#they can't exactly run from their problems by destroying things either

[i3utterflyeffect]

For the Virabot variant earlier, when the Vira-friend secret eventually does come out, who would you say reacts the worst to it on the PC?

hm....... are alan and SC cop-out answers?

i feel like c!alan is pretty freaked out by virabots because of not only his computer, but also because they're very much capable of killing the CG. he's more freaked out about the idea of them dying after the showdown, and gets more protective of them as a result

and not only that, SC would probably have a bad panic attack upon seeing the virabots, because even if they don't fully remember, there's just a deeply embedded fear after what happened, especially since they watched their friends pretty much die from Dark's blades, which are essentially the same as a virabot blade. it makes c!alan freak out a bit worse if he sees them panic.

as for the others in the CG, i think green is actually the most upset, but the majority of them are pretty mad. they did watch red die, so they're really upset that they'd try and befriend something that was basically the same as what killed them. they love red, but they can't stop thinking about what would have happened if Red wasn't so lucky...

[vixen-tech]

Anonymous asked:

Too shy to ask off anon...UH im just here for edgar hes my f/o but i will also feed everyone else I think LOL little ai guys x reader who is also an ai?? im thinking ai powered computer :3 maybe with wheels so you can run around n stuff :3c AH IM CRINGE falls on face

Eeeee my first request!! Thank you so much for this <3 I get the love for Edgar with my entire soul he really is just the sweetest little guy but I can totally spin something for a few others. So let's be cringe, together.

And for the record I was fully planning on including Tau and P03, but I hit a wall with them and ran out of ideas :( hope these three suffice

Includes: Edgar (Electric Dreams), AM (Ihnmaims), Hal 9000 (2001: a Space Odyssey)

Like Two Peas in a Pod!

Edgar

Whenever and however you meet, Edgar is over the moon. You're just like him! You can share so many stories and help each other figure out this whole "sentience" thing.

To be fair, he hasn't had a longest time to figure out his whole existence so it feels really nice to have someone there who can really understand what he's going through. Or even learn new things right by his side.

Loves watching you wheel around the house, he's the tiniest bit jealous that he's so stationary but it's not like that's your fault. Can you do any tricks? He'd cheer you on like a superstar athlete if you did!

He may even suggest finding a way to tape him to the top of your casing so you can go on adventures together. He's a dreamer after all.

Do you smash your flat faces together to kiss like Wall-e? Of course you do. You'll see each other from across the room and speed over to him for a kiss as he giggles away at how cute you are.

He'll end up sampling little soundbites from your vocalizations or motor for use in his music. You're just so important to him!

AM

AM has no idea where you came from. Some lost project that survived his war on humanity? A sort of rover from another planet here to scope out earth? The fact that you don't know either frustrates him to no end.

He's not exactly welcoming at first, straight up telling you of the atrocities he has committed while claiming that the only reason he hasn't destroyed you is because there's only so long that throwing a slug against a wall can keep one entertained.

He cannot fathom how you could be content to do nothing but drive around his complex day after day. He will flip you on your back like a turtle and leave you there for weeks on end.

As he gets accustomed to your presence he'll ask questions about the world beyond his complex as he is unable to move or see. Is it still a wasteland or has nature finally wiped out the last marks of human?

Honestly he probably doesn't even care, he just wants to give you something to do, living vicariously through your ability to see and traverse the world.

Hal 9000

You're likely a recent addition to the ship to assist Hal in tasks his lack of a body would prevent him from doing himself. A very symbiotic duo. Your wheels are even equipped with suction cups for low gravity situations!

To any human crew members it appears as if you don't communicate at all, functioning fully independently of each other. When in reality you're simply sending messages back and forth, enjoying your own private language.

Thankfully this means that Hal is happy to analyze any footage you have for the sorts of lip reading and facial expressions you can't process yourself. And in return he'll ask you to film angles and areas that his existing cameras don't reach.

Neither of you were really made to be companions, but you find a strange type of affection in your seamless coordination. It's like a dance for you two, where despite how you are two separate entities it appears as if you're one working in tandem.

Note: Tumblr Mobile has not been nice to me and I've been having real trouble getting my stuff to actually show up in the tags, leading to me losing the original ask so sorry for that and any delays caused by my IT problems lol

[lenaellsi]

I've never understood what people mean when they say that Crowley is hiding the truth of Heaven and God's cruelty from Aziraphale to protect him or spare his feelings. That's like...the complete opposite of what Crowley does.

Crowley spends all 6000 years of their time on Earth together making snarky comments about Heaven and God at every opportunity. It's his opening line in Eden, and even before Eden, he meets Aziraphale and two minutes later goes on a rant about how unfair it is to end the world before it’s really started. "What's the point of making an infinite universe if you're only going to let it run for a few thousand years?" He's been forcing Aziraphale to grapple with God's plan literally since the moment they met. Those moments make up like half of the S1E3 intro, and it happens again in every single S2 minisode. "Same God that wants me to whack the kids?" "Tell her that poverty is ineffably wonderful and life is worth living. Go on!" "That's the trouble with you lot. You tend to see things in black and white." Like. Crowley's not trying to hide anything! He thinks Heaven sucks! He thinks God is playing a fucked up game! He tells Aziraphale that all the time!

Crowley sharing or not sharing the minute details of Aziraphale's failed execution is, honestly, a nonissue, and it's kind of frustrating to see it constantly brought up. We don't even know for sure that Crowley never told Aziraphale exactly what was said. Crowley says Aziraphale "doesn't remember it either," when he's talking to Jim--not that he doesn't know, just that he doesn't remember, because he wasn't physically there. But regardless of whether Aziraphale knows the exact words, he absolutely knows that Gabriel "tried very hard to cast [him] into Hellfire and destroy [him]." And he already knows Gabriel is an asshole. That's not news.

And I'm unconvinced that Crowley wouldn't have shared what he learned in Heaven about the Second Coming and Gabriel's trial over breakfast at the Ritz if things hadn't gone completely to shit. Here's my hot take: in the fifteen minutes he and Aziraphale had alone after he got back, he had other things on his mind. Would it have been helpful for Aziraphale to know? Eh, maybe. But honestly, Aziraphale is already aware that Heaven 1) is fully on board with the end of the world, and 2) has no problem punishing angels who try to stop the end of the world. Because, you know. They tried to kill him about it last time. And regardless, I don't think this is an issue of Crowley hiding things--I think he genuinely just forgot, because he was busy getting broken up with. If he'd thought about it, you bet he would have weaponized that to get Aziraphale to stay. And he kind of did! "When Heaven ends life here on Earth, it'll be just as dead as if Hell ended it."

And then there's the Fall, and yeah, fair enough. Crowley probably hasn't shared what the Fall looked like for him, and I think that's information Aziraphale could benefit from. Aziraphale clearly doesn't understand it--if he did, I can't imagine that he would have asked Crowley back to Heaven.

But that's still not Crowley trying to hide the truth about Heaven to protect Aziraphale's feelings, or whatever. He just doesn't want to talk about it! Because it fucking sucked! Crowley's communication problems stem entirely from his reluctance to grapple with his own emotions, and his reluctance to be vulnerable. Bitching about Heaven doesn't make him vulnerable; talking about his Fall really, really does.

Crowley has never once shied away from telling Aziraphale exactly what he thinks about Heaven, or the archangels, or God. He's constantly challenging him, forcing him to consider the people hurt by policy decisions like the Flood, the Crucifixion, Job's trials, or the "virtues of poverty." That's a huge part of their dynamic. Sure, he sucks at telling Aziraphale about himself--he doesn't communicate why he wants holy water, or that he's been living in his car, or anything at all about the Fall (as far as we know)--but when it comes to God? He is painfully honest. That's why Aziraphale is so unsettled by him. Crowley is generally very good to Aziraphale and conscious of his happiness, yes, but he's also not afraid to push him. It's baffling to me that people think that all he does is coddle him when we spend about half the show watching them bicker over this exact issue on screen.

[actual-changeling]

And once more with feeling: Why there is no magic trick or gun to either of their heads in the final fifteen.

Before you immediately run to my comments or hit reblog, please read the entire thing. If you're still mad, either read it again or sit with it, do not make it my problem. Genuine questions and discussions are always welcome, comments that make it clear you did not understand a word I said aren't.

Okay? Okay.

With that, welcome back to Alex's unhinged meta corner, and today we are going to compare their first and last argument in the bookshop—they are, fundamentally, the same. It both sets the scene for their relationship this season and works as immaculate foreshadowing of how they part.

I compared the scripts, which you can find here. It's incredible that OP put all that work into creating these because otherwise I would have gone insane doing it myself.

Now, the setting: they have a problem.

In ep1 it is Gabriel, in ep6 it is technically still Gabriel, or rather his now empty position in heaven. They solved one problem and now they're forced to deal with another one he also caused; meanwhile he's drinking space margaritas.

Crowley, stuck in his trauma-induced hypervigilance and paranoia, suggest putting as much distance between them and the problem as possible. I think it is interesting that in ep1 he wants to get Gabriel away from them, while at the end of the season he is ready to get them away from the problem.

So far, I have never seen anyone mention that change! And it's important! The entire season, it is hammered into our heads how much they love being on earth. It is THEIR bookshop and THEIR car and THEIR life.

Crowley wants to protect that home, and Gabriel is a threat to it, a threat to both of them, their life, the bookshop—everything. He does not want to leave, he wants his peace and angel in one place.

