#and the beast story and how he described the characters and their burdens in an interview bc it's giving jasonico it's giving them for real

[titansarmy]

stain them, i don’t care.

the sun and the star, rick riordan and mark oshiro // trista mateer // queen charlotte: a bridgerton story (dir. tom verica) // the archer, taylor swift // unknown // the sun and the star, rick riordan and mark oshiro // skam (dir. julie andem) // guillermo del toro (in article by scott huver) // herakles, anne carson

[just-late-roman-republic-things]

Plutarch usually demonstrates his subjects' characters through stories, and keeps most of his editorializing in the "Greek vs. Roman guy" comparison chapters. But at one point in his Life of Cato the Elder he goes on a long rant about how repulsive he considers Cato's treatment of slaves:

Be this as it may, I [Plutarch] consider that his conduct in treating his slaves like beasts of burden, and selling them when old and worn out, is the mark of an excessively harsh disposition, which disregards the claims of our common human nature, and merely considers the question of profit and loss... [295 words later] For my own part I would not even sell an ox that had laboured for me because he was old, much less would I turn an old man out of his accustomed haunts and mode of life, which is as great an affliction to him as sending him into a foreign land, merely that I might gain a few miserable coins by selling one who must be as useless to his buyer as he was to his seller. Cato, however, as if taking a perverse pleasure in flaunting his meanness, relates that he left behind him in Spain the horse which he rode when consul there, in order to save the state the cost of carrying him over to Italy. Whether those acts of his are to be ascribed to magnanimity or narrow-mindedness the reader must decide for himself.

Plutarch isn't rejecting the institution of slavery outright, abhorrent as it is to us today. And I'm uncomfortable with his comparison of human slaves to animals. But he's also not the first ancient author I've seen who thought there ought to be a line somewhere. I find it interesting that this, not all the civil wars and rapes and betrayals Plutarch describes, seems to offend him on a personal level.

It is not right to treat humans solely as tools of profit, and to do so actually goes against our natural care for one another. On that, at least, Plutarch and I agree.

[thepaintedlady00]

Burden

Chapter 14 |

Chapter 15: Forget Me Not

TW: some awkwardness, confusing visions, Daniel makes an appearance, mentions of major character death and spoilers for the comics, a bit of Dark!Munin, The Fates, some intense memories and mentions of violence, pain, and allusions to assault, a bit of trickster god energy (I'm not super familiar with Puck and Loki from the comics, so please don't crucify me if they're not great!), threats, some cryptic shit from Destiny, a pretty big revelation, and finally, some soft fluffy goodness to give our story a happy end before the rewrite.

I really struggled with this last chapter! 😅 I think because I already know I'm going to rewrite it the words just didn't wanna cooperate with me and I'm overall not super thrilled with how it came out. I do really hope y'all still enjoy it and are looking forward to getting the rewrite whenever I have the time to get that going. Thank you all so much for your love, support and patience with this series!

Awkward felt like an inadequate word to describe the stiff silence that now consumed Hector's home. You quietly took a sip of your drink, eyes darting back and forth between the two men as they stared one another down across the living room. You’d quietly hoped that the two would use this time to let go of the strenuous circumstances they’d previously met under.

Hector finally leaned back and spoke, “Make any pregnant women cry today?”

Or not…

Dream’s face tensed slightly, but his voice was steady as he replied, “No.”

“You could’ve given us a minute to say a proper goodbye, you know,” Hector insisted with a sneer. “She had to go through so much all alone… we didn’t even get a chance to talk about baby names. I don’t… I don’t even know how they’re doing.”

This made Morpheus soften, and for a moment, you wondered if he was thinking about his own son, that had been long lost to him. “Daniel. Your son's name is Daniel, and he is doing well. I’ve had my raven check in with them on occasion.”

Your friend smiled and looked out toward the trees. “Daniel. What about Lyta?”

“She’s been more…” Morpheus chose his word carefully. “Restless as of late. A just reaction, I suppose, after learning all she has.”

“Couldn’t you help her with that?” Hector asked. “Isn’t that your job or something?”

“I could, but she does not wish for my help.”

“Sounds like her,” his smile was soft and sad but filled with a restfulness you’d not seen in him for a long while. “Lyta was always the stubborn one between us.”

Morpheus glanced at you, an invisible smirk plain to your eyes. “A struggle I understand too well, spirit.”

Your eyes narrowed. “Are you calling me stubborn?”

“I said no such thing,” he insisted with a wicked gleam in his eyes that answered the question for him.

Turning your head away, you smiled at Hector. “Apologies for bringing up such painful memories. It was not my intent, my friend.”

He shook his head and waved your concern away. “It wasn’t so bad.”

Morpheus allowed the man to show him the home he’d built, taking in details he’d missed the first time in his haste, and, you thought, the two seemed less at odds with one another by the time you departed. Your beloved remained as long as he could, spending time with you to tell the children stories while you held Sirius and got lost in the sound of his silken voice. A loud screech and a string of curses echoed from the wood, bringing you and the Dream Lord to your feet, shielding as many ears as you could reach from the vile things being shouted.

The Corinthian stumbled out of the woods with Kat hot on his heels, talons bared and clawing at him with every swoop. Her feathers were ruffled, and the noises she made were ones you’d never heard before. “Kat!”

She heeded your voice, halting her attack on the nightmare to settle on a branch beside you. The Corinthian shook his clothes off, looking at the deep tear in his suit. “Your beast owes me a new suit!”

Kat’s eyes burned. “The only thing I owe you is a slow and painful death, nightmare.”

“What is the meaning of this?” You demanded as Morpheus distracted the children.

“Is this not the nightmare that betrayed you, my lady?”

“It is,” you answered honestly. “But he has been remade now. He will not hurt me again.”

“Once is more than enough,” She bit back. “This was something you knew once.”

Your eyes narrowed, and you tilted your head at her words. “What do you mean by this?”

Kat shook out her feathers. “Nothing, my lady. If you say the nightmare means no harm, then I shall trust you.”

“Thank you, Kat,” you answered, her words still rattling around your mind, but the golden owl took to the skies before you could question her further. 

The Corinthian bared his teeth at the shredded suit jacket. “Daunty, love the new realm and all, but you gotta get a tighter handle on your greeters.”

Rolling your eyes, you shook your head at him. “Relax. I’m sure your maker would happily repair your suit if you asked nicely.”

He scoffed. “I’d rather live with the tears.”

“Stubborn.”

“Always,” he replied with a grin. “So, you gonna give me the tour, or are you too busy for little nightmares now?”

Linking your arm with his, you smiled at Morpheus, who continued telling the children stories beside the fountain. “I always have time for you, dear Corinthian.”

*

It had been a few days since you’d spoken with Hector, but the sad look in his eyes when he’d mentioned not being able to see his son had stuck with you. You approached the young tree with a gentle touch and kind gaze upon the face carved into the trunk. Hector's son was still quite young, and his tree of memory reflected such. It was smaller than his mother's that stood beside it, but the roots were strong and ran far deeper than any mortal. Daniel, you quickly realized, was special. Different. Like you.

The face seemed to stare back at you, white leaves peeking out from beneath the lush green canopy. You approached slower, urging the roots to lift and open the young one's mind to you. His memories would be few, but there was no doubt much you could learn within them. Veins of white stood out in the darkness. Some roots, the ones that borrowed deeper, were pale and sung with power and immortality. The song of The Endless. But, the tune wasn't Dreams, or Deaths, or Desires. It was its own song, still unfinished.

You walked through the light, lush still forming along the walls of his memory, focusing on the memories he found joyful. You intended to share them with Hector, a gift to show your gratitude for his hard work and kindness. That, however, was not where the tree led you.

Stumbling into the blinking light, you found yourself kneeling in deep sand. Sand scratched your palms, sticking to you like sap, just as it had the first time. Except now that sand, once a deep void of black, was white. It sparked like tiny perfect crystals in your palms as you stood and looked out at the miles of glistening sand and bright cerulean waves.

You knew this beach better than any save its creator. You knew the placement of each stone and the feeling of the sand as it molded to your steps. This place felt different… All at once, the beach you knew and not. It was old and new and entirely confusing.

The fragile ground beneath your feet seemed to remember you as you walked toward where the Gates of Horn and Ivory should have been. The sand didn't swallow your feet or try to slow your steps. It felt as though you were walking on nothing at all. Before your eyes, the entrance stood, an entrance that was not the gates you knew at all.

Glossy white marble caught the light and cast an ethereal glow all around you. An aura of both light and color, beautiful and bright. The gates stood open, revealing a sight you'd grown to know well. "The Dreaming."

As you passed through, you admired the fine craftsmanship of the carvings in the marble gates. A story familiar and also not… Something that had not yet been told. Familiar things were more abundant here as you walked through the town and admired the dreamers. Dreams and Nightmares, old and new, greeted you like a friend and wished you good fortune as you made your way to the palace.

The regal and beautiful palace of The Dream Lord was quite similar to the one you’d known. Only some small changes in the stone and the statues caught your eyes, but as the doors opened to the throne room, a wave of unfamiliarity washed over you at the sight. The white marble of Dream’s palace was pristine in every sense of the word, reflecting the array of light and color that swirled around the room, drawing your gaze to the tiny crystals that hung in the air like drops of frozen rain. It was beautiful, marvelous, but not what you knew to be.

The stairway leading to the throne was wrong as well, far more winding and long, a path of almost transparent crystal. The stained glass windows above the throne shifted to reflect you, a perfect vision of white mist and black dogs and golden leaves. It was as if The Dreaming was trying to welcome you… trying to lull you into a feeling of peace or comfort at all that was not as it should be. And there, in the place of the throne, you knew Morpheus to have was something entirely not his. It looked far more organic, like a split geode holding an uncontainable cosmos of stars and cosmic clouds inside it. And sitting on that throne was a being that was not Dream of The Endless. Not your Dream.

The pale being lifted his head, and not a single strand of his cloudy white hair strayed. His black eyes consumed you entirely, two small slivers of starlight shining brighter as they looked upon you. The robes he wore were white, adorned with golden designs, and there, sitting proudly upon his chest, was a glowing emerald dreamstone.

“It is a great honor to meet you at last, Munin of the Emerald Wood.” His voice was silken and light, Dream’s but not his. 

“You are not my Dream… are you?” You asked with tears building in your eyes.

With a soft sigh, he rose from his throne slowly, almost as if he thought doing so any faster would scare you. “No, I suppose I am not.”

You didn’t dare look away from him as you asked, “Then who are you?”

“The name you would likely know me by is Daniel. Daniel Hall.”

Lies. “Daniel Hall is little more than a child. You could not possibly be him.”

“Not as you know him to be,” he said, slowly descending the winding staircase. “But, as you’ve already noticed, none of this is as it was. A future carved in stone, written in Destiny’s book of things, a future only you can stop.”

“Future?” You questioned, looking around at The Dreaming. “You mean to tell me I’ve stumbled into the future?”

“No,” Daniel replied with a light chuckle. “More of a vision.”

You watched him carefully as he stood before you, hands clasped and a soft, childlike smile on his lips. “So this is what is to come then? You mean to steal this realm from Morpheus?”

His brows furrowed. “I’ve stolen nothing. The Dreaming and the title Dream of the Endless was given to me by he who came before.”

“Morpheus would never just give his realm or his title away,” you insisted. “Unless…”

“He did all he could to stop it, but The Kindly Ones were relentless in their attack. His sacrifice saved The Dreaming and those that remained.” Daniel could see the pain in you, and with a sigh, he added. “He did not suffer. Death greeted him and showed him the way. He was at peace in the end.”

You shook your head, tears rolling down your cheeks. “And what of me? I did nothing while he perished?”

“There were… things complicating your involvement.” He shook his head. “It matters not. You are here now.”

“You’ve been expecting me?”

He smiled, chuckling softly. “No, more… hoping you would find a way here so we could speak.”

“Speak of what?”

"If the love you bare him is even a fraction of the love that lingers in me still…" he lifted a hand to your cheek. "Love he bore for you. Then you'll save him. You’ll ensure this future never has to be.”

With narrow eyes, you asked, “You would give up his power… his title, and his kingdom?”

Daniel nodded. “All I ever wished for was a normal life with my mother. Plots larger than me… Larger than him made that impossible. But you, you could change it.”

“How?”

“Seek out Loki and Puck. The end of your Dream Lord began with their plot and… my mother’s misguided actions.”

Loki and Puck - two tricksters that you’d only met in passing. Gods that were notoriously difficult to track down. “And how do you suggest I find them? They’re not known for making such easy.”

“Visit my mother,” he urged. “And myself, I suppose…” he chuckled again. “The two should be close by.”

You paused, listening to the faint sounds of The Forest calling you home. “What happens if I fail?”

Daniel only smiled, reaching out to lift your hand to his lips. “Then I hope this is not the last time we meet, Lady Munin. And that the next is under better circumstances.”

*

Lyta Hall lived in a modest apartment in a bustling city. Though you’d ventured into the mortal world before, it looked vastly different from what little you could remember. She was surrounded by those she loved, Rose Walker and Ged, and many familiar faces - faces you knew from memories alone. And while the apartment wasn’t large or lavish, she appeared to be happy aside from the large bags that hung beneath her eyes, telling you she’d not found any peace in her dreams.

For a while, you simply watched them, searching for some sigh of Loki and Puck’s coming mischief, but the longer you looked in, the more you felt compelled to venture closer. You wanted to speak with her, to reassure her that her husband was safe and loved. And so you found yourself in her apartment, standing in the kitchen and admiring the little notes, photographs, and memories each held. Lost in your own examining, you barely heard the sharp gasp and the sound of wood scraping against the floor as Lyta hurriedly rose from the table at the sight of you.

Suddenly you were reminded that it was not normal for people to appear in mortal homes simply, and you bashfully bowed your head to her. “Apologies. I did not mean to startle you.”

“Who are you?” She demanded, forcing her voice to sound firm and dangerous.

“We have met before,” you answered softly. “In a dream.”

Her face softened slightly. “You… you’re the one that took Hector.”

Nodding, you answered the question she had not asked. “He is safe. He misses you,” your eyes drifted to the small child in his high chair. “Both of you.”

“What do you want?” She demanded, wiping her eyes. 

“I simply wanted to apologize for my coldness that day. I was… I was not myself.” You sighed. “Were it within my power, I would have let him remain with you.”

“But it isn’t,” she answered bitterly. “It’s his power, isn’t it?”

You realized Morpheus was the he that she spoke so sourly of. “It was out of his power as well. The Dream Lord means you no harm, Lyta. This is why you’ve not slept, isn’t it?”

Lyta looked at Daniel and shook her head. “I don’t want him to come for my son… not while I’m under some spell and can’t defend him.”

“Dream of the Endless would not steal your son,” you said gently. “He means neither of you harm.”

