#and we've barely scratched the surface of the plot!

[varjopeura]

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[timeslipcamp]

obligatory theory about the kyklos and what i think is happening.

literally every time i finish an episode i go and jot notes down in my lil mental notebook of theories and laugh like yuri in his lab

spoilers through ep 15

so i've seen this idea tossed out but no one really went in depth on why they thought it so i'm going to list off MY reasons why i thought this is what's happening.

fair warning: this is going to be long, i've got about five million thoughts on this and it's only going to get worse as more episodes get released. get comfy and grab a snack

i think mc and the ghouls are trapped in a time loop

it's a trope that when handled well can be really really cool, and with how many moving parts and ghouls there are to distract from what's happening, it's super plausible. the only reason i'm hesitant to say this is 100% what i think it is is because it's still only episode 16 and we know next to nothing about the clash and anything that happened last year. plus the game's only been out for a year, we've barely scratched the surface of the plot.

that being said, we're getting about 3-4 episodes per every couple months, which means by like episode 20-24 we'll be coming up on a year since mc was cursed. maybe. i'm bad at math. (EDIT: someone else did the math and it will probably be closer to 40 that we hit the year mark lmao) is the story going to be over then? i don't think so. i think the following chapters would follow us through the time loop as we finally work to solve it

if i had to guess, this is how i think the general timeline goes: mc, despite the ghouls best efforts and someones sacrificial jump into flames from a balcony, turns into the kyklos. to stop the teachers/school-aligned ghouls from killing her, someone sends her away--and accidentally sends her back in time instead. taiga, however, has been told by mc that if she were to turn, kill her before she hurts anyone. taiga goes back with her to stop her.

crazy concept: the one eyed sleeping beauty murder was the trigger event. the kyklos has one large eye. this part is still muddy given that we literally don't know shit about any of this, but i think it wasn't a one eyed beauty that was killed, i think the one eyed beauty killed someone while those other ghouls happened to be present. we got the five suspects based on them either being in the wrong place at the wrong time or by reputation (a la alan and jiro.) i think this is how zenji died as well, but i have zero basis for that other than vibes.

future!taiga continues to chase the kyklos, runs into his past self and explains (or maybe he's always known, or maybe whatever's going on with his brain makes him able to remember every loop, OR something is actively working against him remembering all of it) past!taiga does something that triggers the clash, and eventually, the kyklos finds her way to mc on the train. the following chapters would then begin to follow mc at the beginning of the loop again

this is literally all me guessing. i'll make an updated post once we finally know more about the clash and the one eyed sleeping beauty murders. and literally everything else smh

another quick note before i forget: i do think it's interesting that everyone who lost a day to the casino anomaly had their memories replaced of a girl in a tower in the woods. rapunzel reference? orrrrrr in early versions of the sleeping beauty tale, she was said to be in a lonesome tower waiting for someone to wake her up. coincidence? probably! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

anyways

"how did we end up here?"

SUPER compelling that this is one of the opening lines. the whole intro is generally a vague "humans avoiding darkness" spiel, but i do personally think its alluding more to the coming together and working as a team theme than an actual darkness. to me it feels like it's implying (based on the story so far) that working together is the light that can drive away the darkness (her curse)

one of my big things that made me wonder right at the beginning was how it almost immediately dropped the line "if we could do it all again" (paraphrasing). the whole theme about doing it again and would we do it again kinda made me think repetition was going to be a theme in the story, but once i got a few chapters in, i was definitely hurtling towards the time loop theory.

mc starts off talking about how she's sad it's over and we come to see she's talking about a band breaking up, and one by one the group chat members leave until she's left alone with just mina.

now mina itself as a name is an interesting choice. it's a fairly international name with a couple different translations. one translation has it meaning love, one says it's the same word as a mockingbird (a bird that can imitate human sounds) and in japanese, mina is a name meaning lovely/beautiful while min-na is a term sometimes used to mean "all of you", like saying all yall in english. fun play on words there if the time loop theory is correct and the kyklos we see at the beginning is in fact mc (aka all of us)

mina's profile picture is also a red spider lily, commonly known in popular media as the death flower

it's often planted in graveyards to ward off evil spirits and help guide those who have passed to the afterlife. another meaning for the flower is reincarnation: yet another implication of a cycle.

(it's also a popular flower in hanahaki disease fics, which is a fic trope where flowers bloom in the lungs of someone whose love isn't returned, but that's unrelated)

actually now that i'm really staring at that picture, it looks more like a red surprise lily, which is even funnier imo. apparently it's just a sister flower of the spider lily

mina says it must be destiny and that she's been waiting to meet us. spooky. we haven't really seen any other anomalies do anything premeditated like that, they're all mainly reacting to their environment, other than mr long legs i guess. but his felt more like predatory i need to eat intent, not "i'm tracking down this specific person" type of deal. definitely correct me if i'm wrong on that, though. i'm super interested in the "intelligent" anomalies vs the reactive ones. i'll make a post on that later

i've seen a couple other posts talk about how kyklos means circle in greek (aka another point in the time loop basket) but it's also interesting to note that kyklos comes from kuklos, whose root word kukló was often used to describe something that encircles. broke out a couple of my old humanities research packets and found this:

"a group of people...positioned around a central point"

whether that's intentional or not, i do think it is interesting that the whole time loop could be centered on this group of people that are positioned around a central point: the kyklos and mc. everything always revolving around the main character and the curse that started it all.

almost immediately after, mc is swiftly taken to darkwick and told that she'll die in a year (which we later find out is a lie) and sent off to live her life

taiga is the most suspicious person in the WORLD to me. fuck the traitor shit i wanna know what taiga knows

our brief introduction of him (and a scene on campus) tries to convince us he's insane

fairly compelling

but it's in the small cut scenes we see with the other ghouls that really get me.

TAIGA knows something!! the second one really gets me, especially in the context of a time loop, and even more so if taiga is aware of the loop. the second screenshot reads to me as either he's 1. about to make a deal with either haru or whatever he's summoning with a coin, or 2. he's like "fuck it, i've seen this loop a hundred times. there's ways where they survive and there's ways where they die. pick one, we'll try it again and see if it changes anything this time."

i don't think he's actually lost his mind. i think he's putting up an act to throw someone off his scent (namely the traitor and whoever the traitor is working with.) i also get the feeling, especially after rereading the auction chapter, that there's something actively working against taiga having all of his memories. it might be the pact he made with his demon, but i almost wonder if it's someone else's stigma or ability preventing it. we don't know what all the ghouls can do yet, or even the teachers.

maybe it's the time loop itself that's keeping taiga from keeping all the timelines straight. maybe he's done this so many times he doesn't know what's real anymore. additionally, if you pick him in the beginning, this is what he says:

once again, i'm getting the vibes that he's trying to figure out what could possibly be different about this loop that might finally break us out of it.

anyways, those are my basic notes on why i think this is gonna center around a time loop. given that haku's flute can transport and subaru's stigma has to do with memories and we dont even know half of the stigmas yet, i think it's entirely possible. but we'll see!

feel free to comment your own thoughts on what's happening :) ask box and dms are always open

[frostyclove]

okay working on my actual thoughts now before i get distracted by yj - all my thoughts (not analysis just vibes mostly for myself) after bingeing the show in ~4 days its Very long but bullet points but also a bit sappy by the end <3

thanks so much to 15 year old me for having good taste in actors because its the only reason i started watching this show (Spencer, Peyton)

i love charley. great character. so glad hes like the 'lets help you walk thriugh being a ghost', hes very good at being the person for that. also, adorable. would love to chat shit with him.

maddie is great i relate greatly ; poor girl though idk how she actually went back to her body wouldnt be me i'd have just stayed in the ghost world to be so serious

rhonda spending 40 some years thinking people hated her only to find they loved her. omg precious baby i relate so hard but also such a wonderful character. please keep being grumpy lovable character its such a fun archetype. i relate too much though so i kinda have a blindspot on analysis just know if i slack on the rhonda of it all its because i am a blend of rhonda and dawn

DAWN i miss her. my vibesy queen. stealing phones. luv u, hope the other side is good <3 keep wearing the cute clothes (i follow her on tiktok dont worry the cute clothes are being worn!)

i should probably do some of the living to my hunter hollingsworth.

