#some of these are proven false by canon but whatever

[lifebloodblue]

I’ve probably broken some kind of world record for most fix-it ideas for what happened in Star Trek Generations

Only written a couple of these into fics so far but my ideas include:

• Kirk and Spock are reunited in the afterlife when Spock passes away

• Spock saves Kirk from the Nexus the next time it passes into the galaxy after he was lost (and it makes a copy of him so canon is still intact)

• Spock arrives on the scene right as Kirk dies and uses his katra to heal him and bring him back (like what Sarek did to Michael)

• When the bridge falls, Spock saves Kirk using his rocket boots from TFF

• Kirk comes back as a ghost after he dies and just hangs around Spock for the rest of Spock’s life and then they move on together when Spock dies

• While Kirk is still lost in the Nexus, his mental bond with Spock is still intact so they can communicate with each other telepathically

• The circumstances that take Spock into the Kelvin timeline somehow get Kirk there too and when they realize that Spock won’t live much longer Spock offers to give Kirk his katra so Jim can live out the rest of his life with Spock being part of him

• What happens to Kirk in Generations (and what happens to Spock in the AOS, sorry) are just dreams or false visions that one or both of them have

• (I think I saw something about one of the novels framing the events of TFF as a play being put on Ember Island Players style so you know what I’m doing that with this movie too)

•Kirk and Picard just go back in time far enough that Kirk falling off the bridge doesn’t (have to) happen

•some kind of time travel shenanigans (like whatever the hell happened with the Enterprise-C that led to Tasha Yar having a kid with a Romulan) made it so Kirk getting lost never happened

•speaking of time travel, maybe Boimler accidentally tipped off Spock about what was going to happen to Kirk and Spock has proven that he’s willing to break rules for Kirk so he uses his accidentally-acquired knowledge of the future to prevent it from happening

•Kirk being brought back by the Borg like in Shatner’s novels happens but Kirk marries Spock instead of whatever woman it was in those books

My point is I refuse to believe or accept that Jim was lost and presumed dead for 78 years and then when he’s finally rescued he dies literally minutes later without being able to even see any of his old friends again first

[royaltercets]

sometimes i think abt the fact that ray turned to alcoholism because his alcoholic late mother didn’t love him, his father didn’t show love like he should have, and his whole friend group kept calling him a burden (a burden!!! who fucking calls their friend that!!!) instead of loving and supporting him which is all he needed, as proven by sand, to stop self harming by ways of alcohol and drugs and letting himself get fucked when drunk only so he doesn’t remember anything, and start rehab and a path to sobriety. if you can’t have an intervention for your friend and support him through hard times, are you really a friend? or are you keeping him around for, idk, the money he might have a bunch of, or something?

i honestly feel like boston was a better friend to him than mew, who kept him around as someone to give him attention and affection and refusing to set his foot down and properly reject him. he was harsh, but not constantly unkind. boston, of course, had his own issues—not the slut thing, but the later infidelity thing with nick, and also the earlier seduction of taken men (which, by the way, is entirely as much, if not more, the fault of said men (*cough* top *cough*) as it was boston’s. cheating takes two people).

i feel like people love overlooking this because…? i don’t know, they’re two characters who are framed to seem like assholes (and they are at times! they’re complex characters!), but this blatantly ignores the absolute red flags that is the rest of them; namchueam—who not only is one of the people to treat ray, who’s got probable ptsd and severe abandonment issues and like 79 other mental illnesses (okay, hyperbole, but you get the point) like absolute shit by continually calling him a burden—but also was like. fine with her brother nearly ruining boston’s life over a false rape allegation, because she disliked boston so much in the moment; mew, who as previously mentioned keeps ray around for his own gain despite thinking of him as a burden; top, who really isn’t a friend to ray but he’s part of the group by association, who’s honestly just an asshole who i guess realizes that he can’t always get what he wants without fighting for it. then there’s april, who is pretty damn spineless imo, but at least she’s not awful to ray (i might be misremembering here, though). idk what to think of her. she feels like she barely has any opinions of her own. she feels very… surface. honestly nick was a better friend to him and he wasn’t even really a friend? i like to think they get closer post-canon though.

nonetheless: the behavior that i see in these so called friends, truthfully, is what got him to attempt suicide twice. yes, twice—you don’t think a drunk person would twist the wheel so far that the car they’re driving crashes into the side wall in the other direction to the one they’re driving in by just falling asleep or losing consciousness or not being alert enough, do you? i’m pretty sure that was intentional. and, i’m pretty sure the reason he pushed away sand and refused to listen to his (albeit very important!!!!) advice about not driving drunk wasn’t because he’s Regular Self Destructive, but rather because ray wanted sand to hate him for hurting him and being stupid to make it… easier, somehow, on sand when he killed himself, or whatever. i’ve been in that situation myself, and i recognized it immediately—he knew his friends (if you can genuinely call them that) would probably hate him after that night, and he did it so that they wouldn’t miss him.

anyways, to conclude this dumb, ill-formatted, ranty post, so many OFTS watchers just… seem to look at the surface of it all. yes, they all have issues. that’s like. the point of the show. but if you consider ray an annoying burden due to his alcoholism and addiction and all of that, you have missed the main point of his arc, which really boils down to “sometimes someone going through a really hard time just needs some love and support, and if you can be that for them, they can become better and show a better side of themselves, which is invaluable to someone who truly loves and cares for them”. love isn’t only for those who don’t take to unhealthy coping mechanisms when they struggle, like nick.

to summarize: if you have a ray in your life, be their sand. not necessarily romantically, but love and care for them, genuinely. don’t be a mew or a chueam. or an april, if you can help it.

[carrotcouple]

The Sky of Tevyat, The Irminsul Tree and Summoning Circles

Before we start, here’s a disclaimer. These are just weird things I’ve noticed while playing Genshin Impact. I could literally have no ground to stand on at all. I do not know all the genshin lore so I might point out something that isn’t what it actually is. A lot of this information can be linked to characters that I main so you can excuse me as someone who is biased right away if you so desire. I’ll try to keep this as unbiased as possible though. Some thoughts in this are actually thoughts of my wife @rest-in-bees. This post is me seeing a bunch of dots and connecting then but if you’re looking for a conclusion, there is none. 

So I’m sure at some point all of us have looked up at the sky of Tevyat and have gone, huh, that’s the shape of a flower!

I tried to take a clear picture. It was kinda hard. But it’s a ten petaled flower with multiple layers. I at first said ‘oh that’s just the sky programming overlapping and also because of my camera angle, whatever’. And I carried on with my life. I like looking at things from weird angles and messing around with my camera, so I kept looking at this flower and carrying on with my life. Until I noticed that the sky only looked this way in Mondstadt, Liyue, Inazuma and Forest Sumeru. In Fontaine and Desert Sumeru, the sky doesn’t look like this. 

You could just say that they decided to do better for these areas! Mondstadt, Liyue and Inazuma were early on nations and so they have a basic sky that isn’t really well done. At first this is what I believed. But then out of curiosity I decided to see if there are finer tuned details in the Mondstadt sky that would make it seem like they actually somewhat worked on the sky. 

The sky does have details to it. Also to test things out I decided to see what it would be like if I ran all the way from the chasm to Desert Sumeru while looking up at the sky. When you enter Desert Sumeru the sky gets incredibly unclear because of ‘sand’?. As soon as you exit this area, the sky is completely different. I thought this was interesting. Of course, we can still argue that this is still nothing significant! Which! True! 

Anyway, I mostly thought of this and then let it go. But see, I happen to be a Wanderer main. And so one day while looking up at the sky I decided to mess around and completely flip the camera, which resulted in me staring at Wanderer’s hat. 

And I kind of froze because…I was looking at a flower in the sky made of stars, why am I looking at one on Wanderer’s head where there are even dots on the black parts of the hat that look like stars? So then I asked my wife, hey, what kind of Tevyat flower does that look like? A Niloptala Lotus? And she said, maybe? But I think it looks more like a Kalpalata Lotus because it’s layered petals. 

Quick Kalpalata Lotus 101. Kalpalata Lotuses are local specialities found in the forest part of Sumeru. They are used as ascension material for Nahida and Dori. The fun thing about the Kalpalata Lotuses is that legend says that they are the first thing to have ever been created in the forest. Their roots are said to be connected to every plant across Tevyat including the Undying Divine tree. Amurta scholars have proven this wrong, but people still believe it. You can find this information in the Genshin Archive under Materials. 

So the Amurta scholars disproved this. But then it occurred to me that we do know a plant that has it’s roots connected everywhere across Tevyat. The Irminsul tree. Canonically, their roots are said to cause Leylines and you can find its roots in the form of petrified trees in the Chasm, Dragonspine, Shirokoro Peak, and even Mt. Damavand. The Frost Bearing Tree is considered part of the Irminsul tree as well. But here’s the fun fact. Kalpalata Lotuses are not lotuses. They look like lotuses but they’re actually false. Weird when you connect them to their lore similarities to the Irminsul tree, but then you remember that the Irminsul tree can literally falsify history. 

Another thought. We’re told that the sky of Tevyat is fake. 

Anyways, needless to say, I started to become drawn to anything that looked even remotely similar to Wanderer’s Hat or the flower in the sky or Kalpalata Lotuses. 

This is when I remembered that I’d seen something that looked like Wanderer’s hat before. 

Istaroth’s moon dials. They look almost identical to the ring behind Wanderer’s back which is what his hat becomes. 

But then I realized that Wanderer’s little ring in his windfavored state reminded me of summoning circles. Namely: 

I remembered when Ningguang summoned the Guizhong Ballistas and Venti’s skill. I’m sure there are other characters who have displayed this, I just can’t quite remember them at the moment. So then I thought…interesting? What do other summoning circles look like in game? So I went to go look. 

The ones I found in Fontaine look eerily like the same kind of pattern and like Wanderer’s hat. I thought it was really weird that Wanderer’s hat and ring in his windfavored state looked exactly like a summoning circle (this is when I developed a theory that when he tried to erase himself from Irminsul, someone summoned him back and his hat is his summoning circle, but that’s a different post). 

And then I remembered. 

Venti’s statue in Mondstadt is surrounded by a flower like structure that is nearly identical to the sky flower. And Venti’s statue says ‘The Gateway to Celestia’. And I wondered if maybe it was called that because it’s a giant summoning circle that connects Celestia and Mondstadt. 

And then I wondered if Tevyat’s sky above Mondstadt, Liyue, Inazuma and Forest Sumeru is a giant summoning circle. Which is probably a crazy idea. But. Whatever. I have interesting thoughts sometimes. Time to go work on an extensive post about why Wanderer is incredibly sus character lore wise.

[aevyndzn]

Vainglory

Chapter 1: Before

Word Count: 1900 Fandom: Villains Series - V. E. Schwab Characters: Victor Vale, Victor Vale's Parents Warning/content: Alternate canon, young Victor Vale Summary: What was Victor like as a teenager? Before everything became ruined? Before he became the villain?

A/N: I just wanted to see what Victor would be like as a teenager :)

At 15 years old, Victor had just gotten in his first fight. He sat in the hallway to the right of the office door, waiting for whatever negotiation was happening behind closed doors to end. He rubbed the bruised side of his jaw, trying to stretch out the soreness in his mouth. A boy of similar age sat to the left of the office, about a body’s width away, sending wary glances in his direction. Victor forgot what his name was…James? Jake? Something starting with a J… maybe. He was feeling usually impatient, the urge to walk off was beginning to feel very appealing.

He looked straight at the boy, resting his head in his hand, amused by how his classmate fidgeted on his chair. He tapped his feet on the carpeted floor to stave off the growing boredom, studying the boy with little interest. Jack was it? Whatever it was, he finally noticed Victor’s stare and shifted in his seat.

Victor tilted his head slightly to the side and continued staring straight into him.

The boy looked angry as his brows furrowed, he moved his shoulders and knees until they were angled in. He finally spoke up. “Stop that.” 

Victor blinked. “Stop what?”

