#however considering in episode 3 he brought weapons from her but didn’t get to use them- you could say they weren’t just given to him- | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

violettelueur · 3 years

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— JUJUTSU KAISEN EPISODE SEVENTEEN || KYOTO SISTER SCHOOL EXCHANGE EVENT - GROUP BATTLE 3

↳ featuring : basically everyone at this point from jujutsu kaisen

↳ warnings : mention of killing + mention of explosion + EXTREME grammar issues

↳ form : story

↳ published : 02 april

↳ pronouns : she/her

↳ word count : 2.5k

↳ synopsis : within the jujutsu world, there were three famous clans to be aware of, the Kamo clan, Zenin clan and the Gojo clan. However, unknown to many sorcerers there was one last family that was known to be apart of the three, only for them to disappear after the golden era leading some to speculate that they had died in battle after the sealing of ryomen sukuna, but....

↳ previous episode : kyoto sister school exchange event - group battle 2

↳ next episode : sage

↳ barista’s notes : hehe you guys really don’t trust me anymore ʕ ꆤ ᴥ ꆤʔ...but here is the real episode everyone ╲ʕ·ᴥ·　╲ʔ i hope you enjoy it with all your hearts and don’t worry about anymore pranks, i am not that type of person unless it’s april 01 ʕ – ᴥ – ʔ

BEFORE READING, I NEED YOU TO BE AWARE OF THIS:

1. the whole story belongs to Gege Akutami and the credits go to them and them only.

2. the spell curses used belong to Tite Kubo due to them being the ‘Kidos’ being used on the manga and anime ‘Bleach’ - but none is mentioned in this chapter.

2.5. for the ‘cursed spells’/kidos (bleach) i will link this video here and tell you the time stamp to check out what i am intending to show - remember i add a few twist here and there by adding the katana to link with Y/N’s cursed technique : hopefully this video is slightly better...

no cursed spells used this episode..

crescent moon shape cursed energy swing : here

3. if you are confused on anything, please don’t hesitate to message me since i know this whole thing is so confusing.

“You want to become the head of the Zenin clan?!” you questioned in a surprised tone before turning your head to the side to face the weapon specialist sorcerer, only for your upperclassmen to continue to take a swing from the water bottle that you had brought her.

“It’s to spite them. What? Don’t you believe in me?” Maki responded to you once she twisted the lid of the water bottle closed before turning to look at you with a small smile.

“No, it’s not that...it’s just the process is just a whole drag, you know the paperwork, the connections with the other clans as well as your own family, it’s draining,” you commented before slowly laying down on your back leading your head to land on your track top that you had placed as a pillow.

“I’m surprised that you didn’t mention anything about the criticism,” Maki mentioned, leading you to stare up to the sky for a second before shifting your eyes to her direction, only to peer at a face that didn’t show any hesitation nor worries but rather confidence.

“I don’t care about criticism at all, it’s just a whole drag ass of a process, especially when you have to deal with two other male clan leaders,” you muttered under your breath since you didn’t want to mess up by saying three since you were technically the head of the L/N clan unofficially.

“I guess so, but I can’t wait to see the look on my family’s face when I become a hotshot sorcerer though,” Maki mentioned as she took her glasses off to give you another smile causing you to fully turn your head to the side to gain a proper clear view of your upperclassmen before giving her a soft smile back.

“If it’s you, then I wouldn’t mind at all Maki-san,” you declared causing the sorcerer to giggle lightly at your comment leading you to follow on since the laughter of Maki became really contagious for some odd reason.

‘If it’s you, then I wouldn’t have to hide anymore…’

“By the way, where is that idiot taking you this week?” Maki suddenly questioned, causing you to look at her with a slightly perplexed expression on your face before you came to the sudden realisation that she was talking about the strongest sorcerer that became your adoptive father.

“He’s taking me somewhere this week?” you asked confusingly as you quickly sat straight up only to find the mentioned man wearing a pair of black tinted glasses with the classic outfit of a simple white button-up shirt with black suit-like pants waving at you.

“Looks like he is, have fun on your daddy-daughter date,” Maki teased before standing up to continue training with the other second years as well as your classmates that gave their teacher a glare since they wanted to train with you a little longer.

ꕥ

“Why does Maki-san have to suffer because of that stupid clan?” Nobara shouted loudly causing you to jump slightly because you didn’t expect her to be yelling in the middle of Starbuck with her chocolate Frappuccino in hand before you started to look around to make sure no one was looking in your direction since people weren’t supposed to know about the existent of sorcerer as of right now.

“What’s wrong?” you asked in a concerned tone since you didn’t really want to cause a scene right now as you moved your vanilla cream Frappuccino straw away from your lips.

“I don’t get why the Zenin clan are halting Maki-san’s promotion, it’s stupid!” Kugisaki declared as she waved her arms around to exaggerate her statement nearly making you giggle at the sight since she looked like a sea creature right now.

“Well, it is quite common for families to do that when one of their members do not have cursed energy within them, they don’t even take the Heavenly Restriction into consideration,” you answered before taking another sip of your sugary drink.

“But why, isn’t superhuman physical prowess a good thing?” Kugisaki asked, before beginning to scroll through her phone to look up other places that you and she needed to visit before you both left to go back to Jujutsu Tech.

“Well, once they reject someone, they won’t take someone back, it saves them from the embarrassment of taking someone back,” you answered before looking to the side where there was a window, showcasing the roaming crowd in the city of Shibuya as some students were roaming around with books in their hand to head off to the library and some office workers, who were rushing back to their workplace from their lunch break.

“To be honest, it’s quite pathetic, it’s better to have someone that has superhuman strength and speed than a pure jujutsu sorcerer sometimes,” you commented, causing your classmate to look at you with confusion on her face.

“Why do you think that?” Kugisaki questioned as she was becoming intrigued by what was going on in your mind right now.

“Sometimes they survive things that other sorcerers can’t, it’s like a cheat code from certain death,” you answered as you turned to look at your friend before taking another sip of the vanilla drink that was right in front of you. “Besides, the Zenin clan are just full of weak men that are scared that they have to bow down to a woman, it would be funny to see them shocked,” you stated with a smile on your face leading Kugisaki to look at you with a surprised expression before seeing the slight hint of amusement in your eyes once that statement left your mouth to which caused a small smirk to appear on her face as well.

“There’s a reason why the queen is the most important chess piece on the board,” you comment before taking another sip of your vanilla Frappuccino letting the sweet flavour fall onto the tip of your tongue as if you could already taste your victory if you ever went against the Zenin clan in your lifetime.

ꕥ

“Do you get it?”

Snapping out of her thoughts, Kugisaki quickly looked up to discover her opponent in an extremely irritated expression, who was currently in the air as she was sitting upon her broom that just minutes ago slammed across the face.

“They don’t demand strength from female jujutsu sorcerers, they demand perfection! And on top of that, Mai-chan is also fighting against even more outrageous demands,” Nishimiya declared as she stared down at Kugisaki while trying to explain the disadvantages of being a female within the sorcery world that they were both currently in while trying to make Kugisaki conscious about the situation of her lower classmen and somewhat make her feel some sympathy towards her.

“I get that you’re a pain in the ass!” Kugisaki declared as she used her cursed energy to raise up three nails before swinging towards them Nishmiya leading her to dodge with her broom effortlessly before using a huge gush of wind towards the first-year, only to her surprise that Kugisaki was still standing with a smirk on her face, just like the one she showed you back when you both went on that Starbucks date.

“I’m used to getting knocked around and that attack isn’t even enough to compare to what I’ve been through,” Kugisaki mentioned while lifting her bangs away from her face as she began to recall the amount of time you had made her lose her footing as well as violently hitting her to the point where Panda had to save her a few times before she could even hit the tree she was going to crash into during the two months of training that everyone had.

“All done with your lecture?!” Kugisaki rhetorically asked as she raised up more of her nails before violently smashing them with her hammer towards Nishimiya again leading the sorcerer to dodge them once again while continuing on with her speech.

“Perfection is easy compared to what’s demanded of Mai-chan! She’s from the Zenin-can, one of the three major clans of elite jujutsu sorcerers. Perfection is expected as a matter of course there,” Nishimiya commented as she continued to ride her broom before stabilising herself once the attack had finished.

“‘Inherit the Zenin clan’s hereditary technique.’ Anywho don’t meet that demand, start their sorcerer lives as failures. Among those, women aren’t even allowed to stand at the starting line. Without the Zenin clan lineage, they’re not considered jujutsu sorcerers and if they’re not jujutsu sorcerers, they’re not considered people,” Nishimiya yelled out as if it was her own story that she was reciting to Kugisaki, leading to the first-year to somewhat zone out as she began to remember something that you had mentioned to her one time.

‘Gender should not matter at the end of the day, if you can beat or exorcise them...why should you care what gender they are? You won the chess game, right?’

“She’s lived her entire life with such scorn in a family without a shred of affection. Can you imagine how much Mai-chan and others suffered just to obtain what we enjoy as a matter of course? Why don’t you try thinking over with that brain of yours that confuses curses for friends?” the blonde-haired sorcerer questioned, before swiftly dodging a nail that was thrown at her suddenly.

“Shut up. Do you think misfortune is a free pass to do anything? What, then? You’re satisfied with those who are blessed getting trash-talked behind their back? That’s how Saori-chan…,” Kugisaki questioned in a low and threatening tone as she began to reminisce about her childhood friend that was run out of her countryside town just because she was from the city.

“I can’t stand her, regardless of her upbringing and I love Maki-san, who endured the same upbringing. Have you all even bothered to think about what kind of person the idiot you’re trying to curse is?” Kugisaki asked once again, only to get a silent and annoyed expression as her answer. “What makes us obligated to meet such perfection or such absurd demands? Gojo...she doesn’t even strive for perfection as a special-grade sorcerer. Is your entire life just a job?!” the first-year yelled out before lifting her hand as she angrily activated her curse technique leading to multitudes of large explosions of cursed energy to surround the entire forest, forcing Nishimiya to fly around the area in a panic towards getting hit by any of the blasts.

Suddenly, as Nishimiya tried to, once again, stabilise herself on her broom, another nail was thrown causing it to land on a tree trunk only for a sudden foot to make its way on top of it as a stepping platform leading Kugisaki to jump up with full strength to reach up towards her opponent. However, it only led her to grab a few bristles of the flying divide.

“You might have brought me down, but you still won’t reach me!” Nishimiya declared as she released another gust of wind to push Kugisaki back down to the ground only for your classmate to land roughly on her feet as she took out one of her straw dolls from her school jacket.

“No, I reached you. This is plenty,” Kugisaki mentioned as she stuck one of the straw bristles on the doll as she continued with “I don’t give a damn about ‘men’ this and ‘women’ that! You can keep that shit to yourselves! I love myself when I’m pretty and all dressed up! And I love myself when I’m being strong!”

“I am... Kugisaki Nobara!” Kugisaki proudly declared before slamming her hammer down on her doll letting her cursed energy flow into her equipment, suddenly causing Nishimiya’s broom to malfunction as she began to drop.

‘If I hit here with my hammer, I might kill her,’ Kugisaki thought as she remembered what you told her leading her to smirk, yet she knew she couldn’t break the rules causing her to reach behind her back to reveal a red and yellow hammer that suddenly expanded to which lead the Kyoto sorcerer to identify it as a squeaky hammer only to be violently smacked with it across her face.

“One more time!” Kugisaki yelled out. However, before the hammer could even connect to Nishimiya’s face again, a sudden small but large impact was felt on her temple causing Kugisaki’s body to be flung over to the side leading Nishimiya to look surprised before facing forward as she wondered who was the person responsible for saving her.

ꕥ

“Hello? Momo?” Mai greeted as she placed her phone on her ear trying to communicate with her teammate. “Don’t worry, it was a rubber bullet,” she then reassured Nishimiya as she knew that the third-year already sympathised her and now she was worried that she might have killed someone during the Exchange Event.

“Most importantly, that light was Ultimate Cannon, right? But I can’t get in touch with Mechamaru. If he was cornered enough to use such a powerful technique, and now this, he most likely lost,” Mai informed her schoolmate as she was trying to relay information that she could assume since it was important to know the status of the Kyoto team right now.

“Panda will likely be returning, you should leave that spot and support everyone from the air. We’re all in trouble without you,” the Zenin member mentioned leading to the other person on the line to agree before she slowly uttered her name.

“It’s all right, Momo, I know,” Mai mentioned in a soft tone, trying to convey to her friend that it was alright before hanging up once Nishimiya got the message.

“What? Not going to call your friends?” someone yelled out as they stood on a branch, directly opposite to Mai at this current moment in time. “I don’t mind going two-on-one,” the second-year confidently stated with a smile on her face.

“There are many ways to enjoy this, right?” Mai asked before processing to stand up on her feet. “I could have everyone beat you together, but I’d like to enjoy you...by myself,” Mai declared as she raised her gun with a vexed expression displayed on her face as she faced her twin sister.

“Call me ‘Onee-chan,’ little sister,” Maki stated as she raised her katana.

However, before they could even start a fight another deafening explosion was heard causing them to turn in the direction to where it was heard, only to see a similar crescent-shaped wave of cursed energy flung into the air leading Mai to took at the scene with widening eyes as she slowly came to the realisation who was the cause of it.

“I think you should call Kamo and tell him to stop fighting with Gojo...it might lead him going to the hospital,” Maki mentioned before pushing herself forward to attack her sister.

‘If it’s you, then I wouldn’t mind at all Maki-san’

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buttterknifeee · 3 years

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An Introduction Pt.3- Teen Titans x Aquagirl!Reader

Pt.1 Pt.2

Requests for this series is now open!!! You can request for ships, episode inserts, and headcanons for this series!!! More info can be found here

Summary: You guys are like the "Friends" of the crime-fighting world. Robin's totally Ross and if this was one of those episodes, it would be called "The one where aliens get their asses kicked"

Ships: none, see info above

A/N: Once again this is a reader insert for the Teen Titans 2003 show season 5 episode 10 (the one where they all meet!) I also added an epilogue for funzies.

You found yourself in a dark bubble of Raven’s magic, floating up to the alien ship. You had offered to water jet all six of you up, but you weren’t even sure if you could create that big of a geyser. Besides, a quiet bubble is much better than a large geyser. Beast Boy, however, disagreed.

“That dark energy stuff gives me the--” He was cut off by a glare from Raven. ”Uh...I mean, it's cool!” He gives a guilty grin.

Robin tells us to go to the firing control room, and you all crept through the hallway in a single file line: Robin, the pink-haired girl, Beast Boy, You, Cyborg, and Raven, who you noticed was still near the entrance. Cyborg gave you a look as if to say Keep going; I’ll handle this. You nodded and continued walking forward.

You were walking near Beast Boy, when you noticed a cut on his arm, with that part of his suit torn open. You pointed at it.

“Hey, you alright?” you asked, referring to the gnash.

“Oh this?” He replies. “This is nothing. When you’ve been a part of the DOOM patrol, a little cut is nothing.” He smiles confidently, patting his wound. You realize that he was totally bluffing when a comical tear springs from his eye and his arm tenses.

“Here I can help.” you say softly. Concentrating on the air between your hands, you condense the liquid in the air, forming a small bubble of water. You move that bubble of water onto his arm and it begins to glow. You let go of the water, revealing Beast Boy’s arm to be completely healed.

“Dudeee,” he stares in awe of your handiwork. “That's so cool-” He’s interrupted by your stumbling; healing really does take a lot out of you. He lets you lean on him, and the two of you continued walking forwards. After a few seconds, he stops.

“Uh, guys?” he says. And that's when you noticed it too. The six of you were surrounded by alien soldiers, and they seemed really out for your blood. “I think they know we’re here.” The six of you charged at the fleet of soldiers. But Robin seemed to have an idea.

“Raven!” he yelled. “Take out part of the floor!” Raven looked at him with confusion, but then nodded and did as she was told. With a large SMASH, she removed the part of the bottom of the ship, revealing the water below. The water below you realized, suddenly understanding Robin’s plan.

“Aquagirl! Now!” he yelled, holding off a soldier with his staff.

“On it!” you yell, punching another alien out of the way. (Apparently with water powers came enhanced strength, which you found out at that moment.)

Concentrating on the water below, you raised your arms, allowing the ocean to shoot up from below. Instead of blasting the water through the entire ship, you carefully controlled it to grab onto the aliens that were attacking your friends, pulling them through the hole and causing them to fall into the ocean below.

You looked at the door to the control room, which was locked shut.

“I got this.” Robin said, placing something shaped like a birdirang onto the door.

As the bidirang counted down, you heard Trogaar talking from behind the door. “The Earth scum shall learn it takes more than six juvenile heroes to defy the mighty Lord Trogaar!” he said, most likely with a smile on his face. You all looked at each other, prepared to prove him wrong.

The door exploded, and Robin was the first to get through. “We’re not six heroes,” he declared. “We’re one team.” Him considering the six of you a team sparked something inside of you. You all split up to take down Trogaar and his guard, with Robin at the lead. You took on a guard, kicking him in the stomach and sending him flying towards a wall.

You noticed that Robin was on the shoulders of Trogaar, and you sent a jet of water to his face to knock him off balance. That didn’t work and he threw Robin across the deck. Luckily, he landed on his feet. The two of you joined to fight Trogaar, taking turns to land punches and kicks. However he overpowered you and Robin, throwing you both across the room. You landed on your back, but Robin hit the wall with the back of his head and fell to the floor.

“Robin! Aquagirl!” The alien girl yelled. You got up as quickly as possible and helped Robin up from sitting position as she and Cyborg tried to take on Trogaar, only to be thrown in your direction as well.

Still leaning on you, Robin looked at Cyborg’s arm. “Can you rewire that into some sort of weapon?” he asked.

“I can try,” he said, getting up. The four of you were in a fighting stance, despite being injured and surrounded by Trogaar and his goons. Suddenly, you hear a voice, as clear as day.

“Get away from my friends!” It was Raven, supporting an injured beast boy. “Azarath Metrion Zinthos!” she chanted. Part of the ship exploded, sending it crashing into the ocean.

You found yourself standing in the ship, the roof torn off and making a slow descent into the ocean. All of the alien soldiers were groaning on the ground, but Robin, Cyborg, and the alien girl were all unharmed. The four of you watched in horror as Trogaar aimed to attack Raven when BLAM! You turned to see Cyborg standing next to you with a smoking sonic blaster in place of his arm. He grins.

“Alright I’m only gonna say this once. Boo-Yah!”

“Yo, is it just me or are some of these guys starting to move again?” Beat Boy points out, still slumped in Raven’s arms. He was right; a few of the aliens began to twitch, making attempts to get up. You turn to the other 5 people.

“You guys don’t worry. They’re in the ocean now, meaning that they’re in my territory.” You cracked your knuckles, your eyes glowing blue.

It’s the next morning and you find yourself sitting with Robin, Raven, Cyborg, and Beast Boy, looking at a view of the bay and an island

“Thanks so much for the new suit Cyborg!” you say, fiddling with your brand new outfit. You were wearing a cropped short-sleeve rash guard and swim shorts, both with deep cyan and black patterns. He also gave you black gauntlets with curved spikes ‘To protect yourself from bad guys and still be aerodynamic!’ according to him. Robin gave you one of his old yellow belts, since he figured you’ll probably need something to carry stuff in. Finally, you found some black scuba shoes from the swimwear store that allowed you to walk and swim with ease.

“Its no problem AG! I figured you needed a new outfit if you’re gonna be a superhero now” Cyborg chuckled, calling you a new nickname that he probably made up just then. Superhero, you thought. I like the sound of that.

Raven had a far away look in her eyes.“That's quite a view.” she said, still staring that the scenery

“Somebody oughta build a house out there,” Cyborg agreed, his voice now softer.

“Yeah, if you like sunshine and the beach.” Beast Boy added, making an obvious dig at Raven.

“You know, you're kind of funny.” Raven said to your surprise, smiling softly at Beast Boy. This was obviously too much for the guy’s ego.

“You think I'm funny?” Beast Boy sat up straight, looking at Raven. “Dude! I know some jokes!”

You laughed at Raven’s face of pure regret, before a familiar voice brought your attention to behind you. It was the alien girl, now in a purple outfit similar to the one before, but this time it seemed to really suit her.

“I look .. nice?” she asked, obviously insecure. You took her hand again.

“You look amazing,” you reassured her, causing her cheeks to flush.

Robin stepped forwards. “I still don’t know your name,” he said.

“In your language, it would be ‘Star Fire.’” she says with a smile.

“Welcome to Earth, Starfire.” Robin said.

She looked at you all shyly, certainly different from when you first met. “ I thank you all for your bravery and help, and I wish to ask permission...to remain here. Where the people are most strange ...but also most kind.”

“You don’t need our permission,” Raven said calmly.

