#and fic has to make some semblance of narrative sense Within Itself

[spottedenchants]

**CR C3 Spoilers** So I was just reading “Just a Little Bit Longer, Love” in your TS series and in Chapter 3, when Essek’s teasing Caleb with all the names of his many aliases/disguises, you included: “Maybe Journey, or Seth?” Did you… did you somehow PREDICT his Cobalt Soul disguise???! 👀

okay short answer: no, not really xD

Seth (the name) is 100% from C3 ep94, and TS!Essek has had a Cobalt Soul persona in the bg of the the series for (irl) years. 'Prediction' feels like it requires some narrative foresight- I just wanted to make Essek do some community service xD

long answer with its own tl;dr:

One thing I like about fanfic is that it's a very fluid medium. One thing I like about writing TS as a non-chronological series is that fluidity is inherent to the 'overarching' story I am telling- it's like revisiting and revising memories. I'd like to think of TS as being canon-adjacent or canon-compatible, and I do on occasion edit minor details when something comes up in CR canon that I would like to include in the series. For example, the Nein Heroez is destroyed in Mighty Nein Reunited, so I went back through the series and renamed the ship to the Nein Heroez II because I thought the original getting destroyed was interesting while also still being very fond of its name.

'Seth' is not a name I came up with as an alias for Essek- that 100% came from C3 ep94. In fact, the original name I had there in Just a Little Bit Longer, Love was 'Tristan', an alias I have never used in TS save for that singular instance and thus far have not even drafted/planned anything for beyond a rough concept you can find on this post here.

THAT SAID (<- getting excited)

For the longest time, I have had TS!Essek doing Cobalt Soul work alongside Beauregard and Caleb in the background of the series (in the bg because idk how to write the work he is doing in an interesting way yet) and I am absolutely thrilled that Essek might be pursuing a similar path by 843 PD in CR canon AND that other people seem enthused about the idea too!

'Seth' as a concept (divorced from Cobalt Soul things) has helped me work through some open-ended tangles I've been picking at in my WIP pile for ages, such as Arc 2 TS!Essek being displeased when maintaining his persona of Phillip Sommer for prolonged periods of time. Phillip Sommer was drafted to be TS!Essek's main face in the Empire and thus his Cobalt Soul persona. However, all of TS!Essek's personas are gifted by his friends, kindly, yes, but gifted just the same, and that means none of them are Him- they don't look like him, their names don't sound like his, they are Different People. So 'Seth' slots in very nicely and I am Very excited to carve into TS!Essek's sense of self as it relates to 'Seth'.

TL;DR: While I do edit minor details like Tristan -> Seth, I am and have been a staunch supporter of Essek working with the Cobalt Soul for A While and I am so very excited to see others warm up to the concept so readily :D

[butwhatifidothis]

So. Took a look into that fic @nilsh13 is going through the comments of. Dunno if I’ll actually go through the entire thing - 300k words is certainly a lot of words to read through, especially with it still updating, but I’ve read through/am reading through longer ones - but I jumped to the latest chapter to get a feel for where the fic’s at now.

I’m not halfway through the chapter and I have Words To Say lmao, under the cut

This is going to be as serious a critique about the sections I’ve selected as possible - I want to be clear why I think what is being written is not of high quality, pointing out specifically what I have wrong with it. 

Here are some snippets of the fic (boldened), and following those snippets are my thoughts on them:

“My actions have caused immense turmoil, pitting friend against friend, mother against daughter, and brother against sister*,” muttered Edelgard, desperately trying to drive any hint of self-pity (emphasis mine) from her voice. “My best friend has been disowned by her family, Hubert and Ferdinand’s fathers are dead or imprisoned, and the woman I love is now deemed a heretic by the Church that once offered her shelter. The weight of my decisions seems to pull down all who are caught in the shadow of the Imperial crown.” The Flame Emperor gave Professor Hanneman a wan smile. “Whatever imagined slights you believe you have committed against me, they pale in comparison to the carnage my own words and deeds have unleashed.” 

""I made my choice, the only choice I could make, and dragged this continent down to hell with me. It makes me a poor ruler, and an even baser person, but that was the path I knew I must take."" 

“"It is funny you use the word ‘choice’, Miss Edelgard. When I resigned my title to study at Garreg Mach, I lost marriage prospects, became penniless outside of a small stipend…I even renounced the opportunity to have a family.” Hanneman smiled, his whole body suffused with melancholy. “Really, how could I dare to dream of bringing a daughter into a world this senseless and cruel, knowing that someday, she too, could be hurt in such a way? I…I would not survive it.” The man’s body shook. “I sacrificed those things, things I desperately wanted, because the chance to allow my sister to rest in peace was more important. And I would make that choice again, despite all that it has cost me. You are much the same.”"

"“But your sacrifices were your own,” protested the Emperor of Adrestia. “Thousands bleed for the choices that I have made, and sacrifice themselves for the cause that I have placed before them. There is a profound difference-“"

"“We are both wise enough to know a painful truth,” said the scholar with a melancholy smile. “No matter how grave the sins, no matter how many innocents suffer…there will be countless individuals who will defend the law not because it is just, or righteous, but because it is the law. They will permit a hundred Abysses, and a thousand women to be raped, and a million dead children, as long as such actions do not disturb their order.” He placed a hand on Edelgard’s shoulder. “To stand against such moral rot, knowing that the world will despise and vilify you for it, is the truest sign of not only a just ruler, but a good woman.”"

"The academic’s words blazed with the passion of both a scholar and a man who had watched his world crumble to ash. A man who had been forced to live in the remnants of a life forever altered by the cruelty of both society and of humanity. And yet he had fought, the only way he could, to make the world better. It gave the Flame Emperor new resolve."

"“I…” He turned and looked away. “I believe in you, Miss Edelgard. When I see you, and your determination, your spirit, your bravery in choosing not what is easy, but what is right…it reminds me of her.” Fingers clenched around his locket. “I will fight for you, in the way I should have fought for my sister, long ago. My strength is meagre, and my courage more meagre still. However, all of it is yours.”" 

