#but I might be able to be convinced

[ladykyriaa]

I think one thing I'm gonna say to the people who are, in a way conflicted and/or waiting to watch the series is that you're honestly gonna have to be okay with grey areas. That's literally it.

KnH isn't going to explicitly show nor tell you how good/bad things are. it's an incredibly realistic story set in ancient China tackling its many issues; starting from societal problems, political, norms, gender roles, and so on. What might be problematic now isn't necessarily something the characters are going to think about more than twice.

I think a slightly controversial example would have to be abt the pedo emperor. YES, an incredibly horrible person and deserves to die in the most painful way possible. But KnH also tackled the issue that he had been human, all too pathetic and pitiful to rightfully rule the empire-never had the spine to talk to proper women thus resulting in him only talking and being attracted to (gag) little girls. You're not gonna see the characters talk ill of him more than necessary, they know its fucked up and frankly weird, but there's nothing to be done but to live with the consequences of his actions.

(Why I set this as a grey example is because I've seen people expecting the pedo to be this horrid-abusive person-and he is of course- but they certainly weren't expecting him to be depicted so pitifully and hurt, like he himself was a literal child still in need of protecting.)

don't also expect the characters to do one good thing after another just because you expect them to. Under different situations, different feelings, different place, their choices vary from one another depending on what's necessary. Don't even expect their relationship to be one linear from start to finish, thinking you can guess which way its gonna go.

in fact this is what maomao says when Jinshi questions her explicitly about their relationship

and i just think this genuinely applies to the series as a whole. Natsu Hyuuga isn't going to outrightly spell it out for y'all what Maomao nor Jinshi feels for each other, what the empress dowager feels for the pedo, what Ah-duo feels for the emperor and vice versa. She expects people to understand and come to their own conclusion.

She pieces together puzzles and expects you to fit them together, if you somehow got a different result from the way she intended then, well, that's on you I guess.

don't expect a "yes" or "no" answer to whatever questions you're about to ask. There's always gonna be a "but" and "however" to it, I think. At least from my experience of reading the novel and questioning the choices they've made.

People in this fandom throw away the word SA so easily, TOO easily I'd say. from here on out you're gonna read a lot more "problematic" things that other characters have done that they think are more or less for the good-whether that be their own good or other characters' sake.

The anime honestly does paint the series in a lighthearted way, and compared to other series it's certainly not as "dark". However I do think the strength of this series lay in its realistic choices and stories, how the characters feel so utterly human, not just driven by plot.

[writeouswriter]

Why are college websites sooo stingy with their details, I just want to know what the course actually entails, like what are the concepts they're actually teaching, and they're like oh we're too cool and aloof and mysterious, we can't let you know that, teehee, now sign up for my email list that just redirects you to the home page, boy.

[agentnoun]

i'm retiring from Clair Obscur Discourse for a while due to my recently having turned Evil so to commemorate the occasion i will be posting Hot Takes

these are things that a) i have thought enough about to be sure i'm right, b) i have previously made people really annoyed and/or mad by asserting, and c) i will not be phrasing diplomatically because i think it's funnier not to and, as previously established, I’m evil now.

the verso ending is the one that makes narrative sense. if this game had only one ending and it was the Maelle one i think it would be a bad and unsatisfying ending to the story. (this does not mean that I think the verso ending is an uncomplicated happy ending, far from it, see the next point. it does mean that i think if the game had only one ending, it would be the Verso one.)

there isn't a Good Ending. while i think the Verso ending is the "True Ending," that's a different thing.

and while i understand that it's a common trope in discussing this game that all ending discussion needs to be prefaced with "there is no good or bad ending," i actually disagree with that. there might not be a Good Ending, but there is a Bad one. yes, i mean the one you think i mean. yes, i understand that many, many people will find this claim downright offensive.

this is not at all limited to this game, but people have a strong tendency to disregard the actual text of the game ("text" meaning all of the game's contents, not just the verbal/written parts) to add details to both endings that aren't implied by either, possibly as a way to brute force them into being "happy endings." no, i don't think there's any chance Maelle will move on or leave the painting before she dies in her ending, or that Verso will ever be happy. no, I don't think Maelle would, could, or even should repaint her friends in another canvas in the Verso ending and my reasoning for that is "the entire rest of the game's story screaming why that's a bad idea."

