#the rise of ozymandias

[bubblytarts]

Bad End AU drawings for Ozy, Gill, and Marigold - three characters in The Rise of Ozymandias. The idea is that some evil eldritch ink is starting to possess them :)

(This is not canon to Realm Jumper)

Ozy and Gill belong to me; Marigold belongs to @pipittypro

[redybearsent]

Pokemon x UTDR Fakemon Designs (Pt 1)

Welcome to this toxic and fake region called Undertale/Deltarune´s Community! In this vast world you can find many species based on your favorite AUs and creators. Come in and enjoy your stay here in this polemic land.

Choose your starter! You can start your adventure by choosing one of this 3 little critters:

Charseed, the weed pokemon (Based on Charkis from Chapter Rewritten)

Embora, the legacy pokemon (Based on Ceroba from Undertale Yellow)

Tadskull, the hero pokemon (Based on Crossbones from TS!Underswap)

Each one of this lovely starters will have their own evolution lines but you´ll have to be patient to find out in what they´ll turn into in the future.

In this interesting land lives an interesting species know as Crookcrow, the crow Pokémon, this small and yet not very good looking bird lives from stealing other Pokémon's foods, gaining the nickname of "The big bad rook". When it evolves it turns into Ozyrook, the villain Pokémon, this prideful bird commands small crowds of Crookcrows to bring food for him.  This big rook when it´s used for combat it can have one of this two unique abilities:

Ozymandias: When its HP drops down half percent, Ozyrook will rise its attack two stages but its defense and special defense will drop two stages down.

Castling: When its HP drops down half percent, Ozyrook will switch out itself for the pokemon next to it in the party. After this, the pokemon that was switched in will receive a power boost by one on its speed stat.

If you use this Pokémon you are in for a strategic game to not loose him in battle and use the most out of him.

Finally we would like to introduce a new form of Rotom, Rotom Cathode! This forms occurs when a Rotom inhabits a CRT TV for too long.  This form has a new and unique move tied to it: "Laugh Track" it has the chance to confuse the enemy and boost it´s speed state if the move hits the rival. Hope you enjoyed this little art concept I had. If it gets enough support it will make a part 2 in no time! 

https://www.deviantart.com/redybearsart/art/Pokemon-x-UTDR-Fakemon-Designs-Pt-1-1013803311

[moral-terpitude]

The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed - Part Three

Okay. Spent more time thinking of a title for whatever this is going to turn into than I should have. I’ve changed the title twice, still don’t know if I like it. It is from Ozymandias by P.B. Shelley.

Trying to write some of this every day this month 😂😬

No readmore because I don’t want my paragraphs ate up. Sorry.

[Masterlist] [Part One] [Part Two]

10 Years Prior - 2012

“Did BAT and Associated send over the payroll reports yet?”

You sighed, ruffling your hair as you looked up at your boss, Lynnae, with a shake of your head, “For the offices, not yet for the factories. Still waiting on a few more emails.”

Your eyes flicked to the computer screen, checking to make sure no new emails had came through. Lightning flickered through the blinds and thunder cracked off in the distance.

“Shelby yet?”

Another shake of your head, “No one brought me the folder. Usually Sam brings it as soon as it’s here. Why can’t you just convert them to digital payroll? It would save so much time.”

She shrugged, her blouse crinkling as she did so, “Mr. Shelby is particular. Doesn’t have much trust in variables that he can’t control.”

“That is the politest way I’ve ever heard someone called a control freak.” You scoffed, looking back down at the reports you had been sifting through. You didn’t even remember where they were for anymore but the numbers weren’t balancing.

She sat in the empty chair across from your desk, “You weren’t working here yet, were you?”

“Not a clue what you’re on about,” you tucked the pencil back behind your ear, leaning back in the worn chair that protested ever so much, “so probably not.”

The office wasn’t as stuffy now with everyone gone for the day. It was going on 7pm, it was pouring buckets outside, and, of course, everyone was running behind.

You’d be lucky if you were out of here by midnight tonight.

“His wife passed from a heart condition a few years ago. She was in the hospital waiting to go into surgery when it happened. Their son wasn’t much more than a year old.”

“That…” You felt your eyes glaze over as your brain searched for the right words, “is fucking tragic.”

She held your gaze for a moment, wrinkles pooling between her brows, before she nodded.

There was silence. You didn’t really know any of the clients by name. They were numbers, profit and loss sheets, and payroll accounts to you.

She patted the desk twice, rising from the chair before she spoke, “I sent Sam home. If I order takeaway will you stay and help me finish everything up?”

You gave a curt nod, returning to your work. It was a routine that had happened enough times that she knew your order from anywhere in a close enough radius to deliver.

You were lost in balancing books when you heard the door rattle, taking a second to process Sam was no longer out front, you pulled your sweater back on and made your way into the front of the shop.

When you got out front, it definitley wasn’t the takeaway guy. He was taller than you by a bit. Black coat. Staring intently at the car idling on the street.

You unlocked the door, peeking your head out enough to be heard, “I’m sorry, we’re closed for the day.”

“I’m dropping off paperwork for Lynnae.”

“Mr. Shelby?”

He nodded. Considering the story you had pictured someone older.

“I have some papers I need you to sign, actually. Do you have a moment?”

He glanced back to the car, “Let me get me boy from the car, then I’ll sign whatever you need.”

“Thank you.”

You left the door unlocked, retreating back to your desk for the Manila folder. The bell rattled again, as Mr. Shelby returned, a blonde boy perched on his hip, snuggled into his neck away from the rain.

“Sorry, to make you go through the trouble, Mr. Shelby.” You traded the folders with him, as he sat the child down, blue eyes just like his father’s looking back at you.

