#and so it's unlikely these events will affect us directly

[illgiveyouahint]

I have some heavy films on my watchlist but I feel like I can't watch anything too heavy right now

[ara-line]

Stop glorifying the suicide of that US airman.

He grew up in a cult and never really left behind the mindset of that cult, even if his beliefs on the political spectrum shifted. According to a former member of the cult, it was common for members to leave and end up in the military. She described it as "going from one high control group to another" in the WaPo article linked.

In short, he never got help that he clearly needed. And from what I've heard about the military, his time in it may have worsened whatever issues he already had.

His suicide is a bigger reflection of this very strange pattern on the left to glorify self harm since others are suffering. It's one thing to see children in a playground and think about how there are children in refugee camps who don't get to enjoy those freedoms. This is another thing. Bushnell, unlike many other cases of self-immolation (ie the self immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi, the man whose death kickstarted the Arab Spring) was not directly affected by the bombings in Gaza. Yet he chose an extreme route that even those affected by the situation, whether through being related to the Israeli hostages or through having family in Gaza, would not go to. This is a reflection of a larger trend on this website of self punishment and forcing every last gory detail of horrific events on yourself because of a) this feeling of powerlessness over not being able to do much about the situation and b) wanting to show how much of a good leftist you are because you will subject yourself to horrific violence to show how much you care. In reality, it is mental self-destruction. I've seen this behaviour in true crime communities as well.

I think a lot of the leftists on this site grew up in conservative environments where it's all or nothing right wing extremism. Thus, much like Bushnell, their political beliefs have shifted, but not their mindset. That's why so many people on this site are glorifying his suicide.

The reason newspaper headlines aren't mentioning his name is because we already know many school shooters do what they do for infamy. Therefore, by not mentioning their names, the media wants to avoid copycats. It's the same line of thinking here. It's got nothing to do with Zionism, according to some people who probably had no idea what that is before Oct 7 and not now, controlling the media. No, Zionists do not control the news cycle. You're perpetuating antisemitism when you say that.

Inevitably, since people on this site have piss on the poor reading comprehension, I expect this post to go over well. If you're going to tell me to kill myself, just know that you will be blocked and reported. Any dialogue ended the moment you decided that was acceptable.

[diaryujin]

𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐈𝐒 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄? (𝐈𝐓'𝐒 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐈𝐍 𝐘𝐎𝐔)

summary: you’re the best thing that’s happened to the girls – a life-changing event. it shows.

OR little things that (G)I-DLE do with you and only you

genre: fluff

includes: google translated thai and korean pls do not come after me if it’s wrong or weird, indirect mention of soojin leaving but oh well, got a little deep in yuqi’s bit, mention of idol struggles, wHY ARE THERE SO FEW WARNINGS 

pairing: idol! (g)i-dle x non-idol! fem! Reader

word count: 1.3k

a/n: this is all fluff, a rare exhibit even i’m shocked…

taglist: @kflixnet

cho miyeon

Miyeon is known for being extremely feminine and girlish and being on the receiving end of affection. It’s her trait, something everyone adores her for, and something she’s proud of. Yet, with you, she ends up doing things that are traditionally done by ‘the giver’ or the ‘man in the relationship’. Often, you’ll see her covering your shoulders with her favorite jacket when it’s cold, wrapping an arm around your waist to pull you closer when you seem uncomfortable, letting you borrow her shirts and accessories, and – hear ye, hear ye – big spooning you. She does it all so casually and without a word leaving her mouth, just a sweet smile, making it seem like a normal thing to do when, in reality, it isn’t. She’s giving you her prized things without a single word of complaint – which isn’t the experience of the other members, as they have so grumbled to you before. 

Can you blame her? You’re one of the very few things that truly belong to her, and she can’t help but want to show everyone else sometimes, even if it breaks character. Plus, you look adorable in her outfits, and she’ll always push aside her narcissism and self-love for you.

yontarak nicha (minnie)

Nicha speaks to you in English, which is how she’s practiced and became proficient in it. She often finds herself malfunctioning though because of the crap you do to the point that she thinks in three languages. If you do something stupid to annoy her, for example, the thought train in her brain choo-choos from “โอ้ ให้ตายเถอะ เธอทำอะไรลงไป-?” to “���깐만 왜 그렇게 웃는 게 이렇게 귀엽지?” to “OH CRAP THERE’S FLOUR IN MY HAIR?!” in a split second. It’s crazy to her because, before you, her mind’s default language was Thai, only translating it to words in English or Korean or something else she knew if she had to speak to someone who wasn’t from her country, which was a huge portion of the world. For you to be able to make her think multilingually? That was a feat she never saw happening. She makes sure that she speaks in English by the end of the day though, which is why she lags a couple of times when trying to respond to you.

First, her thoughts are jumbled in different languages. Second, she has to bring them all back to her native language - Thai. Third, she has to translate what she wants to say from Thai to English. Fourth, she has to make sure she doesn’t end up directly translating Thai phrases and idioms to English, where they make no sense. Give her a break.

(Thai - oh shit what did she just do-?  Korean - wait why is she so cute laughing like that?)

seo soojin

Soojin is quiet. She was the quietest member in (G)I-DLE, a stark contrast to the other girls. She also used to playfully reject most affection that they (Shuhua) offered, acting all tsundere-like. When it comes to you, however, you find that she’s the one initiating almost everything. Random back hugs, her hand suddenly sliding into yours perfectly, her lips puckering into that adorable duck lip she has when your faces are barely touching, you feeling your cheeks being cupped by her as she gives you uncalled-for kisses and more. If you try to push her away or ignore her acts of love, she’ll playfully whine and pester you to give her the attention that she desires from you. Of course, she knows where to stop bothering you and to give you space when you seriously need some alone time, but in moments unlike that, she’ll be like a small toddler bothering their parent for something insignificant.

It’s like you’re the Soojin to her Shuhua in SooShu, which is ironic if anything. She can’t be bothered to change her mannerisms though – she loves you so dearly that she’s afraid her heart might burst and she wants to make sure you know that.

jeon soyeon

Soyeon wrote Queencard and Allergy on a whim after you once told her that you didn’t like the way your body looked. You had been her muse for a few love songs, her favorite example being when she collaborated with Nicha on the lyrics of Dahlia and got endlessly teased by the girl for months on end for it (“You’re a simp!”), but these two were dedicated to you. Of course, she never mentioned it to anyone for fear of your name getting leaked out to fans, and she wasn’t going to get made fun of for loving you twice – she learned her lesson with one girl, imagine if all the others joined in on it? She didn’t allow you to listen to either until it was released officially, but it was all worth it when she got to see you screaming ‘why am I me?’ and ‘my boob and booty’s hot’ 24/7 around her. 

She’d always sport a small smile when she saw you listening to it, knowing that this made you feel at least a little bit better and confident in yourself. You had done so much for her and had been her rock and inspiration when she struggled and this was the least she could do to repay the favor.

