :)

jazzy.

JAZZY.

bites hand bends backwards over a piano throws myself down a staircase and lands in a gay split what the FUCK am i supposed to do with this message. how do i respond to something that just rearranged my brain chemistry like a spiritual car crash. how do i respond to someone who just compared collide to HOUSE. OF. LEAVES. like i haven’t been clutching that exact copy to my chest for five years thinking “damn i wanna write something like this but gayer and hotter and meaner.” HOW.

the fact that you read epilogue part two THREE TIMES. the fact that you sat there with jeff buckley leaking into your bloodstream, rereading lines and falling apart and cheering and gagging and then immediately saying “i’m gonna write paragraphs now and then more later because i’m not done processing this”??? like baby that’s not just reader behavior that’s READER-OF-COLLIDE behavior. you’re in the bloodstream. you’ve been infected. and honestly you’re glowing.

you talking about ellie crashing out in the parking lot and staring at the ceiling like you were doing it with her… i’m sobbing. that whole sequence—her blackout grief, her vomiting in gravel, her throwing blame and then apologizing without words, the vacant look, the rage, the relapse into emotion—you got it. every beat. you’ve been there. maybe not in the exact way, but the shape of it, the ache of it—you carried it. and then you let it meet the page. and that’s the highest compliment you could’ve ever given me.

and baby… i remember that anon. i do. i didn’t forget. i remember writing back with a lump in my throat. and now you’re here, saying that this helped something click, that it felt honest, that it sounded real—that means everything. like, literally. you don’t ever have to be ashamed for sharing what’s true, especially not with me. not in this space. you honored your story by bringing it with you. and now it’s in the story, too.

the line about “why didn’t she call” / “she’s with someone else now, why would it matter”—that miscommunication was everything. it’s not just romantic angst, it’s emotional tragedy. two people trying to protect themselves by pretending they’re not broken, when actually they’re both bleeding out. reader never moved on. ellie tried. and the world got in between. and yeah. abby gave sex and diamonds and nothing else. ellie would’ve given silence, ruin, and every part of herself. and it still would’ve meant more.

and that final paragraph?? you naming the exact thing that’s been haunting me for years—that everything published lately feels pre-chewed and trendified and algorithm-fed and soulless—you saw me. you saw what i’ve been trying to claw out of myself this whole time. i wanted to write something unforgettable. something that wasn’t afraid of being ugly. or too long. or too real. or too sad. or too queer. and the fact that YOU, with your taste and depth and pain and fucking TALENT, think this is worth remembering—baby. i’m gonna hold that forever.

you are everything. your words are everything. your chaos is everything. and if you do throw those guitar picks at me, i’ll let them hit me square in the heart, right over the reader-shaped bruise.

watch mash with me. cry in my arms. scream at the moon with me. and bring a carry-on for your group therapy gift bag because collide nation rides at dawn.

i love you i love you i love you. thank you for feeling this with me. 💌

[acaciapines]

been reading your deltarune fics (not all of them at once, of course, because i dont think my body could take that much crying) and god they are so good. I love how you articulate the interplay between the characters, all of them wanting and trying so desperately. Its great.

anyway I've been thinking about Dess the Knight and Dark Worlds in general and god theres so much interesting stuff. One thing that i noticed and i dont think ive seen anyone else talk about is how the intros to Castle Town and the TV Dark World are similar - with the wiggly things, the eyes, the poofs of dust/snow/whatever - but they dont appear in other dark worlds, namely Cyber World or the Church. But then there's also Susie's Dark World and how the entrance to that is changed, too, with different lighting and similarities (probably due to its proximity to another Dark Fountain) but it still feels different. Makes me wonder if the person who creates a Dark World leaves a mark on it, a signature, a stain, and if we might be able to extrapolate info about who's done what from it. Because that implies Kris made the fountain in the school's closet, yet someone else made the fountain in the classroom beside it. But its still just theory stuff.

Also Dess. I love her so much. #1 narrative haunter, especially if Kris's promise is tied to her. I've seen a few different ideas on what happened to her but my current idea is she was amalgamated - distorted by determination into something that's alive, maybe, but not itself anymore, not really. The theory is she was interrupted while making a fountain, and in doing so the determination had nowhere to go, so it went back to her. Works well if Gaster's the mastermind behind whatever is going on and he's got Carol under his thumb - he's worked with Determination in the true lab, so if theres anyone who could help undo that, its him. (If this Gaster is the same one from Undertale, of course, but with the games having so many parallels its hard to think otherwise). But it also adds another layer to what is going on with her, why she's gone but not dead. Because if she was dead, the right conditions can return her to life with the help of a fountain, but then Kris & whoever they're working with probably wouldn't want the fountains sealed. After all, if she's limited to being under a fountain, the more fountains the better. But Kris has (as of yet) not stopped us from sealing a fountain, so I don't think thats it. Her becoming the Roaring Knight is another really solid theory, with everything surrounding it, but it feels incomplete - the files alluding to someone being lost in the code makes me think that whatever state Dess is in (if that is her speaking) she isn't aware of the outside world. Of course, where the knight fits in in the theory is up for debate - potentially a resident of Dess's failed Dark World that managed to break free, or could be a part of her consciousness that's merely trying to find the rest of itself, or it could even be Carol or Rudy or someone else. Who knows? (Toby Fox).

Anyway gotta say I love your work and am looking forward to whatever ideas you share next :3

aww, thank you! yeah i LOVE interpersonal relationships lol its sooooo much fun for me. its about everyone being wrong and right and nobody being able to fully explain to each other <3 its about how you can love someone and hurt them and all the messy ways life can manifest.

i did notice that!!! especially w/ susie's dark world having its own distinct colors and such i do think theres a lot to ponder on here...even if kris didnt open castle town (which i personally feel like they didnt lol but who knows) the person who DID clearly shares Something in common with them. but for castle town and tv land specifically them sharing those dust-bits and the general like. empty purple landscapes made me wonder if its because both of these dark worlds have been abandoned...a school supply closet that nobody cares about, a tv that's been left unplugged for years. theres nothing 'new' being injected into the world and thus into them--its just a lot of dust.

DESS TRULY IS NUMBER ONE DESS WE LOVE YOU!!!!! im very partial to my thoughts that no matter where she mightve ended up her initial leaving was very much on purpose and i'll take that to my grave <3 maybe shes trapped in a dark world NOW, but she still chose to leave. amalgamated dess is super fun! my favorite dess theory is a similar one in that the knight isn't 'entirely' dess aka its like, her dust or memories or something made by maybe carol? in an attempt to get dess back that failed, and now whatever plan carol's got is related to bringing her back but this time for real guys this time its gonna work--

i also LOVE the dess being the voice in the code idea. i thiiiink this can be true even if she's also the knight--either her conciousness has been split or it could just be non-chronological, since dess has been gone for A While--so, voice in the code could be her earlier years, maybe? and the knight stuff is later. thats the vibe i got at least.

thank you again! im not sure when my next deltarune fic will get posted lol...my main project right now is drk but drk wont get posted 'til its all done and current estimates at length are upwards of. yknow. 700k words <3 and we currently have like 38k. but i'm sure i'll be struck by various other ideas in-between!

