#eye-level theory has flaws

[polyhedroning]

i 100% agree with your pathologic height post but someone and ipl said daniil was like 6'0" and artemy was 6'8", and that artemy was taller than rubin... fucked up right?

it feels like every time I hear abt canon heights it’s always a different number, like 6’8” Artemy???? king got drafted for the wrong battle, should’ve been on the courts not the campaign!!!!! I agree, quite fucked up.

real talk tho I kinda don’t subscribe to random-value-list canon heights because I’m a firm believer in eye-level height theory? i.e. I’m not gonna retroactively think of a character as being tall as shit if I’m not looking at the tops of everyone’s heads while playing the game. which is why I’m like yeah temy is tall, but damn not That Tall!

[delicateperspective]

Everyone in the Mail comment section is being so mean about Louis. Several saying he looks 55 not 33.

i haven’t really had the energy to answer anons lately, but i feel like i need to jump in on this one.

i’ve seen the comments, and honestly, they make me sick—but it’s not surprising coming from the general public. these kinds of reactions say more about society and its obsession with youth than they do about louis himself.

here’s the thing: we’re never going to have 18-year-old louis back. he’s never going to look like that again, and that’s not a bad thing. the issue is that people who haven’t followed him or his career still picture him frozen in time, and when they see an adult version of him—someone who’s grown, changed, and lived—it feels jarring to them. but that discomfort isn’t about him. it’s about the way people struggle to reconcile their outdated image of a person with the reality of who they’ve become.

honestly, this speaks to a bigger issue in our culture. so few young stars make it to their thirties in the public eye without some massive public breakdown, plastic surgery, or carefully curated rebranding. seeing someone age naturally, especially someone as famous as him, is almost shocking to people because it’s so rare. it forces them to confront the fact that fame doesn’t stop time.

and while i don’t love leaning into the “louis sympathy” angle (because it’s been commoditized by tabloids for clicks), it’s undeniable that he’s been through a lot—whether you’re looking at his life from a surface level or diving into the deeper theories. years of personal loss, relentless public scrutiny, and the pressure of fame will leave anyone with visible scars, whether they’re physical, emotional, or both.

but here’s the thing people miss: aging isn’t a flaw. it’s proof of survival. louis has lived, he’s endured, and he’s still here. and that’s worth so much more than looking like the version of him people remember from a decade ago.

if people can’t see the beauty in that, it’s their loss—not his.

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

https://www.tumblr.com/attackfish/155865674048?source=share

Thoughts on this pist? The three pillar theory of Azula?

I think it's a shame that it started out as a genuinely good analysis that wasn't neglecting either Azula's "evil" side nor her "good/innocent" side, and was quickly derrailed into nonsense that either lies about or grossly misremembers canon events.

Here are the five mistakes that ruined this analysis (and plenty of others).

1 - Unwillingness to accept that, while Azula is wrong about Ozai, she is 100% right about Ursa

Ozai was an abusive parent towards both of children. Ursa was a better parent - this does not mean she was perfect.

We see her spending time one-on-one with Zuko, and sometimes including Azula in it, and looking happy when her children are seemingly getting along. So far, so good.

But she doesn't spend one-on-one time with Azula, Bryke describe Zuko as Ursa's FAVORITE, and Zuko himself does not defend his mother when Azula says she loved him more. Not so good.

When Zuko throws bread at the turtleducks and hurts one, Ursa is horrified, but only reprimands him a little before hugging him and playfully explaining to him why what he did was bad. Through the rest of the episode, we constantly see her either telling Azula to not speak the way she does or scolding her harshily - without ever explaining the reason why. Zuko, the year-old, is the only person that bothers to explain things to Azula (like Iroh coming home early because he's grieving and how that's not weakness) and question her in an attempt to force her to put herself in someone else's shoes (asking how she'd feel if their cousin wanted their dad to die).

Ursa's 10-year-old son, even when in a fit of rage, did a better job than her at parenting her 8-year-old daughter.

And, finally, this person mentions the comics as "proof" of Azula just "not understanding" that her mom totally was treating her and Zuko the same, unlike their dad.

In the comics, Ursa ignores her daughter, even she's in the room. She wakes Zuko up to say goodbye when she's banished, so he'll know he was loved, but doesn't do the same to Azula, meaning their last interaction was a fight. She then willingly forgets her own children, and then she has her memories back she rarely ever bothers to mention that Azula, who is in the middle of a psychotic episode, is missing. There's no concern for her well-being, only "Oh, I wonder how my OTHER daughter is doing." Can't even say her fucking name.

Ursa played favorites and it damaged her daughter. The mirror scene is quitely literally Azula desperately wanting Ursa to treat her like she used to treat Zuko - explaining what she did wrong, how she can be better, and assuring her that she is loved. The only time Azula is treated fairly by her mother was literally a hallucination.

2 - Bizarre need to make every mundane thing Azula does be connected to/a result of some pathological condition

Azula is a manipulative person, no one in their right mind can deny that - but I gotta laugh when people act like her giving her mom puppy-dog eyes and repeating the line Ursa probably used to make her kids play together is on the same level of her manipulating Long Feng, or that her playing a prank on Zuko and Mai is no different from messing with his head in "Avatar State."

Just because she is villain, doesn't mean everything she does has an evil, hidden motive. We first hear "Azula always lies" when she tells Zuko THE TRUTH about their dad going to murder him.

No one believes someone who is NEVER honest. No one gets attached to someone that is NEVER kind. Not dick move is a result of someone's greatest flaws. A child telling a white lie is not the same as some crazy scheme to manipulate someone.

3 - Not understanding that unhealthy/selfish love is not the same as FAKE love

I don't think I've ever been more mad at a line in an analysis about Azula (which is saying a lot) than I was when I read this person claim that Azula didn't genuinely love Mai and Ty Lee and justified with the absurd sentence "People don’t fall apart the way Azula did because somebody they love leaves them."

Yes, they do. When you have a ton of problems, be it psychological ones or life-problems, having the people you care about turn away from you can absolutely make you spiral out of control. You don't even need some kind of unhealthy, excessive dependence on them for that to be the case. Losing people is very painful, and during low points a great deal of pain can fuck you up.

Azula's dynamic with them is not healthy, but that doesn't mean her love isn't real. And I don't mean it in a "It's real FOR HER", no, it's just 100% real, plain and simple.

If Azula didn't care about them, she would have never done things like not punish Mai for blatanly disregarding her orders in The Drill, or apologize after making Ty Lee cry, admit she was JEALOUS, and then ask advice. She'd sure as hell not have conversation with her "mom" (herself) about how she hurt them and abused their friendship/her authority over them.

She loves her friends, but she was never taught how to have a normal, equal relationship with anyone. She was raised to see things as a matter of who is in charge and who is subordinate. She is the princess, therefore it's her right to put her wants and needs before that of her friends. She even says to "Ursa" that she doesn't have the option to NOT act like that, because "fear is the only reliable way."

That is a key factor of Azula's tragedy, because her relationship with Ozai is the center of her universe, it is the basis of all other relationships in her life - and it is rooted in her never doing anything to displease him because she's terrified not only of the potential punishment, but of also losing that bond. So she uses fears to keep others close to her, not realizing that if she didn't do that they wouldn't WANT to cut ties with her.

(Also, fuck me, I nearly punched my computer when I read "Ty Lee ran away with the circus to be free of Azula." She literally tells us it was about her bad relationship with HER PARENTS AND HER SISTERS. It had nothing to do with Azula - what is it with people and this obsessive need of blaming my girl for things we KNOW weren't her fault?)

4 - Not understanding that Zuko is more than just Azula's rival/the exemple of what happens when you displease Ozai

Azula loves her brother. According to the lead writer of the show, Zuko is the person Azula loves the most (after Ozai, hence all the tension in their relationship).

Azula didn't know Aang had any chance of survival until Zuko let it slip - when they were ALREADY home, meaning the plan to blame him for everything if Aang survived could not possibly exist yet.

In the following episode, she warns him to be careful when visiting Iroh, otherwise people could think they were plotting together. Zuko asks what she's gaining by letting him know, and she says she's just looking out for him - and it never comes back, because she was not lying. She WAS taking care of him.

The Last Agni Kai hits so hard because they COULD have had a good relationship if things were different. If Ozai and Ursa hadn't played favorites. If Ozai wasn't abusive. If Zuko hadn't left after Azula brought him home, or if Azula had understood WHY he left.

Even in "The Spirit Temple", one of the few comics that are actually good, Azula says she wished their mom had let Ozai kill Zuko... yet we see that her ideal, happy life includes her loving, unscarred brother that is super proud of her. She spends the entire comic saying Zuko is weak and a coward who can't face her, yet when she sees "him" (an hallucination) directly confroting her about her own mistakes and the pain she caused, demanding her to apologize, it is Azula herself who runs away to hide from him.

Azula hurt her brother many times, and she knows that - and she is in denial about the guilt she feels over it because feeling guilt over hurting someone who is "lesser" is a weakness and an imperfection, and she needs to be strong and perfect all the time.

If you disregard her conflicting feelings on her brother, you disregard half her character.

5 - Forgetting that Azula is a child soldier under Ozai's orders

This is THE big one, guys. It's astounding how people just forget that Ozai isn't just Azula's abusive parent, he is the absolute monarch that can legally punish her if she displeases him.

Does she repeatedly fight Zuko because of their rivalry? Sure. But half the time she's doing it because Ozai literally gave her the mission to do so.

Does she threaten Ty Lee at the circus because she doesn't like being told "no"? Yes... but also because Ty Lee would be a valluable team member, and she needs a small elite team to properly do the task Ozai gave her.

Even the Last Agni Kai happens in the context of "Ozai just told Azula that he's trusting her to protect defend their throne."

There's a reason why, at "The Beach", she can handle pretending to be regular girl instead of a princess, but is CONSTANTLY on "battle mode", trying to turn a game into a war, praising a guy's outfit by sayind it'd make thousands drown at sea with how sharp it is, and why her flirting game consists of "We'll take over the world together!"

She grew up seeing violence be normalized and glorified every second of the day, to the point that things don't even register to her as being violent at all anymore.

Of course she's toxic and full on hostile in her relationships, no matter how much she cares about the person in question: All she's ever known is war, and Ozai deliberately blurs the lines to make his abuse of her and Zuko seem normal.

You can't disregard "Ozai will punish me if I don't do this" as a factor when talking about Azula.

[welshoot]

Theory/Analysis of Malleus's Signature Spell and The Nature of Happy Endings

So, with the various information that’s been slowly coming as updates roll out, I’ve been thinking about the events of the Diasomnia chapter thus far, Malleus’s signature spell, and the nature of happy endings. For fear of spoilers, the rest of this is going to be under-the-cut, and, fair warning, it has spoilers for the Diasomnia chapter (both English and Japanese spoilers) and gets kind of long.

Alright, so Malleus has asserted that, via dreams, he is going to give everyone their happy endings and thus give them a perfect life they won’t want to live, right? In comes his signature spell, “Fae of Maleficence,” that puts everyone to sleep and seems to grant him some level of control over what they dream about. Supposedly, it makes everyone dream of a wonderful life where everything is just how they would want it. This supposed real happy ending is a sort of callback to the Twisted Wonderland slogan “Let us show you the real happily-ever-after” or “I’ll show you a real happy ending,” depending on the translation you look at. Now, I’ve already done an entire analysis of that slogan here, so we won’t get into that here. Instead, I’m more interested in whether or not Malleus can actually construct a dream where everyone has their ‘real’ happy ending.

