#then 'something bad' will happen i.e: you die

[dangans-ur-ronpas]

i read 'the gender of mona lisa' and i feel. both extremely seen and yet incredibly infuriated

[orphiclovers]

Okay. Long incoherent rambling theory post ahead. Specifically, I want to talk about how the Han Sooyoung 'split' happened/how Han Sooyoung got the avatar skill, extrapolating from canon where I can and headcanoning the rest.

Let's start from what she herself says on the topic. 3rd rounds Han Sooyoung tells Kim Dokja, in a conversation about how 'Avatar' works, that the very first time she made an avatar, she gave it too many memories and it 'went out of control' and ran off. This was a friendly conversation and hsy brought it up herself, so there's not really a reason for her to lie here - this is probably close to how she actually remembers the situation.

Which is interesting because 1863rd rounds Han Sooyoung denies this fact and says SHE is the main body and that she left an avatar behind to act as her. Now 1863 could be lying here to unbalance kdj, they were having a battle of words at the time with lying being an explicit part of the game, but she could also be telling the truth and maybe 3rd just doesn't know she's an avatar (like 49%). we don't get a comfirmation either way so that is left ambigous. So. That's a dead end.

Then, how does the Avatar skill evolve in general?

Kim Dokja says the requirements to evolve it is that you need to be in a creative field of some kind (so you have an 'Author' attribute) + under enough psychological distress for your mind to 'split' in a way that orv compares to DID (in not the most tactful way). It's a rare skill so I'm guessing it probably requires both of these to be true at the same time. A key hint is that we do actually get one other example of someone evolving the Avatar skill on screen. 1863rd rounds Yoo Joonghyuk. It goes like this:

So...not exactly a fun time. But actually I'm sensing a pattern here. Both Yoo Joonghyuk and Han Sooyoung, after evolving and using the avatar skill for the first time end up as two sepetate autonomous entities with their own free will - 1863rd!hsy and 3rd!hsy and white and black coat wearing yjh respectively (Kim Dokja too actually - with 49% 51%). So, I think this might be how the skill functions, spontaneously splitting you in half the first time and then both halves of you can make avatars at will after that. Let's assume this is true for the sake of the theory. This conflicts with the way both Han Sooyoungs describe it - they both say they 'created' an avatar the first time BUT I think neither of them were being entirely truthful.

Let's talk about that second parameter. 'Severe psychological distress' in a way similar to that of DID. How I interpret this, based on what we see of 1863rd!yjh, is that there needs to be some fundemental dissonance of core beliefs that cannot exist or be held at the same time, so requires the soul to split in half. For Yoo Joonghyuk it's 'I want to live/I want to die.' (Although Kim Dokja doesnt get the skill in the natural way, I think this concept still holds true. His dissonance is not so explicitly stated but maybe it's something along the lines of 'epilouge/eternity' i.e 'happily ever after OR atonement for his (percieved) sins'.)

But also there's an element of, how do I say this...'purifying self-destruction' to how we see our trio use Avatar. Yoo Joonghyuk takes the blackened and traumatized part of him that wants to die and kills it with a sword, leaving only the part of him that still has hope to regress to the 3rd round, free and unburdened by the weight of bad memories.

You could interpret 51%/49% this way too. The inherent act of Kim Dokja choosing to use this skill to split his soul in half means he did not see another way foward - that psychological distress and belief dissonance is an inherent part of this skill. 49%, the one who get's the 'happily ever after' does not remember needing Ways of Survival, maybe because Kim Dokja couldn't imagine himself having a happy ending with the weight of those specific memories.

But coming back to Han Sooyoung. Just look at the way she uses Avatar in kaizenix. She is a person who does not enjoy being emotionally vulnerable so in any heavy situation she clings to her dry and witty personality like a shield.

Let's just fully realize what she's saying here. When she says she erased the memories of her life deliberately, what she means is that she created an avatar, a sort of 'black coat wearing han sooyoung' and killed it again and again, every year, so she could keep that sarcastic and light hearted attiude. Otherwise she would have become someone like 1863rd rounds Han Sooyoung - hardened and unhappy. And I mean that she literally was on the path of becoming her - she even got 1863rds skill.

She deliberatley brushes off Kim Dokja and doesn't acknowledge the weight of her actions in kaizenix, both waiting for 50 years and killing parts of herself over and over.

And I think this is the sort of mindset she had while telling Kim Dokja about 'creating' an avatar for the first time. She doesn't see the point in potraying herself as vulnerable, so she probably would obscure some details of that story, for example if she was on her knees clutching her head a la 1863rd turns Yoo Joonghyuk at the time. This would seem like a pointless detail to add when the point of the story was that her avatar ran off.

So FINALLY, here's my headcanon on what I think the original belief dissonance was for Han Sooyoung and how she got the Avatar skill.

The split happened very early on in the scenarios. And well, there is one obvious Big Event that might cause someone to have a mental breakdown/identity crisis. The first scenario. I think whoever Han Sooyoung killed, she couldn't deal with the fact she had become a murderer and 'exorcised' those memories - and so 1863 was born, with blood on her hands, in an already destroyed world.

[fridayyy-13th]

gonna be honest, feeling very conflicted about this episode, lads. i've been really hoping Protocol won't explain away the (NARRATIVELY IMPORTANT) mystery left at the end of Archives, i.e. Jon and Martin's fate, so seeing as they're the next thing Sam and Celia are gonna be investigating, this is kinda gonna be the thing that makes or breaks Protocol, for me.

i do think there's a solid chance Chester and Norris are the Jon and Martin from Protocol's universe, and that is something i absolutely would not mind. but i haven't actually made a post explaining why i think that, and i should probably do that before it's explained, just so i can mayyyybe say i called it.

(for the record, i'm pretty sure i came up with most of this before the series even officially dropped, when all we had was the ARG and the trailer. i haven't done much to connect this theory to the further information we've learned, so it's probably not fully accurate (if accurate at all). and quite a bit of it is kinda baseless conjecture; i'm just throwing my thoughts out there. just a little disclaimer.)

so!

in Archives, Jonah's primary motivation is fear of death. turning to the Eye is what allows him to body-hop as he does for 200 years, trying to create a world where his Patron reigns supreme, where he is seated upon its throne and cannot die. assuming his motivation is the same in Protocol, this new universe is (likely until recently) untouched by the Entities. if Jonah wanted to evade death, how could he do that without the help of an eldritch fear god?

easy—alchemy.

i'm not particularly knowledgeable about the subject as a whole, but i'm certainly familiar with the Philosopher's Stone (the symbol of which is also present in the OIAR's/podcast's logo, though it seems the OIAR is more focused on balance than on experimentation).

i also know that the seven metals used in alchemy (gold, silver, mercury, copper, lead, iron, and tin) are all components of computer chips. i've been thinking Jonah, or maybe his successors, saw that and began turning their research to how it could be utilized to extend—or preserve—life.

to cut to the chase, bc frankly it's hard trying to sound like i know what i'm talking about and this post would take forever to write otherwise, i think Jonah tried to Sergei Ushanka himself into a computer, because metal and plastic are a hell of a lot longer-lasting than a human being.

but he wouldn't shove his consciousness into some random motherboard without making sure it was safe, what do you take him for?? he is a man of academia. obviously he had to test it on others first, and then he'd do it himself.

cue the thought experiments the Institute ran on kids. the things the experiments quantify are empathy and obedience to authority, which to me screams that they were trying to find kids who were easy to manipulate into more dangerous experiments.

and who are two characters who were kids in the 90s, with circumstances that left them lonely, isolated, and who, even as adults, are desperate to please (whether a parent or a bad boss)? Jon and Martin.

i posit that Jon and Martin were both victims of these experiments, perhaps the first (and only) successful subjects, and Jonah uploaded his consciousness to the computer soon after. their records could have been stricken from the spreadsheet to hide that they'd even been part of the program, and given the Institute burned down soon after, and there were no survivors—it could have been assumed that they'd died in the fire. it isn't like they had the most doting guardians to worry over them.

...but Chester and Norris's voices are those of adult Jon and Martin.

best i can figure, Jonah's plan might have worked in the short term, but computers have had date/time hardware in them since the 80s, so they—and Augustus—are still aging. so they've been trapped in computer software since 1999, and now that Sam and Celia are digging into what happened, they're desperate to catch their attention and find a way out.

(and lastly, a fun little thought—given Jon and Martin were both born circa 1987, they would have been twelve in 1999. they didn't even get to be teenagers.)

