#even with all the frustration and active dislike of the system that he was forced into

[vampirecatprince]

Another thing that I'm actually quite excited about with the new Good Omens season is how both Aziraphale and Crowley have ended up in basically an identical situation where they're both suddenly faced with the utterly existentially terrifying nature that is autonomy and free will and the freedom to make your own choices and how they both seem to be reacting very differently and yessss give me more character exploration with these two!!!

[juminies]

Don't know if you've ever talked on this subject or not, but what's your interpretation on Jumin's relationship with Jaehee after her good ending? Really love how mindfully you explain Jumin's feelings and actions, and I'd love to hear your thoughts on the matter! Especially bc her route kinda leaves many people feeling like he's an antagonist of sorts 😬 But I kinda always felt like he'd respect her a lot, especially once he sees how much passion she puts into her dream? And Jaehee shows her genuine care for Jumin, too, moreso after his infamous crash. I'm kinda babbling here, but yeah! Really curious to read up on your interpretation <3

I haven't talked about this before actually—I think there's a lotttt of nuance to it and I didn't want to be haphazard with it in case it comes across as me being over lenient with corporate heirs or whatever hahah. I promise I'm not! I just love Jumin. Also sorry this took me a while to answer, I had actually just started a game the day you sent it with the intention of doing Jaehee's route so I decided I would play before responding to ensure it was fresh in my mind. I hadn't played her route in so long, and I wanted to get the Jumin outgoing calls too!

To get into how I think he would treat her after some time passes I first want to discuss their dynamic in her route a bit, because I honestly think people are unnecessarily harsh on him because of it sometimes. I personally don't feel as if they pushed him too far into an antagonistic role, but perhaps since Cheritz weren't bringing in an outsider (à la Echo Girl or Sarah Choi) to act as the driving force it seemed that way to some people? It was inevitable given the nature of Jaehee's struggles that Jumin would be viewed as the bad guy in a sense, but I feel like it's often sort of blown out of proportion due to a misunderstanding of both Jumin's intentions and his character as a whole. He is admittedly at his worst in Jaehee's route, but people tend to brush his actions during it off as completely out of line and absurd and then go on to use it to totally mischaracterise him as someone who doesn't value his employees whatsoever or is an abusive boss. In reality though, the way he acts as a superior in general as well as given the specific circumstances is very... Jumin? in that it's logical and efficient and goal-driven. Jaehee's route is such a push and pull in the sense that the two of them clash repeatedly in a scenario where neither person is willing to compromise—for what, to each of them personally, is good reason! Jaehee is a victim of a wider system, of capitalism itself, less so than of Jumin as an individual.

On one hand, Jaehee having to give up a project she was finally actually enjoying working on would be incredibly frustrating, even without having something she actively dislikes stacked on top of it. I get why she went against Jumin's wishes of doing a bad job (why would she choose now of all times to put in half of her effort when it's something she's actually having fun with?) and I get why she used Seven's cat hotel proposal. Life can be messy like that. Sometimes you have to make a decision that has a shitty outcome for someone else for your own sake or vice versa. She should be doing something that makes her happy, and had she not gotten the encouragement to find something she loves she would have continued to feel unfulfilled for god knows how long. Plus, in regard to the coffee report she is still technically doing her job and doing it well, even if going against her boss' personal wishes in doing so. She also does use her own time to revise it in the end so Jumin can have his way (and maybe a little bit so she can use her ideas for her own place) so, to me, that says she understands where he's coming from and doesn't particularly resent him. It's a complex situation for sure, and objectively Jumin does have the upper hand even if he doesn't quite realise the extent of it. I absolutely support Jaehee in her endeavours; I love her so much and she absolutely deserves better than eternal C&R bullshit.

At the same time, Jumin's perspective does make sense if you try to understand his worldview a bit more. Jaehee is the only person at C&R he feels he can genuinely rely on, and when he's already been thrown through a loop with his father prior to her disobedience it's entirely logical that he would feel as if everyone who should be working with him is suddenly against him. Jumin has been shown before to not quite have a grasp on the social standing he holds over Jaehee, for example in this chat from deep story day 2 where he doesn't understand why she can't tell him, as he told her, that she doesn't like seeing him in chatrooms.

And I think it's genuine obliviousness as opposed to purposeful ignorance; he overlooks bigger structures at play because he legitimately values hearing the honest opinions of the people around him and expects them to have a mutual respect for him. As far as Jumin is concerned his employees should be able to come to him with honest feedback, but of course that typically isn't the case and so Jaehee can't express how she really feels to him lest she face consequences. Jumin's thought process when it comes to employment is shown to be, to put it simply, people work for money -> more work is more money -> more work is good, and it hasn't been explained to him why this isn't the case for a lot of people. Jaehee's actions register to Jumin as is simply a betrayal of his trust and respect, because he doesn't quite see the level at which he and Jaehee are on unequal footing in the first place. On top of that he is rigid in that he needs everything to be done as he expects it; he does not like sudden change and (as demonstrated in his own route) can be incredibly rattled by it if he is already otherwise stressed or overworked. Just because he stands strong for his friends does not mean he is entirely invulnerable to being overwhelmed and acting out, and while I completely agree he was on some level being selfish in regards to the cat project, at the point where Jaehee quits she has already left him with what (to Jumin) is a mess to handle essentially on his own. He is overworked too, something Jaehee admits herself, and he wanted to transfer the coffee project to another department both to make less work for the two of them and in order to not succumb to his father's lack of consideration for anyone or anything but his current partner.

Again I do not blame Jaehee for anything she did whatsoever—I think it was a good idea for her to quit and she absolutely deserves the happiness she finds in MC and their café!—but Jaehee is incredibly competent and Jumin knows that. Consequently he knows she has big boots to fill and it can't be done on a whim. I'm sure you can see why he would be incredibly frustrated. As a whole it's just a very messy situation where the two of them can't really fathom the other's perspective. Their lives and outlooks on the world are so intrinsically different at this turning point in Jaehee's life, and that's fine. Neither of them have bad intentions towards the other whatsoever.

Now to actually answer your question! Firstly I want to put out there that he says this on days nine and ten respectively:

Then I want to add that I do not think Jumin is the type to hold a grudge. He is shown frequently to take on a sort of each to their own/whatever will be will be attitude, and though this situation is something that impacts him directly I can't imagine him taking it any more personally in the long term than he would anything else. Sure he's a little hostile in her AE, but to be completely honest with you I do not think he would have gone to visit the café at all if he was completely furious and had lost all respect for Jaehee (and/or MC) after her endeavours. Again he knows that Jaehee is highly capable, hardworking, and generally a very good person, and I can't imagine that one rocky dilemma between the two of them is something that would make him bad tempered around her forever. He still clearly held her highly and has a lot of respect for her despite their differences, and she doesn't seem to have any ill will towards him either. Ultimately, as you say, he would grow to respect her passion and would hear her out on why she took the course of action she did in the end. While Jumin may not be great at putting himself in others shoes he can identify patterns well, and it lets him draw parallels between his own experiences and other people's. Once he finds the common ground (he knows how fulfilling passion projects can be, he knows how frustrating it can be to work yourself to the bone for others' sake without any real incentive, and he values real friendship an awful amount) I think he would accept it.

I actually feel like hypothetically in the long term not working together would be good for their relationship in terms of RFA too—Jaehee was only made part of the group originally because of Jumin and it meant that all of their interactions even amongst their mutual friends were that of a work relationship. We know they both dislike being in chatrooms together and dislike hearing each other talk outside of work, which was bound to have put a strain (even if very minor) on their association with RFA as an organisation. Jaehee even says herself it's like an extension of C&R for her! Dropping the working boundary between them means less tiptoeing around each other and more openness among friends, especially for Jaehee.

As for Yoosung becoming Jumin's intern/assistant, I don't think it would carry the same tone into RFA as it did with Jaehee since they are already well associated without the business relationship prior to Yoosung being hired. Sure things might be a little weird at times, but no discomfort or frustration to the same extent. It's already shown to be kind of unserious and silly, and I honestly don't think Yoosung would last long as Jumin's assistant anyway, lol.

[longtimenospooning-luci]

Azalea's, Camelia's and Rhododendron's: Chapter 6

Summary: Life always seemed to throw bullshit your way. A bullshit childhood, a bullshit family with the exception of your older brother, a bullshit bodyguard team because of aforementioned older brother… To say you were tired of it would be an understatement. You just wanted to bask in your self-made richness as a bestselling author, all by yourself being the key point, and pretend you’re not doing it to avoid your trauma. But now you have to deal with seven incredibly hot, stubborn and frustrating men forcibly barging into your life against both of your wishes and ruining your peaceful silence. So, if they were going to be hardheads, you’ll be one right back.

Pairing: BTS x reader, featuring older brother Bang Chan.

Warnings: Mentions of abuse, mentions of forced marriage.

Word Count: 3k

Surprise!!! Sorry I've been MIA for so long, graduating college is no jokes my peeps, and adulting is even worse. I go to bed at 9PM like an old lady and eat cereal out of a Tupperware container bc I'm too lazy to wash a bowl. Enjoy this chapter and I hope to keep updating more for you guys.

Jungkook nervously picks at the fingerless glove that hides his hand tattoos, sitting idly in the living room. It's been a couple of hours since you left the manor with Yoongi and Jimin in tow and he regrets not taking advantage of the opportunity to make up with you sooner. Mira is skirting around the house doing her normal cleaning activities and he can hear her placing heavy tomes back on the wide bookshelves in your office. She's been eyeballing him all morning in what he assumes is irritation... or dislike... or probably both, he deserves it.

He moves to stand outside the door frame of your office, staring at the floor and scuffing his foot on the floor like a child, stealing glances at the woman every few seconds.

"I can feel you burning a hole in the back of my head child, spit it out."

Cheeks burning a fiery red upon being caught by the woman, he feels like he's back in training and should be standing at attention right now.

"I just, umm... I'm sorry about the things I said the other day." Scratching the back of his head in embarrassment and shame, staring down at his shoes again.

Quirking a brow at him, she begins placing the disheveled papers on your desk into a neat pile. "I'm not the one you should be apologizing to, though I appreciate the sentiment, I'm also not the one to give out your forgiveness either."

Nodding in understanding, he lets out a quiet sigh, beginning to turn around when he hears her speak up.

"I spent over twenty years caring for her as if she were my own, and not once did I ever suspect something was wrong. I failed her as the only mother figure she had in her life, and I'll never let it happen again. I will protect her at all costs, even from you." There's an unbreakable fierceness in her eyes, and Jungkook can tell that biological or not, it's clear as day how much she loves you as a daughter.

"I understand. I promise I will never do anything to hurt her again, and I will do my very best to protect her from others." Going into a deep bow out of respect and apology to the caretaker before him.

She locks her eyes on him when he lifts his head, holding him to that promise in her heart.

Her words about you piqued his curiosity and as he's about to ask about your real mother, the alarm system beeps to the opening of the front door, signaling your arrival home.

"We're back!" You yell, Jimin and yourself carrying drawstring bags, and Jungkook observes his second eldest hyung stumble his way through the entryway like a newborn calf.

Catching his breath, Yoongi whips his head at you and your partner in crime. "I told you to never do that while I was in the car, are you trying to give me a heart attack!?"

The two of you are cackling in delight, it was Jimin's idea to switch the car to manual on the way home; you had taken full advantage of your six-gear V10 engine.

"Hey Mira, Hwasa is coming over later, so she'll be here for dinner" You call out to her. The three of you moving to your office with the drawstring bags.

Jimin watches you walk behind your desk and crouch down to press a false panel in the baseboard of your bottom shelf, making the entire section slide out like a drawer, revealing a safe as well as a packed duffel bag behind the backboard. You place the bag in your hands next to the duffel bag and turn to grab the others from Jimin and Yoongi, placing them in and sliding the shelf back in place with a click.

"I'm not gonna lie, that's some spy-type shit and I used to work at the NIS." Yoongi pipes up behind you, leaving you and Jimin to start giggling at his comment.

You get up and move to sit down in your desk chair, "I promise I'm not a spy, Namjoon should know about it if my brother was detailed enough in the information he provided to you guys."

Confused, Jimin asks why your brother would include the location of your safe to bodyguards. It would make sense to know about it if they were home security guards but knowing where your safe is does nothing to help them protect you personally.

You go on to explain that it's not the safe but the compartment itself that's important to know about. The duffel inside is a go-bag for emergencies that require your swift evacuation from the manor, containing everything you would need in the event you need to go into hiding.

The two continue to stare at you like you've grown a second head until Yoongi breaks the silence. "Ya know this doesn't help your case on the spy thing." Jimin nods in agreement, "Yep definitely think you're a spy now."

Rolling your eyes, you shoo them off with the agreement to sort through the bags at night, eyes following them out the door. Turning your attention to your computer, you begin skimming through your emails, noting the file from your lawyer with the restraining order paperwork against Shin. There's also an email from his lawyer with the paperwork for the compensation the judge ordered him to pay you. Forwarding both to Chan you check your work email, finding that Hwasa had already sent you drafts of your return announcement and a tentative schedule for your book promotions to be approved by you.

With your eyes trained on the promotion dates you don't notice the figure standing in the doorway. Jungkook stands timidly much like the same way he did with Mira earlier. Finally swallowing down his fear, he knocks lightly on the doorframe to get your attention. Acknowledging him with a hum, you stay focused on the screen in front of you. When you don't hear any movement or response, you look up to lock eyes with him.

"Come in Jungkook, take a seat." You say, moving your eyes back to your work. The youngest slowly makes his way over to one of the guest chairs sitting in front of your desk, timidly sitting down like it was going to bite him in the ass. He sits for a few seconds, waiting for you to ask him what he wants or lock your eyes back on him, and when it becomes clear you aren't going to initiate this chat with him, he prepares himself to bite the bullet. Yoongi had told him that you'd offered forgiveness after he had promised to put effort into fixing the situation (of course leaving out the part about the 'effort' being absolutely destroying your abusers' reputations). He knows he'd been harsher than Yoongi, and he hopes he can repair the damage he caused as his brother had.

Taking a deep breath he begins his apology, "I'd like to say that I'm very sorry about what I said, it was uncalled for, and I shouldn't have judged you based on my past client's behavior or projected my frustrations on you." He finishes with a silent exhale of relief for getting that off his chest, watching as you stop typing and quirk an eyebrow, looking at him over the glasses on your nose like a judgy librarian.

"Did you think it would be that easy? A few heartfelt words and then all of your guilt can melt away."

