#i was trying to think of what kind of role he would play but frankly. like he is in his sundered state. i think it would be understated

[nymfaia-archive]

HAURCHEFANT ; ANCIENT VERSE.

Svalinn is most known for how keenly Azem speaks of them: a being with a gilded tongue and a golden heart that could rival the very sun. While decidedly not a member of the Convocation or their close inner circle, his name tends to be familiar to most of those in Amaurot, especially those closely tied to the creation of arts:

He is the author of many and more of the oldest pieces of poetry, the rhymes and rhythms that those across shards remember but cannot place the beginning of. While most of it has been recreated and credited to others across the history of the shards, many of them echo what was once common reading in the Ancients.

He and Azem had a bond like no other. While they traveled on occasion, Svalinn held little power - metaphorically or literally - to truly embark on his own. He wished to see the world, but feared weighing down the one truly meant to do so: and as a result, he wrote.

Most of his works are wholly inspired by the traveler themselves and the tales they shared with him, and are - to everyone but himself - blatantly things created from love, both of them and of the world itself.

While he has likely been invited to speak at conferences or contribute to the Bureau on an official manner, Svalinn has consistently refused to be recognized officially as anything but a man with too many words and not enough time. Words had little reason to be called his own when anyone else could have pulled them together just the same, he would say sheepishly, and that was that.

(If Azem asked nicely, he may, eyes closed and voice but a whisper, recite the ones he has memorized, the ones that remind him the most of the being that, to him, walked among the very stars and hung the sun in the sky. But only if they asked.)

[turbulentscrawl]

HELLOOO could we get ithaqua with a modern Reader too? :33

MWehehe

-Honestly, not the brightest idea for a modern S/O to try and get with his one. Modern social culture is very deep in the anti-toxicity (to the point that we circle back into it without realizing sometimes) and Ithaqua exhibits a lot of red-flag buzzwords. He’s the kind of person reddit would constantly tell you to divorce haha.

-He would be a bit torn over you, though. On one hand, you clearly lived emersed in “society” as a whole, which is what he was generally the most at odds with in life. (In a modern setting, Ithaqua would be an off-grid homesteader. He’s probably against having wifi at his home, even.) On the other hand…you’re a bit of an outcast in the survivor manor. He’s a little crazy, but not BLIND. He can see how people are nervous about you in the beginning, shun you and your magic box.

-He’s got no fucking clue what the magic box is either, but Ithaqua does not believe in magic, religion, or the paranormal. The people who dictate those things called his mother a witch, and himself a demon, and he knows in his heart that they were just two people living life in a way others didn’t like. Superstition is what got him dumped in the snow as a babe, so even if he’s confused as hell by your technology, he’s smart and reasonable enough to know it’s due to a lack of education on his part and not you being some otherworldly, incomprehensible thing.

-He’s likely drawn to you a bit from the above treatment you suffer. Maybe the others are more than willing to use you as bait, hesitant to rescue you, or fail to even explain to you how decoding works. Ithaqua will notice these things even in the middle of a hunt. He thinks you’re pitiful—until you’re not, and that makes you interesting. Ithaqua finds the remnants of whatever your modern-ness makes up your skills. Your phone tucked into a grassy corner, playing a recording of someone shuffling through a chest, maybe, and he picks it up curiously. And then, well, he has to return it to you. Unfortunately for you, he’s one of the faster hunters and this only delays him for a few seconds.

-Ithaqua starts to, frankly, bully you in matches. He’s less vicious with the damage done, and instead of chairing you off the bat, he takes a liking to carrying you around while he hunts your teammates. It doesn’t matter that you struggle free or self-heal sometimes, he can catch you again easily enough. He talks to you while he zips around after everyone, his usual giggles and sighs replaced with questions and commentary for you. You reach a point one day where you self-heal, but don’t bother running…and Ithaqua just grins like a shark and pats you on the head.

-Eventually he notices the others warming up to you better…and it makes him bitter. “They’re all hypocrites,” he tells you in a dark corner of the basement. “I treated you like everyone else from the start, didn’t I?” That’s his argument to endear himself to you. To coil you further around his (admittedly gentle, all things considered) finger. Yes, he hit you, hunted you, but that’s his job. The POINT, he says, is that he likes you and it’s not FAKE because he’s always seen you as an equal to the others. (To the survivors, not to himself, because the manor roles say you’re clearly not.)

-The POINT is that you shouldn’t fully trust the rest of them—they’ll turn on you again if they get spooked—but him? Ithaqua doesn’t get spooked. He gets…possessive. He likes you. He’ll be here, if you need him. And even if you don’t. He’ll take care of your troubles for you, sweet pet.

[2stepadmiral]

Hardly a hot take, but I didn’t like acolyte. It’s the first Star Wars show that was legitimately bad (book of boba fett, Mando season 3, and Obi Wan I would consider guilty pleasures at worst). Overall, it had a lot of bad writing, cringy acting, and poor storytelling. Yes, there were some good parts, like Qimir’s character, the fight choreography, onscreen debut of cortosis, and Sol (until about episode 7), but for me, they weren’t good enough to make up for the lacking areas.

A few highlight critiques I have:

I hated the overall theme of anti-Jediism. Not because I don’t believe that the Jedi should be criticized, I just think that the way it was handled was nonsensical and idiotic. The flaws of the Jedi by the clone war were primarily complacency to a degree that they are basically puppets of the Senate, and stale teachings that haven’t changed in however many centuries or millennia that lead to Darth Vader. These flaws are issues that the Jedi should’ve recognized and tried to address, but they don’t warrant a total demonization of the institution as a whole. That’s the tragedy of the fall of the Jedi, the fact that they could’ve prevented their fall if they had simply been self critical and introspective. In acolyte, you have what effectively feels like real world political issues and criticisms forced into this universe and forcibly applied to the lens of the Jedi flaws. It isn’t explained why the Jedi being an institution is in and of itself a characteristic of the order, let alone a flaw, except from the perspective of the stranger, who sees himself as a victim of the Jedi because they won’t let him be a galaxy conquering Sith psychopath, which is a pretty weak argument.

Too many of the main characters are obnoxious and completely unlikeable. Neither mae nor osha feel like actual characters with actual arcs or development, just caricatures who make poor decisions and throw temper tantrums at anything they don’t like. Yord is an inflexible rule stickler who never develops any character besides rigidly following the rules and expressing bland disapproval at anyone who doesn’t follow his lead. Indara and Venestra were like Yord on steroids; they both reminded me unpleasantly of Luminara in TCW, but somehow with less personality. Sol, Jecki, and Qimir were the only characters that were interesting and somewhat likable.

The lightsaber designs are bland and boring. Before now, lightsaber hilts were always unique and had a profound or at least noticeable elegance to the design (Rey’s yellow lightsaber and Ezra’s blaster hybrid lightsaber are exceptions, those two were bland or ugly designs IMO). Pretty much every lightsaber in acolyte looks like interchangeable foot long pieces of discolored pipe with different cuts at the emitters, but apart from that, they looked pretty interchangeable.

The witches are cringe and poorly written. If these witches are supposed to be dark and creepy and potentially evil, why are they not just night sisters? If they’re supposed to be benevolent witches, Why did they act so night sister like? They play too small role in the story to be an entirely new kind of witch, and trying to blend nightsisters and other tribes of Dathomir witches was just confusing. We don’t understand their motives, and if we’re supposed to sympathize with them, it’s made very difficult by the fact that they’re pretty openly cultish and their intentions, for the twins seem pretty sinister. Overall, their inclusion just felt like a very weak and forced attempt to quickly add layers of demonization to the Jedi, and most of their time on screen countered that intention by making them cringy (that ceremony was beyond weird) and frankly unsympathetic due to their openly controlling and not so subtle Sinister undertones.

The ‘twist’ made no sense. Torbin was so homesick after a mere two months in the field doing drudge work that he thought bringing these girls would get him home? And he felt guilty to the point where he willingly and knowingly drank poison as atonement because… Sol understandably struck at one of the witches when she started turning into a shadow demon? And seemed to be attacking one of the girls they were there to save? And the witches, in retaliation/defense, tried to kill him? And then possessed a Wookie Jedi to try and make him kill them? And then they all died when they were expelled from Kelnacca’s mind? What? 

I hated the bleeding scene. I love the concept of bleeding kyber crystals, and previous executions, like in Jedi survivor, and in the Vader comics, were freaking awesome. But in both of those instances, you had fallen Jedi having the focus all of their rage and pain into a crystal that was actively fighting back, and as a result, success usually meant in explosion of Force energy. This may the concept fuel more like a tragedy when a crystal was bled, and it made it seem like even building a Sith light saber was in of itself a trial. Osha casually and unintentionally bleeding Sol’s crystal while strangling him makes bleeding seem ludicrously easy or makes it seem like she is casually more powerful than Vader, even while he was using a Darkside Nexus, and then the light saber blade changing color while active after she bleeds it trivializes the whole process.

The fact is that the vergence thing does raise questions about Anakin’s unique nature in the Force. They could have said that Brendok might have some kind of Nexus in the Force, and that the witches were able to use this potentially unnatural focus of Force energy to affect the artificial conception and birth of an unusually powerful being, and could’ve left a clear implication that while the twins together might have been almost as powerful as Anakin, even together they would have been less powerful. Using the term ‘vergence’ immediately implies that they are on the same level as Anakin in strength, as well as in unique nature. It’s sort of like Kyp Durron in the early EU, randomly introducing a Force user who is such a prodigy that he easily outstrips even master Luke. It strips beloved characters of their importance.

It also raises questions about how unique Plagueis’ work is. I haven’t read the book yet, but from my knowledge of Darth Plagueis, his obsession with immortality is what led him to learn how to influence the Force to create life. His whole pursuit flew directly in the face of the Rule of Two, Which is part of what made him interesting. Now, the implication is that he stole the idea from the witches, which robs him of some of his appeal and makes his work seem like a cheap knock off instead of a bold and desperate gambit that fleshes out his character and further contributes to Palpatine. Yes, they may remedy this in future seasons if it is renewed, but for right now, it’s raising questions.

Basil. That rodent annoyed the hell out of me every time he was on screen after episode 4.

Overall, the show had potential, but I feel like poor choices in writing dragged it down and ruined the execution. At the end of the day, I literally just want to watch an enjoyable Star Wars show that I can get into, and acolyte kept dragging me out of it with these and other issues.