Xavier ! i knew you wouldnt be a terrible guy <3 thanks for not killing maddie, very funny, love the side plot with him and nicole, love how he's accidentally made his way through all her friends. truly he is just haunted by the narrative. nothing about it, just the narrative existing. its great comedy.

nicole is annoying at times; but that feels right. shes like the pj from bottoms of this show. and i enjoy that character. you need someone who just is always going to add some spice to the plan. make it go just slightly off. there wouldnt really be plot otherwise. aside from that she is very funny, the comedic timing the actress has is incredible. curious to see how her character will change with maddie back, i feel like theres a portion of personality that we'll get to see that we havent dynamically.

claire is cool as hell. shes probably my favorite of the living characters, she almost pairs to rhonda in that theyre both very determined to be stubborn. again with maddie back itll be interesting how that changes, and what fallout may look like over the nicole of it all. and why did we turn that light on i feel like that was an obvious one its fine. feel like we lost time with her this season in favor of nicoles older brother though. unsure how i feel about it as of yet.

yuris been a fun addition. love a cute couple im always down for a romance. the throughline of them having similar deaths is also a nice touch. outside of that, just a really sweet character. utterly hilarious that he just gave up on the bit though. it was a really good bit

quinn is lovely. truly the epitome of every band kid i have ever known. obsessed with what they're setting up with rhonda. that better be next season or ill be very sad. do need more though. feel like we've barely scratched the surface in terms of character outside of the band kid + rhonda crush vibes

the theatre gal. omg you are me i am you please i would too haunt the cats and make sure no lights fell you icon would love to see that character more for entirely selfish purposes !

im almost certainly missing characters oh well i think most of them are the adults and im frankly ignoring them because most of them do kinda annoy me and i mildly miss the trope of teens just not having parents in tv type thing but i get it and will think about it at another time because it is important.

OH yes ! two more ghosts

Janet - girl. you get on my nerves. mostly because she keeps making things difficult but now that shes not like on the run for her life i expect she will grow on me. i feel for her i just dont care all that too much but shes a lovely gal

WALLY !! my favorite living teddy bear <3 now yes ; he was a not so at all good guy in life. yes. however! he has done better! no longer is douche. is now! teddy bear. no but seriously hes really great i truly think having characters like him on screen is so important. i forget the line that maddie when shes snapping him out of the 80s flirt style bit; stuff like that is really nice to have in tv. also, hes just a sweetie. like even after all these years, one of the last things he has to unpack is that his mom could be shitty to him. he just sees people in their best possible light, (with the help of being dead for a few decades) and just like ; is this really nice thru line of the show. i want to say so much more but i fear i am too high to think out wally thoughts without getting lost in the fit. costuming did so well that costume. so simple. so perfect.

onto some other stuff thats not characters

i love the color grading / lighting. obsessed. love that. more please. so good. anyways

love this genre. love a supernatural teen drama. especially when they're like actually damn good like wow didnt expect this to be so amazing

on the note of amazing - how this show managed to make me as sad as i was for the end of BG3??? a video game that takes like a month to play and is incredibly immersive ?? the same amount of sobbing ? the same amount of that sinking feeling of knowing whats coming is going to crush you ? oh congratulations to the writing, directing, i dont even know whoever helped achieve that soul crushing sadness oh it takes a lot to do that. its literally just Doctor Who season 9 finale, torchwood season 2 finale, BG3, this, and (please forgive me) scream season 2 episode 1. out of all the media ive ever watched. these ones left a mark on my soul of love. i love this art form. so dearly.

yeah i think thats my last main point. i love tv as an art form of storytelling. and this show is that. im like technically overhyping it, but only because teen dramas will never be considered like high brow, unfortunately. but often i find they have the best emotionality, the best character driven stories. the closest thing you can really have to the emotional intensity of live theatre. its just a phenomenal show. im truly shocked at how much it has impacted me in the past 4 days. like this is a small pile of tv shows and i love a lot of tv shows, but this is like iconic and discussed in museums (i swear to you one day there will be a tv museum if theres not one already its an art i scream as they carry me away)

anyways i love tv and this is really good tv if the creatives behind it happen to be on here and scrolled this far you made a really cool and good thing i hope you are proud because its really really good. thanks for the stories <33 (they're not on here and certainly not reading it let me be delusional though id rather hype them up than not and then have them not hear anyone hyping them up when they deserve it)

EDIT : omg i forgot simon entirely ; there would be no show without him for starters. for the first like third of my time watching it i thought the show was from a wattpad story that i read in like 2015 that i read and always thought would become a show - and in that (its gone now as far as i can tell so im not spoiling anything lol) the best friend named simon was the killer so i truly was misreading him for a lot of the story - but with that - hes actually kinda the best. questioned his sanity and went through so much but also literally saved the day countless times. great guy. so excited to see the chaos he gets up to as the ghost next season. truly carrying the show in terms of actual getting the show to function. the finale actually put a magnifying glass to that aspect really well. big love simon

[immobiliter]

You know what, I want to send in some ❤️ but I want you to pick... 4 people to do it for. Yes Lottie, I'm making you do some of the work. Sue me 🤭

my god sae, you exist to make my life difficult don't you~

for @apocryphis

it wouldn't be a hyv love corner without me talking about ventium, the first person in the hyv fandom that i truly reached out to write with ( no sae, you don't count ), and who has blessed me with so many wonderful dynamics in the year or so that we've now been writing together. writing and plotting with ventium is such a joy, i feel like we clicked very quickly and i love that neither of us are ever able to keep anything short ( remember, discord character limits are a target, not a limit :D ) and that we're both slow but enthusiastic snails. i credit her with so much of my muses' development over the past year, particularly getting to delve into the dynamic duo that is furina & neuvillette and all of the worldbuilding that allows us to do about fontaine as a whole. and no matter how long it takes us, i know that we have so many exciting things in store, both for our ships and for our other dynamics, and to have that sort of longevity in plotting and writing together is wonderful.

for @mercysought

i can't not talk about skells, an absolute staple of my dash and my tumblr experience for years now. she is another rp partner who gets to be a slow but enthusiastic snail alongside me: that we started writing pairings like jamie & anora *checks notes* five years ago ( can you believe, skells?? ) and we're still barely scratching the surface of them both in their outlander and da verses, and then we added to that with the black sails stuff with flint, silver & maxima ( tempting you into black sails is one of my proudest achievements ) is incredible. skells is another individual that is always so, so up for all the wild ideas and crossovers i throw at her and that makes her one of my favourite people to be creative with. and that's before i talk about her genius when it comes to crafting her ocs, whom i adore like my own (non existent) children, truly <3

for @lorelodge

ace is another staple of my tumblr experience that i can't not talk about, someone who has been there since the very beginning and one of my absolute favourite people to worldbuild with. the fact that, without them, my most beloved soul muse jack would not have the intricate and detailed background that he has, is something that should not be overstated and that we have gotten to continue in that vein with all of the other dynamics we have thrown together since you made your multi is such a gift. i know i can throw a batshit insane idea at ace and they will somehow make it even more insane and brilliant, and i also know that i can really, truly delve into complicated and interesting dynamics without fear or judgement. our writing partnership started with an abusive parental relationship and now we're here with our vampiric polycule and i have loved every minute of that pipeline lmao.

for @polarnoid

rat !! my beloved. i will echo what they said the other day because honestly it feels like i've known rat a lot longer than we actually have known each other, just because we clicked so easily and writing together was so fun and easy to do right from the start and through the 234238 dynamics we have conjured since, which is such a rare thing and something i treasure so much. rat not only is an incredibly fun person to both talk to and plot insane, intricate universes with, but also someone who brings such a wonderful narrative voice to their writing. i always feel like i'm in the particular character's head when i read a reply of theirs, and it's a talent that i am always in awe of.

send ❤️ + a URL and I’ll write something nice about them/their blog! / @iniziare

[battle-of-the-jrwi-aus]

where sea meets shore/wsms (royalty/little mermaid au)

Creator: @wings-of-flying

Campaign: Riptide

Links: the fic "where the sea meets shore"

Summary!

chip is a prince, jay is a lady of raft who now works in the rose castle, gillion washes up on the beach and cannot speak common. it's now become more just a general royalty au than a little mermaid au and we're only on the first arc

Additional propaganda!

ao3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/43542027 this au is very much consuming my entire brain at the moment. we're nearly at the episode 15 equivalent (which is happening in chapter 15 because i can). believe me when i say there are many many things about to happen and we've barely scratched the surface of the plot. we're yet to reach the attempted coup, the fulfillment of niklaus' deals and the aftermath of that or even most of the romance stuff (fnc and pistolwhip). i'm very very excited -- i've got a whole doc with all my plans and reference images and i even made a (shitty) map for the wsms version of mana

[0aurelion-sol0]

(Answer to an ask sent by @lalli00035-blog that Tumblr prevented me from editing for some reason & I do not know why.)