"O-of course not!" He stutters out, "I know I have to make the effort to fix this. I crossed a line, not only professionally but personally, and doing so caused you harm. I would like to genuinely make this up to you."

Placing your glasses down on the desk, you lean back to take in the man sitting before you. "And how exactly are you going to do that? I may have been able to strike a deal with Yoongi, but that doesn't mean I've forgiven him yet either. He knows he has to meet my expectations to fix this, but what do you have to offer? What do you have or what can you do to prove to me you mean it?" Crossing your arms, you wait for his response.

"Anything and everything you want from me I'll do; I promise I'll protect you and not just in the scope of my job but emotionally too."

You narrow your eyes at his response, "What makes you think I want anything from you? Much less your protection over my private emotions?"

He knew this wouldn't be easy, earning just a minuscule amount of your trust to begin repairing the damage he's done. But he feels the resentment in your words, and he feels the pain he caused you within that resentment. He wants to heal it, he needs to heal it, if not for himself but for you. A woman who has been hurt by this world far too many times, a woman who is so headstrong despite being torn down so many times. He needs to heal the hurt that he has caused because he took away the little trust you had left in the compassion of human beings.

"I know you don't trust me; I know you resent me for the things I said. I won't try to deny that fact, or that you have every right to deny me the trust to fix the pain I have caused you. Words from people like me probably mean nothing to you, which is why I want to do everything I can to show you that I can be trusted with your safety. I want to do everything in my power to earn your forgiveness, even if that means I have to resign, or wear a carrot costume around Seoul, or drink the most disgusting concoction you can come up with."

You have to hide your desire to crack up at imagining him walking around in a carrot costume, straightening your expression as he looks at you in desperation as he continues to list out even more ridiculous punishments you could put him through. Coming closer to slipping into giggles the more he continues.

He cuts himself off when you raise a hand to stop his rambling, taking a deep breath before you begin to speak.

"Okay, I get it. I'm not going to make you do any of those ridiculous things, but I'll admit I don't know what I could have you do that could fix this either." You take your glasses and put them back on, refocusing on his face.

"Instead, I want you to be the best damn bodyguard you can be without me asking for it. You want me to tell you anything and everything I want from you but I'm not going to do that, if you want to fix this then you're going to have to figure out those things on your own. I want you to impress me, okay?"

Nodding eagerly at your conclusion, he nearly throws the chair back from the force of standing up. Bowing down multiple times as he thanks you relentlessly while vacating your office, excited to go tell his brothers and come up with a plan to accomplish the task you have given him.

You'd think you'd just told an intern that you would let him proofread your drafts, but you can't help the quirk of your mouth into a smirk at his enthusiasm.

Later that night Hwasa came to the manor to finish setting your comeback into stone for the announcement the next morning, staying for dinner as expected, and then left some cardboard file boxes that you'd texted her to bring.

She had pestered you on why you needed them nearly the whole time she was there, and all you'd supplied her with was that they were for your next book. Once everyone else had headed off to bed for the night; Yoongi, Jimin, and you spent hours on end sorting each envelope by date, opening them up, and then filing them away in the boxes.

Working well into the early hours of the morning, when they finally left you to get a few hours of sleep in, you sat looking at the completed file boxes containing the horrors of your childhood.

You hadn't let yourself cry looking at the images, having long since shed your last tears over the pains your monster of a father caused. But you had caught the tears the two men with you had tried to hide, the almost silent gasps of mortification every time they opened up a new envelope.

It made you feel like you had become too numb to the atrocities that had been committed against you, and their anger and sorrow also made you feel relief in a way as well. There were people near you willing to feel the pain and sorrow you could no longer take on, and for that, you felt grateful.

A buzz from your phone pulls you out of your thoughts, and you check it to find the announcement from the company of your return from hiatus. You shoot Chan a text that you need to see him today, and he responds almost immediately with a time to meet at his office. 

The anticipation and anxiety sit heavy in your gut. You've quietly held your career outside of the Chaebol world, true identity unknown to the tabloids and all of your father's past business partners. He never let you out in public much regardless, but this is going to bring a whole new spotlight onto you and your family, and Chan has the right to know before shit hits the fan.

Your Louboutin's click menacingly down the silent hallway of your brothers company, Jungkook and Yoongi flank you a few steps ahead while the rest of the boys follow behind. You probably look like something straight out of a mafia movie, and with the impending hellfire you're about to rain down on your family, you feel the sentiment is appropriate. 

The employees of Chan's company always go silent when you appear, the hushed whispers of gossip passing around. Most of his employees theorize you're something akin to a Black Widow, a terrifyingly powerful mistress to their goofy CEO, and then there are those that know you by your Pen Name, who think the reason you went on hiatus was to be with Chan. 

The two of you have laughed at the gossip Felix has passed on from the employees over the years, and you have no desire to correct them either. Doing so would allow for people to dig more into your brothers background, which would lead to your true identity, defeating the purpose of going by a Pen Name in the first place. 

So, yes, you pull a little bit of enjoyment out of scaring the shit out of his employees by looking like a widow on her 5th husband all dead by mysterious natural causes. Life as an author can be a bit boring sometimes, sue you for having a dark sense of humor, you gotta find entertainment somewhere. 

Jungkook holds open the door to Chan's office for you and as you step into his office, the heaviness of the situation settles in the room. His gaze meets yours, filled with concern and curiosity. Without a word, he gestures for you to take a seat opposite him. You sink into the plush chair, the weight of the world resting on your shoulders.

The boys take their places around the room and when your brother moves to dismiss them, you pipe up. 

"Jimin and Yoongi stay." 

He shares a confused look with you but doesn't protest, and Jungkook looks like a kicked puppy with his big doe eyes watching you as he files out the door with the rest of his hyungs.

"I see you're getting along well with the team I hired you." He says, bringing your attention back to him.

Snorting, you deadpan back, "Not at all."

"O...Kay?" He looks at your two remaining bodyguards for answers only to find none. "Anyway, what's going on? Why did you need to see me? You should be focusing on your comeback promotions."

"I've finished the Map of the Soul series, and I'm going to start on a new book."

"That's great-" 

 You cut his response short, ripping the theoretical band-aid off. "A book about Father... About me." 

His shock is evident on his face, and he quickly clears his throat, looking at Yoongi and Jimin in mild panic. "Bug, I think we should have this conversation in private."

Any other bodyguards would take that as their cue to leave, but they simply look to you for direction on the issue, and you can tell your brother notices it. 

"They already know about it, about all of it."

Your response has him whipping his head back in your direction so quick you're surprised he didn't pull a muscle.

"They WHAT!?" 

If this wasn't such a heavy topic, you would chuckle at his reaction.

"It's just them, that's why I had them stay. They're going to be kept in the loop while I'm writing the book in order to discretely keep an eye on any potential threats to its release."

You watch as he takes in this information, leaning back in his chair in deep thought, occasionally looking up at you and then the boys.

Finally he settles his gaze back on you, "You're sure about this? This won't just stir up our family it'll stir up the conglomerate world too." 

"Absolutely positive. I trusted in the justice system and they failed me, I won't give them the chance to fail the next person who gets sold off like a peace of meat for the benefit of corporate gain."

You can see the wince Chan tries to hide at your words, you know he has a lot of guilt at not seeing the truth behind your engagement sooner. Not to mention the treatment you suffered at the hands of your Father. 

"You know I will always support you, no matter what." He looks you dead in the eyes, "But there's one problem..."

Maintaining eye contact, you wait for him to finish his words. 

"Mother called me, she's coming back to Korea."

And just like that, everything comes crashing back down again.

Taglist: @yoongiigolden @chim-possible @ayoo-bangtan @janiva @devilsbooksworld @backinblack1967 @missseoulite @miraxflor @memerswrites @SchokoShaker @simpforhyunjin @zae007live @onlyasgoodasitgets @quinsly @fuck-you-im-gae @tinyoonsblog @iamkookiesforyou @yoursoontobestepmom @emu007 @childfmoonn @candied-lavender @silscintilla @sporadicfuryface @definetlythinkimanalien @btsizlyfe @rinkud @midiplier @purplebeebs @avadakadabra93

[doseofponderings]

Misleading Perception about Genius in Traditional Society

Many parents and teachers today misconstrue what it means to be a genius. In the end, they put pressure on their children to take tutoring, additional class, and so on—in order for their children to become 'geniuses' in their eyes; a genius is someone who excels in all subjects. The most heartbreaking thing is when a child is forced to do something he clearly dislikes. Some parents may wish to elevate the areas where their children fall. But most of them do not question whether their method of raising the fallen field will make their child smart or vice versa. Because many children become frustrated with their parents' pressure, the child falls even further.

Today, it is necessary to believe that each individual has unique genes and abilities. This is scientifically correct. According to Dr. Kazuo Murakami's book The Divine Message of the DNA, no two sets of genes or genomes are exactly alike. The distinction is visible not only in a person's face or appearance, but also in their nature and abilities. However, certain countries' educational systems are hostile to the diversity of our genes. Each student is assigned a specific piece of knowledge and is evaluated using standardized tests that assess their ability to remember and repeat that knowledge. Kenichi Fukui, a Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry in 1981, stated that a person's ability or value should not be determined solely by their ability to memorize, cram words in their heads, and then spill them on paper.

Howard Gardner defined genius as innate. Everyone is born with a unique genius. Each person is endowed with a distinct and diverse set of genes, and the timing and methods of activation differ. Of course, comparing a fish to an ape to climb a tree is stupid. Because fish are born to swim rather than climb. As a result, there is no measuring device to compare one person to another because they are born with their respective gifts. The environment also has a significant impact on activating the unique genes in us, allowing us to identify where our genius lies. Someone with talent in a field who does not practice it—this is when the gene dies.

Every person is a genius. Everyone has distinctive hopes, but only a few people can achieve them—that is people who understand themselves and where their genius lies. Anything is possible if we can turn on our genes with the three billion pieces of information that the world's geniuses have. Even though we are not capable of doing what is not written in our genes, that limitation is unlikely to be an impediment to those who can develop the extraordinary talents that lie dormant within us. All we have to do is figure out how to use it.

[the-force-awakens]

poe dameron is neurodivergent and that is critical in understanding him as a character. that's why, I think, even people with the best intentions sometimes mischaracterize him or misunderstand his neurodivergent traits (his confidence in his skill - which is a fact he knows is correct - and blunt acknowledgement of it is not, in fact, a show of arrogance and neither is him sharing any amount of knowledge he has) as something else and we wind up with a very shallow fanon interpretation of him at best and an absolutely unforgiving and malicious one at worst.

Poe is absolutely coded as neurodivergent, so are many other Star Wars characters due to the (likely neurotypical) writers inadvertantly writing good autistic representation without even realizing it. Most of the starfighter pilots in the franchise are coded as neurodivergent and if you're watching for it, most of the in-universe criticisms of them are things neurodivergents are derisively told as well (especially with ADHD). But unlike a lot of characters, I'm convinced poe was intentionally played neurodivergent.

Why? Because Oscar Isaac intentionally played the Moon Knight system as autistic. He pitched the idea of them being autistic to Marvel and was allowed the go ahead to incorporate that into the characterization and we see it in each alter — and there's some distinct overlap in mannerisms between them and Poe, in how he plays them (which, speaking as someone who has seen a bit of his filmography, I can say isn't something that happens often, the mk system is probably one of the few roles of his where I've actively thought of Poe while watching him play someone else).

And of course, it wouldn't be the only time that Oscar coded Poe as something would it? Even though Disney ultimately refused to explore Poe/Finn, Oscar's performance undoubtedly codes Poe as a queer man (before any one smarts off in the comments there's a difference between 'coding' and 'baiting', baiting would be the writers acting like there was a chance it might happen, not the actors who were down for it and adding it into their interpretation and portrayal of the characters so it's still there for queer audiences to pick up on and get past censorship).

But one moment that always sticks in my head is the confrontation with Holdo. He's teetering on the edge of an almost-meltdown the second he walks on the bridge (which D'Acy can tell) and he's nearly calmed down with the reminder of Leia until he sees that the plan is to effectively abandon ship with nowhere to run (as far as he or anyone else at this time, knows).

There's so many moments that just....call forth that Poe is not at all neurotypical that it's hard to pin down any series of beats and go "that's autism", it's in every movement and decision he makes, it's in the way he carries himself, in how he's confident but never arrogant and absolutely sincere in knowing what he's capable of. It's his dislike of being forced to emote, it's his snark and reliance on routines and preference of being in control of a situation or having some idea of what's going to happen, his habit of repeating what other people say (that's an echolalia), it's in the facial expressions he makes.

Then it's teeters over into a meltdown. He kicks over a crate (away from everyone else by the way) and makes his point. It's an extremely self contained meltdown (somehow? But like I can sometimes rein mine in a little too), but it is very much an autistic meltdown in my point of view and I've been firm in this belief since rewatching in 2020.

And then, low and behold, we see Oscar play characters having autistic meltdowns repeatedly in Moon Knight (seriously can uhhhhh the system get a nap? Can they?). Just in the first two episodes alone, they have at least four.

But specifically, I'm thinking of Marc's in the courtyard. He yells in frustration over the plan going to shit and then when Steven unintentionally triggers his trauma, he kicks the mirror repeatedly until it breaks, takes a deep breath and backs off.

Which surely.....can't be almost exactly be what happens in tlj, can it? By Talos...

But yeah. They both have meltdowns in a similar manner but at opposite ends of the spectrum (...the pun isn't intended but hey), and Oscar does the same deep breath and step back at the end of it as both Poe and Marc.

There's a lot of other overlap too, of course, but I haven't gotten so far as to be able to articulate it nearly as well, and it hasn't been on my mind quite as long as this parallel has been. I think a gifset paralleling the two scenes would do much better job of illustrating this but I do not have the energy to make any gifs recently.

[glimmerglanger]

Hey there! Hopefully it’s an OK time to make a request! I truly love your Alpha17/Obi fic, “Just Right”!

Hoping that a prompt of Alpha 17 finally making it to the Negotiator and pretty much stalking Obi and courting Obi in a very gentle and patient un-Alpha 17 way ends with some sexy and soft love making?

Anything will do! I just love this trope and the story you’ve created has been on my mind since it was published!

🥰😍🥰😍

Oooooooh! Well, I couldn’t quite do all the courting (that probably would have gotten longer than the original fic) but! I did do a little bit about the next time they run into each other! Thanks for the request! I have a few more in my inbox that I’m working on, as well!