(the above does not apply to fan fiction--fic is, well, fic and can do whatever the author feels like. i'm talking about interpreting the game itself, not extrapolating/inventing details in fan works. if I had a problem with that I would be a Weirdo, and not the fun kind.)

i am extremely tired of people pointing at Visages as a sign that real/original Verso was also a liar and manipulator because i don't think that axon could be screaming "masking" louder if it tried and i really hope nobody thinks that someone masking mental health issues is "lying" or being "manipulative."

ending with a somewhat colder take: the romances didn't need to be there. they don't really add anything. the Sciel one is better than the Lune one and at least makes narrative sense (i.e. if it was just part of the main narrative i don't think it would be out of place) but with Lune it feels like she and Verso have two completely separate relationships between the main story and the "relationship level" scenes.

also if you read this far you are legally required to play Mother 3, I don’t make the rules. ok bye!

[potato-lord-but-not]

Is Cynthia single... Asking for a friend.... An extremely lesbian friend.....

Technically yes but only because interracial marriage was frowned upon (mainly by their families) and she can’t be with Jamie for the rest of her life. sorry 😔

[millenomine]

They are like catnip to me.

This is 100% how the beer fight ended. Trust me.

[blueskittlesart]

i’m experiencing real life dramatic irony

[normal-about-charcters]

Im starting my first Lancer game (im the gm) next week with a session 0, basically just getting my players the resources they need (comp/con and the lcp for Solstice Rain) and i have some immediate thoughts

1. Im using Foundry VTT hexes, and its a nightmare trying to get them to fit and work, especially since i dont know the math needed for it

2. Comp/con is a godsend even if just for organization (also being able to import PCs tho not npcs TT-TT)

3. The Lancer system in Foundry is really nice and simple to use when you actually learn how to set it up

4. Im gonna need to set up a tutorial map so that my players can learn how to use it on their end, and so that i can know how to actually set up the maps (i dont want them to see my reinforcements before its too late)

5. Im not sure how long its going to take, but i think 3hrs (or the end of mission 1) until i decide whether to end it for the night or not is reasonable

Im pretty anxious, but i can definitely do this. or at least follow the script

[lazywriter-artist]

Chapter one

Homecoming

Finally.

The warmth of the Terran sun slowly bathed over the trio as they stepped off of the ‘Macragge’s honor’. A number of ultramarines stood tall in salute as the three Primarchs passed by. Guilliman felt as a lump formed in his throat when his gaze trailed over his sons, and up to the golden palace of Terra. By the throne. This looming sense of dread could not be shaken from the back of his mind, not helped in the slightest by the masses gathering and gawking as if this were some glorious parade, but he couldn’t turn back now. Guilliman couldn’t even begin to imagine what the masses thought of his brothers, of Magnus... He and his brothers had made it so far already, and father couldn’t be left unchecked. Not anymore. They had to do something, anything, to make father grow up and get a grip. Sigh. Such a state of mind was one Guilliman would have never thought himself capable of fabricating on his own…that was until now he supposed.

You know, it was strange to be by Magnus’s side again…much stranger to the gawking, watchful eyes of the Terran populace they walked amongst, no doubt. He was pretty sure most didn’t even know of Magnus…and even fewer expected…such a form as the one his brother undertook now. He knew even after the arduous journey aboard the ship, with time to readjust and remember his brother’s figure, it still caught him off guard at times. Guilliman was just glad Dorn seemed to be taking it well too, there had been some tensions upon the reunion that had worried Guilliman. Even now, while Magnus had agreed to help them, Guilliman could feel something was not entirely honest in the why…but he trusted Magnus. He couldn’t place why, after millennia of what felt like confirmation to the contrary of trusting Magnus’s judgment, his mind still placed faith with his brother. Maybe it was a longing for a past that never was, or something that could have been. He did not want his mind clouded by the fog of ‘what if’s. They were in the now. Though…even still, something trusted Magnus. Perhaps, he could sense a burning passion that coursed through even Dorn in their conversations of father’s ill behavior, thus forming a burning and quiet pact that they needed to make things right, even if they all had different reasons.