(if you don’t like queencard or allergy sHhHh just go with it)

song yuqi

Yuqi is loud and argumentative to the point she can break the eardrums of whoever she sits in a heated discussion. She uses it to her advantage when she wants people to see her viewpoint and as a stan attractor for her group. Having to put up an image like that all the time in front of cameras and the eyes of adoring fans is exhausting though, and she always looks forward to the end of the day when she can come back to you and melt in your arms, or at least video call you if she’s on tour. You’re the calm to her storm, and she admires you for that. You’re able to handle her, rain or shine. Even if she gets overly emotional over something tiny, you’ll always be there to console her. Her favorite pastime is to simply cuddle with you on the couch and talk to you about random shit quietly as she closes her eyes and lets you hold her close. She can be herself with you, plain and simple, without worrying about what you think of her.

You’re her comfort space, where she can just be. As an idol, such a privilege is hard to get, which is why you’re her little secret, hidden away from almost everyone except a select few, and reserved for her only.

yeh shuhua

Shuhua is boisterous. She loves to make quips at people and bullies them playfully (just look at Miyeon). All the members and her family are victims of her teasing – no one is spared, except you. Instead, she lets you poke fun at her, with smacks to her head, mocking whatever she does, making disgusted looks at her when she acts cute, and whatnot. She’ll patiently wait there for you to be done before responding to you with an exasperated sigh or an insult back. It’s not as harsh as what she’s said to the other girls, and they have noticed the obvious favoritism whenever you go over to their dorms. They always complain about it to Shuhua, especially Yuqi, saying that they should get some of her love too. She denies any accusations of special treatment and argues back that they’re not her partner, you are, and thus they’re not worthy of her affection. It usually ends with Yuqi and Shuhua bantering for a long while as the rest, including you, watch in amusement.

You’re so special, one of the best things that’s happened to her. As much as she loves her group, you’ll always be on a higher pedestal in her head than them, resulting in a free pass and a shield from her relentless taunts. You don’t know whether to be grateful or a little concerned, but it’s nice to boast about a liberty to the others and watch their faces of annoyance.

[snailsnfriends]

i have a lot of problems with the whole "girl math," "girl dinner" and "girl [insert thing here]" trend, but I think one of my biggest gripes with it is how it focuses on the girl aspect, a term used for children. the "girl [thing]" trend centers helplessness (not knowing how to do certain things because you're a girl) and not completing a task to the fullest extent/being small about it (ex. not eating a complete dinner and calling it girl dinner). because "girl" is attached to it, it's about youth just as much as it's about gender, and I think it's such a horrible way to view young girls.

young girls are SO smart and capable. we tell them that being a girl means nothing in relation to what they're able to accomplish. we tell them that they can do anything if they set their mind to it. we tell them that being a girl is beautiful; it's something that makes them strong and unique. we have to reiterate these points to them because otherwise misogyny will win out and they'll be at risk of perceiving themselves poorly, leading to low self esteem and self worth.

so what kind of mindfuck is it for them to see that full grown adults, mostly women at that, perceive incapability as the equivalent to being a girl? that girls don't eat complete meals, that they can't do math, that they can't understand economics, world events, politics, science or just about anything that requires critical thought? that these things are for boys, that we should let men do all the work, that girls aren't meant to think or do just about anything for themselves?

it is such a disservice to young girls to perceive being a girl as this useless, Nothing state of being. we're showing them that being a girl means being weak and unaware. do you think that of every little girl you see? do you look at young girls, bright, beautiful, talented young girls, and see them as nothing but brainless amoebas? do you treat them that way? I really hope not. we are the adults in the room. girls look up to us, and there is nothing more painful to a child than an adult undermining them, which is exactly what happens when stereotypes are perpetuated through this "girl [thing]" trend.

you can't make being a girl, being a child, the same as every misogynistic stereotype that's ever existed. you're setting those girls up for failure. you're not seeing them, and they notice! because a little girl is fundamentally unlike what you think she is. do her (and yourself) a favor and view children as people capable of critical thinking, and capable of being affected by what you say and do, even if you don't say these things directly to them. I promise they see it.

[possiblylando]

Chainsaw Man 123 'Early' Analsys.

This chapter gives us a lot to chew on unlike the previous ones which where just fully mystery. Which is why I'm not really sure where we start. I guess at the beginning of the chapter? Yeah.

So this chapter we meet the falling devil. I can't say I was expecting this but I was right about this current body she's using being made from the corpses of the people that jumped off the apartment complex. She's got rather weird theming as she's a Primal Fear who is also a Chef despite it not really fitting with her fear. I guess Primal Fears can have hobbies?

"Hor D'oeuvre, La Root Vonla" is french for something. Someone who speaks french probably has a better translation (If you speak French lemme know the correct translation in the comment or reblogs) but I have to use google translate which was really shitting itself on this one. So the rough translation is: "Appetizers, The Will Route" It being an Appetizer means that this is probably the weakest of her attacks. Things are gonna get a lot worse from here on out. "The Will Route" is clearly in reference to the attack's affects.

It appears the way to overcome this first attack is to come to terms with your past Trauma so that it doesn't weigh on you as much if at all. Falling says "A word of warning- Those who don't finish their food will taste death." which seems like it's directly referring to the way to escape the attack Then we get a flashback of Asa's life soon after the Typhoon Devil attack. This probably only takes place a few Days-Weeks after the event due to Asa's hair still being about the same length as it was in the original flashback.

Left 102 Flashback, Right 123 Flashback. It's pretty clear that Asa has been using the Cat (Crambon) as a substitute for her mother. She's become anti-social and solitary only spending time with Crambon. (Which is fair by the way). At this point Crambon and her School Uniform are the only things she has left of her mother. Then we get this evil fucking bitch

She is easily one of, If not the most evil human character we've ever met.

Up until this point everything seems fine. Asa is willing to try to move on from her mother's death for the good of those around her by letting Crambon move on as well. It's a moment of personal growth.

This bastard could've easily said "Yes, Crambon's fine" even if it was a lie. But instead:

I don't know if this is Asa's mind making the situation worse than it actually was. She might not have even said this but the way Chainsaw Man does it's flashback they're rarely if ever wrong due to human memory being at fault. This demon of a person was so upset about Asa having literally anything to find comfort in that she killed Crambon. Back to the real world we get some more information on the attack.

Reading through this chapter I thought they this was going to be a literal falling attack. Where Falling just lifts up a bunch of people and drops them to die. But the reality is much worse. Anyone who is unable to deal with their Trauma is dragged straight into hell. This is a Therapy Session by Fire. You WILL overcome your emotional baggage or die. Which is why it's important it's Asa in control of the body right now. Since Asa is the one who has to overcome her Trauma to escape this situation. Thats the end of 123. Time to the-- Uh.. I don't know what to call this section. Post-Chapter analyses? Whatever. Now I think the solution to Falling's attack has already been revealed. Chapter 102 was when we got the flashback of Asa's Mother's Death. In the same chapter we get a flashback of Yuko giving Asa her shoes. It's the same chapter when Asa resolves to try and be better.

