#but if you actually think about the quests? the absolute Trauma your character is going through? | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

destinysbounty · 9 months

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I'm literally so sad that Cole wasn't in Seabound. Like isn't he the master of Earth? Isn't the seafloor like the deepest place to be? Wouldn't he be closer to his element if he went in the deep sea? Man.

I'm not the first person to bring this up, and I probably won't be the last, but it is a bit odd how Wildbrain feels so intent on splitting the team up all the time. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind a good split-up in theory - hell, seasons 4 and 9 are some of my all-time favorites, and overall I think the concept of splitting up the team gives us the chance to explore unconventional dynamics in similarly unconventional situations. There's just one main problem with how Wildbrain handles split-ups: 1) there usually isn't a particularly strong narrative reason for it to happen.

Now if I list off every arbitrary split-up and exactly what made it arbitrary, we'd be here all day. But seriously, next time you watch Wildbrain, try and pay close attention to this sort of thing. Once you notice the way they love to split everyone up at the barest hint of provocation, you can't ignore it. It's everywhere. Obviously there are times where they do have narratively satisfying reasons to split up (s13 is an example of this done well imo), but the sheer volume of arbitrary split-ups kinda sours things a bit - for me, at least.

Which brings us to Seabound. I genuinely don't understand why Cole and Kai couldn't have come along for Seabound. They give this argument that "oh, we need someone to stay behind and hold down the fort while everyone's gone", but...first of all, when has that ever been a pressing issue for them? These assholes leave Ninjago City unattended all the time. And even if they did finally decide to make that a priority after all these years, why is Kai staying behind??? If you ask me, not only would Kai realistically want to be involved in the quest to fix his beloved sister's powers, but Kai also would have been way more effectively utilized by the plot, by actually being part of the plot. Y'know, in the submarine with everyone else. Not only because we'd get the chance to see his fear of water get some resolution, but the whole narrative about Nya's childhood trauma would pack a lot more weight to it with Kai present (for obvious reasons).

And as for Cole...y'know what, up to this point I'd never really thought of a good way to give Cole something to do in Seabound, but you present a great point. Maybe there could be some scenes between Cole and Nya, talking about how overwhelming it can feel to be completely surrounded by your element. In this version of events, maybe Cole takes on an almost mentor-like position as he tries to help Nya connect with her element as he had done at the end of season 13. And for maximum angst, perhaps at the end of the season she takes his lessons and puts them to use - but instead of simply connecting with her element like he taught her, she's becoming one with it. This isn't perfect, of course, but at least now we've found a way to make Cole and Kai feel more relevantly involved in the plot.

Don't get me wrong, as much as I'm criticizing it I absolutely adore Seabound. BUT if I were given the task of rewriting it, personally I'd have the whole gang accompany Nya down to Merlopia. And as for having a land crew to watch over Ninjago in the meantime, I'd throw in some supporting characters. The ninja go "oh hey we need someone to hold down the fort and look after Ninjago while we're away", so they round up a ragtag crew of support characters from past seasons to sub in for them. Y'know, Skylor, Dareth, Karlof, and other characters of that caliber. And then we occasionally cut back to this reserve team, whoever they are, as they get up to all the adventures Kai and Cole would've been up to in the original canon version.

(Or if we want to create a lead-in for the next season, then perhaps they get the mayor or commissioner's help in recruiting a reserve team to look after things in their absence, and then this reserve team becomes the New Ninja during Crystalized).

Again, I don't want anyone to mistake my criticism for dislike - Wildbrain holds a special place in my heart, and I do enjoy it a lot. But I also have to admit that this relentless and at many times painfully arbitrary team-splitting is starting to get a bit annoying.

...oh wow, that was a long rant. I'm not entirely sure if any of that made sense, but either way just know that I agree with you 100%. Thanks for the ask!

#part of me wants to be all 'oh hey wink wink nudge i actually have a wildbrain rewrite fic in the works where i fix issues like this'#but also we all know im probably never gonna write it. soooooo #ninjago #ask #destiny post

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birb--birb · 7 months

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The more I play, the more I think people that who super dislike Astarion have never experienced a trauma before.

Like ofc you're allowed to dislike a character for any reason, but it also makes so much sense why he is how he is when you unlock his positive approval rating covos. He's a snarky stab happy fuckboy yes, but his quest for power isn't unjustified. Astarion is scared, he's terrified he'll be brought back to Cazador and tortured 5 ways to sunday, if not outright killed. The tadpole is what's keeping him safe, and he isn't going to give it up without a fight. So he thinks the only way to ensure his safety and freedom is to go full scorched earth, take as much power by any means possible no matter who it hurts. He's a spurr of the moment decion maker, of course he's not going to think it through. When your ticket to freedom after 200 years of torture is right there, you don't stop to think about the cost of it, to yourself or others.

Astarion doesn't want power so he can rule over the sword coast, he wants power to make sure no one ever can ever hurt him again. You hear something simular in folks who have experienced trauma (plz understand that I'm generalizing here, trauma is processed differently by different people no one brain is the same). Anger, grief, fear, confusion, terror all are things that can go through your mind after a traumatic event occurs. Your brain is trying to find a way to make things hurt less, so if there's a chance for revenge, or the ability to take back power, you bet your ass its gonna sound delicious to your emotionally flooded brain. This is what I think is at the core of Astarions story. That this confident, cunning, flirtatious vampire is mostly an act, it's what he's practiced and what's protected him thus far. He likely learned that showing any sort of vulnerability is a weakness that will be used against him. His grab for power is selfish yes, but not in the way it seems at the surface. But absolutely power will corrupt absolutely, which is why I say his desire is justified, but not exactly supported depending on what type of run you're doing.

Idk man I just immediately looked at this man and went "aweeh.... it's traumatized". That boi ain't got any coping skills whatsoever and I'm a sucker for characters who's confidence is just a ploy to keep you from seeing just how fucked up they actually are. Anyways each character in this damn game is written so freaking well I could write a billion essays about it everyone say thank you Larian

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glitterdustcyclops · 9 months

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okay it's nearly one in the morning and i can't sleep because i'm thinking too much about astarion so permit me to ramble for a moment (you actually have no choice)

but just

ugh

the more and more i play the game and experience all the different facets of the conversations you can have with him (and also ruthlessly spoil myself on his arc both ascended and not because i'm impatient lmao) the more i am just, completely in awe of the depth and care that went into writing him??

like, okay, cards on the table, i have a pretty major vampire kink, biting kink, blood kink, etc. and from the first moment i heard there was a romanceable character in a fantasy rpg that was a flirtatious queer vampire pretty boy with a Traumatic Backstory and a twisted master/slave relationship with an Evil Dude i was immediately like 👀👀👀

could not draft the marriage proposal fast enough, you know?

and larian could've just stuck with that! they could've had him be an incorrigible flirt, and have his whole arc focused on getting revenge against the horrid man what wronged him, and by helping him on his quest you earn his love and you two ride off into the sunset, happy forever

but no. instead we got something so much more, and it's entirely fascinating to me. all of his layers and contradictions!! the different masks he wears on top of each other, and all his pain and trauma barely simmering under the surface of his pretty polished façade.

