#and i do think it'd be the most narratively tragic for them

[marshmallowgoop]

What do you think would be the most narratively tragic ending for HeiShin?

One of them dying.

Shinichi becomes Conan because he does not rely on others or ask for help. (After all, if he trusted Ran to follow Vodka with him, there's no way events would have carried out like they do.) Through being Conan, he's somewhat forced to rely on others and ask for help, but when it comes to Heiji, it's really a choice. He wants to investigate cases together. He wants Heiji to help him.

So, if Heiji were to die in a case or in the fight against the Black Organization, I could see Shinichi falling back into his pre-Conan days. Relying on Heiji and trusting him got him killed. It's better to do things alone, to not let anyone in. The progress Shinichi's made throughout the series would be undone.

For Heiji, he initially seeks out Shinichi because of his own insecurities. He's subjected to tons of comparisons—to his father, to Shinichi himself—and he feels a great need to "prove" his worth.

But Shinichi doesn't do that to him. In fact, Shinichi says straight out in their first meeting that Heiji doesn't have to prove himself to him—that there's no competition in detective work. As the series continues, Shinichi also continues to support and value Heiji; he doesn't even hesitate to say that Heiji's in the right when other detectives mock and ridicule him (Episode 479), and as stated above, he asks Heiji for help (Episodes 189 and 345 for a couple big examples), signifying just how much Heiji and his insights matter to him.

If Shinichi were to die in a case or in the fight against the BO, I could see it absolutely destroying Heiji. He wasn't a good enough detective, a good enough friend, a good enough "rival," to save the Detective of the East. All his insecurities would be exacerbated.

Of course, if Shinichi or Heiji died for reasons unrelated to detective-ing, like illnesses or accidents, it wouldn't be as narratively tragic, probably, but that would be the most personally tragic ending for me, so it'd make the narrative a lot more tragic. For me.

[ming-sik]

My dear good comrade in the trenches against AoB's nonsense: I'm having Ferdinand thoughts (derogatory, mostly) and stewing. You said you thought Ferdinand's boring, if you would be up for it we could complain to hell and back about him T_T (aka, I remembered someone saying “Lestilaut's bad and he doesn't even have [Ferdinand's] trauma excuse!” as if... trauma... is an excuse for... anything... also did we forget the system was inherently abusive and traumatizing orrrrrrr)

i'm always up to complain about ferdinand. i swear i tried to like aob's golden boy but he just... is bad.

like ok my main problem with him is honestly just that by being the most perfectest bestest coolest guy ever he makes the story so fuuuuuuucking boring. there are so many potential conflicts especially from part 4 onward that just get completely ironed over with "ferdinand took care of it offscreen" or "literally as soon as the problem was introduced ferdinand already had the solution", half of the remaining conflicts are just getting ferdinand to stop being an asshole long enough to easily solve the conflict, and half of the conflicts left over after that are how to stop ferdinand from being so incredibly selfless that he burns himself out solving all the story's problems before they can go anywhere interesting. it'd be one thing if he existed in a story that wasn't trying to be serious or if he was used very sparingly as a hermit whose help was difficult to acquire or came at a high price, but as it is i can't even bring myself to get that invested in new conflicts because aob's world has been mostly converted into a playground for rozemyne and ferdinand to flex their enormous brainpower over because obviously the only thing more interesting than one ridiculously overpowered protagonist whose only flaw is being too self-sacrificing is two of the damn things.

to which the counterargument is obviously "noooooo ferdinand isn't a perfect angel, he's deeply flawed!" and yeah he is, but not in a way the narrative is at all interested in doing anything but glorifying. i love it when characters are deeply flawed unpleasant assholes, but only if 1) that's taken in an interesting direction and 2) the story doesn't lie to my face and pretend everyone loves them. YS's society is systematically and inherently abusive, which means that every noble we meet is dealing with an intense web of motivations and pressures that mean being a "good" person in yurgenschmidt's nobility is basically impossible, but ideally that's a way to set up interesting tragic characters, not a reason i'm supposed to excuse ferdinand(and only ferdinand) from judgment for perpetuating that abuse and call for the execution of anyone who thinks he's an asshole.

and the counterargument to that is "oh it's not the narrative that thinks ferdinand is perfect, it's rozemyne!" but that's objectively wrong. the entire plot point of ferdinand's marriage to detlinde is when the story just spends basically an entire volume repeatedly telling the audience that ferdinand is actually the only reason anything gets done in ehrenfest ever and he's the most wonderfulest person ever and everyone is overcome with grief that their savior is gone. even sylvester's habit of pushing off work seems to exist basically entirely so we can have the literal archduke be hugely reliant on ferdinand for day-to-day work just so he can get a little extra credit.

that's not to say that he and rozemyne aren't massively codependent. they are. and again i understand that ferdinand doesn't intentionally put rozemyne in a position where he's literally the only person she can fully trust and she's both completely reliant on him for guidance and terrified of losing him, he does do that. he claims he wants her to rely on wilfried but outside of trying to train him to be more competent(unsuccessfully) he doesn't actually do anything to achieve that, and he never thinks of the perhaps more sustainable option of trying to get her an actual support network. a lot of the tragedy of her losing her life in the lower city is that originally she had a wide group of people to trust: she had her family for comfort, benno for guidance, and lutz as a peer who also knew the full story of her reincarnation. afterwards, she only has ferdinand, and the paranoia he teaches her prevents her from trying to find anyone else, to the point that she only realizes that elvira knows about her commoner origins when he's leaving! and. again. i get so hard that this is an understandable result of ferdinand's trauma making him extremely insular, it's in character, but it's also really, really something that i want the story to, at some point, actually interrogate, but it doesn't! even when ferdinand is totally for real ripped away during the marriage plotline, he actually isn't because they stay in contact the entire time and then she has an excuse to come rescue him and post-battle he's literally just back on the team and it's like he never left so that ended up having the same emotional impact as if he just moved to the next town over. so he never really "leaves", and rozemyne never has to actually get used to life without ferdinand, which would've been really interesting and a way to actually deliver on the ticking time bomb that is grooming subplots.

which he is! and to be clear, he's a groomer in the general sense, not even specifically the pedophilic sense(although yknow. he is explicitly pro-child marriage), i mean that he grooms her to accept that the way yurgenschmidt's society works is normal and fine. he's not solely responsible for the inherent abuse of feudalism, but he's a product of the system he lives in and a product that's not particularly interested in changing that system, so he views myne primarily as an aberration who needs to be incorporated into yurgenschmidt's nobility and made to understand that things work the way they do because this is the best system. i think people rail against ferdinand being called a groomer for two main reasons-- firstly people think that if you say a character is immoral you're saying that they're a bad person for liking them or finding them interesting, and secondly people not understanding that grooming isn't as simple as mustache-twirling villain evilly and intentionally completely controlling a helpless child. bc yeah rozemyne struggles against ferdinand's attempts to fit her into noble society and at multiple points does the opposite of what he tells her to, but that doesn't disprove my argument! it's actually repeatedly acknowledged(well, joked about) where characters including rozemyne and ferdinand themselves say that ferdinand has made her more and more similar to him. like basically the first thing that happens when he gets her into noble society is him convincing her to start participating in the buying and selling of orphans and speaking of orphans do not get me started on the temple it drives me so insane how her turning it into a company town where they serve as her unpaid labor is presented as her being a saint. that can't totally be blamed on ferdinand but he sure does talk her into accepting that the only way she can interact with lower status people is through the lens of a benevolent master. one of the main facets of their relationship is him making her worse.

which is interesting! conceptually! ferdinand is entirely a product of the cycle of abuse and his reaction to his trauma is to preserve that cycle even as it continues to harm him and everyone around him because it's just the way things are. on that topic, he's completely bought into yurgenschmidt's view of children where 5-year-olds are expected to be capable of fending off psychological warfare and 15-year-olds are expected to be fully mature adults, so he has a vitriolic, burning hatred for wilfried age 6 and later detlinde age 15 despite both of their biggest crimes being not magically overcoming the fact that they're being neglected and abused, because he did, which means it is possible and therefore required. even his favorite oops all negative reinforcement education is irl infamous for being literally the worst possible way to educate children because it doesn't work very well and also traumatizes them, something which rozemyne herself seems to understand when she tries to keep ferdinand from being so harsh on letizia but never ends up interrogating because she can keep up with it. just kind of because? the implication is that she has a big headstart from her being an adult university student in japan but we actually don't see him do much instructing outside of giving his pupils a bunch of stuff to memorize and then getting really mad if they don't do it fast enough, which is... not the most effective strategy, wouldn't help with her memorizing new information, and also requires her to show a level of attentiveness and reading comprehension she never actually shows when she's onscreen doing stuff because when she's onscreen she lacks basic reading comprehension and stops paying attention to literally anything she's not interested in, but all of that's just ignored because the whole reason ferdinand cares about rozemyne is that she's the only one who understands that he's just trying to do the right thing and she's the only one who can keep up with him in this world of idiot sheeple. and i don't like that either i think it's pretty boring.