This is VERY SPICY. SO SPICY. NOT SAFE FOR WIZARDS. Feat: intercrural and bjs and Feelings that 17 wishes he weren’t having.

~~~~

17 felt jittery in his skin from the time he heard that the Negotiator was going to make a stop on Kamino. It was an...unusual feeling, and one he found he disliked immensely. He tried to burn it away sparring with his brothers and, when that failed to work, he grabbed a group of shinies and led them on a run around one of the longer loops on the city.

After the third such loop, he still felt itchy along his bones and gave it up for a loss, retreating to his quarters and the quiet of his fresher.

He’d received a few messages from Kenobi since they’d last worked together. They’d been the usual sort of thing. He’d kept track of mission reports coming out of the Third System Army, too, making sure they routed through to him and reading over the lines of text.

He scrubbed a hand back over his short hair. He’d wanted Kenobi to come to Kamino, wanted an excuse to go back into the field. He hadn’t expected this strange twisting in his gut when he finally got what he’d been hoping for.

That did nothing to diminish the feeling.

He blew out a breath. Kenobi was still a day away, but 17 could imagine him well enough, picture his flashing eyes and that pleased little smile of his. He recalled - their memories were, after all, perfect - the stretch of bare skin and the tight, wet, marvelous heat around his cock.

He’d imagined it all, often, while touching himself in his bunk.

His own hand didn’t come even close to comparing. But it was what he had. What he’d had, anyway, but Kenobi was coming to Kamino…

17 frowned around his bunk and wondered how one went about asking for a repeat of the three days they’d spent in transit, fucking on every available surface.

#

Kenobi walked into the city with his cloak damp and sodden across his shoulders and a grin on his face. He nodded a greeting at 17 and fell into a conversation with Master Ti, and 17 tried not to think about how easy it had been to capture both of Kenobi’s wrists in one hand, pressing them down against the floor and sliding into his body, impossibly, and--

Kenobi glanced his way, an eyebrow raising, and 17 met his gaze evenly, shrugging with one shoulder. He’d made no secret of how much he’d enjoyed their activities. It would be pointless to try to pretend he hadn’t thought about it. Often.

Still, he knew how to be professional. He set the thoughts aside and focused on the discussion.

#

17 managed not to dwell too much on what they’d done throughout the day, but that didn’t stop him from steering Kenobi back to his quarters when evening finally arrived.

His quarters were built larger than most places in the city. The ceilings were tall enough to allow him to stand easily and the bed actually fit his proportions; it would swallow Kenobi, make him look so small, sprawled across it. Compared to the cabins on the cruisers, his room must have seemed huge.

Kenobi looked around, nodded, and said, “Certainly to scale, I have to--”

And then 17 backed him against the wall, slid a hand against his shoulder, and curled down enough to kiss him.

Kenobi moaned against his mouth, shifting from a conversation into the kiss easily, like switching gears on a speeder. He tasted good, mouth hot and sweet, his hands sliding up over 17’s armor, and 17 had taken him against a wall, held him up so easily - Kenobi barely weighed anything - and encouraged Kenobi to curl legs against his waist, because they wouldn’t fit all the way around 17 and--

“How do you feel,” 17 panted out, drawing away just enough to speak, “about a good hard fuck?”

Kenobi rasped out a sound, hair still a little damp from the rains outside, and said, “Oh, I’d quite enjoy that, but, hm, our options are somewhat more limited, this time.”

17 frowned, keeping Kenobi tucked against the wall; it was easy, blocking him in, and satisfying on some deep level. “Why’s that?”

“Well,” Kenobi said, clever fingers sliding along his armor, undoing latches, so he must still have been interested. “It’s been nearly two months since last I’ve seen you.”

“So?” 17 asked, not following, as Kenobi floated his chest plate somewhere across the room and placed it down quietly. He wanted to get his own hands on Kenobi, start taking off his robes, but once he started doing that, well…

Following the train of this conversation would grow harder.

“So, I’ve spent two months around all the men in the 212th,” Kenobi said, dry, and for a moment that made no sense as an explanation, until it did. Kenobi had explained, during one of the periods where they’d both needed a rest, how his people’s reproductive systems worked.

After two months, his reproductive organs would be perfectly compatible with all the men in the 212th. There was no way he’d be able to take 17. Not safely. 17 frowned, something twisting fast and hot and unpleasant in his gut at that thought, wondering if any of them realized. If they’d like the thought as much as he’d liked it, when Kenobi fitted him just right.

“Oh,” 17 said, drawing back, setting aside the flash of unknown emotion and a deeper sense of disappointment. Kenobi had been the only person he could--

“But I’m sure there are other options we can explore,” Kenobi said, following him, an arm sliding over his shoulders. “Unless you’re not interested?”

17 considered it. His disappointment almost had him shaking his head, sending Kenobi to his own bunk. But… they’d enjoyed themselves plenty, last time, and not just when he’d slid into the sweet embrace of Kenobi’s body.

And he didn’t want Kenobi to run off.

He frowned and asked, “What do you have in mind?”

Kenobi grinned, pulled himself up to take a kiss, and said, “Come here, let me show you.”

#

Kenobi positively got lost in the middle of 17’s mattress, just like 17 had known he would. He looked small - smaller than usual, even - spread out across the sheets, bare skin all on display, covered in freckles and scars.

17’s cock ached, a solid throb of need between his legs as he stroked himself with the lube Kenobi had pressed into his hands. Kenobi had told him to get very slick before rolling onto his stomach, 17’s pillow shoved under his hips.

“You’re sure this is what we should do?” 17 asked, hearing the doubt in his own voice.

Kenobi glanced over his shoulder - kriffing hell, the way he looked - and flashed a smile. “I think you’ll quite enjoy it,” he said, “just give it a try.”

17 grunted, but, in truth, he felt utterly incapable of refusing Kenobi when he was all stretched out, back bowing from the pillow under his hips, the insides of his thighs slick and shiny with lube.

“Come here,” Kenobi coaxed, shifting his ass back and forth, and, well. 17 wasn’t going to say no to that. He slid forward, hands moving over warm, perfect skin, knees making the bed dip, tilting Kenobi back towards him.

It was so easy to blanket him. 17 could cover him completely, and had, before, on a battlefield to shield him from shrapnel. But there were no explosions in his quarters. Just slick, warm skin as he sank down over Kenobi, cock brushing over the curve of his ass.

Kenobi hummed, tilting his hips back further, and 17’s cock slid forward, easy, between his legs.

“There you go,” Kenobi murmured, pressing his strong thighs closer together and - oh - the pressure felt good, good enough that 17 rocked his hips forward, cock sliding on slick skin, feeling all the lean muscles in Kenobi’s thighs and--

And the hot, wet slide of him, of the place where 17 could no longer fit, and he groaned, frustration and want all tangled together.

“You feel so good,” he rasped out, hips dragging back and pushing forward again, feeling the head of his cock just catch at - at the edge of Kenobi’s body and oh he wanted, but he could only drag the top of his cock along, sliding between the tight pressure of his thighs, muscles flexing against him and--

He dropped to his elbows, his arms long enough to still hold him up off of Kenobi’s back. He could look down, across Kenobi’s bright hair and the bunch of muscles in his shoulders. He could see Kenobi’s hands, clenched in the blankets as 17 moved between his legs, lube making the glide easy, friction building up the heat between them, Kenobi’s ass hard and firm against his hips each time he pushed forward.

He could remember taking Kenobi like this. Force, he’d remembered taking Kenobi like this, so many times, cock sliding in instead of forward, he’d be so tight, so wet, so hot, and--

17’s orgasm caught him by surprise and he groaned, head dropping forward as his cock jerked between Kenobi’s thighs. He shifted his hips back, unthinking, wanting the come all over skin, not his pillow and sheets.

“See,” Kenobi started, tilting to look over his shoulder, “I--oh!”

He looked gratifyingly startled when 17 pushed onto an arm, grabbed his hip, and flipped him onto his back. His chest was flushed - but only a little - and his cock stretched up towards his stomach, still hard.

17 could fix that. Wanted to fix that, so badly it made his jaw ache.

He shifted around, put a hand on Kenobi’s chest to keep him still, and bulled his way between Kenobi’s legs, curving over.

He tasted his own come, when he licked over Kenobi’s cock, sliding his lips down over heated skin. His come was everywhere, there always seemed to be so much of it when they did things together. It streaked over Kenobi’s thighs and--

And 17 couldn’t help but bringing his other hand up, sliding over skin, between Kenobi’s legs and - kriffing hell - it was there, too. He groaned, helplessly, and Kenobi echoed the sound, fingers scrambling at 17’s hair as he rubbed two fingers through the slick smear of his own come.

Kenobi cried out, all thick with pleasure, when 17 slid those two fingers over him, and then, with a renewed throb of want, into him.

Kenobi felt so tight around his fingers, hot and wet and squeezing. He knew how thick his fingers were, wondered if they were just about all Kenobi could take in his present state, and the thought made something in his spine go all white hot.

He bobbed his head, sucking as he moved his hand, curling his fingers while Kenobi’s legs curled up around his shoulders, while Kenobi gasped and tried fruitlessly to squirm under him, the sounds escaping his throat getting thicker and louder and--

17 swallowed when Kenobi gave it up for him, smiling at the feel of Kenobi’s body squeezing around his fingers, clenching in waves. He slid his fingers back and out, giving a last suck, after a long moment, and Kenobi gasped his name.

He looked...dazed and relaxed, sprawled on the bed, uncomplaining about 17’s hand on his chest, his heartbeat translating up into 17’s fingers. He looked...soft. And peaceful. And 17 felt, again, the way he had on their trip, that he’d very much like to keep Kenobi looking that way all the time.

He shivered at the thought, shook his head, and said, “You’re right, that was a good idea.” He cleared his throat, and, before Kenobi could start gloating, pulled both of Kenobi’s legs up, over one of his shoulders, and went on, “Do you think it would work like this, too?”

[astaroth1357]

The Obey Me Cast on a Camping Trip (Part One: Brothers)

Hey guys, thank you sooo much for getting me to 2,000 followers!! I honestly don’t know what to say... I never dreamed that this little hobby of mine would reach so many eyes, and I can’t be more grateful. At a time in my life where things feel so chaotic and uncertain, being a part of this community and sharing my weird ideas has been what’s kept me going. It’s been such a rewarding experience all around, so thank you. From the bottom of my heart. 😊

I pulled out all the stops for this post. I even brought out one of my favorite songs of all time: Ao to Natsu by Mrs. GREEN APPLE to get the feel juuust right. I hope you all enjoy it!

This post is split in two due to length (I had too much fun again...) For the Undateables, please click HERE!

Intro:

Another day, another team building activity between the demons and the exchange students. It was Diavolo’s idea to go on a camping trip to the human world (because of course it was), and there were very… mixed responses. That sentiment wasn’t helped when he refused Lucifer’s insistent pleas to just purchase cabins for everyone to stay in. Oh no, the Demon Lord wanted to rough it out in the wilderness, and now everyone else was getting dragged along with him…

Wonder how that turned out?

Lucifer

Really, really, really tried to push Diavolo to just rent out cabins in but noooo, he wasn’t having it... So he ended up driving a van crammed with his brothers, the MC, and a butt-ton of camping equipment into the Alaskan wilderness… 

The car ride itself was insufferable… We’re talking, “I SWEAR I WILL TURN THIS CAR AROUND!!” level of antics every 10 miles or so (mostly from Mammon)…

Setting up camp was even more of a nightmare because about half of his brothers were utterly useless. The other half (save Satan) were completely clueless… Had it not been for Barbatos and Satan he probably would have just resigned himself to the mercy of the river’s currents and let it take him away…

He couldn’t even wear his usual clothes because of the situation… For the first time in who knows how many centuries, he was stuck wearing jeans… Diavolo even bought him several plaid shirts... (which he was not happy with btw because his brother wouldn’t stop making fun of the “new” him)

He had his own tent of decent-size, enough to move around in but nothing to write home about. The very fact he didn’t have to share was a luxury in itself, so he took it for what it was worth...

He spent a good portion of the trip focused on two things: keeping Diavolo happy and everybody else alive. He rarely left camp unless forced to; he just wanted to get it all over with as soon as possible…

If he did leave, it was because Diavolo would drag him along to fish or hike. He was... less than pleased to be called out of his tent at the crack of dawn or well past dusk to sit on a little rented fishing boat with Diavolo… but he didn’t exactly pick his friends so...

He rates the trip Too Much Trouble/10. Let’s never do it again.

Mammon

Wasn’t a massive fan of being stuck out in the wild, but Satan told him some made-up bullshit about buried treasure out in the forest and got him HOOKED. He even borrowed stole a whole bunch of mining/digging equipment just for the occasion!

He spent most of the car ride asking, “Are we there yet??” like a child. The MC had to step in to keep Lucifer from leaving him on the side of the road at multiple points during the journey... 

He was one of the utterly useless ones when it came to setting up camp. Someone charged him with putting up the twin’s tent, and he spent thirty minutes reading (then re-reading) the instructions while shouting expletives. Poor Simeon had to shield Luke from the vulgarity…

He has to share a tent with Levi, which neither of them liked. Mammon mainly because of Levi’s “old fish stink” and Levi because he feared catching “Mammon’s stupid.”

He was all jazzed up to go digging from Day One, though. He’d have breakfast, grab his shovel, then wander out into the middle of nowhere to go dig holes in the ground…

He also got completely lost on Day One, and it took the MC summoning him with their pact to return him to the group... By that time, he was filthy and somehow looked like he had been castaway for days (even though he was gone for like, three hours?)

When he stubbornly refused to stop digging, Lucifer resorted to just tying a rope around his ankle and letting him loose. It was up to Mammon to get back to camp before dinner, or else Lucifer would yank him back like he was on a leash.

Satan waited until the last day to finally tell Mammon the treasure was bullshit, and he was PISSED. He even threw Satan into the river, which resulted in the rest of the brothers joining in for a swim while the two tried to “playfully” drown each other.

He’d rate this trip 0/10 because he didn’t get any buried treasure. What a ripoff…

Leviathan

Hated the idea with a burning, seething passion. There’s no internet, cable, electricity, or phone signal out in the middle of nowhere! How the heck is an otaku supposed to survive?!

He clung to his electronics during the car ride until either they ran out of signal or their battery died, then he didn’t know what to do with himself… He resorted to reading several volumes of the manga he stuffed into his bag and clung to the MC for emotional support…

Yet another useless soul trying to put the camp together. He was in charge of his and Mammon’s tent but ended up almost crying in frustration… How the hell do humans do this all on their own?? Wasn’t he supposed to be the third strongest?! Why is he so pathetic?!? 😫

Hates sharing a tent with Mammon because he always wakes up to the second born encroaching on his space somehow… Poor baby is pretty much directly against the tent wall and STILL has to deal with legs and elbows in his side... 😰

Spends the majority of the trip moping in the tent... If he goes out there, he has to deal with the sun, bugs, and people… No thanks. He only leaves for meals and occasionally to go swimming. 

When he found out part of the way through that Barbs brought portable solar panels and a battery pack for Diavolo and Lucifer’s phones, he was livid. He demanded access to the power source, which Lucifer refused because “It would defeat the purpose of this trip.”

He’d have summoned Lotan right then and there, deadass in the middle of the forest, if the MC hadn’t intervened. He then went back to moping, but now at the bottom of the lake and it took a lot of coaxing to get him back out…

On the final day, he was packing up the camp before anyone else even woke up. He wanted OUT and back to civilization ASAP. Bedroom here he comes!

Satan