[daddywright]

daddywright fall fic writing challenge

Because the Organization that Shall Not Be Named has embraced AI (among other sins), I decided I wanted to create a little challenge of my own that isn't just for November and contains prompts that I'd actually want to do as a fic writer. I did this for myself, but if anyone wants to try out any of these prompts, you're welcome to! Because I'm lazy, I'll be trying to commit to this all fall, and give myself a goal of 30,000 words. We'll see how that goes!

Some of these are 18+ prompt ideas, because I like to write explicit material. Take or leave them as you like.

As a way to get myself excited, I'm going to commit and post something by 12AM tonight (!) that falls along one of these guidelines. Stay tuned!

Write from a character's POV you've never attempted before.

Write for a ship you've never written.

Resurrect a character from the grave.

KILL a character DEAD.

Back to the Future: time travel shenanigans!

Share and develop a WIP that's at least 2+ years old

Fic inspired by a song you love.

Write a fic in future tense.

"He asked for no pickles" - Character A defending Character B (any level of seriousness)

Publish something from a fandom you've never released anything for.

Ask an artist if you could write a fic based one of their pieces you love!

For Want of a Nail: change one little thing from canon, and see what happens.

Write a crossover - if not a whole fic, then an interaction between characters from two different pieces of media

This Town Ain't Big Enough for the Two of Us: write a scene between enemies.

Self-Care: write a character getting comfort you could use in your life

Career AU: write a character with an entirely different career than their canon job

Babysitter Required: write a scene with a character that's been de-aged (through ageswap or magical means!)

Kryptonite: a character of choice encounters the one thing they can't tolerate

Live Cringe, Die Free: write an original character self-insert and have them interact in a scene with your blorbos

Knife to a Gunfight: write a scene where a character loses a fight

Passport: have your character travel somewhere you've been before

Because You Should: write a scene where the overlooked female character of a popular piece of media is the main focus

The Godfather: have a minor character play mom or dad to a child character for a day (reluctantly if necessary)

5+1 things: a classic

(18+) Laios Touden-core: Write an explicit scene with monstrous elements.

(18+) That Could've Gone Better: Write a scene that features some elements of bad sex. (Not sex written poorly, but sex that is in fact not good. They can talk about it, even.)

(18+) Write a scene featuring a kink that you've not written yet.

Werewolves of London: Your character has been struck by a curse. What is their terrible affliction?

AO3 Trope Bingo: write for a popular ao3 trend that's been around awhile (i.e., Sentinel/Guide, Hanahaki, Soulmate Writing)

To Shreds, You Say?: write a scene where a character absolutely ruins somebody else (ruin can mean whatever you want it to)

Halloween Special: write something spooky!

[raayllum]

Do you think Callum will do dark magic again?

Oh yeah, not a doubt in my mind. This is for 3 main reasons:

1) You don't have a character say "But beware, if you ever do dark magic again, the darkness will overwhelm and corrupt you" and escalate the stakes of usage unless you're going to go there. It's kind of like how I know Callum is going to be possessed Again at one point (s7 dark my beloved) precisely because he's worried about it and more than that, that he's brought another character (Rayla) into the fold with a decision to make. No reason to have setup and then no payoff

2) Unless Callum does dark magic again, Aaravos can't possess him again. And as previously mentioned, Callum has to get possessed unless they want to throw away multiple episodes (4x04, 4x05, 4x07, 5x04, 5x08, all S6 + orb shots, 6x03) out the window. Ergo, he has to do dark magic again. Setup like this (i.e. Rayla as Callum's light being hinted at in framing in s2 and then much more overtly in s4 before being brought mostly home in s6) always comes back around in some manner, just gotta look for it

3) Viren parallels. Viren and Callum have always had oppositional (arc 1) and then mirrored (switching) foil arcs throughout the show (think Callum with wings vs Viren falling to his death in 3x09, or Viren swearing dark magic off in 5x09 and Callum having opened that door back up again an episode prior, etc). Viren, as stated, had sworn off dark magic saying he would never ever do it again, nor did he want to do it in 6x08 for a multitude of reasons.

However, someone he loved (Soren) as well as the extenuating circumstances caused him to use dark magic as a full on sacrifice that likewise only sacrificed himself. A couple episodes we had Callum 'fix' the hole dark magic had made inside him, but if he's following Viren's path, there's two likely angles: the first is that he, like Viren, will use dark magic even after trying so hard to rid himself of it (the mirrored arc). The second, overlapping angle is that Callum will refuse to sacrifice his heart (switching) because his heart is Rayla.

'I will think of you under every full moon. Please don’t let this hurt too much. But, if it does—if you feel that soft aching—know that that piece of your heart isn’t missing. It’s not missing at all, Callum: I’m carrying it with me! Always.' —Dear Callum

Kinda like how Aaravos demanded that Viren should make the sacrifice in 5x09, and Viren refused vs Rayla demanding that Callum should make the sacrifice in 6x03 (and Finnegrin a bit honestly) and Callum inevitably refusing cause Rayla can't permanently die lmao.

Other:

There's also the unsavoury implication that "restores bodies to spirits" spell Callum did in 5x09 has unique associations with the dark ritual spell Claudia did in killing Sir Sparklepuff that was undeniably dark magic usage.

The coin has been seemingly wiped clean now that Runaan is out (though maybe there's the symbol still on the other side?) but it does make me wonder of a potential plotline where Callum knew ahead of time, or belatedly, that this spell would require something adjacent to dark magic and he's done it, but the corruption Kosmo spoke of is gradual, making him more irritated, paranoid, etc. like the King of a 1000 Eyes that Amaya talked about. I think that'd be really interesting

The indirectness / the fact we'd only know it'd Happened retroactively makes me lean that we'll outright see another blatant usage in S7 since that's more Dramatic (which I've always been in favour of Callum viewing "I get possessed again bc I make a 'bad' choice and hand myself over to Aaravos" as a sacrifice of himself into "i'm already dead so kill me" territory). And if he breaks his promise to Rayla that he won't pick her over the greater good, then she can break her promise to him that she'll kill him (this is exactly beat for beat what I've wanted since s4 dropped and even before tbh)

TLDR; Absolutely Yes. S7 being Book Seven: Dark only adds to this and the stakes / set up are all there. I'm pumped

[ryuichirou]

I notice you said that Azul doesn’t like sex very much so I was wondering, who enjoys sex to a regular amount, who can do without it but wouldn’t deny it if it happens, who is practically addicted to sex, etc?

Hi Anon!

At first, I wanted to say that I already wrote a hc post on a topic somewhat similar to this, but then I decided to go through the list again and think about your specific prompt.

The post I’ve written before was about calculating the characters’ degree of sluttiness lol and sex drive was one of the parameters used for this, but being horny and loving sex are probably a liiittle bit different. I’ll talk about both in this post of course, but I’ll still try to add some nuance.

Riddle – normally, he doesn’t even think about it, he is rather pure; but I feel like he is the type to almost get addicted for some time once he figures out what it is and how it works. It’s like opening a Pandora’s box... But he will calm down eventually. Probably. He hopes so. Sex makes him extremely nervous, but he feels so satisfied and weirdly happy afterwards...

Ace – in general, he is a very horny “masturbates at least once a day” type of guy, so he is probably obsessed with sex. The moment he gets access to sex, he won’t be able to think about anything else for quite some time. It’s partially due to him being young, but he will probably keep his horniness intact even as he gets older...

Deuce – pretty much as addicted as Ace, but unlike Ace, he is going to calm down overtime a little bit. He thought he had a sex thoughts + masturbation addiction problem back when he was a delinquent, but now it’s gotten worse somehow. I guess that’s Ace’s bad influence... if these two are a couple, they probably have sex most frequently out of the entire school. He’s a rabbit, after all...

Trey – it’s not like he’ll die without sex or anything, but he is more into it than people think. This is why he had fun here and there during his first year at NRC; people were into him, and he didn’t mind it too much if it didn’t lead to anything more than sex. I feel like he would still do something like that these days because sometimes he kind of craves it, but for the majority of time he’s ok!

Cater – he craves sex, and then when it happens sometimes feels weird about it, i.e. when it feels too intimate and personal (one would think he would expect that from sex of all things). But when it’s good, Cater enjoys it a lot, and he wants to have more good sex. He is the type to whine about it sometimes actually.

Leona – very into it. He could go weeks without having sex, but it almost feels as if he is just trying not to look like a nymphomaniac lol As if anyone would judge him for that. After these “breaks” he demands sex multiple times per day sometimes.