the specific combination of his plot purpose mainly being to instantly solve problems and his actual character just kind of being an insufferable asshole who won't shut up about how awesome child abuse is means that unfortunately every time the male lead of the series is onscreen i'm booing and throwing tomatoes at the page because he isn't interesting enough to pull off being morally grey or fun enough to pull off being a terrible little freak. and i really do not feel sorry for him because everyone in the story is experience similar levels of abuse but mysteriously the story can recognize that it's bad when literally anyone else treats any character the way ferdinand treats everyone all the time.

the lestilaut comparison is so specifically dumb oh my god. like yeah he has the trauma excuse.... everyone does... if we take dunkelfelger seriously lestilaut was raised in an environment where his worth was entirely placed on how physically strong he is and the only solution to any problem is physical force, so that's the only way he can think of to solve problems. his main character flaws are being kind of a jerk in a way that's very normal for a teenager! like his character introduction is revealed to be him misinterpreting hannelore's desire to hang out with the cute shumils as a need to have them at any cost which combines with the existing prejudices he's been taught(yknow the excuse that works for ferdinand and nobody else) to mean that he executes a stupid plan, and then even the bride-stealing ditter plot which is... not his finest moment, definitely, but is him trying to save rozemyne from what he thinks is severe abuse. which isn't an excuse for his actions, like i said with sylvester you kind of lose the right to appeal to good intentions if your mistakes have a body count, but you could make the exact same criticism of ferdinand. i mean his "i'll get ahrensbach for you" bit is basically just the shumils thing but it's treated as romantic instead of "what the hell are you doing"

tbh in the AU i'm working on i just toss him out the window entirely but if he IS going to stick around he neeeeeeeeds to have his untouchability be dialed way the fuck down. he can't just solve literally every story problem with "and then ferdinand pulled the solution out of his ass" and there need to be things that he is actively bad at which other characters are good at. also other characters NEED to be able to criticize him for things other than being too self-sacrificing or limply saying that even though he's the most skilled wonderful guy ever it's a shame he's such a jerk. instead of having people being worried about how dependent rozemyne is on ferdinand be played for cheap jokes about her being in love with him you could idk have it GO SOMEWHERE because if ferdinand isn't totally perfect then you could have that relationship actually negatively affect her in some sort of way that could perhaps cause a narrative conflict, and there should be sympathetic characters who actively dislike him for reasons other than not being able to keep up with his amazingness. like florencia just thinks he's a massive piece of shit because he tried to get her 6 year old son condemned to the ivory tower, or lutz thinks ferdinand is wrecking the myne he knows and loves in order to fit her into noble society, or charlotte and wilfried just end up hating him after he tries teaching them because he's an abusive jerk. i don't even wanna give him a redemption arc because i don't want rozemyne to need to "fix" him and idk who else it would be outside of maybe sylvester? if i was gonna try and not fundamentally change the structure of aob i genuinely think i would just move detlinde's assassination attempt to basically as soon as he gets settled in ahrensbach and also have it succeed. just fucking kill him! make rozemyne navigate the world without him! it also killing off justus and eckhart could even make it so they're also invading ahrensbach without knowing anything about lanzenave so the silver cloth and instant-death poison can actually matter.

[codajaiden]

I don't get the gist of Nightbow (Rainbow Steve x Nightmare) like, how does that work??

(warning I might rant so much y'all would explode, correct me if I'm wrong tho)

"enemies to lovers!" No. Lemme clear this up for you

Nightmare and Rainbow were created to kill each other, hate each other's guts, there is no conversation or part in SS or RQ where they went and be normal people talking to each other and stuff (not that I can think of anyways)

"for fun" I don't care if it's for fun, sure it's funny but like????? How is it y'all's favourite????

I'm someone who likes to go insane just watching plot, WHILE YES, STEVE SAGA WAS JUST A RANDOM STEVE SERIES AND WAS VERY RANDOM WHEN IT COMES TO PLOT, ITS SILLY, ITS RANDOM

But y'all are like "I can fix them", there is nothing to fix???? they are literally people wanting to kill each other and that is their goal.

Oh and let's not forget, I have my eyes on the people who write in Wattpad, don't think I have not seen their "freaky" writing at all.

It's not only Nightbow at least, I see the people here who ship Rainbow and Void together, same thing, but if we're talking SS then there was still no good interaction of them both to be on the level of actually being good friends. Still, Wattpad people are freaky about them too.

This can be implied to Favremyrainbow ig, but to me it's very bland and boring. I admit I did in fact ship them, but as time passed I just stopped because it was so cringe 💀💀

I don't want to be mean and rude when it comes to this but it bugs me every time.

Okay the only thing I can counter this is Alux x Petro.

Petro and Alux are basically Anna and Hanz in Frozen, gaslighting and manipulation exist but dynamic and trust are important. There is communication towards the two that leads into something in the plot.

Nightbow has none of that, they hate each other's guts. People say they can fix them, nah, with Palux you can make them worse (/j) HEJWJEJWJSJA

"Petro and Alux's entire dynamic is mainly built off of manipulation" YES but thats on Petro's side. Most people ship it due to it being tragic on Alux's side because everyone in this fandom likes doomed mlm i guess (I'm one of those people but again the plot reasons goes on for both of their dynamic)

"But he stabbed him" YES. I have not seen a single person who ships them currently its mainly a one sided ship. For alux its built off genuine love and care for Petro, knowing he's the only REAL connection in his life. The people who ship them (from what I've seen) mainly do it for tragedy and narrative purposes. no one is actually here WANTING alux to be stabbed and abused

And for Petro it adds much more conflict to his character if you add like any romance to him. like, loving the person your meant to kill and killing them anyways is a really interesting narrative plot idea. Its also really funny tbh but oh well.

Narratively it adds more to their characters as long as you dont romantize it and treat it like it'd be healthy especially at this point in the story.

This is literally doomed Yaoi (it's funny I wanna say that) and it works so well because of how they were narratively written this way towards each other. This cooked better than some enemy wanting to, excuse my language, have freaky SHIZ going on with the Hero 💀

Okay I'm done with my ranting I'm sorry for the people who like Nightbow but I'm sharing what I'm saying and y'all are gonna respect it and not be problematic. I feel like I should not be on the internet for a good while late and night this is how freaky I get when it's past midnight lmao

[kipperlillyforpresident]

FAQ / about

I had so many feelings about KLCK that I decided to make this blog to contain them. I genuinely really like her as a character and I've been really bummed out by how a lot of fans talk about her, so here I am.

A self-indulgent FAQ about my thoughts on KLCK is under the cut. You are under no obligation to read them, obviously. But hey, in case you're wondering about the nitty-gritty of my emotions - go on ahead!

q: You know she killed people, right?

Yes. She is being infected by a god of rage and also a lot of our favorite loveable characters have ALSO done murders and also god forbid women do anything <3

q: Strawman question about the affirmative action/DEI hater Kipperlilly interpretation - what do you think of that?

I think that canonically, within the lore of D20, halflings are a colonized race who are seen as a "model minority", and I think it's a little tasteless to go that angle with her character. Purposefully calling this one a strawman question because I admittedly cannot be unbiased on this matter.

q: Don't you think it's fucked up that she was jealous of Riz's dad being dead?

yes of course it was fucked up thats the point thats what makes her INTERESTIING

Also, I must stress this: she told Jawbone about this jealousy in a private counseling session. You know. The place where you are supposed to work through your worst intrusive thoughts.

Finally, my dad died when I was 17, so I'm giving her permission to indulge in this fantasy. Guys its fine its fineeee SHE CAN RECLAIMM

q: Do you think she's right about literally every single thing?

No of course not. She's so wrong. That's what makes her interesting.

q: Do you really think she should be the student body president?