You wouldn’t think of Satan as an outdoorsy guy. Still, he has shades of a survivalist in him (mostly because he’s read a lot of guides and was looking for an excuse to use them for a loooong time).

He read for the majority of the ride. He was squished between Asmo and Levi, which was reasonably peaceful. But he did end up shouting at Mammon quite a bit towards the end because “NO, we’re not there yet, peabrain!!”

He actually wasn’t a waste of space when setting up the camp, and between him, Barbs, and Lucifer, they were able to get a lot of stuff set up before sundown. He did have to bark a few orders to the others here and there, but overall competency won out in the end.

He shared a tent with Asmo, and the two made it work well enough… Except when Asmo did things like spraying his perfumes and dry shampoos, making it practically impossible to breathe in for a few minutes…

Spent a lot of the first few days reinforcing the camp to a ridiculous degree.

Did he have to collect large branches to build an exterior fence around the campsite? No. But he did.

Did he have to set up a water distillation system using some of the materials Barbs had lying around the “kitchen?” No. But he did.

Did he have to weave a series of fishing nets to catch them lunch from the lake and river? I think you get the point by now.

Only once he built pretty much every contraption or improvement he could think of, did he go back to just reading and relaxing by the fire.

By the time the group was ready to leave, Satan had somehow managed to craft them a veritable, self-sustaining fortress in the middle of the Alaskan wilds…

Overall he would rate the trip as… meh. Next time give him a challenge like a deserted island or an actual desert, and then he’ll really see what he can do.

Asmodeus

Was about as unhappy with the idea as Levi was… It wasn’t that he disliked the outdoors per se, it was just that no one, NO ONE, pulls off looking flawless after several days stuck in a tent!

He chatted the entire car ride from start to finish. He never stopped talking. It made for decent background noise at least…

Was one of the more clueless ones when trying to set up camp and pretty just did what he was ordered. The second he was left to try and figure something out on his own, he went to Lucifer or Satan for help because NOPE. Human equipment is needlessly complicated sometimes…

He had to share a tent with Satan, which in theory shouldn’t have been that bad, but Satan was out basically all day in the sun doing who knows what and would always come back sweaty and gross! At some points, he had to chase his brother out of the tent until he dunked himself in the river or something. No way was Asmo sleeping next to that. 😤

Asmo took the second-longest to get up and get ready in the morning. Sometimes he wouldn’t even leave the tent until well past breakfast just in an attempt to salvage his hair and skin… He only got grouchier about it as the trip went on… 😥

A more… earthy looking Asmo is kind of a bizarre sight. He’s still attractive, no doubt, but it’s less like polished glamour and more like Hollywood humble. He spent the majority of the trip looking like a somewhat dirtied movie-star (which he still insisted was the worst he’s ever looked in ages).

Aside from salvaging his looks, he actually enjoyed taking pictures of their surroundings or of the group (but not himself). He sometimes forgot how genuinely breathtaking the human world could be…

….but his patience for the place wore out quickly once he started noticing his hair getting greasy. He was right next to Levi, packing up the site once it was finally time to leave. At least those two finally found something they could agree on, let’s get the fuck out already! 

Beelzebub

He was really curious about trying camping food and pretty excited that Barbatos was coming, too (because that meant great food in general).

Unfortunately, Lucifer had to stop the van at basically every gas station they passed for Beel could refill on snacks… Belphie ended up getting buried in wrappers pretty often, but he was asleep, so it didn’t matter much.

Beel did a lot of the heavy lifting when setting the camp up, but the finer details were left up to everybody else. He had his hands full getting stuff off the cars as is…

Of course, he shared a tent with Belphie, and there wasn’t much complaint between them. Honestly, there would have been more drama if they were split, so this was the better option.

After the MC told Beel about fishing and how it could net him more food, if he did it right, he knew exactly what he wanted to do during the trip.

… But no one told him how long and slow the process would be. There were points he’d get so hungry he’d consider eating the bait himself…

That was until about Day Three of the trip when they passed by a river full of grizzly bears… He was about to ask the MC why the bears were all standing in the water, but then he saw a fish practically leap directly into one’s mouth…

Beel had discovered his true calling.

Of course, the grizzlies didn’t take too kindly to a demon suddenly sprinting into the water with them. They tried to fight him off, but Beel just tossed most of them downstream without any issue until they realized who the apex predator really was…

After forming a shaky truce with the bears, Beel would stand in the water for hours then come back with whole baskets full of salmon… There were far more fish than Barbatos knew what to do with, so he’d just confiscate a few then let Beel eat the rest...

The MC shuddered to think about what Beel had done to the local salmon population… But he was full and happy for most of the trip, so he had a great time!

Belphegor

Sleep for him isn’t too contingent on location, so the idea of camping wasn’t terrible. It did sound like a lot of hassle for no good reason, though…

He spent the entire car ride asleep, head and cow pillow pressed up against the window and everything. It wasn’t the most comfortable experience, but he’d dealt with worse.

He was utterly useless when putting up the camp by choice, thank you. He had more than enough sense to get things put together; he just didn’t want to. If he wasn’t asked to do something by Beel or the MC, he’d just lay back in the grass and smugly watch everybody else struggle…

Again, he and Beel are in the same tent, and you wouldn’t hear any complaints out of him. He did start to have some second thoughts when Beel began getting a fishy smell, though, so he tried to bunk with the MC in their tent for a while.

Like Levi, Belphie didn’t leave the tent much during the daylight hours, but that was because he was still asleep… There was no good way to wake him with no alarms available, so he’d sleep in past lunch easily.

When he was awake, he didn’t leave camp very much except to walk with the MC or watch Beel fishing grizzly-style.

Eventually, Asmo and Diavolo got sick of him dodging their photos, so they’d started posing him Weekend at Bernie’s style around the camp (always conveniently propped up by something and with sunglasses on)

Something Belphie did like, however, was the nighttime. Since there were no lights around, he could practically see everything the sky had to offer. He could spend hours laying on his back long after everyone else had gone to bed just admiring the stars.

All in all, not a terrible trip. Anything that could give him that view like that was well worth it. 6/10, would sleep again.

Click HERE for Part Two. Check out my Masterlist for more!

[enderspawn]

It's alright if u don't wanna answer this cuz this argument gets people really riled up but do you think c!Techno is a tyrant or nah?

Cuz many c!techno apologists argue that he isn't just cuz he's an anarchist but I've also read a lot of essays that go against it and it'd be really interesting to see ur opinion on this

i think he, in some contexts, can most definitely be called tyrannical, yes. a tyrant? no.

to avoid spamming ppl w discourse we've all def heard before (and bc this ended up MASSIVE (like 2.3k ish), but fairly in depth bc i didnt wanna speak out of bad faith and wanted to be EXPLICTLY clear-- oops), the rest will be under readmore

so heres the thing i want to preface: i used to really LOVE c!techno. i joined beginning of s2, right when exile started, and he was arguably my favorite character. since then though i've fallen out with him a LOT, to the point i almost... actively despite him at times (though mainly in a toxic kind of way which i can acknowledge is flawed).

in short, his actions started to speak louder than his words and i lost investment in his personal character struggles because of the actions he took (doomsday was my breaking point. i get feeling angry and betrayed, as well as seeking revenge against lmanberg, but his actions went too far for me to CARE and it hurt so many more characters as well.)

so when i speak, i come from a place of disliking him but also somewhat understanding the position c!techno apologists come from: i used to be one of them myself.

NOW, do i think he's a tyrant? no. for reference in my analysis, i try to look up the definition of terms to make sure they are utilized properly. while "tyranny" and "tyrannical" can have multiple uses, tyrant itself is a more specific term. to combine the top two definitions, a tyrant is referring to "an extremely oppressive, unjust, or cruel absolute ruler (who governs without restrictions, especially one who seized power illegally.)"

techno's position as an anarchist, imo, DOES indeed make him unable to be a tyrant. tyrants are rulers with very clear power over others from a structural way. anarchists are about the lack of structure or power over others and instead viewing the people around you as equals in power.

in forming the syndicate, they very explicitly worked to not designate a leader and instead make it so that no one would have any power over the others systemically. techno may have taken a integral role, yes, but it doesn't make him suddenly "the leader", its a role that wouldve had to be filled by someone (even if it was democratic to decide who to invite, they'd need someone to hand over the invite itself yknow? like no matter WHAT there needed to be A ROLE)

one could argue that he IS a leader in the shadow hierarchy of the syndicate (which, yes, is a real and professional term used in management courses despite sounding like it comes from a 4kids yugioh dub) in that everyone CONSIDERS and looks to him a leader without him having any actual structural basis behind it, but to argue that allows him to be a tyrant is in bad faith i believe. especially because to the people he would be "ruling", he ISNT oppressive, unjust, or cruel. they are his friends and support network and critical for a lot of his personal development (since feelings of betrayal and trust issues are critical to his character and why he acts the way he does). I wish we were able to SEE this develop more, but oh well.

but like i said: tyrant is fairly specific in definition. TYRANNY, and thus TYRANNICAL are not as limited. I've discussed their definitions here. originally, i made that post because i was angry at a take i had seen that claimed that, like you said, because techno was an anarchist and not part of any government or leadership position, he couldn't be tyrannical. to which i heartily disagree.

for something to be tyrannical, they simply must have an overarching/oppressive power over someone or something. it would not be inaccurate if i were to say that something is "under the tyranny" of a concept, because what it means is that something is under the power of another thing/concept. you can frankly call anything tyranny if it is widespread/overarching and you don't like it. mask mandates? tyranny, its forcing me to act in "rigorous condition". hell, theres even such things as tyranny of the majority in which people agree too much on one thing and it gives them unfair power or tyranny of the minority where people with minority opinions have too much power (thats a very grossly oversimplified definition of both, but it covers the base idea well enough for my point)

the point im making above isnt meant to be taken as "anything can be worked to be defined as tyranny thus it is a meaningless claim", it is that tyranny (and again, thus tyrannical) are very open and nonrestrictive terms.

to make it easier to define, alongside the definitions provided i want to add an explicit clause that is (imo) implied in the original definition: tyranny is... well, bad. that is to say if someone has power over a group but literally everyone is fine with it and agrees to it, its not tyranny. thats just a group of people getting along and one happens to have power over another. a leader does NOT equal a tyrant (as discussed above), so leadership should not be equated with tyranny.

thus as an example: wilbur acting as president (before the election) may have been "unelected" with power over his citizens, but no one was upset with that power. thus, he is not a tyrant and not acting tyrannically (as well as the fact his power was, arguably, NOT rigourous or absolute but thats another topic for another time). SCHLATT however IS a tyrant, as his power was absolute (he did not consult his cabinet) and forced people to comply instead of them complying willingly, thus he was acting tyrannically.

now to finally get to the damn point of this essay: where does c!techno lie? honest answer? it depends slightly on your perspective, but it depends a LOT on the future of the syndicate.

techno is incredibly clear in his goals: no governments, no corruption. in fighting with pogtopia, he is actively working to topple a tyranny-- he isn't tyrannical for doing that.

when he strikes out on nov 16th, it is because he opposes them forming a new government. when they oppose him and disagree, he launches an attack against them. is this tyranny? maybe, but probably not. he IS trying to impose his own physical strength and power (as well as his resources) over the others to stop them from doing what HE doesn't want them to do.

however its more nuanced than that:

1. hes lashing out emotionally as well as politically. he feels betrayed by those he trusted and he believed that they would destroy the government then go (i'm ignoring any debates on if he did or did not know that they planned another government, though it is a source of debate). but typically idk about you but i dont call tyranny for someone fighting with another person.

2. he also may be acting with good intent again, in HIS EYES. if tubbo was part of manburg, whos to say he wont be just as bad? he, in his pov, is likely trying to stop another tyrant before they rise.

3. and finally, and tbh the most damning from any perspective: he gives up. he quickly leaves then RETIRES without intent to try and attack again until he is later provoked. tyranny is defined by it not just being power, but power being USED. if he doesn't use his power to try and impose any will, then he's not tyrannical.

Doomsday I am also not going to touch very in depth on for much of the same reasons. My answer is again a "maybe", depending on the weight you personally place on each issue:

1. he's lashing out as revenge for the butcher army and as revenge against tommy for "betraying" him (though this one we explicitly know he was ignoring the fact tommy did not want to go through with it, however he still did trust and respect tommy regardless so his feelings are understandable anyway)

2. he sees new lmanberg as corrupt and tyrannical (which is undeniable: house arrest for noncompliance, exile without counsel, execution without trial, etc), and thus obligated to destroy it

but also, theres the implicit understanding he's doing this to send a message: do not form a government, or else. its a display of force that also works to warn others unless they want a similar fate. phil even explicitly states that he is doing so to send that message, so one could assume techno is doing the same alongside his personal reasoning listed above.

what i just described is the use of a oppressive and harsh (physical) power in order to gain compliance from people (that compliance being 'not making a government'). does that sound familiar? exactly. it follows the definition(s) of tyranny given previously. technoblade is acting in a way that is, by very definition, tyrannical.

so the debate shifts: is he valid in doing so because he is trying to PREVENT corruption and tyranny. like i said, new lmanberg was undeniably corrupt at points. i held nothing against techno for trying to topple manburg, so does that apply to new lmanberg as well? short answer: i dont know. it depends on your specific opinion of what is acceptable. its like the paradox of tolerance: to have a truly tolerant society, you have to be intolerant of intolerance. to have a truly non-tyrannical society, do you need to have a tyranny enforcing it?

personally (and bc im a lmanberg loyalist /hj) i say it is. regardless of the corruption of new lmanberg, they are also giving a threat to EVERYONE. even those who are innocent, they are presented with the exact same threat and rule set: if you make a government, you will be destroyed.

(which, small divergence here, is part of why debating c!techno is so frustrating. so many times you end up hitting a "well it depends on your political views" situation and there ISNT a correct answer there. im here to analyze characters for fun, not debate political theory)

so: the syndicate then. this is where this debate really "took off" and i think its due to one very specific miscommunication about its goals and plans. the syndicate, upon formation, declares itself to stand against corruption and tyranny. when they are found, the syndicate would work to destroy it. so heres the golden question: what do THEY define as corruption and tyranny? if you were to go off c!techno's previous statements, seemingly "any government" is a valid answer. however, he also states he's fine with people just being in groups together hanging together.