The thing is, what makes a person happy is very subjective, and it can be very difficult or even impossible to tell what that thing will be. And, to make a long story short, I don’t think Malleus is omnipotent or all-knowing enough to be able to do that for the entirety of NRC, the cast of the game, or all of Sage Island, much less everyone in the world of Twisted Wonderland. Instead, I think the dreams people have are Malleus's best guess at what their version of happily-ever-after would look like.

Let’s look at Idia’s first, because right now that is quite possibly Malleus’s strongest one. In Idia’s dream, we see a world where Ortho didn’t die and is going to RSA. Idia is still housewarden, and the dream is taking place during the first day of the semester, when new freshmen are coming in and being placed in dorms.

Now, I’ll be honest, this is a good guess as to what Idia would want most. Bluntly put, Idia will forever regret what happened to the original Ortho because he is at fault for his little brother’s death, even if it was an honest mistake that was made when he was only a child. 

However, this dream does not account for some very simple facts. First, Idia is the way he is, largely because of what happened to Ortho. He would quite possibly be very different if Ortho hadn’t died the way he did. Second, what about the current Ortho? Say what you like, but Idia has been shown numerous times to genuinely love the robot, who is his little brother. Yes, he regrets what happened to his little brother, the OG Ortho, but he also loves his current little brother. In no way is Idia ever shown to hold himself back from Ortho because he genuinely views the Ortho we know, our Ortho, as his brother. The fact that our Ortho is a robot does not matter to Idia because, in Idia’s eyes, that’s his little brother just as much as OG Ortho was. 

Because of that, I don’t think Idia’s happy ending would remove the Ortho we know and love from his life, because I don’t think Idia wants that. In fact, it would quite likely be like losing yet another brother to Idia. And that is where the flaw in the dream Malleus has shown him is. Because, bluntly put, Malleus doesn’t know Idia well enough to realize any of this and has been shown to not entirely view Ortho as human. And that is fair. Ortho is technically not human, but even then, he is still Idia’s brother, who is as close to human as a robot as one can ever hope to reach. In fact, Ortho is a wonderful example of the entire argument about what really makes someone a ‘human’ because if it's a soul and emotions, then Ortho has those. He received them at the very end of Ignihyde, but that’s a discourse for another time.

Moving on, we have Epel’s dream and the ordeal that is buff Epel. This is currently the most amusing outcome of these supposed happy endings. From a totally cold, logical point of view, Epel has what he’s always wanted. He’s tall, he’s strong, both Savanaclaw and Pomefiore want him in their dorm, and the list goes on and on. But, when one looks at this dream Epel’s appearance, the problems become pretty obvious. Because, let’s be honest, there is no way Epel would ever want to look like that. The entire thing looks exactly like Malleus trying his best to give Epel what he wants while not thinking about how some adjustments need to be made in order for this particular happy ending to come true. Interestingly, it ought to be noted that Malleus has shown some curious insight into Epel, though, in that Epel still has his pretty face in this dream form. Because, as Epel has grown as a character, he seems to slowly be getting attached to the unique power that comes from being quite so cute. Specifically, that people will underestimate him, and he can use that to his advantage. Nonetheless, in Epel’s dream, just like in Idia’s, we see that the happy ending is flawed and shows that, if Malleus did engineer to keep people happy and not wanting to wake up, Malleus’s understanding of the characters is too flawed for him to make a flawlessly happy ending tailored perfectly to them.

Onwards to Rook! Much like with Epel and Idia’s dreams, this one has echoes of the truth. Rook would no doubt love for Neige and Vil to be friends, and it is incredibly interesting that, rather than being the quaffed Rook we know, dream Rook is rougher around the edges in terms of his appearance. However, there are glaring issues with this dream too, though. The thing is, Rook adores Vil the way he is, and even though he would love to see him befriend Neige, he knows it's wrong to try and force Vil’s hand. In fact, doing such a thing would mean changing Vil, which would lead to him not being the Vil that Rook knows and loves anymore. In many ways, the beauty that Rook sees in Vil is Vil’s ability to keep pushing himself even after a loss and the way Vil is constantly striving for greater heights. Making him friends with Neige would damage this, though, because Neige is one of the reasons Vil always pushes himself. He doesn’t want to fall behind and lose to Neige, so he constantly works to improve himself. So here, the flaw to the supposed happy ending is that Rook cannot have this dream and still have the Vil he loves and respects.

Finally, we have Vil’s dream, and this is one of the uglier examples. Vil’s dream is kind of messed up, after all. So we have a super popular Vil with Neige as Vil’s notably downtrodden assistant that Vil is bullying. As Vil’s dream starts to fall apart/get shattered by the dream-hopper squad, stuff starts to go awry very quickly with the dreamscape shifting and taking us back to Vil’s overblot at the VDC stage. Except this time, Neige really does die. Stuff naturally spirals from there, but it is in this that the supposedly happy ending is flawed. Because yes, Vil does want to be popular and recognized for his hard work, and yes, Vil does want to triumph over Neige. I’m going to go out on a limb here that I’m sure some won’t agree with me about and say that Vil doesn’t want it to happen this way. In fact, I would say that Vil would never want it to happen this way. And the main reason I say that is actually because of Vil’s overblot. When Vil was overblotting, he described himself as hideous and stated that he could never forgive himself. Now, there is a lot to unpack in just those statements, but the baseline is that Vil was horrified by his own actions. Not only had he sunk to the lowest of lows, he’d become the very thing everyone had always typecasted him as and the thing he’d never wanted to be. The villain. Killing Neige is the last thing Vil would ever want to do, which is probably as far from his happy ending as one could ever get. Now, it could be argued that the dream was already fraying and that it was doing its best not to crumble, but even then, this doesn’t make sense. Because taking Vil back to that moment actually helped him wake up, because that wasn’t a happy ending. That was a nightmare and it actually helped jar Vil back awake because it was just that upsetting for him.

But would Malleus realize that when he doesn’t know Vil that well? His interactions with Vil have been limited at best. It is quite possible that all he really knows is that Vil wants to be popular and hates Neige, who is in his way. And if that is the case, Malleus, in his overblotted state, might have assumed that the disappearance of Neige would be a truly joyful thing for Vil.

Now, while they came earlier in the story, I’ve saved Sebek and Lilia until the end for a reason. Simply put, Malleus knows them. Sebek’s dream was well-put together as a happy ending because he knows Sebek well. For Sebek, Lilia getting to go on a trip and being honored by everyone would be a happy thing. Especially since Sebek didn’t realize the exact reasons for Lilia’s going away.

As for Lilia’s dream, it is interesting. Because it is less of a dream and more of an amalgamation of Lilia’s memories all leading to the moment of Malleus hatching. In it, we see some hard times for Lilia. Moments that would hardly be described as happy. But it all culminated in the moment he saved Malleus’s life. And that would be a joyful memory for Lilia. Because Malleus, the only son of Meleanor, who’d entrusted her son to Lilia, and he was still unhatched at the time, had been dying in his egg, crying out for help, and Lilia saved him. It would be a difficult moment to triumph over in terms of importance and happiness. Because while I’m sure Lilia has many happy memories of Silver, Sebek, and Malleus growing up and his times with Meleanor and Revan, this would be a big one.

It is worth noting here that neither Lilia nor Sebek’s dreams are really endings of any sort. Which quite possibly reflects the fact that they are important to Malleus. Malleus doesn’t want an ending here. He wants things to continue forward in a happy, perfect manner for these people he cares about.

So, in conclusion, I think Malleus is crafting what he believes will be everyone’s happy ending and that these dreams are less of an insight into each character and more of an insight into how Malleus views them. And it’s understandable that he can’t perfectly craft a happy ending for everyone. Like I said, I imagine happily-ever-after is very subjective for everyone and that, even if you know someone well, you might not know what their perfect happy ending would be.

Anyhow, this is just my theory, and I look forward to seeing how things move forward through the story. I would love to hear everyone's thoughts on this because I’m sure I missed some points. After all, I only play on the English server and so I used translations from the Japanese server, and I wrote this very quickly.

[ask-whitepearl-and-steven]

Something I find quite concerning...

is the amount of people who think Seaglass is ‘defective’ based on....very normal (in universe) features she has. 

Ever since I’ve introduced her, I’ve repeatedly gotten comments on my posts and in my inbox that read to the effect of:

“CG is really small. Is she defective?” “CG only has one eye. Is she off color?”

and even

“Hey, I noticed that she has a tooth gap, does that mean something is wrong with her?”

And I always find this really confusing, because all of the ‘evidence’ listed for the theory that she’s somehow ‘wrong’ is just.... things that make her unique! But none of them are bad. 

We have SEEN small gems in the show. 

We have SEEN gems with only one eye in the show. 

And we have SEEN gems with tooth gaps!

...a feature which, by the way, is merely a small variation of how our mouth bones grow together, and is in no way indicative of there being something ‘wrong’ with you.

To top it all off........ Seaglass is a gem I invented! There is no canonical shape for a Seaglass type gem in the show. Indeed, not really even a standard Glass gem exists! 

If I had based her on some existing type of gem and changed up her features, I could understand people wondering about WHY those were unique. 

But to look at a gem that has no prior design and to immediately suspect that there MUST be something ‘defective’ about her based on absolutely arbitrary features.................. is a little odd, I must admit. 

Indeed, it smells an awful lot like Homeworld thinking - ANY variation must immediately be scrutinized for ‘wrongness’ and set upon with the suspicion dedicated to something harmful. 

And if this was only about a cartoon, I’d probably shrug it off. 

But the reality is..... this is some top-tier level middle school mentality.

Scrutinizing people for ‘flaws’ first and asking questions second is an extremely unfair way to interact with others. 

And I want you guys (especially the younger peeps reading my comic) to understand that if this was YOUR kneejerk reaction to Seaglass......maybe that’s not the healthiest thing? 

Why did you assume that something unique automatically meant ‘defective’? Why did you theorize that she came out ‘wrong’ simply because she was a little different from the rest of the cast? (And not even extremely so.) And most importantly: 

Have you ever done this to a real human being? 

Anyway, the point is - people are sometimes born different. That doesn’t necessarily mean they are ‘defective‘. Try not to assume that brokenness is the ONLY alternative to total assimilation. 

And let her sleep. 

[maybecoffeemixed]

MAIN PLOT LINE OF DLC HAS BEEN FINISHED, SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT (long post, be warned)

7.8/10, kieran doesn't actually kill us.

Seriously though, I enjoyed it!! Since I don't actually own the game (we poor), I watched a no-commentary playthrough so there are plenty of things I very likely missed, including optional dialog, side-quests, and whatever that thing with the professors is (still lookin' for a video without some guy over it), so I can only comment on the bits I saw! That being said, here we go.

First of all, the BATTLES!! Despite not being able to play them myself, they looked SUPER fun!! I screamed when I saw Lacey's tailwind/lightscreen prankster whimsicott, and even MORE so when I saw it was sashed! I loved the usage of competitive items, and the fact that all their teams weren't completely mono-type, each having one exception to their type (Lacey's excadrill, Crispin's Exeggcutor, Amarys's Reuniclus, and Drayton's Sceptile) that they DIDN'T terrastalize was lovely touch!! Amarys's fight was super hype in particular, despite having an over 20 level advantage, the person I watched still nearly wiped to her! Her trick room AI does appear a bit goofy, but it's a small flaw. Finally, Kieran's battle... I personally adore a good rain team, but unfortunately Kieran's politoed was frozen at the start of the battle, and remained that way all the way til the end, so I can't honestly say how difficult it looked. The one thing I will say is that before the indigo disk was out, I created a hypothetical team for Kieran, and I CALLED that Grimmsnarl!! Literally even the focus sash. If anyone's curious, here was the hypothetical team I made. I'm a nuzlocker, not a competitive player, so it very well may be shit. Apologies in advance.