“Please, call me Tommy.”

You smiled, giving a small nod, “I’m Y/N.”

“Hi!” The little boy waved his free hand, the other arm wrapped around his fathers leg.

You smiled, crouching down to talk to him. He was just as smartly dressed as his father was, in a little grey sweater and black pants.

“Hello. What’s your name?”

“Charlie.” He beamed, tucking himself inside of Tommy’s dripping coat as he made shy with you.

“Well, Charlie,” you made your way behind Sam’s desk, pulling open the drawer for the stash of sweets she had hidden, “since it’s my fault you’re out in this rain, would you like a treat?”

His eyes lit up as he rushed behind the desk to join you and the scraping of the pen on paper was the only sound for a beat.

“Wow.” His voice was a drawn out whisper as he stared into the drawer.

“Take a few. No one will miss them.” You chuckled, chancing a glance at Tommy, who said nothing, icy blue eyes darting down the page before turning to a new one.

Charlie took a couple pieces of taffy and a lollipop, and stuffed them in his coat pocket.

“I think that’s all of them.” Tommy closed the folder, handing it back to you and dropping the pen back in Sam’s cup. “Charlie, what do you tell Ms. Y/N?”

Charlie blinked, wide eyed, as you smiled kindly.

“You’re pretty.”

Your cheeks hurt as soon as you started to smile, a whispered thank you sneaking out as you closed Sam’s desk.

Tommy looked at you sympathetically, trying to suppress his laughter with the smile that had upturned the corners of his mouth.

“For the candy, Charles.” Laughter was laced with his words as he clapped him on the shoulder, giving him a small shake.

“Oh!” The little boy flushed red, “Thank you!”

“You’re welcome.”

“It’s nice to finally put a face with the person who handles our paperwork.” Tommy hefted Charlie back into his arms, where the boy nuzzled back into his neck once again.

“It’s nice to meet you, Tommy.”

Another round of thunder and lightning came and went outside the window as an anxious look crossed Charlie’s face.

“You two should get going, I’ll lock up behind you.”

The pair of them departed without saying much more, and you watched the car pull away before retreating to your desk for the remainder of the night.

By the same time that next week, you had a strange hope in your chest that they would be the same ones bringing the paperwork.

Shuttered away in the office, you tried to keep an ear out over ringing phones and clacking of keyboards, but it was easier to just become absorbed in your work and numbers instead.

“Perfect timing,” Sam chirped as you passed through on the way back from the restroom, “Lizzie you can just give them to Y/N.”

Sam returned to the phone call she was handling as the tall woman turned from the counter. Midday was usually when you got the information, so she must have been the one who brought them every week.

Lizzie.

You both wore the same confused look as she handed off the folder: Recognition. She didn’t look much different than the last time you saw her. All the women in your family were cursed with the same blasted nose.

“Liz?”

“What the fuck, Y/N, I wondered if that was you!” She laughed, as the two of you awkwardly shared a hug before separating.

“Well, it’s been, what, 6 years since grandma passed?”

You awkwardly shrugged, scratching the front of your neck as you beckoned her to follow you toward your office.

6 years since our family fell apart.

“How’s David?”

Her query had you stalling mid air as you reached to pull the chair up behind you.

“Oh, fuck, I broke that off three years ago.” Your brow furrowed as you finished sitting.

“Shit. Sorry. Never knew.” She shifted awkwardly in the chair, eyes wandering the office as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

She looked just like Aunt Em.

“Oh, it was for the best.” You waved away her concern, before following up with the polite small-talk, “What about you, seeing anyone?”

“No,” her nose crinkled as she shook her head, “work has been a lot on my plate and everyone has kids or wants them. Not my bag.”

You nodded. Even when you were younger, Lizzie didn’t want kids. You were usually the one itching to hold every new baby each holiday.

Some things never change.

You spent the next half hour catching up, before her phone started ringing.

“Shit. I better get going,” she silenced it, cramming it back in her coat pocket, and plucking one of the cards from the holder on your desk, “I’ll shoot you a message sometime, maybe we can go do something?”

“Sure, sounds good.”

You wouldn’t place a bet on it. The whole division of your grandma’s estate had been a litigation disaster that made your mother’s never want to speak to each other ever again.

**BAT is the British American Tobacco company and Associated is Associated British Foods

*** If you squint, there is a Clifford the Big Red Dog reference in here.

[hrodvitnon]

Gemstone Megalon & Ozymandias

So, I’ve been toying with the idea that at some point pre-Space Crystal Cordyceps (PSCC), Ozymandias encountered the Seatopians and through them Megalon. And this was at a point when Megalon was relatively more chill towards other Titans (thanks to Seatopia not yet deciding it needed to fuck off entirely from surface affairs), albeit with the caveat that they prove themselves via combat and don’t try to say, convert the Seatopians to their own followings (on pain of being drilled to death) or expose too much about them - again, on pain of drillings.

Suffice it to say, Ozymandias passed with flying colors - but not without coming out with broken limbs, dozens of open wounds, and feeling more tired than he had in centuries. Megalon however didn’t see anything wrong with that, only remarking that it was “THE MARK OF A TRUE WARRIOR”.

And that was how Ozymandias started his odd not-quite-friendship with the literal God of War. 

It wasn’t quite a mentorship and it wasn’t exactly the same as the sort of ‘professional’ gatherings between other Titans. It was moreso a very, very, very old elder instructing and guiding a junior - a junior who had only ever believed that Megalon was a myth, a fairytale to spook fledglings until this moment.

He never told his dad or little brother about his meetings with Megalon, still being somewhat naive at that point and being under a sworn oath to leave the Seatopians out of most of the world’s wider affairs, since tensions between the Apes and Godzillasaurus were very much on the rise.