“But if you want our friendship, you've got it.” Robin added.

“I could use a new friend,” you say with a wink.

“Guess we could all use some new friends.” Cyborg agrees.

“Besides, we kind of made a good team.” Beast Boy says proudly.

“I thought we might want to keep in touch, so Cyborg and I designed these.” Robin fished out four black and yellow communicators. You, Raven, Beast Boy, and Starfire each took one and observed them. They were similar to flip phones, but they were circular and had no logo on the front.

“Made ‘em outta my own circuits, '' Cyborg said proudly.

“When there’s trouble, you know who to call,” Robin said. You all smiled at one another. You were a team.

Epilogue

While everyone else was still smiling at one another, you excused yourself and walked a few feet away. You opened your new communicator, dialing in a phone number you know by heart. You waited for the person on the other line to pick up, and began to speak.

“Heyyy dad. It’s (y/n); you must have been worried sick, I’m sorry… Yeah no I’m fine, really. I’m in uhhh Jump City and I made some of the coolest friends and I was wondering... if I could stay here? I’ve been spending the whole night wanting to go back home, but I think this might be home for me. I understand if- oh? Really? You’ll let me stay? Wow, thanks dad. I-I promise that I’ll be careful and that I’ll go to school here, I know there's this high school called Murakami School I’ll try to… I love you too dad. I’ll talk to you later.”

You flip your communicator closed, and walked back to your new friends. Raven looked at you.

“Are you alright?” she asked, noticing your change in mood.

“Yeah,” you say, a smile forming on your face. “I’m great actually. Just had to call home.”

“You're going home???” Beast Boy asked, a frown falling on his face.

You chuckled, “Of course not.” You lightly punched his shoulder. “Besides, this is my home now.”

“Awe Yeah!” the green guy cheered. You laugh, feeling extra cheerful. Now that you’re in a team, you really do feel like you belong. You looked at your new team.

“Anyone up for pizza?”

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treestargarden · 3 years

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so at the request of the same friend, i’m gonna continue analyzing wonder egg priority episodes. this is episode 3 “a bare knife”, so

tw: child sexual abuse, pedophilia, self-harm (cutting), suicide mention

rika is precious. i’ll say that right of the bat. the first survivor (unnamed) of hers we’re introduced to, its heavily implied her trauma is child sexual abuse. i’ll get into it further along the line, later, but ultimately, this makes me think the main characters’ wonder eggs r deeply relevant to their own trauma/healing. this is also the first time we’re introduce to another girls weapon, which is also relevant to their trauma.

i love this shot of rika. it implies she has a very confident demeanor (outer appearance), but i figured if she’s doing wonder eggs, she probably has some deep shit to sort out, too. additionally, her intro to ai was stage acting, feigning a broken rib cage. its implied she was testing acca/uru-acca, which probably means she’s seen the two before.

and comparing her overall interaction with neiru...

neiru’s portrayal is more straight-on. her character is a little more shut off and we don’t know a lot about her yet, but we do know appearance is a lot for her. the straight on profile is neutral. again, hiding deeper emotions/thoughts/motives for neiru.

they have made it a point to focus on this man’s shoes. every. single. time. he’s had maybe a total of 30 seconds of screen time so far 3 episodes in, but i already know his appearance in the show is relevant to ai’s trauma/healing. it was revealed that koito was seeing him--heavily implied it was grooming/sexual, but at this point it isn’t explicit. ai happened to walk in on them one time. so there’s a couple reasons why ai would react to the counselor the way she has.

1) he’s probably spying on her to ensure her silence

2) he’s probably explicitly threatened her for her silence

3) he’s attempting to groom her, too, in order to gain her silence

something that was immediately obvious to me was rika saying the counselor was “hot.” which made me think about her first wonder egg girl being a ... survivor (using the term loosely, because she is technically dead) of child sexual abuse. at this point, i’m starting to think rika’s trauma is deeply rooted in adult men preying on her. not to mention the fact she was an “idol.” she briefly mentioned her group mates were “ugly” so they broke up. it wasn’t explained, but i have suspicion her idol manager was a man who often brought that up with her, trying to... make her feel separate from her group mates in order to more easily prey on her. he was grooming her.

and to further the point that the wonder egg girls are tied to the living girls’ current traumas, ai repeats over and over she doesn’t have friends, that koito was her only one. when we review the events of episode one, her first wonder egg, kurumi, also expressed that she didn’t have any friends either.

ai’s second wonder egg, minami, is a little different. she doesn’t express specifically that she hasn’t any friends, but i suppose we could extrapolate some of her characteristics to get to that conclusion. for instance, she berates herself, constantly apologizes, and is described as “meek and timid.” all of these could be attributed to abuse, of course, but also can attribute to an introverted personality (whether that’s trauma-related or not is unknown). but the fact that she dies--and probably at the hands of the abuse (because its never really stated if she self-harmed or not), but it was explicit that her gymnastics coach would get very physical with her--can be probably inferred that nobody cared/knew about the situation. ultimately, she was alone, just as ai feels alone irl.

so at this point, we’ve been introduced to rika’s coping mechanism--cutting. in this screenshot she expresses... resentment of her weapon “of choice.” which means their weapons are specifically linked to the girls’ traumas. in this instance, i believe it is specifically how they cope. for rika, her scissors* r probably indicative of using scissors to cut/self-harm. ai, on the other hand has a pen. it could be argued the weapon is significant to the first wonder egg, but i’m not convinced.

for instance, in ai’s first wonder egg, kurumi, they made it a point to focus on the pen she dropped when she ran away in the cafe. it was seen that kurumi was writing--what, we don’t know. but instantly, ai was fascinated by the pen. it could be that she has specific attachment to this item due to her own irl experience. she doesn’t talk to many people, not even her mother. and she’s makes it a point to say koito was her only friend. her coping mechanism would be internalizing and journaling her pain, up to this point, however, we don’t have any explicit scenes of her journaling.

however, if we were to take the route that their weapons are tied to their first wonder egg, then we have to consider a couple things about rika.

1) we only saw rika’s “first egg” ending, so we have no idea how important the scissors were to that narrative.

2) my initial reaction was to say it was impossible to say this episode was rika’s first egg, because ai didn’t have a weapon for her entire first egg. HOWEVER, after being introduced to koito and jumping off the ledge to save the other girl, she did end up getting a “transformation” sequence where the regular pen turns into her weapon.

on the other hand, she looks completely shocked about this, so i’m still pretty confident rika’s intro episode wasn’t actually her first wonder egg. coupled with the fact rika is known to stage act, and the previous evidence i mentioned earlier about her first encounter with ai, i truly do not believe this episode was rika’s first.

at this point, i’m fairly certain this is a show about healing from your own traumas. in my last review for episode 2 i was concerned it was a white knight narrative, but upon this speculation--the fact that the girls’ weapons, and the wonder eggs are relevant to their irl traumas/healing narratives, i definitely think this is... a self-saving narrative.

a couple of last notes, before i end this analysis.

1) wounds: the girls are immortal in the wonder egg worlds, but sustain wounds irl. i think this supports my idea that this is a self-savior narrative in the sense that when you deal with these traumas head-on--looking into your past, doing deep introspection--the trauma can definitely make you feel you’re re-living those injuries. but technically you are ok, you’re in the present.

HOWEVER, when that processing happens, we can sustain irl injuries--this can be anything from sleep loss, visual/audio hallucinations, paranoia, anxiety, depression which does translate to irl hurt and pain. they are both... /real/, its just that one is more prominent because of its proximity to the present.

2) rika: i still have some lingering thoughts about her backstory. for instance, when it was revealed the Chiemi committed suicide because rika rejected her, i also believe rika started cutting herself. this could have also ended up in the lane of “you’re an idol, you aren’t supposed to do that. you’re supposed to be perfect. now you’re ugly” rather than her being groomed specifically with those words to separate her from the rest of her group.

specifically, its possible she was projecting that hatred onto her group mates. like... /she’s/ more human than them because she has feelings/emotions. she’s not a robot like her group mates, etc.

*i say scissors, but they also look like a pair of razor blades, i’m not really sure as i haven’t gotten a clear shot of them

either way, i find rika’s backstory fascinating, and i can’t wait to see more of her.

#wonder egg priority #rika kawai #neiru aonuma #ai ohto #episode analysis

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mewtwowarrior · 3 years

Text

I think I’ve finalized Ark’s backstory. I did a little editing to the previous drafts, but I think I’ve got the story in a solid place.

Since I’m trying to style it as an episode of Tron: Uprising, a lot of the episode titles are one word, so I’m calling it “Another.”

It’s split into 4 chapters and runs a little over 5,000 words.

Rough drafts: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

Second drafts: Part 1 | Part 2 version 1 | Part 2 version 2

Final draft: Combined Parts (you are here)

01. The Encounter

With Tron healed, he had started going on missions with Beck, along with taking on some solo missions of his own.

Strangely enough, the Occupation had been subdued lately, which was cause for suspicion, so they had gone out into Argon together to see if they could pick up on any hints or information.

Things had been rather boring, right up until they got ambushed by a group of five Occupation programs.

There were four Sentries lead by an unmasked female program with a blank expression on her face.

Beck had never seen the leading program before, but Tron seemed completely surprised at who stood before them.

There was no time for questions, though, the four Sentries rushed Beck, while their leader went after Tron.

The Sentries kept Beck occupied, coordinating their attacks to keep him on the defense and distracted.

On the other hand, Tron and the new program were fighting furiously, though neither one was landing a blow on the other. Move for move, they matched each other, striking and blocking again and again.

Beck slowly managed to take out his opponents one by one, until the last one was left unconscious.

Their leader blocked Tron's attack and looked around to confirm that her crew was incapacitated.

She disengaged from the fight, fleeing the way she had come.

Tron yelled one word after her, "Ark!"

The program paused as she looked back with a gasp, her eyes widening as she showed the first scrap of emotion since she had arrived.

It lasted only an instant before she shook her head, her expression blanked out once more, and she resumed running away.

Beck, worn out from his four-on-one battle looked from Tron to where the program had left, then back again.

Tron wasn't pursuing her, though he looked somewhat shaken at the encounter.

Beck made his way over to Tron, "You know her?"

Tron didn't take his eyes off where she had gone, "I did a long time ago."

Beck raised an eyebrow, "Care to tell me about it?"

"No."

Beck was about to protest about more potentially dangerous secrets when Tron sighed and continued, "But, I'll tell you when we get back to the lair."

Tron lead the way back, while Beck's mind buzzed with questions, who was she?

Once at the lair, Beck fidgeted slightly as he waited for Tron, he knew there was no sense in pushing him, he'd do it on his own time.

Suddenly, almost without warning, Tron spoke, "Her name is Ark."

That was the one thing Beck had figured out, but, it was a start.

"You know that you're not the first to wear my circuits. She was the second."

Beck raised an eyebrow, but chose to say nothing yet.

"Don't give me that look. It's different, we knew each other way back before the Occupation took over."

Tron walked up to the display screen and tapped a few buttons, bringing up an image of Ark, this time in blue circuits, instead of the red of the Occupation.

"She was a System Monitor. She was a hard worker and we ended up working together several times. She was friendly with the ISOs, which caused some trouble, but it ultimately saved her life."

Tron activated another image, this time, one of a cloaked program with jagged sickly yellow light lines.

"Right before the coup happened, Clu used a virus to cause chaos and further his goals. There was going to be a ceremony celebrating a share of power between Basics and ISOs, but the virus interrupted, causing death and destruction.

"Ark was stationed outside, the virus had gone in a different way, so her and some of the other System Monitors had no idea anything was wrong until programs suddenly fled the ceremony.

"All of the Monitors helped calm down the crowd and got all of the programs to safety. Then, they split up to try and find out what they could about the virus.

"Ark ended up alone in the heart of the city, when an ISO pulled her into an alley. They told her that programs were being rounded up for the Games, that System Monitors were disappearing, and that I was dead. They begged her to hide, afraid that her friendliness with the ISOs would cause her death.

"She was reluctant to give up, but the more the ISO told her, the more it made sense that something bigger than she could handle was going down. She couldn't protect the system if she was dead, so she promised to hide for a short while, but if nothing happened, then she'd continue looking for answers.

"This seemed to appease the ISO, who fled to their own hiding spot and Ark never saw them again.

"As for Ark, she found a place to hide that gave her a prime vantage point to see all of the missing System Monitors march in with red circuits to take over the city. If she hadn't been warned, then she would've been rectified like the rest of them or killed for her defiance."

Beck frowns at this, "She's rectified now, though, so what happened?"

"I did." Tron replied. "She stayed hidden for a while, until things settled down and she wasn't in immediate danger. From there, she quietly snuck around and learned about the Occupation and their takeover. She didn't care much for them, so she took matters into her own hands, stopping them from bullying innocent programs and picking fights whenever she saw just a couple of them."

Tron smiled wistfully, "In that way, you remind me of her. Both of you fought back despite the odds, because you didn't like what the system had become under the Occupation."

He sighed softly, "Anyway, it wasn't long before people were talking about some kind of vigilante, so I sought her out. We recognized each other immediately and she agreed to team up with me without hesitation.

"She was a good Renegade, but didn't last long. After more successful missions, there was word going around about a dangerous new weapon that the Occupation was working on nearby. The information seemed suspect, but Ark insisted on investigating it. To her, the risk of the weapon being real was too great to ignore.

"So, she went in alone. I waited at the rendezvous point for far longer than the meeting time we had agreed on, but she never came back. After that, I never saw her again. I had hoped that meant she was dead, rather than forced to be rectified, but I wasn't sure if that really was worse or better."

Tron shook his head, "With her suddenly showing up after all of these cycles, it's likely the Occupation is trying to use her to draw us into a trap. We must proceed carefully from here on out. If you see her, do not engage."

It was Beck's turn to sigh as he tried to process all of this new information, "All right, I promise. We won't jump into anything without being sure of it."

He walked over to Tron and put a hand on his shoulder, "We'll get her back, I promise. She recognized her name, she's still in there somewhere."

Tron nodded silently before replying, "Thank you."

02. The Mistake

Even though Tron didn't know exactly what had happened to Ark, he could guess on the details. However, he had no idea of the depth of what went on after she was captured...

Ark understood Tron's concerns, but this time, her concerns had outweighed his. He knew he couldn't stop her from going, so he had suggested that they meet back up at a certain place and time, so that if she was pursued, he could give her a hand.

She had agreed to this, said her goodbyes, then took off. She had been studying the building and the guard patterns for some time now, so she knew sneaking in would be easy. After that, though, there was little information, just that somewhere in the building was a weapon that Clu could use to easily stop any programs that even thought about resisting. Tron, her, and anyone else they could recruit would be in even more danger than ever.

The lack of information gave her pause, though, and for a moment, she considered turning back around. But, her pride and stubbornness won out and she kept going. This was something she had to do, even if Tron didn't agree with it.

She wore his circuits, like she did on every mission, and they brought her some comfort. Even if he wasn't here with her, he was the best on the Grid, maybe some of his talents came along with his emblem.

Getting in was just a matter of waiting for the right time, and she had timed her approach to coincide with the Sentries' movements.

For an instant, she wondered that if this gap in the guards was purposeful, and that Tron was right. But, she shook her head, if she kept believing that she'd fail, then she would. Even if Tron was right, and it was a trap, she had gotten out of worse situations. They both had.

Once she was in, she wandered endless dark hallways empty of everything but her footsteps. Trying to walk as quietly as possible, she made her way through the building, until she entered a large room.

Sticking to the edges and finding nothing and no one there, she slowly walked towards the middle to see if she could find anything there.

What she found was an ambush.

Countless Sentries dropped down from above and went in after her.

Ark activated her staff and fought for her life. She derezzed what felt like endless amounts of Sentries, but there were still far more of them than she had energy to deal with. The longer the battle went on, the more exhausted she got, starting to falter and make mistakes. After receiving quite a few injuries, she finally collapsed and was immediately surrounded.

Two Sentries hauled her to her knees, holding her upright by grabbing her arms tightly. She felt a disc rest at the back of her neck, another reminder that she wasn't going anywhere of her own accord.

Glowing yellow circuits ominously appeared in the darkness and walked towards her as Ark realized just how much trouble she was in. The Administrator himself had set this trap and she had just walked right into it.

Clu leaned down, "Well now, what do we have here? You're clearly not Tron, but you're wearing his circuits. Let's see who you really are."

He reached up under her chin and casually pressed the button to deactivate her helmet and reveal her face.

As her helmet disappeared, Ark directed a defiant glare up at Clu.

"You? Now, isn't this interesting? Here I thought all of the System Monitors were under my control, but it seems I've been mistaken. I thought Abraxas had gotten you all those cycles ago. You're quite resilient to survive everything after all this time. Well, until now."

Clu paced in front of her, seemingly trying to make a decision, "What to do with you? Obviously, I can't let you go. You've been disrupting things and making a nuisance of yourself."

Suddenly, he's back in front of her, leaning down, "How about a deal? I could use more competent soldiers like yourself. Give me Tron's location, willingly join me, and you'll survive. I'll make sure that you're well taken care of, with all the comforts you desire. I can't imagine your vigilante lifestyle is terribly cozy. It's a more than generous offer, but, what can I say, you've caught me in a good mood."

Ark's only reply was an icy glare.

"Oh. You're going to do this the hard way. Suit yourself. There's ways of getting the information I want and ways of making you work for me. They won't be any fun for you, but the programs torturing you will definitely enjoy it."

He takes a step back, "I could look at your disc and get Tron's location out of your memories, but, I want to hear you say it. I want you to give up your hero and personally betray him. I want you to know that resisting me will get you and those you care about absolutely nowhere."

Clu casually waves a hand to the programs holding her, "You know where to take her."

The two Sentries drag Ark off. She doesn't cooperate with them, but, since she's trying to save her energy, she doesn't fight them, either. She just goes limp and makes them drag her along.

When they reach the designated torture room, she uses every last scrap of energy to try and break free. She manages it for a moment, but it's a short lived freedom as they tackle her and slam her to the ground.

They pick her up and drag her to a table and strap her to it. For all the trouble she's caused, one of them hits the corner of the table, causing it to spin. When it settles, she's stuck at an angle and upside down.

It's disorienting and she's left like this for a while, until a program she doesn't recognize comes in.

She's adjusted to be back upright and the torture begins. Bursts of electricity are sent through her at different strengths and at various places.

The process is horrific, but Ark seeks refuge in her code, focusing on it instead of the pain. As a System Monitor, she's programmed to protect the Grid and do what's best for it. Giving up Tron would doom everyone, so she's secure in the knowledge that no matter how much this hurts, she's doing what has to be done.

Her screams echo down the hallway, but she never begs for it to stop, she never says anything coherent at all.

The torture is endless, all she knows is pain. Ark doesn't know how much time has passed or how much longer it'll go on. Sometimes she's left alone to recover, but the peace just makes the next torture session hurt all the worse.

Her torturer seems irritated that she won't break. At one point, she was jabbed in the side with an even higher amount of electricity and pain than usual, and after that, things never felt quite right. But, it was hard to tell much of anything around all of the pain.

Cycles pass and it's hard for Ark to know where she is any more. All she knows is that she cannot give up Tron.

Finally, things are different. She's left alone long enough for her to start being able to think. The pain is ever present, but her mind begins to clear.

"Still as resilient as ever." An all-too-familiar voice addressed her. Clu strolls up to Ark, "They say you won't give up your memories, so I'm going to make sure that you no longer have any memories at all."

He turns his attention to another program in the room, "Get her healed up, but leave the scars as a reminder as to what happens to programs that defy me."

Clu looks back to Ark, "I'll see you soon." He leaves the room and his programs to their work.

It takes a while to get Ark back in functioning shape, several different healing techniques are needed in order to repair the extensive damage done to her over many, many cycles. The outlines of the vast amount of injuries remain, though, just as Clu had ordered.

They bring her to another room where Clu was awaiting them. Two programs remove her from the table, and as soon as she's free, Ark tries to break away and escape. But, she's easily stopped by several more programs she hadn't been aware of.

Clu smirks, "A fighter right up until the very end. That's what makes you so valuable. It'd be a shame to just derezz you."

Ark's shoved into a glass chamber, which she immediately tries to break.

Clu watches her struggle for a short period of time, before signaling for the process to begin.

Ark fights until she can't any more. She struggles to resist what the machine's forcing her to do, until it finally takes over and her programming is overlaid with the Occupation's mind-controlling code.

Once the process is over, she's removed from the chamber and Clu inspects her.

"A story Flynn once mentioned comes to mind. He often spoke of an old User city called Rome. There resided someone who was called 'The God of War'. I think that's a fitting title for her, she'll help me put an end to the war for the Grid. Now, she just needs the name to go along with it." He puts a hand on her shoulder and addresses her, "We've got a lot of work to do, Mars."