[bitethedevil]

what annoys me the most about "canonically bad in bed", a list

- this is coming from hist LITERAL DILDO, like sorry he is not trying to pleasure his dildo, DO YOU PLEASE YOUR DILDO OR YOURSELF WHEN U GET OFF??? (totally understand haarlep is unhappy #freehaarlep but that is not the topic of this treatise)

- masturbation is always auto-erotic. e.g. almost all pornography directed at straight men shows men glorification of THEIR role in a sex situation, almost all erotica directed at straight women shows THEM being desired, it is always abt u and ur ego

- being "good" or "bad" in bed is a normative bullshit question I am frankly annoyed tav can even ask, because different people like different things, and this game is otherwise a lot better written about sex and gender stuff. also if you play haarlep's game, tav lies there like a starfish doing nothing at all, and haarlep likes it?? we should get rid of normative sexual evaluations of others smh

- there are people who like topping, people who like bottoming, frankly this is kinda toxic homophobic/misogynistic "haha, he was the one *getting* fucked all the time" implying a. the fuck-ee is dominated by the fuck-er and fucking is a violent act of dominance (untrue), and b. bottoms are somehow lesser than tops? so much wrong with this!!

- if I recall correctly haarlep just says raphael was bad in bed and always on bottom, and nothing about how long he lasts, and then the only way tav can use this knowledge to provoke raphael is by ASSUMING he doesn't last for very long, which is like wtf? why would u shame someone with some made-up toxic sex norms/assume they try to last when they masturbate? (even in case haarlep does say raphael cums too soon, shaming people for cumming too quick is such an incredibly mean thing, they can't control it)

- it is kinda sad (and toxic ngl) that raphael cares about haarlep so much and can't deny him anything and is so obsessed with this person who hates him and is dependent on him, giving strong toxic hetero relationship vibes. raphael, u can't have a relationship with someone who u control baby that is just not how it works lil guy, are u too scared u are not good enough for someone who will choose u of their own free will, are u scared they will leave u babygirl

to conclude we know absolutely nothing about raphael's sexual preferences, we just know haarlep is (rightfully) angry at him and being a slave, and raphael has ego issues which like come one we already knew that from day 1

I’m completely with you anon. The only thing I would like to comment on (and this is just my own interpretation) is the fact that Raphael can’t deny Haarlep anything. I don’t think that’s out of any fondness, I completely think its through Haarlep’s magic…which…just kind of makes it worse since Haarlep is there to spy on him for Mephistopheles. You saw how hard it was for Tav to deny him use of their body and mind. I’d imagine it works the same way with Raph, even though he’s a cambion. In my mind, the whole dynamic between Haarlep and Raph is fucked and Raphael is just trying to make the most out of a bad situation (I wrote a whole post on it a little while back, but it is of course just my own interpretation). Which just makes it even WORSE that Tav behaves the way they do about the whole thing. Like damn. I’d be mad as hell too.

I might write a standalone post on the weird discourse on Raphael’s sex-life at some point because it does somewhat fascinate me. Everyone is entitled to their own interpretation of any work, and that is something I hold sacred. What bothers me sometimes is the way that people talk about it. For example, the problematic way of portraying tops/bottoms and the shaming part that you also talked about in this ask.  

What bothers me even more is when people feel the need to drag that interpretation into fan-spaces to reduce the character to just those aspects as a “gotcha”. I don’t know if that is just me, but if there’s characters that I don’t like, I don’t even use their tags. I’ve written a couple of hate posts on the Emperor. They might show up under the tag just because Tumblr’s algorithm is weird, but I’ve never tagged them with the character’s name, just in case there are fans who use the tag and find that annoying.

Anyway…Thank you so much for the ask! I completely agree with you.

[zalrb]

I’m going through your fanfics and master lists again and it’s immeasurably entertaining and accurate

One thing I noticed is that a few days ago, there were some asks you answered about Elena’s appearance being overhyped and I SO AGREE. Elena is pretty sure, but the show made it seem like she was this head turning knockout, which was really unrealistic and odd because Elena was pretty/beautiful in a simple girl next door way. It wasn’t like when I looked at some shots of Bonnie and would think wow she’s so striking and gorgeous, and a big part of Elena’s looks was that she had the best makeup and clothes.

It’s seriously unreal how Elena herself seemed to have no insecurities about herself, when having people like Rebekah or Bonnie around who were more striking/obviously beautiful, and how people always seemed to be insecure about her only and not the other way around.

Have you hinted at this in your fanfics ? I’ve recently binged a lot of them, and in the bonkai regency series (so perfect BTW) and Elena is called the beautiful sister and when king Kai comes to a ball, Bonnie herself says “ This will not be easy, Elena. Alas, everyone notices you.”

Thank you! So, for that Bonkai series, I was definitely playing with the way the show treated Elena and framed Elena and treated Bonnie and framed Bonnie because Bonkai is modelled after Anne and Henry (the more fictionalized Anne and Henry as opposed to the historical) and a part of that was making Elena kind of Mary Boleyn-esque in that she was first sort of presented as the one to make Henry fall in love wit herh because she was seen as the pretty sister and I thought that idea of Alaric and Damon presenting Elena to Kai worked well because in the TVD-verse everyone just loves Elena

and all Elena really has to do is show up

and Bonnie sort of being behind the scenes to make sure that Elena gets noticed by Kai is like how in the show Bonnie is the one who actually does all of the work and the way Alaric and Damon treat her was supposed to mirror how the other characters feel entitled to her labour so a scene like this

“For the king to notice Elena as you very well know. His appetite for beautiful women is no secret and Elena captivates men with ease, it’s frankly almost frightening. With the right circumstances, she would be able to have the King’s ear, which would aid in the elevation of this family.”

            “You and father seem to have this all figured out, I don’t understand why I must return to court as well.”

            “Elena is the beautiful sister, you are the cunning one. It is not enough for her to win the King’s attention, she needs to retain it. We would have you help her in this respect.”  

 “Is my duty to be a madam then. To aid in the whoring of my sister’s dignity.”

Damon took a hold of Bonnie’s wrist and forcefully brought her to him. “Your duty is to elevate this family, Bonnie.”

is kind of like a mirror to this

so Bonnie saying that line: “ This will not be easy, Elena. Alas, everyone notices you.” is basically her role, it's what Alaric and Damon and society effectively made her role, it was kind of partnered with this sentiment

but because it's a Bonkai fic and a Bonnie-centric fic, I also wanted to call attention to how there is an inflated sense of beauty and/or interest in Elena and Kai being the one to indicate that when they have their dance because Bonnie keeps pushing Elena on him because that's her role and he's basically like, who gives a fuck about Elena?

“Yes. Elena,” said Bonnie. “I’m sure you’ve noticed her, she’s like the sun.”

“I’ve seen no sun in this court, only the lustrous beauty of the moon.”

Bonnie grinned, trying to find humble words. “I’m sure the sun will rise soon enough in court. I’ve been told it’s only natural that the sun outshines the moon.”

She and Malachai glided toward one another, the noses of their masks nearly touching, his blue eyes piercing into her green ones as they twirled in a tight circle. Bonnie held her breath; she would surely lose herself in his gaze, shivers erupted all along her body, along her arms and back, along her legs and breasts, his stare touched every part of her body. “But is it not true, Lady Bonnie, that the moon eclipses the sun?”

and he in fact calls her more beautiful and more intriguing hence the eclipse line.

And because I am anti-Bamon but do find the Somergraham chemistry palpable and intriguing by itself, the way that Damon acts with Bonnie in the fic is this idea of possessiveness and jealousy and wanting her all to himself,

 “Yes,” said Damon quietly. “The King is in love with you.”

           Bonnie looked up at him and seeing the subtle rage in his eyes, glanced away.

*

She opened it slightly but Damon blocked her before she could leave. “What is this about?” he whispered. “You’re not … you’re not falling in love with him are you?”

Damon glared down at her and Bonnie narrowed her eyes in regard; the expression on his face was the same one Lorenzo had whenever she told him of a man who came courting except there wasn’t sorrow beneath Damon’s jealousy like with Lorenzo, there was only venom. He’d chosen both, to hate her and to love her and his indecision irritated Bonnie as it made her life more difficult.

which I took from the way that the Somergraham chemistry and Bamon narrative kind of confused a lot of readings of scenes in season 7 especially.

And then there's Enzo who is just lost in love with her and wants her to experience the maddening way he loves her so she can understand just how consuming his love for her is

Lorenzo clenched his hair, his mouth opening and closing. “Is it so easy for you to cut ties with me?”

            “Is that a question you would like me to answer?”

            He stared at her for a few moments, his eyes wild and anguished, and then rushed forward and kissed her hard on the mouth. After a beat Bonnie raised her hands to put them on the sides of his head.

            “One day, Bonnie Bennett,” said Lorenzo between kisses. “One day I hope you will fall madly in love. I hope a man will consume your every thought, your every waking breath so you can suffer this torture.”

            Bonnie guided Lorenzo’s head to her neck. “Unlikely,” she said.

and then you have Kai who will rip an entire kingdom apart for her

         “Are you saying that binding your name to mine will sully yours?”

                “I am saying that people will talk!”

                “Then l will cut out their tongues!” he roared.

                Bonnie’s lips parted as Malachai strode over to her. He placed his hands on either side of her face, piercing his eyes into hers. “I will strike down anyone who dares to speak out against you!”

                She trembled slightly at the earnest fury in Malachai’s voice. He meant it. Every word.

meanwhile there's Elena who really has only captured Stefan's eye so despite the dialogue of how beautiful Elena is and how everyone wants her, in reality with this fic, it's Bonnie who everyone wants.

[blushblushbear]

I was wondering if you can do husband headcanon for Cole, Volks, and Cashew?