“You don’t know that,” she replied bitterly.

“I do,” you assured her. As you watched her move to the child's side, you felt an odd power humming around her. The song of the Endless echoed from the boy, swirling around her, but beneath his song was power. A power that you knew. Lyta and Daniel froze, time halting as mist rolled in from unseen places, and their power engulfed the apartment.

"You are meddling in dangerous things, lost one." Their combined voices sent a chill up your spine, but not one of fear or anger… A feeling of familiarity.

The Mother tutted softly as she moved around the frozen figure of Lyta Hall. "Fate is not something easily changed, dear sun."

The Crone lifted her head, glaring at the babe in Lyta's arms. "And this fate is one you should not even attempt to alter."

"I won't let you do it," your voice was cold as mist rushed beneath your feet. The Forest bled into this illusion they thrust you in, dark, twisted trees casting long shadows over the three. Black engulfed your fingertips, and you could feel the darkness, the daunting power of it bending to your will. "Morpheus is mine. And none shall have him while I draw breath."

The Maiden tilted her head, eyes shining back at you in admiration. "You always were so determined."

"So headstrong and unafraid," The Mother continued, her eyes bearing a deep sorrow that surprised you.

"It is what led you to your doom the first time." Though The Crone's eyes were stiff, guarded, and unwilling to bend beneath your steady gaze, her voice trembled, lips quivering as she uttered a single word. "Mneme."

All at once the darkness vanished. You felt your power stripped away, leaving you trembling and bare before The Fates. Breathlessly you fell to your knees. Sparks of golden light and a searing, unbearable pain engulfed you until all you could do was scream.

Not a word. Flashes filled your vision, swarming like molten gold in water. A name. Fire blazed, and a burst of sickening laughter echoed in your mind. Your name.

Their hands offered you some comfort, albeit temporary. The Mother smoothed your hair back. "Do not fight it."

The Maiden stroked your cheeks. "Let it come."

The Crone looked down at you with tears in her eyes. Her palm pressed to your forehead. "Remember."

*

The first thing you saw once the blinking light faded from your vision was the orange hues of the sun setting over the ocean. You sat upon the edge of the cliffside, wind combing through your golden locks of hair, and a peaceful feeling settled in your chest. You were home.

"Mneme!" The Fates’ voices called out as one. 

Turning your head, you smiled at them. "Not too close to the edge, I know!"

The Maiden offered you a smile back. "The fall would be terrible indeed, even for one such as you."

The Mother waved, gesturing to you to come to them. "Come down from there, sweet child!"

The Crone rolled her ancient eyes and scoffed. "She won't fall! Our Mneme is far too surefooted to do something as foolish as that."

"Accidents still happen, sister self." The Mother reminded.

You squeezed her hand. "I'll be more careful."

"More careful!" The Crone laughed. "She's been careful since the day she was born, I doubt she's capable or more."

The Maiden lovingly braided a strand of your hair. "There's no harm in having fun every now and then."

The sky above had begun to shift to the deep star-filled night, your favorite. "I have to go."

"Back to that tree of yours?" The Crone asked.

"Back to the humans?" The Mother's question was far more bitter.

You kissed all their cheeks. "I'll be home before the sun rises!"

More light flashed, more voices echoed in your mind as your body felt like it would burst apart. You saw it through the slightly golden haze. The Great Tree standing tall amidst a bustling village. Its trunk was a rich reddish brown with golden leaves glistening in the low light of the fires the humans had lit to illuminate their festivities.

In the blink of an eye, you were in the tall branches, looking down at the bodies that moved below, watching the humans with wonder. You and the tree had been linked from the moment of your birth. A tree with roots that spanned across realms and lifetimes and a little spirit born of fate and memory. 

A rather simple pair when compared to the billions of other supernatural and immortal beings and creatures that existed. But, you were fine with simple. You enjoyed your time spent on Mount Helicon and watching the humans, quietly gifting them with long memories and thus making their marvelous stories last forever.

It had been centuries since you'd heard the lovely tune for the first time. The first song ever made. A simple and beautiful thing that planted a seed deep inside you. A longing for something real… Tangible… Something wholly yours. You had no idea what it would be, this thing, but some nights you could hear The Fates whispering. They must've known. There was little they did not see. So, you waited, hoping that it was something marvelous.

The memories raced by, quicker and more painful than before. You could feel the raw ache in your throat, a result of your screaming, but you could only hear the voices. It was all still fragmented, flashes of a happy life with The Fates that all shifted… The sour smell of decay stung your nose. These flashes were darker, the fragments blurry and hazed. 

You felt fire cracking under your skin, nails clawing at the wrong flesh that caged you. A laugh… A wide and villainous grin letting down at you. Unfamiliar hands touching you… Defiling you… The human's bright beauty slowly diminishing before your very eyes. You could taste the salt of your tears and feel the ache in your knees as you bent to the floor and begged. "Harken to me!" Your voice sounded so broken… Desperate. "Please, I beg of you! Deliver me from this place!"

The gentle hands that touched your head bore a somber tinge that answered the question you did not even ask. "Enough, dear one."

"You should rest," The Maiden said.

"You will need it for what is to come," The Crone finished.

"Help me," you begged them, lifting your drowning eyes. "There must be something you can do… Someone to intercede on my behalf."

The Crone's eyes turned cold as she sighed. "Foolish child. You are awfully bound. There are none that can deliver you from this place."

The Mother's eyes were filled with tears. "Not now, at least…"

The Maiden braided a strand of your dull hair. "Not when so much of you has been spent."

"I am so sorry, dear one…" The Mother pressed a kiss to your head. "Your prayers were wasted."

"No!" You cried out, rising to reach for them, but they were already gone. The chain binding you to this place scratched against the stone floor. "Do not leave me…"

The pieces fragmented further. Shattering like glass when you tried to hold onto them. All you could truly recall was a knife, blood, screaming, and fire. Darkness that felt warm and safer than what you'd known for so long and then breathlessness. You could see a rippling surface, bubbles floating away from you as the air abandoned you. 

As you sank deeper into an unknown abyss, you could see the golden strands of your hair fade to white, and a voice echoed in your mind as all else began to fade away. "You will never be rid of me!"

*

"Mneme," The Maiden's voice called out to you.

"Stop," you begged, voice raw and hardly understandable. This wasn't true… This was a trick. All of it. Their hands, cradling your head, felt too heavy. "Don't call me that."

“Mneme…” The Mother cooed softly as you shook their hands off you.

“Do not call me that! I… I cannot deal with this now. I… There’s…” You wanted nothing more than to sob, to let the information you’d just regained swallow you whole. 

Morpheus needed you. The events Daniel spoke of could still be years away, but you’d not risk it. Especially not now. Forcing your body upright, you looked into the eyes of The Fates. “I am going to change what is written. Morpheus will not perish, least of all at the hands of you.”

The Maiden’s tears were like diamonds upon her cheeks. “We take no pleasure in this.”

Your sound of disbelief caused The Mother to sigh, “Not much pleasure in it.”

“You cannot change this,” The Crone said, cold as ice once again. “Try as you might, what is will be and what will be is.”

“The only one you shall harm is yourself,” The Maiden replied.

"You will spend your power," The Mother warmed. "Spread yourself thin until all you are withers."

"Lost again to Lethe," The Crone finished.

“If anything happens to him… anything at all, it is you that I shall harm. Consequences be damned.”

You didn’t give them the chance to speak again, vanishing from the apartment and from their presence with a mere thought. The world felt both heavier and lighter, and with it, you felt both more powerful and less. Forcing the memories… the past from your mind, you put your plan into motion. It was just as you’d told The Fates. None would have Morpheus.

The meadow was quiet. From what you’d seen of the human world, there were few places like this that remained. Calm and untouched, reeking of old fairy magic and buzzing with godly power. Two tricksters lurking in the shadows. The combination of their power was dizzying and stunk of mischief. A warning to any that drew too near to turn back and hope you’d not caught their eye. You, however, would not be so easily deterred.

“What have we here?” An old and giggly voice purred from the shadows.

“A little witch?” Another chimed in, smug and prideful and filled with echoing laughter.

You showed no emotion as you addressed them. “I am Munin, Queen of realms of memory.”

A figure appeared a greenish beast with scales and fur and long pointed ears. Sharp teeth gleamed back at you as the deep red eyes of the spirit Puck glowed. “Queeny, Queeny, Queeny… why are you so far from your castle?”

Bright hair and an angular face examined you closely from a safe distance away as Loki grinned back. “Come to play with the old tricksters, have you?”

“More like come to talk sense into you,” you replied calmly, urging the wood around you to slowly shift.

The two laughed loudly, clutching their guts as they looked at each other. “Sense? Oh, we’ve not had sense in ages!”

“So I’ve been told. But, kidnapping a dream-touched child is a new sort of stupidity I thought even you two would be above.”

“Careful now,” Puck growled. “I’d surely hate to have to get blood all over that pretty white dress, Queeny.”

“It would be quite the shame,” you agreed. “Though the dress could be a trophy of sorts stained with your blood.”

Puck giggled, deranged and gleeful. “I like you!”

“Focus,” Loki insisted as he languidly stalked forward to circle you. “What’s this about a kidnapping?”

You followed him for a moment but chose to keep your eyes on Puck; he was the one you’d have to be most mindful of. “Your little plan to kidnap the boy… Daniel Hall.”

“How would you know about that?” Puck questioned.

“I have my ways.” That was the only answer you offered them. “The how is hardly the point. I’m far more interested in skipping it all together so we can focus on the bit where you both use your brains and forget about this half-baked scheme.”

Mist slowly began to seep between the trees, a low groan echoing in the air that signaled your plan had worked. Loki shook his head. “We aren’t exactly known for listening to threats from little girls.”

You smiled. “I’ve not even threatened you yet, Odinson.”

“Do not call me that!” He hissed, pointing a long elegant finger at you.

“I’ll call you whatever name you see fit after you’ve agreed to leave Daniel and his mother alone.”

Puck tutted, clawed nails digging into the branch he leaned on. “Greedy, greedy. You’re getting boring, Queeny! Perhaps we should just be done with you… After all, you look so tasty!”

Sirius dove out of the mist and snapped at the spirit. “Mind your tongue, beast. Though I shall gladly rid you of it should you insist.”

Loki pulled two daggers from their sheathes as The Corinthian appeared somewhere off to the side of you, calm and collected as he casually leaned against a tree. “Naughty puppy!”

Rolling your eyes, you lifted a finger, calling forth the tree roots to bind them. “Enough of this.” The trees wound around their limbs, squeezing hard enough that were they not immortal beings, their limbs would have snapped. Loki sneered while Puck laughed. “It’d be in your best interests to leave the child alone.”

“Best interests,” Puck laughed harder. “I care little for interests.”

“You may not care,” you began, eyes turning to the god. “But he does.”

Loki shook his head, chuckling at the notion that he cared about anything at all. “You think you know me, little wood witch?”

You shook your head and walked along the tree roots. “I do not care to know you, trickster. But, I see more than just your eyes…” Memories swirled inside them, good and bad, joyful and not. “We may not have met more than in passing, but make no mistake, Loki, I know you.”

Puck was the wildcard, the mischievous being that none could reason with or bribe unless he so sought, but Loki was a god. He was shrouded in golden pride and a deep-rooted desire to make Odin love him. Loki was the one you needed to convince. Puck would follow, or he would die, a choice you’d not have to spell out for him, especially with Sirius’ watchful eye and menacing teeth gnashing in the sprite's face.

“Why do you care so much for this runt?” Loki pondered with a wide grin. “Have a soft spot for dream-touched mortals?”

“Why does not concern you.” You sat down on a high-up branch and stared the god down. “No more questions, Loki. Will you leave Lyta and her son alone, or will you die here in my little woods?”

He attempted to shrug against the branches that held him. “It’s not me you need to worry about.”

Puck rolled his eyes. “She doesn’t need to fear me! This game has gotten boooorrrriiinnggg! One little mortal, dream-touched or not, isn’t worth this kind of fuss.”

Loki glared at the sprite, clearly displeased by his so-called partner in crime's words. “Fine then. We’ll leave the kid alone. Happy now?”

“Swear it.”

“I swear it,” he sneered back. “Now let me go.”

You waved your hand, and the roots released. Puck was gone in a blink, no promises made or extra words exchanged. Here then gone, just like you’d expected from the trickster. Loki remained, anger and some ugly, wounded pride shining in his eyes as he glared at you. Sirius growled. “Leave this place, trickster. And pray you never return.”

Suddenly all emotion drained from the god's face, and he laughed. “You know, I don’t much like being humiliated, especially not by insignificant little girls. Do you think you're suddenly untouchable just because you have some new realm and a bit of power? Well, you aren’t.”

Lunging for you, Loki found himself face to face with The Corinthian, who smiled as he brandished his blade. “I believe my lady released you. That means you leave.”

“I’m not scared of you, nightmare!” The god shouted.

“You should be. Hold him down for me, pup.” Sirius surprisingly heeded the nightmares command and pulled the god down while The Corinthian worked with his blade. The screams were drowned out by the trees cheering and laughing at the now mutilated god. You stood high above it all as The Corinthian finished his work and turned, presenting you with the eyes he’d plucked from Loki’s skull. Bowing his head, he chuckled. “Any other body parts I should take, my lady?”

You accepted the eyes and shook your head. “No. Kat has already sent word to Odin. Someone will be here to collect him shortly.”

The Corinthian glanced at you. “You alright, Daunty?”

Your mind was plagued with the past that you’d still not fully regained, a thing you now had broken and confusing fragments of. “Yes. There’s just something I need to do now.”

“Need a nightmare?”

Smiling at him, you shook your head and placed a loving hand on his cheek. “Not this time, dear Corinthian.”

*

Upon Mount Helicon, a secluded cabin stood overlooking the sea. The cabin was not what you’d pictured when you thought of The Fates. You’d imagined they’d live in some large palace or a winding maze, like Destiny, but there the three stood, looking out at the sea as you quietly approached. “Such a lovely sunset.”

The Mother smiled at you. “It used to be your favorite part of the day.”

The Maiden laughed softly. “You’d sit here until the yellow faded from the sky entirely.”

“One sun,” The Crone said. “Watching another.”

"Whatever the reason for this… Fondness, you bear me…" you stopped yourself, pain that you could not yet confront boiling within you like the fires in your vision. Shaking your head, you met their gaze again. "I urge you to cease these schemes against the Dream Lord."

The Maiden nodded, "Painful as this may be, you cannot run from the truth forever."

The Mother took a step closer with a sad smile. "Oh, dear one… Is this truly your wish?"

"It is."

The Crone stood before you, cold eyes slightly less so as she wiped your tears. "Very well. If it is your wish, we shall honor it. So long as Dream of The Endless does not bring harm upon you, then we shall not harm him or his Dreaming."

“Thank you… my mothers.”