From an in-universe perspective? no she is being infected by a god of rage <3 from a storytelling perspective? absolutely. i've found kristen's campaign to be the weakest and most frustrating arc of this season by far, and i think it'd be narratively hollow for her to actually win after All That.

q: Wait, you hate Kristen's campaign? Is this a Kristen hate blog?

Yes I do, and no it is not! Kristen is an interesting case, because I really do find her interesting from an in-universe perspective. At times, I think she can be one of the most tragic and complex characters. She is just a teenage girl who has had far too many burdens placed upon her!

But when we look at Kristen as the sum of her parts, as a player in the narrative... I'm not a huge fan of a lot of the choices Ally has made. This is supposed to be the season where chaos stops being cute, and as we rapidly approach the finish line, I still don't see that promise being held.

(Also, I hate to have to pre-emptively do this defense, but: I literally have ADHD. I am aware that Ally is playing Kristen as somebody with ADHD. That doesn't change my perspective on much.)

q: What does it say about you that you preemptively made this defensive FAQ?

That I like to hear myself talk too much, and that I have engaged in far too much discourse in my youth.

q: What is your main blog?

@mozukumi :-)

[witsserviceablesubstitute]

I'm unpacking my MacDennis thoughts a little here because I don't want my posts about the queerness in IASIP to get hopes up, but I also do not want people to think they are delusional for having belief in a Mac and Dennis romance.

Do I think Mac and Dennis will end up together in the end?

I don't know.

I do think they'll get to a place where they have evil fun together again. This requires the rebalancing of their relationship and that's been happening for the last few seasons. I also believe Mac weaponises how dumb he's perceived a lot more than the audience sees. He's a manipulative, stubborn, and sneaky man in his own right, and Dennis's attempts to manipulate him have mostly backfired. It would be perfect narrative symmetry if it turned out Dennis only had the illusion of control after all— which is what they both want.

Hell, I even think there's a possibility Mac and Dennis go in the complete opposite direction, with Dennis heartbroken and alone and Mac moving on. It'd be a bit tragic and grim yet not undeserved.

But if I'm drawing from every experience I have ever had with shows that play around with homoerotic subtext between main characters; then no, I don't think it'll be textually romantic.

The Magicians, a show that prided itself on being queer friendly, couldn't even treat Eliot like the love interest he'd been for 4 seasons until Quentin died and Eliot was mourning him. A love triangle whereby Quentin explicitly explored his feelings for Alice but the only acknowledgement of how deep his feelings for Eliot ran were when there was no possibility of exploring them substantively.

However,

Did I spend a week and a half feeling edged by an on again/off again romance subplot told entirely in homoerotic subtext?

Yeah...

It's pretty audacious if I'm honest. On the one hand I'm annoyed they got away with it because it's proof of how homophobic our society is that the most common sitcom romance structure was utilised like this but the mainstream would still scoff if it were pointed out that Mac and Dennis's relationship is queer (and not the longest running gay joke of the series). On the other hand I'm impressed, what bloody brilliant satire it would be if they do follow through on it. It's good satire even if they don't follow through on it.

This brings the next point, it's okay to not like Mac and Dennis romantically, nor how they've developed (though I admit I do and hope it ends on 'Will' rather than 'Won't'). The toxicity born from their extreme inability to communicate their needs to each other is the underlying theme of their relationship and it's fine for that to be a hard limit. However, soften those edges a little. Don't gaslight each other into thinking the homoerotic complexity of the relationship isn't there when it is. If only because that's what shows like IASIP do all the time to get around the backlash of exploring controversial queerness explicitly.

I'm not angry at IASIP for this by the way, I don't think another sitcom would have allowed Mac to come out at all or created an episode like 'Mac Finds His Pride'. I love that episode, I'm grateful to them for producing something so affirming, subversive, and transformative (and for making me cry).

[ot3]

what do u think is the best possible Apollo Trucy sibling reveal scenario, and how do you think it'd actually go? Assuming aa5 and 6 never happened

i'm not sure if by 'best' you mean 'what i want the most for these characters' or 'what i think would be the most narratively satisfying and interesting for these characters'

what i want for my dear personal friends trucy and apollo is pretty straightforward. i think ideally thalassa would just wrap up her tour and get her affairs in order, come back to los angeles, sit them both down (maybe after one of trucy's shows?) and just tell them the truth to their faces. i think they're both just owed a straightforward and honest explanation about what happened and why. and i think phoenix has to sit there and look extremely guilty and uncomfortable and feel too weird to say anything for awhile. aa4 phoenix despite being at rock bottom definitely still needs to be knocked down a few pegs. 💙💙 my king

what i want for fictional characters trucy wright and apollo justice from the ace attorney franchise is i think they have to figure it out themselves. for the entirety of ace attorney 4 they've both been far more subjected to others' whims than acting on their own, and i think letting them sniff out their own shared past would absolutely be the most meaningful way for it to play out. it'd give them a lot more agency in the larger narrative sweeps. i think what could happen is trucy would want apollo to help her look into the details of her mothers' death, because after getting closure on her father and the gramarye succession, the sort of next biggest thing after that weighing on her would be why magnifi really had such significant leverage on zak and valant over what was supposedly a straightforward but tragic stage accident. i think she'd have a nagging feeling that there was more there. and her daddy taught her to trust her gut, so, off they go!

apollo is really the only choice for who to help her. like hes probably the closest person to her other than phoenix and obviously this isnt something she wants to do with Her Dad or anyone else that she really knew as a kid. and i think apollo would really appreciate that trucy is coming to him with something personal and important rather than just more funny errands. and so they'd start digging into that, and from there it's just a matter of time until they've unraveled everything. they would then get the privilege and honor of Cornering Phoenix Wright (very few people get this pleasure) and making him answer for his Dad Crimes. i think trucy would insist on setting up in the WAA parked down in the armchair with the lights off waiting to dramatically turn on the lamp when he gets back only hes like several hours past due (got caught up in some stupid shit as usual) so apollo and trucy are like half asleep on the couch at 2 am watching youtube videos and phoenix walks in and he's like 'hi guys' and theyre like 'hi' before remembering 'no wait not hi. youre in trouble.'

[rockanroller]

Honestly episode 4 wasn’t too bad, and this coming from someone whose been SA. surprised Ralph isn’t credited as a writer some this pretty much is just there fan comics and Valentino animatics, like viv stole all their ideas lol.

introducing Valentino is episode 2 was a bad idea because he’s voice performance is the absolute worst, they stepped it up in episode 4 by not giving him many lines and putting a voice filter on him. The stuff with Husk was ok, I can’t see them as a ship I just see them as the friend Angel needs and not a boyfriend, I didn’t think they’d drop his backstory so soon into the show and honestly I’ve seen fans do better lol

Loser baby is a nice song but not something you’d sing for someone whose been SA and is on a self destructive path. it’s a song that should’ve been saved for Charlie and Husk. Poison was definitely voyeuristic like if they wanted to show the mental effect it has on Angel they could’ve showed the aftermath of him beat up, crying just having a full blown panic attack like they did with addict. Idk why they villanious and disrespect sex work so much lol it’s painted as a negative and something to be shameful about,

Animation was really good, just these designs are so ugly

that's fair. i've seen some saying it's absolutely god-awful, while others have said it was good, or it was ok and they can see the potential / the aim but the execution missed the mark, etc.

idk if i'll be able to watch it anytime soon, lots of what i've seen has left such a rotten taste in my mouth/stomach that i'll have to give myself a few days or weeks before i attempt it.

they...put a voice filter...on Valentino...? what kind of filter?? what??? i can also understand seeing Husk and Angel more as friends than boyfriends. even tho i haven't seen the episode, the bits and pieces that've come across my feed have given me that same impression.

for Loser Baby i haven't heard it but i got the same impression you did, and the concept of it being a Husk and Charlie song sounds like a *much* better and more fitting idea. Loser Baby *felt* like it was attempting to do a "this sucks so make the best of it" or "you'll only be seen as trash so embrace it" empowerment thing but all i've seen and heard it seems to feel more "it won't get better so don't try" or smth like that.

i just caught Poison on my feed w/o the music and it was rough. i def agree with you that if it'd been more like Addict it would've been better, but this felt very "sex sells" and i don't think that's the right "rise" to attempt to get out of your audience when touching on SA, it felt more like...i feel like there's term for it i'm forgetting but it's like a type of masochistic/pity fetish where the narrative attempts to get the viewer sexually invested in a tragic character if that makes sense? idk how to explain it, i'll make a follow-up post if it comes back to me.

animation was fine from what i saw, seemed to be the most consistent (so far) but it still suffered from the quick / constant unnecessary and jarring camera shifting the rest of the show suffers from imo.

ty for sharing your thoughts!