03. The Rescue

Tron and Beck kept getting ambushed by Ark. Again and again, she'd show up with a group of Sentries, instigate a fight, and then flee afterwards.

They catalogued everything about every instance, especially the location, and a pattern began to emerge.

She was slowly leading them somewhere. But, at this point in time, it was hard to tell exactly where. There were many buildings in that direction, and quite a few of them were under the Occupation's control.

If they could figure out where quickly enough, they could spring the trap before the Occupation could set it.

Most of the time, she attacked them when they were together, but on occasion, she would fight just one of them.

So, Beck and Tron made a plan to split up and track Ark. Since she knew Tron and seemed focused on him, he'd fight her, while Beck would follow her when she fled.

It took a few tries to get it right. Several times, she attacked before they split up or ended up targeting Beck instead.

But, soon, everything lined up in their favor. When she was focused on Tron, Beck was able to stay back and keep eyes on her.

He kept a safe distance from Ark, making sure that she didn't know she was being followed. After they traveled several blocks, finally, she entered a large building.

Memorizing everything he thought was useful, he met back up with Tron to give him the information.

Thanks to being a System Monitor and his close association with Flynn, Tron had access to schematics of all the buildings in the city. The Occupation would've modified the building to their needs, but they had enough to work with.

Based off the blueprints and their experience with the Occupation, there were a couple places that they were likely to be holding Ark.

One of the sides of the building had a loading area, so, when Occupation members were busy unloading a truck, Beck and Tron slipped right past them.

They silently headed up the stairs, the first two floors they tried didn't look like holding areas, but the third was lined with cells.

The floor was dark, and only one cell had an active barrier and an occupant. As they crept closer, it was clear that Ark was in the cell. She was standing there with the blank expression on her face that she always had.

It didn't take long for them to deactivate the barrier and set her free. Tron darted in and quickly stunned her with a low-power pulse, just enough to knock her out for a short while.

Tron scooped up Ark to carry her in his arms and followed behind Beck as they left faster than they had come in.

Things continue going smoothly until they reach the loading area and are greeted by a group of Sentries.

With Tron's hands full, all the fighting came down to Beck, while Tron dodged discs left and right.

They weren't trying to win, just make a path to freedom. As soon as there was an opportunity, they ran for it, though Beck still had to knock down a few opponents.

Paige arrived on the scene just in time to see the two Renegades escape with a captive Occupation member.

Tron and Beck had set up a temporary base in the city, so they secured Ark and hid there while the Occupation searched the city for them.

Once they rested up from their frantic flight, they started investigating Ark's disc. Ark herself had woken up and was just staring blankly off into space.

The Occupation code seemed to be overlaid over her original code, though there were a few older memories that were mixed in and easily accessible.

A quick check of the memories revealed her repeated torture at the hands of the Occupation. There was nothing else before or after that of Ark's memories, the torture suddenly stopped, there was a gap of time, and then her memories of being with the Occupation began.

Since Ark had seemed to respond to Tron's voice before, they tried it again. Tron stood in view of her and said her name.

Like before, her eyes widened and she gasped softly, before returning back to her empty gaze.

Beck had been monitoring her disc, when she recognized Tron, a memory had briefly bubbled to the surface and he had managed to activate it.

It was a short memory, and the timestamp indicated that it was from some time before the Occupation took over.

There was no context to it, it just consisted of Ark standing there in her System Monitor armor, while Tron praised her for a job well done.

Beck looked to Tron, "Looks like she really thought a lot of you."

Tron nodded quietly, and with a heavy sigh, he went back to looking at Ark's disc, "There has to be something else we can use to bring her back."

Beck thought this over, "I'm just a mechanic, but, my wrench works with a lot of things, lemme try it."

He took the disc from Tron and attached his wrench to it. More information popped up and he started scouring the data.

The layer of Occupation code was straightforward, except for one section, where it seemed to go around and bypass something. The more he looked into it, it was clear that something was wrong, but he had no idea what it could possibly be.

"Hey, look at this. Something's off here, but I don't know what."

Tron gave it a look, "I'm not sure, either. We need a medic to figure it out."

Beck sighed, "I only know one medic, and I don't think she's too interested in helping us."

Tron looked at Beck resolutely, "We'll figure something out." They weren't on a time crunch now, so they had time to look into different options.

With nothing more they could do right now, they both took a much-needed rest.

04. The Return

As time rolled on, both Tron and Beck investigated Ark's disc, but came to no new conclusions. Time passing also lessened the search against them, so much so, that they decided to take turns going out into the city. Maybe a change of pace would help, and maybe they could find a medic willing to assist the Renegades.

Their brief jaunts into the city were unmemorable for the most part, right up until Paige found Beck.

He had continued to wear the Renegade armor and helmet, in the hopes that someone sympathetic and loyal to the cause would offer their help, but, this time, he got slammed to the ground instead.

"Where is she?!" Paige yelled, "What did you do with her?!"

Beck saw the opportunity this presented, and the many problems that came with it, and took a leap of faith.

"She's safe, but she needs help."

Paige hissed, "She needs help because you kidnapped her."

Beck shook his head the best he could, "It's more than that. There's something wrong with her disc."

Paige growled, "She could get the proper care with the Occupation, instead of a couple of vigilantes."

Beck sighed, "Look, I'll make you a deal."

Paige interrupted, "I don't make deals with kidnappers."

"Just hear me out. If you can fix her, you can take her back to the Occupation, no trouble. I just ask that you watch her memories and make sure that you think that going back to the Occupation is the right thing for her."

This gives Paige pause and she considers it. If this offer was valid, the Renegade would take her straight to his hideout, then she'd have the location of both Renegades and the kidnapped Occupation member. There was a chance that this was a trap, but, she knew that she could take both Renegades, or at least hold them off long enough while she called for backup.

There was no way she could lose. "Fine. Take me to her. The sooner we get this done, the sooner she'll be back where she belongs."

Paige let Beck up and he lead the way, "Do you even know who she is?"

"I don't know every member of the Occupation."

Beck looked back to her, "She was locked up in a cell. Did you ever think that maybe they didn't want you to know who she was?"

Paige didn't like this, but found a plausible reason, "If something's wrong with her, maybe she was quarantined."

Beck turned his gaze ahead, "Maybe. You'll be able to figure it out once you look at her disc."

He took her around a long path, trying to obscure the location as best he could. It might be a temporary lair, but he didn't want to just hand the Occupation an invitation.

As they entered, Beck warned Tron by saying loudly, "I brought a guest."

Out of their current line of sight, Tron activated his helmet and stood watch in the corner. He wasn't sure what was going on, but he trusted Beck.

Paige eyed the sparse room, "Nice place you got here."

Beck just shrugged, "Hey, you work with what you've got."

Paige went over to Ark and started examining her. Once she's done, she looks to Beck, "Nothing seems wrong with her physically, except for some scar remnants and the fact that she never reacted to me looking her over, did you sedate her?"

Beck shook his head, "No. All of that is the Occupation's doing."

Paige snorted, "We'll see about that."

She carefully undocked Ark's disc and started looking at the files, "Her code's a mess."

Beck gestured to Ark, "The Occupation again."

Paige rolled her eyes and got back to work. Clearly the Renegade was going to be no help to her.

She got down to the code bypass and frowned as she saw what it was going around, "Her energy processor is completely burned out, only a large amount of electricity could do that. She was unconscious when you took her, how hard did you shock her?"

Beck shook his head, "Not that hard. We didn't want to hurt her, so we used the minimum amount to knock her out."

Paige gestured angrily at him, "Then why is her processor destroyed?"

Beck gestured right back, "You'll find that answer in her memories. The older ones before the gap." He paused, then added, "You're not going to like it, though."

Paige snorted, "We'll see about that."

She confidently went to the indicated memories, sure that she'd see some sort of injustice acted upon this program by one or both of the Renegades.

Instead, she watched in absolute horror as a red-circuited Occupation program brutally tortured the program again and again.

She's about to accuse the Renegade of rewriting the memories, but she keeps looking, there's far too many matching memories for it all of them to be altered. Something on this scale would be far too dangerous for the program involved.

Paige wavered, her faith shaken. But, she quickly came back to her senses. She had a patient to take care of.

She went back to the damaged portion of the disc and went to work. She's not seen this kind of damage often and she wasn't prepared for it, so it's slow going.

After quite a while, she finally gets the energy processor fixed, but she's not done yet. Digging through the files, she sees that the messy, overlaid code is locked in as the default setting.

Paige does some experimenting, and after seeing the old memory featuring Tron, she uses it to make a backdoor around the default code. Combining the bypass with the remnants of older code from the memory, she's able to reconnect the original code. Once it's in place, she locks the original code to default and seals away the added code. With the extra code unconnected to anything, it won't cause any harm to the program, so she leaves it as is.

She double-checks her work, and once she's confident that everything's correct, she hands the disc to Beck.

"This should fix her. I have to go."

As Paige quietly leaves back out into the city, Tron looks over to Beck.

"I don't think she liked what she saw."

Beck nodded, "I think maybe her faith in the Occupation was finally shaken. I hope so, anyway."

"We can only hope."

Beck then put Ark's disc back on her dock and they waited while all the changes loaded and took place.

Tron stood in front of Ark, so that he'd be the first person she saw after coming back.

The process takes a while, but, finally, Ark's eyes light up and her expression warms from the cold look they had been accustomed to seeing. She blinks while looking around and gathering her bearings.

Finally, she realizes that Tron's there and she gasps, "Tron! You were right, it was a trap, I'm sorry I didn't listen to you."

Before he can reply, more memories hit, "Wait...they...they rectified me. How did you fix me?"

Tron gave a small smile, "With the help of a friend." He gestured Beck over, "This is Beck, and he knew someone that was able to help you."

Ark smiled and nodded to Beck, "Thanks and thanks to your friend for saving me."

Beck gave her a grin, "You're welcome. And, welcome back to the Resistance."

Tron walked over and freed her from her restraints. Ark stretched out the stiffness, then gave Beck a grin of her own, "It's good to be back."

#idea bag #writing #story #stories #fanfic #fanfics #fanfiction #fanfictions #OC #OCs #Tron OC #Ark #Tron #Tron: Uprising #Tron Uprising

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hello--mrs · 5 years

Text

Steven Universe Podcast: Battle of Heart and Mind

I don’t usually do this but I said I would for the server, so here we are.

This episode included Rebecca Sugar, Kat Morris, Joe Johnston, Matt Burnett, Ben Levin, and Ian Jones-Quartey.

· The episode starts with the rainbow worm in Steven’s dream, who is voiced by Deedee. This is the last homage to the princess references in the arc. The worm is from the Kyanite colony and was brought to Homeworld by Pink, which Blue allowed, but then Pink released all worms in the ballroom. Rebecca mentions this links with Pink’s desire to be free by releasing animals from their colonies.

· This specific princess reference was to Jasmine (in Aladdin) opening the cage and allowing the birds to fly free. It was also a reference to Pink’s love of animals and wanting to set them free, which isn’t out of character for Steven either.

· For Diamond Days, they picked the most common princess tropes for Steven’s time on Homeworld and made this experience alienating for him.

· Rebecca states that the Diamonds are meant to exist as a body- the inspiration for the ship. Pink is the Id, Blue and Yellow are the Ego, and White is the Super Ego. This is represented in Change Your Mind where the collective mind experiences embarrassment when the Id demands they enjoy something.

· Kat admits that they came up with the new outfits by continuously emailing each other with ideas. Rebecca said they considered everything but there were some concepts that they really wanted, for example, Rainbow 2.0 would have a scarf and a jacket. It was important either way that the fusions would notably have Steven’s clothes and the gems. However, the fusions would hint at the new forms and Pearl didn’t end up having a scarf, but she did have the jacket. Later, McKenzie asked if the jacket was a throwback to Bad Pearl and Rebecca confirmed that it represented her independence.

· One of Garnet’s new designs included transparent glasses and Peridot’s glasses in the shape of a star. Kat came up with the idea for the shredded shorts and star pockets for Amethyst.

· All of the new outfits represent how the gems have changed and learned from Steven.

· Rebecca mentioned that Pearl has been ‘playing the field’ and ‘exploring who she is’, which started in Last One Out of Beach City.

· Lapis has gold accents on her new outfit to match the real-life gem stone. Kat said that Rebecca really wanted the sandals for Lapis and it makes for comfortable cosplay.

· Joe said that he enjoyed a lot of Garnet’s new designs. Most ideas were based off superheroes and had a more ‘knightly’ aspect.

· They confirmed that they tried Peridot’s new design with star hair but it was too much. Rebecca said that the glasses already change her silhouette and expose her gem more.

· Peridot also has boots this time. Before, she had socks because she used to wear limb enhancers.

· Mary Poppins and Bert were the inspiration for Rainbow 2.0. These concepts were made by Joe around 2-3 years ago. Sunstone was a newer concept.

· Rebecca said that all Garnet fusions can break the fourth wall, but with Steven, it would break it to give advice to children. The suction cups are also a combination of Steven’s shield and Garnet’s gauntlets. When creating Sunstone, Rebecca wanted her to look like a toy that you could stick in the back window of a car with suction cups.

· Alistair James auditioned for Rainbow 2.0 by doing an impression of his grandmother with a British accent. Rebecca said that Shoniqua was perfect and she knew immediately that she wanted her for Sunstone. She sounded exactly like how Miki Brewster pitched her.

· For Obsidian, they’d had her concept from the very beginning since she was shown as the temple. It was a hidden in sight visual that would eventually pay off.

· Obsidian’s sword is in the ocean, which is a part of the temple. It’s first seen in Bubble Buddies and seen again in Ocean Gem when the ocean is cleared. The sword design changed over time to ensure that all the Crystal Gem’s weapons could fit into the design.

· The earliest inspiration for White Diamond is traced back to the beginning of the show. She was inspired by the film ‘A Story of Menstruation’, which was made in 1946. It was a film by Disney played in schools to teach children what to expect in menstruation, and the narrator’s voice was a kindly older woman. Rebecca said that she found the designs really interesting and cute.

· From the film, the inspiration came from a scene where a woman cried into her arms but in the reflection of her mirror, she straightens up and starts smiling before going out dancing. The narrator says: “Don’t forget that people are around you and you’ll have to be more pleasant if you want people to like you”. The scene passes by and it ignores that fact that the woman was crying earlier, because she’s now seen being ‘correct’. This is the voice and the feeling that she went for with White Diamond and Homeworld.

· Homeworld is inspired by Busby Berkeley, and White is inspired by Hedy Lamarr in Ziegfeld Girl and Nell Brinkley drawings, all within an era where women were seen as beautiful pieces of furniture. Rebecca states: Women are like lamps, smiling and there, part of the scenery. It all originates from the idea that people thought it was lovely and seen as an escape from reality.

· Those early inspirations were also used for the wall gems- the idea that people are in the background as if turned to stone and function solely as architecture. These faces we see in the architecture are gems and that’s their function.

· White has always been associated as a mother, especially in terms of her storyline with Steven in this arc, and how gems are viewed as her children. This arc wanted to begin to explore her relationship with them.

· Rebecca says that White’s way of thinking is that she is everyone and everyone is her. She considers herself the default white light that passes through other gems, so when she sees gems absorb other colours from that light, she considers it a variation of her but lesser. In that way, she has no identity at all because she considers herself just light. She feels that people can be turned into her because they are all the same.

· Rebecca also stated that White is wrong about how she views the world and herself. It’s an antithesis to Rose’s journey- expression and repression. She lives in a delusion that everything is fine but it isn’t.

· Matt and Ben said that the whole episode was balanced by ensuring that every single character got their moment. It was an accumulation of ideas from over the years that they tried to fit into one episode, such as Amethyst greeting Jasper after she was uncorrupted. They felt they did everything they wanted to do before they left.

· All past episodes, especially for Diamond Days, were made to build up to the scene with White and Steven where she pulled out his gem. Mirror Gem is the first time they introduce the concept that a sentient gem can be trapped inside an object and that object is Steven. They’ve been planting hints that Pink may be trapped inside him ever since.

· From the beginning, they’ve wanted there to be doubt that Steven was his own person and have the audience question if Pink/Rose could still be alive. Even when the gem was pulled out, they still wanted the viewer to doubt if he was Steven. They planted enough hints that the viewer would think it could go either way.

· Between the crew, the hottest debates were about the storyline between Steven and Rose/Pink, about who Steven would be if they were separated. One of the most recent arguments was about Steven’s gem self and the fact he was devoid of any feeling, that there was none at all. That emotion came from Steven.

· Rebecca had planned the split perspective scene since the start of development and storyboarded it early in the process. It’s still from Steven’s point of view. Ian noted that if the show wasn’t completely from his perspective, it wouldn’t work. The split perspective was to also represent how torn and disoriented Steven was in that moment.

· Pink Steven is him as a default. If you take away his personality and emotion, he is empty. He’s been separated from his humanity and all that’s left is power. There have been nods to this in the past by showing how his power is greater because of his humanity and his capacity to love.

· Ian said that Rebecca has always had the idea of the final confrontation being about Steven’s relationship with his powers and that connection showing who he really is. Steven wants that human side of him, even if it slows him down, because it’s what makes him who he is.

· The scene of Steven returning to himself was originally written for episode 10. It was going to be a part of Giant Woman where they establish fusion.

· Rebecca confirms that James Baxter animated the scene where Steven reunites with Pink Steven. She met him by doing a drawing for his daughter’s birthday.

· The fusion sequence with the two Stevens was the ultimate princess trope- a rotating dancing scene specifically boarded by James Baxter. He completed the whole sequence himself apart from the inking.

· Ian mentioned that he wanted the uncorrupted gems scene for a long time. He said they always knew the arc would come back to the corrupted gems as that was the original conflict of the series, but now they finally get to see it through.

· On top of that, Ian went through every single episode that had a corrupted gem and designed their healed versions, while Rebecca added some of the quartz designs. He mentioned that the longer they were in their ‘monster’ form, the more they will look like that form, even when they’re healed. That’s why several of the healed gems look more like their original designs.

· Rebecca added that Ian helped with the fusion designs and their sequence, as that was a wishlist moment for him. He wanted Steven to fuse with all the gems in a row.

· Ian said that he had been most excited about Rainbow 2.0 and that Colin Howard had done most of the groundwork already.

· Rainbow is they/them and he/him, and Sunstone is they/them and she/her.

· Rainbow 2.0 is mixed with Pearl’s properness and Steven’s penchant for making jokes. Rainbow 2.0 loves to make puns and is a throwback to Steven’s puns in the earlier series. In the episode, Ian also came up with the idea that RQ 2.0 could ride their umbrella and have a rainbow shoot out of the end- a reference to Pearl being able to shoot lasers out of her spear.

· With Sunstone and Rainbow 2.0, they wanted to be able to show common traits in Sardonyx. The break in the fourth wall comes from Garnet, but loving to hear themselves talk comes from Pearl. Steven enables the both of them to embrace their silly sides.

· The ship foot falling on them was a slight reference to Monty Python but also a reference to the giant foot mentioned in Arcade Mania.

· Rebecca stated that the song Change Your Mind was not written for the show, but a personal song she wrote while fighting for the wedding arc. She was hesitant at first to include it.

· Change Your Mind isn’t for the end of the Steven Universe franchise but for this arc, Ian mentions. He adds that even though it was written for the process of including the wedding, it perfectly captures the theme of the show. As a coming of age story, Rebecca notes that this is something that had to happen for Steven to start making decisions for himself.

· Rebecca also admits it has been hard to write for Steven because he always puts others before himself. It’s always about what others want and what he thinks they want. However, he finally comes to a realisation in this arc that he doesn’t have to be anyone else other than himself or pamper to other’s expectations.

· Ian states that this arc was incredibly important for Steven’s development, in terms of who he is, who he thinks he is, and who others believe him to be. Moving forward, everything will be different from Steven’s perspective. There’s going to be more but it will have changed, because Steven has changed.

If I’ve missed anything out, let me know. Hope you guys enjoy!

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moonsp1r1t · 4 years

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8 Tips for writing an effective redemption arc (featuring Zuko and Catra!)

1. Consider what kind of redemption arc you want your character to go through

Generally speaking, there are two different kinds of redemption arcs your villain can go through; sacrifice arcs and temptation arcs. I will describe both of these, but ideally your character will have pieces from each in order to create a nice, well rounded arc.

A sacrificial redemption arc is pretty easy; towards the end of your story, game, or other writing, your character goes through something of a “waking up.” They realize that what they thought of events or their surroundings is wrong, or realize that what they thought they want isn’t really what they want OR need. Another way they could go about this is by realizing that through their ambition (or other motivation) things had gotten too far. For example, throughout She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, Catra’s goals have surrounded getting the things she feels like she has been deprived of her whole life; within the first season, this involves getting power over her abusive mother figure, Shadow Weaver. She then continues her climb for power within the Horde, but in the final season as she sits in a space ship and watches her home planet burn, she realizes that her push for power has gone too far and sacrifices herself for one of the main protagonists so that she could escape. It is essential that characters have a chance have a moment of realization in which they not only realize they’ve been evil or cruel, but also that they need to make amends in one way or another.