The Three smiled sadly and watched you go. The Forest greeted you as it always had, offering you soft handing leaves to dry your eyes and a melodic rumbling to ease the ache in your heart. You did not know when you would be able to accept what you now knew fully, nor did you know if you’d ever be strong enough to remember the full brunt of the pain your past life had lived through, but you did know that The Fates had spoken at least one truth. You would not be able to run from it.

A dark figure emerged from the trees, breathing a sigh of relief at the sight of you. “There you are.”

“Morpheus,” you breathed, the pain easing as air filled your lungs.

His eyes narrowed as he took a step toward you. “Where have you been?” His arms wound around you, pulling you into the embrace you’d fought so hard to preserve. You buried your face into his chest and breathed in his scent. “I’ve been worried.”

With a soft noise, you smiled. “Forgive me, I did not mean to worry you. There were some things I needed to take care of.”

“Is all well?” His breath hitched at the mere thought of something being wrong. 

You smoothed your hands down his chest and smiled. “All is well. I… I learned many things these past few days and have many questions that need answering.”

Morpheus nodded, soft hands caressing you. “I trust you will tell me your meaning when you are ready to?”

“Of course,” you answered. “It would be rather cruel of me to keep you in such suspense.”

“Cruel is not a word I’d use to describe you, my love.”

You wanted nothing more than to tell him of all you’d learned and everything that had happened in your time apart, but instead, you simply smiled. “Would you walk with me?”

He seemed to understand the gentle gleam of tears in your eyes and quietly offered you his arm and a kiss upon your head. “Always, my love.”

The two of you walked through the misty forest until you found the cave of crystals and the lake that you’d once danced upon. Without needing to speak any words, he stepped out onto the water and swept you away into a starlit dance. With your head laid against his chest, listening… feeling the steady beating of his heart, you finally spoke, “Do you think we will remain together in whatever existence comes after this?”

“I should think so,” he answered with a soft laugh. “We’ve found one another against impossible odds thus far.”

"Well, if it should come to an end, this immortal coil we find ourselves in..." You pulled away from his chest and gently held his face in your hands. "I should like it to end by your side, that we might turn to stardust together or be bound in the roots of the earth as one. I shall not pass to whatever existence awaits us in The Sunless Lands without you, my dearest Morpheus."

With the software of smiles, he pulled a small thing from his cloak and held it between you. A ring. The stone in the center was an ethereal array of thinking stars with a branch-like band of roots twining around it. He lifted your hand to slide the ring on your finger, kissing it and whispering a soft oath, "I vow that no matter what comes, nothing shall ever part us again. I am yours, Lady of The Forest, Distress, Discourage, Daunt… Munin. In every existence, every realm and lifetime, I am yours."

"Just as I am yours, Prince of Stories. Always."

Beneath the starry skies and amidst the groaning echoes of your realm, you and the Dream Lord shared a kiss, soft and bright and beautiful. For that one moment, the past didn’t matter. Not Daunt or Mneme… you were Munin, and you were here. You were loved. And as you stared into the eyes of your lover, you knew you always would be.

[argumate]

so I finally watched Dune (Villeneuve's) and it was entertaining, pretty much what I expected, I'm glad I watched it.

it has some good visuals, some decent actors, a dramatic score, possibly over-dramatic but that's appropriate.

the space scenes were excellent, cold and inhuman like 2001, vast geometric shapes moving in unnerving ways.

I liked the blocky solidity of the palaces, the theatrical effect of the empty spaces and the subtle decoration in the rooms.

that damn bull though -- they kept cutting back to it but what did it really signify? it represents the cruelty and capriciousness of the Old Duke, a trace of which should be visible in Duke Leto, but I don't think we see that at all in this film, perhaps it just represents another bold gamble taken and lost.

I imagined the fief on Caladan as being more like the Mediterranean, Aegean, or Indian Ocean in character, more suited to the Greco-Roman, Byzantine, and Persian influences that you imagine would describe the Atreides, but somehow it ended up more... Scottish?? the Atreides legions fight like a (distressingly undisciplined) hoplite phalanx but march out to bagpipes, maybe it's supposed to be an example of traditional Greek bagpipes, I don't know

at any rate the cliffs over the sea are dramatic and it's fun watching Paul stalk about dressed like a goth Victorian schoolboy as his father comfortingly tells him that he doesn't need to take on the burden of the family legacy if he doesn't want to (while the tombs of a dozen generations of his ancestors watch on in silent reproach)

I felt that the drama and pageantry of the introduction faltered a little when they reached the city of Arrakeen, which was a disappointing muddle of generic computer generated dusty metal that seemed very slapdash and poorly thought out compared to all the other settings, undermining the battle over it which was to come.

(and the battle was uninspiring, watching the feared Atreides legions run out in their pyjamas in disarray to face foes they didn't even notice were coming until after they arrived)

I'm quite familiar with the Dune books so it was interesting watching the movie and seeing how the sheer number of characters made it impossible to give many of them any meaningful characterisation or emotional development.

I was very pleased to see Chang Chen playing Doctor Yueh, but he is given no time to demonstrate his affection for Paul and Jessica nor the helpless compulsion that drives him to betray them, while Gurney and Duncan chew the scenery as best they can but can't quite convince you that they actually serve any purpose in the story (Paul's son is going to bring back a thousand clones of Aquaman?) and the Reverend Mother does a good job but has lost the nuances she had in the book ("I must have wanted you to fail").

"the Beast" Rabban portrayed by Dave Bautista (love that guy!) was one stand out I thought, mostly because this brute of a man comes across as nothing but a scared child next to his uncle, providing an excellent contrast for the nihilistic menace of the slug-like baron.

the baron is-- absurd of course, I mean he's even more absurd in the book, a corpulent flamboyant cackling caricature of a man, you could say this take is boringly toned down or you could say it's ludicrously over the top (he bathes in black sludge? seriously? you have to admire his commitment to the aesthetic, even if that's a Shrek move) but it's basically impossible to film a guy like this in a believable way and you just have to go for it.

the scene that sold the baron for me is when he's tucking into a solo banquet with his semi-conscious cousin Leto draped naked over a chair at the other side of the crazy long table, then when Yueh is brought in he activates his suspensors and silently rises into the air like a squid and drifts across the table towards us in a ghostly blur, all while the camera stays fixed on Leto's frozen rictus; the lack of focus echoes what Leto must be experiencing and is devastatingly effective.

the Fremen and Atreides and Harkonnen and Sardaukar have their own languages which is very cool (and Yueh speaks some Mandarin!) but why do the bad guys sound like they're using bad voice filters, they're being portrayed like literal orcs to the point that it begins to feel weird.

ornithopters are stupid but you have to admit these dragonfly contraptions do look pretty cool.

the worms get a lot of build up -- and I was surprised they preserved the harvester scene from the book almost verbatim, it felt like it consumed a lot of time -- but it's very satisfying when you finally see them rippling through the dune sea, it brings home the shifting danger of the desert sands in a way I wasn't expecting.

Paul has visions of the jihad but he never says the word "jihad".

splitting the movie in two is obviously necessary but the split is awkward, and it's really not helped by clunky lines like "this is only the beginning".

Chani gets a lot of vision time but what can you even say when you meet the teenager with whom you can precognitively remember several decades of future marriage?

still, bookending the movie with Chani is consistent with the book, that begins and ends with the women in Paul's life: Chani, Irulan, Jessica, something that always seemed like an interesting choice.

there is a lot more I would say about Dune but it would mostly be about the book rather than movie; this was a decent adaptation given the constraints of the medium, hopefully it won't be the last.

[fearofahumanplanet]

hello and how are you?

we are here to give you some love back! :D

10 | 13 | 29 | 32 | 37 | 46

Also Known As: The Not Yet Dead Author @365runesofwriting

Holy hell that's a few questions. Hey Rune, I'm doing well - how are you??

"10. Do you set yourself deadlines?"

Yes, yes I do. For example, I plan on finishing Serpents' first draft by the end of December. It's a great way to keep myself on pace and motivated. Gotta be particularly hard on myself on that front :P

"13. Describe your writing process from idea to polished"

Oh boy. Okay, buckle in

Step 1 - get idea, usually in a situation where I can't write it down bc my Muse hates me

Step 2 - remember idea six months later if it's any good, write it down in story ideas doc

Step 3 - Two years later, scroll through list of story ideas when I finish a project and go "yes! this one! this one fits my brain worms and will for the next six or so months!"

Step 4 - buy twelve six-packs of Fanta

Step 5 - spend three all-nighters obsessively researching and coming up with characters

Step 6 - spend a week outlining and forget all my adult responsibilities

Step 7 - take a few days off when i remember i have an adult life, realize the characters don't like the plot i've outlined and re-write it

Step 8 - give up on perfecting the outline out of impatience and start writing the first draft

Step 9 - don't see the sun for six months

Step 9.5 - realize the characters still don't like plot and resort to improvising as they go off my carefully-planned rails, having to constantly adjust the plot on the fly as they do batshit insane nonsense

Step 10 - Finish a first draft. Go and write something else, take a few months off

Step 11 - thebrainwormsarenesting.jpeg

Step 12 - come back with an "objective" perspective and go through editing, sometimes rewriting the whole damn thing if my characters are still bitchy

Step 13 - rinse and repeat until I reach the third or fourth draft and decide it's completed to my satisfaction (it's not - but if i don't lie to myself I'll never stop)

Step 14 - go "that was the worst thing I've ever experienced, I'm never doing that again"

Step 15 - get reminded of one of my story ideas three days later and the cycle begins anew

"29. Favourite villain"

Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, though he kinda had a redemption arc. For someone who had a CORRUPTION arc, see Jinx from Arcane.

(Yes I did two, shush)

"32. Most difficult character to write"

Badb, because she's way smarter than I am and having to come up with a bunch of ludicrous machinations and 4d chess plays that actually makes sense is absurdly difficult. The girl needs to calm the hell down

"37. First sentence of your current WIP"

"O Muse, voice of Melpomene, she whom deals in tragedy and loss… shine thine weeping eyes towards those serpents sequestered; reveal to me a love written in blood, and hide not from me the deepest depravities of broken beasts; let this vilified vessel lighten the deceitful burden that buried them."

(Yes, I quite literally did an ode to a Muse in the style of Odyssey and Illiad for Serpents)

"46. Do you reread your own stories?"

Sometimes on accident. I'll go back to edit some tiny thing, or I'll go back to fact-check something for a convo, and then I'll sit there for an hour re-reading the whole thing. I don't do it on purpose, but it is very nice to know the stories are engrossing, bc they sure do fucking ensnare me every time

Thanks for the asks!

[mediaevalmusereads]

The Beast of Beswick. By Amalie Howard. Entangled Publishing, 2019.

Rating: 3/5 stars

Genre: historical romance

Series: Regency Rogues #1

Summary: Lord Nathaniel Harte, the disagreeable Duke of Beswick, spends his days smashing porcelain, antagonizing his servants, and snarling at anyone who gets too close. With a ruined face like his, it's hard to like much about the world. Especially smart-mouthed harpies—with lips better suited to kissing than speaking—who brave his castle with indecent proposals.

But Lady Astrid Everleigh will stop at nothing to see her younger sister safe from a notorious scoundrel, even if it means offering herself up on a silver platter to the forbidding Beast of Beswick himself. And by offer, she means what no highborn lady of sound and sensible mind would ever dream of—a tender of marriage with her as his bride.

***Full review below.***

CONTENT WARNINGS: explicit sexual content

OVERVIEW: I happened upon this book while doing a little research on fairy tale retellings in historical romance. I hadn't read anything by Amalie Howard before, so I took a chance on her Regency Rogues series and zipped through the first installment. Overall, my reactions are a bit mixed. While I think Howard writes fairly well and the first half of this book is rather compelling, I found the second half tedious and disjointed from its setup. I'm not opposed to reading more by this author, but unfortunately, I can't give my first experience more than 3 stars.

WRITING: Howard's writing is fairly good and balances showing and telling in a way I find pleasing in the romance genre. I thought the sentences flowed together well and the trade off between internal and external actions felt natural.

PLOT: The non-romance plot of this book follows Lady Astrid Everleigh and her younger sister Isobel, who seek help from Thane Harte, Duke of Beswick to avoid Isobel's marriage to the Earl of Beaumont. Astrid and Isobel are dependent on their greedy uncle, who aims to marry Isobel off in exchange for a portion of her sizeable dowry. The uncle makes a deal with the Earl of Beaumont - a man who originally wanted to marry Astrid but, when she refused to have premarital sex with him, he broke off the engagement and spread rumors that ruined her reputation. Because Beaumont is an Earl, Astrid proposes a deal to Thane: a marriage of convenience in exchange for the protection of his title. The trouble is: Thane is a recluse because of his extensive war scars, and he's not about to burden a beautiful young bride with his surliness and hideousness.

I do think, however, that parts of this book felt a little repetitive. The hero's various erections, for example, are described over and over again, and there were a few words and phrases that were deployed more than once. It almost felt like Howard wasn't sure how to communicate male desire, so I think a little more variance would have been appreciated.

The first half of this book was engaging. The stakes felt high, with Isobel in danger from her uncle and Beaumont and Astrid felt like she was strategic for proposing a plan that would save her. The dynamics between Astrid and Thane in the first half were also delicious; I liked the way she pushed him and refused to let him indulge in his self-loathing.

The second half, however, felt like a different story as the stakes fell away and Astrid and Thane entered into a sort of holding pattern. At this point in the story, things become rather cyclical and tedious, with more emphasis given to parties, clothing, and domestic affairs than the high stakes established previously, and not even Isobel's arc was compelling enough to feel worthwhile.

CHARACTERS: Astrid, our heroine, was fun to follow for the first half because she was pushy and witty. I liked how she refused to let Thane get the upper hand in any given situation, and her complete devotion to her sister's well-being is commendable. In the second half, it felt like most of those qualities went away and Astrid was a little more stagnant, but I still liked how part of her arc involved learning to let Isobel dictate her own life.

Thane, our hero, is mostly fun to watch because of his banter with Astrid. On his own, he's that sort of self-loathing recluse whose behavior can sometimes be understandable but other times be repetitive. I didn't particularly like Thane in the second half because he seemed to exert much more control over people in ways I found annoying; he didn't seem to grow so much as he simply got over his hang-ups.

Side characters were enjoyable and sometimes rescued the story when the main couple seemed to flounder. Isobel starts off as this sheltered teenager and quickly becomes a calculating member of the ton, and I liked that her success stems in part by having her sister as a role model. Mabel, Thane's aunt, was truly a delight; I loved that she continued to love Thane despite his efforts to push her away, and I especially loved that Mabel was one of those widows who uses her freedom to enjoy the hell out of her life. Every scene with her was a joy.