[mgjong]

What do you like about 0610, 0507, and 0909?

I was not expecting the ship ask, nice! Okay okay let's see. I'll try to make this as short as possible I already rambled too much today but I don't mind explaining further if someone really wants to listen

Adding a break in case you don't want to read ship stuff (too shy to ship tag the post)

Starting with 0909 I think what I like the most about it is the concept by itself and the way that imo it gives such an interesting flair to Mikoto's story. I guess it also stems from me wishing that Mikoto and John could be happy and finally interact in a healthy way. However if I must be honest I think the way I prefer this ship is as an initial one sided attraction on John's side. If it does develop into an actual relationship and his feelings are reciprocated it has yet to happen. Again I just love the way it would fit into Mikoto's and John's narrative. But I do find them very cute!

For 0507 I think it's way easier to explain. I find it a fun dynamic that could possibly happen within the narrative (starting to see a pattern? yeah I like ships that are thematically relevant to the overall narrative and that can enable possible character development). Their timelines have been very fascinating to me and given the current most popular theory for Kazui's case to be regarding his sexuality I think it'd fit. Aside from that there is a lot of room to explore their flaws and better traits. Shidou is extremely self sacrificial as we saw, Kazui could help ground him by offering someone to rely on as someone who can understand the grief he is going through. After all, he knows exactly what it feels like to lose a loved one who you have had a relationship with for years. Both are filled with guilt but for very different reasons and I think they could heal yes but also tragically fall apart in the third trial specifically because of these attributes. Obviously they don't have to date in specific for this to be a thing and I wouldn't mind it regardless but hey, let them be gay and happy even if just for a passing moment.

Now for 0610... Hey guys is it me or have I rambled about these two enough already? Well never fear for I have an entire thesis ready just for you dear anon. First things first. I love the sun and moon sapphics trope and these two are one of the best representations of it I have ever seen (imo). Bright, warm, friendly, energetic Mahiru and cold, blunt, mysterious, quiet Kotoko. One hates, the other loves. Both stubbornly idealistic, both extremely lonely. They hide their own hurt behind a facade and cling with everything they have to what gives them purpose. Just like the previous two ships I really like the idea of 0610 within the narrative. "uhm Mg, Kotoko literally-" LISTEN! Doomed toxic yuri. It's good! Kotoko doesn't want forgiveness. We know what Mahiru thinks of her. Kotoko has no one right now but we know what she would hate the most is to receive kindness. Especially from someone such as Mahiru. They work as a pairing so well because they COULD find comfort in each other. Mahiru could give Kotoko the stability that she needs while Kotoko could show Mahiru how she can stand up for herself. This, however, could very easily lead to codependency. Mahiru could become Kotoko's lifeline, giving her the purpose she so desperately needs in her life. Kotoko could give Mahiru all the attention that she has always wanted, making her feel justified, feel like her love is right unlike what Es said to her. They could lead each other down a path of destruction where their ideals wouldn't be challenged and they got worse. Or... They could notice their flaws, they could help each other heal. They could provide the love and affection to fill their broken hearts and survive together. And I'll stop now because I think I rambled enough jkhdfgkjhd.

[revenantghost]

[20 Question Fic Writer Game]

Tagged by @faindri and @pancake-breakfast!

How many works do you have on AO3?

18! Most are poetry collections, so a lot of smaller stories in one anthology.

What is your AO3 word count?

75,144

What fandoms do you write for?

Trigun is my main squeeze atm (and biggest in general, I have four projects for it which is double anything else--and the highest wordcount, too), but I've written for KinnPorsche, Sabikui Bisco, Danny Phantom, Vampire In The Garden, Sasaki to Miyano, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, Goncharov (yeah... yeah), The Night Beyond the Tricornered Window, Signalis, Omori, Lycoris Recoil, and The Executioner and Her Way of Life

What are your top five fics by kudos?

No idea and I ain't looking! Trad publishing has me extremely scarred from some nasty comparison wars, so I have kudo and view counts blocked on ALL fics, including mine. From my kudos emails, though, Hallowboned has to be my top fic for sure. Last time I was paying attention most of my other fics didn't pass into triple digits by a long shot

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I do!!! I adore comments, and I love chatting with folks, it really keeps me motivated and chugging along. I am... very behind on replying to the comments on my last chapter rn because I feel so awful and guilty about having to quit writing

What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Uh... I don't write a ton of narrative fics, and I do love me some tragic poetry, but I guess the angstiest collection might be my Signalis one, Observable System Transcendence? But my Omori poem and the Trined Soul collection might be contenders, too

What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

I mean, Trembling Hands is a Trimax fix-it fic, so? Though the Sasaki and Miyano collection, Effortless Dreams, is definitely the most tooth-rotting fluff I've ever slapped onto the page

Do you get hate on fics?

Oh yeah, I've had my poetry called pretentious and also not good enough to be poetry lol. It's been a hot minute since that's happened, people are just jerks sometimes

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I used to! Porn with plot, my beloved. It would be interesting to explore in poetry format, but we'll see if I have the time who wants to commission some poetry porn from me lmao

Do you write crossovers?

Nah, not my cuppa

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Yeah, many moons ago

Have you ever had a fic translated?

No, but that is one of the coolest things fandom does. Loving a thing so much you spend the time to painstakingly transform that art into something you can read and share in another language, bro??? Translators are amazing

Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

I've worked pretty closely with artists a loooong time ago, but I've only written fics where I'm the sole writer. I have used other writers' ideas and outlines (with their permission, of course), but that's the closest

What's your all-time favourite ship?

I DON'T KNOW?!?! Shipping has never really been my main focus of media typically, but when one digs its teeth into me I go rabid in a completely feral but different way each time.

What's a WIP you'd like to finish but doubt you ever will?

))): All of them

Life feels kinda... really dire atm, it's hard to see ever writing again. However! God I want to finish Hallowboned SO BADLY!!! I have so many chapters written for it that I haven't even posted!!!!! Y'all haven't met Livio yet!!!!!! GAH 3:

What are your writing strengths?

Uh... ??? I'll be real, I've got no idea. I feel like I write so weirdly atm, it's hard for me to analyze in that kinda way

What are your writing weaknesses?

I tend to get really excited/into things and flit around and forget to explain or describe things sometimes. Thank god for having been well-trained to edit my own work. Not that I catch it all, but I try!!!

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I think it'd really cool, but I'd need a native speaker on hand to make sure I don't fuck it up in my own fic

First fandom you wrote for?

I think my first piece of written fanwork was a Danny Phantom Quizilla thing lmao, I'm old. I don't remember what it was about, just that it was ANGSTY

Favourite fic you've ever written?

Ah?!?! Honestly, each project is so different and written from such a different place, I've got no idea. I'm proudest of Observable System Transcendence being my longest, most consistent project (outside of my Smaugust collection, which isn't a fan project), Hallowboned being the first thing that really inspired me in ages--and the most indulgent one lol. But each collection and fic and poem comes from such a different place, and it's hard to pull them apart and pick???

Tagging:

Whoever wants to hop in! :3

[quackle]

What’s your overall opinion of Disventure Camp All Star as for now? And what do you think of the final 3 and who do you think will win?

gonna ramble under the cut (per usual), but the tldr version is i like it for the most part, the final 3 are pretty cool, and I Do Not Know 😭

i know people cannot stand this show at this point (some for understandable reasons), but i'm honestly okay with it right now!! it's still pretty fun for the most part. (i personally just don't care at allll for the whole trevek/kristal/emily thing going on, but luckily that plot stays around for like. idk 3 minutes at most.)

and i like the final three we have, even if i do side eye the narrative choices that brought us here lol. it's about who wants it most, so i'm waiting to see who will come out on top. ally, jake, and riya were some of the lassssst people i guessed would make it this far, so it's so wild to see. i won't be able to have a full opinion until the season ends, but for now, i like em!

as for who will win... i'm not sure really. mostly because i could see any of them winning, and idk which idea i like more lmfao. i've seen people make some really good theories about certain people winning:

ally: a lot of ally's game has been spent with her stressing over what others think. even when she claims she doesn't care about that anymore, she obviously does. she's been training herself more with her stretches + she can't seem to let go of her goofy, silly gamer nature that antis of her tend to complain about. so a win for ally could include her learning to accept herself, or at least starting the journey to do that. because she as a person can win, even if people don't like her; she just has to believe in herself.