The author writes Edelgard as one trying to give pity onto herself for her actions, despite how negatively they affect her, due to the immense ramifications those actions have had on those both around her and those under her care. This is the appropriate response to someone who has done as morally dubious an action as starting and spearheading a war that has led to the deaths and suffering of countless innocent people, some of whom were undoubtedly already going through immense suffering without war compounding itself onto their already existing pain. She - rightfully - points as, as a negative towards herself, that she has forced thousands of people to sacrifice their lives, livelihoods, friends, family, homes, etc. in order to continue with her war. Edelgard's canonical self-justification - that she had no other choice to do this - is properly utilized, and further characterization is given to her when she herself recognizes that performing such horrendous actions on the people under her care makes her a poor ruler and terrible person. This is, in truth, a decent set-up for her to go onto a possible path of redemption or self-realization.

However, that progress is forcibly stopped and reverted by Hanneman justifying her actions and recontextualizing them in a morally good light. In fact, the entire story does this, as characters act wildly out of character in order for Edelgard to be seen as good in comparison to them. Focusing on the quoted lines, however, Hanneman relating him giving up nobility and going into momentary poverty - whether true to canon or not - to Edelgard's war actively paints her actions as something that she had a right to be making, which she does not, as they force others to make sacrifices for her cause. When she herself rightfully points this discrepancy out, Hanneman excuses her actions by pointing to another - supposed - source of turmoil and essentially saying "You are more right than x, therefore your y actions are not only better, but objectively good, and make you a good person." He says nothing of the inherent injustice of taking away the choice of the people to live as they want and fight for who they want as well as deliberately taking away any semblance of safety from them, and makes objective statements about Edelgard's moral righteousness despite her taking actions that would, by definition, make her moral righteousness a subjective matter at minimum.

Hanneman is projecting the image of his sister and his own personal sense of justice onto Edelgard, and thus sees her as just as much a victim of the war and society as everyone else. Edelgard is a young woman who has gone through trauma due to Crests, as was his sister, and he himself (in this story, though not within the quoted lines) wanted to beat the man who abused his sister to death, and so he sees Edelgard using violence as a means to achieve justice as not only not questionable, but morally good and brave, as he felt he was not brave enough to enact "justice" onto the man that caused his sister's death. Instead of this being settled, focused on, or even mentioned, despite its obvious nature due to deliberate connections Hanneman himself makes, it is used as a means to showcase that Hanneman is a, for lack of a better term, "expert" on what he is saying when speaking to Edelgard. He knows what it's like to want to force change, he has by-proxy experienced the apparent injustice of the Church - not human society, not his family's decision to allow his sister to be married off, not the man who caused her death's decision to discard her, but strictly the Church and only the Church - and so he can "rightfully" justify and excuse Edelgard's morally questionable actions and paint them in a solely positive light, with no nuance or gray whatsoever.

Edelgard, in the first quote, attempts to say her actions without a tone of self-pity, and yet the narrative itself pities Edelgard. She should be allowed to feel bad about her actions - not because they are causing unfathomable suffering on people who were underserving, but because they’re just hard decisions that she was good and brave to make and maybe she can feel a little bad for herself for making them. She shouldn't feel responsible for choosing to start the war - in fact, did she really have a choice, or did everyone else in society force her to? She shouldn't question whether she's a good person or not, because she simply is - no debate, no question. She is - “justly” - standing up against "moral rot"; that she does so with even more moral rot is irrelevant, because, according to the story, it is not as rotten as that she's up against, therefore it is no longer rotten in the first place. War has been completely justified, as it is now not the last resort of desperation that could only ever be morally grey at its absolute best, but an objectively morally white decision of an objectively morally white person who is facing an objectively morally black opponent.

The actions of other characters attempt to paint Edelgard as someone closer to the former, but I will - maybe - eventually go over how those characters are extremely mischaracterized in order to prop Edelgard as their moral superior. 

[madefate-a]

the big headspace meta. | shiro & trauma psychopathology. 

> the big character meta. 

> quick & dirty key points guide. 

okay ! after the better part of a year, it’s here: the Big Meta on what, exactly*, is going on in shiro’s head. asterisk on exactly for a few reasons, the largest being that psychology is not so black and white as to have a simple plug and play causality chain. there are certainly touchstones in terms of diagnoses, and it can be incredibly helpful to have these guideposts in terms of understanding why and how changes in the body and mind occur, but the way those diagnoses present are different in every single person, and no one label ( or multiple labels ) is a definitive way to understand or categorize someone. with comorbidity at play, there are multiple axes at work in the human response to any trauma. and, well, it’s a show about space magic. so we need a little wiggle room.

and, of course, I am in no way a professional. this meta is merely meant to more fully flesh out some of the whys and whats of shiro’s mental state, behavior, and reactions to things. some of these I do try to weave into my portrayal, for the sake of healing and realism, while many others might be true but not a facet of what we see under most circumstances. I will attempt to source my information wherever I can, but please know that psychology is not my area of academia and don’t have access to scholarly / peer reviewed sources, nor necessarily the ability to understand denser medical material. I will be avoiding the DSM, though, because fuck the DSM. 

time for some trigger warnings. below the cut, there’s going to be discussion of the arena, which includes captivity / enslavement, death, injury, medical experimentation, memory loss, loss of agency / consent, and everything that goes along with that setting and time period. I don’t intend to be gratuitous, extremely vivid, nor darker or more brutal than what we can reasonably extrapolate from the s1 / s2 show, with a few things cherry picked from seasons 3 & 6. ( where we cultivated a better understanding of haggar’s abilities and motivations. sort of. ) there will also be discussion of trauma psychology, including PTSD and CPTSD, sensory deprivation / isolation ( as in: the void ), body dysphoria, disordered self images, and mourning. what there will not be is condoning of using mental illness as a way of othering or dehumanizing people, or otherwise proving some kind of inability / incapability. 

ultimately, my goal is to simply better understand shiro -- not to create and in and out box of if this, then that, but simply to understand how circumstance and trauma inform behavior, and then how to use this knowledge for a character arc full of Healing and the reclamation of agency. 

so, here we go !! 

