#what are we meant to glean from your characters by this storyline?

[1doesnotsimplyhavejust1fandam]

So what I’m getting from Tim posting a 9-1-1!Vertigo movie poster and including Buck, not Marisol, in what is presumably Midge’s role, is that there didn’t necessarily need to be cheating for this arc to work. Please correct me if I’m wrong.

I love a good dramatic arc and Vertigo is a banger choice for Eddie’s Catholic guilt and Shannon grief arc, but as far as I know (yes, in my hour of Wikipedia and Twitter deep-diving), that movie doesn’t actually contain cheating, so I’m curious if there’s a reason for it other than drama or not making a carbon copy 9-1-1 version of Vertigo. Is it to make the audience start to dislike Eddie like the Vertigo audience is meant to slowly dislike Scottie, as he continues to make bad choices? Is it to encourage the GA to see Buddie with Buck as the pining Midge? Desperately want reassurance that Tim realizes by making Buck a part of this storyline (especially as Midge), there is no feasible way to dismiss that. Even if Buck’s feelings aren’t explicitly addressed, that poster and any potential on-screen pining aren’t going to be swept away. Season 7 paralleling season 4 regarding Buddie and it’s because The Will and the Vertigo Arc won’t be ignored by the fandom. We’re all gonna go a little crazy methinks, and I can’t wait.

[autumnslance]

Hello Autumn! I love your stories! You’ve inspired me to make my OC WoL to write about. The thing is I don’t know where to start? Any tips or advice you could give that could help me get started? Thank you so much!

whoop, meant to post this one earlier and got distracted! But hey; maintenance day.

I found prompt lists are a good place to start; there's all sorts of character ones out there, some for WoL and some generic ones. Even if your answers changes as you write the character, they're handy for noodling out some ideas to get started thinking about who they are and why.

Otherwise, take a look at MSQ itself. Maybe play through it, first time or in New Game+ and take some notes; how does the character feel about this, and why? Not you the player; what about your rough idea of the character's background and personality would make them react to X event or Y person? How? Why? Some will be influenced by your own knowledge of the meta and plot, but there's a lot we can glean by seeing the story as the character experiences those events.

And then we can write about it later.

We all put a bit of ourselves into our characters, we can't really help that; they are reflections of our thoughts and experiences, even when quite different from us. A "successful" OC, In My Opinion, is one that you start to realize would do or say things you never initially intended, but it's the right course of action for them.

I've spoken on this before, that trusting our own character creation, how we determine some things about the character at the outset, even subconsciously, can and will have an impact. And sometimes we just have to trust ourselves and see where that unexpected thread leads.

*stares down thousands of words, hundreds of screenshots, and a handful of art commissions, over 5 years for a ship she never meant to write to begin with*

And it's not set in stone! You might change something, find some things work better later after all, retcon a few things, follow a random thread only to find it doesn't work out...and that's OK. Don't be afraid to experiment. This is all for fun!

Also don't try to determine every detail at the beginning; it's a way to box yourself in, or an excuse to not get started in the first place. I knew on chargen that Aeryn's bio dad was a Coerthan farmer who died in a lead-up attack to Ferndale; I didn't know anything else, not even his name, for years, until a random idea from a random prompts got me. I sat on it for a while, and then eventually followed the thread into the Avengret storyline. We also didn't have Thavnair until EW, so I left a lot of things about Aeryn's family vague and purposefully off to the side of the "mainland Thavnair culture" to give myself some breathing room, and it's worked out decently.

The game's always updating, changing, and evolving; give yourself the same space the game writers do themselves, and determine if new info makes you want to retcon something or work your own lore in alongside updates; flexibility is key, and characters can be wrong, misinformed, lying, or altered by events and people they meet.

Anyway; these are a few things I work with. I think some of the earliest things in my blog you'll find for any of my characters are some short prompt responses before I started writing and posting stories involving them (and some of those answers have changed over time as I grew more certain of who they were--or they changed!). I have notes from ShB and EW MSQ--some just sentence fragments, some short scene or dialogue ideas--to get how Aeryn reacted to MSQ events and interacting with people. Most of them never end up in stories, but they're important as they let me noodle out how to write about those events.

Hope this helps! And here's to seeing your WoL join the fray. 😘

[lokiondisneyplus]

Most Marvel post-credit scenes hint at the future. Loki opted for a blunter approach: the God of Mischief would return in season 2.

Based on the final turn of events, there was really no other choice: Loki (Tom Hiddleston), having journeyed to the furthest point in spacetime with his variant Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) to meet the founder of the TVA, a scientist-turned-survivor-of-multiversal-war known as He Who Remains (Jonathan Majors), finds himself zapped into a new reality when his lady self slays the omnipresent being. The mind reels!

Creator Michael Waldron takes delight in the endless possibilities of Loki’s core premise. And as a veteran of Rick and Morty, he knows what anchors a mind-bending show, and what will keep Hiddleston’s character hurtling through his chaotic, rewritten future. Below, Polygon talks to Waldron about landing on the key choices of Loki season 1, what to expect from season 2, and a bit on his next project, the wrestling drama Heels, which is set to premiere on Aug. 15.

Did you know there’d be a second season of Loki from the beginning or was that choice made later in the process?

Michael Waldron: We always knew that it was a possibility. We always knew that we wanted to propel Loki and these characters out into the MCU after this, into further stories. But that didn’t really crystallize as a sure thing until we were in production and everything. And as we were really figuring out the finale.

So you were still cracking the ending as you shot the show?

There was a hiatus due to the pandemic. So things were constantly being retooled because of that. I think, by and large, everything with He Who Remains and the Sylvie-Loki conflict was always there. But that cliffhanger was the sort of thing that suddenly became a really appealing opportunity, a chance for that to lead into a second season.

What element of the series helped you crack the macro story of Loki, and made all the other pieces fall into place? Each episode almost feels like a standalone adventure, similar to Rick and Morty, but what helped it all click?

The first couple of weeks in the writers room was just laying out the individual episodes. It was very important to me that each episode stood on its own, and you could say “This is the Lamentis episode,” “This is the apocalypse moon episode,” “This is the Void episode.” I didn’t want it to just be cut up chapters and have one long continuous story. Obviously, we had to figure out the time travel for things to slot into place. I think a big idea for us was the way you get around the TVA by hiding in apocalypses. That felt like such a big, cool, exciting idea that it drove the action of episode 2, episode 3, and in a way it’s like Alioth is the ultimate apocalypse that He Who Remains is hiding behind. That sci-fi idea cracked a lot open for us. I know that after we had that I went home and I slept a little sounder.

Did adding the multiverse to the Marvel Cinematic Universe feel like blowing something up or expanding it, in terms of narrative possibilities?

In the same way that after the first couple Iron Man movies, and with the first Avengers, suddenly these movies were kind of going to space. Then we had Guardians. I think of the multiverse as another version of that. It’s new ground to cover, and particularly interesting because characters meeting other versions of themselves and other versions of people they know is... cool. That’s just a cool sci-fi concept! But I think with anything, as you expand outward, it only works if the humanity remains. It’s exciting to watch characters dealing with big crazy multiversal conflicts because we can see ourselves in them. I think you just have to hold on to the humanity that makes these stories work in the first place.

Did you go back to the Thor movies for Loki? Was there anything to find in the past of Marvel as you were paving the future?

Absolutely. I mean I watched them many times, contrary to what Twitter might think because I did some bits on there saying that I’ve never seen Avengers and I upset some people [laughs]. I have seen it many times. “Confirmed: Loki writer has seen Avengers and saw it before writing Loki show.”

In fact, I was watching all these movies on a loop in the writers’ room. I gleaned so much because you watch the evolution of the character. Avengers was particularly informative because our story picks up Loki right after that, but I also I found a lot of inspiration in Thor: The Dark World, a maybe sometimes maligned movie that I actually really enjoy. I just think there’s great stuff with Loki being tangentially responsible for the death of his mother, how he reacts to that. That is the start of his journey of that version of Loki’s redemption, so I was inspired by that.