Annoyance flitted over the boy’s face, cheeks reddening. “Staring at me like a fucking weirdo? What’s wrong with you anyway? First, you spread rumors about me that weren't even true and then lied about everything? Now you got me in trouble for punching you 'cause God knows how much you deserve it with your stuck-up attitude.”

“Why are you accusing me of spreading false rumors? It’s been proven true and everyone saw you walking me to the back of the school didn’t they?” 

The boy's mouth gaped open, seeming to want to cuss him out but the sound died in his throat.

The door finally opened, a rush of air carrying the sound of polite laughter and empty promises. The Vale's in their designer clothes smiled graciously, accepting apologies from the other set of parents. Victor released a small exhale, taking it as his cue to stand up beside his parents. His dad put his hands on Victor's back and pushed him forward until he could take a good look at the boy’s parents. Their smiles looked strained like they were trying their best to be so painfully nice. He hated how fake people could be.

“Well, I guess that concludes the little scuffle we had, why don't you two shake hands on it?" The principal stood behind the door frame, feigning cheerfulness. He quickly gestured for the boys to make up for their fight. Victor shrugged, bringing his arm up and holding out his hand. The boy begrudgingly took it, his hand squeezing hard. “Now Jason–” Oh, it was Jason. Names were hard to remember, “–as you know we have a no-tolerance policy on assault against other students, but Mr. and Mrs. Vale have been very generous with your sentence, and even Victor agreed that you would only need to be suspended for a week. This won’t be put on your school records at all. I'm sure you both have learned your lesson since this is only the first infraction but I expect you to carry on as better individuals, understand?”

A few other pleasantries were exchanged soon after, some of which made Victor want to roll his eyes, puke, or do both. Jason just refused to look at him, his face clouded with anger. It was fine, he supposed, at least he got to know what a real punch felt like (not good). His dad made a joke about the boy reading their self-help book which earned the adults a few chuckles and soon Victor was pulled away from the awkward setting and into the school parking lot.

...

Strips of road blurred underneath him, the ride home being suspiciously quiet. Victor kept his arm propped up on the window ledge of the car door, his head resting on his hand as the constant bumps and turns shook his vision. He didn't feel satisfied, not yet exactly. He had only wanted to cause a little drama for the boring excuse of a school, it was supposed to be something small anyway, he didn’t mean to get roped into it too or get anybody in trouble. It wasn’t as bad as he thought though, Jason was one of those kids on a scholarship, someone no one would care to sympathize with. He was a natural troublemaker, after all, there were already rumors that he used to steal things from people, although that was never proven. But it proved to work because his classmates often kept a wide berth away from him. Not that Victor had anything to do with it.

He’d only wanted to see how rumors could affect someone’s reputation and behavior, it was supposed to be on a small scale, but the rumors he made continued to reverberate throughout the school, students adding more details, entirely making up new ones. It was all traced back to Victor, of course, Jason wanted to confront him over the rumors behind the school building after classes ended, and when Victor promptly denied any association with it, he got hit.

If he had been more careful, he could've avoided that interaction. Next time he would be smarter, at least he could twist the incident in his favor. He wondered what his parents were thinking. Were they trying to find words to reprimand him? Simply speechless? He had no clue, the look on their faces was neutral. He hated not knowing what they were feeling, it would be easier to plan what to do or say ahead of time. 

Instead, the silence stretched the whole ride home where his dad had rolled into the driveway and parked. Victor waited for them to open their doors and head into the house but a heavy sigh left his dad’s mouth. He braced for a lecture. “Victor, I know your teenage hormones are making you act out but can you please behave yourself for us? We're about to release the second volume, your mom and I. The media is going to swarm like flies and I don't need you being on the news, okay?”

Victor rolled his eyes.

“You can tell us anything honey," his mom added gently. “We'll always be here for you, you don't have to go through all these confusing emotions alone. I'm sorry that we have been lacking as a family unit, but we aren't the only ones that are trying. You have a responsibility to participate too. We've always loved and supported you and maybe that book we’ve been writing has been pulling our attention away but that doesn't mean we still care.”

Victor drummed his fingers on the ledge, itching to get out. “Can I go?" 

His mom’s shoulders slumped in defeat. 

His dad waved him off with a tired hand. “You can go, we’ll talk about it later.”

...

Victor tapped the eraser side of his pencil on his lips, trying to brainstorm a sentence for his English assignment. His eyes strayed to the forms of his parents on their pristine white couch, the large TV a warble of unintelligible voices. He was about to return to his homework when the flash of Breaking News caught his eyes and he stayed a little longer to see what had happened.

“There’s been a report of a serious car crash…”

“That’s unfortunate,” his dad remarked. “Oh, doesn’t that face look familiar?”

“Wasn’t it about that terrible accident at the church? That poor boy, maybe we should consider adopting him. Tragedy after tragedy…” his mom added. “Maybe we should follow along with his case and write something about it while the media is trending.”

“And branch out into a new genre? Let’s not, we still have a couple more books planned out. We should…”

Victor turned back to his homework, rereading the question again, frustrated that his attention was taken away. The assignment was to work on their creativity and whatnot. Mr. Gall always had a knack for making his students think out of the box, except Victor found all his peers’ out-of-the-box thinking to fall inside the borders. 

If you had a superpower, what would it be? Don’t settle with ordinary ones, be creative!

He thought about it. People always chose mundane ones like flying or invisibility, they were useful in their own ways he supposed. But nothing new came to mind, he wasn’t a very creative person now that he thought about it. Victor circled back to what happened earlier today, he got punched and it didn’t feel very good. Maybe getting healing powers? No, that probably would be put in the ordinary section. What about-

His parents left the couch and his dad came up to him, patting his back with a heavy hand. “Finished with homework yet?” he was acting like he cared about him which irked Victor more than he would've liked.

“Dinner yet? What would you like?” his mom offered. “I have spaghetti leftover from yesterday, or maybe…" 

Victor grumbled and squared his shoulders, hiding the sheet of paper under his arm. Maybe getting rid of people so he could be alone in sweet silence was an idea. That sounded more pessimistic than he needed it to be. Whatever, everything seemed annoying these days, all he wanted to do was turn everything down like the volume dials of a radio. Wouldn't the world be more peaceful this way? 

“Victor,” a stern voice intervened. “Your mom was asking you what you wanted to eat.”

“I don't care," he muttered, chewing on the eraser part of the pencil. “I'm not hungry anyway.” Victor grabbed his binder and papers and headed for his room. He could hear the sighs of his disappointed parents, wondering what they had done wrong to raise such a rebellious son. Nevermind what they thought, he never particularly cared anyway, they never seemed to care about him even if they said so. They’ll be back to nurturing their self-help books as soon as they were done with their obligated parental duties.

Once he was in his room, he spread out the assignment on his table and was back to having his back hunched over the assignment and lamp pointed down at his head. Victor skipped the question and made a mental note to go back later, it was taking too long for him to think about something. Still, it lingered on his mind, rooting itself like a stubborn splinter. He leaned back on his chair, letting the two front legs lift into the air, suspending him in a careful balance. He let himself wander on, closing his eyes to imagine something, anything. 

What would it feel like to be God? Victor never really found interest in religion, but it was funny to think that people could believe in something they couldn’t see. People were so gullible, so easily manipulated, it could be understood that they could be led to believe in a higher power. Life would be so much better if he were a god, able to do anything, make anything, be anything (without consequences either). He leaned forward and scribbled down his answer.

My superpower would be to manipulate matter and minds.

Maybe if superpowers existed, he could have parents that truly loved him, rather than ones that pretended to be.

[azure-wolf-227]

Other Equines

There are other races of Equines besides ponies. These are the Donkeys, the Breezies, the Zebras, and the Abada.

In General

They all have Cutie Mark equivalents on their flanks but these symbols do not always represent their Special Talents and they might acquire them in a different way than ponies.

Like ponies, they can Ascend. They don’t become Alicorns (as they don’t have the potential of the Three Main Tribes) but they become immortal with more powerful magic and they get taller.

Donkeys

Donkeys look the same as in canon except that they have marks on their flanks.

These are called Trait Marks and they represent a defining trait or attribute of a donkey’s character and personality.

Ex. Cranky Doodle Donkey would have a mark symbolizing that he’s a cranky guy; Matilda’s would symbolize her friendliness; a courageous donkey’s symbolizes their bravery, etc.

Unlike with ponies, Traits Marks usually appear during a donkey’s teenage years and they manifest when the donkey realizes what quality defines their character the most.

Compared to Cutie Marks, Trait Marks have rather simple designs, usually composed of a single color that contrasts the donkey’s coat. Ex. Cranky’s Mark is just a trio of dark brown tick marks (the symbols drawn on characters’ heads to show that they are annoyed).

Donkeys originally came from the continent of Zebrica; later, a few groups travelled to other lands.

Before the Unification of the Tribes, Donkeys were seen as inferior by the Pony Tribes. At best, they were second-class citizens and at worst, they were slaves. It was only after Celestia and Luna were crowned sovereigns that Donkeys were officially declared equals to ponies. Even then, there are still some modern ponies who think of donkeys (and mules) as inferior.

Like most sapient beings, Donkeys have magic. Theirs passively increases their physical abilities similarly to Earth Ponies.

Culturally, donkeys are no different than ponies, at least the ones that live in Equestria and other pony countries. The Zebrican Donkeys do have a more different culture.

Most donkeys have human-like names, though they are exceptions.

If a donkey mates with a pony, they produce a mule; if they mate with a zebra, they produce a zonkey. Unlike in real-life, these offspring are fertile.

Breezies

Breezies look the same as in canon except that they have marks on their flanks. The Breezies do not have a specific name for these marks but they represent their special talents. They always appear once the Breezie hits puberty and do not require a specific internal revelation to manifest.

Nothing much to say about them besides what was shown in canon.

Theoretically, Breezies can have offspring with ponies and other sapient beings, there have been no proven cases of that happening since Breezies live in another dimension.

Some myths say that the Flutter Ponies are the result of Breezies mating with regular ponies but that’s false.

Zebras

Zebras look the same as in canon; while their stripes are mainly black-and-white, they sometimes come in other colors.

The Marks on their flanks are called Stripe Symbols; like Cutie Marks, they represent the zebras Special Talents.

Stripe Symbols don’t appear in an instant like Cutie Marks; instead, they slowly form as the zebra discovers and develops their special talent.

Zebras rule the country of Farasi but the can be found all over the continent of Zebrica and even outside of it.

Like most sapient beings, Zebras possess magic. Their passively increases their physical abilities but, with training, they can do more “flashy” things.

Zebra mages, called Shamans, have strong connections to the natural and spiritual worlds, allowing them to sense things others can’t. They are also skilled potioners.

Zebra culture is African inspired. Those living or born outside Zebrica may adopt the culture of whatever country they live in.

Zebrican-born zebras usually have African-like names while those born outside of the continent tend to have more pony or human-sounding names. Of course, there are always exceptions.

If a zebra mates with a pony, they produce a zorse or zony. Unlike in real-life, these offspring are fertile.

Abada

Also known as ‘Zebrican Unicorns’, Abada are equine-like beings that have two curved horns, one smaller than the other; thin and angular features, backsweep ears. cloven hooves, and thin tails.

Like ponies, they have pictures on their flanks called Gift Symbols.

Each Abada has an unique power called a Gift which the Gift Symbols represent them.

What power they develop usually depends on the specific Abada’s personality, likes, and general self. Some can have seemingly ironic powers that actually hint of a hidden aspect of their selves.

No two living Abada have the exact same Gift; some may have similar powers but there is always something that makes them different from each other.

Abada normally get their Gifts around the same age pony foals usually earn their Cutie Marks. Once their Gifts awaken, then the Gift Symbol appears on their flanks.

Gifts are not the same as Special Talents though they often compliment each other. But it is possible for an Abada to have a Special Talent that has no relation to their Gift.