Ruggie – he himself thinks that he isn’t all that into sex at all, but it’s mostly because he is the resident of one of the horniest dorms: boys from Savanaclaw sniff and hump each other all the time, and Ruggie really can’t relate to that. But in actuality, I’d say he likes sex quite a bit. He is good at it, he gets pleasure from it, a lot of times he gets something out of it as well. Still, he won’t die without sex.

Jack – the first time Jack has sex he’ll get scared by just how much he loved it. He would hate how he wouldn’t be able to think about anything other than sex... he has periods during which he is obsessed, and it’s very difficult for him to keep it together. But then after he calms down, he judges those who complain about wanting to have sex. Kind of hypocritical of him.

Azul – like I already said, he doesn’t like sex all that much. He loves it much more when he is in his merman form though, both because he doesn’t suffer from his lack of stamina this way + because he is hornier this way in general, it just feels right. He also has periods during which he wants to have sex more often, but those are rare; in general, Azul wouldn’t mind not having sex for months or even a whole year.

Jade – he is still kind of an enigma to me lol Somehow Jade feels like someone who wouldn’t care about sex at all and wouldn’t have it for years. But it’s just about sex on its own, unfortunately for everyone else sex implies a lot of things that Jade finds interesting and would love to both explore and practice. So uh... In terms of having just regular sex with someone under the blanket – he doesn’t really care?  

Floyd – probably no surprises here, but he is the most addicted one out of the three mermen. Sometimes he isn’t in the mood, but for the majority of time if something remotely sexual happens, it’s like his brain switches to a separate mode, and doesn’t switch back until Floyd is satisfied. Floyd’s appetite is huge.

Kalim – very into it. The only reason for him not to have sex every single day is because sometimes he miraculously gets distracted. Still, he adores physical touch, anything that implies having fun with someone or being close in a very special way, especially if this is someone he loves. He is the type to get clingy and make sad eyes because he really really really wants to do it, even if they don’t really have time...

Jamil – a bit similar to Ruggie because he is surrounded by horniness and would probably think that he doesn’t want to have sex ever, but there are still aspect of sex that Jamil genuinely enjoys whether he wants to admit it or not. He probably won’t die without having sex, and right now he is either overstressed or oversexed (thanks Kalim), but if he is left alone for quite some time, he might start craving it a little bit.

Vil – he loves sex, this is why he has to actually remind himself that too much of a good thing is bad, this is why he always wants to pace himself and his partner. Sometimes he spends longer periods of time without having sex (I keep mentioning it in every Vil-related hc post lol but this is his “no sex until the event/important date” thing), but by the end of those he is in a pretty desperate shape. Also, just because he thinks that he is responsible and paces himself and his partner, doesn’t mean that he won’t ever give in when Rook wants to have sex with him out of nowhere. After all, he wants it too. He’ll scold himself later.

Rook – absolutely addicted. Would only survive without sex because he is a survivor by nature, and if a whole-ass tiger didn’t end his life when he was lost in a jungle back when he was still a kid, lack of sex also wouldn’t. But it feels just as deadly sometimes..!

Epel – another little rabbit; I think he is pretty much the same as Ace and Deuce. To Epel, however, sex is also about feeling cool and mature, and he loves this feeling a lot. He is pretty obsessed, I would say, and would probably love to spend an entire day in bed with someone special.

Idia – it’s always funny to talk about him because he is our main porn star, but I really don’t think Idia is into sex at all. He doesn’t plan on losing his virginity, and if he isn’t a virgin, he doesn’t mind not having sex at all and just playing games together with his partner. He could get horny of course, but in very specific cases + he would never initiate things. In general, Idia thinks that sex is overrated. And also has severe anxiety about it.

Ortho – kind of obsessed?? In a weird way because to him it’s a research thing, but also sex is such a big topic in all kinds of media, such a huge source of drama, anxiety and happiness for a lot of people. Sex is everywhere, and Ortho wants to figure it out and experience it fully! So he would ask for sex a lot. If we’re talking about real!Ortho, he’d still be much more into sex than Idia. Unlike Idia, he doesn’t have severe anxiety about sex, and he loves intimacy with someone a lot.

Lilia – obsessed, but also doesn’t have as much steam as he used to, which is still too much fucking steam for the majority of non-fae people. Lilia is the master of sex, and he loves it a lot when he gets to either learn new things or have fun with someone new. Which doesn’t mean that he doesn’t have some stuff that he is used to and loves doing! Sometimes Lilia thinks that he should probably chill with all this sex stuff, but then ends up having sex two times that exact day. Oh well.

Silver – he isn’t super into sex, but he loves both a physical sensation and emotional satisfaction that it brings. Silver loves it when he knows that he’s made someone feel good. So I’d say he wouldn’t usually initiate anything  himself (there are some exceptions), but he would also almost never refuse when someone wants to have sex with him.

Sebek – he wants to hate sex so much. He wants to be revolted by it sometimes because it really, really messes with his head. He is similar to Jack, but somehow even worse because while Jack calms down every now and then, it’s like Sebek’s body is trying to drive him insane, and his brains don’t help either because his thoughts keep wandering off somewhere... he would think that after having sex he’d get better, but nah, he’d only get worse because now he knows what sex is all about and desperately wants more.

Malleus – it’s not like he is addicted to sex, but he loves it. He loves both the sensations and the connection between two people that it implies, but he mostly craves the latter. It’s not like he has to be completely in love to have sex with someone, but he craves chemistry and adoration, so just any dick wouldn’t suffice. And if such a thing isn’t there, Malleus would easily stay away from sex for months, years, centuries... He would rather suffer from his body aching and pining for someone than let anyone take him just for the sake of scratching an itch.

[alex51324]

So I finally got around to reading the Gideon the Ninth/Locked Tomb series, which is awesome, and I have a number of observations, but let’s start with this: 

HERE BE SPOILERS!!  Big ones.  Up through Nona the Ninth.

I’ve seen John Gaius’s villain arc summed up as “he got mad and destroyed the solar system because they didn’t use his plan to save Earth/humanity.”  But the actual story, as I understand it, is way more relatable than that.  

I mean, here’s what I understood to have happened:  First, he’s involved in a plan to save humanity from extinction.  Said plan struggles to get funding and resources, until eventually it is put on hold.  (And he develops superpowers.)  Eventually, the Powers That Be reveal the replacement plan to save humanity from extinction, and it has...big, obvious holes in it.  Just does not pass the sniff test.  JG points this out, but nobody pays any attention.  (Meanwhile, he starts attracting more attention for his superpowers.  However, this does not result in any attention for his central message, i.e., “The newly-revised plan to save humanity from extinction is shady as fuck.”)

So he goes about collecting evidence for the shadiness of the New Plan.  Just reams of evidence showing that there is no possible way that there could possibly be enough FTL ships built in time to save more than a tiny fraction of the population.  He tries showing this evidence to world leaders.  He tries showing it to the general public.  (Meanwhile, the powers-that-be have started getting scared of his superpowers; in response he explodes some cows.)   He comes right out and says, “Hey, this small group of extremely rich people are conning the entire world into building & paying for a lifeboat that is only ever going to be big enough for them, and that’s super fucked-up.”

But  the people with seats in the lifeboat say, “That’s the guy who exploded those cows that one time, and cows have feelings.”

And everybody falls for it.  Nobody can be persuaded to care that 99.9% of humanity is going to be left to die, but there is plenty of outrage available for that herd of cows he exploded.  Every time he tries to show his evidence--large amounts of hard and extremely convincing evidence--that there is no second wave of lifeboats (much less any more after that), all anyone wants to talk about is the cows.  

He keeps on attempting to Reveal The Truth up until the lifeboats are on the launching pads and the countdown is starting.  Then, and only then, he goes, “OK, so apparently you only listen to cartoonishly evil supervillains, I can work with that” and starts cackling evilly and waving a nuclear bomb around.  

But the powers-that-be somehow guess that at this point he’s only posing as a cartoonishly evil supervillain at this point, so it doesn’t work, and finally, when it becomes clear that it’s now too late for any rational means of persuasion to work, he flips over to actually being a supervillain.

And man, as supervillain origin stories go, I just find that super-relatable.  

Disclaimer: obviously killing the entire solar system and everyone in it is bad!  And  pursuing a 10,000 year campaign of vengeance against the distant descendants of the people who conned the rest of humanity into building them a lifeboat and then left them (the rest of humanity) for dead is super fucked up. 