What’s propelling the characters into season 2? Where are you headed in basic terms?

In season 1, you saw a lot of characters reckoning with and questioning their own glorious purpose, and that glorious purpose changing, [characters] realizing that that can change. Everybody except for Sylvie. I think she holds onto hers, which is vengeance, and to the detriment of us all, perhaps. And we’ve got a Loki who, at the top of our show, assessed himself as a villain and, I would argue, at the end of our show, has become a little bit of a hero. There’s nothing more heroic to me than fighting for the right thing and losing. You see that washing over him as he’s there back at the TVA, after Sylvie has knocked back there. And then he gets up because that is what heroes do — they keep going. So I think that you’re gonna see a Loki that looks at himself in a different way certainly that at the top of this.

Do you hope to explore more of Sylvie’s backstory in season 2?

I guess we’ll see. We certainly have our own rich backstory for her, stuff that didn’t get to make it into the show. Elissa Karasik, our episode 2 writer, wrote a lot of amazing backstory for Sylvia and everything. So those ideas exist out there.

And her version of Thor?

Tune in.

How did He Who Remains come about? Did you bring the character to Marvel or was that a character Marvel hoped to introduce?

I was pushing and our team was pushing early on in the writers’ room that it should be a version of Kang up in that Citadel, sort of fusing the mythology of He Who Remains with a little bit of the Immortus mythology. And that was a thing we were excited to do. And it became clear that it actually made sense for our story. The only way we were going to do it was if it made sense, but it was like, who had a better argument for creating the TVA to prevent other versions of themselves from existing then a guy as evil as Kang the Conqueror?

You wrote the upcoming Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness — did Marvel hire you for that after Loki? Does the movie feel like a continuation of the show?

Yeah, that opportunity came as we were getting ready to start production on Loki. It was a pleasure. I got to work with Sam Raimi, a hero of mine. I was in London for five months making that movie at the top of this year. We had a blast. I think that it’s a continuation in as much as ever every Marvel movie is to some extent a chapter in an ongoing story, but these things are meant to stand alone and the most important thing about Doctor Strange too is making the most kick ass Doctor Strange movie we could.

Is Loki a two-part show now or are you invested in telling a longer story with future seasons beyond season 2?

Time will tell, but I do my hope is that season 1 stands on its own. We always wanted to tell a complete story there. And in whatever the next chapter may be will stand on its own as well.

Your next show, Heels, is already on the way. We got a big preview out of Comic-Con this year, but I’m curious about the scope of this story. You’re starting with two brothers running an independent wrestling franchise, but you’ve dropped the name “Vince McMahon” a few times — is this about the building of an empire? Would you liken it to The Godfather or Breaking Bad?

I always thought about it a little bit of a Scorsese-sort-of rise, and we’ll see if there’s a fall. Starting from humble beginnings and trying to build some crazy. Wrestling was certainly not always the empire that it is and that’s what’s interesting, to watch the evolution of a family-run wrestling business from something you do in your small towns and perhaps a national, even global empire. That would be a really compelling arc for a show over the course of several seasons. I’d be excited to explore that.

What’s the most dramatically fulfilling wrestling moment you’ve witnessed? What’s the bar for the wrestling drama of Heels?

It’s gotta be Hulk Hogan turning heel in the WCW. There was an invasion storyline, these guys from WWF, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall, came over and they were the bad guys. It was at a Pay-per-view and and they were beating up on the good guys that you love, and here comes Hulk Hogan in the yellow and red and he’s the hero. “The Hulk’s gonna get ‘em! The good guy’s here!” And then the Hulk just leg drops Randy Savage. That was the original Red Wedding. I just think about the boldness of turning him heel. To a little kid... I wasn’t even like a massive Hulk fan, but he was just such a mythological figure. What a chance that Hulk Hogan took as a performer, as a bankable kind of movie star at that point. That was bold, risky storytelling and it set off two years of amazing storytelling with Hogan just playing a craven, cowardly heel and just being so evil. I really respect the hell out of them for doing that. That was a great storyline.

[iwannaban0nym0us]

Women in Star Trek Art

I found this amazing link from this post and couldn’t resist going through and pulling out a few(maybe more than a few) of my favorite pieces. I pulled out my favorites, but I encourage you to check out the rest and find your own!

Rico JR | Nyota Uhura “Star Trek”

“I love the character of Uhura, already since the TV series and this unforgettable kiss with Captain Kirk which is the first interracial kiss on television. That is something important. But I even more adored the interpretation of Zoe Saldana in recent movies. He strength of character and her relationship with Spock was, to me, one of the highlights of JJ Abrams films.”

— Rico JR

Tom Ralston | Guinan “Star Trek: The Next Generation”

“If the recurring character of Guinan appeared in an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation you knew you were in for several things. First-off you would be in store for a thought-provoking episode, often with a profoundly moving payoff. Many episodes of TNG accomplished this, but Guinan’s character guaranteed a certain level of emotional engagement, as she allowed us to learn about the deeper issues of the crew of the Enterprise; their fears, desires, hopes and dreams. You would glean insight into the inner narrative of one her fellow shipmates, as she offered them her guidance and wisdom. A Guinan appearance also meant rich costume designs and the possibility of one of her enormous hats. Who doesn’t want to see Whoopi Goldberg in a giant hat?! Guinan’s character is over 600 years old and a refugee of an endangered race scattered across the universe. She has a sixth sense and there is a tonne of mystery surrounding her back story. But despite her elaborate origins, her role on the enterprise is designed upon a simple and age-old trope of the of the bartender / therapist. Yet Guinan transcends any tired cliches through Whoopi Goldberg’s masterful performance in which she exudes kindness, compassion and a good balance of strength and vulnerability. Guinan was supposedly the final character Gene Roddenberry created, and as such, seems appropriately emblematic of the entire franchise — emphasizing kindness, compassion, strength and vulnerability and the willingness to listen and support those around her.”

— Tom Ralston

Alan Fore | Tasha Yar “Star Trek: The Next Generation”

“I’ve always been drawn to Tasha because she was an early example in my life of a strong female character. The glimpses we got of her backstory were so compelling and I’ve always felt there was so much more to the character than we got.”

— Alan Fore

Laz Marquez | Warship Yar “Star Trek: The Next Generation”

“I remember watching “Star Trek: TNG” for the first time & seeing the character of Tasha Yar represent strength and an important role as Chief of Security on the bridge. This was enough to make me immediately enamored with the character and her story. Then, the spectacular episode “Yesterday’s Enterprise” was released and we saw shades to Yar that weren’t truly explored. The character is strong but she’s also driven by doing what’s right, even if it means sacrifice and facing grim circumstances. Her backstory, explored in bits in Season 1, tells the story of a survivor who joined Starfleet to create a better world. While she was on the Enterprise-D, she did just that and helped each of her fellow team members & friends grow as a result.”

— Laz Marquez

Scott Saslow | Rachel Garrett “Star Trek: The Next Generation”

“I chose Rachel Garrett, captain of the Enterprise-C, portrayed by Tricia O'Neil in the classic TNG episode "Yesterday's Enterprise." While we don't get to know a lot about her in those 44 minutes, she proves to be a charismatic and capable leader. When faced with the horrible truth of her situation, she finally decides to take her ship back in time in order to restore the timeline and save billions of lives.”

— Scott Saslow

Jamie Fay | Kathryn Janeway “Star Trek: Voyager”

André Barnett | Seven of Nine “Star Trek: Voyager”

“I grew up with the original Star Trek series, and I was, at first, a little leery of the later series. But, my daughter Christa was a big fan of “The Next Generation” and “Voyager” and we watched them together, and doing so helped me to appreciate the actors, writing, and character development of these new shows. The Seven of Nine character of course was visually stunning and brought with her the drama of the Borg back story, but at the same time, the writing and character development explored the meaning of being human as the Seven of Nine character attempted to regain back her humanity. It was a storyline that was compelling to me and is why I chose to illustrate this female character.”