The antagonists played their parts, though they ceased to feel like real threats halfway through the book. The uncle's greed felt real and Beaumont's persistence felt like an overwhelming problem because of his rank. I do wish more was done in the second half because there was so much room for more cunning manipulation, but I also appreciated that things didn't get too out of hand.

ROMANCE: The romance, much like the plot, was better and more exciting in the first half than it was in the second. In the first half, I loved watching Astrid push Thane's boundaries and I loved the way Thane responded, becoming intrigued by someone who would dare defy the wishes of a Duke. Their banter made for some tense moments that were full of delicious potential, and I liked that the two got to know each other through their verbal sparring.

The second half was incredibly tedious and repetitive. At this point, Astrid and Thane enter their marriage of convenience, and it's a cyclical pattern of Astrid trying to protect her heart, the two sleeping together, then Thane pushing her away. The characters didn't so much grow as a couple as they did decide to just get over themselves; I'm not a big fan of these types of arcs, and frankly, Howard could have used Beaumont to drive some truly interesting development between the two lovers (either by having them bond over their mutual status as social outcasts or by having them play figurative chess with Beaumont over Isobel).

Perhaps the most frustrating thing about their romance is that it didn't feel like Howard knew how to communicate the emotional fulfillment they brought to one another. Their lust is easy to see, and Astrid does prove to Thane that she loves him despite his scars, but Astrid seemed to have too many things that were only fulfilled at the surface-level. Astrid is simultaneously grappling with issues of patriarchy, women's education, being socially outcast, and controlling her sister's life, and because Howard tries to include all of these, it felt like there was no real strong arc that Thane could help Astrid navigate. It would have been more effective if Howard focused on Astrid's ridicule by society, since that would have paralleled Thane's arc, and the stuff with Isobel would have complimented that nicely.

TL;DR: The Beast of Beswick starts out promising, but devolves into cyclical, tedious, back-and-forth indecision about halfway through. Though I enjoyed the wit and banter in the first half, the lack of stakes and the stunting of growth in the second half make for a mixed reading experience.

[sirenofthegreenbanks]

13 + 32 + 40 for the writer questions!!!

13. What is a subject matter that is incredibly difficult for you write about? What is easy?

a subject i struggle a lot with currently is sex. ive decided for myself to be as explicit as i would dare and juggle all these complicated, complex emotions and burdens the characters bring with them. i was raised without a healthy skillset regarding sex, my sex education in school was comparitively good but i grew up with this very twisted idea that sex = violence, that especially women are victimized by it while men by nature cant help but want to have it. i realized pretty early thats bullshit, but biases and images run deep, especially that fear i have internalized. writing explicitly about sex, queer sex, sex involving men being something else but mindless beasts, is very empowering. at the same time, it is agony. i dont like men like that and i have yet to fully work through my lesbian trauma regarding men and comphet. trying to describe attraction to men, or positive experiences sleeping with men, is so confusing and difficult. in a sense, this too helps me work through my shit but god, is it hard. im saying this with all the love i have. i do not force myself at all, i have this weird thirst for it, this desire to set myself free. but it IS deeply personal. it clearly reflects back to myself what i oftentimes dont want to directly confront.

fuck, i forgot the second part of this question! very quick, here: im good at writing feelings. i mean i sometimes struggle with it, naming them can be hard and sometimes i dont know what i even want to say while im writing. but when i do know, im pretty good at weaving it into the story, at staying on the pulse of the character, at keeping very close to their heart and letting their thoughts, their innermost soul, just unspool and unravel. its something i love to read and writing it, once ive muddled through my shit, is cathartic and fun. im prone to being a little more poetic in my style, and it lends itself well to breaking open a character like a fruit, exposing their soft insides

32. What is a line from a poem/novel/fanfic etc that you return to from time and time again? How did you find it? What does it mean to you? and 40. Please share a poem with me, I need it.

alright, so when i was small, my grandfather used to read poetry to me. he is a pretty good storyteller and i love him very much. everytime im reading from the author he read to me, i have his voice and his mannerism in my ear; where he set a pause, where he lifted his voice, where he grew louder, what he chose to emphasize. (he is still alive and well, we've just not done this in a while.) and of the poetry there is one poem that still positively haunts me, it is brilliant, hilarious, and creative. i can practically semi-recite it on the spot, with his style of performance in my heart. i found a great english translation, lemme put it here for you to oggle at!!!

Palmstroem, old, an aimless rover, walking in the wrong direction at a busy intersection is run over.

"How," he says, his life restoring and with pluck his death ignoring, "can an accident like this ever happen? What's amiss?

"Did the state administration fail in motor transportation? Did police ignore the need for reducing driving speed?

"Isn't there a prohibition, barring motorized transmission of the living to the dead? Was the driver right who sped…?"

Tightly swathed in dampened tissues he explores the legal issues, and it soon is clear as air: Cars were not permitted there!

And he comes to the conclusion: His mishap was an illusion, for, he reasons pointedly, that which must not, can not be.

"The Impossible Fact" by Christian Morgenstern, tl. Max Knight, original & translation here!

ask me weird writers questions!

[amuseoffyre]

Generational Trauma in OFMD

Entirely boggled to learn there's a subset of #OurFlagMeansDeath fandom who think that Ed isn't canonically a BIPOC character? Because they don't say aloud that he is? My beige dudes, the actor is Māori. They cast a Māori actress to play his mother. This was not an accident. 

Taika has always been proudly vocal about his mixed heritage and the fact they canonically gave Ed a white father and a Māori mother is so important in the context of Ed's character. The show is set at Peak Empire, when England (and Europe) colonised everything.

There's a powerful thread of subtext of this history within her characterisation and this show doesn’t do anything accidentally: she is a house servant, trapped in poverty, abused and controlled by her white partner, and conditioned to believe that "it's not up to us, it's up to God".

For anyone unfamiliar with European colonialism, the role the church played in it is toxic. The stolen generations and the people descended from the kids put through the Christian school systems are a legacy of it: children of indigenous people abducted and forcibly cut off from their culture to be ‘civilised’ through Christianity and assimilated into a white-centric culture. The entire system was a genocidal horror story perpetuated in the name of God for centuries in almost every single colony. The children were abused and conditioned to believe they were lesser, better than their heritage but still never good - ‘white’ - enough. “We’re not that kind and never will be”.

So when Ed’s mother says “it’s not up to us, it’s up to God”, that is the voice of a child of colonial violence repeating what she was taught by abuse and by rote to make sure she knows her humble place in the world order created by the Christian Empires. The fact she’s a servant is also so integral to this. The Christian schools trained the children to be workers but most specifically in low-level manual/domestic work. The people running the show didn’t want them getting ideas above their station, after all. 

Not a word of this show is incidental. The history is there if you listen to it and it makes the red silk scene devastating because we are seeing a woman from a colonised culture literally and metaphorically pass that trauma on to her son. 

Think of the first time we see the silk: it is immediately in the aftermath of Ed’s encounter with the French Captain. This is the moment when Ed is faced with the same level of racial abuse as Frenchie and Olu get from the white Navy officers in episode 1 - “made by savages”, “silence, slave!” “your master may tolerate uppity behaviour”.

The Captain refers to Ed as “your kind”, immediately designating him as something Other and Uncivilised by comparison to himself. Ed reels as if slapped at that alone, asking tersely “what’s that supposed to mean?”. The man derisively says “a rich donkey is still a donkey”.

But no, sure, tell me there’s nothing inherently racist about a posh white man describing a brown man in terms of a beast of burden, something meant for manual work, carrying things for its owner and known for being beaten into submission. /end sarcasm. In many documents from that era, this was a common way for white (especially English) Europeans to write about anyone not white, regardless of rank, culture or history: comparisons with animals, beasts, lower creatures are all over the place. (eta: it has also been confirmed that donkey itself was commonly used as a slur against Polynesian and Pasifika people, which makes this a deliberately targeted racist insult)

Ed, unsurprisingly, does not react well. The fact that this is the thing to make him lose his temper for the first time underscores how distressing it is for him, especially when it segues into the flashback to his mother, repeating that same lesson to him.

The way these two scenes overlapped is so important because not only does it define Ed’s history but also demonstrates that - even decades after the fact - the legacy of generational trauma has not and will not go away. 

[caffeinatedseri]

Dead Apple Light Novel

Recently, I decided to buy LN 5, Dead Apple, purely because I’m a sucker for all of BSD’s light novels, so this post will revolve around what I took away from this novel. 

Dead Apple is Canon

Since the story jumps around in the timeline a lot, I had originally thought that Dead Apple took place outside of canon (especially with Atsushi’s flashback). 

However, a particular part of Asagiri’s afterword stuck out to me:

Now, allow me a moment to discuss some of the particulars of Dead Apple. Chronologically, the story takes place after the second season of the anime — in other words, after the war with the Guild, which puts Dead Apple somewhere between the ninth and tenth volumes of the manga. 

The novel also ended up affecting the main story in numerous ways, and I’m sure this new experience will continue to influence my future work as well.

It’s not unusual for a light novel to insert itself into the main timeline (see 55 Minutes which takes place in the 10th volume), but it’s nice to have confirmation that the same applies to Dead Apple. 

Of course, just because a work isn’t canon compliant (see BEAST), doesn’t mean that it has no potential for further analysis or it doesn’t bring any added complexity to the main plot. Regardless, this post serves as somewhat of a precursor to my other posts concerning Dead Apple since I have a tendency to talk about it a lot, and I’d like to establish a basis for a lot of my posts. 

Differences between the Movie and Light Novel

In the afterword of the light novel, Hiro Iwahata (the author of this LN) said:

“Furthermore, I worked on this book under Asagiri’s supervision, meaning there are several lines in certain scenes that differ from the movie. It might even be fun comparing the two!  Nothing would make me happier than the fans enjoying this novel alongside the movie.”

As per Iwahata’s request, I went into the light novel, looking for differences between it and the movie. However, the novel is surprisingly, almost identical to the movie (maybe not surprising considering it is a “movie novelization”).

Because the differences are so miniscule, I believe they hold an even greater significance, since Asagiri must have wanted to change these specific details for a certain reason. 

Some of the differences I talk about might be unimportant, but I did my best to catch everything that was changed from the movie.

1. The movie doesn’t mention SKK as a part of the Dragon’s Head Conflict, but the novel says, “Some fought under the alias Twin Dark.” 

This probably means that SKK became a pair either before the Dragon’s Head Conflict or during (although I’m pretty sure that the “organization” they destroyed over night was Shibusawa’s organization).

2. When Dazai says that he would’ve continued killing people in the mafia if it weren’t for Oda, Atsushi has little to no reaction in the movie; I would describe it as maybe a hesitant or concerned feeling.

In the novel, Atsushi has a more outward reaction.

““Huh...?!” Atsushi was baffled. He had no idea whether that was true. What did Dazai mean by that? (...) The melancholy Atsushi felt from Dazai had disappeared, and Dazai continued to speak in his usual lighthearted manner.”

Not only does he react verbally, but the novel also adds an inner monologue (mainly for Atsushi) that can’t be portrayed as well in movie format. 

To me, this change highlights how Atsushi sees Dazai purely as a good person; he reacts in such a startled manner because he believes that Dazai is too good of a person to be in the mafia killing people (which we know Atsushi hates). This trend reoccurs throughout the story, of Atsushi turning a blind eye to Dazai’s “bad side.”

3. This one isn’t at all the movie’s fault, but the novel gives a lot more clues as to what the “dead apple” and the dagger in the apple motif represents.

The first time it appears is when Kunikida and Tanizaki meet the Special Division’s agent, but they find out that he’s already dead.

“It [the apple] was, without a doubt, a simple fruit... save for the fact that there was a knife sticking out of it as if to condemn the taste of sin. A blade had been driven into the symbol of original sin. A dreary, ominous aura, oozed from the ripe fruit like venom. 

Throughout the novel, it seems to associate the “dead apple” motif with Fyodor pretty strongly, especially since this paragraph ties in Fyodor’s ideals nicely with the symbolism of the apple and dagger.

The apple represents sin, the very first sin — which you could interpret as sin at its purest — while the dagger represents the condemning of such sin. However, the apple can also potentially symbolize life, while the dagger stabbing into life can mean death. 

Fyodor’s ideals revolve around “removing the sin” of ability users (represented by an apple in this case) but he does so through manipulation. The dagger is associated with stealth and deception, which is fitting with what Fyodor does to “remove the sin” of ability users.

However, he’s also taking the lives of ability users in this process, hence stabbing the apple, coincidentally committing another sin in his attempt to relinquish all sin.

4. In the “Snow White” Oda and Dazai flashback, everything is identical to the movie (word for word), but there is some additional narration.

“It was an alarming sight — Dazai sounded like he was in a trance. It was as if he was ignoring all this world had to offer while in pursuit of something else.”

I’ve talked about this particular scene before here, but the gist is that Dazai was discreetly talking about himself while referring to Snow White. 

Dazai joined the mafia because he believed that the violence (or true human nature) would give him a reason to live, but we already know that this kind of thinking was flawed.  Thus, this line most likely means that Dazai was ignoring all of the “good” qualities of the world while pursuing a reason to live, which inevitably wouldn’t work. 

5. Right after the flashback, when Dazai takes the pill, the novel really sells the act of “Dazai walking towards his death and going to the evil side.” 

Personally, this scene in the movie felt more open to interpretation after you’ve seen the ending. You could say that Dazai took the antidote and said “Being on the side that saves people is more beautiful,” because his plan is to continue living to save more people. 

However, the novel throws away any possible double meaning with this paragraph:

“Dazai then reached for the pill with his bandaged hand, neatly picked it up, and slowly brought it to his lips — just like Snow White and the sweet, poisoned apple. The venomous red-and-pure-white-pill disappeared inside his mouth.”

After Dazai’s tangent on how Snow White could’ve committed suicide out of despair, the narration compares him directly to Snow White. With the added venomous pill stated outright, it only further cements the idea that Dazai’s actually committing suicide here.

I don’t particularly like this change, because it feels like this moment was set up entirely just to divert the audience’s expectations, rather than it be a standalone scene that makes sense when considering the rest of the story. (It might not necessarily be a change, possibly just a rough translation from movie to novel). 

6. When Atsushi wakes up from his nightmare, there’s some additional inner monologue:

Everything’s okay. I’m not the same person I was when I lived at the orphanage. I have friends. I have a place where I belong — the Armed Detective Agency. Things are different now.

The anime (and in turn the movie) tends to downplay the effects of Atsushi’s trauma — probably due to the limitations of anime — but regardless the novel portrays it much better with how Atsushi’s trauma affects practically every aspect of his life. 

7. I thought Fukuzawa’s ability only gave his subordinates control over their abilities, but the novel says:

“Yukichi Fukuzawa and his skill, All Men are Equal, a peculiar ability that allowed him to suppress and control his subordinates’ skills.”