But.  If I were ever to go supervillain, it would probably be something like that.  I’ve had the experience of trying to show people that the course of action they’re pursuing is obviously and transparently worse, in all of the ways that they claim to care about than an alternative that they have rejected, and having them just...not care.  If I were given superpowers in the middle of such a situation, it would end badly, is what I’m saying.  

Anyway, I find that very impressive, writing-wise.  JG has obviously sailed way over the moral event horizon, and he’s kept on finding new ways to be evil after the whole genocide-starkiller thing, but the way he got there is a path I could very easily see myself going down.  

Looking back, I think the fundamental error was when he went from thinking, “They should listen to me because I have all this evidence,” to “they should listen to me because I could kill them with my magic powers.”  Everything else--for the next 10,000 years--kind of follows from that.  But I can’t be sure I wouldn’t make that mistake, if I A) was really mad, and B) had magic powers. 

[zedleaked]

What is your opinion on drv3 chapter 2... or just kirumi and ryoma's story/dynamic?

[Lyrics from: 'Julie vs. Robot Julie' by ARTHUR]

I'm probably biased but OUGHGHFGH CHAPTER 2........

It's a running thing with me but I tend to really like the chapter 2s in each game,,, probably cause they involve characters I like [i.e: Mondo, Chihiro, Fuyuhiko, Ryoma, etc.]

[read more if you want to read my rant bc I wrote more than I usually do]

From the very start Ryoma was really interesting to me, especially in chapter one when he offered himself as a sacrifice to stop the time limit,, It was nice to see him slowly get better and try to find a reason to live... but uh... we eventually get to see what happens...

Kirumi on the other hand didn't really catch my eye as much, well I mean her design goes hard but for me, she faded into the background a lot...

Also holy shit this chapter probably has one of the best body discoveries in the series. The chill I felt when Ryoma's body just fucking appeared in the piranha tank and seeing it shortly get torn apart really made an impression on me. It was obvious that something was going to go wrong during the magic show but that was still so shocking to me. Out of all the games, V3 is definitely the one that made me audibly go: "NO!💥💥💥!!!!!" the most

It kinda makes me wish that Himiko and Ryoma had more of a connection before his death or at least had Himiko acknowledge his death more... not only did someone die in her show that was supposed to distract everyone from the killing,, but it was someone who was actually pretty nice to her... But also to be fair Himiko represses her grief a lot, only really letting it out during chapter 3. I dunno I just want the depressed mage and the depressed tennis pro to be besties, is that too much to wish for? <//3

The trial was pretty alright,, to be honest, I was a little annoyed at Himiko for still sticking to her magic shtick even after someone fucking died but I think that was made up for when Kirumi got accused. Oh boy, I said Kirumi didn't catch my attention earlier but this trial made me like her so much. The manipulative shit she says during the trial activated my brain cells, she was willing to deceive the people she'd been surviving with to try and essentially save the country...

It feels like a more personal version of the trolley cart problem: Would you fight alongside these 13 people you've gotten to know and survive with, with the slim chance that you might escape? Or would you take the risk and purposely kill all of them to fulfill your duty and save a whole country? It's debatable if what Kirumi did was really 'selfless' or not. It made her really interesting to me.

And finally... oh my god, Ryoma, man.... The reveal that his motive video was empty and that he had no one to live for broke my heart so badly <//3 poor guy has gone through too much. The fact that he gave up like that, offering himself up to Kirumi is so... RGHARGHR!!!! 💥💥💥,, PLEASE.........

Even though I really wanted Ryoma to survive, I thought that chapter 2 was a depressing but fitting end for him. Like it really sucks bad that he wasn't able to find a reason to live but not everyone can have a good ending unfortunately... I just want to grab him and shake him around GRUGAHRGHH 💥💥💥

so uh in short: me likey chapter 2 I go insane every time I think about it.................

[heartsformars]

Under my wing~ hazbin hotel ships & Child! Reader

(platonic ofc)

CHARACTERS: Charlie & Vaggie, Angel Dust & Husk and featuring Alastor as the single dad!!

TW: Abandonment involved, mention of Valentino , alastor being an exemplary father (sarcasm), bad jokes, the reader is a hellborn, drama, reader being tortured (i.e. going through puberty).

One rainy day, a crying mother would leave her little baby in a dumpster, hoping someone else would find they or hopefully, they would die. She would leave, not knowing what would happen to you or how you would protect yourself from the dangers of hell. That place, which in spite of its high temperature could be considered cold, and unfortunately you had to learn that as soon as you arrived in the underworld. However, a shadow would be seen in that alley after hearing your cries of despair.Saving you (possibly) from dying under the hands of other foul demons But who is it…

───────────────── ✦

CHARLIE & VAGGIE

The one that got you home was definitely Charlie Could you blame her? She thought you were so cute! How could anyone leave you alone at such a young age? However, she still had a little bit of her girlfriend's reaction. -Vaggie, what would you do if one day I came home with a baby? -Show both hands charlie - -probably at first she would refuse, a baby was a lot of responsibility, and they already had enough with the hotel however it would be easy to convince her with your and Charlie's gaze. -She would just sigh and say she was fine with it while Charlie died of emotion and you just laughed. -Listen, they are both very attentive and would accept your every decision as mothers, there is really no way you wouldn't feel loved with them. -when they are both busy they will probably leave you with someone from the hotel. Neither of them trust Alastor, sir pentious was too distracted, Angel dust was definitely a bad choice and nifty wasn't even an option so you'll most likely be left in charge of Husk. -you'd probably just be sitting at the bar while angel dust is trying to convince you to say a bad word or give the poor bartender the middle finger. -Husk would just look at him with contempt. -However, when vaggie comes back from her errand and goes to see you, she's probably in for a surprise.

-How are you doing honey, husk take good care of you?- -Mama, you, fak you, dumb- -WHAT- -and you've got angel dust laughing on the stairs. -Probably after that Charlie would give a talk on respect (with you present obviously). -Although after she reconciled with her father she would definitely be Charlie's first choice to leave you in charge. -Although she was a bit scared at first, her father took it well so she didn't worry so much. -now, lucifer would be a BUNCH OF NERVES. He would grab you like you were some kind of crystal figure being afraid to drop you at some point. -after all you are his baby's baby! And his daughter hates him again if he throws you off the fifth floor? -he would probably keep you distracted with some rubber duckies and make some specials for you and keep you dristraide while he figures out what activities to do with you. -he haven't babysat a child like this in a long time. -however, it all works out (surprisingly) well! Even Charlie almost cries when she sees her dad asleep on the couch with you asleep on his chest. (She didn't bother to wake you two up) -now, I really don't think Charlie would be so strict with you, she wouldn't let you do whatever you wanted, but she would leave some room for your freedom and development! -on the other hand vaggie... -she's really not THAT strict but she won't have Mercy when it comes to punishing you when you do something wrong.  -If you break a window accidentally don't think you'll get away with it, she'll probably make you replace it yourself to learn the consequences of your actions.  -Other than that, however, they were both very patient with you. Always being there for you every step of the way. -And then after that you hit puberty. -They would probably have a hard time with your mood swings and other teenage problems. -however, they would always try to understand what you're feeling and not judge you for anything. -Especially Charlie -Now, if you introduced they to a boyfriend/girlfriend… -God, they would be in a mental duel, both of them. -However, the one who accepted your partner as part of her family first was definitely Charlie. -And vaggie would be fine with that! However, expect her to be watching you two 24/7. -But it's great to meet someone who makes our little baby so happy!- -Yeah…-

-Feel that they would both try to get you to have a certain part of their personality. However, you have the choice of how to be in the end and they couldn't force you to be something you don't want, neither of them 💓. -10/10 Mothers, I would let them adopt me.

