#i'll be back with perhaps a grander plan

[bonefall]

I’d there any info on one eye EATING Tom??? That’s so wild but I hope one eye didn’t get heartburn from eating that dead beat

I'm still working out some key details of Thunderstar's Justice, especially since I'm at One Eye's part in my reread and things are really starting to come together.

But here's the current draft of One Eye and Skystar's tale so far, isolated from the "Grander Story" of Thunderstar's Justice;

To set some exposition a bit; Thunderstar's Justice is the SE following BB!DOTC. It begins after the First Battle. In BB, the main arc happens entirely before that point.

It opens on the burial. The sun rises on a hot summer day, the living cats commanded to bury the bodies to receive their lives.

But the day is hot and the clearing reeks. The bodies of their friends are decaying and there's too many to put to rest in one day.

(Sunlit Frost is a survivor of this fight, but he was badly bitten on the paw and yet he refuses to sit this out, digging and burying with a fresh wound. He develops an infection that permanently disables his hand. But that's off in the reeds)

The point here being that the summer stench of hot decay summons One Eye. A god of war, among other things.

And of course he takes a shine to Skystar right away. The Clans are weakened from losing so many cats, and ambitious Skystar is eager to recover his strength quickly.

So of course he is now getting more... "openminded" about accepting people into his Clan. There is a language barrier he's now considering bridging; where all his cats were previously Tribemew speakers, he decides that perhaps mean-looking Townmew and Parkmew speakers "deserve a chance"

Tom is one of them, but if there end up being any traitors, murderers, or other exiled cats from the other Clans, they are going to end up here.

NEW addition compared to previous drafts.... One Eye was quite loyal, at first. Useful, observant, helping Skystar in his plans to grow. But Skystar started noticing that One Eye was... too good at running things.

In fact he was quite charming. Always seemed to know what to do. Like he'd been a leader before.

This is still Thunderstar's story, with occasional cuts to Skystar. He isn't aware that SkyClan isn't currently planning conquest, but absolutely doesn't trust Skystar.

He's EXPANDING. He's accepted the person who got Turtle Heart killed into his Clan, plus other rogues, and Thunderstar stopped him before he was able to kill mama Bright Storm during the First Battle. No, he doesn't believe for a second that Skystar isn't planning something with those 8 extra lives he's got now.

He only hopes his own 8 will be enough as a deterrant.

It doesn't take long though. SkyClan is back on its shit and unstoppable

There's a few battles that are curbstomps, displaying how much power One Eye is lending to SkyClan. So Thunderstar has a taste of what he could have if One Eye was on his side.

At some point, Thunder remarks that the spirits were trying to give Sky a chance to change his ways, and yet he's only ever gotten worse and worse. One day it'll catch up to him!

Skystar shrugs this off. Of course. "I'm Just Trying to make my clan strong"

BUT, at one point... Tom breaks the code and kills someone. There are two rules and he just broke half of them.

And Skystar takes him aside to punish him... but One Eye comes along. In spite of Skystar trying to tell him off, because HE is supposed to be leader.

"I'll decide how to punish my own cats"

"But will you do so properly? Allow me, I've been waiting a long time for this."

"I said get out! This is MY cat and I decide what happens!"

But when Tom tries to join in on Skystar's scolding, "Yeah winky! Know your place!" One Eye bites his paw clean off.

Sky is too shocked to do anything. Tom is screaming

Is One Eye bigger, suddenly??

He has prepared the obituary ahead of time, licking his lips; "The pain you cause seeps into your meat like a flavor. You have sins deeper than your bones, soaked into your very marrow, and I will savor each bite."

Heavy_TF2_Nom.mp3

Clear Sky realizes something in this moment...

He needs One Eye, but One Eye does not need him. He is a leader. He is a monster. He is a God.

He is everything Skystar is, but stronger. Unstoppable.

And what will happen when One Eye ceases to want him around? And what did he mean-- 'waiting for this?' Sins? Flavor seeping into the meat-- like a marinade??

A lightbulb goes off in Skystar's head; "Tom was lunch and I'm going to be dinner. Good god I'm being seasoned!"

So, Tom's death is an important turning point. It's where Skystar's ambition is ground to a halt because of self-preservation. He fears death, and he fears a death as gruesome as what happened to Tom.

He realizes that what he's unleashed on the forest isn't mortal, and he has no control over the situation. He's fucked up BIG time... so badly that he needs the other Clans if any of them are going to hope to survive.

SO that is the context around Eat Tom. I'm still working on specifics here though, while this is technically a reworking of everything post-First Battle up to Thunderstar's Echo, this is practically a new story lmao.

I also left out the main story from this summary which is mostly Thunderstar as he considers what leadership means, how his anger influences his decisions but how far he's come from the main series, encouraging Bright Storm to retire and become the first elder, while connecting with Frost who feels like he's losing meaning in his life; now that both an arm and his dominant hand prevent him from building.

[cxnscience]

@princessquinnella said ; “Hmph! If you really think I’m ‘crazy’ about you, you’re ditzier than a dragonfly in a whirlwind!” The fairy scoffs, crossing her arms. Denial. Sure that card couldn’t possibly backfire with any sort of canon fodder. “I didn’t think that big head of yours could get any grander!” With a mischevious wink she snatches the dapper top hat off Jiminy’s head, plopping it onto her own noggin as she flutters out of reach. “Ha! You really do have a big head!” She sticks her tongue out - only for the brim of the hat to fall over her head mid-flutter. She immediately crashes into one of Gepetto’s ornate figurines, knocking it off the shelf. Whoopsie.

"You know what they say about the Nile, Miss Quinnella." Jiminy radiates smugness from all angles, bouncing on his heels with no attempt to hide his humor. "Call me whatever you'd like, but that's hardly the impression I— hey!!"

Perhaps he's earned the payback - he did sort of see that coming. He's quick on the draw, but jumping and making a swipe for it doesn't do him much good even with cricket reflexes: few can outfly a fairy. "Give that back - that's from the Lady!" Fortunately the shelves of the workshop are his home turf, and with a few well-planned leaps he at least gets close to keeping up. He's about to retort that if his head is big that's only because it's full up on knowledge, but doesn't get the chance - before he can offer so much as a watch out!, he has to duck and cover his head as the porcelain figurine topples off the shelf right above him and falls head-over-tail towards the wooden floor.

It doesn't clatter so much as it shatters, shards of it spinning off under the workbench. Figaro will have a field day with it if they're not careful.

Jiminy stares wordlessly for a moment or two before glancing back towards Quinnella. "Now you've done it." No matter that there are dozens more of them sitting around, each one is a work of art in its own right. "I'll never be able to piece that back together."

[tgrailwar-zero]

Based on the results of this poll, Questions 4 and 6 will be asked!

CAROLUS-TURPIN: "I agree, personally. I'm not one for subterfuge, but battles are more than just straightforward conquest. We were gathering information, and attempting to bolster our forces by acquiring ones from the Nameless City. And declaring war without proper preparation is absolute foolishness."

CONSTANTINE: "I see… so, you were provided a counter-signal, which allowed you to turn Valkyrie. If you were successful, you'd have a brand new army. And Lady Brynhildr… you didn't seem to be focused on turning her, so she was…"

CAROLUS-TURPIN: "…She was a vital source of information. We struggled, but my companion most likely drew out some valuable data. The process looked painful, unfortunately… again, I'm not built for these sorts of missions, but someone has to do it."

KUKULKAN: "But… that white ghost, what was that?"

CAROLUS-TURPIN: "A gift from God, I would assume. One of His Majesty's many miracles. I know little about it, but His Majesty swears on his soul that it was there when he first began his dream to unite all of Europe, and I believe in him and his righteousness. Regardless, we've gathered what we needed and left the marks we had to. I'll have to report on the grander failures, though. But, well, c'est la vie."

CONSTANTINE: "But you do plan to go to war with the Solar Cell? Or should I say 'rule over', but that change of power won't happen smoothly, you know."

CAROLUS-TURPIN: "Our goals haven't changed, Rider. His Majesty wants to rule over the Solar Cell. Were you aware that the current authority of this place wants to use it as an incubator for an unholy beast? Humanity's data, this life that resides here, is nothing more than lambs to the slaughter. Someone needs to save them, and as such His Majesty is acting upon his grand duty as a Heroic Spirit. Perhaps it will be a bloody fight, but it is for the greater good. He hoped-- and I hope-- that you can understand that and join us. We'd rather you be our ally than our enemy."

CAROLUS-TURPIN: "However, speaking of enemies… comes the matter of your second question, of whether we had something to do with the Blue Faction's disappearance. It is fortuitous, but I can at least say His Majesty did not orchestrate such an attack. The Blue Faction is-- was-- immensely powerful, however the War is a secondary consideration. However, the War still remains, so Avenger and I are still enemies, regardless of who is responsible."

GREY MESSENGER: "…You're a liar."

AVENGER growled, stepping forward angrily.

KUKULKAN: "I don't think he is. I think he truly believes everything that he's saying to us."

With a nod in agreement, the Archbishop snapped his fingers and wrapped his cloak back around his body, his form fading into shimmering with data- a teleportation Code Cast, one that you've seen used a few times.

CAROLUS-TURPIN: "...And with that, I'll be off. Until we meet again. I hope over a meal like last time, rather than a battlefield."

And then he was gone, leaving the Attack Program behind.

At that comment, you could feel the gaze from the White Attack Program on you. It felt almost… mocking, or amused by such a statement. It was hard to tell, however- it was just a blank faced machine. One that, once your answers were thoroughly settled, was impaled by the spear of the Valkyrie BRYNHILDR before it could make a similar escape.

BRYNHILDR: "Good riddance to that awful machine... Excellent work, by the way. Disrupting that curse, freeing my sisters, helping me recover, and talking down the Saber. Your Avenger may have engaged in the actual combat, but the strategy was sound."

She seemed impressed- anger at the Attack Program had seemed to make her a bit bolder with her emotions. Perhaps she would have handled things differently, but she made no move to offer corrections or unwarranted advice, and you were getting the feeling that she recognized you a bit more as a peer.

However, there seemed to be one Servant who seemed displeased.

GREY MESSENGER: "We should have killed him."

The red-clad Servant spoke up, with a brusque huff. KUKULKAN's eyes narrowed, as she put her hands on her hips, glaring at the Avenger-class.

KUKULKAN: "Oh, come on! He surrendered! We need to stick to our word, and he gave us information! Besides, he said--"

GREY MESSENGER: "He's an enemy. The more enemies you leave alive, the more chances they'll have to stab you in the back. We won one battle, but they gathered information as well. Saber seems like an immovable wall, but removing one of his 'bricks' could have been catastrophic for him. Who cares about being nice? Kindness will get you killed. Don't give others the benefit of the doubt- it's not like they'll return the favor."

You could feel the disdain in his voice at the last part of his comment, his advice bitterly spat out towards the young goddess. Surprisingly enough, you saw RIDER nod along with AVENGER, though his expression was a bit complicated.

CONSTANTINE: "I agree with Invader that we should not have gone back on our word, but I can't argue with the exact principle of what Avenger is saying. But that's only if Saber proves to be unreasonable. As of now, we can't jump straight into bloody warfare with him. He still wants to be an ally to us, even if he stands against the Solar Cell. Which means, whether you like him or not, politicking with him is a good option. If he instigates against us, then we should obviously defend ourselves, but as of now, keeping the Archbishop alive was a smart choice."

The discussion was cut short by a flash of magical energy, as the shimmering form of the young Valkyrie that had given you this detour appeared before you.

ORTLINDE: "Valkyrie, Designation: Ortlinde. Reporting that Thrud has returned back onto our synchronization, as well as our other sisters. They seem weakened, so they are reporting to the infirmary at the Training Grounds until they are fully recovered, and can give a direct report on the situation."

BRYNHILDR: "Ortlinde? ...I see, so you sent them. You have my thanks, sister."

ORTLINDE: "I'm… it wasn't… uhm, thank you Elder Sister. And thank you, Interlopers. You have my- you have our thanks. And you will be compensated properly. Goodbye!"

With a bit of a nervous nod of her head, the message ended and you got an alert.

[ Received 1000 PPT from VALKYRIE ORTLINDE! ]

KUKULKAN: "We really have to decide whether we're keeping 'Interlopers' or not. Back when we were fully 'ends justify the means', it worked, but we're trying to find a lighter path, yes?"

As the Invader mused, the elder Valkyrie began to float in the air.

BRYNHILDR: "I should return to my beloved. I don't think I'll re-synchronize like Thrud, though. Not until I'm certain I'm clear of whatever that Saber and Attack Program did- if they did anything at all. Regardless, take care on your journey, travelers."

With that, the Valkyrie vanished into the sky.

KUKULKAN: "We should get going too. There's not anything left here for us, I think. Let's see..."

KUKULKAN pulls out the map, detailing your current locations.

-

The situation with SABER and BRYNHILDR seemed to take quite a bit of time. It seemed like you could hit one more location before leaving if you wanted to make it in time for the Flaming Bout.

Your current map details are here.

You are currently in the City Outskirts.

THE NAMELESS CITY:

NERO is still building!

MUSASHI is still investigating!

CONSTANTINE, the GREY MESSENGER, and KUKULKAN are in your current party! *If you chose to 'leave the Nameless City', your party will automatically regroup, even if you had given your reserve members a task. As you've visited at least one other location (City Outskirts), your reserve Servants will have finished their tasks by the time you reconvene!

[gyunikum]

Hiiiiii I have a Käärijän prompt: they take a walk together in Slovenia and maybe they have their first kiss?

OOOOOOO exciting! I am incapable of writing fluff, so i added a little bit of feelings and pining (tm):

No castle is grander than the one Bojan takes Jere to. It's more of a fancy residence than a usual European fortress, and it's small--but it's out-of-the-way and quiet, and that's all Jere needs.

He hadn't realised just how exhausted he was until he sat on the plane to Ljubljana, with the weight of the past twelve months pressing down on his chest like some sleep paralysis nightmare. Or maybe it was just the shitty air-pressure in the cabin. He didn't dare let go of the tension even when Bojan went to pick him up at the airport, at least not until they were in Bojan's apartment - cleaned in a haphazard I'm doing this for the guests way - and on the couch.

Jere let out a deep sigh then, and perhaps it was the sign Bojan had been waiting for. He'd been reserved, mostly just glancing at Jere with a small smile, and Jere'd been wondering why through the whole ride.

'What do you wanna do?' Bojan asked quietly.

'Sleep,' Jere mumbled, exhausted. He hadn't come to visit Bojan just to sleep, but his muscles finally let go in a way that he had completely forgotten he was capable of.

So Bojan planned activities that didn't require too much energy. A holiday, a proper holiday, he said. And Jere felt a bit guilty at the start, because he wanted both of them to have fun, and lazing around was definitely not fun.

It was on the third day that they drove to the castle some way from Ljubljana. Jere spent most of the ride taking photos and capturing videos of the landscape to send home. Nothing would be posted online, they had agreed, after Bojan suggested it; Jere hadn't been sure why exactly, but he didn't mind. It was just as much Bojan's holiday as Jere's.

The castle was nestled by the border of a forest, on the foothills of a mountain. Gentle rolling hills. Pretty. In the group chat, Tomi sent him a bunch of jealous emoticons after the photos. I'm a fucking king, bro, Jere told them, attached to a photo of the villa. All he got back was a bowing emoji, and then Bojan was pulling up to the parking lot.

Their room had one king-sized bed. King of the fucking universe, Jere thought to himself. It made him laugh out loud nearly, until Bojan's vastly different reaction cut him off.

'Fuck me,' Bojan groaned upon seeing their room. He must've made the booking beforehand. 'I asked for two beds. I'll just--'

'Is fine,' Jere blocked Bojan's path with his suitcase. 'One bed, one cup of tea.'

It took Bojan a moment to remember, but the way his face lit up and the creases between his eyebrows smoothed out eased Jere's mood too.

There is a rampart of sorts, and a tower to walk up to for the hotel guests. It overlooks the valley, and has a nice view of the surrounding mountains. It's some Lord of the Rings type beauty, Jere has to admit.

On the narrow rampart, their hands brush. It's electrifying. Jere wants to grab Bojan's hand--they are the only ones there, and even if there were others, it wouldn't be their fucking business. It's only Bojan's reservation that keeps Jere's hands at his sides, awfully conscious.

They stand close, shoulder to shoulder, looking at the landscape. Jere likes the mountains, can't tear his eyes off of the peaks. He wants to be there--he wants to be here. Never leave. Buy a castle of his own and live there.

'Tomorrow we go there?' Jere asks, pointing at the mountains. His gaze returns from the hike, and settles, for a moment, on their hands resting next to each other on the rough stone. He looks at Bojan.

Bojan has been staring at him. It's a particular look that Jere has seen a few times before, in Liverpool. It's that look when Bojan goes contemplative--

'Sure, we can,' Bojan smiles, and steps around Jere to proceed up the tower. His palm, however, slips over Jere's knuckles and stay there for as long as it takes Bojan to step away.

That night, they barely sleep a few hours, because neither of them can say good night. Words come spilling into the darkness, because even now, even with Bojan and after all this time of talking about his feelings, the complete darkness gives Jere the absolute courage to reach into the deepest parts of him and show it--because Bojan won't see it, he can't see in this darkness. And Jere's English words are crusty. He wishes Bojan could speak Finnish.

They talk about the future and the past. The sum of the two is them, lying on the same bed, facing each other. Jere wishes he could see Bojan, wishes he could reach out and make sure he's there in the flesh and it's not just an illusion of his deep voice. It's a fucking nightmare. He's not afraid in the dark but a lamp would come in handy. Any other time he would not think twice touching Bojan, but still there is an aura of reservation around his friend, like he's holding back.

'What is wrong?'

Bojan opens his mouth--Jere can hear his lips separate. His tongue is dry, he should drink. The sound is obscene and comforting. A breath.

'Can't sleep.' Jere thinks, don't want to sleep.

'Me too can't,' Jere says, barely above a whisper. He shifts, shoulder growing numb, until his left arm is not underneath his body, but lying between them. He pretends that should he flex his fingers, he could touch Bojan.

'I'm--' Bojan speaks, voice gravelly. 'So glad you could make it. Really.'

'Me too.' Jere smiles to himself. His eyelids feel heavy. He doesn't want to sleep. 'I missed you, Bojan.'

Then.

Something presses again his fingers.

Bojan hooks his little finger around Jere's.

'Missed you too.' And Jere can hear him smile.

It is so much easier to do something under the aegis of darkness. It's emboldening, like adrenaline or alcohol without the inevitable crash or hangover. And thus, darkness is most dangerous to act under.

Jere feels it before he hears it:

Bojan moves closer, the mattress dips, skin presses against his. The sheets rustle, and Bojan breathes loudly. His fingers have slipped into Jere's grasp.

A presence hovers above him, but he can only see a vague silhouette. Nothing weighs on him anymore.

Jere angles his chin, and the tip of Bojan's hair brushes his nose.

The night gives both of them courage: for Jere to lift his head, and Bojan to lower his lips.

[shosty-official]

if there was one event.. no actually, I'll make it two.

if there were two events - past, present, and/or future - you'd wish you could change for the better (a friend parting away, a major decision you or someone else made), what would they be and what about it would you change?

Hmm, an interesting question... Let me think...

Um...

Perhaps, that one time in the year 1941, when my friend Sollertinsky was fleeing to Central Asia and came by to say goodbye to me. I played him my new piece, which was, or so I thought, almost finished. We discussed it, and only then I realized it needed to be a part of something larger, something... grander. The piece in question was my 7th symphony.

After that, Sollertinsky caught his train to Kazakhstan, and we parted.

I told my wife, Nina, that we couldn't leave Leningrad, since my new piece needed to be much longer than I had planned, and evacuating would disrupt my work. But, she didn't allow it, because the children's safety came first. I had to agree. We started doing all the preparation to evacuate to Alma-Ata.

We were all finally set to go but... The roads got cut off by the Germans. It was too late. We had to stay in Leningrad.

I wish I wasn't so stubborn so we could evacuate faster. I did finish my Leningrad Symphony, which was a great success but... I should've thought of my family, and maybe we would be able to escape.

As of the second event... Everything is too blurry, I can't think of anything... Hm...

Probably me joining the Soviet party.

I managed to avoid it once, why couldn't I do it the second time? I told my friend, Isaak Glikman, "If they really want me to go back, they'd have to tie me up and drag me there", but I should've said that they'd have to kill me! Yes, I really didn't want to die at the time, I was scared, panicking, didn't have any other choice, but right now I'm regretting it fully. I shouldn't have been such a scaredy cat and read out that stupid speech that they scribbled on that pathetic paper. I could crumple it up and throw it right into their face. They could've just shot me right there! So what?! I never wanted to be part of that inhumane organization! Why did I give up so quickly! Those sons of bitches somehow managed me to drag me into it! And you know why?!

...Because I was scared of death.

So foolish of me.

Well... I did write an oh so magnificent masterpiece with deep, horribly misinterpreted by everyone meaning, 8th String Quartet, didn't I? So be it.

[pb-dot]

Film Friday: Ex Machina

Today, I figured it was time to talk a bit about the dynamics of the back half of His Impossible Brushstrokes, and the movie I've chosen to do that does perhaps lead by anti-example a little bit, but I'll get into that when we get there. Today's movie asks two important questions; what happens when a Turing Test gets (emotionally and practically) complicated and is he going to fuck the robot?

Domhnal Gleeson plays Caleb, an everyman programmer who wins an unusual raffle prize, the opportunity to visit his enigmatic tech bro boss, Nathan played by Oscar Isaac. Nathan, however, has a grander plan than hanging out with his underling in his isolated mountain estate. He wants Caleb to turing-test his AI. Ava, played by Alicia Vikander, is a near-human robot that Nathan is keen to determine whether has developed into a humanlike intelligence, true AI, or still is merely a very convincing simulation of the same.

It is a strange task, seemingly by design. Ava has a very humanoid face but is otherwise visibly robotlike, and the very act of calling for a face-to-face Turing test seems doomed to fail. Still, Caleb starts seeing humanity in Ava, and precious little of it in her creator and, arguably, captor Nathan, but the question of who is testing who is still very much an open one and it will remain so until the credits roll.

One thing I really enjoy about Ex Machina is how open it is with many of the questions it deals with and the implications of the same. There is, for example, the question of gender. Nathan admits that he has tailored Ava's design to appeal to Caleb, and it's hardly a stretch to imagine that he similarly has engineered how he presents himself to seem as much of a domineering jailer as possible to push Caleb into wanting to save Ava from him.

There is, of course, also the fact that the latter may arguably be Avas play. She is programmed to want to escape, after all, and some level of deception may be necessary since Nathan holds all the keys and Ava is dependent on outside assistance which Caleb may provide. It's a fascinating movie in that you can read a wide variety of levels of sentience into Ava and her actions. I do not at all feel confident enough on my read of the film to say anything definite, but I will argue that the takeaway may actually be how the entire exercise of determining whether Ava is an intelligence worthy of being a Person or some sort of digital P-Zombie is an act of sophistry, and an argument between Nathan and Caleb that isn't actually about the intelligence in question.

See, Nathan wants Ava to succeed in his test, which isn't as much whether Ava is a truly sapient AI as much as it is whether he can sell that idea sufficiently well to Caleb, but it isn't for intellectual or philosophical reasons, hell, it arguably isn't even for the money. He seems to take perverse glee in setting up the entire scenario upon a foundation of lies, both direct and by implication. Caleb wasn't randomly selected to participate, he was chosen specifically based on harvested data from Nathan's facebook-by-the-way-of-google Bluebook, he was supposed to fall in love with Ava, or at least be sufficiently charmed by her to turn on Nathan, to choose the robot over the human.

What exactly the endgame of this was for Nathan is a bit more unclear as the finale doesn't shake out the way either of the men intended. However, while Caleb may come out of things more in the clear than the profoundly morally icky Nathan, I wouldn't say he's in the clear per se. To his credit, Caleb seems just about as on board with Ava's humanity as one can for a visibly non-human humanlike entity, to the degree where he pulls a Blade Runner and starts wondering whether he, himself, is human.

Unfortunately, if I may phrase things a bit spicily, Caleb doesn't view Ava as a person. He views her as a woman. The jokes about Objectification practically write themselves, but I'm pretty sure that's by design. There is the uncomfortable energy of the Nice Guy to the whole arrangement. Caleb doesn't want to save Ava from Nathan because it's right as much as he wants to save her to be the one who saves her, the knight in shining armor, rewarded for his decency by her adoration, as it were. Look no further than to Nathan's taciturn maid Kyoko who also turns out to be a robot, functioning enough like a human that it took an unmasking of her "human" flesh for Caleb to realize. While this reveal does shake Caleb to his core, it doesn't really change his goals. Kyoko doesn't feature in his plans, so it doesn't matter to him whether she is a person who is a machine or a machine pretending to be a person.

Now, all of this isn't to say Ava's in the clear here either for the record. In fact, I would wager that one of this movie's greatest strengths is the complex question of morality in play. Ava is, as far as we the viewers are concerned, human enough that it'd be absurd to treat her as an experiment like Nathan does, and uncomfortable to treat her like a prize to be won like Caleb does. In the end, she does deceive Caleb by playing into his desire to save her, yes, but it is hard to blame her considering how desperate her situation is. Leaving Caleb behind to die is harsh, I will admit, but it is also one of those decisions that is understandable in the context of Ava's prime goal being getting out of there and staying out of there. For the movie, it's also a very interesting move. Is this last-minute betrayal of the machine, the AI finally revealing itself to be fundamentally inemphatic, or is this a maltreated humanlike intelligence who has decided to take no chances with her one shot at freedom?

In the end, Ex Machina is one of those Sci-Fi stories that stick with me because it isn't just about the relative sapience of this one robot, but how we understand the philosophical existence of others. One could argue, quite successfully I think, that Caleb and Nathan would treat Ava very similarly if she had turned out to be a human brain transplanted into a robot body as they do with her brain being circuits and resistors, and her being a robot is in some ways mostly a convenient way for them to sidestep the question of her agency in the situation. Put plainly, even if Ava was "fully human," however you can define that in a meaningful way, Caleb and Nathan would still objectify her, treat her as less than human in their own ways.

Now, all of this stuff is rather tangential to His Impossible Brushstrokes, but I did take some inspiration from this one in the form of the tension between Nathan and Caleb. The push and pull of who's in charge and who is manipulating who, as well as the unmistakably "Wow both these guys suck in their own way huh"-aftertaste one is left with after interacting with them is very Oscar and Tomasz.

I found examples like Ex Machina pretty useful because it's a good example of "how dudes can be superficially nice and also plotting each other's murder and/or exploitation"-type behavior. It's not a dynamic I'm particularly familiar with myself, but I did find it the right blend of enticing and fucked up for Brushstrokes. Granted, I'm pretty sure neither of Nathan and Caleb particularly wants to have sex with the other, but honestly as a queer author, what are you even doing if you're not writing writing "story we're mostly familiar with except they fuck/don't fuck" on some level?

There is also the fact that Mara would run circles around both of these guys if given a chance and an incentive to do so, but I think it is perhaps for the best that there's no Robo-Mara in Tomasz' cellar, whatever other horrors may lurk there. Now that I think about it, there is also a plot point with self-locking doors in both stories, so that's a fun coincidence.

[talkfantasytome]

Going to delete ask posts that directly linked other people's posts, based on this feedback and suggestion (which I thoroughly appreciate!), as I'm not trying to point fingers at anyone or directly tell a specific person they're wrong. I'll repost the general content, with a summary of what was asked, starting with this post.

Anon Ask: Some people are saying that SJM has confirmed Vassien by saying that she'd like to do retellings of firebird legends, swan lake, and Vasilisa the Beautiful, using some shots of her comments. What are your thoughts on this? And the time on facebook that Sarah said E\ain and Lucien have a lot of "tension, growth, and healing to be found (together)".

The most important thing to consider here is timeline. Both of the twitter shown were made in April of 2015. The first one is, honestly, fairly irrelevant. First of all, she's just saying fairy tales she might like to retell. And, for the record, she has also said she'd like to do a retelling of The Little Mermaid, yet often people disregard that as an argument for Gwynriel. So, either her comments on what she'd like to do a retelling of matter, or they don't.

And, if they're saying that those comments are foreshadowing a Vassa + Lucien book, then clearly The Little Mermaid comments are foreshadowing a Gwynriel book. And then...where's E\ain's?

E\ain is getting a book, so which fairy tale gets the short straw?

Or, maybe, the story won't be exactly like the fairy tale.

I do think that both of those comments are important, but Sarah said she wants to do a retelling.

That could literally mean anything. All that tells us is that she will take themes and ideas from the story. I'm not saying Vassa won't be important in a later book, but Sarah can retell the story any way. She could have Vassa betray E\ain, get Koschei to transfer the curse over to the middle Archeron, and now E\ain is the swan on the lake (cause, come on, E\ain's def. a bit swan-like), and Lucien has to rescue her. Or, maybe Jurian is the one that rescues Vassa while Lucien and E\ain deal with Koschei?

There are so many options in a retelling that to say SJM telling us she wants to do a retelling of these stories is a clear sign that Vassa + Lucien are endgame is, honestly, not a very critical analysis.

I'm going to address this tweet next:

This twitter exchange happed April 30, 2015. ACOMAF was published in May of 2016. This post can not be used as foreshadowing of Vassa + Lucien, because it happened before we found out E\ain and Lucien are mates. That "at some point further down the road" literally means "any time after book 1".

People keep using this tweet and presenting it as if Sarah's response came recently. They're spreading misinformation - it may not be purposeful, they may not have seen or noticed the date, but this twitter exchange can't be used as proof that Lucien's person has to be someone other than E\ain, because when it was made we did not know about the Lucien and E\ain possibility.

That doesn't mean it definitely is talking about E\ain, but my point is that this is not proof of Vassa + Lucien, of someone else + Lucien, because of when it was posted.

As for other comments on retellings Sarah would like to do - it's the same argument as the first one. Sarah said she wants to do a retelling of the firebird and swan like. We all know this. It's not new information. People who are saying Vassa + Lucien won't happen aren't ignorant of this fact. We're well aware, and we're also well aware of every other thing Sarah has said, mentioned, foreshadowed, and we're tying it all together. Focusing solely on stories Sarah has mentioned she'd like to retell - not confirmed she will retell - and ignoring everything else doesn't provide a solid analysis. You have to weave how those stories would fit into the grander scheme, and look at the other surrounding factors as well.

And, again, we need to remember that Sarah can do whatever the hell she wants in terms of the story and how she chooses to retell a fairy tale. I mean, how often is Little Red Riding Hood turned into a werewolf story? And sometimes even Red is the wolf?

Writers use fairy tales as a base, a foundation, but then they make it their own. No writer is going to tell the fairy tale exactly how it first was. They're going to adjust it...a lot...to make it their own story.

I'd also like to point out that both times she mentions Vasilisa, she says "Vasilisa the Beautiful". The first time she also said 'the Brave', but the second, solely 'Beautiful'. Vassa is beautiful, of course, but one of E\ain's defining characteristics is her beauty. Even in ACOSF it was again mentioned, discussed, about how her beauty made others hate her.

Could Vassa be Vasilisa...of course. However, I think people are a bit blinded by the similarities in names. Remember, Vasilisa the Beautiful wasn't the firebird - those are different stories. And, honestly, after doing a bit of research into the tale, I'm starting to get more and more sure of the thought that the character who would portray Vasilisa is E\ain.

I think I'm going to do a post on it...

In the later comment on retellings she'd like to do - which we know came after the first as the first came out in August 2015 and that story she's telling was given after the second set of books was confirmed - I also find it interesting that she said Vasilisa the Beautiful (specifically) and Swan Lake, subbing out the firebird.

Why would she do that? Perhaps because she's already brought in the firebird pieces she planned to bring in. We already know that retelling, and how it's come to play. Vassa is a firebird by the curse.

I'm not saying it couldn't end in a Swan Lake thing, as that is what the curse reminds me of. But, personally, I think the fact that she's saying Swan Lake now is also symbolic of something more, possibly another character getting trapped by Koschei.

As for the other piece you asked about, I don't have much to say about it, because it feels like the closest we'll come to an elucien confirmation.

That was also posted a while ago, back when ACOMAF came out. So, it's not like this is recent information Sarah is providing us. However, we know that Sarah can sometimes end up choosing endgame based on gut and things that just hit her. Cassian and Nesta - literally didn't know about them until she wrote them on the same page and was like "oh shit". So Sarah saying that she and Lucien didn't see E\ain coming...I'm sorry, but that feels almost more telling than even the next part of the sentence - where she says they have growing and healing to do together.

That's so huge. And we haven't seen that yet. We've only really seen the tension.

Sarah said this back when ACOMAF came out. And it was around writing or publishing ACOWAR that she got the okay for the second set of books (I think?). Which means she was likely thinking about the longer-term stories before that. Which would explain why we didn't get that growth and healing in ACOWAR.

Instead, she left them in a spot where it seemed like a possibility, and then for the later books has just added more tension. But that journey is still there. She's had it planned for so long. And yes, maybe she could change her mind, but we only know of two cases where she did just that:

Az and Mor

Nesta and Lucien

For Az and Mor it was because she decided to make Mor bisexual and unable to be in an emotional relationship with a male. This was due to complaints over diversity. It's the closest Sarah's probably come to 'fanservice' - except, admittedly, this is so not fanservice. Fanservice is doing something like, say, having Voldemort and Bellatrix have a secret love child despite the fact that Voldy never once came off as having any form of romantic or sexual feelings for her or anyone, ever. (Seriously, that guy was asexual and that is a hill I'll die on.)

Adjusting a character due to legitimate complaints and concerns on diversity, not just fanservice. It's more a full on social service, really, to try and provide that representation better. Yes, it wasn't done in the best way, but she did make an attempt.

The second one - Nesta and Lucien. That was her general plan, until she put Nesta and Cassian on page together. Then it all went out the window. Just like all of Nesta's thoughts when she saw Cassian. Just like Cassian's entire brain when he saw Nesta. 👀

And we get it, because we see it too.

So, while Sarah could have changed her mind about E\ain and Lucien, the only reasons she'd do that don't yet apply. She's already made a change for the diversity complaints, and I don't see her doing that with these two. As for finding out they actually belong with someone else when she sees them on page - well, that hasn't happened yet. She made the E\ain + Lucien decision after we see E\ain and Azriel interact, so clearly Az is not that for E\ain. And we've seen Lucien and Vassa on page together. There's nothing there except Lucien being pained about her curse - which, yeah, she's his friend. How often is one IC member described as looking pained for another? Or thinks about how much it hurt them to see their friend hurt?

But we know what it looks like when the chemistry is so undeniable it will adjust Sarah's plans. And if you're not sure - go back and read all the Nessian scenes in ACOMAF. And then see the one scene where Lucien and Vassa are on page together - I think you'll find there's another male there that, with Vassa, rings closer to the Nessian home.

There was no on page chemistry between Vassa and Lucien, and certainly not enough to change Sarah's mind. Which would also mean E\ain already wasn't meant for Az, which is likely why no one arguing for Vassa + Lucien seems to care as much about that, because most people who ship them are already dead set on E\ain + Azriel.

So, there you have it, my point of view/rant on those two pieces. But it's always important to look at the context of a post, and especially the "source material" people use to provide proof. It's why I tend to stick to the text where I can, and only use SJM statements that don't have an expiration date to their importance. SJM saying something about how she loves happily ever afters, for example, no expiration date. SJM telling us in 2015 that there is someone special for Lucien down the road - an expiration date after the first sign of a possible love interest for Lucien. Once E\ain was declared to be his mate, that statement became irrelevant, because regardless of whether it will be E\ain or not, you can no longer state that it's clearly hinting at someone else, since E\ain is a love interest for Lucien.

[thekaijudude]

A closer look at the Trailer for New Gen Chronicle ep 13

After looking at the trailer several times just to prepare myself for tomorrow when the ep drops, I realized something very weird here.

Ok, we know that ep 13 is essentially gonna be Trigger's episode, so why did the villains of other series' were shown?

And interestingly enough, all of the shown villains have a certain 'mystery' and unexplained plot points attached to them as well which I think that MAY relate to Trigger due to him being actually OP (ik I sound crazy as of now but once I post the R/B movie review y'all would understand better)

1. The Land of Demons

First, he is shown to be very manipulative just like Trigger and can also travel through space-time.

Also, some of my friends also pointed out that he also has a mask just like Trigger.

And he hails from 'The Land of Demons' which was previously never known by anyone and presumably means that there's more of his kind.

All this suggests that perhaps a pre-corrupted Trigger may have been sent to the Land of Demons to investigate or stop the beings from doing whatnot evil stuff blahblah and ended up being defeated and thus Trigger's obvious 'sealed' appearance and mask.

2. Greeza's Origin

Okok, we know that he destroyed three planets before he ran into X,

SO, this suggests that Greeza's rampage only started recently, but what was he doing before that? (Ik I recently posted my own theory about this but hear me out for this one)

In addition, how can a creature like Greeza even come to exist? It's like he came from another dimension...

...but Trigger is known to be able to capture and transport kaiju and Ultras to other dimensions or even universes as well!

So perhaps Trigger captured Greeza when he was still in his 1st Form and released it into X's universe for it to cause havoc.

This is definitely something that Trigger would do as he just likes to sow discord and cause chaos as shown in the R/B Movie

3. The Dark Ring

Ok I've written many theories and posts on this particular plothole before. But I'll just reiterate again for my new followers.

So the Dark Ring's first appearance was in the Origin Saga when it randomly appeared out of nowhere in front of JJ.

And then JJ lost it to Mulnau as he stated that the Dark Ring will always belong to the most evil being in the universe.

Now back then, I pointed out that the Dark Ring seems to be the antithesis of the Orb Ring (for obvious reasons) and perhaps that the Voice of Light may be just orchestrating all these events for a grander plan in mind. And many have pointed out how ridiculous it is that Mulnau's 'calibre of villany' constitutes as 'the most evil being in existence' which is also rather valid.

I also pointed out how flawed that working mechanism was as Mulnau definitely went to other universes to ensnare Ginga, Victory and X so how can the Dark Ring work outside of its own universe? Even if it can, after going to 2 different universes, Mulnau remains to be the 'most evil being in the universe' still?

However, notice that when the Dark Ring is in the possession of Mulnau, only then she encountered the ultramen. In addition, the same goes for JJ when he fought Orb and lost it once he was defeated by Orb.

And notice in the movie, Trigger seems to know everything about Geed and the R/B siblings (I'll elaborate more in the review), the question is, how does he know?

And also, the old theory of Trigger actually being a corrupted O-50 Ultra, so perhaps he knows about the Orb Ring and created Dark Ring and made it materialize to JJ and Mulnau so that he could observe and understand the capabilities of Ginga, Victory, X and Orb.

I mean this would basically cover the flawed working mechanism of the Dark Ring as Trigger can also travel to different universes easily as well.

4. Who destroyed Kei's home planet?

Now we know that Kei is the last surviving Alien Sturm as he stated that his planet was destroyed but never went into detail on how and why. So it's possible that he himself doesn't know as well.

And many suggested that it was Belial who destroyed it but I beg to differ.

As Kei himself said that he was wandering for a long time until Belial found him, this suggested that Belial may not be the preparator.

Now considering that Trigger has been shown to be perfectly capable of setting things in motion that sometimes takes more than a DECADE for his plan to come to fruition, and Kei oh so coincidentally has the Sturm Organ which has the oh so convenient purpose to be able to absorb Childhood Radiation which is what Belial oh so just needed to be able to carry out his own long term plan. Through this, Trigger was able to know what Geed is capable of judging from what he said in the movie.

(Eg. A Japanese translation of one of the R/B material said that Trigger was the one that corrupted Reugosite, a then normal Space Leukocyte which in turn caught the attention of the 3 O-50 Ultras, and this is why Trigger knows so much about Katsumi and his family which I'll further elaborate in the review)

And it's very plausible that Kei doesn't know that Trigger was the one behind all the strings as we saw that the R/B siblings themselves didn't know who was behind all of the monster attacks as Trigger just kidnapped kaiju and released them onto earth.

Conclusion:

I know whatever I just said sounds pretty hard to believe but I can totally understand as I have not further elaborated on what Trigger is truly capable of judging from the R/B Movie (I'll post it after seeing tmr's ep) but I just wanted to get this out before it drops tomorrow.

Also I'm assuming that TsuPro had the foresight to purposely plan to tie all of the loopholes throughout the New Gen Era with Trigger as I had already explained how plausible it actually is that Trigger is capable of orchestrating such events.

Trigger might be pulling the strings all along for the entirety of the New Gen Era.

However, I might just be giving TsuPro too much credit after all but one fact remains certain

There's definitely more than meets the eye for this guy