Temptation arcs are when villains waiver between good and evil throughout much of the story. They waver between good and evil, typically committing both acts that are beneficial to the protagonist(s) and against them before eventually permanently sticking with the side of good. This form of redemption arc involves lots of internal conflict within the villain. The second half of Book Two in Avatar: The Last Airbender is an excellent example, with Uncle Iroh really pushing Zuko to consider what HE wants and thinks his destiny should be rather than the destiny that Fire Lord Ozai had put upon him. Zuko constantly grapples with this and does both good and bad things that affect Team Avatar, such as freeing Appa underneath Lake Laogai and siding with Azula during The Crossroads of Destiny. An arc in which a character solely moves upwards or downwards is not that interesting. In order to tell a more powerful story that keeps the audience engaged, there has to be some variation- after all, if it’s all going one way, it’s predictable, and no one cares to see what could happen next.

2. Establish why your villain is evil in a way that makes them sympathetic

Villains who are evil for the sake of being evil are boring. They need to have a reason to be evil and to be motivated towards evil especially if they’re going to eventually turn towards the side of good. If a character is good and they’re just with the bad guys for no reason, their switch over to the side of good is ineffective and boring in a “why didn’t they just do that in the first place” sort of way.

When writing an effective redemption arc, your audience needs to be sympathetic towards them in one way or another. For both Catra and Zuko, one of the ways that the writers made the audience sympathetic towards them is through their abusive parental figures in Shadow Weaver and Fire Lord Ozai. The reasons that Zuko and Catra do the things that they do in opposition to the protagonists is because of the actions of their abusers.

Zuko is going against Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Toph for much of the series is because he has been lead to believe that the only way to gain the love and approval of his father is by capturing the Avatar. Catra, however, takes a different approach; while she craves the feeling of being loved and belonging, she has been put into a powerless position by Shadow Weaver enough times that she desperately wants power over her and works to climb through the ranks of the Horde in order to do so. A major part of their redemption arcs is when Zuko realizes he doesn’t need the love of his father and Catra realizes that her ambition has put her entire planet in danger of being razed by the dictator of the rest of the known universe.

Rising up against an abusive parent or an otherwise tragic backstory doesn’t have to be the only way to make a character sympathetic, however. There are lots of ways to make a character sympathetic.

3. Give the audience a reason to root for the villain too

If you’re planning to give a character a redemption arc, it’s necessary to make it so that they root for them from time to time. That way it will ensure that the audience doesn’t hate them when the time comes for them to join the protagonists on the side of good. If they don’t like them, even if the redemption arc is well written, it will seem forced in a certain way. This is usually accomplished by the presence of another villain.

For example, while Zuko is certainly the most prominent villain of Book One of ATLA, Admiral Zhao is arguably the main antagonist of the season. Fire Lord Ozai hadn’t even been introduced officially yet (besides being mentioned) so as the man that had the goal of destroying the Northern Water Tribe by killing the Moon Spirit. He repeatedly attacked Team Avatar throughout the season, with much higher firepower, more brutality, and lack of regard for civilians. Zuko, however, while he had similar goals in regards to capturing Aang, was much more “reasonable” when it came to other things, such as keeping his promise to leave the Southern Water Tribe alone if Aang agreed to go with him in the second episode. We also see Zhao being cruel to Zuko in multiple instances, even getting into fights. Because Zhao is more brutal and is motivated by greed over honor, the scenes in which Zhao and Zuko are fighting, the audience is rooting for Zuko.

Similarly, at the end of the first season of She-Ra, Catra fights against Shadow Weaver; in the scenes in which they portray the two of them interacting previously, Shadow Weaver is cruel to Catra, constantly scolding and threatening her. Despite both Shadow Weaver and Catra being Adora’s enemy throughout the series, in this fight the audience is genuinely rooting for Catra in this fight because until that point, Shadow Weaver has been the more cruel and abusive villain.

4. Keep up with them even when they’re not in direct contact with the protagonists

This may seem obvious, but if you’re going to give a character a redemption arc you and the audience need to keep up with them even when they’re not interacting with the main protagonists. It will not only allow the audience to see the progression, but it will also keep the audience from being confused when they show up suddenly on their side. It’s perfectly reasonable (and expected) for the protagonists to be confused, but the audience shouldn’t share that same confusion (unless you’re planning on having the villain’s redemption arc be described in flash backs or have them explain it in a long monologue).

For Catra, there are many episodes when we see her without Adora, Glimmer, or Bow, instead just being with Scorpia, Hordak, and Entrapta. This way we are able to keep up with her when she’s not fighting with the Rebellion, allowing us more insight into her thoughts, feelings, and relationships. We are able to see her drive people away in her desire for power, not realizing that she is looking for acceptance all along.

Likewise, Zuko in the beginning of Book Three doesn’t interact with Team Avatar; instead he is in the Fire Nation Royal Palace, with anything he could ever want, realizing that he is still unhappy. It would have made no sense from the perspective of the audience if the last time they saw Zuko was when he betrayed Team Avatar and his uncle in Ba Sing Se and then he just showed up after the Day of Black Sun and offered to teach Aang firebending.

5. Introduce a good influence

The villain needs something or someone that can help them inspire change within. It isn’t just enough to vow to stop committing evil and then all is swell; they need to genuinely learn from their mistakes and commit to change within. This catalyst can be something they haven’t previously encountered (giving them a new perspective) or something else that pulls on their heartstrings. Either way it’s something that needs to get their attention.

Zuko would not have been able to change as much as he did throughout his redemption arc if it weren’t for Iroh. Iroh is a great influence on Zuko, constantly encouraging him to think for himself and make his own decisions. Iroh wanted Zuko to be able to decide for himself what his destiny is instead of just fulfilling the destiny that Ozai had put upon him. Zuko also was able to gain perspective when he and Iroh are disguised as refugees, seeing that the citizens of the Earth Kingdom are not only real people, but also that they are afraid and hurt by the Fire Nation instead of like the propaganda that the Fire Nation is bringing greatness to the world.

For Catra, in a certain way, one of the final catalysts to her finally joining the side of good is Queen Glimmer. When they are both trapped on Horde Prime’s ship together, Catra realizes that she is the one that has brought him and his galactic empire to Etheria, which he has every intention of using as a weapon against the rest of the universe. She feels alone and isolated and the only person she can talk to about it from her own planet, who has also contributed to the arrival of Horde Prime in her own way, although she is being treated as a prisoner. Glimmer begs Catra to help her and, upon realizing the destruction she has wrought and all the bad things she has done, Catra does help her and states that she wants to do one good thing in her life. Catra knows that she has done awful things in her life but this is one of the first times that she is able to really admit to herself and others that she knows that much of what she is doing is wrong.

6. The reactions of others

If your character has been an antagonist for a long time, it makes absolutely no sense that your other protagonists would accept them. It takes a long time to earn people’s trust so even if a character does something dramatic like self-sacrifice many characters should be suspicious of them. It’s unrealistic to expect everyone to be buddy-buddy immediately.

After Catra sacrifices herself so that Glimmer could escape, Glimmer and Adora want to rescue her, but the others were quite skeptical, with Nettossa and Frosta actually attacking Catra until Adora vouched for her. Similarly for Zuko, he had to prove himself to the original trio by helping Aang learn an ancient technique of firebending, helping Sokka rescue Suki and his father, and helping Katara find the man that murdered her mother. Trust is not easily given, so if your ex-villain has been going against your protagonists for several seasons, trust is not going to just be given to them so easily. There’s bound to be a lot of distrust from those who have known them in the past, but some are going to struggle with that doubt more than others. It’s important to actually consider your characters’ personalities and rationale and stay true to how they would actually think, along with the logic behind their decisions, in regards to your ex-villain’s redemption.

It can also be helpful to add in some jokes made by the ex-villain or at their expense in order to alleviate tension or show that they’re starting to get along better with the other protagonists (ex: “That’s rough buddy” or “I can’t believe the whole time you were trying to kill us you had the cutest sneeze of all time!”)

7. Realizing they’re in the wrong should not be the climax of their arc

Your character realizing that they’re wrong should not be the final step of their redemption arc; in fact, realizing they’re in the wrong should be among the first steps of their redemption. The redemption arc isn’t about realizing that they’ve been the bad guy all along and that’s... it. There’s a certain level of atonement that needs to be done in order to be redeemed. At the very least the character needs to realize why they’ve been wrong after realizing that they’re wrong.

After Zuko realizes that he is wrong for trying to capture Aang and that the Fire Nation is wrong for prolonging this war, he takes steps to make things right. He confronts his abusive father, leaves his home voluntarily, and helps to train Aang in firebending among other things, eventually allowing them to defeat the Fire Lord. Zuko even apologizes to the entire group for his prior misdeeds.

Catra also has to work for her redemption. She realizes that she’s in the wrong, but even afterwards she persists because she believes that staying with the Horde is the best way that she can get back at the people who have hurt her, namely Shadow Weaver (for her abuse towards her) and Adora (for leaving her behind to join the Rebellion). It isn’t until she is captured by Horde Prime that she makes the decision to atone for what she has done by rescuing Glimmer and sending her back to Adora. Even after Catra is rescued, she is still making efforts to be better than she was before, saying that she’s working on controlling her anger.

8. Sometimes it’s not meant to happen

Sometimes characters can’t be redeemed. Genocidal dictators, fascists, and abusive family members are generally figures that should not be redeemed. Imagine the main evil antagonist of one of your favorite book series, television shows, movies, or video games announcing he/she/they have seen the light, apologizes for everything they’ve done, paying for funerals, reaching out to the families of those they harmed or killed in an effort to make amends or at least. They’ve promised to seek out religion and take up crocheting instead of killing and go to therapy.

It’s just not realistic. It’s a good thing to want to believe that there’s good in everyone and that everyone can be redeemed, but sometimes they just can’t. For some people, it’s not possible to come back to the side of good, especially if they don’t want to. Being good is a conscious choice that people have to make and sometimes people and characters will stick with being bad.

Not just anyone can have a redemption arc, which is why for the characters that are able to go through redemption arcs, it’s something fantastic when done right. Don’t try to force characters who can’t be redeemed to go through redemption arcs and save it for the characters that deserve it.

Have fun!

8 Character creation tips

8 Relatable character tips

#writing #she-ra #ATLA

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kaiju-z · 3 years

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Seon Adventures, Episode 35: The Tomb Of The Fallen King

We carry on from whenst we left, the entrance of the tomb, where our heroes would, hopefully only temporarily part ways with Aryn, the Half-Dwarf. With the promise of and gifting of coin and that they wouldn’t abscond with too much of the contents of the resting place of the king, the party would head inside, with Luctan at the front, followed by Mournimar, Belli, Jun and Malak. Morgan stepping along beside them in his Dire Wolfy way.

All around the wall, these blue lights come on.Blue, like on the base of a really hot fire. There’s a sign on the front, saying “Those who continue risk disturbing those who sacrificed themselves to grant “us” our lives.”

The words themselves immediatelly give off a bad vibe, given the multiple meanings they could hold...

The party would take their path to the northern door. Through it, they can see that the walls are lined with depictions of battles and clashes and the walls west and east, each has a dragon. The right one is shaded a darker color than the opposite. They bring down destruction. Another door ahead, a horned man with a dark blade. The walls have dates on them. Around 5-6 years ago.

The dates show things like, a year before the war ended on one. No one knows why the creatures were sent. The other is a couple of weeks after the war ended. Didn’t happen long after.

This... is a fairly young tomb. Even if no one really comes here.

Stepping further upward, there appear to be three pathways, in an open hallway.

In blank sandstone, the doors don’t seem to have locks on them. Followed closely by Belli, Mournimar diverts and checks what’s on the right.

To the right, there’s a room with a fountain. Long dried out and kind of, gold lining the circles around the fountain. The majority of the place is painted purple and they stare at the backwall. Another artwork, more of a mural than a carving. To the left of it there’s a dragonborn outlined in golden paint. Beneath the art is the description. And in the back, to the center of the wall is a coffin.

With a call, Mournimar brings the rest of the group inside. Much to the party’s surprise, the door closes behind them, but with a quick checo if it’s locked or not, it opens easily...

With a sigh of relief, the writing can be read now. “Here rests Toxal the Never-Conquered. Even in death she never showed fear.” Notably, on the right side of the coffin there’s a mural of her leading an army of kobolds.

At the bottom, a similar layout. But in this room, again a coffin in the middle. It appears to be of a lizardfolk warrior, dual wielding a pair of weapons. Engraven below, in Draconic are the words “Here rests Zaidi the Unending. She rests here to protect her King.”

Making a split decision, Luctan and the duo go to check the lizardfolk’s room, while Jun and Malak go to check the other room. But the moment they enter, stepping on a particular plate on the ground causes iron bars to drop on the entrance behind them.

Much to their shock, a type of green, ill smelling gas emits from the coffin and slowly begins to fill the room they are now trapped in. And it is then that they notice a skeleton in a corner of the room, drooped and unliving.

Malak would step back quickly from the room ahead of them and join the group at the bars, from where he’d check for a possible way to get them out. With an observant eye, the cleric would discern that there is a handhold at the bottom. With a combined physical effort, the party manage to lift up their would be death prison’s entrance and escape to the other side.

And interestingly, this is when the poisonous fumes would stop.

With that concern out of the way and a determination to be more perceptive on the path ahead, the team watches as Malak approaches the skeleton, after Mournimar performs a careful check on the room so they could avoid the pressure plates. Standing and then crouching before the boney body of the skeleton, Malak casts Animate Dead and raises it upwards with necromantic powers.

Enter: Skelli

With the body animated, Malak now has a test subject with which the party can more easily traverse through the rooms and corridors of the tomb. And he is put to work immediatelly in the room north of the fountain and statue, stepping on plate after plate.

And the Skelli-roomba’s prognosis is: the room’s clear.

As a reward he is armed with an axe, by Malak. And he orders his servant to unlock the door ahead. Which doesn’t work well, as Skelli’s finger breaks off. Luckily for them, Mournimar steps in, frees and re-attaches the finger for the skeleton, before unlocking the door with his thieves’ tools.

The door opens with a light skree. And the room in front of him is fucking huge. The size of at least two rooms stacked next to each other. With 12 coffins on the east and west parts of the room, about kobold size. And a huge sarcofagus in the middle. A very concerning threat, one might say.

In a group effort, helping one another, the party sneak with the help of Mournimar’s Pass Without A Trace, from the east part of the tomb’s 1st floor to the west part, with no trouble. The skeleton being of the stealthiest nature.

In this room, in the back, the gravings show 3 sets of weapons. A Longsword, Two shortswords overlapping each other and an elegant dagger. Fancy engravings, where the artist gave up partway through. And the backroom is a case with a glass top.

Belli follows Malak as they check the room to the south. Similar situation. There is a depiction of a dwarf with a very long beard and no hair at all. “Here rests Navaren the Fearless. Even in death, their protection lives on in us.”

On the other end of the room... A similar kind of pattern. Again an empty room, in the corner, a skeleton with very long arms and a battle axe on top of it. The skeleton is very long dead.

Malak checks the skeleton... With a medicine check, we can tell it was a hobgoblin. The skull is caved in and the ribs are cracked. Leg bones fractured. This was a very rough night that they had. By the looks of the daggers by the waist, the battle axe is less of what the Hobgoblin had brought and more what was brought onto their skull.

Concerned about magical demise, Malak casts Detect Magic... And nothing in particular catches his eye here. But it sure does look pretty. That done, he casts Speak With Dead and proceeds to converse with the body.

1. “What killed you?” he asks. – “The fuckin’- dead bitch in the sarcophagus.” the answer comes.

2. “Why did you come here?” he questions. “Money.” is said in turn.

3. “Did you steal anything?” he wonders. “I tried, but I didn’t get a chance!” the skeleton admits.

4. “Did you see any other creatures in here?” the queary is almost done.. “Only the dead ones.” ...

5. “Were there any in the large atrium in the room next door?” “The dead bitch in the sarcophagus was and her 12 friends.”

And the conversation ends there. Malak steps away and updates the party on what he had learned. Through a quick discussion, the decision is made to walk forward and quietly, unless the corpses themselves come back up.

At one point, as they threat carefully, the team can hear a loud clunk from Malak’s armor, but Luck instinctively grabs said armor piece and holds it in place, knowing how Plate Armo can be in such situations and thus, they make it through to the 2nd floor.

In a surprisingly empty room.

The murals on these walls depict empty sets of armor and kobolds standing among the rubble of what used to be the army. In the south corner of the room, there are several kobolds holding helmets and staring off into the sunset.

A quick sweepthrough of the room establishes that there are no loose plates or the like. And with some relief, Mournimar now leads the group forward, through a hallway, keeping his eyes peeled on possible dangers ahead...

It’s very clean, as though someone recently swept it and Mournimar notes this. Being the quietest, Mournimar stealths a bit forward for the group. Scouting work to be done! There is a door to his right… And ahead in the hallway, there’s an open entrance.

Thick, wide room. It’s seemingly empty. The door to the south looks very heavy. There’s a very strong, probably steel looking lock that looks more intricate than anything. There’s a rug in the room, large and square

He checks the weird rug.

It’s just a rug.

Resigning to this revelation, he moves back and up north, to the room he’d see ahead, once he made the first turn... And stepping through...

It seems completely empty and he can’t see anything...

He stealths inside. Turns his head to the right as there is a mirror.

At a closer look, the mirror is a bit off. The reflection is more hunched over, longer claws and Mournimar backs away instantly. He can tell it’s magical as fuck.

Mournimar talks to his reflection. “What do you want? What are you doing?”

Aren’t you just going insane?!”Considering talking to the mirror, yeah. The feral reflection claims that i t’s having a great time, on the other hand.

The reflection condescends on Mournimar. Mournimar goes back to the group and calls for the others.

As they enter the room, the door slams behind them, naturally. And this time with a click to it. As opposed to a simple shutting. Morgan on the other side of the door.

Now trapped inside, they look at their reflections.

Skelli appears to be a dwarven man with blueish skin, however his proportions are off, a bit stretched. He wears red wizardly robes and has a bushy beard and hair.

Belli waves at her own duplicate, who is in mostly pink clothing. Much to her chagrin. And the two have an all out sass off about their personality.

Jun has a side shave going on. And a lump on her abdomen.

Luctan is full mountianman and there’s a constant twitch in his eye. Paranoid to the max.

Malak is the scariest of all. Because instead of his usual self, he just has the moustache. Like, pencil line moustache (EVEN THOUGH I MADE IT THICKER!).

They put it to us planely. They are trapped in this room, until we answer 3 riddles in order and to the satisfaction of their duplicates. Seeing as they can’t find another way out, the party accept. And the first question gets pitched by Nega-Malak.

“There was a green house. Inside the green house there was a white house. Inside the white house there was a red house. Inside the red house there were little black babies.”

The debate rages o nbetween the five, with Skelli blankly standing at the side, as they try to figure out what the answer could be. The specific words, in that order... What could they- And then Luctan comes to a realization. A memory of his past hits him of his days, when he was still being pampered, back in Hell.

Confidently, the red tiefling steps up and proclaims “Watermelon”. At first it seems like he failed, but the Nega-Malak admits defeat, frustrated that this one got answered so well.

The Evil Jun steps up next and gives her riddle: “When I live, I cry. If you don't kill me, I'll die.”

Again, debateing the answer for a bit, with the creatures in the mirror taunting them, asking them if their suggestions to each other are their final answer. Until Belli answers with trust in Luctan’s suggestion on what it could be: “A Candle!”

And again, correct answer! The doubles were now getting a bit tense, because the party wasn’t being “any fun” with their correct answers. But there was still at least one more chance to fuck up and restart this whole thing.

“Well, isn’t this a surprise.” The paranoid Luck double steps up and rasps his own riddle, sounding like he had smoked for 15 years.: Never was, and yet will always be. I am never seen, and yet always come. I carry nothing, yet hold much for some. Tell me, what am I?"

This one appears tricky for them to answer. Even confiding in each other about the answer appears to be unhelpful, as many options could apply. That and Jun was still a bit freaked out about the suggestion from the chaos siblings that the answer to the previosu question was “a baby”.

Malak decides to cut the bullshit and answer as best as he can figure. “The Future”. And that was the wrong answer. Close, but it was really, just “Tomorrow”.