First off, I want a sense of actual direction & good writing throughout the story at large & for all the characters' story arcs. It needs to have the same type of consistency that Season 1 had. We've had three seasons, with a fourth season that was extremely inconsistent with its different storylines.

I want a consistent tone, a more realistic, grittier tone in Season 5. Closer to the first two seasons.

We're going to be in a pre-, during, and post-apocalyptic Hawkins, where threats will be everywhere & in different forms. Whether humans, supernaturals, or both. It needs to match what the characters will experience and go through. Speaking of characters:

→ An actual exploration of the characters this time around, it doesn't need to be a character analysis of the characters & their tropes in your face with extra long monologues, but have them have actual depth, or use the depth they have & explore that plus make them have an actual growth. It's been 4 seasons, and so many characters are stuck or go back to how they were in Season 1 or 2.  No more of that. Put certain characters forward & others in the back, some characters need to have more screen time and story elements compared to others who have completed much of their arcs & potential by now.

And finally, actual interesting answers for the story that are compelling for 5 seasons worth of content & better explanations about what has been going on, whether it has been on the human side or the supernatural side. (Finish & bring back some of the plots that have not been finished in the previous seasons too, some have no reason to not have been finished by now unless they want to do something about it in Season 5.)

Plus, be, let's say, daring. More political, go there. Finally, explore what you want to talk about instead of throwing progressive words around and barely scratching the surface of them about what outcast, conformity or morality are. Etc...

After that, I expect the overall same creativity in the set designs, the wardrobe & monsters/supernatural elements, Stranger Things, and even Season 4 (which I thought didn't use its budget the best way possible for every element), has always been of quality about that. The music and filmmaking as well are always rather good, which is to be expected given the people working on it, the budget and now the experience that has come after 4 seasons of material. Actors will also all do their jobs well, regardless of what's given to them at this point.

That's all I have to say for the moment. As I said, I will elaborate on those thoughts in future posts, but I hope it answers your question in some way. Also, there will be a long theory/prediction post that I will do that will summarize everything that I think will happen or could happen in Stranger Things 5 & other content coming from the Stranger Things franchise as a whole.

[themountainscall]

Doomsday had been prophesied since the beginning of time. In a prehistoric world where humans cease to exist yet, a group of savage felines roam the Swiss Alps, fending off their home from unrestrained predators we now know as extinct.

Deep in the dense woodlands resides a legion of cats known as Alpine Clan. However, these aren’t your normal forest cats. With augmented senses, larger bodies, sharper claws, keener vision, and overall stronger physiques, these animals are on par with their feline brethren, such as cougars and lynxes.

Hey!! This is a Tumblr blog run for and by a group of individuals on discord who are currently apart of a warriors roleplay- One with a unique premise set hundreds of years before the earliest warriors book.

On this blog we'll post art, animations and of course updates on the state of the roleplay! Currently, we're only a few moons into the plot, and although a lot has happened, we've barely scratched the surface on the potential of our story.

Quick summary:

Alpine Clan was a prehistoric clan lead by Wind Star (seen bellow with the golden eyes) faced with leading the clan after a prophecy from the strange sage, Crimson Peak, promised devastation of their clan due to a terrible, red eyed beast. The connection with Star Clan would be questioned after a grave attack, and eventually allow a malicious force to wipe out almost all the authority figures in Alpine Clan.

The group of cats now face an uncertain future with no connection to Star Clan, a destroyed home, and the looming threat of unseen forces that slowly infest their clan through cracks of weakness.

Currently- we're open for auditions! There will be more posts specifying the availability, but we're definitely open to welcoming more cat book lovers who want a long term roleplay with interesting characters and relationships.

Thank you so much for reading!

[bcbdrums]

Soul Eater NOT - part 10 and conclusion (MAJOR SPOILERS)

Let's actually talk about the main characters.

Tsugumi Harudori, age 14, weapon, "in love with love." This is how she describes herself repeatedly. She's a halberd who can't fully transform yet. She's at the academy to learn to use her weapon form so as to not hurt herself or others.

Anya Hepburn. Also 14, a meister. Secretly a princess (Anastasia...). Came to the academy to be among common folk, but still acts a snobby princess. Lonely and jealous. Major waster of money.

Meme Tatane. Also 14. A meister. Sleepwalking mildly nudist ditz whose memory gets worse and worse with each page. Can't remember what she did five minutes ago, can't remember anyone's name... Can't remember major important things that happen to her friends. No real explanation why she's at the academy.

The "main plot" of NOT is introduced as...these three meet in an introductory class for new students, and both Meme and Anya want Tsugumi to be their weapon. Tsugumi cannot decide. The story goes on with the three being roommates and becoming close friends, and in the very end Tsugumi chooses...both of them.

As I said previously, the majority of the manga is a lot of silly antics and friendship building with these three. The whole of it can be described overall as... Tsugumi and Meme are touchy and flirty, Anya is jealous... They teach Anya a bit about commoner life, Meme forgets everything, Anya acts snobby but not offensively so it's just a cover, and...there's never...really any point.

Now, overall the story did in fact hold my attention! But it all feels like it's just...slightly not there, if that makes sense. Like it keeps scratching the surface of wanting to be meaningful and deep, and never quite breaking through. And if it didn't have the constant cameos (and story take-overs like all of book two) by the main Soul Eater cast...I don't know if this could have kept my attention. But the cameos were constant, and reading this felt like...looking for info about the ones who are beloved, searching for canon secrets, universe facts.... And oh yeah these other three girls (and Clay and Akane sometimes) are here too.

I will compliment the writing again in that Meme's insomnia, ditzy behavior, and memory loss being secretly due to the witch's poisoning the entire time truly was a surprise in the end, and it was set up beautifully. Just like many things in Soul Eater, when the reveal happens you suddenly realize it was right there in front of you all along. Truly, very good writing. The author is consistent in this type of storytelling throughout Soul Eater... Laying a foundation that as soon as you know it's there, it's so obvious, but in the process of the slow reveal it's just brilliantly executed and you don't suspect a thing. This applies both to character development and things that move the plot along. I applaud him in both NOT and SE for this excellent work!

But when it comes down to it, let's again mention how weak the villainous plot was... How a lot of the main SE characters appear in cameos that make no sense, and how one seems to be reading the books just for them. The only ones given actual presence are the "hot girls" (Liz, Patty, Kim, Jackie) and the only ones who get actual story development are Kim and Jackie (the lesbians gasp) and there is far too much underage nudity in this manga.... And, why did we get an entire book and then some on the SE characters when this is supposed to be...about the NOT characters? Or did the author not really have a plan for them at all... One wonders indeed.

Notice how I left the main characters for last in this commentary and barely mentioned them at all? It's because they simply...aren't that engaging. The potentially interesting plot (the villain arc) doesn't really involve them until the very end which we've established makes no sense, and too many things aren't explained, and the other interesting plot points are just about the SE canon characters... Namely Kim and Jackie, some of Ox, some of Stein, and some of Sid. Even Akane and Clay (even with all of the issues with Akane's character) are more gripping in the end than the three girls.

Soul Eater NOT has given me many curious wonderings, has confirmed headcanons about the universe, has inspired some headcanons.... But nothing whatever about those three girls or Akane or Clay. Just things about the main SE chars and the universe. The girls are so...flat to me, see, that I can't even refer to them by name like I do the boys. And heck, when I was telling a friend all about the manga as I read through it (as one does in fandom) I only ever called Tsugumi "main char girl" and Anya was "the princess" and Meme was "the ditz." These characters just...don't have anything to them. Which is a shame.

What it comes down to.... NOT feels like Mary Sue fanfiction. And I don't mean that insultingly, simply as a statement of fact as I view it. The majority of the books are pointless middle school girl antics with too much nudity and flirtation. One entire book is about Kim and Jackie. The villain-side of things is just pathetically thin and...eugh. Akane upsets me so much that I can't do anything with Clay, whom I like, because as meister/weapon they're a set. And the girls, while sweet and likeable and fun...just don't inspire anything.

If I wanted to be harsh, I'd say the author used this story to take a popular brand and capitalize on it, and also live out his teen lesbian fetish dreams. Is it any wonder Kim and Jackie got basically an entire book... And other than them, the only SE characters who get a lot of screen time are Liz and Patty...always wearing skimpy waitress outfits and exist in the story solely for that reason, since their part of the "plot" adds nothing and confuses the original canon. (I will never be okay with sexualization of minors.) But anyway...