Thank you💕

ALL THREE OF THESE DORKS ARE SO HAPPY YOU AGREED TO MARRY THEM LMAO

Cole:

on the surface it's a very sweet domestic life

he plays the role of the loving, doting husband well

mostly cause he is actually a loving, doting husband

he's a bit strange but then again who isn't

but over all life with him very pleasant

just don't go in the basement though

that's his private space for his personal hobbies

don't worry about what hobby-- they say that the best married couples are ones that continue some level of personal life after marriage you know

he defiantly keeps the house clean

he's actually a bit of a neat freak

but he's also a pretty decent cook

he's not about to work at a 5 star fancy restaurant or anything but he can make some very solid dishes and is actually looking to learn more for you

I will say he tries to keep it all healthy though

he's not as much of a health nut as Kelby but he does constantly worry about your health

"why, if I lost you, I would have to spend every waking moment mourning at your grave until I withered away into nothing! and frankly that sounds too sad and boring to be how it ends for me"

definitely watches you sleep

sometimes stays up late just to watch you, all sweet and peaceful and helpless

is also very affectionate now that he's "claimed" you as it were

also is very open to letting all others know that you are well and truly spoken for, in case any ideas might think about wondering into their heads believing otherwise

god help anyone that has the misfortune to break into your home

he will love you until the day he dies and probably the eternity after too

Volks:

is much more openly affectionate after tying the knot

once you agreed to marry him and he knew you were the real deal and weren't going anywhere, he didn't really see the point in holding back

he actually partakes in a lot more little romantic gestures after your married, though all of them still not directly to your face cause he's still him and he gets embarrassed

little stuff like notes around the house telling you how much he loves you left in places he know you'll find it

or flowers waiting on the kitchen counter for you

or "I love you" written on your hand that you wake up to (also there might be some marker on either the pillow or your face or both oops)

also a card carrying member of the watching his spouse sleep club

he can't really cook but he makes decent money and also comes from a well off enough family so he can afford to get take out basically every night

if you cook then he will also try to learn to cook but it's very rough at first

he's very proud the first time he made pasta and it was edible and stuff

keeps his home very cozy

lots of blankets and pillows everywhere

he likes to cocoon himself up and will very much want you to join him

aside from the pillows and blankets and a few knick knacks he has very little in the way of home decor so either you have to bring all the flare into the home or you're both gonna be living pretty modern minimalist

really really really really really wants a dog

you have talked about getting a dog probably 10000 times

probably not as actively doting as Cole but he def pays attention and tries to make things happen or fix things quietly for you before they even become a problem

likes to take you camping with him, calls it a family camping trip

very into referring to the two of you (and maybe some dogs) as a family (since his kind of sucked A LOT)

is very proud to call you his spouse and will brag about it any chance he gets

doesn't get jealous too too often but he's still territorial so he WILL use any attention you get as a chance to brag about how he's your HUSBAND *points to his ring* for anyone who will give him the 5 seconds it takes for him to bring it up

Cashew:

the house is very cozy cottage nook vibes

a little hobbit hole esque

except there is def some kind of play room and/or a least a chest and something risque built into your bed room (pole, swing, whatever)

he has a library, he NEEDED to have a library

but there is also book shelves in every other room in the house as well

tries and fails to be a decent cook but now that he's a husband he's actually a little more set on getting gud scrub

he wants to be a supportive husband to you

I know I've said doting before on both other guys but yeah he is also p doting

loves your sunday rituals of snuggling up together under a bunch of blankets on your sofa and reading

he can't really cook but he knows how you take your coffee and can make it PERFECTLY

is very much one of those spouses that likes to do everything together

it can't just be you going to the store or him going to the store, you both have to do it

you can't just go straight there you have to re-group and THEN go to the store

he will act like happy newly weds with you well into your 20th anniversary

he has a lot of pictures of the two of you together all over the house but ESPECIALLY in his library/office

lots of sleepy early morning head kisses and leaning on each other as you wait for the coffee maker to get done making coffee vibes

lives you lots of notes everywhere

sometimes they're just normal house stuff ('DON'T LET ME FORGET MILK') but he's just as likely to write something romantic and sappy ('the sunlight through the trees this morning reminded me of your eyes <3')

big dorky snuggle nerd makes for big dorky snuggle HUSBAND

also he's gonna give off some slight dad vibes regardless of if you guys end up having kids

I think he's one of the only dudes who would definitely want kids eventually though??

he's very open to adopting

he wants to scoop an orphan up into your loving family and whisk them away on the strange and grand adventure called LIFE!

honestly though, kids or no kids, as long as he's with you he's happy

often looks at his ring and thinks of how lucky he is

[jyndor]

oh my god

a show written by white us americans for us american kids, while often spot on with its anti-imperialism, is not actually the end all be all for how occupied and marginalized peoples can respond to their oppression and genocide. weirdo.

full disclosure I have my problems with the portrayals of jet and hama for this exact reason that i have previously written about here. because ultimately the gaang represent "good" resistance - mostly defensive/nonviolent. jet represents "bad" resistance, namely violent property damage that would have caused civilian casualties if sokka hadn't warned them. and hama, who thanking this op didn't bring up, is supposed to show how trauma can make a person do terrible things but really it just feels like a racist, misogynistic way to both sides colonialism and imperialism.

now unless I'm misremembering the story (I am not) that episode took place in the earth kingdom. why were those innocent fire nation civilians so close to the valley that jet was trying to protect? why was he worried about them encroaching on that valley enough to destroy the dam?

because they were settlers. the fire nation was trying to defeat and occupy the entire world, of course their settlers weren't just innocent civilians, they played a role like all settlers do in all conflicts. and jet and his freedom fighters were all displaced by the fire nation. they were refugees.

in the end, the gaang may have their problems with jet's tactics but they still mourn him and understand that he is RESISTING oppression, and not that he is the same as his oppressor.

katara is UNIQUELY empathetic and decent at times. during the painted lady, she makes it clear that she wants the liberation of ALL - including her oppressors who are also victimized by fire nation imperialism (and capitalism lbr). she sees the class dynamics in the fire nation, sees how they harm the villagers of jang hui. how the military industrial complex poisons fire nation citizens - literally. the problem is that they are happy to take her help when they think she is one of them, but when she reveals herself to be a waterbender, they turn away from her in their racist, xenophobic disgust.

the truth is that katara's form of universal liberatory politics is just one form of resistance against oppression. sometimes atla veers into making it seem like the only acceptable form of resistance, which is quite convenient for the white us americans who wrote the show.

one of atla's main ideas is that imperialism harms everyone, including the beneficiaries of imperialism. it was also written in the early to mid 2000s during the so-called war on terrorism, and with a us american audience in mind. so no I am not surprised that jet isn't seen in a totally positive light, nor am I surprised that the fire nation is occasionally presented in a "not all fire nation" way. it still posits that those innocent civilians are racist/colonizers and frankly complicit in many ways for what the fire nation is doing abroad.

this is why jet isn't a villain, he's just a complicated character. why he is made a martyr. why katara mourns him even if she's angry with him.

as for whether or not katara would condemn hamas... I'm not sure it matters. movements regularly have infighting and disagreements on tactics. even so, atla is a TV show. palestine is a real place with real people who have tried all kinds of forms of resistance. nothing is ever good enough for supporters of the settler colonial project of israel because the point is never, ever to live together in peace. two state solution? where do you see that in atla? if ANYTHING the show calls for pluralism and freedom of movement for all. for an end to nation states and nationalism, as well as preservation of all cultures. liberation for all.

I can't speak to the mess of the comics or lok because I don't care about those but if we're just talking about atla... come on. it's free palestine.

also nice false equivalency between the free palestine movement as a whole and hamas, which is just one part of the movement. racist dipshit genocide apologist.

[inkdemonapologist]

Ok. A hypothetical scenario if you'll indulge me. You are a casting director on the movie. You are familiar with the material and you are asked to present some actors to the crew- *besides JK Simmons who everybody thinks should play Joey I guess?* who do you suggest and for what role?

I don't know any actors other than The Guy With The Cool Lips Who Played Scarecrow That One Time, so setting me up as casting director would be a questionable decision! I feel like the very tiny amount we know about this movie also makes this difficult; like, am I casting Sammy in 1932, Sammy in 1946, Ink Sammy, all three?

So, rather than picking specific famous people, some broader thoughts on what elements to prioritise?? as hypothetical casting director. For sake of this exercise we're going to take this all very seriously and pretend that the writing for this movie is already great lmao.

Joey: Ironically for the first BatIM character to get a canon human appearance, I think Joey's acting chops are more important than his looks; as long as makeup can do a decent moustache and the voice is good, the energy is what will really sell him. Joey Drew is both VERY important to get right and also the most complex character in the Bendy Franchise, but he's also really really easy to turn into a stereotype, and I feel like this implication of "obviously he should be played by the guy who played J Jonah Jameson" kinda speaks to how easy it is to see just one side of him. Joey is simultaneously ruthless but also disarmingly charming, likeable but also punchable, confident but also pathetically insecure, genuine but also manipulative -- it seems like a tricky energy to nail. If he doesn't have a sharpness to him, that Curiosity Where Empathy Should Be element, you've erased a really important part of the man behind so many nightmares; if he's a cartoon evil capitalist, then everyone who believes in his dreams looks stupid for falling for something so obvious. Whoever plays him has to be able to get in his head AND ALSO convey that nuance. But if you have the luxury of nitpicking appearance after that, I think it's worth noting that Joey doesn't look the way he's trying to look. I keep saying I'm obsessed with his overbite in BatDR, but like:

See? Henry's the one with that aggressive strong jaw facial structure. Compared to him, even this less-aged Joey has facial structure more like mine, with a weaker chin that gives the impression of an overbite and a shorter face (which, to be clear, are attractive traits, but they are definitely not the Stereotypical Energy for this character archetype) -- he just knows how to carry himself to give off that j jonah jameson energy. I think attention to that kind of detail would also help him be his own fascinating character instead of just shoving him into an existing archetype.

Henry: If it's Ink Henry, his vibes are the most important. This character is famously non-emotive, often to an inappropriate extent, and frankly I think whoever plays him should keep that as part of his character. Henry strikes me as someone who wants to be kind but he's so, so tired, and just looking at this guy needs to sell that because Henry's actual behaviour and dialogue won't.

If it's Actually Worked In The Studio Henry, then I think his voice and appearance need to be SPOT. ON. so that they can play him a little differently and it still works rather than just not feeling like Henry. If he sounds like a perfect Henry but he has more energy, he's still quiet but he's more confident, he's not the follower Joey tried to sell him as... that would be such a neat thing to leave as an implied reveal for fans -- that the Henry we know is either a dishonest representation, or changed by his experiences, and is actually a bit different from the man Joey worked with.