And so, the game would restart. There is banter between the two sides. With Malak suggesting that he ask them a riddle, in turn for the door. But they refuse, as they are the ones in control here. Them’s the rules. But for Malak, this isn’t about rules or control. He just wants to prove these assholes wrong.

The next question to be asked is spoken: “Many have heard me, but no one has seen me, and I will not speak back until spoken to.”

And Mournimar steps up to give his answer: “Echo”. The correct answer. 1/3

“I'm light as a feather, yet the strongest man can't hold me for more than 5 minutes. What am I?“ comes the next riddle. And the answer is uttered among the party: “Breath.” 2/3

The doubles then bring up another riddle. Confident in the puzzle of it: How far can you walk into a forest?” They almost finish their question, before Belli raises her voice in determination, confidence and knowledge:

“Halfway and then we’re walking out.” The doubles are annoyed that they were bested by the people they were copying in such a distorted mannor and the door opens for the heroes with a light screech, a tail wagging dire wolf on the other end.

Malak proceeds to ask them a riddle of his own: If they fail, they must provide them with information on what’s in the tomb. Everything. “What has wings like a dragon, it will never fly. It can swim in the ocean, but will always stay dry." And they fail to provide the suitable answer.

The tomb is 5 years old-ish?! They started building it 7 years ago. There’s a secret entrance to the private restroom. We need to go to the northwest to the king’s floor.

They ask Malak for the answer to that riddle. And he provides them with the words “Dragon’s Shadow”. The answer evoking a response from Mournimar’s double, who screeches “ I’ll fuckin’ kill ‘em!” but leaves, anyways.

As the sibs go through the door, Luctan observes Malak as he pulls out the Fated Potential Great Axe, with Jun watching inside the room. He ponders on the nature of those beings, following Jun’s suggestion they rid the place of the mirror, so as not to risk others befalling to this riddle game as well.

He recalls some knowledge. Those things? They’re not devils, but sometimes, and it’s usually one of Jorzoth’s perverted methods of torture, Devils trap spirits, who hated each other in life and leave them with a minor glimpse of the outside world. This mirror is one of those glimpses.

Malak shatters the mirror and swears he hears a deep breath from the mirror. And then nothing.

Jun makes a Wisdom Save. 7. Hm. Malak would then walk out of the room, with Luctan making way for Jun to pass before him. And they’d leave this part of the tomb.

Returning to the carpet room.

Mournimar shows Belli the big metal door. It’s Big. Made of metal and a door. A big metal door! And the underside of the carpet is clear.

The party head Northwest.

There’s a sign, saying the same old same old. That no one should enter, etc. Skelli is sent to inspect the room on the left. And once he enters, the door closes behind the skeleton. From there, 8 seconds pass. And Malak feels his spell on the boney half-dwarf drop. (RIP Skelli).

Planning occurs. And Belli summons Orion, much to his protest, to use him for the task she has in mind. She brings out a gunpowder bomb. And has Orion take the form of a seagull. She ties the bomb to his ankle and the poor familiar “bravely” enters the scene, wherein Belli can see two metalic figures, in rusted armor, swing for the birb.

Needless to say, Orion has no enjoyment in this. Also needless to say, he gets smacked. And the bom goes off in a loud explosion, which shakes the room itself.

With Belli’s update on what happened, the party get the time to prep. Thanks to Belli’s gift, Luctan throws in a smoke bomb. And using The Pass Without A Trace, by Mournimar, the six slink through the smoke, avoiding direct contact with the rusted guardians.

They then get to the 3rd floor.

Passing by a deadend, they go downward, to the west.

Scouting ahead, followed by his partner in crime, Mournimar enters a room with five pillars. Four ahead and one to the left. On P4, there’s a wire leading to the ceiling and a slight panel that would shift if the wiere was moved. Mournimar cuts the wire and it snaps up into the ceiling. Half a second later, the panel opens and Mournimar and Belli need to make Dex Saves.

1 and 18 respectively.

The two get sprayed with glass from above and mournimar gets the worst of it, as it embeds into his face, arms, legs, tail... It’s not a pretty sight. But through a combination of Cure wounds from himself and Malak, they recuperate as good as they can, given the circumstances.

“Please be careful!” Luctan says late in the situation. From around the corner. Covered in safety-wafety armor.

“I’ll try!” says Mournimar. In his leather armor. Offering barely enough protection. And inspects the remaining four pillars. 1, 2, 3, 5. With 1 being beside him, closest to the door to his left. Each, compared to the one he had just yoinked, were smooth.

Mournimar elects to use the one next to him and opens up a tunnel. A secret tunnel, which Mournimar leads the group through to a library.

The lights on this floor are a golden white color. An entrance ahead and a door to the side. He tries to open the door to the side and it opens. Empty as fuck!

While Mournimar and Belli explore ahead, Jun, Malak and Luck take a gander through the many tomes inside this place. Each finding a particular book that catches their fancy:

Luck finds a book called “To cheat a devil”. It’s a typography of a man, who cheated minor devils. It feels like this man should be much more well known.

Jun’s eyes go to one, named “Short and Stout”, a dwarven cookbook.

Belli, who had nabbed a book, before following Mournimar, had found " Personal Hygine” for Belli, about hygine on the road.

While Malak had gotten his hands on a heartwarming book about a baby dragon burning down a village. Fuck them peasants.

Up north, the walls are lined up with kegs. It looks like a drinking room.

And the other way is a corridor, through which Mournimar and Belli stealth. Down to the bottom, where they look through an opening and see...

A weird, huge monstrocity with rocks and metallic shields on each arm. And it doesn’t see them,because the orange light is turned to the library, where the rest of the party peruse. Sneaking back around, Mournimar warns the three, all hush-hush and they head upward.

The door ahead is locked, but Mournimar tries his luck at it, still. And he picks through the lock.

With a 19, the door swings open and on the back wall, it’s a portrait, in detail, of the king’s final battle. It seems older than any other piece. Original style on the edges. It’s like the original artist didn’t have the time to finish it, or something.

There are doors on the northeast and south-west. In the south-west, a corridor. And seeing as they are meant to head south-west, they head there, anyways.

Ahead, there’s a red rug and expensive looking furniture.

The walls in this room are covered in the famed mantra, all over in a lot of languages. All over. It’s just “His duty is done, may he rest proud and eternal.” All orderly and stuff.

Above the door is the word “King” in Infernal.

Walking ahead, there’s a small corridor. And a door, which, the stone work is smooth, completely. It would have taken a while to carve this. It’s quite probably the throne room.

A red carpet with golden silk detail leads ahead. The stone work is beyond intricate. Runes and patterns that would have taken years to make this room. In the back is a throne, and a coffin behind it. Gems litter it to the side as it’d littered the well. The lights turn red.

As they step in, one after the other, a ghostly image comes forth.

A pale purple spirit stands before them. Mournimar and Belli kneel. A tiefling man in much more humble clothing greets the lot of them, with his arms up.

And asks of our presense here.

Mournimar truthfully explains why they’re here and what our new intentions are.

They have questions, he has answers.

Previous Episode / Next Episode

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lumateranlibrarian · 4 years

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Let’s talk about Claudia and Soren, because I’m pretty sure their conflict is going to be one of the biggest parts of The Dragon Prince’s endgame.

The Dragon Prince’s main recurring theme is breaking the cycle of revenge and hate, and how that duty falls on the newer generations when their predecessors failed to do so. This theme is so prevalent that we see the children of The Dragon Prince being placed over and over in chilling parallels to their parents.

Rayla’s parents were the last line of defense for the Dragon Prince’s egg, and yet they failed to protect it, running away or losing their lives (or so we’re led to believe); Rayla chose to be the last line of defense for Zym and Zubeia during the final battle. In her confrontation with the exact same man her parents faced, she was put in the same position, and was also willing to die to save Zym (and would have if Callum hadn’t pulled that spell out of his ass, but that’s beside the point).

Ezran sits on the throne of Katolis, and has to decide whether he’ll let a man driven by vengeance and fear tell him how to use his power. This man inevitably decides that dark magic will lead him to his goal. Like Harrow in his final days, Ezran chooses peace over conflict - and yet, for this choice, Ezran is ousted from his throne and placed in a prison he later escapes (unlike his father, unless you consider a birdcage, subsequently escaped, to be a prison too - oh, wait).

And then. Soren and Claudia.

Buckle up, ladies and gentlemen and variations thereupon. Shit’s about to get real.

The scene where Soren snuck away from Viren’s army, leaving Claudia behind, was masterfully executed, and I’m still both delighted and heartbroken over it all. But to map out why it was so excruciating, we have to go back a few episodes. Specifically, the finale of Season 2.

In Breathe, Claudia apologizes to Ezran for her actions attempting to capture him. When Ezran admits that he knows about his father’s death, Claudia empathizes with him by explaining the circumstances of Viren and her mother’s separation.

CLAUDIA I know it’s not the same, but… when I was a kid, my mom and dad split up. I remember hearing them fight a lot at night after we went to bed. And then one day, they told us Mom was moving back to Del Bar, where her family was from. And then they said… we had to choose. And Soren chose Dad. How could I choose? How could I do that? Then my mom looked at my dad, and she told me to stay. She said that I had to stay with Soren, that this was my home, and my brother and I needed each other. And then she left.

EZRAN But how could she do that? Why would she leave you?

CLAUDIA I think she needed to leave for herself. To be happy… somehow. You might have noticed my dad is pretty intense.

EZRAN You must miss her.

CLAUDIA Losing her has been the hardest thing that’s ever happened to me.

EZRAN When you grow up, sometimes there are changes you don’t expect, and you have to face things you’re not ready for. Callum told me that.

CLAUDIA You are so lucky to have a brother like Callum.

EZRAN I know.

CLAUDIA And… I’m lucky to have my brother. Soren is a doof, but he’s my doof! I know he would do anything to protect me, and I would do anything for him.

Pretty upsetting, right? I can understand why a young Claudia would be so torn - after all, no child wants to make the choice between losing one parent or the other. And Claudia clearly recognizes that it was not abandonment, when her mother left - rather, it was her mother doing what was right for herself. Of course, Claudia didn’t come to this realization immediately, and says as much. It just took a long time for her to get there. Again, an understandable response.

Hold onto that! It’s a surprise tool that will help us later.

So, with this in mind, let’s proceed to Season 3, Episode 7, Hearts of Cinder.

Soren has seen some shit.

Where to even start? Viren told Soren all but explicitly to kill the crown prince and his brother. And when Soren and Claudia confronted Viren about this, Viren gaslighted the shit out of his son, to the point that even Claudia was convinced Soren had misunderstood their brilliant, intellectual father for the umpteenth time. This left a deeply upset Soren was wrestling with what he knew and what he was being told. Every time Soren tried to ask for more information, he was harshly rebuffed by Viren, or more gently brushed to the side by a (perhaps willfully) naive Claudia. He knows what Viren wanted him to do with Ezran, and this has been weighing on him for a while. When Ezran spared his and Claudia’s lives, and then was himself thrown in jail (a fucking ten year old boy cuffed in the same prison cell used to contain a treasonous archmage), Soren finally put his foot down and said, actually, fuck this.

And, before I get into the quotes once more, I’d like to point out: Soren isn’t actually stupid. He has his blatantly obtuse moments, yes, but he did come up with the plan (and muster the sheer audacity it took to pull it off) to get Ezran out of Katolis. That doesn’t happen by being an idiot.

Anyways, hold on to that. It’s a surprise tool that will help us later.

By the time Viren, with Aaravos’ help, manages to siphon the power of the Sun Elves’ city, Soren has seen enough. And when Viren straight-up assumes that Soren will be blindly willing to be the first transformed soldier - perhaps because he assumes Soren is too easily led to refuse - Soren says no. He says, I don’t want to do this. I’m scared.

You know how the rest of that scene goes.

Let’s get to the good stuff.

Soren flees, and Claudia goes after him.

CLAUDIA Soren. What’s going on? Where are you going?

SOREN I can’t stay here anymore, Claudia. You’ve seen what’s going on. What Dad turned Kasef into. What Dad turned into.

CLAUDIA Maybe he’s just doing what needs to be done.

SOREN Claudia, you’re changing, too. But it’s not too late. Come with me, Claudia. You can leave him!

CLAUDIA Please, Soren, don’t… don’t do this to me. Don’t make me choose. Not again!

SOREN Okay. Goodbye, Clauds.

CLAUDIA No! No! No, no no!

Do you see the parallels? Yes? No? All right, let’s go.

Both of these scenarios have arisen because of some sort of discord between Viren and his (I hope) loved one

Both loved ones (the children’s mother and Soren, respectively) decided that they could no longer stay with Viren, and had to leave.

Both loved ones gave the remaining family members a choice, to stay with Viren or come with them.

Claudia couldn’t decide, or Claudia wouldn’t decide, and this drove her to intense distress.

Hoping to spare Claudia pain, the leaving party told her to stay with Viren and Soren (or, just Viren), and Claudia had to watch someone she loved walk away.

The writers are bringing their A-game here, in case that hasn’t been made abundantly clear yet. There are a couple of reasonable assumptions we can make, going off these pretty blatant similarities:

Claudia and Soren’s mother was likely also upset about Viren’s growing reliance on dark magic. Or at least, that was a part of it.

Claudia and Soren’s mother returned to live with her family in another city, far away. This raises the possibility that Team Zym and associates are now Soren’s “family”, and like his mother, he’s not likely to go back.

Remember that first “surprise tool”? Claudia, while heartbroken now like she was then, may be able to forgive Soren for leaving her, as she came to understand her mother’s reasons for finalizing the divorce and moving away from the capital. Whether she does, and if doing so leads to reconciliation, however, remains to be seen…

This scene was beautifully executed, and kudos to the writers, animators, and voice actors for a superb character study. I am curious, though. Claudia has been closely paralleled with Viren, here. It’s possible that Soren has had several moments in the series so far where his actions and motivations mirror his mother’s, and we just don’t know about it because of how little we know of her.

But wait! We’re not done. I did say I think a final, major confrontation between Claudia and Soren is part of the endgame, right? Let’s dive into that.

Point: Claudia is either more powerful or more dangerously driven than Viren. Why do I say this, given all the crazy shit Viren’s done, especially under Aaravos’ counsel? Because Claudia brought Viren back from the dead. She has done what Viren either never could, or never dared to do. If Viren had been able or willing, he would have saved Sarai.

(If that’s not true… if he chose not to save Sarai, in favor of collecting her last breath in order to make a cursed weapon that could bring down Thunder… well, any shred of redeemability Viren had is now gone in my mind. Because how do you look your friend, a grieving husband, father, and king in the eye when you hold his wife’s last breath in your hands and say, “This is all I was able to save,” when it’s a lie?)

Point: Viren failed Aaravos. Viren failed Aaravos, but Claudia has managed to perform what is, as far as we know, the impossible. From the split second glimpse we have of her face immediately after Viren is revived, it seems like she just cast the spell - her eyes are pure black, but quickly fade to their original color, much as they did when Claudia restored Soren’s ability to walk using life force siphoned from a pair of deer. We also know that Aaravos has been spinning himself a new form over the two days before Viren was revived - it’s possible that Aaravos doesn’t yet know what Claudia has accomplished. What will Aaravos do, I wonder, when he learns about the impossible prodigy he has access to? It’s implied that Claudia still doesn’t know about Aaravos speaking through the caterpillar, but that hardly matters to a master manipulator like Aaravos. When you want to conquer Xadia, do you want a broken, old pawn, or a young and innovative replacement instead?

Point: Soren is not stupid. He’s not booksmart, obviously. But he’s got a keen eye for strategy. How do I know? Because he made Captain of the Crownsguard at the age of 18. Because it took him all of two seconds to see a dragon brought down by ballista during the battle to realize that the only way to give the dragons a fighting chance was to keep them in the air. Because he planned - no, he masterminded - Ezran’s escape from the dungeons and subsequent journey across Xadia to get to Zym before Viren. And because he timed it just right, Viren has no idea Ezran has escaped until the final battle - if he even knows at all, given that the only interaction we see is between them after Ezran’s escape is on the battlefield, with Ezran and the illusion Viren created by Claudia.

Point: The Illusion Viren.

This frame was the one that, of the entire season, truly stole my breath away.

Viren (well, illusion Viren, but that’s not the point of this frame) is the dividing factor between Claudia and Soren, and he has caused this rift between them due to his intent towards Ezran. Soren’s compassion and duty towards Ezran has allowed him to see the truth of Viren’s actions, whereas Claudia’s compassion for Ezran has blinded her to the fact that her own father could act so horribly to him.

And, if you’ll indulge me for just a minute, I have to wonder - why was this the ploy Claudia chose to use, to distract Soren and Ezran from the threat at the top of the Storm Spire? She has adamantly been opposed to the idea that Viren would ever orchestrate Ezran’s death, including several clear warning signs and Soren’s testimony. So why did she use this illusion - of Viren going after Ezran, clearly trying to kill him - against Soren, when his resolve to protect Ezran from Viren is what led him to the Storm Spire in the first place? Claudia is horrified when Soren demonstrates that he is willing to kill his own father to protect Ezran (who is, by the way, still a ten-year-old boy, king or not). But isn’t this what Soren has been saying all along? That Viren has been telling him to kill Ezran, and that Viren is wrong, and Soren believed this so much that he chose to leave rather than continue gong along with Viren’s plans? So, whose resolve is Claudia really testing here - Soren’s? Or her own?

I think it’s the latter, honestly. But back to our regularly-scheduled programming. Where was I?

Ah, yes.

Endgame.

So what do we know? Claudia is quite possibly the most powerful dark mage in the world. She’s chosen to continue aligning herself with Viren and Viren alone. Soren is a strategist driven by duty, and is surrounded by other warriors of similar mind and similar or even better skill. Unless a new threat emerges beyond the alliance of Viren and Aaravos (which isn’t impossible, of course), the two siblings are in direct opposition to one another. Claudia must live with the fact that her brother was willing to kill their father, and has left her to pick up the pieces. Soren must live with the fact that he was willing to kill their father, and that Claudia’s manipulation is what drove him to it.

The two of them have also, believe it or not, grown up with vastly different influences during their formative years. Differences in treatment from Viren aside, there’s an implication that Claudia and Soren have been on separate paths for a long time. Claudia is clearly Viren’s favorite - he has actual conversations with her, listens to her questions and attempts to answer them (whether the answers or truthful or not is another issue). Meanwhile, Viren puts very little effort into understanding Soren. Likely, he believes he already does, as Soren isn’t, shall we say, the most complicated of individuals. So, Claudia gets private tutoring under her father, and academic and intellectual training that Viren can relate to and challenge and encourage. Meanwhile, Soren, the family jock, goes into the castle guard. It’s not clear what all this would entail, but I imagine he trained with other recruits for a time in his own age group, reported to a commander or other superior officer, and probably received some sort of advanced training when it became clear he was a prodigy in his own right - after all, it’s not your average eighteen-year-old who is placed in charge of the security of a monarch. To sum up, Claudia was favored and likely spoiled to some degree by her father, whereas Soren excelled in military boot camp, which requires recruits to learn how to carry their own weight and take responsibility for protecting others in a very different sense than Viren’s supposed dedication to the realm.

Narratively speaking, despite first impressions, Claudia is the sibling with more cards stacked against her. She is falling faster and faster towards the point of no return with dark magic, whereas Soren has fought for every inch of his venture into the light. I’m anticipating larger confrontation between the two siblings than what we have seen so far. My heart breaks for both of them, but when I think of how future generations of humans and elves will tell the story of the Dragon Prince, these tragic siblings will fill one of the most resonant threads of the epic.

Ezran rode into the throne room that was his by birthright on the back of a massive, black-furred beast whom he charmed into loyalty. Rayla tackled a madman off of the highest peak in Xadia, and Callum dove selflessly after her. Claudia raised her father from the dead. Soren crossed miles of hostile territory in a single night to warn the Dragon Prince of a coming army.

There is a story being told here. Sometimes, history repeats, and sometimes, it rhymes. Cycles are meant to be broken, but only time will tell how Claudia and Soren handle the one they’re trapped in.

Can I just say, though?

Claudia is going to make one hell of an epic villain.

Bring it on.

#the dragon prince #meta #my meta #I think this is the longest meta i've ever written #it's just over 2800 words #that's longer than most of my Ao3 pieces #LONG post #tdp

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kathyprior4200 · 4 years

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Exterminate, Exterminate!

The dark creepy robotic angels of death are used to exterminate the citizens of Hell to not only reduce their population, but to also plant fear. They have silver weapons that can kill any demon, as well as humans. They were made creepy on purpose: to fight fear with fear. They are sent down once a year to purge the citizens at random.

The exterminators were divided into several groups: the Exterminators, the Death Dealer Archangels and the mechanical angels.