Next is the characters!! Every design slapped as always, and I enjoyed their personalities! Lacey was adorbs, Crispin was fun, and Amarys might just be one of my new favorites! As for Drayton? Let me tell you, I was side-eyeing him the whole time the MOMENT after he said THIS to Kieran.

After all the hype around dokutaro/peechikeen (now know as pecharunt, apparently), and all the speculation that Kieran would fall victim to its influence, him saying "that's just peachy" made my rat brain go into overdrive. In the end, I think it was just Legends Arceus giving me Volo flashbacks.

Now, the main event... KIERAN! Let me tell you, he gave me GOOSEBUMPS. Every time he appeared, I could feel a chill run up my spine, and his battle had my heart RACING. ESPECIALLY his breakdown at the end of it! One of the best times I've had in a good while. The animation, his reaction, all of it was GREAT!! It was so refreshing to see him not immediately heel-face turn.

Unfortunately, though, what happened after that all disappointed me. I admit I got too attached to the Dokutaro Posession theory, buy it was still disappointing for Dokutaro (I know that's not its name, leave me be) to not play any role in the main story. It felt like a natural conclusion to what the game was setting up, I thought he'd throw the master ball at terapagos, it'd fail, and he'd become so overwhelmed with everything that has happened that he'd succumb to Dokutaro's control and we'd have to fight the Dokutaro-Kieran with Terapagos's aid. That's not what happened, and I felt a bit sad. His recovery from his breakdown was still set up nicely and had some atleast sufficient justification, but it still felt like too-little too-soon. It felt more like he just gave up all together rather than defeated his demons. He'd never be as strong as the player, and that's that, which is a sour note to leave off on.

We see that he legitimately has nothing. All the other students left the MOMENT he was defeated. No one came to help the kid who was clearly having a panic attack. The BB league cares about him, sure, but I wouldn't consider them his friends. They all thought Kieran getting defeated would "fix" him, and even when he clearly wasn't any better after being defeated, they didn't do anything to assist him. Sure, sometimes when someone has climbed so high, you gotta let them fall, but once they do, you can't just leave them lying on the ground. You need to be there to lift them back up before they start digging.

This isn't an attack on the BB league at ALL. Like I said, I really enjoyed their characters! In fact, this reaction is part of the reason I like them so much. It adds depth.

I just wish that Kieran DID start digging, and that it led to something bigger. Even if Dokutaro wasn't involved, I atleast wanted the final battle with him to be that big thing, and not just a turtle that can't do anything but throw out weak earthpowers.

Though the biggest failing to me is that Kieran apologizes to us, but we don't apologize to him. We as in the player, and Carmine

Kieran's actions are his own and I'm not saying he shouldn't have apologized, but he wasn't solely culpable for how things turned out. We and Carmine purposefully lied, kept a secret that was dear to him, and were the straw that broke the camel's back. Even if we the player didn't apologize, Carmine should've!! Her treatment of Kieran heavily impacted him, and he mirrored her abuse (Kieran telling Carmine to "Shut it", just like she did to him, for example).

Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, was in the wrong here. Kieran took things too far, Carmine behavior is a serious problem, and the played character was complicit.

I'm not demonizing anyone here, I am the number one Carmine defender after all, but everyone needs to take responsibility. Not. Just. Kieran.

I relate heavily to both Kitakami siblings, as both an elder sister with younger siblings who she's accidentally mistreated, and as a little sister with an older sibling who treats me like I'm lesser.

I've lashed out at my older sibling, and while my reaction wasn't proportional, it doesn't mean my emotions weren't justified.

I have severe genetic anger issues (that I'm now thankfully medicated for), and have unjustly taken them out on my younger siblings.

Carmine needs to apologize too, or the cycle will just continue. Maybe she already did and I missed it, or maybe it happens in the post-game. However, if she didn't? It makes me feel unresolved.

Anyways, that all I gotta say on it!! Hope someone enjoyed this overly long rambling!!

(P.S. I still don't trust dragon boy. "Thats just peachy" my ASS, you know something ya toothpaste haired cunt. Why did they request to bring ya along to area zero anyways, ya plot relevant FUCK.)

[axkirak]

The Curse of Cassandra [EP : XIV] - END

Read in Ao3 : here

Pairings :  Qimir x f!reader(SEA Reader)  [The Acolyte]

Content Rating : Mature 18+ Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warning (AT YOUR OWN RISK)

tags/themes : Alternate Universe - Dune & Star wars, Partners in Crime, Strangers to Lovers

Summary : ‘Pick a flower on Earth and you move the farthest star.’ This describes chaos theory and the workings of fate as well, which illustrates how your final change of destiny moves the fate of the entire galaxy.

Status: Completed (Finally! 😭)

A/N : I can’t believe I actually finished writing this fic! It’s my first long English fic, and I’m pretty proud of it. I know my writing still has a lot of flaws (since English isn’t my strong suit), but I’m so happy people enjoyed it.

I loveeeee yapping about my own writing, so I plan to share more about this fic in another post—things like plot points I didn’t include and alternative endings I considered. Hope that sounds interesting to you, LOL

Lastly, a huge thank you to everyone who stuck with this fic till the end. Your comments and encouragement really kept me going, and I couldn’t have done it without you <3

Ps.Please go back and read the Intro again before starting the final chapter, as it’s part of the ending. (I used a storytelling style where the story opens with the ending) Reading the Intro first will help you understand the story more clearly.

And don’t forget to play this song while reading >> Skugge

I listened to it while writing the ending, and it really sets the mood

➡  Intro // EP : 1 // EP : 2 // EP : 3 // EP : 4 // EP : 5 // EP : 6 // EP : 7 // EP : 8 // EP : 9 // EP : 10 // EP : 11 // EP : 12 // EP : 13

Special OS : Phantom Thread // My mother is my enemy

[Episodes 14] The Power of Two. (Completed)

When contemplating deeply, every entity in the universe is intricately connected in various ways.

On the quantum level, all particles are entangled and influence each other regardless of distance. Even the smallest, minor actions can trigger unforeseen consequences that ripple through the universe. This is far more complex than ordinary humans can immediately comprehend. 

And that’s exactly how fate works.

You know that the chain reaction has already begun the moment you decided to shoot Yord yourself. 

The stun blaster is designed to be non-lethal—at most, it would knock Yord unconscious and possibly immobile for several hours. But this is all you need to save his life from the fate you've foreseen on the path ahead.

You've always known—Yord and Qimir are polar opposites, destined to kill each other. Yord stands for the light, while Qimir embodies the darkness. They cannot coexist in the same world. Whenever they fight, one must die, or both shall perish. There are only those three possible outcomes.

So you chose a fourth path: to prevent them from confronting each other so that neither would have to die.

You’ve only just realized how much selfishness lies beneath love. Instead of seeking a way to prevent the disaster that’s looming a hundred years from now, you chose to defy fate. You interfered with the story as it was meant to play out, pushing the universe toward an unpredictable risk—all for the sake of one word: 'love.'

The essence of Paul that flows within you still remembers the agony of the day Chani and Alia Atreides departed. Even though thousands of years have gone by, the torment remains too vivid to forget—like your heart being torn apart while still beating and your soul shattered beyond repair. You can't bear the risk of losing anyone to fate’s cruel hand again.

That's why you did it. You gambled on a path that has never appeared in any of your visions, not knowing what the consequences would be.

And you never expected that the consequences of your choice would ripple out so quickly.

You didn’t realize it...until you had to face the truth before your eyes half an hour later.

How could this be?

You stood frozen, as though the entire world had stopped spinning. Your gaze was fixed on Jackie's body, now lying motionless on the ground among the other corpses. The deep, searing wound from a lightsaber had cut through her flesh, blood pooling beneath her, staining the Jedi robes that were once yellow but were now soaked in a dark, gruesome hue.

The acrid stench of burnt flesh mingled with the metallic scent of blood, hanging thick in the air.

Jackie is still breathing, but her breaths grow weaker with every passing second. Her face contorts in excruciating pain, a pain that lasts only for a brief moment before her final breath escapes. Her eyes remain wide open—a sign that life has already slipped away.

At that moment, you hear a scream echoing in your ears, but the haze of shock leaves everything muffled.

You don't even know whose scream it is—Sol's or your own?

Never once did you think Jackie would die. In every vision you’d seen, she always survived, though gravely injured—losing an arm in the fight against Qimir. That was why you decided to come back instead of escaping alone. You knew that as long as Qimir lived, there was no escaping him—not for you. But Jackie still had a chance. If only you could get her and Yord aboard the ship in time before everything spiraled out of control, that would be enough.

But when you arrived, it was already too late. You saw it clearly with your own eyes: Qimir’s red lightsaber pierced through Jackie’s body three times, each strike aimed at a vital spot. There was no way she could survive such an attack.

You realized too late that the death of someone you loved was inevitable and unchangeable. If Yord and Qimir lived, it meant that Jackie would be the one to die. This was the consequence of your selfish attempt to alter fate. Jackie didn't die by Qimir's hand—it was your decision that sealed her fate.

You want to cry. The corners of your eyes burn with the sting of unshed tears, but none come. The grief is suppressed by the flood of information about the future that surges through your mind. You know you’ll mourn when the time comes, but not now. Not when death is crawling toward you.

“Run!”

A sharp voice jolts you from your thoughts. Finally, you hear it clearly—it’s Sol’s voice. He stands across the way, disheveled and wounded, with a minor gash at his side. His face shows shock, his voice shaking with fear. “Run! You shouldn’t be here!”

But his warning comes too late. You don’t even have a chance to respond, let alone follow his command. Suddenly, an invisible force wraps around you, tightening with each second, squeezing the breath from your lungs as if trying to crush you completely. You gasp, struggling for air, unable to move, like a drowning person on the verge of losing consciousness.

In that instant, memories from the depths of your mind flood back, dragging you into the nightmare you once foresaw. Each scene is like pieces of a puzzle coming together to form the terrible reality before you. 

Your eyes fix on a tall figure in a black cloak, his deformed metal helmet etched with a grotesque grin. He stands amidst the scattered corpses of fallen Jedi, radiating an aura of ruthless malevolence. His gaze, hidden beneath the helmet, stares intensely at you. Though you cannot see his face, you clearly sense the fury seething within him.

And in the blink of an eye, a tremendous force pulls you toward him with ease, leaving you powerless to resist.

You are completely at his mercy, your body suspended in mid-air as his large hand grips your throat. He could crush your windpipe or snap your neck in an instant; however, he holds back. You sense his intent through the shared consciousness that binds the two of you. This is how The Stranger plays with his prey. When he wears that helmet, he becomes a merciless hunter, driven only by the instinct to kill.

Sol doesn't hesitate. The moment he sees you in danger, he charges forward, his blue lightsaber flashing brilliantly as he swings it toward the Sith Lord. But the enemy moves with surprising speed. He yanks you closer, locking you in a chokehold with his arm, then tilts his body slightly, using his helmet as a shield to deflect the attack. When Sol’s lightsaber strikes the cortosis metal, it sparks and fizzles, rendering Sol’s weapon temporarily useless.

You draw a deep breath, your body tense as the Sith Lord's lightsaber hilt presses against your neck. He hasn’t activated it yet, but you know the moment he does, your face and brain will be reduced to charred flesh in an instant.

“Don’t even think about trying any tricks if you don’t want to lose your tongue,” comes the cold whisper in your ear. You understand the threat well: Qimir is the only one who knows your true capabilities. The Voice is a powerful secret weapon for the Bene Gesserit, and he won't give you the chance to wield it.