and not only do we go ahead and take this man whomst on the surface appears to be a walking vampire erotica trope in a gorgeous package, but we pull off the reveal (and depending on how you play it this can happen almost immediately after you express interest in him) that this whole thing, is a very blatant, deliberate act. one cultivated by a sexual abuse survivor, as a way to protect himself from the things that scare him, that make him vulnerable.

he straight up tells you to your face that this is a lie!! this all pretend!!! you're supposed to fall for it, he wants you to. what he does not want, what he could never predict, not in centuries, is that you would see past his mask(s), and then go ahead and love him anyway. him. the real him, the one he barely knows himself, the flashes he reveals to you accidentally in small moments, as much as he doesn't want to: all those messy cruel capricious terribly horribly wonderfully real parts of himself, and how he wants to be real with you in turn, even though it scares the absolute bejeezus out of him

and THEN!!!! the further you go in his romance, the more you realize that this walking series of pickup lines, this supposed master seducer, is actually incredibly wary of sex because of all the trauma and pain it's caused him. sex is not something he associates with true joy or pleasure or even intimacy, not anymore; the ability to feel good about his body was taken from him. the game makes it explicit that, as a man who was robbed of his agency and his ability to meaningfully consent to sex, not only is it the objectively wrong decision but it is downright evil to force him into doing anything sexual with you, even though you're his True Love or whatever, and as he learns and grows and feels more secure in himself he will straight up dump your ass if you violate his boundaries around sex!!!

and instead of flirt-flirt-flirt-true-love-forever you get all these really sweet, tender moments of nonsexual intimacy, hand holding and hugs and just, honest sweet conversations? you can even tell him "hey i don't think it's good for us to be serious right now, but i still want to be your friend." and even if you do keep romancing him, you can reassure him that you don't hold his lack of interest in sex against him, you still want to be with him just as he is!! he is worth it to you, with his ten-piece designer set of luxury baggage. and he practically melts about it!!

and this is not even getting into everything post cazador quest, i haven't even gotten to those scenes yet except for the "evil" version (trying not to ruin it for myself haha) but the way his arc ends in the "good" version where you talk him out of doing the ritual, out of perpetuating the cycle of abuse that was forced on him, and instead show him a better way forward? and he experiences true actual freedom for the first time in centuries, and he hesitantly decides that he wants to keep going forward with you??

UGH!! i just, i care about astarion so much!!!! i am absolutely head-over-heels-stupid in love with him and the way he's written and i will never fucking get over it, oh my god, help me, i'm DYING

#shut up chocolate #baldur's gate 3 #astarion #spoilers #we have reached FULL BLORBO STATUS #i am UNWELL #i will NEVER be the SAME oh my GODDD #he's my perfect precious angel princess and a miserable little rat bastard of a man!!#he's petty and mean and silly and lovely and so scared but so so brave and i just #AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH #as i said in the tags of another post #we are down APOCALYPTIC #absolutely NO survivors

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tadpolebrains · 3 months

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Hii can I ask for an headcanon for BG3? There are spoilers for Act 3 so if you haven't finished it don't read!

I was thinking of Tav finally freeing Lae'Zel from Orin and becoming an absolute emotional wreck because they feel guilty for leaving her there that long because of other quests. You can also do it for other characters getting kidnapped and freed (especially Karlach pls). If it's too complicated for an HC I understand! Also I love your blog, I'm browsing through it right now <3

You betcha my dude >:3

Cut just for the people who haven’t gotten to act three. Spoilers ahead! ^^

I do know that only certain party members can be taken by Orin in game… but we’re gonna ignore that shhhhhh. I will start with the ones who can be taken can be taken canonically though (Orin ended up taking Yenna for me, so I don’t know much about how the companions actually react to being kidnapped ddhdh- I shall try my best though)

Post-Orin Kidnapping

Lae’zel. She tries to be indifferent about it. You made the difficult choice to prioritize certain quests first, and she does nod and say she respects that. It was a logical choice. She’ll scoff slightly when you try to apologize at first, acting like it doesn’t matter, but she was a little shaken by the whole thing, even if she won’t admit it, and your apologies do help, as much as she deflects them. A bit of suffering makes her stronger, right? When you tell her about the quests you completed first, she’ll make little comments about how she ‘would have done it this way to be more efficient’ or other such things that not so subtly state how she would have been beneficial to have around during those times. One of those comments eventually makes you snap, and you just start crying and apologizing relentlessly and she just… freezes. Because yes, she was trying to make a point, but she didn’t mean to draw that kind of reaction out of you. Didn’t mean for tears. And though her instinct is to scold or mock a sign of weakness, she pushes it down, frowning slightly. You get a slightly awkward hand on your shoulder. “Chk… pull yourself together. I have seen you worry less over worse. I am strong, still. I will fight you to prove it if you must see it for yourself.” That gets a laugh out of you. Give it a bit of time, and it’ll be alright.

Gale is more preoccupied with making sure you’re alright. When you start trying to apologize, he lets you get it out, but assures you it isn’t entirely necessary. He’s fine, he assures you. His self-esteem isn’t great, though, so he takes that delay in you getting to him a little too close to heart, even if he logically knows he shouldn’t. Immediately, his focus is on other things. Asking how you all fared without his cooking, what you’ve managed to do in his absence, etc. He keeps himself occupied constantly, or, well, tries to. Keeping his mind on other things can distract him from thinking about it all. Being useful, because, well… if he’s useful, surely that means he was worth saving. He feels the need to prove it was worth “going out of your way” to get him back. It’s only when he crashes either from exhaustion or from you confronting him about it that he finally admits it might have been harder on him than he’d let on. Some words of reassurance and a good, long hug can help to clear the air. And if that hug turns into him pretty much falling asleep in your arms from exhaustion… well, he needs the rest.

Halsin doesn’t seem all that bothered, at least, in comparison to the others. When you apologize, he thanks you, and accepts it. If you think you require his forgiveness, he will not deny it to you, even if ye finds it unnecessary. He’s gone through being captured before, and yeah, it sucks, but he had faith you’d show. Dealing with the Shadow-Curse was harder on him than this; at least he doesn’t have years upon years of trauma related to Orin. His behavior shifts into making sure you know that he is his real self periodically throughout your encounters. He’ll tell you little things that he doesn’t tell most people, ‘just in case’ you need to interrogate him later, even with Orin out of the way. For your own reassurance, and also for his, so he knows you’ll he able to spot an imposter faster if there ever is another one. If the scene plays out where “he” (Orin) hurts Scratch, he feels guilt, even if it wasn’t his fault. He stays away from Scratch for a while, not wanting to make the poor dog uncomfortable, and makes sure to check in with anyone who’d witnessed it to ask if he needs to keep his distance from them for a bit as well.

((I know Minthara is also able to be kidnapped in-game, but sadly in my initial playthrough I wasn’t aware she could be recruited alongside Halsin and killed her in act 1. I am recruiting her for my second playthrough, but for now I don’t know enough about her rip.))

And onto the ones that can’t be nabbed in-game:

Karlach, without hesitation, hugs you the moment she is freed and won’t let go for a while. If you’ll let her, she’ll even carry you back to camp just to keep you close. She hated every single second of that, and will demand cuddling in consolation. She doesn’t blame you, though, and makes sure you’re aware of that when you try to apologize for how long it took. For the days following the rescue, she is pretty clingy with you, more-so than usual. She’s reluctant to be left behind in camp if you ask her to stay put, even if she will relent if that’s really what you think is best. She does not let herself be alone, though. If you’re not there, she finds someone else to be with. She’ll even chill with Withers if that’s who’s around at the time. She just needs someone there while her nerves slowly die down over the next couple days.