Some of the dark angels used to be regular deceased people who couldn’t make it to heaven, but weren’t evil enough for hell. They had done bad things in life but with good intentions (like stealing money for the poor or killing criminals). When they did make it after many years in limbo, they disobeyed orders and took advantage of their freedom. (There was plenty of food and riches in heaven, and they kept much of it for themselves). They fell from heaven and were sent to Earth and eventually, hell when they didn’t learn their lessons.

After they worked hard to redeem themselves in hell, they were sent back up to heaven. To prove their worth, their leaders gave them a test and mission. They were given special spear weapons made of silver, forged from the flames of the sun that could kill any demon and erase any soul. They were sent down to hell once a year to reduce hell’s population by purging citizens once a year.

The only way to be freed from their duties was for them to realize that even killing sinners isn’t right. That everyone should be given a second chance. They had disobeyed God, fell to Earth, then proved their innocence through prayer and being nice (or at least tolerant) to the demons. Giving them special weapons and a direct order was a way to test them: would they choose for themselves what is right, or be willing to obey their master even if what they were doing was considered “evil?” After all, when people and the divine alike possess power, they can become very different individuals.

Regarding the second group (Known casually as Death Dealer Archangels), other more experienced exterminators were actually archangels, leaders of other angels. Unlike regular angels, they were able to take on the appearance of black bird-like creatures with wings while wearing LED masks to scare off demons. Their jobs were to punish sinners and plan the purges each year. Puriel, Kushiel, Teneluehus, Raguel, Wormwood, Jeheel, Zacheniel, Ababhar, and their leader, Abaddon were the oldest and most experienced at their jobs. In fact, each one of them led attacks of choir exterminators onto one of the nine circles of hell.

For the third group, there were a few dark angels that were purely robotic. These were mostly used for tests and replacements if the dark angels couldn’t participate in the purge.

Heaven viewed Lucifer and the larger hell population as a threat, as Lucifer had waged a previous war against them. To prevent the threat, the exterminator dark angels were hired/created.

There may be several reasons why Lucifer is against the idea of Charlie redeeming sinners and creating the Happy Hotel:

1. It is part of their family’s legacy to make demons suffer and keep them in line. Creating a Happy Hotel would make the royal family appear weak to their rivals.

2. If Charlie were to redeem demons, she might be given the opportunity to go to heaven. If that were the case, her father would never see her again.

3. Lucifer has a deep grudge against God, the angels and archangels for being banished and for mortals being favored over him and the angels.

4. Lucifer is overprotective of his daughter and worries that she will be harmed if the angels (or other demon overlords) find her. He doesn’t want her to draw too much attention. He calls her a failure because he doesn’t know how else to persuade her not to pursue her dream due to his worries of the previous listed scenarios.

5. Lucifer worries that Charlie will find out that he was once an angel who punished and killed demons. The thought of her father previously killing “her people” would be too much to bear.

Vaggie remains in possession of a harpoon that can kill demons. The X over her eye is on her left eye, rather than her right, like the exterminators. Unlike many demons, Vaggie values respect and virtues. Perhaps there's an underlying reason why she has these traits?

After Vagatha died in 2014, she became an exterminator, neither good nor evil. Due to her doing evil actions with good intentions, she was put to the test and sent to purge demons every year.

But a certain demon princess caught her attention...the one demon she would not slay. For the two had fallen in love...but love comes with great costs.

But some people are willing to take the fall and brave exile, in the name of genuine feelings for a fellow friend.

Vaggie, the lesbian moth demon, is Charlie’s best friend and the manager of the Happy Hotel. She is also Charlie’s current girlfriend. She arrived in Hell in 2014 and can speak Spanish. Vaggie has a strong hatred toward men, especially when they attempt to insult Charlie.

Not much is known about her previous human life, but it’s implied that she likes punk rock music, and Latino music.

This theory has been brought up before by fans. What if there’s more to Vaggie than meets the eye? If she’s a demon in Hell, why, then, would she have been an angel in the past (or have the potential to be one?)

How did this theory come about? From similarities between Vaggie’s appearance and the looks of the exterminator angels, sent down to purge the citizens of Hell every year.

First, there is the characteristic pink X over Vaggie’s left eye. One of the Exterminators seen in the trailer had an X over their left eye as well. A picture of an angel’s face also showed an X in place of one of their eyes.

Second is Vaggie’s expertise with weapons, specifically the harpoon. Throughout the episode, she is shown holding a spear-like weapon that is capable of killing demons. The Exterminators use these weapons to “cleanse” or kill off the demons to keep the population at a set amount. Sometimes, these weapons are discarded, and are found by other demons to sell on the black market. In the opening introduction, white figures of the angels are shown holding spears similar to the harpoon Vaggie holds; a long weapon with a sharp curved blade at the top.

It is also worth mentioning that when Vaggie warns Angel Dust about Alastor, her pink bow briefly takes on the shape of horns. The Exterminators themselves also have horns on their heads.

But perhaps the most convincing point to this speculative theory is not Vaggie’s similar physical traits to the Exterminators. Perhaps it is her personality.

Based on the wiki, Vaggie is described as “prudent and sensible,” more so than the other characters. She is often seen trying to keep Charlie out of trouble and making sure the hotel stays up and running. One example is when she tells Charlie to stay on topic during her interview and not to sing (though she doesn’t listen.) When a cameraman calls Charlie a “stupid bitch,” Vaggie punches him off a chair.

Possessing a fiery temper, she confronts Angel Dust after his participation in the turf war against Sir Pentious. She is furious that Angel ruined Charlie’s reputation and that of the hotel. Though Charlie said he was “clean” for two weeks while spending time at the hotel, Angel then decided to resort to violence and drugs.

Despite Alastor being powerful and intimidating, Vaggie doesn’t hesitate to point her weapon at him, while they’re at the hotel. He warns him not to harm Charlie and even insults him.

The wiki also mentions that Vaggie has a wide knowledge about Hell, despite having been sent only recently. She knows about the Overlords and how dangerous Alastor is.

Additionally, Vaggie cannot fly like the angels can but that doesn’t mean that it wouldn’t be a possibility in her full demon form (which has not been revealed as of yet.)

How does this relate back to the Exterminators?

While not much is known about these dark angels sent to Hell, it is assumed that they came from Heaven (or were once part of it). They would hold up certain standards and values such as obeying rules, not participating in sinful acts (despite the irony of them killing demons) among others.

Vaggie is distrustful of sinners and of men, especially. Unlike many carefree demons, she is practical and protective of those she cares about. In one scene, Vaggie protests against allowing alcohol in the hotel, saying that the hotel “is a place that (should) discourage sin.”

However, Vaggie still displays some so called “demonic” traits such as swearing and a fiery temper.

The question is, how would Vaggie know about how Hell works so fast? How would she know how the overlords rise in power and information about Alastor’s rampages? Unless someone else told her about all of it, it wouldn’t be likely for her to know all the specific details so easily. It is assumed that only demons in higher positions of power would know about these dark politics.

But if no one told her about it, then how did she gain that knowledge on her own?

Perhaps this will be explained in a future episode…

Or, maybe Vaggie got this intelligence from a higher source of power, a group who knows the ins and outs of Hell to keep the overcrowded population from becoming a threat. You guessed it…the Exterminators and the inhabitants of Heaven.

Vaggie may have been an Exterminator in the past, just after her death. She may have died from suicide or homicide. In her human life, Vaggie may have wanted to get justice on abusers and evil individuals…but went about it in the wrong way (violence or murder). Thus, she didn’t go to Heaven but not to Hell yet. She was tested and briefly became an Exterminator, to cleanse evil “for the greater good.” (Exterminators may have been previous souls who were truly neutral or did bad things that they thought were the right things to do).

Vaggie soon became a fallen angel.

How, then, was she sent down to Hell? Maybe she enjoyed killing sinners a little too much (or not enough to complete her tasks). Or, more likely, her temper tampered with her ability to focus. After all, even dark bringers of death have rules to follow. Fearing that Vaggie was a threat, they sent her down to Hell (burning off her wings) with only a weapon to defend herself.

Now she faced the ultimate test…survival in her new afterlife. She did remember one part of her mission: to keep the demon/angel Charlie out of trouble…and help her with her destiny to redeem sinners, and themselves.

For if Charlie convinces demons to be good, they might be redeemed and be sent to Heaven (or become Exterminators), thus reducing the population and making Hell less of a threat…

Something that the king of Hell and the overlords would not approve of…

List of Angels and Demons in Theology:

From Oberon Zeil-Ravenheart’s “Grimoire for the apprentice wizard” (2004) Career Press

Chioth Ha Qadesh – Supreme Order of Angels, led by Archangel Metatron (“Angel of the Presence”). Shekinah is his female counterpart. Associated with the infinite divine spirit of Kether.

Metatron is the link between God and humanity. The King of all the Angels and the youngest, he was once the Biblical Patriarch Enoch.

Auphanim – (Whirling Forces), ruled by Archangel Ratziel (“delight of God”), the prince of hidden things who is called the Angel of Mysteries, holds a coded key to the secrets of the universe.

Aralim – (Strong and Mighty Ones, made of white fire) Archangel is Tzaphqiel (“contemplation of God”), prince of spiritual strife against evil. Planet: Saturn

Chasmalim – (Brilliant Ones, justice) Archangel Tzadkiel (“justice of God), prince of mercy and beneficence who guards the gates of the East Wind. Planet: Jupiter

Seraphim – (Flaming Ones) Avenging Angels of Destruction. Ruled by Archangel Kamael, (“severity of God”), prince of strength and courage, bearing the flaming sword. Planet: Mars

Malachim – Govern all natural laws and are responsible for the motions of the cosmos and heavenly bodies. Archangel is Raphael (“physician of God”) prince of healing. Planet: Sun

Elohim – (Choir of Principalities) Archangel is Haniel (“grace of God”), prince of love and harmony, art and creativity. Hagiel (Aphrodite), female counterpart. Planet: Venus

Beni Elohim – (Sons of the Gods/ Choir of Archangels) Archangel is Michael (“protector of God”) with Raphael as his lieutenant. Their province is art and knowledge. Planet: Mercury

Cherubim – Guardian angels of humanity (“those who intercede”). Archangel is Gabriel (“strength of God”). It was he who appeared to Mary with the Annunciation and dictated the Koran to Mohammed. Planet: Moon

Ishim – (Blessed Souls) lowest order of angels, assisting humanity directly, associated with mundane concerns, once living saints and prophets. Archangel is Sandalphon (twin of Metatron) Planet: Earth

Angel Types:

Archangel (Christianity, Islam, Judaism) “chief angel”

Bene Elohim “Sons of God”

Chalkydri (Christianity, Judaism) = Carriers of the sun’s heat

Cherub (Christianity, Judaism)

Dominions (Christianity, Judaism)

Grigori (Watchers) (Christianity, Judaism)

Ishim (Judaism, Islam)

Lamassu (Ancient Mesopotamian religion) = protection, constellations, female deities

Mu’aqqibat (Islam)

Powers (Christianity, Judaism)

Principalities (Christianity, Judaism)

Seraph/Seraphim (Christianity, Islam, Judaism)

Song-Uttering Choirs (Judaism)

Thrones (Christianity, Judaism)

Virtues (Christianity, Judaism)

Angels of Death:

Azrael

Dumah

Munkar

Nakir

Samael

Fallen Angels:

Azazel

Dumah

Harut

Iblis

Lucifer

Marut

Christian Hierarchy of Angels:

(Highest order)

Seraphim

Cherubim

Thrones

(Middle order)

Dominions

Virtues

Powers

(Lowest order)

Principalities

Archangels

Angels

Names:

Abaddon (Christianity, Judaism) = Destruction

Abathar Muzania (Mandaeism) = The weighing of souls

Aglibol (Ancient Cannaanite religion) = Angel of the god Baal Hadad

Ananiel (Christianity, Judaism) Archangel, “Rain of God”

Arariel (Jewish mythology) = Waters of the Earth

Ariel (Christianity, Islam) = Personification of Israel

Artiya’il (Islam) = Removes human grief

Azazel (Christianity, Islam, Judaism) = Archangel, fallen angel, teacher of evil arts, rebellion against God

Azrael (Islam, Judaism) = Archangel, Angel of Death

Barachiel (Christianity) = Archangel, lightning, Guardian angel chief “Blessed by God’

Baraquiel (Jewish mythology) = Archangel

Camael/Kemuel (Christianity, Judaism) = Archangel, Leader of the Powers, strength courage and war

Cassiel (Christianity, Islam, Judaism) = Archangel, solitude and tears

Daniel (Christianity, Judaism) = Watcher

Dadrail (Islam, Yazdanism) = Archangel in Yazdanism

Dumah (Islam, Judaism) = Angel of Death, silence, torments the wicked after death

Eleleth (Sethianism)

Eremiel/Jerahmeel (Christianity, Judaism) = guides the holy deceased in afterlife

Gabriel (Christianity, Islam, Judaism) = Archangel, messengers, military, destruction “God is my strength”

Gadreel (Christianity, Judaism)

Hadraniel (Judaism, Gnosticism) = Second Heavenly Gate

Hahasiah (Christianity, Judaism) = Principality

Hanibal (Ancient Mesotopamian religion) = Angel of the god Baal Hadad

Haniel (Christianity, Judaism) = Archangel, leader of Principalities along with Archangel Netzach

Haziel

Harut (Islam) = fallen angel, sorcery

Hashmal (Christianity, Judaism) Dominions

Hamalat al-Arsh (Islam)

Hofniel (Judaism) = Archangel

Iblis (Islam) = fallen angel, ruler of lower heavens, teacher of angels, leading angels into battle, (after the fall) tempter and commanding demons

Imamiah (Christianity, Judaism) = Principality

Israfil/Israfel (Islam) = Archangel, music

Jegudiel (Christianity) = Archangel, responsibility and merciful love “Glorifier of God”

Jehoel (Christianity, Judaism) = Seraph, fire

Jequn (Christianity, Islam, Judaism)

Jerahmeel (Christianity, Judaism) = Archangel “God’s Exaltation”

Jophiel (Christianity, Judaism) = Archangel, wisdom, understanding and judgement

Kalka’il (Islam) = fifth heaven

Kepharel (Jewish mythology) = (Archangel)

Kerubiel (Judaism)

Kiraman Katibin (Islam) = recorder of human thoughts

Kushiel (Christianity, Judaism) = punishment

Lailah (Judaism) = night, conception

Lucifer (Christianity) = Archangel or seraph, cherub, fallen angel, Bringer of Light, rebellion against God

Morning Star/Venus, wanted to surpass and be “Most High”

Bogomiliam: Lucifer fell from heaven and trapped souls from heaven inside matter which were later freed by Jesus

Jealous of God and humanity

Satan in Christianity

One of the four princes of Hell, ruler of the East and air in Satanic Bible

Morning star, intellectualism, fantasy, enlightenment in some versions

Neopagan: Lucifer as brother and consort to goddess Diana and father of Aradia. (Apollo?) “proud of his beauty and who for his pride was driven from Paradise.”

Maalik (Islam) = hellfire

Malakbel (Ancient Canaanite religion) angel of the god Baal Hadad, the sun

Marut (Islam) = fallen angel, sorcery

Melek Taus (Yazdanism) = Archangel

Metatron (Judaism, Islam) = Archangel, seraph, The Celestial Scribe

Michael (Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Mormonism, Yazdanism) = Archangel, seraph, military, Angel of Mercy, General in God’s army, Angel of Death “Who is like God”

Moroni (Mormonism) = the Golden Plates

Munkar (Islam) = Angel of Death, the Faith of the Dead

Muriel (Christianity) = Dominions, June and Cancer in astrology

Nakir (Islam) = Angel of Death, The Faith of the Dead

Nanael (Christianity, Judaism) = Principality

Netzach (Christianity, Judaism) = Archangel, leader of Principalities along with Haniel, eternity

Nithael (Christianity, Judaism) = Principality

Nuriel (Jewish mythology) = hailstorms

Ophaniel/Ofaniel (Christianity, Judaism) = Cherubrim/Thrones

Pahaliah (Christianity) = Thrones, Virtuosity

Penemue (Christianity, Judaism)

Phanuel (Christianity, Judaism) = Archangel, Repentance and Hope “Face of God”

Poyel (Christianity, Judaism) = Principality

Pravuli (Jewish mythology) = Archangel, God’s scribe

Puriel (Judaism) = examines the souls of those brought to heaven

Qaphsiel (Christianity, Judaism) = angel of tears, presides over the death of kings

Radueriel (Jewish mythology) = can create lesser angels

Raguel/Azrael (Christianity, Islam, Judaism) = Archangel, Angel of Justice “Friend of God”

Ramuel (Christianity, Judaism) = Archangel, “Thunder of God”

Raphael (Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Mormonism, Yazdansim) = Archangel, leader of the Virtues, cherubim, healing “God heals”

Raziel (Judaism) = Archangel, Keeper of Secrets

Remiel (Christianity, Judasim) = Archangel

Ridwan (Islam) Angel of Paradise

Rikbiel (Christianity, Judaism) = cherubim

Sachiel (Christianity, Judaism) = Archangel, cherub, Wealth and Charity

Sahaquiel (Jewish mythology) = Archangel, guardian of the fourth heaven

Sabriel (Jewish mythology) = Archangel, Miracles

Samael (Christianity, Judaism) = Archangel, Angel of Death, fetching souls

Samyaza (Judaism, Manichaeism) = Watcher

Sandalphon (Christianity, Judaism, Islam) = Archangel, protector of unborn children

Sarathiel (Christianity, Judaism) = Archangel, Discipline and Penance

Sariel (Christianity, Judaism, Islam) = Archangel

Sealtiel (Christianity, Judaism) = Archangel “Intercessor of God”

Selaphiel (Christianity) = Archangel, patron saint of prayer and worship

Seraphiel (Christianity, Islam) = seraph, protector of Metatron, highest ranking seraphim

Shamnail (Yazdanism) = Archangel

Shamsiel (Christianity, Judaism)

Sidriel (Jewish mythology) = Archangel

Suriel (Christianity, Judaism) = Archangel, “Prince of God”

Temeluchus (Christianity, Judaism)

Tennin (Japanese Buddhism)

Turail (Yazdanism) = Archangel

Uriel (Christianity, Judaism) = Archangel, seraphim, “God is my light” patron of arts

Uziel (Judaism) = Archangel

Vasiariah (Christianity, Judaism) = Dominions

Vehuel (Christianity, Judaism) = Principality

Wormwood (Christianity) = war

Yarihibol (Ancient Canaanite religion) (angel of God Baal Hadad), springs

Zachariel (Christianity) = Archangel

Zadkiel (Christianity, Judaism) = Archangel, leader of the Dominions, "Righteousness of God” angel of freedom, benevolence and mercy and the Patron Angel of all who forgive

Zaphkiel (Christianity) = Archangel, leader of the Thrones, “God’s Knowledge”

Zedekiel (Christianity, Judaism) = Archangel, “Grace of God”

Zephaniel (Judaism) = Archangel

Zephon (Jewish mythology)

Zophiel (Christianity, Judaism) = Cherubim

List of Demons in Theology

Archdemons seven deadly sins:

Lucifer: Pride

Mammon: Greed

Asmodeus: Lust

Leviathan: Envy (sea monster)

Beelzebub: Gluttony (Lord of the Flies)

Satan: Wrath

Belphegor: Sloth (suggests ingenious inventions will make people rich)

Demon Kings of the Ars Goetia

Amaymon (King of the East)

Corson (King of the West)

Ziminiar (King of the North)

Gaap (King of the South)

Bael (first king, power to make men invisible, teaching science,

Paimon (obedient to Lucifer, knowledge of past and future events)

Beleth

Purson

Asmodey

Vine

Balam

Beilal

Alastor (Greek spirit of vengeance)

Pazuzu

Demons in Christianity:

Adrammelech

Alastor (avenger of evil deeds, specifically familial bloodshed, byname of Zeus, also one of Hade’s black horses, possessing entity like Nemesis, generic term for evil spirits)

Asmodeus

Baphomet

Belial

Belphegor

Demogorgon

Dusios

Gello

Incubus

Succubus

Satan

Four Princes of Hell (Satanic Bible)

Satan

Lucifer

Belial

Levitaian

#exterminators #hazbin hotel

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fortunatelylori · 5 years

Text

GOT: The exhausting march towards the dramatic TWIST

I think I’m going to shock people with this statement but ... out of all the season 8 episodes we’ve seen so far, episode 4 is by far my favorite.

Now don’t get too excited by the seemingly warm tone ... what I mean by favorite is that I hated it less than episode 1 through 3, which is about as high a praise as I’m likely going to have for this debacle that is season 8.