PTSD & CPTSD: a brief overview

the easiest place to start is the most salient: PTSD. it is not necessarily textual to the show canon* ( *which, of course, I always take very lightly ) as in, it is not said out loud. however, it is clearly portrayed in the visual narrative with some of the more recognizable symptoms: flashbacks, freezing ( ep o2 ) and frightening thoughts ( ep o9 ). tellingly, without the ability to avoid reminders of traumatic sites, these symptoms are often triggered under those conditions ( galra battleships, fights that mimic arena experiences ). 

newer then PTSD in the field of trauma psychology ( originating in 1992 ) is the idea of Complex PTSD, or CPTSD. CPTSD is a way to explore the changes that occur in individuals in situations of captivity, prolonged trauma ( as opposed to single-event ), or otherwise loss of agency. at the current time, CPTSD is diagnosed with a cluster of symptoms, and is often associated with abuse in childhood. still, there are some symptoms within these clusters that affect shiro, both on their own and as they overlap with PTSD. 

which we’ll get into, right after we figure out where this all starts ! so -- 

the traumas. 

it starts with the galra. 

sort of. but we’ll touch briefly on that later. for all intents and purposes, shiro’s trauma is courtesy of the galra. thanks, sendak. I’ve done some work fleshing out the arena between HCs and writing, so you can check out some of that: 

the arena, pt 1.  

gotta lose that arm.  

the champion.  

nightmares after the resurrection.  

aftermath of that arm. 

the black lion. 

body basics. 

as a fighter, and a leader, you bring hope. 

the big character meta 

the shorter character meta 

but we do need to run down a few of the things that are relevant to symptom presentation. during shiro’s time there, he experienced both single and repeated instances of trauma, and while they both contributed to the overall environment of that year, it’s important to understand that while some things were chronic, others were not. 

single-instance experiences 

separation from the holts 

loss of his arm 

chronic / repeated experiences 

loss of freedom of movement 

untreated injuries 

restraints 

physical / life threatening danger 

need for self protection 

forced performance ( both in the arena and as an act of self preservation around guards ) 

semi repeated experiences 

helplessness to touch ( haggar, most saliently ) 

interrogation ( initial, as well as a few sessions of haggar’s memory extraction ) 

killing ( many fights, but not all, end in victory or death ) 

nonconsensual anesthetization ( with the galra, and at the garrison upon his return ) 

medical experimentation & examination ( most of it for information gathering purposes ) 

conditioning to believe that he would become a weapon / attempts to sway him to the galra without brainwashing ( see fic linked above ) 

this is where the overlap between PTSD and CPTSD comes largely into play -- it would be impossible, and unnecessary, to try to draw direct lines between experiences and the consequences of those experiences. rather, it’s far better to look at how all of these contributed to a certain environment or mentality: 

everpresent danger / no one to trust 

loss of choice and agency 

conditioning to use power in a specific, and deadly, way 

we know that shiro did not lose himself entirely. from the flashbacks to his escape, we know that o1. ) shiro fought for his freedom until the very end, and was never swayed to compliance by haggar or any druid / galra, and o2. ) that he exhibited qualities that made him a symbol of hope. this cannot be accomplished if he behaved in accordance to haggar’s designs and lost himself to rage or following orders. this is important! because resistance and a desire to retain a sense of self and purpose are through lines that follow him long past the arena, and are what allowed him to keep as much clarity and focus as possible. this quality, in fact, is what allows him to hold any semblance of trust in others after he escapes -- trust that he gives to allura, keith, and the black lion. which brings us to the other major event that we need to consider -- 

let’s talk about death. briefly. 

here’s a perfect example of where the lines of mental health blur and overlap: some of the reactions he has are a result of the combination between putting his faith in the black lion and team voltron, and dying in the process. this is going to be a brief section -- mostly because there’s a more Descriptive and Creative and Prettily Worded fic coming dealing with the specifics of Life in V*ltron’s Void. but we do need to touch on the mental and physical trauma of losing his body and existing in the void and -- yes, yes it can spiral into a much larger, longer topic. I’ll try my best to compress! 

part one: the reckoning. 

there’s really no getting around how scarring it is to know that your body has been destroyed. that single instance, though, is processed much, much later than it occurs. that’s because in the void, he couldn’t physically react to the knowledge -- with no heart or nervous system, shiro could not properly process nor react to the loss of his body. it was more learned and known than felt, which in and of itself makes the process more difficult than it might be otherwise. ( might be -- we’ll never know for sure. ) the loss of his body will come into larger play down the line when he is dealing with issues of his body, as well as understanding and mourning kuron. 

part two: the physical. 

shiro spends the better part of the year with no physical body, and no sensations. none of this registers in the void, because that is the nature of the void, but as strange as time feels there, he absolutely feels this when he is brought back. this will get touched on in the latter half of the meta, but it’s important to know that everything is delayed, distorted, and simply not felt in the void. 

part three: the mental. 

as the forbidden season tells us, every moment in the void was a struggle to stay conscious. this fluctuated, depending on shiro’s mental strength, as well as what was happening around himself. he spent every conscious moment trying to reach any of the paladins -- keith or kuron particularly, as they were the ones piloting black and, thus, had a better chance of hearing or sensing him. his best opportunities for someone to hear him came when v*ltron was formed and all the paladins occupied the same physical and mental space. losing the connection he almost formed with lance informs much of shiro’s actions after he is restored. it was proof that his emotional isolation might have been the reason that he was unable to connect with the others, and spurs him to be more open down the road, lest the consequences turn deadly again. 