Susie: they won't do this because they're cowards, but I personally think Susie would be such a good candidate for protagonist of a Bendy movie..... anyway if human Susie is in it, she doesn't have a canon appearance so you have a lot of freedom here. Most important thing is that She Has The Range; she needs to be able to be both believably naive and starry-eyed in a likeable way rather than coming across as desperate or annoying, and she ALSO needs to have a ruthless energy in her so that her later Womens Wrongs don't come out of nowhere. If Twisted Alice AND Susie both make appearances, I'm torn on whether they should be played by the same person... it could be cool if they were, since then you could see a lot of Susie in Alice even when she's behaving VERY DIFFERENTLY, which I think would humanise Alice in a good way (and also humanise Susie as more than just a Sweet Naive Girl Who Was Tricked)

Either way Twisted Alice NEEDS TO BE HOT. IM NOT JOKING I THINK THIS IS THE PRIORITY. Yes yes half her face is melting, but her vibes are UNIRONICALLY "hot and evil and wants to vivisect someone." Like, it would also be nice to get someone who can play her with dimension, with an implication that she has reason to be a cartoon evil sexy person who flies into a shrieking rage beyond just women be crazy (which is kind of what she is in the games), but also, she IS a cartoon evil sexy person and you CAN'T lose that; she needs to be able to pull off EVIL AND HOT with half her face gone without it feeling like a parody. Lesbians in the audience need to fan themselves. ITS VERY IMPORTANT.

I don't have a ton of thoughts about Allison. We have a pretty specific physical description of her human self. She needs to have enough ethereal poise to justify the lovesick way she is described in every novel lmao. Allison Angel, though, is where I would put a priority of Needs A Character Actor i think; she's a fairly major character but it's so hard to get a good handle on what she actually like..... wants or feels beyond Helping The Protagonist and Being A Good Person, but if she could really sell the bits and pieces so well you believe it, so that she really seems like she's been harshened by the brutal world she lives in but genuinely values a hope she won't let go of, it could make the character really good.

Sammy.............. Well, it's hard to not be biased. But human Sammy has no canon appearance, so I think you can't go wrong there as long as you pick someone who could conceivably be described as "pointy", and I PERSONALLY think based on the little crumbs of description we've gotten that a human Sammy should be fairly distinctive and intense, attractive in a Strange way - but I think the really really important thing for Sammy (ink or human) is his vocal performance. This is a character who took off in popularity in large part because of a couple of really compellingly delivered monologues; Sammy's voice NEEDS to be right, especially when he's speaking quietly. I think physicality in the sense of How He Moves is ALSO really important for him; Sammy's wiggle-fingers in game and constantly odd descriptions in the novels and complete lack of personal space in both all imply that he moves Strangely, and I do think he should have an unsettling Renfield energy, but it's also so easy for Character Who Is Losing His Mind to get portrayed so over-the-top that it becomes goofy or unbelievable or weird for the sake of being "creepy". Sammy's energy shouldn't be Insane Batman Villain, it should be Doomed Guy In A Lovecraft Story -- it's just that nobody but him is in a lovecraft story.

there are other characters but I think these are all the ones i have thoughts on

[sea-owl]

Been rereading AOFAG for older Penelope au ideas and this one came to mind.

Penelope was not expecting to see a pretty dark blonde girl dressed in Benedict's clothes when she came to My Cottage this morning, granted she was not expecting to see her best friend either but here they both were. Apparently, Mr and Mrs Crabtree were not expecting them either, nor did they know who the girl was.

She does have an impressive pair of lungs on her Penelope thought. Her ears were still ringing from the girl's scream upon waking up.

The girl turned out to be named Sophie. It also turns out Benedict had brought her here after rescuing her from the Cavendish party. The girl was a servant, easily told by her calloused hands, though you may not know upon first glance. Frankly, Penelope thinks she looks a little bit like that old Earl Gunningworth. They really should find the poor dear some proper clothes, Benedict's breeches stand no chance of staying up even I they got her a belt.

Benedict groaned, flopping onto the bed after the Crabtrees and Sophie left the room to grab breakfast. He looked up at her, trying to look pathetic.

Penelope rolled her eyes. "Do not expect any sympathy from me, Mr Bridgerton. I told you not to go to that party last night. Now look at you."

"But then I would haven't been able to play hero," Benedict joked. His voice was rough and hoarse from the coughing fits.

Penelope let out her own groan. "Your brother is already trying to play that role, you do not need to as well."

Benedict chuckeled. "And what has little Col done to deserve your ire?"

"How do you know it is not Anthony?" Penelope challenged.

"Because Anthony knows if he drives my best friend away, I shall be insufferable, and it will be his problem. Not to mention the potential reactions of our other siblings. Honestly, why were you not born a Bridgerton? I shall never know. You would look better in our family's colors anyway. I tested it on one of your portraits. You looked beautiful."

Penelope smiled, playfully shaking her head. "Maybe in the next life."

"This one is still possible," Benedict teased. "Colin is still unmarried."

Penelope tried not to blush. Benedict loved bringing up his little brother's past infatuation with her. If only he knew what said brother was up to yesterday.

"As are you," Penelope shot back. "Should I not marry you instead? After all I will have thoie wonderful property when you pass."

Benedict snorted. "And how do you know it won't go to our children?"

Penelope waved her hand. "They'll have it when I pass."

Benedict looked to say something else when a crash was heard from the hall. Penelope stood, taking a look.

"What is it?" Benedict asked.

"Oh, the poor girl," Penelope said. Sophie was struggling to juggle a tray, stocked to the very edges with food in one hand and holding her borrowed breeches up in another. "Benedict, why did you not give her a belt?"

Benedict groaned. The Crabtrees had already chewed him out on that. "Why don't you find her one?"

"I will."

With that, Penelope marched into the hall. "Mr and Mrs Crabtree, if you do not mind, I would like to find Sophie a proper dress. Benedict, the fool seemed to forget My Cottage has plenty."

Careful to hand off the tray Sophie was holding to Mr Crabtree Penelope led Sophie to a room down the hall.

"This is my room for when I visit," Penelope said as she opened up the closet.

Sophie gulped. "Are you the lady of the house."

Penelope choked on a laugh. "Oh no, never would I dream of that. Benedict is a childhood friend who is kind enough to give me a spare key for when I need a place to hide."

A child hood friend? This must be Penelope Featherington. Sophie had read about the odd friendship she and Benedict shared in Whistledown. Many servants from the Bridgerton and Featherington houses had also commented on how odd it was for a gentleman and lady to be so close but not courting.

"Aha!" Penelope pulled down a lilac colored dress with silver trimming and a matching silver belt. "The fit will be off," Penelope said. It couldn't be helped honestly, Penelope was several inches shorter than Sophie and rounder, especially in the chest area. "But it will be much better than what Benedict has you practically swimming in."

"Oh, I couldn't," Sophie waved her hands. "This is too fine-!" n her haste to do so she had forgotten her hold on the breeches.

Sophie blushed when they fell to her ankles. Penelope held back a giggle.

"Consider a thank you for taking care of Benedict. He is a right pain in the arse when he's sick. I should know. One would think he was dying when he simply had a headcold."

Try as Sophie might Penelope wouldn't take no as an answer. She eventually won when she pointed out it was her dress or Benedict's clothes. Sophie put on the dress.

The dress cut off above Sophie's ankles and they had to bunch up the bodice a little bit with the belt but it certainly was a better fit than what Sophie had on before. Especially for a temporary dress.

Benedict laughed when the two girls came back to his room.

"Laugh all you want Mr. Bridgerton," Penelope huffed. "At least I remembered a belt."

[commehter]

Does Zu-Ozai ever get to have a romantic partner again? Losing Mai (and their not-yet-born child) seems like it would be profoundly lonely.

Ah. Well...

The short answer is that I don't have any solid plans on including a romantic interest one way or the other for Zu-Ozai in SToFLO. Let alone a particular who that would fill the role. I'm open to options, but I'm not married to any of the ideas I've had thus far.

Long answer (and potential spoilers) under the cut.

The thing is, it's kind of an awkward topic to tackle. I understand the desire for Zu-Ozai to have someone, but... Simply put he's a 19-year-old in a 35-year-old body, tossed 6 years into his own past and grieving the loss of his first wife and child. No matter what I choose to do, that's going to be messy.

The entire main cast (and the bulk of the rest of the cast for that matter) is way too young. A good chunk of the remaining cast is too old. In the leftover sliver of the canon cast, that isn't already married... Frankly, I'm not seeing any options that I'd care to write.

Maybe I've missed someone, but I can't think of a single canon character I'd be happy pairing with Zu-Ozai.

That leaves the OC route and... Welp, I haven't ruled it out, but I am highly aware that main-canon-character/original-character pairings aren't terribly popular and put a lot of readers off. (I should know. I'm one of the folks that typically avoid them like the plague.) I could get into the weeds of why, but that might easily spiral into a rather long rant... Suffice it to say that MCC /OC pairings tend to be poorly written about 98% of the time before we ever get into other reasons someone may not want to read such a pairing.

I'm still playing with the idea though because I have read a few fics that did it right. (Vathara's Embers comes to mind for giving Iroh an OC girlfriend that I rather liked.) But the "trick" to doing it right largely comes down to the OC in question having a life and purpose outside of being shipping fodder, so I can't just make a random OC on the sole basis of "Zu-Ozai deserves a wife."

That comes with its own tangle of problems. What is the OC's other (read: main) role in the story? How does this OC enter Zu-Ozai's life? Why does she stay? Are they actually compatible personality wise? What about principles? What are the political ramifications? Can I, as the author, write it in a manner that is organic rather than forced?

Honestly, the answer to that last one is probably "only if you actually let it happen organically instead of pushing it."

So... Yeah. I'd like for our boy to find someone, too, but it's not something I'm going to focus on for fear of producing something truly cringe-worthy. (Either way, I write at the pace of frozen molasses, so it will be awhile before Zu-Ozai is ready to move on and try dating again, anyway.)

**As a final aside, my current leading idea (as of writing this post) for a potential OC match is Suki's mom. -- It's my understanding that Netflix actually made a character for that role (Did they axe Oyaji as village leader or something?) so I might end up stealing Yukari's name. Pessimist fish already decided we were stealing Raava's name from TLoK for the Avatar Spirit, after all. -- A warrior from a small, neutral nation that no one cares about seems about his speed for someone he might actually be interested in without creating a political nightmare in the process. Comes with a bonus excuse to drag an itty-bitty Suki into the narrative, too!