General impressions:

There are two reasons why I felt this episode was better than the last 3:

1. It was more focused, with 3 clear storylines: D*ny’s war for the crown (story A), Jon’s and his family continuing to be dead inside (story B), Jaime’s return to his sister-lover (story C). This kind of focus and definite structure should be a given. However GOT decided to go all yolo on our asses this season and as we’ve already covered in my other reviews, it’s gotten to the point where I’m genuinely shocked to see an episode that doesn’t jump from plot point to plot point like an enraged orangutan on ecstasy.

2. It was centered around this woman:

Look at that face... Holy Shit! She’s going to give me nightmares!

Now, normally an episodes focused on D*ny would be bad news for me because I don’t particularly care for her, as half of my list of metas can conclusively prove.

However, since she’s the only character whose POV isn’t hidden and her scenes aren’t cut short or drained of any and all possibility of actual human emotion, she’s become the only character that I can watch without feeling frustrated, confused or on the verge of an anxiety attack. I actually like to know what the hell is happening on screen and what the character wants in any given scene. Call it a pet peeve of mine.

Although even D*ny, as well rounded a character as she is, suffers from the Ds oscillating trend this season. Last episode, D*ny stood her ground against the NK, committed herself and her armies to the defense of the realm and saved Jon’s life. This episode, she’s back in full Mad King’s daughter mode, with a pinch of Viserys on the side.

But that’s a quibble, honestly and you can always argue that Jorah’s death really pushed D*ny into a dark place in which the crown of Westeros and her war against Cersei becomes more important than her own humanity.

However, what isn’t a quibble is that death seems to have become a shorthand device the Ds employ to signal D*ny’s eventual rise as Queen of the Ashes. She loses Jorah in episode 3 and by the end of episode 4, she loses both Rhaegal and Missandei as well, leaving her in a seeming cliffhanger over whether or not to put the Red Keep to the torch as revenge.

The problem is that D*ny had been chopping at the bit to burn down King’s Landing since season 7 when she had to be talked out of doing just that TWICE. This episode Tyrion once again has to put the breaks on D*ny’s fiery fantasies.

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This scene right here is a treasure trove of Mad D*ny clues. But let’s focus on two of them. Firstly, the impetuous to burn KL is stil there:

D*ny: We will hit her hard. We will rip her out root and stem.

Tyrion: The objective here is to remove Cersei without destroying King’s Landing.

That is not a happy face ...

As D*ny put’s it, they need the capital because otherwise Cersei can continue calling herself the queen of the 7 kingdoms.

That’s D*ny’s priority, folks: the acquiring of that stupid title.

And if she has to march her weakened army, her sick dragon/child for thousands of miles and burn thousands of innocent people to get that title, she’ll do it.

Considering this set-up, why exactly did we need Missandei and Rahegal to die? One day into Tyrion’s proposed blockade and D*ny would be roasting giant marshmallows in the Red Keep gardens.

In my opinion, the reasons for killing Rhaegal and Missandei are not tied to the dark!dany arc at all. Instead, Rhaegal gets killed because they want to make the D*ny/Cersei conflict as even as possible so they’re eliminating one of D*ny’s weapons of mass destruction.

And Missandei ... poor Missandei gets killed in order to shock the audience. There is absolutely no reason to kill her in this way ... If she was to die, the time for that would have been in episode 3. They have to actually push the suspension of disbelief in order to convince the audience that somehow Euron got a hold of this girl from an armada of wrecked ships, instantly knew how important she was, dragged her back to the Red Keep and then brought her up on that wall expecting .... what??!

Euron and Cersei are far too smart to believe D*ny will give up her war for Missandei so why kill her so publicly? To intimidate D*ny? They didn’t need Missandei for that. They could have just as well beheaded all of the hostages they took from the ships.

They kill Missandei because that’s the easiest way for the Ds to surprise the audience and for them to garner some sort of sympathy for D*ny when she eventually does end up going all Pablo Escobar on a city filled with a million people.

The other glaring Mad D*ny moment in the scene and one that plays straight into political Jon, is this:

Sansa: The men we have left are exhausted. Many of them are wounded. They will fight better if they have time to rest and recuperate.

D*ny: How long do you suggest?

Sansa: Can’t say for certain. Not without talking to the officers.

D*ny: I came North to fight alongside you. At great cost to my armies and myself. And now that the time has come to reciprocate, you want to postpone?

Jon: The Northern forces will honor their promises and their allegiance to the queen of the 7 kingdoms. What you command, we will obey.

I’ve seen a lot of people being angry at Jon for “taking D*ny’s side” in this conflict but in order to understand how this plays into political Jon, there are 2 things you need to keep in mind:

The first is exactly when Sansa intervenes in the conversation. She steps in directly after both Tyrion and Jon manage to convince D*ny not to burn down King’s Landing. D*ny reluctantly agrees to the blockade because that would mean having to wait to take the crown and as she puts it:

D*ny: The longer I leave my enemies alone, the stronger they become.

Now Sansa wants to delay her even further. This is not acceptable to D*ny.

In addition to that, I don’t think Sansa appreciates just how dangerous and volatile D*ny is. She doesn’t know about the men being fed to dragons, or the 163 crucified masters or how close she was to jumping on a dragon and burning down KL in the past.

Jon, however, does understand D*ny quite well by this point. I don’t buy his speech as him agreeing with D*ny at all in this scene and considering this is the face he puts on to silence Sansa:

I’d say this is a guy desperately trying to keep a bomb from exploding directly in the face of someone he cares very deeply about.

Narratively, I believe this is supported by the Sansa/Tyrion scene later on when Sansa is surprised to realize that Tyrion is actually afraid of D*ny. She simply hadn’t considered that people are scared of what D*ny might do.

As interesting as D*ny’s descent into madness is (despite Missandei’s useless death), it’s counterbalanced by the shit show that continues to be Jon Snow.

Watching Jon’s arc this season, and by extension all the Starks, is like banging your head against a concrete wall over and over again, without making a dent. It’s pointless, exhausting and painful.

At this point I don’t care if he’s in love with D*ny or Sansa, if he’s pol!Jon or idiot!Jon, if he wants to be king or fuck off beyond the wall. I genuinely don’t care anymore. What I do care about is being given access to Jon’s story enough to figure out what the hell he wants and what he’s doing.

It’s one thing to keep a character’s POV hidden for an episode but we’re going on almost 2 seasons now. And Jon isn’t a secondary character like Littlefinger where you can get away with hiding the POV because he’s not as big a part of the plot as a main character is.

But Jon is a main character and this effort to keep him enigmatic and mysterious isn’t only wreaking havoc on his arc but it’s also affecting the rest of the Stark family. Case and point:

youtube

In case anyone is keeping score, this is actually the first and only scene all the Starks have together in 4 episodes, amounting to 5 hours of footage.

And just look where they decide to end this scene! Right when we’re going to see Arya and Sansa react to the parentage reveal and see what they and Jon discuss next. They gave us the mere bones of this scene and left us without the meat.

The important part of the scene, the emotional underbelly, the opportunity to see these people come together and support and embrace Jon as the Stark they still think he is, is taken away from us. Because that would chip away at the mystery surrounding Jon’s arc this season.

I’d argue depriving Jon and the Starks of the emotional bond they share is way too steep a price to pay for what is essentially a cheap thirll that becomes cheaper and cheaper by the minute considering they’re delaying whatever reveal they’re planning on making past the point of me giving a shit!

This episode did, however, give me the perfect visual way of describing Jon’s storyline right now. Jon is basically stuck between:

and

and he chooses neither.

He sends Ghost away (without patting him because having KH and the wolf in the same frame would be too costly for the overly expensive GOT) and refuses to ride Rhaegal because ... reasons.

So instead of seeing him choose between being a direwolf and a dragon, we’re seeing him do nothing, while looking overly enigmatically blank for 5 hours straight. I just .... I’m sooooo tired of this. Can this be over now?

PS: I’d discuss Jaime’s storyline this episode but I don’t want to say: I told you so ... Well ... ok, if you insist:

a little sour milk dribble on Tormund’s beard and a silly giant story isn’t going to make me forget that Jaime has arrived in Winterfell on the coat tails of a 20+ year toxic relationship with a woman who is not only his twin sister but is also currently pregnant with his baby.

Also:

Jaime: She (Cersei) has always been good at using the truth to tell lies. Don’t be too hard on yourself. She’s fooled me more than anybody.

Tyrion: She never fooled you. You always knew exactly what she was. And you loved her anyway.

Yeah … Imagine entering a relationship with a guy exiting THAT. Dealing with sour milk beard is mild by comparison.

(source)

Favorite scenes

The “If you love me, you’ll erase yourself” scene:

youtube

There is something so deeply disturbing about this scene that I can’t help but be fascinated by it. The J0nereys relationship has always been toxic and this scene right here encapsulates just why:

In order to be with D*ny, Jon needs to give up everything that makes him who he is. In season 7, he was forced to bend the knee and suffer the ire of the entire North for it. Now D*ny is asking him not only to give up his claim but also lie about who he is and separate himself from his family in order to make sure that D*ny gets to be queen.

No one, not one person in this world, no matter how beautiful, rich, good in bed or seemingly in love with you, is worth you giving up who you are and removing yourself from your family (provided said family is not toxic, of course). And anyone that would ask you to do that, should be dumped on their asses pronto.

Jon can’t do that, unfortunately. Because he’s brought D*ny here to fight “his war” and pretended to be in love with her. And also because D*ny simply isn’t rational anymore. So he’s stuck apologizing for people liking him (just think about that!) and having to put up with her saying things like:

D*ny: It doesn’t matter what you want! You didn’t want to be king in the North! What happens when they demand you press your claim and TAKE WHAT IS MINE?

Except the crown isn’t D*ny’s. It never was. Logistically speaking, the crown belongs to Cersei right now. Legitimately, the crown is Jon’s. It’s D*ny that is actually taking what is his, not the other way around. Imagine making someone apologize for you doing that to them. That’s all kinds of messed up.

Speaking of which:

Jon: You are my queen! I don’t know what else I can say!

D*ny: You can say nothing! To anyone! Ever! Never tell them who you really are. Swear your brother and Samwell Tarly to secrecy and tell no one else!

You know what she sounds like? Like Tangled’s Mother Gothel convincing Rapunzel that she’s better off being her prisoner.

Yikes! She’s genuinely terrifying!

Also:

D*ny: Sansa will want to see me gone and you on the Iron Throne.

Jon: She won’t.

D*ny: She’s not the girl you grew up with. Not after what she’s seen. Not after what they’ve done to her.

2 things:

1. I hope every D*ny stan in the universe either denounces D*ny for victim blaming or closes their mouths about feminism, misogyny and pitting women against women for the rest of time. If you support this woman and consider her a positive role model, you are not allowed to discuss these subjects in public ever again.

2. Can you really blame Jon for taking D*ny’s side against Sansa in the council meeting? He already knows just what D*ny thinks of Sansa and what she’d like to do to her if she is given the opportunity. Hurting Sansa’s feelings is preferable to her losing her life.

The “This better not be unrequited love, Ds!” scene:

youtube

This face right here ... this face:

It’s heartbreaking. And what really angers me about this scene is that it could have been all the more meaningful had the parentage reveal been played in full. Actually seeing Sansa reacting, hearing Jon’s fears or his anguish, would make her fighting for his crown when he refuses to do so even more powerful and romantically charged.

Still, this scene comes in direct contrast to the Jon/D*ny scene. While D*ny wants to force Jon to live a lie for the rest of his life, to humble himself and make himself small so she can have all the power and the love of the people, Sansa not only shoots down the possibility of her being the only one in charge of the North and holding steadfast to the idea that Jon will stay in Winterfell. She goes as far as tell Tyrion Jon is the rightful heir when she realizes that despite his supposed loyalty to D*ny, Tyrion is actually afraid of her.

She sees an opening to ensure Jon’s freedom and she takes it without hesitation.

If, at the end of all of this, Jon ends up going beyond the wall instead of staying with a woman who loves and values him this much, then Westeros truly is a cruel and horrible place and I’ll be sorry I invested so many years of my life to it.

Episode MVPs

Euron “Best General in fucking Westeros” Greyjoy:

Euron gets to be MVP this episode because in one fell swoop he destroyed D*ny’s fleet and brought down one of her dragons. What can I say ... Competency really turns me on.

Too bad Cersei doesn’t love him. If these two actually cared about each other, they could be the McBeths of Westeros. Nothing could stand in their way!

Lord “What an Icon!” Varys:

What can one say about this glorious man? He is MVP for the second time in 4 reviews and somehow I think he’s not done yet.

Varys and Tyrion got down to some realpolitick this episode. But Varys had some truly outstanding lines, like:

Varys: How many others know?

Tyrion: Including us? Eight.

Varys: Well, then it’s not a secret anymore. It’s information. If a handful of people know now, hundreds will know soon.

It’s so rare to find a man that understands gossip so well!

Varys: I’ve served tyrants all my life. They all talk about destiny.

As a person born under a communist regime, I concur, Varys.

And my personal favorite:

Varys: You know where my loyalty stands. You know I will never betray the realm.

Tyrion: What is the realm? A vast continent, home to millions of people, most of whom don’t care who sits on the Iron Throne.

Varys: Millions of people, many of whom will die if the wrong person sits on that throne. We don’t know their names but they’re just as real as you and I. They deserve to live. They deserve food for their children. I will act in their interests, no matter the personal cost.

If this show doesn’t end with a 7 foot, cockless statue of Varys presiding over the whole of Westeros as the ICON that he is, what was even the point?!?!?

#got8 #got8 spoilers #got 8x04 #got8 review #sansa stark #jon snow #dark!dany #lord varys #jonsa #euron greyjoy #braime

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the-desolated-quill · 4 years

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BBC’s The War Of The Worlds blog - Episode 3

(SPOILER WARNING: The following is an in-depth critical analysis. If you haven’t seen this episode yet, you may want to before reading this review)

You know, people often ask me why I get so angry when I’m reviewing BBC shows. I mean yes I give Disney and Marvel a hard time too, but they don’t get nearly as much bile and venom as I give the BBC. Well that’s because, unlike Disney and Marvel, BBC shows are funded by the British taxpayer through our TV licence fees. I’m effectively paying for them to make this crap. That’s what pisses me off more than anything.

Yes we mercifully come to the end of this... this. Episode 1 was a slow, plodding and utterly tedious affair that was about as exciting as an Amish bachelor party. Episode 2 was even worse thanks to its poor narrative structure, terrible characterisation and less than subtle allegories. Now Harness has come to hammer the final nail in the coffin with Episode 3. Is it bad?

...

You’re right, that’s a stupid question. A more apt question would be how bad is it. Very, very bad is the answer. Very, very bad indeed.

Lets start with the obvious problem. The non-linear narrative introduced in the previous episode. The stupid early reveal that the Martians ultimately lose and that Amy survives completely destroyed any and all tension and suspense thanks to Peter Harness desperately trying to outwit the audience instead of just telling a story. Now, bizarrely, he tries to reintroduce tension by having the characters umming and arghing about what killed the Martians off and whether this could help stop the Earth from terraforming. One teeny, tiny problem with this though. The audience already know! Even those that never read the original book know how it ended! And even if you didn’t, the episode drops enough hints like great fucking boulders. The prevalence of typhoid throughout the episode and its correlation with the Martians stumbling around like a drunken prom date isn’t exactly hard to miss. Harness’ writing is still as unsubtle as ever. But worse still, he completely undermines and misses the point of the ending to War Of The Worlds.

One of my biggest pet peeves is when people (mostly Americans) criticise the end of the original book for being a deus ex machina. I mean the Martians get killed off by the common cold. How stupid, right? Except it’s not because those people (mostly Americans) are looking at it the wrong way. Your main takeaway shouldn’t be that the Martians were easily killed off by bacteria. Rather that we failed to stop them. The reason humanity prevails in the end is more down to luck than anything else. The narrator even attributes this to being an act of God. But here’s the thing. We didn’t stand a chance against the Martians. We didn’t beat them. They lost because they just happened to catch a cold. Now it’s not hard to imagine a society as scientifically advanced as their’s to be able to find some kind of cure or vaccine for it. And if and when they do, what then? We’d be fucked, wouldn’t we? Should the Martians ever return to finish what they started, the human race would be well and truly doomed. It’s not a deus ex machina. It’s a dire warning of what’s to come. A brief respite before the inevitable. That’s what makes the ending so effective.

The BBC series however completely misunderstands this, changing the story so that Ogilvy (an astronomer, don’t forget) somehow manages to weaponize typhoid in order to kill the red weed, which is presented as some kind of victory, when in reality it’s quite an insulting deviation from the source material. If only the Commonwealth could shake off the remnants of British colonialism as easily as these guys dealt with the red weed. Not to mention it just makes the Martians look really stupid. So they come to Earth, drink our blood, keel over and then... what, they just give up? Are they just waiting for humanity to die by itself? What happens when Mars HQ realises the red weed hasn’t worked? What then? Are they just going to shrug it off? It doesn’t make any sense.

Which brings us to the Martians themselves. The picture above comes from the Jeff Wayne musical version and is without a doubt the most accurate depiction of the Martians from the book. Most of the other adaptations have wildly different interpretations, which isn’t a problem in and of itself provided it works within the context of that particular narrative. However the reason I bring up the original design is so I can talk about what H.G. Wells intended when he came up with them. See, while the Martians are highly intelligent, they’re also presented as being quite vestigial. They’re sluggish thanks to Earth’s heavier gravity, rendered practically deaf thanks to Earth’s dense atmosphere and apparently have no organs with which to digest their food, hence their need to inject human blood directly into themselves for sustenance. The Martians represent what humanity could become as we become more and more reliant on technology. The Industrial Revolution brought about a lot of societal fears and concerns at the time, and the Martians are those fears manifested. Heartless creatures reduced to being simple brains, unable to properly interact with the world around them.

The BBC series goes a very different route. Instead of the giant brains, we instead get giant brown crabs, which, again, isn’t necessarily a problem provided it works in context. And that’s the problem. It doesn’t. The original Wells design told us what we needed to know about their biology, their motivations and their society. What do we learn about the BBC Martians? They’re big, generic monsters that look like rejects from Stranger Things. They don’t even inject blood into themselves. They feed off of us directly, leechlike. They’re more like animals. Not the vast, cold, unsympathetic intellects they were described to be. At no point do you buy that these creatures would be capable of building the Tripods or colonising the Earth. They just exist for some cheap jump scares and horror movie cliches.

What’s worse is that by changing the Martians’ design so drastically, any subtextual allegory gets chucked in the bin. The Martians from the book are meant to represent the British Empire at the height of its power. Merciless tyrants stomping all over the lives and cultures of the so called ‘lesser races,’ changing the environment to suit them rather than adapting to the existing environment. It’s Darwinism crossed with arrogance. And yet, ironically, the oppressors (the Martians) are technically inferior to the natives (the humans) as they are incapable of surviving without the aid of technology. The BBC series is unable to make this allegory, so Harness has to resort to straight up telling the audience the allegory. In by far the clunkiest scene in the entire series, we see George argue with his brother about how the Martians are no different from the Brits in their colonial ways. Not only does this break the ‘show, don’t tell’ rule and stands as a perfect example of bad storytelling, Harness doesn’t even bother to do anything with this other than just making the comparison. It’s been previously established that Amy was born and raised in India. You’d think she’d have something to say about all this, but nope. At the end, she wistfully describes India to her son in the most patronising and insulting way possible. It’s really quite disgusting. I mean H.G. Wells was quite patronising towards the Tasmanians in the book, but in his defence, he was a privileged white man from the 1800s. What’s Peter Harness’ excuse?! Ostensibly he pays lip service to the idea that the Martians are no different from the Brits, but he doesn’t want to really explore it or get us to actually think about it. Probably because it’s all a bit too complicated to get into, but if he’s not confident about exploring such topics, why the fuck is he adapting War Of The Worlds in the first bloody place?! Write something else!

In fact I think this is the root of all the problems with this adaptation. Harness clearly isn’t capable of exploring the complex themes of the source material, so instead he either introduces irrelevant social issues that aren’t nearly as complicated (women’s rights, empires are bad and so on) as a token show of progressiveness, or he goes as far as to uncomplicate themes and ideas to an almost offensive degree. In the book, the narrator is trapped in a church with a priest who is going through a major existential crisis and risks giving away their hiding spot to the Martians, who are busy terraforming the planet. So he resorts to knocking the priest unconscious and watching as the Martians drag his body away. In the BBC series, we see the old woman and the kid get killed off for no reason other than shock value and the characters have nothing to do with their demise, so they’re morally in the clear. The priest meanwhile doesn’t even appear in the scene, instead being relegated to the shitty flash forwards where his faith remains very much intact and even protests against the idea that it’s humanity’s illness that stopped the Martians rather than an act of God (brief side note, would Ogilvy really be this open about not believing in God? At the time of the book’s publication, the scene with the priest losing faith was considered extremely controversial, so this just seems utterly wrong). Plus there’s no tension in wondering what the Martians are doing and whether they’re going to find the characters. In fact there’s no tension whatsoever because we know the Martians have fallen ill and the characters are just hanging around, waiting for the fuckers to die. I cannot stress enough how atrociously awful the writing is in this show. We know the Martians are dying and the episode is about the characters waiting for them to die.