Even if you dared to try, it wouldn’t change anything. It would only hasten the end for both you and Sol. You’ve already seen the future that awaits if you choose that path. So, you stay silent for now, your mind racing to find another way—any way to turn the tables on Qimir.

“Let her go. She has nothing to do with this. Let it be between you and me!” Sol shouts, reigniting his lightsaber, but you can see that his hope hasn’t reignited.

Apart from Yord, who lies unconscious somewhere in the forest, Sol is now the only Jedi left breathing, while his comrades, including his padawan, are all dead. He should have been dead too, if you hadn’t intervened.

“But you brought her here, didn’t you?” the Sith taunts. “And I’m certain you wouldn’t have made it this far without this Bene Gesserit witch guiding you.”

As he finishes speaking, you feel his arm tighten around your neck, making it almost impossible to breathe. The suffocating pain forces you to struggle, your hands weakly hitting his arm to no avail. All you get in return is a mocking laugh.

“Bene Gesserit... the origin of both the Sith and the Jedi. Isn’t it fascinating that such remarkable beings still exist in the galaxy?” He reaches out, gripping your chin and studying your face closely before turning his attention back to Sol. "But what a pity that she chose the wrong side."

Sol shifts, readying himself to strike again, but the man in black is one step ahead. He lifts the hilt of his lightsaber to your temple without a word, yet his intent is clear—if Sol dares to take another step forward, you will die.

The Jedi grits his teeth, reluctantly deactivating his lightsaber. His eyes remain fixed on you as he addresses the Sith, "Tell me, what do you want?"

He’s stalling for time, you think. But how long can it last? You know you can’t rely on Sol alone. You need to find a way out too.

A harsh breath hisses out from beneath his helmet; it’s hard to tell whether it comes from exhaustion or amusement.

"At first, I thought I only wanted freedom: freedom from the Jedi's absurd rules, freedom to feel regret and anger, and freedom to follow my own desires," he answered flatly, as if what he desired were something ordinary, not the taking of lives. "But now I know what I truly want. I want to change; I want to liberate this universe from self-proclaimed guardians like you..."

His words stop abruptly. The silence that follows makes your heart tremble. You can feel his cold, burning rage—rage directed at the Jedi and rage directed at you.

"...And I would have achieved it sooner if I hadn’t been betrayed by someone.”

A scream rips from your throat, unprepared for the sudden, crushing weight of his boot as it slams hard into your shin. The sound of breaking bones is crystal clear. The pain is so intense that tears spring to your eyes, and your legs give way, no longer able to hold you up. But you don’t collapse completely, as Qimir still holds you upright, his grip on your arm unrelenting. His lightsaber is still pressed to your temple, while he turns to shake his head to warn Sol, who is ready to lunge forward again.

“Think about it, Sol. Why are you still trying to save her? She’s the reason you’re in this mess. Without her, you all might still be alive.”

The Sith Lord speaks with chilling indifference, completely unfazed by your whimpers as he presses his boot lightly against your broken leg, deliberately toying with your suffering. "But this one... she exposed me. So, now I have to kill every single last one of you."

You flinch, a cold shiver running down your spine. His voice—there’s something disturbingly strange about it, twisted and eerie, nothing like the Qimir you once knew.

Time is running out. Your heightened awareness warns you: he will kill Sol first, then possibly you.

You bite down hard on your lip, tasting blood. If there were any other way, you wouldn’t resort to this, but it’s the only option you know will work. And right now, there’s no other choice.

Taking a deep breath, you force yourself to speak, your voice as loud as you can manage.

"Please... don’t kill me. I’m pregnant!”

Silence falls instantly. Even the soft whisper of the wind seems unnaturally loud in the sudden stillness.

No one can see the expression behind his helmet, but you know without a doubt—he is shocked, utterly stunned by what he’s just heard.

And Sol notices it too—the brief moment when the Sith Lord’s guard drops, his grip on the lightsaber loosening without him realizing. It’s a tiny flaw, difficult to spot unless one is well-trained.

As if time stands still, Sol suddenly meets your glance, recognizing the purposeful look in your eyes. 

In that heartbeat, he knows exactly what to do.

Everything takes place within seconds: the Jedi ignites his lightsaber, lunging forward with all his strength and slashing into Qimir’s arm—the arm holding the lightsaber—sending both blood and the weapon crashing to the ground. The Sith Lord’s yell echoes through the forest.

Seizing the moment, you slip from Qimir’s grasp effortlessly. Sol pulls you toward safety, shoving you in another direction and shouting, “Get to the ship, quickly! I’ll catch up!”

He will never catch up to me, you think, glancing back at Sol one last time before turning away. Both of you know it—fate is already sealed. Sol will not leave this place tonight, and neither will you.

You force your battered body to keep moving, relying on the one leg that still functions, though each step is agonizing, nearly unbearable. Finally, you give up, sighing in resignation. With your current condition, reaching the ship is impossible. Fate has blocked every path—unchangeable and irreversible.

The only option left is to face the consequences of the choices you have made.

Weary, you sit down on a large stone not far from where you were. Jedi corpses still litter the area. A deep sorrow weighs on your chest as your gaze falls upon the faces of the fallen, remembering that just hours ago, they were all still alive.

Human life is so fragile, you think. No matter how many times you witness death, you can never grow used to it.

The sky visibly darkens as clouds turn a dull gray. The scent of moisture in the air gradually mutes the smell of blood. Rain will come soon, but you make no move to seek shelter. You place a hand on your slightly swollen belly, feeling the tiny life forming inside—the fruit of an instinctual mistake—now becoming another life reaching for the future amidst an approaching catastrophe.

At four months, it’s hard for most to see, but your Bene Gesserit training allows you to know everything about the growing flesh within you. Events unfold exactly as you’ve foreseen, and when this child is born, the future is certain—the beginning of the Skywalker and the path of a new Kwisatz Haderach.

You don’t want this child to be born, but it’s beyond your control now. The intricate weave of fate and bloodlines over the millennia has led everything to this point. Regardless of how much you try to avoid or change it, the Kwisatz Haderach will come into existence. It happened with Jessica thousands of years ago, and now it’s happening to you.

“The Bene Gesserit believe they can control everything, but the one thing they can never control is fate.”

Paul Atreides’ words resonate in your consciousness. You recall him saying this when you first discovered the truth about what will transpire in the next century through the realm of Alam al-Mithal.

“Every action in the present is a gamble for a precarious future. You cannot dictate the outcome to be what you want, and you’ll never know what will happen next until you’ve already made your choice,” Paul had said.

You tremble, feeling both isolated and terrified. It’s a profound fear—so deep that you don’t know how to express it. You know the path ahead has already changed. The universe has deviated from its course because of your actions, yet you have no idea whether things will get better or worse.

You close your eyes, forcing your mind into rapid meditation, trying to regain control over your thoughts. You push yourself into an awareness of the countless probabilities of the future, alongside everything that has occurred in the past. Those paths stretch out in every direction, twisting and overlapping in a bewildering tangle like gazing at the rippling surface of water that constantly morphs.

In that haze of uncertainty, you witness Paul Atreides wielding a crysknife, locked in a life-or-death duel with Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, as per the ancient tradition. He uses that knife to kill Feyd, claiming the title of Emperor on that very day.

This marks the first turning point of the universe.

Next, you find yourself pulling the trigger of a stun blaster, firing at Yord from behind to shield him from confronting Qimir, thus altering the fate that could have led him to his death today.

This is the second turning point.

The change doesn’t only affect Yord’s fate. The ripple effect expands, enveloping everything within the universe. Multiple branching paths start to converge, merging into a singular path.

Finally... you glimpse the true outcome of the path you've chosen, which will reveal itself in over a century.

This is the gamble you've already placed your bet on, for this purpose and for this moment.

"Qimir"

His name sounds strange when you utter it, as if it's not a name you're familiar with, and the man before you is not the man you know.

You understand why you feel this way: he is no longer your Qimir but The Stranger—the Sith Lord responsible for the slaughter of the Jedi.

He stands before you, unmasked, his dark eyes cold as ice, staring at you impassively. There’s no longer a need for him to hide. Every aspect of him, every dark secret, has been laid bare—just as everything about you has.

The man chuckles softly and moves even closer, cutting off any chance for you to escape. You swallow hard, trying to turn your face away from his intense gaze. But he doesn't let you. His fingers, wet with others' blood, dig into both of your cheeks, pressing hard enough to hurt, forcing you to look only at him.

"Surprised?" He leans in closer, his hot breath on your face, and whispers softly in your ear, "I told you, you can't run away from me."

His words are not merely a threat to you; they are the truth. 

Because you both are bound by fate—an unbreakable karmic bond. No matter how much you try to run away from him, you will always be drawn back together. The only way to truly be free of him is death.

"I know, but a little effort wouldn't hurt, right?"

You respond, your tone almost playful, a smile still lingering on your pale face. It's as if everything is normal and under control, displaying no fear despite being at a complete disadvantage.

Your demeanor causes Qimir to furrow his brow, sensing something suspicious beneath your seemingly ordinary smile.

He doesn't quite understand, not until you slip your hand under your clothes.

Your body instinctively moves; muscle memory from years of training kicks in. In a flash, the knife hidden in your clothes flips into your palm, its sharp tip poised just inches from Qimir’s face.

You still remember every technique Qimir taught you—especially how to fight with a knife. You know you have numerous opportunities to thrust the knife into his vital points—his throat, neck, heart, or lungs.

But instead, you turn the knife on yourself. Without hesitation, without a second thought, you plunge it toward your own heart.

Before the knife pierces your flesh, Qimir's hand shoots out, gripping your wrist just in time. His dark eyes widen in shock, almost seeming terrified. Then, quickly, his expression twists into anger.

"What the fuck are you doing?!" he snaps.

"I thought you wanted me dead," you reply calmly, indifferent to his anger.

Qimir falls silent, appearing speechless for a moment. "I don't want you dead," he finally says, though he doesn’t seem certain of his own words.

It's changed again,  you think, but this time, you feel an unusual sense of relief.

You're well aware that he could kill you at any moment. You’ve seen all the possibilities of how Qimir might end your life, and what just happened was one of those scenarios.

Even though you’re skilled at fighting, you know you could never match Qimir. Had you chosen to stab him moments ago, you would have failed, and he would have killed you without hesitation. You’d have met a miserable end right here, just like in the visions you’ve seen so many times before.

However, by choosing to turn the knife on yourself, you altered the course of events. Qimir was caught off guard, never expecting you would actually dare to do it.

You’ve made him angry, of course, but you’ve also ignited the fear he tries so hard to conceal. It reminds him of the time you drank the Water of Life and slipped into a near-death coma for weeks. During that time, Qimir had been frantic and panicked, not knowing how to save you and fearing that you might die.

Qimir may not realize it yet—or perhaps he’s unwilling to admit it. However, witnessing this moment again will eventually compel him to confront the truth: he doesn’t truly want you dead.

This is all part of your plan. Your reckless actions sow a seed of fear in Qimir’s heart, and from now on, the thought of killing you will never cross his mind again.

Since escaping from Qimir is impossible, you must ensure your safety while trapped by his side.

“But you broke my leg!” You pretend to remain defiant, pointing to your leg and matching his anger with your own. “And you held your lightsaber to my head. Now you’re telling me you don’t want me dead? How am I supposed to believe that?”

Qimir clenches his jaw, appearing as if he wants to grab and shake you until the frustration fades.

Instead of doing that, he lets go of you, stepping back slightly before letting out a long sigh, as if unsure how to deal with you.