Does this mean that Fukuzawa could control and suppress all of the agency’s abilities? It could be a weird translation, but it seems oddly specific.

8. This detail isn’t actually a novel exclusive, but it is an extremely small detail that I missed while watching the movie, so I figured I would add it here too.

“the phantom’s notebook had the word Compromise written on the cover. A copy of himself that didn’t follow ideals but made compromises was an abomination to Kunikida.”

Considering how abilities act as the shadow to every character in this story, this is a nice detail that shows how Kunikida’s inner desire is to compromise, because carrying such heavy ideals is undoubtedly a burden. However, because he holds onto his ideals so strongly, it becomes his biggest weakness AND his biggest strength.

9. There’s a super small detail added to this scene with Dazai, Fyodor, and Shibusawa. When Dazai suggests that Shibusawa could be saved by an angel or a demon, the following exchange occurs:

“Hmm... Maybe an angel?” Dazai picked up the skull on the table. “Or maybe a demon?” “It’s obvious what both of your true intentions are, if you ask me.” The third man mirthfully cackled and took the skull from Dazai’s hand.

In the movie, Dazai doesn’t pick up anything, so as a result Fyodor doesn’t take anything from Dazai either. 

Because Fyodor walked into the scene after Dazai suggested that an angel or demon would save Shibusawa, I strongly suspect that this was foreshadowing future events in which Fyodor does “save” Shibusawa by giving him his memories back.

The novel adds more to this foreshadowing by having Dazai pick up the skull before it’s taken by Fyodor — essentially having Fyodor take the cards out of Dazai’s hands and put them in his favor. 

It’s also worth pointing out that the skull is also the object that Fyodor uses to revive Shibusawa into a supernatural ghost of some sorts at the end of the story.

10. This may be just a difference in translations but in the movie, Shibusawa refers to Fyodor as “Demon Fyodor-kun”, whereas in the novel Fyodor is called “Fyodor the Conjurer.” (Ango uses the Conjurer title as well).

In western esotericism, a conjurer is a person who summons supernatural beings, like spirits, demons, or God.

This slightly changes the connotation of Fyodor’s title from a inhuman being of pure malicious intent to just a human who summons these otherworldly beings. This idea also aligns with Shibusawa’s revival, since he’s some sort of supernatural ghost that was “summoned” by Fyodor. 

11. Skipping past the parts where Kyouka and Akutagawa regain their abilities, and Chuuya talks to Ango in the government facility, (since they have little to no changes between the movie and the novel) there is a somewhat significant detail changed in Draconia once again with Dazai and Fyodor.

In the novel, this glowing ball of energy from the movie is actually described as an apple: 

The two lights melted into one and spun until they formed a juicy sphere. They had produced a single apple — a juicy, poisoned apple red as blood.

It birthed a skill — and an extremely powerful one at that — the ability to absorb. Every last crystal adorning Draconia’s walls was sucked into the apple with intense force. Ten — a hundred — a thousand — two thousand — every last one was greedily devoured by the apple...

The apple swelled as it absorbed the numerous crystals until the red light became hotter than the surface of hell.

Since the “dead apple” motif aligns with Fyodor’s character, we can assume that the apple is representative of sin, and sin is associated with abilities, as Fyodor believes.

This strange poisoned apple is made of abilities and has an ability (the ability to absorb), and it commits a sin (greed) in its devouring of other abilities; it’s also hotter than “hell”, which is a very specific connection that leads me to this idea:

My theory is that a normal apple represents life, while a poisoned apple (or dead apple), indicative of a stained, impure life, represents sin. Fyodor believes abilities are akin to sin (what a clever rhyme), therefore all of their lives are sinful.

12. This is arguably the most insignificant change of this entire post, but I feel obligated to put it here regardless since it was different from the movie. When the Special Division detects the singularity of Shibusawa’s dragon form in the novel, it says:

“Abnormal values for singularity are increasing! They’re twice — no, 2.5 times higher than they were six years ago.”

In the movie, the number is five times higher instead.

Why did this number change? Is it significant? I honestly have no idea (I’m surprised I even caught this), but it’s there and I had to document it anyways. 

13. The novel adds this narration for Shibusawa when he gets his memories back and he’s in the orphanage’s room with Atsushi:

“Shibusawa clearly recalled the events from six years ago. Fyodor had enticed him to go to the orphanage where he tortured a young Atsushi... until Atsushi fought back and killed him.”

There’s two things to take away from this: Fyodor had known Shibusawa for at least six years, and Fyodor had been planning the events of Dead Apple since at least six years ago. 

I find it hard to believe that Fyodor’s plan was thwarted by Dazai, because of how Fyodor demonstrated his ability to plan ahead in the main series, but I’m not sure what the long term effects of this plan could be. If Shibusawa succeeded, then it could’ve aligned with the DOA’s goals, but once again I don’t think Fyodor’s plan was actually foiled.

14. Super minor once again, but right after Shibusawa gets revived, the last sentence of chapter 5 is,

“Nobody would ever see the smile on Fyodor’s face.” 

Honestly, I think this was just added to create an ominous tone, but it’s a nice detail regardless.

15. As the red fog spreads across Yokohama, there’s a good part of exposition that connects the “dead apple” motif to Fyodor once again:

“After the red fog devoured the earth, the planet would undoubtedly look like a floating red apple from space. There would be no humans left on its surface, nor any signs they ever existed. It would be a true paradise, and with that, the Dead Apple would finally be complete. A dead planet covered in red fog — that was what Fyodor had planned and sought out.

Nothing other than death could wash away the original sin of man, so it was only fitting for the sin, which started with a fruit, to end with one as well. 

It’s pretty long, but I like the way this passage is written, more specifically the last part since it fits well with the sinful poisoned apple idea.

It also aligns with Fyodor’s ideals of creating a true paradise, free of ability users. However, if Fyodor had planned to have the Earth covered in fog, that could mean that his plan was actually stopped by Dazai and Atsushi in the end.

16. Shibusawa has a few additional lines of dialogue when he talks to Atsushi in their final fight.

“The dragon and tiger... I see now why they are called rivals.”

The dragon and tiger have their roots in Chinese Buddhism, but to go further into that topic would make this already lengthy post even longer.

“Don’t get the wrong idea, though. I’m not blaming you for what happened.”

This line is a brief moment of weakness for Shibusawa, which is interesting in contrast to his strong will to kill Atsushi. Just as Atsushi learned to accept the past and the tiger’s ferocity, Shibusawa shares the same attitude by separating the blame from himself to just simply accepting the past for what happened.

17. In the aftermath of the last fight against Shibusawa, Atsushi and Kyouka meet up with Dazai.

Kyouka asks, “Are you sure this is what you wanted?” which prompts two different responses in the movie and novel respectively.

In the movie, Atsushi says, “Just as Shibusawa was able to forget that he’d been killed before, I think Dazai can put his past behind him again. But this is fine.”

In the novel, Atsushi says:

“... I could probably seal away this memory just like how I’d forgotten I’d killed him before. But... I’m okay with this.”

I interpreted Kyouka’s question in the movie to be questioning Dazai’s loyalties, as he did betray everyone, and Atsushi responded in Dazai’s defense because he trusts him.

However, the novel does change Atsushi’s response to focus on himself rather than Dazai, which in turn changes the implications of Kyouka’s question. 

Kyouka seems to be asking Atsushi whether he was okay with killing Shibusawa, and Atsushi responds by acknowledging that he did kill Shibusawa, and that’s okay. (a very clear development from the beginning of the story when he believed it was unnecessary to kill anyone, and he didn’t want to kill anyone)

18. In the epilogue, Ango talks about the underlying motivations behind the “Dead Apple” case. This change could be attributed to translation differences (like many others in this post), but the connotation does slightly differ from movie to novel. 

In the movie, Ango says, “How is a man like Shibusawa, so intelligent that others look like alien creatures to him, to act, to be destroyed, or to be saved?”

In the novel, Ango says:

“Perhaps the two of them [Dazai and Fyodor] just wanted to get a glimpse of someone like them... Perhaps they wanted to see what he would do and how he would meet his demise... or perhaps how he would be saved.”

The movie simply poses a broad question of what would happen to Shibusawa, a person alienated from the rest of society. 

The novel changes this to focus on Dazai and Fyodor’s perspective — two irredeemable aliens from society just like Shibusawa — executing this grand scheme out of curiosity to see what would happen to someone of the likes of them, and if there’s a possibility for redemption.

19. This is the final difference on this list, and it’s quite a large change. In Fyodor’s monologue at the very end of the story, he has a completely different tone from the movie to novel.

In the movie, Fyodor says, “But in order to end this world, rife with crime and punishment, I do need that book.”

The novel says: 

Glittering high-rises and stately brick buildings stood side by side in this port city with its countless citizens who struggled against crime and punishment. “I think I’ve taken a liking to this city myself..”  Fyodor took a bite of the apple in his hand, and the juicy nectar ran down his delicate fingers. “You’d all better be on your best behavior until next time.”

The reference to the book may have been removed for consistency with the main series, as the book is a part of the DOA’s plan (or more specifically Fukuchi). 

It also seems like Fyodor has grown fond of the city, and no longer wants Yokohama to be destroyed, so it’s still possible that his plan deterred from what he had originally intended.

Beyond that, I’m not entirely sure why crime and punishment was mentioned, or why there’s such an ominous tone to his ending statement, but that’s up to personal interpretation. 

That concludes the long list of extremely specific and minor differences between the Dead Apple movie and light novel! 

Overall, I would say it’s worth checking out the light novel if you don’t have a strong grasp of the Dead Apple story, because it definitely presents the small intricacies of the plot in a more comprehensible way. 

On a side note, the manga adaptation has a lot of noticeable differences from the movie and light novel, mostly with the addition of entirely new scenes (which you can read @buraihatranslations​ — what a shameless self plug). I would highly recommend reading it as those extra scenes are very amusing, to say the least without giving any spoilers.

Honestly, this post was a lot longer than I intended, but I hope you enjoyed it regardless. Thank you for reading!

[life-rewritten]

Psycho but it’s okay analysis: Fairy tales and their foreshadowing Part 2/2 (The cheerful dog and Beauty and the Beast)

Futility and Acceptance of Captivity

Episode 7 and 8 of Psycho but it’s okay focuses on the themes of being tied up and caged for so long that you begin to accept it, trust it and forget what freedom is.  This is shadowed in the two fairy tales mentioned. The cheerful dog (Episode 7) and Beauty and the Beast (Episode 8).

The audience is told the story of the cheerful dog  written by Moon Young and narrated to us by Gang Tae and Sang Tae. 

‘The story is about a dog tied up to a tree that looks really happy on the outside but in the middle of the night he cries and weeps in pain, depressed about his lack of freedom. The dog wants to be happy and run around in the green fields but runs around happily around the tree for the people to come watch and feel also happy. The dog is asked why he hasn’t broken the leash that ties him to the tree. And he woefully admits that he had gotten used to being this way he forgot how to break away from the leash.’

The cheerful dog’s leash

The cheerful dog despite desperately wanting to be from his leash, refuses to break it because he has forgotten how to do so. He has accepted to keep crying in the night for his loss of freedom and he has been forced to become accustomed to being tied to  the tree.  The focus at first would be on the dog’s dream of freedom and him realising the truth. Which connects to Gang Tae and others who all dream of freedom and can’t break away from their ties to freedom. I want to focus on the other characters mentioned in the tale. This is important because we forget that other people rely on the dog being tied to the tree; the kids who look forward to playing with him every day they go to school, the adults who like his playful energy and get happy at the sight of him and the fact the dog becomes a good symbol for the neighbourhood for happiness. This is paralleled in episode 7 with how other characters perceive the relationship with Moon Young as a barrier to what they want from Gang Tae.  

Jae Su narrates being like the dog because he feels tied to Gang Tae but in reality he wants to tie Gang Tae to him because he likes being near him each time he has to move because he likes feeling like the only one who protects Gang Tae.  Sang Tae is dependent on Gang Tae for survival and easy living. The hospital wants Gang Tae to continue holding it in and helping the patients with no disturbance. 

That’s why Moon Young appearing in his life is turning these  wants for Gang Tae to become ruined, he’s moved out and no longer near Jae Su, Sang Tae well he’s being left behind Gang Tae is being forced and has been all his life forced to stay the way he is because it’s what’s good for everyone and for the hospital, Moon Young keeps causing disruptions with all the patients. For these people It’s good for Gang Tae to keep running away and avoiding the truth because it makes it easier for others as well who depend on him to be like this. 

Beauty and the Stockholm Syndrome

  In episode 8, Moon Young uses the romantic tale of beauty and the beast to describe a relationship made on the basis of Stockholm syndrome. This fairy tale is normally told as a romantic tale about loving someone beneath the looks. And one of her students stand up to her because they stick with this meaning instead. The patient also had suffered from something similar to this syndrome with her alcoholic ex. So it was a powerful scene to see her stand up to Moon Young about the meaning. 

This  fairy-tale also again shows an imagery of someone in this case Belle the beauty in the story becoming accustomed to being trapped and captured because the beast depends on her for his humanity and  for his curse to break. Because Belle is groomed to accept this and she forms feeling of trust and affection for her kidnapper (the very meaning of Stockholm syndrome) she also sees it as love and decides to stay with the beast forever. Thus this story instead of being romantic to Moon Young is also about deluding your self to deal with the circumstance of having no control. 

Just like Moon Young who had a complicated connection with her mother who locked her up in her castle and who also was forced to be used to her mum grooming her into a witch that’s destined to be alone and forcing her to choose to let go of Gang Tae because it was best for everyone. Before we get to episode 8, she also forgot how to be free until she cut her hair (the symbol of her mother in her life) and chose to walk away from her burden.

True Love or Captivity?

Our show however is a love story as well and so Gang Tae is the reason for why Moon Young walks away from her leash and Moon Young is  also the reason for why Gang Tae wants to walk away from his and in a way it’s romantic. This is  what love does, it makes you feel like you can breath again, be free and find what you’ve been desperately looking for. 

It’s all romantic and all but in a world where their freedom and relationship means others are compromised and hurt, can it really last?  Probably not, in a way the cruel truth is that there will be a reveal that these 2 are also connected to the other past traumas and leashes and this realisation will force them apart even more. If Moon Young’s mum is the cause of Gang Tae’s mums murder, if it was to punish Moon Young, then both of them will be severely pulled apart because of that truth. The butterflies that Gang Tae is being haunted by will end up being tied to the person he doesn’t want to run away from the most but he must run away from those butterflies for peace of his brother and himself. 

And Moon Young, the news about her mother will lead her to pushing Gang Tae away because it will confirm to her what she’s been trying to run away from, and that is the truth that she and her mother are monsters destined to be alone. This will be proven if her mother and her were involved with the scars caused on person she loves and death of his mother. We shall see how it turns out. But as Moon Young says in order to be okay you need to not be okay, in order to heal you need to embrace the pain and trauma. So even though it may look like they need to separate for the good of each other, they  will still need to embrace the truth and choose each other to heal and be happy and free. Another evidence for why it will end in a happy ending even if the odds seem against them.

