#principle of exploration

[vaguely-concerned]

I will say that the mourn watch background makes so much sense of rook's occasional social awkwardness. this poor fucker had really barely ever been outside before when they were kicked out from home for shenanigans and varric adopted them like a puppy slash poor little meow meow because they reminded him so much of hawke when they were young ssssh that's my headcanon. what's more they were raised by a bunch of fifth house style freaks (affectionate) who also had never been outside before. as baby jesus was laid in a manger baby rook was laid in a coffin. as baby moses was found in the bullrushes, baby rook was found among the shin bones. they may have glimpsed normalcy before once on a sunny day, but only about three degrees removed and around a corner.

considering their circumstances and previous life experiences I think they're doing great at social interactions actually don't worry sweetie you're doing amazing, realizing most people get a bit nervous if you talk too much about skulls and bone saws around them is a great first step! a joke not landing with your audience here and there is detail work we can fine tune at another time let's get some of these fundamentals in place first <- me and varric encouraging them as they're stepping into this brand new world

[rosifire]

Obligatory “I don’t have a problem with CaitVi” but I think, for me, their story (separate from their own personal character arcs) would/will be more compelling if it ends up being irreparable between them.

I think Arcane is good at subverting expectations and tropes; the most memorable example I can think of is in S1E3 where Powder follows after Vi and the boys to save Vander. We’ve all seen the “friends are in trouble, but the plucky young hero comes in at the nick of time to save them against all odds” plot twist—but Arcane subverts that. In fact, Powder’s involvement and her monkey bomb finally working is the thing that, tragically, leads to Claggor and Mylo’s death, Vi’s injury, Vander’s death(?), so on and so forth. It worked, but it didn’t work. And to me, that's the tragedy of it. That good intentions weren't enough.

So, personally, I see a setup between Caitlyn and Vi: the Romeo and Juliet archetype, two initially-begrudging people working together amongst classism and prejudice, and finding companionship against all odds. Class, wealth, opportunity separates them; Caitlyn is a scion of one of Piltover’s most influential and powerful families, and Vi is… a nobody from the Undercity, wrongfully imprisoned, when they first meet. It’s a way for them to both see that the “other side” isn’t as bad as they’ve always been told. That there are Good People on either side of the bridge. That, hell, love can be found, too.

But oftentimes, I believe this trope in particular ignores a lot of the real-world factors that could come into play with a friendship or relationship that “defies” station. The fact is, Caitlyn does come from a world of privilege, and Vi is treated differently by Caitlyn’s peers. The whole of Season two, Vi has been referred to as one of the “good ones”. Maddie explicitly says that it's good to know that there are still "good ones" around. The implication that you’re not like them. Time and time again, Vi is treated like an Other. A “good” other, but an other all the same. She's welcome in Piltover, but only just - and only when Caitlyn vouches for her. And at the climax of their story thus far, Caitlyn outright says to her, “I keep telling myself that you're different. but you're not. It's [Jinx's] blood in your veins”. I'm sure grief and anger are a part of why she says this, but that's becoming a catalyst for the discrimination she seems to be steadily believing in more and more. Whether or not she ends up meaning this, it's a ghastly thing to say.

And with the way things are developing with Caitlyn, who is actively weaponizing her privilege and power, and who is very quickly going down a very dangerous and fascist path, I don’t know if their relationship could — or should! — be rectified. She's a cop, and a very privileged one at that. I don’t know if this is a love that could “defy all odds”, and in my opinion, I think it would be more interesting, and more compelling, if it didn’t.

[thetruearchmagos]

Guess who came up with a steampunk thing...