…

Yes. That was it, Guilliman decided. They united themselves under the trust of their quiet pact. Their pact to rectify father’s behavior. Precisely…

His thought spiral was disturbed as there came the cheers of some Terran civilians at the sight of the three- well, he supposed Dorn and himself were the main reason, but he wanted to try and think of this as merely a mission like they used to go on. Before… everything. When they were still brothers. Well- certainly they were all still brothers, it would be foolish to insinuate they weren’t still related and tied together by their father’s blood coursing through each of them. Though…even more foolish would be to deny that there wasn’t a change in the way they spoke to one another now. Thinking about it this way? The idea that they were merely returning home to the praise of dozens for their work after using each of their strengths to save some distant far off world? It made the things he was about to do feel just that little bit more honorable. Just- just don’t think about it. They were simply reporting back to Terra after a successful mission with Magnus and Roboute merely having a long itemized list to report back to father with. It was a wonderful mission, he decided, the planet had greeted them with great kindness and open arms. That is why the civilians cheered. They were merely so successful and had done such a great job making peace that all the cogs fit nicely into place, no casualties at that. Yes. Didn’t his brothers recall? Simply a check up, a peace mission. You rarely get to go on those! Father will be glad to hear about it. Yes. yes he will…

Roboute felt that lump form again in his throat at the thought, when did his armor get so tight? He didn’t recall Terra being so hot. He felt like he was cooking in a portable oven. His gaze ran over the heads of his sons once again. Over the heads of the populace. His sight shot back and forth between the towering buildings, the bustling walkways, his mind churning through all the little noises he heard. The quiet chatter. The screams of joy. The pushing and shoving. The footsteps. The gasps, the idle street conversations being halted— he felt like the world was spinning around him. Like there was nowhere to go– was he always so light headed?

Oh dear.

He couldn’t keep deluding himself like this, could he? No…The cheers being silenced by the heavy stomps of Magnus behind him told him so. The fearful gazes of horror and some semblance of disgust when they caught sight of his brother told him so. The way his body perspired and muscles contorted in ways he never thought possible for a primarch told him so. The way his gaze landed back upon those towering, glimmering pillars of gold which concealed his father, who he never in a million years thought would use that grandiose booming voice of his to echo orders down the bustling halls again, told him so. Deep down, as much as he dreaded to admit it, His own senses told him so.

Taking in this acceptance, he’d draw a deep breath, his mind shutting out the ambient noise. His eyes focused forward as he’d quickened his pace. Reminding himself as he walked:

Steel your nerves, Roboute Guilliman. There is work to be done. You have never shied away from your duties, especially duties to better your home. Finish your task, with great care as you’ve always done. Steel your nerves, Roboute Guilliman.

Master list || Chapter select || Chapter 2

[jackattack20writes]

I kinda wanna do a “what’s the craziest possible ending for Gquuuuuux” post but first I just needed to say I had the realisation that I think with what Shuji said this episode that Lalah’s damselness in the Gquuuuuux timeline is possibly because of the other Lalah, also I do have to acknowledge that this could be me reading into it too much but I think one particular thing supports this reading.

So I don’t know yet how much influence OS Lalah has on the Gquuuuuux timeline whether it’s just getting char the RX-78 or as Shuji implied the entire thing but if it is the latter that explains a lot.

So firstly just generally it makes sense from what we know of her, that if OS Lalah created an alt timeline the most important things to her would be Char, Amuro and the other her. Now as there’s no confirmation Haro is controlled by Amuro or even what Amuro is up to at the moment but well there is some assumptions, so firstly we know that at the very least his father is alive from the cameo in the flashback so we can assume that Amuro also exists. Secondly we know he isn’t a Gundam pilot something that arguably would be the best way to protect him, leaving him as the boy he was before he got in the robot. So it would qualify as protecting him

Next is Char, so we know from Lalah’s visions that in at least one reality likely the one OS Lalah is from, Char died in place of Lalah. So what’s the most direct way to achieve that give him white base, the rx-78 and a military-trained new type partner, or as we see in Gquuuuuux, Sodon, the alpha psycommu equipped Red Gundam and Challia Bull. Which coincidentally also achieves the goal of protecting Amuro. So so far the changes match what a distraught Lalah would do if she was restructuring the timeline, but I think the real kicker is her alternate’s fate.