Astarion… doesn’t do great. Because when Orin takes him at first, he immediately assumes it’s Cazador’s doing, and is petrified. There had already been the first kidnapping attempt, and now this?! When you finally show up, he barely even speaks to you. Apologizing for getting caught up with other things gets you a mask of a smile and a ‘it’s fine, darling.’ He’s definitely dissociating a bit, and you can tell. Even if he’s acting off, though, he will not leave your side. Jumps slightly if he sees movement out of the corner of his eye. Generally is on edge. Even if you talk with him, try to console him, he won’t truly relax after it all until Cazador is taken down. When you two are alone, though, he will accept your consoling words and, though he acts begrudging, a hug. Being patient enough may get him to admit that he ‘wasn’t sure you’d actually show up, but he’s glad you did.’ The words are said with a chuckle, played off as less serious than they are, but you know they’re true.

Shadowheart isn’t as phased. Even as a Selunite, she’s still got an odd relationship with pain and such from her Shar worship, and genuinely doesn’t feel too much worse for wear. It happened, and she doesn’t really want to dwell on it. Your apologizing might make her feel a little awkward, just because she isn’t entirely sure what to say, but she just thanks you for your concern. She finds it sweet that you feel the need to check up on her and apologize like that, but really, she’s alright. But, y’know. If you really have to dote on her a bit and pay her some extra attention, then who is she to complain?

Wyll, similar to Gale, also immediately makes sure you’re alright. He doesn’t try to hide that the experience has shaken him a bit, but assures you that it will only be a matter of time before he’s back at his best. He doesn’t want to be dishonest with you, and answers honestly if you ask how he’s doing. He insists you don’t need to apologize whenever you try to, but if you wear him down enough he’ll accept it for your sake. In the days after, you may catch him spacing out a bit, or wearing a smile that looks a little too forced, but it’s mostly for his own sake. If he can convince himself he’s alright, then he has to be, right? He’d spend a bit more time by himself, not wanting to sour anyone else’s mood. He appreciates it if you spend some time just sitting there with him, silent company, even after he assures you it isn’t necessary. He doesn’t want to waste your time, but won’t protest too much. He wants the company. Doing some dancing with him can serve as a good distraction, and pick up the mood a bit.

#wow this got long #lae’zel #gale #halsin #karlach #astarion #shadowheart #im hoping this fufills the request lmao i think i ended up rambling for half of it #bg3 hcs #bg3 headcanons #baldur’s gate 3 #askbox #bg3 spoilers #bg3 act 3 spoilers #orin the red #orin #wyll #tadthoughts

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serregon · 3 months

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so Baldur’s Gate is overall really good, but not without criticism, and I’m kinda pissed about Halsin becoming irrelevant and the portrayal of his trauma.

I’ve seen some players calling Halsin’s story boring and two-dimensional, and I wish I could say I disagree with them, but I honestly can’t, and he deserved better than what we got.

I really liked Halsin in acts 1 and 2, but it feels like he just doesn’t have much going for him in act 3. I get that he isn’t an origin character, so he isn’t going to have the same big arcs that the main six get, but it feels like the writers just didn’t know what to do with him after act 2. act 2 was pretty much the conclusion of his character arc, and act 3 is just him hitching along for the ride. the thing is, he isn’t even playable until you’re almost halfway into act 2. he’s only playable when his story is almost over.

the only quest Halsin gets in act 3 isn’t even exclusively his quest. he’s one of several characters who could be kidnapped by Orin. so odds are it isn’t going to be his story in your playthrough. that’s it for him. couldn’t he have a small sidequest, like maybe making amends with the tiefling refugees? what about a quest with Jaheira to find other druids in the city? or what about actually meeting those hastily tacked-on shadow druids? if he doesn’t have his own quest what’s the point of having him in my party anymore?

one thing we do get from act 3 is a new side of Halsin where he’s really uncomfortable about being in the city. he’s in an unfamiliar and overstimulating environment, and seeing the poor treatment of refugees makes him lose hope in humanity. it gets to the point that he actually starts to think that the shadow druids had a point. the character who’s always putting on a kind and brave face is starting to break. that’s a good set up for an arc! sure hope it goes somewhere.

eventually Halsin’s unease about staying in the city causes him to have a complete meltdown. he loses control over his bear form and injures Scratch. when he turns back into an elf, he’s panicking about how the city is making him both physically and mentally sick. he has lost all hope in this world, and he pulls out a dagger and holds it to his chest. that’s a really shocking and evocative scene! who doesn’t love watching the nice guy go apeshit? I’d love to see where this goes for his character.

except, that last scene wasn’t actually Halsin, that was Orin taking his form to taunt the player. so that scene went nowhere. I can’t help but feel like I was robbed. you thought Halsin would have a deep character moment, but you were wrong! it’s just like an “it was all just a dream” ending. and of course that scene only happens if Orin chooses to kidnap him over someone else so there’s a good chance you won’t even see this non-character development. so yeah my take is that that scene should have played out with the real Halsin.

we do get another piece of Halsin lore in act 3, but the way it’s handled is. Bad. very bad, even. and this is where I have to add a content warning for sexual abuse.

so when you get to the brothel, the player and their partner can sleep with these twin drow sex workers. if you ask Halsin to join you, he just drops “yeah I was raped by two drow before lol. they tied me to a bed for three years haha crazy right.” I can’t fault Halsin for using a somewhat jokey tone when talking about his abuse. I also can’t fault him for saying that he even sorta liked it at times, abuse survivors are allowed to have complex feelings about their abuse. the problem is, the story itself is not taking this seriously. as far as I could find, Halsin’s history of sexual abuse is brought up absolutely nowhere else in the game. it’s literally only brought up when Halsin makes that half joking reference to it. the player can’t even ask Halsin about it like “hey man that’s a pretty traumatic thing are you alright?” this whole side of his character is a missable one-off line. where does this hint of backstory lead? why can’t we confront him about this later? there’s a lot you could do with a character who hides how deeply something affected him, but it literally comes off like being raped for three years straight barely affected Halsin at all. it’s such a heavy topic that feels like it was tacked on at the last minute with little thought.

it’s also weird because the game handles Astarion’s trauma with so much more grace. they know how to write a male sexual abuse survivor with the respect he deserves, so why couldn’t they do the same for Halsin? it doesn’t even need to be a whole arc, just some camp dialogue or literally anything.

semi-related tangent: the brothel is a steaming pile of tired tropes. the incestuous sex workers? of course the sex workers are freaks, how original! and the murdered sex worker shoved in the fridge like she’s nothing? never seen that one before! the madam who doesn’t give a shit about the safety of said murdered employee? you really reinvented the wheel there!

idk man just. everything else about this game is really really good, but act 3’s flaws stick out like a sore thumb. Halsin and sex workers deserve better.

#this ended up being longer than I intended oops #justice for our favorite poly bear #baldur’s gate 3 #halsin

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kali-chaotic-neutral · 1 year

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TSATS SPOILERS!!!