[aros001]

First time read through light novel vol. 7. Random thoughts.

Through some kind of mistake, Rem had completely accepted Subaru, but he knew all too well that the Subaru Natsuki she saw was an ideal far removed from the real thing. Compared with the man she envisioned in her mind, the cards that the real Subaru held were few in number, and poor in quality—

But he learned, now that he stood at the playing table, no one cared about his personal problems.

All anyone in his position could do was try to win with the cards he was dealt.

This is sign I think Subaru has grown a little bit, though he is still growing. It's not about him, and Ferris later seems like he's trying to drill that into him a bit more later when Subaru wants to help with the battle preparations. It's good that he wants to help but sometimes he's unintentionally making things too much about himself, just to ease his own feelings. There are places where he would be getting in the way if he tried to help and Subaru's learning to accept that; to be patient and give his services where he can actually be of use, not just to help himself feel better. And damn, does he put that new maturity to good use in the big battle.

Originally, these negotiations had been Rem’s appointed duty. He could easily imagine how being unable to divulge her task to Subaru and having to speak with Crusch day after day had whittled away at her spirit.

Subaru had continually rotted by himself while the future of the Emilia camp had been entrusted to her—she must have suffered under that burden.

He hoped that in some small way, this victory repaid the girl whose feelings had supported him for so long; if so, then for the moment, that was enough for Subaru to be happy.

I really like this part. Again, it's not all about Subaru. He's acknowledging how much Rem's had to deal with while he was having his breakdowns and indulgences during his prior loops, and how much she still did what she could to support him in spite of it all. We're getting a little more that she does have a life outside of just Subaru and a little more added on to why he feels he's been so selfish. It really feels like he is now doing this for her. It's not like Subaru was completely self-centered before but I imagine there were times, especially with Emilia, where he wanted to help, but he wanted to be the one to help. He wanted good things for her but part of him cared more that he was the one giving them to her, verses her just getting what she needs in general. It's like how he couldn't feel happy that Otto was in support of Emilia first time he met him, though of course that was when he was at one of his lowest points.

And, of course, I'm absolutely reveling in all the sweetness of Rem supporting Subaru through his negotiations. Even if it's just holding his hand and reminding him she's there, he clearly appreciates the strength and courage it's giving him. Obviously they're not a romantic couple but this is the kind of stuff I love to see in romantic relationships. Just the basic comfort and support they find in each other's presence.

“...If I am gone, will you remember me just as long?”

“...I don’t wanna answer that. It’s bad luck.”

Speaking with a voice of dismay, Subaru gave Rem’s forehead a little poke.

When he touched Rem’s forehead, she smiled with a happy expression, almost as if she’d received the reply she had been hoping for.

Given something I believe I've been spoiled on for what happens later in the story (after where the anime leaves off), this feels like a very cruel monkey's paw bit of foreshadowing.

“Subaru.”

“...What?”

“I am fine with being your second wife.”

They were words to make a man unwittingly halt in his tracks.

When Subaru, unable to resist, looked toward her, Rem made a face like that of an adorable puppy, seemingly wagging her tail as she awaited Subaru’s reply.

Oh, good grief, just how far is this girl gonna—?

“If Emilia-tan’s a very generous first wife...”

“Well then, when we get back you must convince Lady Emilia. I shall try hard as well.”

Rem clenched the hand not grasped into a fist, very animated as she spoke with a smile.

Speaking jokingly like that broke all the tension, driving home to Subaru how weak he was. He truly couldn’t hold a candle to the girl.

I'm...going to have to see where the story goes from here, and how truly joking/serious Rem was with that second wife line. Just to put it out there, I don't really have a good view of polygamy. I'm always going to think that, 1st wife or 2nd or 3rd or wherever, someone is always going to be treated like second best and second priority. What they're receiving doesn't feel like real love and that's not fair to them. The only way I can see myself supporting a polygamous marriage in this series is if it's made clear Emilia and Rem are attracted to each other as well as Subaru and want to bang. Then it at least becomes three people who love each other as opposed to just "the guy and his two prizes".

So, first time you read this part in the novels or watched it in the anime, was anyone else afraid of the White Whale not showing up where and when Subaru told everyone it would? Like the world would just want to gut punch him one more time and have everyone think he's a fraud? I remember I was.

One theory I have for why the witch's scent grows stronger, not just when Subaru RBD, but also when he tries to talk about RBD is that maybe the witch likes when he acknowledges her "gift" to him. But she's also quite screwed up and doesn't like it when he tries to "share" what's between them, thus why she punishes him or those around him for doing so.

In front, behind and up above, he saw yet another whale-shaped figure high in the sky, scattering mist all around.

—The infinite mouths of the three White Whales laughed together, drawing out the despair of men.

Subaru, Crusch, the soldiers, everyone, etc.

Though pests had interrupted it, the White Whale’s mission was to cover the world in mist. This, too, was the command of its instinct, and doing so was the purpose of the White Whale’s existence.

One thing I've enjoyed about the various light novel series I've been reading is that, compared to their anime, I get a better idea of various characters' and monsters' mentalities. The best example I could give would be the goblins in Goblin Slayer (that they are not mindless creatures; that they know EXACTLY what they're doing to people and they enjoy it) and this bit with the White Whale is another good one. It seeks to cover the world in its mist and thus destroy/consume/erase everything (maybe?) And it doesn't know why it seeks to do this. It just does, suggesting there is something else, possibly the one behind its creation, driving it.

It's also interesting that, to the White Whale, the witch's scent is described as foul, despite the stories that she's the one who created it. This brings to mind a couple different theories.

Satella didn't actually create the whale. Someone else, perhaps one of the other six witches did or one of the archbishops.

Satella did create the whale but maybe used one of the other witches to do it. Puck did mention something about Gluttony when he sensed the whale approaching in the last loop.

Satella REALLY cannot tell the difference between positive and negative emotions, even more so than we were already led to believe.

Kind of cruel of Rem to trick Subaru into thinking she was dying, but at least we do get Subaru's completely true feelings out in the open. Back to the polygamy matter, I don't have a problem with Subaru being indecisive between Emilia and Rem or being in love with them both. It's not just that they've done so much for him, in which case the relationship would feel just like how Emilia described, just the two of them repaying debts to each other. Both women have been a hugely positive influence on Subaru's life. They've impacted it for the better and helped push him into being more of a man he can live with being, and it works the other way around too. It would be hard to imagine his story without either of them in it. I feel the same way with Code Geass in regards to CC, Shirley, and Kallen in Lelouch's story. It was the only "harem" series I've ever watched where I had trouble saying who the MC should end up with, because all three were irreplaceable in his life and story. Take any of them out and it loses a lot. Emilia and Rem are a similar case.

As Rem looked back at Subaru, now beside her, large tears filled her blue eyes. It was not being left behind that she feared. No, what she feared more than anything was—

“When you are in distress, Subaru, I want to be the one offering my hand faster than anyone. When you hesitate along your path, I want to be the one pushing on your back. When you challenge something, I want to be at your side, stopping you from shaking. That is—that is all I wish for. So please...”

Again, more great parallels between Subaru and Rem, as this isn't dissimilar to what he wanted to do for Emilia.

Wilhelm might just be the biggest example of a tsundere I've ever seen. Married a woman he loved from the bottom of heart for what was assumedly a decent amount of time...never freaking told her "I love you" until he finally killed the beast that killed her.

As for Theresia, it's definitely a case of why context is so important. She never wanted to be the Sword Saint. She only did so because she found purpose in saving as many lives as she could with the insane power she had (the whole "great power, great responsibility" chestnut). If Wilhelm is strong enough to protect and save people, to where her absence would make no difference, then she doesn't have to be the Sword Saint anymore and can live the life she wants. It's what makes it an actual kindness vs. some chauvinistic BS. Probably helps too that she'd already helped put an end to a long war, so she wouldn't have been needed as much anyway.

“So it is said. The existence and origins of demon beasts are mysteries to us. Some propagate in the same manner as ordinary living creatures, but some suddenly appear out of nowhere like the White Whale. Though, properly speaking, the only exceptions on par with the White Whale are the Black Serpent and the Great Hare.”

Oh...I'm so not looking forward to meeting those two. After how much tragedy just the White Whale caused, what the f**k are those things going to do? My money would be that whatever it is, it will hurt Subaru quite horribly.

This book potentially answered a question I had in my last post. The Witch Cult is after Emilia because they see her as an impostor of the Witch of Envy, or at least so the characters in-story are speculating.

Not sure how many people here are fans of Rising of the Shield Hero but after this I kind of want to see the White Whale and the Spirit Tortoise duke it out. That sounds awesome. Mountain Turtle vs. Witch Fish.

Original Reddit post: https://www.reddit.com/r/Re_Zero/comments/gub735/novels_first_time_read_through_light_novel_vol_7/

[popwasabi]

Why I don’t give a fuck about canon

Recently, after randomly coming across some dope pictures of Transformer toys on Instagram that gave me a strong case of nostalgia, I was inspired to revisit an old childhood favorite in “Beast Wars.”

“Beast Wars,” in case you never watched or heard of it as a kid, is the continuation of the Transformer’s story set in the future as descendants of the Auotobots and Decepticons, the Maximals and Predacons, respectively, accidentally travel to prehistoric Earth to continue a centuries long battle between the two opposing factions.

There’s a lot of to digest there, so I’m not going to go into extreme detail over the plot, but the cast features colorful characters such as Optimus Primal, Cheetor, Rattrap, Dinobot and Megatron to name a few. They all have interesting and distinct personalities and generally play well off each other. It was a big part of my childhood and I collected an ungodly amount of their toys back in the day.

(This was my first ever Beast Wars toy and I think it’s beautiful.)

My rewatch though was…a mixed bag to say the least. The graphics have not aged well. The adventure of the week setup of the plot was repetitive and lacked real character development at times. There were characters that were added in last minute to the show clearly to promote a new action figure over the story on numerous occasions. Though I found the humor to still be pretty good, the action was stale and just lacked high stakes most of the time, save for a few episodes.

I was not shocked it didn’t land terribly well on my rewatch but you know what did? “Beast Machines!”

“Beast Machines” was the follow-up to Beast Wars that had the Maximals fighting on Cybertron where Megatron has taken control of the whole planet using a virus that changes Transformers into mindless drones to do his bidding. The remaining Maximals manage to survive however after Optimus discovers The Oracle which reformats them into animal robot hybrids that are both mechanical and biological. This sets them on a quest to stop Megatron and bring biological and mechanical balance to Cybertron once and for all.

The series is much more narrative based than the previous as it follows a steady trajectory to its epic conclusion. The animation is much sharper, and the soundtrack is fun as hell to listen to still. The pacing is much faster as the stakes couldn’t be higher for the Maximals and all the old characters from the previous grow in interesting ways and develop into more organic people (literally in some ways). Optimus is a more hardcore and emotionally damaged leader and Megatron goes from being something of a punchline in the previous series to a far more menacing and calculating nemesis. The story touches on themes of balance, authoritarianism, PTSD, love and reunion to name a few and for a kids’ show it is, dare I say…more than meets the eye.

I absolutely loved it as a kid and I might actually love it even more as an adult, so it was shocking for me, to say the least, when I read further into the history of the show, that a lot of fans straight up rejected it back in the day.

Common complaints I came across were they didn’t like how characters, such as Ratrap especially, “changed.” They didn’t like the new bio/mechanical Maximals and couldn’t believe that Cybertron was once an organic world.

Their big reason (in just about every forum and video I saw about it)? It didn’t adhere to “canon.”

Now, I’ll start this by saying there is no objective way to critique or even not critique a story. People can like or hate something for a variety of reasons that don’t follow a strict logical pattern. Gods know I have a few questionable/divisive favorites in my catalogue that I have written about here that are based on abstract ideas and personal experiences.

(The Matrix Reloaded is still great btw)

But I will say, if you judge a mega franchise’s latest entry on how well it is supported by established canon it is, in my opinion, a flawed way to critique a work of fiction.

Canon, sometimes referred to as “lore” by fans, is most often applied and used to describe the long running back stories of franchises that stretch beyond just the main books, movies or series, or even the original narrative of the plot. Star Wars, Star Trek, Lord of the Rings, and to a certain extent Harry Potter, all fall into this camp of series with so many interconnected parts, with more than one main character featured in each, that fans follow along this canon like ancient monks studying scripture and history books.

And they can be just as fanatical and over zealous about it.

(I wish they were more fanatical about proper hygiene or at least deodorant...)

My problem with the ways fans often view canon is that their conceptions of what a new story should be is based entirely on the past rather than what is happening right now with the story and what themes the writer is trying express with it this time. 

They base their impressions of the story on external continuity more than the internal continuity.

Yea, the changes in a series like “Beast Machines” are jarring to say the least. Cybertron was formally an organic world like Earth? Rattrap doesn’t have confidence in himself and actually at one point sells out his comrades? Transformers can be biological now? It’s a lot to take in but when watching the story play out it’s not like these elements aren’t explained through the text of the new story.

Cybertron lost balance between its robot inhabitants and its biological life forms and its why it’s out of balance now, and Megatron is the logical progression of that inbalance. Rattrap is struggling to understand his new form, half his friends on the Maximals have been turned into drones, and the remaining team out loud say they don’t have confidence in him. He has PTSD from both the events of this story and the Beast Wars and feels insecure because of how others view him and that’s perfectly logical to not just the story but also the canon. If a fan is willing to give a story a chance they will see that the canon hasn’t actually been destroyed in much of any way and the logical progression is actually there if they simply listen to what’s going on.

(Seriously, it’s not that deep.)

Fans need to stop confusing a character achieving a franchise long arc with being “suddenly different.” In this way, criticisms of canon in new entries in long running series reveal that fans really just lack imagination to connect the dots. It would be like complaining that Luke Skywalker can’t become paranoid and make a grave mistake in judgment because people never change, nevermind the character already has changed a lot from his origins in “A New Hope” to where he was in “Return of the Jedi.”

(Oh wait, people did do that…)

But that’s not to say you have to like the new direction either. You can understand these changes and still be like “well, it’s not for me. I don’t care for a PSTD angle or a new origin for Cybertron,” but that’s whole lot different than saying the new series “rapes your childhood” or “Bastardizes the canon.” All the old canon you hold nostalgia for still exists. My love for “Beast Machines” is not harmed by the existence of newer Transformers properties that don’t meet what I look for in the series.

Too often, fans take changes to established “lore” very personally because it doesn’t fit their expectations or have the same nostalgic feelings they had before. When new entries in mega franchises occur fans often try to judge it by how much it is like what they watched before, rather what makes it different and what it is saying now. Again, you don’t have to like new directions in tone or character but consistency to established work DOES NOT equal good storytelling.

