#*whispers* for the narratives

[the-insufferable-know-it-all]

canonically, if you tell a character in the movie they’re in a movie, they have an aneurysm and get hit by lightning

kermit in the hooded cloak: tell your enemies they’re in the movie

[theangrycomet]

I wish SEGA wasn't a coward and would let IDW use Infinite in their stories because I KNOW these two would have so much beef and could have such interesting interactions, being two sides of the same coin.

[sage-nebula]

I've seen some people surprised that Kit feels murderous toward Tails in the newest issue, but honestly? I really think this tracks. Setting aside his original programming to kill Tails, let's look at their relationship in chronological order, shall we?

As we know, they met in Eggperial City, where Kit tried to do his job and kill Tails. Tails quickly set to work on talking Kit down, which he did mostly successfully (mostly, because it all went to pot the instant Tails suggested they find Sonic). The thing is, if he has taken the time to look back on it (and I'm sure he has for reasons I'll get to), I don't think Kit sees Tails as really being kind in retrospect. I think he sees Tails as having manipulated him.

And the thing is: he's right.

Look at Tails's smirk after Kit shows surprise that Tails likes his gear. That's a got him smirk if I've ever seen one. Tails has clued into a vulnerability of Kit's that he can use to his advantage.

He further tries to draw similarities between them ("I'm different too and people didn't like that either") and asks leading questions ("you don't get support huh?") to get the result he wants. We have further confirmation that this is deliberate manipulation on Tails's part by his internal monologue about Kit's emotional instability.

Now, none of this is to say Tails is a bad person. Kit was genuinely trying to murder him and Tails was trying to de-escalate the situation to save his own life, without physically harming Kit if possible. As funny as memes about Tails murdering the Kukku Army are, generally he tries to avoid hurting others if he can. He's a nice boy.

But what happened after this?

Well, more specifically: Tails mentioned wanting to find Sonic for help, Kit attacked again, Tails knocked Kit out, and then after Kit comes to and they all leave the city . . .

. . . he's told that Surge died.

Surge was his one reason for living thanks to Starline's programming, and she died while Kit was unconscious because Kit fell for Tails's manipulation and then was overpowered. We don't get a look inside his head during the time when he believes Surge has died, but there is a strong possibility that he blamed himself, because if he had drowned Tails right away like he was supposed to, he could have gone to help Surge. But he didn't, so he couldn't, so she's dead. That's mostly on him, but he could easily resent Tails for it, too.

And speaking of resentment:

Kit finds out Surge is alive, and of course his first instinct is to think Sonic lied so that he could kill Surge off for good. So he goes to get revenge, only to be blocked by Tails. And that's when we get that gem of a line: "Why would you bother with me? You already have him."

Remember that, when he thought Surge was dead, he figured he could be used by Sonic instead:

But while he of course doesn't want to serve Sonic now, he has also realized that if Surge HAD actually died, Sonic would still have no use for him, because Sonic already has Tails. Tails, who can break his water tails easily. Tails, who easily manipulated him in Eggperial City. Tails, who disabled his water pack and knocked him out.

So far, Tails has bested Kit at every turn, leaving Kit to feel inferior and worthless by comparison.

The next time they meet, it is a trap where Kit is again supposed to kill Tails. And once more Tails is able to manipulate Kit into temporarily backing down:

Tails thinks Kit has gone back to being, if not friendly, then reasonable. But he hasn't. Kit stops specifically when Tails says Surge is hurting herself, because he doesn't want Surge to be hurt. And I think Tails knows that, and that's why he said it. But Kit also knows that he is being manipulated here, and his silence is him watching for his opportunity. Such as here:

Peep Kit in the second panel. He watches as Tails dives after Sonic. Had Tails hit the water, he would have been fried right along Sonic. But did Kit care? No. He watched. Surge could have easily killed Tails just as she (temporarily) killed Sonic, and Kit would not have cared at all, because at this point he does not see Tails as a friend: he sees him as a manipulative enemy.

This is further cemented by what he says and does at the end of the issue.

He uses his water tails to grab Tails and move him out of the way in the very same way that he does to Sonic. And he says, "I'll bury you all here." All, including Tails. While the focus is put on Sonic's anger because he is the main character, that doesn't change the fact that he is including Tails when he says that he will bury them all. He sees Tails as no different from Sonic, Starline, or Eggman. Tails manipulated and used him, just as the rest did. He just pretended to be nice while he did it.