And despite it all, Megalon did enjoy the company of another Titan to teach and tell stories of the olden days to. There was the Light Mother of course, as there always would be, but their differing philosophies had caused them to drift over time. And the Preservers - those designated 'Battra’ by mortals- cared not for anything that wasn’t preserving the world as a whole. Ozymandias was the first time in millennia that Megalon had met someone or some thing that he could impart the wisdom of War and its intricacies upon. Or at least, one who was not of his own people.

Then one day, long after their first meeting, he was taken. Snatched away by a nightmare from the stars. And though Megalon has not and will never weep, for War is ever enduring and the pain of loss everpresent, he still felt like he had lost something then.

And because he is War and War is a constant in all things, he also knew that whilst his friend was not 'dead’ as mortal kind would understand it, the agony he endured would have made any death preferable - his domain stretching across the gulf of time and space to relay the awful feelings that the Space Crystal Cordyceps placed Ozymandias under. And even beyond that, if Megalon focused far enough back, you’d get a whole history of dead or ruined worlds by the predator that was Gigan - a tapestry of insanity woven by a madman.

He naturally never told anyone of course - Seatopia distanced itself from the world above and retreated to untapped depths of the Hollow Earth and he only vaguely knew of Ozymandias’ father and brother from what little he caught during their discussions after battle and philosophy had been spent. To Megalon, they were not those who had faced him and proven their worth, so to him, he couldn’t care less. War takes. That is the nature of the universe.

But the hatred of the loss of someone who could have been a pupil, taken before their time, the rage at the senseless violation of all that he stood for and represented, the sheer hate of a worthy foe being denied their right to a glorious end was still there and that only doubled as the Seatopians slowly began to become one with their God.

This incidentally probably added to the fury he assaulted the world with post-awakening.

When SpaceGodzilla arrives, Megalon is likely amongst the first to respond. Not because of protecting the surface-dwellers, or defending territory. But to simply grant a proper death to a worthy warrior who deserved far better than to become a slave to a parasite.

---

Man, as if Ozymandias being taken by Gigan’s fleet and the SCC couldn’t be any more of a loss, here comes MEGALON! This also nicely gives the big ol’ bug more depth, which I like a lot.

[forthedancingandthethriving]

The Aabid Ruins were a maze, it was decided quite quickly. Massive bones of divine animals and beings towered over the land, growth, and vines curling all around. Pillars of stone and rock jut out from the ground, casting large shadows.

That, and the cultists swarming about.

From far off, the two sentinels watch as the group fight them off. Magic, arrows, knives, and swords are used against the cultists, making Sentinel Alivs hum.

She tilts her head. "Two Beyonders." The three eyes floating above her head blink. "The rest fron Espi."

Sentienal Cato's scorpion tail flicks. "Destined to return?"

"If they themselves allows it."

The sentinels continue to watch. The eyes of Cato flick off to one of the Beyonders — Root. His eyes blink a few times.

"Hm." He hums.

Alivs turns her head. "Hm?"

Cato nods. "Hm."

The two continue to stand by the large ribs of an ancient dragon. They watch as the group defeats the cultists, and makes their way to them.

"Hello, adventurers," they greet the group.

"Sentinels.." Hilde looks amazed.

"Were you watching us the whole time?" Lyon looked exasperated.

"Fate does not allow us to intervene when the threads are tied," Alivs answers, extending a paw down. The group all gets on, and the sentinel sets them down on a large rock.

"Sentinels, we need your help," Hilde speaks as she walks up. She's frowning. "We need to figure out what the cultists want and why the emperor wants them in the kingdom."

"So we can kick their asses!" Alexander adds.

The sentinels turn their heads to look at each other. The three eyes that each had slowly blink before Cato turns his head.

"They wish for the rise of the Mar and Kaiah," Cato answers. "They reside all over this continent."

"Why?!" Xavier frowns deeply. "They're already powerful enough!"

"You know we cannot say."

It's quiet before Root steps forward, placing a hand on her chest. "Sentinels.. Arun said that.. you know everything. Is that true?"

They nod, and Root inhales slowly before exhaling. She looks up at them with a serious look. "Do you know where Alexander and I came from?"

It was a question that had been haunting her for ages. It was something that was clawing at the back of her mind.

They nod, and she pushes forward.

"Is there.. any chance we go home?"

She doesn't know why she's asking this. Curiosity, maybe? Who knows.

She certainly doesn't.

"It depends on your decisions." Alivs finally answers after a few moments.

Root glances down.

Well, isn't that reassuring.

○●○

Plurality chews on the pen in her mouth, staring at the theory board. After a few moments, she takes it out of her mouth and crosses out the 'developer took them' theory. It just didn't make sense in the long run.

She stares at the board more before exhaling, closing her eyes. She pauses to think before frowning.

She wishes she could just ask Database to open her a portal there, but that would be an entirely different computer, and the developer's copy. The Code Manifestation knew it was probably possible, but very, very risky.

And right now, she couldn't risk anything.

Root taps the pen against her lips as she thinks. She remembers Lil Coding recounting how Ozymandias apparently didn't know where Root had went, and he was being surprisingly honest.

She wonders..

[lime-bloods]

Terminator and Watchmen also share in themes of false flag attacks being used as justification for rising fascism; Skynet uses the opportunity provided by human war to take over the United States' military assets, Ozymandias uses a manufactured alien invasion as justification for bringing about his New World Order... the two stories are actually contemporary, Terminator even predating Watchmen by two years, so they no doubt draw on the same Cold War paranoia

[artbyblastweave]

Taking the bait for Tick

Setting fusion in which the end of Watchmen loosely overlaps with the appearance of Scion and the rise of actual superpowered capes, who are using the Minutemen and Crimebusters as their cultural referents when they start to go out in costume. Vikare doesn't get beaten to death in this AU because people don't believe he has powers, or at least not specifically because of that; he gets beaten to death because people are sick of the masked vigilantes in general and haven’t twigged to the fact that this is a genuinely new paradigm. 