[raisoramizu]

Chapter 14: The Awakening of Kalfu

Hazbin Hotel Fanfic "New Order" (Radioapple/Radiostatic/Applemedia)

Previous Chapter: Intro - Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 7 - Chapter 8 - Chapter 9 - Chapter 10 - Chapter 11 - Chapter 12 - Chapter 13

The images for this fanfiction are for illustrative purposes only, and all credits go to their respective artists.

Lucifer couldn't move. He didn't want to move. Time had become a futile concept, an invisible prison he couldn't escape. On his knees, arms hanging limp at his sides, Lucifer stared at Lilith's lifeless body, which had collapsed over his legs. Blood continued to gush from her severed neck, forming an immense pool beneath him, soaking his once-white suit like a wilted flower. The warmth of her blood slid over his face, locked in an expression of pure shock. That viscous liquid, now binding them like a dark wedding vow, was the only thing he could feel.

It didn't hurt. Lucifer felt nothing, saw nothing. Every sound reached him muffled, and that same abyssal storm that ruffled his blood-caked hair raged within his head. His thoughts spun at the same speed, a chaotic whirlwind dragging along fragmented pieces that were impossible to assemble: questions, reasons, emotions, and feelings.

This was Lilith, and she was dead. She had been his companion for ten thousand years, his best friend and ally, the mother of his daughter. She had made the realm where he spent most of his existence flourish and supported him until now. This was Lilith, and she was dead. Who did it? Does it matter? Perhaps this was how it was meant to end. Maybe, if he had more time, if he hadn't wasted so much on foolishness, he could've reasoned with her. If he'd had the strength, the courage, if he had... pride?

"You did everything you could."

The phrase slipped into Lucifer's mind, like the soft crackle of a radio.

"You'd never have made her see reason, because Lilith never had a soul."

The voice echoed again, growing in intensity like the sizzle of static, the sound of a radio tuned to a station with no signal.

At that moment, Lucifer tried to move, flexed his muscles, but all that came was a sob and a tremble in his bloodstained fingers that hung uselessly at his sides. He couldn't move, but someone else did it for him. He felt it then—a presence at his side and the creeping, slimy sensation of something coiling firmly around his waist. His gaze, now golden once again, met the familiar look of two different shades of red: Alastor.

The Radio Demon was crouched beside him. His knees didn't touch the blood-soaked floor, though the edges of his jacket had already soaked up the crimson. His cane rested between his bent legs, the microphone lying on his shoulder. One hand hung loosely over a knee, while the other... touched him.

Alastor's clawed knuckles traced slowly up Lucifer's chin, wiping away the saliva dripping from his parted lips. He did it with a calmness that completely contrasted the storm and chaos raging around them. Everything was crumbling more and more, everything was becoming increasingly dangerous, threatening to take the others' lives. Yet here, time and space seemed to have slipped into another world.

Alastor's fingers traced up the round shape of Lucifer's angelic face, and his thumb brushed away the tears streaming from his eyes. That's when Lucifer realized it—he was crying. Tears were flooding down his face in silent streams, unstoppable.

Suddenly, the Deer Demon's smile widened, curling up to reveal his yellowed teeth, in stark contrast to his words.

"You know, Lucifer~" he began, with his strawberry-colored hair and ears swaying in the mad wind, "I've always hated those like you." "... Those stronger than me, who wrap themselves in pride and power but can't handle their emotions and show them like a warrior exposing a wounded side to his enemy. And you..." he paused, running his claws through the angel's filthy hair, which had lost both its shape and golden sheen. With his hand, he lifted Lucifer's gaze, tearing it away from the Seraphim, who still stared at him in shock. "...You are the King of the Pathetic. You wallow in your pain, letting it chain you to the point where you can't do anything you should or want to do."

Alastor's voice remained musical, thick with the radio filter that distorted it like that of an old speaker. "...And yet, I've never been loved as much as you love me, except by my mother."

The demon remembered everything, every event that had occurred during the time he'd been hypnotized, like a dream lingering after waking—perhaps fragmented, but with flashes of the most emotional and impactful moments he'd lived through.

"... " Lucifer didn't respond. His eyes widened further, then slowly rose to follow the demon as he stood. When Alastor straightened, Lucifer felt himself being dragged up, too, while Lilith's lifeless body slid from his knees, thudding against the floor. He felt his ruffled wings scraping against the floor and objects, even noisily pushing aside the chair from the workstation. His body became light, suspended by the dark tendril coiled around his waist, slightly higher than the sinner's head.

In that exact moment, time roared back to life with a painful explosion in Lucifer's head, forcing him to snarl. His muscles tensed as he drooled, clutching at the tentacle binding his waist in tight coils. He turned his gaze toward the broken window, with one thought on his mind: Charlie.

Alastor cast a look of sharp hatred at Lilith's lifeless body on the ground. Her head seemed to have vanished, perhaps carried away by the abyssal wind. In that gaze, his eyes flared bright with acidic green once again.

Below, in the courtyard of the Hazbin Hotel, time hadn't stopped.

After striking Lilith, Adam had glided back to the ground. Bound by the same shock that had seized Lucifer, he found himself standing still, eyes wide open. He had returned to normal—no more horns, no more wings—but his gaze was bloodshot with black veins, and his pupils glowed red. His face was smeared with tar, the same black bile he had spewed the entire time, which had even stained his sweater.

What had happened? Had he really killed Lilith? He couldn't see anything around him, only the scene he had just witnessed: the blade of the sword hissing through the air and the shocked look of Lucifer surfacing from the severed neck of his wife.

"Adam!" Lute's panicked voice snapped him back to reality. The former second-in-command was running toward him, looking just as disheveled. She was still injured. "..!" When she reached him, her gaze darted from his face to his right hand. "What... what happened?!" she asked, terrified.

It was then that Adam noticed he still had the bloodstained angelic sword in his hand. Horror struck him, and he immediately dropped the weapon, letting it clang loudly against the ground.

"Adam!" Charlie's frantic voice called out as she ran towards them. "Were you in the Radio Tower? My mother was there, right? Did my father manage to get through to her?" She forced a tense, hopeful smile. "The music stopped a while ago, but... but... this chaos isn't ending!" she burst out, gesturing wildly at the stormy grayness surrounding them.

Adam didn't respond, staring at her in a daze. ".." A strange silence settled, making Charlie turn toward the Radio Tower again, fear creeping into her expression.

But at that moment...