───────────────── ✦

HUSK & ANGEL DUST

The one who took you to the hotel for the first time was Angel, I doubt that Husk leaves the hotel much outside of going to the casino or to a tavern... or both. -I mean, everyone was surprised when ANGEL DUST came with a baby to the hotel but it was fine for everyone. -Except for husk -There's no way you're planning on taking care of that kid! -Listen, I found him in a dumpster, all alone with no one to take care of him. I had to bring it in, who knows what would have happened to it if I left it there!  -A child is not some kind of fucking joke, you know very well the contracts we're in. You, and me. If we're not free we doubt very much that child can be… -There would probably be a little dispute, however Husk would accept it... not so fast. Eventually he'll warm up to you, though, don't worry .-Charlie or vaggie will probably always find him sitting at the bar with you while he's looking his usual sour self. -although Charlie finds it mildly endearing-Angel dust hurts to leave you with Fat nuggets when he has to go somewhere fast. -and if he didn't, his first choice of nanny would probably be Charlie. -And she'd be happy to take care of you -she'd definitely spoil you with gifts and say things like "where's baby" -And on your birthday she would be the first to give you clothes or a toy. -and angel dust loves being able to have someone to leave you with when Val got heavy and Husk was too busy.  -And even though Angel loves you very much sometimes (could) become a bad influence.... -but when that happens Husk is usually there to scold him.... -Husk wouldn't like you interacting with Alastor very much -even if he keeps a "good" attitude towards you he is afraid that he might use you as something to threaten him or that he might hurt you  -and whenever he sees him trying to approach you he tries to intervene in some way.... -Oh but who could this little sweetie be- -and you have husk taking you in his arms making some silly excuse like "oh they’re hungry" or "it's just that it's bedtime!" when it literally might be three in the afternoon -although you wouldn't always be a child, and that was something they both knew. -but when you actually reach puberty… -And from then on Angel would have to learn to share his animal companion (and comfort) fat nuggets -The one who would know the most how to help you and listen to you would be Husk, he would definitely give the best advice for your worst situations. -And even if angel really can't even help himself, he will try to help you and support you in everything. -Overall good parents, 9/10 if I would let him adopt me, my parents, I love them,

───────────────── ✦

ALASTOR

-At the beginning, he saw you as a potential apprentice. -wouldn't really feel much of a parental attachment to you, he would use you mainly for his own convenience. -After all, every "mastermind" needs an apprentice, right? -although just because you are an avenue to continue his power doesn't mean he won't take proper care of you. -he would mainly leave you with Rosie and satan, you would find out everything from her. -and she would definitely spoil you as if you were her little girl. -she would be like that cool aunt who always sends you gifts lol -and you would ADORE her -Alastor would have passive-aggressive parenting with you. -you know when he gets mad even if he doesn't look mad, it's the experience I guess -surprisingly, even with alastor as a caregiver I feel like you wouldn't be as much of a son of a bitch as he is… at least hopefully… -you would get along with most of the people in the hotel except for husk -I wouldn't trust you much but i wouldn't hate you, just keep your distance -would teach you a lot of his tactics and powers -you would probably always try to smile like him to keep up the habit -although sometimes you forget and you're just serious, although he would take care to remind you every time he sees you TOO serious. -in general he would try to make you not to make his mistakes, since you were a child he would fill you with discreet lessons that will eventually serve you when you grow up, trust him… but be careful of his advice too. -ok, alastor has a few scores to settle with many of the sinners and overlords so don't be surprised if you have some idiots behind you trying to kill you lol -though don't worry, you'll always have your "father' to have your back. -although of the main ones would be vox, however as long as you don't pay much attention to him and stay out of his conflicts I doubt he'll do much against you. -he will probably call you by nicknames like "sweetheart", "little lady" (if you are a woman) or "darling" but never daughter or son -you are really just his apprentice, as I said before he doesn't see you as a real son or daughter -but if you call him father he wouldn't mind, but I'm not sure if he would be happy about it or not. -but he probably doesn't even care lol -6/10 as a father, at least he cares and protects you but you are not so much like a child to him

— This wasn't something I had planned to write, it just came out lol but I hope you enjoy it anyway, I don't have any requests right now and I have TOO MUCH things I want to write so expect anything from me these days.

[airrec]

Let's talk about the relationship between "personal level redemption (i.e. one character starts making changes for the better)" and "the corrupt institution/context in which the characters are developed to hurt each other".

Now, one or two characters reaching the point where they say "that's it, no more, I don't want this, this is not right, I am choosing not to continue on this path" is great, don't get me wrong. Redemption (AKA the path towards trying to do better, to make reparations, to not repeat the mistakes of before - forgiveness is not an obligation here, only that the character has recognised their hurtful actions and has ceased them and is now trying to do better) on a personal level is so important, and should not be diminished in value.

However, it is also simply and factually true that when it comes to the context in which certain characters have made those terrible choices or been forced to become something they otherwise might never have become, that in order for there to be actual long term solutions, those corrupt systems, those violent institutions - those must be dismantled. These things must stop in order for the system to not just keep on chugging, to not just break the next set of characters as it broke the last ones.

Sometimes, a character cannot realistically meaningfully travel very far down their path to redemption before something changes or shifts within that system in order to allow them that. For example, a character who is constantly on the defensive because people are hunting them down to try to kill them doesn't have the option of not defending themselves (usually with violence) unless they choose to die at their hunters' hands. Even if they do not start fights, they can't disengage if others start them first; in order to stop, others must also stop.

It is unfair, in contexts where there is a great and systematic corruption, to place the onus of a "happy ending" on singular people if there is no intention of dismantling the system that gave birth to such horrors. How cruel, how unjust, to take one person and say to them, "this is all, totally and completely, your fault, and it is your responsibility to change because you are the thing that needs fixing here."

Think of it like climate change: yeah, sure, putting your rubbish into the correct bins and reducing your personal carbon footprint etc is helpful. But what change you can make, if you make it alone, if you make it isolated, will never meaningfully chip away at the global level of pollution caused by the whole system. What needs to happen is a lot of people banding together to force the system to change, and for those who benefit from it to be held accountable. Because that's the other element of tragedy: there is nearly always someone benefitting from the tragedy, and it is not often those who are the most blamed or slandered.

Yourself may be a good place to start, but it is not where it ends. It is a long hard road, to the recognition that there are many factors that contribute towards tragedy - to the personal choices of characters, and to the reasons they made those choices in the first place; the action = reaction, the consequences, the pressures, the emotional and mental factors, the physical factors, the numerous interweaving stories of everyone trying to protect them and theirs, and sometimes in doing so hurting others.

Redemption and understanding how tragedy came to be is rarely as simple as we want it to be, and this complexity is a feature, not a bug. If you want to be able to point at someone and say "there; that is the bad thing" then 99/100 times I would first take a good look around to see what made the bad thing bad. Then I would take one good look at yourself in the mirror, and ask yourself if you could have been the bad thing, too, if things had shaken out just that little bit differently - the answer might not be one that comforts you.

[greenerteacups]

I think I've seen you mention in previous asks that you didn't really like aspects (or possibly the whole thing) of DH. I'm curious if you could expound more on that? Was it the horcrux hunting? The hallows themselves? Did you think the final battle came too quickly? What did you want to see when you read it the first time? And looking back as an adult what ways do you think DH should have been altered?

I've always found DH has too many plot holes.... Almost like it tried to wrap itself up too quickly. When I was reading the books as a kid I actually thought there'd be more than 7 books. Like there'd be a least one more since the war began and ended rather quickly when the first wizarding war seemed to go on for years.

To make a long story short, I don't like DH because it's not a war story, and Books 5 and 6 read like the setups for a war story. They are books packed with espionage and spycraft, flareups of violence, and are simmering with tension. In contrast, most of DH is spent camping in a forest, far away from anywhere that the Death Eaters or the main battle could have been. The Order has vanishingly little to do and the friends that we spent the last 6 books making and learning to care about vanish until the last act, where half of them die in a big battle that only happens because Harry needs to find the last horcrux.

And the thing is, horcruxes are a great plot mechanic for the final book, because they give you discrete milestones that count down to the final battle. They also clearly establish why you can't just rock up and fight Voldemort the old-fashioned way, i.e., why the Order needs to run defense for most of the book. What they don't explain is why the Order isn't then a much bigger part of the horcrux hunt, because by all accounts, Harry's first move should be to tell them what's up with Voldemort and how they can help, including — especially!— if Harry and the Trio happen to die, in which case the only knowledge of how to kill Voldemort would die with him. This is the nightmare scenario, and I cannot think of a counterfactual risk attached to telling the Order that would outweigh the danger of this happening. But I could honestly tolerate plot holes if it weren't for the thematic problem — if the story is about love and familial sacrifice, why do we spend 75% of the last book completely disconnected from the found-family that Harry built? Why are the Weasleys gone? Where is Ginny? Where is Molly? Where is Lupin?