the smaller instances: fighting with haggar, his family, illness 

another important thing to note that there are other contributing factors at play. his fight with haggar after rescuing allura provides a visual motif that he cannot unsee: himself, irrevocably stained in the darkness of her magic, looking ruthless and deadly. it is a large contributing factor to the shape his self image issues take. 

also, let’s talk about the few things that began to shape his mental landscape before the galra: the loss of his parents at age 18 and the diagnosis of his illness at 19*. I go more in depth into the illness in the big character meta, so check it out if you like, and both of these are my own, personal headcanons since we received no ages on either from the Powers That Be. ( truth be told, I wasn’t expecting him to deal with so much shit -- I placed these timeline events when he was older to try to mitigate the angst. incredible. ) both of these contributed to being confronted with helplessness or loss of control over his life, as well as a heightened sense of responsibility that found an opportunity to fester when he began to blame himself for the holts’ capture, in any attempt to restore agency*. ( *but we’ll get to that. ) 

the symptoms. 

getting back to PTSD and CPTSD. 

oh yes, that good, good full circle-ness. so we’ve arrived back at the start, but knowing that all of this is less than a line of dominoes than it is a spiderweb, with different strands sometimes tugging the same things. let’s lay out the symptoms that shiro is dealing, all to different degrees and at different frequencies: 

PTSD 

Intrusive Memories, which include: 

Recurrent, unwanted distressing memories of the traumatic event

Reliving the traumatic event as if it were happening again (flashbacks)

Upsetting dreams or nightmares about the traumatic event

Severe emotional distress or physical reactions to something that reminds you of the traumatic event

Avoidance, which includes: 

Trying to avoid thinking or talking about the traumatic event 

Negative Changes in Thinking and Mood, which includes: 

Negative thoughts about yourself 

Memory problems, including not remembering important aspects of the traumatic event 

Feeling detached from family and friends 

Changes in Physical and Emotional Reactions, which include: 

Always being on guard for danger

Trouble sleeping

Trouble concentrating

Irritability, angry outbursts or aggressive behavior

Overwhelming guilt or shame

Misc. / Specific 

Difficulty being physically vulnerable -- ie, without armor or unable to see where exits might be 

The trigger of being restrained / someone unexpectedly grabbing or holding his chin / face in place -- this is something haggar would do 

Symptom list courtesy of mayoclinic -- if you peruse, you’ll notice that he does not exhibit every symptom of PTSD. 

CPTSD 

CPTSD is less extensive than PTSD, and, in shiro’s case, secondary to PTSD, as many CPTSD symptoms are fostered in childhood, as the direct result of the violation of trust in guardians or authority figures. Shiro’s symptoms include clusters: 

alterations in attention or consciousness 

alterations in self-perception 

and specifics: 

Changes in emotional regulation, such as dysphoria, as well as changing expressions of anger ( inhibited, and explosive ) 

Episodes of depersonalization 

A sense of being different from all other human beings 

A sense of defilement or stigma ( irrevocably stained ) 

A belief that no one can understand ( “they don’t know what you know” ) 

A feeling of a non-human identity ( sometimes slips and thinks of himself as a robeast or weapon ) 

*** An inflated sense of responsibility. Shiro uses responsibility as a way to feel that he has some semblance of control over himself and the world around him. 

for this one, I did reference the wiki -- apologies, the more trustworthy sources are behind paywalls! 

Sensory Issues 

The sensory issues largely come from his time in the void. I break it down a little more thoroughly >> here << so if you want to, check that out. Essentially, he has phases after his restoration to a body, immediate issues and lasting ones. 

immediate issues ( the roadtrip home timeline ) 

a lack of energy, which manifests as inability to participate in longer conversations / conversations with more than one or two other people, frequent naps, and listlessness that comes with feeling heavy in a physical body 

attention issues, which manifest in difficulty holding long conversations 

overstimulation, which manifests in shiro being very physically sensitive to all senses: touch, sight / light, sound, smell, and taste. 

lack of appetite, which is mostly due to the fact that he has to get used to eating again. 

lasting issues 

intermittent tiredness -- he naps much less frequently the stronger he gets, but he never quite gets to where he used to be in that regard. 

openness -- shiro gets a lot more emotionally open with people; terrified by being stuck in a realm with no exit and how he failed to connect with any of the paladins, he is less likely to be closed off entirely the way he was previously 

a fear of being lost / not being heard -- both in waking hours and in sleep, shiro gains a persistent fear of no one knowing where he is, or otherwise not being heard or seen 

dysphoria -- shiro struggles greatly with being in kuron’s body 

his nightmares change after the void -- they become a combination of scattered memories from kuron, as well as nightmares of drowning or not being heard when he yells. he also wakes up from them differently; before the void, he used to wake silently. now he might physically roll out of bed, choke, or touch himself in some way ( press a hand to his chest, or splay his hand around his throat ) 

What Doesn’t Change 

everything, basically. 

yes !! I just wrote up an embarrassingly long meta on shiro’s trauma and how it affects him. but at the end of the day, shiro is still shiro. he loses none of his ambition, drive, humor, optimism, hopefulness, compassion, or sense of fun and adventure. he is not afraid of space, the front lines, or giving his all to keep the earth safe. no matter the severity of his symptoms on any given day, he is still a decisive leader, empathetic and supportive, and still holds seeing the world, and the universe, as his dream. 

none of what he has gone through or deals with now defines him. it merely explains some of his behaviors and gives him a tangible place to start on his journey to healing. 

[ordinaryschmuck]

What I Thought About “Together Again” from Adventure Time: Distant Lands

Salutations, random people on the internet who certainly won’t read this! I am an Ordinary Schmuck. I write stories and reviews and draw comics and cartoons.

When Cartoon Network/HBOmax announced Adventure Time: Distant Lands, there were only two of the four specials that got my attention. There was "Obsidian" for the undeniable factor of sweet, sweet Bubbline content and "Together Again," which marks the return of Finn and Jake. And honestly, it was hard to tell which one had me the most excited.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for seeing two gals being much more than pals, but there has always been something about Finn and Jake that I just adore. Their brotherly dynamic is as endearing as it was realistic, and I couldn't help but smile whenever I saw them goofing around in the original series. So, seeing one last adventure between the two of them is an idea that I'm all for. After watching it a second time...yeah, it was everything I could have ever hoped for and much, much more.