Besides their unique Gifts, Abada can cast general magic spells the same way Unicorns can. How powerful their magic is varies between individuals.

Abada have their own country in Zebrica but they are found all over the continent. Very few live outside of it, so they are not well-known in other countries.

Their culture is African inspired but those born outside of Zebrica may adopt the culture of wherever they live.

Abada don’t have an specific naming convention; some have African names, some pony-like names and others human-like names.

[cocoabubbelle]

Watching “Scooby Doo, Where Are You?” (1969-1970 CBS) + Thoughts

Episode 22: Haunted House Hang Up

A headless man?

Shaggy can play the guitar, and Scooby drums.

Asha Shanks, a slouching big guy with a lantern, giving Scooby and Shaggy war flashbacks with the last big guy who held a lantern on their first meeting.

Headless Specter? Was the Dullahan too hard to pronounce??? (Dullahan = Headless Horseman monster from Irish folklore)

“The non-material embodiment or essence or organism that’s seen as a specter, wraith, or apparition has been scientifically proven to be a sheer myth. In other words, there’s no such thing as a ghost.” “Yeah, but does the ghost know that?” I now know why Velma wasn’t chosen to be part of Scooby Doo and the 13 Ghosts.

Floating candle! Will they actually explain it this time?

Cue Old-painting-of-an-older-person-but-if-you-look-away-for-a-moment-then-it-changes-in-a-creepy-way gag.

Is it just me or has the animation/design for the Scooby gang become significantly more wonky since they’ve entered the mansion?

We watch Headless Ghost using secret passageways to travel in the house. Seems interested in a jewelry box?

Shaggy pranking Scoob so that the poor dog accidentally volunteers to open the jewelry box for everyone. Maybe I shouldn’t be so hard on him for swiping Shaggy’s food from now on 😅

Bruh. Is it weird that when I saw a man’s head in the opened box, my first thought was “Oh, that is a nicely rendered head. Look at the details in the lines and values 🤩” , and then “Oh. That’s a HEAD?”

False alarm. ‘Tis a wooden dummy’s head.

“Aren’t you curious [about this mystery]?” “NOT ONE BIT.”

A random though popped into my mind. It is NOT CANON, but I wondered momentarily if Fred kept splitting the gang up the way he usually does because he’s always had some kind of crush on Daphne and was hoping to impress her. Occasionally he invited Velma so no one would notice, but all of them know but don’t want to embarrass him by pointing it out?

Velma shoves Shaggy and Scooby ahead of her into a dark room instead of going in first.

“I feel like I’ve been dipped in ink and let loose in a coal mine.”

Ah, the let’s-hold-hands-in-a-dark-room-so-we-don’t-lose-each-other-only-to-discover-we’ve-gained/lost-a-member-in-our-team-when-the-lights-are-on gag

I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again: Animation is WONKY this episode.

Cue this episode’s chase scene’s theme song.

“Headless” Specter has to bend super down low to look at specific things bc the guy who made his own costume didn’t think to create incognito areas/fabric to see (and yes I’m saying he made his own costume bc I believe Trick or Treat, Scooby Doo to be part of a different canon universe than the series and the older movies, just like how I view the live action films, the live action series, and the other adaptations. I think some fans arguing over which versions of the Scooby Gang’s are the “true”/“actual”/“correct” interpretations of these characters are a tad silly because even the original show had trouble pinpointing their personalities at times. Have fun and be cool.)

I know it’s in the name of good fun and shenanigans, but seeing all of those books being shoved off the library bookshelf by Shelma and Scooby made the book lover in me wince.

Headless Specter loses whatever little dignity he thought he had by jumping on the bed and angrily bouncing and stomping on the “bodies” (actually pillows) of Shaggy, Velma, and Scooby. Wow, dude.

A spinning wheel also serves as a bicycle. Shenanigans.

The well that was shown earlier has a secret passage.

We finally see what Fraphne is up to, and lo and behold, they are actually looking for clues and being useful as opposed to the writers usually having no clue what to do with them when they split the gang up.

Animation Goof: Daphne’s eyebrows disappear until she speaks.

Oooh! A trapdoor.

“Let’s take a look and be careful.” Me: *immediately begins countdown.* “Whoops!!” Only two seconds for Danger-Prone Daphne to slip 😅

I accidentally paused to talk to someone, and I have to restrain myself from laughing at the horrible twisted wince/scowl face Daphne is making as she is talking. Not sure why the animators are doing more in-betweens here between poses when the earlier episodes were just fine without them. Can’t fault them too much for making an attempt though.

Methinks the artists didn’t want Velma getting hit when Fred and Daphne are about to chuck jars at her, Shag, and Scooby out of self-defense, as we see in previous episodes Shaggy usually gets throttled from a misunderstanding.

I vaguely remember a scene where Shaggy and Scooby accidentally chew on non-inflated balloons thinking they were treats when I was younger; didn’t realize it was from this episode.

Animation Goof: Shaggy’s eyebrows are too thick for any man to handle.

Don’t know why later adaptations dumb Freddy down; he’s just as smart as Velma. There’s room for multiple smart people who are knowledgeable in differing areas! This is why I ship Frelma *gets slapped*

Why on earth would you give a Scooby Snack to a Flytrap, Shaggy? That’s just asking for an early version of Little Shop of Horrors.

Where did the Headless Specter come from?

Show is inconsistent with Shaggy and Scooby’s weights.

No chickens were harmed in the making of this episode (I hope 😅)

Huh. The Headless Specter isn’t Asha Shanks. Also, Headless Specter man isn’t the bad guy? He’s just trying to ward off grave-diggers and robbers?

Asha Shanks is the criminal, but he has nowhere near the same level of creativity or drama as the Headless Specter man.

“And I’d have found [the treasure first] if it weren’t for you snoopers!”

Day 22 of no “And I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren’t for you meddling kids!”

[stuffyflowers]

Ok that’s it ✨random varian headcanons time✨

Been meaning to do this for a while so here is my little self-indulgent list of hcs! Some of these are inspired by fanworks and others is just shit I made up at 3am

Hope the new tumblr glitch doesn’t fuck this up lmaooooooooo

- his goggles were a gift given to him from his mother right before she disappeared forever.

- has a lot of chemical burns/scars caused by bad lab safety

- has the worst sleeping schedule ever. Has fallen asleep in his lab more than once. This becomes even worse after the uhh… incident… due to nightmares

- I’d actually argue that this ones canon actually: he DOES believe in magic, he just doesn’t practice it (like… he never says magic is fake, he just says he doesn’t work with it)

- every year quirin and varian visit the dark kingdom and stay there for a couple of months. Varian uses his alchemy and engineering skills to help with the kingdoms revival

- while visiting, his aunt and uncle tell him embarrassing stories about his dad when he was younger. Quirin is not amused, but varian is thrilled to learn more about his fathers past

- definitely bonds with hector over a mutual love for animals. Hector loves his humane animal trapping idea and asks varian to implement it in the dark kingdom.

- adira teaches him how to sword fight. She also enjoys picking apart the inaccuracies in the Flynn rider books (which annoys varian immensely)

- tugs at his hair and chews his lip when stressed/anxious (this is 100% not projection haha what are you talking about-)

- lance and the girls come around to his house every few months to ask him if he wants to join them in a camping trip. He always says yes… eventually. He brings along books and equipment to study wildlife, but he almost never gets a chance to use it with Keira and catalina always dragging him into stuff

- (ok but fr I think lance and him would be very good friends. Like. An actual friendship outside of “teenager has to babysit grown man because he keeps touching dangerous things.” Canon did these 2 dirty)

- would say poggers unironically

- enjoys inconveniencing Frederic at every opportunity. Covering his throne in alchemy goop. Embarrassing him in front of nobles. You name it.

- after prison, he develops a phobia of being trapped. When entering small spaces he immediately checks off any escape routes unconsciously.

- RAPUNZEL AND HIM DO PIANO LESSONS TOGETHER. I personally think that both knew how to play before meeting each other, they just enjoy it and learn new things from each other

- visits the saporians in prison every once in a while (yes, I know their relationship with him wasn’t exactly healthy but keep in mind they were his only support system for a long period of time. I find it hard to believe he would just immediately forget abt them post-redemption) I think he would also be willing to give them a second chance and help them redeem themselves.

- as well as his fear of blood, he also is very squeamish about any sort of medical situation (eg needles). This one definitely isn’t self projection either…

- Starts a Flynn rider fan club with eugene and Edmund. It’s a book club that mostly involves them re-enacting their favourite scenes poorly

- Has had a crush on both eugene and cass. Bi king. (If any of y’all tag this as ship cuz of this I’m blocking ur ass)

- wears gloves at all times cuz he’s got sensory issues

- idc what canon says, Varian would be deeply uncomfortable creating a weapon that uses amber.

- I know that this was proven false by the creators, but the idea of varians last name being ruddiger is so fucking funny to me that I still hc that it is regardless. Like he he just found this raccoon and went “oh I have the perfect name for you” and it’s just his fuckign last name

- his hairstreak isn’t due to a moonstone connection (srry moon varian fans) but from an experiment gone wrong. Ulla was teaching a young varian a basic science experiment. She left for about 15 seconds to go and get something and when the came back he had blue hair. She managed to get all of it out with the exception of a single strand

- Actually surprisingly strong for someone his size (from helping out his dad in the fields).

- becomes good friends with Faith! She tells him all abt different types of flowers and he is happy to listen! He helps w her cleaning duties with his alchemy. They also enjoy talking shit about the king together <3

- has written self-insert x Flynn Rider fanfic

- he’s the kinda person who has a ton of random sketches in his notebook. In between his work notes you’ll find drawings of his close friends, raccoons and the occasional invention idea that he’ll probably never finish.

- speaking of which, he’s very good at drawing from memory (can’t relate)

[ooooo-mcyt]

Yknow what? I'd actually go so far as to say that, as much as ive seen it complained about, it's actually pretty hard to "UwU" or "Woobify" Grian within the context of yhs.

I mean. It's possible if you go really extreme with it, but it's hard.

Grian at his core is actually a primarily decent person most of the timeand is a primarily innocent party in most things. One who goes through a Lot.

If you really think about it Grian's moral compass isn't too far off normal basic human morality. He's often anxious and hesitant when faced with any involvement in criminal activity, he's frequently dismayed and offput by suggestions of violence (the less deserved the more dismay is expressed as well), he's disappointed and frustrated at seeing the people around him do fucked up things, he's almost always polite with a good head on his shoulders when faced with a kind or reasonable person. Even well into ts, long after first coming back to Japan, Grian is still incredibly uneasy and fidgety with the suggestion that he take part in violence, I mean, remember that time he, Taurtis, and Sam were tasked with killing Geode and Grian not only initially tried to refuse outright but then checked in shakily with the other two multiple times just to confirm if they were really going to kill someone. Grian's typically the character most likely in the entire series to be incredibly put off by and very hesitant about doing bad things (especially to people he's not one million percent certain deserve it).

And while one could argue that we can't really praise his moral compass for being hesitant about involving himself in crime/wrongdoing when he often ends up participating anyways. Actions speak louder than words and all. However I disagree. The fact that Grian vocally does not wish to be involved in this kind of thing and has proven to behave on the more reasonable and polite side when acting independently in relation to likewise level headed people....is Very important. In fact, in actual legal cases, oftentimes a factor in trying individuals is the question of whether they would commit the crime in question indepently or under normal circumstances. This is the basis for necessity, duress, and insanity pleas, amoung other's. People who would not act the way they did in a certain scenario under normal circumstances are often liable to be judged favourably in their actions. In fact, speaking of duress pleas, Grian's got a pretty solid one for a lot of his actions. The times Sam or Yuki held a knife to his throat or the times police threatened to kill him if he doesn't comply with orders or any alike incidents. In cases where duress isn't applicable to Grian's behaviour there are oftentimes incidents in which an outright case for violence in self defense can be made. In fact, most of Grian's circumstances leave him very viable to be judged sympathetically on a legal standpoint. The fact that he was a minor, the fact that he had no apparent history of violence or crime, the fact that he was in a severely abusive relationship with a criminal and entering said relationship marked the start of any sort of criminal behaviour from Grian, any criminal behaviour from Grian always being in a group setting never lead by himself, the fact that he always clearly and openly protests when pulled into these group settings, the duress and self defense pleas that are applicable to pretty much all incidents in which he does engage. Which are also all factors that can and should be accounted for on. a moral basis as well, obviously. And like, Grian has a reputation for being arrogant, cynical, and rude or whatever, but he's really not. He very rightfully calls out other people's horrible bullshit and makes snappy remarks towards his abuser but that's the opposite of a problem and Grian's proven himself more than capable of reasonable civility towards reasonable people. Grian just isn't the selfish arrogant disrespectful criminal that he's sometimes implied to be and in fact he's largely innocent- or absolvable, if you'd rather- in most of the things levied against him. Grian's not a literal saint giving to the needy and taking care of orphans in his spare time but he's a decent guy overall???