— André Barnett

Kristin Wilkinson | Seven of Nine “Star Trek: Picard”

“There are many characters in the Star Trek universe that I am fond of and have created fanart of. One character I’ve always loved was Seven of Nine. Watching her journey/story has been one of my favourites. Seeing her over the years accept and try to rediscover her humanity after her rescue from the Borg has been one of my favourite story lines. She’s strong, and, well, cool, but also has a vulnerability. She has always been an outsider, trying to fit in, which is something that is so very relatable.”

— Kristin Wilkinson

Andrea Davies | Raffi Musiker “Star Trek: Picard”

“I have chosen Raffi from the wonderful and almost overwhelming list of choices. My day job is Assistant Head in a special school for teenagers with social, emotional and mental health needs. Many of our kids have challenging and chaotic homelives. Pupils, and often their parents and siblings are fighting circumstance and often addiction. My message is always that our demons, mistakes and bad choices don't have to define us. Raffi is fighting that fight on screen. She shows us that it isn't easy, and most importantly flawed people can still do amazing things. Michelle Hurd gave us an imperfect, but inspiring character. 'The wreckage of a good person' is a line I have adopted. I see that wreckage every day, and know it can be fixed.”

— Andrea Davies

Phil Dunne | Michael Burnham “Star Trek: Discovery”

Jeanne Delage | Tilly “Star Trek: Discovery”

“Tilly is my favorite character from Star trek: Disco because she is highly intelligent but seems just like a normal and flawed person, like you and me. She cares about others, is funny, also silly and dorky. A good friend you can have a great and fun time with. In serious situations, she came up with smart solutions and takes charges when needed. Overall an awesome character wonderfully portrayed by Mary Wiseman.”

— Jeanne Delagenote

[wardens-stew]

The Bone Season - unpacking Paige’s card reading!

To pass the time as I obsess about the imminent release of The Mask Falling, I’ve been thinking about when Liss did a card reading for Paige in TBS - and Elspeth elaborated on it in TSR - and felt like going back to it to see what’s been revealed and what we might glean about what’s yet to come. 

1 - Five of Cups (past)

CONFIRMED - Paige’s father mourning her mother

“You lost something when you were very small. There’s a man with auburn hair. It’s his cups that are spilled.” “My father,” I said. “Yes. You’re standing behind him, speaking to him. He doesn’t answer. He stares at a picture.” 

2 - King of Wands (present)

CONFIRMED - Jaxon’s hold on Paige 

“He controls you. Even now, you can’t escape his hold.” “Warden?” “I don’t think so. Still, he has power. His expectations of you are too high. You’re afraid of him.” Jaxon.

3 - The Devil (future); 4 - The Lovers (what to do)

LOW-KEY CONFIRMED - The Devil as the darkness within Paige; The Lovers as Paige and Warden

“This card represents a force of hopelessness, restriction, fear—but you’ve given into it yourself. There’s a shadow that the Devil represents, but I can’t see its face. Whatever power this person will have over you, you will be able to escape it. They’ll make you think you’re tied to them forever, but you won’t be. You’ll just think you are... The next card will tell you what to do when the time comes.”

I looked down at the fourth card. “The Lovers?” “Yes.” Her voice had dropped to a monotone. “I can’t see much. There’s tension between spirit and flesh. Too much.” 

Elspeth and Paige unpack this in TSR:

Two naked figures were on either side of the pedestal, bound to it, and by extension, to each other, by a silver chain. 

“The two figures in the Devil card closely resemble the couple in the Lovers card, which comes next. They could almost be Lovers... The Devil controls them. Manipulates them.” 

The words left a fine sweat on my brow. Controls them. Manipulates them. The Devil could be Terebell. Both Warden and I were chained to her: Warden by his loyalty, me by my need for her money. And we were also bound to each other by a chain, albeit a chain of gold.

“Someone stands over the pair in the Lovers card, too, though there’s no chain.” Elspeth pointed to a winged figure above the man and woman. “I’m not certain what the figure represents in this instance, but... someone is always watching this couple.”

There’s a good deal of evidence that the Lovers refers to Warden, as Paige points out, but she still isn’t sure:

“As a Rephaite, Warden was the pivot between spirit and flesh. We had always felt watched, knowing the consequences of discovery. If he represented the path I should be taking, then by trying to distance myself from him, by telling him we had to part, I had gone astray; I had turned my back on the counsel of the cards.

And yet, he could so easily be the Devil himself... or a puppet-master in its service, keeping me chained to it, to Terebell. Was he meant to be my lover or my downfall?”

She remains ambivalent, but there’s that important moment towards the end, with Jaxon:

“You will understand that all of us are devils in the skins of men. You will become the monster that lives inside us all.”

I started away from him. This wasn't the first time that his words had sounded like a prediction. The Devil. Had it been me all along? Was it the devil in myself - the devil deep beneath my skin - that I was meant to resist?”

She doesn't really arrive at a conclusion, but I think this theory is pretty convincing! I’m not quite sure if it lines up with the idea of the Devil manipulating and controlling the Lovers, though - does it make sense that the dark instincts in Paige are manipulating her and Warden?? It would fit more easily if the Devil were a person rather than something abstract.

I also think there’s more to be said about Elspeth’s observation that “someone is always watching this couple.” Paige attributes this to her general feeling of being watched in her clandestine relationship with Warden, but Elspeth’s remark suggests that something more deliberate and concrete is going on. That’s quite unnerving - the possibility that someone is literally watching Paige and Warden. I think it may be part of the larger role that their intimacy is playing on the world stage, although they’re not yet aware of it.

5 - Death, Inverted (external influences)

NOT YET DETERMINED

“Death is a normal card for voyants. Usually it appears in the past or present positions. But here, inverted—I’m not sure.” Her eyes flickered beneath their lids. “This far ahead, my sight gets hazy. Things are vague. I know the world will change around you, and you’ll do everything in your power to resist it. Death itself will work in different ways. By delaying the change, you’ll prolong your own suffering.”

Ok, I think this is definitely alluding to the possible events of TMF and Book 5 and the furthering of the Prometheus and Pandora parallel. I did some digging about the divinatory associations of the card:

DEATH.—End, mortality, destruction, corruption; also, for a man, the loss of a benefactor; for a woman, many contrarieties; for a maid, failure of marriage projects. Reversed: Inertia, sleep, lethargy, petrifaction, somnambulism; hope destroyed.

The card, drawn in reverse, can be interpreted as stagnation and the inability to move or change.

In the Mythic Tarot deck, Death is depicted by Hades.

Shit is going to get real!! “Death itself will work in different ways” -  This supports @growingstronglikeahighgardenrose‘s theory that Paige might end up going to the underworld in a Persephone/Eurydice parallel and someone will be forced to stay in the underworld for a period of time - likely Warden. The association with Hades also suggests that Warden will be involved, possibly put in some sort of slumber. I could definitely see Paige resisting this change and the ensuing separation from Warden. 

6 - Eight of Swords (hopes and fears)

NOT YET DETERMINED

“The card showed a woman, bound in a circle of upturned swords. She wore a blindfold. Liss’s skin glowed with sweat. “I can see you. You’re afraid.” Her voice trembled. “I can see your face. You can’t move in any direction. You can stay in one place, trapped, or feel the pain of the swords.”

A little info on the eight of swords, thanks to Wikipedia:

The Querent is in a situation where they're afraid to move. If they move, they'll get cut. However, the ropes that bind them and the blindfold over their eyes are their own fears, keeping them immobile. Therefore, the longer they stay, the more they constrain and entrap themselves. Ever been in a situation where you're afraid to say anything, so afraid that you second guess yourself, end up saying nothing, tying yourself in knots? But speaking up is going to get you cut to ribbons? That's this card. The Querent must have the strength to endure the cuts or they will stay trapped. They must move, for the longer they let the situation continue, the worse it will get.