Even if Yuko is gone now she'll still have an affect on Asa. I hope this is the case cause that'd be nice. Here's what I think we're gonna be seeing in the coming chapter(s) 1. Asa is able to accept that her past Trauma can't be changed and that it wasn't her fault. (Hopefully we get that Yuko mention in some way cmon) 2. Denji shows up and has to deal with his own issues fully (Unless the attack has ended by then) This last one I'm not confident will happen but it'd be cool. We see the first death of a Primal Fear at the hands of Denji & Asa/Yoru. Additionally I wanna know what the deal with Falling is. Her whole theming is rather weird. She's the falling devil yet she's a chef? It doesn't quite seem like something a Primal Fear would do. But I guess they can have hobbies as well? That's all I've got for now. 123 End Question:

Would you?

[briefobservationdreamer]

Kingdom Hearts Redemption Arcs: Isa/Saïx

To begin with, there are a few things to consider about Saïx when looking at his actions in the original Organisation. Firstly, he became a Nobody when he was a teenager, before critical parts of his psyche had fully matured, and because he was heavily groomed and gaslit into believing he couldn’t ever feel emotions while he remained a Nobody (more so than any other member), this guaranteed that this part of him would remain stunted. Secondly, he was suffering an unbearable amount of pain at the time that he clearly could not cope with and had to deal with inwardly on his own, but due to Xemnas’ gaslighting likely didn’t have the self-awareness or emotional intelligence at the time to understand what he was feeling and realise he was deceiving himself. Thirdly, he had been possessed by Xehanort for at least a good while before the events of Days and 2, possibly for years, and unlike Xigbar he was not even aware of it, let alone consensual of it. The details are very unclear as to how exactly this affected him, all we can know is that he became a much colder, crueller person who was still driven by Isa’s personal motivations and capable of consciously working against Xemnas. These things don’t lessen the pain he caused, but they are so intertwined with him that it is impossible to separate him from these influences to clearly determine how reasonable it is to expect self-control or for him to be any different, and therefore how much responsibility he has over his actions, let alone how much atonement he must do. Of all the atoners, his situation is easily the woolliest.

As for his actions, Saïx is a character with very clear reasoning and consistent motivations he never truly wavers from, so it’s fairly easy to understand why he did everything that he did.

The Castle Oblivion situation is a very tricky one, since we don’t know for sure how much of what happened came from Xemnas, Saïx or Axel’s own initiative. All we know is that Saïx gave Axel orders to eliminate some traitors that were sent to Castle Oblivion, which ended up being Marluxia and Larxene. However, since the founding members of the Organisation are either complicit in or directly responsible for keeping Saïx and Axel captive there since they were children, the plot against them can be justified as an act of self-defence. The only apprentice Isa is shown interacting with since the end of the original Organisation is Even/Vexen, and the two would have had to work out any differences for cooperation to be possible in their plot to betray Xehanort in KH3.

Taking Kairi away from Axel, imprisoning her and using her to antagonise Sora was all done on Xemnas’ orders as part of the plot to control Sora and have him complete Kingdom Hearts, and it is made very clear that openly defying Xemnas is tantamount to death. His final scenes in 2 imply that he never even really wanted to toy with Sora in the first place, he would much rather take his revenge on him in proxy of Roxas for taking his best and only friend away and instigating events that ruined his life (more on this in a bit). Isa has yet to properly interact with Sora or Kairi post recompletion, and so has not had any opportunity yet to apologise and personally make it up to them beyond his contribution to Xehanort’s defeat in 3.

Manipulating Roxas and Xion into killing each other was definitely messed up, but again was done under orders from Xemnas once it became clear the two couldn’t co-exist due to Xion’s out-of-control powers. Neither of which was Saïx’s fault. The pair can’t really blame him too much and say he shouldn’t have done it without expecting him to at least risk getting dusked or destroyed for them. It doesn’t make their situation any better, but it is understandable that Saïx would choose goals and a friend he sacrificed everything for over a decade over a couple of kids he didn’t even know and one of which he thought wasn’t a real person, accepting their fates as unfortunate and unavoidable collateral. 

Making Axel choose between a friendship with him and a friendship with Roxas and Xion was also complicated. While he was definitely trying to get Axel to choose him, Saïx wasn’t the source of this conflict, the situation itself was. Axel couldn’t help earn Xemnas’ trust and carry out Saïx’s plans to take control of the Organisation, find Subject X and get their lives back while he was deliberately defying Xemnas to protect Roxas and Xion. Jealousy was at play here, but Saïx was also laying out a cold hard truth that their interests were mutually exclusive, and by nobody’s fault. If we’re also including their confrontation in the manga when Axel tries to rescue Kairi, I fault Axel more than Saix here. Not only was Saïx at his most possessed here, he was also in Berserk form with limited awareness and memory, driven only by a desire to take out anything considered a threat, and Axel put Saïx’s life at risk the moment he turned his back on him and put him in a kill-or-be-killed situation.

Lastly, the main one people think of, his unnecessarily cruel treatment of Roxas and Xion. This is the only one not motivated at least partly by some form of preservation or ulterior motive. One big point to get out of the way is the fact that Saïx was fully aware of Xion’s nature from the get-go and she only ever looked like the white featureless animated mannequin Vexen showed him in the lab, no more human-looking than a Dusk, just dressed up in a black coat, and was likely under the impression from Vexen that she was merely an imitation of life. It’s understandable that perceptions like this would influence his treatment, though it was still a horrible way to treat someone regardless.

Sadly there is much more to it than that. His main reason for this is lashing out from suffering a colossal betrayal from Axel. He was forced to watch the three form bonds of friendship and get their hearts and humanity back while his own friendship with Axel crumbled and he remained empty, when out of all the organisation members, Saïx was the most desperate to get those things back. The only friend he had - and a friend he constantly risked his neck for - ditched and replaced him when he needed him most. Despite warning Axel that their interests were mutually exclusive, Axel still chose to abandon Saïx and an entire decade’s worth of goals Saïx had sacrificed everything for and did nothing to stop their destruction until it was almost too late, all to protect Roxas and Xion. He lost everything he still had and cared about in the name of the trio’s friendship, and he became a hollow broken man and a brainwashed slave trapped under the command of an abuser he hated with almost no hope of escape or happiness. To make things worse, at no point does he ever understand why his life has gone so horribly wrong. His treatment of Roxas and Xion was reprehensible, completely undeserved and unfair regardless of how much control he had and unjustified for as much control he did have (to Roxas and Xion at least, feelings of rage and betrayal towards Axel is completely justified), but I am sadly not surprised in the least that this was enough to drive him beyond breaking point.