And hey, speaking of that super abusive relationship Grian landed in. Let's not forget the impact of that situation. Sam was undoubtedly abusive towards Grian. He threatened Grian's life various times, he basically told Grian he was nothing compared to Taurtis, he shoved plastic down Grian's throat and laughed when he choked, he got Grian locked up in solitary confinement through complete lies just because he thought it'd be entertaining I guess, he forced Grian to kiss an abnormally large amount of people against his will (some of these instances sam recorded despite being asked not to), he himself tried to make out with Grian without consent while Grian was sleeping in his own private room, he forcefully dressed Grian up in feminine cosplay meant to be ~attractive~ complete with fake breasts, he lied to Grian about the gender identity of someone Grian dated as a joke (his words) and lightly mocked Grian afterwards, he locked Grian in a basement for three days straight and it's unclear whether or not he was planning to let him out anytime soon, he dragged Grian into a closet with school staff despite Grian's very vocal distress and discomfort then scolded Grian for considering reported it when this staff member made uncomfortable comments on the outfit Sam had forced Grian into, Sam offered to give Grian to another guy who made a similar uncomfortable comment later on as part of some trade, he consistently dragged Grian against his will into criminal activity whether by threatening him, tricking him into participating, or just altogether falsely implicatng him, amoung Many other things. And every step of the way Sam did his best to completely gaslight Grian. He used every gaslighting technique in the book. Telling blatant lies (for example, "i would never stab taurtis", "you are taurtis", "grian's crazy and he stabbed taurtis"), he denies doing shit to Grian that Grian knows damn well he did ("i would never stab taurtis"). He hard projected his bs onto Grian (from blaming grian for 'making' sam do awful shit sam did to claiming grian actually fullstop did the awful shit sam did). He was just constantly trying to turn people against Grian (convincing yuki and taurtis to back him up in calling grian a bad manipulative friend and insisting he needed to apologize for 'making' sam horrifically abuse him. arriving in the police station and instantly without hesitation telling them grian was crazy and dangerous and pinning his own crimes on grian. having taurtis back him up and help scold grian for getting mad about being locked in the basement for days). Telling Grian he's crazy (taurtis incident again, solitary confinement incident, the time sam kissed grian without his consent while he slept and grian got mad). Telling everyone else that Grian's a manipulative liar (taurtis incident again, solitary confinement incident again). Yknow. Gaslighting. Sam was just so unbelievably abusive. In like. Every possible way. Which adds a LOT of trauma to Grian. That on top of his parents abandoning him as a little kid too because we couldn't leave it at severe abuse.

Grian's not a bad person. And he's certainly a very sympathetic person. Which is why it would be hard to woobify yhs Grian. It would be hard to make a very sympathetic very sad character egregiously sympathetic and sad. His whole arc is getting abandoned by his parents, going to visit his friends, and getting violently abused and forced into a multitude of disturbing activities against his will for an extended period of time.

One could argue that sure Grian isn't a bad person and sure Grian's got a pretty sad life, but certainly a lot of people are guilty of making Grian more helpless and scared and generally 'pathetic' than he is in canon.

To which I reply...not really?

Grian already doesn't have half the fight response people ascribe to him throughout the series. That was a whole other post but honestly Grian's response to traumatic situations is very frequently to cave to them and he's got a much stronger submissive streak than people often admit. I mean, Grian was asked to dress up as his best friend who just got stabbed "to make things less awkward and make me feel better" and he did it within ten seconds of being asked without the others even needing to threaten him at all. Grian does express quite a bit of despair, fear, and submissive tendency in canon when faced with dangerous or traumatic situations. And while it's possible to go a bit too far with that if you consistently leave out the token fight entirely, I see people swing way too far un the opposite direction way too often. There's a reason Grian never actually killed Sam in canon. There's a reason Grian never made a serious attempt to get him arrested for his crimes. There's a reason Grian never just left. When Sam found Grian after he ran out of the gym during the Taurtis incident? Grian didn't lunge for Sam. There was no serious altercation between the two. Grian scrambled back and tearfully babbled platitudes while shoving plastic down his own throat on command. And even beyond that, a lot of the interpretations accused of making Grian too helpless/scared/'pathetic' are works that involve Grian processing trauma years after the fact. Which. Even if Grian was the most aggressive on edge fighter in the history of trauma responses during the traumatic events? People don't process their trauma after the fact the same way they instinctively respond in the moment. Even if Grian never shed a tear throughout any of the traumatic ordeals he experienced, it would be far from unrealistic behaviour for him to still process after the fact by panicking and sobbing his eyes out regularly. Which, again, Grian wasn't even all that fight oriented while it was happening so panic and tears isn't even super far removed from his actual in the moment responses let alone processing after-responses. It's just. It's really hard to "UwU" Grian tbh. He's a decent person, he went through hell (his own words actually), and he was never even really very effectively aggressive when he did. And while it's possible to dip too far into that territory, far more often I see things swung egregiously far in the other direction.

[antiloreolympus]

7 Anti LO Asks

1. Do you know what really gets my blood boiling about this comic? Persephone and Demeter's relationship.

In the myths, Demeter and Persephone loved each other more than anything. Their reunion is so important - it marked the coming of spring and growth. A whole cult was dedicated to this for crying out loud. Yes, the myths were far from perfect, but the Persephone and Demeter myth showed the strength of a loving mother-daughter relationship with Demeter searching endlessly to find her child that was ripped away and had her innocence forcibly taken.

Now, RS is not the only author to make Demeter this over-bearing mother type in order to put more positivity onto the Hades-Persephone relationship. However, RS takes this trend to a whole new level - to the point where I would even consider it misogyny.

How is it, she takes this beautiful mother-daughter relationship and makes it out to be an abusive and controlling one, and then takes the Hades-Persephone relationship from a forceful one to a loving, perfect relationship with no problems? How is it ok to ruin one relationship to elevate another?

I understand that many versions of the myth try to downplay Hades' actions, and even make it so Persephone actually falls in love with him and there is no rape. But it doesn't change that this relationship was problematic, and meant to represent the loss of innocence.

Then fans have the gall to claim this comic is feminist and then claim on top of that that Demeter and Persephone's relationship was the same in the myth? These fans clearly don't know the myths, and neither does RS.

Making Hades a good person is fine. Changing it up a bit to make Persephone's loss of innocence something else is also fine. But ruining Demeter and Persephone's relationship? Especially when Persephone has to spend half the year with her? So horrible. 

2. im sorry, but rachel cant introduce KRONOS coming back and then dropping it for several episodes to focus on a stake-less trail and persephone not knowing what lingerie to seduce hades in. like thats too much of an earth shaking development and huge stake plot point to just ignore for months to focus instead on something as minor as hxp's relationship, which only points out a huge flaw: why is hxp's relationship so minor in this? isnt the whole point supposed to be about them?

3. I think LO completely dropped the ball over Hades’ characterization. 

From the first ep I thought ok, this is good, we have some bones to see he’s not that lucky in love and is just tired and lonely, and while ignoring the creepy actions towards Persephone, I thought ok, Artemis hates him, Hestia hates, even Ares hates him, maybe once Persephone finally sees the underworld and probably gets to know him it’ll be a clever twist and they’ll be proven wrong. The underworld will turn out to be fair and just, the citizens will love Hades, he’ll be revealed to be a good leader and king and not like his brothers, it’ll be like everyone saying Hades of myth isn’t actually that bad, and it’ll help reinforce why this sweet and bubbly Persephone wants him, she sees the real him, not the mean rumors and assumptions, this is perfect.

And then it just didn’t happen. The exact opposite happened, actually.

We’re shown the LO underworld is cruel and unjust, where the poor dead are forced into slavery and Hades created a harsh class divide with him and him only on top, the citizens hate him, the underworld gods don’t trust him and openly seem ok if he’s taken out of power, he’s not a good leader and king and doesn’t even want the job yet keeps it for his own ego and grip of power m, and on top of it all he is just like his brothers, if not worse. He loves to get violent over any little slight against him, he hoards wealth and resources to enrich himself while his citizens starve and struggle to survive, he’s corrupt, he controls all the media and laws to bend to his will, sleeps with his brothers wife for centuries behind his back while claiming to be holier than thou, he has sex with his secretaries who are made dependent on him for any way to survive, and now he lusts after his barely legal intern who is also now dependent on him for her way to survive, and that’s only what I remember off the top of my head.

LO perfectly set up to prove Hades isn’t the devil or the false pop culture assumption that he’s evil and to show some actual facts from myth, and yet Rachel only ended up reinforcing exactly that and even making him even worse with her made up ideas, all while thinking having Persephone ignore or excuse it somehow makes it not bad or even a good thing. It’s honestly kind of impressive just how bad of writing that actually is. 

4. Chapter 172 is not that interesting. It’s setup had me excited to see Hephaestus and Hera and learning more about echo, but it’s cut so short. Because again the story can’t leave HXP out for 2 seconds.

I can also see why Zeus is gonna go insane. 

5. i agree w/ other anon. LO should have pulled a PJO or a BoZ and just made up OCs and have them interact with the gods than whatever Rachel thinks shes doing, which is lying she's being accurate and faithful while completely changing all of it, removing what is needed, and adding what isnt so that it lines up with no actual myth besides like, various 50 shades fanfic she read in 2015 and some popular tumblr text posts.

6 . the animation studio behind blood of zeus literally can only draw one face for the men and one face for the women and they were still able to make the gods all look distinct and hot while LO can't even bother to use more than 6 colors and can only have the women look as tiny as possible with the biggest boobs while the men are all just lego men.

7. ////FP SPOILERS////

Okay so like I stopped reading LO way back before season 1 ended, and a majority of my knowledge of the series comes from what I read here on your blog which is enough for me lol and I decided to read the latest 5 chapters just to see what's up (on zahard. I refuse to give the actual series any views)

And I just. Could not take the whole scene with Daphne running from Apollo seriously? The anatomy and art inconsistency was so distracting that i genuinely could not find it serious. Even when Thanatos discovers her hibernated body I couldn't take it seriously because of how she looked?

And when Hades had that call (??? Was it a call? Or his inner dialogue? I couldn't really tell ngl) with Zeus and said he's causing Persephone unnecessary distress, and that she didn't pose any threat. B!tch??? She killed a ton of mortals??? She has no control over her powers???? She's literally a fugitive for the aforementioned things??? She apparently woke Kronos up? (Idk if anyone knows about that, again my knowledge only spans to whatever I read here) Hello????

And I have a lot to say about the chapters starting the trial but I'll only mention one thing; Hades saying "I don't think blindly supporting my little brother would be doing him any favours (as a ruler)" had me cackling. This is coming from a guy blindly supporting a girl he's literally only known for a few weeks, who's like what, only recently turned 20? Sit tf down Hades you're not cool, you creepy ass overgrown smurf.

Overall I still hate this series lmao. Regarding art though I feel like I wouldn't be so miffed about the anatomy much if the character designs were consistent and the story was compelling. They literally change hairstyles and body types frame by frame, and it's distracting.