“That’s because you betrayed me. The rest? I was just threatening that Jedi.” He speaks through gritted teeth, glancing at your leg before shrugging. “And I’m pretty sure a broken leg won’t kill anyone, will it?”

For a split second, you feel the urge to laugh at his sarcasm, even though there’s nothing remotely funny about this situation.

Both of you look worse for wear—blood-soaked and gravely injured. He’s just killed someone, almost killing you as well.

Who would’ve thought that the two of you would end up sitting across from each other, arguing back and forth like a foolish couple trying to figure out who’s right or wrong?

It feels strange how the tension between you both suddenly eases; for a brief moment, Qimir resembles the man you once knew.

You notice this subtle shift and realize this is the opportunity you’ve been waiting for. You quickly organize your thoughts and steady your emotions. Because there’s something important you need to discuss with Qimir—and this is the perfect moment to do so. There won’t be another chance.

“Qimir, I’ll help you,” you say firmly this time. “I don’t care how many Jedi you kill, but I have one condition.”

Qimir narrows his eyes, his sharp gaze scrutinizing your face as if searching for deception. He doesn’t trust you, especially after you betrayed him once and fled with the Jedi.

Yet, you don’t need to prove anything to him because Qimir needs you. Your power is what he desires, and across the galaxy, you’re the only one who possesses this unique ability.

Your assumption is correct. He finally nods. "What’s your condition?"

"The one person you cannot kill is Yord Fandar."

“Why?”

"Because I’ve seen a vision. He’s the only one who can kill you. You must avoid him," you say, though this isn’t the whole truth. Qimir has an equal chance of killing Yord himself, but it’s better to let him believe otherwise, to keep him away from Yord in the future. "But don’t worry. He won’t be a Jedi anymore after this."

You’re certain of this, as it’s what you’ve seen in your vision—a part of the altered path extending ahead.

The tragedy today will leave a permanent mark on Yord’s soul. Losing all his companions while he alone survives will haunt him like an unforgiveable sin. The guilt will gnaw at him, wearing him down until he can no longer bear the burden of being a Jedi.

Eventually, Yord will choose to leave the Order, turning his back on the Jedi way forever.

In many ways, Yord’s fate mirrors Qimir’s past. But there is one crucial difference: Yord never succumbs to the dark side. He has too much light within him to be overtaken by darkness. He becomes neither Sith nor Jedi, but a Wayseeker,[1] traveling the galaxy in search of the true meaning of life and the Force.

Yord’s life will take another turn when he reaches the planet Naboo, where he is destined to rescue the daughter of a noble family held for ransom by space pirates. This event leads to their falling in love, and Yord will eventually marry her, settling down to build a family and live out his days in peace.

His bloodline will continue, becoming a crucial variable in the future—a girl named Padmé Amidala.

In the future, she will be the love of Anakin Skywalker’s life and the primary reason for his fall to the Dark Side as a Sith Lord, plunging the galaxy into darkness. Yet, at the same time, Padmé’s existence will spark a new hope.

Luke and Leia Skywalker, the twins of Anakin and Padmé, will grow up to stop their father's devastation and restore balance to the Force.

Among the many paths branching through the stream of time, this is the only path where the Kwisatz Haderach faces total defeat.

"Promise me." You insist, eyes locked onto Qimir's with unwavering determination, barely blinking. "Promise me you will believe and do everything as I say."

"You ask for my trust after betraying me, my love?" He retorts sharply.

"You must trust me; you have no other choice." Your voice is calm, cold, and confident, as if you hold all the cards. "And neither do I, my love." The last line deliberately echoes his words.

You watch Qimir carefully, using the Bene Gesserit’s observation techniques. You notice the slight twitch at the corner of his lips—amusement mixed with satisfaction.

“You should have thought like this before betraying me," he murmurs, raising his hand. You have to force yourself not to flinch as his bloodstained fingers touch your cheek. "I have my own conditions, too."

You freeze, suddenly aware of the shifting dynamics. The familiar pressure returns, creeping in slowly and making the atmosphere heavy and uncomfortable. You immediately realize how serious Qimir is about his conditions.

This is a delicate moment for your fate, and you know you cannot afford to make a mistake.

You lower your gaze slightly, your voice dry and uncertain as you ask, "What do you want?"

"You," Qimir says with a teasing smile, though his tone betrays a far darker intent. "You belong to me. That means your life—whether you live or die—depends entirely on me. And don’t ever think about running away from me again."

His fingers trail up to your neck, brushing slowly over your shoulder. Each touch is tender, leaving you frozen as tension seeps through every muscle in your body.

"And I need to ensure this never happens again, even if it means breaking your other leg. But you won't force me to do that, will you?"

He means it, you realize. This is his way of letting you know he’ll forgive you this time, but there won't be a second act of mercy.

As you blink, fragments of the future flash before your eyes, disjointed glimpses of what’s to come—a warning, urging you to brace yourself. 

You see countless more deaths on the horizon—deaths you'll help Qimir plan through your visions. You'll have to endure this torment, bitter and broken, haunted by the overwhelming guilt of what you’ve done for the rest of your life.

And you see yourself forever trapped, with Qimir watching your every move. You won't go anywhere without him or his permission. You will never be free again, like a bird with clipped wings.

This is the worst fate possible for you, yet you understand that this is the only path that holds a chance, the last hope to save the universe. You have no choice but to do whatever it takes to protect it, even if it means living as Qimir’s prisoner and forced to commit terrible atrocities for him, without question.

But it will be worth it. It has to be worth it. You reassure yourself silently as you nod slowly in response to Qimir.

He smiles faintly before leaning in to claim your lips in an intense kiss—a kiss that serves as both promise and a vow. His kiss is cold, reminiscent of a winter stripped of warmth, tinged with a metallic hint of blood. You don’t like it, but you don't push him away. You're too exhausted to resist, surrendering to fate and to Qimir.

There's nothing left for you to do but hope—hope that the path you've chosen is the right one.

Even though you will not live to witness the final outcome.

Footnotes:

[1] A Wayseeker is actually a position within the Jedi Order, referring to Jedi who want to carry out their duties independently of the Jedi Council's directives. However, in this fanfic, I don't consider Wayseekers to be Jedi like in canon; instead, I’m writing Wayseekers as independent Force users, completely separate from both Jedi and Sith.

[wishverse-angel]

I wanna ramble about Angel/Angelus and to get into the meat of Angel's whole character especially as Angelus you have to look at him from his human life and how those feelings or fears as Liam influence his life as Angel/Angelus. As a human Liam was never really seen as being good enough in the eyes of his father. He was often called a "disappointment" and "disgrace" so it stands to reason that Angel has developed a fear of not being good enough. That nothing he ever will do, will be enough for anyone. To please anyone. Which leads into Angel possibly having a people pleaser complex (and there's a lot of moments from AtS especially that seem to back this).

Angel wants to be accepted, he wants approval. Angel wants to be good enough for someone, because he was never good enough for his own parents. I won't get into it but Angel does seem to be an abuse victim or thats at least a widely shared theory given on his relationship with his Dad. That acceptance and happiness he got from Buffy from S2, was the thing that made Angel lose his soul. He was perfectly content, he was happy his life was finally going in a way he always wanted it to.

Angel felt accepted and like he was finally good enough. There was people who accepted his actions as something good. No high standards or going out of his way to please someone. Buffy accepted him for his flaws, so didn't Willow, Giles and Jenny. Cordelia and Oz would too (even if Oz was a later arrival. But Oz also relates to Angel's struggles as well because of the wolf. There was a bit of common ground between them.) He felt like he finally had people who supported him and that was another thing he was missing. Angel had his sister but that wasn't enough and some cases like Angel's, he would have done anything to get his parents approval.

It was why Liam started acting out because he all but gave up on trying. If he was only gonna be seen as a disappointment, then he would have acted like it. As Angelus, I feel like in his case feeling something like love, is a weakness. Its why he lashes out at Buffy, while not really accepting his own feelings. Angelus loves Buffy blah blah sure but thats a weakness. He didn't just hate Buffy he also hated Angel and the Scoobies for the same reason. They made him feel, Angelus sees that as a weakness for himself. While other vampires have no issues with expressing love in a way that vampires can thats different from humans (like Spike and Dru or James and Lisabeth from AtS). Angelus doesn't want to be seen as weak.

He's gained a reputation for being the most ruthless vampire in all of human history. And that's...saying a lot here. He wants to keep that reputation. Angelus wants control and to feel like he has some sort of power over something or someone. Maybe Liam felt too powerless and thats why Angelus enjoys the power he has now? Why there was a certain satisfaction he gained from killing his Father, as his Mom and Kathy were collateral? So when Angelus and Buffy got possessed in S2, Angelus freaked out. Because he had been kissing Buffy long after the ghosts of Grace and James left their bodies. He felt violated or weak. Angelus knew he felt something for Buffy and his only way to process this was just simply sucking it all into Hell.

And in S3, Angelus could have felt a certain level of respect for her that could be why she got marked in Graduation Day or maybe Angelus wanted to sire her. We'll never fully know the reason behind it. Angel and Angelus's fears and issues all stem from Liam and those parts are just residual aspects of his human life.

The need to be in control or please others, wanting some sort of approval or acceptance, why Angel's (and Angelus's) motivations lean back into these things he once felt while alive. Of course this doesn't excuse all the murder but it just puts all his motivations into a perspective and why Angelus was saying he felt "violated". He in a way he was saying he felt "weak" and had been violated by his one weakness and he hated it.

Like it wasn't the sex with Buffy that made him lose his soul. It was the feelings after, the perfectly content feeling. There was something he finally got and it was the acceptance. He gets that with Angel Investigations too later on but it wasn't enough to have the same soul losing effects. Buffy plays into that and its why he had to leave. He was scared of himself and he didn't want to hurt the one person who made him feel like there was something worth fighting for. Angel also seems to be fearful of his demon as well thats why in AtS S4 he was very freaked out about the idea of setting Angelus loose again. He knows the damage he can cause and Angel doesn't want to let Angelus have that freedom.

Of course he has no choice in it at the end despite all the protesting because they need info on the Beast. There's also the whole thing after Graduation Day, Angel had gone completely isolated once again after he had bitten Buffy. It sort of mirrors the donut shop incident from the 70s when Angel had gone completely underground cutting himself off. Except this time he was cut off still saving people and Doyle was right, what if one day he just gave in and attacked someone? Because that incident left him with a craving.

It's why Angel Investigations is so crucial to Angel's character because they keep him grounded in humanity. In AtS S2 when he goes through his Dark!Angel arc, you can see what could have happened to Angel if he had kept going the way he had post Graduation Day. They help Angel keep in touch with his humanity and he cares for them. These are humans that either don't belong or have anyone. They became a family and these were people Angel could bond with!

[cyaanara]

.𖥔 ݁ ˖ Yixuan (ZZZ) and Ferrofluid Thoughts .𖥔 ݁ ˖

So, we were watching that one Yixuan cutscene, and a collective “FERROFLUID??” went off in our head. So. Here, take a very normal theory/explanation about how she could be using (enhanced) ferrofluid, or at least something VERY similar. Accompanied with real life scientific proof. Keep in mind that this is just speculation by some very insane people.

Credits to this video. We also wanted to flesh out his ideas because we had the same idea when we saw the cutscene.

Flaws in the theory / counter arguments here!

Part One — What EXACTLY is ferrofluid?

So, ferrofluid: it’s this really cool colloidal liquid made of teeny-tiny magnetic particles suspended in a fluid. It basically looks like black ink, but reacts super dramatically to magnets—spiking and forming wild shapes.