What he did to make it up to the three though is something that often gets overlooked because of how subtly it was implied in game (and possibly some wilful ignorance and denial from Saïx haters), though Re:Mind helps a lot with this. As soon as he became more himself, he self-reflected, recontextualised his actions through his original values, felt remorse for what he did, put all his rage and jealousy and pain and pride aside, admitted his flaws and vulnerabilities, corrected toxic behaviour and saved the people he hurt. The idea to have Vexen and Demyx create and deliver the replicas for Roxas and Xion was his. He planned to bring back Roxas and Xion, betray Xehanort and orchestrate his defeat to save the world and craft the brightest future, and he risked his life to make that a reality. There is literally nothing more he could have done for them by this point in the story. The only thing I can fault with this is that it could have perhaps been made a bit clearer, an official apology is still owed and it wouldn’t have taken much effort to briefly add one during his “death” scene even if there is still a lot of talking out to do, though Isa is a man who speaks with actions more than words, and his actions spoke loud and clear. Overall, a great redemption that I can only fault for not getting quite enough spotlight.

(Interestingly his story has a lot of parallels with Riku, but with some critical differences. Riku was manipulated and possessed for a few weeks altogether, Saïx went through years of it, and secondly Riku turned against Sora after mistakenly believing Sora would abandon him and Kairi, while Saïx was absolutely abandoned by Axel when Axel turned against him.)  

[romanceyourdemons]

as a certified twisty spy film enjoyer, i absolutely loved hidden blade (2023). the film, set during the second sino-japanese war and japanese occupation of china, traces a complex network of double agents and betrayals, making use of a non-linear style to do so; although this does make it a bit difficult to follow the characters and action in the first act, the payoff when events finally start falling into place is great enough to make it worth it. one thing the film does incredibly well—aided by this non-linear style—is juxtaposition: setting the elegant suits and clandestine meetings of the espionage genre not only side-by-side with but directly on top of the brutal, gritty conflict of where the genre intersects with the war genre. unlike the stylish, stylized martial arts of ip man (2008), the grandmaster (2013), or even mission: impossible (1996), the well-shot fight choreography in this film emphasizes the practical and visceral side of hand-to-hand combat; the cinematography, full of rich colors and frames within frames almost reminiscent of wong kar-wai, places the grotesque side of war and espionage a single cut away from the string quartets and letter drops. furthermore, the excellent script is heightened by the excellent casting and acting: tony leung, wang yibo, and zhou xun all make excellent use of alternating flat affect and hyperexpressivity, playing an elaborate cup game with the audience’s knowledge and sympathies until the final scene cleanly and beautifully lays the truth bare. for its sophisticated use of all elements of filmmaking to weave an engrossing and satisfying story, i deeply enjoyed hidden blade (2023), and i would strongly recommend it

[bokettochild]

Last one. How did you decide on these?

Legend was both easier and harder, depending on when he woke. If it was the middle of the night the teen usually launched into full panic, scanning their group for whatever injury he might have seen in his visions. The three of them all had different types of visions they’d discovered: Sky saw what was to come, in full, Legend would find himself in the body of another person and live through what was to come or what they currently were dealing with; everything from experiencing a particularly shoddy kidnapping attempt that Fable faced, to once living through getting blown up before Wild had even suggested setting bombs, and Time experienced the world through flashes, through glimpses of what was to come based on the actions of others.

Ah, this is an old one!

In LoZ cannon, there are three heroes who experience prophetic dreams of any sort: Time, Sky and Legend. Legend's are, in part, because of Fable's telepathy, but the fact remains that he still saw her in the dungeon as it was happening.

I didn't want all of them to have the same sort of prophetic dreams, especially all at the same time, because it makes for less interesting story telling if everyone is equally in the know about things, so I looked at the sort of prophetic dreams they have in canon and made up my mind using that.

Sky's dreams in SkSw reveal Demise and coming troubles to him. So, I determined that his visions are often unclear and vague, and usually focus on things that haven't happened yet and are still yet to happen. I think because his vision in SkSw is clearer than some of, say, Time's that it would make sense if he could see a more complete or complex vision.

Time's visions are more flashes and spurts. OoT shows us that he has visions, but they're not easy for him to understand on his own, or else until the thing has already come to pass. I figured it would be best to preserve this by giving him more intense feelings, images and inclinations that lead to increased worry and wariness, rather than letting him know for certain what's to happen. I displayed this a bit more in A Hero Protects His Own when Time has a very vague vision consisting of a bleeding and broken Legend and a shattered Master Sword (I called it before it ever happened in ToTK lol). He doesn't have any idea what leads to the thing so much as he just knows it. Even if he can't understand it. Additionally, Time's visions are prone to change. Unlike Sky ad Legend who just have visions of things that will happen, Time messed with time enough that his visions are more like brief flashes of the future, but from many different realities. Time's visions are triggered by specific actions or things he sees/hears/witnesses, and whatever force grants them these visions shows him the most likely thing to happen as a result of those actions. It can change and isn't set in stone, unlike the other two, but changing the course for things requires being able to identify the cause of the string of events or else directly intercede to prevent them, as I did in the fic you took this passage from (Under Pressure, Whumptober 2021).

Legend's visions were a bit tricky because I didn't want him to know everything like Sky, but I also know it would destroy him if he had vague inclinations of ill fate hanging over him at all times like Time. I chose to instead use the fact that he briefly experiences/sees/hears Zelda's imprisonment in ALttP as my basis for how his premonitions work. Legend has to experience things firsthand as they're going to happen to someone. This is partly caused because he's far more sensitive to dream magic than the others, and partially because he's something of an empath (he's noted to have a pure and caring heart a lot in the games and mangas, and shows great pain on behalf of others as well). He doesn't necessarily know what's happening or why, but he gets to see it through the eyes of the affected individual, seeing the full picture in all of it's emotion and insanity in something of a balance between Time's and Sky's visions; he gets the full brunt of emotion, but clear and full images. His visions don't usually come with a lot of time between them and what is actually going to happen however, if any time at all, and it's more that they serve as a way for him to better understand things that are currently happening than things that are going to happen.

I hope this grants you some more clarity! Thanks for choosing this passage, it's bee a it since I've thought about it!

[numbuh]

my headcanon for the basic ways decom may affect those who get decommissioned

OUTCOME 1: decom worked exactly as intended. minor headaches, which are especially common right after the procedure. some very vague memories of places and such with the knd absent but otherwise? nothing. they can live a normal life without potentially getting suspicious/concerned about what happened to them.

OUTCOME 2: decom seemed to work perfectly at first, though a select few memories are clearer than others (likely depends on the impact/significance of said memories) but 'clear' is still a stretch. hazy and disorienting. the knd and villains etc. are still absent in said memories, or they're heavily like... distorted? it feels Wrong. if they try to force these memories, or if someone else unearths one for them, they will either get a headache or a brief moment of pain not unlike a shock.

OUTCOME 3: just a theory by some within the knd. an operative may become the complete opposite of who they once were or even more boring than other teens if their identity/personality was too shaped by what they did or experienced in the knd. they'll be fine, they're just different. maybe they're closer to their knd self than others think and it's another case of kids misunderstanding teenagers. who knows. wouldn't say that goes for every case, though. just a theory.