So I just got and finished reading The Sun and the Star and oh my gods.... Rick portrayed their dynamics wonderfully, of course their relationship isn't going to perfect. With Nico's insecurities and Will making uncomfortable jokes about the Underworld, angst was bound to happen. No love is perfect, there are always ups and downs but it was soooo WONDERFULLY depicted by Rick. The long gray and black chapters showing Nico's haunting dreams and actually seeing what happened to him during his time in Tartarus.

I love how Rick Riordan made Nyx more fearsome and powerful as befitting her status as the literal embodiment of Night. I love how manipulative Nyx was and I love love LOVE LOVE the Cocoa Puffs!!! I love how Rick beat back the Solangelo haters with such a beautiful content of their love and respect for each other. (I remember some people were calling Will ab*sive and rude and some people were even making such weird speculations on what would happen in TSATS, like legit someone said something like: "Nico cheating on Will with Jason's ghost in the new book". Like wtf dude, these people really be pulling out the wildest shit out of their asses. They be the same people that be saying Annabeth is ab*sive and that Leah Jeffries isn't "black enough", like bffr)

I love how Rick didn't make Nico's trauma go away because of the power of love and instead the whole journey to Tartarus with Will was what he needed for closure and to face his demons (literally too). I love that Bob was back but I am absolutely DESTROYED THAT DAMASEN WASN'T THERE!!!!

I know that Damasen wasn't in Nyx's view because he didn't really change. Yes, he did change and got the courage to leave his swamp but he had always defied his position as the antithesis to a god. so Tartarus is still holding back his regeneration. I am so sad that he was only slightly mentioned, I wish he was there, I could imagine him and Bob starting a life together (doesn't have to be gay) as the only giant and titan to defy their roles.

Also the plot twist with Menoetes and Geryon!!? Was I lowkey hoping that we got see newly reformed Geryon and Nico chat? Yes. Was I disappointed it wasn't shown. Also Yes. Was I absolutely okay with this random ship? Yes.

I also absolute love Will's powerups. From a light wielding sack of potatoes to someone who gave the Primordial of Night HAY FEVER!!! I loved Gorgyra who at first I was a bit annoyed at, but later appreciated as her wanting them to tell her stories was a way to help them in the end.

Also, to anyone who thinks the Tartarus thing belongs to Percabeth SHUT UP!!! A trauma experience is not limited to your favorite ship or character. Also, Nico was the first person ever to go into Tartarus and survive all the while knowing that he was walking in the body of a living breathing Primordial and the only one to fully witness the horrors of the House of Night. Sure Percy realized that Tartarus was an actual entity instead of a place, but it was MUCH LATER in their adventure.

Edit: This book was from a totally new way of writing for Rick as it mainly focuses on healing and the ptsd. And to those who think it was a bit unrealistic for Nico to have existential crisis, mind you he was going to Tartarus. The very place he NEARLY LOST HIS MIND IN. He was 13/14 when he went down there and was captured and put into a jar! Will was also a great candidate for his quest because it was like Annabeth and Percy said, having someone you love and and trust in that hellscape is the best way to survive. Sure Hazel and Reyna would have been great candidates too, but we wouldn't get the same thing we got in TSATS. Will was someone Nico trusted and loved and Nico was the same to him.

Also, fanon versions of Nico has absolutely ROTTED the minds of many "fans". Nico is not emo, while he was a little edgy he was mostly depressed. Also the timing of this book releasing is quite nice as well, because of all the anti-lgbtq things happening in the US, where many queer or other books are being banned. This book touches on the lgbtq subject where many young adults 10-14 year olds will read as it is part of a very popular book series.

#percy jackon and the olympians #heroes of olympus #the sun and the star #will solace #nico di angelo #solangelo #tsats

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baratrongirl · 8 months

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B - A pairing–platonic, romantic or sexual–that you initially didn’t consider, but someone changed your mind.

K - What character has your favorite development arc/the best development arc?

W - A trope which you are virtually certain to hate in any fandom.

B - I don't have a lot for Ace Attorney because most of its ships are very obvious. I did however discover a fondness for the very rarepair Maya Fey/Simon Blackquill after reading a fic about them. She is a spirit medium who is going to become the leader of her village, and is also obsessed with the TV series The Steel Samurai. He is a raging weeaboo and/or British man with Japanese ancestry who wields a spirit katana and wants to be a samurai. They are even the same age! They are absolutely perfect together!

K - Urgh, see, this is the thing that Ace Attorney is very bad at. The games are good at showing 50-75% of a character development arc and then giving up. Like, AA4 is all about Klavier Gavin receiving trauma after trauma, and you'd expect him to need some time to process everything that's happened to him - yet he pops up in AA5 as if nothing has happened at all. Phoenix Wright and Miles Edgeworth both have development, but even then you don't see the trauma being processed. In fact, the way Phoenix flips back to his old self in AA5 ignores all of the changes that happened to him in AA4, and seems false.

I actually think one of the best development arcs I've ever seen in a game/game series is Martin Septim in TES IV: Oblivion. He goes from being the priest of a town attacked by Daedra (TES version of demons) to the Emperor of Tamriel, willing to give his life to stop the Daedric invasion. Each time you return to Cloud Ruler Temple on the main quest, he's a little more resigned to his fate. He goes from giving an awkward speech to the Blades where he says, "I know you all want me to be Emperor, but this is very new to me" to leading a major battle dressed in the Emperor's heavy armor. When did he learn to fight in heavy armor? Before that, he's only worn priest's robes. A lot is happening to him behind the player's back, and it gives him life.

W - I agree with you about hating soulmates and Hanahaki Disease, unless those tropes are subverted. I am quite fond of the idea of "soulmates" which simply means that the person will be very important to you - not necessarily your one and only partner, but perhaps your best friend forever. And I find it interesting when people write Hanahaki Disease as a chronic illness which affects people who love too easily and deeply. I've often felt that I'm a person who does that, and it's brought me emotional pain. Why not have physical pain to go with it?

The tropes I REALLY hate though are "Pair the Spares" and "Everyone is Gay".

Ace Attorney has a juggernaut F/F ship of FranMaya which is Miles Edgeworth's adoptive/foster sister Franziska Von Karma paired with Phoenix Wright's best friend Maya Fey. But there are plenty of other options for both of those women, both F/F and M/F. I feel they get paired together despite their wildly different personalities and interests simply because Phoenix and Miles do, and I really dislike that. I don't even hate the ship! But I LOATHE the idea that they are together BECAUSE of their brother/best friend's relationship.

When the trope is subverted, and FranMaya get together years before WrightWorth, then I like the ship much more. Though I still feel that both characters have plenty of other interesting ships available to them.

"Everyone is Gay" bothers me when it's literally everyone being GAY as in exclusively same-sex relationships. Especially as three characters are about as close to canon bisexual as it's possible to be! Others have strongly headcanoned sexualities which are part of fanon (e.g. Miles Edgeworth being homoromantic demisexual and Kristoph Gavin being aromantic homosexual). But other characters are more flexible, e.g. I've seen Ema Skye written as lesbian, bi, straight, asexual, aromantic and acearo!

By all means, make everyone queer. But recognise that a trans woman might date a man, that a lot of bisexuals end up in relationships with people of different gender, that heteroromantic asexuals are still queer, and that acearo people likely don't want partners at all. And all of that is okay.