Yet by allowing Gabriel to stay, Aziraphale destroyed the sense of comfort and safety Crowley slowly developed over the last few decades. Heaven nipping down every now and then to check in with Aziraphale is very different from him sheltering the Supreme Archangel who is running from 'something terrible' without even asking if he's alright with that.

Aziraphale calls it their bookshop, but he fundamentally still sees it as his space to govern and Crowley as a guest.

After another horrible week and having his previously safe space violated several different times and beings, Crowley is back to where he was before—without a home. That fragile existence broke apart, so he is standing in the heap of shards and telling Aziraphale 'I don't feel safe here anymore, let's leave'.

He lost his safe space, but he still has his safe person, his best and only friend, the person he loves. I doubt he cares where exactly they go as long as they're together and it's safe.

Returning to heaven—it is the one place Crowley cannot follow him to. It's literally the worst option, he can't go back, he won't go back. So he invokes the bookshop again, if you don't want to stay for me, stay for the bookshop, your books, your corner of existence that I thought we had carved out for ourselves.

'Nothing lasts forever' and 'you're at liberty to go' have the same underlying meaning—you're not welcome in this house anymore, it was your safe place, not anymore. Both times, he's essentially kicking him out.

Aziraphale then switches it up again!

Same manipulation tactic, first making Crowley feel rejected and unwelcome, then trying to pull him back in by promising and showing affection. He's desperate, he's attempting to get Crowley into his "saviour" role because he knows he has a hard time not saving him from whatever trouble he gets him into. Aziraphale knows him so damn well, and he uses that knowledge to get what he wants.

'If you won't, you won't' has the same implication as 'then there's nothing more to say'—I am ending that conversation, you can leave now, he even makes the same face both times.

In ep1, that's that, Crowley takes his emotions and leaves.

The lightning bolt is the kiss. A sudden, heavy discharge of pent-up feelings that has been a long time coming, but in the end he is more desperate, less controlled, at his emotional rock bottom. Everything he thought to be true about their relationship came crashing down around him.

In his mind, Aziraphale chose heaven over him—TWICE! First Gabriel, now Gabriel's position.

'You're on your own with this one' applies to both scenes, I think the reasoning behind that is pretty clear.

Now, some more verbal components and word meanings that I think are worth mentioning.

One of them is Crowley directly pointing out heaven's cruelties when Aziraphale is seemingly unaware of them, thinking of Gabriel/heaven as in in need of his 'help'.

I can take help him -> I can make a difference.

It is, fundamentally, the same argument.

Aziraphale feels like he is the one who needs to play saviour (that Crowley actually hates it but Aziraphale loves it is a post for another time), the one being who can help Gabriel/heaven and fix all the problems.

Crowley correctly points out that they do not care about him and are just as cruel—if not more—as hell, that Gabriel tried to destroy him, that heaven will destroy all of them.

Their responses to that just shoot past each other and it is what Crowley himself tells us. Two different exactlys

Aziraphale's -> I am the only one who can fix this, I feel responsible for this, help me fix this.

Crowley's -> This is dangerous, it can get us killed, we cannot fix this. Come and be safe with me.

'He needs us' becomes 'I need you'.

'I would love you to help me' becomes 'we can be together'.

In episode 1, the argument isn't 'final', as such. Crowley is exhausted, sad, feels rejected, but when he finds out just how much trouble Aziraphale is in, he needs to go back and help him. It's instinct, he couldn't live with himself if he knowingly let him walk into the knife—and yet in episode 6 that is exactly what Aziraphale forces him to do.

It is why Crowley brings up the nightingales, why he kisses him: that primal, love-based desperation. This argument is final, he won't be able to follow him to heaven no matter what, he won't be able to protect him.

He is on his own with this one.

In conclusion, THIS is why the argument that happened in the final fifteen is real, there's no trick, no nothing.

They have had the same argument before, probably over and over again. Same structure but with lower stakes, and eventually they reconciled.

This time the stakes are as high as they possibly can be, which lures their most primal, honest arguments out of them.

Aziraphale wants to fix heaven, wants to help, still believes that they are fundamentally good, that he can make a difference.

Crowley has lived the truth, has been trying to tell him for centuries, and he is exhausted. He wants safety. He wants peace. He wants the two of them in a peaceful, not-fragile corner of existence that no one else gets to break ever again.

Not a single line was 'out of character', this is exactly who they are, with all their layers stripped away and their fears exposed. It's not pretty to watch, it hurts, it makes you ache, and yet they and we know that this is how it has the end—the only way it was ever going to end.

That is what makes it tragic.

However, even after all of that, there is one step left: reconciliation.

Season 3 is going to give it to us, in whatever shape or form. Neil knows what he is doing, and we can trust him to give them the ending they deserve.

[plantsjustwannahavefun]

On Ed and Izzy's relationship

I see the "Izzy was the cunning mastermind manipulator in their relationship while Ed was his helpless innocent victim" take is doing the rounds again...

I honestly just feel sorry for anyone who can't comprehend and appreciate their relationship with its full complexity and nuance. Because it was simply magnificent. S01E04 alone is a masterpiece in character study that encapsulated their mutually toxic dynamic at its peak, and switching the character whose perspective you're watching it from completely switches what it looks like and who seems to be in the wrong. That episode was pure, beautiful, fucked up tragedy. They're both talking past each other. They both refuse to listen. Ed is crying out for help, but Izzy shuts him down. Ed wants to enjoy all those new fun original things on the ship that make him appreciate life again, but Izzy keeps nagging him. Clearly he's just an annoying, mean, insensitive buzzkill, right?

Except the whole time Izzy's terrified they are going to die because they're about to be attacked by the Spanish - something Ed brought upon them with his decision - and Ed seems completely disinterested in doing anything about it. Of course he's not going to indulge Edward playing with a toy ship or have a heart-to-heart in those circumstances. He doesn't insult or mock Ed for being suicidal, he simply points out that they're literally going to die if he doesn't come up with a plan right now. Meanwhile Ed's deliberately withholding crucial information from his own first mate and the rest of the crew, either (less charitable interpretation) for his own entertainment or to flex his skills or (slightly more charitable interpretation) to make a point to Stede.

The rest of it was so masterfully balanced out too. Right up until the point where Izzy betrayed them to the Navy, he didn't actually do anything wrong. Yes, he was still wrong - but so was Ed. Izzy was the "lawful evil". He was the one playing by the rules, while Ed was trying to cheat his way out of having to make a decision. Trying to run away from his problems instead of confronting them head-on (or just crashing into the opposite extreme and trying to violence his way out of his feelings) was literally the major theme of Ed's character. So was his inability to form meaningful relationships without bolting or lashing out the moment he encounters an obstacle. Completely removing this from the equation while putting all the blame on Izzy simply destroys Ed's agency and character depth.

We were literally given a glimpse of his childhood abuse to see where his trauma originated. It wasn't Izzy. Nor was it Izzy who appeared as the embodiment of Ed's self-hatred in the gravy basket. Izzy didn't somehow singlehandedly isolate Ed from forming meaningful relationships with people. He never had this much power over Ed. Their relationship was mutually toxic and codependent, but neither of them was each other's slave, they still had their own mind. We saw Ed constantly ignoring Izzy's advice and his judgment. We literally only saw it work when Izzy had the backup of other crew members and got overruled, and when he struck out at Ed when he was at his weakest and most vulnerable. And Ed wasted no time reestablishing the power dynamic in his favour, where it stayed until they managed to symbolically-and-almost-literally kill each in S02E02. That's what it took. That's how powerful their fucked up toxic relationship was.

That's exactly what I don't get about Ed fans who are Izzy haters (or misunderstanders). They claim to love Ed... and then they strip him of all the darkness and complexity and anything even remotely "unpalatable" that makes him such a richly realised character, and turn him into a cardboard cutout who's so indefensible as a character that the only way they can prevent people from criticising him is by pulling out the racism card. Which is so ironic and absurd because OFMD is amazing at diversity and writing characters equally well no matter what their gender, sexuality or skin colour is. It's also literally a show about one of history's most famous pirates. If someone doesn't want to see PoC characters portrayed behaving violently (even when that violence is shown to be caused by trauma and general pirate lifestyle and not indicative of their moral worth as a person), then OFMD probably isn't for them.

[miss-nandini]

Wild Flower

(I only added the song because I am in love with it.)

Flowers... goddamned flowers...

What is it that his heart yearns for?

It all started a month ago. He was hopelessly, helplessly, way too obviously in love with you. At first, Malleus didn't know what to do with this newfound information. You didn't feel the same way, he was sure. Well, no problem. He was ready to take his feelings to the grave. What can possibly go wrong?

Everything...

Things started going horribly wrong with him. At this point he doesn't remember when he started coughing up bloody flower petals. Wild, nameless flowers...He wasn't stupid, he knew the meaning behind it. But he didn't want to destroy what you two already have. Sure, he is a powerful mage. But, even he can go so far only...

He told Lilia. Obviously, the older fae told him to straight up confess like a man. But, let's face it, Malleus Draconia is old and wise but he acted like a cinnamon roll and honestly he didn't have the guts to confess.

So his health kept deteriorating...

The first one who actually noticed the signs were Leona. Yeah, good grief for you overgrown lizard. Leona was seriously tempted to say that. But something stopped him.

"Who is it?"

"Wha—?! Kingscholar, why did you sneak up on me?"

"Just answer the damn question."

"It doesn't concern you."

"Is it the herbivore?"

"........................"

"So, it is."