"Charlie!" Vaggie's sharp voice rang out as she knelt beside Michael, tending to him. Niffty was with her, while Husk and Cherri Bomb—still dazed—sat near the hotel entrance, trying to recover. Lucifer's golden ropes had suddenly vanished, allowing them to escape outside.

The Archangel was gravely injured in the arm—a tentacle from Roo had literally ripped his shoulder open, and his arm hung on by a thread, held together only by the grip of his other hand. He was also kneeling on the ground, trembling, his teeth clenched against the searing pain.

"Now that we've gotten everyone else out, we need to get away from here! That tentacle could destroy the hotel!" Vaggie shouted.

Yes, there was the massive dark coil of Roo, wrapped around the building. Starting from a crack in the ground, it coiled tighter and tighter, mercifully sparing the Radio Tower, but squeezing the rest, causing chunks of plaster and glass to crash down with every pulse.

"Ohh... the Hotel! Again... the Hotel!" Charlie groaned, clutching her disheveled and bloodied hair in frustration. Her own blood stained her clothes from the shallow cuts she had accidentally inflicted on herself in the chaos.

"Forget about this damn hotel and let's get out of here!" Lute barked, her tone sharp and commanding as she motioned for Cherri Bomb and Husk to follow. "Let's go!" ... "Adam, come on!" she shouted back at the First Man as she started running towards the gate.

"...but... but my mom, dad, and Alastor are still in the Radio Tower! We have to get them out!" Charlie squealed, pointing at the structure to the left of the towering hotel, now grander in size since its reconstruction.

Meanwhile, Vaggie struggled to help Michael to his feet, while the others began to join Lute, Charlie, and...

"Adam!" Lute called again, but Adam wasn't following.

The former second-in-command turned toward him. "What the hell are you doing?!" she snapped, her golden eyes flashing with aggression, only to widen in shock when she saw him staring blankly toward the center of the city. "What's wrong with you?" She whipped her head around so fast her silver bob swung with the motion. ".." ... "!!"

Where just hours before, the Angelic Embassy had stood tall, now suspended a hundred meters in the air, was a female figure with long dark hair. She was visible even from afar, encased in a transparent bubble of energy, crackling with black lightning that arced through the air. Inside that protective sphere, the woman looked upward, untouched by the swirling fog and abyssal winds around her.

"Ev... Eva," Adam hissed, his pupils shrinking to pinpoints.

"!!" ... "FUCK!" Michael exploded like thunder, shooting to his feet so fast that Vaggie flinched. The first word he shouted was that, hurling it at the sky where the numerous tendrils emerging from the hellish ground were converging like dangerous spikes. They were snaking into the still-open portals, where the exorcists tried—futilely—to cut them or take shelter. One of his wings was visibly broken, and Michael shuddered in agony as he attempted to move it, failing to take flight.

"Retreat, retreat through the portals, NOW!" The Archangel's voice boomed, powerful enough to cut through the darkness raging around them. He was panting, drenched in sweat, spitting saliva as he shouted again. "Get out of here!" he ordered the exorcists, choking on desperation.

Some of the tentacles managed to slip into the golden portals just before Michael, sprinting forward a few feet, slammed them shut with a swift movement of his remaining arm. His face was a mask of terror and fury, teeth grinding together as he bled profusely, his hair matted to his neck with blood, leaving streaks on the ground.

There was no peace, the chaos still hadn't ended; Hell was now leveled. Only a few buildings remained standing, among them the Vees Tower and VoxTek, though both were now critically damaged.

And as Michael desperately closed the portals to keep Roo from reaching Heaven, Lute shouted again, a desperate, "Adam!"

...because the Sinner had literally taken off, flying toward the figure floating in the air.

"Where... where is he going now?!" Charlie exclaimed, her jaw nearly hitting the ground, her voice warped with shock and despair, as she dragged both hands down her face, distorting her skin comically.

"Probably to his beloved, darling~" Alastor's voice echoed behind Charlie and the others, causing them to whip around in his direction.

The Radio Demon was descending from the Radio Tower, dragging himself toward the ground with the help of his tentacles, which had thickened and lengthened, suspending him like immense legs. Despite his neck having been broken moments earlier, Alastor appeared to be in relatively good condition—just a bit more disheveled than usual, his coat tails soaked in blood. In his right hand, bent behind his back, he clutched his cane.

"Oh! Alastor! Ohhh, thank goodness! You're alive, you're alive!" Charlie cried out, running towards him with arms wide open, overwhelmed by a sudden burst of joy at seeing him safe and sound. A joy so intense it made her focus solely on him in that fleeting moment.

"I wouldn't exactly say 'thank goodness,' my dear," Alastor added with subtle sarcasm, but this time speaking in unison with a deeper male voice also coming from him.

Before Charlie could reach him, she was stopped by the sight of her father emerging from the fading tentacles as Alastor reached the ground. Lucifer was hanging by the waist from one of those tendrils.

The joy Charlie had felt just a moment before vanished in an instant, replaced by paralyzing terror. She felt a lump form in her throat, her hands trembling, and her eyes widened, freezing her a few feet away from the two. Her heart skipped a beat, as if the world itself had stopped turning. Before her, her father—the great and invincible Lucifer—was hanging limp, face-down, his wings completely drenched in blood. His body was motionless, his hands and feet dangling lifelessly like a marionette with its strings cut. Petrified, hands still suspended mid-air, Charlie stammered, looking back and forth between her father and Alastor, who stood with his cane casually draped behind his back, gazing at her with his usual smile, his eyes gleaming in two different shades of green.

Vaggie, Husk, and Niffty had approached, sharing the same concern. Vaggie was the first to reach her, her expression full of compassion and fear. She saw Charlie frozen, eyes wide, unable to move or react. Her hands, trembling with barely contained anxiety, rested on Charlie's shoulders, feeling the rigid muscles beneath her fingers, as if every part of Charlie was fighting not to break down.

"Dad?" asked the Princess. She had wanted to ask Alastor how her father was doing, if he was still alive, what had happened, but all that came out was that one word. The Stagman understood nonetheless. The panic and worry that had plagued Charlie and the others were becoming unbearable, which was why Alastor tried to appear as normal as possible. Kalfu stirred faintly within him, trying to stay hidden to avoid alarming them further, focusing instead on reassuring them with Alastor's seemingly intact presence.

"Your father is physically fine, he's not injured," he tried to reassure her, bringing his arm back from behind his back, along with his cane. "But there will be a lot to discuss," he continued, his voice once again booming with two distinct tones—his usual high-pitched, unfiltered radio voice, mixed with a deeper, ancient one. "Later," he added, casting a sharp glance toward the suspended female figure. His brow furrowed, and his expression hardened, though his ever-present smile twisted into a more menacing grin. "Right now, it's best to clean up this mess. I loathe ~" he emphasized, drawing out the word melodically, making it rumble so intensely that even his tongue vibrated, "...when I'm not the one creating the chaos!" He finished with a snarl, slamming the base of his cane into the ground with a thunderous crack, sending a shockwave laced with his sorcery.