#character development #fic tropes #tropes i hate #rarepair #ace attorney #tes iv: oblivion #martin septim #maya fey #simon blackquill #ema skye

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pikapeppa · 1 year

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This ended up being longer than I intended but I'm going to send the whole thing anyway

I have spent the past 3 days reading "Becoming Whole" because I found the post where you put an excerpt of the prologue and was like, "ah, hell yeah, this is the kind of fic I love." And now I'm on chapter 26 and absolutely loving it, but what I am enjoying the most is how good your characterizations are of all the characters. The interactions between characters are SO GOOD and the dialogue all flows so well and I am enamored with the little GAIA gang conversations. Also I love how you write the action scenes, the domestic scenes, the questing, and the sexy stuff all at the same high caliber. Also, I legit cried when Aloy was doing Kotallo's hair by the waterfall and realized the depth of her relationship with Rost, I was WEEPING and it was THREE IN THE MORNING. It was SO tender and emotional and sweet and such a lovely contrast to the previous scene (which was then contrasted again with the following scene 😉), and it was also such a nice injection of character development for Aloy, which we all love and crave constantly.

Like, you are writing things about Aloy in this fic that I debated at length with my college roommate back when the game came out (we are also both fix writers) because we wanted Aloy to be able to work through her trauma and everything that happened to her and yet couldn't in the Zero Dawn narrative. And here you are, making her work through them and giving her so much support from both the other characters and from the narrative itself, morphing the original game storyline and details into something so rich and full. Its everything I could ever want in a fic AND THEN MORE, and i am having such a good time reading it and I NEVER return to fics, but I am genuinely going to re-read "Becoming Whole" when I have finished this first read.

Everything about this fic is so good and I especially love the art and screenshots you include with your chapters. Thank you for writing everything you have written. Literally thank you for being a writer and deciding to write fanfiction. Your writing is so good

OKAYOKAY BEFORE I REPLY: I can't ignore the fact that this is the first BEAUTIFUL installment of a magnificent two-part ask:

Me after part 1:

Me after part 2:

OKAY BUT FORREAL let's see if I can reply now in a semi-cohesive way via point form!! 😂

I'M SO THRILLED that you're enjoying the characterizations!! One of my biggest goals in writing fanfic is for the characters to feel true to their canon characterizations, so I am genuinely so thrilled that you feel this way and that you're enjoying all the interactions among the GAIA Gang!

omfg Aloy getting to process her trauma and everything she has seen/heard/gone through: PLEASE 😭❤🙏 I think every Horizon fan I've spoken to has said that they deeply want to see her get that space and time to process and grow in a safe and supportive environment, and I just want to give that to her 😭❤ I'm writing the GEMINI chapter now and it's about to go to angst-town about THAT whole can of worms, so I can only hope that I continue to do our babygirl justice in dealing with all of That™ 😭

I'm so thrilled you're enjoying the art and photomode shots!! I actually ADORE photomode and I have a lot of unused shots stored up on my PS5 and computer that I've been too busy/lazy to share, so I will try and add more when appropriate to the upcoming chapters! And there is a beautiful piece of art coming up that I can't wait to share ❤

And then you sent Ask #2 AND I JUST ABOUT LOST IT. YOU WENT FERAL😂😂😂 But honestly, all the things you mentioned? Fashav's journal, the GAIA and Lis conversation, the Shrek song, the PINING from afar over your new love?? All things that make me weepy to so HEY WE CAN CRY TOGETHER IN HELL

Honestly though, THANK YOU for sending these asks. Thank you for the care and thoughtfulness you put into them -- it means the world to me, TRULY. I am so thrilled that you are enjoying the fic this much and I hope you'll continue to enjoy it as you read on!!

For anyone who is curious as to what we are going on about: Becoming Whole is here on AO3! Aloy x Kotallo, almost 600k words, rated E for smut!

-- love from your friendly neighbourhood Pika! xoxo

#kotallo #aloy x kotallo #aloy/kotallo #kotaloy #hfw #horizon forbidden west #kotallo x aloy #kotallo/aloy #fanfic writer's life #pikapeppa writes #THANK YOU SO SO MUCH

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randomfoggytiger · 3 months

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We will definitely have to agree to disagree, I don't think the writers are bad people but they do absolutely write misogynistic storylines not because of maliciousness but because a 99% male writers room will always have huge blindspots in certain areas (hello women's SA being taken as a joke in Small Potatoes and Post-Modern Prometheus), you can also still critique misogyny/patriarchy (even insightful critiques!) while having sexist tendencies in your own writing (Joss Whedon with Buffy), the reason I can't take this specific argument (it's the villains, not the writers) seriously in this case is that when you write these very 'gendered' storylines (pregnancy/reproductive horror/SA) as critiques, you have to actually give them their weight and examine them in thoughtful, interesting ways which is sth the txf writers definitely didn't do imo (but which other shows have absolutely done incredibly well like Evil cbs, hell I love Irresistible and Unruhe), but the txf writers kept putting Scully through this very gendered horror over and over not to emphasise any critique of the patriarchy or because they had anything more insightful to say about it which they barely did even back in Emily (i actually think this same storyline by different writers could be incredibly interesting but the tone would have to be completely different) but because it was the easiest way they could think of to turn up the stakes/drama with a female lead.. Malicious? No... Sexist ? Absolutely (basically imo if you use gendered horror - the best word I can think of for that mess- purely as a plot device and not actually in service of the female character you're inflicting it on, thats sexist)

Well, agree to disagree again, Anon. XDDD

I think anything can be done, even gendered horror, without sexism intended or invoked. Again, plenty of women have written or enthusiastically promoted projects that could easily fall into these parameters; so, when is it sexist and when is it not?

Furthermore, I do understand there are criticisms to be levied against the rug sweeping in Small Potatoes and The Postmodern Prometheus; yet in both cases, the villains are portrayed as what they were-- villains-- and even the sympathetic Mutato had to go to prison, despite Mulder's wish otherwise. Small Potatoes uses dark humor to highlight the absurdity in Blundht's character, and PMP is a tragic exploitation of the loyalty of a flyman who trusted and followed the only person who ever loved him. While the former is an indictment against Eddie, the latter is a lesson that we all, as humans, wish we could erase our mistakes with an empathetic plea, ordained forgiveness, and a happy, redeemable end.

On a sidenote, Mulder is also put through gendered violence-- mocked by various villains as not being "strong enough" and hit over the head by other men who are or were in his shoes but chose different actions or choices than he did-- and just because he was not stripped of his sperm does not mean he was not any less violated by the Syndicate or other shadowy men with power through various medical horrors (not to mention family abductions and murder.) The difference is Mulder packs his trauma away as quickly as possible whereas Scully's scars are given more screentime (her abduction trauma, Melissa's death, Emily's death, her therapy, etc. etc.)

If you really compare them, Scully's traumas are highlighted more than Mulder's-- which is not sexism, to me, as her personal struggles are given longer monologues and more plot-focus in mytharc and MOTW episodes despite the show's quest largely revolving around Mulder's childhood loss and trauma. It boils down to botched writing, to me.

Also: GA participated and seemed to enjoy the episodes you mentioned; and perhaps her memory gaps largely contribute to her softer recollections, but she also seemed enthusiastic about Small Potatoes and The Postmodern Prometheus when they were filmed and aired.

I'm all for more female writers in the writing room; but more than that, I'm all for great writers in the writing room that care about the details in their scripts. We got a ton of that in The X-Files; but there are flaws, of course. Sexism and misogyny, to me, are not part of them.