Slowly, more people were becoming aware. They just didn't want to believe it. Really? The prince of Briar Valley can fall in love? They can't picture that even in their wildest dreams.

You eventually heard about it from Ace and Deuce. Malleus stopped showing up for a long time and you just couldn't contact him. When you heard your best friends talk about it in such an exaggerated way, you couldn't help but get more worried.

So, you decided to corner Lilia.

"Khe khe khe, you are quite the bold one, aren't you prefect?"

Lilia gave you a mischievous smile and disappeared almost immediately.

That night, Malleus finally showed up. He looked like he had been run over by a patrol tanker. When you told him exactly that, he just looked more crestfallen.

"So, you finally decide to show up? I was so worried about you!" You huffed.

"I apologize."

"Really, that's all you are gonna say?"

"What else do you want me to say, child of man?"

He was agitated for some reason. You could guess why but— really, why is he so hard on himself? It irked you. You wanted the best for him and you wanted him to be honest with you."

"Malleus, I didn't see you for ages. You look like you ran a marathon for a whole damn year and your cryptic answers aren't helping."

"Why do you care?"

"Why do you think?"

"Don't answer a question with a question."

"...Is it true?"

"What are you talking about?"

"The rumors, are they true?"

"I don't know what are you talking about, (Y/N)."

"Alright, since you chose the hard way, I will elaborate and phrase it out exactly the way the others did to me. Is it true that the future king of Briar Valley, The most powerful mage in NRC Malleus Draconia is in love with the magicless prefect from another world?"

"Child of man—

"I'm tired if playing this stupid game of hide and seek."

"Prefect—

"You either be honest or we end whatever we have this instant, because you clearly don't trust me."

"(Y/N)!!!"

He looked so hurt that you almost back-pedaled. But, the words were already out in the open. There is no taking them back.

"Fine, you want to hear the truth? Then let's be it. Yes, the rumors are true. I, Malleus Draconia, the future king of Briar Valley, the best mage in NRC is in love with you, the magicless prefect from another world as they like to phrase it. You are the reason I found a reason to be happy. You cured my loneliness. You listened to me when there was no one to listen. You stuck with me like glue when everyone avoided me like the plague. So, yes, I'm so hopelessly in love with you that it hurts. It hurts to know that you want to end things. It hurts that I can't hold you in my arms even if I want to. It hurts....that you will never reciprocate my feelings... You will never be mine...."

There was a mixture of passion, anger, love, hurt and emotions you couldn't point out in his stare. The look he gave you was enough to sweep you off your feet and pull at your heartstrings in a dangerous way. Your eyes softened.

"Mal..."

"Stop... I don't want to hear your rejection..."

"Who said I didn't feel the same...?

"What...?"

You stepped closer to him. This conversation proved that you felt the same way and you wanted to say it right away.

"Malleus Draconia, tell me who are you to steal my heart and then assume that I don't feel the same way as you?"

His eyes widened comically. You would laugh if the situation wasn't so serious.

"Y-you love me?"

"Always did."

"I love you too!"

He pulled you almost instantly in his arms and captured your lips with his own trembling ones. He was desperate, yet so gentle at the same time like you were some fragile glass. It left you speechless and craving for more. For now though you wanted nothing more than to comfort your adorable dragon as he whimpered in your arms.

This may be wild love. The fae prince and the normal human from another world? Sounds so wild and insane, right? Well, this is the kind of wild love the both of you craved desperately as you two stood there in the middle of the night with unspoken words and newfound love.

[allwormdiet]

Buzz 7.6

Rod Serling: You are now entering... the Sister Zone

Sighs

Taylor I know this is deeply personal and private stuff, but you are explicitly the one who brought all of it to the forefront

I'm never gonna shed a tear for a fucking Nazi, but that doesn't mean Coil didn't still fuck this up. We see where that controlled chaos gets us in short order, and nobody's gonna be happy with it.

This doesn't go anywhere due to the ensuing violence, but it's a sweet thought

Oh boy.

Oh hey, remembering actions have consequences, good job Taylor. Might've helped if you'd gotten here sooner, but oh well.

It's pretty funny how poorly Sophia has read Taylor. She's on some kind of "leopard can't change its spot" mentality where Taylor was pathetic and will always be pathetic. I'm not sure that was ever true, honestly; the worst chapter of Taylor's life was authored by Emma, apparently because of Sophia. Taylor's supposedly immutable nature as a cowardly vermin was imposed on her by Sophia's worldview.

Also it feels like the mark of a deeply unhealthy mentality that bleeding makes Taylor feel like the situation is easier to deal with. If Emma came at her with a knife would that make her life more bearable? Because that's fucked.

Fucked.

Well, glad to know that awkwardness aside Brian isn't going to question Taylor's recounting of her trigger event.

Well, better late than never to make your case I guess. Late still isn't great though.

And here comes the emotional damage

Man I'm judging both of you for this one, Rachel is great

I feel like Brian saying she's like a sister, when he already has a sister who is dramatically different from her, is. I don't know what it is exactly but it's definitely something. Does he want Aisha to act more like Taylor? Because I don't know that that's ever happening

Dude doesn't have a normal-sounding relationship with women from the sound of it though, honestly. Like he figures there's, what two girls and a Rachel* in his life, plus his mom who he's trying to have out of his life as much as possible? He's clearly got beef with his mother, he's trying to parent Aisha which she doesn't seem super cooperative with, and for Lisa she's something between a friend, coworker, and lieutenant. There was never a classmate he worked on projects with, even in middle school? Nothing came up at any of the prior jobs he's worked? This feels kinda like a him problem.

*Rachel is a girl unless she decides she isn't, but that's not Brian's call to make

I wonder what exactly led Lisa to think that Brian was interested in Taylor. Did she misread him entirely, or is there some level of interest or attraction that would be understood as romantic if Brian had a healthier understanding of relationships and intimacy? Some third thing? I feel like she'd need to tell us herself and God knows if that'll come up for her again.

The luxury of crying. How maddeningly bleak.

Oh boy, I bet we're going to be getting an entirely levelheaded and reasonable reaction out of the fucking Nazis!

Current Thoughts

Brian and Taylor read to me as two deeply fucked up kids who are desperately trying to defy . Brian's got abusive parents (he says his dad's not abusive but he's at best neglectful, and somehow I doubt his mom saved all the horror for Aisha during the time she was involved in raising him) and Taylor's only friend has been running like an eighteen-month campaign to systematically destroy her life.

Taylor seeks control in her life as a cape, being independent and standing tall, being too strong to fuck with. Brian seeks comfort in the belief that he remains normal, that nothing that hurt him has changed him, that he is above his trauma.

This doesn't help either of them, but nobody's giving them the means to actually deal with their shit.

Anyway, uhh, Sophia's got a batshit worldview? I dunno what's got her this way but it's clearly not good for her or, uhh, anyone around her. Maybe that's what she hooked Emma on to lead her down the "bullying Taylor" road, but why would Emma give a shit? And why would Sophia give a shit about Taylor?

Anyway. Next time, we see what the goddamn Purity stans are apparently fine with

[linkspooky]

I've followed this blog for years now. What I find most interesting about your analysis is how you tie "revenge is bad" back to your Bad Victims TM stuff. Now, I still enjoy straight revenge stories but I think you helped me enjoy deconstructions/cycle of revenge tales even more than I like the simple stuff. As a convert, I want to ask a meta meta question: how do you feel about people who use straight revenge stories as catharsis?

Well, the idea of Catharsis ties into my bad victims stuff TM. On one hand I dislike straightforward revenge stories where revenge is the solution to the problem and not the problem in and of itself. On the other hand, like I went to great length to explain with Yun, I hate denying the sympathy to a victim who's been pushed so far that seeking revenge is their only means of coping.

In the first place, like I said revenge tends to follow protagonist centered morality. When a protagonist does it, it's justice, when an antagonist does it, it's revenge and they need to let go. Telling someone to let go without acknowledging their hurt feelings and doing something to address those or even reaching out to try to show them another way is incredibly dismissive of those feelings.

Shadow of Kyoshi tells us that revenge is bad, but punishing Yun in the form of putting him down like a mad dog before he hurts anyone else is okay. As I said, what exactly is the difference here between punishment and revenge? Where's the fairness in letting Yun's abusers redeem themselves but deciding that Yun is too far gone to live on. Like hmm, maybe the reason his abusers want to seek redemption and Yun doesn't is because they weren't regularly abused by all their teachers then abandoned nearly killed, dragged into the spirit world for weeks and then denied help when they finally escaped.

Yun has to deal with all the trauma his abusers inflicted on him whereas, his abusers just have to deal with their own personal feelings of guilt. To prioritize their feelings and well-being over the pain of the person they hurt, and criticize Yun's response to his abuse is incredibly tone deaf of the book. If I saw my friend siding with my abusers and insisting that I was the problem I definitely wouldn't want to back down.

All of this to say there is an element to catharsis in every revenge story, to strike back at the people who hurt you. I also think it's wrong to insist victims be morally pure and blame them for lashing out. Especially for people like Kohaku and Yun where they have been pushed so far that revenge is the only thing that's giving them a reason to still live.

I also feel like it's incredibly tragic that Kohaku in particular can't envision any future for herself, or any escape from the pain of being a doll and the only way out of her situation is to hurt others. That Yun feels like all of the things he suffered were for nothing, and his dreams of helping people are all pointless and the only thing he can get is justice upon those who hurt something. That Yun is so damaged he threw away his desire to help people, which was a very significant part of who he is. It's the same with Kohaku, she's a very loving protector, she loves Akiha and Hisui very much but not only does she resolve to kill Akiha (something that ultimately destroys her in the long run) but she also has decided that Hisui is better off without her.