I have not been immune to this myself in the past, of course. Back in the day I wrote a 2500-plus word diatribe on “The Amazing Spider-man 2” that mostly went after how it changed the character I grew up with in a bad way and butchered the established back story I knew him by.

You know what other story doesn’t follow canon very well though? “Spider-man: Homecoming.”

(Now, hear me out...)

Spider-man in the MCU is generally agreed upon to be a good thing by fans. Both movies were big hits both critically and financially and fans often go as far as to say Tom Holland is the “definitive” Peter Parker. 

But Holland’s Spider-man differs quite a bit from the comic-book webslinger. This Spider-man does not have a spidey sense. His best friend is not Harry Osbourne but in fact a retcon of a Mile Morales character. His father figure is Tony Stark, something that never happened in the comics, instead of Uncle Ben, which no matter what way you spin it is arguably his most important relationship in the series.

His character is a reverse of traditional Peter Parker too. Where comics Peter is a reluctant hero, who if anything hates being Spider-man and the burden of his responsibility, “Homecoming” Spider-man actively seeks out responsibility and in many ways enjoys his role as the famous webslinger. In fact, his whole arc is about him earning a spot as an Avenger. He wants to be THE hero and be worthy of it. It’s completely different from what we know of Spider-man.

(He just wants Tony sempai to notice him uWu)

Now I know some fans actually do complain about this Spidey from a “canon” standpoint, but most don’t. So why did this Spider-man get a pass for many but not “The Amazing” one? Quite simply it’s because stories, as cheesy as it sounds, are about feelings and stories like “Homecoming” tell a good story that effectively make those feelings connect with the audience.

We root for this Peter Parker and his journey to becoming an Avenger and successor to Iron Man because the story is told well, the emotions feel earned, and frankly both films are fun and enjoyable.

It’s easy to complain about canon for many nerds because it’s something tangible that they can point to and make a big stink about when they don’t understand why a movie isn’t reaching them. I don’t doubt that many neckbeards genuinely hate a film like “The Last Jedi” (Hell, I’m not a big fan myself) but when those same nerds enjoy something like “The Mandalorian,” a series that has its own loose relationship with canon and establishing new rules in the series, it tells me it’s not about the “lore” to them.

(Easy, fanboys...)

I have come to understand, in my growth as a nerd, that my problems with a lot of movies and TV shows in my favorite series rarely, if ever, have anything to do with the story not meeting some arbitrary guidelines regarding canon. It has more to with the story simply not connecting with me emotionally. The story isn’t drawing me in and keeping me on its narrative path. I’m not feeling the same magic that someone else might feel enjoying it because either a) it doesn’t feel earned to me or b) it just stylistically isn’t for me.

To paraphrase a line from another mega franchise, also owned by Disney, the canon is more like guidelines than actual rules.

(Didn’t expect to see ol’ Barbosa in this write up, did ye?)

It can show you where a story comes from but it isn’t law that you strictly adhere to it. Of course, when writing a new work in a popular series you should consider what came before it but I would like writer’s the freedom to try something new and most importantly fans to be open to it. You don’t have to like it but the idea that new entries in a story MUST remain strict to the canon is bull shit. Not even the original Star Wars trilogy adhered to its own canon perfectly, as clearly the writers were in fact making it up to a certain extent as they were going along.

(hmmmm...)

And that’s ok, because some of those changes were great! Made the story better and made the conclusion stronger.

Again, you don’t have to like every new entry that tries something bold or confrontational in your favorite franchise but if writers strictly followed canon to the T we wouldn’t have things like “Homecoming,” we wouldn’t have “The Mandalorian,” and we certainly wouldn’t have my favorite Transformers series “Beast Machines.”

Canon shouldn’t be a trap for writers and it shouldn’t be a litmus test for fans digesting it. There are so many better ways to judge a story than whether or not it fits neatly into established lore. A good story is a good story, regardless of whether or not it’s supported by something as static as canon.

“Beast Machines” has its flaws here and there, but canon isn’t one of them, at least not for me. Again, if you feel that the lore is important, that’s fine, you don’t have to ignore it but I would ask you to look beyond what came before when critiquing a new story.

Otherwise, you might miss something special that comes next…

Now then... 

[traditional-with-a-twist]

xxix. Beauty and Her Beast

@the-pompous-potato​ awwww, your enthusiasm for this story always brightens my day! I am just glowing, feeling so accomplished that I pulled off the big twist, and you enjoyed it so much! ^__^

@bubblesthemonsterartist it made me so excited that you appreciated the sitting in silence! that’s long been one of my favorite scenes for this story, that they’re just...despondent. but together still.

A/N: Once Izana started getting strategic, it required me to check my geography, so I had to make a retroactive edit to the war as described in chapter ii (The Bright Star): Sereg is too far north for the invaders to have bothered; they actually went from Laxdo to the sea port town.

<<Previous || first arc || AO3 || Next>>

Loss is a strand snapped in a web.

A single break leaves some threads sagging, while others buckle and threaten to snap under the strain.

Zen’s death left nothing untouched. Nothing was immune to it; no one in the castle emerged unscathed.

Those closest to Zen reflected the impact most.

In Mitsuhide’s case, it aged him: He became like a man at the end of his life, facing the days to come with no purpose and no motivation. 

In Kiki’s case, it flawed her like a crack in the mirror: She was damaged, but still functioning.

...

As for Izana, it would have been only natural for him to lash out in the wake of his brother’s death. Perhaps he had chosen to take out his anger on those closest to Zen who had failed to protect him, even as Izana himself felt that he had failed to protect him. 

Alternatively, he might have adopted his lost brother’s projects and dreams, taking up Zen’s mantle of adopting and nurturing these unusual souls, rejected from their native soil and adrift in unfamiliar lands. 

It possibly hadn’t involved the most comfortable means for those involved, but that would be understandable, too: It might be explained by shadowy necessities of political intrigue, or by the strained quality of Izana’s personal dealings with those involved, which might have made them wary of accepting direct overtures.

One might even account for it by a quirk of Izana’s character that rendered him enigmatic even in situations where it might perhaps have been unnecessary to be so.

Such a response would have befitted the noble spirit of a prince: to succor these loyal friends and companions in his brother’s place, artfully bringing about the fulfillment of their dreams and happiness.

...

Izana was not so sentimental that he ordered his actions according to his own feelings, however.

...

A prince could not afford to yield to the temptations of sopping a sore heart with posthumous reparations, ultimately meaningless actions in that the intended object of their effects was past any benefit he might have received from them. 

Let the private individual indulge in symbolic expressions of grief -- Izana’s royal duties demanded focus, strategy, efficiency. 

He acted as he did because political events required it: His kingdom and his people had been compromised, and he must eliminate all future possibilities of that threat’s reoccurring.

...

Izana accordingly bent all the powers of his exceptional mind to the task: observing, weighing, analyzing, pinpointing his enemies’ weaknesses and evaluating their strengths. 

The invaders had crossed into Clarines from a state little known to him or his allies. 

There were no formal agreements or treaties between Clarines and its northeastern neighbor, yet all reports indicated it to be a stable, prosperous regime. If not friendly to outsiders, nor has it shown itself militant in the past.

The attackers had used that land, but they did not belong to it.

Their rapid disintegration in the wake of defeat suggested that their forces contained a high proportion of mercenaries, warriors with no allegiance besides their own purses. They cared nothing for their master’s fate, so long as he was alive--and solvent--long enough to honor their contracts.

They would not catch Clarines off-guard again, because Izana would end them before they had another chance.

...

It was the peculiar burden of a prince to blend caution with courage. 

Izana had personally cultivated and honed the presence of mind that detects danger, navigates threats, always balancing on a knife’s edge between sheltering himself - a protection that became a prison when it robbed you of your people’s respect - and exposing himself needlessly to enemy plots. 

Izana had perfected this balancing act.

He passed it on to Zen both in word and deed: by his own example, by repeated reminders, and by exercises that he had personally arranged for his brother when the situation called for intervention.

...

Izana had cautioned Zen, but he had allowed his brother to take risks nonetheless. 

He had watched but he had not forbidden as Zen chose to surround himself with those who could not protect and advance his interests, as Kiki Seiran and Mitsuhide Lowen could. Zen’s unusual companions put him at risk: through their questionable identities, their awkward, outsider roles in court, their murky backgrounds and fraught connections.

Zen had an impetuous and warmhearted nature - double-edged virtues.

Izana had overseen these proclivities run their course through his brother’s childhood. He had presided over them with the distant attention of a hawk that perceives more completely and in finer detail than a dim-eyed neighbor of greater proximity.

...

Izana had allowed that freedom because a young tree needs space to grow and stretch its branches, even in unexpected directions - too tight a space and it will languish, no matter how ornately or healthfully prepared. 

He had given Zen the freedom that his brother needed to flourish.

Their enemies had taken advantage.

...

Like a summer house that throws open its doors to the fresh air and graces its guests with the fragrance of sun and flower...yet the morning wakes to find the sanctuary scarred. 

Rats have crept in during the night.

In an unguarded moment, they had crawled into starlit spaces and wreaked irreparable damage. 

Their foul bodies made their mark on a place not unloved, not unworthy, but vulnerable in its beauty. Their grasping claws have shredded the paper-thin walls that showed no imperfection, only the fragility of grace and nobility. 

They were not worthy to look on its beauty, yet they have destroyed it.

...

After their defeat in pitched battle, the attackers melted away as swiftly as they had appeared. Victory had eluded them, but they in turn had evaded the just desserts of the vanquished.

That was unacceptable.

There was the threat of a renewed attack. The routed army might reform and strike again, emboldened by its prior successes and near victories.

There is also this: His brother is dead.

...

For a man with little in the way of permitted attachments, Zen was the closest someone could be to Izana--and the single person he felt most responsible for. He had owed it to Zen as a brother to care for him, and he had owed it to his country as a ruler to help Zen become great.

Izana can’t resent the sacrifice that Clarines demanded--that would require an internal civil war, an evisceration of the identity he has cultivated since his first breath. 

Clarines is not to blame.

It was the invaders, the vermin who had infested their kingdom, who would answer. 

They had slithered into a deep hole, that much he and Kiki had ascertained on their journey north. It would require a particularly cleverly fashioned instrument to ferret them out. 

Then he would end them: ultimate, complete annihilation, so that even the memory of them died from the earth.

...

For Izana, losing Zen lit the fuse on a bundle of dynamite.

Outwardly, there is little sign except for the hint of something burning. The spark is tiny and travels quickly. 

If those nearby aren’t paying attention, they could easily continue oblivious to time running out, fearless in the face of impending destruction.

...

“Summon Lord Haruka. I have need of him.”

[kyogre-blue]

Various Genshin lore bits I picked up from messing around on the wiki, lol. 

Archons: 

The CN term for archon is straight up “demon god” (魔神), which is also used to refer to Ars Goetia demons. All gods whose “real” names were revealed (aka everyone except Guizhong) are in some way named after Solomon’s demons, though some are more of a stretch than others. 

Archons are gods, but not all gods are Archons. The positions of seven archons existed before and during the Archon War, while there were plenty of other gods around. In fact, part of the war was other gods wanting to claim those specific positions. (ie, Decarabian was the previous Anemo Archon, while Andrius was just a god.) Based on this, I would say that normal gods don’t have gnoses, only archons do. This is just my guess tho. 

The Archon War lasted from before Liyue’s founding (3700+ yrs) to about 2000 years ago. Tbh I think it would have been better off called something like “Warring Gods Period” since it wasn’t actually a single continuous conflict. 

Heart’s Desire: 

This is in-story a fictional novel series, but it has a lot of lore hints. Here are some that sound potentially relevant (though might be just part of the story): 

Wine that lets you forget, either only painful things, or everything. 

Those who receive Visions will one day “disappear from the world” and what happens to them in the end is very fishy and probably bad. This tracks with Vennessa ascending to Celestia and the adeptus Nuhua also ascending. The young man who received a vision is referred to as one of the chosen, which sounds somewhat like what Dainsleif says in the chapter preview trailer, "Some say a few are chosen and the rest are dregs.” 

“True illuminating crystal” “formed from the unfulfilled desire and grief of illuminated beasts of the highest order when they reach the end of their life.” Illuminated beasts comes up elsewhere. Once in Qingce, where some stone beast statues are said to be “illuminated beasts who once fought alongside Rex Lapis in the Archon War.“ And also in reference to Yakshas, “Rex Lapis summoned Yakshas unto him to purge the daemons. Illuminated beasts of dreadful appearance and warlike temperament were they, and no brutality did they spare in their duty to defend.“ So the illuminated beasts are... yakshas?? The crystal heart the shopkeeper has specifically belonged to someone, too. 

One specific paragraph goes all in: 

“Legends claim that peering into a pure gemstone at a specific time can reveal the past, the future, and even someone's true nature.” We see this in an earlier volume. 

“Just as legends claim that somewhere in the world, there is a field of dandelions as vast as the sea.” Interesting, not sure if this is a specific reference. 

“Or that once there were three bright moons in the night sky named Aria, Sonnet and Canon, sisters who were parted by death in a great catastrophe.” This thing about the three moons is mentioned in more detail in Moonlit Bamboo Forest. Apparently the three moon women had a “silver carriage” (spaceship!!!) which they traded off controlling. But then they died and the current moon is their corpse. (The moon is fake, a giant spaceship, is what I’m saying.) 

“Or that there was once a witch who could see death before it took place, but in the end herself died from the broken heart, as he who had stolen it from her waited in distant lands longing to see her again.” Sounds specific. 

Speaking of, the shopkeeper is described as having fox-like golden eyes with thin lines for pupils. The woman in Moonlit Bamboo Forest is also described as having golden eyes, and there is mention at the start of foxes stealing people away. She’s also mentioned as wearing white. From what the crystal heart shows of the shopkeeper, she is extremely old. 

Dainsleif: 

On the official forum, there is this bit relating to him: 

"The original calamity had been overturned, yet the island in the sky set the earth to burn. Chalk pursues gold, in this time inopportune, the eclipse is swallowed by the crimson moon. The future must atone for bygone mistakes, as the bond familiar falters and breaks— of the same blood, elders and the youth..."

Chalk and gold sounds pretty blatantly about Albedo and Gold the alchemist, or the corruption he caused. 

Eclipse might have something to do with the Blacksun Dynasty of Khaenri’ah, which was originally called Eclipse Dynasty before a name change. Crimson moon doesn’t seem to have been referenced before in any obvious way, except this image (of the cataclysm?) during the We Will Be Reunited trailer: 

Speaking in a more general way about him narrating the Collected Miscellany videos, he projects pretty clearly over several characters, especially in regard to how finding out the truth of the world is a huge burden that robs you of the ability to feel everyday joy. Also, he is at least 500 years old, if not 1000. 