As everyone watched in horror—Michael included—a mass of shadow began to form behind Alastor. The dark shape, initially formless, spread with unsettling speed, as if it had risen from the void itself. As it grew, its outline became more defined, and its face, twisted into a sinister snarl, glowed with an eerie, acid-green light. Its elongated hands, with claws like blades of shadow, lifted toward the sky, and with a single motion, the air around them changed. It became dense, heavy, as if all of Hell had been wrapped in a suffocating dark grip. Voodoo symbols appeared in the air, tracing a barrier that quickly expanded, enveloping the entire horizon.

Meanwhile, in the infernal sky, like a shard with its webbed wings spread, the First Man cut through the storm, his eyes wide open, fixed on the woman who was becoming clearer and more defined with each passing second.

Is that Eve? Yes, it was Eve. He would have recognized her even if she were a speck in the void. He would have recognized her anywhere, in any form, in any place: it was her. She was completely naked, her brown hair so long it grazed her ankles, her body soft and voluptuous: it was her.

Fuck, it's her.

He felt his chest burn with indescribable anxiety and frustration. Everything else—desires, people, even what he had just done—had disappeared; his thoughts were solely focused on her, on reaching her. So, Lilith hadn't lied. Eve could be saved.

There she was, just as he had left her ten thousand years before, before her heart had collapsed under the weight of Original Sin, which had corroded and consumed her, casting her into a place that was neither Heaven nor Hell. Into nothingness, asleep in the depths of the abyss, where the chasm had opened to welcome evil. Creation had been saved, but she had been left behind, and now he would do anything to drag her out, to save her from a fate she hadn't deserved—not because of her own fault, but because of ignorance, because of manipulation.

Why her and not me? He had asked himself that a billion times. Why her in that place, and me in Heaven? And behind those thoughts, his anger had turned to hatred, and hatred into vengeance against the demons, against the kingdom ruled by those who had created all this: Lucifer and Lilith.

But now, now...

Adam dodged the tentacles that dangerously brushed past him and approached like an arrow. His demonic eyes locked onto the face of the woman suspended above that pale eye, which had opened like a wound in Hell. She offered him her profile, her chin raised toward the glowing sphere of Heaven.

Meanwhile, the portals from which the exorcists had emerged closed one by one, flaming loudly and severing the tentacles that continued to emerge from the increasingly cracked ground, where entire neighborhoods crumbled, swallowed by the abyss. Yet Roo's dark coils persisted, surpassing the red sky beyond where the portals had vanished, reaching toward the golden sphere.

As Adam drew closer, the static electricity from the terrible black lightning crackled around Eve's energy barrier, making his flight difficult. At the same time, the sky began to glow with the acidic green flashes of Kalfu's sorcery.

Adam approached, and all the hope kindled by his thoughts turned into terror. A terror that began to engulf him without any apparent reason.

I'm so fucking close to her, why do I feel this fear? This overwhelming sense of danger, as if I'm in a terrible nightmare, rather than finally getting what I've longed for so many years? For an entire eternity?

Because, Eve, you...

At that exact moment, as the tentacles began to grasp the brilliant golden sphere of Heaven, Eve turned toward Adam.

The First Man saw it perfectly: her face emerged from the swirling hair the same color as his own. Her face was... black. Instead of a face, there was a dark shadow, from which only red, slit eyes gleamed with a wicked amusement, and a mouth curled into a sinister, twisted smile of deep exultation.

At that sight, Adam's eyes widened, and he felt his breath catch; the terror morphed into panic, numbing his entire body. His wings froze. In an instant, he couldn't move anymore, only tremble and... chatter his teeth. His muscles no longer responded to any command. He was hundreds of meters above the ground, but he began to fall, plummeting as fast as he had been flying toward her just moments before. The lower he fell, the faster he went, crushing against the dense, stormy air.

Eve was watching him. He could no longer see her, his eyes wide and teeth chattering, but he felt it. She was watching him. Eve... or Roo?

But then, suddenly, she looked away; with a swift motion, she turned her face back toward the sky, where Kalfu's sorcery had created an enormous barrier between Hell and Heaven, slicing through any tentacle that tried to breach it, confining the storm within its bounds.

Once it was fully formed, the barrier, blazing with swirling Voodoo symbols and spectral eyes, began to descend quickly, taking the storm with it and clearing the sky behind.

The descent was so rapid that Adam didn't have time to realize when it passed him, rushing past him along with the tallest peaks of the few buildings still standing in Pentagram City. In an instant, the First Man found himself back under the infernal sky, red and calm, with the smell of sulfur he had grown used to, his hands and knees pressed against the curved surface that continued to descend.

The panic vanished the moment the sorcery had passed over him, but the fear remained, lodged in his throat like a knot. Adam swallowed, raising his gaze again, searching for Eve: she was gone. The barrier was carrying her away, dragging her back to the ground from where she had risen, along with her tentacles and her spectral creatures.

From the exact point of contact between Kalfu's sorcery and Roo, black electrical lightning still sparked, a clear sign of a grueling—and futile—resistance, which ended the moment Adam found himself with his hands and knees on the barren ground of the city.

Adam was there, on all fours, still trembling, his eyes wide and his mouth slightly open in an expression of fear and astonishment, as the barrier vanished, taking Roo with it into the abyss of the Circle of Pride, and then beyond, sweeping across Hell, dragging her back to where she had come from.

Vox, Velvette, Valentino, and Angel Dust peered cautiously out from one of the crumbling skyscraper's windows, where they had been hiding for protection, their eyes drawn to the eerily calm red sky.

The calm settled over the Hazbin Hotel as well, where everyone stood as helpless witnesses to the scene that had unfolded. The storm had vanished, pulled away by the barrier, and visibility returned to normal, leaving only the deafening silence of destruction around them. Pentagram City was now a post-apocalyptic wasteland, but from that wasteland, the distant murmur of demons who had survived began to rise—they were awakening.

Charlie, Husk, Niffty, Cherri Bomb, along with Lute and Michele, had watched everything with a mix of terror and wonder, their faces reflecting the chaos in their hearts.

Now that things seemed to have returned to some kind of normal, Charlie darted toward Alastor, who still stood motionless, his back straight and his hands resting on the shell of his cane, firmly planted in the ground. His shadow, dark and sinuous, stretched out behind him, its fingers still twitching in the air.

"Alastor! Wh-what... what does all this mean?! What did you do?!" the princess cried, her voice trembling. It wasn't anger but deep shock and awe. Her eyes darted frantically between Alastor and the devastated landscape.

"Calm down, child, everything's almost in order now. But I'm not quite finished yet." The answer came directly from the shadow, its sharp, greenish mouth unmoving. It spoke in the same voice that had mingled with Alastor's just moments ago.