...Someone is going to have to explain to Zu-Ozai that children "playing" hide-and-explode(-plus-blades-for-the-nonbender) across palace rooftops is NOT a normal "sibling bonding experience." Just imagine, three little hellions and their dad who doesn't think they're doing anything all that unusual. Mom be like "no that's definitely not normal... keeps their skills sharp, though." ...Okay, so I'm half-tempted to do it for the hellion step-sibling trio alone. So adorable and yet terrifying!**

[maxwell-grant]

Reverse Unpopular Opinion: Necalli

I like his moveset, I enjoy wild man characters and I liked the idea of a character who could bring back some of the face-biting inscrutable beastman mystique that Blanka had to shed (not that Blanka doesn't bite faces or does vicious attacks anymore, but it's different than when you first meet him). I still think he had one of the more well-done incorporations of the V-Trigger mechanic via the transformation. I also like his design, not one of my favorites, but I do like it. I feel like it was really hampered by really wonky hair physics and the game's artstyle, but I could see it working gangbusters if he was introduced in SF6.

Necalli's one of the few fighters unanimously considered a dud (and might be the only mainline character who wasn't even a little retroactively embraced? Even Rufus, Falke and Ingrid have their shooters) but I honestly think the problem wasn't with him as much as it was the writing for SFV being garbage and them being unwilling to commit to the hype they built for him. I think Necalli had plenty of individually cool components that could have amounted to something cool, maybe even great, if he actually even remotely mattered outside of being a boss fight for Ryu.

I love G, infinitely better than Necalli, but I call bullshit on him being supposed to be the Final Boss, they hyped up Necalli as someone who could devour Bison and gave him a Saiyan form and stamped V all over his body. He was clearly meant to be the guy, and if G was being hyped up to play a role in A Shadow Falls, I guarantee he would not be so fondly remembered. The same thing happened with Necalli, everybody was onboard with the Pillar Man mystery box until it was time to open it.

His Story Mode, and the version of him that exists in the Story Mode, honestly should have been what they went with for the guy, it's part of why him being dissappointing soured people.

I think he could have worked pretty well as the resident Weird Monster of the setting, and that's not exactly a niche anyone else is filling.

He is an "Emissary of the Gods" who shows up every few hundred years to seek out and consume the strongest warriors, and frankly you could get a lot out of unpacking just that, that not only does are the gods of the Street Fighter universe just as obsessed with battles as everyone else in this world, but they created a horrible monster to be summoned by combat and fight the worthiest warriors for, why? To honor them? Prune them? Punish them for excessive fighting? Cut monsters like Bison down before they get too strong, or push them towards new heighs as he did with Ryu? What is he for?

He can possess animals, and enter dreams. He can expand and balloon his flesh into gross fleshy Tetsuo/Majin Buu mutations in order to absorb people, and that never shows up in his gameplay, in fact none of his weird powers do except for that V-Skill where he barfs on the floor. He is summoned by conflict and his drive is to kill and devour the source of said conflict. He seems barely sentient but apparently has a "hidden genius". He can inflict a literally paralyzing fear and is surrounded by a noxious gas that "pollutes" the souls and turns the infected into beings like him that seek other souls, and that literally never shows up in-game, ever, apparently that was just for a blog post.

Is it too much? Probably, yeah, but it's something. It's a lot of somethings instead of a literal nothing. He doesn't do anything much for Ryu's story arc, he doesn't even do anything for Akuma's currently abysmal kill record, because by the time Akuma kills him, defeating Necalli is the least impressive thing to do. If you're gonna pull the trigger on having a guy this full of strange powers and prophecies and mystery boxes as the villain you put front and center on the advertisement, the least you can do is try to deliver on them. It's kind of confusing that they didn't even try.

I feel like you could even maybe salvage the dude if you just leaned on the weirdness. Apparently one of the Udon comics established he is "a conceptual being who is tied to the aspect of conflict, and cannot be destroyed by normal means as long as there is a universe where conflict exist"? Okay, lean into that. Make it so that he is Necalli, plural. As in, there's multiple of him, maybe one's not that strong on his own, but nobody's ever had to fight several at once and all of them trying to kill and absorb you into the collective. Maybe he is a viral sickness that comes up again and again all over the world, that was supposed to only happen every few hundreds of years but has been happening more and more frequently ever since Bison darkened the world, or maybe ever since Street Fighter tournaments became the thing the world revolves around, maybe ever since Ryu got a taste of the dark side and mauled Sagat for it.

He is not the answer, but a cancer at the heart of battle, waiting for the next warrior who falls victim to their own strength, the next person to be corrupted by the Satsui no Hadou or Psycho Power, a persistence predator biding his time until the warriors are too weak to fight him off, and then he'll take the souls that belong to him, or maybe even come from him, if he's to be believed. Because really, WHY is there a Necalli? Why would the gods sign off on this existing? Could it even be they were right to do so, given the role he played in awakening Ryu's potential so he could stop Bison? Is he a sickness or a cure, and what does it say about our beloved World Warriors if the fabric of the universe deemed it necessary to sick such a horrible thing on them?

This guy could even allow for a Street Fighter equivalent to a zombie apocalypse, if they even incorporated that toxic soul gas thing into anything we see in game. It might not the best idea, but it's something? Anything? Anything better than what he did for sure.

Idk man, even if he was never going to be a particularly interesting Final Boss, you can't dissappoint on such a scale if you never promise, and for a hot second, Necalli WAS promising. There was an excitement around him and around the things built up for him. That's more than I can say for a lot of other characters. I'd like to think a Mortal Kombat character who somehow found his way into Street Fighter is an idea even a little worth salvaging.

But then again I definitely don't think we need to have MORE fuckers surviving encounters with Akuma so, RIP bozo.

[thepalmofyourfreezinghand]

i actually love you’re losing me haha

but i got a little sad/frustrated at the thought that most people taylor’s writing songs about won’t ever get the chance to tell their side of the story. and it’s such a complicated matter, too. because while yes, i believe that singing/writing about one’s own experience shouldn’t be viewed as wrong, it’s hard to ignore the audience’s reaction to the songs.

i remember this one interview, i think it was from red era, when taylor was telling a story about a guy who after breaking up said something along the lines of “don’t you think about writing songs about me”. and taylor played it off as a joke, and i think she said that she replied i won’t, and then she did, with the sassiness that was on-brand for her back then, and which i loved. but this particular interview always was in the back of my mind whenever one of her exes was brought up within the fandom.

i remember that people would bring up this quote as an example of jake’s(?) assholery, and i get that, because trying to control another person’s way of expression is kind of an asshole move, but. it must be extremely frustrating for taylor’s exes to be painted as the bad guys and then be hated by thousands (if not millions) of people for years after.

and it’s not even the ‘rabid’ fans, so to speak. one of my best friends, a fellow swiftie, reacted with confusion and mild disgust(?; i’m sorry, not sure if that’s the best word for it haha) upon hearing that one of my comfort movies is one in which jake plays lead role. and she’s really rational and level-headed. granted, she’s probably not tweeting hateful stuff about him, but it still impacts her choices about which movies to watch, for example. and i imagine there’s more people like that.

i have this one song of john mayer’s that brings great memories, cause it was my camp counselor’s favourite and he used to play it for us on his guitair & sing, and i felt guilty listening to it for YEARS bc of what john mayers did to taylor.

i went on quite a rant, but what i mean is: the view that taylor only writes songs about her ex-boyfriends is *extremely* damaging and frankly not true, but it’s hard to deny that her songs impact (sometimes more, sometimes less) the lives of people about whom the song are about. the question is, should artist take it into account while creating, or would that impact the craft too much? i don’t exactly have an answer.

but i do understand why people would be afraid to start a relationship with taylor.

also, your blog feels very safe, so thank you for that :D <3

Okay, so... I'll get back to this when I'm not as frustrated with the fandom as I am today, but there are a couple of things I wanna say.

I need everyone who says "it's her story, she can say whatever she wants!" to please reflect on what such a blank statement entails and what are its consequences.

EXAMPLE A. Lev Tolstoy is one of the greatest writers that have ever existed. He was also a horrible human being who vexed and tormented his wife, Sophia Tolstaya, for years. I'm not gonna go into that here, but there was abuse, of all sorts, involved. Tolstoy crushed her spirit and made her life miserable while forcing her to bear more than ten children. Tolstoy is also the author of "The Kreutzer Sonata", a novella about the hatred of a man for his wife, which ends with the former killing the latter (described by him as "hysterical" and "mentally diseased") and which can be read as an ode to sexual purity. Did Tolstoy practise what he preached in the novel? Absolutely not. And yet, his word was taken as gospel by everyone in Russia, and people pitied Sophia. They thought that she was the woman portrayed in the novel and that she was making poor Tolstoy's life miserable, even though she went to great lengths to stop people from speculating and talking about it (she went as far as protesting the censorship of the novella in front of the czar). After the author's death, she was also despised by scholars and her entire persona was reduced to that of a frigid wife holding her husband back. It was only at the beginning of the 2000s that Sophia's diaries and two novels were finally published and studied. And they told the story of a woman who longed for a loving marriage and who was dying in her husband's shadow. It took 100 years for people to learn the truth about Sophia, because they'd only paid attention to Tolstoy's art before then.

EXAMPLE B. Hélène Devynck is Carrère's ex-wife. He is, without any doubt, one of the most famous writers alive, and arguably a top 10 writer worldwide when it comes to literary fiction and nonfiction. He is, again, an amazing writer (read "The adversary"). In his latest work, Yoga, he had a few passages where he wrote avout Devynck, even though in their divorce there was a clause that forced him to submit anything he wrote about Devynck to her, so that she could delete it, no questions asked. The story is long, but this quote from Devynck sums it up nicely: "I'm asking for distance. I don't want to be his literary object anymore. I just want to exist elsewhere".

So, to sum up: to every fan out there who's saying "she can do whatever she wants with her story! She shouldn't care about the consequences!", PLEASE remember that that's the same excuse used to justify what famous and powerful MALE artists have done for years: write about their female partners, make them a character in their story and delete their personality without any care for the consequences.