The entire thing...feels like the sort of thing that I'd read and immediately see the potential and want to re-write to improve (which ironically is how a lot of people see Soul Eater itself, but I'll disagree there; SE is very rich imho). In the end, I'm very glad I read it. It's an enjoyable read, and I would even re-read it. I already want to. But it would only be to memorize tiny details of world-building, universe mechanics, and to cherry-pick things I want to headcanon about the main characters before I return the books to the kind soul who let me borrow them.

I hope you've enjoyed this exhaustive commentary. Time to go finish the anime~

[ivys-garden]

So two new episodes of The Ghost and Molly McGee came out and I've got nothing better to do so I'll give my thoughts on them

These two episodes probably should have been cut for more time spent with Ollie and the Chens or Andrea and Biz-Mart. We've still barely got any episodes about them despite them being the two big plot points this season leading a lot of people to be uninvested, if Libby and Molly's relationship had only gotten 3 episodes before Scratch The Surface and Friend-Off I doubt many people would have cared and I fear that's what's happening with Ollie and Andrea.

But aside from that there's not a lot else to say.

A Web Of Lies is the "character thinks they've killed something" plot, and it's basically the same plot as any other episode like that. I thought due to the title Scratch and Molly would tell increasingly insane lies as they tried to keep the spiders death from Darryl but it's pretty much just the same as any other episode with this plot. Not the best this season but there's nothing wrong with it either. 5/10

Kenny's Falling Star I liked a bit more, it was overall funnier (the shipping gag was a particular highlight) and I enjoyed most of the callbacks to earlier episodes, the pacing felt a bit off at some points but it wasn't as drastic as other episodes this season. My only real complaint is the Sharon's gag of trying to get Kenny to notice her music wasn't very funny, it doesn't even happen enough times to be a running gag, it's just kinda... There. The music was also really good this episode but that could just be because I like country. Overall, 6.5/10

[runawaymun]

tsunami, landslide and hurricane for the ask game? 🫶

Tsunami got answered here, thank you!

Landslide - Which WIP has the most worldbuilding?

Beneath a Boundless Sky by far, because I am doing a lot of things with magic in it, and also having to basically build an entire culture and political system from scratch to make the plot work. There's a lot of (physical and metaphorical) ground to cover still, too. We've barely even touched the surface of everything I am trying to get to in this fic!

🏝 Hurricane - Do you often stick to one WIP and finish it, then move on, or do you bounce between WIPs?

I try very hard to stick to max like 1-3 WIPs at a time because I am absolutely terrified that I won't finish things, but when an idea hits me and I get that initial honeymoon phase I do go and write things down for as long as that first burst of motivation lasts, and I am always kind of back-burner processing ideas. So I technically have dozens and dozens of WIPs, but right now only 1-3 really active ones, including personal (non-fandom) projects.

WIP Weather Ask Game

[speaker-of-the-void-cats]

SALVAGE THE TRUTH.

foreshadowing

||...sweet petal...||

Duty Bound

"Due respect, Commander? I was there when the Hive found us on Earth. I was there when we stopped them on Titan. And I'll be there when we wipe them out." —Sloane

Taeko-3 was smirking again. Sloane liked a lot of things about her. The smirk wasn't one of them.

"Sure. A weird Hive ritual. Nothing we haven't seen before, right?"

Sloane gripped the railing. "Everything under those waves is something we haven't seen before." The Hunter behind Taeko rolled his eyes. The railing crunched under Sloane's hand.

"You worry too much, boss! We've dropped a thousand Hive with our Sparrows. When the three of us"—the Hunter flourished a blade, and the other Warlock cocked a shotgun; did they practice this?—"are working together, we're unstoppable."

Sloane walked forward and put her hands on Taeko's shoulders. The smirk disappeared. The Hunter's blade dropped, but he caught it out of the air.

"Taeko. They're not always going to have your back. What are you going to do when you're the last one standing?"

The smirk came back. "Easy. Embrace the Praxic Fire."

<<Seek the whispers—they are faint, but they are calling.>>

The Black Needle

||...needle driven in flush with skin so that desperate fingers cannot pull it out...||

My head is throbbing, but I press on. This place I have found—it promotes pain. The Hive are fond of the anguish they bring. They will not deter me. It’s been months since I left the Tower. What do I have to show for my journey? Dead ends. Whispers. Nothing.

Whatever the Hive are plotting eludes me. Each location I survey holds the promise of answers, yet each has let me down.

||...unmemorable...||

||...a self-questioning answer...||

||...the thing which is unlike your beloved but arbitrarily recalls your beloved to agonizing effect...||

||...gray regret at the end of a fruitless day...||

Let this be the one.

I feel myself drawing near as the tunnels turn from rock and filth to tiles and pomp. Something… is off. I have yet to encounter even a single Thrall. I would count myself lucky, but I know better.

Stick to the shadows. Use the columns and pillars. Caution isn’t cautious enough.

I see ancient scrolls. Tablets. Something here must prove useful.

No.

Incomprehensible babble. Could I have been wrong all along? Are they as lost as we are?

A light breeze scatters the scrolls. A breeze? Underground?

“Eris…"

A voice carried on the wind. Sai? It can’t be.

A laugh from down the corridor. Eriana’s. “Come back to us, Eris.” Vell…

They’re dead. This can’t be real. I won’t fall prey to tricks of the Hive.

The gust picks up, bringing with it the dust and soot from the tunnels. It sucks the air from the room. I can barely stand.

“Did you believe it would be so easy?” Toland this time. The voice echoes all around me.

This cruelty…

“No, Witch. I thought it… would prove more difficult… to find you.”

A wailing scream assaults me. It’s a scream etched deeply in my mind. Poor Omar…

I won’t let Her shake me.

“Tell me, Archentrope, now that you have me… what will you do with me?”

Eriana appears before me, a construct of rock and sand. How dare She—

“Do? Child of the Hive, can’t you see? We are one. Do you hate it?”

I cringe with displeasure. Child of the Hive? Am I? Is this why I am still alive? I refuse.

“You are no more my family than a parasite is to a host. You will die, like your brother before you.”

She cackles. My stomach turns.

“If only you had gazed upon the dark majesty that slumbered beneath you…”

||...architrave of the no-window...||

Beneath me? Her words are twisted half-truths. Do not succumb.

The dirt and debris in the air spin wildly, colliding into me. I’m trapped in a whirlwind. My chest grows tight. Breath short. I can’t see. It’s all around me.

“To be so near, only to scratch the surface, must tear at the filament of your mind.”

The storm begins to die down; I hack up the grime, regaining my sight.

“Open your eyes, Eris…”

The color dissipates from the world around me.

As the dust settles, I realize I am not where I was. A green-black sun hangs in the sky and a glowing orb floats in the distance.

Darkness is all around me and I am alone. Again.

<<The cutting word is a doorway—the first syllable of hated salvation.>>

A Light In The Darkness

The days have become indecipherable. This harsh plane of existence bears only Darkness and cold—two things I’ve become reacquainted with since my banishment to this hellscape. No matter where I run, the glowing orb follows. It stalks me.

I’ve taken to quietly humming a tune to stave off the madness. I don’t enjoy it, but it helps. It’s worked before, when I was trapped beneath the Moon’s surface. Taken and Hive run rampant here. Around every corner. I’m in no shape to defend myself. My mind fights to stay alert. I just need to rest. Just a little…

A bright light awakens me. That glowing orb? Its radiance calls out to me.

No. Stop it. I’m losing my grip again. Hum the song.

“Eris!”

You’re making it up. Or worse. It’s the Witch again.

“Eris!”

The orb approaches. Could it be?

I stand to meet the light. And I collapse into darkness.

I am awake, I believe—though this feels like a dream.

“You encountered the Witch-Queen and survived.”

I am not sure if this conversation with Toland is real or a figment of my imagination.

“I’m no closer to discovering their machinations.”

“Tell me, what did she say?”

“It was riddles… taunts. She used you, all of you, perverting your voices… I was close to something. Beneath the surface. Slumbering.”

“Intriguing.”

Either way, I am in need of an exit. I must continue, no matter the pain.

“Where do you think you’re going? You’re in no shape to move.”

“I have to. I need to.”

“Are you telling yourself this to motivate, or are you blinded by your obsession?”

Now I am sure he is real.

“Aren’t you curious what was slumbering down there? I know I am.”

He piques my interest. I’ll allow this momentary reprieve.

“Go on.”

“Our time in the Hellmouth… requires further examination. I’ve often thought back to our glorious failure. Something has never sat right with me.”

“I imagine dying would leave one unsettled.”

“True, but this lies beyond that void. Our fireteam was comprised of some of the best to ever wield the Light, and yet we were eviscerated with ease.”