Those are my thoughts, anyway~.

#asks #anon #hey welcome back!#Scully #fertility #sexism #misogyny #thoughts #mine #and anon's~

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kyogre-blue · 1 year

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Finally did the stupidly-named first quest of inazuma ch3 and some more (until right before the special shogun training) and I see the resistance still has no clue what the fuck they're doing, cool cool. Are you seriously telling me that NOBODY realised that using whatever kind of fucked up elemental energy Delusions use wasn't normal (like. elemental energy shit ain't subtle) until people started dying bc of it? And when exactly did we learn Delusions drained the bearer's life force?? Viktor didn't know shit about how they actually work. I'm so confused... (plus, yknow, Signora had a delusion for like 500 years and it did the opposite and kept her alive, but I guess she's a special snowflake. And it doesn't seem to track like how Diluc's dad died)

I wouldn't even know Teppei had died if it hadn't been for the mission description like. You can go to the back to talk to Teppei after the Dramatic Death Scene and he's still alive there even if his breathing is getting weaker?? Aren't we still in time to save him? Hello??

love how the domain letters were like 'we need to make sure nobody knows NATHAN is the spy, sure would suck if NATHAN's cover was blown bc NATHAN's role is crucial' did kokomi really have no clue about all this stuff? The GIANT RADIOACTIVE ZONE between your island and the rest of inazuma is pretty hard to miss, did she seriously not put any thought on how it got that way? How the hell did they get to the beach without trawling through that?

On the plus side finally met the scarameowmeow and I want to study him under a microscope he's so fascinatingly fucked up. humans always die so it's all the same if they do it sooner rather than later? (hello three betrayals trauma) seems to really believe killing yourself for power is worth it? just. Wow. Also he really sounded like some kinda sith lord for a hot sec there lol, more like he was trying to turn us than kill us. scara vc: EMBRACE THE ANGER!! EMBRACE IT!!!

As a result I'm kinda dubious of Yae Miko's claims of saving us bc sure, Scara was kinda laughing at us as we blacked out, but he really didn't seem interested on fighting us at all, given that the first thing he told us was that he wasn't in charge and to get going to find who was. Kinda thought he'd leave us there passed out and dip, plus given that Traveler's resistant to dead god taint (re:xiao's karma) + has purification abilities + it's hard to be angry when passed out = I'm sure we'd have been fine. Maybe I'm just looking for in-canon reasons for the main character shield though

But glad to know SOMEONE (even if it's Yae) sees how the inazuman people SHOULD be gunning for the shogun's head even though nobody does against all common sense (seriously, if that's not the goal of the resistance then Why The Fuck Are They Fighting. Fighting should be a means to an end, not the goal itself!)

I've stalled out on starting Inazuma act 2 on my alt because I don't want to deal with all that drama. Inazuma is so unappealing, especially as it keeps going... hot take, but Genshin is vastly improved by just not engaging with the story at all.

A lot of the information Genshin presents is misleading or just straight up wrong, so it's probably better not to think about it too hard. (Example A: Archons don't give out visions regardless of what characters keepsaying).

I'm amazed you got all that out of Scaramouche. Doesn't he say like 3 lines total to you there? I only recall that he sounded like a bland evil type and that was my first time ever seeing him, so I wasn't particularly impressed.

As for the resistance, Genshin's writing has a very strong pro-authority undercurrent. The authority of the archons and the divine is absolute and correct. We can only go against human usurpers who are misleading or misusing divine authority that doesn't belong to them. Since Raiden is the rightful god of Inazuma, naturally she can't be rejected or opposed, only lightly persuaded so she can find her way back to the right path or whatever.

The ultimate outcome for Watatsumi is that Kokomi advances the idea that people need to get over the Orobashi being killed (and used as material and tool to forge weapons??) and makes a backroom deal with Yae to have the government provide aide to them. And that's basically the outcome for the desert people as well. So yeah.

#playing genshin

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dog-dayzzz · 2 years

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Question and Answer thread

Q: What's your plan for this game.

A: Right now, the game is planned to be created in RPG Maker MV. I am writing it with the idea of multiple endings in mind. It is planned to be largely character driven, a parody and love-letter to the harvest moon and rune factory type games. Whether or not this is actually going to be a farming simulator is to be seen, however. What's being taken from this genre is instead the day-by day story telling with background repetitive but relaxing gameplay, with heavy emphasis on relationship building with other characters.

If I had to place it in a genre, it would be Fantasy and Slice of life with horror elements. All of your Bachelor//ettes have #heavy emotional baggage. Most of them are not human, but most of them look human. I am not looking to create a "good" game. I'm looking to create something Campy, Fun, and Unique. We are creating the dollar store bargain bin of video games. The plot won't make sense, but the characters will be memorable. And If I succeed in doing that, then I don't think I will have failed my quest.

Q: What would the rating of the game be?

A: MATURE. 18+. But surprisingly, not for NSFW, as I don't currently plan on having NSFW in the game.

I like exploring characters with heavy themes. There will inevitably be themes like abuse, grief, and trauma as they are are integral to how I enjoy writing stories. There will be a proper trigger list put out as the game gets developed.

Having said that, I mostly write stories about healing. So make of that what you will.

Q: Do you have any game development experience

A: Nope. We're being absolutely forthright here. Absolutely none whatsoever.

I am a storyteller first and foremost. I suspect whatever I end up creating will be pretty barebones on the gameplay front, and carried heavily on it's story. I considered writing a novel, but I truly do think the story I have in mind for these characters would be told best through game and coding.

This game is, at it's core, a dream and a passion project. The realistic ending for this game is it becomes just another that gets dropped in the middle of development, among a sea of so many other projects that get tossed to the waves. I'm here to have fun and challenge myself while doing it, as well as give these characters that have been near and dear to me for many years a story that they deserve.

But, I'm willing to chance on the fact that I get something done for it. I can be pretty stubborn, afterall.

At the very least, if I end up writing the story and crack open rpg maker and discover it is truly outside my skill level, I will publish the finished story and all its endings without coding the game. So one way or the other, you'll get a story out of this blog.

Q: Do you plan on monetizing this?

A: In it's current state? Absolutely not. As previously stated, Right now it's an idea and a dream. If I get to the point where I am actually cracking open RPG Maker MV, creating assets, and have a visible prototype I can present to people as proof of concept, then I will actively consider opening up a patreon and monetizing the game. There are going to be resources and assets I can't create on my own that I would absolutely love to get. Stuff like music is completely outside of my creative capabilities, and I would love to actually commission and compensate people for their time.

Having said that, I don't plan on even looking at RPG Maker MV until I have the first draft of the story written down and finished. I have an idea of how I want this game to look and feel in mind, however the heart of it really will be in the story.

If you're still here and you're still interested, thank you so much! Hopefully you enjoy what's to come.

#pinned post

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shitpostingkats · 2 years

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Epsilon, Carolina, and Parallel Character Arcs

To me, there are two lines that stick out from the freelancer collection. The culmination of the two characters that play center stage for the entirety of the duology, Epsilon and Carolina. Their stories wrap in two of my absolute favorite, gutpunching, and heartfelt lines of the entire show:

"I forget you."

and

"Your past doesn't define who you are. It just gives you the starting point for who you're going to be."