I don't have a solution. And I think that art should be as free as possible. But if you can't recognize the precarious position of "the muse", if you can read Carrère's ex-wife plea and still think that the author can do whatever the fuck they want, then I really don't know what to tell you...

[chirpsythismorning]

You can't expect people to take you seriously if you're not providing any proof? If Will and El are twins and Joyce and Hopper are their bio parents, why don't any of them know about it and why haven't there been any hints about it? I'm not even trying to be rude here I just haven't seen any evidence. Let alone strong evidence

I've gotten a few confused asks about this theory and how it just doesn't make any sense..?

I'm not saying that I completely understand the ins and outs of how it works, in fact I'm still completely immersed in theorizing and not being certain of anything! Quite frankly, I don't understand it (how time works/the rules of the game), though I think that's necessary because otherwise everyone and their mother would have guessed this surprise by now if it was any more obvious than it already is.

I also just feel kind of bad about spoiling what could possibly be going down, especially bc this would clearly be a series long surprise.

I've been theorizing for months now with @shippingfangirl013 about this. It started with us sharing thoughts about Twelvegate and just sort of piecing together s4 lab scenes and then eventually going back to the beginning to see what we might have missed from this new lens, that being the possibility that Will is Twelve. And that's when we realized A LOT of stuff has been overlooked from the very beginning, which provides not only answers to certain questions we had, but also brings forth even more questions that we wouldn't have come up with, had we not looked back further into the details in the first place.

She has a bunch of posts that are severely underrated in regards to this whole theory, so I urge you all to check those out:

Twelvegate Theory: Drowning in the Quarry and Will & El (Part 1)

Twelve Actor Resemblance to Young Will Byers

Stranger Things S5 Conglomerate Twelvegate Theory (Part 1)

Conglomerate ST S5 Theory Parallels

Also be sure to keep an eye out because she has some really big brain analysis in the works that you dont want to miss. I can honestly say she plays a big role in why I feel fairly confident about this theory, because I myself didn't really believe it at first. But now, after everything I've seen, it's kind of hard not to.

Even if you don't like this the idea of this theory or just simply don't believe the evidence presented that you've seen thus far, at the very least looking at this could expand your ability to look further at other details on the show and even pick up on evidence of your own. I find that more often than not, knowing about the existence of certain overlooked details allows you to find even more overlooked details that others missed.

For the sake of your doubtful ask, and for anyone else who isn't even considering this theory because it seems too far fetched, I'm going to share some of my favorite unhinged evidence for whatever the hell gate we're calling this...

But first, here is some basic context for the chaos that follows.

Something important to note, is that we don't meet Hopper, El or the Byers the night that Will went missing. We only met Will and the party. Instead they saved the rest of the main character's introductions (his family, mind you) for the following day, after Will had gone missing. This also means they saved their introductions for AFTER the big power outage that happened that night right before he disappeared.

I find this interesting because this choice allowed them to make those introductions feel arguably 'starting point'/reset-like (like in a video game).

You'll also note there is a 'Pizza One' box in that first scene when the party is in Mike's basement playing their campaign, moments before that power outage. This could have been a hint that the very start of the pilot episode at the Wheelers may very well be the OG timeline, that we've been straying from ever since. And so let's say hypothetically, if we had met Hopper, El and the Byers BEFORE that power outage, whose to say their lives wouldn't have looked slightly different...?

The first time we are introduced to Hopper is in the scene directly after the opening credits, which was right after the scene of Will disappearing in the shed. Hopper is sleeping on the couch in his trailer, wearing both his daughter's blue bracelet and his watch. We also get 3 references to keys in this scene (a 2 ft long key decal in the literal opening shot). And if that's not enough, what follows is Hopper getting ready for work, putting a yellow pen in his pocket near a painting of an owl, before grabbing his keys and walking out the door.

The first time we are introduced to Joyce (the Byers), follows directly after the scene with Hopper, where Joyce just so happens to be looking everywhere for her keys, Where the hell are they?, followed by finding them on the couch, despite already looking there previously with no luck (interesting Hopper was sleeping on the couch with Willel symbols on his wrists only moments before this hmm). We then get a shot of Joyce showing concern over Will not eating breakfast, followed by scolding Jonathan for forgetting to wake Will up, adding I've told you this a thousand times, before she walks past an owl on the wall in the hallway and opens the door to another owl on the wall in Will's (unoccupied) room...

Let me just say, for the sake of this fictional family, I hope to god they haven't been through this thousands of times. Though I fear they might have. At least more than once...

There are a lot, A LOT of scenes that go down like this. As the show progresses, we get a lot of references to time passing and confusion and impatience and it almost feels like they themselves know deep down this isn't their first rodeo, and yet they're still playing along bc how exactly can one question their reality?.

The problem right now for me, is that I don't understand the rules of the game. How does time work? What even is the goal of the game (to win, I presume?)? Maybe Vecna's having to keep reseting the time loop, to get the results he wants, and over time he's getting closer and closer to the results he wants, but it will ultimately (predictably) lead to him failing once and for all in the final season, when all is inevitably revealed?

Hypothetically, if this is all some game/pocket universe Vecna has thrown our core characters into, essentially surrounding them with 'fakers', then how do we know what is/isn't real? Or I guess whether or not we're in a timeline/loop either closest to, or furthest away from the original timeline? That's why it's hard for me to go further in terms of definitively piecing everything together time wise. Not only that, but we also don't even know for sure what Vecna wants from Will and El, truly.

But I do think that a lot of the answers to the truth are hidden in plain sight.

If you're genuinely curious, I encourage you to rewatch the show for yourself to see if you can pick up on things! Be sure to keep an eye out for keys and owls in particular. Also, El's flashbacks of Mama/the rainbow room might prove to be important... like, literally slowing down and pausing and screenshooting every single frame level important...

Who knows, you might even stumble upon a completely different undiscovered theory in the process!

On that note, here is just a slice of my favorite evidence in regards to this theory, that will hopefully open your mind to the possibility:

When Hopper asks about Lonnie's whereabouts, Joyce insists TRUST ME HE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS. They made sure to keep the keys on the wall OUT of the frame in those shots referencing Lonnie by name specifically. However, when the conversation circles back to Will, and then follows after with Joyce telling Hopper to find her son, the keys are once again visible in both of their shots.

This scene right here is pretty epic. We all interpret Hopper's investigative skills throughout the series as him just being good at his job. But I would argue this scene in particular gives off very intense deja vu. It's as if Hopper knows where to look, because he's done this before. It's as if he's getting a gut feeling in certain areas that actually could be close to the truth, because this is his thousandth time doing this (Jesus, for their sake, I hope that's not the case).

Still, Hopper showcases a lot of unbelievable detective work throughout the show, and I think it could very well be hinting at him drifting in and out of awareness over the fact that he has done this before, which allows him to make such incredible guesses that lead him to the answer sooner than he would have in any normal situation (and yet, never too close...)

Has this always been here? That's what Hopper asks about a dent in the wall. We interpret it as maybe Hopper trying to figure out if this could be connected to Will's disappearance. But what if it's more than that? What if it hasn't always been there? What if this is a glitch in the matrix of sorts, and he noticed that glitch, bc this isn't his first time doing this? (Also peep the owl that shows up at the very last second in the shot directly below, with Joyce and Hopper in the frame, just as he gets the urge to check the backyard...)

This scene... This fucking scene ya'll. It just doesn't make any sense. This is one of several scenes throughout the show that have so many unanswered questions. I think it's because something else is going on that weren't not supposed to understand yet. That shot with Hopper encased in a rainbow is cool and probably means something... Hopper intensely walking into the frame as he steps towards the shed, with the upside down horseshoe above the door also probably means something...

Hopper literally walks up straight to where Will was in the shed the night previous, bc he's just that good of a detective. Yeah, okay... Suddenly the light overhead is blinking dramatically, only to switch off completely, which leads Hopper's eyes to catch this makeshift fort in the corner of the shed. Before he even gets a good look at what he's seeing, he's interrupted by Callahan, pulling him out of his deja vu state, followed by the light switching back on instantly, as if the occurrence was all in his head.

This also happens a lot, where our main characters are being interrupted by other characters, only seconds before they were close to solving something. And I just find that interesting...

This one is kind of peak comedy because, all it's doing on the surface is implying that Joyce and Hopper have a romantic history, but it also sneakily involves Will in the joke, as evidence that they have been intimate... The Chief and her, they've screwed before huh? ...WILL! That a 'yeah' or did they...

To be honest, I was really doubtful about Joyce and Hopper being El and Will's biological parents at first, even despite believing twelvegate and the possibility of them being twins. And this doubt mostly came from the scenes we get with Terry aka El's 'Mama'.

Initially, I had convinced myself it would be too sad, considering how much backstory we got about Terry. But @shippingfangirl013 made me realize that there is something very off about these scenes with Terry, that I think kind of went over all of our heads.

First of all, Mama is essentially the equivalent to the name Papa, and so we should start by unpacking that. Why didn't the writers have El distance herself from that exact association she links to Brenner, by just having her call Terry 'mom' like most kids call their mother? It doesn't seem that serious on the surface, but again this is a choice the writers made... Maybe it's because they wanted the audience to subconsciously associate those two with each other (Papa/Mama)? Also peep Jim giving Will Byers vibes, all lit up by the sun like Jesus (or I guess... God?) below!

The main thing I want to talk about though, is that despite Terry's vegetative state, she's still managing to give us hints about how she feels and what she thinks, with very subtle micro-expressions.

When she meets Hopper and Joyce in s1, Terry looks completely unsurprised. You could say she looks the same all of the time, because of her vegetative state, and while I mostly agree, there are some outliers in the mix.

When Joyce mentions El being her daughter, what we get is a reaction shot of Terry dramatically closing her eyes for an extended period of time, almost like she's experiencing frustration over them woefully misunderstanding the truth behind what's going on.

And I think that's kind of the whole point of the vegetative state here, that perhaps if Terry could say what she wanted to say, it would give away the truth that has been hidden all along, AKA Joyce and Hopper are El and Will's true parents. When Joyce then mentions her missing son, showing Terry a picture of him, this woman LITERALLY turns her head to the right, looking straight up annoyed... Why? Why would she do that unless this is her ?/? time meeting them, hearing this same old silly charade?..