The timeline from what I read here is laughable. 4 years in publication with almost 200 chapters and you're telling me only like a month has passed canonically. That's wild and such poor writing.

And as someone who literally will sympathise with any lead character pretty quickly, the story makes me hate them. It makes me want to root against them. I also hate the fact this trash is somehow top ranked on webtoons when so many other stories are far better then it.

Anyway, many thanks to this blog for existing and allowing me to dump so much text here to vent out my hate for this series lmao. You the mvp fam, hope you're having a good day 🥂🥂🥂

[dotthings]

The gaslighting needs to stop. Systemic power imbalanced in the tv industry are real. Network interference is real. Erasure and unkindness towards marginalized characters is real. 

I’m more on the canon analysis end of things personally, but I assure you the fans trying to figure out WTF happened here and account for stuff that objectively, even the people more skeptical acknowledge is weird and points back towards network interference, try to debunk their own theories. They are telling you that, they are transparent about their information, if you don’t feel like playing detailed murder wall, then don’t, but to deny there is a very very real power imbalance behind the scenes that hurt marginalized characters and fans, and hurt the story, is toxic. Stop it. 

Things like the Spanish dub and people who have worked on the show coming out of the woodwork to support Destiel should be a clue. Latin America believes it’s a mutually requited love story, canon confirmed from both sides, because that is what aired on a big tv network there. And watch out for that US-centric thinking that somehow thinks this doesn’t count. (Also plot twist: the US is the restrictive market. Wake up).

My wheelhouse is more canon analysis so I’m going to say now that the gaslighting about canon, about aired canon, about confirmed canon, about implied canon, seems to me a whole lot of toxic detached-from-reality hand waving so hard to still, STILL!!--try to deny the validity of Destiel. I’m glad some of y’all think this is merely hilarious, and after not showing up and not being supportive and not sticking your neck out at all to protect Destiel shippers from bullying, you came back just to eat the popcorn because it amuses you and I’m supposed to think that’s pro-Destiel supportive or something, or it’s people who have no horse in the race who just want fandom entertainment so everything’s a joke while they reinforce the exact attitudes that let this kind of systemic oppression perpetuate and get away with erasing marginalized voices in the tv industry, in fandom, in stories. Nice work, people. Your holier-than-thou attitude is real convincing. 

Then there’s the people trying to convince everyone it’s convincing to play false equivalency cha-cha and as if people only see this as canon due to a) 1 slash joke b) they stared at each other that one time c) drapes. Because old school fans are so proud that in their day, nobody wanted their queer ships to be canon and Destiel is just like *insert whatever slash ship of the past that had about 1/10th of the loud textual material and canon development Destiel has*. You want to try to argue against the epic nature of the text on Dean and Cas, hey give it your all, but it’s not going to hold up. If I started listing off the immensity, things that are textual plot points, it would be a 3,000 word essay. Stop playing false equivalency. Stop trying to artificially yank this back into the past because you can’t handle the textual validity of Destiel.

Deal with the fact that this is not an easily classifiable situation.

Even if in the end the same old systemic crap stifled its full due, and that’s the part that is tiresome, Dean and Cas deserve better than have their actual canon content demeaned.

After the story we have seen. After 12 seasons of deep-dive development. After Cas was finally openly confirmed as queer, and in love with Dean, in the final season, 2 episodes from the end, and Misha echoed it, and from Dean’s side, because full confirmation on Dean’s side is being held down, Jensen protected a romantic reading, protected people’s right to see Dean as in love with Cas not having a chance to speak his heart. Protected the right to that reading within the ambiguity that he knows is as far as the canon was able to take it. After the ship became canon confirmed as at least unrequited love story. Whether Jensen ships it or not, he has been very loudly and openly protective of fan readings and has been very openly excited about 15.18 and the handprint, he knows this is a great story and he’s been openly excited about how excited and joyful fans were about that episode. 

But what we have seen on our screens, what the story told us, transcends the muzzles placed on it. What we have seen is a mutually requited love story. We already saw in action how Dean loves Cas. We are left with, in the end, the silencing of Dean Winchester. Gosh I wonder why the silencing of Dean Winchester. Why was it necessary. Why was he not even permitted to speak at all, to anyone, to confide about how he even felt about Cas’s love confession. Why did Jensen have to do the heavy lifting to meta it for us. Why did Cas have to be left fully out of the series finale on a show he was so key on for 12 seasons, as a 3rd lead. Why is that? Because the only thing the creative team would ever be allowed to do by corporate is friendzone it and they didn’t want to friendzone it. 

So we are cursed with ambiguity from Dean’s side. And if the series finale had done better by Dean’s story, including his death, and by Cas’s story (instead of shoving him out of sight), if it hadn’t erased Eileen and Saileen, if it hadn’t failed Sam’s story, if it hadn’t been a regressive, awkward mess, most shippers would have accepted ambiguity if Dean and Cas has been given at least the respect of a reunion, if Dean had at least been given the chance to partially speak even if it couldn’t be removed from ambiguity. But the system was too scared of it. It had to be held down and muffled hard.

It was yanked out of the story artificially in ways that don’t match Destiel’s narrative importance before the series finale and don’t match 12 seasons of storytelling. It’s artificial. It is a silencing. And it shows. 

That sudden silence was a scream.

"The writers” were for it. “The writers” wanted to tell that story even if network interference prevented it. Some of us were gaslighted and smeared and bashed just for pointing it out, and we turned out to be right.

DESTIEL IS CANON. And the parts where fans still have to rely on interpretation for have ample, AMPLE, story evidence and external evidence--that has nothing to do with deeper dive murder walls, it has to do with support shown, and confirmed information--all point to a mutually reciprocated love story.

How many more times do shippers have to be proven right before people stop this. I was bullied for several seasons just for saying Destiel was a purposefully crafted a valid textual reading, by my own lane. For asserting it was a love story designed to dodge under network radar. I was bullied for years before that by antis, who didn’t like seeing people love this ship too much, who didn’t like that I refused to get down on my knees and label myself as delusional just for seeing it, for refusing to bow down and say “it’s only about 2 brothers so I am wrong to say Destiel matters too.” 

The unkindness in this fandom over all this continues to be overwhelming. Get your shit together.  You worship your favorite actors and then they show you up every time by being kinder and more open and understanding than fans manage to be. Jensen and Misha are showing you how to roll and people are ignoring it in favor of continuing to try to silence and demean Destiel shippers.

For Destiel shippers, don’t let all this gaslighting and shaming nonsense and the systemic corporate nonsense that wants Destiel silenced knock you off from your reading of canon. It was valid. It was real. Thanks to the magic of bleedback effect, now it was always textual, the subtextual has been transformed retroactively, and it’s from both Dean and Cas’s end. If you still feel doubt on Dean’s side, because we didn’t get the same loud explicit confirmation, go back to the text itself. If you believed it already for Cas, if Cas’s confession to Dean only validated what you already knew, why can’t you see it for Dean, because it’s already there. 

[greatqueenanna]

Delving deeper into Agnarr and Iduna's story.

Ever since I wrote the first part of this analysis, I’ve gotten a pretty positive response for it - most fans recognize that, while reckless, the choice of separating and isolating the girls was the only choice Agnarr and Iduna had with this unique situation. Tragic in every way, but necessary.

However, one of the things that are still being discussed to this day is whether or not Frozen 2 addressed the separation and isolation properly - that is, if the more subtle approach and scattering it across multiple installments was enough to really delve into the complexity of the separation and the trauma the girls faced.

The main content that addresses this element was Frozen 2 (obviously), Forest of Shadows, Dangerous Secrets, and True Treasure. Given that not everyone has access to or is not aware of a lot of the side books, it makes it difficult for everyone to get the full story. Because of this, I want to explore the full story of Agnarr and Iduna and go over how each of these installments, including the film itself, addressed the separation.

Part 1: Frozen 2

While Frozen 2 left out a lot of complexities when it came to the separation, there were indeed two scenes in particular that really delved into this element - particularly for Elsa.

When the sisters find the ship is the first of these scenes. Here is where Anna and Elsa witness what their parents were willing to do in order to give Elsa a better life.

"Ahtohallan is the source of the magic - We keep going. For Elsa..."

Here, we clearly see that while it wasn't directly stated, Iduna and Agnarr realized that the separation wasn't working and that they were willing to fight the storm if it meant that they could fix their mistakes.

Elsa: This is my fault, they were looking for answers about me.

Anna: You are not responsible for their choices -

Elsa: No, just their deaths.

Anna: Stop. No. Yelana asks why would the spirit reward Arendelle with a magical queen? Because our mother saved our father. She saved her enemy. Her good deed was rewarded - With you - You are a gift.

In this conversation, we see Elsa recognizing that her parents wanted to find answers for her in order to give her a better life. Thank goodness Anna is there to redirect the conversation and explain that they made this choice on their own and that Elsa is not to blame for it. She then helps explain to Elsa that she is a gift, not a bad omen that caused misery to others.

It is through this scene that Elsa (and Anna) see that their parents wanted to try and find answers, to give them a better life. This is the sisters witnessing the parents agree that their situation needed to change and that their choices were not working.

The second scene that explores this is Show Yourself. This entire scene is Elsa finally realizing that she is allowed to be herself.

Throughout Elsa's childhood, the parents thought that Elsa should hide her emotions with her gloves in order to conceal the magic (due to their own traumas that we will explore more in part 2). Elsa felt that she wasn't allowed to be herself as it would lead to someone being hurt.

In this scene, Iduna confirms to Elsa that she is indeed allowed to be herself, directly contradicting and going against whatever fears they themselves gave her or what Elsa may have instilled into herself during the separation.

"Show Yourself. Step into your power. Grow yourself into something new. You are the one you've been waiting for all of your life."

Here we see Iduna letting Elsa know that she can be herself, and no longer needs to apologize for her powers. This leads to Elsa's full self-fulfillment because not only does she have the love of her sister and the respect from her people, but also the approval from her parents that she is ok.

Part 2: Dangerous Secrets

In this novel, we get more explanation as to why Iduna and Agnarr thought that giving Elsa the gloves to conceal her emotions was an acceptable plan. In my original post, I argued that Agnarr never intended for Elsa to hide her emotions. However, this was proven to be false in Dangerous Secrets, as we are given the origin of this mantra.

Agnarr was taught this from Lord Peterssen, his father's advisor. Because the young boy was scared to be King at such a young age and thought that his emotions would be a weakness, Petersen told him that he needs to "Conceal, don't feel" in order to appear stronger. Given that this was the only way he was taught to deal with emotions, both from this man that acted as a guardian to him and his own father, Aganrr thought that it was appropriate to teach Elsa as well.

Iduna was taught the same thing from Peterssen, but for a different reason. As Iduna was Northuldra, she had to hide her true self from the Arendellians in order to stay safe - something that was further pushed by Petersen when she wanted to tell Aganrr the truth of her origins before their marriage.

Later on, we see Iduna especially, given how she relates to hiding her true heritage to Elsa's struggles, realizes how wrong this thought process was.

"Since then (the accident), Agnarr had tried to help her (Elsa) do just that - control her emotions, control her magic(....)It hadn't worked, In fact, things had only gotten worse. "

I cringed at the idea of the coming explosion, which at this point seemed unavoidable. It could be devastating not only to her, but perhaps to the entire kingdom. That was why we had her here, tucked away, I tried to remind myself. But all the rationality in the world couldn't quash the guilt. The kind of thing villains did in the storybooks - not heroes."

"My whole life I was told to hide," I said after a pause. "I don't want Elsa to have to grow up doing the same."

We also see Iduna telling Elsa directly that hiding her emotions was not a good way to control her magic, and would only make her feel worse.

"I know that's what your father has told you," I said, slowly. "And maybe it does help, for a time. But squashing down your emotions can only work for so long. Before you feel like a powder keg. Ready to explode."

Iduna later confronts Aganrr about this, convincing him that they needed to find a better solution. Agnarr agrees, setting the expedition himself to Ahtohallan.