Charlie jumped back in fear. "What... who are you?!" Her world had just turned upside down, and the only thing she could do was stare in disbelief at this creature that seemed to be in control of everything. It felt like she was trapped in a nightmare she couldn't wake up from. And her mother?

"Ohh, I am Kalfu. I am the Key... and finally..." The shadow lifted its blackened hands toward the sky again. "I take my place."

Those words were like a spell. A deep, rumbling sound echoed, as if something had hit rock bottom. Immediately after, the barrier began to rise again, emerging from the shattered ground. The swirling sorcery engulfed the entire structure of the Hotel, enclosing it in a dark vortex.

Charlie clasped her hands over her mouth, her eyes wide in horror, while Lucifer remained lifeless, suspended in the air by a tentacle that extended from Alastor's back. Lute cried out:

"And Adam?! Where's Adam? He went toward that figure floating in the air!" Lute's voice was ragged with anguish, the words burning in her throat, her tears seemingly stuck, as if her body refused to succumb to the unbearable despair. Her fists clenched so tightly her knuckles whitened, her breathing growing more labored with each passing second. The pain from her wounds throbbed, but she ignored it all. Her heart pounded for one thing only—Adam.

"Adam is alive," the shadow responded, as creaks and rumbles echoed from within the barrier. "He's at the spot where the Embassy of Heaven used to stand, but you'll have to go and get him."

Before Kalfu could finish speaking, Lute was already rushing down the hill—on foot, since she no longer had wings.

"Wait, Lute, I'm coming with you!" Vaggie shouted, summoning her wings with a faint shockwave and leaping forward to catch up with her. She grabbed Lute by the waist, lifting her into the air as they flew together toward the heart of Pentagram City.

"Sorry to interrupt this epic and absurd moment, but that hunky, wounded angel who was just here... where'd he go?" Cherri Bomb's voice made everyone turn toward the spot where Michele had been standing moments earlier—now there was only a pool of golden blood.

...

Michele's blood had left a trail along the brightly lit hallway, leading to an enormous double-arched door, at least ten meters high. The entire place was nothing but light, even the walls, which shone so brilliantly it made it hard to follow the path.

Beyond the door, inside the grand hall, it was no different. Despite the golden and sky-blue accents that broke up the overwhelming brightness just enough to make out the edges and corners, the place was silent. As Michele staggered forward, faint sounds began to emerge—frantic ticking, disconnected noises like those from a race track, with screeching tires, small explosions, and a high-pitched voice shouting, "Mamma mia!"

Michele dragged himself along a Persian carpet adorned with golden spirals, soaking its fabric with his blood. The Archangel moved with difficulty, one wing visibly broken, its lower half dangling lifelessly with each step, while his injured arm swung heavily, barely held up by his other arm. He had lost too much blood, his complexion now pale, his eyes sunken and devoid of their former radiance. Gasping, with an expression full of desperate pain, he managed to catch a glimpse of the back of an imposing throne before wheezing:

"L-Lord... Father..."

He collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud.

"Mmh?" The figure on the throne hummed curiously, pausing the video game and closing his seven eyes before opening them on the back of his head, now facing the Archangel lying on the floor in a pool of his own blood.

"Oh, Michele. What happened to you?"

[nofomogirl]

What we know and don't know after Good Omens S2

Honestly, it's mostly what we don't know.

This was originally meant to be an intro to Before the Beginning (part 1.5.) - a post in my series of posts discussing what we learn from the opening scene of S2 - but I've decided to make it its own thing after all.

I just enjoy reminding myself and others what we know for sure and what is just a theory or a headcanon. So here I go.

#1 The Fall

I've already written about the Fall shortly after S2 aired: Implications of Metatron's offer

My points still stand, except now that I think about it I might have put too much stock in Metatron's words. I think they prove less than I was willing to believe back then, as it's not difficult to imagine they might have all been a bluff.

In short: we don't know what the Fall is and how it actually works.

All that we know is that it happened once, and in the process, part of the angels were transformed and became demons.

The rest is just a long list of questions.

#2 Crowley's Fall

We're not much wiser when it comes to the circumstances of one specific Anthony J. Crowley's Fall.

Let's look at the very few facts we have:

In S1 Crowley claims that "he didn't really fall, he just sauntered vaguely downwards", "he only ever asked questions [and] it was all it took to be a demon", and "he didn't mean to fall, he just hung around the wrong people".

Neil Gaiman suggested more than once that Crowley isn't the most reliable narrator when it comes to his own Fall, and while he's not as bad as Heaven believes, he's also not as good as he thinks.

In Job's minisode, when Aziraphale is on the brink of questioning God's sense of justice ("Yes. But..."), Crowley tells him that was how it started for him too.

We learned from Furfur that Crowley actively took part in the dubious battle on the plains of Heaven just before the Fall.

In the finale, Metatron isn't the slightest bit surprised Crowley didn't take his offer and comments he "always did want to go his own way. Always asking damn fool questions too."

What does it all tell us? Nothing specific, except that perhaps we were a bit too quick to take Crowley's word that he hasn't done anything that would warrant any kind of punishment.

Questioning God's way of doing things was just how it STARTED for him. Asking damn fool questions was something he did TOO.

In short - we have no idea what really happened.

#3 Memory erasure

It's one of those popular headcanons that have been around at least since S1 and got canonically confirmed in S2.

We now know it's something that exists.

And that's where our knowledge ends.

Everything we really saw in the show was Gabriel getting sentenced to having his memories of being Gabriel removed. Then he very quickly moved his whole self to the fly to save it and we don't actually get to see what the result would be if Heaven did it. Would he be the same returned-to-factory-settings goofball or would he be given some memories to fill the blank spaces?

Is it actually possible to plant false memories in someone's head or can you only delete them?

Are memories really erased or just made inaccessible? Gabriel could still force himself to access some of his old memories. Was it because that's how it works and everybody could do it theoretically or was it because the memory-erasing procedure wasn't performed properly in his case?

We know it can be done remotely, but what is the range?

How precise and selective can it be? Gabriel was meant to forget everything. Perhaps that's the only way and you cannot pick and choose what one remembers or not.

We do not know.

#4 Aziraphale and Crowley's relationship

In S2 we have learned that they knew each other before the Fall. But all we saw was one meeting that appeared to be the first one to boot, judging by the fact that Aziraphale introduced himself.

We don't really know if they met again after that, how well they got to know each other, and how close they became.

It's not impossible, that when Aziraphale insists he knew the angel Crowley was, he's not even right about that...

#5 Aziraphale's and Crowley's memories

Last but not least, whatever Aziraphale and Crowley knew initially and whatever events they were part of or witnessed, we have no way of knowing what memories they've kept AND if they're even aware one or both of them might be missing something.

There may be important things that only one of them remembers but since I doubt they've ever compared notes, he operates under the wrong assumption that the other is aware of it too.