The book really should have been called "Harry Potter and the Last Horcrux," in my opinion. The Hallows are red herrings, and they're used more as excuses to set up nice scenes/moments than they ever are as mechanics that fully integrate into the world. The ring gives Harry the ability to talk to his parents before the final sacrifice, which is a nice touch, and it explains why his Invisibility Cloak is so OP, but (and I've complainted about this before, but TLDR) the Elder Wand stuff makes no sense except as a buff for Harry in the final battle to explain how he beats Voldemort in a 1v1. Which, fine, but it opens up more questions than it ties off: how does it work? What does this mean for wand ownership? Is it actually possible for a wand to be "unbeatable"? Also, why do wands respond to fucking monkey-in-the-middle rules? If you hand your wand to someone, does that count as disarming? Etc., etc. And it also weakens the final battle of the series, which should be about Harry as a person triumphing over Voldemort because he was capable of doing something Voldemort never could, i.e., fully and willingly sacrificing himself for another person (or people). You have a soft magic system! You don't need to invent these weird rules of wand ownership to give Harry the W here! There's so much more that could have been done with this!

So. To leave a long story long, I was disappointed with Deathly Hallows. It wasn't bad, in that there were no decisions I thought were galling or egregious breaks with someone's character, and nothing happened that ruined what came before; but there was a ton of missed potential, and that's why I still kvetch about it all these years later.

[chaifootsteps]

sarcastic productions did a vid recently about this thing called Tone Armor and it explains something I've had issues with in HB but struggled to articulate

so Tone Armor is, to simplify it (but I do recommend the vid) what the audience understands the stakes of the show to be. I.e. in a Loony Tunes short no one expects a character to be seriously hurt falling off a cliff, getting shot in the face, getting a piano dropped on them, etc. It's kind of part of suspension of disbelief - some shows exploit tone armor by having an early twist that goes against the conventions of the genre. The twist in Madoka Magica ep3 works entirely off this - if you've seen a lot of magical girl shows like Sailor Moon and Cardcaptors you're used to their stakes and you don't expect anyone to really die. In ep3, someone really dies.

And that's a big problem I have with HB - it can't keep its stakes or tone consistent to save its life. In Harvest Moon, Stella hiring Striker to kill Stolas is played like a dark comedy joke. We're supposed to take it like a dramatic beat but also a kind of wacky demon thing. But then The Circus drastically shifts the tone and expects us to treat Stolas and Stella as a straight example of domestic violence - which they do by having her try to slap him, something which is much less violent than the hit she's already ordered on him episodes before. They've already had Stella escalate to the end point most abusers get to, played it as a joke, and they want to turn around and demand the audience instead take it seriously instead of treating it like just a thing demons do? It was already shaky ground in ep5 whether we should judge Stella for ordering a hit given that the premise of the show used to be about imps running an assasination business, and their targets used to be in Hell!

The show also can't make up its mind whether the audience should be worried about the characters being in real danger at any moment in time. Western Energy is the absolute nadir for this - one minute Stolas is dodging holy bullets like he knows he's in danger, the next he's calling Blitzo and speaking with no more urgency than he did when he hired him as a bodyguard in Loo Loo Land (and the episode seems to expect us to blame Blitzo for not dropping everything to help him? Why wasn't Stolas screaming in terror on the phone then???). Worse, when he gets cut off Stolas says out loud 'am I in danger right now?' like he wasn't just tied up on the back of a horse bound with blessed rope. What in gods name happened to his intelligence in this episode?

Then it's right back to wacky hijinks right as the tone was starting to shift with the Striker song from the imp trio and Stolas is still making jokes ('how does one get their own theme song?') until the episode then decides it's going to be serious and act like the audience should be worried Stolas could die. Besides the fact Viv was never going to kill her Creator's Pet, it is way too late to demand an audience buy into this plot line on a dramatic level. To make it worse half the fight scene is scored with a bubblegum pop song on the radio and it keeps cutting to the much lower stakes Blitzo trying to get Loona to take her shot, like it makes any sense at all to cross cut between the two! That episode is absolute garbage imo and I have no idea why it ended up the way it did outside of Viv probably insisting there needed to be a plot device that would render Stolas helpless (which begs the question how Striker hasn't managed to finish off half of Hell's nobles by now if he has blessed rope or at least Stolas, given he's also dumb enough not to bother using his eye powers or his demonic form earlier - the power levels in this show are also massively inconsistent)

And then to put the cherry on a very bad cake Blitzo asks 'he can get hurt?' like he didn't already know blessed weapons exist and he didn't already fight Striker for trying to kill Stolas with one of them (which he should have let him do to spare us all the badness of this never-ending plotline)

Extremely good point.

Tone armor is definitely a thing, and Viv's problem is that she wants it to be both ways. She wants this show to be Looney Tunes and Madoka, and she wants to alternate back and forth between the two whenever she pleases, and when her audience inevitably complains or is confused, to blame them.

And that's not how this works.

[jackoshadows]

So I have been reading about these early drafts and it looks like GRRM removed several lines referencing king's blood waking dragons from both Jon Snow and Tyrion's POV chapters in ADwD.

I have always inferred that the title of the fifth book - 'A Dance with Dragons' is not about actual dragons or a second civil war involving Targaryens, but the different conflicts and the struggle with ruling of Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen at the ends of the world and a new dragon showing up with his Golden Company. So the 'dragons' here referred to people. In the same vein, when I first read Jon pondering on Maester Aemon's words of 'waking dragons', my brain just assumed that the dragons being woken up meant people i.e Jon being resurrected from death.

I therefore missed that for Jon himself, 'waking dragons from stone' must mean hatching dragon eggs! Which must mean that Jon thinks either that there are dragon eggs at the Wall which Mel knows about or that Stannis/Mel have dragon eggs in their possession.

Interestingly all this is in the text that GRRM removed from early drafts. It's important to note that GRRM did not remove all references - clearly this is important foreshadowing. However, it's possible he felt there was an overemphasis of this clue instead of subtle foreshadowing and ended up removing the other references.

Also interesting that while in the published book, Jon hears of king's blood used to wake dragons from Maester Aemon (Who hears it from Stannis' men) in the drafts it's Gilly who informs him of the danger to not only Mance but also to his baby. So in the early drafts it's Gilly herself who asks that Jon do something to save Mance and his baby. GRRM changes that whole set up, writing Jon Snow in a harsher light and it's Jon who tells Gilly what will happen to Mance's baby and forces her to part with her own child.

In ADwD:

Burning dead children had ceased to trouble Jon Snow; live ones were another matter. Two kings to wake the dragon. The father first and then the son, so both die kings. The words had been murmured by one of the queen's men as Maester Aemon had cleaned his wounds. Jon had tried to dismiss them as his fever talking. Aemon had demurred. "There is power in a king's blood," the old maester had warned, "and better men than Stannis have done worse things than this." The king can be harsh and unforgiving, aye, but a babe still on the breast? Only a monster would give a living child to the flames. - Jon, ADwD

"Refuse, and the boy will burn. Not on the morrow, nor the day after … but soon, whenever Melisandre needs to wake a dragon or raise a wind or work some other spell requiring king's blood. Mance will be ash and bone by then, so she will claim his son for the fire, and Stannis will not deny her. If you do not take the boy away, she will burn him." - Jon, AdwD

Clydas is only a steward, and his eyes are going bad. You need a maester. Maester Aemon is so frail, a sea voyage … it might … he's old, and …" "His life will be at risk. I am aware of that, Sam, but the risk is greater here. Stannis knows who Aemon is. If the red woman requires king's blood for her spells …" "Oh." Sam's fat cheeks seemed to drain of color. - jon, adwd

In the published book, these are the only references to King's blood and waking dragons.

So what's in the early 2004 drafts: It's Gilly who informs him of the Queen's men and king's blood.

"They were queen's men said it, with the burning heart on them." She touched her breast with a small fist, to show where they wore Melisandre's badge. "One said the red woman wants king's blood to wake some dragon up..." "The last dragon died in King's Landing during the reign of King Aegon the Third," Jon said. "Mance will die... but for his crimes, not his blood."

And then Gilly tells Jon in the draft what Maester Aemon tells Jon in the published book.

"M'lord, she wants them both. The father first, and then the son, we heard one o'them say. That way they both die kings. Two kings to wake the dragon.

Then there is the deleted part where Jon Snow is actually thinking of dragon eggs at the Wall from the OG Targaryens!! Or that Stannis has Dragon eggs he brought with him from Dragonstone.

There were dragons here two hundred years ago. Queen Alysanne had flown here on one such beast, and her king had come on his own dragon to escort her home. Could the dragons have left something of herself behind? A clutch of eggs, perhaps? As a boy he'd heard tales of dragon's eggs at King's Landing and on Dragonstone, but never at the Wall. Unless Stannis brought them with him. He came from Dragonstone, where House Targaryen bred dragons for hundreds of years.