Part 3: Forest of Shadows

Many people put forward that Anna's trauma from the separation was not addressed. Frozen 2 focused more on Anna's dependency on her loved ones for validation. She had to lose everything in order to depend on herself. It was written very well, but there was still an element that seemed missing from Anna's development - Anna's feelings of low self-worth that stemmed from the separation. This is where Forest of Shadows comes in.

While I feel that Anna did not need the validation from her parents as much as Elsa did, given that her relationship with her parents was not as strained, it would still be nice if the story acknowledged where these feelings came from in the first place.

This book covers Anna's feelings about herself, and whether or not she can be trusted with important information and tasks. The book has Anna directly relate this fear to her parents hiding Elsa's powers from her.

"Something scraped in Anna, like a rough crumb caught in her throat. Because...well, her family's burdens and secrets hadn't been for everyone. Or at least, they hadn't been for Anna. Her father had let a mountain troll bundle away Anna's memories of Elsa's ice magic, and he, her mother, and Elsa had all worked together to keep it a secret from Anna."

This is important because it shows that Anna realizes the root of her feelings of inadequacy comes from - not from anything she herself has done but from how her family chose to approach the situation.

Throughout the story, Anna struggles with the idea if she is capable of handling important and serious situations. Anna finally gets her answer when she sees that Elsa was planning on leaving Anna in Arendelle while she went on a grand tour. Anna wanted to go with Elsa but felt that she didn't want her to go because she didn't feel Anna was capable enough. However, we come to find out that this is not true.

"I, Elsa, Queen of Arendelle, do hereby proclaim my sister, Anna of Arendelle, Keeper of the Kingdom while I sail on the grand tour. She is kind, thoughtful, and loves Arendelle with the whole of her heart. There is none better than her to watch over the kingdom while I am away."

Anna realizes that the only person that felt she was incapable was herself, not Elsa or anyone.

Of course, this is nice but wouldn't it have been wonderful for Anna to hear it from her parents as well? I agree, and this is one of the many reasons why Anna fans were upset that this deleted scene was removed. While the feelings of the parents in this scene were made canon by Dangerous Secrets, Anna still never got to hear it directly from them.

We can have some comfort, however, in the next part.

Part 4: True Treasure

Psst, you all can read the full story here. After you read, please support the writer and artist by purchasing the comic when you are able to.

True Treasure is unique in that it is a comic book that explores the sister's relationship with Iduna during the separation years. The sisters later find out that Iduna had set up a treasure hunt for them, and the girls use their memories of different events to discover the prize.

However, what is especially amazing about this book, is that it has Iduna (and Agnarr) directly apologizing to the sisters for separating them.

Later, Elsa and Anna say that they are ready to move forward and make their own futures together.

Conclusion

Thus, from all these sources, we see that the separation and the trauma it caused to the sisters were indeed addressed. Given that it was done in multiple installments, it might be difficult for everyone to see the full story. So, I wanted to provide it all for you here, so we all can know the parent's full story.

Iduna and Agnarr were taught their whole lives that they needed to conceal their emotions and true selves in order to stay safe or appear stronger. Wanting to keep both their daughters safe, and Arendelle, they thought that separating the girls and isolating Elsa would be the best choice. This was never meant to be permanent, as they both wanted their daughters to be together again. While Agnarr worked directly with Elsa to help with her magic, Iduna worked behind the scenes doing expensive research.

As the years went by, Iduna started to feel incredibly guilty about the separation and confronted Agnarr about it, who had actually come to feel the same way. They both realized that what they were taught and teaching Elsa was wrong, and the only thing it did was make Elsa's fear that she already had even worse. After creating the Treasure Hunt in hopes that the girls would be together again, the parents went to Ahtohallan to find answers for Elsa's magic, and finally, end the curse of fear that was plaguing their family.

Unfortunately, they were never able to see their daughters together again. Agnarr and Iduna are very tragic figures and knowing everything that happened only gives their story more meaning.

[deadpoetsam]

do you think fatin had a preconceived notion of leah pre-island? like how leah thought fatin was basic or whatever, did fatin have an idea in her head about what leah was like that ended up being proven wrong on the island? i want to know if they had classes together or did a school project together

Well we know from canon (ep 1) that Fatin thought that Leah was "some weird art prude" and she says that after she finds out that she was wrong (because Leah drinks when they play truth or dare)

I personally headcanon that Fatin had a crush on Leah pre-island, but she could never believe that Leah would want her/ that she could be good enough for Leah (why else would she make theories about the sex life of a random girl at her school??)

And then when she finds out that Leah isn't a "prude" it means that she's also less likely to judge Fatin for her choices in terms of sex (and maybe she even has a chance with this girl because she's nothing like what Fatin thought she was)

But I think they had a few classes together (how else would their circles overlap enough to make up false theories about each other lmao) and maybe they talked during class once or twice, maybe even did a project together.

And Fatin was definitely pining after Leah while at the same time ignoring her feelings because she's scared of it and she also prides herself for not getting attached to anyone.

Meanwhile, Leah was still caught in her bubble of Jeff and self-loathing, and we know what she thought of Fatin (but at least she thought about her enough to have an opinion lmao)

But I love the idea of both of them kinda having feelings but also pushing them down because they come from such different worlds, but on the island, they find out that they are so much more similar than they thought.

Also, if you really like the idea of pre-island leatin, these are my two favourite fics about it:

come home to my heart by scoutshonour

if i could save you from standing there (i would, i would, i would) by Kidfish

[otverzhennyy]

Viktor on every Harbingers.

As stated before, Viktor’s loyalty tend to be more to the people of Snezhnaya and the Harbingers than the Tsaritsa, who he sees more as a faceless tradition despite, yes, believing in the cryo archon’s mission. However, when it comes to his daily life, it is actually the Harbingers who possess his devotion.

Viktor is implied to have, at the very least, witnessed the harbingers which I imagine are during Fatui events, speeches and such, and is knowledgeable of both their way of work, their abilities, the personality they present, quirks and what the other Fatui think of them in general. This is a post based on the information we got so far in canon, the Commedia dell’arte and of course liberal interpretations to flesh out Viktor’s relation towards the harbingers, it is HEAVILY subject to change.

This list goes from who Viktor would like to work for the LEAST to the MOST. Viktor admires all Harbingers and see how incredible they are to the Fatui cause, but this is purely him speaking selfishly in terms of working under them.

SCARAMOUCHE Scaramouche is implied by Viktor to be pretty much universally disliked by the Fatui, which is supported by his shown temper. Scaramouche is one to belittle and not respect underlings, even potentially harming them physically through electro, and lead them with fear. Scaramouche throws emotional, gratuitous tantrums.

This is something Viktor cannot respect when strictly speaking of ways to run the chain of commands. This is no way to be a leader, not when you do not have reasons to apply this kind of authority. Scaramouche’s devastating power, however, is no joke, and given that the Tsaritsa has had her own reason to choose him, there is no question that Viktor would answer the man’s call and orders, but would he enjoy his daily working life under such a self-centered man with no respect for the lives he is responsible for but his own ? Not really. He’d sooner ask for a transfer... which is, unfortunately, not really possible within the Fatui, as you are to believe that where you are stationed is where you should be.

PIERRO Pierro’s crazed antics constantly have one question his state of mind, and his chaotic mockery and obvious bitterness are made for a sour association, where one can never really rest as the man is too unpredictable. Underlings unable to guess what his plans are, given he never tell anyone anything.

Pierro doesn’t care what happens when his subordinates are sent on assignments, not caring if they are casualties or not. As someone who values his life, even if he is loyal and swore an oath to the chain of command, Viktor much rather stay alive. The man is... devastating.

SANDRONE Sandrone uses underhanded tricks and manipulates people to get what he wants, hiding behind a face of kindness to the people. Although Viktor is one to recognize the grey areas of politics, which is, politics is everywhere in any social interactions, Sandrone stands out because he is not influencing people’s judgements, he is a hypocrite who takes advantage of commoners when they meet their lowest points.

This, alongside his eerie puppets... is absolutely terrifying. Viktor cannot help but, unlike Scaramouche where he sees the immaturity and lack of professionalism of one man, feel genuine fear... and fascination. The things he could learn from this man, he cannot even start to comprehend.

PULCINELLA Pulcinella is the harbinger in charge of the Fatui’s military and, alternatively, its recruits camp. Viktor would be more than happy to give his body for the nation if needed, even if the battlefield is not his ideal position.

Technically, all Fatui receives a form of military training. The difference with Pulcinella is mainly that the Skirmishers are constantly enhanced through the Fatui technology, modified as their body belongs to the nation. Viktor personally has no interest in being cut open and changed, as he spent a significant amount of time perfecting his form and knowing his own body. Not everyone has the mental fortitude to be more than happy to be pumped with drugged and have their brain reconstructed to be a better martial weapon.

PANTALONE As the one gathering all funds related to Snezhnaya and the Fatui, working for Pantalone is about contributing to the wealth of the nation, an absolute vital part which, however, comes with a ruthless environment. Whereas politics and influence are more subjective, wealth is about cold, hard numbers in an unsure, competitive scene.

Although Viktor is the first one to tell that there is no bad way to gather money and actually admire the length the man goes for the nation’s mission, what is more of a desk job with very little flexibility (the way political debates and diplomatic exchanges do) is bound to bore him out, thinking like his wits could be used elsewhere.

TARTAGLIA When there is need for intimidation, Tartaglia Childe is the one sent by her Lady Tsaritsa. When there is need for muscles on the field, Tartaglia Childe is also the one sent. Although Viktor’s hunting background would technically make his skills appropriate for the task, Viktor is still not one who actually enjoys applying, let’s say, physical matters, especially unconventional ones Tartaglia Childe is sent into : it is not a straightforward army VS army combat. It is something which require finesse... a dangerous game which doesn’t necessarily fit Viktor.

As for the young lord himself, although he is one of the most respectable harbinger, Tartaglia’s impulsiveness and free spirit is known to suddenly put operations into chaos, without him going through the proper channels. This, honestly sounds both thrilling, rewarding and amazing... which is not Viktor’s cup of tea. However, Tartaglia has been proven to be the harbinger who respects underlings the most as individuals, despite his casual attitude giving some rookies the false impression that he is a softie... it just makes getting a disciplinary action from him harder.

SIGNORA La Signora is her majesty’s most direct representative in the manners of political and courtly presence. Although working for Signora is a door to open many opportunities to political events for one’s ascension in their career, Signora knows the game... and plays it dirty. Many threats are given under technically diplomatic moves, and as someone who hates losing time on something else than her goals, she has no olive branch to any subordinate, who are pawns for her to be at her service like a mighty mistress... but her ways are always so bloody efficient, the results speak for her manners. Always ahead of the whole court. A queen in any place she walks in.

Technically, Viktor cannot complain about his position, although he is very disgruntled about being that low in the food chain... and extremely neglected. Sigh. Even if he is one to not bother about a pause to his advancements, Viktor cannot get, at least, the satisfaction of doing something for his home... because he’s not doing anything and he’s denying the fact that he’s been forgotten.

DOTTORE Dottore is the most cerebral and knowledgeable of the harbingers, with actual results and hard work to show. As someone in need of mental stimulation, Viktor cannot help but be mesmerized at the constant studying opportunity, under a man who knows exactly what he is doing, what he wants, and makes it clear.

The practical application of skills and sense of professionalism make Dottore both a harbinger Viktor personally admire greatly and would like to work under : with such talent which shouldn’t, for Viktor, be wasted for a single second, he is no scientist, but would gladly do anything to remotely be useful to him. Dottore is actually one of the three harginers where Viktor’s respect, for various reasons, actually cancel part of the fear he would normally get from a man doing such harsh experiments.

CAPITANO The first time Viktor laid his eyes on Capitano, he’d never forget. For whatever reason the man was in his region, probably some undisclosed assignments, he had never seen a man breathing so much charisma by merely existing. Amidst the men who’d try to appear strong and tall, Capitano didn’t have to be the tallest or largest to be absolutely mesmerizing. A man who commanded authority by presence alone.