what then DEFINES A GOVERNMENT for them? what lines do they have to sort out what does "deserve to be destroyed" and what does "deserve to exist freely"

this is a hypothetical i like to post when it comes to syndicate discourse:

i have a group of people. lets say 5 or so for example. they all live together and build together. any decisions made that would impact the entire group they make together and they must have a unanimous agreement in order to proceed, but otherwise they are free to be their own people and do their own thing. when you ask them, they tell you they are their own nation and they have a very clearly defined government: they are a direct democracy. does the syndicate have an obligation to attack?

there is absolutely no hierarchy present. there is no corruption present. but, they ARE indeed a government. is that then inherently negative? my answer is fuck no (see the whole "difference between a tyrant and a leader" thing above).

but THATS where the issue of this discourse LIES. in some people's eyes, the answer to that is YES. techno's made it clear "no government" is his personal view, but does that spread to the syndicate as a whole? do they act preemptively in case it DOES become corrupt? is it inherently corrupt because its a government, regardless of how it is ruled? the fact of the matter is because of how little we've seen the syndicate work as a SYNDICATE, we don't know that answer. so we're left to debate and speculate HOW they would act.

if the syndicate were to let that government exist, then they are not tyrannical. they are showing that they are working to stop tyranny and corruption, just like in pogtopia again.

if the syndicate were to destroy/attack that government, then they are tyrannical. simple as that. they are enforcing a rule of their own creation without any nuance or flexibility under the threat of absolute destruction.

miscommunication in debates comes, in my opinion, in the above. of course theres more points of nuance. for example:

would the syndicate allow a government like i had described with early lmanberg, where there is an established hierarchy but everyone in the country consents to said leadership? on one hand, there is no tyranny or corruption present which is what they are trying to work against. on the other hand, theres more a possibility of it occuring. perhaps they'd find a middle road between the two binary options of "leave or destroy" i am presenting, such as checking in occasionally to ensure no corruption occurs.

but if they were to destroy it without, for lack of a better word, "giving it a chance" they would be, in my opinion, tyrannical. they would be going aginst their words of opposing corruption and instead abusing their power to gain compliance.

your/others opinions may differ, again it depends on if you see it as worth it to possibly stop future tyranny or if a hierarchy is INHERENTLY a negative thing.

part of the reason so many blog gave up this debate, beyond not getting very clear answers for the syndicate, is because of the nuance present. there. is. no. right. answer. every single person will view it differently, because there is no universally agreed upon truth of right or wrong here. BUT, i hope this helps shed some light on the discussion and my thoughts on it

[anonymouslyangsty]

Continuation of the “what if the Ishimaru scandal didn’t happen” idea because, per usual, @Cat-but-bread brought up good points. How would the change affect the Ishimondo bromance? What if the scandal did happen, just later on in Taka’s life? 

Read more because my reply was so long I just decided to make another post.

It would definitely affect the Taka Mondo bromance. Taka is still his usual rule following self, but he isn’t a hall monitor or part of the morals committee. Which means that, while he’s probably kinda bossy INSIDE the classroom (he’s a TOTAL teacher’s pet), he likely isn’t going to be confronting kids anywhere else. Plus, he’s way more laid back about rules in this AU, since it’s not his job to deal with that.

That all means that Mondo and Taka wouldn’t have nearly as many fights, since Taka would have fewer reasons to tell him to behave. And that appears like a good thing for their relationship on surface level. But really, would they have become friends if they hadn’t been constantly at each other's necks?

At face value, Taka and Mondo are wildly different people. Rule follower vs rule breaker, orderly vs chaotic. If these differences didn’t force them to constantly butt heads, would they have ever seen their mutual passion and determination? Likely not. Without that aggression, their relationship would’ve just been lukewarm dislike, with Taka seeing Mondo as just another delinquent, and Mondo seeing him as another egotistical boot licker.

The class gap would also make things a tad harder, since Taka’s freaking rich in this AU. Mondo probably sees him as the “slightly nicer, but way more annoying Togami”

That being said, I can still see these two being friends. But we, again, need to force them together to achieve that, because they wouldn’t interact much otherwise. Since Taka’s the Ultimate Tutor in this au, I can totally see him trying to help Mondo’s grades (probably at the request of a teacher, because there’s no way Mondo asks for help).

Which would be...frustrating for both parties. And I can see that frustration leading to a sauna fight.

As for this AU messing with the parallels between Taka and Mondo...yeah it does. Taka wouldn’t have that same need to prove himself he has in canon since his family name isn’t soiled. He also wouldn’t have faced the same struggles to prove himself as good despite his grandfather

On the contrary, Taka would benefit from his grandfather’s legacy. Even if kids don’t really like him much personally, everyone’s going to be hesitant to be terribly mean to the grandson of the prime minister. People would judge him based on his family, just like in canon. That means people assume Taka’s good and smart because his grandfather is seen as such. Having a good family name can go a long way.

So even if Taka isn’t the smartest, or the most charming, people are going to assume he is. Which could lead to Taka having a bit of an imposter syndrome situation where he feels like he has to live up to the expectations placed onto him. Like he has to pretend to be as smart as his grandfather.

Which...could make up for the broken parallel. Mondo feels like a fraud because he lied about what happened with Daiya, and thus acts hyper masculine to hide that guilt. Perhaps Taka tries to appear smarter than he is and studies constantly to seem like he’s not a disappointment to the Ishimaru name.

And it’s not as if this Taka doesn’t have to work hard. I’m a firm believer that Taka isn’t naturally academically gifted whatsoever. To get into HP as the Ultimate Tutor, he’d still have to do so much studying. So hard work would still be an important part of who he is.

The fact that he doesn’t have the genius grudge would actually work to his disadvantage in this situation, because it means he doesn’t have the same appreciation for hard work. He might look down on himself somewhat for needing to work so hard to understand what comes easily for others.

That feeling only gets worse when you see how wildly successful his grandfather was. How does he live up to that legacy? Especially when he has to work so hard just to be a good student. Perhaps that’s why he became a tutor, because he knows how it feels not to understand things as quickly as others.

Both here and in canon, Taka uses his grandfather as a measure of his own success. In canon, he has to surpass his grandfather without falling into the same corruption he did. “I have to surpass lazy geniuses! I have to prove that I’m moral in all things!”

For this Taka, Toranosuke is something to live up to rather than surpass, because he wouldn’t see the flaws in the man. “I have to live up to the Ishimaru name! I can’t be some blot on our legacy!”

So yeah. I think the change does mess with the Ishimondo parallel, but it makes a different parallel in the process. Both are struggling to live up to the legacy of someone they perceive as much better than them. Both to some degree put on a facade of strength (hyper masculinity and genius respectively) to appear that they live up to those expectations.

Now the idea of the scandal still happening, but happening later is...very interesting. I’d say it happens in HP, which means that Toranosuke Ishimaru is probably retired or getting close to doing so (he died a few years before Taka got into HP in canon, but stress and lack of money for medical assistance probably contributed to that, so he’s still alive and kicking in this situation)

It’s definitely worse for Taka if the scandal happens later. Because here, Toranosuke is a role model, someone to live up to rather than surpass. To learn that someone you’ve looked up to your entire life is a fraud, a liar...that’s a lot.

Canon Taka had the benefit of learning of his grandfather’s treachery earlier on, before the idolization of the man could become a core motivation for his behavior. Along with that, he grew up with the scandal, and thus the infamy of the Ishimaru name.

Tutor Taka would be having his entire world uprooted before him. Suddenly the name Ishimaru is a mark of shame. Suddenly his grandfather isn’t someone to respect, but someone to hate. Suddenly the comforts he was used to, having time to spend with his father, having enough money to do what he wants, is gone.

Taka is not the type of person to handle change easily, so it would be a massive shock to him. And suddenly he’d have to deal with the side eyes of the peers that he likely didn’t call friends, but sure were on friendly terms with. Now people are wondering if he even deserves to be in HP, or if his grandfather bought him his ultimate.

Not to mention that Taka would have to actively deal with the situation, not just the fallout of it. Like the news would be releasing every day on the situation, with everything getting worse each time he turns on the television. Imagine the press hounding him on what's going on, suddenly trying to vilify him because of what is happening with his grandfather. He’s no longer the ‘bright up and coming Ishimaru” but someone who benefited from corruption.

He’d absolutely defend his grandfather. He would refuse to believe that he would do something like that, because Taka always saw him as such a perfect man. But once the evidence becomes irrefutable, when Taka can no longer deny that his grandfather’s corrupt...I can see him clamming up like he did after trial 2 for a while. In both situations, his perception of someone close to him was ruthlessly forced to change.

It’s a bad time all in all. Taka would be losing so many support systems at once. The general trust of the school population, his idolization of his grandfather, his father’s ability to regularly spend time with him. Suddenly people don’t trust him as much, he’s constantly being hounded by reporters.

[zephyr-paladyn]

masculaxi character analysis/appreciation

it's been over a year since gala masculaxi's release and i'm still not over it

(heavy dragalia lost spoilers ahead)

(gala mascula does not exist btw) i just love how mascula and laxi are designed as two parts of a whole, basically one half of the same ideal/same person. you can't have one without the other. if you heavily favor one over the other i dont trust you... only half joking. when laxi went berserk and mascula had to save her by giving her his heart in their debut ch11, that was just... such a moment... it shows them at their most "separate" (laxi in berserk/annihilation mode, and mascula stopping at nothing to disengage combat.) which sets us up for their development as two hearts in one body. in masculaxi (flame blade)'s story, they're still at odds but they begin to learn to cooperate in the same body, and this is the beginning of their "convergence." in ch14 of the main story is when we see the beginnings of eden mode. when all the androids sacrifice themselves for euden and co to advance, mascula realizes it his empathetic heart that influenced them and led them to their painful deaths. he then shuts down his ego circuit out of guilt. when the team is in a tight spot, and only masculaxi can save the day (since their body is unaffected due to the miasma only affecting organic lifeforms,) laxi goes into their heart to search for mascula and plead him to help her. all this time, laxi had envied mascula's heart for being "more human," but realized that maestro had written the fear of death in all of the android's hearts, and as such, laxi understood the weight of their yearning for peace, with the act of their self-sacrifice for euden. (later we do learn with gala masculaxi that mascula had been influencing laxi more. here we see laxi's influence on mascula to urge him to fight.) laxi gets mascula out of the gay baby jail zone, releases her limiters, and activates annihilation mode hastily. mascula then guides her attacks to the correct targets, which is the first instance we see of mascula engaging in any sort of fighting. in this state of laxi's annihilation mode combined with mascula's guided assault, a new mode beyond annihilation mode becomes available to them: eden mode, when their hearts become one. this mode concentrates all the mana around them inside their body's mana kiln, and gives them even more power. mascula still dislikes fighting and does not want to do it as much, but has a newfound conviction and will not run away when he is needed. an interesting line here is mascula saying this: ▷It's as if he knew our hearts would one day become one. But how...?◁ indicating that from the start, they were truly two halves of a whole ideal. shortly after the release of ch14, we get the release of the flame dagger gala masculaxi unit, which contains eden mode in their gameplay, and expands upon the "two hearts acting as one" deal they have going on. laxi, mascula, and luca head to the ruins of maestro's lab in order to gain more clues on how eden mode works. laxi equips a new armament meant to accommodate eden mode (and demands praise of how good she looks, lol. also laxi is much more snarky in this story which is a treat. she's so funny. but also this shows mascula's emotional influence on her!!!!!) laxi learns of how eden mode works, and essentially it's a release of all limiters and rerouting all circuits to their internal mana kiln, but elimination protocol is activated automatically as well which does not make any distinction between friend and foe. it enhances laxi's combat ability, but mascula has to take care of elimination protocol since he has access and control of it. hence, in eden mode, laxi goes all out in attacking, while mascula controls the body's movements and targets. however this is only possible if their hearts act as one. the two are attacked by dyrenell forces and activate eden mode against them, but mascula temporarily loses the will to fight in the middle of the battle, destabilizing and deactivating eden mode. luca is captured and a villager shields them from an oncoming attack, believing in mascula's peaceful ideals. laxi engages tactical retreat and they escape. they engage in a plan to save luca but are attacked by imperials again. they try to go into eden mode but mascula once again disengages eden mode. mascula tells laxi of his regrets and frustrations that he keeps holding her back, but laxi tells him that she found herself synchronizing with him. with the villager (that mascula had saved before and in turn protected masculaxi earlier,) laxi found the value in mercy for enemies. by having laxi bend towards mascula's will, they're able to take on the imperials who chased after them with a truly synchronized eden mode. ▷Laxi, give me the strength to fight!◁ Granted. Now give me the kindness required to temper my actions. ▷Heh. Take all you need!◁ their system strain falls, and they're able to defeat the imperials. laxi, mascula, luca, and euden talk together after all is done. laxi takes interest in a cat, while mascula teaches her how to interact with it. Euden: Laxi and Mascula say the maestro who made them was a peace-loving man, but... Luca: No, I getcha. Why would some peacenik give something THIS much power? ch14 and their gala story really shows how the two embodied different sides of the same ideal -- "fighting for peace," and how they begin to converge upon that ideal. initially laxi only focused on "fighting" and mascula only focused on "peace," but A compassionate heart. ▷The courage to fight.◁ -Eden Mode, activate!- their character development after this is a bit wonky at times because it sets up for gala mascula who is really poorly written and doesn't necessarily align with the ideals established within ch14 and gala masculaxi, or even the development directly before it either. with ageless artifice and ch18 (when the team first enters the faerie kingdom and gets lost,) we get teasers of mascula with his own body. in ageless artifice, eirene steals mascula's body and intends to use it against masculaxi, but mascula takes control of his body and proclaims that his body isn't necessarily him, but what IS him is his resolve to fight for peace alongside his friends. (stays in line with gala masculaxi, right?) in ch18 we also see mascula having a "nightmare/illusion" in which he gains his body back but at the cost of laxi going berserk once more, showing that they truly cannot function at their "fullest ideal" without each other in the same body. laxi asks mascula if he wants his own body back, and mascula says he sometimes misses it but overall he wants to continue fighting with her the way they are. this is echoed in ch19, take this exchange for example: Mascula, I know you were thinking of your own body while lost in the mountain's illusions. You gave up your body to save me, and I owe you an apology for that. ▷Don't apologize—I wanted to do it. Plus, being with you makes me happy.