jake: similar to ally, ake's start to the game was extremely rocky due to his insecurities/jealousy issues. and even though jake has grown throughout this competition—gaining a friend in aiden, learning to trust more people, etc—he's still got some growing to do, as evident by this recent ep with the whole connor situation. a win for jake could show a win for those who still have a ways to go but are trying their best day by day.

riya: i know most people don't think she'd win because she's a villain, she's been to the finale before, etc etc. but ever since i saw a theory that this specific win could be a controversial sort of win, i've been thinking more on it. dcas has been making moves writing-wise that has less to do with "who deserves it" and more to do with "who wants it most." i've read that a riya winning plot could include her grinning at the end, finally winning this game... but then she realizes all she's lost: friends, love, etc, all just for money and fame. it'd be a tragic addition to her tragic narrative, and depending on how onc goes about this, it could be brilliant. idk i just love fake people LMFAO so this interests me too.

not to mention that throughout the entirety of this season, i have been struggling to guess what could possibly happen next. the finale is the biggest question mark for me. who will be the helpers for the finalists? what's the challenge gonna be like? these will all determine who has a better chance of winning. so. for now, my answer to who i think will win is a big ass question mark

[fakeosirian]

Zevistair and Alistair/Anora for the ship bingo! (Also hi!!!!)

OOOOH VERY INTERESTING ONES

zevistair:

this one is a Very Recent consideration/revelation for me and honestly. kinda obsessed and i wish i had been into it when i was first playing origins a couple years ago/makes me want to start a new file to Observe them more

bulleted thoughts:

i love the idea that their character arcs are sort of going in...opposite directions? if that makes sense? like despite the fact they have similar brands of tragic backstory, the actual circumstances of the tragic backstory diverge such that zev is recruited into an order that makes him distrust people and alistair is recruited into an order that, in his mind, is the only people he CAN trust, but in the game itself zev is "softening"/opening up and alistair (in more interesting characterization directions lol) is hardening/losing his naivete its So Cool

attempted murder is ? because that's more the warden than alistair but it's close enough that i think it'd be a bit for them LMAO

the specific combo of zev being super forward sexually/a bit harder to reach romantically (iirc i need to replay origins Stat) and alistair being very forward romantically but inexperienced sexually is...Very Good for ship dynamic/conflict purposes...

besides that tho they're just silly. like they both make jokes and do the hahas. what more could you want

alistair/anora:

so full disclosure i've never done a playthrough of origins (or at least not gotten to the landsmeet with a warden that had this as the plan of action) with alistair and anora co-ruling which may be coloring my opinions A Lot but i'm glad you asked about it because i've been meaning to think up a scenario that i'd want to use it for (ive kept alistair as a warden, married him myself, and had him rule alone hardened fwiw)

my ideal scenario/conception of this is absolutely a like. starts literally Zero romantic interest. probably some degree of contempt, even. but through a comical series of events they end up doing pretty much everything couples do besides really "having feelings" in such a way that they're like. ticking off boxes on the Businesslike Relationship List and Getting a Good Grade in Marriage. like ok honey great work out there today. we had a functional discussion about what dishware we want to purchase, planned our next ten years of children, and practiced a polite amount of public affection while negotiating with a diplomat. here's what's on the docket for tomorrow. and through that practicality they become fond for each other? sort of? idk i still think lingering contempt is a Hallmark of their vibes and what makes it work for me as a concept

i can...sort of see them developing proper romantic feelings for each other on like Year Fifteen of Marriage maybe but tbh its more a hard-earned-despite-the-circumstances-respect flavor of romance like. you are a Stable Feature in my life. and not so much "storybook" romance which tbh would be really interesting for a character like alistair to have to work through considering How He Is in his warden romance (and iirc you Have to harden him to even do this so itd be...neat to dovetail that with that element of his development specifically re: i have to call up the desire for romance i had before i Lost My Innocence as a mask for the public to idealize re: our marriage/rule and its legitimacy but also i do not believe in it anymore. we love a lil cognitive dissonance)

probably obvious from how i talk about it but tbh not something i "ship" LOL not even in a "they're so toxic it's fun" type of ship way...idk they are a narrative device to me. the most fun they can have is a divorce arc

tysm this was very fun!! i think i'm going to go find the mahariel save file i started a bit ago and hope i remember what i was doing bc that warden would 100% shove alistair and anora together LMFAO

[trashlie]

hey it's the same anon as last time ^^ i'll try to stop by your inbox more often when i have the time and some thoughts to share. discussing these things is fun and you make such great points about the characters and the story. i'll be signing these asks with lil anon (like lil buddy 😼) so you know it's me. and good to hear! i hope you continue to get better 🥰

i get why you're invested in kousuke's story. he is, objectively, a really interesting character. it's unfortunate that people disregard him, bc understanding him is a key part of understanding the story. and understanding him doesn't necessarily mean having sympathy/empathy for him. like on a personal level i can't stand him and want to smack him with a broom lmao but as a reader/observer it's interesting to try and understand his motivations/actions, if that makes sense 🤞

oh yeah you're completely right about kou getting worse as the story progresses. his recent development has felt like watching a car crash in slow motion - tragic, but fascinating and you can't look away. if ily was a less interesting story, a character like kousuke (typical rich asshole with some redeeming qualities) would have had significant growth by now. but that would be such a cliché, right?

and sometimes i do wonder if kousuke is doomed by the narrative, or if he eventually will be able to break free from... himself, essentially. the thing is, kousuke's is trapped. in order to grow and change, he needs to separate himself from the hiraharas/this fake reality that's been constructed from him, and see his situation from a different perspective. but in order to even want to change, he needs to grow as a character first. which he cannot do as long as he's involved with the family. it's like a snake eating its own tail. nothing/no one has been able to get through to him yet, so i guess there needs to be an outside force (maybe a revelation) that breaks him out of this cycle, shatters the very foundation of his fake reality, or maybe removes his safety net. and i really wonder what's that going to be. like... even though christmas is coming up in the ily universe, i doubt he'll be visited by the ghosts of the present, past, and yet to come and then all of a sudden he's a gentler, kinder man the next day lmaooo idk what do you think it'll be that's going to push him towards (positive) change? i think it's undeniable that kousuke needs to crash and burn first, and then maybe he can build himself up from the ground. i really do hope that's what's going to happen eventually! he is (mostly) a victim of his upbringing/environment, so it'd be nice to see him make steps towards growth/healing/being his own person. either way we're still so far from anything like this happening so who knows.

re: nol and fear - wow i didn't make the connection that nol is also driven by his fears, but you're absolutely right. i saw him as someone mostly controlled by self-loathing/self-destructiveness/low self-esteem, but these feelings are ultimately rooted in his fears. thanks for pointing that out. such an interesting parallel between the brothers.

all the ways the brothers are two completely different people with similar issues are endlessly fascinating to me (i just love me a complex siblings dynamic). you mentioned that neither of them have that family relationship with their parents at this point, and i agree. however, i think it's important to keep in mind that a key factor in nol and kousuke being such different people are that their early days were completely different.

nol had a very loving mother who shaped him during his most critical years of development (ages 0 to 5). and i actually believe nol got his best qualities (kind, caring, generous, brave, funny, etc) and morals from nessa, not rand. also, the hiraharas hadn't poisoned him yet. the layers of pain and trauma came later. on the other hand, kousuke received a completely different version of care and was taught a number of really negative traits - that his wealth and name make him better than other people, that his family doesn't function like others do and that that's normal, that he shouldn't feel guilty taking advantage of people and situations, that he deserves to have everything he wants, that his sole purpose is to inherit the company, and - as you said - that love as a reward, rather than something he's inherently deserving of. no wonder nol was/is such a threat to him - he's competition, and there can only be one winner. how can this boy, a 'mistake', have received this "reward" (=rand's love (nol hasn't actually received it but kousuke thinks he did)) so easily, when he didn't do anything to deserve it? that can only mean that nol is better, that kousuke is in his shadow, somehow inferior. and that just contradicts kousuke's entire worldview. idk it's just. much to think about.

oh wow i wrote so much, sorry about that. btw feel free to copypaste this in a separate post under a cut so it doesn't take up too much space if you feel like it, i wouldn't mind! have a good weekend 💗 - lil anon

Lil' Anon, I love it, perfect! Hehe!!!