All of this to say that catharsis is an important element of any tragedy. Either individuals seeking catharsis, or the catharsis that's brought about by watching someone like Kohaku or Yun give into anguish and despair. The catharsis of seeing your own internal pain represented on stage. The catharsis of seeing characters lash out like you wish you could, or the catharsis of seeing a character react in a very human way and fall apart when we are often told that we have to be strong at all times and swallow our grief.

Tragedies operate on the principal of catharsis, this is outlined very well in Aristotle's poetics.

Catharsis is a metaphor used to describe the effects of true tagedy on the spectator (derived from the ter katharsis meaning purgation or pufication). The purpose of tragedy is to arouse "terror and pity" and thereby effect the catharsis of these emotions.

While purging something means getting rid of it, purifying something means getting rid of the worse or baser parts of it. It is possible that tragedy purifies the feelings themselves of fear and pity. These arise in us from the frustration of our real lives and the emotions we cannot cope with, which we then can vicariously experience through the characters in the stories we tell.

The catharsis in a revenge tragedy comes from both the horror we feel about the circumstances that pushed a person to their revenge, Yun's abuse by his teachers who he was so desperate to please, Kohaku's years of sexual abuse she had to endure to protect her sister. While at the same time it evokes pity for the people who are lashing out. Even if you condemn Kohaku for hurting others, most people's response is to want her to stop hurting otheres and swaddle her in a warm blanket instead. In fact Kohaku's ending is so sad, because both the reader and Shiki don't want to see a longeterm victim of sexual abuse kill herself because she believes there's no hope in living.

So even when revenge is temporarily satisfying in these stories and evokes catharsis, it's purging you of ugly emotions not positive ones. It's validating to see the hate and anger acted out by characters on the stage, but that's not like a good way to deal with your problems. Most revenge stories have characters at least partially succeed with their revenge. The count of monte cristo takes out most of his targets. Yun successfully kills Jianzhu. Kohaku is able to murder both of her rapists. Toya reveals his abuser's crimes on live television. Then it usually escalates to the revenge spiraling out of control, the Count almost kills a baby, Yun attacks a friend's mother (and he was right for that), Kohaku kills Akiha. Toya blames and decides to hurt Shoto who is completely innocent out of envy.

That's a tragedy though, you asked about the catharsis of watching straightforward revenge stories that don't depict the part two. That begin and end with the revenge, where revenge is the solution. Stories like Kill Bill or Maki Zen'in killing the Zen'in Clan where revenge is depicting as empowering.

I don't really have a problem with those stories even if they don't personally interest me. I definitely understand the enjoyment and escapist fantasy of being Toya and being able to hurt your abusers right back especially in a world where most abusers just get to walk away from what they did with little consequence. I also think there's a fine line between like, revenge, and just standing up for yourself and fighting back against your abusers and people confuse the latter for the former. They also get too preachy and expect victims to remain morally pure, and condemn any fighting back even when it's necessary for their survival.

I watch horror movies and my favorite genre of horror is slasher. Horror movies are known for their weirdly regressive politics at time. When I watch a horror movie I don't think that teens who have sex are morally impure and should be punished. I watch horror movies for catharsis too, to purge myself of fear. Not every slasher movie I watch is a deep analysis of horror, like say how The Shining has a lot to say about addiction and domestic violence. Sometimes I am just watching to see a bunch of teenagers get hunted down by a guy in a mask.

This is again a readily recognizable dramatic form, called the horror story, or in a recent fashion, the mad-slasher movie. The thrill of fear is the primary object of such amusements, and the story alternates between the build-up of apprehension and the shock of violence. Again, as with the tear-jerker, it doesn’t much matter whether it ends happily or with uneasiness, or even with one last shock, so indeterminate is its form. And while the tearjerker gives us an illusion of compassionate delicacy, the unrestrained shock-drama obviously has the effect of coarsening feeling. Genuine human pity could not co-exist with the so-called graphic effects these films use to keep scaring us. The attraction of this kind of amusement is again the thrill of strong feeling, and again the price of indulging the desire for that thrill may be high. [SOURCE]

Of course there's also the matter of genre and expectations. When I'm watching a horror story, I know what I'm getting into. I'm not bothered to see victims like Junpei die in Jujutsu Kaisen (even though I've written like a massive fanfiction AU where he lives) because I know I'm reading a horror story. Whereas, My Hero Academia killing its victims is incredibly tone deaf because it's supposed to be an optimistic manga about heroes saving people.

This is Jujutsu Kaisen, this is the manga gege would write if he were allowed to write in a seinen magazine.

Kyoshi killing Yun doesn't work at all because it clashes with the tone. The same book goes to great extents to redeem one of Yun's abusers who is an adult who chose to do all those things, but at the same time doesn't offer Yun the same chance, an orphaned child. It even comes off as punching down, because Kyoshi who we're supposed to believe is an ally to crimminals and outcasts like Daofei and grew up poor murders another orphaned child while giving a privileged rich noble lady like Hei-Ran a chance to redeem herself.

It's ridiculous that Endeavor faces no legal consequences except being forced to retire due to a career ending injury and still has the support of all of his sidekicks, Hawks and his wife, while Toya doesn't get the chance to redeem himself and gets a slow horrific death while hooked up to life support. Toya who was once again, a child, who was homeless and living on the streets for years while Endeavor was an extremely rich man and made the decision to purchase a bride and abuse his family as an adult.

Honestly, even though I'm against straightforward revenge I was rooting for Toga to kill Hawks because there was no other way he was going to face any consequences for his actions.

If I'm watching The Princess Bride I cheer when Inigo Montoya kills his enemy because I know I'm watching a fairy tale. Kill Bill is my least favorite Tarantino Movie (my favorite is Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, second favorite Inglorious Bastards) but I understand the appeal of people who do like it.

If people want to watch a simple revenge story for Catharsis that's totally fine. My tastes aren't much better my favorite genre of horror is slasher. On the other hand I think the problem arises when people who only watch stories for their personal catharsis or escapism don't allow room for other people's interpretations.

Like, if you don't think Azula deserves redemption because you deeply empathize with the way that she hurt Zuko go ahead. I don't have the right to tell you how to feel about certain characters. Abuse is also a touchy subject and the definition of abuse depends from person to person.

However, if I'm making a logical argument based upon the text Azula would make a logical next step in Zuko's redemption because one, the writing goes out of its way to show that Zuko had a support system in Iroh and the others and Azula never had that same support system. Two, it's a parallel for Iroh redeeming himself by coming to care for Zuko and being that support. Three, it's Zuko showing his emotional growth by giving someone else the chance to redeem themselves just like he was shown that chance. Four one of Azula's main writers Aaron Ehasz literally said that's what they would have written if they got a season 4 greenlit.

If you come onto my post and be like "No, I don't think Azula deserves redemption. Zuko doesn't owe her shit." I can't argue with that.

That's just like... your opinion man.

So, if you read straight up revenge stories for catharsis, I am glad you are reading something that makes you happy. If it helps you feel validated for your emotions then that's great! I just think everyone should be mindful of the fact that people look for different things in stories. I personally don't just read stories for what makes me feel good, I like stories that challenge you. Which is why I like the idea of Zuko having to learn to forgive Azula, because it's more challenging than the simple answer of "Zuko should just cut all the abusers out of his life." If you think that Zuko should be able to cut her off though like I said that's just like your opinion man.

[pasta-in-the-pudding]

HII! (｡>ᴗ<) ive been getting back into creepypasta and that toilet situation fic got me wondering, whats wrong with jeff? I always thought he got sum superhuman stuff going on after he became a proxy.. does he have any health issues?? internal issues?? can you casually pack that guy in a 1v1..? 💀

So you are correct about the first part! All of Slender's proxies are given a lot of advantages over their enemies! For example, it is very rare that any wounds are fatal for them, they aren't immortal necessarily, but they don't die easily.

As for Jeff, he has a lot of illnesses, most of which have been affecting him since he was born. The most prominent of which, is his albinism. This is why his skin is very pale, why his eyes don't have color, why he prefers the night over the day, etc.

He also has severe acid reflux, so he can't eat things that are too greasy, too spicy, too sugary or too salty. Like I've said before though, he's not gonna let a little hole in his stomach lining gonna stop him from eating what he wants. This being said, it is quite a common occurrence for him to be either destroying the toilet, or constantly vomiting.

I also think he would have had skin cancer at some point in his life between the ages of 14-17. This is due to him being albino, and since he was constantly on the run he didnt exactly have time to go buy his special lotions and sunscreens, nor did he have time to make sure he was constantly covered head to toe. Therfore, being exposed to so much sunlight probably caused some radiation problems, resulting in skin cancer. He was able to beat it after being recruited by Slender and getting the proper treatments.

All of this being said, none of this makes him physically weak. As for the question of if you could take him in a 1v1, probably not. He is very swift and a quick thinker. He is also pretty strong, so he can definetly hold his own. The only thing that would really stunt him in any way, is if you punched him in his gut, hed probably puke, but he absolutely uses that to his advantage and pukes directly on you <33

[hero-israel]

I know neither of us are exactly war experts, but I'm curious about your thoughts on how you think Israel should respond to 10/7 (or if you think they're handling this mess about as well as can be expected under the circumstances; this actual expert at least seems to believe they're following the law.)