But then here... THIS moment when Hopper asks about Brenner and Terry's relationship with him, that's when it gets interesting. Terry doesn't look exhausted over their ignorance anymore like she seemed to be in the moments previous. Now, she's back to her stare of nothing, and yet seeing this in contrast to her micro-expressions, almost adds a new layer to what this could possibly mean... Perhaps this could be hinting that Hopper is a lot closer to the truth than he realizes, warranting a knowing look from Terry, with her almost impressed, thinking Damn Jim, maybe you'll figure it out this time and I can finally be released from this hell...

This might seem like a reach to assume Brenner and Terry had any sort of relation beyond her being a lab volunteer, but something I think you might be interested in knowing, is that Terry has a little collection of Bonsai tree books beside her chair... Bonsai... does that remind you of anyone...? (If you check out those posts by @shippingfangirl013, you might know what i'm referring to...)

The fact that Hopper even mentions Brenner and Terry's presumed connection to him is just one other example of Hopper subconsciously picking up on things he discovered in previous loops that are close to the TRUE truth, allowing him to narrow things down quicker this time around, without needing to take all the steps to get to that point.

An owl behind both Joyce and Hopper here, while they talk about what allegedly happened to Terry and her daughter Jane.

And there you have it folks, the acknowledgment that the truth could have been covered up, the moment Hopper stands in front of the owl artwork (literally covering it up). Owls, which have been tied more than anyone else to Hopper, Joyce, Will and El (tying them together?).? Also the crib between them... Nothing to see here.

This one is pretty self explanatory. We even get a parallel to this in s4 with El AND Will, though next time they'll confirm Hopper's role in the equation. So, be ready for that...

These scenes are so important to this theory because despite them all being separated (who knows how many times now), they have this epic finale of coming together. We get these really heartfelt scenes with El and Joyce and Hopper, Will and El, and then Will and Joyce and Hopper, and it's all very emotional and just so much deeper knowing that the truth could be that they're all tied to each other more than we (or even them) realize.

11 & 12 between the two hands on the clock, in a moment that parallels X-Men and also the lab massacre (which presumably had both 11 and 12 in attendance...). Mike calling out to El emotionally the moment that Joyce and Hopper are reunited with Will. My heart can't take it!!!

Someone actually noticed this shot of Hopper recently, I can't remember who! But it made me want to go back to see what shot is right before it. And low and behold, it follows directly after a shot of the Byers family reuniting. Kind of interesting they made the choice to have this shot right afterwards, of Hopper sitting next to Ted (aka a dad), while looking lost in thought as he stressfully bites his nails, with his arm sporting his daughter's blue bracelet...

Not suspicious at all. That creepy shadow behind Owens as he makes an almost knowing comment about Joyce and Hopper being 'Mom and Pop', followed by Hopper looking like he's missing something...

And for this scene to follow shortly after? Hopper literally acknowledging Owens whose waving at him politely, and yet choosing to not wave back at him?... He KNOWS something is off, but he just can't quite put his finger on it...

As you probably know, most of the scenes with the birthday mug in Mike's basement involve either El (in s1) or Will (in s2-3), which is interesting considering the other few notable birthday references we get in the show, including this really cryptic sequence above, involve Joyce and Hopper...

Now, if you still didn't believe me about Terry's behavior being off, I think this piece of evidence might help support our claims a little bit more for you to consider. Because, why, WHY when El approaches Terry in the void and says I'm home, is Terry's response No..? Why would that even make any sense? Why would El's biological mom say No to her missing daughter implying that she is her family? Unless, she's not of course...?

Something interesting about the flashbacks that Terry shows El, is that they're very sporadic and hard to understand. Not only that, but we STILL get callbacks to these memories heavily even in s4, which tells me there is still something there that has yet to be picked up on, by both the audience and El herself, which is why they keep resurfacing in different forms. My favorite moment out of the s2 flashbacks though is probably this moment where it looks like a baby is born, only for Brenner to look back, like there's more to come (another baby?? TWINS?). But this type of twin imagery, only gets stronger in s3-4...

After 2 seasons of building up this meeting of these two characters who have been mirroring each other since the very beginning, here we are... Also, why even hold back for so long in introducing them? Maybe because them finally interacting properly is going to cause some things to resurface... And you definitely don't want to overlook these shots of Hopper and Joyce in Melvald's with two baby's in between them, followed by a shot of keys... Hmmmm.

Remember when I said to pay attention to the Terry/Lab flashbacks El experiences over the seasons?

Well this particular flashback below comes from 3x06: E Plurbius Unum aka the episode that was originally titled The Birthday, might prove to be important...

Jonathan and Will in a scene prior to El's flashback, has them situated interestingly between this Lucky Charms box and this Spill & Spell game, which is then followed by this scene with El experiencing flashbacks... And...

Rainbow? Lucky (Upside down horse shoe...) Enter flashback

I'm not going to be able to show each frame of this flashback, because in total there are over 30 different quick images shown and repeated...

And so, If you want to find out why this is the strongest piece of evidence for Willel twins in my opinion (brought to you by @shippingfangirl013's big brain), go back and rewatch to see how many times they show the image of baby El and young El in the rainbow room... Also take note of how shots of Kali (008) are interspersed consistently within this flashback, aka a character that is known for having powers to make people invisible, and to also make people see things that aren't actually happening...

Here's that parallel I mentioned earlier making a return, but instead tying El (and arguably Will) to Hopper being their biological father. Also peep El's bracelet and Will's watch being prominent in a lot of their shots together throughout s4, now that they share the screen a lot more.

The Wright Bros...

No, but seriously, Willel's bracelet and watch mirroring each other often in their scenes together, and by association also paralleling Hopper wearing one of each, dramatically showcased in his introduction to the series, can be something so personal to me...

THEY'RE TWINS YOUR HONOR!

This one really goes off. A car passes by a couple times during this flashback El has (IN S4), causing a shadow to cast behind Will, almost creating this duplicate-like effect... This is literally happening while El is having a flashback to her 'birth mother', while staring at a family (with their faces warn out/blurred) on a billboard, with an arrow pointing towards where Will, aka her twin, is standing to the right of her...

This one below has gotta be my favorite though. And it's because I literally remember watching this scene the first time and being confused?

Tbh, that's when you know something is more complex than it appears. Whenever something feels off within the context provided in the moment, it's probably because there's something deeper going on and there are multiple meanings at play. This means they're using this small moment as an opportunity to provide dual meaning in plain sight, that we wont understand the dual meaning of until later on down the line.

Are you ready..

Hmmm. I wonder what this could possibly be alluding to? Could it perhaps be the writers hinting at Hopper unintentionally projecting his own situation onto Dmitri? Is it possible who Hopper believes to be his child (daughter... son(s?)?) and his (ex)wife, are not actually who he and everyone thinks they are...?

Well. There you have it! These are just some of the many, many hints hiding in the details that point to the possibility of the Byers actually all being, Hoppers...?

For now, this is just a theory! So even though it's cool and there is a serious amount of evidence pointing to it, it will most definitely continue to transform and look different over time, the more we look deeper and discover more. Nothing is set in stone, for now it's all just theories and speculation.

Again, if you're curious about what else there is out there in regards to this theory and other possibilities surrounding it, please follow and check out @shippingfangirl013 posts! She was way more on board with this theory than me in the beginning and arguably still is, because I do still experience occasional doubt about it, for sure.! And so without her I would not have come to half of these conclusions! I look forward to you guys seeing other stuff she's discovered bc seriously... Her poor storage ya'll.

And also, if you're interested in the time-loop aspect specifically in regards to this, I encourage you to check out two recent posts I did about this. Part I actually starts with those first scenes introducing Hopper and the Byers and how other scenes later in the show parallel it. VERY VERY cool stuff, and tbh if you've made it this far, I think you'll be intrigued...

Time Loop Fuckery in Stranger Things Part I

Time Loop Fuckery in Stranger Things Part II

[fiskesprett]

yea i'm so back this time with maruyama reina, a tryhard no-good daughter of disgraced ex-terrascape software engineer, dr maruyama akemi! if you've ever known of a prissy nerd with like 2 friends and a lot of shit to talk then you definitely know her! as usual, i've got a lot more info under the cut but in the meantime, please hit that LIKE button to plot with reina! thank u luv u mwah! 💖

capricorn sun / aquarius moon / taurus rising

reina's basically only had one parent her whole life: her mother. dad was never really in her life. they had a falling out when reina was really young and have been separated since, and their divorce was finalised when reina was ~7yo. mom got full custody!

because reina's only parent was only really her mom, reina really looked up to and idolised her! akemi was a phd graduate in computer science and a weapon in her field. she was fast tracked into everything and landed her role in terrascape at a relatively early age. her dad cited her mom's workaholic tendencies as a reason for their divorce which... he's not wrong except he tried to use that to justify his cheating so

point being, reina idolised her mom but her mom was never really around either : / reina was mostly left to her own devices as a kid. like of course she had a nanny to take care of her, but a young reina definitely felt a certain type of way about the whole situation that she wasn't really able to process at that age

anyway! this meant that growing up reina was just really conflicted about a lot! on one hand she idolised her mom and tried her best to be exactly like her, which meant giving up going out with friends to study, always trying to get the best grades, and generally being a high achiever! long term goal was that she wanted to follow in her mom's exact footsteps and eventually get an internship at the company her mom's working in ( the one and only terrascape ) as a software engineer, just like mom!

the other hand comes into play when she's ~19. basically, she's been noticing her mom spending a lot more time at home in her study, and one day she found out that her mom was laid off. to her it was like her whole world was crumbling down because she couldn't believe that her mom, of all people, would be let go

that is, of course, until she finds out that her mom was one of the handful of terrascape scientists that basically spoke out against the zero glitch policy and tried to get people to speak out against terrascape so they would actually do something

...yeah, so basically what reina ( and a lot of other people i'm sure ) gathered from this is that her mom is a gifted scientist who went a little mad : > of course, reina gets really weirded out by her mom and starts to think all this time her mom neglected her wasn't because she was out there trying to make the world a better place, but because she's bought into some wild delusion and is genuinely embarrassing

there's talks of how her mom and a group of scientists went a little crazy and reina's brought into it so her resentment for her mom which was once kind of in her subconscious starts to really surface

but never mind all that! reina's in too deep now and sunk cost fallacy is a real thing, so she's told herself that she's just going to pretend her crazy mom doesn't exist and keep working hard to get that internship and be the akemi that they wish they had!