Epsilon and Carolina's quotes work in parallel to each other; on one hand, Church making the deliberate choice to lose the memory, to stop, for the sake of someone he cares about. He forgets. And Carolina, making the choice to hold that close, to move on, for the sake of herself. She remembers.

What makes this absolutely fascinating is they’re following the same story, healing from the same pain.

Red vs Blue is all about memory. Unabashedly, the show has been very vocal about its primary theme since the day they first decided to have actual writing. But one thing I think doesn't get enough attention is how this is carried over and represented in season 9, the season that flashes between the memory unit and PFL's early days. In Church, the usage is obvious: he's living in a memory, a projection of his old life. Might as well make it a good one. But the other side of the season is also a recollection. It's Carolina's memory. We get to see the good times, before things went wrong, before people died. We get to see the twins working in tandem, the team functioning. Carolina and York banter. Wash is still the goofy rookie. They drive through the city listening to music and crack jokes and show off. Sure, it shows the beginning of some of the tragedy to come, but the freelancer side of the season ends with a scene between Carolina and the director, saying 'this was the warmup. From now on, it will be serious.'

Church and Carolina are both remembering their teams. The people they love. And how their lives got ruined by project freelancer. Those moments, those memories, are going to be the driving force and rage behind their team up, their quest for revenge. The idea that these people, this family, was hurt by one man and his stupid goals, is their shared trauma that leads to them being the driving force of the plot.

Even in season 9, we see Church trying to hold on to his memories. To make sure he has all his facts right, that everything, down to the smallest detail, reflects real life. Eventually, he uses this for closure. He finds Tex, and sees the rage she's carrying in her. Not at what the director did. Honestly, she seems to be mostly over her past as Allison seeing as it, you know, wasn't her. But the same idea, that so many lives were lost, all for the sake of someone that wasn't her. That she didn't get to make her own choices.

Same trauma, different result.

She sees Epsilon, trying so hard to remember, to hold on to everything, and she says "hey." She tells him off. She says ‘Even if these memories matter to you, holding on to them is hurting me.’ So Epsilon lets go. He decides that these memories aren't going to save anyone, they're just going to keep both of them from healing.

Tex was the reason Epsilon was even created. Like he says, "You were the memory. You were the key."

Epsilon is memory. He's the key. And he choses to throw it away, so it can never be unlocked again. It's bittersweet but it isn't fair, her being brought back over and over, her very autonomy violated, for the sake of someone else’s story.

And hey! That's another theme he shares with Carolina!

The idea that the stories we see in television, the ones guided by trauma, aren't always correct, because your pain doesn't mean you can hurt other people. And not in a "oh you want to Kill the person responsible for your trauma and that makes you a Bad Person and you will eventually have a Change of Heart." (Though that does, kinda, happen, buts it’s way more nuanced and well written and makes much more sense for their personal arcs than the stereotypical 'uwu murder is bad' trope.) No, Carolina and Church are never decried for their goals, for wanting to lash out or obsessively remember. They get called out when their ideals, the ones explicitly labeled 'noble' or 'romantic' by popular media, hurt the people who are trying to help them. Church compulsively follows Tex through layers of memories, chasing the girl he's determined to love. In any other story, that would be sweet. Carolina wants the director dead, wants the man who hurt her and her friends killed. In any other story, that would be heroic. But both of them get called out for their behavior.

“Romance happens in movies. In real life, it’s called stalking.”

And, interestingly, by the people who they aren’t hurting. In the memory unit, Tucker, walking restraining order, is the first one to make Church question if what he’s doing is wrong. Carolina is berated for her treatment of the reds and blues by Wash. Wash. Wash, the guy who’s the only one other than Carolina and Epsilon who knows the entirety of what the director did, the guy who’s carrying the traumas of three different people in his head, the guy who should want the director dead more than anyone. But he also has his experiences from the previous seasons. He’s the one who steps up, like Tucker did, and tells her ‘I know books and tv have taught you that this is okay, that you can treat people like side characters in your personal story, but I’ve been down that road. In reality, it just makes you a jerk.’

Trauma does not give you a free pass to be a bad person.

Throughout season 10, our story is now flip flopping between Carolina-and-Epsilon, and the final days of project freelancer. The bad days. Connie’s death and Maine’s degradation and Tex’s betrayal and the final mutiny. And, most importantly to Carolina, her final fight with York.

Though it pains me to do so, I’m going to pull a quote from season 15.

“Sometimes, I think York was my chance at a fresh start. And I threw it down an elevator shaft.”

Carolina is fighting between the two sides of herself, the parts she sees as being “splintered” by the project. The good leader, the team commander, the captain of her little family, versus the ruthless soldier, the headstrong killer, the ‘best of the best’. She spends time tracking down all the old bodies of her teammates, trying to reconcile how much she loved them with the fact that they all betrayed each other. Connie’s helmet, Tex’s crashed ship, and, once again.

York.

When Epsilon shows her the recording of York, she sees her chance at a ‘fresh start’. She sees her old teammate, her almost love, the man who was willing to die to do the right thing. Epsilon tells her “I know what it’s like to spend your whole life chasing ghosts.”

From his perspective, this is crucial advice. The choice to stop remembering, to move on and let go, is what kept the woman he loved being forced to live, over and over again. It's the choice that got him out of the memory unit, that allowed him to overcome his grief and have a semblance of closure.

But to Carolina, the memory of York was the only thing giving her reservations. The memory of ‘do the right thing, no matter the consequences’. The memory of a family, of friends, of jokes in the pelican and a lighter that says Errera and the idea that she got more from the project than years of hell and trauma. The idea that she needs to ‘let go’ is exactly what breaks her.

Again, same history. Same pain. Different ways they come out of it, different ways they heal.

From then on, Carolina is dead set on killing the director. She’s ruthless, vicious, and downright suicidal. Epsilon, who was just beginning to stitch himself together, feeds into it, with newfound whiplash after getting his full memory back. Together, they become a dysfunctional little battle team of loathing, eventually driving away any help they had and dooming their vengeance to failure.

(Of course, they only survive because the very people they abandoned look at eachother and decide ‘They were hurt. They hurt us. But this thing they’re chasing, this trauma, is what brought us together in the first place. And we’re going to hold on to that companionship, the shared history, instead of the actions made by someone mad with grief.’ You know, kinda like the original pfl chose not to do.) (Honestly, people really undervalue the sim troopers in my opinion. They went through almost the exact same thing the PFL team did, just on a broader, less personalized, level. The fact that they look around and, without even knowing it, choose love and sticking together the exact same way Carolinas' previous family didn’t, is hecking underappreciated.)

But I digress. Honestly, I think up until the very end, Carolina planned to kill the director. This wasn't a big lie, she wasn’t on the fence. She really planned to put a bullet in his skull.

I think the reason she didn't, the reason she walks away, is the usual strange trifecta that the series had been running on since season 6: a combination of Alison, the director, and the ai he created because of her loss.

When she enters the room, the first thing she sees, no, hears, is her mother. Her mother, reminding her husband, reminding them both, to never say goodbye. A message from almost literally beyond the grave to not miss her, not mourn her, but just to. Think of her as not being here right now. Carolina wonders if she should have decried her teammates' memories the way that she did.