OUTCOME 4: grandfather: last resort only. it can be dangerous to use decom on anyone other than a kids next door operative, especially as a weapon on full blast. zero knew his father's personality and powers were tied directly to his hatred of children and his rage against them. leaving him with nothing at all— or at least, as an everyday frail old man, was his intention. regardless of how old grandfather is now, he's lucky if he even remembers his full name.

some general decom hcs:

there is no outcome of decom where the procedure doesn't work at all or it's only temporary (sorry not sorry operation forget comic). there would have to be some sort of huge interference or fault with the chamber for it to be partial.

it's over quicker than you'd expect the majority of the time.

there is no way to fully retrieve knd memories other than the recommissioning module. decommissioning does not "rewrite" memories, it only wipes them. erasing a select few memories using decom (if possible) is more risky than erasing a giant chunk. kids next door would be getting mission-related trauma (ie. the events of zero) and embarrassing memories erased every day if this wasn't the case— if they would know it was possible. if you're not in the knd and find out something you weren't supposed to, you keep it to yourself or swear to secrecy. Usually.

studying post-decom operatives after bringing them back home counts as the knd interfering with their lives (or getting too close to doing so.) most of the above list is based on the accounts of younger siblings or those who didn't care for obeying the rules in the first place. names are always omitted from stories unless it's something like the steve 100 rumor. no one wants to get in trouble. this includes knd scientists, who mayyyy or may not be keeping tabs on this sort of thing.

contrary to what most operatives may believe, the decom squad, supreme leaders and similar have thought about the ethics involving decommissioning before. whether they believed in numbuh zero existing or not, they themselves considered someone like grandfather to be a last resort situation. experimental, even. the past ages of the knd theorized that decom could work to fully incapacitate a villain. they were right. whether it was "right" or "wrong" didn't matter, it was the only way to save the children of the world. no one was going to argue against it. the reason why decom is not used as a weapon on every villain under the sun in present day is because of the ethics and the risk of said villains getting their hands on decom devices.

there's like. a 40% chance a post-decom operative might not remember a person they spent a lot of time with if most of what they talked about was their knd life.

most post-decom operatives laugh at the idea of the knd similar to how sector v reacted in end... until they see kids with 2x4 tech fighting adults out in the open or flying around in ships in the sky. now they owe their friend a soda and five bucks.

[princesseevee06]

TELL US ABOUT THE ROSE & VIOLET ROUTES!!! (if you want)

fundamentally they are just different flavors of mlm on wlw violence

ok in all seriousness though i have no idea where to even START because there is SO MUCH!!!! i cannot possibly cover it all in one post. so i will just give a basic rundown under the cut.

as i briefly addressed in some of my earlier posts, the rose/violet routes are the equivalent of the emotion and logic routes for ytr, w/ the difference being that the choice in the 2nd main game vote is between shin and sou instead of shin and kanna. i wanted to take a different approach tonally, since unlike kanna who is a total sweetheart, these two are Very Bitter and Vengeful (in other words ryoko is soooooo screwed no matter what she does LMAO). i tried my best to balance out both routes to make em have more of a bittersweet feeling

shin’s actions are still pretty much the same as they are canonly at the end of the 2nd main game. if ryoko votes for him then he will set up a Nice Good sara ai for her :) and if ryoko votes for sou then instead he will set up a Fake Bad sara ai :((( this difference ends up massively affecting ryoko’s psyche in each route so i will get into it

rose route sara ai scene: so yeah the express intent of the ai that shin sets up here is to torment ryoko. and like i said in my last post ryoko literally just punches the shit out of the monitor and breaks it. like when she realizes what’s happening she just says “no❤️” but she is of course still INCREDIBLY shaken up by it. she already feels so guilty over sara’s death, and she’s having to cope with the weight of everything else as well— she doesn’t know how much longer she can keep it together. my idea is that kugie would find ryoko crying in the room of rubble, and they’d have a very touching scene where kugie reassures ryoko she doesn’t have to handle everything by herself. that everyone is in this together and so kugie will always be there for her, the same way ryoko was for her :) it’s very sweet and i love them dhshhdh#hshx

so after ryoko gets back on her feet, she’s able to cope a bit better but throughout the events of chapter 3 she is still very much in a frail state. like, extreme emotional turmoil. yet at the same time she’s burdening herself with less of the load and learning to rely on her friends

violet route sara ai scene: in the violet route ryoko does get her touching goodbye with sara!!! yay!!! sara inspires ryoko to keep moving forward and not give in. she tells ryoko how much she meant to her as a best friend, and for a moment they just get to be sappy and sweet :,) so as ryoko leaves, she’s certain she can be confident now and she’ll be able to help everyone and oh god why is sou here

yeah if you assumed sou would also try to do something terrible here, you were right. although instead of taking a psychological approach like shin, he decides to go directly for ryoko’s jugular ^_^ i mean that so literally btw. when sou goes into the room of rubble and sees ryoko standing over shin’s corpse and yet still looking so hopeful something in him just Snaps. and he starts trying to choke her to death. awkward. he does not go through with killing her though. bc he realizes he has a “much better plan” (i will get to this in a little bit) anyways im sorry for sou beinngterrible i promise he gets better (he gets much worse but i promise hes still a sympathetic character in this au i promise i pr)

violet route ryoko is veeeeery interesting to me because while she’s able to keep it together better, and not so distraught over sara’s death anymore, in a way because she loves sara so much, she feels obligated to “live up to her name” after she’s gone, trying to stay strong and take everyone’s burdens unto herself not recognizing how unhealthy it is. but through this behavior she’s pushing herself away from others more, and as a result of that anzu later makes some very bad choices (murder) (it’s ironic because sara would certainly Not want ryoko to burden herself) (but ryoko also wants to be someone who sara could be proud of) (not realizing sara loves her just the way she is) (augh. can you tell im normal about them)

OK ENOUGH RYOKO now let’s get to the awful awful green(teal?) haired men and their terrible decisions. starting with shin

shin acts pretty similar to how he does in the logic route here. very much “i have no allies >:( i’m only working with you out of necessity” behavior. although while he is initially hellbent on vengeance against ryoko and the others, he sort of just ends up…faltering. i don’t see him harboring as much antagonism against ryoko as he does against sara, partially because she doesn’t have the crazy win percentages sara does and also partially because she has more of a blunt bundle-of-sunshine personality, and really couldn’t keep a secret to save her life, making her seem less suspicious to him overall. so i definitely see shin being “softer” here, still being clear about his resentment but less in a “i’m going to kill you one day” way and more in a “i want nothing to do with you after this” way

sou on the other hand. jesus christ he is on his LAST STRAW. ok idk if you’ve seen that one chapter 3 cut content scene anon but i decided to take inspiration from that for sou’s actions here because i’m incredibly abnormal about it. (IDK IF THE TRANSLATION IM WATCHING IS ACCURATE BUT STILL…) basically in it sou asks mr. chidouin/meister if he can end the death game, and then he basically resolves that “to end it as soon as possible, i’ll kill everyone myself” which. ok girl. and then meister replies “it’s broken you after all” WHICH. OK GIRL? whay does that mean.