Khaenri’ah: 

From Albedo’s story: “Khaenri'ah was an underground realm, and its natural fauna were few indeed. As such, its alchemy focused more heavily on the creation of life. This art of creation was known as "The Art of Khemia."

"An eclipsed sun befell its kingdom and a luminous pearl lost its glow." This relating to how the Blacksun Dynasty fell during (causing?) the cataclysm. I wonder if the pearl here is related to the Genesis Pearl from the Gnostic Chorus trailer. 

"The alchemist known as Gold was corrupted by his own greed and ambition, and created an army of shadowy monsters with his uncanny powers."

However, the Bloodstained Knight stuff says something slightly different: “At the bottom of the world, he learned the origin of the monsters that destroyed the ancient kingdom. 'The ancient kingdom was wrongfully cursed,' 'Turning its inhabitants into monsters.' 'The code of chivalry tolerates not such injustice.'”

Of unclear relation, the hilichurls appeared 500 years ago, and one their tribes has some connection to eclipse (blacksun). 

[silver-wield]

I just saw the quote of Nojima in Case of Tifa from OtWtaS said there were things didn’t go well between Cloud and Tifa, and this will be the same even without Geostigma and Sephiroth. Can you explain this and let me know the full interview? Because it seems like out of context from Nojima, and I saw people are twisting it

OTWTAS interview

‘Episode Tifa’ … first off, there’s the premise that things won’t go well between Tifa and Cloud, and that even without Geostigma or Sephiroth this might be the same. I don’t really intend to go on about my views on love or marriage or family (laughs). After ACC, I guess Denzel and Marlene could help them work it out. Maybe things would have gone well with Aerith, but I think there is a great burden from Aerith.

Oh, I remember. I also wanted to write about Cloud through Tifa. It certainly can be difficult to ascertain his feelings. (laughs)”

That's the original paragraph from the interview, along with a translation. It says the premise is it won't go well and might be the same. It's not a definte statement. It's a maybe. Because life and relationships are complicated and take work. Which is a theme of AC.

Basically, Nojima is summarising CoT where Tifa and Cloud have hit a rough patch after being together for nearly two years. Elmyra made Cloud deliver flowers to the forgotten city where Aerith died and that triggered Cloud's guilt that he couldn't save Aerith from Sephiroth. We know Cloud is someone who takes his job and himself too seriously at times. He wallowed in CC when he couldn't protect a scientist and he sulked when he couldn't save Tifa, and he instinctively goes to save a random guy in Wall Market's coliseum at the opening of the Beast Master battle in Remake.

At the same time, he's also found Denzel, who's a survivor of the sector 7 collapse, which is also a guilt trigger for him and Tifa because they believe it's their fault they couldn't stop the collapse. Denzel has geostigma so Cloud throws himself into finding a cure because he believes this is a way to redemption and resolving part of his guilt. He doesn't explain his feelings to Tifa because he's afraid of letting her down.

Which we also see in Nomura's interview about Cloud in AC. People always assume this is about Aerith, but that's a very limited way to look at it. Cloud lost his home, past, mother and best friend.

Several times, Cloud hasn't been able to do anything. Nibelheim twice, he couldn't save that scientist, Zack died for him, sector 7 collapsed and Aerith died. There's more to Cloud than that lake scene.

Nojima goes on to say Marlene and Denzel could help Cloud and Tifa work through their problems, which isn't any different to any other relationship where the couple's kids want to keep their parents together.

From the AC prologue we see that Tifa’s described as an abandoned woman. Definitely not how a friend is described. If they're just friends then why does she feel abandoned and why is this line even there? The description would read that Cloud was living there, then left. Instead it's loaded with romantic implication. Nojima even adds at the end that Tifa has expressed her true feelings to Cloud a lot. She doesn't lecture, she lets Cloud form his own conclusions because she doesn't baby him. Even when she does give him a talking to, she feels bad about it because she's not the type to confront others.

So, pretty much all this goes towards building the relationship between them and explaining why Cloud ran away for a few days. His guilt at letting others die, which isn't even his fault, overwhelms him because he thinks he doesn't have a right to be happy. He only starts thinking this way because Elmyra makes him go to the forgotten city. Before that he was doing okay, although he still felt bad about Denzel being sick. So, this is why Nojima says he and Tifa will struggle. Because Cloud's the type to catastrophise everything and make things into a big deal when they're not. He hides it from Tifa because he doesn't want to worry her because one of her traits is to leap into reckless situations when she's feeling hopeless.

This is awhile before the start of AC, and one of the first things that happens to Tifa while Cloud's gone is she nearly dies in the fight with Loz. His worry for her safety isn't unjustified and we see it again in Remake.

When Tifa feels hopeless she does stupid things, so Cloud would do his best to prevent her getting hurt because he's feeling like he can't be the hero everyone expects. Even though, deep down he knows Tifa never expected him to do anything except try his best.

They have a very complex relationship, so it's not easy to sum up in a couple of sentences. Nojima brings up Aerith to say it would be even more hopeless between her and Cloud because she has a duty to the planet, which is more important than Cloud. The comparison is that Aerith can't help Cloud the way Tifa can. It's why she's not Cloud's heroine. Her role is too big for one man to take precedence, but Tifa's role is to be Cloud's heroine, which is why she can take on all of these complicated moments and help him resolve his personal issues. Because of her own problems to do with guilt and loss it's harder for her than normal relationship issues, which is why they both need a little push.

This is literally right after AC finishes, so Cloud is back with his family and they're going home.

Then a couple of days later we have reminiscence of FF where we hear Cloud asking Tifa on a date. And we see a year later in DC that he's still with Tifa and much more playful. There's some cute back and forth between him and Tifa while they're in the middle of a battle, so it's clear he's past things. The group also no longer wear the memorial ribbons for Aerith.

So, taken as a whole and using all of the information about both Cloud and Tifa's characters we can conclude from this earlier interview about AC that Nojima's describing the complex relationship between them and not saying anything negative. The thing people overlook is that when the devs talk about the game and characters they're speaking from a place where they know everything. They know every facet of each character and situation. Nojima knows more about the scenario than anyone because he wrote it. Nomura understands Cloud because he created him, so any background is mostly his insight with some from Nojima's story development.

The fact they know the characters means their comments sometimes don't take into account that the audience isn't aware of the compilation as a whole. We can't look at comments like this and understand exactly what's meant at first glance because we don't know everything. It's why players misinterpret things and then blame the devs for poor translation. It's not a poor translation. It's just different perspectives.

[cupcakemolotov]

An Unlikely Favor

And forever many days later, my muse finally cooperates. Almost 13K, and dragons (Caroline this time fam!) No Smut, as that just wasn’t going to work for this one. Since it exploded, I don’t feel bad at all.

Warnings: Character Death (not OTP), Fluff, Canon-Typical Violence. I mean. Klaus is Klaus and Caroline is a dragon.

I hate formatting on this hell-site, so I linked you to A03 after this first scene. Also, wanted to give a big thank you to @goldcaught and @klarolinedrabbles who have been a delight and received many text messages and complaints through this writing process (and other stories I am still hitting with mental-sticks).

Caroline set aside her empty glass, the lingering taste of cheap champagne bitter against her tongue. The lead for the painting she wanted was a bust, and irritation clawed sharply at her insides. The artist was no famous painter, but something about the colors and lines had caught her attention when she had seen it all those years ago and she wanted it. It had been an unfortunate turn of events that the family who owned the painting, descendants of the creator, had been so unwilling to sell no matter what she offered them.

Human sentiment could be so frustrating.

At the time she had walked away, because collecting through force was only fun when it was her enemies' heads, and humans did not live forever. She’d had the time. So she’d left behind a few feelers, and made sure she arrived mere weeks after the deaths of those who had owned the painting. But upon arrival, she learned that their entire collection was gone. To her great annoyance, three decades later and she was still no closer to finding where the painting had disappeared to. Once, it had very nearly been in her grasp, but her attention had been needed elsewhere and so she had walked away.

Tonight was turning out to be another long evening of disappointment. Turning sharply on one spiked heel, she headed for the door. Time was on her side, and thirty years was not her longest hunt, but for once her patience was in shambles. She’d come to the city specifically to search for her lost painting and had instead found a hotbed of witches. Usually, that was not a matter of too much concern, as she had learned to hide what she was… and certain spells had been gifted to her over the years to make that easier. But this coven had known who and what she was, and the relaxing week she had planned had turned into something a bit more bloody.

Now she was leaving empty handed and annoyed. Shopping would do her no good, collecting pretty baubles only soothed the rough edges when they were the pretty baubles that she wanted. Maybe it was time to return to one of her more secluded homes and stretch her wings. It had been a few years since she’d allowed herself the indulgence, and her beast was starting to grow restless and bored. Perhaps some time meandering through her collections and flying would help burn the worst of her temper off.

“Hello, love. You look ravishing.”

The sharply accented words were unexpected, and Caroline twisted around to blink at the man standing near her, surprise cutting through the annoyance that for the first time in centuries, he’d managed to sneak up on her. The curling smile on his face as he realized it did not improve her mood. But this particular monster had never bothered with reverence or fear, and charm clung to all the sharp edges of him as he smiled at her.

Tonight, he was dressed in a perfect tux, overdressed for the small gallery and unbothered by it, the leather cords she found endlessly fascinating missing but the dimples and lips she sometimes thought about too long on full display. He stepped closer, the edges of his smile deepening at her continued annoyance.

“Klaus.” She offered him her hand after a dozen heartbeats, giving herself a moment to absorb the impact of him even as a lifetime of greetings nudged at her. As much as she’d learned to love modern familiarity, with Klaus and in public, she’d never been comfortable expressing it. Unchanging he might be, she’d never managed the immunity to him necessary to ignore the way her beast shifted beneath her skin in his presence. Formality was a shield against public eyes. “I didn’t realize you were back in this part of the world.”

“A bit of business, I’m afraid.” He said, brushing a lingering kiss along her knuckles. “Nothing nearly so entertaining as the last time we ran into each other.”

Caroline frowned at his words, the slightly apologetic note, but decided it could be dealt with in a moment. This close and there were other changes that were suddenly apparent and far more important. Ignoring the decorum that had colored so much of their long, long lives she stepped closer and brushed her fingertips along the edge of his jaw, studying the shape of his eyes. Klaus allowed the familiarity, seemed to welcome it, and she breathed deep.

His scent was different.

Finally certain, she allowed herself to smile, her annoyance and irritation pushed aside for happiness for her friend now that she knew he had not learned a new trick. For this, she did not have to fake her delight. “You broke your curse.”

The flash of satisfaction, the smug tilt of his head was achingly familiar. “I did.”

“That’s wonderful,” she told him, letting her hand reluctantly fall away, fingertips tingling. “How long?”

“Less than a year,” Klaus assured her. “Even if business had not brought me here, I would have found you soon.”

“Good,” Caroline murmured “You remembered your promise.”

His look was chiding, starkly serious beneath the charm. “I have not forgotten a single word that has passed between us, Caroline.”

Lips finally curling at the hint of darkness in his voice, she tipped her head. “But if you are not here about your curse, I do wonder what business could possibly bring you to this particular gallery.” She deliberately let her gaze scan the quaint gallery, the mostly casually dressed patrons. “This isn’t quite your scene anymore.”

Klaus chuckled and moved to tuck her arm through his. “As it were, I have been looking for you, just not only for all the reasons I would have liked.”

She paused, fingers resting lightly on his forearm. Rarely did she go longer than two decades without Klaus making an appearance in her life, but this stretch of time had been nearly forty years. Such a small number of years in their lives, but an endless amount of time in terms of humans and their technology, and she had started to grow curious that he had not reached out to her. That he would make a deliberate choice to tell her that this visit was different was both a curiosity and a warning. “And why were you looking for me, Klaus?”

His hand settled over hers, fingers and palms far warmer then she remembered them ever being before. In her heels they were nearly the same height and he met her eyes steadily. “Would you let me buy you a drink? Perhaps dinner?”

Caroline weighed his offer against the disaster of her week and her eyes narrowed. “Do tell me that you are not here with those witches.”

“I am not,” a flicker of something dangerous, a hint of new and unusual yellow and the hard edge of the vampire she’d known for centuries behind his eyes. “But perhaps I will acquaint myself before I leave.”

“There shouldn’t be much left to find,” she dismissed. “I am perfectly capable of killing a few witches, Klaus.”

A laugh, low in his throat. “So I have seen. And perhaps you are correct, but there is always one or two, stashed away who believe themselves safe. I do so enjoy ruining their illusions.”

She huffed and relaxed against him as he led them towards the door. “For you, perhaps, hunting such a thing is enjoyable.”

“Come now, Caroline. You cannot expect me to believe after all these centuries that you do not enjoy a challenge.”

“There are challenges, Klaus, and then there are challenges. Hunting witch covens is an annoyance, I assure you.” She wrinkled her nose. “And these witches are not particularly imaginative.”

“And yet,” he murmured, the set of his mouth unforgiving.

Caroline considered that as they bypassed the humans still mingling, the startled glances thrown their way as they took in the finery. She knew his thoroughness would partly stem from a promise given so long ago, but Klaus had never left her with the impression that their past was a burden he wished to be rid of. In fact, if anything, he always sought for more of her, for more of her time. It fascinated as much as it left her wary, this man who knew more of what she was than any other living creature.

And whatever business had Klaus seaking her out would likely be messy, but hadn’t she just been contemplating how bored she was? Things rarely stayed dull near her favorite vampire, now hybrid she supposed, and more importantly, he had earned the right to ask that she at least hear him out. It was a favor she granted very few, but for Klaus… In all the centuries and decades that they had known each other, he had only ever asked her for one favor. She had been unable to help him, though she had done what she could to mitigate that failure.

That he would come to her again, the ghosts of his creation seemingly laid to rest?

“You may take me back to wherever you are staying,” she said decidedly as they approached the doors. “Hopefully you have better booze.”

His head tipped towards her, brows winging upwards. “As if I’d offer you something subpar, love.”

She laughed at the offended note in his voice, the glint behind his eyes. “No? I remember spending many a night drinking with you what could most definitely be described as subpar. Chicago was just a few decades ago, as I recall, and the booze there was terrible.”

His mouth curled upwards on one side, amused indulgence heavy in his voice. “I assure you, I have not forgotten your preferences.”

“I should hope not,” she drawled before squeezing his arm. “I will listen to your request, but I have one of my own.”

“Do you?”

His eyes glittered at her, something hot and unreadable in those yellow edges of his pupils. She pressed against his side again, and deliberately let her gaze linger on the lines of his face. “I do. You will keep the rest of your promise, and tell me the details of how you finally broke your curse. I want to know everything.”

Find the rest here:

A03 | FFN