Scion ends the cold war (possibly intervening in the squid attack? Not sure of the exact timeline on this) frustrating Ozymandias and driving him to involvement with early Cauldron; his motivation is halfsies between recognition of the threat posed by Scion and irritation that an actual monstrous space-squid dropped out of the aether to obviate his meticulously crafted space-squid plan. He might be the recipient of a vial, or he might be kept on, very deliberately, as the token paragon human to act as a counterbalance to Average Jane Doctor Mother; this has mixed effects on the organization’s efficacy, because despite his gestures towards pragmatism (”I did it 35 minutes ago”) he did name and style himself after one of the most famously egotistical mythohistorical figures. Bit of an ego there.

In all derivative works that examine the future of the Watchmen setting, attempts at Heroism in general are framed as being essentially unsuppressable once the precedent has been set. Scion exacerbates this process, as a stateless, apolitical agent of heroic idealism replacing the nakedly political (but ironically much more human) Dr. Manhattan, and thus giving a northstar to people who otherwise would be understandably cynical about heroism as a concept.

 Night Owl and Silk Spectre, who canonically embarked on a renewed crimefighting career after Watchmen canon, are early beneficiaries of this, both becoming unusually old triggers due to their disproportionately high levels of experience, and beneficiaries of Cauldron’s eventual pro-cape cultural engineering, being lauded as prescient early adopters and fixtures of the third-wave cape scene. I don’t really have much in mind for this part, beyond the idea that Dan, based on his canon insecurities and disillusionment, probably becomes an overengineering Tinker- building tinkertech that gets the job done but is almost always just a flashier way of accomplishing a mundane goal if you stop and think about it for two seconds. Laurie I suspect would have some kind of trigger event tied up in her inability to let go of cape life, her sense of being a vessel for other’s ambitions and fantasies, her lack of meaningful options besides capehood (”I’m 35 years old and the only people I know are goddamn superheroes!”) but I don’t have a pat power in mind, or really the best grasp of her character beyond the surface stuff.

Lurking in the background of the setting is Rorschach, whose inability to reconcile his personal ethics with the utilitarian action everyone else committed to, and his ensuing suicidal state, causes him to undergo the mother of all breaker triggers at the moment of his canon annihilation. Post-Manhattaning Rorschach is a Breaker/Thinker/Master/Stranger who, upon scanning a target, gains knowledge of any information that might shatter that person’s worldview, and the ability to telepathically inflict that knowledge on his target if he gets close enough. Said ability to get close enough is provided by the fact that his breaker state- a blurry, spectral caricature of his pre-trigger costume- is both mostly intangible and imperceptible to anyone who doesn’t share a “headspace” with his current target (I.E. someone who’d be equally devastated to hear the Worldview-Shattering-Truth.) Rorschach’s targets either tend to quietly melt down and fall off the radar, or go out in a suicidal burst of self-destruction that accomplishes very little beyond getting the target killed; this is a process lubricated by Rorschach’s shard, which, due to Rorschach’s perma-breaker state, is able to play Rorschach like a fiddle, nudging him into targeting people who’ll go off the rails in a conflict-maximizing way.

Rorschach’s power resolves the tension of his trigger in the worst way possible; he’s free to follow his ideals in spreading horrific truths to as many people as he wants, but only in a way that inflicts the same moral paralysis or self-destruction he suffered from; to the extent that his information is actionable, it solely produces doomed, crazed crusaders who die before accomplishing much, essentially rendering his choice to share the information moot (and morally harmless.) To the extent that this thing would have a plot, I think it would involve 2011-era characters (probably a Watchdog cube jockey) investigating Case 86, The Rorschach Ghost, and invariably stumbling upon the information black hole surrounding the Ozymandias plot.

[crosspect-101]

Quad Prince of Doom, Knight of Space, Seer of Time and Mage of Void? That's our groups classpects lol :-)

Funny enough, these classes average out to Mage. You've got a pretty active session there, buddy!

Doom + Space + Time + Void is a new one, but they synergize pretty well. All but Space have to do with destruction; all but Doom have to do with absence. What do we call a Space which, over Time, was Doomed to be lost, forgotten, destroyed, a Void where there once was something?

A ruin. But that's too many syllables; we could call it Raze (as in, "raze it to the ground"), but I feel like I should save that for something with Rage in it. How about Shell (as in, "a shell of it's former self")?

The Mage of Shell understands that all must eventually come to an end. Eventually, even the greatest of creations will be destroyed, the mightiest kings forgotten to time. The Mage of Shell sees that famous pedestal:

"My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"

and sees that nothing beside remains.

The Mage knows that their own session is doomed, and understands who will destroy it and how. They can foretell the circumstances that will lead to it's downfall, and perhaps even manipulate it. Maybe by controlling the Scratch, they can allow a new, better session to rise from the ashes. Maybe they can even protect themselves in a "shell" of their own creation, so as to live to see the new session; but I don't foresee this one going very well at all.

-Mod Psycho

[amplifyme]

Finished S1! Here's my collective thoughts:

Down To A Sunless Sea-- This episode really clarified that I don't have a firm enough grasp of Cathy as a character. She's usually intuned with her emotions; but the trauma she suffered with her ex was so suppressed (because she didn't want to be a victim) that she couldn't see the parallels between her rationalizations and the woman. Tbf, Jeff? was really slick about his creepster, stalker ways. One thing I did notice: Cathy, since ep. 1, doubts herself a lot; and I like the consistency of that. Overall, I like this episode; but it has touch and go moments I have to think over. Not bad, but a little puzzling (though I completely understood the themes/buildup/character work leading up to and after the climax.)