“They had weapons… we were not prepared.”

“While true, does the circumstance not bother you?”

“It haunts me to this day. I hesitate to believe anything She would say.”

“But why would She say anything at all?”

Why indeed.

“…She means to guide me, Toland.”

“Do not play into Her hand.”

“You lend credence to Her riddles. We must know the truth, no matter the cost.”

“Tread lightly, Eris. Or you may end up like me yet. Or worse!”

“My charge is the same, as always.”

“I’m afraid so.”

“There must—”

A flash of light, and once again I cannot see. I hear Toland call out to me, but I am pulled from him, from there.

It’s warm now. And bright. So bright.

“CLICK.”

I can feel their guns on me.

I’m surrounded.

<<Cleanse thyself of your decay, then will the mind be free to understand the value of transgression.>>

I think a world of balance would fight the Darkness, because Darkness unchecked is Darkness thriving. I think that a world of balance would never mistake the excitement of transgression or the grim necessity of trespass for a genuinely righteous act. We must remember the value of unshakable, irrational hope. The choice to act as if we lived in a better world can create a place for that better world to exist.

A Friend In Need

There’s a heat behind my eyes. I’d forgotten warmth, what it felt like. All I can make out are the weapons pointed at my face. If this is my fate, I will end with the fury of a tempest.

“Lower your guns!”

Petra?

“Eris Morn. Apologies for the welcome. Never know what will come out of there.”

The Dreaming City. I did not think I ever would set foot here.

“This place… it’s miraculous .”

“Don’t get used to it. We won’t be staying long.”

“Where are we going?”

“To see the Queen.”

“The Witch aims to bait me. I require your guidance, my Queen .”

“She is calculated, meticulous. Proceed cautiously. Her intent is obscured.”

My Queen is wise.

“Where do we begin?”

“Eris… there is understandable urgency in this matter…”

Not you too. Please do not think lesser of me.

“You were on the brink of death. That is not a loss I’m willing to bear.”

“The shadow of death cannot hinder me.”

She takes a concerned pause at my words. Did I misspeak?

“You walk a thin line between duty and obsession. Take it from one with experience.”

“I am driven, but only due to what is at stake.”

“And what is that to you?”

“My Queen … everything. Human and Awoken alike will wash up on the shores of death if we do not act.”

“No. What is it to you?”

“…vengeance.”

I watch as she deliberates the validity of my claims. To be dismissed as mad now would be my end.

“A noble cause.”

The same desire runs through my Queen’s veins.

“Savathûn’s cunning has its limits... We retrieved a log dating back to the Golden Age that may aid in deciphering Her riddles. It is one of many. The rest are scattered across the stars.”

“I must seek them all out.”

“You will not have to do it alone.”

My queen.

The months working alongside my Queen were exhilarating and treacherous. I’ve traversed more of the known universe than I ever thought I would see. Through all the vile creatures vanquished and treasures discovered lurks a new sensation… A place in this story.

We’ve collected several of the logs we seek. Each offers a new perspective on the threat we all face. The Golden Age understanding of the concepts of Light and Darkness were primitive, nascent. I wonder if in the millennia that will come to pass, our comprehension will be viewed similarly. It matters not, if we are unable to avoid our looming calamity.

We have come so far, and now I feel our journey coming to a close.

It’s here, in these ruins. I can sense it.

I push the refuse off an ancient chest.

Inside—what we’ve been searching for.

I read. My worst fears confirmed.

“My Queen … it’s been there all along.”

To think I must return to those twisted tunnels where the screams of my fireteam will undoubtedly reverberate throughout my mind…

My fate is eternally bound to that place.

There is no escape.

<<When imagined, your potential will infect, and spread.>>

Reunion

It’s been a long while since I’ve been to the Tower. Much has changed. I pray my departure hasn’t created an irreparable fracture.

Ikora… you must forgive me.

I’ll tell her what I’ve uncovered—where I’ve been. She’ll see the meaning behind my actions.

“When I heard your ship was approaching, I didn’t believe it. Yet here you stand. It’s good to see you.”

“Ikora, my absence was necessary. What I have learned, discovered... Danger lurks closer than you realize. You must trust me. We’ve stood too long ignorant of the cataclysm brewing before us. If we do not act, we face yet another Collapse. We must attend to that which the Hive have unearthed down below the lunar surface—”

“Eris. Breathe.”

Her words bring a fleeting rush of relief.

“We know about the Hive, as well as their recently erected Keep .”

A Keep ? They mobilize. It’s far worse than I knew.

“Then you will come with me, Ikora.”

“Eris, you’ve barely had a moment to rest.”

“You must let me show you the truth. Then you will understand.”

“I have responsibilities here. A lot has transpired in your absence. We’re still recovering from our… losses.”

What lies behind pales in comparison to what we face ahead.

But I won’t fight with her. Not again.

“Then I will go alone.”

“Eris...”

“On this I cannot negotiate.”

I can see Ikora measure her options. She does not seek an argument either.

“At least allow me to help you mount an adequate response to a threat that, mind you, we don’t fully understand. Let the Vanguard support you.”

That will take time. Always time. The one element we don’t have the luxury of.

“But you’ll be gone before they can mobilize, won’t you?”

“We all do what we must.”

“Promise you’ll stay in communication with me. I don’t want this to be like last time.”

I nod to Ikora. Always the beacon of benevolence.

She deserves more than I can offer. My calling is not here. There is still work to be done. One last stop.

“I have to go.”

Her concern is palpable. It reassures me, oddly. The wound between us can heal. If we live long enough.

“Eris… This thing you’re willing to risk everything for… What is it?”

“I warned of a storm.

Can’t you hear the thunder?”

Caliban enters the pit and makes their way through tunnels of the Hive colony towards the summoning ritual in the Chasm of Screams.

Taeko-3: You're right. There is a way out of this.

Ghost: What is it?

Taeko-3: Embrace the Praxic Fire.

||...the provably improvable.||

Dust

Fill up your mouths.

We fill them with dust.

Let us remember the great feats of our King.

In dust they are spoken, in dust of our skin.

One day, as the green eye stars set behind the far-away spines left by the machines’ failed injections, a Knight of Oryx met a Knight of Xivu Arath as they passed across a bridge in the Sea of Screams. To their north lay a strata of ossified corpses, tangled bones left by newborn beings who had hatched into this overworld from the weeping blistered souls of living worlds at the end of their sanity, only to become unanchored from the universe of matter and confuse their shapes with each other, until they became one screaming interchange of bodies and died. To their other north was an atoll of scriptures adrift on a sea of interpretations, gnawed at by heresies like white eels. To another north was one end of the bridge, and to the last north, the other end. All directions were north, but it was not at once obvious what lay at the northernmost place.

“North is toward Oryx my King,” said the first Knight.

“No,” said the second Knight, “Xivu Arath is victorious in all wars; north is toward my Queen.”

Thus announced, they drew their blades and struggled. At first, the Knight of Xivu Arath, She Whose Victory Is Idempotent, had the upper claw. Through inexorable campaigns and the absolute mastery of operontological warfare, which is the method of war which converts mere strategy into an attack on the enemy’s very fundamental modes of being and knowing, Xivu Arath had claimed great swathes of Oryx’s territories. But then the Knight of Oryx, First Navigator of Phase Spaces, Primogenitor of Possibilities, gained the poise and the momentum. For Oryx was ever exploring and opening new spaces, and all that He discovered weighed more on His existence than all He had ever known and left behind.

At last, battered like primordial worlds, their shields broken and their thick slabs of health eroded, they toppled in exhaustion. But each had one more way to fight: by the claim of truth.

“Xivu Arath is more powerful,” Her Knight claimed, “for She held a territory in Oryx’s mind even after She died.”

“Oryx is more powerful,” His Knight retorted, “for He has gone into the Deep, alone of all the Hive; He has spoken to that which is caustic to existence, and returned with some loan of its power. He has even relaxed in its presence, for He is friend to that which cannot befriend.”

Perhaps the Knight’s weapon had cut through the thin membranes of reality and drawn a tear of prophecy from the eye of time, which fell into the Knight’s panting mouth. For the Knight then said, “And my King is so mighty in His weight of causality that all which succeeds Him is in some way caused by Him. Even His enemies, in reacting to Him, ultimately obey the shape of His will, as a bandage must obey the shape of a wounded limb. So it is that the one who most hates and fears my King will also be the one to find what He seeks. It is this way only because it must be this way. Aiat!”