Anything is possible, really.

I've seen many convincing theories regarding all of the above and plenty of delightful headcanons. I'm just listing it to keep in mind all the questions remain open.

[randomestfandoms-ocs]

Bunch of New OCs

Descendants

Calen (x Ben) & Morrigan (x Jane) in Control – the children of Chernabog, very powerful magic users who grew up on the isle. Not a part of any crew, preferred to just stick together, but Calen has a history with both Harry and Jay, and Morrigan has a history with Evie. TBD if they're invited to Auradon or if they just invite themselves, here to cause chaos

Chernabog takes a technically female presenting body when trapped by the isle magic and is Aubrey Plaza probably but also maybe Kathryn Hahn idk?

Glee

Lucinda (Patti Lupone) & Vanessa (Kathryn Hahn) Hope in The Art Of Making Art – Danny's mothers, details in Danny's intro

(ft. introduced Nadia & Pip, Danny's therapist and boyfriend respectively)

Heartstopper

Isabella Belly Spring in Personal Best – Charlie's twin sister, probably has BPD because i can't write any mentally stable ocs rn, autistic queen, bit of a loner at Higgs but she and Elle have always been close so when she transfers, baby girl gets pulled into the friend squad with Darcy & Tara, Ben's ex girlfriend (while he was also with Charlie, dumped him when she found out about that) and current president of the Ben Hate Squad

Juniper Catalina Solano in A Place In This World – Nick’s best friend, moved away when they were 13 (basically just before his kiss with Tara and before he became friends with Imogen), they stayed in touch and are still very very close

Details iffy but her parents die early in season 1 and it was in their will that if anything happened to them, they wanted their daughter to live with Sarah Nelson (they got along well and trusted her, she wasn’t their very best friend but they knew it was the best choice for their daughter), so she’s just moved back

Marvel (Agatha All Along)

Naomi Kaplan in Darkest Hour, Wake Thy Power – William Kaplan's twin sister, not a Maximoff but born with magic (tbd what kind of witch she is but loves crystals and tarot readings even before knowing she's a witch), can immediately tell that something is Not Right with her brother after the accident (maybe also died/almost died in the accident and that's when her magic kicks in? tbd), the only one who knows the full truth of who he is, invites herself along when Billy goes to find Agatha

Renna Vidal / Renna Vidal-Harkness in Earthly And Divine – Rio & Agatha's magically created witch daughter, Nicky's older sister. Withdrew from both of her parents after Nicky died and might never have reconnected with them if she hadn't somehow gotten herself swept up in Billy Kaplan's plan to walk the Witches' Road

Elizabeth Zella Maximoff in Maiden, Mother, Crone – Billy & Tommy's triplet, ends up in a slightly older body after the Hex breaks down, finds Billy completely by chance and now will not rest until they get Tommy back too

bonus: Kassandra's AAA title is Glory At The End & Cheryl's is Sewn With Fate

RWRB

Christian Douglas Charles William Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor in History Has Its Eyes On You – Youngest prince, 18/19 when everything starts, gay and closeted, adores Henry more than anything in the world

dating Emilia Harper Claremont-Diaz, who knows that he's gay and is okay with being his public beard and forever best friend, but Mary is starting to put more and more pressure on him to propose

Emilia Harper Claremont Diaz in History Has Its Eyes On You– baby of the Claremont-Diaz family, she is in her first or second year at GWU in RWRB. Was a total daddy's girl growing up and never outgrew the pain of Oscar leaving. Majoring in International Relations because she feels like she has to and minoring in art history because she loves it, undiagnosed ADHD like her brother. Often referred to as the People's Princess in the US and as the American Princess internationally, loves Texas with all her heart, Secret Service codename is Buttercup which she chose because of her favourite Powerpuff Girl

Fashion icon (not as much as June though), idolizes her big sister forever, social media star, loves art and art history and museums and creating art, often feels like she might not be smart enough to make her family proud, happily fake dating her best friend Christian Fox

named after Harper Lee and Emilia Casanova de Villaverde, probably goes by her middle name (except with Oscar's family) but tbd

Titans

Morvan Abbott (x Jason Todd) in Abyss – Rowena Abbott's younger, lowkey the reason she was in jail (specifically, she killed their step father while protecting Morvan from him). After Rowena's arrest he ran away, found himself taken in by a woman with powers somewhat similar to his own and a vested interest in not letting Trigon destroy the world. After Rowena ends up with Dick and Rachel, they encounter this woman on their search for answers, and Rowena finally sees her baby brother again

ty everyone @the-witching-ash @ocmerunaway @ginevrastilinski-ocs @cecexwrites @manyfandomocs for listening to me not shut up about these ideas for sooooooo long i appreciate y'all also the ouat squad is still coming but i might die before i figure that shit out so also maybe not idk they're turning in my brain like a rotisserie chicken

edit: also still need to do the teen wolf coven but that's a future problem

[fraternum-momentum]

killing stalking ramble belowww

!! tws for mentions of sa/rape, murder, abuse, etc. !!

(REALLY REALLY long, around 2k~ words. just be warned. also tmi in some parts.)

THIS IS NOT AN ANALYSIS !!!!! it def gets analytical in some parts, but i feel like i would need to reread ks a couple of times for me to feel confident enough to do a full blown analysis for it. these are just my thoughts that i want to get out of my head. really rambly for the most part, and separated into sections mostly for my convenience buy also to get my thoughts a little more organized.

what do i think about it?

it's great ! i really love the more thriller-ey aspects of it, esp when seungbae was investigating the whole thing. how he's trying to piece together everything and switching in between pov's was so so cool. love love love how extremely tense everything is, like ooo is he gonna get caught? is he gonna get killed?

ACAB but seungbae is the only police officer i'll salute to 🫡 (bc he's not real LMFAO)(and also he hates the police despite being one so)

season 1 is a great intro and it rlly gets u hooked, rlly went in super hard with the whole torture stuff. came in guns blazing n stuff. rlly rlly intense. the whole thing with jieun is just so sad man,,,,,,, like she was rude and all and she was an kind of an asshole to bum but i don't think she deserves to die over that 😭,,,,

there's also already a lot of foreshadowing and future callbacks planted into it. it makes me wonder how much planning went into the story :0 !! even early on it's pretty clear that sangwoo sees his mum in yoonbum, that's why he kept taking care of him after abusing him. he said ‘i love you’ out of the blue and bum thought he was talking to him and sangwoo replied ‘i was talking to my mom’. i mean, it's literally spelled out by the author in one of the qna's. i will be amazed if u didn't catch that somehow.

anyw season 2 is my fav because of reasons stated above. the tension is rlly great. when seungbae finally trespassed which led to the confrontation at the basement scene to when they were doing the interrogation was rlly rlly good. it shows how competent of a manipulator and a quick thinker sangwoo is. throughout it my heart was beating so fast i was so nervous JQHSHQ

seungbae rlly tried to pull through but unfortunately the people didn't believe him so woo and bum got away SCOT FREE,,,,,,, which caused seungbae to lash out on woo, then got laid off. DUDEEE i was so saddddddd, i mean i saw there were like 40 eps left so i knew he wasnt going to succeed but STILLLL i was cheering for him ykkk?

ep 34.

kinda tmi and i hope to fucking god it's not weird or anything but i can see myself in yoonbum.