He needed to be like him. And this is when a young Viktor decided to join the Fatui, not telling a single word that a single man triggered it all. Viktor doesn’t see himself as someone with particular talent, drive or patience to change the world... but if he could be half the man his idol was, that would be enough... but did he want to be the man, or solely be by his side, even if it meant potentially never working under him ? ... both.

As a recruit, Viktor would always run to the pavilion up the Fatui base to see Capitano entering the premises whenever his arrival was announced, watching from afar, get information on what the man had been up to. The stories of the man’s conquests, exploring uncharted territories while keeping such a solemn expression, an inspiring leader who’d run his affairs with the most unforgiving grip, to the perfection, with every bit of professionalism and no break in his composure.

If Viktor was to work under this man, he wouldn’t care a single bit about the treatment on his person. If he can be the slightest bit not indirectly, but directly useful to such a man, he would gladly serve him with every bit of devotion he has. Travelling at his side with the most powerful assets to the Fatui, each challenge only one exciting puzzle after one another.

If Viktor sees the holy Tsaritsa as the Fatui’s queen, Capitano is his King.

[bellaslilpapercut]

Eclipse reread part 2! This is gonna cover a lot of chapters because I forgot to include stuff from chapters 4, 5, and 6 in part 1 (in my defense your honor, this book is very grating to read). Awayyy we go:

1. so chapters 4-6 really could have been one chapter tbh since the plot is: Bella ditches work at Newton’s Outfitters to hang with Jake and then writes some graduation invites with Angela. She pushes her rusty old behemoth as fast as it can go through driving rain but then hangs outside with Jake the whole time so I don’t really know where the rain went. She also manages to hear Jake gasp through her closed car door! Super sonic! Anyway, Bella insists that Edward is a good guy, Jake makes Bella hold his hand, Jake explains imprinting (yuck we can skip that), and then Edward drives threateningly past Bella while she’s on her way to Angela’s house. Angela reminds Bella that, at his core, Edward is a teen boy who is Totally Jealous of how Ripped and Sexy her 16 year old best friend is. Then Alice kidnaps Bella. Fun times!

2. During the imprinting convo it becomes very apparent that Meyer thinks the worst thing that can happen to a girl is getting broken up with. Somehow Leah got the “worst end” of the Sam/Emily/Leah fiasco despite Sam turning into a “monster” and Emily getting literally mauled in the face. What’s worse is later in the book, during the “Legends” chapter, when Bella wonders if Leah thinks Emily’s scars are a form of “justice.” Yea, Bella, that’s justice. 

3. I love this Rosalie quote but hate the entirety of they way meyer writes her story. Others have mentioned it before but Meyer writes Rose's dialogue there as if Rose is an author and not like...a person telling a story. An easy fix would be to format Rosalie's story "flash back" style rather than have her narrate all the way through. Then you can include all the superfluous details of exactly what everyone's voice sounded like and all the excessive dialogue tags you want.

I also Violently Abhor this quote here:

Yea, meyer, the Hot Girl hates your self-insert because her stupid ass brother didn't have the hots for her. It just reads like weird middle school revenge fantasy "I only hated you because you were so Special!!!" Sure, sure. Also "all those females!" People don't talk like that @stephanie

4. I do love the scene when Bella “escapes” from Alice with Jake (I don’t know why i put escape in quotes, Alice could definitely murk Bella) but then that whole adventure ends with Jake telling Bella he’d rather she die than turn into a vampire. And yeah, fair buddy, but also you’ve known Bella for a long time. This should not be a surprise to you at all even a little bit. a) she mentioned it before, b) you knew she would never get over Edward even if your plan in NM had worked, and c) you’ve known that she’s fully obsessed with the Cullen’s since you started hanging out with her again. The last time you guys hung out she went on an impassioned rampage about how lovely and good and fantastic Edward is (footage not found) I really don’t know why you’re surprised that this hard-headed girl is prepared to commit to vampirism for him. She is not normal lmfao.

5. The legends chapter. Oh boy. Stephanie, Meyer, Smeyer. Honestly it might have been less offensive if she had just made up a whole new tribe to give these backstories to, for all that they have in common with real Quileute legends but actually that would still be offensive and terrible anyway. I don’t know how to describe this adequately but if you’ve ever seen G.I. Joe’s portrayal of indigenous people that’s exactly what meyer made Old Quil and Billy’s dialogue sound like. Just absolutely dripping with Mystical Native/ Magical Native trope from the content to the tone. https://mthg.org/ Because it can’t be plugged enough.  

6. The legends chapter ends with this Wuthering Heights quote:

I have no qualms with it's inclusion, if you really want to push the Edward is Heathcliff and Bella is Cathy agenda, I don't believe it but fine, whatever. But those last two paragraphs are such a dumb way to end a chapter. Every chapter ending should make the reader want to turn the page: this makes me want to shut the book (actually I did take a long break after this lmfao). Anyway, just end the quote on "drank his blood," bold those three words, and end the chapter there. Don't go back and say "the three words that stood out were... Anyway it could have fallen to any page I believe in coincidence teehee!!" That's just annoying.

7. Okay guys I hate to say it but Edward does get a lil bit of ~character growth after the first few chapters. He comes home after having Bella kidnapped (she decides not to be angry, surprise surprise) and is all "so I've been thinking about it and you're right my Beloved Angel Face or whatever, please hang out with Jacob but also wear a helmet on your motorcycle my Beloved Dumb Idiot or whatever" (paraphrase). And he also says this in chapter 12:

Which is like, man I hate when I agree with Edward but I agree with Edward here. Now I know from MS that he only wants Bella to stay human because he's creating an Unfolding Drama in his head but this bit of dialogue is really sweet. And it's funny that he thought Bella didn't want to marry him because she just wanted to use him for immortality but it's also a Dark Reminder that he's literally only romantic with her because he can't read her mind and can't tell that she's just as obsessed with his looks as the other Teen Girls TM.

8. uuuh Jasper’s Backstory Time. This is so infuriating to read for so many reasons. So we know that smeyer got Jasper’s name from a confederate memorial/ listing (from a New Moon Q&A but the link isn’t secure so I can’t share) so I know that his backstory was always meant to be Confederate Soldier which makes everything else about his characterization just baffling. Again, he was the only Cullen that was genuinely kind to Bella besides Carlisle for the entire first book and he’s still incredibly kind during Eclipse (which is another issue I have though because no one mentions again that Jasper tried to eat Bella and they stand close to each other and hang out and Bella’s never like “this is scary, this dude tried to kill me” but i digress). The point is: smeyer knew he was going to be a confederate from book 1. She never addresses that this was bad, she never has Jasper mention that he regrets his role in the war, he is the only Cullen that’s actually capable of empathizing with humans anymore (Carlisle cares but I would not categorize him as empathetic), it just... None of these pieces fit together. This is a fraught and bloody history that smeyer throws in with no thought to how it might alienate black readers (though tbh she constantly emphasizes “white beauty” throughout the series so I doubt she cares) and the editors don’t question it either. No one, at any point in time, said “Hey, steph, you know confederates fought for slavery, right?” Every black american deserves reparations. White women and men who glorify the civil war should be the first to pay up. 

9. I’m gonna jump back to chapters 9 & 10 here (target & scent, respectively) to say: no tension is being effectively built. I get it, someone stole your clothes. You’re annoyed because you have nothing to wear and Victoria is scary. But where is she? Where is the volturi? Move it along, please! This is one of the challenges of 1st person narrative because the author is stuck in the eyes of, usually, the person who knows the least. Meyer is not a talented enough author to make this interesting. Not to bring up THG again but Suzanne Collins really knew how to work 1st person. Everything that Katniss asserts with certainty throughout the series gets either confirmed or denied by the narrative, keeping it interesting. She assumes the worst of the people around her so we’re pleasantly surprised when people violate those assumptions. We’re kept on edge by how little Katniss knows and SC never gifts Katniss with more knowledge than she could be expected to have. Bella is constantly gifted with knowledge and her assumptions are rarely proven wrong. You can dig into the canon a little bit more, read the lexicon and the guide, and find all the examples of Bella being unreliable or making wrong assumptions. But within the narrative she is rarely incorrect. She doesn’t get opportunities to grow out of her false assumptions (while Edward does, at least in Eclipse). So to keep the Victoria debacle interesting, smeyer has to plant seeds like- during these two chapters- Bella thinking of Laurent and Victoria while the cullens discuss who could have been in Bella’s room. That just doesn’t cut it for me. 

This is hella long and I’m only halfway through the book. I probably should split the second half into two parts as well but based on how talented smeyer is at stretching out the mundane, especially just before the climax, I probably wont need to. 

[pathogenliliaceae]

Let the games begin. To go off on: Mia. To explore changes, potential, concerns, etc: Jill.

Oh! Cooperation is lovely! Thank you, Anonymous! This may be a bit longwinded... We'll give Mia a go first.

My Thoughts on Mia Winters:

I make no secrets that my analysis on Mia will be full of speculation. Quite honestly, though she's been in more games than some of our series protagonists, there isn't much that is truly known about her (Ha, I put "it" and had to correct myself). She is full of mystery, and while that functionally works for Ada and her behind-the-scenes mischief, there is something that absolutely irks me about the enigma that is Mia's purpose.

I think this is why: While Ada ends up being beneficial in some circumstance, Mia finds herself in need of rescuing. We are two for two, at this point. Her presence in both games is inconsequential. Everything that happens involving Mia could have been just as easily expressed in a memo or through cutscenes. Those of you who enjoy her will defend that she did not ask Ethan to come and rescue her in Seven, but truly I am not entirely convinced nor sure of how much of Mia's actions are the E-001 mould or are her own. Therefore, we cannot pick and choose.

We can, however, analyse what Mia was like prior to the E-001 infection.

Let us talk first about the organisation she finds herself involved with. The Connections, founded by Brandon Bailey, who you may recognise from memos in Five- a protégé of Dr. James Marcus. From what I can tell, The Connections does not have much to do with anything other than the E-series. They (he?) attempted partnership with HCF in the early 2000s, but the only bit of information I can find about what they did states that they only managed to "revolutionise" mind-control experiments through the use of fungus. Fungus which they obtained from Miranda under the false pretense that they would use it to resurrect Eva. Right, then- Mia joins them in 2010.

The timeline is a bit wonky in this bit, but stick with me as I try to make some sense of it. Mia and Ethan date in Texas (video games tell me that the most awful things happen in Texas) in the early 2000s, and marry in 2011. Therefore, it is (hopefully) assumed that their relationship was at least somewhat serious prior to Mia joining The Connections in 2010. One would assume that they engaged and Mia celebrated by becoming a bioterrorist. I understand, though. Weddings are expensive.

Mia keeps her job a secret from her to-be, and later- current, husband. She tells him she works as a "worker for a trading company", which- shame on Ethan for not asking more questions to uncover that elaborate ruse. That story falls apart if you brush it with a feather. She even calls the transport and handling of Eveline a "babysitting job" in her video to Ethan at the beginning of Seven. Oh, Ethan, you absolute moron. We should expect that he does suspect something, at least, as in her second video that she attempts to send she states "You're right, I have been lying to you". In October 2014, Mia and Alan spirit Eveline away, intentionally across the Atlantic, and presumably transporting her to Miranda, because the BSAA uncovered the facility (I am unsure where the facility Eveline was conceived in is located. I assume Texas, as Mia joined The Connections in Texas, and Louisiana is on the way from Texas to Romania). I am aware that some articles state that the Annabelle was headed to Central America, but I cannot find citation of it in a memo, nor remember it in my playthrough of Seven. She is "killed" (fails at containment) whilst "trading goods" (smuggling a sentient bioweapon). Ethan presumably moves on with his life, all the better for no longer having Mia as a spouse. ... Until July, 2017. All bad things happen in July in this series. Arklay, Lanshiang, now this.