Ok this is pretty far off so it’s hard to make sense of it. But it seems that Paige is going to be trapped and needs to free herself, though she will suffer for it. I have the feeling that this situation will be fairly literal, especially if the Persephone & Pandora myth holds - Paige could be stuck in some weird state maybe in the netherworld or in a dreamwalking state from which she needs to escape. Not sure if the suffering refers to collateral damage - like Warden will be hurt if she tries to escape - or if she herself will be hurt or changed by freeing herself. It’s all pretty abstract and theoretical at this point.

7 - ?????

The big mystery! I have absolutely no clue how this series will end, and it’s pretty difficult to speculate. But it’s worth thinking about what kind of ending would make sense in terms of the mythology and the larger arc of this story. I’m really anxious about whether Warden and Paige and their relationship will make  it through intact - this doesn’t really seem like the kind of series to end super duper happily like somehow everyone’s problems are solved and the world is utopian - but I also can’t see how an ending in which they were separated/dead/irreversibly damaged would be a satisfying one (pls Samantha Shannon just let them be happy!!!). This is mostly just me trying to convince myself that it’s not going to be some Allegiant-type shit - Samantha Shannon is obviously comfortable inflicting pain on her characters, but I doubt she’d do that kind of fuck-you ending where everyone is screwed. I have faith that it’ll be a satisfying and meaningful conclusion. 

Random sidenote, super bizarre and probably meaningless, but Samantha Shannon once mentioned in an answer to a Tumblr ask that there was a pregnancy storyline in TBS when she initially planned it, but she figured Twilight already did the “immortal hybrid baby thing” and eventually decided she didn’t want Paige to have kids. Then she says, “I won’t rule out writing a fun ‘what if’ chapter once the series is over, though. I just wouldn’t make it canon.” SOOOOooo.... what I’m hearing is that Paige and Warden both make it through to the end of the series alive and in a position to have kids?????

[killian-whump]

OUAT 3x04: Rewatch Liveblog

Hey guys! I'm back again with another rewatch liveblog. Man, I'm kinda storming through S3 so far, due to the lack of Killian whump in a lot of these early episodes. Don't worry, I'm sure I'll make up for that by spending a quarter of a century on the next episode :P

But before THAT episode, we have THIS one! It's episode 3x04, and it's called "Nasty Habits". Unfortunately, none of those habits seem to be torturing pirates, because there's only some Killian angst in this one.

Well, let's watch it anyway... ;)

Neal bondage. Way to start off an episode!

Shame I'm not that into Neal, though :/

Hahaha, and Felix isn't even good at tying people up. Theeeere goes Bae.

Gotta admit, his "I'm not a boy anymore, and I sure ain't lost" is kinda hot XD

Bae: "Papa, I told you: I don't want anymore gifts from the people you terrorize." Ummm. Rumple, that's super fucking creepy. Rumple: "Then what do you want?" LIKE, LITERALLY ANYTHING THAT ISN'T THAT.

Hey, solid question here, but why IS the Dark One still living in a hovel at this point?

Oh, totally unnecessary but kinda awesome warpaint time.

And creepy Belle conjuring time. I mean, kudos to you for maintaining your child-like wonder, Rumple, but having invisible friends at your age IS kinda weird. Just saying.

Although, I mean, it DOES do a solid job of giving Rumple a chance to tell the audience his own inner doubts and fears in a far less creepy way than having him literally talking to himself.

So there's that.

Wow, that's a really nice little miniature "Pan's Compound" made out of rocks and sticks. Did they all work together to gather the rocks and arrange everything so artfully? Or did one of them just sit there and do this on their own like the world's loneliest middle school art project? And if so, who?

"It's not the sticks you need to worry about. It's the poison they're dipped in." MEANINGFUL OMINOUS CAPTAIN CHARMING LOOK BEHOOOOOOOOLD

Tink: "One nick, and you'll spend the rest of yo-" Dave: "Poison sticks equal death. We got it." No, no, Dave. Let her finish. This sounds relevant to my interests.

Tink looks so cheerful as she says she's ready to go as soon as they tell her the exit plan. Oh, sweet summer child. You're obviously new here.

...ALL of their faces right here. They're all like, "Oh shit, we were hoping you wouldn't ask us that." Except Hook, who looks as vaguely amused by their reactions as we are.

Regina's SO happy to hear of Greg's demise. I FEEL YOU, GIRL. I FEEL YOU.

David: "what about you, Hook? You got off this island before." Hook: "Yes. Aboard my ship, which would require some form of magic to create a portal, which... I got from Pan, in a deal I don't think he's ready to repeat." TELL US MORE OR I SWEAR TO GOD

He can't even meet anyone's eyes as he says it, either. Just what WAS that deal, Hook? Don't make me imagine it. You won't like what I imagine. Mmmm. I like what I'm imagining...

More angst. Yum.

Ahh... Rumple hears the murmurings of conversation...

BAM! Poppy dust to the face! Why did he use poppy dust, though? I mean, I assume it's poppy dust, since it looked the same as when Tink knocked Regina out last episode - which was pointed out to be done with poppy dust.

OH, HEY LOOK, GUYS, IT'S BAELFIRE

HE'S NOT DEAD, EVERYBODY!

Don't act like you've already known that since last season, because that's just gonna make Rumple feel bad for being so behind on the news.

THIS IS WHERE A COMMERCIAL WOULD BE IF WE HAD ANY

True Story: I meant to do this rewatch post the other day, but when I sat down to watch the episode, it turned out my copy of 3x04 was somehow episode 4 of Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, so I had to go online and re-download the right episode, because of course I’m too lazy to rip my own videos. I just download them like the dirty pirate I am. Yarrrrrr.

Anyway, this episode seems to have slightly longer black breaks where the commercials were. Weird. Anyway...

SERIOUSLY, RUMPLE?!

We've already talked about how creepy it is, giving your kid "gifts" you stole from the people you torment with your dark magic.

Oh, look. Rumple's gone to Hamelin. And the children are missing. And there's a piper. And he wears a pied cloak. THIS SOUNDS FAMILIAR... (and I don't mean from the previous times I've seen this episode, you smart asses.)

Rumple: "Pan is too powerful. You can only beat him if you're willing to die... which I am." Ummm. But you were willing to die to save Henry because Baelfire was dead, and... and... I mean... *gestures vaguely* Neal: "What if I told you there was another way?"

No, apparently it involves attacking one of Kraken-san's friends and relations. Don't worry, guys, no krakens were harmed in the harvesting of this squid ink. This particular kraken lived long after this, and sired a bunch of tiny kraken babies who went on to plunder pirate butts all along the shores of Neverland after the realms were united in S7.

It's true. I made it up just now.

Hahahahaha, Regina. "What is this supposed to be?" Well, it looks like... a gigantic rock of some kind, but I'm no expert or anything.

Oh, it's the "hot" conversation. I love it XD And the way David snaps the rope away from Hook, like he doesn't need his piddly help. "And I'm plenty hot." Yeah, you sure are, Dave XD

Mmmm... Hook's so intense when he's talking to Dave. "Why don't you?"

"Oh, if there's one thing I've gleaned from you hero types, it's that there's always hope." <3

"Is there something you're not telling me... mate?" Oh, NOW he's your mate XD

"Alas, hope and reality are most often worlds apart." T_T

Sure, just shove him, Dave. Can't you see he's going through something here? Look how angsty he is. Like an angst burrito wrapped in black leather.

OH SHIT. NOT THIS AGAIN.

I love the way Emma calls out Hook’s name. It's so familiar <3

Come on, baby. You can light the torch this time. Just keep trying. You can do i- DAMMIT DAVE. Every time I watch this episode, you shove him out of the way and use your fancy shmancy modern lighter to light the torch. He's just an angsty pirate, trying the best he can with one hand and a hook T_T

Showin' him up in front of Emma and all that... SO MEAN T_T

Hook's face, tho XD

...and Emma's not even paying attention, anyway XD

On a more serious note, these kinds of bestings make me laugh. I love them all <3

Oh, back to Hamelin.

Yeah, follow those kids, Rumple. This is probably the only time saying that wouldn’t be super duper creepy.

Gee, that piper on the other side of the fire looks a bit familiar...