◁ I want to see a peaceful world just as we are in this body now—together. ▷I feel the exact same way.◁ ▷No more hesitation. You and I are going to fight with Maestro as a team.◁ And together... ▷...we will bring peace.◁ reaffirming their ideals together and keeping in line with their development, right? mascula doesn't WANT his own body back. he wants to keep fighting with laxi, that's THE WHOLE POINT OF THEIR CHARACTERS. which does not make sense when we get the remote control BS IN THE SAME CHAPTER??? (teased from the ending of ageless artifice with chelle) and mascula has his own body again as a remote control system. now the portrayal in the main story wasn't AS bad but... the real problem comes to gala mascula as an adventurer with his stories and voice lines. this "mascula" proclaims of how much he loves/misses his body and how he "doesn't need laxi dragging him around anymore." like sure he sometimes feels being in laxi's body with her is bothersome but overall, at his heart, he wouldn't really say something like that??? mascula your voice lines are so contradictory to what just happened in the main story and what you said in ageless artifice what happened!!!!!!! his adventurer story lacks the cooperative laxi-mascula dynamic we knew and loved, and instead pushes mascula front and center to try to push him to do things himself. we didn't really need mascula getting his own body back anyways, but you COULD'VE AT LEAST written it so that they have more emphasis on cooperation with each other?? god im sorry i just. AUGH he's so OBVIOUSLY hastily pushed into their development arc and he loses his characterization. it's obvious gala mascula wasn't intended to be a thing in the initial plan for masculaxi... i am not forgiving every single one of you who sent in feedback for playable mascula. once again only half joking... maybe only a quarter joking. 1/8ths joking. radioactive decay graph joking. (also just a tiny nitpick: you can apparently run gala mascula and laxi/gala laxi on the same team. lore compliancy who? eden mode can't be activated while the remote control unit is active. but whatever) though another interesting plot point is brought up in his story though? maestro's origins, the writing of "seek peace" on mascula and laxi's bodies being in a language that only the sky city ark people would know.. with such an elaborate plan for such a complex android duo, and everything else mysterious about this man, just who is he? his master plan of masculaxi was really amazing to see come to fruition... maestro fought on the side of dyrenell, against dragons -- against elysium you could say. although ex machina seeks the destruction of terrestrial life because they "allied with the dragons" (a misconception,) on the contrary maybe maestro aimed to create an ultimate weapon for terrestrials to defend themselves against the dragons. however this weapon had to also understand the value of what it was fighting for -- learning for itself how to go about "fighting for peace." thus, the creation of the twins mascula and laxi; two halves of a whole. by having a compassionate and adaptable heart, they can change with the times, understand the people around them, and decide on their own what the best course of action is in various situations. i love love LOVE masculaxi and how they're written!! (for the most part.) two of my faves in the game and i love them and their characterization so much, i just wish more people could see the intricacies of their relationship and how they're literally like. 1/2 of the same thing. it's such a beautifully written dynamic and development, and i want others to appreciate it too.

a little bonus, in this character art, you can see the "star tetrahedron" shapes. in sacred geometry symbolism, the "star tetrahedron" is the sixth shape enclosed within "metatron's cube." these shapes, and this cube, are said to maintain the balance of the world itself and its flows/processes. as for the "star tetrahedron" itself, it represents duality: physical body and spiritual self; male and female; and heaven and earth. this ties into mascula and laxi's characters: mascula controlling the "mind" in eden mode while laxi focuses on the attacking "body;" and mascula and laxi being of different genders. as for "heaven" and "earth," this could represent maestro coming from the sky city ark, and masculaxi being technology intended to aid humans. alternatively for "heaven" and "earth," the fact that the star tetrahedron is enclosed within "metatron's cube" may be a pointer to metatron in-universe. the archangels all have white hair, a trait shared by masculaxi. additionally, sandalphon is somewhat mechanical/technological herself. masculaxi being man-made (of the earth,) versus their potential connection to the angels (of the heavens.)

[olivieblake]

I know we are concerned about trump rolling back many rights such as Roe v Wade and gay marriage etc, and if there was ever a time it would be done it would be now with the court the way it is but I wonder sometimes if those two issues are kinda like carrots dangling in front of a horse. A major issue we have is the left has nothing to unite them there are so many ideas about what needs to be done and it's impossible to have everyone be represented by one person. (1)


the right seems to push most everything to the side for the issues of abortion and gay marriage, and I guess guns and money. To me it feels like there would be benefits to stringing them along in order to get their votes year after year. Fighting to keep a law doesn’t give the same fire as fighting to change something as seen by how many on the left are willing to not vote cause Biden is exactly like trump despite the very real threat of the loss of these rights. I don’t mean like there is no reason to worry/vote cause it won’t happen, I think the threat the most serious its ever been but I wondered your thoughts on how much these issues are used to keep the GOP votes rolling in or if you think they’d struggle once those issues were gone or am I totally wrong, ha. It’s frustrating as a christian (or was idk anymore its turned so ugly) to watch others give up their morals for something they might not get just cause they are so simple to manipulate imo

I won’t lie to you, anon, this was... hard to make sense of, so let me open by restating what I think you’re trying to say? it seems like maybe you’re arguing that abortion and gay marriage are hot button issues that generate a controversial polarity where everyone is driven to vote based on their position on those issues, so if those issues were no longer on the table there would be nothing to keep people actively participating. it also seems like maybe you resent this because you’d like to vote your morals, but based on these controversial social issues you’re being forced to take a political position you don’t align with fully. 

here’s what I think you’re right about: the american two-party system forces a polarity that favors centrism, or has up to this point. yes, the left is a collection of extremely variant positions that are forced further and further center-right as a party as a result of the right becoming increasingly fundamentalist. this is arguably the greatest flaw in american policy construction: the founders did not believe that anyone after george washington would ever garner 51% of the popular vote, meaning that there would always be a tie and then the senate, representing the states, would choose the next president. basically, they set up a system much more like the british bicameral legislature than what we have now, where the states would select the next president from among themselves. but because the federalists and democratic republicans mobilized the way they did, we have the system we have now, where every issue is essentially black and white; either yes or no. 

dichotomies are inherently problematic, and while I do not agree that the left lacks unity in their policies, you’re correct that a “true” left does not exist in the united states; aka bernie and even warren should not be democrats if biden is also a democrat. that’s fair, or would be, if we did not have only two ideologies to choose from.

I do think there are some flaws with your premise (? as I interpret it) that these specific social issues are “hot” and/or controversial enough to drive people to the polls vs. being the actual, true defining issues for each party. I disagree. the politics of abortion are not about the value of human life, but the autonomy of women. the politics of marriage are not about whether homosexuality is morally reprehensible, but about whether the state should allow faith-based policy to control how two consenting individuals choose to live. in my mind, these positions are consistent with the concept that government should interfere against systemic prejudices, especially where it’s necessary to maintain our foundational separation of church and state.

the fact is also that the right is a mess. a true conservative party in this country would oppose ALL government regulation; they should be anti-gun regulation AND pro-choice, and essentially pro-everything that isn’t government interference. the fact that the republican party doesn’t fall within these theoretical lines is a flaw as a result of who holds power in that party: white christian men. in order to maintain their social power, they bend their political agenda wherever necessary to ensure that women and minorities do not gain autonomy where they have always maintained control. this is what unites the right, which means that the “left,” which is really more center AND everything left of center, supports politics that do dignify minorities. 

would this be the case if we had multiple political parties? probably not, so your frustration is shared by many. you’ve probably heard this many times, but essentially the argument for biden, even by those who know he will not provide them the policies their consciences dictate, is that he has already shown he—and the party—can be pushed further left. he did not sign on with concepts of the green new deal until bernie and liz warren’s campaigns dictated that politically he needed to, at which point AOC signed on to help him build his own. so is he perfect? no. but if biden wins, there is room to keep fighting for what we want from democratic policy; he is responsive to public pressure. if 45 wins, we lose, end of story. fascism cannot be pushed.

morals are difficult to argue when it comes to politics. for example, the very popular but nonsensical “socially liberal but fiscally conservative” dichotomy is an untenable paradox that a person can only hold as a beneficiary of the existing system. when only one group of people has maintained generational/inherited wealth that allows them to benefit from a lack of social programs and government intervention, of course there is no such thing as having only one foot in the water. the overlap between the christian agenda and white supremacy is also difficult to separate, because while theologically christianity should promote certain values, christianity as an institution was born from imperialism, forced conversion, and a doctrine of constant proselytization. I say this as a catholic; I don’t dislike religious beliefs. but the way religion motivates political decisions is fundamentally flawed.

if your argument (or the argument of those around you) is that the problem with this election is that the left is a collection of ideologies lumped together in order to oppose some very narrow policy decisions, yes, you’re right. but if we pushed even remotely left from where we are now, we might be closer to the center, and then we can continue to push left. I would argue not that this is a time to abandon your principles just to win the presidency, but to at least be unselfish enough to realize that institutional change must be affected incrementally; to recognize that even if your life is not severely affected by 45 and the republican party winning over biden and the centrist-dems, far-right or alt-right policies do undoubtedly cause damage to countless others. you may not get everything you want from biden, but the opportunity to continue to achieve policy decisions you support is there.

try not to allow others around you to create a false dichotomy where this is somehow a choice between two evils; it isn’t. it’s a choice between a closed door and an open one, and even a baby step is a step. 

[k-s-morgan]

You have this idea that Harry needs to be obsessed with Tom to not leave him after the latter does something unforgivable, but I don’t see that as being true. Harry knows who he’s dealing with. And he is a man with a mission...I don’t imagine him ever abandoning it. Even if he didn’t love Tom he would stay because of his sense of duty towards his unborn loved ones. 2/8

Something I love in book Harry is that Voldemort’s darkness doesn’t faze him: “I won’t blast people out of my way just because they're there," said Harry. "That's Voldemort's job." 3/8

Like...where did that Harry go!? Your Harry seems to clutch at his pearls at the mere idea of Tom being a murdering asshole like... honey! That doesn’t make any sense.. he know this man all his life, saw the worst of him over and over again, the hell he’s surprised for?! And no, I am not buying the whole he was tricked by Tom’s oh so clever mask because book Harry is suspicious of everything! He gets obsessed! self-preservation mixed with a raw instinct that something isn’t right. 4/8

We teach people how to treat us. and Harry? He taught Tom to disregard his feelings. It’s the Dursleys all over again. unforgivable. 5/8

I was supposed to want harry and Tom to end up together but I don’t. No story I have read so far—no matter how messed up—managed to kill this ship for me, until I read this one. When they kissed I felt nothing. I suspect that when they finally end up together I won’t feel a thing either, you managed to kill any empathy I had towards the characters. 6/8

Sadly, I will stop reading your story. if you told me months ago that I would, I would’ve laughed out loud, but I just can’t be further disappointed anymore. I will forever treasure the first few chapters you posted, because they are perfect. It’s everything I felt as an obsessive/possessive child, but lately I felt nothing but a repulsed detachment from Harry’s constant whimpering. 7/8

If I learned something from my own experience it would be: Possessive people don’t need people who can’t handle their darkness, just keep that in mind, and please, please listen to criticism. You seem to only listen to people who agree with you, I saw you right off genuine criticism of Harry’s actions as silly frustration from your readership. It isn’t. You know something is wrong with your characterisation when more than one person gets hot and bothered about it. 8/8

---------------------------

I didn’t get the first part of your ask, so I’m publishing the ones that went through! Though to be honest, I’m not sure what you want me to tell you. I’m writing a dark and twisted story, one that’s definitely not for everyone. You can think or feel anything you do toward it - that’s normal. I’ve read my fair share of fics that made me rage-quit or made me depressed for days, and that’s fine, too, because we have our individual perceptions, likes, dislikes, and triggers.

I’m taken aback by your words that I shrugged off the criticism of Harry as silly. I addressed the message I got about it with respect and attention, writing an essay-long reply to explain my view and elaborate on my characterization. I don’t even consider this criticism, just differences in opinion: this is how I see canon Harry and the version he could become under certain circumstances. Harry was always forgiving. He was ready to move the world for people he loves. In WHGTB, he went back in time exactly because he wanted Tom to not grow up as Voldemort (and in many ways, he succeeded). In his understanding, he did everything in his power to make sure that Tom would not be a murderer, which is why he was stunned and devastated to learn that he failed here.There were no more victims after Beth, and Harry clings to the idea that his system is working, and that Tom will be able to hold himself off despite the situation he finds himself in. When Tom comes close to crossing the line, Harry is terrified, but he finds comfort in the thought that Tom stopped every time. Harry’s own morality became grey in this process, and to me, it’s believable in terms of his characterization. 

I don’t agree that Harry is doing “constant whimpering” - I see him as actively fighting for Tom in every way he can (until the end, where he can’t take it anymore and leaves). Tom might have out-played him for now in a long-term perspective, but for years, Harry remained victorious because Tom was forced to follow his rules. I think Harry has objective expectations: he doesn’t wait for Tom to suddenly develop empathy and become a compassionate person. But he expects Tom to differentiate between acceptable and unacceptable, and to act accordingly. He remains highly suspicious to Tom’s actions, but he never expected himself to be the active target of Tom’s plotting.

You can hate it, be angry about it, think it’s OOC - that’s the matter of your perception. I have another one, and my story is obviously based on it.  

Also, this part: “You know something is wrong with your characterisation when more than one person gets hot and bothered about it“ - actually, no, that absolutely doesn’t mean my characterization is wrong) It means it’s controversial enough to evoke different intense feelings in other people. Look at any semi-popular character in any book or movie - there will be lots of people arguing about their personality or decisions. That’s the beauty of fiction: it makes different people feel different things and reach different conclusions. 