Now, if Yixuan’s manipulating ferrofluid, she might not just be using it for combat. It could actually be how she navigates. When she directs the group? If she’s sensing how her ferrofluid reacts to magnetic fields, she could be using it like a “living” compass—detecting tiny shifts in the environment to figure out where to go.

For those who don’t know, a W Engine boosts your abilities in a Hollow, it’s literally like a speaker. And as we know, every agent has a custom W Engine, like their own personal playlist or a frequency only they can hear. Which is why we have to suff—farm Drive Disks! New songs for their ‘playlist’. Do you know what’s also pretty popular?Ferrofluid speakers. Yep—because speakers use… drumroll please… magnets!

So the connection makes sense: Yixuan’s tech might be syncing with her ferrofluid through magnetic resonance, like how a speaker pushes sound through vibration and magnetism.

Continued Under the Cut.

Part 2: Avian Magnetoreception

Notice how she has a bird? They can literally see Earth’s magnetic field. That’s how they migrate across huge distances without getting lost.

There are two main ways they do this:

Magnetite Receptors – Tiny, iron-filled structures in their beaks connected to the trigeminal nerve help detect the intensity of magnetic fields.

Cryptochrome Proteins – These are light-sensitive proteins in their eyes (esp. cryptochrome 4) that let them visually sense magnetic directions. Basically, they’re like natural GPS with night vision.

Disclaimer: I’m not sure what kind of bird it is, whether it’s a real bird, or a manifestation of some kind. But I am still sticking with what I said above, since it is still a bird of some kind.

Part 3: Ether-Enhanced Ferrofluid

Ether acts kind of like radiation that messes with magnetic field detection. In Hollows, that messiness scrambles traditional navigation—so no normal compass would work.

But! There might be spots with lower Ether levels—quiet zones where the magnetic field is stable. In theory, Yixuan’s ferrofluid could react to those low-Ether pockets, helping her figure out where the “safe zones” or exits are. Kinda like tech that detects electromagnetic interference—changes in behavior = clues about the surroundings.

Think of it like the Bermuda Triangle: a place where there’s too much weird EM activity (which is also how EMP bombs work), so compasses and tech go haywire. (But that’s a whole other rabbit hole.)

TL;DR:

Ferrofluid = not just aesthetics.

Navigation via magnetic fields = totally possible.

Birds = natural GPS.

Ether zones = glitchy compasses.

W-Engines = speakers.

[polin-erospsyche]

Bridgerton Season 3 Part 2 Thoughts

Alright, it’s been a few days since the end of Season 3 Part 2 of Bridgerton, and I’ve had some time to think about all of it and rewatch the show. I have some thoughts. I’m not sure how much this will add to what everybody has already said, but I’m hoping that by writing this, I can free myself from the torment that is my Polin obsession. There are a few points I’d like to hit on, so this will probably be separated into parts.

1. The Break Between Part 1 and Part 2

I’ll start this whole thread with what seems to me like a big reason for which Part 2 was received the way it was in the fandom: the break. Of course, that is not to say that Part 2 was perfect. It wasn’t. I think by now we all agree that something was missing from it. Some used the word “lackluster”; others deemed it “disappointing.” However, what seems interesting to me after having spoken about it with some of my friends who watch it but are nowhere near as invested is that they overall enjoyed Part 2. Some even thought Part 2 was better than Part 1, with more solid storytelling. I personally have come to the conclusion that it is overall a great season and a very entertaining one. With its flaws, of course, but then again, no season of Bridgerton so far was ever perfect.

The difference, then, to me, between casual viewers of the show and the fandom, and maybe what could explain the difference in the level of disappointment we felt after Part 2, is the break. How we lived the break more specifically, and the AMOUNT of media we consumed during it. In effect, this break was essentially a great idea and the worst mistake Netflix could have made. A great idea because it caught a lot of people’s attention. With nothing to do but to wait after that carriage scene of all scenes, the only place to turn to, if you couldn’t get it out of your head, was online with the fan community. And god knows we were fed. Constantly and very, very well. With drops nearly every day, interviews, stills, and everything else, we had plenty to interact with. On top of that, you add fan theories and possible spoilers and a constant assurance that this season would get “very steamy, the steamiest,” and you end up with a lot of hype around Part 2.

I truly believe we might have been disappointed if we had gotten the whole season in one go, but the fallout might not have been as bad because they simply wouldn’t have had the time to build so much hype around it. That was the stupid aspect of putting a break in the middle. Nothing, I think, could have come close to what each one of us hoped and prayed Part 2 could be. It is the eternal problem of expectations vs. reality.

One last thing that I will add to this is the reputation Bridgerton has built for itself over the years. Bridgerton, when it was first released, was new, thrilling, a show that bent convention of traditional historical drama, a show that was steamy. We had a lot in terms of intimacy scenes in Season 1. Then Season 2 came, and fans were disappointed. Then Season 3 rolled along, and fans are finding themselves equally disappointed (now I see there are actually wars being fought over which season between 2 and 3 was the least steamy or showed the least amount of nudity, and I just sit here rolling my eyes because is this really necessary? Anyway, I digress. This is not the point here). We, as a fandom, have come to expect more nudity, more steaminess, more focus on the main couple, and each season for the past two we get disappointed. Season 1, no matter what you may think of it, and Queen Charlotte both delivered, I would say, in terms of focus on the main couple and steamy scenes. That is because both of them had fewer things going on in them, fewer side plots. My friend said something to me that made me laugh: she said that if you expect a romance show focused on the main couple above all else, you will inevitably be disappointed. However, if you make your peace with the fact that the format has changed somewhat, then it’s actually great fun. I personally think that the problem is the format has changed, but Bridgerton is still being sold to us on its original pitch, and if the original pitch is to be kept, then the 8-episode format is nowhere near enough to cram everything in, ending up in a weirdly paced show with disjointed scenes and a disappointed fan base.

Now that the problems have been laid out, and despite the flaws, this season still remains so beautiful, especially due to the complexity in both Colin and Penelope individually and as a couple (which I cannot wait to discuss!). It is worth sitting with it and taking it as a whole and not as a Part 1 and Part 2 😊

[ohnomyhooves]

Thoughts on the headcannons that doffy is colorblind and that’s part of why his fashion sense is Like That and that corazon is so unbalanced bcos he suffered a traumatic brain injury in the same event where doffy got an arrow in his eye and cora was only normal kid levels of klutzy before that and got much worse after

Firstly I'm so sorry if it took me ages to reply, I didn't get notified of this in my inbox at all!🥹

Also, I do like both of those theories– in my opinion there is definitely something about his eyes that Doffy is deliberately hiding, whether a natural 'flaw' or an injury.

On Doffy's eyes;

I think the arrow to the eye was quite clear, it's hard to imagine he could get away from something like that completely unscathed. The only question though if this is the case is why he was wearing glasses before any of that happened. My guess is either:

- he had some kind of eye defect from birth, something that he possibly saw as this huge flaw for a high and mighty Celestial Dragon. Perhaps colour blindness from birth, or heterochromia, or partial blindness etc.

- this is self-indulgent and unnecessarily cute (sue me!) but I also like to think that maybe he was just attached to the glasses themselves as an item, the way small kids get overly attached to things and just don't let them go for a long phase I.e a favourite piece of clothing they insist on wearing everywhere or an impractical accessory.

In either case, I can see that after his injury he started wearing glasses all the time for a totally different reason; to hide an injury that was now a bigger flaw than anything else because it was definite proof of weakness. Whatever he's hiding behind those glasses I refuse to believe he's not touchy and secretive about it. I think the HC that Doflamingo actually has perfectly normal eyes under there and is just an Extra Bitch is hilarious!! BUT considering that he got to keep them even at Impel Down, and I believe the wiki says that Tsuru got him a new pair before he was tossed in jail, they must be pretty important to him/ the Marines who arrested him for that little while his eyes were bare probably saw something that they knew Doflamingo would get Touchy and Dangerous about so they wanted to cover it right back up and pretend they hadn't seen anything.

BUT I'M GOING ON A TANGENT! To answer your actual question, I've never considered that his sense of fashion is so atrocious because he could be colourblind. Like, I just thought it was atrocious because his personality involves being the centre of attention all the time– sitting on the fcking table at warlord meetings, crowning himself King of Dressrosa and throwing massive celebrations in his honour, his behaviour at Marineford– but now that you mention it I like that possibility! I would have to look up how people with colourblindness perceive colours, I think, to get deeper into it; for example, if he doesn't perceive his horrid feather coat as being pink the way other people see it, what colour does it look like to him, what aesthetic exactly is he going for? Doflamingo would 100% not care if other people's visual senses were assaulted in his quest to look good to himself so that's fascinating.

On Cora's clumsiness;

I totally REFUSE to believe he was exaggerating this or playing it up for the sake of his cover. His accidents are too inconveniently timed for that to be the case, like when it got him in trouble when he was stealing the Op Op Fruit...(ouch😭)

He says he's always been clumsy since birth but his klutzness is simply next level, so it really makes sense that it's the result of some traumatic injury. If it was simply a childhood trait I think it would get better with time, not significantly worse; AND, I know we didn't see much of him as a child, but there wasn't any time child Rosi was depicted as being that clumsy. I believe the only time he ever showed clumsiness was when he tripped and fell into a treasure chest one time(?) in one of the very first scenes of their family before they moved out of Marie Jois, but that's like. On a totally believable level for a child. His clumsiness is such an integral element of his character as an adult that I think they would've highlighted it in his younger self.

So! Yes, I agree with that headcanon ;-; poor Rosi...

Thank you for submitting such a fun ask! I do enjoy yapping about them XD

[crossover-enthusiast]

Ok so I meant to make. My own post about this months ago but I legit forgot so. I’m throwing this all at you

My friends and I think Gregor is a former cultist who defected and is using Christianity as a coping mechanism.

1. We have theories about Evermore being “involved somehow” and the “we’ll meet again father, hopefully soon” line is ominous as fuck considering what happens at the end

2. The shot of Ignacio squinting at Gregor and picking up the phone, presumably to dial what we have dubbed “9-1-cult”

3. Bonus points for it cutting to Mort, because we can’t figure out if that’s just a jump cut or meant to imply more

4. The church has a sign saying “grand opening” implying it’s something extremely new

5. Biggest piece of evidence is him saying “what do you want” right after seeing the cultists in the church, which implies he has a level of familiarity with them

We think he defected and his fixation on teaching the kids about apologizing is him accidentally projecting onto them because he knows he can’t truly get forgiveness for what he did in the cult. He even seems to kinda know his teachings are flawed because when skid and pump return to him all beat up by Roy, he doesn’t really. Comment? Just kinda looks at them sadly.

Ohhh that? That would be interesting as shit. The idea of him using it to cope, specifically -- he wants to repent, but he believes nothing will save him from the sins he committed while in the cult, smth like that

The idea of him being a former cultist also goes with this image Pelo made that he said was a "spoiler" for SM 6

Which like. Yeah it kind of spoils but there's no "grand stand" for Gregor against the cult, unless he was a former cultist and this is meant to be like. Him rebelling by choosing the words the of the Lord over the words of Eyes

Also while I was looking for that image I came across this one again and I want to ramble about it

Gregor's original character inspiration was the teacher from Courage the Cowardly Dog's final episode, "Perfect", but Pelo was specifically basing Gregor's original character on the actions of the teacher rather than the overall Aesop of the episode

However, if Gregor is a former cultist projecting his own issues onto kids, that. Kind of works more with the idea of the teacher as a character, a manifestation of Courage's doubts and insecurities that tries to forcibly change him into what he thinks is "better" when he's fine the way he is

I like this idea a lot actually. Also referring to Ignacio picking up the phone as him "dialing 9-1-cult" is hilarious I'm taking that

[featherstorm2004]

Pt2 if Alastor was an angel

Ok, so we've discussed the possibilities on how Alastor might have manifested in heaven and who he might have made a deal with if that was the case, so the next part of our discussion is why? Alastor would make such a deal.