Next, she sees her father. A man who, in his own words, “has a mind more filled with memory than it is with hope.” Honestly, props to everyone on that scene, because up until then rvb had some really rocky human animation, but that moment, that frame, is so bleeding with tiredness and hopelessness that it hurts every time. She sees a man who is so overcome with mourning, with seeing someone he loved as “gone”, that it killed hundreds of people. I think Carolina decides not to kill him, not because he looks so lost, but because she sees what she will turn into, if she puts a gun to his head.

And finally, my sweet darling Epsilon. God fucking damn you and your funky little robot monologues that tear my heart out of my chest. Epsilon screams at the director, lists his crimes, finally lets all the deaths that have been piling up spill out of him, and there's a very telling line that I adore with the entirety of my soul.

“I’m here to remember what you’ve done. Someone has too.”

Because that's what Epsilon sees himself as. Not a person, not a fragment, just a memory chip to use to hold the director accountable. That's literally how Epsilon is introduced to the cast; the piece of evidence that can testify against project freelancer. He thinks he’s just a receipt.

But Carolina hears this and thinks ‘I can remember them.’ All season, she’s been thinking about the final days, the betrayal and the scheming and the family that ripped itself apart. But she needs to remember the earlier flashbacks, the joking team and the days when things were easy, too. She’s been living this season in a memory, and she didn’t even make it a good one.

Like Church, she chooses to fight for her team, for her memories, and for herself.

“Your past doesn’t define who you are. It just gives you a starting point for who you're going to be.”

So Carolina chooses memory the exact way Epsilon didn’t. She kisses her father on the head and assures him he’ll be remembered not as the director, but as Leonard. She walks out, decides to let herself remember York and Tex and Wash and Connie and the twins.

It’s no surprise that the season ends on an anecdote about Allison. Carolina, the woman who’s remembering her, and Church, the ai who forgot. These two people, who both loved her, albeit, in wildly different ways, swapping a story that isn’t tainted by PFL, just a small cheerful story. They aren’t mourning her, not like the director did. They’re acknowledging that she’s gone, that her death shaped their lives, their shared trauma, and they’re digging through the pieces to find something they want to hold close, something to build themselves on anew.

Your past doesn’t define who you are. Your memories shape who you become. But you get to pick which ones you keep, which ones you hold on to. You get to decide which experiences are your starting point for who you’re going to be.

#red vs blue #rvb #rvb carolina #rvb epsilon #essays #listen I just have a lot of thoughts about the Legitimately Good writing the middle seasons of rvb had and I want to talk about them

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randomshyperson · 2 years

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HI CAN I JUST SAY “RULERS OF THE UNIVERSE” is one of the most creative and well thought-out stories I’ve read in awhile! It’s insane how many creative sub-plots you created in each universe, and how you were able to really develop wanda and r’s relationship! as a reader, you really fall for wanda, but you also grow to enjoy r herself! r has all these little quips and actions that make her so full of life and personality!! OH ALSO I absolutely love the chemistry you were able to create between r, wanda, and america!! Their little family is so goddamn endearing! I literally spent my entire morning reading all 12 parts, and I have no regrets( was laughing and crying my ass off the whole time) The way you were able to incorporate the characters we know and love (like cho, or back and nat, or the gaurd ians of the galaxy) continues to amaze me as well! ALSO IT’S LITERALLY INSANE HOW UR STORY HAS ITS OWN LORE N SHIT (i know some of it is canon BUT STILL WTF)!! I feel like I definitely missed out on some of the other things I love about this story, this is really just the tip of the iceberg, because your writing is life changing!! I can’t say thank you enough!! (lowkey ur writing always pulls me out of depression bro) AGAIN, thank you <333! You deserve everything!!!

i'm glad you like all the easter eggs and shit, it's my trauma haha No, but like, I think I just play videogame way too much and when i'm writing stuff I have all this subplots and little quests going on beside the main story. Like, most of fics, originally have dozen of more things I think about that I don't put into the final work because I feel like we (i put myself as a reader too) just want to picture ourselves making out with Wanda, wich is totally fine ofc, but as an author when it comes to write more imersive world building it can be a bit of problem to make everything about her, and I ended up cutting a lot of material from fics because for that. Anyways, i'm happy with how the fic turned out to be, and with people actually liking those crazy ideas I put it there. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts with me!!

#ask box

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mewtonian-physics · 2 years

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Hey! Can you give your opinion on Sam and Raiden’s friendship and lack thereof

whoever you are i love you for this. yes i can. a lot of this is copied directly from an earlier post i made but <3

their first meeting is sam helping murder a man raiden truly respects and considers a friend. and then maiming him. including destroying one of the only organic parts he has left. all the while mocking him and then almost killing him, too.

and their second meeting doesn’t go any better. sam immediately and cheerfully starts messing with raiden’s mind, employing brutal psychological warfare to the point that raiden almost lets himself get killed because he’s too damn nice for his own good and can barely bring himself to fight back against the people trying to kill him.

this is, of course, all while sam is working for desperado, a company that is kidnapping children off the streets and turning them into brainwashed cyborg soldiers, aka some of the most horrifying things raiden’s been put through in his life at the same time. and then he has the nerve to try and take the moral high ground.

and then there’s the third meeting! in which they once again try to kill each other. the fact that sam is calling raiden a pretty boy and saying to 'show [him] a good time’ during this fight does not mean anything. he’s not flirting with him, he’s mocking him. his tendency to do that is literally one of his most blatant character traits. it’s creepy. and even if he was flirting, that’s not nearly enough to build anything off of. who looks at a guy maiming someone and then psychologically tormenting him by bringing up his worst traumas and deepest fears all while cheerfully working for an organization doing unspeakable things to children and a man trying to start another war on terror and says ‘okay but they should kiss’? who does that?

the fact that he decides to help raiden at the end also doesn’t mean anything. unless you want to look at his dlc and decide that since he decided to help armstrong that means you ship THEM.

that’s actually another of the reasons it would never work. raiden is an idealist. he has very strong beliefs about right and wrong. and sam… doesn’t. his little 'we’ve heard enough speeches about ideals’ is just something he says to disguise the fact that he doesn’t have any. he flip-flops over committing atrocities like he’s trying to decide what to have for breakfast. meanwhile raiden would have sooner let armstrong kill him than help with his plans. they’re completely incompatible. raiden might have had some respect for sam’s fighting skills, but he’d never respect him as a person. because sam goes against everything he is.

i mean even among criminals those who hurt children are considered some of the lowest of the low. for a strong idealist like raiden? sam and his pixy stix of a moral backbone would be utterly repulsive. they couldn't be friends, they couldn't be lovers, they couldn't even be rivals because that implies some sense of competition. raiden has no feelings of competitiveness towards sam, he didn't try to hunt him down, he literally only engaged with sam when sam actively got in his way. sam isn't anything special to him--just another piece of shit helping ruin childrens' lives and destabilize international relations. no more or less important than anyone else who gets in his way in his quest to stop desperado and armstrong.

so honestly, even if sam did mean any of his little comments, it wouldn't matter. it wouldn't matter, because to raiden, he's just another selfish, heartless bastard who doesn't care how many innocent people suffer as long as he gets what he wants. and to think he even tries to take the moral high ground! there's absolutely nothing worth looking at in their 'relationship' because they don't have one.

so yeah. suffice it to say, there's nothing there, and people who act like there is should make sure they stretch before they pull a muscle reaching that hard.

#ask #anon

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