OH MY GOD, YOU GUYS, IT'S PETER FUCKING PAN D:

Pan really IS a little shit, though, isn't he? Hahaha. Such absolutely horrible things to say to your own kid. WORST PARENT ON THE SHOW. And there's a LOT of competition for that spot, let me tell you.

NM, I don't need to tell you. You all already know XD

"After all, being abandoned is what you're good at, isn't it?" JFC, dude, chill out or something. This isn't the Cruelty Olympics up in here. I'd know if it was. I'd be taking part... AND STILL SIDE-EYEING YOUR NASTY ASS.

Just kidding. Love you, boo. Keep being the best little shit this side of the sewage plant.

Hey, thanks a lot whichever one of you is responsible for this one. Now I can't watch this scene without thinking they're out of paper towels D:

Henry: "Sorry. I don't hear anything." Pan: "Interesting." I'll say.

Oh, so the sentries were knocked out by a sleeping spell... that looks exactly like a puff of poppy dust. Busy year in the effects department?

Pan: "Now, now, Felix. Where's your sense of adventure?" See, that's why I still love Pan, even though he's a complete piece of shit. He's a fun piece of shit. He really gets into his dastardly and deviant behavior.

JFC KNOCK IT OUT WITH THE LANTERNS NOW. I can only have so many orgas- OH, HI GUYS.

The way Colin pops those consonants on the word "important" XD I fucking love this man. Why is he so much the way he is?!

Hook: "He got it from his mother." OH GOD, BABY. Somebody hold me. I can't handle the look on his face after he says that. Oh shit. I've revealed feelings. RUN AWAY.

"Yes, because pre-teen Baelfire probably made lots of pasta." Never change, Regina. You’re my boo and you always will be <3

This scene is really pretty, though. I love the soft yellow glow coming out of the coconut and the stars across the ceiling. Pretty <3

THEY'RE STILL OUT OF PAPER TOWELS. Goddammit, you guys.

Wow. That was a powerful gust of magic. I wonder who could've been responsible for that?

Pan: "We have a guest!" Ummm... Hate to break it to you, but your party literally dropped dead asleep about 2 seconds ago, so nobody's listening XD

Pan: "Who could it be?" I WONDER.

Slick move there, Neal. I might just start to like you again, after all. Hope you don't die in the second half of the season or anything...

Awww. The sad thing is, the viewer knows Rumple actually isn't here to murder Henry, but poor Rumple - Neal doesn't know that :/

I actually hate storylines like this. I'd rather be kept in the dark. It's so frustrating when you know shit that the characters don't know. Key reason why I'm not into S1 very much, actually. But you didn't hear that from me. Remember: I only dislike it 'cos there's no pirates ;)

Neal: "It's Neal!" Wow. Getting really loud there, Bae- sorry, Neal. Oops.

Ahhhhh, Peter Pan, you little shit. Causing more trouble.

Neal: "We're safer without you." Ummm... Are you, though? Are you really?

"Nothing is going to happen to you. Not while I'm here." Oh, Mary Margaret. About that... Heh. Heh heh. Hmm.

Hey, look guys. It's Neal, and he's found the heroes' campsite!

...and now he's been caught by Pan. I hate to say I told you so, Neal, and I hate to say Rumple told you so, as well, but...

LITERALLY EVERYONE TOLD YOU SO, YOU IDIOT.

Ahahahaha, "Never break in somewhere unless you know the way out." Peter Pan taught him that. Nice one, show. I forgot about that detail.

"I'll remember that for next time." Ummm... Wait. What.

Dammit show. You giveth and you taketh away.

Poor Jared, hahaha. He spends most of this episode being fireman carried by various people. Acting is so glamorous.

Ooooh, a good old-fashioned manhandling right here. Love it.

It still bothers me that Rumple's entire reason for living is Bae. I mean, having (Rumple!)Belle literally saying that now that Neal's alive, Rumple has a reason for living again... It just makes me feel bad about that ship?

:/

JFC WOULD SOMEONE GO TO THE STORE AND BUY MORE PAPER TOWELS FOR THESE BOYS?!?!

NOW HENRY HAS THE EMPTY PAPER TOWEL ROLLS

What are they even paying you people for?!

Wait. I'm not getting paid. Why are you guys getting paid if I'm not getting paid? Dammit, I quit.

PEW PEW PEW PEEEEEEEEEEW

[lizzybeth1986]

Drake took a bullet for the MC. We were all rooting for him during his duel with Neville. I don’t think him being a LI ruined his character in any way or form. I don’t see why they couldn’t do the same with Olivia. Some of her best scenes are hidden behind a diamond wall anyway. Maybe I’m just biased because Hana is too fluffy and one-dimensional to capture my interest. Playing TRR with her wasn’t much fun for me and I was praying for a gay miracle until the very last scene.

I have a feeling this is with reference to my answer on that ask about Olivia becoming an LI.

First off, comparing Drake to Olivia makes zero sense. Drake was built to be an LI, he was put forward to the readers as one, his and Liam’s faces were on the cover way before Hana’s was, his interactions were meant to have romantic undertones from the very beginning. The duel scene with Neville is as much a part of his LI growth as it is a teaser to the eventual climatic duel in Chapter 21. I’m not sure how we can compare that to Olivia at all.

Maxwell would be a more plausible comparison, and even then - as I mentioned in my last ask on Olivia - not entirely an accurate one given that he is also not as intricately woven in the Anton/Liam plot as Olivia is.

Second, Olivia is part of the overall plot in a way Drake hasn’t - and won’t - be. The plot - as it is written - hinges on her being forcibly married to Anton, and her going against him both to defend Liam and to restore the honour of her House and duchy. Drake’s equation with Neville was built two different ways - as a lone man standing against this noble (who represented every other noble who treated him with disdain and condescension), and (coupled with the Drake-MC) as a couple that became nobility from the bottom of the ranks, proving their worth to the very people who ridiculed them. That has very little bearing (besides foreshadowing, and a distraction to the conspiracies really taking place at that Gala) to the main plot of Anton-Liam-Olivia-MC.

Drake started out as an LI whose diamond scenes gave us hints about certain aspects of the story (the bachelor party photos, the background of the Beaumont brothers and his sister, the assassination attempt on Liam), but who always had a storyline independent of the main plot. Olivia’s larger story on the other hand is way too tied up in Liam’s and Cordonia’s. Her story is intricately connected to his, so comparing that to Drake won’t exactly work.

Third, I’m not sure you can say most of Olivia’s best scenes are hidden behind a paywall: she has only 2 that focus on her family history (Book 1 finale and Book 3 with Lucretia at the Gala), plus some good group scene moments.

Her story with Liam? Non-diamond (Book 1 Chapter 7). Her famous dialogue about the Nevrakis family being know “not for being safe, but for crushing our enemies”? Non-diamond (Book 2 Chapter 5). Her constant support for Liam? Non-diamond. (lots of places but especially Book 3 Chapter 2) Her ability to fight like a boss? Non-diamond (Book 3 Chapter 9). Her dedication towards her people? Non-diamond (Book 3 Chapter 12). Lucretia constantly downplaying her achievements? Non-diamond (Ditto). Her pride in her House and her need to prove that it can stand for positive things? Non-diamond (Book 3 Chapter 10). There is so much you can glean from her even if you don’t buy her scenes.

Fourth, I have a big problem with the way the term “one dimensional” is thrown around in this fandom. Honestly, I’m tired of this term now. It’s overused and often the people who use it these days just come to that character with the attitude of not being interested in them in the first place. Nowadays, I see “one dimensional” as shorthand for “I don’t want to admit that I’ve made little/no effort to understand the character, so let me blame the character instead”. I’m sorry if that sounds presumptuous, but this has been my experience every single time I’ve seen this term used for a character. Person A will use “one dimensional” to describe a character, Person B will show proof of why that’s inaccurate, Person A will backtrack and eventually be forced to admit they haven’t actually given that character much thought. I’ve seen this term used on different levels with all the LIs, and it irks me no end because there is enough proof of their depth beyond the tropes they embody.

–

I also need to address your point regarding Hana. I don’t mind that she isn’t your cup of tea - she can be hard to like or relate to for some - but I do have quite a lot to say about it.

Were the writers lazy in their writing for Hana? Of course: there were secondary characters given more attention than she was.

Should there have been another female LI of a different personality type to balance her out? Sure - if I could trust the TRR writers to do justice to their female LIs, and I obviously don’t.

Could Hana have been written better? Certainly. They failed her in multiple ways, right to the end of the series.

Is Hana hard to relate to? Not for me personally, but I do know people who have told me they cannot relate to her or make complete sense of her issues - possibly because their upbringings and relationships with their families are poles apart from Hana’s.

Can she be fluffy? Well, yeah, if you overlook the sad reality of her situation. I mean, this is a woman who started out blaming herself for an engagement her parents pressurized her to make, and her fiancé chose to break. This was someone who was constantly ready to settle for less than what she wanted and was used to not being heard. This is someone who basically didn’t care about the competition for Liam’s hand once the MC came along, and was busy giving her precious time and skills and expertise to the newbie who sometimes doesn’t give her credit even when she does take her help. Someone who was forced to go back home for having the gall to tell her mother “you should let me figure out what I want for myself”, and threatened with disownment more than once. Someone who had to put up with the likes of Neville and Madeleine so she could stay around in Cordonia only to ensure the MC’s safety. Someone who LEFT her parents because she was standing up for her friend/lover, and had to basically start over. Someone who flat-out told her former tormentor that if she wanted Hana’s forgiveness, she’d have to earn it and it wouldn’t be easy. You wanna call her fluffy? Sure, if that’s your definition of fluffy.

But there is no way you can view her as merely one dimensional. Let us remember, for instance, what her finale scene is an echo of. It purposely mirrors the piano scene at Lythikos in Book 1. The Hana of Book 1 was so trapped in her (actually, her parents’) views of family and obedience and honour that she had to fuck up a performance on purpose to get out of being paraded. The Hana of Book 3 firmly says no, but also still can’t completely be heard without sufficient support. Which is growth, but at a pace that is ongoing, and in no way does present-day Hana sound fluffy or easy-to-portray to me. She is still learning, she is still growing, she isn’t entirely comfortable. I’m not sure in what way that journey or character can be seen as one dimensional.

I can understand why the thought of Olivia being a love interest is appealing - and were it not for how tangled in the overall plot she was, I believe she would been a fantastic one - but that doesn’t mean Hana is any less. Her personality may not appeal to everyone but people like her are very much part of the LGBTQ community and a lot of her behaviour is rooted in her culture, upbringing and issues of home and identity.

–

Lastly, I find comparisons of Olivia with Hana - especially when it’s to place Olivia on a pedestal and speak of her as being better than Hana - a little disturbing. Olivia was a character that was given time and effort. She was written with immense care, and the writing for her was consistent from the first chapter to the last. Olivia was at the front and center of her own story.

You know which important love interest didn’t get that level of care, that level of continuity, that level of effort? You know which character was pushed to the sidelines in her own damn story? You know which character’s issues and feelings were constantly brushed aside and ignored - rather than validated - until the very last minute? Hana!

Olivia has always had advantages that Hana will never have, and I think we need to acknowledge that when we’re making such comparisons.

[holeybubushka]

X Y Z if you like!

A fandom you’re in but have no ships fromA fandom you’re in but have no ships fromA fandom you’re in but have no ships fromReplying to you 1000000000000% years later like the terrible fandom person I am ;)

3 OTPs from 3 different fandoms

Well, to the surprise of noone, my OTP in Until Dawn is Beth/Sam, because what we can glean from the two of them I think they’d be perfectly suited, plus there is a tragedy element if you like canon-verse and if not, there is still the interesting dynamic of falling for your best friend’s twin. Two other OTPs are:

Naomi/Emily (Skins): I have been in very few fandoms actually, but back when Skins was huge I was an ardent Naomily shipper. Skins unfortunately devolved into a truly terrible, pretentious program but for a couple of years it was the best show around and these two characters had a phenomenal storyline. Amazing chemistry, raw performances and a great dynamic meant I was proper obsessed with these two for a while. I ignore season seven because it honestly felt like a mean spirited thumb in the eye to longtime fans (side note, my other OTP in this fandom, Chris/Jal, also got screwed over by the writers.)

And finally:

I thought about this for a while. I was initially going to say Chloe/Rachel (Life is Strange) but I’m not sure they are quite OTP-level in my eyes. I like shipping Rachel, in particular, with other people (I am reading a terrific Rachel/Victoria story atm) and there are other ships I love but aren’t or have never been in a fandom for (I loved Chandler/Monica but I’m not sure I shipped them). Sophie/Maddie from Coronation Street were also amazing but I think in the end I would have to say my other OTP is Jackson/April (Greys Anatomy). Bear in mind the show completely ruined them as a romantic couple through manufactured drama (not the death of their child, more in the later series Jackson falling for his step sister stuff and the re-emergence of Matthew). Prior to them being ruined they were just…perfect. I think I loved them since they were such a good example of the friends-to-lovers trope, which is my ABSOLUTE JAM (real life here: My fiancee was my best friend for years before our feelings evolved so I love seeing that replicated onscreen). They had such a genuine, loving, playful and passionate chemistry. It’s a shame they wrote April out since I think she had a lot of storyline left but regardless, I still ship them and if anyone has any good fic recommendations let me know

A fandom you’re in but have no ships from

Like I said, I’m not IN a lot of fandoms to begin with, and when I am, I usually have a ship. Probably the closest one would be Killing Eve. The BIG ship there is obviously Eve/Villanelle and while I certainly can understand the appeal, it’s not a shipI like. Mostly because Villanelle is a sociopath with a tendency to hurt people she cares about. If not them directly, then someone close to them, which puts Eve’s estranged husband and all her friends in imminent danger if they ever did hook up. I love the show, and I guess I am vaguely around the fandom, but I don’t really ship anyone except Bill/Life, but that ship has sailed (thanks AGAIN Villanelle!)

[sadhikamalladi-blog]

Adjustment Day by Chuck Palahniuk

Introduction

As a kid, I would devour books. I used to read a book every few days, and I spent so long refreshing the NYT Bestsellers List that I decided to just set it as my home page. This habit continued through high school. Any genre, any length, I wanted to read and learn everything there was to know. I loved how books moved at a pace that the author and I negotiated, instead of the wholly intractable speed of film. Sometimes, I'd spend hours rereading a line, relishing the image and rhythm the words and their pronunciations formed in my head. I wondered if the author intended for me to come back to that line, or if they simply wrote it while reaching blindly for a cup of coffee.

One of the first authors to pull me into their world, depraved and demented as it was, was Chuck Palahniuk. I read Fight Club, and I walked through life for months wondering if there was a fight club out there, literally or metaphorically, and if I would glean joy from joining. Through Palahniuk, I learned how to take an objective lens to everything, instead of arbitrarily assigning value and designating things or people as "good" and "bad." I read and reread all of Palahniuk's books, shaken as Seth turned into Manus and Tyler morphed into the narrator I had come to rely on and maybe even respect. Palahniuk let me be self-righteous only so he could dismantle me.

The truth is, Palahniuk's game has always been the same. He throws uneasy situations at you and lets them blossom into colossal shitstorms that you somehow find yourself at the eye of. His work is known for the employment of an unreliable narrator, one who's often equal parts bored and boring for the majority of the novel. So, I was especially surprised to find out his latest work, Adjustment Day, was a decentralized narrative.

Why I Hate Decentralized Narratives

Another book I read this summer was Into the Water by Paula Hawkins. Much like Palahniuk, Hawkins is known for unreliable narrators. Her previous book, Girl on the Train, captured my attention and twisted my judgments against me in the most Palahniuk-esque way I could've imagined. And she did it all without the gore and sheer shock value that accompanies Palahniuk's language. I had high hopes for Hawkins' novel, which ultimately left me unsatisfied because of its decentralized narrative.

Decentralized narratives are ones in which there are many narrators (at least 11, in Hawkins' case) of varying credibility. It's meant to provide us with the immersive experience of investigating the mystery as though we were living it -- through a series of short vignettes that inevitably reference context we don't have access to. And as readers, we're meant to wade through this mess and attempt to form loyalties and suspicions that are inevitably incorrect.

All of this is fine with me in theory. I love a good puzzle, and putting together conflicting narratives from ulteriorly motivated characters is an exciting prospect. Unfortunately, it's very hard to deliver this kind of novel.

The excitement of the style is also its downfall. The author has to maintain a careful balance across characters, placing red herrings and minor storylines with as much importance as the main plot. We're meant to have no indication from the writing alone who did what. And if we judge a character based on their past, we're bound to be wrong. However, the sad truth is that if we don't judge characters then we have very little incentive to remember who's who in the story. We also require some sense of coherence in order to follow a character's story.

About fifteen pages into Hawkins' Into the Water, I found myself pulling out a piece of paper and a pen, jotting names and bullet points down. Several hundreds of pages later, I was extremely displeased. Sure, there was a cohesive network of small tidbits that added up to a bigger story. But there were also loose ends galore -- to the extend that I found myself wondering if The Room was easier to follow (it wasn't).

I haven't seen a decentralized narrative executed properly. It does feel like the next natural step in literary evolution, from a single unreliable narrator to many.

Novel Overview

So, Palahniuk's Adjustment Day. I have to say, the novel brought up some exciting themes but ultimately fell a little flat for me, mostly due to issues with relating to characters. The ending left me especially dissatisfied, wondering why Palahniuk teed up situations primed for sharp and incisive social commentary and then didn't follow through. It really isn't his style to back off.

Parts of the novel felt clichéd, but I guess that's to be expected. We are consuming such a massive amount of criticism of different social phenomena that nothing really strikes me as surprising anymore. I've read stories about how Trump has planned his coup for decades and stories about how if only a few tiny things were different we would be in a vastly different social climate right now. Regardless, Palahniuk does his usual work of harnessing fiction to raise deeper questions about what's happening around us.

Youth Bulge

Every Palahniuk story is anchored by a simple social circumstance. Women feeling self-conscious about their appearances, men feeling inferior in comparison to their evolutionary ancestors' raw athleticism, etc. In Adjustment Day, it's all about the youth bulge, a phenomenon in developing countries where infant mortality rates plummet but fertility rates continue to skyrocket, resulting in a large number of youth.

Palahniuk focuses on male youth. He paints them with broad strokes, characterizing them as an aggressive, war-mongering group. He describes world governments in collusion with one another to construct aimless wars simply to expend these youth and occupy them. If they're not occupied, Palahniuk seems to claim, they'll run rampant and seek increasingly self-destructive ways to express masculinity.

The messiah-like Talbott character recognizes this trend and decides to harness the power of these young men. He spouts off various platitudes throughout the novel, many of which carry the ring of deep wisdom but lack nuance. The young men, proud to be part of some kind of covert movement, hang on his every word and seek to bring about Adjustment Day.

Adjustment Day

Adjustment Day is a largely circular idea. Basically, the idea is to divide the nation into three subnations: Blacktopia, Caucasia, and Gaysia. Through some increasingly contrived set of requirements, people are delegated mercilessly through these nations. As Talbott puts it, minorities only rebel when there's a majority to subvert. By placing the gays in one nation, the blacks in another, and the whites in a third, the new order will ensure that everyone exists solely in homogeneous communities and thus in eternal harmony.

But the first problem is that people are not willingly going to go into these subnations. What about interracial couples? What about young gay children being separated from their heterosexual parents? Talbott sees these as collateral damage.

To set the gears in motion, he establishes a new currency by which people can wield power in the new order. A humble list starts on the internet -- "America's Least Wanted." People nominate anonymously, and others can up- or down-vote names. As a name gained traction, the bounty on their head increased. Well, it's not literally their head -- the job is actually to slice off the person's left ear.

Preparation and Execution

The first half of the novel focuses on the preparation for this fateful day. Talbott recruits people who seek redemption -- addicts, disgruntled veterans, etc. -- and lets them start a lineage. They can recruit another man who can recruit another one and so on. The pride of the youth bulge ensures that no one recruits someone who will spill the beans too early.

Police officers and politicians are brought in on the deal, effectively making it hard to organize the state in response. The day of, the bloodbath occurs surprisingly quickly. People are slaughtered en masse, their ears sliced off and taken as tokens to establish influence in the new world order.

The Aftermath

We follow a few characters throughout the novel, seeing how they act before, during, and after Adjustment Day. In the aftermath, Palahniuk describes people forcing themselves to fit in just to maintain a semblance of their old life. An interracial couple pretends to be gay so they won't get separated into Blacktopia and Caucasia. A gay teenager enrolls himself in a glorified internment camp as he waits transfer to Gaysia.

Misfits scattered across the nations eventually stumble onto each other in some unspecified location and start anew.

What Worked

Palahniuk's language was as sharp as ever. He describes the justification for a temporary type of cash (the paper loses value in a few weeks).

Hoard food and it rots. Hoard money and you rot. Hoard power and the nation rots.

He so clearly cuts down to the core of our greatest fears about society -- that the effort we put toward a communal welfare may not ever benefit someone we care about.

Imagine there is no God. There is no Heaven or Hell. There is only your son and his son and his son, and the world you leave for them.

Palahniuk wrote about the desires of the youth bulge with passion that felt extremely familiar:

He was tired of learning history. He wanted to be it. Charlie wanted the history of the future to be him.

What Didn't Work

The decentralized narrative again made it hard to care about any of the individual characters. And although I felt some concern for the overall fate of the new order, I never really cared much about its ramifications on particular individuals. Arguably, that was where the punch of this entire story was hidden. If I could see the goodness of the overall arch but the badness on an individual level, we'd have another Fight Club situation. But I couldn't.

The horrifying descent into chaos was unsalvageable. If Palahniuk had just ended the book with Adjustment Day, I might have had a different perspective. But he continues on with this murky Reconstruction-esque tale that is neither interesting nor easy to follow. As NPR describes, Palahniuk tried to build the appeal of Fight Club into a bigger, more global movement but ultimately failed [1].

Conclusion

I still love Palahniuk. And I still let phrases from Adjustment Day roll around in my head. They don't have as much power to me though, because I can't contextualize them in any wonderfully meaningful way.

[1]: NPR article

[theplagueofstars]

Inconsistency of motivations and it’s effect on plot

Warning: Major spoilers for Comrades under the cut. If you have not reached the end and do not want to be spoiled do not read.

With the addition of Comrades into the FFXV franchise we are delivered some additional lore and happenings with our characters and the side characters. This is great and not inherently a bad thing. We get to read about what happened to Talcott and a few of the others in the interim years. At the same time, however, I can not dismiss the haphazard and often lazy story telling devices that make a DLC like Comrades possible.

Allow me to put this out there: it is retconning. A lot of what happens to our glaives and Astral motivations in particular is retconning. Retconning by itself is not an inherently bad literally device if only an overused one in media. The most common reasons for retconning are [s]:

To accommodate desired aspects of sequels or derivative works which would otherwise be ruled out;

To correct and overcome errors or problems identified in the prior work since its publication;

To change how the prior work should be interpreted;

To match reality, when assumptions or projections of the future are later proven wrong.

Now for the purposes of what I am seeing and gleaning from Comrades in regard to your glaive and the Astrals falls under number 1 with a healthy sprinkling of 3. Again that is the frame of this post and nothing further.  

( Sidebar conversation: The reason many of us are attached to Comrades is the ability to create an avatar and have the feeling of effecting the world in some capacity. The avatar since we created we have more attachment towards because this is something we put thought into. It is human nature. Nothing wrong with it. )

We are introduced to our storyline with the following:

‘Your body is a vessel for the blessings of the stones of Lucis... but let it be known your transgressions have not been forgotten... only then shall you be set free from the burdens you bear.’

All right without delving into the lore hidden from us in the menu screen that expands as we progress we are led to believe that the Glaives despite lacking a pact with a living king have their powers back. It’s a stretch. Let us consider in Kingsglaive where Nyx and the others lose their powers upon the death of Regis whom they borrowed their power from. Regis dies. The glaives lose their power. Nyx had to plead to the kings of yore for a temporary leave of their power with a price to pay. The price being his life to ensure the future survives.

Yet, somehow the glaives have their powers back again without being connected to a living king to drain from. The explanation comes to us later that the glaives were granted this power by the graces of what Lunafreya did for Noctis during the battle with Leviathan.

So awakening the power of kings in Noctis somehow through an act of god gives these powers back to men and women whom were severed from them during Regis’ death. If the opening is led to be believed the ones whom were traitors to Lucis receive these powers. We are told nothing of the ones whom remained loyal ( if surviving ) were given the same ‘blessing’. Did their powers too return? Or are we only gifting them to the ones who were traitors to repent for their ‘sin’? Logically, we already see the first falling apart in answering this question. We shall reward the traitors, but curse the loyalists.

This is a sentiment that is later repeated in Bahamut’s entry ( further down the post ) and given that the main protagonist turns out to be a traitor too then we are giving a blessing as a curse to traitors. Man if I have to commit a sin to get awesome powers because some vague absolution of said sin, sign me the fuck up. 

Furthermore, if Luna could just enable the power of kings why do we need the ring aside from a conduit for the Crystal to dump its power into? Why do we need to collect the glaives of the old rulers when she can just ‘unlock’ the power? Why would Nyx need to sacrifice himself just to gain their power for one evening? Why would Ravus need to lose his arm for even trying on the ring?

See in Kingsglaive, there is a price for such power. It drains the king. If you want to obtain it without the king then you have a price to pay. Nyx paid with his life. But now the Kings of Yore are handing out their powers like candy at Halloween? I highly doubt Luna was begging them for assistance for anything other than PLEASE HELP NOCTIS WIN THIS FIGHT!

These kings also talk to the glaives. Yet, none of them talk to Noctis? Tell him of what is to come? They have spoken to Regis, but never Noctis. Though I am certain this was a device to keep us the players in the dark on the story there is a way of telling the player something the character knows but you don’t. Again this game is trivializing Noctis and further designating him as a lamb for slaughter. We, the Kings of Yore, can speak to some random glaives, but not the Chosen? Yeah I call bullshit.

And if I want to take this from another aspect: the power drains the king as seen with Regis... we are draining the Kings of Yore which Noctis needs to end the endless night ( more like endless twilight up until the last scene of Comrades tho ). Either way we have to completely disregard established canon in Kingsglaive to take Comrades additions as canon or disregard aspects of Comrades and take Kingsglaive as canon. You can not have both without the inconsistencies.

Astral Motivation

Otherwise known as the fickle, ever changing and wtfery.  The Astrals have always had poor lore in FFXV. Comrades further muddies the waters on Astrals and to a greater extend the prophecy. So what is the motivation for the gods you ask? Well to judge you of course for your sins! To designate your glaive, the traitor, as a Guardian of Angelgard! To bring back the light to Angelgard so Noctis can wake! So Noctis has been sleeping for 10 years not because of the Crystal needing to unleash its power onto the ring and by extension Noctis, but because we were waiting for random glaive to come and wake him?

Please point out anywhere in the prophecy this is mentioned. If anyone should be designated as Noctis’ guardians it should be the three following him around. But nah Bahamut is gonna just choose among some traitors to prove themselves for the honor. Not only that he is going to bestow his blessing and grace. Know what this flies in the face of?

The fact the Oracles and Kings are the only ones who can form such bonds with the gods. In a game where lore is so scant any small tidbit has to be taken into consideration. This is just another inconsistency in the story.

To further this odd motivation of Bahamut please take into account once again the language disparities. Here is the Spanish language version screenshot where it states your glaive is granted immortality and Bahamut’s blessing in battle. 

‘This divine holds a tight relationship with the Caelum House— the Glaives have an emblem with the figure that represents him. For the gods' benevolence he didn't have a death-like slumber, but came back to give a chance of expiation to the Glaives who confronted the very crown which they were meant to serve and which they've got their powers from. It was expected of the Glaives to be capable of protecting their own until the incoming King awakened, to earn enough power to give everything for the royal house, thus cleanse their traitor image. And it was those who showed the required qualities to become guardians of Lucis received from Bahamut an immortal body and his eternal blessing on battle.’ — ( translation provided by @umbraticum )

So the glaives are immortal now. But another thing to note here absolving your glaive of sin returns the light to Angelgard.

Look at that beautiful sunlight. I guess we didn’t need the Chosen King after all. We kick Bahamut’s ass enough to absolve us of our sins and the sun will return! Quick everyone in Eos get over here to kick Bahamut’s ass.

Back to the point of retconning this lessens the impact of Noctis’ sacrifice and draws further question if this whole elaborate thing was needed at all. We just need to absolve mankind of theirs sins to return the light after all.

Also flies in the face of a certain document we find in Lestallum that the Scourge is caused by a parasitic organism drinking the light. But nah. Just gotta absolve mankind of its sin.

I know this was addition to make our OC glaives appear to have a real impact on the story, but really this inclusion cheapens the sacrifices of Nyx, Luna, and Noctis if all we needed to do was this.

Also how can the gods not guard Angelgard themselves? They were already doing so before you arrived. Are they really just that lazy and hands off? Which they have been nearly the entire game, so now out of the blue Bahamut needs a bunch of traitors to become his champions?  The gods have been if anything thus far but cold and calculating on the execution of the prophecy. So once again I ask, where was any of this detailed?

The Final Scene

You know what was great about scene of Noctis waking up on the island? The desolation. The hopelessness. The lack of life. The feeling we need to do something as players as Noctis to restore the world because this isn’t acceptable. By the inclusion of the glaive team and Gentiana at the boat we are greatly lessening that impact and in turn giving a very different vibe. It takes away from the desolation we are supposed to feel.

These are questions the Comrades DLC poses and to me negates some of the sacrifices these other characters made to be able to fit in MP with a storyline. And let me real here: This storyline sounds shoehorned in because it is. The concept of the multiplayer DLC was not in the original plans for the game during autumn of 2016 [s] .

As a whole Comrades lore regarding the glaives and the gods is murky, inconsistent, and often flies in the face of canon. As such I wish to consider Comrades at best a nice AU in an attempt to include us the players into the game and feel like we have an impact and at worst a money grab by Square to ride on that sweet, sweet MP hype.

In closing this is a fine example of....

A Systematic Issue in the Gaming Industry

Let’s be real FF as a whole have always suffered from a suspension of disbelief to make the stories work. There have always been logical fallacies and inconsistencies within their works. However, ( aside from the complication of FFVII ), have not broken a fundamental storyline aspect in the game. Comrades does exactly this. It was created after the fact for Square Enix to cash in on both the hype of FFXV and the shoving multiplayer in games fad ( see Deus Ex ) sweeping the game industry as a whole, they went and retconned their story with little regard to the original tale.

This brings up an even more disconcerting trend. The fact I, as a fan and consumer, have to purchase add-on DLC that effects the main storyline so completely is frankly a bunch of horseshit. It is a precedent in the gaming industry that is predatory and an obvious money grab. In the case of Comrades a cash grab for the hype of Multiplayer. DLC should not fundamentally alter the storyline. I should not need to purchase paid DLC to understand the entirety of a story a game or any media is trying to tell.

Now I await the day one of the updates adds micro-transactions to deal with the Comrade’s grinding problem. 8) I hope I’m wrong on that. If you enjoy Comrades and playing the game go ahead that is your right. Enjoy the fuck out of it. I only mean to draw attention to the issues that this DLC adds to the game and how Square Enix is falling into that AAA game predatory customer mindset.