Unfortunately, to explain why means that I'll have to go into spoilers. So, this is your last chance to watch "Together Again" if you haven't already. It is a heartbreaking yet funny special that requires an in-depth look to suitably explain why "Together Again" is the perfect send-off for Adventure Time: Distant Lands, as well as a much better end to Adventure Time as a whole...Yeah, I know it's not actually the end. But it's so clearly meant to be the end, and I will treat it as such because of it.

So shut your pieholes.

WHAT I LIKE

Return of the original intro: This makes sense for a story and for an ending (shut your pieholes).

Narratively speaking, it adds to making it clear that it's Finn and Jake's adventure. They're the only two characters mentioned in the theme song, and they're also the ones who prominently take the spotlight in the special. It makes sense to play this theme song one last time.

This also makes sense for why it works for a finale (shut your pieholes). If this really was meant to be the end of Adventure Time as a whole, why wouldn't they play the theme song one last time? Dozens of fans everywhere have memorized every frame of that intro, and I feel like they would feel cheated if they don't watch it play out for the final episode (shut your pieholes). And, c'mon. You had to admit that your poor, little nostalgic heart didn't feel something when seeing it again. It's a sweet moment that adds to the episode while still appealing to fans in the most subtle ways.

Finn and “Jake’s” little adventure: This was a ton of fun to watch. As I said, it's endearing to see Finn and Jake act as the bestest of bros, and it just felt nice seeing a classic F and J adventure again, even if the real Jake isn't present. Although, on the one hand, a part of me wishes it wasn't too obvious that it was just Finn going through an illusion and played more into the idea that it's a flashback with only subtle hints that it isn't. Because the second they showed Gumbald as a snow golem, it is clear from the getgo that this wasn't one of their past adventures. But, on the other hand, we still get some solid foreshadowing with the fifty-flavor ice cream, on top of really stellar performances from John DiMaggio and Jeremy Shada as Finn is forced to see Jake die a second time. Seriously, that hit HARD as it not only sets the tone of the special but also perfectly explains Finn's motivation. Speaking of Finn...

Finn: The first thing I want to get out of the way is that Finn is, like, eighty or something years old in this special. It's easy to forget, given how he looks like his young (or rather, identifiable) self throughout most of the whole thing, but it's true. The Finn we see is one from the far off future of the series. And I'm gonna level with you, it is all kinds of pleasant to know that he hasn't changed a bit with old age.

The second he believes to be trapped in a dungeon, he wastes no time trying to get out while also saving those he thinks are trapped with him. When he realizes he's actually dead, Finn almost instantly looks at the bright side with the fact that he gets to see Jake again. Then after finding out the afterlife is being run by some buttface, Finn takes a break from finding Jake to kick New Death's a new one. And even once finding out how bad things are, Finn does everything he can to teach New Death a lesson. It's that last part that gets to me the most because it's the idea that even in death, Finn still finds a way to serve justice. Which makes way too much sense.

Plus, going back to what I said earlier, Finn's motivation is set in stone from that fake adventure he went on. Even if his actions come across as selfish, you understand why. Look at how devastated Finn was after thinking he saw Jake die again. It's clear that his brother's death heavily affected our boy, and I can't blame him. Especially with how well Jeremy Shada does at voicing some heavy scenes (Seriously, the guy's come a long way). The amount of raw emotion and identifiable motive help elevate Finn into one of the best things about "Together Again" while also making the special one of his better stories. More so in the fact that he has no hang ups over a lady ONCE in forty-five minutes (which is impressive in itself).

“Cause of Death?”/”Who gives a toot?!”: Agreed. I don't need to know how Finn died. Knowing him, it's either employing a heroic sacrifice, or he just kept adventuring until his body couldn't take it anymore. The reason doesn't matter. Besides, it leaves room for all the angsty fan-fics from writers who want to play around with how exactly Finn bit the dust, cashed in his chips and bought the farm. So, you know, there's that.

Adventure Time’s version of the afterlife: I'm actually into the notion that Adventure Time doesn't subscribe to a single idea of the afterlife and instead combines several concepts made by different beliefs. The thoughts are still the same: You act like a good person, you spend eternity in peace. You act like a dillhole, and you spend eternity in torture. Speaking of which, it's a pretty cool callback that the inhabitants of Dead World #1 are past villains. And it's also funny that Tree Trunks share the same Dead World with all of her lovers, except for Wyatt. Which I would feel bad about...if it wasn't Wyatt.

And, to any conservative people who believe the show is disrespecting your religion, here’s what I have to say: Nobody knows for sure what's going to happen when any of us die until we...well, die. The knowledge we have comes from a collective belief and no farther. Besides, Adventure Time is a work of fiction. Therefore, its version of the afterlife is also fiction. Meaning that complaining about something that is definitely fake is nothing short of a waste of time. Seriously, I'm Lutheran, and I even take a moment to appreciate that the writers created an excellent and easy-to-understand explanation for what happens to these characters after they kick the bucket.

Return of Mr. Fox: I'm actually cool with this. Mr. Fox has always been a chill character and might just be the most normal person in the entire series...ironic, given the fact that he's a talking fox...and now the living embodiment of Death. But hey, it's still nice to see him again on top of it being sweet to see him get some semblance of a win.

(Even if the sick, twisted bastard in me can't help but chuckle at the idea of Mr. Fox icing souls by smothering them with a pillow.)

All the callbacks: "Together Again" might just have the most callbacks out of all the Adventure Time: Distant Lands specials so far. Whether it's through brief cameos of classic characters, the swift return of Shoko, the Waving Snail making a comeback, and some tiny tidbits like Finn doing that clapping thing that Jake randomly came up with within some episode. It all makes being a fan rewarding as you get the inside jokes while incredibly fitting seeing how it's the end of Adventure Time (SHUT! Your pieholes).