so yeah his ingenious “plan” in ytr is that in order to prevent another death game from ever happening again, he wants to destroy the game from the inside by killing everyone at asunaro + all of the participants. his logic behind this is that there’s nothing for him to go back to, he betrayed asunaro and the person he betrayed them for in the first place is dead. he also figures he’s likely to die soon if another main game rolls around and so well. if he’s going to go out might as well go out in flames!

of course this plan immediately has a wrench thrown in it when his mother shows up and he is plunged headfirst back into childhood trauma. and also the fact that he truly does care about both kai and kugie (and maple if she’s still alive at this point) even though he’s desperately trying to act like he doesn’t. so much like his cringefail best friend he ends up being much less of a villain throughout chapter 3 and more just a Guy Who’s Having a Really Bad Week

ok i cannot. write anymore i am so sorry if this is completely incomprehensible iwas drafting this at 1am. but if you are interested in hearing more i give full permission to you (or anyone else reading this) to ask me about specific events that happen in chapter 3 on either route because i would be very glad to talk about them 👍

[raeseddon]

Ghost Hunt Project Update

So far I've summarized the main points I want to focus on for the first three books, as outlined here:

Book One:

Each novel builds on the social price of being a "weird" kid growing up in a collectivist society. We're first introduced to Mai, who's interested in weird things in a way that that doesn't push the boundaries of her society. When eerie things begin to happen in the old school, she sees first hand in her classmate who *does* push those boundaries what that social price is: gossip that will stay with her forever, and affect her life forever, as high school experiences are clung to, far, far into adulthood. High school is the last time kids are considered kids, free of the pressures of oncoming adulthood (which is bullshit, as seen by how gossiped about and isolated Mai's classmate becomes.

Book Two:

The second book hones in on how events that push the credulity of a collectivist society effect an individual family. Mai initially makes the same assumption about what happened in her first encounter with the supernatural at her school because it no longer pushes that incredulity as much as it did before she met Naru and the others. As with the family, she's hoping for an answer to what's happening that won't upset their place in the community. The most affected character in the book is far, far younger than Mai and the others, which ups the stakes of the events affecting her life from a much younger age. Mai also gets to know the other adults much better, and her powers begin to assert themselves, beginning her journey towards Otherness.

Book Three:

Back in a school setting, Mai once again finds herself facing directly the consequences of nonconformity, as a young adult, getting closer and closer to true adulthood-- a point in her life that she's expected to drop any "childish" belief. The hitch this time is that there's an adult in the mix who clearly struggles with surviving life as a weird adult, and takes that out on SPR's client, Kasai, a genuine psycho-kineticist. The adults in SPR are incredibly split on whether Kasai is the victim or the villain, which reveals much of the baggage they still hold from surviving being a weird kid and making it to adulthood. As Mai sees how seemingly easy it is for psychic ability to destroy a person and make them willing to destroy another's life, she hopes she *doesn't* have those powers-- but she does, and her journey to Otherness is now officially on its way.

This is it so far-- as I'm using the books only, there won't be anything on the Christmas episode or the ghost in the park episode. Forbidden Past-time will be the most meaty book as far as making my primary point that surviving being a weird kid is more worth it than anyone could ever imagines it would be-- especially when right before Mai's powers are confirmed, she sees one of the worst case scenarios for becoming not just a weird, but a creepy, bitter, manipulative adult.

Miss Ubusuna is such a skin-ceawlingly disgusting character, and to counterpoint her with Naru (and Gene, before he shuffled off the mortal coil) (who were kept near-entirely out of the public eye) and Mai, who's only just discovering that otherness and clearly fears it, was such a fantastic writing decision on Ono's part. Even before the readers know Naru's true identity, he sympathizes with Ubusuna to a surprising degree, though cannot justify her near-murder of her work colleagues and the unbearly cruel ways she screwed with Kasai's head.

Getting through Forbidden Past-time will take forever because with Yasu we finally get into queer otherness and Ono's most scathing indictment of the Japanese school system to date. What happens when someone doesn't survive being a weird kid? What happens when, unlike Ubsuna, they do take the step to end their life?

[ira-dendrobium]

The Question

Event Request: [🍂]+ Scaramouch [God of Eternal Wisdom] + [🌷][🍦]

Click here to see if the Event is still open and to check the rules!

Event Masterlist and Plan!

This is no secret that once the exiled god of the Inazuma now become one of the major gods of Sumeru. But unlike Kusanali, Scaramouch is much more known as the ruthless god.

He didn't like to waste time answering ridiculous questions from his followers but if his followers do manage to catch his attention, they would find that his answer are much more direct than Kusanali's.

But there is another secret that he keeps deep inside. For one, he didn't mind wasting his time just to tend to you.

He didn't really mind if you decide to barge inside his abode and start to bother him. And he also didn't refuse if you want to give your affection to him in exchange for his time.

Right now, you both are lazily laying around his private room with a stack of books around you. He is reading a book peacefully while you lay your head in his lap. His hands found their way to your hair and in mindless action started to stroke them. You just let Scaramouch do his things while you hum a song.

"Scara, since You are the god of Eternal Wisdom, can I ask you a question?" Scaramouch raised his eyebrows when he heard that but look into your eyes as a silent gesture for you to continue.

"If there are such things as eternal wisdom then did the eternal love also exist?" You asked him while looking into his eyes directly. He snorts before flicking your forehead. With a yelp, you sit back up and look at him with a pout.

"Did my followers tend to ask stupid questions rubbing off on you?" He asks.

"Hey! I'm just asking a question! If you didn't know the answer then no need to use force, hmph!" You said. Scaramouch stays silent for a while before cupping your face.

"While I can't explain the concept so your stupid head understands but I can give you an example of eternal love." He then brings you to his embrace before continuing.

"Eternal love is something that can describe what I'm feeling for you. The love that will stand forever. For Eternity."

Thank you for requesting! And I see you all next time~. Don't forget to leave some comments down below and reblog.

[nightpool]

One of the members of the Hugo Awards subcommittee has come forward with emails and work products detailing the censorship and eligibility decisions that took place at the Chengdu Worldcon. The decisions seem to break down into a few main categories, only one of which she had a direct hand in:

First, several Chinese works were disqualified due to suspected "collusion" reported by the administrators. Very few details about this are known, it was handled directly by the Hugo administrators (Dave McCarty and Shi Chen) and did not involve any of the researchers or associate administrators like Diane Lacey. The allegation seems to be some sort of pay-to-play slate publishing, however, the act of disqualifying ballots of fans who submitted their votes just because they happened to agree with a slate published by a zine that the administrators disagree with is completely out of the norm for the Hugo Awards, which have already debated on and adopted a unique voting mechanism to alleviate the impact of slate voting, and has previously rejected the idea of disqualifying ballots when it was proposed as a constitutional amendment. This elimination only affected Chinese authors (unlike the Western authors in the next bullet that Lacey had more direct involvement with). To my mind, this is the most direct example of corruption associated with the WorldCon, and I think it explains a lot of the weibo chatter we've been seeing from Chinese SF fans about the owners of one group of publishers (the ones sponsoring the Worldcon) using their power inappropriately against other publishers (presumably the ones that did not agree to sponsor the Worldcon)

English-language Hugo committee members, such as Diane Lacey, are normally responsible for investigating each nominated work to determine its eligibility. Last year, they were also instructed by Dave to research the book and authors for "any mentions of Taiwan, Tibet, Hong Kong, or any negative mentions of China", based on the instructions given to Dave by "his Chinese counterpart" (presumably Shi Chen). At this stage, several concerns were raised about R.F. Kuang, Xiran Jay Zhao and Paul Weimer (for having participated in a discussion about Hong Kong on Twitter and sharing negatives about the Chinese government in a patreon post that was otherwise positively celebrating the Chengdu Worldcon announcement), among others.