And another deleted part from one of the many conversations Jon has with Stannis

"Do I appear a fool, Lord Snow? I'd need to be, to trust the word of an oathbreaker. Rayder sealed his own fate. The law says death." "And there is power in a king's blood," added Melisandre, softly, "power we may need before our war is done." Though she did not speak of dragons, Jon sensed them moving in the smoke behind her words. A cold finger walked up his spine, and he resolved to say nothing of the child.

Deleted part of Jon's thoughts when 'Mance Rayder' is burned:

Every time the fire licked upwards, more branches tumbled free, cherry red and black. Jon thought of Gilly's whispered words, but no dragons came rising from the pit, only sparks and cinders. So much for the power of king's blood. Perhaps it had all been idle talk after all.

Deleted part of Jon's thoughts when Stannis unsheaths Lightbringer:

The Wall itself turned red and pink and orange, as waves of color danced across the ice. King's blood, Jon thought. Is this the power of king's blood?

Early draft of the Tyrion chapters indicates that references to King's blood from the Maelys story was also removed from the published chapters.

So in this early draft, Maelys actually burns his own son to use king's blood to wake dragons. Could it be that GRRM removed this early clue as to what Stannis Baratheon will be doing to his daughter to wake dragons?

Could it be that a desperate Stannis, losing on all fronts and the icy winter closing in, decides that he really needs the firepower of a dragon and end up burning Shireen?

Very well could be. I just think there was just way too many references here. Clearly even GRRM felt like this was really hammering in the point a bit too much and ended up removing most of it.

So yeah, I think there's definitely going to be a 'dragon' woken up with king's blood in TWoW. Whether it's an actual dragon hatching from a hidden cache of dragon eggs or a person being resurrected from the dead, we will have to read and find out (If we do end up getting the next book some day)

[dont-blame-it-on-the-kids]

50 Random Character Asks: Mako

OH MY GOD this took me 4 hours sitting down lmao

here you GO lins underway i am not accepting anymore FULL Asks but if you have a few numbers (up to 10) and a character i will accept those

1. Canon I outright reject

All of book 2 my fucking god. The whole love triangle never happened. He found Rina, and he fell in love. They’re married and pregnant with the twins in book 3 

2. A canon or headcanon hill I will die on

His wife and twins, foreverrrrrrr

3. Obscure headcanon

He turned into the unofficial handyman for his apartment and is always helping when plumbing goes wrong or when the aircon units go haywire 

4. Favorite line

I like any line where he's pointing something ONLY HE noticed out like it was obvious and just being a good detective. (also those cheesy cop lines he was practicing lmao) 

5. Best personality trait

That hes pretty willing and ready to face challenges head on 

6. Worst personality trait

Hes so stubborn and thick headed i love it 

7. Age/height/weight headcanon

Hes like 18-22 throughout the show 

I think he’s 6ft 5inch 

Idk weighs probably a little underweight in book 1 cuz street rat probender, but after then lin gets him set up in an apartment and she and kya along with asami just make sure he’s got food stocked. 

8. Unpopular opinion about them

I know its not mako specific but I hate Wu*ko I HATE IT 

9. Scene that first made me love (or hate) the character

Him getting work at the electric plant ONTOP of being a probender, a part of the Krew, and trying to keep bolin from trouble. True big sibling activities. 

10. Best moment on screen (or in the book)

I really like the scene where he fights the red lotus in zaofu. He does a good job. 

11. Faceclaim for the role

Chai Hansen

12. Crack headcanon

He’s allergic to Lychee nuts but thinks Lychee juice is supposed to be spicy. 

13. Dumbest thing they’ve ever done

If we’re looking at canon he fumbled BOTH Korra and Asami, my mans, 

14. Most heroic moment

Honestly I know end of book 4 was a big moment for him but I think he was a hero LONG before with keeping him and Bolin safe on the streets and as out of trouble as they were. 

15. Worst thing they’ve ever done

Godddddd that good intentions but ruining the investigation in book 2 i CANNOT dont get me started 

16. Deepest darkest secret they won’t even admit to themselves

He hates bolin, he hates that bolin doesnt remember their parents well, he hates that he had to raise him, he hates that bolin gets to be irresponsible while he had to grow up at 8 to make sure they were okay. He loves his brother, he really does, but when he’s no longer responsible for bolin mako refuses to accept the relief that comes with that for a while. 

17. Quotes, songs, poems, etc. that I associate with them

Can't Go Wrong by Phillip Phillips

Sleeping In by All Time Low 

18. What they’d go to see a therapist about

Everything for reall like his parents being murdered infront of him batman style, to raising bolin, to having every adult that new him before we did in the show was abusing him (i.e. the probending owner taking his entire winnings, the triad they worked for when he was younger. My boy had it ROUGH) 

19. Vices/bad habits

I think he picks up smoking honestly. I think he’s been smoking since he was like 11 with the triad and he doesnt let bolin know but he hasnt been able to kick the habit. 

20. Scars

I think he's got a few thinner like knife and burn scars before the explosion scarred up his arm. 

21. Drink of choice (not just alcoholic)

Milk 

22. Best physical feature

Cheekbones lmao the cheekbones in that show are insane 

23. If they were a scented candle, what would they smell like?

You know that moment when someone throws pine needles on the fire? And its pine and charcoal and fire and smoke. Yeah, maybe like that. 

24. Most annoying habit

Sleeps with socks on 

25. 3 things they’d want to take with them if they were dropped off in the middle of nowhere

Some money, a map, and his scarf he’ll make his way home lmao 

26. What they would do if stuck in an elevator with [insert character of your choice from the same fandom]

Dont matter who hes with hes gonna get them all out lmao 

27. Their guilty pleasure

Wood carving, he doesnt think it’s a useful use of his time and as the unofficial handyman in his apartment he’s usually rather busy.

28. How they feel about [insert character of your choice from the same fandom]

🤷idk i depends on the person lmao 

29. Eating habits

Bad, bad bad until he meets rina. He gets like A cup o noodles in mid day and mostly survives off milk and juice lmao 

30. Sleeping habits

He has stints of nightmares sometimes but most of the time he can sleep anywhere, unless its too soft. He cant stand soft beds. 

31. If the had a tumblr what would it look like?

He would have a family blog where its pics of his family and the twins and updates and their art and stuff. Then maybe he’ll reblog some like fandom stuff from probending or a radio show he and rina listen to. 

32. Something guaranteed to make them smile/laugh

His twinssss he loves them so much 

33. Something guaranteed to make them cry

Theres a song that his mom used to sing all the time. He still cant listen to it without crying. Rina finds out the hard way when she was humming it cuz it was stuck in her head one day. 

34. How they react when they are feeling X emotion (sad, angry, excited, scared, etc.—can specify as many as you like)

Bottle it mostly. Emotions can be dealt with later. 

35. Their idea of a perfect day

Wake up and make the family breakfast, head off to work for a bit, move a few cases forwards, get home, have dinner, bathe the twins, get them to bed with a story book then cuddle on the couch with Rina until bedtime. 

36. Their favorite season

He loves winter because hes not overheating and people stand closer to him for warmth lmao 

37. What they really think about themselves

He thinks he’s doing well by the end of the series. In my hc world He’s married with his twins, he and bolin have found a name and a path for themselves and they’re not struggling anymore. He’s really grown up and done a lot of work. He’s proud of what he’s done and who his family is, both chosen and blood related.

38. Favorite holiday

Growing up on the streets they did not celebrate holidays for many reasons. He hated them for a long time. but seeing the twins opening gifts on the in universe equivalent of christmas, lin, kya, and asami over for dinner while korra and bolin were away during the timeskip and seeing the twins so happy and opening gifts and stuff. He found he could enjoy the holiday again and even was looking forward to the next years dinner when the twins were older and bolin and korra were back. 

39. Favorite game

He enjoys playing Cabbage Land with the twins (thank you @btheleaf for the Candy Land knock off name)

40. Favorite book

He really got into the romance series lin brought with her to the stakeout once lmao hes not so slyly asked to borrow her copies. Rina, Lin, and Kya have included him on their book club meetings now xD 

41. If they could have lunch with anyone in the world (living or dead, from any fictional universe or the real world), who would it be?