Tiffany: Finally, we get some official closure with this character. I had no problems with Tiffany in the past, but I find it weird how we never got a solid ending to his character/arc aside from this half-a-second-long glimpse of him being a cyborg in a wasteland. Here, not only does he have some form of redemption, but Tiffany's story feels like it has concluded. Technically, you could say that it did in "Preboot" when he sacrificed his life to save Finn and Jake. But at least this time, he gets a much happier ending.

Also, tell me a better secondary antagonist that would work best against Finn's journey to find Jake. Go ahead. I'll wait. Until then, let's move on.

New Death: This might just be one of the best one-off villains that Adventure Time has ever had. Sure, his goals and motivations are pretty standard. But except for a select few, the series never had complex and thought-provoking villains. Adventure Time was one of those shows that knew personality, and sometimes even cool designs are enough to make a baddie work. That is certainly the case with New Death. His dude-bro persona never failed to be entertaining, principally when you remember it's the living embodiment of death itself. 

And his design. Goodness gracious, his design! You know that a show is doing something right when the first thing that comes to mind when looking at a character is, "Well, they look awesome." Which he does! New Death looks like the most over-the-top, heavy metal-esque thing that the character artists have ever come up with for the series, making a villain look about as epic and ridiculous as he acts. He might not be as tragic as Ice King or as terrifying as The Lich (I know, and I'll get to that), but he's certainly entertaining. And sometimes, that's good enough for me.

“So, y’all are...eating each other. Ok.”: ...There are some people on the literal Hell we call the internet who would love to go to that Dead World...and those people are sick.

Joshua and Margaret: Gonna level with you: I love these two so much. Their love for each other is quick to understand, just as much as it is easy to see how Finn and Jake turned out how they are. Joshua taught them to be brave, strong and always remember to have fun. Whereas Margaret taught them to be practical, kind, and always remember to be prepared for anything. You see that just through their personalities, which are just so charming to watch. So I'm glad that they have a more significant role in "Together Again" other than a brief cameo, and much like Tiffany, get a more official end to their story other than just dying off-screen. Because I adore them and wouldn't mind at least one more story with these two if it was possible.

“Right. Right. I’m just messing with you fern.”/”...Are you still messing with me?! *cries*”: You call it a sick joke. I call it kind of funny.

(It's also the most subtle of callbacks in the entire special. RIP Fern.)

Jake: As much as it is unsurprising to know that Finn still finds a way to kick butt even in death, it is just as easy to believe that Jake found nirvana after passing on. He was always this relaxed and wise character, even if he did come across as greedy, selfish, and lazy at times. Look back at what he said about having a chip stuck between his teeth: "To live life you need problems. If you get everything you want the minute you want it then what's the point of living?" Jake might not get everything right, but he definitely understands how the world works better than most characters in Adventure Time.

Also, while it's great to see Jake has achieved ultimate peace, it's downright heartwarming to know that all it took to snap him out of it is to see Finn get hurt. Seeing Jake immediately destroy anything that harms his boy has always been delightful, and it proves he also hasn't changed with age either. Just like Finn, this the best story Jake has ever had, as the writers kept what we liked and ditched the rest. 

(Thank goodness too, because Lazy Jake is easily the worst Jake).

Princess Peppermint Butler: ...I'm choosing to believe that Bubblegum left Pep Butt in charge while she and Marceline ran off to clone gay babies together in a cave that's shaped like home somewhere. Because I want those two to be happy, and I refuse to accept any possibility that Bonnie's dead and that statue is memorializing her instead of reminding people who their best princess is. So, ZIP IT!

But in all seriousness, I'm glad to see Peppermint Butler make a return. There's no one else from the living world that Finn and Jake could have contacted that's better than him, and with his quick appearance, he gets the second funniest moment in the special (I'll talk about number one later). Peppermint Butler asking for Finn's bones is the right amount of creepy/weird to make it funny, and it reminds me so much of how hilarious this character became after the writers leaned into his surprising expertise with magic and demons. He also acts as a solid expectation subversion. We usually associate P.B. with Princess Bubblegum, and not many people expect that Finn and Jake meant Peppermint Butler. The result is a pleasant surprise that may offer more questions than answers, but it's still a blast nonetheless.

Life: Life is a pretty neat addition to the special. Her design references how two snakes intertwined symbolizes fertility and regeneration, which shows how keen the cast and crew of Adventure Time really are. There's also this fantastic attention to detail of how plants grow wherever she walks, being something that can't have been easy to keep track of. And I just love how she immediately loses it after finding out that New Death is cutting off reincarnation. Hell really does hath no fury like a mother scorned, does it?

Speaking of which, I adore the fact that Life fell in love with Death. Not only is the irony just *chef kiss*, but it's another callback to the original series. Not many fans know this, but this short called "The Gift That Reaps" was about how Death tried to win Life. "Together Again" shows how things lasted well for them, even if it inadvertently resulted in Old Death's demise. It might be one thing to reference past episodes and characters, but a short that some people might not have watched shows how much the writers genuinely care about the canon. Adventure Time might have had its fair share of retcons and redirects, but stuff like this shows that not everything has to be forgotten.

Finn and Jake just whacking New Death with a stick: This is the funniest moment in the special. It's a battle against the living embodiment of a state of being, and it's decided by two idiots taking turns twatting him around with a stick. If you didn't lose your s**t to that, there's either something very wrong with you or very wrong with me. And because this is my Tumblr, I'm deciding that it’s you who’s a part of the problem.

The Lich returns: ...You know what, sure. Why not?