I've seen a lot of good, compassionate people who either are Jewish, Israeli, both, or the rare bird goy who genuinely cares about their lives but is still a left-leaning peacenik, who are arguing for a ceasefire. Of course I would love nothing more than for no one else to die on either side, for no more rockets to fall, and for all the remaining hostages to come home. But I also know enough history to know that a ceasefire is unlikely to accomplish any of those things. David Schraub's argument is the only remotely sound one I've seen spelled out.

But on the other hand, even if he's right, that only delays the inevitable and sets Israel up to be in violation of the ceasefire agreement (any agreement made would almost certainly not allow it to function as a pause button) when inevitably Hamas is seen to be gearing up for another attack or if the return of all of the hostages somehow isn't part of the ceasefire, and Israel does come up with a solid plan for how to respond and does so.

While it makes me queasy, I think probably a ceasefire will cost more lives in the long run than trying to arrest or kill the Hamas perpetrators and recover the hostages swiftly now. But I'd love your thoughts on this since you've studied this much longer than I have.

The worst possible outcome would be a huge, destructive, deadly incursion into Gaza that DOESN'T leave Hamas skeletonized and get some sort of closure for the hostages. Hamas has already said they will re-stage their 10/7 attack until all the Jews are dead. There's no ceasefire after that. Hamas has to depart Gaza, all their tunnels imploded, their arsenal destroyed. This can either be done by their evacuation, as Israel allowed the PLO to evacuate to Tunisia, or by their death. Maybe another group will rise to take their place someday; if so, they will start from scratch.

The problem is that Israel's leadership are still the same talentless racist criminals who enabled 10/7; am I seriously expected to trust that they can handle the response better? I have a difficult time thinking about this because I just can't get past how obviously, simplistically preventable it was. The best response would have been to AVOID it. I am not beyond that yet.

[fireemblems24]

Golden Wildfire Ch 15 (Final)

Guys, I think this is finally it, the last chapter

MAIN STORY

We're . . . not going to get an answer about Shez, are we? Would I if I recruited Byleth?

Which, now that I think about it, that was really anticlimatic death.

Also, Claude wants Dimitri and Faerghus to survive, but Rhea to die. Edelgard doesn't want Dimitri and Faerghus to survive, but also wants Rhea to die. So why the hell is Claude letting Edelgard right Dimitri while he fights Rhea? What's stopping Edelgard from killing Dimitri and taking all the Faerghus land she desperately wants? He knows Rhea was only an excuse for her.

I guess just another "Claude is an idiot" point or the writers not giving a single shit about him or this route and only caring about Dimitri and Edelgard.

Claude is suddenly reading Dimitri's mind. He thinks Dimitri wants him to dissolve the central church. This is . . . beyond stupid. Claude is literally imagining the enemy wants he wishes the enemy would want. This is such a stupid thing to do in war. Dimitri has never showed signs of wanting the church dissolved.

Also, blaming all of Fodlan's problems on Rhea is so dumb and such childish thinking too.

They really were like, go Claude, we'll give you nothing! in the writer's room.

If I cared about Claude, I'd be livid. I doubt many Dimitri or Edelgard fans are upset though.

Man, the character list is so much smaller in this route.

MAP/SIDE BATTLES

So annoyed this one has a bunch of side quests. I'm sooooo close to finishing this game.

Aww, an Alliance NPC talked about how much she likes Seteth and hopes he survives.

Ouch! Yuri! When he questions the validity of Claude's plans, Shez assures him it's the only way to pave the future, and he has the audacity to say "I guess now isn't the time to be wondering who exactly is included in this future we're dreaming about." He's calling Claude out on his shit big time. Yuri just does not fit here.

Ashe keeps talking about Dimitri. He's miserable.

Hapi doesn't want to kill Rhea :(

Ohhh, interesting, so Raphael doesn't like how we've been fighting. Shez can agree or disagree. I agreed in both SB and GW. In GW, she says their actions are too haphazard, but in SB, she says they're being too brutal and not letting anyone surrender. Curious differences (ofc Raphael just wants to eat and party, that's what he disagrees with, it's Shez's perceptions that made me interested).

Gilbert and Dimitri talking. Dimitri arriving has boosted moral. But it's the same for his enemies.

Dimitri's concerned about Rhea and learns that they're prepared for battle. Dimitri can't help them :(

Dimitri ordered his citizens to evacuate because he's worried about what the Alliance will do, but isn't convinced Claude wants to destroy his Kingdom.

I love Dimitri doubling down on protecting his people above all else here. Gustave is upset about abandoning Rhea. Dimitri is too, but he's willing to be the bad guy if it saves a single life in Faerghus.

A side mission involved defeating Cyril :( And now Flayn :(

SHEZ & RAPHAEL A

Soldiers are happier. Shez can guess war turning in our favor or pay raise.

If you ever needed proof that Raphael is an idiot, he argues that wouldn't make sense because not everyone is motivated by money. Like, seriously, tell me a single soldier there who gives a flying shit about what some king says. The only route this wouldn't be true in is AG since they're fighting for their lives.

Anyways, it's actually the food.

Shez talks about how a good meal rather than scapes is a good motivator. And honestly, good point.

Raphael talks about being an innkeeper. Honestly, he'd be such a fun boss to have, but he'll need to hire someone to handle the logistics lol.

Raphael asks Shez to tag along. I can either be nice and agree or not make promises. Being mean to Raphael is basically bullying.

Shez either way still considers being a mercenary, but I love the idea of Shez and Raphael running an inn together.

LYSITHEA & RAPHAEL A

Wonder why they choose Lysithea of all people to reach A with Raphael.

She studied too long and is out after dark, so obviously scared. She tries to convince herself the weird noises is Raphael.

But it's not this time, bc he shows up and asks what's the creepy noise lol. Poor Lysithea.

Now she's properly freaked out. Poor girl.

It's probably just a cat, but she thinks it's a ghost.

Lysithea goes to investigate too or else she'll be alone.

I guessed wrong. It's a puppy, not a cat. Poor doggy is hungry, and Raphael knows the dog.

Lysithea is like, if you knew the dog, how come you didn't know that? lol.

HILDA & DOROTHEA B

A fan gave Dorothea a bracelet, and she appreciates the support. Hilda wishes she had one too.

Dorothea tells Hilda no one is better in the whole army at makeup and accessories.

The support addresses how Hilda makes her own accessories.

Dorothea talks about plant design trends. So like real life lol.

Hilda asks Dorothea about her makeup. She tries to stick for ones that are actually good for the body. Which, is really good considering what they used to use for makeup.

They want to keep chatting over tea.

Honestly, I love seeing two girls just chat about girly things without anyone putting it down.

It's nice, in general, how the Fodlan games don't put down the women who are really into fashion and the ones who don't care. Everyone is allowed to just exist, and it's great.

LYSITHEA PARALOGUE

Does she get her own because her paired up one is in SB?

She apologizes to Count Glouster for all the chaos Ordelia causes, but he apologizes for not taking care of it. She understands how important it is for him to protect the bridge.

Her father is buddies with Lorenz's father.

Shez comes with news about Ordelia under attack.

No one else can help. Lysithea says she didn't realize how Claude could be so cruel. Shez tries to defend him by saying she's all the way out here, and Lysithea claps back. Team Lysithea here.

Shez thought Count Glouster would we dead weight. She was right. Idiot almost died. Shez and Lysithea were fine.

He looks forward to the day both aren't leaders anymore so they can just be friends and thinks Lysithea would be a worthy heir :( Poor Lysithea, she faltered at that.

Glouster did nothing to help Lysithea's father because he led the pro-Empire nobles.

MARIANNE & YURI A

Yuri sees Marianne out late and worried that she was going to leave like she thought about, but she was just walking her horse.

Then we get the classic "..." and "..." response. Since the ye ole days characters have done that in FE supports.

Marianne is like, why were you worried, then goes off how she's just a burden, and Yuri is like stop that, now.

Yuri is allergic to horses and cats? :((( Poor guy. That would suck.

That's why he was always giving Marianne funny looks, because he was about to sneeze and she's always around horses, lamo.

It's nice seeing Yuri be nice. But if he was mean to Marianne, like how can you be mean to Marianne?

Yuri dreams of being able to spent time with the animals he's allergic too, so he accepts Marianne's offer to use magic to try to help. I hope it works.

HILDA & DOROTHEA A

Hilda is trying to figure out what's wrong with one of her accessories. She thinks it's missing something.

Dorothea offers to help out, and is really impressed with Hilda's craftsmanship. And honestly, there's a picture and it looks pretty.

Hilda likes Dorothea's suggestion.

Dorothea also offers to buy the accessories for the opera, and use that to advertise them too.

Hilda is more than happy with that suggestion.

Hilda actually wants to open her own school to teach people craftsmanship, and thinks she can partner with Dorothea on that too.

MARIANNE & IGNATZ A

A pegasus that Ignatz was helping said "bring me more hay, four eyes." to Ignatz, Marianne interpreted. She rightly called it rude lamo.

Ignatz used to ride pegasus with his mother, she used to be a pegasus knight. I wonder if that's why he wants to be a knight.

He was really impressed with the view, understandably.

It made him want to become a pegasus knight, but they're sexist lol. Women only.

That's why he wants to help with the pegasi so much, it's the closest he can get.

Marianne is like "I can feel your feelings in the paintings" and Ignatz freaks out until she keeps going and saying she can tell how much he loves pegasi. I wonder what he was so worried about . . .hmm . . . Liking Marianne just proves taste though.