I’m sorry you aren’t enjoying the story any more, but of course it’s your choice. It’s not like I’m forcing anyone to read it) Like I always say, to each their own.

Edited to add: Also, to others who might decide to send me similar messages: even if you’re polite about it, I might not reply to you because I believe I’ve said everything I could about this matter here and in this post. I don’t have anything to add)

[ardenttheories]

I super appreciate how willing you are to call out this shit with hs and this isn’t @ you but I feel like there isn’t much discussion with the writer’s team (especially kate’s) racism and how they act like the moral high point of stuff (ex: blaming tavros for getting abused) they they really don’t have any authority over

If I’m completely honest, I’ve taken to avoiding the writers like the plague. I’ve come to deeply dislike them both as writers and people, so I mostly go off information I’ve received from the fandom and their disappointments when it comes to writing my posts (which I do verify beforehand, of course). 

However, I’m in no fucking way surprised by this. I’ve not seen any of the racism commentary (which I think we very much should talk about, frankly, and if you can think of any instances in specific, please send me links via the submit box), but I have seen the way they treat situations of abuse and victims of it.

You can see it fairly starkly in Pesterquest. Vriska, one of the most objectively abusive characters in the entirety of the original comic, is portrayed as a sad, confused girl, lonely, forced into a situation that she cannot control, one that she doesn’t like, one she wants to escape but has no idea how to. 

It’s clear as hell that they want you to be sympathetic for her. In fact, it’s really easy to be. When you go through her route, it’s almost impossible not to be sympathetic for Vriska based on the way they wrote her. 

But, Tavros? The victim of her abuse? The first thing Reader says is something along the lines of “But, Vriska? Dear sweet Vriska? You could never imagine her doing something like this - well, actually, you can”. And yet... our opinion of Vriska - that she’s a sympathetic character we should adore and who has only ever acted out of desperation - is meant to stay in tact. We’re not meant to dislike Vriska at any point in time, and we’re actively meant to help her ammend her relationships - which always comes down to “well, Vriska had it worse, so you should forgive her” (Terezi comes to mind here; her forgiving Vriska is very in character for her, to be sure, but it also feels like she dismisses so much of her own criticism and upsets towards Vriska in the process, as if... she was being pedantic the entire time?)

On top of that, if we look at the treatment of Jake in both the epilogues and HS2... oh, boy. He’s meant to be a beta cuck. You can just see that it’s lathered with that concept. For some reason, being forced into relationships you probably don’t want because of an addiction you might not be able to control, being turned into a sex object by two of your best friends who then both completely ignore your consent, the implications of him being sexually assaulted by Jane, his clear discomfort with her, the fact that he actively ran away from her - and yet, he’s still meant to go back and fix it because he’s “not being man enough”. Because escaping from your abuser isn’t good enough.

And that’s to say nothing about the fact that Jake’s had no presence in the Meat timeline after being brainfucked by Dirk. He’s likely suffered severe emotional trauma and psychological scarring from the fact that he was mindcontrolled into wholeheartedly loving someone he thought was his best friend, only to be cruelly dumped as some absolutely stupid (and OOC) form of revenge - and that’s it.

That’s all Jake is in the Meat timeline. Haha he gets denied look at him acting sooooo weird!!

He is reduced to this sort of... joke that we’re never really meant to think on more again. He suffered trauma and it’s just brushed aside because it’s not “plot relevant”? In both timelines? 

I think... a lot of my issue with this therefore comes from the treatment of male abuse survivors. Again, Vriska is actually treated fairly well. Her trauma is handled with the utmost respect, and you’re actively encouraged to feel guilty for her, to want to see her get better, get help, to see her have something good in her life for once. 

But, everyone else? Oh, well Tavros should have been stronger. Being permanently disabled is clearly an appropriate punishment for this! Jake’s just a beta cuck, his sexual, emotional, and physical abuse is no excuse for not going back to his highly abusive wife! And of course if we can’t get a joke out of him, we might as well not show him at all! 

Even Eridan gets this treatment in Pesterquest. Even though he goes through the extact same revelations as Vriska - about gender, about his dad, about how he sees the world, about his own struggles with what he wants to be and what he thinks he should be based on the Alternian class system - it’s almost like he’s not good enough for redemption. Like he somehow missed the mark for being a sympathetic character despite the fact that he’s actively shown, in some ways, to be more open and understanding of himself and his views than Vriska. When Eridan is objectively the least bad of the two, considering his worst crimes are “lashed out at friends in self defence with an overpowered weapon he did not create, while grimdark”. He’s just reduced to “haha, man can’t get head out of ass to be big brain, deserve all bad thing in life”. 

And, to go back to HS2 for Jade for a moment - remember how they reduced every complaint about how toxic she’s gotten, how questionably abusive and deeply unhealthy she is for her friends, to “well, the fandom doesn’t like her because she’s a woman of fucks”? 

The writers have a very strict “women get a free pass for any abuses they cause, but men can never be forgiven and should be laughed at” mentality, which is deeply disturbing. 

Give women the right to be strong characters, make them unlikeable, let them suffer trauma and lash out or make rash decisions because that’s what trauma can do to you, let them have unhealthy coping mechanisms, let them have redemptions - but don’t do so at the expensive of male abuse victims being seen as inferior and weak. Don’t do so at the expense of suggesting that men can’t be raped or can’t be abused by women. Don’t do so at the expense of saying “all men cannot be forgiven”. 

What the fuck sort of mentality are you providing to your audience with that? How are your male fans meant to recognise that they can be vulnerable and can be open and can improve if you don’t let the characters they watch do the same?

It’s so frustrating because they can write sympathetic characters. They can show what abuse does to you, how people cope, how that can become unhealthy - everything we see with Vriska in Pesterquest is evidence of this. But it’s reserved wholly for her, and then they go so far as to blame victims for being abused so that she doesn’t have to take responsibility for her actions. So that she can���t take criticism. 

God there’s just so fucking much wrong with it. Especially since, like, you’re right - they really have no authority to be saying any of this shit. If you don’t like the male characters, if you really couldn’t care for them less, that’s okay! You can focus on the women, build them up, make them detailed and developed, make them real - god knows we need that in media - but for the love of god don’t. Don’t shit on male abuse victims in the process.

[detroitbydark]

Crossed Connections: Part VI

Pairing: Tech x Togruta!Reader, Wrecker/OC

Characters: Echo, Ik'aad, Tech

Warnings: None

Summary: Sometimes awkward is cute and sometimes it's just not

Previous Parts and Extended Universe can be found here

------

Y/N glances over at the ARC Trooper perched carefully at the edge of the examination table. He sits stock still, skin as pale as Durosian marble. It is only the near silent whir of the drives in his right arm that let her know he’s more than a statue. Even then, the Techno Union’s wizardry with his prosthetic is so good that she doubts a human ear would pick it up. 

She wants to spit every time someone mentions Wat Tambor’s name.  The socket arm and it’s connections are a marvel of Techno Union know how but it rips at her heart. They’d created such a device, a prosthetic that could offer quality of life to those in need,  only to use it to further progress the Separatist agenda. 

“You’re quiet today” she notes leaning her hip against the counter behind her as she takes him in. Echo is pale still, unnaturally so, but his cheeks aren’t nearly as sallow or as sunken as when he’d first arrived on base. His eyes are brighter, if not guarded. He’s stopped twitching when she touches him.  

Being away from Skako Minor was doing well for him but he needed time and that wasn’t something the GAR was likely to allow. She’d heard whispers of him joining a mission with Clone Force 99 very soon.

 On Coruscant she’d not been immune to talk of clone rights and she was quick to agree with those who spoke out for them. It made her uncomfortable that all her work was only to prepare a newly liberated prisoner of war to be forced right back into the field. Wrecker had tried to explain that this was the life they were, quite literally,  made for. The life they trained for from creation. It didn’t sit right still.

“They refer to you as Ik’aad.”

She cocks her head at the question.  It’s the first thing Echo has said since arriving in her part of the bay for his daily once over.  They’ve been doing this song and dance for nearly a week now. Like any good clone, the healing process was progressing remarkably quick and his injuries were already fading.  Granted those were ones Y/N could see. 

He was sober, quiet, speaking little most days and then without end on others, as if the words had built up during his time in stasis and they had to spill out or risk causing him to implode with the weight of them. 

While he hadn’t offered her many smiles he also didn’t seem to dislike her company. She could work with that. 

His observation though is curious. Of course, she knew who they were. For better or worse she’d earned more than a few looks as information about the Bad Batch had trickled through the base's ranks, and with it her name attached to the unit.

She spent more than enough time with Wrecker for a very specific set of rumors to begin circulating. The thought of the whispers she’d heard the other day in the mess made her cheeks burn. It hadn’t done much for her socially. Her new roommate seemed immune to them though and that was a comfort she was glad to take. The ARC trooper didn’t seem to mind much either, though he had his own bits of gossip that followed him. 

“I suppose they do”

Y/N glances at the bleak reminders of his time under corporate control. The cold, alloy of Techno Union metal sticking out starkly against Echo’s skin.

The neural access ports, unfortunately, had been woven so tightly into the neural pathways of the Arc Troopers brain that there was no way to seperate the two. The ones that had connected his lungs and diaphragm while in stasis were no better. They were to be permanent fixtures. While Echo had joked just the day before that some of his vode would be jealous of the look she had a feeling he was not fond of the modifications.

Rex had been a frequent visitor during his first few days in the medbay, almost constant in his devotion to his vod. Surprisingly, so had some of her other charges. Hunter had stopped by a handful of times and both Wrecker and Crosshair had frequently sat with him to distract while she worked. Today was actually the first day he’d shown up for his treatment and not had an escort. The ARC Trooper had left an impression amongst the Bad Batch and only time would tell if that was a good thing or not. 

Y/N moves slowly to start his vitals. 2-1B, the medical droid was kept on standby when Echo was under her care. She’d discovered early on that too much time under the droids watchful eye and its inability to take things at the troopers pace had a tendency to exacerbate the former POWs anxiety. Y/N was ok working without Too-bee’s assistance and taking a more languid pace if it made her patient comfortable.

“Do you know what it means?”

Y/N glances up at the trooper. “I’ve never thought about it really” she says, turning to gather supplies to clean and redress the few deeper lacerations the ARC trooper still had, places where there had not been enough skin to pull together to suture. 

She makes a small gesture with her fingers and Echo begins peeling his shirt off. It gets hung on the edge of his prosthetic and he struggles for a moment, frustration evident before he takes a deep breath and slowly uncouples it from the alloy. He folds the black shirt neatly and places it atop his armor as Y/N finishes laying out supplies on her work table and rolls it next to his perch. Slipping on gloves, she begins peeling spent bacta patches off, holding the skin taught as she does to ease the tug on his skin. “So, are you going to leave me in suspense or are you going to tell me?”

Echo likes the way she smiles at him. It makes what she does easier. He tries not to flinch as she removes the last patch. 

The engineers, the doctors, Tambor those who’d performed his modifications had looked at him like anything other than a science experiment, a tool, a profit margin. Y/N sees him as a person. She accommodates him. She’s learned quickly his ins and outs and she doesn’t push. She treats him like an individual. And she smiles. She smiles so bright and full that she lights the room, like star shine on a dark night. Her presence soothed him. She made him feel like he had choices and the power to make them.

“Baby. They call you Baby” the first time he’d heard the words slip from Wrecker’s mouth he’d done a double take.  Then he’d heard it from Hunter, and finally, Crosshair. It was a term of endearment he hadn’t heard from a clone before. The way they treated her was soft, even Crosshair who was rough and callous to the other troopers, the Regs, seemed to thaw, if only slightly,  for the little Togruta.

Y/N shrugs, “Hmm?” She hums plopping onto a stool and spinning around a few times before she rolls in front of him and offers him a shining smile, pearly incisiors peeking out. “That’s cute. You gonna call me baby too?” She teases.

Echo feels his cheeks heating. “Could I? Would that be... strange?”

Y/N shrugs again, “I don’t think so” she says motioning toward his bare chest. She takes a piece of bacta soaked gauze and waits for his nod before she begins cleansing the minor lacs and scrapes. Her touch is light as she moves. Echo’s eyes drift shut. Touch was still… touch was something novel and when he was given a bit of softness he was going to soak up every bit he could.

“Ik’aad” he tests the name out. He’s spoken so little Mando’a since his capture that it feels foreign on his tongue, not unpleasant, more like a long forgotten friend he needed to become reacquainted with.

When his eyes open back he’s greeted by an impish grin. “See that’s not so bad.”

He’s not sure if she is talking about the wound care or the nickname. He nods anyway as she pats the areas dry and applies fresh bacta patches, fewer than the day before.

“You know what I’ve got to do now?” She questions softly. 

This he did know and he feels his shoulders tense at the thought. The metal ports implanted along his skull and back had been placed prior to going into stasis. They allowed the Techno Union access to his memory’s as well as a means to keep his respiratory system functional. The skin surrounding the ports had healed but had never had a chance to callous or grow accustomed to the push and pull that movement caused. His freedom and sudden increase in activity had caused sores to develop around the ports themselves, the skin raw and chaffing. The doctors had all been in agreement that with time the skin would toughen and the sores would heal but in the interim it left him uncomfortable and required daily tending.

Y/N- Ik’aad, he corrects mentally, rolls her stool slowly around the exam table, letting her feet flop in front of her and pull herself around. He’s tense but he can’t help the weak tug at the corner of his mouth at her antics, she looks up and catches his eye with a knowing grin.

She stands, forgetting the stool in lieu of a more upright position. “Why do you think they call me Ik’aad?” She asks conversationally, trying out the word for herself,  as one hand falls to his shoulder Her movements allow him to telegraph where here next touch would land.  She did it the same way each time. Top to bottom. Left to right. It bred a sense of familiarity and, on the worst days, gave him points of reference for how long it would take. In the beginning she’d talked him through each step of the process until he’d asked her to stop. Since then she’d tried to distract him. They both knew what she was doing but neither found fault in it so she continued her chit chat and he continued to listen. 

Y/N begins moving a fresh piece of bacta moistened gauze around one port, cleaning the crust and debris that clung to the wound away. Echo tries to focus on her question and not the sting of the antiseptic as the gauze washes away the dried flakes of drainage.

“You’re small” he starts “like, you-could-fit-in-my-pocket-and-go-on-missions tiny”

Y/N giggles as she continues to work, “is that so?”

Echo shrugs, “you’re  kind of adorable too-“