So when GQX Lalah first showed up there was understandable criticism for Lalah being reduced to a damsel waiting for Char to show up. And while I do think the criticism is still valid I think it’s going to be revealed that OS Lalah is the cause. So like the big reason we get for Lalah not leaving is because she’s waiting for char like she saw in her visions of the alternate timelines, visions that caused her pain. So my theory is that OS Lalah was the source of these visions and intended for GQX Lalah to get them with a dual purpose. As not only would the visions keep her on earth waiting for char but also as a perpetual punishment that OS Lalah could both inflict and vicariously suffer.

Now yes this is a lot of speculation but I think that based on the other big change to the timeline the visions that make GQX Lalah stay on earth also being from OS Lalah makes sense. And like I know I’d have self hate issues if I knew not only that I failed to save someone I loved from someone else I loved and then also found out that there were alternate realities where I saved him. And similarly OS Lalah seems to think that total removal is either the best way or the easiest to achieve as can be seen with the total removal of Amuro. So I think that at the very least OS Lalah did intend for GQX Lalah to never meet Char, even if I’m overestimating the self punishment aspect.

Also like I think this fits because I have a gut feeling that with Yomagn’tho being above earth and char being both in his red comet outfit and the red Gundam it’s highly likely that his ending in the series will be crashing to earth just like Machu did in ep 9 and Lalah’ll pull him out and drag him off into the sunset ala Shinji and Mari in 3.0+1.0 as a sign of sorts that they’re finally charting the path they want instead of one charted by OS Lalah’s fear, sort of ties into the ideas with Nyaan and Machu about finding your paths and place in life and how that place is often someone else rather than somewhere (like Nyaan and Machu are both yearning for someone else to be with them once they reach what should be their ideal home and they’re both more important to eachother than they really realise and I think are in part the home they’re looking for) and also I think fits as a quasi happy ending for char since I doubt Kycilia will make it out of this show alive so char’ll be able to set off into the sunset knowing that the zabi’s are dead and without the trauma that eventually channels into CCA.

[teh-nos]

u know what though... i don't think this facepalming is for the witnesses in the room, but i also don't think it's an "oh no, thor's so stupid" facepalm, i think it's a "why the fuck did i do that?" one. i don't think loki especially wants to invade jotunheim, he just thought it'd be a laugh to get thor to do it, but then oh shit thor is actually going to do that so now he needs to sabotage it somehow (telling the guard) but also:

"shit, i've fucked this up, haven't i?" it seemed like such a good idea two minutes ago. couldn't help himself. wouldn't it be funny if? but now they have to go to fucking jotunheim and he could so easily have just not done that. oops! facepalm time!

[thequeenofsastiel]

I can't decide if Nunew and Zee are my favorite actor pair, or if I was just deeply entranced by their D/s vibe in Kinky Cutie Pie. Whatever it is, they're definitely saving their dynamic in TNP for me, because at this point I'm not feeling too great about Nunew's character. I hope the way that Khanin abused his power to force Charan to spend time with him gets called out eventually, because it's making it difficult for me to like him or root for their relationship. My mind is allowing me to do so atm though, and that's solely because Nunew is adorable and he and Zee constantly look like they want to tear each other's clothes off, and that level of chemistry and acting skill is overcoming the flaws in this relationship. I hope they continue to act together(ideally in better shows like Cutie Pie), because they're extremely good at seeming like they're in love with each other and very sexually attracted to each other. And yeah that's important to me, sue me.

[oifaaa]

Common Oifaaa W

Ive literally done nothing for the last 5 days what's the W here???

[afrsconp]

What does this mean 😭 is it a tease 😭 will Nigel be in another episode soon 😭

Also look at his fucking FACE, you guys. JUST LOOK AT IT. That is not the face of a man who is 100% ok with just being friends.

[persephoneprice]

i hate the idea that annie is a weak person just because of her trauma and mental health issues. i would love to see everyone stop completely infantilizing her just based on her reaction to trauma.

yes, she is vulnerable and clearly deeply impacted by everything but that doesn’t mean she was always just a weak little girl. she still could have volunteered. she still could have chosen to go to the games.

yes, losing her most significant support system after everything was another layer of deep trauma. that doesn’t mean she couldn’t have still found joy in her life afterwards.

people can have significant mental health issues and still be capable people. people can have significant mental health issues and still have lives worth living.

adults with significant mental health issues are still adults and shouldn’t be reduced to their trauma and pain.

[basicallykiyotaka]

My favourite thing to do: talk about Endeavor

My least favourite thing to do: explain why I like Endeavor