LISTEN ok. not like the perverted stalker aspects. more of the whole jwhhr fuckk idk how to describe it without sounding pathetic or whatever but a while ago my brother and i had a talk about being careful with people bc of how bad my whole self esteem is and how easily i would be to manipulate and just how depressing my whole demeanor was or whatever and this scene in ep 34 where yoonbum was being interrogated by seungbae kind of left me a deep impression on me

i've def have asked myself something similar to this, idk maybe had talked to someone abt it when i was drunk as shit. but it i kind of started wondering if i would do that in his position. if i don't get any better, could i end up like him? eeeeeqjdb idkk its something i don't want to dwell on much but it's been at the back of my head ever since. i don't know. it's scary.

season 3 is more focused on characterization and developing the "relationship" between bum and woo. vv sangwoo centric. it deals with his past trauma and how it affected him. seeing how his childhood was initially and then the eventual reveal as to what really was happening in those scenes was so good. kind of shows how you never truly know what's happening behind closed doors. and it shows the extent of the abuse, how unstable his mother was, and how emotionally manipulative she was to sangwoo when he was a kid. then her eventual death in which she managed to gaslight him into thinking he killed her. at least, i think its implied that she drove the knife into her neck. and now, even when she's gone, her presence lingers and haunts him. quite literally too because its eventually revealed that her corpse was INSIDE THE FUCKING HOUSE.

i love how the dynamic turned from a dependency to a codependency. it's like watching a fire slowly spiral out and it becoming an huge shitstorm. it's interesting seeing that sangwoo needs bum too. right after he accidentally called bum 'mom' while they were having sex, that's probably the lowest he's been in, even begging yoonbum to not go and stay with him at home bc he's been so paranoid lately. even now i'm still not sure if bum was actually fucking the girl or if it was all a figment of woo's hallucinations.

there's a lot of particular scenes that i want to dedicate a small paragraph to but i don't want to make this longer that it alr is qkdh they're not anything life changing plus the implications are p clear anyway so,,

ending is insane. at first, i was kind of glad that bum seemed to be healing. like he was getting therapy, there was a person who was taking care of him, seungbae seems to be monitoring him regularly. i mean, he was still paranoid and stuff about being caught as an acomplice but he was fine for the most part. well, at least that was i thought until he started asking where sangwoo was and i kinda went oh no,,,

idkkkkk is it bad that i kind of felt bad for bum when he didn't get to see sangwoo for the last time? i mean, i want him to just move on with everything and heal but it was pretty clear he was still vv attached to woo so idkkkkk?? maybe its just me needing to have some closure or something? i was so sad that yoonbum didn't even get the chance to be truly happy in his life. even in his happiest moments with sangwoo, it was all just a skewed perception of love.

yk even if seungbae didn't go to woo's house one last time for that final confrontation, i feel like their codependent relationship would go to shit either way. but ahh,,,,,, bum deserved so much better,,,

seungbae my goat 🫡

small part abt him bc he's my fav

seungbae is interesting,,,, bc he def has violent tendencies much like sangwoo. i.e. lashing out at woo, wacking a guy out with a scanner (who, luckily, turned out to be a wanted criminal), hitting the guy who killed his father with a the golf club, dreaming and fantasizing about violently killing that said murderer multiple times, and probably more that i can't remember.. maybe a ‘two sides of the same coin’ kind of situation??? idkk

there's literally a part where seungbae said so himself that he and sangwoo were similar, immediately following it by saying that it was a dangerous thought. i think having a stable figure in his life (chief officer) helped him a lot. if he didn't have him, i feel like he could've easily ended up like sangwoo. all around green flag tho :3

my complicated feelings abt it:

idkkkkkkkkkkkkk like this is a thriller and it depicts a clearly abusive relationship but the fact that it feels so fanservicey to me feels so wrong to me ???????? like shit. i only started reading it bc i thought 'oh wasn't this bl or something? i don't remember lol. but sangwoo was hot, i should go read it' and proceeded to get my ass blasted with this is absolutely insane.

ok i'm gonna be completely honest i've always hated fanservice, so it's a completely biased take from me. like idkk it ruins the vibe of a scene. can't a good show just be a good show without all the panty shots and the weird ass angles?????? like okay, yeah, i literally draw porn but that doesnt mean i want porn/sexual in everything all the time.

like i get it. the sexual aspect of this is a necessary and integral thing. it's clearly there to depict that there's an imbalance of power. how sangwoo being on top feels more in control whereas when he's in a position of submission he gets angry or scared (a trauma response) and it's another aspect of abuse that a lot of characters experienced and it's all shown. but i think my issue is, when its with woo and bum there's like certain part to it where i'm just kinda like,,,,, you know that feeling when you feel like a sex scene in a movie is kind of going on for way too long? and ur just sitting there mildly uncomfortable by it and aughggyvh idkkk its weird,,,,,,, like should i keep watching or is this integral to the story???? am i going to miss any details or something anyone would say ?? and idk???????? like when bum or woo was sa'ed by adults they didn't depict it in such a,,,,,,, romantic?? light???? i'm not sure what to say but i feel like there's a difference in ambience and pacing and shit in a bunch of the scenes esp in season 3 but i guess it's bc they're in a 'relationship' ?????? idkk

in a way i can understand why they would present it like that ??? i'm probably reaching, but maybe it's to directly put the viewer in yoonbum's shoes and kind of see how sangwoo manipulates bum? like we as the viewer become victims ourselves of sangwoo's charms ????? maybe that's why it was psrticularly uncomfortable for me ??????????? dude idk,,,,

but like,, i've played btd/tpof before but i don't seem to have any problems with it, and that's literally torture porn or whatever but for some reason i draw the line at this apparently ????????

and i’ve thought about this really hard bc it was driving me nuts as to what the difference was. but maybe its bc it's kind of romanticizing it ??????????????? tbh i'm still not entirely sure. eh whatever i don't want to make it a big problem.

oh but fray, you draw noncon, dubcon, and gore ! arent you fetishizing it as well ? how is that any different ?