So when he finally comes back in this most recent issue, it comes as no surprise to me that this is his attitude:

His history with Tails is extremely personal, and not in a good way. It can be easy to miss because most of the focus on Kit has been on his codependent relationship with Surge, and he hasn't openly voiced how he feels about Tails until this particular issue. But when you piece together every step of their relationship (Tails manipulating him, Tails overpowering him, Kit saying Sonic has no use for him because he has Tails), it paints a very clear picture that Kit feels every bit as suffering in Tails's shadow as Surge does in Sonic's. The only reasons why Kit isn't more proactive about it is because of his programming as a support figure. Supporting Surge comes before all else, so if Surge is hurting herself it's best to hang back. And if Surge doesn't want to go after the Restoration because it's a losing battle with just the two of them, then he needs to follow her lead.

But those feelings of resentment are still boiling under his surface. And now that he has the opportunity to unleash them, he won't miss the chance to strike.

[junebuggeryy]

Normal Human Teenager Who Has Eaten 0 Computer Chips 💙

[plounce]

tbh i dont need every important detail about a character to mentioned in the main story. im okay with certain details being "optional"/"missable" side content. does it break the flow of the story? does it fit in with the themes? is the creator willing to devote as big a pathway as certain stuff would need in a main narrative to be explored as seen fit? or - does the relatively greater obscurity of the character detail within the story allow the "missable" nature of the trait to connect the reality with the fiction? in a game, would you have to put a lot of work in to find out this trait because the character would never say it outright? is the character relatively minor? or - is this a great reward for people who seek out more things to learn about the story/characters/world? are you rewarding interested readers for caring and for reading? not everything has to be immediately accessible in the main text. some things are fun as optional content, and being so allows that and the main story to breathe easier.

[samglyph]

I was having such a fun time with Under the Whispering Door like haha idk why anybody said this was intense or super sad I’m having a great time.

Well.

[anotherferalrat]

Just finished s2 of Link Click gamers...

What the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fu-

ck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck

[wormmpile]

Sometimes I see someone say something about a piece of media as if it is revelatory mind blowing hot off the press news, and not the most basic obvious point of the work or the most basic obvious allusion, and it makes me roll my eyes a little because I'm like yeah yeah the time knife we've all seen it, and then I have to like physically step in and shake myself and be like actually Susan we have Not all seen the time knife, and anyway someone else is enjoying the wonders of media analysis as a hobby for maybe like. The first time in their life if they're young enough. Don't be a bozo just because you think you're smart. Nerd. Fuckass. If you were a high school english teacher you'd be pissing yourself in joy rn because someone connected the dots. That's so cool that they did that. And I go about my day because I'm normal

[see-arcane]

How scary is chapter 2?

Pretty tame. Just brimming with Easter eggs, foreshadowing, and signs that things were getting eerie even before the May 3rd entry.

Also, Jonathan gets a ghost story to write down for Mina! 💕

…too bad he’s keeping it with his memoranda

[antiqua-lugar]

there has been a bunch of posts recently about the inquisitor being erased by the narrative and a bunch of posts about how this means that the inquisitor can never come back from "being the inquisitor" and I agree

BUT

like it's not going to happen because in the end this is bioware's sandbox and if they decide that the inquisitor is gonna be in veilguard then the inquisitor is going to show up in veilguard even if you think your inquisitor would let the world burn and good riddance

BUT

one could make the argument that because the inquisitor is a symbol, because the inquisitor is so much larger than life, because the inquisitor as an individual doesn't fucking matter, they can leave, because no one knows who they actually are. like it's not without risks but if lavellan paces out and goes back to their clan (or any clan) is anyone going to find them? do people even know what lavellan looks like? did anyone in this chantry-led, shamlen-run institution even bother to pay attention to their vasillin? when cadash or adaar was the herald of andraste in haven all bull had to do was throw some shitty clothes on them as camouflage. when you get to the winter palace, people are surprised about who the inquisitor actually is.

once you disband the inquisition and peace out, how many people can actually pick out cadash out of a line-up when so much about the inquistion has been about erasing everything about them except some vague "idk some dwarf. i think he's a ginger"? like when josephine interviews you she's not doing it to get the story straight, she's doing it to know what to hide, what to emphasize, how to rebuild your whole identity to someone who is not you anymore.

[sylvies-kablooie]

"do you have any good memories?"