I think he would want to meet his grandfather (i’m excluding his parents cuz thats a copout answerrr)

42. 3 comfort items

His scarf, a tiny glass bird a homeless man made him when they were on the streets (he made bolin a small fireferret), and a photo he has of him korra and bolin from the probending team 

43. 3 favorite foods and 3 they despise

Fav - strawberries, Rina’s chicken fried rice, and he was surprised he enjoyed walrus-cow chowder as much as he did in the south. 

44. Their happiest memory

Hes got a few lol, when he married Rina, and when his twins were born. 

45. Their favorite celebrity

He doesnt seem the kind to follow celebrities too closely honestly. 

46. The person they most admire

Lin Beifong 100000% shes the reason he joined the force and he kinda is always looking for her approval. 

47. Their dream job

He seems to be really good as a detective. Maybe he would have liked to stay a probender for life but the trauma from the attacks were too much to go back really. 

48. Scariest moment of their life

When the dust settles in book 4 and he doesnt know where Rina and the twins are. He doesnt know if they were on the last train out or stuck in the city during the attack. 

49. Favorite toy as a child

He used to have this wooden bird that worked as like an ocarina. Hes using his wood carving skills to try to make one again and maybe make some for the twins.  

50. A memory they’ve blocked out

👀👀 lots of things can happen to young kids on the streets.

[bonefall]

Does anyone in StarClan (i.e: the leaders responsible for SkyClan being exiled) feel regret for what happened to them, knowing that they became horrific rat-beasts? Or did they just go "Huh. Well, that'll never happen to MY clan so I won't ever need to reflect on the consequences of my actions. :D"

Unfortunately it's mostly the second option. StarClan has Problems. FORTUNATELY though, those spirits are not particularly powerful in Silverpelt anymore, as their time has come and gone.

Redstar of ThunderClan: Believes it's a result of not being strong enough to keep their own territory. SkyClan was also a major rival of his Clan at the time, so he really did not feel bad at all to see them go. One less problem for him. Definitely the most antagonistic leader here, if anything he was happy they were gone.

Dawnstar of ShadowClan In BB, it's actually DAWNSTAR who takes in Birdsong and her kits. When she hears of SkyClan's ultimate fate, she's really clinging to her justifications because that fate is horrific. I think if any of the four really regret it, it's probably her. But mostly I think she paw-wave it away with, "The past is the past."

Swiftstar of WindClan: Thinks it's unfortunate, but really SkyClan's fault in the end. They should have procured their borders, settled closer, or cut out a piece of some other territory. And besides... SkyClan's ancestors are not his ancestors. Why should he care? He's the only one who really PAID for it though, with Larkstripe letting him die during her strike.

Birchstar of RiverClan Was the sort of guy who lived in her own little world. RiverClan was historically notorious for wanting to mind their own business and Birchstar was no different. If you invoked her to ask her opinion, she'd say something WILD like, "ew. perhaps they turned into rats because they had rotten souls. it isn't my fault they have icky little rodent hearts. couldn't be me."

[that-one-kiddo-in-the-back]

Grey Jedi and Mandalorians. She's wrong about both

To start off, I am what Lily would describe as a Star Wars weeb. I live, breathe, and shit star wars.

First things first, Gray jedi is not a thing in canon. I'm sorry, everyone who wanted it to be canon it's just not. Ahsoka isn't a gray Jedi and none of the other morally gray characters that can use the force, and it's not because of what Lily thinks. simply put, no mortal force user can be in the middle. Now, you can have force users that don't aline themselves with the jedi or the sith, but that doesn’t make them a Gray jedi. If you're a jedi, you use the light side. That's why you're a jedi, and if you're a sith, you use the dark. That's why you're a sith.

Now that that's out of the way... Lily doesn't know how the Jedi and the Sith work or why people actually want a gray Jedi. She chalks people wanting a gray Jedi as people who can't make a choice because they are scared of that, not because maybe they want a force user that uses both sith techniques and jedi techniques. She brings up the jedi and sith code

She describes the Jedi code as "living without based passion," which isn't the same as just having no attachments. The jedi is loosely based on Buddhist priests who have no earthly attachments, so they can focus on their own self and inner peace and describes the Sith code as something they came up with to spit on the Jedi code and that the "passion they have is was is what's worth living and that living is the nature of the force" and how the sith code is asking why a Jedi wants to be an "empty husk of a person" which it isn't. Much like how the Jedi aren't perfect all the time... the sith still aren't the good guys. The only way you can use sith techniques is to let your anger and other negative feelings run through you. To use your anger to fan the flame where as the Jedi believes that the anger can drown you in sorrow and make you do things you wouldn't.

In Star Wars rebels season three, you watch Ezra struggle with the dark side after everything that happened on Malachor. You watched him become almost a completely different person, how he no longer saw his friends and family as equals but possessions. You saw how he was quickly to anger, and you can see the looks on the crews face when they can tell he's in a bad mood he was spiraling in his guilt for Ahsoka's "death" and getting Kanan blinded by maul. Everyone could tell he wasn't dealing with his trauma in a healthy way. Something lily needs to understand about the Sith is that they are all traumatized for one reason or another, i.e. it's considered taboo for a sith to pick up a young child. The sith believes you have to experience pain in order to open yourself up to the dark side.

The Jedi learns to let go of the past to move forward where the Sith cling onto the hate and lose themselves to it.

Mandalorian time, next to the mortis gods (the ones), the Mandalorians are my favorite group

The Mandalorians are like the real world Spartans (my siblings call them space spartans) fighting and survival of the fitteat teaching their children at young ages to protect themselves and others that can keep up that doesn’t mean they will watch you die well for some anyway. Mandalore is a bit more like earth as it has many clans, with some getting long with each other and others not so much.

She does have a point in that Mandalorians are toxic masculinity except for the fact that their are women Mandalorians and not all the Mandalorians think the same way hell the Mandalorians themselves talk about how much their own war mindset is destroying their planet death watch are considered traitors.

Something I thought was pretty interesting was how she made fun of people who say that Mandalorians can go toe to toe with the jedi... which is a true thing? The jedi and the Mandalorians don't get along all that much because of philosophy and other things. Mandalorian armor is made out of a metal that can't be melted by a lightsaber they made an energy whip to grab like the jedi when they use the force, and my favorite fact that the Mandalorians made guns called slugthrowers which as basically pistols that fire bullets making it impossible for Jedi to defect them

She also brings up dutchess Satine as the "only person that doesn't want the constant war" and how she was killed only for Obi Wan's characters' development and completely ignoring Bo-Katan's. Yeah, she died in Obi Wan's arms, but that didn't really develop his character. If anything, Bo-Katan had much more of an impact as she left Death Watch, the main group that was responsible for her sisters death and even helped get maul the man that killed her sister dethroned the jedi didn't save the Mandalorians they helped them.

At the end of her video, she goes on about how people who like the like the Mandalorians are plugging our ears and going lalalala at her claims, which are fair fan boys in Star Wars are one of the most toxic people you'll find. For Mother's Day, I made a tiktok saying which woman in Star Wars would be a good mother and had one guy telling me to go back to the kitchen (little shameless sharing of my own content don't mind me)

but what killed me was the fact that she fully blames the Jedi for making the clones. Which just isn't true. The clones were a trap set by Darth sidious and count dokku they were made with Jango fett's DNA with his consistency, and he got his own kid out of it. For the most part, the clones were treated with respect from the Jedi plo Koon treating them like battle brothers Anakin treating them like the people they are. Aayla even developed feelings for her commander, Bly. The sith made them kill the jedi when the time was right.

Something that needs to be said is that the Jedi didn't want the war they didn’t want to fight. No one except the sith and corrupted officials wanted the war because of how big it would be, and even more so, no one liked the idea of the clones everyone saw it as a slave army, which only fueled the Confederacy not liking the republic.

If Lily was a Star Wars character, she would have bought all the propaganda about the Jedi being blood thirsty and needed Order 66 to happen. she'd be on the empire side and call the rebel alliance a group of terrorists. Yes, the clones are slaves but they aren't the Jedi's slaves they're the siths Slaves.

Like I said before, at the beginning, I am a big fan of Star Wars, and for the most part of the video, she has some good points I just really wished she'd understand that the Sith aren't good people the Sith are fueled with revenge they use and manipulate the people around them for their own benefit yes the Jedi were corrupt, yes the Jedi aren't good people either. Get the sith off that pedestal. Yes, the Mandalorians aren't the galaxies' strongest species, and yes, the Mandalorians are the physical embodiment of toxic masculinity, but that doesn’t mean the Mandalorians are something that needs to die out.