Now it would be hard to imagine what could entice anyone let alone Alastor to leave heaven, after all on the surface the place appears to be a paradise. However, there are a few things I can come up with 1) power, we know for a fact that Alastor adores being the most powerful person in any room and likes lording that fact over other people however, in heaven it would be unlikely that he could find that sort of power since heaven is not nearly as loosely managed as hell is. Which would make it extremely unlikely for him to build up any meaningful power in that realm and whilst he may attempt to become an exorcist Adam appears to exclusively employe women so I don't see that going far, let alone having Alastor tolerate him for more than as second.

So perhaps feeling displeased with his lot in heaven and knowing that the higher ups are scared of an uprising, he offers to become their specialised hunting dog by taking out the overlords who are amassing power in hell. That way Alastor can feed his ego and sadistic streak by taking down big opponents and heaven (Sarah) can take comfort in the fact that their biggest threats are being dealt with. This could also explain why he may have initially joined the hotel as to keep an eye on Charlie and make sure her plan fails.

However, there are flaws in this take mainly the fact that Alastor appears to despise authority or at the very least people who are more powerful then him, exhibit A) with him immediately picking a fight with Lucifer and Adam despite them being way out of his league (Lucifer especially). So the likely hood of Alastor willingly becoming a lap dog is slim at best, made even worse by the fact that by the end of the season we know he is desperate to escape his deal which is probably the main reason he's attached himself to Charlie and by extension the hotel so fiercely.

There's also the fact that it's strongly implied that his deal is heavily constraining his true power level; which would go a long way to explain why he was so confidant in his fight with Adam, and so surprised when he lost. So, it is unlikely that if we're running with this theory that the deal was made for power but then what could possibly have drawn Alastor away from heaven? well there might be one thing that would be enough of a reason for Alastor to give up his place in heaven willingly.

His mother.

After all it was stated in early live-streams that Alastor adored his mother and is part of the reason he prefers the company of woman, and whilst I am uncertain of this fact I do believe it was also stated that his mother is also in heaven like Angel's sister. So, this may be a long shot but what if whenever he and his mother died Alastor manifested in heaven whilst his mother went to hell for whatever reason, after all it has been shown many times in the show that overall good people can land in hell such as Carmilla and miss Mayberry from Helluva Boss.

So, it wouldn't be too far out there to believe that Alastor's mother could have ended up in hell for a sin that she committed perhaps in the name of protecting her son. And whilst I am unsure if it is still canon I do believe the consensus was that Alastor's father was abusive, so it wouldn't be hard to believe that perhaps to protect her and her child Alastor's mother may have killed his father in self defence which would perhaps land her in hell. This in turn would be the motivation that Alastor would need to make a deal with one of the head angels to perhaps trade places with his mother, after all it has been proven by Lilith that you can make a deal to bring someone to heaven. So, Alastor would make a deal withe heaven to swap places with his mother whilst in return he would do their bidding and keep hell weak.

But yeah that's just my take on how things would go if Alastor used to be an angel but who the hell knows if it's actually true, I would encourage other's who haven to go read the first part of this theory for more context.

[thewertsearch]

Ask Comp 28/6

It's in the recs list! I'm very much looking forward to this one.

I've certainly enjoyed what I've read so far - it's been nice to get back to the story's original protagonists.

The main mood of Act 5.2 is one of anticipation. We've been getting glimpses of the kids' Grand Plan ever since the Act began, and it very much feels like it's all building up to something. If Homestuck sticks the landing, and the Act 5 finale lives up to all this hype, then this might end up my favorite part of the story so far.

Yeah it's a session tag - although a 'reading session' is a little ambiguously defined, especially when I stop posting for a few hours and return later in the day. How long a gap does it need to be before it qualifies as a new reading session?

I've just been tagging every post made in the same day as the same session. It's not a perfect solution, but it'll do.

Wow, it started in 2010? I could conceivably have been reading Paranatural in school - although I'm glad I came to it a little later, so I wasn't constantly waiting for updates.

Big red peepers. I'll admit I didn't really think of this as a reveal, but I suppose it is our first true peek behind Dave's shades.

Based on this, it's it's probably safe to assume that all the kids have eyes matching their text colors. Has Rose been blessed with the legendary mutation, Alexandria's Genesis?

A few people mentioned this Squiddles meme. I like it, it's very Trunk & The Grunks.

I've really gotta catch up on those albums at some point...

I did wonder if Bro's sword shenanigans were something to do with Dave's Quest - like, maybe he was bequeathing his anime sword to his brother, to accomplish some objective. Now that Dave has his own Quest sword, I think that interpretation is less likely.

Symbolically though, I do think it's notable that Bro's sword is intact, and Dave's is broken. It ties into how Dave sees himself as a worse version of Bro, on some level.

As far as Jack is concerned, I doubt the game intends for him to have anything to do with Dave's journey. The whole point is that he's ignoring the game's rules - so if anything, his antics might start to break the Quests.

It sounds like the style was supposed to take readers aback - although I didn't find it particularly jarring myself!

Homestuck's art style is constantly changing, with this, the Earthbound sprites, and Hero Mode, among other things. Honestly, I had just assumed that the comic's art just fluctuated depending on Hussie's mood.

I quite like the HussNasty panels, and I hope Hussie keeps experimenting with the comic's art. It sounds like this is the beginning of a more general trend, so I'm hopeful that it will continue.

Oh, so it just straight up is Excalibur.

New theory about his Quest, then. It's about worthiness, and Dave is being tasked to 'prove himself' as a hero, despite his insecurities. This ties neatly into the next set of asks below:

Anonymous asked: my headcanon (partially supported by the text, as you've seen from rose's conversation with jaspers) is that each quest is designed to help you self-improve, so that you can responsibly preside over an entire universe. whether you agree with the game about the ways you need to improve is another story.

I've speculated that the Quests are teaching the Players how to sculpt their universe. Building on from this idea, then, these asks speculate that Quests are also trying to improve the Players as people, so that the nascent universe will flourish under their care.

It's an interesting idea - although it does beg the question of why Sburb is creating such flawed Players in the first place. If it's looking for self-actualized custodians for its universe, why did it create Players like the trolls, who wanted to rule over their universe like tyrants?

I guess it's possible that a flawed Player who self-improves is actually more resilient than a flawless Player who never needed to change. The former would potentially be more resilient, capable of adapting to the changing circumstances of their universe as it grows and evolves.

I wish! That's more of an aspirational schedule, really. I should probably delink it, if it's causing confusion.

I'm not sure whether this is Karkat's canonical birthday - but if it is, I like the irony inherent in the fact that he's not even a Cancer.

Yes - although I don't blame you for forgetting, since I don't think I've referenced it since the literal first post of the liveblog!

Oh, god, messages from 2024? Is Tumblr using Trollian as a backend?

Bizarre. I assume, then, that the trickster code was cut as well. :(

If we assume that Sburb did evolve, then it makes sense that it works this way. However, if it was created by some intelligent being, then holding the Players hostage like this seems pretty malicious.

I mean, there are ways to ensure participation in the game that don't involve destroying an entire planet. No matter how clear you were about the risks, if you asked the population of Earth for volunteers, you'd be guaranteed millions of responses.

All that said, if Sburb worked this way, we'd have a very different story. I understand why Sburb works the way it does, in the context of Homestuck's themes.

Speaking of Kingdom Hearts, I'd kind of love for Sora to visit a Homestuck world. His Keyblade upgrade could be the Wrinklefucker - and he'd have to unlock Vriska as a summon, right?

Do it. I've been rereading GtN this week, and as far as I'm concerned, Alecto can't come fast enough.

It is she. The million dollar question, of course, is whether Taylor is ultimately more of a constructive or destructive character.

I mean, I have an opinion, but resurrecting The Great Taylor Hebert Debate on this blog would be an exercise in hubris.

@wickedsick asked: The typically accepted name for Girl Egbert is June, after that one time Vriska spelt John with 64 O's and Egbert said they read it as a really long "June". [...]

Oh man, imagine being trolled by Vriska was your trans awakening. How would you ever recover?

Jokes aside, I like June, It's cute. I feel like if John transitioned she'd choose another 4 letter J-name like that, or a name from one of her movies, like Dana or Janine.

Come on - I'd be shocked if Homestuck didn't end with the straight characters getting outnumbered at least twenty-to-one.

Looks fine to me, I think. I assume the website just hiccupped - wouldn't be the first time!

It blows my mind every time I remember that Undertale came out in 2015. The beginning of the Undertale Era feels like it started simultaneously six months ago, and twenty years ago.

You open the TYPHEUS web browser and direct it to what is indisputably the most amazing website ever created.

Au contraire, my friend - Typheus showed up way back in Act 1!

[ I can't send them yet because they'd tell you a lot about the aspects, but someone sent classpect headcanons for discworld characters and they're SO GOOD - C ]

Damn it, I can't wait. Just based on what I've recently learned, I am convinced Rincewind would be the Something of Light.

[thisworldisablackhole]

Contact, by Carl Sagan (1985) - 5/5

All I knew about Carl Sagan prior to reading this book was that he was some kind of nerdy turtleneck wearing space guy with a TV show. Because of that, I almost half expected this to be some pretty dry, hard, potentially even boring science fiction. It kept being tossed around as a classic though, so I caved and decided to give it a shot. I came away from reading this thinking Carl Sagan must have been the most likeable and empathetic guy to ever walk the earth. May he rest in peace.

Contact is a highly realistic and down to earth imagining of humanity's first contact from outer space, but don't let it's lack of pure space fantasy dissuade you. It is told through the following of our main character Ellie, but it's scale extends down to the very core of global socioeconomics and culture, setting the stage for a futuristic Tower of Babel type event. Despite it's mass scale, Contact is also superbly human, and takes great care in building a team of multifaceted and flawed scientists and global elite to face the eye of the storm and steer humanity's fate together. All the characters are beautifully written, with none being too perfect or cliché. Carl Sagan proves that—in addition to knowing a lot about space and technology—he also has a vastly intimate knowledge of human hearts and minds.

There are no clear bad guys. There is no good versus evil. Most if not all characters and factions are human enough to sympathize with on some level. Even when topics of Faith, Religion, Science and Politics come up, Sagan does not use his role as author to persuade the reader in any one direction, he simply sets the questions, and allows our characters to offer up their beliefs and arguments in a very diplomatic manner. In fact, some of the conversations between astronomer Ellie and our religious representatives Billy Jo Rankin and Palmer Joss were some of my favourite moments in the whole book simply for the insight. It might appear like I am making the characters seem perfect, but believe me when I say they are not. Sagan isn't afraid to shine a light on the darkness which humans are capable of, and even our main character actively grapples with shortcomings and relatable yet unflattering self-realizations.

Oh yeah, and the space stuff is cool too. Like really cool. This is a science fiction book after all. There was more than enough actual science in here to support the story with fun theories and realistic explanations of technology and astrophysics without ever veering into wall-of-text infodump territory, and the fair balance between the nerdy and spiritual aspects of the book made the build up and payoff immensely satisfying from both a personal and scientific point of view. Carl Sagan really tried to represent the best of all of us here, and I can now easily see why Contact is regarded as a classic. I have nothing to criticize. Easiest 5/5 ever.

[aboutanancientenquiry]

"Herodotus and the Presocratics: inquiry and intellectual culture in the fifth century BCE

K. Scarlett Kingsley, Herodotus and the Presocratics: inquiry and intellectual culture in the fifth century BCE. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2024. Pp. 272. ISBN 9781009338547.