As we cannot be certain that Mia is not lying, due to her track record, I will state that we cannot be sure that she did not lure Ethan to Dulvey, and therefore is entirely involved in the events of Seven, from transport to finality. Mia, canonically, unfortunately, is "cured" with the serum and evacuated from the Dulvey Estate by Blue Umbrella (which I take absolute issue with).

I've said this timeline is a mess, and my thoughts are equally messy, so I apologise again. We'll move on to Village and the bulk of what I suspect is Mia's covert (if you could call it covert) allied relationship with Miranda. Previous to October 2014, Miranda travelled to The Connections facility that was housing Eveline. There, she met and conversed with both Mia and Alan. Both were working in tandem for and with The Connections, and both were intimately involved in the E-series.

Back to the whole transporting Eveline across the ocean bit, because I've just had a thought, just WHO approves of transporting a BOW of Eveline's calibre without containment measures and protocols? Oh, yes, it could not possibly backfire that we've given everyone out of the know the impression that this is a family with a not-at-all-dangerous small child. Yes, a gun will fix it. Perfect. Whose idea was this? Mia? Alan? Brandon? Whomever, you're thick.

Anyhow- I wholly and fully believe that Mia's involvement in Village and, by proxy, with Miranda, is willful. They had met before, and by extension had worked together, on the E-series project in specific regard to Eveline and the moulded. Rosemary is born to Mia and Ethan, and the BSAA relocates the Winterses (this still makes me laugh as it does not, at all, roll off the tongue) to Romania. I am not one hundred percent certain how this comes to be the location, as I have faith that Mia would know that Miranda operates nearby. There is too much happenstance for it to not be purposeful. That, however, involves Chris in some fashion and I cannot make that connection in a way that I enjoy it. I like to imagine that Mia simply expressed that she had always wanted to visit Romania, and the BSAA bungled it accordingly.

A bit more on the BSAA in this whole instance: While I do find them entirely insufferable, an utter joke at times, I do believe that some of them are at least somewhat competent. Yes, even Miss Valentine. Canonically, The Connections has a mole in the BSAA. The Connections, who hired Lucas Baker as Head Researcher in the E-series project. The Connections, who trusted Mia to transport a sentient BOW without containment measures. Has a mole. In the BSAA.

Sure.

Anyhow, this "mole" provides Miranda with intel of where the Winterses are living, that they've just had a baby, that both Mia and Ethan are living fungal colonies, and therefore, perhaps, maybe, Rosemary may be a suitable substitute for Eva. Bit of a leap of logic there, but I digress.

This "mole" in the BSAA must absolutely be Mia. I do not think so much it's that she's in the BSAA so much as that she is privy to whatever intel they would have regarding her family because she is a part of it. Again, she would have know they were close to Miranda. "Remember that mouldy pseudo-child BOW that my organisation promised you? Have I got news for you- my husband and I have gone stale, I've got a daughter, and I'm right in the neighbourhood!"

It ultimately makes more sense in the whole of how the universe operates that Mia and Miranda would be in league with one another. One does not simply make connections in... Well, The Connections... For all this to be coincidence.

Miranda takes Mia's forme and then goes on to impersonate Mia for days, her confrontational attitude goes unnoticed by Ethan because Mia's mould-type is of the toxic variety. Allegedly, Mia is captured and holed up in Miranda's lab having been experimented on. The only supporting evidence to Mia having been experimented on is in Eugen's Diary, stating that Miranda asked Eugen to bring her medical equipment and drugs on Wednesday, 3 February 2021. On Friday, 5 February, Miranda had taken Mia's place. And, of course, Mia's claim that she was experimented on and held hostage. I have one question of all of this:

Why would Miranda need to experiment on Mia if she is infected with the same E-series mould that Miranda already has samples and an unlimited supply of due to her proximity to the megamycete? Mia does not state that she is special after being rescued by Chris, only that Ethan is special. I would argue that both are rather run-of-the-mill, but again, I digress. Simply put, I don't believe that she would need to. Us scientists are not in the habit of wanting to perform experiments for the sake of using up supplies.

Furthermore, when Chris finds Mia in Miranda's lab, she is "imprisoned" in oddly the same way as she was in Seven. Behind bars, but unrestrained. In Village, Mia even has relative access to a weapon which she tries to attack Chris with. While Miranda is a mimic, after having obtained target DNA, I do not imagine that it would be easy to have mistaken Chris for Miranda. Unless Miranda regularly comes down to her lab as other people, which would be rather amusing- though setting up for a massive security issue.

If you were to imprison someone for experimentation, it's likely you wouldn't give them anything they could possibly use to attack you with. At least, that's how I would do it in the off chance that for whatever reason I became interested in imprisoning someone against their will for the purpose of science. (Do not read into this, Christiana.)

I believe that Mia intended to attack Chris, and after failing miserably, played the damsel card.

I will end this rambling on this note: She is entirely rude, confrontational, and hostile for someone who has just been rescued from imprisonment and had their baby saved. Honestly, if this is her default personality, who could fault Ethan for not noticing his wife being replaced for three days?

In short: Ethan should have saved Zoe instead. Mia Winters is a false-protagonist who has found herself in more than a few suspicious situations, has proven from the beginning to be a liar, and already has the connection with Miranda that might foster her involvement in the events of Seven and Village.

I'm certain I've missed something further that would be worth discussing. We will cover Jill in another entry as this has run much too long already, and it is time for my job as a worker at a trading company.

[rayomz]

 raymond headcanons.. they aren't entirely fleshed out and they're like "what if it was like this? that makes sense". so sorry if things dont quite make sense or isn't that thought out.. also there may be errors here and there but this isn't supposed to be a polished document its just a rough collection of headcanons i haven't done much with other than like... thinking of them lol

some of this stuff i've posted before but i'm going to reshare again

polokus in origins is described as "an artist and unabashed hedonist" and i see him as just that. immature. he loves all his creations, of course, but he's not exactly responsible. he sees the nymphs more as friends than his daughters. he's more concerned with people liking him than doing the right thing. when he has his first bad dream, he cowers and doesn't want to do anything about it, or he's too scared? this leads to betilla having to do everything herself, she gets help from the other nymphs and creates rayman

the masks of polokus represent his different formes, or perhaps different eras. polokus is a shapeshifter and can be whatever he wants to of course, but he has a "default" he likes to stick with. when he finally changes his "default", a mask is made of the previous forme. for example, polokus from rayman 2 and polokus from the ubiart games are him in different "eras" if that makes sense. their cultural and historic significance could be expanded upon definitely i think but i havent thought too much more into that lmao. the wiki on rpc says that the four kings look like the masks but that sounds more speculative and feels like a stretch. i don’t buy that at all, i don’t see the resemblance

polokus loves all forms of art, and as a result, a lot of the glade's "religion" boils down to being creative and creating, and a lot of magic in general require some form of art, such as dancing for certain spells (the way teensies open portals in r2 or w/e). the people of the glade create art, sing, dance, to keep polokus inspired, amused, and happy so he doesn't have any more bad dreams. i thought about the nymphs all having a corresponding art form, with, obviously, holly being music and edith being culinary, but im not sure what annetta or helena would be. helena maybe textiles... annetta im not sure what i would do with her since she's the most... withdrawn nymph

polokus’ feelings on rayman’s existence are complicated since he is the only creature not created by him. he doesn’t know what he’s capable of, but he’s done a lot already in terms of stopping nightmares and foreign threats such as the pirates. he’s impressed, intrigued... a bit intimidated maybe..... he respects rayman and does love him (polokus has to love every creature after all)

im not sure if the muse of the poets is considered to be actual canon since it appears she was only mentioned in a license guide and not in any other official media. but she's a popular character and i like her too so she gets mentioned. she and polokus fall in love and she has their children, the teensies. she is disgusted by them and runs away, leaving them and polokus forever. she is disgusted by herself, too. if her children are ugly, she must be ugly as well. she becomes obsessed with making herself beautiful, and having beautiful children. she eventually becomes begoniax, which you know how that turns out...

betilla: polokus' pride and joy, she loves him as a father, but is disappointed with his lack of responsibility. when she was younger she was very mischevious and much like him. she learned magic just to be able to pull pranks perform elaborate pull magic tricks. eventually when the first bad dream happened, it was a wake up call. she tried to get him to do something about jano but he wouldn't respond to her. she took matters into her own hands since she was the most magically capable of anyone she knew. with the help of the other nymphs, they created rayman. she's been the "responsible" one ever since. if you catch her in a good mood she might be a bit playful but her days of frivolity are long gone. likes to knit and crochet when she has the time (which is rarely), and spend time with her sisters.

other nymphs: i dont have quite as many headcanons about them, but they are rayman's aunts obviously. edith is rayman's favourite aunt since she's a good cook, followed by holly, who has taught him everything he knows about music. helena is very enthusiastic and a bit overbearing. annetta is the aunt that never shows up to anything

the nymphs all have an element tied to them. betilla and fee de la mort obviously being life and death. holly is air, edith is fire, anetta is water, and helena is earth. seems pretty obvious this part but i've rarely seen ppl attribute helena with earth despite the fact she lives on a mountain...? (stone men, stone dogs, golly g....)

ly is interested in the magical workings of the world and is especially fascinated with lums and their power. betilla sees her potential as a magic user and has accepted her as her pupil. another reason betilla has taken a liking to ly is that she reminds her of her own youth, since ly is fairly playful as well, using magic for tricks. ly is initially just interested in rayman because of the fact he's a being entirely made out of lums, but it eventually turns into a genuine, and close, friendship.

a lot of fairies and some teensies can make "weak" silver lums to give to rayman, but they might not do much, or the effects are temporary. only ly and the nymphs are able to give rayman powers with "stronger" silver lums.

polokus does not dream of every individual in the glade. he dreamt of the first peoples of each species, then they procreate by themselves. most places in the glade are natural, similar to earth, but polokus' dreams may affect them (the icy parts of gourmand land is an obvious example. giant fruit? that's silly)

teensies: naturally hairless and there is little dimorphism between the sexes. their fashion is inspired by the fairies', and have adopted to wear wigs, false eyelashes, fake facial hair, etc. all teensies have the ability to perform magic but they have to actively for it to be useful. teensies with an interest in magic will attend a magic school. the best of the best of teensie magic users can become a minimus, and, of course, the best out of THEM become the grand minimus. there are many teensie races, and each may vary in size, colour (turquoise like in the ubiarts, more grey like in 2 and 3. usually just varying shades of blue), markings, nose length and shape. some races may be more adept at certain magic styles than others.

mr dark: i have some ideas but nothing concrete. might not even go with this story as my definitive headcanon. fairy. he was always critical of polokus, and after the first bad dream, that made him hate the god even more. he was the one who wanted to stop jano, and maybe become someone powerful enough to be seen as the glade's new "god" or whatever. betilla has proven herself to be the better magic user after the creation of rayman. polokus' main thing was that he was the creator, he was able to create life, and now betilla's able to create life. she may as well be polokus! she's a threat! when he steals the protoon/heart of the world and eventually kidnaps betilla, he uses her power to create dark rayman/raymesis. raymesis is *not* was not created by dark by himself, and he would not have been able to pull off this feat without betilla's knowledge of creating "thingamajigs". rayman and raymesis are the only two thingamajigs known in existence, both created by betilla. not saying it's impossible that others could exist, but they would have to be dreamt into existence by polokus.

dark's obsession with being the most powerful person in the world and becoming a god is why he stole the heart of the world, of course. ales mansay would take inspiration from this event. his views are similar to dark's, that's why he worships him. polokus is a terrible god, he lets people suffer. rayman is a terrible hero, all he does is sleep. ales knows he wouldn't be able to reach the heart of the world and instead tries to build his “own” using lums (maybe not exactly but something comparable... the heart of the world is made up of lums after all). i know that's like, duh, canon information, but it was never stated *WHY* he looks up to mr dark. so now you know why. its bc they both hate polokus