You are SO right about Kousuke, too, in that you don't have to love a character to enjoy them. In-verse I would not get along with Kousuke or even want anything to do with him lol. He frustrates me a LOT - but right, you can understand WHY a character is frustrating. You can become invested while knowing you would absolutely fight them lol. The thing about compelling characters is that, for the most part, they are the drivers of plot and story and if they aren't a character worth investing in, you run the risk of caricatures of antagonists, villains who fall flat and cartoonish. ILY certainly borrows from the truth that everyone is going through something, no matter who they are. That doesn't always validate what they do, but as far as a story and PLOT goes, it makes everything far more interesting. That's the main thing I want people to come away with, not just as far as ILY goes but media in general. Because it's fiction, there is no harm in enjoying an antagonist. Your plot and story wouldn't be as enjoyable if they WEREN'T compelling or intriguing. When I say Kou has become a character I'm very invested in, it doesn't mean I approve of the things he does. In fact, I root for him BECAUSE I want to see him grow, because I want to see if he ever takes the reigns on his life and comes to much-needed realizations.

Because you are right - there is a big chance that Kousuke IS doomed by the narrative. I've talked about this re: Alyssa before, too, in that just as in real life, there's a chance he may never come to the terms he needs to. He may never find his way out of his safety spots, may never try to leave what is safe and secure. That's what's so important about acknowledging how fear drives him - if he cannot overcome that fear of being uncomfortable, of facing disappointment, of being outside what he finds safe and secure, then he really can't make the changes he needs to. He won't have the opportunity to see himself in a way that might give him the perspective he needs. In general, growth requires courage. If we want to grow, we have to face scenarios that bring us discomfort, that maybe make us fall apart, in order for us to learn just how much we can take, just how much we can overcome. But Kousuke has never really been in that kind of position. He's had everything handed to him, whether or not he wants it to be.

I really like the analogy that it's like a snake eating its own tail; I think that really sums up the vicious cycle and why we've not seen him wake up to reality, why things seem to go in one ear and out the other.

Over on reddit I've been talking to someone a lot about Kousuke, too, and a thought we share is that not only does Kousuke need that crash and burn - I think everyone is in agreement about that! - but maybe something that can be a wake up call for him is his career. They made some really great points, too, I'll link to their response here, but we know that Kousuke isn't truly happy in his life and career. To him, we endure uncomfortable situations, or one's that aren't fun because that's life. We don't live in an ideal world, we have to do whatever we can to get by. But Kousuke literally could have his pick of anything in the world, couldn't he? At some point, when does he realize he's unfulfilled? The whole purpose of his career trajectory was to earn Rand's affection. At what point does he realize it isn't going to happen - if he's not already at that realization? At what point does the empty, hollowness set in? When does he realize he doesn't feel fulfilled because none of this was for HIM, this doesn't mean anything to him without Rand acknowledging him? And suppose he does get that acknowledgement. Then what? The quest is over, there's no higher goals, nothing more to achieve. Oh, sure, he can go on to be the CEO as he was born to. But would it MEAN anything to him?

I'm thinking - or hoping? - that this might be the kind of thing that gives him the wake up call. That there is no point in his life that brings him joy - except maybe eating sweets lol. But that can only be a catalyst. You're right in that a big need is for him to get away from his family, for him to exist outside of their reach, to lose that safety net.

I have a couple thoughts in this regard. Whatever Yujing is working on - likely an expose - syncs up with Shinae's graduation and Nol's release from prison. It clearly has to do with the Hiraharas - and this means Kousuke, as well. When she found out Nol had pleaded guilty, she'd been looking at an old article about Nol attacking Kousuke, which we've seen may not be what we thought it was at all, that perhaps it was Kousuke who attacked and Yui blamed Nol. There's also that incident Kousuke is so DESPERATE to hide, something Yujing knows about. It seems likely that this expose, this piece, is something that could taint the Hirahara name. Even if Kousuke was not involved in other aspects, this would end up affecting him, because a major part of his identity is that he is the Heir, so what happens if his identity is that he's the Heir of a dirty family? If it becomes known that he is not the ideal gentleman bachelor he's been made out to be? Is that enough to make him step back and see his family - especially his safety net Yui - in a new light?

There's also my favorite crack theory, that Kousuke is not Rand's son. Now, again, I don't necessarily think I believe in this as much as I enjoy exploring it, but there's been a number of little moments that feel like they could be foreshadowing - or red herrings lol. Suppose it was true, Rand isn't actually Kousuke's father. Aside from the fact that he's spent his whole life trying to earn love from this man, I think it would also be detrimental in that he'd finally have to face the unsavory parts of Yui that he tries to ignore or deny. The one pillar in his life having lied to him and egged him on to chase after this pipedream, reassured him that if he's good enough, he'd be acknowledged. Wouldn't that shatter him? Again, I'm not so sure if this is likely - it kind of feels overdramatic, but then again, the deeper we delve into the story, the more those kinds of dramatics start to feel normal.

At any rate, yes, I think he needs a wake up call that will make him see his family for what they are, make him see himself in a different light. And that's just the beginning! I really look forward to our big timeskip to see where we find Kousuke, if he's yet in a place where he can start making these changes to himself, if he's got a security network to push him to make those changes (and if he cares enough to do it lol).

Also yes, yes, very good points about Nol! Nol and Kousuke are definitely foils in that Nol had the kind of nurturing, affectionate childhood that Kousuke lacked. We've seen instances of Nol surrounded by peers his own age and we might be able to assume that, aside from being teased for having such a long name, maybe he actually got along with them? But also, because of the teasing incident, Nol had that safe space in his mother - Nessa comforted him and gave him a nickname to make up for the teasing. We've never once see Kousuke receive such affection, and I just always think about that little flashback where he's in the bush watching Nessa dote on Nol and then Yui appears before him without eyes. It's such a cold relationship, it doesn't feel like it was nurturing. She goes through the motions of being a mother, certainly, but that's the thing - the difference between mother and mom. Nol had a mom, Kousuke had a mother. And we can see that even when Nol was driven by fear, even when he was trying to distance himself, he couldn't help but indulge in those traits his mother passed on to him. He started to care about the friendships that weren't supposed to matter because he's such an empathetic person. He understands loneliness so well, how could he help but reach out to people he thought needed help? But Kousuke never developed those kinds of skills or traits. How is he meant to empathize with or understand people he was literally raised to see himself apart from. They're not like him, they are Other. Literally a formative foundation of the way he views the world!

Light and shadow plays such a role in the ILY universe. Nol is literally in the shadows, but Kousuke thinks that its him who is in the shadow cast by Nol, that he cannot let Nol shine, lest it drown out his own light. I think that really sums up the root of their relationship and their issues: Nol didn't so much want to shine as much as just share that spot with Kousuke. I think at some point he gave up trying to earn Rand's favor and instead sought out Kousuke who was in the same boat as him. But Kousuke thinks only one of them can be in the light and if it's not him, that means it's Nol - Nol who is so undeserving who hasn't put in the same effort as him. Isn't that funny? Kousuke literally was born into privilege, knows he is afforded things most others never will be, knows that he has things others could work for their whole lives and never possess. But he thinks it's Nol who has earned something without making any effort. The irony of it, man.

Don't feel bad about how much you wrote hehehe! I.... also cannot hold back when it comes to anything ILY so I'm delighted to receive equally long messages haha! Looking forward to more fun conversation with you, Lil Anon! And thank you for the well wishes! I'm going to try to make myself do more painting today! Fingers crossed (I am not doing the best job at taking care of myself this week lol I'm hoping some painting will help!)

[kovacs-on-ice]

Why Halo: Reach (campaign) is a trainwreck.

A lovable trainwreck, don't get me wrong, but a trainwreck nonetheless.

So Halo Reach is one of those games that leaves a community divisive, it was the first halo game to not have a universally loved reception among the community at large. I think it's a fun game, a really fun game, I adore it's multiplayer and the hours my friends I spent dicking around in forge world. It also has the best armor system Halo's ever had to date, infinite can suck my ass--I'm not paying 15 dollars for a shader. You ain't D2, you can't pump and dump my wallet.

ANYWAY

Reach is such an interesting case, out of universe, as it feels like such an out of character move by bungie. Let's consider for a moment, that the same company that tried to stop the release of fall of reach WEEKS before it's release, was notoriously uncooperative with ensemble studios(people who made Halo Wars), who had a game director undercut the books of the series he was making(And it was Staten, if you could believe it. It's on an old 2000s podcast.) decided--"YES, LETS GO DEEP INTO THE LORE, OUR FAVORITE PART OF THIS FRANCHISE. WHILE WE'RE AT IT, LETS USE THE SPARTAN-IIIs" ?????? Does this not feel weird to anyone else?