With the raw data compiled by the western administrative team, Dave McCarty and Shi Chen made final eligibility decisions in person. It is at this stage that The Sound Of Her Wings was eliminated, despite no issues being flagged by the researchers.

Additionally, there is an unauthenticated copy of a press release from the Sichuan Province Publicity Department claiming that they had successfully overseen the review of 1,512 works that were to be exhibited at the Worldcon, and "Works under suspicion of containing content involving politics or ethnic religions were strictly controlled. Corrective measures were proposed for 12 works that involve LGBT and other controversial content." This probably refers primarily to the books offered for sale / exhibition at the Worldcon rather than the awards themselves, but it's possible that this process was also used by the event organizers to determine Hugo eligibility. In either case, the post has been removed from the department website, so although archived copies remain it's hard to say for certain whether they're authentic.

Regardless, I think it's clear from the evidence given that works were eliminated from the Hugo Awards process for political reasons, at the direction of the Chengdu Worldcon committee, to both comply with the political climate enforced by the Chinese government and to support the business interests of the consortium that sponsored and ran the Chengdu Worldcon. Political censorship affected primarily, but not entirely, Western works and authors, and corruption affected primarily Chinese works and authors.

[mapplejuice]

Don't forget - Your choices still matter.

Another Deltarune analysis, featuring a non-techie person explaining a bit of tech and why we should probably be aware of it.

Since the day of its release into the public eye, Deltarune has made it a point to tell us that "your choices don't matter" -- whether "you" refers to either Kris or you as the player. Toby's already confirmed Deltarune to have one ending, and the game pokes a lot of fun at giving you choices only for your answer (if it even lets you answer) to be inconsequential. This came as a stark contrast to Undertale, where e v e r y choice mattered in the most unexpected ways. Even the choices we thought we erased, the choices we expected no consequence from, could come back with a vengeance later in the game.

So, before we get to into things, let's talk about how Undertale can make your decisions bite you in the ass.

Undertale has a relatively small SAVE file, with only about 500 lines and flags altogether. In your computer's local app data, you can see up to three true SAVE files: file0, for your actual game; file8, referred to as "Flowey's" file; and file9, which is the auto-save file. Within these files, the game stores your name, inventory, room, and your progress through the story (along with other things). On a typical reset, files 0 and 9 are erased (file8 is suspiciously spared, but surprisingly not our target).

What doesn't get erased during a normal reset is the undertale.ini file.

Unlike the SAVE files, you don't need to interact with a SAVE point to update your .ini--it's automatic whenever certain events occur. And unlike your SAVE, which usually keeps track of events as a "yes" or "no", the .ini is a counter, meaning it also keeps track of the amount of times you've witnessed a given scene or done something.

Here's a snippet of my current .ini file as reference. Among other things, we can see my pie preference (Bscotch = 2), how I've killed and spared Toriel once each (TK = 1 and TS = 1), that I've already walked through New Home the first time (Tale = 1), how many times I've died (Gameover = 1; I got cocky in the Undyne fight), and how many times I've walked through the final door (Won = 5). All of these entries affect what the game does, whether it's Flowey directly taunting me or Goat Mom getting deja vu over butterscotch pie.

In short: Undertale uses an external file to keep track of everything you've done, not just everything you've saved. It's honestly a very simple and effective strategy to make your video game meta. Doki Doki Literature Club actually does something pretty similar, using an external "persistent" file to keep track of what scenes you've played out with each girl and what leg of the story you're in. By having a file outside of your saves, something that can be updated in the background without extra action, you can effectively give your characters a ripple-proof memory-- or thereabouts, anyway.

Savvy players, however, will notice that Deltarune still doesn't do this; when you erase a file slot, there's no residual evidence of it both in the game and in the files. And that's true! There's points to be made about how the SAVE files seem to "hide" certain flags, like your vessel choices and your Eggs (which I could DEFINITELY talk more about in the future), but all of these choices are still confined to the same run.

But Deltarune may not need an all-encompassing persistent file-- just one that sees what you're still doing.

So far, there's only one event within the entirety of Deltarune that hints at the game reading not one, but all of your SAVE files at the same time: when you talk to Seam in Chapter 2.

If you've defeated Jevil in any one of your active CH1 files, you can access the Shadow Crystal and Jevilstail/Devilsknife in any of your CH2 files, even if they're not directly linked. Seam will even talk about you defeating Jevil, and be surprised when you say that you haven't. On first glance, this probably just looks like an anti-frustration tool; after all, the Jevil fight is one of the hardest in the entire franchise, and making players beat him in three different runs might be asking for a bit too much. Perhaps it's nothing...

...But how do we feel about the dr "config" file versus "true_config"? Because I'm a little sussed out.

Lo and behold, opening up the dr.ini file reveals a summary of all your active save files (both CH1 and CH2, in-game and end of chapter) in one place. Unlike undertale.ini, it's a much shorter summary with only 8 variables per SAVE. InitLang, Room, Date, Time, and Name are all self-explanatory; "UraBoss" refers to the secret boss fight of the chapter (0 = not fought, 1 = won violently, 2 = won peacefully).

But how about that difference between Love and Level?

I wonder how that changes during a Snowgrave run, or if future chapters include their own "Weird Route".

I wonder why the other files need to know.

Perhaps Ralsei was right--and perhaps, should we continue anyway, our consequences are not confined to one timeline.

[vaalthus]

The Only Path (Spoilers)

Given that Alteon didn't bite back at Sepulchure's hard blows, even when taking into consideration that he feels accountable for much that has happened during his rule, I'd say it's a safe bet that Alteon feels extremely guilty for Valen choosing to don the Doomknight armor, if that wasn't evident enough from the last quest. Even moreso that he refused to come out challenge Sepulchure directly when he attacked all of Greenguard. Furthermore, there is the indication that Alteon more than understands why Valen became Sepulchure which is why he seems to refuse to bring up the immorality of his actions during the orb saga. It is evident that what happened between him, Valen, and Lynaria bind the two in a way that he feels he couldn't truly believe that

Clearly much of their original strife began surrounding events regarding Lynaria and yet much would imply we are still missing heavy details here that sets them apart from what occurred in AQW's timeline. Which makes me wonder again if there any more hints or clues Valen's story regarding his background in this timeline. I doubt it but it is something to ponder.