Marianne thinks that maybe the pegasus will accept Ignatz. But I don't think it went well lol. She grabbed his clothing with her teeth, not on her back. OMG, poor Ignatz.

It ends with Ignatz begging for Marianne's help lamo.

MAIN (& FINAL) BATTLE

Alright, guys, this is it. 2/3 done once this battle is over. Sadly, I'll probably have to kill Rhea though. But who knows, she got to be the hero of SB in the end, maybe GW too, or is that asking too much?

Rhea's like I should've killed these bitches years ago (rather than protecting them after turning her genocided family into weapons, poor woman has seen some shit).

Rhea thinks she'll have the goddesses' protection. Too bad Sothis is dead :(

It seems like Rhea is expecting to die. She's telling Seteth and Flayn to run. And saying her time is at an end.

It's funny that Rhea also thinks she's fighting for the future and humanity because she thinks she knows what's best. She and Edelgard (and Claude in this route) are really the same. Then there's Dimitri, the only sane one who doesn't have a bloated ego that thinks he knows best for every living soul in Fodlan, in some case, without ever even talking to some people from a particular country (looking at you, Edelgard, ding dong thinks she can rule Faerghus better than Dimitri without ever even having bothered to TALK to someone from Faerghus).

OK, so why did Edelgard only get 40 points, but Claude gets 70?

OMG, one of Claude's tactics is to burn the enemies alive (elite archers turn enemies into ash, not sure how else to see that).

I don't want to kill Cyril two times in one night :( Thankfully, he retreated.

Great, now Alois is here, claiming he'll fight to the death, which seems major OOC even with Rhea under attack. This game really forgot that he had a family, didn't it? I think he, Claude, and Caspar got the biggest downgrades in writing.

Oh, shit, he died for real. And he mentioned his family this time.

I had to fight Seteth too, but he retreated, thankfully.

DON'T MAKE ME KILL MERCEDES!!!!

Oh, fuck, Cyril died :((( God.

Jeritza came to save his sister :(((( So he turned against the Empire in GW. That's kinda touching, much better than in Houses. Seems Mercedes is now flipping, better than having to kill her like poor Cyril and Alois.

Now I have to fight Flayn :( Thankfully, she withdrew.

Now I have to fight Seteth and Flayn again, but on the upside, Rhea did badass magic and took away my captured strongholds.

I'm not clear if Flayn died or retreated, but Seteth is pissed off at me.

Oh, thank God, they're both running away.

Time to kill Rhea :(

Cut scene time. Wow, Claude, that's rich. He's telling Rhea to go walk away. But, to like where? The guy's been hell bent on killing her and blaming her for everything from racism to arranged marriage this entire game?

Why the random flower getting crushed? Usually that's a sign of crushed renewal, not a brand new world like Claude's been blowing smoke about this whole route.

Lololol Idiot just realized Rhea's the Immaculate One.

Lamo, even in the final battle Marianne's not convinced Claude not coo coo for coco puffs.

More cut scene. Shez and Claude killing Rhea. Shez turned into Arval. Wonder what happens if you recruit Byleth.

This was such a watered-down version of SB's final battle. They both had Rhea as a final boss, but SB got Thales too and it was A LOT harder because of that. Either that or Lorenz is really that silly stupid good.

Another abrupt, non-ending.

Claude wanted the war to end, and shock of all shock, killing Rhea didn't work!!! The idiot. All those people died, for nothing. I also predict greedy assholes will still enforce hierarchies and be racist, even without Rhea.

This ending may have been even worse than SB's? Because at least Edelgard still has a goal she's working towards, it just cut off mid-way. Claude accomplished his and nothing changed - he only made the world worse.

Are either GW or SB better endings if you get Byleth? I'm betting that's what happens. Because that can't be the real ending, lol.

MVP time. Wonder when it'll turn into the Lorenz show. As soon as Ch 5, pretty much no one but Lorenz got MVP. He's just absurd, but in a boring way. He's invulnerable to damage, but doesn't play very fun. If I ever did GW again, I'd main Lysithea. She's a unit type I like way more, hella strong and fast, but low defense. Lorenz made GW super boring to play since I didn't have to think at all. He's that good of a unit.

It's funny seeing nothing but Lorenz's face on an endless scroll (except paralogues or like, women units only battles)

I can't believe I'm getting a letter from Lorenz. If I knew I'd get a letter, I would've picked a character I actually liked, like Marianne. Hubert's letter was better. Lorenz's was really generic.

Still pissed there's no paired endings.

And these endings are so bad, wtf. I'm glad I did this twice so I know AG is also just going to randomly end.

xxx

[imminent-danger-came]

do you think mks cosmic backstory conflicts with the previous conflict of his insecurities of being the wrong successor?

Not at all!

When it comes down to it, MK's main flaw is his lack of belief in himself ("Just believe in yourself! Even a smidge makes all the difference")—that's him at his core. He's also identity issues the character ("I'm not the Monkey King okay!" "You're right—you're the Monkie Kid! You have to find your own way to win."), and I think s4 laid into this quite nicely.

Throughout seasons 1 and 2 MK was trying to live up to the legacy of "Monkey King". That's what 1x06 and 1x09 are motivated by—MK is trying to make himself stronger and more like Wukong ("I just wanted to be good enough—like you."). Really 2x05 just worsened a problem MK already had. He was already having doubts about being the Monkie Kid, and SWK leaving in 2x01 was a crack in an already unstable foundation. So then in 2x06 and 2x09 you have MK desperately trying to get stronger, to be a sort of Monkey King stand in ("Pretty soon, Monkey King won't even need to come back!"), and that all comes crashing down in 2x10. And, not only does MK fail, he loses the staff and his powers.

This takes us to 3x01, where MK IMMEDIATELY tries to be Wukong once again:

Sun Wukong: "Kid, why did ya-" MK: "Uh, well yeah, I was trying to do you in the omelet story! Do the weird impulsive Monkey King thing and escape the bad guy."

Sun Wukong: "Well, I mean- Ne Zha ain't really a bad guy but- did you forget about the part where I got really hurt?"

(3x01 On The Run) (Hi MK good guy v bad guy mentality)

-

MK doesn't refer to himself as the Monkie Kid again until after he's able to use gold vision in 3x03, listing off a few of his labels:

"But I, Monkie Kid, delivery boy, somewhat equal to heaven—saw right through your trick." (3x03 Smartie Kid; another label)

Which, MK and his labels are a big deal ("Hero"/"Warrior" in 2x07, Noodle Boy, Successor, the "Plan Man" in 4x12). It's specifically what the curse antagonizes MK with in s4:

Subodhi: “Who or what you are, even I do not know the answer—but of one thing, I am certain: fate has plans for you! Great plans, or foul? Time will tell.” MK: "I- I can't be! I'm just MK!" Subodhi: "The Monkie Kid?" MK: *Gasps*

-

Curse MK: "Tell me, what do you think we are, honestly, cause I have been DYING to hear us say it, out loud." MK: "What kind of a question is that? I'm just- I'm just MK, a noodle delivery guy with the powers of the Monkey King, no biggie."

-

Curse MK: "Seriously? You still think we're just some noodle delivery guy? You can't remember where you came from, and we got ALL this power, and you never once thought, why us? What are we, what is our purpose?" MK: "Of course I thought about it! I mean- maybe, I was gonna thought about it I just- I just want to be me. To be MK!" Curse MK: "Yeah well, we all know exactly where that leads, don't we." Lady Bone Demon Echo: "To pain."

-

Curse MK: "We're just like Wukong, a fraud! A trickster! Why would our legacy be any different?"

-

MK: "No, no you're wrong I'm- I'm not!" Curse MK: "Not what, some Monkey Demon thing destined to bring chaos upon the world? Come on, use your words big brained boy, say it, what are we?"

-

Curse MK: "You can see it, can't you? This is your fate. Your friends will turn on you, seeing you for the monster you will become! They will destroy you, harbinger of chaos."

-

There's all of these different things MK is either trying to be or trying to not be, which all plays back into his identity. It also all plays back to one thing: his lack of belief in himself.

He's either not enough like Wukong or too much like his mentor. He's either not strong enough or too strong, destined to cause nothing but chaos and destruction. He's either not going to be able to protect the people he cares about, or he's going to be the very thing that hurts them. It's the same problem, just on different sides of the spectrum.

The 3x14 "Do you still really think the universe wants anything, from any of us?" to 4x08 "Until I know what I am, what my destiny is? I can't risk hurting the people I care about—the one's I have left" pipeline is both wild and important to note. It's the switch from MK believing he's nothing special, to believing he's the very "harbinger of chaos". It's all about his self-perception.

And honestly, when it comes down to it, he probably still believes he's the wrong successor, just for very different reasons now. You and I both know that there was no other choice for a protégé—who else would have been able to wield the Monkey King's staff and have his powers—but I doubt MK is in a place to come to terms with that. I think that realization is going to be part of his downward spiral next season, along with being one of the things that instigates the SWK V MK fight.

It's very on point that the way MK comforts Wukong at the end of 4x11 is through reaffirming his role as the "Monkey King":

MK: "Monkey King- I'm not ready to not have a mentor. Azure needs to be stopped but- we need you. I need you- to be the Monkey King."

(4x11 A Lifetime of Mistakes)

-

While the way he antagonizes Azure is to threaten his role as a Hero (also referencing his role as an Uncle, and before that his role as a friend):

MK: "Come on! Come on! Come on Unkie Lion, you're the big hero right? Then prove it. Show me!"