If you look at vidocs for reach, and other behind the scenes content, it's said that they wanted to do their own thing, and ignore the books. which if that's what they want to do, sure, fuck it.

Then why did they include First Strike references (radio logs you can hear on certain levels/maps) or HAVE NOBLE TEAM BE ALL IIIS

This is the thing that gets me the most. Halo Reach, legit, feels like Bungie's last middle finger to microsoft at certain points. Reach is the home of the Spartans, well the IIs really. It's what gives the planet, and it's destruction, such significance to characters like Chief, or Fred, or any II. That was their home, that's the closest they have to a childhood burning at the stake.

So why, do tell, DID YOU MAKE NOBLE TEAM IIIs

THEY HAVE ZERO CONNECTION TO REACH

THEY GREW UP ON ONYX

What also confuses me here, is that it's not like they gave a shit about how many IIs were in Red Flag. THEY MADE THE GAMES, THATS THEIR LORE. THEY COULDVE JUST MADE UP IIs. The reason that First Strike can be such a gut punch at certain points, is because the IIs are watching their homes burning all around them, and they can do n o t h i n g about it. It's tragic, and it makes their survival in the remnants of the glassed planet even more perilous.

I love First Strike, if you couldn't tell. If Ghosts of Onyx didn't exist, it'd be the best halo book. I'm not gonna defend this opinion because it's right.

And Bungie wrote entire CVs and A FUCKING MESSAGE BETWEEN KURT AND MENDEZ in the leadup to Reach. They did all this legwork for the pay off of having characters unrelated to the conflict they were fighting.

also, I know Jorge is a II, I WILL GET TO JORGE.

Reach was planned, in development, as this giant military campaign first . Check the vidocs/behind the scenes videos, I think Marty O'Donnell is the one who says it. (also marty was the dude who had miranda and johnson die in 3, he edited that in, check the making of Halo 3. Who kept letting the audio director fuck with the script?)

There is a big, big problem with making the battle of Reach a military campaign, however.

In FOR, the kicker about the battle of reach is that it wasn't even a battle. The Covenant overwhelmed the UNSC's fleet and flooded the planet groundside, the battle was incredibly shortlived. I think only a day. Chief went from having near 30 of his siblings living and in the field, to being the only spartan in active combat.

First Strike keeps this narrative too. The Spartans never get to fight their valiant last stand. The loss of the fleet makes the different splinters of Red Team retreat to their various fallback points. Fred, Kelly and Joshua kill an invading army of covenant, sure, but the rest of the Spartans prevent were handling a variety of what-the-fucks

I do think that a theme that carries from book to game is fighting in the face of hopeless odds, which I like.

In the game, Reach is invaded by a smaller covenant fleet and ONI just....never tells the rest of the planet? It's the long night of solace, a big cloaked super carrier, and a few destroyers. (Unironically, the lore for this is that the Shipmaster of Solace came to reach on the search for forerunner artifacts, realized he was in way over his head, and just tried to get his fleet to 1-man all of reach before the prophets got too mad.

which is funny, in retrospect, because right after he eats shit--Thel shows up in the big boy fleet. I wonder how that conversation went down with the surviving officers.)

In FoR, they bring the IIs back to Reach to prep for Red-Flag and to get them the Mark V upgrade. Same thing with the pillar of autumn.

This happens by August 27th. Chief was already on the planet beforehand for a few days to debrief highcom about Sigma Octanus IV, that's beside the point. It's to be assumed that there were a sizable amount of IIs on Reach in the weeks before, since they were being pulled from a variety of fronts, and slipspace travel means everyone would've gotten there at different times. Chief was also leading a force of 12 Spartans at Sigma Octanus IV, the battle right before reach, so I assume they came with him.

August 30th---OOPS, ALL COVENANT

The battle starts as FoR-First Strike say it does on the 30th, AND THAT SAME FUCKING DAY THE PLANET IS LOST.

---------

In Reach, the game, the covenant were found on reach JULY 24TH. THAT IS WHEN THEY PRESS THE "OH FUCK, WINTER CONTIGENCY" BUTTON. If you go by the game, it seems like there's just all out warfare across the planet after that point. The mission after is Noble Team defending Castle Base from a Covenant Corvette (also, like, it's goofy as fuck to think that no one outside the select military participating in these engagements did not, or hear about, the giant space marine animal firing death from above. I doubt the covenant gave a shit about which humans they turned to ash knew about them, after their presence was found out.)

So most of Reach's Campaign happens, including the huge fucking battle at Szurdok Ridge. You know the battle that had scarabs and scorpion tanks casually duking it out in the background, same battle that they used a MAC round in atmosphere in?

By August 13th, 60 percent of the UNSC fleet is recalled to defend reach. Not too long after that, Noble Team kills the super carrier. Then what I assume is Thel's fleet shows up as in the cutscene it shows a massive fleet entering the system immediately after the solace's destruction. After that is the battle of new alexandria, which ends august 23rd.

The game and the book link up on August 30th, as Noble team delivers the other half of cortana. (Halsey split her into two so she could continue her forerunner research, also, halsey never talks about meeting Noble Team in First Strike. Jun literally escorted her to Castle Base. In her journals that came with Reach's deluxe edition, I think there is a few pages of her freaking the fuck out about them. Not-so-concidentally Eric Nylund also wrote that Journal.)

343 tried to link the game and book stories together, and the result was--

Oni predicted there was a 67% of reach being found, just let it happen, no I am not joking.

The battle of reach up until where FoR picks up is just on one side of the planet, somehow they contain it so the planet doesn't freak out. I do not know how, the covenant were fucking EVERYWHERE.

ONI also let the long night of solace pally about, they were mad when Noble Team blew it to high hell because they wanted to use it for Red Flag.

THEY BROUGHT ALL THE IIs BACK TO REACH, MID INVASION, AND JUST DIDN'T TELL THEM UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE???? ALSO, IF THE PLANET WAS BEING INVADED BY THE COVENANT, WHY DID YOU NOT USE ONE OF THE MANY ORBITAL MAC CANNONS.

This is a GOOFY retcon, I swear to god.

It takes them like, an entire fucking month, to get the fleet to Reach. I'd also like to mention, KEYES LEAVES THE BATTLE AND LANDS ON REACH SO HE CAN PICK UP CORTANA FOR THE LAST MISSION. CHIEF WAS LITERALLY NAPPING DURING THIS. I'M SURE HE WOULD'VE LOVED TO HELP NOBLE SIX AND EMILE OUT IF THEY WOKE HIM THE FUCK UP.

@zitasaurusrex

I apologize if this was hard to read, and tbh I probably also missed stuff li-WAIT I FORGOT

IN HALO REACH THEY HAVE A SEVEN PART RADIO MESSAGE STORY ABOUT BETA RED, SPLIT ACROSS FIREFIGHT AND MULTIPLAYER MAPS. THE SPARTANS WHO WERE LEFT TO DEFEND THE GENERATORS. THEY'RE CHATTING ABOUT THEM AS THEY'RE PUNCHING UP TO THESE TANK SQUADRONS BAREHANDED. BUNGIE, BUNGIE, THIS IS ALREADY A MESS, WHY ARE YOU INCLUDING THIS. Edit: I realize I never got to Jorge. I think it's stupid to have Jorge be in noble team because it SHOWS they thought about the concept of what reach being invaded would mean to a II. They just didn't care enough to expand on it in any substantial way.

[countessofbiscuit]

three now unshakeable Sev headcanons

1. Sev was the other trainee Atin refused to fight

Sev being so defensive of Vau in Atin's face purely on the basis that Sev still holds Vau in some kind of godlike reverence and fears his wrath never seemed quite adequate to me. But young Atin ""sparing"" Sev and nearly dying for it, when Sev didn't ask for it? That could explain why he's so uncharacteristically bolshy with Atin later, like he's begging for that fight he never got, to prove he's better than Atin's pity.