Fever: Cullen-- definitely a character. I liked that Winslow and Jamie were given more complex places in the story (Winslow arguing aggressively for the community was a great twist to my expectations); and Vincent and Father trying and failing to reason with Cullen was a great story beat. Mouse getting hurt was unexpected but perfectly logical; and I'm glad the episode didn't take the easy way out of that. It also allowed Mouse's forgiving nature to take center stage once more. Vincent and Cathy were stellar; and I'm glad the chest wasn't dumped into the pit.

Everything Is Everything-- An okay ep. Loved the boy character and his relationship with Cathy; enjoyed the gift of words motif woven throughout; enjoyed the politics of the group (a mirror to Below but with more archaic, inflexible rules); liked the scene where the dogs cowered to the beast in Vincent; and Vincent's intercession with the grandfather and his conversations with Father were great, too.

To Reign In Hell-- Marvelous episode (though I did laugh at the giant rising and sinking into the mists.) The backstory, Winslow, Pascal, Jamie, Cathy, Vincent, Father, the community, Paracelsus-- all of them excellent with not a step out of place. Really getting attached to and even more curious about the world Below. Cathy learning to stop her fear from affecting her and Vincent's connection was one of those "ah, there's that thing Nan wrote about!" moments, so that was fun. John Pater chews up the scenery (which were all fantastic.) Winslow will be missed-- hadn't thought that's how he would die, actually, but his funeral scene was top tier.

Ozymandias-- Only Cathy would be surprised that a man willing to ignore the sins of his employees in their first ep. together would do it again (security guards, tower issues, etc.) I loved that Elliot chose the tower over Cathy; loved Elizabeth and her plot (and that I got to mee her~) and how Mouse rose to the occasion, though not wisely, to help her; love Cathy's old friend and her plotline; loved Joe's participation; loved the end scene. Great episode.

A Happy Life-- Love this episode. I think it finally gave Cathy something to ground herself in. Love that Vincent let her go, love that the anniversary of her mother's death spurred it, love her father's comfort and understanding, love Joe's admittance and regret, love her friend to death, love how her "happiness" was parallel to Vincent's longing and mourning, love that she drove back immediately and Vincent knew and met her, love that there was progress to this side of her character (one might say finally.) LOVE Father's speech about praying for them both (saw it on your blog and was waiting to see where it would slot into the series. Perfect placement.) Great final episode.

And now-- onto the book between S1 and S2! :DDDDDD

Yay! Season 1 is in the books. Can't wait for you to start S2.

This episode really clarified that I don't have a firm enough grasp of Cathy as a character. She's usually intuned with her emotions; but the trauma she suffered with her ex was so suppressed (because she didn't want to be a victim) that she couldn't see the parallels between her rationalizations and the woman.

And now you're venturing into the territory where I start to lose some of my patience with Cathy. We've already established her naïveté when it comes to anything outside her established worldview. I think she can also be willingly obtuse when it comes to things she just doesn't want to deal with. I've said before that I don't think she has a malicious bone in her body, but she's really bad at thinking about anything beyond the moment she's living in. And that exacts a heavy toll. Not only on her, but on Vincent, too. BTW, her crazy ex-boyfriend/stalker is Stephen Bass. Remember that name. This won't be the last time you hear it.

Everything Is Everything-- An okay ep.

Yep, that's about all I have to say about it. This is one of the eps I told you early on you could skip. Now you know why. 🤣

Everything you said about Fever and To Reign in Hell? I agree 100%. Great episodes. I like Cullen so much that I hijacked him, along with one particular line of his to Vincent in that ep, and built my "Vincent - the Early Years" fanfic on that. And I still miss Winslow. He was a great character.

Only Cathy would be surprised that a man willing to ignore the sins of his employees in their first ep. together would do it again

Right?? That's what I was saying up there! It's one of those "Oh, Cathy, what are you doing?" moments.

I loved that Elliot chose the tower over Cathy

Yes!! That's a pretty damn big ask she had of him, and his response was completely understandable. I would've told her no, too. Love doesn't mean giving up your dreams just because someone wants you to. Only Vincent would consider that a reasonable request. And he's way too good at giving up on his dreams.

Agree with everything you said about A Happy Life. It was damn near perfect as a first season finale. I gotta ask: what did you think about the "soul" kiss at the end? Ron Koslow (the creator/showrunner) was willing to have it end with a real kiss, but Standards & Practices at CBS made them do it that way instead. They were worried folks would consider a real kiss to be bestiality. Can you believe that? Oh well, it was a long time ago.

Have fun reading Bright Spirit Descending. You'll notice as you get to the end of it that Nan stole some of what she'd written for AWTN and plugged it into this pro novel. But hey, if you can't steal from yourself, than who can you steal from? 😁

Don't forget, when you start S2, to watch Chamber Music before Remember Love. I think Chamber Music beautifully sets the theme and tone of S2. Make of that what you will.

[bubblytarts]

I challenged myself in the second half of the year to write a story about my and my friend’s characters interacting - a giant multiverse project across our friend group.

“The Rise of Ozymandias” became a 50K+ word project that released over August into now - with one chapter and the epilogue left, I’m almost finished. I made this poster in November as a treat for myself, as well as a test if I should start doing lineart again.