“Not you too! You sound like Wrecker.” she growls playfully, “If you start telling me you want to pinch my cheeks I swear, Echo...” she threatens without any real threat.

“Nothing like that. You’re like- like- “ he looks for a word. He knows there’s one that fits but it eludes him. “I think you just have a way about you that makes them feel...” he shrugs.

“Well if you don’t know what they’re thinking what do you think? How do I make you feel?” It’s an honest question, born of genuine curiosity. Like the clones in the Bad Batch, he kept coming back to see her when any medic, clone or civvie, could do what she was doing.

“You make me feel warm.” He says without hesitation. “For so long everything was so cold, distant and you’re-“ he snaps his fingers and Y/N startles fingers pressing into the flesh where she was beginning to work at the next row of ports. “Vod’ika” he says firmly flinching at the press.

“Translation Echo?”

“Uhh, little sibling. Sister or brother. It’s interchangeable.” He explains. A smile splits his face knowing he’s finally placed the feeling she drew out of him and what he assumed the other as well-

“Y/N?” The question is followed by a sharp knock to the wall nearest the thick curtain that separates the room from the rest of the med bay. 

Echo and Y/N turn toward the familiar voice. Y/N gives him a questioning look and he nods.

“Come on in Tech? Is everything ok?” Y/N places a hand to Echo’s bare shoulder as she tosses the used gauze in a nearby bin. The clone watches curiously as Tech’s helmet, visor flipped up,  flicks ever so slightly from Y/N to where her hand rested than back again.

“I- I didn’t know you were busy. Everything’s fine.” He clarifies quickly. Even modulated, his voice is just a touch higher than Echo is used to. “I just wanted to see- I just thought I’d swing by”

“We were just finishing up” she turns back to Echo and motions to his shirt. “You good to gear back up”. He pulls the blacks on silently as he watches the two.

Tech doesn’t call the medic Ik’aad. It’s the first time Echo’s noticed. He also realizes Tech is rarely around when she is. Echo watches the engineer take a step into the room and again his narrowed eyes flick back to where Echo is seated.

“What can I do for you?” She questions peeling away gloves and turning toward the sink to wash her hands.   Echo notices for the first time something different in the tone of her voice, almost shy.

“Wrecker said” he hesitates “you were getting ready for your FAS cert test?  I came across a study guide that might help, if you want to use it that is?” He asks holding a pocket drive between gloved fingers.

Though he’s the one supposed to be here, Echo suddenly feels as if he’s intruding on something. It’s like watching one of the shinies back in the day at 79’s approach a woman for the first time. It’s a dance with no music and Tech has two left feet. 

Y/N reaches up and toys with the end of a lek as she turns around. “That’s really thoughtful of you.”

Y/N is more quiet, far less verbose than Echo has become accustomed to.

“It really would be helpful. Maybe-“ she pauses. Glancing down, she seems to steal herself before her eyes travel back back up to the other clone “maybe you could help me study?”

The ARC trooper finds himself silently rooting for the other clone. She’d baited the hook and thrown it out there.  The way Tech’s eyes widen behind his goggles and the near panic that flares up is not lost on Echo.

“I’m- I’m really busy actually” Tech spits out quickly. 

Echo cringes as they both seem to deflate. He wonders how neither sees it in the other.

“Oh, ok. That’s- that’s really thoughtful of you.” Color flares in the togrutas cheeks “Again. I already said that didn’t I?” Her hip bumps against her tray table as she moves and she makes a small disgruntled noise as bacta splashes across her tac pants. “Kriff” she curses silently as she looks down and wipes uselessly at the spreading patch of wetness.

There’s towels on a rack along the wall and Echo watches Tech look at them but when he doesn’t move Echo does.

“Here, Ik’aad.” He grabs two and hands her one. Her face is flushed when she looks up. Embarrassed. She gives him a weak smile.

She presses the towel against the wetness soaking into her pants. “Have I told you you’re my favorite patient?”

“No. But I’m glad to hear it” 

Behind him he can hear Tech shift from foot to foot. Echo had given him a chance to come to her aide and he’d dropped the ball. When he glances back he catches Tech’s narrowed eyes. Was that…? No, it couldn’t be-. 

Echo can see the look in the other clones eyes and it isn’t particularly generous. He arches a brow back as Tech drops his visor.

“I’m going to leave this here for you, Y/N” Tech announces looking past Echo and setting the pocket drive down. 

Y/N waves him off. Avoiding eye contact as she balls the towel up and throws it in the hamper.

“Thanks. I’m sure it’ll come in handy.” She says puffing out a frustrated breath through pursed lips. Her attention goes back to Echo. 

“So now that my uniform is soaked, do you have plans for lunch?”

The ARC trooper shrugs, “I hadn’t planned anything. I’ve got to get some range time scheduled in later but I’m free for a bit.”

“Good. I’ve just gotta run by my room and change and then you can take me to the mess. You can keep telling me about how amazing I am.” She teases weakly. Her eyes widen as she looks past him and notices Tech still standing in the doorway.

“You can come too if you want but I understand if you’re busy”

He hesitates for half a second and Echo is sure he’s going to take her up on the offer. He can see it in the way he leans forward, the way his left hand clenches and unclenches that he wants to. 

“Maybe another time?”

Y/N barely manages a halfhearted “yeah, sounds good” before the engineer is turning on his heels and making his escape.

“I don’t think he likes me much,” she notes quietly after he’s gone.

Taglist: @skdubbs @pastelbunny1501 @my-own-oracle @underworldqueen13​ @obiorbenkenobi​ @adritozier @dafodddil @daniellajocelyn

[thessaliah]

I really like the theory of the cause being all the lives and "histories" that humanity has discarded or thrown away. It fits with Galahad's total lack of interest in helping Ritsuka and Mashu, as he seems like the type of "way too righteous hero" that probably didn't like the "system" to begin with.

It was an old theory of mine based on the PV (and how Nasu subtly compared Goetia’s actions with the Pruning System actions in the Moonlight Lostroom booklet). Before I thought about Chaldeas/Laplace connection tie-in and explored that angle too, I assumed was Marisbury who saw these when he activated Chaldeas and felt shame, but it could be its own content made from the Void (Animusphere chant has the formula). They don’t contradict themselves, because LAPLACE allows recording those things lost, TRISMEGISTUS runs simulations, CHALDEAS provide a pseudo model of Earth they can project into. While this made Animusphere family really dangerous, this and their shortcomings and hubris (Marisbury's and Olgamarie) are dragged into probably the colorless wishes of those who are gone (just like Olga herself), if there is no mastermind (there could be a mastermind, though). If there is a mastermind, I wonder if it’s our Marisbury or Animusphere, or from another timeline (or an Alter Ego).  Cut for length.

They must create something new based on things that could have been that were already on the Planet. It's not the orthodox past the Beast manifests from, but elements of a fictional history. You must eliminate Panhistory to install that to prepare the Advent of the new “God.”U Olga can be ignorant of history now because she is born of a lostbelt tree of fantasy. Even so, she can still be Olga, because as the God/Beast, she has a fictional background she’s born from that changed her memories, she still is Olga. Those are probably feelings and needs she repressed too.

(And the priestess could have been Olga, if she still remains at all or has transformed into “Ultra Olga”, but her attitude from murderous and bitter to more empathetic with some people is completely understandable: she discarded too. Her inability to choose when Kirschtaria asked her in Atlantis is because she resigned and didn’t know what to choose).

(And addendum: I’m also sure her Sin and feelings, and her family mission to preserve the future got mixed in Chaldeas or the colorless Void made of this crushed grudge and stirred things too. I’m not saying is only her fault, but it’s going to be a part of this mess, which explains why Lev is trying to make her decide what she wants to do in Lostroom and why Kirschtaria asked her why she’s still silent about this: her choice will matter. Her choice even if it wasn’t fully formed, mattered in Melty Blood Backalley Nightmare too.

It’s many things that are happening but I have issues to string together this, that’s why I started by the “nature” of the “God of a Different Planet” to iron the contradictions that I don’t believe exist - they can be explained with clever loopholes).

Kirschtaria’s attempt to build a world where people are on more equal terms, to find an “answer”, wasn’t that his attempt to change the system of men without needing a god, and maybe (this is a little headcanon) hoping for humanity as collective to modify that system too. The counter force and system change with men (Lostbelt 3 is proof), so is not insane to assume that this godlike humanity would be able to collectively desire something else. In a world where losers and winners aren’t so marked, maybe their unconscious world logic will soften. Forgive me, I’m rambling about this.

Unfortunately, I don’t think Nasu’s going to break the status quo. He doesn’t dare. Just like death and painful things exist, this will go to “accept it happens” (Sugita’s taunts about reading your sacrificial offerings in the PV). We also must accept unfairness and inequality are a part of our world, and that won’t change. There are winners and losers.  The best Guda and Mash can do is to treat the losers humanly despite their intention to deny them, and carry their wills and feelings. Like they would pass on someone else their feelings and wills should Panhistory decide it’s their turn to lose. I dislike the sentiment behind this. It’s why the battle against Kirschtaria left a bad taste in my mouth. The current world circumstances that desperately scream is time to stand up and change, and we get a lukewarm “it sucks, but it’s what we got” narrative is so frustrating!

[thunderjolt]

panzer paladin

hoo boy, a lot of thoughts on this one! and because i pretty much no-lifed it they're all fresh.

panzer paladin is an action platformer where you control a mech called grit. (sometimes leaving it and controlling just the pilot). it's very much in the mega man/castlevania mold, borrowing a lot from each. you can almost think of it as mega man's physics and structure with castlevania's combat (with elements from both classic and sotn). but, of course, it has its own twist - its weapon system. weapons are obtained either by defeating enemies, breaking walls castlevania-style, or defeating bosses. weapons have a few main traits (and one best saved for later) - their strength, their durability, their type (basically sword/club/spear), and their spell. the durability system is pretty much directly lifted from breath of the wild; weapons break after too much use, and the hit the weapon breaks on will deal extra damage. additionally, you can throw a weapon, instantly breaking it and dealing double damage, while giving you a ranged option. however, additionally, you can break a weapon manually to use its spell. spells range from buffs, to direct attacks, to healing. this forces you to make some interesting decisions - do i want double damage or a buff? is it worth destroying this weapon that has full durability to get a heal when i need it?

the weapon system is used frequently to force the player to make decisions like this, and while some are no-brainers, the consistency with which this game forces these hard decisions is still pretty commendable. there are two mechanics that just don't work for me - checkpoints and spirit burden. to activate a checkpoint, you need to place a weapon in it. this could be an interesting decision, but ultimately weapons are too plentiful and checkpoints too rare too be worth it. most levels only have a middle checkpoint and a pre-boss checkpoint, and levels are very long (around 7-10 minutes usually) so it's pretty much never worth it to ignore the checkpoint, especially considering you get no extra reward for it (other than not losing a weapon, i guess.) spirit burden, meanwhile, is that last weapon trait i mentioned up there. it's basically a weight value. it punishes you for having too many weapons on you. the problem is, the only thing that changes with spirit burden that's too high is that you're forced to fight a miniboss in each level. the problem is, said miniboss is the intro stage boss, and he never gets any harder. he also regularly drops strong weapons. plus, you're rewarded for holding onto weapons by being able to trash weapons in exchange for permanent health upgrades in between levels. this system is basically like if, in mega man 7, you were punished for collecting screws and using boss weapons, but the only thing that happens is you have to fight that mohawk robot from the intro stage. it just doesn't really work. but ultimately, these aren't frustrations - just some minor failures.

mech combat plays out very similar to symphony of the night. it's primarily close-range, with the only long-range tools at your disposal being thrown weapons and certain offensive spells. you have a shield, which passively blocks attacks and projectiles, but functions somewhat like blocking in a fighting game - the attack has to be at your shield height to block it. this allows for some fairly engaging enemy encounters where you have to keep up with their high-low mixups. of course, like symphony of the night, you have a backdash as well. however, it's used to much greater effect here, and many encounters are designed around you using it. you can also backdash in the air - this not only gives you relative parity between air and ground combat, it can also be used as a platforming tool. while i often dislike airdashes in platformers, this one works because it forces you to turn around and give up your aerial drift in exchanged for something that travels a fixed distance. the other platforming tool in your arsenal is your aerial upward attack. it's not quite a full double jump, but it's not quite a stall, either. it's just a "boost." i'd liken it somewhat to the upward boost in mischief makers, just without halting your air movement.

the level design is fairly good. it contains a lot of well-crafted combat scenarios. this game is a lot more action than platformer, however, and platforming is a significantly more mixed bag. while there are some very solid sequences, your mech simply isn't as agile as mega man is. you're slower, your jump is lower even with the boost, and you're much bigger. you also have a much less flexible attack for dispatching enemies. the level design doesn't always take this into account though, and designs scenarios that feel like they were made with a completely different platforming character in mind, and can be frustrating.

in addition to mech platforming, some sections have you platforming as the pilot, flame. flame is similar in size and constitution to jason outside of the sophia in blaster master, though faster, with a much better attack (functionally a less committal belmont whip swing, even with the little hitbox behind you) and, mercifully, no fall damage. flame's sections are fairly short, and usually end with you restoring some of your mech's health. however, they almost all include sections where you platform (or more accurately whip swing, in the style of super castlevania iv) over bottomless pits, something you rarely do the rest of the time. this is a problem thanks to this game's biggest issue - how punishing it is.

i am personally not of the opinion that punishing = bad. in fact, quite the opposite; i tend to dislike games that have little to no stakes. but punishment is a tool that must be wielded elegantly, and this game wields it like a toddler with a plastic sword. it's not an especially difficult game - i'd consider it a similar difficulty to the original mega man x - but the combination of a lives system, the limited checkpoints, the lengths of each level, and flame's frailty make dying especially brutal, far moreso than in the games that inspired it. let me explain that last point because i didn't find a good place to earlier - flame and grit have separate health bars. when grit breaks down, you are forced to play as flame until you get to a healing station. healing stations are as scarce as checkpoints, and with how frail flame is, and how limited her moveset is, getting to one if it's any more than two screens away is a herculean task. you might as well kill yourself, often. and because there are no health pickups for grit, and weapons with healing spells can be very limited depending on the stage, losing him isn't a terribly uncommon sight. the health pickups for blaze, meanwhile, are exceedingly rare, and usually behind challenge rooms filled with instant death platforming. the amount of punishment this game dishes out is so much that i actively don't want to play it on hard - i don't know if i'd be able to handle it without destroying my switch.

while a major one, the punishment is the largest caveat by far - in every other respect, this game is excellent, at least in my opinion. if you truly despise getting sent back a long way, you might want to stay away, but for anyone else, this is absolutely worth a purchase, in my opinion.