It gets better if you then assume Vau ended the exercise there and didn't continue sadistically sparring with his cadets, specifically with Sev, being next in the grisly queue. So when it comes up years later, and Vau's casually like "oh, I just had no interest in cutting you up, Oh-Seven" (read: you're one of my favorites), Sev's too self-critical to see it for anything but contempt.

subthought the second, a Sevfika one, related to Atin encounter: Fi jumping to Atin's defense is, imo, one of the first things that intrigues Sev about Fi: it's a show a brotherly concern that I don't think Sev is used to. Not that Delta doesn't care about each other, but they aren't as affectionate or emotionally open, and standing up for each other was probably kicked out of them as kids (it'd be an acknowledgement that you think your brother needs help, can't take care of himself, maybe). Sev's brothers 'stand up for him' by hyping him up as a psycho and enabling his bad habits because that's what keeps him functional and in the game, but Sev might wonder -- as they all might -- if they actually care (maybe with the exception of Scorch, but even Scorch often passes stuff off as a joke.)

this gets longish and shippy so, onto the cut!

2. Sev had an inexpressable crush on Vau

Look, it's just Sev's praise kink with a face. It's the "coach/jock" mlm erotica trope. It adds some color to Sev's perverse desire to please: he wants to be seen in the "right" way, to hide how wrongfuckedup he is -- even if he isn't conscious of what a 'crush' is or that he has one, or even if his flare-ups of attraction get sublimated so hard into his pockets of perfectionism.

And it's why he's so goddamn tetchy with Fi: Fi brings out those old, undefinable feelings that Sev worked so hard to bury, not because anyone told Sev they were wrong, he just knows he'd get cut up for getting cut over stray thoughts related to his training sergeant. (or, Tada! plausible gaynst in the GFFA.) Childhood trauma and anxiety being what they are ... it'd be hard for Sev to lightly unpack those feelings again, especially around someone as mad, bad, and dangerous to know as Fi. As Slipper put it, Sev "externalizes the problem to Fi's behavior."

3. Sev has abandonment issues

Setting aside any unique feelings Sev does or doesn't harbor for Vau, in True Colors it's impossible to miss that Sev is the one most torn up about Delta's decision (on orders) to leave Vau behind on Mygeeto.

Until Vau is recovered, Sev's POV is outspoken in his dread about his sergeant: if he's okay, if he'll be mad, what he'll do to Sev them if he makes it off Mygeeto alive. It's intrusive, it's overwhelming, it's unreasonable. In his first POV chapter, in the narrative space of about five minutes, Sev reminds the squad twice and himself a third time that they never leave a man behind, until it starts sounding less like a reminder or a compulsive reaction to anxiety and more like a plea: you guys wouldn't leave me, right? you'd never do that. please tell me you'd never leave me, 'cause I'd never leave you and I'm telling you now in the only roundabout way I know how. (see: earlier comment about Delta's comparative emotional distance.) Of course, we all know what the tragic irony here is.

another Sevfika subthought: Sev's abandonment fears are probably subconsciously soothed by the persistence of someone like Fi. Fi may be everything Sev tells himself he doesn't want to be at first … but the idea of someone who will never leave him alone, who will bother him beyond the grave, is secretly comforting.

Bonus #4: Sev is a smoker: entirely @kungfuslipper's doing and yes, it's unhealthyhot, but he came out swinging like an adult survivor of pre-pubescent acute laryngitis in the games, so why not give him a chainsmoking habit to go with that barbed wire personality.

[bedknees]

Since the Arcane writers are just creating their own story and confirmed that champions aren't necessarily safe from dying, what would you like to happen with Viktor's story and who do you think they might kill off if they take that route?

I want Viktor to become a radicalized leftist tbh 😆. I want him to be fucking livid about all the shit that's happened with Zaun and how he was held back from helping them more. I want him to fry the council members (except for Mel and Jayce) with the hex claw. I would die for him to become the anti hero of my dreams. And if the Hexcore remains a corrupting influence, make him fight it! Let him win the mind battle! I want him to defy expectations and use this "evil" thing for good despite everything. Show that it doesn't always have to be a hopeless tragedy when in possession of such power. People are expecting his arc to conclude tragically as a villain. I want that subverted so bad!!

And this is wish fulfillment for me, but I think it would be an incredibly fun subversion for Viktor to leave for Zaun and make new friends. Like, form genuine connections with others. And at the same time, show him progressively augmenting himself and becoming more affable as he makes those changes. It would be a great narrative twist; he's becoming more machine than man but he's forming more human connections than he ever has.

Then, go the opposite route with Jayce! Have him become more withdrawn and only partaking in surface level relationships despite having his "humanity" in tact. It would match his LOL lore too; he is not good at relating to people, especially those not as smart as him (which is most people lol).

As for champion deaths, I feel like Heimerdinger and Singed are in the most danger. I can't place it, but I think if anyone was to die it'd be one of them.

[drbtinglecannon]

So considering the Coven Heads were at the forefront of the draining spell, like the literal beacon points for it to even work, and assuming everyone survived once the Collector moved the moon, what if all 9 of them are now magicless or significantly weaker to the point it's noticeable?

(under a read more cuz this gets long and a bit political)

Obviously they were each chosen as Coven Heads because they're all top of the top in their respective magic, so they're way stronger than the average citizen or coven scout, but being the primary draining points must've caused them a lot of damage comparable to how much stronger they are than most everyone else at the scene was. Not to mention all of them but maybe Adrian and Eberwolf either are or appear to be over 40yrs old, meaning it'd be a lot harder to bounce back from a devastating attack like that than for someone younger, even if they're all masters of their craft.

I honestly imagine there will be more physical lasting effects caused from the draining spell than just Eda losing her arm, and as tragic as it would be for Raine, Eber, and Darius to lose their magic (I don't care if the other 6 lose their magic, fuck em lol), I think it'd also be a fitting narrative conclusion for disbanding the coven system without there being a big power struggle.

Let's be real here, I doubt any of the 6 that sided with Belos are going to have any kind of personal reflection over their actions or be willing to lose their positions of power any time soon. Raine said they all expected to "become royalty" after the spell, so they knew the same amount Odalia did (though not as much as Kikimora but they all knew the same general result to expect), which was "this spell is going to kill a lot of people but I'll be safe" -- literally a 'fuck em got mine' mentality.

Which, considering they were happy to do shit like harm kids, rob people of bodily autonomy, and outright manipulate the masses for decades, these people are gonna have to really stew in it for a bit before coming to terms with their actions if they ever do, and suddenly being powerless or so weak they couldn't hold power even if they wanted to is probably the easiest way to get that to happen. When Terra in a last moment of desperation questioned if they were still going to reach paradise, that wasn't self-reflection over her decades of abusing power, that was her holding hope she wasn't wrong to do all of that. Like King said, no one wants to think they've wasted their lives following the wrong person.

As sad as it would be (for the 3 we give a shit about), it'd also be a fresh reminder to the citizens, that the strongest witches of their era all became powerless following Belos, cuz as with real life, people tend to forget things if it's been a while or if it gets twisted into propaganda. (like, America for example, 1/6/2021 was a year & a half ago and pretty much no one thinks about it anymore. Members of Congress who were actively involved in the coup never got punished or lost their seats, most people that were there never got arrested, and the committee has only just started to discuss it's findings)

Like, first is dealing with the Collector, but it's obvious that'll have some kind of positive conclusion by the series end (OR SO IT BETTER), so post Belos & Collector Era is going to be unprecedented and scary and people will probably want to cling onto what's familiar, but if the Strongest Witches Around are all powerless/super weak now, it'll keep the system from staying as easily and also be a stark reminder of why they can't go back to that. It'll be hard to twist propaganda to remember Belos fondly if the people who gave their lives to win his highest titles were hurt the most.

Disability definitely shouldn't be a punishment, I'm not trying to say that! I'm just pointing out that I can't imagine the draining spell won't have negative side effects, nor do I imagine the 6 Coven Heads that's sided with Belos will want to reconcile easily even if they did almost die given they all gladly took the bait of letting everyone else die if it meant they'd get rewarded. Plus with the way this show handles disability and depicts a number of characters flourishing in spite of how their world works I wouldn't be surprised to see more characters fall into that category. Like the tragedy of losing your traditional magic with the fall of covens but being given glyphs and palisman as wild magic returns kind of bookend storytelling.

Anyway, if those 9 don't end up magicless or significantly weaker, I kind of hope at least the sigil scars stay cuz again they got it the worst out of everyone by being the spell's focal points. Being covered in scars would also be a good reminder of Belos' lies, but also just realistic in terms of how high the stakes were. Ultimately I just wonder if there will be lasting effects from the spell, and can't really see how it'd be possible there aren't any especially for the Coven Heads, unfortunately including the three that tried to stop it all.