I’m very proud of myself for everything that the story accomplished for me, my friends, and for getting me back into long form prose writing

Characters:

Top: Ozymandias (he/him, owned by Me)

Bottom, left to right: Farren (he/she/they/xey, owned by Me); Perrin (they/them, owned by @parallel-2-anywhere )

[detectiveaku]

i think what people often forget about ozymandias is that line "nothing beside remains". because sure, it is a colossal wreck and everything that once stood is in ruin, but nothing ever grew out of it that could stand as tall. so yes theres this existential fear that everything that stands will be reduced to sand, but theres this extra fear that nothing will ever rise to the heights that once stood again. every victory is a peak that will never be reached again. but also if everything is going to be reduced to ash why not rise to the peak in the first place

the real tragedy of it to me is that during that golden age ozymandias chose to strike fear into his enemies, who ultimately were forgotten about to time, rather than uplift his own empire that survived

[septembersghost]

in 2013, i feverishly marathoned breaking bad for about two weeks, suddenly wanting in on what was happening because it was such a cultural phenomenon. i crunched it in so fast that it probably did something to my brain - the first episode i had caught up in time to see live was ozymandias. (another show i'd loved was ending around that same time and was going very badly in its final season - if you know, you know - and breaking bad was also a distraction from that initially, but ended up being a fascinating juxtaposition.) in hindsight, i probably watched it too quickly at the time for it to have its full effect, but it was such an intense rollercoaster. i still remember the chills i had at "just get me home, i'll do the rest," at those closing strains of baby blue at the end of felina.

i rewatched breaking bad in 2019, more slowly, much more solitary, after the news of el camino was announced. (after the loss of my beloved dog who had once barked at walt.) the scope of it and its tragedy unfolded differently for me then. i (unpopularly, perhaps) had more sympathy for walt the second time around, and a very different perspective on his difficulty asking for or accepting help that is an initial burning ember of his descent. i ached more for jesse, who's seeking something in all the wrong ways, who tries so hard to be loyal to those undeserving of it, who has to pass through hell to make it back into the land of the living. there are images that are so indelible. the pink teddy bear. every expanse of desert. a red floor. skyler walking into the pool in despair, the eerie blue around her like a curse. it's such a masterwork, but far more than the violence or the action or the western influences or the villainy, i was struck on that rewatch by the desperate humanism. people are trying to survive, trying to cope, trying to get justice by seeking revenge and realizing the two can never meet, trying to claw their ways out or to the top and sinking further in, but it's all deeply human. that's what makes it effective, it never loses sight of that, even in the bleakest of its moments.

when better call saul was announced and people didn't know what exactly it would be - comedy? case of the week? courtroom drama? - i just remember being excited because i'd be able to join it from the beginning, and i did. i started watching that first night and stayed, and it's fitting, in a way, that i never experienced breaking bad like that - it was so clamorous, so fast - and yet weekly, yearly, i did have the steady slow burn of bcs. i can't tell you when i knew it was special. i could say it was in the very first episode, in that perfect noir lighting of the parking garage. or mike's monologue in five-0. or the devastating, quietly reeling, "i thought you were proud of me," in pimento. but it was clear that it was rising to the occasion, that it belonged in the firmament category with its predecessor.

the show felt way more personal to me, for reasons that are hard to articulate. i remember when they mentioned my city in S2, and the fact that we'd dealt with some difficulties with the care facility my grandmother had been living in when she passed the year before, and how it made the texture of jimmy's world feel so close and real. i remember watching kim and her post-it note montage, and just thinking how resonant she was to me. strangely enough, until this last season, it was a show i very much kept to myself. i look back at my old blog and can't believe the lack of its presence there. i don't know why i didn't post about it more often. i wish i had, if for no other reason than to have diaristic record of the emotions, but at the same time it left it in a sacred space. breaking bad was excellent, but better call saul was remarkable. it was a show that was very much mine.

i rewatched it, too, after el camino, in preparation for S5, and then when S5 began in 2020, i was very annoying about it because i wanted to watch it live. (a show i once loved that was ending was, for a brief time, airing in the same timeslot. in fifteen years, i'd never intentionally skipped it, but i did for bcs. it was more important. also, note a pattern here with things coming to bad endings and this universe being an unexpected balm to that agony lol.) my mom had never seen it, nor brba. she had to endure me dropping her into the unknown, and she was like, well, fine, if you're going to make me watch this, then i may as well watch the whole thing so i know what's happening. and we did, and she became as enrapt and invested as i am. i think i even appreciated its gorgeous cinematography - which is such an artform and such a signature of the show - more when she was noting it in awe with me. she came to love it just as much, and there was such a magic in watching her connect with it that i think it made me hold the show even closer.

i love a lot of trash (i say this fondly), because i'm a character person over a plot person a lot of the time - give me characters to love and i will persevere and put up with a certain amount of nonsense, i can't help it. i fall in love with characters. bcs exists in this place of honor where it's both prestige television with astoundingly intricate writing and character development and every plot is interconnected without a thread being dropped, and yet it's also beloved to me. it's truly a gem. i love these characters so dearly, despite the fact that it's a dark universe and, yes, many of them do terrible things. the sacred hearts, the myriad identity issues, the justice complexes, the sacrifices. the love story that feels so intimate and honest that it's unlike any other romance on television. its existence as a ghost story, as many of us have discussed. the people feel so grounded and real that they become a part of us. i've said this before and i'll say it again - the story may not be real, but the love we have for it is.