Also...

I know this is technically helping and that the person whose body that used to belong to is either straight up dead or is having their soul pilot a golem now but it just feels wrong.

Yeah you and Xan are so getting dragged to Celestia's grave when this over buddy

Ah but we finally have a plan to deal with Akanthus!

And it's to toss him into the trashbin where he belongs.

Alright jokes aside, this is somewhat of solid plan...in theory. We have no means of hurting Akanthus nor keeping him under confinement on Lore so it makes sense that perhaps the best solution is just throw him into completely different reality and hope at best that it kills him or at worst takes him forever to find his way back out.

The problem here though is that nothing in the Void might actually be able to harm him either so he eventually might find his way back. The Void having its own core might override that fact as well the fact this void pearl might place him in an unpleasant part of the Void to keep him occupied but this would seem to only delay the inevitable. I am curious if Akanthus could even be affected by Void Madness.

The other problem of course is pointed by the Hero right here:

The last thing the Land of Dragons need is yet another rift leaking out all manner of ugliness and madness that's associated with the Void. The pearl potentially allowing something to come in from the Void seems high given the Magesters haven't properly tested it either.

There is however yet another problem addressed in this particular moment

I'VE FAILED TO EDUCATE THE DRAGON CHILD!!!

There is a bright side to this quest though

BRITTANY IS AWAKE AND SEEMINGLY WELL!!!

It's also nice to know here that Victoria does have an out if she no longer wants to sit on the throne anymore but it is equally a joy that she's no longer as alone nor as ungrounded as she was when was originally forced to take up the crown's mantle to deal with Jaania and the Rose.

Finally there's this....

If I didn't know any better I'd say this was from our dear water elemental invaders from the Deadlands rift. Which if true I find their comments concerning and not just about invading part. In fact, I find it most worrying that they consider the Deadlands to be more suitable to inhabit than the Elemental Plains.

Past observations would lead one to assume that these Water Elementals hail specifically from the Elemental Plane of Water, much like the Lagohmorphs with the Manufactory, and unlike the Rifts that indicate their combatants came from the parts of the Elemental Plain that are designated as the Wastes. This would lead to the assumption that if that is the case then these Water Elemental's home are under control and stabilized when compared to the condition of the Wastes. Yet this speaker indicates that wherever they are from their place of origin is far too chaotic and imbalanced for their liking.

This leads me to two potential train of thoughts. The first is that these are in fact water elementals from the Elemental Plane of Water that Neso created and the Plane has been in a state of disarray and decay since she and the other Avatars were reduced to orbs due to Notha and Myalos fight with them. A problem likely made worse by the fact that we know that the Wastes has "heroes" and beasts that the Plane of each element has to likely defend itself against. Although unlike the Manufactory for the Lagohmorphs, the inhabitants of the water plane are likely not fairing as well when confronting the absence of their Avatar and are simply looking for a means beyond their own Plane to escape the chaos.

The second thought is that these water elemental are actually denizens of the Wastes that miraculously have managed to lockdown a section of it dedicated to water but without the influence or support of Neso. The problem with this though is as expected. They are still in the Wastes while doing this, meaning they would be under a much heavier assault of the chaos that is often noted to occur in the Wastes due to the clash of the elements for dominance.

The first thought admittedly seems more likely but I'll be intrigued if it somehow manages to be the latter.

Also I'm absolutely loving this Timeless drip for my alt.

[thewertsearch]

Hello.

No username, no text color - absolutely nothing to go on. This conversation doesn’t even start with a chat header, which would indicate whether he’s pestering Vriska or trolling her. 

Methinks this guy actually knows what he’s doing.

All the ways I've exploited you were meant to bring about the events that will take place this evening.

Whitetext may hide his identity, but he’s making no effort to hide what’s going on. He’s confident enough in his machinations to essentially taunt Vriska here, because the game ends today. 

Knowing this will provide context for the events in your near future, and will affect how you behave in response. These events will be just as important as those preceding it.

Just kidding - the game hasn’t ended. These taunts are just another way to move Vriska into position - and, again, he’s perfectly comfortable telling her this, because that, too, is part of his gambit. 

Who the hell is this guy? He’s using perfect syntax, implying he’s not a troll - but we know from Gamzee that trolls can suppress their quirks, so even that’s not a given. 

AG: You are just a petty douche with a 8ad temper who likes to pl8y g8mes, and all I did w8s humor you. I did exploit you, very thoroughly. It was easy. [...] Have I ever lost a game? AG: Don't ch8nge the su8ject!!!!!!!!

This is how you handle someone like Vriska. Unlike Aradia, she probably can’t be tricked into a state where she willingly gives up her agency, and would probably rebel out of principle if you tried.

So instead, you just piss her off. She’ll stop thinking clearly, and - provided you’ve got the right ideas into her head - her own natural inclinations will do your work for you. You’ll have your Aradia, even though she doesn't realize that’s what she is. 

AG: I'm going to log off in a 8ig huff and you have to promise not to use that nasty trick where you log me 8ack on out of petty douchey spite!

Yeah, it would really suck if someone violated your agency like that, wouldn’t it, Mindfang?

I no longer hold you accountable for any wrongdoing. In fact, I've given your transgression very little thought since the incident.

So Vriska actually did get one over on Mr Chessmaster over here.

...or, at least, he’s letting her think she did. This feels like the type of person who’d work on multiple levels like that.

If you acknowledge this amnesty and regard it as sincere, you may begin to find the odds falling in your favor again.

So he’s the reason for her bad luck? 

Maybe has some sort of power over probability. This feels like a guy who’s very familiar with the supernatural side of Alternia, and we don’t know the limits of troll powers yet. 

But of course it was your unpleasant, simplistic temperament that made you so easy to control. Vicious and predictable, like an insect. If you turn a swarm of wasps on a crowd, the outcome is certain.

Vriska might have a lot of irons in her web, but she really doesn’t seem hard to direct. Just convince her someone is ‘winning’ against her, and then get her mad enough to act on that knowledge.  

AG: Blech. What a sno8. You're worse than my meddley meddler meddlefriend. I wonder why they waste their camaraderie on you. I'll never understand it.

You want my honest answer, Whitetext? After everything that I’ve seen?

These kids are growing up in hell. But - and this is their one true solace - they’re growing up in hell together. 

Though the magnitude of the ensuing destruction resulting directly from your actions will be neither possible or necessary for you to fathom, there nevertheless ought to be a silver lining.

Vriska is going to cause a disaster, eh? Bit of a foregone conclusion, I think. Next you’ll be telling us that Karkat is going to yell at someone. 

What use is all that attitude against a guy who's never wrong?

Oh he isn’t, is he? 

Just like Aradia’s Visions? Just like Sollux’s Voices? Just like the Horrorterrors?

Are all of these ‘infallible’ sources really different entities, or is this just one guy with a lot of sockpuppets? 

Maybe you could stand to have some camaraderie wasted on you, even if it comes from a meddley meddler meddlefriend.

See? Even Vriska doesn’t need to face Alternia alone.