Now the other Knight knew the sound of holy writ, but could not surrender the fight. “Yes, Oryx was first to know the Deep,” the Knight of Xivu Arath said. “But first blood is not last blood; first to meet the Shape of Shapes is not last to touch that secret face. Easy it may be to dismiss my Queen for Her blunt strength and simplicity. But She causes exhaustion and ennui in Her enemies, which, in a cosmos where existence may be maintained by will alone, are the surest of killers. And as for your prophecy, I need not disprove it, for until it is true it is only a boast.”

Now neither Knight had died, and so they knew they had fought to an impasse: so they cast themselves from the bridge into the Sea of Screams below, to see where the currents would bear them.

For this reason a certain quantity of tribute did not reach one of Crota’s champions at the necessary time, and that champion lost a duel with a sergeant of Xivu Arath, causing the loss of a great number of temples and tributaries, so that Crota, upon slaughtering many liars with His sword, judged it best to sleep and recover His debts, with His soul proxied in a material cask so that He could use it as a piton to return swiftly to the Real. All afterwards proceeded as it must have proceeded. Aiat.

Hope

The Inundation of Hashladûn

Scream of me, o Thralls! Let the Knights beat their weapons on their knees and tear at their plates, let the Wizards shout my name in the speech that sunders, let my name come out of you like an itch comes out of skin!

I am Hashladûn, spawn of Crota. From the day I spilled from the egg, I possessed great strength; I was huge of crest and thick of arm, I was a Thrall who contended with Knights. I was large, as the storm is large upon the fundament, as grief is large among the grieving.

Seeing this, my father said “Let this one be inundated in the old way of floods; let her greatness be reduced to only what is greatest, for she has an excess, and excess is the capacity to be stringently purified.”

But I would not be taken to the floodplain; I was afraid; I contended with a hundred Thralls and ten Knights and was not beaten; I contended with an Ogre and I was exhausted; only then did my father, who is Eater of Hope, who burned with the secondhand melamu, who trampled the netherworld as hooves trample hands, come down from His throne, saying, “Do you love Me so hugely as to defy My edict, and so test the verity of My will? In this capacity you are also great.”

Then He brought me in His embrace down to the deep place between worlds, where I was impaled in six places to the floodplain. And the waters rose over me, and I was inundated.

Five times I was flooded. The first inundation is of bloodied hydrogen, which is like unto acid. The second inundation is of fire. The third inundation is of light, which is like unto the light of cloven atom. The fourth inundation is secret and rattles the bones. The fifth inundation is of words, and it aches at the joining-place between flesh and worm.

I was scoured, I was burnt; I was burnt again by the slow fire, I was tested on the rack of time. My flesh dissolved, it cracked and parted, it turned to black ash which peeled away. All the pain I had ever felt before would fit in one eyelash of that pain.

Then I was left to die.

But I broke the six impalements, and I crawled alone up the way to the outer world, gaunt, wounded, missing eight in ten parts of what I had been. And I killed the first thing that I found and ate it all.

Seeing the reduction of me appear before His throne, my father said, “You are great now, and you cannot love Me. For the parts of you that were Mine have been taken from you; the parts that were His remain.”

I saw the melamu upon Him, which is the light of god, and I assented, for I knew whence that light had come, I knew it for the light of Oryx Edge-and-Point.

And Crota cried out in joy and grief, and cut the sky, and sent me forth, lost to Him in triumph, never to enter His court again.

Poison

Oryx is dead! To deny this is to drink strong poison.

Oryx is dead and His throne waits empty!

[There must... be a strongest one. It is the architecture of these spaces.]

To accept this is to accept blasphemy into our hearts.

Our progenitor and forefather is vanquished. His court is scattered, His temples ransacked. The Knights like hot stone are dead. The beasts like scarred bone are gone from His side. And His killers have not assumed the mantle of the Taken King.

How can our mighty King, the spear that pierced a hundred million lying lungs,

-Deep, evenly spaced "throats" converged on a central cavity perhaps intended to serve as lung and stomach.

be killed by those who would deny the all-edged truth? Is this the end of progress towards the True and Final Shape? Is this the Entaoxuanna, the fate worse than extinction—the triumph of the oldest doubt, and the end of our way? Is it the incomprehensible fate which the Needle-Fingered One calls the Fraying of the Cord?

No. We are the people of the Real. We know the rod which separates the true from the dead. We know that whatever happens is so because it must be so. We accept that this has happened.

Let me tell you what has happened: Our King of Shapes has triumphed.

The one who murdered Him, who wielded His killers as a knife: she was once a liar drenched in the Sky. But she came among us, the children of Oryx, and we cleaned the lies from her, we scoured the confusion and fear from her, and we gave her the clarity of our sight: and she devoted herself to the task of comprehending Oryx, learning and foreseeing Him, thinking as He would think, knowing what He would know, becoming His one worthy enemy and so becoming like Him.

How could she do anything but challenge Him? And how, in challenging Him, in seeking a way between His pits and riddles, could she walk any path but the path He made for her? The mark of Him is upon her! She will always fear Him, she will feel the wound of Him in her mind as we feel His absence, she will seek out all that He valued, she will find all that He would want found—and lo! What has she found? What has she found?

The liars will come in their thousands and hundreds of thousands and slaughter us in our millions and tens of millions, and we will go rejoicing to our ends, for they are the blade He has appointed to whittle us into our shape, and she is the avatar He has chosen to mantle Him, and even now we sail the course He plotted! For she has awakened the truth which answers the lies. And His will has delivered the liars to us as His final test. And He is still and now and forever our King.

We will ask Him to return to us. And when we have pleased Him, He will answer!

||...call me Sri-cleans-his-brother's-stomach...||

"Am I to cast a Shadow?"

Gahlran knelt before his Emperor in a chamber of gold.

Every surface reflected a resplendent sheen that blinded him.

“What is this place?” he asked.

“Many things,” Calus replied, lounging with his cheek in his palm. “This chamber once held an Arkborn. The only one of her kind to leave the interstellar conduits of her people. It is the place where Valus Nohr earned her shield in trial by combat. Shadows were cast here. History made.”

“Am I to cast a Shadow?”

“Yes. You were bred to be a sorrow-bearer. I seek a Hive commander, but those are not so readily available. So I made you.”

“The Council says the Hive cannot be contained. They worry.”

Calus raised an eyebrow. “Who among them?”

“Councilors Rahl and Verloren.”

The Emperor shook the golden chamber with his guffaw. “Only a few hours old, and already your words have killed two.”

Gahlran pondered what his Emperor could mean.

“I will enjoy you,” Calus said, and keyed a hidden control on the armrest of his divan.

The ceiling shrieked as it opened like an eye. Gahlran craned his neck to stare as two hovering Councilors descended with a massive, plated helm from the vast iris above.

He could hear a litany of voices shouting down at him from inside the thing as it slowly descended. He thought they sounded like warnings, but there were no discernible words in the speech.

“What is that?” he asked his Emperor.

Calus finished the Royal nectar in his chalice before belching, “Your crown.”

Gahlran thought he could glimpse a faint violet glow on the inside of the helm as it drew nearer.

“Isn’t it beautiful?” Calus asked, as the voices echoing from the helm grew louder.

“No,” Gahlran replied.

He thought he should run. He tried to stand, but he found that he could not, rooted to the floor before the Emperor’s throne by the will of the Councilors.

“I do not like this,” Gahlran said.

“This,” said Calus, as the Councilors crowned Gahlran, “is why you were born.”

The violet interior filled Gahlran’s vision.

“What does it feel like?” asked the Emperor.

“Fear,” Gahlran said.

Calus must have responded, but Gahlran couldn’t hear him over the cacophony of voices.

He suddenly found that he could see.

Through a hundred billion eyes.

And that he could eat.

With teeth enough to consume entire systems.

He felt beautiful.

||... a purposeful mob none of whose members know its purpose...||

Menagerie

TYPE: OWL SECTOR INTERCEPT

//CABAL “LOYALIST” BAND TRANSMISSION

//AUDIO UNAVAILABLE//

They call themselves Hunters. Scouts. Survivors scavenging from races older and nobler—so that their people might rebuild what they’ve lost.

They call themselves Titans. Soldiers. Killers—slaying the enemies of humanity so that their City might live one more day.

They call themselves Warlocks. Martial philosophers. Harbingers of Light. Scholars searching for meaning when all is already lost. Their machine god abandoned them long ago.

They don’t understand yet, but they are, all of them, so much more.

It falls to you, my Loyalists, to show them the way. You’ve met them. You know their conviction.

So I unleash you.

Hinder them. Topple them. Teach them pain.

They will only ask for more. And they will grow stronger for it.