[morganafayes]

been thinking about what might have happened if morgana had told gwen about her magic in s1/2 before her turn - i’ve often heard people say that gwen would have sided with morgana and that it would have stopped her from turning evil. which i think is partially true but im honestly not convinced it would be that simple. i think gwen and morgana are somewhat character foils in a sense - gwen is selfless where morgana is selfish; gwen puts her morals before her feelings and morgana puts her feelings before her morals.

i think gwen would have sympathised with her and been on her side if she had told her, yes. that being said! if morgana had tried to kill uther, i can see gwen trying to stop her because of her nonviolent ideals. she says very explicitly that she believes killing uther would make her ‘just as bad as him’. while it’s not a sentiment i would personally agree with, her ideals are clearly very important to her. if morgana insisted on using violence (which i believe she would), i think they would have an ideological break and have become enemies regardless. only if she managed to talk morgana out of it would they be okay and morgana remain ‘good’. but i honestly don’t know if that would be the most likely outcome.

idk. it would have been an interesting plotline. gwen having to choose between morgana/magic users versus protecting uther who she hates but is against killing because of her principals. the ideological divide of nonviolence v political violence in the face of oppression. especially since gwen is not part of the oppressed class in this instance, but she IS in a much more vulnerable position than morgana class wise, so it could have thrown some nuance (which this show is allergic to!) into the mix. we could have had it all. they could have been so messy. but whatever!

[meteorologistaustenlonek]

"We are no longer on the eve of battle. Even so, I come to ask myself the same question that young soldier asked the general all those years ago: "How do I defeat fear?" The general's answer: "The only way to defeat fear is to tell it 'No'." No - we will not take shortcuts on the path to righteousness. No - we will not break the rules that protect us from our basest instincts. No - we will not allow desperation to destroy moral authority.

I am guilty of all these things. Some say that in life, there are no second chances. Experience tells me that this is true. But we can only look forward. We have to be torchbearers, casting the light so we may see our path to lasting peace. We will continue exploring, discovering new worlds, new civilizations. Yes - that is the United Federation of Planets… Yes - that is Starfleet… Yes, that is who we are… And who we will always be."

[menstits]

Recently i've been playing Collective Unconscious (which is actually turning one year old in a few days!) and so i drew my interpretation of Minnatsuki ^_^

[thormanick]

The big question right now is: is Capitano on his way to kill Mavuika in the final AQ, or is he going to become her "substitution" in any way shape or form? They both existed for the past 500 years, and tbh with the rotting flesh thing I can't see Capitano being a huge fan of such existence. Plus, Ororon was talking about "soul(s?) escaping" when he witnessed Capitano getting injured; his soul either wants to literally leave his body (bc he shouldn't have been immortal in the first place as a human), or he is a host for some Khaenri'ahn souls in a way Ororon was supposed to be.

Also can't help but think once again how petty it is to make someone immortal as a punishment. Cruel and soooooo petty. Cruel for obvious reasons, petty bc I can imagine the Heavenly Principles might have used this method of a punishment as a way to get back at the Shade of Death for the overstepping of the rules (this is very far out in the headcanon territory, I'm not saying this is the exact reason why they did that). (I can't imagine the Shade of Death being a fan of the immortality curse. I quite frankly think it affected her negatively emotionally, but I have no evidence for that.)

It's also kinda silly. Here is your (supposed) enemy/creation/whoever who displeased you, and so you punish them with immortality. Great! Should they not rot away or fall into a bottomless pit, they now have an undetermined amount of time to decide how to get back at you! And they will be extremely petty about it as well, be sure of it!!!

Choose your curses wisely

[beatcroc]

Creating some kind of fucked up soap opera between metal and mecha in my head

[mindshelter]

i've really had xina and miguel's dynamic under a microscope lately; right now my object of scrutiny is xina's use of "kevorkian" in issue #26. it's a quick, tongue-in-cheek comment about miguel's suicidality; kevorkian, at the time of publication, was routinely making headlines for his stance taken and assistance in physician-assisted suicides.

we know early on that xina is, as miguel describes, a "twencen freak," which manifests the most prominently via a love for old pop culture, but it doesn't stop there. she notably talks about alchemax's habit of erasing history, has a lifelike version of a old political figure in her home, and, in this case, brings up a name that's big in bioethics debates.

importantly, she says it very offhandedly, implying that she and miguel have had these discussions before—and i doubt the state is particularly eager to bring up any talk of ethics to their scientists-in-training.

my take on miguel sinking deeper into alchemax's agenda is that while he really doesn't care for the institution itself, he's mistakenly convinced himself that he's chosen the most politically neutral option possible. science is anything but apolitical; it is deeply, irretrievably steeped in concerns about morality. at the time miguel and xina were drifting apart, this wasn't something he wanted to mull over. (after all, once he realizes he's an accessory to state-sanctioned oppression, he wants nothing more than his life to end.)