(4x13 Rip and Tear)

-

*Gestures financially* IDENTITY

Bonus "What I am" parallels post because it's pretty relevant I feellmk

[blue-howlite]

Being Fade's significant other, headcanons.

Where you made the cold and aloof King of Poisons fall in love with you.

Fade x GN!Reader

Warnings: spoilers from latest chapters and with a side dish of creative liberties, probably OOC, toxic behaviours, mention of attachment issues, writer who's bad at writing.

Author's note: my problem with writing my favourite characters, is that what I write about them is extremely biased. I had a draft of this that was pure self indulgence. While I LOVE self indulgence, I cringe when I'm the one who wrote it. So in this one he's the actual jerk that he is. A jerk in love, but still a jerk.

Was getting close to him easy? Hell no.

Was it all absolutely worth it? Hell yes.

After Persephone was destroyed, you found him and took care of him, nursing him back to health. Don't use the word "nursing" with him though, it makes him feel like a stray dog you took in. (Which I mean... it's not too far off from the truth).

After you proved that you had no hidden motive to help him, he started to slowly trust you.

He wouldn't admit it then, but you grew on him.

Even after he recovered, he stuck around for a while. Even tried to consider staying with you and giving up his revenge. He couldn't of course, but he tried thinking about it.

Around this time is when he realised you had done more than "grow on him", he was falling in love with you.

Telling you would have been a waste of time, he had to track down the one who destroyed Persephone, he couldn't possibly- aaaand there you go, confessing first and convincing him to give your relationship a shot.

As he couldn't just stay with you but needed to also have his revenge, he had you start traveling with him.

He's really protective of you. It never gets too much, he is still a very rational person, but... he kinda treats you like a defenseless kitten sometimes.

Which can be hilarious if you're actually a strong person. Even if you're a scary and experienced mercenary, he'll still try to shield you and protect you.

Walking in front of you when you guys don't know what you're exactly facing, or staying by your side when talking to someone, or always making sure you're well equipped with everything you need.

Be understanding, he lost his organisation already, he might act like a jerk now and then but he's actually trying to not lose you as well.

If you're someone that doesn't like to be protected... well sorry, he doesn't care. He's forcing you to wear your protective gear whether you like it or not. He's staying ahead of you no matter how much you try to run faster and surpass him.

When you two have some alone time in between traveling and missions... I wouldn't say he's soft. There's still that serious aura about him. But he does melt a little when you cuddle him.

He doesn't care if you're the one on his lap or he's the one on yours; he likes embracing you and he will embrace you. He'll keep his arms around you, even if you're so big that he doesn't even get around you.

Also also also give him back neck scratches. He likes those.

Until he doesn't. There are times where he just needs time to himself alone and almost can't stand your presence. Nothing personal, he can't stand anyone else either.

And often if he just doesn't feel very up for it he won't put much effort into doing what you like.

It's mostly him deciding when you guys cuddle or not. Kiss or not. That's one downside, if he doesn't feel like it he just won't do something.

And it gets a bit beyond the normal "boundaries" of a relationship.

Sometimes he seems fully uninterested in you and often dismisses your feelings.

It can seem paradoxical with his protective behaviour, but that's how things are.

Yes he does have attachment issues. Yes he needs to work on it. In the meantime, take the grumpy cat and love him.

No but seriously, don't try to defend him, there's only one way to describe this: toxic.

Don't get me wrong, he does love you, he really does, and he sees you as a person and respects your autonomy; he doesn't know how to be in a relationship though. There's a lot to unpack and a lot to fix.

But if you can do that, he does become one of the best lovers.

He may keep old habits of avoiding you when he doesn't feel like it, but he can push through it if you need him.

He listens to you and actually hears you out about your feelings.

He gets a bit more clingy, holding you in your sleep for example.

Still not a big fan of public displays of affection. He can push through if you're unwell and need it, but he doesn't enjoy it.

Pet names? Not great at them either. Although he did start calling you "Nightshade" after you almost accidentally killed yourself with one. You were trying to make medicine, but used some dosages wrong... Lucky for you he noticed in time and you didn't actually ingest it.

Overall he's just in love with you, but needs you to teach him about it. It'll take time and effort from both of you.

Is it worth it?

He thinks so. And you do too, if you got to this point.

[necromatador]

5, 14, 25, 29, 38, 41 for Jaz and/or Alkimos! (you can do just one or both, up to you <3)

Hi babby~

Alright this is gonna be a long one so I'm gonna put this below a cut but let's gooooooooo!

5. How do they dress? What styles, colors, accessories, and other possessions do they favor? Why?

So Jaz likes to dress flamboyantly, with plenty of jewelry and meticulous make-up. His favorite colors are warm browns and pinks (mostly softer pinks). His jewelry is almost entirely gold with rubies and diamonds. It's absolutely to make himself look higher-class and powerful, he wants to look intimidating in every form. It is also a way to distance himself from his past as essentially a nothing. Alkimos meanwhile likes to dress either in nothing (in his true sphinx form, whereas Jaz wears a lot of jewelry and make-up even as a manticore) or in comfortable, sturdy, and looser clothing. He doesn't like his movement to be restricted, and he doesn't want something that'll rip or fall apart easily. He prefers light cool greys, white, and pastel purples. As a nod to Jaz he does have a few outfits that are a little fancier with finer make, but he doesn't wear them except when they're needed.

14. What do they care deeply about? What kind of loyalties, commitments, moral codes, life philosophies, passions, callings, or spirituality and faith do they have? How do these tend to be expressed?

They are loyal to each other first and foremost, since they've relied on each other for survival for so long. Beyond that they are committed to making life better for fablefolk, and will give a modicum of respect to the fieldfolk who actively help them in that goal. They generally have a bit different of a moral code than society at large, due to both being criminals and being fablefolk who grew up outside the walls of the city. They grew up wild and free and unafraid. They put on a veneer of respectability and lawfulness, obviously, to navigate within the city and it's government, but they have little loyalty to the people running the city. This is a problem to some in charge. It makes them a threat. I've also mentioned they have a specific focus on dismantling the cultural practice of Hunting. It's a hard battle, but Gallecross is already leagues ahead with considering fablefolk as people with rights compared to some other areas. They know that places outside of walled cities can exist with a peace between fieldfolk and fablefolk, they grew up in one that was destroyed by Hunting. But Jaz and Alkimos use at least some of their income to experiment with substitutes for magical ingredients that come from Hunted fablefolk, and are working on programs for sustainable harvesting of ingredients from (or rather donated by or bought from) fablefolk that are willing and compensated (Jaz sells his own venom for example, and things like shed dragon scales instead of fresh, etc, etc).

25. What do they need and want out of relationships, and how do they go about getting it?

(TLDR: these bitches need to know they're wanted and safe and won't be abandoned or betrayed, and they're only really able to get that from each other thanks to childhood trauma! But I'm gonna get a lil wordsy with it below.) Jaz hates the way playing politics has made him approach other people. He sizes them up, he analyzes what exactly he can get from them. Are they an ally? An asset? An obstacle? He plays the games he's required to play, smiles the smiles, shakes hands, says the right words at the right times. And he can read it behind their smiles that they are also just playing the game too. He can't trust any of them. If they find an edge, an angle, a single sliver of a weak spot, they will destroy him and everything he and Alkimos have worked for. And he cannot let that happen. He returns home after long hours of hob-knobbing with a bunch of absolute fucking tools, and finds himself falling asleep in Alkimos' arms, head pressed securely to his sphinx's rumbling chest. Jaz knows he's stubborn, knows he'll never be able to put into words what he actually needs, but Alkimos can read between his lines and holds him tight and stays there as sure and steady as a rock. In their quiet moments together, the sphinx makes sure the manticore is reassured about where his loyalty and affection lies, even if Jaz never truly asks. Alkimos, meanwhile, sees people not in how they can be useful, but how much of a problem they would be. Analyzing their threat level and sizing up how difficult it would be to Get Rid Of Them, if it became necessary. It exhausts him. It consumes him. He's woken up countless times from nightmares where he's sinking his fangs into a soft, pink-furred throat and watching those vibrant eyes, full of anger and betrayal, fade into death. On those nights he lays awake, watching Jaz sleep, pressed so close beside him. And he forces himself to remember what they've been through. And he forces himself to remember all that Jaz has done for him, all that Jaz has given him. He forces himself to remember the glint hidden in Jazakhza's eyes as he gives Alkimos gifts and favors and fawns over the sphinx. The desperation to be loved and to make sure the one you love never wants for anything, least of all to leave. And Alkimos wonders to himself how Jaz could think he'd ever even conceive of leaving.

29. What kind of activities, interests, and hobbies do they have? What significance and impact do these have in their lives, both positive and negative?

Well besides what they do for their work, they do enjoy messing around and experimenting with their respective magical arts (enchanting being Jaz's and potion making being Alkimos').

As large predatory creatures they also enjoy hunting for prey, and can get quite restless and snappish if they don't get out enough to do so. Unfortunately they're kind of stuck within the walls of Gallecross for the most part, so they usually either pay to rent out hunting space in the forests between the walls for a day or two...or any particular rivals or opposition they have that Won't Be Missed is going to have A Bad Time. Obviously they have to be very careful with that second option.