...except reina shares her last name with her mother ( who shares her last name with reina's worthless father ) so even though she surpasses all their requirements for a fast track internship as terrascape's software engineer, they refuse to let her in

so yeah... she has nowhere else to go so she applied for any company and finally got in at re:skin! reina absolutely hates her life there because she frankly doesn't care much for aesthetics, but it's the only place that'll have her so who's a beggar to choose?

personality-wise: reina is honestly very earth sign heavy ( i swear she has a virgo placement somewhere too so really the rock trifecta ), so you can expect her to be very practical, leave your emotions at the door kind of person. reina can also be quite judgemental and resistant to making new friends, but when she does make a friend, she truly does not let that person go! that said, her care and concern for the people she actually vibes with can be hard to spot sometimes!

ugh yea so i haven't learnt to be concise but anyway! here's some plot ideas! i really hope they're helpful but i'm also incoherent most of the time so🧍‍♀️

because i'm uncreative i'm back once again with childhood plots 🤲 someone her nanny's let her have playdates with, or maybe her nanny happens to be your muse's older sister / cousin so the both of you end up being really close and you're possibly one of her besties?

not sure if anyone's watched sweet and sour but i would love! a plot concerning two interns at re:skin who are kind of battling it out trying to impress the superiors and are later forced to work together! i think it'd be cool to explore workplace drama and having them step on each others' toes!

on that note, anyone working at re:skin, please adopt her! this is also kind of... bad to say but reina being reina thinks that re:skin is just a place for bimbos so i'd love to see you prove her wrong ( or right )! maybe she ends up accepting her role here and actually learns to enjoy it?

i genuinely have no idea how reina acts in front of celebrities, but it would be cool for her to maybe interact with her favourite singer! if i had to think of songs she'd like, i'd imagine it'd be more alt stuff, but i'm def down to discuss! not sure how they'd meet either but i'm just putting the feelers out!

on that note imagine if reina kind of wrote your muse off when you guys were younger because reina was always that smart high-achiever and now your muse is rich and famous and she's in a job that she fucking hates? like it would genuinely be sweet revenge though i don't know how relevant reina would be to your muse at that point 🤷‍♀️

reina just graduated from her computer science undergrad! she skipped a grade in high school so she started her degree @ yonsei university between 18-20! it'd be cool to have some uni friends in her life! imagine your muse got into terrascape and she didn't get in when everyone thought she'd be the first pick given her grades and extracurriculars too! might be fun to explore!

reina currently lives in the megabuildings so i'd love for some neighbours! could be friendly or otherwise, i'm down for anything!

[ex-textura]

Didn’t some devs say his explosion ending is his good ending? And that he was the annoying guy? Did they try to write a character we’d laugh at and find pathetic and hate? Because if they did, they failed.

So I went back through my screenshots to get quotes from that article but I've only got the one, and I'm so sorry but I'm gonna talk about it:

Obviously, I very vocally took issue with this article when it came out and to be clear I still do. But I want to be more clear, I think, on the actual issue I have with it.

I'm not annoyed that they call Gale annoying. I know he is. Hell, he knows he is, to some degree. That's part of his character and part of I think why so many of us relate to him. I'm annoying as fuck, despite all the years I spent trying to make myself smaller and more palatable so that people would like me.

The issue I have is the way they talk about it. I don't have a screenshot of the part where they said that his death is a good ending and I'm not totally sure that's even the correct wording (I don't think it is) so I'm not gonna touch on that but the bit at the end of this particular quote, that he "gives himself for the world" just rubs me the wrong way.

Killing yourself to save the world isn't redemption for being annoying. It's such an extreme as to be laughable.

And I'm not saying it's the wrong ending at all. There are no wrong endings this is a role playing game. Play the role you want.

But there's a feeling of....I dunno. I don't think glorification is the right word but it's the best I can come up with... In the way they talk about it and the way the game treats it.

Yes. Gale can absolutely kill himself to save the world. That's very much an option and it's a dramatic way to end the story of a frankly very dramatic man.

But he doesn't HAVE to. This isn't the only choice presented to him especially by the end of the game! You've been given so much power and so many allies and so much time to get to know him and his story and the root of it all. He's had time to grow, to see the truth of his relationship with Mystra and if you're kind to him, to see his worth beyond just what his magic can provide.

At the end of it all to look at him and say "okay anyway, time to pay your dues" and let him explode is definitely a big ending. But it's not a "good" ending. It's tragic and, in my opinion, feels like a waste of what might have been a lot of growth for him.

And then that, added to all the different ways everyone can shit on him like no other companion throughout the game, is what makes the whole thing so sour for me.

They made a character that talks a lot, that is arrogant and can't read the room and kind of weird. But they also made him earnest and kind and passionate. The way his self-importance wars with his self-esteem is so interesting and relatable.

And then they said fuck this guy and I guess we didn't take it the way they meant for us to 🤷‍♂️

[tarisilmarwen]

Rebels Rewatch: "Wings of the Master"

Hera focus this time 'round, let's go flying.

Technically not a Friendship Fetch Quest episode, at least in terms of allies specifically for the Ghost crew. We DO gain an ally, but he and his creation are really more useful to the wider Rebellion at large. That is also a major recurring theme of the show: Building up the Rebellion piece by piece, ship by ship, cell by cell, person by person.

Not entirely sure why Kallus is heading up an Imperial blockade, that doesn't usually seem his area of expertise.

I think we're supposed to understand that Empire learned about them trying to smuggle aid to Ibaar and enacted the blockade to capture/destroy them but... honestly they just seem really really petty about preventing this one planet in particular from getting food.

It's always weird when one of the background bit roles is clearly just Steve Blum or Freddie Prince Jr.

Hera taking control and barking orders at everyone one by one, a nice hint foreshadowing that she's our focal character for today.

Sad Hera makes the heart hurteth. :(

Oooh, really liking this 360 dolly shot around the briefing holodisplay and the way the harp notes almost seem like they're in time with Rex's steps.

Kanan volunteers Hera for the mission to retrieve the B-wing and booooooooy the bad takes I had to see about that. Fandom could not give the boys a break, always took some of the most reaching uncharitable interpretations of everything they did.

(Fortunately most of them went away after the Season Two finale, with occasional hiccups.)

All I'm gonna say is that it was clear from the action prologue and basically the entirety of how Hera'd been acting that she was tunnel visioning and needed to be broken out of that single-goal mindset, or at least redirected to go after the solution that would actively help.

I do wonder if the reason Hera was so unusually determined to blunt force her way past the blockade had anything to do with her Clone Wars experiences. Ryloth was blockaded and starved out as well.

You know, after the crap he dealt with last episode it's really kind of nice to see Ezra feeling and acting lighter, he seems much less stressed.

Also this whole exchange is hilarious. Love Ezra banging on Chopper's dome and then pretending he didn't do it.

A new cue starts up here, a bit akin to the "Victory" leitmotif, sounds like snare drums handling the beat there maybe. Makes it sound a bit more exotic.

This whole sequence has some great camerawork and blocking. Really makes you feel the speed and wind and hard turns.

I appreciate that they could have played Zeb's weight tilting the ship dangerously off the edge for laughs but didn't, they stayed very serious throughout.

Quarrie is obviously named after Ralph McQuarrie, one of the big concept artists for the Original Trilogy. A nice little homage.

There's this really pretty quality to how Quarrie's irises are painted. Rebels' eye models are always so detailed and vibrant and look like a lot of hard work to make so consistently lovely, I totally get why the animators sometimes went out of their way to avoid doing them lol.

I'm frankly still a little confused by Quarrie's initial refusal to let them take the B-wing. I guess he was doing a Secret Test Of Character and once he heard why Hera was motivated to fly he decided she was up to snuff?

The set design for Quarrie's shipyard is nice though.

A little bit of Hera backstory! Honestly, I never thought Hera as a character needed much explanation; What we get about her motivation and past in this episode is pretty much all we need. (We get more obviously when we meet her dad but that's kind of a bonus.) Hera is straightforward (passionate about flying, channeled her skills and passion into the Rebellion) and her character arc is nearly already complete by the time we meet her, only missing that reconciliation with her father.

She doesn't have as many character struggles but then she doesn't exactly need them. She knows who she is, what she wants, what motivates her, and there's something to be said for that kind of self-assuredness.

The show would shake up her foundations later, as things got more serious but for now this was just enough character exploration to satisfy.

Anyway, Hera's speech is what Quarrie was waiting for, apparently, and he lets her test fly the B-wing.

This beautiful sweeping cue I think might be Hera's theme. It first turns up in this episode and has played periodically throughout.

I know a lot of fans have praised this flying sequence so let me just add to the chorus, it's really good. You get a solid sense of the speed and maneuverability of the B-wing.

Lol Sabine and Quarrie spatting over who's going to modify and refine the B-Wing.

The Phantom gets a mid-season upgrade, now capable of hyperspace travel on its own, independent of the Ghost, a feature which gets puts to a LOT of use the rest of the season as Kanan and Ezra split off from the rest more and more.

Running a blockade stationed on one side of a planet might seem weird when there's a whole back half of the planet that's not blocked off but remember, hyperspace lanes are a thing, it takes more work and effort to chart new paths through hyperspace than it does to just use the existing lane, which will only let you out at a certain spot. All the Empire has to do is sit in front of that spot to prevent you from maneuvering around and outflanking them.

The new Rebel Alliance cue that we heard in the first season finale makes an appearance to herald Hera's arrival.

"Oh shit that's my wife, lol y'all screwed now."

And the B-wing takes out a huge chunk of one of the Imperial cruisers. This is why developing the TIE Defenders became so important, never underestimate the importance of fighter superiority.

The success of the mission prompts Sato to promote Hera officially to Phoenix Leader and everyone looks so proud of her. As they should lol.

This is one of my husband's favorite episodes. If we're consuming Rebels like comfort food it's one of the ones he tends to pick. The man likes starfighters and the B-wing is his favorite, what can I say?

It's not a very complicated episode but it's beautiful and leaves me feeling light and happy.

Sabine's turn for basic backstory and minor character development is next and... well I'll just comment about it when I get there.