"just one, really."

i think about this scene so frequently. that the dialogue is between sylvie and renslayer, who had been chasing sylvie like a dog since she was a little girl, and finally has her cornered. that sylvie was alive for thousands of years and her only good memory- the time she passed with loki on lamentis- happened like a few days ago when she says this line. how that must have felt to have something soft to look back upon after centuries of pain. and for that softness to come DESPITE it occurring at another of her endless apocalypses. there was hope in that moment. the way loki looked at her and said she was amazing and meant it, so earnestly, the god of mischief telling the truth, how that must have felt to know she took up space in someone's heart. and then for that confession of having that one good memory to be followed with sylvie pruning herself to reach loki, on the off chance he might have been there waiting for her on the opposite end of oblivion. renslayer thinking she finally had tracked down this variant who had caused her so much trouble, only for her to escape once again by making a calculated sacrifice of herself. renslayer tried for an unimaginable length of time to prune sylvie, but the only one who could ultimately do that in the end was sylvie herself... yeah.

[pandoratheprocrasticreator]

belos is falling apart. he spent his entire too-long life trying to rid the world of what he thinks is evil. he trapped himself in the world of the witches for this. he killed his brother for this, then brought him back and killed him over, and over, and over again. he spent 400 years working towards the day of unity, using the very magic he despised to turn himself into a monster he would have killed as a young man.

but then the day of unity doesn’t work. he gets back to the human realm, but everything is so bright and loud and the new people worship heathen gods. they tell stories of his time, but they do so mockingly, as if phillip and his people were some sort of backwards brutes. for everything phillip did in his youth to protect future generations from corruption, the future generations talk about his legacy as if it’s a joke.

but belos can barely do anything about it. he exists as a shapeless shadow, spending months just to build up his strength to possess his last grimwalker. this world is already corrupted the way he feared in the past. and maybe he won’t live to see it be fixed, but he still needs to return to the demon realm, so that at least that evil world (and how could it not be, having taken his brother from him?) could still be destroyed.

as he makes his way to his lab, he is losing parts of himself. the goo he used to only feign a lack of control in to scare hunter, now drips from him with every step. all the other grimwalkers he’s prepared have now died. and there isn’t any time or resources left for him to make another one. and when he possesses the animals, or hunter, or the dead grimwalkers, he corrodes away at them to give himself another boost of life but none of it is enough. even when he possesses raine’s puppet, who, due to the collector’s magic, should be sturdier than a corpse, he is still falling apart, bits of him falling from the puppet.

in the final confrontation, the collector may not even need to do anything to him. it would be redundant for them to explode him like in the season 2 finale, anyway. i don’t think anyone needs to land the final blow on belos to kill him. he has been slowly losing himself the whole series. he gave up his morals, his physical body, his identity, and finally, he lost any reason he had to get any of those back.

i wouldn’t be surprised if, after they get him to stop possessing raine, belos just gives up and melts into a slurry and never rises back up again. and instead of the angry, fearful fighting luz does in her other confrontations with belos in the season 1 and 2 finales, in the season 3 finale, she just watches belos’s 400 year long temper tantrum end with disgust and pity.

[wordsinhaled]

i apparently have precisely the right portfolio of Adolescent Queer Experiences that DBDA is fucking me up

[i-love-harryosborn-dotcom]

Wolfsborn AU?? Wolfsborn AU.

Becoming a wolf man is complicated, being in love with a guy who flakes out on you a lot (and is secretly a wolf man) is complicated. But i like to think they make it work really well

And i like to think that whenever Harry finds out- it’s whimsical n fun n romantic n cute

[notasouleater]

Themmmm

[kaerinio]

sitting here thinking about the released chapters of t.wow . . . and how, from all the things in westeros coming out about dany, it's this ferocity that seems to persist! ari thinks about how brutal she must be if she allowed her brother and only kin to be killed and how perhaps that was her plan all along, especially if she thought he was going to leave her behind with the dothraki when his time to conquer came. she also mentioned that the first daenerys brought peace to dorne and it seems like the present daenerys wishes to stir war. why am i bringing this up?? not only is it setting up the dany - young griff/alleged aegon faceoff. but it's pointing toward rhaenyra! parallels! every single thing rhaenyra did, whether it was during her time or in historical accounts, has been villainized. the historical accounts, in particular, have been crafted to portray her in a negative light. and it seems like the things coming out about dany have also been crafted to sow distrust and suggest that she's a disruptive and brutal figure, who doesn't seem too far from kinslaying.