Review by

Davide Napoli, Cornell University. davidenapoli@cornell.edu

Preview

The fluidity of generic boundaries in classical Greek culture is part of what makes its study fascinatingly complex, as Scarlett Kingsley argues in her Introduction to Herodotus and the Presocratics. But the high level of specialization within modern subfields can often obscure key connections across the spectrum of classical Greek intellectual history. Some of the most thought-provoking recent contributions to this field have in fact aimed to transcend such disciplinary boundaries—a group to which Herodotus and the Presocratics should now be added.[1]

The originality of Kingsley’s contribution can be readily gauged if compared with its closest intellectual predecessor, Rosalind Thomas’ groundbreaking Herodotus in Context (2000). As Kingsley argues (pp. 6–9), the longstanding interest in Herodotus’ empiricism, of which Thomas’ work is perhaps the most compelling and influential example, has led interpreters to downplay the Histories’ interactions with theoretical inquiry (although, one might add, in some cases the dichotomy between theoretical and empirical might be in the eye of the reader). The overarching contribution of Herodotus and the Presocratics is to revise and complement this interpretative paradigm by tracing Herodotus’ relationship to the philosophical speculation associated with the so-called Presocratics. While Kingsley is explicit about the problematic status of the term “Presocratic” (30–1), her use of this category is significantly more capacious than usual, including authors like Sophocles, Antiphon, and Hippias—so much so that the line between “Presocratic” and “classical Greek” is at times hard to draw.

The connection between Herodotus and the Presocratics traced by Kingsley is particularly intriguing insofar as it focuses on the narrative of the Histories, rather than on its author’s assumed views: “the historical narrative throughout the Histories stakes out a range of philosophical views that place the reader in the hermeneutic position of vicariously testing ideas and methods in a laboratory of historical action” (9, emphasis mine). Kingsley understands the Histories as a laboratory in which contemporary concepts and conflicting theories operate, interact, and clash. The lack of a strong thesis in some of Kingsley’s chapters is thus less a flaw than a feature of this wide-ranging exploration, which puts Herodotus’ readers front and center. To anchor her argument, in most chapters Kingsley selects a particular Herodotean passage as her focal point, but the systematic work of contextualization makes her analyses much richer than isolated close readings.

The methodological section of the Introduction starts with the refreshing observation that “in spite of an awareness of its anteriority, the Histories is often interpreted in light of the generic expectations of later historiography, which only arose in its wake” (11). However, while warning against “generic essentialism” (33), Kingsley’s Introduction seems at times to fall under its spell, especially in her treatment of “generic miscegenation”: “[Herodotus’] historiē contains generic miscegenation already in the fifth century” (35). This contention presupposes the possibility of pure genres, an interpretative mirage that is even less productive in a context where generic heterogeneity is the rule rather than the exception.[2] The Introduction is more effective when tackling “generic indeterminacy” (9 and passim), but the use of genre theory à la Todorov, with its focus on (the modern construction of) literature, downplays the Histories’ cultural alterity. Consider the following example: “the Histories does not create its audience ex nihilo, it relies upon readerly competence to do the work of situating its literary ambitions in an already-existing reading culture” (19). Here, several terms domesticate the Histories by turning it into a modern work of literature: “literary ambitions” presupposes a well-defined field of literature; “reading culture” and “readerly competence” (a term that echoes reader-response criticism’s problematic “informed readers”) gloss over the complex status of writing in the fifth century; and even an italicized title like “the Histories” can function in this context as a hallmark of modern authorship (Castelli 2020, 43–55 and 191–207). Kingsley’s adoption of genre theory to address the Histories’ generic indeterminacy makes the Introduction feel like a false start, especially because Kingsley’s insightful discussions can largely be read independently from it.

Chapter 2 (“Relativism, King of All”) demonstrates the complexity and ambiguity of nomos in the Histories. Kingsley starts from the famous comparison between the Greeks’ and the Callatians’ divergent funerary customs (Hdt. 3.38). Far from endorsing the simple relativism of nomoi, as analyses of this passage usually surmise, Kingsley argues that the Histories repeatedly complicates the value of nomos by showing how it can be weaponized. This chapter culminates in an astute analysis of the way Darius’ language in the Constitutional Debate redefines the Persian nomoi (71–2), in which Kingsley shows that in the narrative of the third book “the unjust actions of the Great King are naturalized as cultural tradition” (75).

Chapter 3 (“The Pull of Tradition: Egoism and the Persian Revolution”) discusses self-interest as a motive for human action. The centerpiece here is the episode of the False Smerdis in the third book of the Histories, which is put in conversation with tragic (esp. Sophocles’ Philoctetes) and sophistic texts. Despite the intriguing conceptual tapestry that results from this reading, Kingsley’s reconstruction of the debate around self-interest moves on a high level of generality (for instance when comparing Herodotus’ Darius and Odysseus in Sophocles’ Philoctetes) and feels less focused than the arguments pursued elsewhere in the book.

The opposite is true of Chapter 4 (“History peri physeos”), which is driven by a tight and clear-cut thesis, namely that the paradigm of environmental determinism is a reductive understanding of the operation of physis in the Histories. Such a challenge is not entirely new (e.g., Thomas 2000, 103–14), but Kingsley persuasively shows that physis plays a more prominent role in the economy of the Histories than usually acknowledged, directing our attention to a different set of intertextual resonances that include Anaximander (124), Aeschylus (127), and Antiphon (139). These readings show, among other things, how Kingsley’s approach can complement the dominant emphasis on the empirical dimension of the Histories.

It is however in Chapter 5 (“Physis on the Battlefield”) that the book is at its most original. Here Kingsley extends the discussion of physis to moments in which it is exceeded, which are signaled by phrases like “better/stronger than one’s physis” (ἀμείνων/κρείσσων τῆς φύσεως). Using the debate between Xerxes and Demaratus in Book 7 as the lynchpin for her analysis, Kingsley identifies a particular strand of the fifth-century discussion of physis, which she suggestively terms “transhumanism” (142, n. 5). Kingsley shows how Herodotus’ narrative tests the theoretical underpinnings of transhumanism, with a move that perturbs the simple binary logic of nomos vs. physis. This chapter showcases the payoff of a methodological framework that can easily toggle between text and context: Kingsley not only uses contemporary speculation to enrich Herodotus’ text but also lets the peculiar emphases of the Histories shine a new light on fifth-century theoretical debates.

Chapter 6 (“Historical Inquiry and Presocratic Epistemology”) turns to the epistemological assumptions that underpin the narrator’s voice in the Histories. This is a rich field of exploration, as it draws extensively on the Presocratic debates on truth and being (to on). In a very successful section, Kingsley argues that Herodotus engages with Presocratic epistemology through a marked use of a “grammar of truth” (179–86), in particular by “domesticating the participle τὸ ἐόν as a referent applicable to the past” (189). This example is representative of the close and fruitful attention paid to verbal patterns throughout this chapter.

The seventh and final chapter (“Herodotean Philosophy”) reads differently from the previous ones, as it zooms in on a single text as an example of Herodotean reception—the Dissoi Logoi (which Kingsley, following the majority opinion, dates to the early fourth century). A large part of the discussion is dedicated to cultural relativism, a topic treated in Chapter 2, thus creating a ring-composition in the book’s argument. A brief comparison between the experience that Empedocles’ sophos acquires in multiple lives (DK 31 B 129) and the one that Herodotus gathers from the historical past provides a suggestive conclusion (205–6). Three appendices round off the book by expanding upon Kingsley’s treatment of relativism and epistemology.

As this brief summary suggests, one of the features that makes Kingsley’s book stand out is the breadth of the textual evidence brought to bear on the Histories. Not only does Kingsley deftly move across the spectrum of fifth-century culture, but she also often keeps an eye on its later reception (e.g., p. 108 on Athenaeus; pp. 201–2 on Maximus of Tyre). Equally commendable is Kingsley’s extensive engagement with prior scholars in multiple languages (in some places even too extensive, where it arrests the flow of the argument: pp. 190–4). These aspects show that Kingsley’s inquiry is, like Herodotus’ historiē, in constant and productive dialogue with its intellectual predecessors—and contemporaries.

A lot of the interpretative work done by Herodotus and the Presocratics is a balancing act that thoughtfully complicates engrained ideas (e.g., Herodotus’ privileging of nomos over physis: 121–38; Herodotus’ aversion to truth-claims: 179–86). While Kingsley is not alone in challenging or nuancing these interpretative paradigms in Herodotean scholarship, her work brings this debate to a broader audience by making epistemological curiosity a key feature of Herodotus’ intellectual profile. Kingsley’s Herodotus is less a systematic theorist than—in keeping with the Histories-as-laboratory—a bold experimenter, whose profound interest in alternative explanations prevents him from committing to a single theoretical stance.

The reach of Kingsley’s discussion is sometimes stymied by a tendency to make individual examples stand in for categories, as when Antiphon represents “Presocratic circles” (62 n. 83) or a μέν…δέ antithesis represents “sophistic style” (96). This can lead to overgeneralizations like the following: “what [Hippias’ work] indicates is that the universalizing tendencies of early Greek philosophy could and did include the study of the past in its project” (23). This sentence is built on a series of debatable assumptions: that “early Greek philosophy” is a unity, that it has a project, that Hippias’ work is part of it, and that it can in fact stand in for it.

Such criticisms, perhaps inevitable for a project of this interdisciplinary breadth, do not detract from the most important contribution of this book: the invitation to contemplate an alternative intellectual geography for Herodotus’ Histories, which firmly establishes its vital role in contemporary theoretical debates. Kingsley’s insightful analysis of the Histories’ laboratory makes Herodotus and the Presocratics a must-read for Herodotean scholars, as well as for anyone interested in classical Greek intellectual history.[3]

References

Billings, J. 2021. The Philosophical Stage: Drama and Dialectic in Classical Athens. Princeton.

Castelli, E. 2020. La nascita del titolo nella letteratura greca: dall’epica arcaica alla prosa di età classica. Berlin.

Foster, M., L. Kurke, and N. Weiss. 2019. Introduction. In Genre in archaic and classical Greek poetry: theories and models, ed. Margaret Foster, Leslie Kurke and Naomi Weiss, 1-28. Leiden.

Grethlein, J. 2010. The Greeks and Their Past: Poetry, Oratory and History in the Fifth Century BCE. Cambridge.

Holmes, B. 2010. The Symptom and the Subject: the Emergence of the Physical Body in Ancient Greece. Princeton.

Kurke, L. 2011. Aesopic Conversations: Popular Tradition, Cultural Dialogue, and the Invention of Greek Prose. Princeton.

Nightingale, A. W. 1995. Genres in Dialogue: Plato and the Construct of Philosophy. Cambridge.

Proietti, G. 2021. Prima di Erodoto: aspetti della memoria delle Guerre persiane. Stuttgart.

Thomas, R. 2000. Herodotus in Context: Ethnography, Science, and the Art of Persuasion. Cambridge.

Notes

[1] E.g., Billings 2021; Kurke 2011; Holmes 2010.

[2] E.g., Grethlein 2010, 149–204; Nightingale 1995; Foster, Kurke and Weiss 2019.

[3] A minor desideratum: it might have been interesting to see Kingsley engage with Giorgia Proietti’s landmark Prima di Erodoto (2021). The vastly different backgrounds in which they place Herodotus’ work (civic memory for Proietti, intellectual inquiry for Kingsley), as well as Proietti’s extensive use of material culture, might together yield an even richer image of the fifth-century context to which the Histories respond."

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