When they are ready, we will open the Menagerie to them. Even the strongest Lights have yet to explore that ancient deck.

I want them to see where our journey out of exile began. Ghaul and his conspirators meant for the Menagerie—for the Leviathan itself!—to be our tomb. But Ghaul could not predict what we would find at the black edge.

He could not foresee that we would grow fat from strength.

I call on that strength, now, one last time, before the black edge claims us.

Make no mistake. They will take your lives.

I know you give them gladly.

Your sacrifice shall spark the Shadows of Earth.

Shadows, showing truth by their casting.

IV: Whispers

I.I

Seek the whispers—they are faint, but they are calling.

I.II

Not all bone carries the sound of secret truth. Most are fragile, hollow things meant only to carry the weight of wasted lives.

I.III

In the feted remnants of yearning marrow, find love, find life, and in their lies you will discover the narrow road to all you never dreamed to be.

I.IV

However, whispers are but sound, as is the breeze. Not all who listen can share its purpose.

I.V

Know thyself, listen well, and do not fear when the whispers carve their welcome. Rejoice.

I.VI

The agony of the cutting word is a boon to those who embrace its severed logic.

I.VII

The cutting word is a doorway—the first syllable of hated salvation.

"On the path of the hushed tones, the cutting word will guide your unmaking."

—4th Understanding, 7th Book of Sorrow

Prophecy

The Guardian approaches the Emissary of the Nine at Titan

Drifter: Hey. Three Eyes. Shaxx says you sang him a lil' ditty.

Eris Morn: What?

Drifter: Shaxx. Chunky Titan. One horn. Did you sing him a song on the Moon?

Eris Morn: What a senseless question.

Drifter: Yeah. I didn't think so.

Eris Morn: Stay off this channel. Should I need you, I'll call — wait.

Drifter: Uh, I didn't hang up.

Eris Morn: Does that oaf still keep that skull with him?

Drifter: In the Tower? Yeah. Hangs it over his spot. I wouldn't have tangoed with that thing.

Eris Morn: Desperate times. This… 'lil ditty. Did it go… ? [hums]

Drifter: That would be the one. Heh. What is it?

Eris Morn: Savathûn's Song. It's a viral chant. It can never be unheard. Now that Savathûn has announced herself, relics of the Dark across the system have begun to awaken… Tell Shaxx to remove that Skull immediately.

Drifter: Sister, I already tried.

Eris Morn: What did that oaf say?

Drifter: No.

[castlebyersafterdark]

people compare nancy's sleeping with steve in s1 to justify byler, but a better comparison is nancy enjoying her choice to sleep with jonathan in s2, because that was the autumn of her junior year, and if byler sleep together in s5 it would be the autumn of THEIR junior year, too. so certainly a duffers-approved age for this to take place, with positive comparisons.

I'm right there with you, anon! 

The only problem with Jancy is, although their slow burn and eventual kiss were done quite well, s3 only hinted at them sleeping together(That’s a smart decision because it would be unnecessary to show every couple's sex scene. Not every relationship needs that level of detail to be impactful) But when it comes to the sex, Stancy still stands out as the highlight of the show across all four seasons. Even with Jopper, their intimate scene barely scratched the surface in s4 (I’m slightly optimistic about s5, especially with the BTS pictures Duffers posted of David and Winona in bed).

That said, I’m worried that if Duffers lean more into a Jancy direction, it could mean they won’t fully commit to the Byler sex scenes. At this point, we’ve had more than enough of Byler's slow burn dragging on for four seasons, Fans deserve a solid payoff, which includes both romance and sex! Not pining, but coquetry. Not yearning, but fooling around with an irresistible energy that makes it hard to keep their hands off each other. In short, we need a Big Byler Seductive Feast in s5! I'm not saying I’m not invested in the overall story, but I really want to see adult Byler portrayed authentically, without being constrained by the expectations of a prudish general audience.

ASK ROUND UP ABOUT THE MYSTICAL✨BYLER SEX SCENE✨

The thing with the Jancy vs. Stancy scenes is that they all served different purposes for the plot. I think we compare things so often in this show and maybe more things could be considered separately? So the mystical Byler sex scene - what would it serve? Actualization of Mike and Will's love and sexuality. Some big scene of passion before "the end of the world" as they've finally found each other and are overcome with finally getting to have this. It's different for them. There's soooo much the scene will serve. The catharsis of the longest payoff slow burn. Will the DB chicken out?? I don't know, they might really be going for it this last season. It's the last chance!!

Tasteful is the key here, we've been over that aspect. It's about Real Love - which is the big key with Will and Mike. A climatic moment. And that's not to deride or view as harmful stuff from other media. Other stuff has it's place, for better or for worse, but this show is telling a specific story. They're never going to do something that goes "too far" though my too far is much different than most people haha. But no - sensual is honestly the mood I feel it would be? Like, we're not getting nudity. I think we all have to be honest with ourselves. As much as I and a lot of us want ass, we're not getting ass, we'd barely get thigh to be honest 🤭 And that's so ok. There's so much that can be done to evoke passion and hell, even eroticism, without it being actually explicit.

Crossing my fingers for a sexually charged season, a season fullllll of tension between the boys so when the get together happens, it's like we're also relieved.

On the subject of being disappointed if they don't depict a Byler sex scene explicit enough - man, even all this chatter I'm still fifty-fifty on if they actually will go there, as much as I round about talk it over. It's so hard to predict. I'm very confident about Byler happening in the show and part of me is like, I'll be grateful if they give us more than one kiss, but the other part of me is like, if they don't show them falling onto some surface or bed or whatever together to get it the fuck onnnnnn I'll be scoffing and calling them cowards. So it's a ridiculous and contradictory dichotomy in my brain. I'm all over the place for this subject. What I want and what I'm expecting are different.

Little things though: is Europe really this mecca for gay sex in mainstream television? I honestly don't have any viewpoint, I'm just curious since I'm not from the region. I'm certainly not defending the backwards conservatism of America because I'm here and it's bleak as fuck at times, though... gratuitous straight sex still has plenty of moments - it's more shame of queer love in general, while... ok, pausing, since I also feel there's a contradiction in these conversations, as we are living in an era where gay sex and relationships on mainstream media is more than any other time in media history. Especially streaming shows, or on non prime-time network TV channels. Which are accessible to many.

We can always get those mumbers up, the media landscape is still very much a work in progress, but I think progress IS happening? Hey, it's me, ya boy Vinny - the annoying optimist.

It's certainly not everywhere, and certainly vilified plenty, but shows are definitely doing it. Like, the most it's ever been. One tiny real world example - my straight middle ages coworkers were literally talking about the sex stuff in that Ryan Murphy Monsters show recently and were having a mature discussion on if they thought those two should be released from prison and it was very interesting to eavesdrop on in the lunch room. Total normies just casually chatting, not outraged, just kinda talking about some stuff in the show saying "do you think that scene really happened". I mean, this is a liberal area but in this climate you get all types of people everywhere so you never know. Just one weird example, but it's worth noting that while Stranger Things is pretty mainstream, it has the capacity to go there and not feel too impossible. They did call this season SHOCKING a few times and there's so many directions this could take - why not this route?

If they're really going TVMA and it's not just for horror and gore... well... please... PLEASE

This one is really interesting to me and I'm not sure how much I have to say about the age of consent being the argument here as to justify getting married at age 16 and for depictions of sex happening butttttttt that is life, right? I don't know that I want to touch on this topic too deeply but I'm posting along with the discussion.

I just think. Regardless of all of that - the thing is, it's just a part of being human. Denying that part of life isn't healthy or realistic. Most teenagers have the urge, the interest, the raging hormones. That's human nature, regardless of what society says or tries to warp. Gay teenagers are human, after all, right?? It's not a bad thing to talk about characters feeling this, living this. They're thinking it at their ages we've seen. And they'll be 16, 17 in the next season. This is all normal. The things I was getting up to at their age hmmmm it's realistic and normal and it's kind of a problem to make this stuff this huge taboos. What does that serve?

[exilethegame]

i just have to say that 90% of the time i'm in the IF game purely for romance & it takes a lot to get me to fully invest in the plot. but oh my god this story... i'm invested in every single relationship, every single character, and i cry/get chills at least 8 times a chapter. it's unbelievably moving, profound, compelling, evocative, thought-provoking... chef's kiss. idk how u came up w such a devastating plot but wow good job.

Ah-- this is the biggest compliment! I'm so glad you care for everyone in-game since I do my best to make sure everyone is as "3D" as possible. I try to do my best to not introduce anyone who isn't important, though of course there's always a few exceptions... (Maybe, some day, coffee man may return.)