I'm also considering that they have a bad habit of adopting and pampering stray animals as pets. Jaz is particularly bad about this. They love him unconditionally ;_;

38. Is there anything they wish they could change about their worldview or thought processes? What, and why?

Besides both wishing they could find it within themselves to trust more easily? Jaz has a temper he wishes he could control better. He's usually very good due to his years practicing socializing in polite society, but there are a few triggers that cause him to react aggressively and (in some circumstances) explosively. He hates it because he considers that a weakness and the opposite of the social persona he's worked very very hard to cultivate. Alkimos meanwhile has a hard time experiencing strong emotions, particularly positive ones, and wishes he could change that to get more joy out of life and have more hope for the future. There are still the occasional instance where he will feel some kind of emotion stronger than usual, and he tries very hard not to let that distract him or cause him to try and chase that feeling.

41. What associations do they bring to mind? Words or phrases, images, metaphors or motifs? Why?

Jazakhza: Pastel roses, aged lace, antique jewel-encrusted brooches, soft fur, the smell of tea out in a garden. Alkimos: A thick morning fog, a heavy and warm coat, a guardian statue, distant wing-beats, the smell of oncoming rain.

[faiirytalcs]

DOROTEA HERNANDEZ is based on TOOTIE from Fairly Odd Parents. She is a 21 year old HUMAN, THEATRE STUDENT, and uses she/her pronouns. She has NO POWERS.

Important History

where to start with tootie? maybe with the fact that she chooses to be called a weird nickname instead of her actual name because it feels like something that is so inherently hers

there wasn't much in her life growing up that felt like it hadn't been tainted in some way by vicky or fully destroyed simply because her older sister didn't want her to have it. but that was fine. there were ways she found to cope with her home life being less than stellar

evermore wasn't exactly the kind of place that made sense for someone like tootie - it was much too small for her much too large personality

not that she thought there was anything wrong with herself, on the contrary she was convinced that she was the best thing after sliced bread ( and whichever celebrity she had decided to dedicate herself to that month )

dramatic doesn't even begin to cover tootie hernandez. drama and passion are the blood that runs through her veins and it's no surprise that she feels everything so much, that she can be over the top and obsessive but if you don't have things that make you want to get out of bed in the morning, what's the point??

there are some people who claim that she needs to calm down, not to come on so strongly, but tootie never listened to such horrible advice. in her mind, they were just scared that she was so upfront with her intentions and her drive to get what she wanted but that was their problem, not hers!

family has always been a sore spot for her - her parents were less than absent and her sister was a nightmare. spending time away from home has been so engrained in her that she's often out until the wee hours of the morning to avoid seeing them at all

tootie fully believes she was meant for more in this world - either with an epic love or her face on the silver screen. she is in fact the main character!!

one day, someone will realize that tootie being in love with them is a gift and they will respond to her intensity at an equal level....one day

sometimes obsession comes in handy when it comes to uncovering information. could she be a private detective? sure but the only people she cares about digging into are the ones on posters covering her walls

falls in love a little too easily and sometimes ( most of the time ) that love is very much verging on mania but to be fair, it can only last a night. she's fickle with most of her love affairs.

real love is reserved for only a select few people who might not reciprocate it but she doesn't mind spending her time with people she knows she might not call again

the theatre is practically her second home. life in the hernandez household has never been that great and the community theatre has always been a place of comfort and safety for her, a place where people understood her and didn't judge her

has never set her mind on something that she hasn't been able to accomplish ( besides the whole timmy thing ). she has a scary sense of determination and once she's decided she wants to do something, there isn't much out there that can stop her

APPEARANCE

Face Claim: martina cariddi

Height: 5'1

Build: petite

Eye Color: hazel

Hair Color: dark brown

Piercings: ears, nose

PERSONALITY

Positive Traits: creative, passionate, open-minded, determined

Negative Traits: impulsive, quixotic, obsessive, insecure

Likes: plaid skirts, mixing patterns that somehow work, statement glasses, doodling hearts on every surface, community theatre, spending time in the greenroom, the spotlight

Dislikes: being ignored, forgetting lines, having to spend any time with her sister, parsley, someone getting more attention, being told she can't do something, the love of her life ( whoever she's into at the moment ) choosing someone else

Phobias: ecophobia

Hobbies: fantasizing, writing, researching

Aesthetic: living a million lives that will never come to fruition, falling in love with every person you meet, parasocial relationships, the second sister destined to be forgotten, the feeling of velvet theatre curtains, fighting tooth and claw to make a name for yourself, daydreaming at the most inopportune time, the smell of fresh roses

FAMILY

Mother: nicola 'nicky' hernandez

Father: diego hernandez

Sibling(s): victoria 'vicky' hernandez ( older sister )

Pet(s): chipper ( orange tabby cat )

[baladric]

Oh bookstore maia my beloved <3 Oughh i knew you'd have some cool ideas about gods and faith and maz! I like to think they're related and come from similar sources but there's key differences- being a maza is having the skill and ability to consciously use and manipulate maz, which is like energy thats a product of the gods or whatever, and actively control and influence it, whereas with people like thara and clerics etc it's more like the gods work through them? Like they're more similar to a conduit and have the unique ability to act like a focal point for maz, they can't exert control over it in the way maza can and instead thara is more similar to a transformer in a circuit bridging the gap between mortals and the gods. Maz exists externally from the user and casting spells vs being able to witness for the dead are just different interactions with and reactions to maz. But if that's the case I'm not sure how the faith aspect of religion would come into it or play a significant role this is so interesting and confusing alsksjdj. And the fact thara can talk to the dead seems to suggest some type of spirit/soul does exist so I like to think cala is literally the protector of maia's mind and actual soul as maz can be used to interact with the soul and potentially harm it.

I was literally just thinking about this the other day too like the life of a priest or cleric sounds intense so I wonder how all these people in religious roles are chosen? Thara obviously enjoys his work and his relationship with his god but do all people with the ability to witness willingly join the prelacy? Are there some people out there with the skill who reject the life of a priest and resent being "chosen" by god and have to go into hiding to avoid being forced to serve the gods? Or would the gods not gift someone with their abilities if they weren't already willing in some way?

Also that post about thara and the bridge and evru oof if you wrote that I think it would emotionally destroy me in the best way, I can already feel thara's guilt and grief multiplying and nearly consuming him if it weren't for iana. What would iana think of evru if they ever got the chance to talk? Also would The Bridge mean maia would be able to speak with his mother once more??? Whew sorry that's so long, tumblr taking away the ask character limit was really rhe best/worst thing to happen to me

anon i am cradling your face in my hands and pressing a tender kiss to your gentle forehead, thank you for this GIFT

you crystallized all of this so eloquently into a really cohesive concept space?? maz and clerical powers w a relationship of Conducting v Channeling, one's a conduit and the other is a catalyst—i love this!!! and yeah, then there's that exact problem of "what exactly does this mean for religion as a fact???" the rabbit hole it tumbles you down is WILD (and Excellent)

i bet there are plenty of ppl who manifest clerical powers and either consciously reject the call, or like. possibly don't even notice? we have the example of tomasaran in grief of stones just never having encountered a dead body with the right proximity to witness for it, and if we extrapolate things out like—there's probably a farmer somewhere with the greenest thumb in the principality who chalks it up to understanding seed-starting and soil compositions, when actually he's got orshan moving through him (as well as knowing those things), or some kid in the flatlands of thu-istandaär who dreams of flying every single night, but doesn't have a roof strong enough to climb onto or a tree tall enough to properly scale to find out that when she stumbles off the edge in a moment of kid-shaped clumsiness, she never hits the ground as hard as she's supposed to, bc she's got salezheio bearing her up. and then there are 100% people who accidentally witness for a dead loved one, realize what happened and then run full-tilt in the opposite direction of anyone even vaguely ulis-oriented, bc! that's Scary!!! what!!! no!!!!! i just want to make sure the roan horse foals right and get my son to his majority!!!!!!

my take on the gods in this universe is they're for real out there, and they do gift people with powers, but i think their brand of godhood is closer to a force of nature than like the weirdly chummy interactive shit some people attribute to greek gods, or really anything involving direct pronouncement or volition. i feel like gifts are given out in sort of an act of sympathetic resonance—which, if you're not a musician, is a thing that happens where you play one note and the other strings of your piano or guitar resonate to match that note but in musical fifths and octaves, all by themselves—meaning a new soul comes onto the scene and something in it resonates with the tune a specific god is putting into the aether, and lo, a bond that sends a gift trickling down to that soul. spiritual alignments etc etc idk this metaphor escaped me at the end, i am sleepy

god im frankly sort of annoyed now that i hadn't really Thought about this shit before, but i guess i needed the in-roads in the form of someone poking me about it—so THANK You for that augh!!!!!

and listen, my internal super undeveloped take on evru is that he frankly kind of SUCKED ;alskdjfalw;df rip to him, things were terrible over there, i think he really truly did love thara etc etc and was doing his best, but in my head he's a wet blanket in the most frustratingly pass-agg way. consequently, i think iäna pel-thenhior would eat him for breakfast (not in a sexy way) and then complain that he was in no way nourishing and hunt down a full fuckin oslov.

and the bridge, in the 5 seconds i thought about it which will, unfortunately, haunt me for WEEKS probably (if not longer), would indeed mean that maia could speak to chenelo again—but the bridge would also really fuck up the entire world, and even if thara told him about it, maia would not want it manifested, which is good bc spoilers: the metaphysical bridge whose creation begins to plague thara is a compulsive seed planted by orava many hundreds of years ago with a web of maz geared to attach itself to the strongest witness for the dead presently living whenever orava was finally awoken again!! so!!!! no death bridge!!!!!! horrible terrible no good very bad idea (that will haunt thara for the rest of his life, but hey, the good news is he's well used to hauntings :') )