xina is smart, yes—and i think, knowledgeable, specifically, in ways that directly challenged the delicate mental gymnasium that miguel had started to build for himself. it's not just that xina being more intelligent became a problem. she was also probably (and rightfully) challenging the value of his work, the completeness of his knowledge, and becoming a huge source of cognitive dissonance.

he's the geneticist, but xina, who specializes in an entirely different field, was engaging him in talks about the ethical implications of the work he was doing. trying to get him to think for himself, appealing to the good person she sincerely believes exists in this strange new version of her friend.

[boypr1ncesss]

emptied the party, took venti to the venti statue, and let my kids hit the 10 pull button to try and bring home dahlia today but i forgot to unequip sorush and ifa mistook her for cacucu and saw the general anemo theme and also my constant thirstposting abt him and thought it was all for him so now i have both of them

[mtreebeardiles]

So I’m doing Jacob’s loyalty mission in 2 and I’m

So angry all over again. Everyone else’s loyalty mission speaks to something profound to them, their development, the choices they made before and the choices they’re making now

Jacob… gets an absentee dad who turns out to be an asshole.

The man used to be in the Alliance! Used to be a Corsair! There was so much more to actually explore about the man and his past that would’ve lent itself more to his arc, but I guess he just doesn’t get one ☹️

Even dlc characters like Kasumi and Zaeed had more impactful loyalty missions to their characters

[themyscirah]

Reading shit comics kind of sucks but at least I get the satisfaction of proving my own point w this

[rustyrailways]

Everyday I wish they explored the class/house system in Piltover further so we could see just how vast the differences in economic status and quality of life exists in the city. We know there is a house system at the very least, but to what extent does it effect things?

[maximura]

A post about Park Seonghwa

2023 is truly the year of Realising Things.

After watching Young K's radio interview with Jongho and Seonghwa, I just have to say that I have really underestimated Seonghwa. Not because I don't think he's talented (I always knew he was) but I never really thought he was as connected to their musical output as some of the other members. I didn't know he had that much influence. I'm glad to be wrong.

He's like Angelina Jolie, the beauty (and trivial aspects) of them very much overshadows the person underneath. I don't mean this in a bad way. I know he is very talented and is so much more than what he looks like. I mean, he is just *SO* beautiful that it takes a long time to get over that and focus on the rest of what he has to offer.

I was so surprised to hear about the formation of the MATZ song and subunit; how Eden suggested a calm love song but Seonghwa really wanted to do a hip-hop song and asked for Hongjoong, even though the subunits had already been decided at that point. He really said, "Sorry I'm an Anti Romantic".

I love that Hongjoong wasn't even in agreeance but still worked and produced on it because Seonghwa had a passion and conviction for it. His instincts are spot on because MATZ is probably my 2nd or 3rd favourite song on the album. Who knew that he would turn out to be my music twin in Ateez.

What he had to say about Silver Light, which is my favourite song on the new album, is literally exactly what I imagined/thought when I first heard it. The way I was internally dying when he was describing the imagery of the piercing sliver of light as you drive at night. Oh Park Seonghwa, a man after my own heart.

His intention for that song is 100% fully realised and honestly, as an artist, that has got to be one of the highest achievements you can reach. It is SO difficult to get an idea out of your head and into existence in such a successful way. Creators know what I mean. He really seems to be a visual/vibes led person and as someone who is the same, I have never felt so endeared to him.

If you've followed me for a long enough time, you will know that he is the ENTIRE reason I am still into kpop. 2018-2019 had me ready to leave his Hellscape but I gave Ateez a chance just because of him. And here I still am. In this Fucking Beautiful Hellscape lol. Anyways, TLDR: I'm so proud of Seonghwa.

[thormanick]

Also with ALL due respect to the Twins and outside of any context,

I feel like Traveler is a bit overdue on reminding the Abyss Sibling that they are, in fact, family. Just to get some sense into them.

Just a bit.

[unproduciblesmackdown]

"the things that this story turns away from is more interesting than what it's actually trying to do" just like in billions