Some people might take issue with this as the Lich isn't all that necessary of an addition, especially with New Death doing a great job as a solitary antagonist. But, the Lich is still as terrifying as ever, and I won't lie when I say that I got goosebumps when he still referred to Finn as a child, despite how our boy is a grown man now. It shows how the Lich acknowledges Finn as an opponent but not more dangerous than himself. And while it makes too much sense to know Finn and Jake are still kicking butt in the afterlife, the same can be said with the fact that the Lich is still trying to conquer everything even after his...is it fifth death?

The point is, while he might not be essential, he is still just as well-written as ever.

Finn and Jake fighting over who becomes New New Death: This showcases how selfless Finn and Jake are, on top of how strong their bond as brothers is. The two of them literally fighting over who takes the reigns of being the New New Death isn't done out of how "cool" the job might be. Instead, they realize that being Death is not only a curse but a curse that neither wants anybody to go through, especially each other. And even when their motivations are the same, their reasoning is just slightly different. Jake is willing to be New New Death for the sake of Finn getting the best life, whereas Finn wants the job knowing that it won't matter unless Jake's not by his side. It proves that while they're both true-blooded heroes, they're still two different characters. It's the little details like this that make me appreciate this strong writing all the more.

Finn and Jake getting reincarnated together: ...Gosh dangit, I'm gonna miss these two :'[

Yeah, like everyone else, I got a little emotional during this moment. I didn’t full-on bawl my eyes out like others, but a few tears did manage to leak out. Which is the most Adventure Time has done to me since "I Remember You." Still, seeing Finn and Jake getting reincarnated together, sharing one last fistbump as they do, is a potent moment that can make new and old fans' hearts break in all the right ways. It's just the perfect emotional conclusion that "Together Again" requires, and I couldn't have pictured a better ending to Adventure Time as a whole...Too bad it isn't the end of Adventure Time.

WHAT I DISLIKE

It should have been the last special: I know, I know. It's petty, it's pointless...BUT IT'S HOW I FEEL DAMNIT!

Finn and Jake are the main characters of the entire series, with "Together Again" being their last adventure. So having it be the last special in Adventure Time: Distant Lands would have been perfect! Because after "Wizard City," that's it. No more of this series until some idiot decides to reboot the whole thing (which I believe no one wants). To be honest, I feel like this decision will really hurt "Wizard City" in the long run. It might be fun, but having it come off the heels of "Together Again" will result in dozens of people saying it's weaker in comparison. Hell, people are already saying they're not going to watch it because of how perfect an ending "Together Again" was. And I can't blame them. I mean, the end of Adventure Time as a franchise is going to ride on Peppermint Butler? Peppermint Butler? Over the main characters?!

...Yeah, someone f**ked up. I don't know who specifically f**ked up, but someone f**ked up.

But to be fair, this has nothing to do with the special itself. It has everything to do with network meddling, given how the network decides when which episodes come out. And given how my only complaint of "Together Again" isn't an issue with the actual special, you know that's a good thing.

-----

"Together Again" is easily an A+ in my book. The characters and story are solid and endearing, the comedy is hilarious, and the callbacks make up a pretty fitting finale, even if it isn't actually a finale. Because while the fun has yet to come to an end, this is still one of the best stories of Adventure Time.

[hyperbolicpurple]

Worldbuilding Exchange Letter

Fandoms: Old Kingdom - Garth Nix, MCU, ASOIAF

So . . . I know it looks like I’m really favoring ASOIAF here, but I swear, it’s just because Martin’s world is so BIG but relatively little explored, and as a result there’s a huge number of things I want to know/see. But the scale of my desire for all these things is the same, if that makes sense. It’s just that for the Old Kingdom books and the MCU, I have one very specific desire.

Old Kingdom: Garth Nix Media: Art, Fic, Meta Characters: Lirael, No Characters Worldbuilding Elements: The Clayrs Library Details: I just reread the Abhorsen trilogy recently and found myself fascinated all over again by the Library and what it contains. I would love any art or stories about Lirael in particular, such as the adventures she had in the Library/discoveries that we didn’t get to see (feel free to include the Disreputable Dog as well). Or fic/art about anything that’s in the Library or the Library itself. For in-universe meta, any of the texts in the Library would be great (about pretty much any subject you can imagine - the Clayr themselves, the nature of Charter/Free Magic, the history of the Old Kingdom, etc), or perhaps some of the Librarians’ documents--documenting the history of the Library or its new additions, guidelines for conduct and procedure (did they add them in response to specific events, frex?), etc.

Marvel Cinematic Universe Media: Fic, Meta Characters: Jane Foster, Loki, Wanda Maximoff Worldbuilding Elements: relationship between magic and science Details: This element of the MCU has always fascinated me. I think these three characters are ideal to explore it; feel free to concentrate on any of them separately, but I would also love to see them in any combination if that’s something you’re into. For stories, you might throw a trope at them like a time loop, or explore any relevant background about the characters. For in-universe meta, documents like research (Jane), historical/theoretical Asgardian works (Loki), research notes about the scepter and its effects on people (Wanda), or relevant SHIELD docs on these characters would be excellent.

ASOIAF

Here’s a link to a really big zoomable map of the known world.

Request 1:

Media: Fic Characters: Beric Dondarrian, Edric “Ned” Dayne, Jon Snow Worldbuilding Elements: effects of resurrection Details: Coming back from the dead changes people, man.

Beric & Jon could obviously provide their own perspective on their resurrections. For Beric, I’d love for you to flesh out what he’s told us about his experiences of progressively forgetting more and more about his previous life. What’s that like? Maybe a before/after character portrait? For Jon, I’d guess that he might experience the same forgetting effect as Beric (what would he forget? Winterfell? Arya? OUCH) but he might also deal with being stuck in Ghost for too long and becoming too much a wolf. Go where your heart desires. There’s never too much angst.

Ned would be something of an outsider perspective on either or both of these characters. Obviously he’s close to Beric--what does he see change? As his sister’s betrothed, Beric was like a brother--once--does that change when Beric changes? Potentially he could meet Jon post-resurrection, too. Perhaps there are some parallels/contrasts to be made between the two characters from an outside POV.