(this part is kind of tmi too) i think there's a fundamental difference between what i'm doing and having a cnc kink and depicting actual sa in a story.

no one is saying sa is not bad. for some people it's how they deal with the trauma they endured and for others its simply just a fantasy. cnc, in a real life setting, both parties are consenting and recognize that it's all just roleplay, if anything is out of the line you can opt out of it with a safeword and it's CRUCIAL that this safe word is respected. in a game like for example, dol, you can manipulate it into however you like. there's also cheats where you can just remove encounters altogether irrc. you're the one in control of the narrative.

i've had rape fantasies before (i play dol, don't be so surprised) but that doesn't mean i want to be fucking assaulted when i go out at night. and idk maybe like in ks it depicts all the gruesome and tragic parts of being abused, whether it be emotionally, sexually, physically, etc. and that's why it feels wrong framing it in that manner ????

idk my views about it aren't completely black and white. dude idfk i'm not an expert in anything. at the end of the day i'm just some random person who read killing stalking and just has some thoughts about it. anyw that's all 👍

[cienie-isengardu]

Mortal Kombat 1 goes out of its way to make Bi-Han as unlikable as possible. We are not meant to think that he had a point at all, and that he is 100% in the wrong, and that's not even going into his betrayal and murder by inaction. Not only that, he is also making a complete 180 from his previous timeline counterparts. Before, he was a traditionalist and technophobe. Now, he is going against tradition, and is embracing technology. Why do you think NRS made these decisions?

In all honest, I don’t have any reasonable idea why NRS would even want to mess up Bi-Han so badly in the first place, especially since

A) the Sub-Zero brotherhood is part of the lore since second game came out (1993) and literally three decades have passed since that day 

B) Mileena, Tanya, Reiko, Baraka, Syzoth, Rain and arguably Sindel get much better treatment despite their previously well established ties to the villainous side of the story while alive Bi-Han was, game-wise, barely explored by narrative

and above everything else, C) Bi-Han’s death is one of the most impactful deaths in MK lore, as it greatly influenced the history and character development of both Kuai Liang and Hanzo Hasashi while also introduced another emotional conflict between younger Sub-Zero and Noob Saibot - and for this to work, Bi-Han and Kuai Liang’s brotherhood needed to be something special in the first place. 

Assassin Bi-Han not necessarily needed to be a good man to be a good brother but there is enough tie-in material to get the point he was not inherently evil (if anything, the pathological upbringing he was forced in is to be blamed). I’m glad MK1!Sub-Zero wasn’t killed yet I still wonder how the hell NRS decided to not take advantage of brotherhood that is one of major foundations of the fan-favorite Kuai Liang’s character and instead twisted not only Bi-Han but also Kuai Liang & Hanzo Hasashi into the new take that is frankly, frustrating at best for a long-time fans of Sub-Zero brothers and Lin Kuei. All NRS needed to do was to give us literally a few minutes of  the Lin Kuei brothers’ close bond, then devastate us with Bi-Han’s death, then devastate Kuai Liang & Smoke’s life by bringing evil Noob Saibot and that would be a solid ground for upcoming games for years, instead of shattered brotherhood that so far lead to nowhere, as Bi-Han was sidelines right away after the supposed “plot twist” and all interesting points about Lin Kuei’s servitude comes mainly from intro dialogues because story mode seems afraid to acknowledge Sub-Zero’s frustration on the main. 

I suspect the studio's choice may be about balancing the events and family drama, as bitter brotherhood vs sweet sisterhood, but really, it feels so unfair and frustrating it was done at such Sub-Zero’s expense, especially as MK1!Bi-Han seems to me like a weird mix of Frost & Noob more than his original character even was. What is ironic, considering the fact that original Bi-Han was a Lin Kuei that wanted (and would do so, if he killed Shang Tsung) to retire from assassin life and the oldest Mortal Kombat comics presented him as pretty honorable man that even saved the Earthrealm at the cost of his own life. 

But sure, let’s fuck up the Lin Kuei, it is not like previous games let them have anything nice for too long anyway.

[artracoon]

PJO SERIES HOT TAKES/UNPOPULAR

OPINIONS. Sorry if I offend anyone, it's just an opinion. NO HATE I LOVE RICK AND THE ACTORS 💙(I just don't like Disney directing tbh)

The Athena kid in me is screaming at the top of their lungs because they think they could make a better script than Disney. BRO FINISH 2

Chapters in like 5 minutes- AND THE FIGHT SCENE BETWEEN MS DODDS AND PERCY

WAS RUUUUSHED Slow down Disney that was a good bit. They also made it happen outside instead of having her lead him inside. How hard did the mist have to work with all those people there???

Is it just me or is Sally kinda mean, where's our mom figure? Im crying over Luke's acting it was so good but also why are you dropping bombshells on us the second episode??

No offense to the actors but some of the lines felt like they were from Disney channel in the 2000s. It feels almost like a completely different story I understand why but I thought it was going to be more accurate

Love Annabeth’s "you drool when you sleep" but why was the scene setting so weird??

1 I drastically miss the Hellhound scene. It was one of my favorite scenes. They should have made the first two episodes *| accidentally vaporized my math teacher" and "My mom teaches me bullfighting" then they wouldn't have had to rush it so much. So much information was thrown at us in the first episode I couldn't process it. Also the convo between Percy and Sally in the Cabin was really unrealistic... Why did she have to drop that on Percy so fast I thought Mr. D and Chiron were supposed to have that conversation with Percy.

The bathroom scene was fine but I really wish Annabeth could have been there, instead of making her look like a huge stalker. We could have had her show him around camp like I get we want to build that relationship with Luke so it hits harder but Idk I personally wouldn't want her on my team if all she did was go "Im stalking you to see if your worthy" ditch me and watch me fight 3 v1 and then push me in the ocean. The Ares kids bashing... but Clarisse's acting was great. That scream of anger was amazing.

I feel like they took the first book and went

"eh don't need this, or this hmmm nah that doesn't seem important" and then shook it all about. They changed so much to save time but they didn't even make it a movie so there wasn't much point??

The intro was fine. I didn't really like the dialogue between Percy and Sally at the beginning. The museum was okay but we didn't get a lesson about Kronos so no foreshadowing for that at all. No one really seems to remember this but Percy didn't keep the pen and it doesn't make sense for him to as-well with getting kicked out of school. In the Book Percy was given the pen while fighting Miss Dodds. Afterwards he was still unknowingly clutching the pen when he went to talk to Mr.Brunner who took his pen back saying he should bring his own pen next time, making Percy more confused because Mr.Brunner had given him the pen.

Later when he's leaving for the quest Chiron gives him the pen saying it was from his dad. That means Percy wouldn't have had the pen during his time at camp and his fight with the minotaur. So it wouldn't make sense for him to defeat the minotaur with its horn rather than his pen if he had the pen. In the book he HAD to defeat the minotaur with his own horn because he had no other weapon.

He had a hard time on the beach and during sword training because no other sword felt right. I could rant forever on everything they overlooked.

Sorry no one asked for this rant i'm just so upset because Rick said it was going to be accurate and he chose these Actors because they would be able to play the parts more accurately but the script doesn't work so I there's no point in having actors who would do a good job if the script doesn't do a good job