there's so much i could say about them all, this entire cast of indelible characters, but i just want to give a moment to kim wexler. kim and i are not particularly alike as women in certain ways - i wear my heart on my sleeve, i cry too easily, i'm terrible at confrontation, i'm too soft and dreamy. in other ways though, i understand her. the propensity to listen instead of speak, the insularity (in my case from being an extreme introvert), the sense of aloneness, the anxiety, the carefulness (in both what she says and things like changing punctuation over and over in a document to get it right), and even the sense that this world is structured horribly unfairly and the wish that something could be done about it, and how easily that desire can go wrong. the way she wanted more. i always admired her unwavering resilience, her capacity for understanding and unexpected decisions, her intellect, the depth of her heart underneath what she was willing to show to most. we, the audience, were let in to see that. it was almost conspiratorial, between she and us (sometimes with and sometimes without jimmy). the facets of that character that were explored and that rhea portrayed so stunningly are unendingly special to me.

seeing her fall and her self-loathing and her guilt and her diminishment has actually been quite hard on me - it's fathoms away from what i live with and yet also feels too close, like invisible scratches across my skin. as someone who's so self-hateful/critical/blaming, as someone who feels like she walks around in the body of a long-dead girl whose potential was wasted, as someone whose illness stopped her life cold and made it very small (at this point, has essentially made it a single room), it's not something i'd wish on anyone, including fictional characters i cherish. it's probably overly identifying, it's emotional rather than logical reasoning, but that's how i'm wired. i love her so much and i want something better for her now. some measure of healing and hope. i don't need a "happy" ending, we know the abquniverse is troubled and tragic, but she has been through her suffering and trevails, and i'll still wish for her to come back into the light somehow. i still want her to save herself.

maybe it's like orpheus, and you cannot look back. it's a sad song, but we sing it anyway. michael mando said in an interview recently that these shows have developed their own mythology, like modern homeric tales, they are epics and fatally flawed hero's journeys, and it's stunning how they've done that while still keeping everything very grounded and realistic and tangible. there are no paranormal happenings, no gods interfering, no manipulations by fate, and yet the breadth of that humanistic philosophy is an ethereal power in itself. the show feels literary. it feels textured and rich and lived in. it looks like nothing else and that visual language has painted itself across our minds as viewers. it's unexpected not only in its tragedy but in its humor, in its profound exploration of the human condition, in its romanticism.

i'm rambling and i don't know what exactly i want to say here, because any tribute i write will be inadequate. i wasn't a part of the fandom until we got here to the end, to this final season. (i am very sorry to the people i've bothered talking about it so much and emotionally analyzing it, that was certainly never intentional.) maybe i should have kept it to myself, but it has been wonderful sharing it with all of you, and i feel very blessed and grateful that it brought such amazing things to my dash, and such thoughtful, wonderful people into my life. i'm so thankful i got to share it with friends i already knew, and new friends i was lucky enough to find. it's been an absolute pleasure to spend this time and share our thoughts together.

endings are hard. no matter what, they are, because it's closing a chapter, and you can never have it again anew, even if you revisit it. there was a very kind post about this on the sub. we experience a sense of grief at endings, and i think we need the time and space to feel that. passions and stories and art do keep us alive.

i am endlessly thankful i had this one, in a way that i don't quite feel for any other show. if i'd loved it less, maybe i could've talked about it more. these past years have been so unrelentingly difficult for me, just this year itself has been such a struggle, but there was a constancy and a sense of...not even escape, necessarily, but exploration and empathy, that i found throughout the course of bcs. i have endless admiration for the actors who portrayed these roles to perfection, to the directors and cinematography that made the show so exquisite to look at, to the writers who worked to honor every step of the journey, to the costuming, to the music, every part of the show handled with such artfulness and care. it does make my heart hurt to come now to the final curtain, and we're not only saying goodbye to this show, but to the entirety of the universe that encompasses it, to a story that began fourteen years ago, no matter when we joined it. in the end, the hurt is only another aspect of that love and the gratitude i have. i'm so glad i made that decision to watch back when i did. i'm so glad each of you who's here did too. it's been quite a ride.

[ardenssolis]

@paramythas said (inbox):

"Sun King." Arturia's voice is quiet as she stops beside him. The day's mission is over, and their return is imminent- and so she takes the distraction of everyone else's preparation to take his hand carefully, armored gauntlet dissipating as her fingers thread through his. "Dine with me this evening," she says, an invitation as much as a demand. Her hand lifts his own to her lips, brushing the knuckles gingerly. When she lifts her eyes, there's a brightness to them that speaks of her amusement. "If you don't mind the presence of my knights, that is." It's far more likely that her knights will mind his, but well- that's certainly their problem, not hers, isn't it?

AH, OZYMANDIAS ALWAYS ENJOYED those quiet moments after a mission. Even if fighting didn’t take place that day, there was still always a sense of accomplishment that lingered when that cool breeze would drift by. Staff unsummoned, he was about to go and slip off to enjoy this pleasant weather properly when he was forced to pause. Cool metal slipping within his hand right before it was suddenly replaced by warmth took his full attention; gold shifting to rest upon Arturia with a curious rise of brows. How rare it was sometimes, to see this king with their hands free of the frigid distance that was steel. Even rarer still to know of the heat that existed beneath that barrier. Thus, he could not help but linger on it – ponder the sensation of her roughened palm against his own, yet even so, rougher still.

     ❛Dine with me this evening.❜

     Ozymandias blinked, yanked from his thoughts and back to reality upon those words – surprised by their utterance. Although taken aback, his lips did quirk at her tone: how it was both a request and a demand in equal measure. The firm authority of a king that could never wholly dissipate even when one’s intentions were different from tone. Oh, but the skill that Arturia held in holding his ever so fickle attention. The kiss upon his knuckles, the gleam within those eyes so like a sea of green… ❝I would hardly mind them,❞ he finally responded, amusement slipping into his words with the upturn of his lips. ❝Besides, it would serve them well to share, I think.❞ Considering he held every intention on stealing their king away for himself every now and then, they had best become used to this arrangement in the future sooner rather than later.