Request 2:

Media: Art, Fic Characters: Alayaya, Chataya Worldbuilding Elements: the Summer Isles Details: As first-gen and second-gen immigrants respectively, Chataya and Alayaya probably have somewhat different views of Summer Islander and Westerosi culture. I’d love to see that explored. Obviously sex work is a major difference (does Chataya struggle to convey the Summer Islander mentality about sex? Does Alayaya struggle to accept it, or struggle with differing Westerosi values about sex?), and I’d be happy to read about that, but you could pick anything else too: food, holidays, games & sports, etc, to compare or explore. Has Alayaya ever been to the Summer Islands? How does it diverge from her expectations/her mother’s stories? What were Chataya’s early years among the Westerosi like? What struggles did she encounter in building her business?

Request 3:

Media: Fic, Meta Characters: Marwyn the Mage, Septon Barth, Samwell Tarly, No Characters, Original Characters Worldbuilding Elements: Asshai & the Shadow Lands, Gods & Religion, Eldritch apocalypse theory, Maesters & the Citadel, Myths Legends & Songs, the decline of magic, the origins of the dragons Details: I’d love to read about any of these worldbuilding elements in the form of travel narrative/exploration fic, or the documents written about them.

Asshai & the Shadow Lands - I’m honestly so weirded out by what we know of Asshai. Creep me out. Shadowbinders heading up the river to Stygai? Demons? Is there any semblance of a social life in Asshai? Or tell me about the city’s history.

Gods & Religion: Am curious about Septon Barth in particular, and the view he brought to his research. Or perhaps something dealing with the Throne/Crown schism and Barth’s role in repairing it. Or pretty much any take on how religion has influenced anything.

Eldritch apocalypse theory: A basic introduction is here, and here is @poorquentyn‘s #eldtritch apocalypse tag. Pretty much whatever you want, run with it.

Maesters & the Citadel: history of, sociology of, anti-magic conspiracies, good old boarding school shenanigans, the minutiae of teaching/studying/taking exams, I’m up for it

Myths, Legends & Songs: Pick one and deconstruct it in Martin’s way or your own, or write a song or story (perhaps within a story), or tell us via legend how the whole thing comes out. How will future generations see the events of ASOIAF?

Decline of magic: I’m a believer in the maesters’ anti-magic conspiracy, and I’d love to read more about it--rationalizatons? internal documents? procedures? Or more generally--what effect did the decline of magic have on other cultures and economies in the world? Pick anywhere.

Origins of the dragons: I’m a fan of this theory about dragons (that’s more “origins of the dragonriding ability in Valyrians” but maybe of interest?), and of Septon Barth’s “bloodmages and wyvern stock” argument. Feel free to combine them if you want, or do something more mythical. Asshai might be of interest, per Bran’s vision of Asshai as a place where “dragons stirred beneath the sunrise.”

Request 4:

Media: Art, Fic, Meta Characters: Orphans of the Greenblood, Edric “Ned” Dayne Worldbuilding Elements: Dornish culture, Food & cooking, Games & Sports, Holidays of Westeros Details: More Dorne!

Orphans of the Greenblood: I’m really interested in the Rhoynish culture brought to Westeros and how it’s evolved/syncretized over time. Religious/magical beliefs would be cool. Daily life stuff/curtain fic would be awesome--building or decorating a houseboat, for example, or cooking and eating, all the other elements I requested. If you’re interested in it, Ysilla and Yandry’s return to the Mother Rhoyne would make a great story. Is it different from their expectations?

Ned Dayne: All the same stuff, but with the Andal-influenced Daynes instead. The salty/stony/sandy Dornishmen groupings are something I also find interesting--conflict, assumptions, stereotypes, etc--so feel free to play around with that, and Ned’s role as a lord governing people from multiple roups.

Request 5:

Media: Art, Fic Characters: Original Characters, No Characters Worldbuilding Elements: Food & cooking, Lives of the dosh khaleen, Life in the Neck, the origins of the dragons, Post-Doom Valyria, Yi Ti Details: In addition to original characters and no characters at all, there are several requests below where I add that you might

Food and cooking: For fic, I’m hankering for various “five things” type comparison stories. Five meals a certain character ate (in different regions/at different times of life). Five meals that happened in the same place across a large span of history in a particular region (the far north, Dorne, the Neck, etc). Etc. For art, I’m just a fan of food porn in general--feel free to illustrate a meal from the books, or characters--wildlings and various mountain clans are of interest to me, cooking while traveling is super cool, hunting, any character I’ve requested would be welcome.

Lives of the dosh khaleen: I’m fascinated by this aspect of Dothraki culture. What are the social relationships like here? Intra-dosh khaleen relationships? What roles do they have in governance, ritual, etc? Dress, ornamentation? Feel free to use straight, adapt, or just ignore the material from GOT season 6.

Life in the Neck: We know so little about it, so flesh out pretty much anything. Any of the Reeds we know would be great, but also feel free to jump around in history. Life before/after the hammer of the waters came down, for example. Curtain fanwork/domestic (or non-domestic) daily life stuff is the best. And their particular form of guerilla warfare against the Boltons (down with the Boltons!).

Origins of the dragons: I’m a fan of this theory about dragons (that’s more “origins of the dragonriding ability in Valyrians” but maybe of interest?), and of Septon Barth’s “bloodmages and wyvern stock” argument. Feel free to combine them if you want, or do something more mythical. Asshai might be of interest, per Bran’s vision of Asshai as a place where “dragons stirred beneath the sunrise.”

Post-Doom Valyria: What a place. Again, not much is known, so use your imagination. Feel free to go more fantastical--maybe it really is all just roaming demons now--or maybe more people oriented. Have people found a way to co-exist (or just eke out a difficult existence) with the demons? Or maybe the demons are just a smokescreen for people who want, for whatever reason, to be left alone? Per the eldritch apocalypse theory linked above, Euron’s trip to Valyria might be a very fruitful source of inspiration.

Yi Ti: