#i'm always torn between 'should i talk about the narrative?'

[loveisalwaystheanswer]

I always have mixed feelings about Lizzie in S3 to S6. Imagine to live in the house of your husband who still would not remove the pictures of Grace in the house. On one hand, I do feel it is cruel for Tommy to do to Lizzie but on the other hand, why should he remove the pictures when he makes it clear that he did not love her?

Oh man, it will be hard to separate the plot from my opinion about SK's writing. In s3 he had tied every character of the story and the plot itself to the rails. And after that moment everything went down. But we aren't here to talk about SK's ability to write. Let's go back to the main track.

I absolutely agree with you, anon. It must be very creepy for Lizzie to walk past the portrait of Grace every night and let's keep in mind that she's depicted as a haughty ex-wife with accusing eyes rather than a kind woman. Brrr! This gives me the vibes of Rebecca (2020) movie. Pretty scary.

Tommy is an asshole very selfish and emotionally disabled person who doesn't think about people's feelings. He doesn't even think about his own feelings, so why would he care about someone else's? Yes, he doesn't owe Lizzie anything and never hid the truth from her, and he didn't bother himself to put that portrait away but it would be the least he could do to make Grace's presence in the house less palpable (re-read it and realised why he hadn't removed it 😅). And it would be a compromise because he has the photographs of Grace. But they're living lived in a mausoleum. It's soooo far from being normal but Tommy isn't 'normal', yeah?

What about Lizzie... Talking about her in times like these is like walking a tightrope but I will try. And before I start we need to clear some things out:

I do like Lizzie. I don't like her WITH Tommy and I don't approve some of her actions.

I like she's not saint therefore she's not one-dimensional and she's an interesting character.

I DO NOT justify Tommy who's cheating on her. It's not her fault and she's not responsible for this shit.

But she's responsible for sleeping with him, marrying him, staying with him and letting herself being treated like that.

I was enjoying to see how she was trying to get out of her past lifestyle, doing a correspondence course, working hard to make her way in life because she knew she's on her own and no one will save her. She was INDEPENDENT (as far as it was possible in those days).

My feelings about Lizzie has been shuffling since s3. I liked her completely before it and this season became a turning point in my opinion about her. 'Actually I'm sleeping with Tommy, now and then. Because he wants to [...] Except we don't sleep. It's hard to sleep bent over a desk. Isn't it?' I mean, wtf was that? She has a good job now. WHY does she need to agree to sleep with him again? Not to mention her lover died because of the Shelbys. She is too loyal sometimes. We didn't see her being sad about his death. Whether she didn't love that Angel and was only boasting of her love or she simply couldn't say 'no' to Tommy, like... ever. Both options aren't good. And she kept doing the same thing in s4. And she agreed to marry Tommy being fully aware of his inability to love her the way she wants him to. Is this fair to her? No. I do feel sorry for Lizzie, a little. Because like she said 'I chose this life, it didn't choose me.' People keep saying that she's the one who really knew him. She chose to marry Tommy, so she knew what to expect, didn't she? Also, she was the one who tried to change him, she wanted to see him being in love with her for so many years. Completely refusing to believe that he doesn't care about her and he isn't happy to know about the baby. Lizzie didn't leave him, she tolerated all his affairs with another women, she hoped for a better life, she lived in delusion. In my personal opinion Lizzie married Tommy not only because of her feelings for him but also because of the benefits it could bring. She was enjoying being at the top, walking in expensive dresses and attending the parties, she loves diamonds as well. I mean, who wouldn't? She's a very pragmatic woman but the sentiments had gotten the better of her and in the end it made her suffer. The marriage became her golden cage. I'd risk to say I always thought she had a very tough childhood so that her co-dependent behavior is rooted in her past. It would explain a lot. I deeply sympathize with her loss of Ruby ("No parent should have to bury their child"). And it's so sad that Lizzie needed such a horrible situation to realize how lonely and unhappy she is in this marriage and the whole relationship with Tommy is a lost cause. She, seeking solace in the company of horses and not her husband, it's a heart-wrenching moment. It'd be interesting to notice that she's never Tommy's first choice but she accepts it.

Btw, since you're asking me about Liz I want to take this opportunity to say out loud how MAD I was at her in 6.01 episode! Mocking a person who just had a failed suicide attempt?? Leaving him alone? Humiliating him? Blaming him? Glorifying your domination? At this moment? Really? It was sooooo low! Actually, I even googled how to treat someone who tried to commit a suicide. And what Lizzie did is the opposite of what you really should be doing when you face a situation like this. Don't get me wrong, I'm far from being the first in a long queue of people who want to defend Thomas Shelby but even I think that this move was awful. And it wasn't discussed in the show. Also, she told Charlie about why she's leaving his father. It was not right too. Children should be out of any conflict between parents. And I hope she will be THE parent to Charlie and won't project her feelings for Ruby onto him. It's a side note, but my heart hurts for little Charlie, because he cannot hold on to any of his parents.

To sum it all up, I breathed a sigh of relief when she finally decided to leave Tommy. It was the only right thing to do. I said it before, I can't watch interactions between married Tommy and Lizzie (due to my personal reasons) without feeling myself very uncomfortable. You know, we really accept the love we think we deserve, and it hurt me to see Lizzie being so spineless every time it came to Tommy. I have seen all these kind of situations happening in real life with people I care about. My heart ached with pity for all of them. But at the same time I was angry at them for being so pathetic and weak. As a feminist I hate SK for doing this to Liz, from an independent woman to Tommy's doormat. But I must admit this whole Lizzie-situation is very realistic and that's why so many women feel themselves related to her more than to any other female character in the show. I understand why women defend Lizzie so hard. That's why I wrote this. So many women in general silently accept any kind of abuse, romanticized it, hope that one day their partner will change. They're begging for love, they take the blame, play a supporting role in their own story, close their eyes to any disrespectful shitty behavior towards them. Well, maybe I'm melodramatic and take it so much to heart, then I'm glad if I'm mistaken about this matter. I stand up for women, fictional or not, I condemn misogyny and I deeply believe that we should apply the same standards of behavior to everyone, regardless of gender. In conclusion I really want someone to tell Steven Knight that men can have business with women without sleeping with them. Surprise!

Did it bring more clarity to how I feel about Lizzie? Nope. I got even more confused myself.

My dearest anon, I apologize for my long (that's one of the reasons why I don't get a lot of questions lmao) answer with feminism filling. I hope you got what you want or at least it was interesting to read.

And if it hurt somebody's feelings I'm very sorry for that and mentally I'm sending you my homemade muffin with any flavor you like. Boys of my acquaintance think I make the best muffins in the world and boys never lie about such things 🤗🤍

thank you

xx

[royalrebelpropaganda]

ooh you should elaborate ooh

( @oklotea ) ( @dollmenace )

why ofc 🤭 with no further ado here are my transfem headcanons & explanations

duchess :

manifesto largely here , here , and here , but I don't ever clarify as to WHY I think she has trans girl energy, so I will elaborate now.

first of all, narrative role of swans in stories. especially in stories like the ugly duckling, where there's an "ugly" kid who is socially outcast, excluded, harassed, and ends up becoming something beautiful like they were always meant to be-- it works really well as a trans metaphor, and duchess is literally a swan <3

but that's not her story! and you'd be right to point that out. to me, there's something about the way she's constantly feeling left out of the other princess groups because she's not a "happily-ever-after princess," the way she's basically dismissed by the princessology teacher by her saying "are you sure you're a real princess?" -- and wanting so desperately to be one.

so she follows around ashlynn, so she yells at apple, so she tears raven to shreds. she is so jealous and I honestly really think that the jealousy translates really well to a sort of gender envy -- especially since she's constantly dismissed by the same girls. she's constantly portrayed as wanting to "steal" their stories, and really all she wants is a happily ever after, the same safety and comfort they get by being a princess. I think the metaphor kind of speaks for itself.

"Seems to me we need to win this thing so you can always be a girl." - Sparrow Hood to Duchess Swan, Next Top Villain

dexter :

manifesto here + also I ADORE @tiny-leafbug's transfem dex art

now I know a lot of people headcanon dex as transmasc, which honestly I can actually fully understand in the context of the show and diaries. the idea that he's constantly trying to perform this paragon of masculinity, and constantly falling short. I get it.

HOWEVER! the books is where I fell in love with dex, and in the books dex's vibe is different. he doesn't care about being a "prince charming," not really, and his relationship with his brother seems much more affectionate, with him responding to daring's ribbing in turn and not really caring about daring making fun of him. this lack of caring makes all that pressure put on his shoulders by his parents seem more like something he never wanted to live up to in the first place. on the boxes, he says -- well, I'm good at hero training. and in the books, raven notices the calluses on his hands, the skill he has in PE class. it's not that he's ever been bad at what his parents what him to do. it's that... he doesn't want to do it.

at some point he says "well ... everyone else has been able to recite their story since they learned to talk, while I'm facing this huge unknown." there's something about this lack of direction and destiny that sets him completely apart from students that need to be a certain thing. all dex ever had to do was be a prince, and still, he wants to rebel. still, he followed raven into the dark. because maybe he didn't want to be a prince at all.

raven said "check you out, totally rocking the prince-to-the-rescue gig," and dexter said "what? no, I mean... that's not really me." - Storybook of Legends

dexter, in the books, is constantly torn between the royals and the rebels, this loyalty he has to the first person that's ever seen him, and daring, who still wants him to be, yknow, him. he is expected, at all times, to perform as his brother, to be his brother. and he doesn't want that. he doesn't want that at all.

“And Prince Dexter Charming?” Kitty smiled hugely. Her smile lingered a moment after she disappeared. She reappeared beside Dexter, holding a broom, which she thrust into his hands. “He might become a wicked witch!”

Dexter looked at the broom, shrugged, and gave a small laugh, glancing over at Raven as if to check what she thought.”

- The Unfairest of Them All

cedar :

I don't have quite as much to say here; this isn't a headcanon I have 24/7, it's just fun to think about

she is constantly talking about how she "wants to be a real girl" and idk there is something trans about that. to me.

“I don’t know what to do,” said Cedar. “Am I supposed to sit with my friends same as always? Or pick a side based on what I want? I’m not a Royal, but then again I do want my destiny, when I’ll be changed from a puppet into a real girl, but then again, I do want others to be able to choose if they don’t like their destiny so… so I don’t know what to do now!” - The Unfairest of Them All

I hope this helped <33

[alastairstom]

Would be curious to hear more of your thoughts on the James-Matthew-Cordelia "love triangle" situation sometime. Personally I've always viewed most if not all of CC's love triangles and "love triangles" as narrative dialogues and I'm sure this is happening in some way, shape, or form with the not-exactly-an-actual-love-triangle-really situation in TLH but I've never exactly been able to figure out what it's a conversation about.

Okay so I think I've talked about this a little bit before but I haven't really gone into detail about why the TLH "love triangle" doesn't fall under the actual love triangle category.

In a MFM love triangle a woman character is in the center between two men. Both men offer her something different to the central girl, and they each care for her, have their merits, and offer something different to her. She must explore both relationships and make a decision.

This is true enough of the Heronfairstairs "love triangle." Both James and Matthew are wonderful people and have a lot to offer.

However, a love triangle necessitates that the character be torn between her feelings for the two characters. Cordelia has loved James since she was 13/14 years old. This is information that we glean at the beginning of Chain of Gold. From her first appearance until her last, Cordelia's romantic affections belong wholly to James.

This is fact #1: Cordelia made her choice long before the series began. It was always made clear to the readers that Herondaisy was the endgame. The entire romantic plotline in TLH works up to their remaining married, and in love, until the stars burn out.

Now, we have fact #2: Matthew knows this. From the beginning, Matthew knows that he is not actually going to live out an idyllic HEA with Cordelia. He knows that she loves James; he says as much in Chain of Iron, when he drops in through Cordelia's window. This admission not only demonstrates that Matthew is aware of his position in their dynamic but also that he has the ability to observe the feelings of those around him and draw correct conclusions on his own.

Fact #3: Matthew is insanely self-destructive, and in Anna's words he 'seems to prefer a helpless love.' Self-destructive tendencies are a core part of Matthew's character, and they do not begin and end with alcoholism. Even before picking up drinking, Matthew was calling himself 'a waste of space in a waistcoat' in Cast Long Shadows. His using romance as a method of self-destructing should come as no surprise, but this was also set up really well even before TLH started. The entire point of Matthew's crush on Lucie was to exemplify that he preferred a hopeless love.

And what's more hopeless - and more painful - than loving your best friend's wife? Nothing.

I will say that I do not think that this is the only reason Matthew loves Cordelia. I think that, as Thomas says, it is not so much romantic love as it is a sense of absolution - Cordelia is the outsider that does not know Matthew, so he shared his secret with her, which caused him to bond/imprint on her. But also... we'd be remiss not to note that Cordelia is wonderful. She's brave, big-hearted, and an extremely warm person; she's funny and bright and bold. She is a good friend to Matthew. I just felt the need to say that to be fair to Cordelia too.

Now, we move onto fact #4. James and Cordelia had their own main romantic plotline as well. And it's good. Here are some things about James and Cordelia that are all unequivocally true:

They have loved each other since they were children.

James was able to break a Prince of Hell's enchantment because of just how much he loved Cordelia.

Cordelia and James were a real actual married couple from the second Cordelia set foot into 48 Curzon Street. Like, I am sorry, but that was never a fake marriage even when they were clowning.

James and Cordelia have exuded massive soulmate energy from moment one. Neither of them have ever wanted anyone else.

Which brings us to Matthew. Matthew, who prefers a hopeless love. Matthew, who knows at least subconsciously that nothing would be more hopeless or painful than falling in love with his parabatai's extremely obvious soulmate.

This is why I believe Cassie chose to make these plotlines intersect. It is a testament to the strength of James and Cordelia's bond, but it is also a very good way to showcase just how bad Matthew's self destructive tendencies are since it's obvious how much he loves James.

We do not have the makings of a love triangle. We have the makings of two intersecting plotlines:

A Big Soulmate Energy love story that all Hell's power can't extinguish, and

The story of a boy with horrible mental health that massively self-destructs in the worst possible way.

And it hits.

Because fact #5 is that Cordelia and Matthew's 'escape' to Paris is just that - rampant, unrealistic escapism.

Did anyone reading TLH ever think that Matthew stood a chance? Did Matthew ever think that Matthew stood a chance? The answer to the former question should be NO assuming the audience has media literacy. The answer to the latter is no as well - at least not until Paris.

Matthew goes to Paris extremely impulsively. He plans on going alone. I like this because it sets him up as someone who loves travel. It makes his choice to go on a Voyage post-ChoT very satisfying, and it's good character-building/foreshadowing. But it also shows that he was not in a good mental place and needed to escape from London, escape from JamesandCordelia because there are no spaces between their names in his eyes or anyone else's anymore.

Cordelia goes to Paris because she is forced to wedge spaces between their names. James and Cordelia must be seperate again. She's also grieving her dad who died like 2 weeks ago maximum.

Both Cordelia and Matthew use Paris - and each other - as a means of running away from their problems. They pretend to be different people with no issues and have a good time. But it isn't real.

JamesandCordelia is real, and James's appearance in Paris and Cordelia's departure because of his drinking ultimately is Matthew's rock bottom as he realizes that JamesandCordelia are meant to be.

This is not a love triangle. These are two plotlines that hit each other in all the right places and force all three characters to grow and confront their needs to escape and avoid their feelings.

I think that this is why it's genius. It's complex, but it's also devastatingly simple: Herondaisy's love was so strong that Matthew used it as a vehicle for hurting himself over and over.

And this is why Matthew's leaving London at the end of ChoT is so satisfying as well. In London, he is likely to get sucked back into old habits; watching JamesandCordelia build what promises to be a beautiful life would be to engage in self-harm again. Leaving is Matthew actively choosing to take care of himself, to find a path where he can love himself and find another love that is not hopeless.

In the end, the Heronfairstairs "love triangle" is the manifestation and exemplification of Matthew Fairchild's mental health journey. It's not really part of JamesandCordelia's journey at all.

And I think that's what a lot of people fail to see about it, and that's why people get frustrated. They fundamentally have misinterpreted the purpose as "romantic drama" when it's not a romantic story at all. Essentially people are looking at a ripe orange and going "well that's the shittiest-looking apple I've ever seen," which as self-proclaimed #1 Matthew Fairchild Stan gets frustrating as hell.

[sokkastyles]

Hi,

Hope you are doing well.

Thank you for the answer to my previous query. I had another query about Aang.

I once recall reading a meta that Aang getting hit by Azula's lightning was a punishment for him choosing power instead of love. I can't recall the whole thing, but from what I remember, it seems like Aang was punished because he chose the power of the Avatar State over his love of Katara. But that has me confused, because this power he needed to save the three nations from the Fire Nation. So, it makes no sense why him choosing this power was wrong, over his love for Katara.

I would like your thoughts over this.

This is a place where I get what the show was trying to do, but they framed it in absolutely the wrong way. I think Aang going into the Avatar State in Ba Sing Se was supposed to be him choosing power over love, hence the "I'm sorry, Katara," line. I think we are supposed to think that in his desperation to save everyone from Azula and the Dai Li, he chooses power, contrary to what the show earlier framed as the wise choice of choosing love over power.

The problem with this is that it's a false dichotomy. It supposes that what the Guru was telling him about giving up earthly attachments to unblock his chakras and enter the Avatar State meant giving up love altogether and choosing power over love, when it shouldn't mean that at all.

Giving up selfish attachments means accepting love, the kind of love that is giving and not taking. Aang can still love Katara, but he should not be using Katara as a replacement for his people or seeing her as someone who will come around eventually because he wants her to. This kind of love is sacrificial because it requires letting go of entitlement to the person, and if they really love you, they will come back to you on their own.

I really actually thought that this was the narrative being built for Aang and Katara at the tail end of season two, especially since it mirrors Zuko and Iroh's narrative so well. It also fits so well with the show's theme of setting up false dichotomies in order to later prove them false. See: earthbenders cannot bend metal, firebending is always destructive, the elements themselves as always seperate from each other, etc. The Guru gives this same advice to Aang, so why would he advise Aang to choose power over love, to choose another dichotomy? Because Aang understanding it as a dichotomy is a misunderstanding of what the Guru was trying to teach him.

But then Aang just "decides" to go into the Avatar State and we're supposed to believe the "I'm sorry" is him giving up his love for Katara. How did he accomplish this huge emotional work, since it was so hard for him before? We don't know. Especially in a moment when Katara is being threatened, a moment when he should realistically feel more attached and possessive of her than ever. You're telling me that after all that, Aang was able to grieve his people and reconcile his attachment to Katara and reach enlightenment all in, what, two seconds, when five minutes before he was saying he couldn't do it?

It makes no sense. Especially since he is at this point still misunderstanding what the Guru was trying to teach him.

Especially given his talk with Iroh in which Iroh said it was wise to choose happiness and love. It makes no sense, without any build up, for Aang to suddenly make the opposite decision, and the idea of him being punished for it makes even less sense, since we don't know why he did it. There was no visible internal conflict going on because Aang had already decided not to choose power over love. If he's supposed to be uncertain leading up to a wrong choice, show me that. The way the show has Zuko visibly torn between his love for Iroh and Katara's compassion and the power and validation he craves from his father.

It also makes no sense as a choice between power and love in the first place because he chose the power FOR Katara, because she was in danger. In the exact same way he rejected the Guru's advice because he had a vision of Katara in danger. So he actually didn't change anything. So being punished for choosing power doesn't make sense, because the thing he still needs to learn is that it was never a dichotomy in the first place, and that was supposed to unlock the power.

I said before that I think a real narrative punishment as a consequence for not understanding the Guru's advice would be Katara actually getting captured as a result of Aang's inability to go into the Avatar State. After that, Aang would spend a time more attached to Katara than ever, still unable to go into the Avatar State until he reconciles this internal conflict within himself, until he learns not to choose power for power's sake, or love for the sake of validation. Until he learns that his duty as Avatar is a duty of love, and that both of these things go hand in hand. The responsibility of power meeting the responsibility of what it means to love another human being.

Instead, the show has Aang just decide to go into the Avatar State, and replaces the internal conflict with "well Azula shot him so now he can't go into the Avatar State," so his internal conflict never actually gets resolved.

I also wrote about this here. And I think the fact that that asker saw a post claiming that this scene is Aang letting go of his attachment to Katara while you saw a post that framed it as him getting punished underlines the confusion over what the writers were trying to do with this scene and the sloppy way it's written, especially in comparison to other places where the writing is phenomenal.

[cer-rata]

Can we talk about Catwoman, Bruce Wayne and maybe a little about the concept of crime?

Just gonna get it out of the way: Yes Gotham war is bad for many clear, obvious reasons. It reads like like crack fic, though I personally believe that's more on editorial than Zdarsky, as this is perhaps one of the most clearly top-down, artificial, corporate plots since Civil War II.

But I'm not going to focus on the genuinely hilarious ideas here, and instead talk about the original sin: Selina's big idea.

It immediately falls apart under any basic scrutiny: How is she convincing all of these wildly different people to become cat burglars? That's not an easy skill set to teach, especially at this scale. If the whole issue is as simple as a lack of work skills, why didn't she teach them anything else? Literally anything? If she has this level of reach and status to be able to convince 75%(!!!) of the underworld to throw in with her why would she use it this way?

On a level Catwoman has always had her nose closer to the ground that Batman could ever. She lives in the gray areas of Gotham. She gets, on a personal level, the ways that society fails the little people and she's been pretty consistent about going to the paint to help people in bad situations. So her wanting to really support people and get them a better shake is very in line with her character.

But she's never been dumb or blindly idealistic and certainly not naive. In fact if anyone should be able instantly suss out the logical problems with this concept, it would be the woman who probably understands Gotham's underbelly better than anyone else. She understands how the business works and would know that you can't support an entire criminal economy on stealing from the homes of the wealthy. Selina has been so successful because she's the BEST at what she does, and because her style is uncommon enough that most people aren't expecting to get hit by her. Suddenly there are what, thousands of cat burglars just running around every night? Then the rich just increase their security, and then what? The idea that it worked at all is such an assault on the suspension of disbelief. And it implies a fundamental misunderstanding of crime and what Bruce/Batman is even trying to do.

See there's an implicit suggestion here that Selina is trying to take care of people while Bruce only cares about penalizing offenders, and that's just...a really bad fanon take honestly. It stems partially from the problem of using "criminal" to describe a class of people. The idea that some people are just criminals to be stopped because all they can understand is crime. That's not a helpful or realistic way to look at crime. I think we understand that people turn to crime for many diverse reasons. We flatten their narratives because there's no time to go into the complex motivations of each Two-Face grunt, but in better written works it's implied to be there regardless.

On numerous occasions, it has been made very clear that Bruceman understands this. How could he not? He's one of the most intelligent creatures on the planet, and his autistic special interest is criminology. Like, he knows, he obviously knows, especially at this point in his career. A lot of damage has been done by the idea that Bruce Wayne and Batman are fundamentally separate people. there's plenty of drama in the discussion of being torn between a normal life and the obsession, but the obsession is always there, mask or not. Batman isn't supposed to be some bizarre divergent personality, and no I am not going to talk about Zur and you can't make me! He has historically used his money and influence to support less fortunate Gothamites since always. He's not some out of touch uber-wealthy person who thinks that beating poor people is the only answer. He's been written like that before by people who wish he was Rorschach instead, but that is not the overarching norm of his character. It's a sin comparable with forgetting that Clark Kent is an actual investigative reporter. Bruce Wayne works to counter the structural inequality that leads to common crime, and Batman steps in to protect people from violence, and uncommon, existentially different criminals. Penguin, Black Mask, Falcone--sure Batman will stop a mugging, but he really exists to punish the people who are benefiting off of the suffering of others. Even then, he'd still prefer if they redeemed themselves and moved on.

This is from the 2004 The Batman cartoon tie-in, but I think it illustrates the point really well.

Like I've said before in other posts, violence is a tool in his belt, but he knows it's not the solution. Batman dissuades, Bruce Wayne offers support and options. Unfortunately, popular discussion on Bruceman has lost a lot of this plot, and focuses on the eye catching brutality that the movies and popular dark adaptations have championed. So what we get is this weird meta commentary that is supposed to make Batman look like a violent totalitarian punching down on people and missing the point when in reality, he gets the point! He super gets the point! The reason he doesn't kill is that he believes everyone deserves to try to be better, that concept makes no sense with a Batman who doesn't see criminals as people! Selina doesn't even have a point! She's supposed to represent a more socially conscious, compassionate, realistic perspective, but she's just not correct! It's an insane nothing-burger even before he completely loses his mind because of the plot. There are legitimate ideological issues to be pulled out between he and Selina. If she had become a crime boss like Jason tried to (and once did herself if I remember correctly) and used that to suppress the worse actors in a way he couldn't, you could really have them reckon with what they're willing to do to keep people safe and where the line actually is. Because they're all criminals in the end, what matters is where they draw the line. Batman works with plenty of dangerous and formally dangerous criminals actually, Harley and Ghost-Maker and Jason and Damian and--he's not some stupid inflexible hardliner cop. Stories where Batman is zealous about crime as like an amorphous concept are insane because they suggest that he doesn't recognize that his extrajudicial nature already complicates matters. That's another reason he doesn't kill by the way! He doesn't think he's the law! He's just a guy! Why should he get to decide the value of someone's life? But even then, the idea that the whole family would fall into civil war over Bruce and Selina having an ideological tiff is such an affront to all of them as individual characters. None of them are stupid enough to deal with things this way. It's not an exploration of character flaws if you're just making them stupid.

There's a problem about writers coming onto Batbooks and revealing that they have done no research into why people commit crimes and it creates narratives where Batman also doesn't understand the point, when he has and should!

Tldr,

Writers, stop pretending that Batman doesn't understand the social/systemic aspect of crime, and also maybe look into how it actually works yeah?

[thelador-s-mclargehuge]

Episode 3, Finding some footing!

So this is where I started to find where I stood in the series. The last couple of posts was just me going scene by scene describing things, this one I want to focus in on two things. Starting a Lore Bible, and Action Scenes.

So between ep 2 and 3 I took a trip to my grandmas which is always good to get the creative juices flowing. And I knew the Mantis Lords were coming up, and I thought "Mantises are kinda tied in to a lot of places, what with the Trator Lord, the breakup between the tribes, and the pale mourner quest. It seems like there's a lot of fertile ground for lore expansion there!" So I started expanding The Mantis stuff. Then I kept going. I'd established that Fighting History, was going to be a simplified version off Film History I'd already name dropped Zells and Hilltop, during the hornet fight. How much farther can I go with that? And maybe I should give the exposition to Sly.

The Concept I had for Quirrel was based on a Blade Runner 2049 reference I used him to make in the old series... but what if I Kept Expanding Outward.

And eventually, it was time to make this episode. Here is where I had an idea of where to go after this. I'd been playing it by ear up until this point, with a few exceptions. I knew how I was going to do some story beats, like Myla and The Ending. But now I knew what direction I was taking everything else. Hollow Knights lore is veeery open to interpretation. And If I was going to make a narrative series out of it. I needed to interpret. So I decided to go hard on that. I'd say I threw off my shackles and made my own cannon, but Hollow Knight's cannon is a tapestry filled with bits torn out on purpose. So I just filled them in. And while filling them in I realized how wide the canvas was. So I just kept going. And I'm still going!

And ultimately, going that direction I think is the best way to go. Everyone watching the series probably know how the story goes. And it's going to go mostly the same way. But it sure feels a lot different when you've got a lot more going on. And I still got a lot of surprises up my sleeve!

Now let's talk about the fight scenes. So something I didn't talk about during the Episode 2 behind the scenes is that I stopped rendering these videos in 60fps. The reason I did that is because, with the dynamic cutting, the Hornet Fight Scene just looked *way worse* in 60FPS. That framerate is really good when you have to watch out for Hornet's attacks, and therefor are focusing on a mostly static screen where the movement is done by the character and not the camera.

But when every action gets it's own cut, And the camera AND the characters are moving 60FPS can get visually overwhelming. You don't need to actively interact with A Youtube Video. The editing and camera movement does that for you! And if you just have a static screen of the characters moving it looses a majority of the 'oomph' quick cuts, zooms, and framing can give you. It's incredibly boring!

So I render these in 30FPS exclusively now.

But the reason I bring that up is that I noticed something else in the Hornet Fight It's very vertical, and Academy Ratio Widescreen looks much better than 16:9.

So i played around in the hornet fight a little, and eventually decided against going with that. Because hornet did do a lot of jumping in the air and having the full 16:9 rectangle gave me a lot more vertical room.

But I didn't need that with the Moss guards.

So the day before it needed to be released, I looked at it, and it felt like half an episode. There wasn't really a conclusion to it. 'cus at that point it just had the moss guard fight on the bridge and "Still Counts!" was all the training out lil guy did the whole episode.

So I thought "Why don't I just put, like, another fight scene in there where he learns something?"

So I did that. Then I went back to my Widescreen idea.

And I thought to myself "Okay, pretentious much? You're just gonna change the aspect ratio purely for the fight scene on your Hollow Knight Youtube Video?" Everything Everywhere All At Once hadn't come out yet, you see.

So I thought "Well okay, If I'm gonna do that. I think I need another reason for it to be there other than It Looks Better This Way" Which was wrong, of course, that's always a good enough reason. but I thought "If he's training, maybe those are the margins the character writes his notes in. He can put boss attack strategies in there!"

And, while it's been a pain in the ass and a helova lot of work. It's honestly one of the best ideas I had for the series! And I made it 3 hours before my final render lol. Sometimes you give yourself needless barriers, but sometimes a clever solution to something that isn't a problem, turns it into a new cool thing. Not always. Probably not usually. But sometimes!

[marielle-heller]

notes on the end of Ted Lasso cause I'm really confused and torn and a bit underwhelmed and I want to make people hear my thoughts

Ted’s plotline has felt underdeveloped. despite being the main, titular character I just feel like it’s been kinda,,, not a priority and it’s upsetting. like I still feel like Ted as a character needs MORE! and I do and very much DON’T like his ending

Nate’s storyline has been one of the most decent tbh he’s maybe the only one I’ve liked in hindsight

Trent is also wonderful in that sort of way where I really have no notes like he's just great

I love Keeley choosing neither man, but I hate how these men oscillate between seeming developed and better and then reverting back to sucking. and good on the narrative for calling it out to some extent but it’s boring and exhausting. (and I understand that, yes, as they discussed, no one can be Perfect. but I really think like,, Jamie didn’t need to still be hung up on her they didn’t need to fight over her, something needed to be different cause there's not being perfect and then there's outright, why the fuck!!!! especially when we DID the "Jamie wants Keeley but then realizes he should move on" plotline LAST SEASON! like there is not being perfect and then there is, you have not grown one bit somehow, and Jamie should be Allowed to realize there's other women and he had his chance with Keeley and it's okay that they're not for each other! let him learn!!!)

cause also then the leaked nudes (another thing I have a bit of an issue with) just become,,, fodder for him being into her again and it's like, that's SO not the fucking time jesus fucking christ! and it undermines the sincerity of his apology if you read it as him starting to wonder if they could have another chance, GOD!

also the Shandy plotline was another example of something that happened a lot this season (also with Jack but it did develop how Keeley’s business is presented as taken on by Rebecca and her sexuality as well as a commentary about class so I’ll excuse all that) where a character is introduced, around for a bit, and then fucks off. which fine, can happen, plots don’t ALWAYS have to go somewhere huge they can pay off in entertainment or making a statement. but there was a lot of other shit we could’ve spent time on!

I hate how we took a plotline Ted NEEDS (being healthy with the fact that Michelle is moving on a coping) but combined it with Michelle dating the worst, most unprofessional cunt in the world (not nearly enough of a callout for him having been her personal therapist and then later a couples’ therapist (red flag on its fucking own) and then DATING A FORMER PATIENT AFTER WATCHING HER MARRIAGE END!) so that, actually, I think Ted WAS fucking right to be upset and I don’t think this SHOULD be something to just be chill with and fuck you, doctor!

I feel like there have been some good attempts to talk about real topics but that they’ve come off heavy-handed? the nudes being leaked is a great topic but the locker room bit felt a bit Much. and the way it just careened into, Isaac is upset with Colin for…. not taking enough time deleting the pictures so he takes his phone and I guess sees a dick (Colin you still could’ve been working on deleting that) and then takes it SO personally that he didn’t know… it all was So Much in a way I didn’t love

also it’s ironic we try to call out social issues but then play off things like SEVERE malpractice, abusive relationships, Keeley apparently having nudes I think spread by a teacher, etc. often for laughs

I really don’t get the Zava plotline in hindsight cause it’s another situation where like… we bring a guy in to make things better. he’s winning games but he’s got an ick vibe I think only Jamie really picks up on. it’s not super discussed so it’s like,,, has no impact, whatever. he leaves. now we have to figure out a NEW way to get better. back to square one. you could cut him out and literally it leaves like no impact on the plot except for Van Damme name change like I get!!!! that not every plot has to have a huge impact!!!!!!! but Zava was pointless and kinda a dick and I just don’t think it contributed ANYTHING to bring him in! maybe to see that they didn’t need a fancy player to get better but I also don’t know that ANYONE on the team learned that lesson tbh. and maybe that’s me complaining about not being spoon-fed but I really feel like if the message was “they think they need him but they don’t” it wasn’t super There. and having him send self-indulgent t-shirts in the final episode is really like… yeah okay guy still sucks

Rupert fall from grace plotline pretty great

Rebecca does develop a bit and I like that. she seems to go from being upset she’s single and never had a child, she still wants to defeat Rupert, but she learns to let go of that and just focus on what matters. she stands up for the love of the game, she finds inner strength. but still I think a little something is missing. I don’t think just giving her a man and a child fixes that. I don’t know, a lot of this just feels like something’s off. I’m glad she’s happy, but her arc this season wasn’t much

I really enjoyed learning Beard’s backstory but aside from that his main storyline is being in an abusive relationship played for laughs so like…. ugh. and Beard telling Ted he doesn’t want to go but couldn’t let him down is SO FUCKING GOOD, but, again…. I hate Jane so fucking much!! I keep coming back to the texts she sent in that episode and god she’s reactionary and cruel and obsessive and just,? and the one time Higgins tries to point it out he’s ignored it’s annoying

Jamie’s development as a team player has been SO amazing but again… I wish that translated into letting go of Keeley. but I do love him a lot. but let him let GO!

I’m trying to be… objective in that. things don’t tie up perfectly always in real life. but I do just feel… like there’s a lot of character development that don’t quite get!!!! Ted & Rebecca both could do better! I like the idea of them just staying friends (but DO they, even? do they have a daily video chat did he give her the biscuit recipe is there ANYTHING?) and there’s SO many good individual moments & characters in the show but I just feel like there’s a lot halfbaked looking at things as a whole

ROY KENT NEW MANAGER AND THE FANS OWNING THE TEAM AND KEELEY’S WOMEN’S LEAGUE ALL VERY GOOD!!

It’s nice to see everyone happy and together but then it leaves me more confused why Ted has to separate himself. I get he’s got Henry & I’m glad he’s coaching his son. being apart from his son is a big problem for Ted and I like that the effort to be a better father is a priority. but I still feel like things are a bit hollow. it feels like the narrative says that being a more present dad will allow Ted to let go of every other issue but I still just feel like many things weren’t fully worked at. is he an alcoholic? it’s sometimes implied!!! is he open to love? who knows!!!! does he have friends or another day job or anything to give his life meaning when Henry’s with his mom? no clue!!!!!!! does Dr. Jacob choke and die? one can only hope!!!!!!!!!

overall I liked it fine but this entire season has felt Off and Nate’s storyline is the only one I can fully endorse. I just expected from something that was so clearly planned out in detail to have less meandering plotlines, more time for developing characters, clearer closure, and maybe,, ANY evidence that Ted has not cut himself off entirely from his family right when it was getting good! if anything, it almost seems like he’s NOT coping because he DID do that! and footage of him & Rebecca video chatting or him flying out for Beard’s stupid wedding or on special occasions could mitigate that but instead it feels like he really is supposed to have cutting himself out of his found family entirely to return to his ex-wife and son as like,,, his entire closure. and so I can't in good faith believe he IS doing better. I can't.

[stilldancewithyou]

one thing I really am not looking forward to is the absolute hate train for Conrad in s2 like from the actors Jenny and the narrative of the show itself — like that’s one thing I think that makes me very annoyed with the books (and this is coming from someone who disliked both brothers until midway through the second book) is how like the narrative is constantly saying Conrad is an asshole when he’s actually making so many sacrifices (1/?)

(2/?) like I think one thing that truly made me wind up on team Conrad was that I felt like the books kept telling me well it SHOULD be jeremiah (and to me jere always felt like that nice guy who is sweet but feels entitled to belly’s feelings bc he was nice which then doesn’t really make him seem so nice) and as I Kept reading I just didn’t see anything compelling to back up all the telling that said I need to root for jere. (3/?) and meanwhile watching Conrad kind of embody “if you love something let it go and if it loves you back it will return” philosophy just honestly made me realize like there isn’t even a competition it’s like belly says in the last book that she could bet her life on him and like NO ONE else sees that in the books aside from Lauren and Susannah that it just feels so frustrating to read and I feel like the show will be the same insufferable way. (4/4) Anyways that’s it sorry if it seems like a disjointed rant I can’t see my messages once I send them so I was writing form memory haha

First of all, thank you for summarizing in words that make sense all my thoughts and feelings on Jeremiah. Yeah, I'm hoping the second season shows more of Conrad in a way that makes people understand who his character really is. I'm shocked at how many people hate him after season 1 (and especially the book people who still want her with Jeremiah!). Cause I really thought the show didn't do Jeremiah any favors...like it didn't change how I felt about him after reading the books and I went into the show thinking I'd be torn between them but...there were so many things I didn't love about Jeremiah and I'm shocked nobody ever talks about it! (but that's a conversation for another day/ask lol). I hate that although they showed you in season 1 that Conrad is a sweet, gentle, thoughtful guy who is just not good with emotions and is afraid of saying how he feels, and they even showed how he was struggling with Susannah being sick and people still came to the conclusion that he's an asshole. I agree that the narrative and every character besides Laurel, Susannah and Conrad (bc Conrad doesn't ever give his opinion to Belly on it, he just supports whatever she chooses) tell Belly and the reader/audience that she should be with Jeremiah...but the more they push that the more I'm like...um NO. But I think it also makes it feel like Belly is really forcing things with Jeremiah, like she's forcing herself to be happy and in love with him even though she isn't because it's what she believes everyone else thinks/wants for her. I think a big part of the books was the different types of love the brothers have for her which is what it boiled down to in the end; they both loved her in very different ways. Jeremiah verbally told her his feelings and told her loved her, but Conrad showed her that he loved her, he put in so much effort and thought and you could feel how much he loved her without him ever needing to say it. If Jeremiah hadn't said anything to her about his feelings, she never would have known. But she knew how Conrad felt long before he ever confessed any type of feelings. That's just something that always gets me.

I'm so glad that there are so many voices of reason in this fandom that see things the way I do. Because to me there wasn't a competition either. I knew before I ever got to Conrad's POV that he was completely in love with her but when I read the third book and he was so willing to spend the rest of his life miserable for her to be happy...I sobbed, like show's over, cancel everything. there was never a choice, he was always the only one and she's the only one for him. That is the purest type of love you can have. He truly understands what it means to love someone, it was never a competition for him, it was always about her being the happiest she could be. And he was going to be the best man at the wedding! The man was going to stand beside his brother and watch, miserable with a front row seat, as he married Belly! You can't be anymore selfless than that. Jeremiah didn't even come close to that and it's not even his fault his love wasn't on that level and neither was Belly's love for him. Jeremiah thinks it's all about winning the prize and getting the trophy, no matter what you have to do to get it, even if you have to cheat to get there or be deceitful. Conrad knows it's really about earning the win and being deserving of that trophy, he knows you have to do it the right way and do all the right things to get there; it's not a real, true win if you cheat. Also I felt like Jeremiah put his own insecurities and flaws onto Conrad the whole time, bc he knows he's not the perfect guy everyone says he is, deep down he knows he's playing dirty and Conrad is actually a good guy. Conrad had the best, purest intentions with every single thing he did and decision that he made (yeah, he accidentally hurt people but he never meant to, his heart was always in the right place), but Jeremiah didn't, his intentions were poisonous. Yes, Jeremiah loved her and I'm not saying he's a terrible person but I think we can all agree he didn't have the right intentions. As much as Laurel and Susannah saw how Conrad loved Belly, I know Jeremiah recognized it too, he just refused to admit/accept it, which is what frustrates me the most about the whole thing, the people who think she should end up with Jeremiah and the "Jeremiah is nice and good and innocent and perfect" narrative. It is frustrating to see that narrative carried through everything and I hope the actors and Jenny acknowledge it bc the fact is Jeremiah is not perfect at all and that's a big part of the story, that none of them is perfect. There's a quote from somewhere that goes something like "art isn't supposed to look nice, it's supposed to make you feel something". It's wonderful that Jeremiah is so nice to Belly and cares about her so much but the bottom line is he doesn't make her feel anything. Every time Belly is with Jeremiah it embodies the parts of The Way I Loved You about the guy all the single friends are jealous of "and I feel perfectly fine...and I'm comfortable...he can't see the smile I'm faking and my heart's not breaking cause I'm not feeling anything at all".

Anyways I'm hoping that season 2 does Conrad more justice and that the actors and Jenny will defend him more/better. Bc the Conrad slander they are allowing is just unfair lol. CONRAD IS NOT AN ASSHOLE and I will scream that from the rooftops until my throat is sore. We just have to stay strong until season 3 bc that is Conrad's time to shine and I just know he will get so much positive attention and good press. Chris Briney seems to understand Conrad so completely that I think he at least will get justice for Conrad. He knows Conrad doesn't deserve the hate. At least the hate should be evened out between the brothers. I'm not trying to hate on Jeremiah all the time just show that he isn't perfect and neither is Conrad. Just because he seems nice and charming doesn't mean he's not problematic, and just because Conrad appears moody and problematic doesn't mean he's not a sweetheart. I kind of like the way you don't get Conrad's POV until the very end bc it felt like it just took him three books to get comfortable enough with me, the reader, to finally open up and be brutally honest.

anyway I'm sorry bc my answer became a disjointed rant and I could see my whole response lol. I will leave you with this one last parting thought: I too love the line about how she could bet her life on him after he told her he loves her. "When Conrad Fisher told a girl he loved her, he meant it. A girl could believe in that. A girl could maybe even bet her whole life on it." Conrad is a lot of things but he ain't no liar. He would never tell someone he loved them if he didn't, if he was unsure about it. I love that about him.

[actualbird]

Let's goooo another dragon fic update!! Before I start talking about the fic itself though, never apologise for going on hiatus!! Fics take So Much time to write in general and it's just better to write when you're feeling the motivation to write so that both you and whoever reads your fics can be happy with it. What's important is that you enjoyed writing the fic!!

Also cn server spoilers for this chunk because I have to but oh my god the dragon event. My entire life was leading up to this moment and I can feel all my schips slowly flying away and it's not even going to be in global for a long time yet. All of them look so good????? Whoever came up with this event is a genius and I want them to come up with every single au event after this. I trust them with my life. I'm this close to dusting off my Flight Rising account that I haven't touched in years just so I can make these dragons ingame and actually have them. Reality is whatever you want it to be and I want dragons.

ANYWAYS

Actual fic content starts here xufxgucug sorry for going so off topic. I am a Sucker for creatures with fire affinities. Fire is so beautiful and powerful to me and those traits almost always reflect in the characters who wield and connect with it in media. There's a reason phoenixes are my favourite mythical creature. So Ria's powers being fire? 10/10, no idea if this is from canon or not because I haven't actually read the entire Looming Nightmare card, only a summary, but I love the choice regardless.

Luke joining Ria in the exercises is so cute.....he's such a supportive boyfriend, I love him so much!!!

You know, for as much narrative potential a shifter with two warring selves has, I've just always liked the idea that the shifted creature is just as part of the person as the human self is. I had a huge shifter phase when I was younger, still have one if I'm being completely honest, and I've just always liked this take better than both fighting for control. All this to say that passage in the book? I love it and the choice you made to have it that way so much.

So first I choked when I saw the pamphlet was written by Marius, and then I choked a second time when I saw his writing style. This is the funniest spell tutorial I've seen it my life and I would like Marius to make tutorials for everything under the sun going forward. "haha, normie" gets me every time I look at it. I want to strangle this man (affectionate)

Fruit guy is the best character in this fic. A crazy in shut-in living in the forest.......

Luke wouldn't be Luke without his tendency to call birds chubby xfjxjfxjg poor pigeon. I just know that in some au, Peanut has been turned fron a smol adorable myna into like. A falcon or roc or something, and Luke will still call him chubby. Speaking of Peanut, I cannot for the life of me remember but has he made an appearance yet? I should probably reread this fic to see...

Oh damn genius choice to tie in the value of names to magicfolk to bring in the NXX codenames for Luke and Ria.

When the dots connected with the seal I shot up so fast. Artem selkie!!!! How'd you decide on a selkie for him, actually? The rest of the boys+Rosa I can see the link pretty easily and I'm pretty sure I know what Marius is just. Based on what he's associated with in canon. But it's a little hard for me to see the link between Artem and a selkie.

Celestine being an amazing character as always. Poor Artem, getting bullied for his lack of sense in aesthetics. Knightboy is the best nickname and I hope she never stops using it.

I wasn't expecting Luke to come work for Themis too! I wonder if his role will simply consist of being the muscle or if he'll, in some way, start doing something akin to his detective work in canon.

Not the rose dress being torn!!!! I'm so inexplicably sad about that after reading that Ria didn't want to tear holes in it in the beginning :((( I hope it can be fixed.....

CELESTINE'S RESPONSE FHIFGFIYCOH

I would love details of that vampire and fae case actually it sounds hilarious. Not to Artem but it's fine he made it through

Artem and Vyn's antagonistic relationship persisting through canon is just so funny to me. Not the "my condolences"......

Omg the flying......there's so much to love in it, from the Whole Entire scene itself to Ria's happiness to Luke holding onto her to be as close as possible.....god i love them so mUCH

I can't exactly write thought out comments for Ria's story and the last scene because all that's going through my mind is AAAAAAAAA but this was such an excellent chapter!!! I loved seeing Ria so happy being able to interact with the outside world and just. Live again. I loved seeing Celestine and Artem and for Ria and Luke to know now that there Is a safe haven for them, somewhere they don't have to fear Ria getting persecuted for being a dragon hybrid. I'm anticipating the meeting with Marius right now and also the less bloody way to do the sigil cjgcgjcjg Luke definitely won't run out of blood now!!! But yes this fic is probably one of my favourites in the entire fandom. It scratches so many of my favourite things and every chapter is a joy to read through. Whenever the next update comes, I'll definitely read it as quick as I can.

🌌

WAHHHH HI HI MILKYWAY :DDDD you know, whenever i get a kilometric length ask after i update/post a fic i always get giddy because i know itll be you. thank you so much for reading ch3 of "yes, she’s my lover, yes, she’s a half-dragon. any more questions?" :DDD

on the current dragon event: GOD RIGHT. whoever was in charge of this au needs a raise and every employee benefit out there. possibly even new ones. I LOVE DRAGONS....I LOVE CHARACTERS TURNING INTO DRAGONS OR BEING DRAGON HYBRIDS....ive never played flight rising myself but ive seen a bunch of it from some people i follow and those are some PRETTY DRAGONS!! thank you for the dragon enthusiasm, it’s so wonderful, i will be so so so ecstatic once this event hits global….

now, onto the fic comment replies :DDD

on fire: fire is SOOOOOO A FAVORITE OF MINE YESSSS. it is indeed a reference to Looming Nightmare, because the dragon there breathes fire at luke at some point. i think. im actually not sure because it’s been forever since ive watched the card and i dont wanna rewatch it cuz i dislike it jhvlkJBAJSFBA;SFA.

on luke joining the exercises: luke does not Need to be doing yoga with mc but hes joining in cuz he supports her dragon needs!!! i think luke would be so bad at meditation btw. his mind goes a mile a minute, he cant clear his head ever unless focused on a Task Of Some Sort.

on the dragon and the self: and yes YESSSSSS I TOO LOVE THE DRAGON/SHIFTED SELF AS A PART OF THE SELF. like, it’s what i adore so much about creature hybrid aus so much, it’s why ive written Several “character turning into/is a dragon” fics: i see the transformation as like….giving a portion of what already exists within the character a Body, an Avenue. to me, creature hybrid aus are just so good when the creature is a manifestation of a part of the self, instead of a complete other

on marius’ spell: writing that spell after writing the very flowery and formal book passage was so funny to me because i shifted tonal gears like CRAZY. but hey, at least the spell was IMMENSELY useful. just also rather infuriating to read JHVSDLFSDJ

on fruit guy: full disclosure, i envisioned him a little bit like Cabbage Guy from A:TLA, HAHA

on chubby winged creatures: a constant throughout all universes indeed!!! maybe even in the new cn server dragon au, luke sees his dragon and thinks “hm, chubby fella” LKFKJBDSLKFJS. also, peanut has not made an appearance yet!!! which suddenly makes me SO SAD, im so making sure he arrives in the last chapter. luke without peanut….oh it feels so not right, he needs his bird buddy!!

on the nxx codenames: YEEEEEE IM SO GLAD U LIKED THAT, i felt so clever for finding a way to bring it in. and also having the rose description of the dress be useful for mc’s codename

on artem the selkie: i will be completely honest that at first, it was because artem is a good swimmer JHVSKJHFSKVHJFSD. but then the more i thought about it (and also talked about it w my gf) the more i saw i liked the few ways it fit—selkies in their human form are very beautiful (artem is pretty), selkies as creatures that can pass easily as human but are different (artem who is among others in canon yet always feeling as if he cant connect, or has trouble connecting with others casually), the Pelt (artem always wears a suit and i thought the coat jacket was a fun thing to turn the pelt into), and also because i thought of artem as a seal and made a mental AAAAAWWWWWWW so loud that i couldnt not do it. this rationale/connection isnt as strong as vyn being a fae, but it was still fun to do. artem in the water looking at them was like

on celestine and luke joining themis: i dont write her very often so it was fun here!! she sees any man and is like “let’s put that guy to work”. also, this is kinda a spoiler but luke wont be working for them for long!!! seems like this guy doesnt have a life outside of his gf rn, hes gotta get something of his own!!!

on the dress: oh nNOOO JHAKVJFSFA SORRY ABOUT THE DRESS. it’s not completely ruined!! mc and luke can still mend it ;w;

on celestine’s response: she was like “what is the most anticlimactic way i can react to the dragon lady and the anxious dog of a man in my law firm”

on the vampire and the fae: that was actually inspired by a tumblr post i saw in passing and haVENT BEEN ABLE TO FIND AGAIN but yeah, all those overlapping traditions and supernatural laws….artem’s also had to deal with werewolf territorial disputes, “unicorn hybrid needs to stop stalking virgin crush and just talk to them” cases, and mages. mages are just mages, idk i see a mage or a sorcerer and think “oh yall must be fun in court” for some reason. theres a lot of fun stuff to think about when it comes to supernatural law, i wish somebody smarter than me could write a spinoff just for these JVSKJHJVSF

on artem and vyn: everybody in stellis knows vyn!! and everybody in stellis is like “aw man fuck vyn” because theyve all been tricked by him one way or another. vyn’s retort is usually that people should stop being so trusting and dull HSJVDFKHD

on the flying scene: im so glad you liked that :DDD that was one of the bits i was so excited to write because oh the romance of being held by your beloved and brought above the clouds in her arms…….luke u lucky lucky boy

on everything else: i am so so happy that you enjoyed this chapter and that you enjoy this fic in general. im flattered it’s one of ur favs because omg!!! yknow, while i was writing this update, i thought basically everybody forgot about the fic (and for good reason, i did take a loooooong time and idk when chapter 4 will be out) so knowing that you like it and that you even wrote this wonderful comment, it really means so much to me ;w;

thank you so so so much for this ask, milkyway!! im wishing you a wonderful day :’D

[epicspheal]

Now that you've finished Pokémon Scarlet what are your thoughts on the game? Take your time.

Also I hope you have a lovely new year. =)

Hi there namelessbaron! Happy New Year! I hope you and everyone else reading has a safe and lovely new year as well One last ask for 2022. I'm keeping this spoiler free, but I can definitely elaborate in a more spoilery context in future asks if we want to start talking about specific plot beats because I do have a lot of thoughts on those it just would make this ask way too long and exceed the character limit for asks. Honestly, I liked it. Not my new favorite, I actually still have SwSh as my favorite Switch Pokemon game but it's still good.

I'm not going to go too much into the whole graphics/glitch thing since that has been done to death. I did experience quite a few glitches and they were annoying but didn't make the game unplayable by any means. That being said I do wish TPCi could give more time between games. There is a serious discussion to be had about the crunch Gamefreak is under and how that's not healthy at all. Especially if they want to continue the open-world format. Okay as for the game itself, the highlight was definitely the freedom you had between traversing Paldea and how you tackled the narrative. It makes for endless storytelling potential on the OC/fanfic/fanart side of things but also gives a lot of replay value as you can switch up how you approach things. Having multiple stories with their own conclusion coalescing into one final story at the end was a huge step in the right direction and I'd love to see Gamefreak take that further. I will say though SV falls into the same trap that has plagued the series for generations in that it's not always able to properly balance the stories among the major characters. Nemona's story definitely got the short end of the stick compared to Penny and Arven's and so I was definitely not a fan of the Victory Road story. Don't get me wrong, I don't think every story has to be super heavy and I get where they were likely trying to make the Victory Road story a breather compared to some of the stuff we see in The Path of Legends and Starfall Street, but I think they could've made it more meaningful than what we got. Of the storylines, I think Starfall Street was definitely my favorite as it provided the most challenge gameplay-wise but also I think I just really connected to the characters in that story and I found their struggles extremely relatable. The Path of Legends brought a lot of worldbuilding I enjoyed (and confirmed some of my headcanons as canon) and The Way Home certainly threw some more twists and worldbuilding I was not expecting to see in Pokemon but I enjoyed it nonetheless. The cast of SV was solid overall with mostly likable characters. I really appreciated the ability to get to know most of the characters on a deeper level through side stories something we haven't seen consistently in previous generations. It was something I was really wishing to see in the SwSh DLC and I'm glad at least the Paldean Cast got it. The main characters of Team Star overall are my faves along with Director Clavell, Ryme, Grusha, Salvatore, and Larry. There are definitely characters I think (or I should say hope) get more exposure in the likely DLC such as Geeta, Nemona, Raifort, and Director Clavell. I will say I'm admittedly very torn on how Koraidon/Miraidon were handled in the story. It's like on the one hand I'm glad they're really experimenting with how the box legendaries are being used, but on the other hand, I'm not sure how I feel about them being used mainly as mounts for the majority of the story. The region itself was stunning. I haven't gotten a chance to explore every inch just yet and I'll be more thorough on my Cactusverse run but I definitely enjoyed going through the different biomes and seeing the different cities and spending my money at all of the different restaurants. The new Pokemon introduced were like any region, a mixed bag but I definitely think Scarlet won out with the version exclusives with the sole exception Ceruledge. One of the few true downsides was the character customization. I found it to be a bit of a downgrade compared to previous generations. Mainly because the school uniform really hampers the style potential. The other major downside for me was the removal of set battle mode. I just felt like that was a rather harmless feature that could've always remained an option and removing it removes some level of freedom for the player.

I mean again overall I think it's a very solid entry into the series and a very solid step in the right direction. It's probably my fifth favorite region.

[bestbonnist]

hii i was wondering if u could explain a little about chapter 146! like why funa was there in the start and what is going on between mizuha and hanna, its all confusing to me but im still curious to understand this chapter. im terrible at keeping track of the story which is why i read your analyses!

Sure I can explain! Actually, I'm going to explain a lot just in case. Let's start with what Funa was doing on the first page.

Fushi started Chapter 145.2 in Funa's form and then returned it, knowing that if no one else is occupying an empty body the ghost who it belongs to will be automatically sucked in. Their intention was to make sure the knockers wouldn't be able to repossess Funa's body, and ideally they would have recreated her body somewhere far away from Mizuha. But the school is fairly well maintained and any roots Fushi left lying around would be torn down. So with nowhere to reconnect to Fushi only had the duration of their conversation with Mizuha to stretch their roots as far as they could, which was not very far. I have helpfully pointed out Fushi's roots going in the same direction that Funa is coming from below:

Because they put her in a spot relatively close by, Funa assumed that Fushi wanted her help and came back. There was no real reason for her to keep quiet, but from what we've seen of her personality I'd say she wanted her entrance to have an element of surprise.

Hanna was out in the hallway because in Chapter 145.1 she saw Mizuha go up to Fushi to talk about something related to their matching hair-ties. She probably intended to intervene earlier, but then heard some things that made it very difficult to step in. After Funa shushed her, she decided that fantasy battles weren't something she was equipped to deal with and that there was nothing she could do in that situation that could help Mizuha, felt useless, and left. From a narrative standpoint, that's why Funa was there at the start of the chapter.

Now I'm going to try to boil down the conflict between Mizuha and Hanna to its essentials on both sides. Hopefully, after reading this you'll have a better idea of what's at play during Chapter 146.1 as well as in future chapters.

Mizuha and Hanna's interactions have always been formulaic: Hanna reaches out to Mizuha to lessen her physical and emotional burdens, and Mizuha reaches out to Hanna to test her friendship and to maintain their distance. They're caught in a loop where both of them want to be closer, but fundamentally misunderstand the intentions of the other. Let's start with Mizuha's part:

Mizuha wants a relationship with someone who will accept her weaknesses, but that wish has been altered by a childhood with Izumi, who can't handle anything less than perfection. Because of that, she's divided all of her relationships up into the person who's perfect and the person who's not, the one being controlled and the one doing the controlling, the trophy and the winner. Because Hanna lets Mizuha dictate the nature of their relationship, she must be the perfect friend Mizuha's been searching for.

But Mizuha—who like Izumi, prioritizes perfection—finds Hanna disappointing. She was hoping for someone who would center themselves around her like a planet orbits a star, but that's not what Hanna thinks friendship is. For the most part, she follows Mizuha's lead, but when she sees Mizuha in distress and reaches out, it's an infringement on the pattern they've set. Ultimately, Mizuha's more comfortable with someone who'll follow whatever instructions she gives them, like Fushi. But more than that, Hanna can't give Mizuha the second thing she's been searching for: immortality.

So she's not the perfect friend. If her friend is perfect then Mizuha will have room to be imperfect, but Hanna isn't so she can't so logically Mizuha should sever their relationship like she has with everyone in the past. Despite this, Mizuha still makes a feather hair-tie to give her so that they can share their prize and proof of friendship. This is Mizuha's first and final attempt to explain that Hanna might not be unique or perfect, but she's special to her.

Fushi drives a huge wrench in this because they're everything Mizuha has been looking for in a friend, no matter how unrealistic those expectations were. It's why she confided in Fushi almost immediately after they met while it took her over a year before she began testing Hanna. Compared to the bright, shining Fushi, Hanna's dullness is obvious until it becomes apparent that Fushi isn't as perfect as she first thought, and was using her like a trophy too. So Mizuha is emotionally all over the place and in Chapter 146.1, her thoughts about Hanna explode to the surface.

Hanna thinks that being Mizuha's friend is more of an obligation than something she does willingly. Mizuha is a pretty fish and Hanna is the dirty bucket: she needs the bucket to breathe but she's meant to be in the ocean. She didn't know that Mizuha valued their relationship at all, so when she asked Hanna if she would be sad that Mizuha died, Hanna didn't know how to respond.

After that, Hanna realizes that her hesitancy has hurt Mizuha quite a bit, and when they find her and Hanna gives her a hug, it's proof of her resolve to change. Even if Mizuha says she's fine, Hanna's learned that that's not necessarily true, so she's decided not to take Mizuha at her word anymore. Ironically, following her without question was exactly what Mizuha wanted Hanna to do.

When Mizuha tells Hanna this in Chapter 146.1, it comes as a shock because Hanna stopped putting her on a pedestal a while ago, and she tears off the hair-tie she gave to Mizuha because she's angry at herself that Mizuha still assumes she thinks of their friendship like it's nothing.

[xiyao-feels]

Nie//yao (MDZS)

So NMJ/JGY is actually getting two versions, because my read on them is wildly different for MDZS vs CQL.

In MDZS I...don't ship it? I mean, there just doesn't seem to be to be anything there at all of a romantic or sexual nature. It's not that they don't care about each other, they clearly do, but it's in a way that is...NMJ as substitute father, JGY as substitute brother, and heavily, heavily inflected by their (current and then former) relationship as superior and subordinate.

Putting this behind a cut because a) it's me explaining at breath length with quotes why I don't think they have a romantic or sexual relationship and I don't want people to have to see that unless they want and b) accordingly it is REALLY LONG and I also don't want to clutter people's dashes, so.

Actually backing up a step, I don't see MDZS NMJ as being attracted to anyone, that's not really specific to JGY. I tend to read him as aspec, tbh. So theoretically he could have romantic feelings about JGY without being attracted to him—I think he may have some quasi-romantic feelings for LXC, though I don't think he conceptualizes it that way—but... honestly, it's not really clear to me that he even likes JGY as a person.

I'm not saying he doesn't like JGY! He clearly does, at least before MY tricks him and flees. But it doesn't seem to have anything to do with MY's personality, as opposed to like—MY being really competent and conducting himself well.

Some quotes about what exactly NMJ values about JGY:

'Nie MingJue interrupted him, “I promoted you not because I wanted you to give back anything out of gratitude. I simply thought that you should stay in this position, since you are capable enough and your conduct is to my liking. If you really want to pay me back, just kill a few more of those Wen-dogs on the battlefield!”'

'After [Meng Yao] left [for Langya], Nie MingJue switched to another deputy. Wei WuXian, however, felt that the new one was always a few beats slower. Meng Yao was an unusually clever talent. He could understand what wasn’t said, and perform to the best with the simplest orders. He was efficient and never slacked. Anyone used to him wouldn’t be able to refrain from comparing him with others.'

'Nie MingJue was never close to people. He rarely opened up to anyone. Though he finally managed to obtain a competent, trustworthy subordinate, whose character and capabilities he approved, he found that the subordinate’s true colors were nothing like what he had thought they were. It was only natural that his reaction was so extreme.'

'Wei WuXian had once found it strange as well. Ever since Meng Yao betrayed the QingheNie Sect, the relationship between Nie MingJue and him hadn’t been the same as before. Then why did they later become sworn brothers? From his observations, aside from how Lan XiChen brought it up, having always hoped that the two would reconcile, the most important factor was probably the gratitude of saving his life and writing the letters. To be precise, in his past battles, he had more-or-less depended on the information that Meng Yao sent over through Lan XiChen. He still thought that Jin GuangYao was a talented person whom one would rarely come upon, and intended on leading him back onto the right path. However, Jin GuangYao wasn’t his subordinate anymore. Only after they became sworn brothers would he have the status and the position to urge Jin GuangYao, like how he disciplined his younger brother, Nie HuaiSang.'

Jin GuangYao spoke with dejection, “But, Brother, didn’t you hear what he said in the oath? Every sentence meant something more. ‘Face a thousand accusing fingers, be torn from limb to limb’—this was clearly a warning for me. I… I’ve never heard of such an oath before.”

Lan XiChen replied in a gentle voice, “He said ‘if one were to think otherwise’. Do you think otherwise? If not, then why should you worry over it so much?"

Jin GuangYao, “I don’t, but Brother has already decided that I do, so what can I do?”

Lan XiChen, “He has always cherished your talent, hoping that you would choose the right path.”

You might notice a recurring theme here: there's a lot of focus JGY's competence and conduct. But anything about who JGY is as a person? Not so much.

They clearly had a good superior/subordinate relationship going on, albeit one in which NMJ was missing a lot of context (see just behave well and show people up, plus the you're missing a solid foundation thing). But it does seem to be basically professional. WWX describes them as conversing "peaceably, even impressively" in contrast to "his future self, always being scolded by Nie MingJue" and "those jokes of how 'LianFang-Zun fled whenever he heard that ChiFeng-Zun arrived,'" and.... that's kind of it. The closest we get to them as friends is them talking together with LXC after NMJ tells MY he will give him a letter of recommendation and send him to his father; as WWX describes it, "The three chatted back and forth, at times serious, yet at times light. The conversation was much more relaxed than when they had been in the living room. Listening to their chatter, Wei WuXian often wanted to get a word in as well, yet he was unable to do so."

That's definitely not nothing! But it's also the most we ever get, only shows up the once, and is explicitly contrasted with their conversation from earlier. Moreover, I'm pretty sure LXC's presence is a necessary part of things; NMJ tends to respond differently to LXC than to other people (even just earlier in this chapter, we're told that while "Nie MingJue had never been one for humour," "in front of Lan XiChen his expression eased"), and WWX explicitly notes LXC's conversation skills in the context of this conversation: "At this point in time, their relationship really isn't bad. Zewu-Jun is actually quite good at holding conversations, so why is Lan Zhan so bad at it?"

In addition, I'd say that looking at the early part of that conversation is quite telling; while LXC and MY are sitting together as equals, MY stand up at once the moment NMJ interrupts, and doesn't sit even after NMJ tells him to do so (I think he probably does take a seat at some point, but the narrative doesn't actually tell us when). Moreover, MY seems to be worried that NMJ will be offended by a possible lack of gratitude on MY's part ("Sect Leader Nie, if you heard everything, then you should've also heard me say that..."), and the only objection he expresses to leaving is precisely that he owes NMJ a debt of gratitude, not anything to do with, like, missing him. To me all the evidence suggests that while they had a close relationship, it was not a /personal/ relationship, but fundamentally one of superior and subordinate.

(For a close read of the scene where NMJ, LXC and MY are talking together, I highly recommend @confusion-and-more's post here)

Moving on, let's look at after JGY becomes JGY. They don't seem to particularly spend time together with each other, certainly not for the sake of it. There's a brief moment at the Flower Banquet where NMJ asks JGY why he's wasting his time with XY (who has not at this point in time committed his crime, he just has a reputation), but after JGY makes his excuse and scurries away, NMJ turns away and doesn't seem to seek him out or even pay him any particular attention for the rest of the scene; he only shows up once more, and that's following WWX. (And although JGY-as-replacement-NHS would be a post all on its own, I do think it's interesting to note that the exchange about XY is immediately followed by LXC and LWJ coming over, described in a way that highlights both their impressiveness and their status at brothers—their Twin Jade-ness, one might say.) During the guqin scene, NMJ only speaks once, and it's to address LXC—to protest the inappropriateness of LXC leaking exclusive Lan techniques. When JGY shows up to play the guqin for him the first time, NMJ asks JGY "what did you come here for," which suggests that NMJ is not generally expecting JGY to come by without a specific, concrete reason. The closest they ever seem to get after JGY becomes JGY is during these guqin-playing sessions, and as WWX describes it, "when playing the guqin, the way that the two conversed and got along even had a hint of the peace they had before they fell out"—which is certainly better than there being no peace at all, but which I think suggests there's still at least some tension, given that it's only a "hint."

Now, NMJ certainly cares about JGY, both in the sense of desiring his well-being, at first, and absolutely in the sense of being emotionally invested in him—even after his death, as a fierce corpse his only desire is to kill Jin Guangyao. But while they had a close superior-subordinate relationship—certainly NMJ seems to have felt close to MY—at no point was it a close personal relationship, and I don't think that NMJ even liked JGY (or MY, I'm using the name expansively) as a person, let alone was in love with him.

But mostly so far I've been focusing in NMJ's feelings. What about JGY? Is /he/ in love with NMJ?

Once again, I just don't read him that way. This isn't to say he didn't care for NMJ—he absolutely did! He goes to quite significant lengths to save his life from WRH in the Sun Palace, including quite a lot of risk to MY himself—I analyze that in a lot more depth in the first part of my post here, if you're interested, though I will also note now that he specifically sent for LXC to help NMJ. (You'll have to scroll down some; I'm responding to someone else's post.) Afterwards, he kneels to NMJ and apologizes, I think sincerely, for hurting him and for invoking his pain about his father's death. He certainly conceives of himself as owing a debt of gratitude to NMJ for recognizing him, and he's so overcome when NMJ offers to send him to his father with a letter of recommendation, saying that he didn't promote MY so that MY would owe him, that he quite remarkably can't even find words. NMJ meant a lot to him, and so did NMJ's not defining him in terms of his birth—until he did, of course, at the stairs kick incident. But as far as I can tell, there's nothing to suggest he has /romantic feelings/ for NMJ, and frankly—how can I put this—it does not at all surprise me that JGY isn't in love with someone with a violent temper who is noted at least twice to react to people explaining themselves when he is angry with even more anger, and that's even without the thing where he nearly killed JGY on multiple occasions and called him the son of a prostitute.

No, I think JGY's emotional journey with NMJ goes through three stages: first, he's deeply grateful to him and respects him a great deal, although he's also aware of NMJ's lack of awareness of certain social realities (see: the teacup scene, NMJ yelling at the other Nie cultivators about their treatment of MY and telling MY not to worry as long as his conduct is upright); second, after Sun Palace, still gratitude and respect but also a mounting frustration with his lack of awareness of the implications of JGY's social position and his hypocrisy re: acceptable violence; finally, after the stairs kick when NMJ kicks him down the stairs, almost kills him, and tells him what else can be expected from the son of a prostitute, he is completely done with NMJ, but is still very much scared of him. The gratitude, I've discussed; the frustration, I think is fairly obvious in the speech he gives back to NMJ at the stairs. But I think the fear is often undervalued, so I'm going to pull a bunch of quotes again:

Meng Yao shrunk immediately after his previous outburst. Watching Baxia slash toward him, he sprinted off at once, scared lifeless. Of the two, one striked with madness and the other fled with madness. Both staggered, still soaked in blood. In such amusing circumstances, as Wei WuXian chopped at the future Chief Cultivator, in his heart he split his sides laughing. He thought that if not for how Nie MingJue was under heavy injuries and lacked spiritual power, Meng Yao would probably have been dead already.

Baxia’s strikes were so menacing that Shuoyue had to unsheath. Lan XiChen stopped him, half to support his figure and half to block his attacks, “MingJue-xiong, calm down! Why bother?”

Nie MingJue, “Why don’t you ask what he did?!”

Lan XiChen turned around to look at Meng Yao, his face was full of terror. He stammered as if he didn’t dare speak.

Nie MingJue remained silent, while Baxia and Shuoyue continued. Meng Yao took a glimpse at the glares from the clashes of the saber and the sword, his gaze full of fear. After a while, however, he still took a step forward. He kneeled to Nie MingJue.

A moment later, Nie MingJue still raised his saber. Lan XiChen, “MingJue-xiong!”

Meng Yao shut his eyes. Lan XiChen also tightened his grip on Shuoyue, “Please excuse…”

Before he could finish his sentence, the silver light of the blade slashed down violently, onto a boulder on the side.

Meng Yao flinched from the thunder of the boulder splitting apart. Looking over, he saw that it had been sliced into two halves, from the top to the bottom.

Jin GuangYao nodded. Xue Yang had been infamous ever since he was young. Wei WuXian clearly felt Nie MingJue’s brows knit even tighter. He spoke, “Why are you wasting your time with such a person?”

Jin GuangYao, “The LanlingJin Sect recruited him.”

He didn’t dare to protest any further. Excuse being that he needed to care for the guests, he scurried to the other side.

[part of his speech to NMJ at the stairs] You think that I should be afraid of nothing? Well I'm afraid of everything, even other people!

Within the temple, three people called Nie MingJue’s corpse ‘Brother’ but the three tones were drastically different. Jin GuangYao’s face was full of a drowning fear. His entire body began to shiver. No matter dead or alive, the person Jin GuangYao was most scared of was none but this sworn brother of his whose temper tolerated no evil. As his body shivered, his hands shivered as well, and the bloody guqin string he clutched tightly in his hand also began to shiver.

Clenching his teeth, Jin GuangYao struck a few acupoints of his arm. Amidst the dizziness that came from a loss of blood, he suddenly saw Nie MingJue walk a step towards him, his eyes locked on him. He was immediately half-dead with fear.

Collapsed beside Lan XiChen, Jin GuangYao saw this scene as well. Whether because the bleeding and the pain intensified at his arm and stomach or from some other reason, the glisten of tears could be seen in his eyes. But before he had a chance to catch his breath or lick his wounds, Nie MingJue turned around after he pulled his fist back and stared hungrily in his direction.

The harsh, stern expression on his rigid face held a sense of judgement that was no different from before he died. Even his tears had been scared away as Jin GuangYao turned to Lan XiChen for help, his voice trembling, “Brother…”

I think the stuff with, you know, handling NMJ's fierce corpse and hanging onto his head is often viewed as evidence of JGY's continued emotional investment in NMJ, but... I don't really think so? First of all, NMJ's fierce corpse is completely obsessed with killing JGY. I'll spare you another round of quotes on that because this is already ridiculously long and because it's not at all subtle—it's all over the temple chapters, take a look! And second of all—well, there's ways of getting information from a corpse. In this case, NMJ's resentful energy is so strong that without the protection of his body, papernan WWX is actually sucked into NMJ's memories against his will! Sure, maybe no one would risk it, and maybe no one who risked it would survive, but especially given that NMJ's fierce corpse is completely obsessed with killing JGY, that's a heck of a risk to take. And look at the description of the protections around NMJ's head:

Suddenly, Wei WuXian noticed that one of the shelves were blocked by a curtain. The curtain was covered in sinister, blood-red runes. It was a talisman of forbiddance, one of extreme power.

Jin GuangYao walked over and lifted the curtain.

For a split second, Wei WuXian thought that he had been exposed. After the faint firelight made its way through the curtain, he found that he was enveloped in a shadow. A circular object just happened to be in front of him.

Jin GuangYao stood still, as though he was staring into the eyes of whatever was inside this shelf.

After a moment, he spoke, “Were you the one looking at me?"

Of course, there couldn’t be any response. He was silent for a while, then let down the curtain.

Wei WuXian quietly attached himself to the object. Cold and hard, it seemed to be a helmet. He then turned to the front. As he had expected, he saw a pallid face. The one who sealed the head wanted it to see nothing, hear nothing, speak nothing, and so incantations had been crowded onto the waxen skin. The eyes, the ears, and the mouth were all sealed tightly shut.

There's containment, it's suppressed to all hell and back, and JGY quite justifiably expects it to be murderously obsessed with him, but to me it doesn't suggest a reciprocal obsession—just more fear.

I'll also note that as a strategy for containing the information about his own involvement it's a very successful operation! It failed in the end /eventually/, but the failure needed:

someone who could successfully break into his private treasure room and escape without being caught

who could also perform Empathy or a similar tecnnique on NMJ's head and survive it

who could successfully recreate from memory the altered Empathy song

whom LXC would be willing to listen to

That's a heck of a tall order!

As to being done with NMJ after the stairs, well, listen to what he says to LXC:

Jin GuangYao spoke with dejection, “But, Brother, didn’t you hear what he said in the oath? Every sentence meant something more. ‘Face a thousand accusing fingers, be torn from limb to limb’—this was clearly a warning for me. I… I’ve never heard of such an oath before.”

[...]

Jin GuangYao, “It’s not that I don’t know what’s right and what’s wrong, but that sometimes I really can’t help. Nowadays, I have it bad no matter which side I’m on. I have to ensure that I’m on everyone’s good sides. I wouldn’t care if it were someone else, but have I mistreated our eldest brother in any way? Brother, you heard as well. What did he call me?”

[...]

Jin GuangYao was almost sobbing, “If he could say such a thing when he was angry, then just how does he think of me on a daily basis? Is it that because I couldn’t choose my background, because my mother couldn’t choose her fate, I’ll have to be humiliated by others throughout my whole life? If so, then how is Brother different from the people who look down on me? No matter what I do, in the end, just a sentence and I’m ‘the son of a prostitute’.”

And then of course there's what he says to LXC, in his speech to him at the end: "You, on the other hand, ZeWu-Jun, Sect Leader Lan, are as intolerant of me as Nie MingJue—you refuse to spare me even a single breath of life!"

So—wow, this got very long—I don't ship them, and although I think they have very much mattered emotionally to each other, I don't really see them as ever having been in love with or attracted to each other.

A couple of end notes:

In MDZS, NMJ isn't the first (non-MS) person who recognizes MY's worth, although he is the first person to promote him; by the time NMJ promotes MY MY has already met, rescued, and exchanged intimate confidences with LXC, who respects him greatly and thinks he is highly talented (see again the conversation in Hejian which NMJ overhears/eavedrops on).

I've seen people talk about them not understanding each other, but while NMJ certainly doesn't understand JGY, it's not at all obvious that the reverse is true; he generally seems to understand him pretty well. I think he has two surprises overall: first, that he wasn't expecting NMJ to say he didn't promote MY so MY would owe him, and volunteer to send him to his father with a letter of recommendation—and second, he wasn't expecting NMJ, who for all his flaws did seem to ignore JGY's background in good ways as well as bad, to call him the son of a prostitute.

I definitely don't read the coffin at the end as romantic. Or I mean, uh, there's the romance of an obsessive stalker-murderer finally getting his victim, and that's not nothing (unironically; look, I'm a Hannibal fan), but I don't think it's usually what people mean. This is a shitty end for JGY, part of how thoroughly he loses and is destroyed. I think to some extent it might be that he doesn't want LXC to be the one who killed him, and to some extent it's an act of defiance—now that he has nothing to lose, not even his life, he's going to go out fighting. I would expand on this but this post is ridiculously long and I have way too many quotes, maybe I'll do it in a separate post later on—but if you look at the description of it in the text, plus the subsequent description of it in the coffin...yeah. JGY didn't want to die, he didn't want to be engaged in a mutually destructive thing with NMJ; he wanted to leave NMJ behind in the past, and move on. It's not, for him any kind of fulfillment, is my read.

All quotes are taken from the Exiled Rebels translation: ch 48-50 for everything about NMJ and JGY's past relationship, ch. 47 for the description of JGY's containment measures for NMJ's head, and ch. 106-108 for the quotes about JGY's fear of NMJ's fierce corpse. The description of JGY going into the coffin is at the end of 108 if you want to have a look, and there's more in 109 and 110 about the difficulty of sealing NMJ's fierce corpse/its power and violence.

[leqclerc]

Omg I thought it was just me whi was massively creeped out by B's weird dynamic with C. I don't think there's anything illegal going on, we couldn't possibly affirm that, but the way he behaves in public screams possessive. Like 'look at my little genius', 'look at my future cashcow'. Does that make sense? It's like he's gripping at a lifeline because he knows his administration of Ferrari has been disastrous so far and he fucked up by pushing one of the most team guys in F1 out. It's ridiculous, but sometimes I'm scared for C.

Nope, definitely not just you, anon!

Right, exactly. I’m not 100% on this, but it seems like B’s the one who coined the whole Il Predestinato term, or at least contributed to blowing up the hype around that narrative. You can tell Charles isn’t really comfortable with the nickname that’s been bestowed upon him (I’m pretty sure one of the Sky Italia ads he featured in even made a joke about it) and that additional pressure can’t be healthy for him, either.

I do think there’s an element of look at my little superstar there, like he’s taking credit for Charles’s... “creation” I guess, which is obviously bullshit. Charles got to where he is because of his own determination, talent and tenacity. B can’t even claim to have “discovered” or signed him, because Maurizio did that back in 2018. B let Maurizio set up this strong Ferrari lineup for him, with a four time WDC and a young incredible talent, then brutally ousted him through shitty internal politics, and took over, trying to claim all the credit for Maurizio’s hard work for himself. But of course he’s proven that --- even if he’s a decent engineer/technical director --- he simply doesn’t have the right approach or skillset to be a capable leader. So the Ferrari dream slowly started disintegrating. Apparently through 2019 he was trying to juggle the self-appointed dual role of technical director and team principal and subsequently started slipping in his duties, torn between developing the engine and micromanaging the team trackside. And so the little monster that is the SF1000 power unit was born out of a cocktail of negligence, hubris and carelessness.

Then he decided not to renew Seb’s contract, which... Bad decision. Yeah, Charles and Seb have clashed over the course of the 2019, but you can see now that they’ve learned to work past that and maintain a good relationship. They’re close. They respect each other and always take the time to extoll the other’s abilities and qualities. They’re probably the strongest lineup Ferrari have had in the hybrid era --- Charles challenges Seb, pushes him to his limits, and Seb has a positive influence on Charles, both as a driver and as a person. But because B seems to have a deeply-rooted personal problem with Seb, he decided to throw all that away.

Which brings me to your final point. Anon, you and me both. Seb’s a mentor figure for Charles, a tether, a friend. A source of comfort and support who isn’t biased and blinded by the Il Predestinato myth --- Charles can trust him to be honest and fair in his assessment of him. Seb’s pointed out that they’ve presented a united front during debriefs this year --- that their feedback is very similar and they’re on the same wavelength when it comes to car development. Ferrari can be a toxic work environment, with its mix of shady internal politics and just... very poor team management. But at least up to this point they had each other. Carlos isn’t going to be that for him when he’s going to try to prove himself to the boss. Sometimes that means not speaking up even when one feels they should. Who’s going to tell Charles that it’s okay, that you did a fantastic job, when he’s self-flagellating after a race like Turkey? All B could talk about was how disappointed he was that Charles missed out on that P2. That’s not support, certainty not the kind he needs or deserves, being as critical of himself as he is. And conditional love isn’t love. 

[izzyovercoffee]

Hm... hi? Sorry for any inconvenience, but I started reading RepComm (I'm at the beginning of Order 66, so I don't know if that happens later) and I can't help thinking about Tor and Ijaat meeting the Nulls, before and after they left Kal? Or if Ilippi survived, what would a meeting between the Nulls and her be like? And it made me realize that characters who don't like Kal are either just quoted or never appear or are dead or are framed as wrong and reading this is such an exercise in patience

ps: btw, love your meta! that's what made me want to read RepComm, to be honest, and sorry for the english, it's not my first language 

I’m so sorry it took me so long to reply!!! THANK YOU FOR THE ASK. And also, just thank you. Truly, thank you. I wasn’t sure if people still read the meta out there or not, but I’m glad that you enjoyed them!! also your english was beautiful, I understood what you said perfectly

but also LMAO at: 

reading this is such an exercise in patience 

I TRULY FEEL THIS IN MY HEART OF HEARTS

Even after all this time, I still LOVE the Republic Commando books. I do---but rereading them is definitely an exercise in patience, now that I see all the problems and the glaring inconsistencies. But I still see the good parts, even great parts, and I keep coming back to them lmao 

BUT TO CIRCLE BACK--- 

I can't help thinking about Tor and Ijaat meeting the Nulls, before and after they left Kal? Or if Ilippi survived, what would a meeting between the Nulls and her be like?

I also think about these things a lot lmao

I’m often torn on the idea of the Nulls meeting Tor and Ijaat, or the Nulls meeting Ilippi if she had survived her illness. The way Prudii talks about her, in Order 66, makes me feel that they’ve internalized the bitterness and the resentment that Kal very likely felt early, early on in their development when he was young, and broke, and alone on Kamino surrounded by people who hated him. 

Kal has long since softened (on her, on his marriage failing, on his biological children disowning him), since he defends her against Prudii’s statements, but the sad truth is that the Nulls learned that bitterness and that resentment from him, originally---as they were raised and trained by him. It’s truly hard to say how they would have reacted in meeting her, and I feel like all of the Nulls would have held very radically different opinions on the matter. 

But, depending on who was or wasn’t present at that meeting, and any subsequent meetings ... would likely change how they react or respond to her. With Kal present, there’s always an underlying need for them to perform in a way that would further secure his love in them (regardless of whether or not it’s “necessary,” though to a degree it is---because of the way he withholds affection when someone doesn’t do something he agrees with) versus showing their true selves, or expressing their true opinions beyond his hearing.

We saw Prudii’s, and his bitterness and resentment likely reflecting Kal’s when he was a decade younger, but I think Ordo would have been much more polite. A’den would have been curious, no doubt, but nosy. Jaing can’t help but be intimidating, even if maybe he doesn’t want to be, and Mereel can’t help but be excessively charming and warm. Kom’rk is a toss up---his choice to keep his distance from the core is one that can be read as a choice to stay as far away from Kal as possible, and it’s one that might lend Kom’rk to being kinder and far more understanding than the rest of Ilippi. 

I wonder, actually, if there would have been jokes about the one woman who tried (and failed) to “tame” Kal (as those kinds of jokes tend to go, I guess?) but if there would have been some respect there, too, for the attempt. Had Ilippi lived, had KT been less biased against her female characters, there’s an entire world of potential, just in highlighting Kal’s faults and how everyone can work around them (or how he could / should work on them). 

I mean, okay. I have obviously softened somewhat on my frustrations towards Kal as a character, and I find myself thinking a lot these days about the Kal we should have gotten, the Kal a large chunk of the fandom think we have (but don’t), and the Kal the books believe they gave us. I think about the way the books should have gone if they were faithful to the narrative arcs they started before they were derailed by excessive soap-boxing and a doubling-down to bend to biases that broke the momentum because they just didn’t make sense.

One of the major arcs being character growth---owning up to one’s faults and mistakes, and making a conscious effort to become a better version of yourself through blood, sweat, and (literal) tears.  

And maybe part of that would always be hindered, or outright cut short, because Ilippi never survived to tell her side of her mistreatment and failed marriage---and also because we were never, really, given the opportunity to hear Tor nor Ijaat’s own memories. 

I struggle to think about how Tor and Ijaat would have dealt with the Nulls. I get the feeling there would be a lot of insecurity in all of them---and a feeling of being replaced, and some lingering resentment and anger towards each other (that should be directed at Kal, but for a lot of reasons, just like in real life, would be misdirected instead to other people). 

Miscommunication is a major sore point for Kal in general---he has a huge inability to actually express his love in his actions, or clarify his intentions, which may be good, in order to separate them from his missteps, which are often terrible. Tor and Ijaat, if they’re well-adjusted men now, would find it hard to not see what being raised in that kind of environment had on the Nulls. They have a lot of issues as a result of their genetics, yes, but a lot of their lingering and prolonged mental illnesses can, in some part, also be attributed to the “affectionate abuse” Kal gave them, and I wonder if Kal’s biological sons still carried lingering emotional and mental scars from their childhood---or if they had so little direct interaction with Kal that what few moments they had were uniformly positive---and if their resentment towards him genuinely was, as they said, because he wasn’t there when Ilippi was dying from her illness.

In this scenario, actually, if Ilippi survived... would they still have divorced Kal from their lives and rejected his fatherhood entirely? All of that hinged on him not being present, him being away at Kamino, during her very last days. 

So much of this also undermines the idea of Kal’s control over the Nulls, and the rest of the clan. If Ilippi not only survived, but thrived, away from him? If Tor and Ijaat are living full and fulfilling lives without him in it? If Ruusaan never “needed” to be rescued in the way that she was? They all would have stood as examples of a life beyond making personal choices and decisions that were dictated by him, and would have, at the very least, been a life that could stand in direct comparison and be just as messy and complicated as real life tends to be. 

also WOW i really .... uhhh I really got away from the point here. I am so sorry LMAO I GOT CARRIED AWAY. IT’S BEEN A LONG TIME since I got to ramble about repcomm, and I really fixate on a lot of the missed opportunities these days, because there are SO MANY. But I guess that’s what fic is for, right?

RIGHT???

Absolutely no pressure, BUT if you do decide to write fic about this, or do your own meta or exploration, I am ALWAYS excited to see what people come up with. I haven’t really been on tumblr that much lately, but I see now that The Mandalorian is out there and people are discovering (or rediscovering) Republic Commando, there’s a wealth of new stuff out there I desperately need to catch up on.

ANYWAY LMAO I’M SORRY I RAMBLE SO MUCH I JUST! THESE QUESTIONS ARE SO GOOD. THANK YOU AGAIN FOR THE ASK. 

And I hope this find you well, ner vod.

[elaizzzzzswift]

6 days before Lover will be out 🥰 It is less than a week now and we have officially seen the tracklist as posted by Taylor herself 🦋

Before I start to go over some of the songs in Taylor's debut album (2006), I would first give you some trivias about my swiftie life 🤣 During this era, I haven't heard a lot from Taylor yet, I was just 9 y/o back then and exploring different things. I'm not very much into social media due to the fact that the internet connection in our place is not yet well established and accessible unlike today. I only listen to some songs on the radio and records available at our home, and seen music videos on music channels.

Please read, I've written thoughts on each of the song. SALAMAT PO :)

Let's start... what follows are just my thoughts 😊

🦋 Tim McGraw - tbh I have only known who Tim McGraw was because of Tay's song. As I grew older, I've started to understand this song more and establish a sense of connection with this. This song is more like moving on but still wanting to be remembered by the person you ised to spend your time and summer with. Today, my version would be: "When you think 'Taylor Swift', I hope you think of me."

🦋Picture to Burn - this is more of a playful song of a teenage girl who is trying to kinda hate the person who hurt her heart. It is like realizing whh you were never meant to be in the first place.

🦋Teardrops on My Guitar - this song is one of mh favorites when I just wanted "to feel my feelings". It is a song where you are torn to keeping your friendship and bond with your friend or telling your friend that you like them because you know that things may not work out and you wouldn't want your friendship to end sourly. So despite of the fact that you like your friend, you just let him love the person who you think is best for them and will make them happier during that time

🦋Cold as You - this song is a very good narrative of how a person feels when they are being taken for granted by the person they hold dearly in his/her heart. This track 5 really hits the heart very deep, and I even cried to this song just by listening to it without even having that situation in my life.

🦋The Outside - for me this song is about having that feeling that you are not good enough and you are being out of place whether by the persons you treat as your friends, your team, your colleagues, or the people that may have wanted to impress. It is like Taylor telling how she is not being given a chance to be part of their lives. It is like feeling that you can't excel because people are not letting you inside their hearts or minds.

🦋Tied Together with a Smile - I was thinking that this song is telling us that we must appreciate our own beauty, significance, personality, talents, etc. even if others may not feel like that about us. We must not let ourselves be treated less than what we deserved.

🦋Stay Beautiful - for me, this is Taylor telling us that even if we found ourselves, reached our dreams/goals, or avhieved many things, we must not forget who we are. We must not let ourselves be changed by the recognitions, achievements, etc that we received. Instead, we must retain the beauty within our hearts because that is who we are, that is why we are loved by the people knows us well.

🦋Should've Said No - this is a song of a girl who is telling her ex-lover that he should have said NO to the temptation, to the loneliness, or to the situation. In short, he shouldn't have cheated on her and end up hurting everyone involved. It is like telling a person, "you always have a choice, why did you choose the wrong one?"

🦋Mary's Song - oh my, my, my 🥰 this song is about true love, i guess. This is a song that the lovers who started out as friends found the "real love" between them. I guess the love in this song is one of the sweetest kinds that can happen to anyone. It is about finding that person whom you'll be spending the rest of your days, months, and years with.

🦋Our Song - this is about that young love, the exciting love where maybe two teenagers sneaking out to talk to each other on the phone found their own "song". In love, I think everyong has their own story, own rhythm, own song that only the two of them know. 💘

Thank you for reading this all the way :)

I think I can agree with Taylor when she said, "All you have to do to be my friend is like me... and listen."

I am so proud of Tay and I guess we all are. Long Live👸🤴🎆

@taylorswift @taylornation

[ridleykemp]

Battlebots Season 5 Episode 6: Now THAT'S what I'm talking about

It has been called to my attention that I do not adequately inform the reader that there will be spoilers in the following text, so please, let there be no mistake: I will absolutely spoil this episode starting with the next paragraph.

As if to make up for last week’s debacle, this turned out to be one of the most entertaining fight cards in the history of the show. Yeah, it was that good. There were a couple of duds, but even those had their moments. Let’s get down to it, boppers!

Fight 1: Rotator v. Valkyrie

This one promised to be wild, as both bots opted for similar configurations. Rotator went with a low bar spinner on the front and a big armored wedge on the back. It was slightly different than the one they used to beat Tombstone, as they needed to save a little weight to use the 30 lb. bar instead of the 20 lb. version. Valkyrie, as always, went with a low-mounted spinner, although they unveiled a new weapon, a three-pronged almost star-shaped affair.

Victor Soto kept Rotator’s armored backside aimed at Valkyrie as much as possible, working on the theory that Valkyrie would eventually run out of steam or injure itself. That was a pretty reasonable bet, but it didn’t happen this time. Both bots’ weapons kept going for almost the entire three minutes, meaning that there was an unprecedented number of hits and there was a constant stream of sparks in the battlebox.

Rotator had the early edge, getting under Valkyrie and causing it’s weapon to strike the box, but as the fight wore on, Valkyrie got cagier and managed to keep its wheels on the floor and started landing even bigger hits than it was taking. Eventually, the entire back wedge and right side of Rotator were torn off, while Valkyrie’s left armor plate was badly beaten.

It was three full minutes of hit after hit after hit and it was exactly the kind of fight everyone hoped for but no one expected. The judges unanimously called it for Valkyrie, leaving Leanne Cushing’s bot at 2-0 while Rotator fell to 1-2 with its only win coming against Tombstone.

Winner: Valkyrie (Unanimous decision)

Fight 2: Extinguisher v. Gigabyte

This fight featured two bots that just didn’t work at all in their first bout. The big question here was: Would Extinguisher be able to absorb a few blows to send Gigabyte’s full-body spinner flying into the wall and let it knock itself out?

The answer was a resounding “no.”

Extinguisher’s drive didn’t seem quite right, and the lack of mobility allowed Gigabyte to get to the center of the arena and pick its spots. The first couple of hits didn’t seem to do much, but the third bent Extinguisher’s hammer into an unrecognizable shape, ending any hope the fire engine-themed bot had of using its weapon.

It didn’t matter, though, as it something had been knocked loose inside it and it just sort of stopped moving while Gigabyte was hovering menacingly on the off chance Extinguisher got it back together.

Winner: Gigabyte (Knockout)

Fight 3: Slap Box v. Sharko

Another battle of 0-1 bots, this turned out to be a hell of a fight. Slap Box came in 0-1, but losing to Tombstone in your debut fight is nothing to be ashamed of and it held up better than anyone expected. Sharko lost a decision to Smee(etc.) in a really lousy fight between two bots that didn’t really have any way to hurt each other.

I’m not 100% sure what Sharko’s weapon can do. It’s a “biter,” a control bot, with the nose raised, but I think it’s also meant to flip the other bot by raising its nose. It can also spin tremendously fast and whip its tail, which isn’t terribly effective, but it looks cool. Anyway, we got see Sharko get an early “bite” on Slap Box and drive it around the arena a little without doing any real damage.

Sharko clamped down for a second time, this time grabbing Slap Box’s flipping arm, and Slap Box just lifted the arm and carried Sharko around before delivering a suplex. Again, it wasn’t tremendously damaging, but it was really cool to watch.

Sharko’s motor gave out and Slap Box got the well-deserved win by KO. Sharko captain and driver Ed Robinson immediately came over to congratulate team Slap Box on their first win and the suplex, demonstrating the kind of “love of the sport over just winning and losing” that you love to see.

Winner: Slap Box (Knockout)

Fight 4: Madcatter v. Malice

This was the fight I was looking forward to the most, as both bots came in at 2-0 and both, particularly Madcatter, had moments of looking like real contenders against all my expectations. Malice was still more about potential as its terrifying weapon hadn’t really been brought to bear.

Madcatter went with their flipper configuration instead of the vertical spinner, which was probably a good idea as I don’t think it would have survived contact with Malice’s horizontal drum. They set up as a flipper for this one, and it turned out to a better call than they could have anticipated.

The opening exchanges were all Madcatter as its superior mobility allowed it to get to the side of Malice and send Malice flying. Then, just like with Red Devil a few years back, Malice got knocked up into the air and it landed on it’s backside with no wheels touching the ground.

Madcatter was content to let its opponent struggle to right itself and the judge counted Malice out. It was a little disappointing to see the fight end this way, but you couldn’t really argue with Madcatter taking advantage of the fact that their foe couldn’t right itself.

Winner: Maddcatter (Knockout)

Fight 5: Atom #94 v. Tantrum

Yet another matchup of 0-1 bots, both of whom were the architects of their own demise in the first fight. Atom #94 couldn’t drive at all against Big Dill, and Tantrum’s batteries ran out too early in their first fight. The Atom #94 team felt they’d solved their drive problem, and Tantrum showed up without its signature fists but with more batteries, which was a good tradeoff.

Atom #94 still looked sluggish, but it got the first hit of the fight, knocking tantrum across the box. But, sluggish is not a good thing to be against a bot as quick as Tantrum and the little angry orange bot’s weapon was working for a change (and sounding eerily like Minotaur’s drum), and pretty soon it was Atom #94 that was being sent flying.

Tantrum finally got it’s first win as Atom #94’s drive gave out. Honestly, it was probably for the best that they stopped working as Tantrum was sitting right next to them with their weapon fully spun up. It was nice to see this fan favorite get a win and in such convincing fashion as well.

Winner: Tantrum (Knockout)

Fight 6: Pain Train v. Smeeee(etc.)

Pain Train came into this one at 0-1 after failing to move at all in their fight (dammit, I should have said “after the train failed to leave the station…gotta work on that). Smee(etc.) won a very unconvincing fight against Sharko so it was 1-0 but there was no real sense of whether or not the gimmick would work. The gimmick, for those of you just joining us, is that Smee(etc.) is a 14’ wide bot with small spinning bars on each. The idea is that other bots will get enveloped by the articulated center wedge, leaving the bars to attack their wheels.

This was not a classic fight. Pain Train struggled to move, and Smee(etc.) just always looks like it’s struggling whether it is or not. Pain Train did manage to tear off some of the plastic letters on the armored wedge before finally showing just enough control to get to Smee(etc.)’s right side and tear off one of the spinning bars.

Smee(etc.) then managed to go weapon to weapon against Pain Train and Pain Train’s weapon just fell off. It was now a somewhat-mobile push bot against whatever the hell Smee(etc.) is. There was some contact over the last minute, but no damage whatsoever. The judges gave the win to Pain Train which might have been mildly controversial if either of these bots were contenders.

Winner: Pain Train (Split decision)

Fight 7: Uppercut v. Sawblaze

Ah, the main event! And what a narrative, too. Uppercut’s Alex Hattori spent time as a member of Jamisonn Go’s Sawblaze team. Both bots came in at 1-0, although the wins were of vastly different quality opponents. Sawblaze absolutely took Whiplash apart in their first match which is no mean feat. Uppercut beat Gemini in their first fight, which can be pretty much taken for granted, but the speed and ease with which they did so was terrifying.

This always looked like it was going to come down to driving. If the bots’ weapons went head to head, Uppercut had a huge advantage. But, if Sawblaze could outflank the unwieldy Uppercut, Sawblaze would probably take the W. What happened, then, was not what anyone expected. Sawblaze had a momentary lapse of concentration and exposed its side to Uppercut. Moments later, Sawblaze was bouncing off the lexan walls of the arena.

The blow seemed to rob Sawblaze of its mobility, and without the ability to outmaneuver its opponent, Sawblaze was a sitting duck. In an incredible moment, Uppercut managed to hit Sawblaze’s fuel tank for their flamethrowing and…boom! Explosion! Uppercut landed blow after blow and it was over very quickly. Uppercut did to Sawblaze what Sawblaze did to Whiplash and I’m not sure anyone expected such a decisive KO in this one.

Winner: Uppercut (Knockout)

And that’s that for episode 6. A lot of good fights and one absolutely legendary one. If you watch only episode this season, I strongly recommend you make it this one.