[0zymandias-king-0f-kings]

Welcome to the kingdom of the voiceless

♠️hello to those of you whose voices rise above the crowd, to those who speak when spoken to, to those who tell others to speak, and to those left voiceless in the chaos ♣️

this is my kingdom of the voiceless a home to all left trapped without a voice of their own, home to those who feel as if they are powerless against the systems of the world around them, those who wish to see change. All are welcome here wether they are a person like that or not, this is a safe space. 💜

what’s the purpose of this blog? Like I said I wanna let those without a voice be heard for this purpose I’ve enabled the suggesting posts setting for this blog, which assuming I can make it work will allow those who may lack a voice or are afraid to speak to speak their minds safely through that system anonymously or even as loud as they want! Go off my people. Please be aware however that I will not tolerate or allow hate, bigotry or predatory behavior to be represented here (or anything else I find to be harmful) posts will be denied at my discretion if found to violate these very simple rules this blog is minor friendly although there will be political stuff and potentially nsfw stuff however any content like that (as well as any potentially triggering content) will contain a warning and will hidden beneath the read more threshold thingy, any posts suggested are required to follow that same guideline. If you want your suggested post to be anonymous simply use the ask box and mention that it’s submitted post and not just an ask

this blog is also away for me to express myself more and hopefully gain some confidence (in a way the me you see here is both me and a persona of me) in the process, this is also where I will send any political stuff I wanna talk about, shit like that. This is a sideblog it will however be pretty much completely disconnected from my main blog (and any of my personal info) in fact if all works out you won’t even be aware of what my main blog is

one final piece of information this is a Radqueer blog, anti radqueers are welcome especially those who are simply curious however those who simply wish to cause harm/harass or bring harm and harassment to me or any of those who may become associated with me ♣️kindly fuck off now♠️

there’s no dni but I do believe in blocking💜

I believe that’s all for now so without further ado here’s some basic info about little ol’ me

name: call me Oz or ozymandias

chrono age: minor

pronouns: any

acespec

transids: transharmed, transage

political leaning:left leaning (still all political leanings welcome here just don’t be a bigot)

contact stance: (this important so I’m making it big, I am pro consent, children and animals cannot consent I do not support grown adults dating minors (outside of a reasonable age gap) if you are found to be engaging in predatory activity I will block you end of discussion

♣️now with that all out of the way, welcome to my kingdom♠️

[hrodvitnon]

I HC that, in Abraxasverse, Godzilla is extremely troubled by self-doubt and second-guessing. Like, he was forced to grow up and mature extremely quickly when responsibility fell on his shoulders-and while he's handled it pretty well, he always wonders if he's making the right choices. Would Ozymandias have done that? Would his ancestors? What did Mothra see in him that she didn't see in any of his kin, anyway? (The fact that he's Last of His Kind exacerbates this, because he's all alone now.)

I do like the nuance of AbraxasVerse Goji having developed the wisdom and earned the experience to do well but inwardly is plagued with inner demons, especially since those demons can tie into whether things go Genocide or Coexistence. Will he rise above them but never truly be rid of them, or succumb?

[fvriva]

Gimme Exordium and Anivi for that orange ask game, first question

ORANGE - Describe the world!

ANIMUS VITRUM: I didn't talk much about the world in this other ask, only the characters. The world name here is currently Tela (though I keep going back and forth on the names for this setting), and is largely intended to be a dark fantasy vaguely themed after pre-modernist Europe. Running rampant throughout it are a number of capricious gods and spirits; three notable ones include:

The Seelie Queen, Vesna Oberon (current), Midsomnir Titania (previous), Lady of the Endless Hunt

The Weaver of the Tapestry (the one that consists of the fabric of time and space), and their Threadbearer attendants

The Unseelie King (gender neutral term), Hel (current), Ozymandias (previous), Lord of the End

Humanity isekaied to Tela thousands of years ago and immediately found it difficult to survive after having been essentially reduced to the Stone Age. They quickly splintered into nomadic groups and began to adapt in genetically divergent ways (into something adjacent but not identical to stock fantasy races) to the many, many threats. Humanity as we'd know it is extinct on Tela.

EXORDIUM: This world I went into a bit in a different ask, but here's an overview! The world of Exordium doesn't have an overall name currently, but in it, day, night, and the celestial firmament (and the celestial mechanisms that help facilitate the movement of the heavens--like gears in an astrolabe). Overall, the world used to be a standard globe

The Day-Plane, Wickrath, is locked in permanent day. People survive in the shadows of the giants, ancient earth elementals that are as large as the mountains themselves, and move slowly enough for societies to either settle directly on their bodies or gather in their shadows. However, the giants are ancient, inexplicable in the movements, and seem to war with one another. Albeit at the timescale of a landslide.

Wickrath is also, consequently, in the Sun's domain, and has many practitioners of the Sun's magic of Oaths, contracts, and exchanges. Still working out a lot of the mechanics here, but it's pretty much just animism.

The Night-Plane, Musaphia, is locked in permanent night. They're able to get by with low-light plants and funguses, though there's several ancient structures with with highly-sought-after magical relics that can command the elements and help people survive.

Musaphia is also riddled with pockets of dream magic, the Moon's domain. Dream magic, unlike oath magic, is entirely mental and metaphysical. It can't create something from nothing the way that Oath magic can, but it's the most versatile form of magic available.

The Twiling-Plane, Eikas, is the heavenly firmament between the day and night planes. Many of the spirits had voluntarily retreated into Eikas at the end of the war, but in the centuries that have since elapsed, extended proximity and restrictions have caused tensions to rise. Many spirits, out of a sense of claustrophobia, have been agreeing to be reborn as angels purely for the opportunity to leave.

orange worldbuilding asks