The plot of The Exile is definitely something I'm proud of. It's something that just sort of fell together the more I wrote, and it continues to surprise me even as I write it now-- half the plot twists were plot twists to me too even as I wrote them.

That being said, I can't wait to share more of the story with you all. We've only just barely begun to scratch the surface >:)

[striveattemptfail]

i been tryna hold my critique aside bc we've barely scratched the surface with the plot in this webcomic, but i personally reeeeally dislike the current direction with jason

i said in a previous post that jason is clever and calculative, and while that quick thinking has come up a few times so far, there are still moments like this that diminish who he is as a character

there may be something to be said that he was homeless as a kid, so financial security is important to him. and that's why it makes sense that he cares about the money right now, bc it's a big job from a wealthy family

but to say he doesn't care that a martian is trying to stop him? that he can brush off the fact that a member of the justice league is interfering with his work?

not only is it an insult to how he operates as a crime lord (purposefully, and always thinking ahead, mainly so innocent people don't get hurt), but it also negates his investigative training from his robin days. he's an excellent detective—perhaps not on the level that bruce is, but he's still incredibly smart and can figure out when a bigger story is happening around him

right now, he should be suspicious. he should care about why j'onn is so intent on stopping them. he should be questioning wtf bertinelli wants with this idol

i'm gonna hold my reservations for as long as i can before i can say definitively that i dislike this characterization of him, and hopefully in later episodes i get to see the jason i've come to know

but for now the dialogue here left a sour taste in my mouth ://

[astraskylark]

Can we talk about Weiss in V8 chapter 13? Can we talk about how amazing she was in that episode despite all the batshit crazy insane shit happening around? Like it starts out with a full on Team RWBY Vs Cinder battle royale.

Weiss is literally never still even for a second here. She's clearly learned from Volume 5 that staying still in battle for a fighter with her attack type is a bad decision so she's constantly moving over here appearing on all sides in a matter of seconds while keeping the movements of her teammates in mind as well.

She's literally mid fight here half through zooming across the battlefield after an attack and she's already setting up a glyph to boost Blake up so she can attack Cinder keeping the momentum of the fight going in the split second she needs to move across.

Weiss's fighting style often leans to support and a series of attacks rather than one heavy blow. And support is probably the most complicated role to play in a fight.

It's all about insane mid battle calculation. She has to keep track of her team's movements to perfectly time her glyphs (also deciding what type of glyph based how her teammates are moving and their surroundings) and HOW EXHAUSTING IS THAT??? Because she not only has to keep track of the opponent's movement but she's also keeping her eye on three other people who are in continuing motion looking for any gap she can offer support in??? While constantly moving on the field and launching her own attacks in tandem with the others???

The minute Ruby is falling back Weiss is already pelting ice picks at Cinder. And okay mad props to Cinder because this entire attack sequences from RWBY was hardcore and Cinder managed to dodge it all. And back to Weiss.

So we have this insane battle where everyone is mentally exhausted and then we have Neo attacking Ruby and Yang falling into the void. And I've seen a lot of people shitting on how Ruby and Weiss didn't react fast enough and let me just say they acted exactly how you'd expect them too.

I don't have the pic here cause Tumblr has a limit but if you remember the split screen showing Ruby,Weiss, Blake and Neo we can all see Blake already starts moving. Ruby starts getting attacked by a feral Neo a second later and has no time to even process any event(a running theme this volume Rubes your breakdown is coming).

Now here Weiss starts moving a literal second later. And now remember this is Weiss, master of mid fight distance calculation.

The minute Weiss turned and saw Blake she knew. She knew that judging from how fast Yang fell of the ledge and how fast Blake moved the only person who had a sliver of a chance of saving Yang was Blake. She knew she would be a second late if she tried. She knew that summoning a glyph in the event of Blake missing would be no use because she's done the math in that heated second of fear and anguish and knows that she will be too late.

Which is why Weiss Schnee master of logic and cool headedness in the battle field and emotional wellbeing off the battlefield knew what would happen a second later. She knows Yang. Weiss was the first person we've ever seen Yang be vulnerable around. And I bet the reason Weiss was so sure Blake would find her way back to them is because Weiss and Blake are alot more similar than you think. So Weiss knows. She knows the Blake Belladona would not hesitate for a second to jump into the literal unknown for Yang.

She would too. But they're in the middle of battle and Ruby is being attacked and thousands of Atlas and Mantle citizens are in the middle of a space that shouldn't exist and she knows despite how she wants too she cannot jump. And she cannot let Blake jump either because she cannot and will not lose another member of her family today. And she immediately pulls Blake literally dragging her from the surface(and this is no easy feat because we know how crazy swol Blake is and adding that with mad grief Blake is basically the strongest most impulsive person in that space right now) and you can see from that single frame that Weiss herself is so close to tears but she has to hold it together for Blake. For Yang. For Ruby.

And once Blake takes off in a rage she knows that Cinder is left with no one to fight her. And Weiss (who is probably a little traumatised after having been stabbed and almost dying because of her) she immediately faces Cinder and Weiss is frantically dodging because remember Cinder was able to take on all four of them with barely a scratch and now Weiss is facing her alone.

And I also love this because it seems like Weiss is just zig zagging her way in a frenzy but she's trying to make herself really difficult to target here. You know how they say to run zig zag when your being chased by an animal right? That's what she's doing here. She's stays in a position for just enough time for Cinder to shoot her fire and then immediately takes off in a tangent making cinder have to spend a split second trying to reorient her attack cause all her attacks shoot in a straight direction.

I included this picture because she looks so fucking cool here. She literally fights fire with FIRE and I love her stance and pose and if you've actually read this far you can kinda guess I love everything about her.

And now we see her skating up. Because she knows the advantage and how being in a higher position can help. She needs to get to higher ground. And I'd like to highlight that Weiss only takes this pathway cause at that moment it is completely empty. She assumed that people had already finished evacuating from there which is why she chose that place. But it turned out that particular door was one for Atlas and Atleasians were alot more hesitant to use the gates than people from Mantle which is why there are people still there(this might also have been a convenient plot narrative to make Jaune aware that Cinder was here, who knows we shall see)

She uses her gravity glyph to try and hinder the airborne higher ground advantage that Cinder has. And it works. Cinder is momentarily focussed on Weiss allowing Penny to regain her stance and figure out her weapon situation.

And then an Atleasian steps out and Weiss realises in a matter of milliseconds that shit she has to protect them.

And if you notice Cinder is imitating Weiss's attack here. Weiss attacked Cinder with the same Ice pick move 5 minutes ago. And Weiss has to protect herself and the now emerging Atlas citizens. And I love how it's shown that she doesn't have the time to fully summon her Knight so only summons the arm and blade and protects everyone from actually getting hurt. Also I don't know if this the first time we've seen the summoning glyph for the knight in this angle but it is absolutely gorgeous and I really want to see what the Nevermore one looks like.

And I ran out pictures but Cinder literally tosses Weiss over the edge and the only thing stopping Weiss from certain fall in the void is her own gravity glyph which she is maintaining after all of the stuff I mentioned before.

I mean we know that Weiss has the lowest stamina of the team and the role that takes up the most energy. And she's still standing and she still going to fight in the next episode.

I just-- GODS Weiss Schnee is an absolute legend and possibly the best ally to have on the battlefield. She's is a super skilled ,level headed and versatile fighter whose constant presence and observations in the battlefield are such an asset and I wouldn't be far off in saying that she's probably the smartest fighter after Ruby and there's a reason they're partners because for every wacky absolute bonkers plan Ruby has, Weiss will be there to build the foundation to launch off from. And I cannot wait to see her learn and grow even more.

[dammit-neal]

Does anyone else feel like the blackout was used as a plot point instead of a plot?

Like it wasn't "the blackout happened so we've got this stuff"

It was "lookie here, drama galore, and we'll put this blackout here so it makes sense and bonus: it's EXTRA DRAMATIC"

I dunno. I feel like it was sorely underutilized. It didn't feel like the lights went out and the hijinks started, it felt more like in Star Trek when they need the ship to be weirdly vulnerable so they bust the warp engine

Things we could've had:

Engine house blackout hijinks (MORE of them, I feel like we barely scratched the surface)

Buckley-Diaz family candle lit sleepover

Athena telling ghost stories in a pitch-black outdoors around the fire pit outside the house

Chimney pranks

118 family bbq because the power is out and they don't want all the meat to go bad without eating it. Bobby manning the grill with Michael

Karen sciencing the sh*t out of random stuff to generate power

The ideas are just endless!