Jesus fucking Christ!

The Artilleryman from the previous episode was the same. In the book he was a deluded crackpot who willingly bought into imperialist dogma, believing that humanity could rebuild underground and eventually rise up and defeat the Martians. In the BBC series, he was a scared, innocent little waif being forced to fight in a war he wants no part of. It’s an incredibly shallow and uninteresting reinterpretation of the source material.

But the worst, the absolute worst, is what Harness does with George.

To be clear, no I’m not upset he gets killed off. I’ve made my views on him quite clear. He cheated on his wife because she was infertile and ran off to make whoopie with some redhead. The bastard deserves everything he gets, frankly. Plus I’ve had enough of Rafe Spall’s gormless acting to last a lifetime, thank you. What I am upset by is the way he gets killed off.

One of the most interesting parts of the original book is the fact that there are no heroes in War Of The Worlds. The Artilleryman is a young, impressionable, nationalist fool, the Priest descends into a pit of nihilistic despair, and the narrator survives only by his cowardice. He even goes as far as to attempt suicide, throwing himself in front of the unbeknownst to him dead Tripod because he cannot bear the idea of living in a world like this. It’s extremely dark and very cynical. The BBC series goes a very different route. We see George slowly become delirious as a result of the typhoid infection he got by drinking the poisoned cup of water in the previous episode (so all that stuff about the Martian terraforming was a load of bollocks) before, realising that he is becoming a burden to Amy, deciding to make the supreme sacrifice and facing the lone Martian alone while she makes a run for it. Not only does this open up a major plot hole - who the fuck was Amy expecting to arrive from the North if George is dead? They try to dismiss this as memory suppression, but I’m pretty sure that doesn’t apply to losing a loved one to a fucking alien - it also completely stands at odds with the themes of the book. When facing annihilation at the hands of a higher power, the arrogant Brits, who previously lived a life of privilege on the backs of millions of subjugated, reveal themselves for who they truly are at their core. The BBC series says yeah, we were a bunch of racist tosspots with delusions of grandeur, but we weren’t all bad. The main takeaway I got from this despicable, badly written series was a three hour pity party about how all those selfish POCs don’t consider the feelings of white people and asking why can’t we all just get along.

Peter Harness’ bastardisation of War Of The Worlds is without a doubt one of the worst adaptations I’ve ever seen. In fact it’s quite possibly one of the worst TV shows I’ve ever seen, period. It’s not just the sheer disregard for the source material that upsets me. It’s also the absolute amateurish nature of the whole fucking thing. This series fails in some of the most basic ways. His writing is truly terrible, somehow getting steadily worse and worse with each episode. It’s not just upsetting to see someone get the fundamental elements of storytelling so spectacularly wrong, it honestly makes me sick to my fucking stomach. Peter Harness, please, for your own sake and my sanity, stop fucking writing. You’re clearly not good at it and I don’t want to see my money go to someone who obviously hasn’t the faintest fucking idea what they’re doing. Enough is enough.

So it would seem that Jeff Wayne’s musical version remains the best adaptation of War Of The Worlds. In fact can we just have a movie adaptation of that please?

#the war of the worlds #hg wells #peter harness #bbc #review #spoilers

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pompeiibonzai · 4 years

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6 Things RWBY Volume 7 Needs to do

With RWBY Volume 7 literally days away, there’s a lot of speculation about what will happen to our heroes in Atlas. Volume 7 is shaping up to be a pivotal time not only for teams RWBY, JNR, Qrow, Oscar and Maria, but for the series as a whole. The group has come a long way since leaving Vale and Atlas needs to be the biggest challenge they’ve faced yet.

With that in mind, here are 6 things that Volume 7 needs to do in order to make this volume stand out.

1. Focus on Weiss

It can’t be argued that Weiss has come a long way from her introduction in Volume 1. Volume 4 especially laid the groundwork for Weiss’s development when she chose to forge her own path rather than stay under the cold thumb of her father.

Since then, however, not a lot of attention has been given to Weiss. We got a touching reunion between her and Yang (and later Ruby) and she certainly kept her cool when she set the Brunswick house on fire to stop the Apathy’s pursuit. Now, with the party arriving at Atlas, it’s important that the volume take the time to focus on her, her feelings about being back so soon after leaving, reactions regarding what Atlas has become and (hopefully) a showdown between her and her father – or at least Whitley. Hell, a reunion with Winter would certainly be welcome as would an introduction to the elusive Willow Schnee.

Of course, I’m not looking for the rest of the cast to take a complete backseat (some attention thrown Oscar’s way and how he’s dealing with his situation, would be nice), but the main focus of the volume when it comes to characterization needs to be on Weiss. The volume should take the opportunity to develop her character further, work on the relationship between her and Yang that was touched on in Volume 5, and lay the framework for continued relationship building with Blake and Ruby and maybe members of team JNR as well.

2. Show (Don’t Tell) the Civil Unrest in Atlas…and some Faunus Discrimination too.

RWBY has a bad habit of telling us a lot of things, but not actually showing any of it to us. Volume 5 spent too much time in the teams’ safe house and not enough time out exploring the Kingdom of Mistral. Not to mention that we have had our ears talked off about how badly the Faunus are treated, but to date have not seen much to back that up. With the exception of Jinn’s vision in Volume 6, exposition has been given by way of a lot of talking and little showing.

The trailer for Volume 7 teases us with scenes from a very dark city (Atlas? Mantle?) where the people are very unhappy and we hear a voice over from Weiss observing that “This isn’t right”.

It’s hopeful that this means we’ll actually get to see the affect the fall of Vale and the subsequent closing of Atlas’s boarders has had on the people of living in the kingdom. Has Ironwood gone too far with the idea of a military state? Has martial law been declared? Are things so bad that civil war threatens to tear apart the country if the grimm don’t get to it first?

Whatever is going on in Atlas, it’s vital that Volume 7 takes the time to show it to us rather than have Ironwood (or anyone else) simply explain the situation to Ruby and the others. In order of us to really grasp how things “are not right”, we need to see it for ourselves.

Same goes for some negative treatment of the Faunus. Mistreatment, even oppression, of the Faunus has been something repeated again and again over the course of the series, but not something we have actually seen much of. Granted, it’s not easy to write (much less watch) the cruel treatment of others, however, it is something that needs to be seen in order to carry any kind of weight. This is especially true if the audience is meant to be sympathetic towards the Faunus. Considering Atlas is supposed to be the most offending country when it comes to Faunus rights, Volume 7 absolutely must show how the Faunus living there are treated, especially during this time of social strife and unrest.

3. Ruby Learns that there are Consequences to Her Actions

Ruby really came into her own as a leader during the events of Volume 6, something that was a long time coming and was fun and rewarding to watch. However, there is a significant difference between being a leader and being overconfident to the point where you’re reckless – like diving headfirst up the barrel of a buster cannon during combat.

Part of being a good leader is realizing that your actions have consequences, not only for yourself, but for your team as well. This is a lesson Ruby hasn’t seemed to have learned yet and one she should have learned back in Volume 4 when she butted into the fight with Tyrian after Qrow told her to stay back. Qrow, fortunately, recovered from that encounter and for whatever reason, the event has never been brought up again. Furthermore, Ruby’s “We Don’t Need Adults” speech in Episode 9 of Vol. 6 (Lost) underlines the fact she has a lot to learn when it comes to the idea that her actions have consequences. Especially considering that no, Ruby, you wouldn’t have gotten to Mistral had it not been for the adults in your life stepping in and helping out.

I will admit that the fight with Tyrian showed Ruby’s sense of responsibility (“I can’t stand by while someone gets hurt”). However, she hasn’t quite learned about taking responsibility when her actions cause problems for others or puts them directly in harm’s way, or risks her own life needlessly. Ruby needs to learn this lesson and she needs to learn it the hard way.

We all make mistakes. Let Ruby make her own that have serious repercussions not only for her but to those who follow her. Let her face those repercussions. Doing so will not only make her more relatable as a character, but will help her to continue to grow into the great leader and hero she is being set up to be rather than being a girl who can do no wrong (even when she does).

4. A Limit to the Silver Eyes

Ruby has learned to control her Silver Eyes too easily and too quickly. Yes, it took her two tries in order to use them on the Leviathan at the end of Volume 6, and she didn’t freeze it permanently, but she still was able to do it just with the meager information Maria had given her earlier in the volume.

The other two times Ruby used her eyes she was under great emotional distress and she had little to no control over what she was doing, much less an understanding of what she was doing. This is what made the concept of Silver Eyes so appealing and so mysterious. The appeal was taken even further when it became obvious that not a lot of people knew anything about the Silver Eyes (if anyone did at all), and that Ruby was going to have to figure it out on her own and we would figure it out with her.

However, by the end of Volume 6, and after one conversation with Maria (in which the huntress didn’t provide Ruby with much information we didn’t already know), Ruby seems able to use her eyes no problem and against a gigantic beast that was supposed to be an imposing threat against Argus. The issue here is since she was able to use her power on something so imposing, any time she doesn’t use it on much smaller grimm will come across as being forgetful at best and negligent at worst. It also mitigates any threat the grimm still have, turning them into more of an annoyance than anything else.

This can be avoided, however, if Ruby learns that there is some kind of limit to her power. I’m inclined to believe that there is considering that in Maria’s flashback, she only used her eyes against one nevermore and only after she had defeated the first using her weapons. This is only a theory, of course, but a limitation on the power will keep it from becoming too powerful too quickly and keep the grimm a reasonable threat.

5. A Reconciliation (of sorts) with Ozpin

Volume 6 changed Ozpin from a righteous and wise figure our heroes followed without question and humanized him, giving him flaws and faults and casting him in shades of grey. I loved every minute of it!

But Ozpin has had his time to brood and has made it clear that he hasn’t completely retreated to the recesses of Oscar’s mind. So, now is the time for him to attempt to reach back out to the people who are still carrying on his mission, with or without him.

Let’s be clear here: Ozpin was 100% in the wrong for keeping secrets from those who were loyal to him. However, I can sympathize with his reasoning and I can certainly sympathize with the overall reaction from Team RWBY and Qrow when his secrets finally came to light. But here is the main take away from this scenario: no one is absolutely right or absolutely wrong. No one is meant to be. It isn’t about who is right and who is wrong. I mentioned this before, but its about taking responsibility for the decisions you’ve made, right or wrong, good intentions or no.

I’m not talking about total forgiveness here. There was a gross betrayal of trust on Ozpin’s part and he should have to work hard to gain that trust back. However, having him reach out to the group, and having them respond (perhaps having an actual conversation about what happened), would provide for some fantastic character moments during quieter scenes. It would also be a great parallel for Ruby, as she too comes to understand that there are consequences for her decisions as well.

6. A Defeat at Atlas

The end of Volume 3 changed everything for RWBY. Though technically Ruby, her team and her friends weren’t completely defeated at Vale (the relic there still remains unclaimed...as far as we have been told...), they were shown for the first time that there are forces closer than they think that are incredibly strong and just how unprepared they were to face them.

Volume 7 needs to do something similar. The convergence of Watts, Tyrian, Cinder and Salem (along with her flying monkeys) on Atlas at once is the perfect time for our antagonists to re-establish their threat to RWBY and Co., as well as to us as an audience. Salem, especially, needs to continue to be a considerable looming threat and its time that she come out of the shadows to show our heroes just what she is capable of and why their mission against her is so important.

Now, I’m not calling for Atlas to come crashing down to the ground (though wouldn’t that be a spectacle), but the group needs to experience some kind of loss – either the loss of a relic, a maiden or even a teammate – to show them how far they still have to go if they ever hope to stand up to Salem…much less the gods themselves.

There you have it. The 6 things that (I think) RWBY Volume 7 needs to do in order for it to be as epic as I think it could be. There are a couple other things that I’d like to see this volume: Some good team combos (we got a great teaser with Weiss and Ren in the scene that was recently released), learning more about Summer (come on! Its been 7 years, throw us a bone already!) and Ironwood sporting the world’s best beard. However, that’s more of a wish list and doesn’t really have a lot of baring on whether or not the story will be good. Maybe I’ll do a post sometime between now and when the volume premiers talking about that. Maybe.

#rwby #rwby vol7 #ruby rose #weiss schnee #salem

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homespork-review · 5 years

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Homespork Act 1: The Note Dawdling Tension Plays (Part 3)

CHEL: John heads outside, finally, but finds the mailbox empty and the car locked with a package inside. It seems he’ll have to confront his father to get the game he seeks. And then, we get the internet equivalent of a splash page, with ominous wind chimes, slow-pan animation, and lyrical text.

You have a feeling it's going to be a long day.

Regarding the term “ominous”, it applies in ways Hussie intended, implying the strangeness to come, but also in ways he may not have. Notice anything absent from that animation? Go on, guess.

FAILURE ARTIST: John’s neighborhood is more bland than Privet Drive.

CHEL: True, but “character” wasn’t really what I meant. What would one expect to see at least one of, in a nice suburban neighbourhood, even a bland one, in the daytime, when we know John’s dad is home from work, even if through a window? What are we not seeing here?

FAILURE ARTIST: No people and not even any pets.

CHEL: Hot dog, we have a wiener. Not character, characters. There are no signs of life at all. Not even a wild bird. Now, John is the focal character here, so that might come under the heading of unnecessary detail, but considering what happens later, this becomes very creepy. The big dangerous thing has not happened yet, so there should still be people in the neighbourhood, and the sound of wind chimes implies at least one of those houses is inhabited. But we don’t see them. Come to think of it, John never mentions his school at all, nor any other friends apart from the other kids featured in the comic, and nor do they. It’s as if they literally sprang into existence on that day and got plopped down in place just in time to be in the comic.

FAILURE ARTIST: Given that John is home in the middle of what would be a school day I think he might be home-schooled.

CHEL: That didn’t occur to me. I’m a Brit and I guess I was thinking “Easter break”, but the school year pattern in the US is different. But that raises further questions. Doesn’t he know any local kids? His dad works full-time and he has no other family - when does his dad find the time?

FAILURE ARTIST: Maybe it would be Spring Break in Washington State. I don’t know.

CHEL: Regardless, it’s eerie. If he’s home-schooled, he still ought to have some local friends or at least be on wave-hello terms with neighbours, unless he really is stuck in his bedroom almost all the time. I’m tempted to add an ARE YOU TRYING TO BE FUNNY point for the implication that John’s been raised locked in a room, but that’s just silly speculation so I won’t.

While on the topic, John does live in a literal suburb, but I’m not going to give points for WHITE SBURB POSTMODERNISM here. That count is for when the characters’ behaviour comes across as white/suburban/wealthy and that contradicts how the author is trying to present them. John is supposed to be the everyman figure with an ordinary life, living in a regular respectable town.

Let’s move on. It’s time to confront the Parental Figure.

TIER: John finds himself heading to the kitchen to retrieve his game, and it's now that we get a good look at his dad, along with one of the neat little details about Homestuck's world being brought to the forefront.

I am of course, talking about STRIFE!

"[S] John: Enter and Strife!" (Watch on YouTube)

The more or less fighting system for lack of my vocabulary, and seemingly a thing you just do in this world.

CHEL: John gets to actually use his “hammerkind” weapon, and Dad’s preferred method of combat is offering yet more cake.

FAILURE ARTIST: John threatens his father with a hammer. In the real world, this would be horrifying. But it’s not in this video game world. The other Beta Kids have “STRIFE” with their parents and in only one case does it end up as being treated seriously. Yet that will wait to be seen.

CHEL: One case which is significantly less disturbing than one of the other cases, in some ways. But yes, that’s for later. To be fair, John could have been trying to hit the cake with the hammer, not his dad, but most parents still wouldn’t be pleased to have their kids waving hammers in their direction regardless.

ARE YOU TRYING TO BE FUNNY?: 2

TIER: After a short few rounds, John manages to properly distract his dad and successfully gets to his mail. A winner is you Johnny boy. Then we find ourselves with another hit of sylladex fuckery happening, joyous.

When we get back to John's room, it's pesterlog time, this time with a little sneak peak at the last of our fabulous foursome of thirteen years olds, gardenGnostic, or GG! They're only present for three short lines, but damn if they aren't pretty telling. From what little is seen they're an overall pretty chipper person, and to me at least adorable with those emojis.

CHEL: The beta’s finally in John’s hands, after all that effort to get it. So what do we do now? Why, it seems like a great time to go waste some time reading an entirely different imaginary webcomic promoting Hussie’s other work! Though, to be fair, the Midnight Crew will turn out to be relevant later. Keep that name in mind.

FAILURE ARTIST: The Midnight Crew actually started as the OCs of Problem Sleuth fan Mayonka who paid to have a extra episode.

CHEL: And then, FINALLY, he installs the thing, and it... gives us a loading page, and he goes off to read up on data structures and fuck about with his fucking sylladex some more!

TIER: The sylladex thing really knows how to wear its welcome thin with the shenanigans, thought I'll admit that John getting a razor embedded into the face of one of his posters was amusing in how dangerous the dang thing can be.

GET ON WITH IT!: 3

"Get on with it! (Monty Python)" (Watch on YouTube)

CHEL: Because I’m feeling bitter, I’m adding another point too!

HOW NOT TO WRITE A WEBCOMIC: 5 The Lost Sock - wherein the plot is too slight Here the main conflict is barely adequate to sustain a Partridge Family episode. Remember that this drama has to carry the reader through 300-odd pages. The central dilemma of a novel should be important enough to change someone’s life forever.

Our main plot hasn’t been introduced yet, so as far as the reader knows, what’s happening now is the plot. Getting a video game out of the kitchen should not take this long and is not much of an epic adventure! By now, Hussie’s committed almost all of the sins listed in HNTWAN’s section on beginning a story! NOTHING IS HAPPENING!

Okay, something happens. It’s not plot, but it’s adorable. John opens the birthday present from Dave, to discover a souvenir of his favourite movie; the very stuffed bunny prop featured in Con Air. Look at how happy he is!

TIER: I do believe that up to this point, there hasn't been much of a plot, just people doing stuff. It's boring in the same way that someone telling you about an average day is, not much going on to be honest.

FAILURE ARTIST: I enjoyed reading Act 1 when I first read it but I was coming in under no expectation. Homestuck as a deep meaningful story hadn’t begun yet.

CHEL: Okay, NOW a thing is happening. The game is installed, on comes the loading page, and… Well, that’s peculiar. Now, at last, we see what the big deal with this game is. It permits TT, who installed the “server” section of the game while John installed the “client” section, to reach into his actual bedroom with the cursor and move things around, place bizarre-looking machinery in the rooms, or even add parts to his house a la The Sims. Now that’s a game worth the hype it got! Too bad it took almost 140 pages to actually reveal this.

The kids don’t seem very surprised by all this, yet the reviewer hadn’t heard the game could do that. One would think even such a disaffected dudebro would be curious about that, if he knew. Maybe the game really does have some kind of built-in failsafe to keep adults away?

FAILURE ARTIST: This is a world people have inventories instead of pockets and an RPG battle starts every time you argue with your parents.

CHEL: Does that apply to all people in it, though, or just the lead characters? They are, as it turns out, special already, and we never see a person who’s not involved.

John wants to try moving things around, but he needs the “server” CD-ROM to do so, which is still in the car. TT’s attempts to help result in not only a large machine called a “Cruxtruder” blocking the front door, but also the toilet, which John earlier accidentally filled with cake during sylladex shenanigans, being ripped out and dropped in the yard, and the bathtub similarly ending up in the hallway, which is pretty funny, I admit.

EB: you can see me, right. EB: tell me what is wrong with this picture.

Perhaps sylladex shenanigans could be trimmed without being deleted entirely. SBurb shenanigans, similarly, are funny but might possibly do better to be compressed into fewer pages, but that’s not as big a deal, I think. The shenanigans aren’t entirely TT’s fault; she keeps losing her internet connection due to bad weather. GG’s earlier mention of an explosion near their home implies that things are starting to happen around them, too. Meantime, John finds a sledgehammer, a much better weapon, the implication being he’s going to need one, even if he turns out to be unable to lift it. TT helps him to hit the Cruxtruder with it, and said machine produces a glowing… thing and starts a four-minutes-and-thirteen-seconds countdown. Countdowns are never good in this context.

The glowing thing is a Kernelsprite, which needs to be “prototyped”, so into it goes the harlequin doll, causing it to take on the shape of a harlequin’s head and hand. Attempts to use the mysterious machinery TT has deployed result in the production of a shiny blue cylinder called a cruxite dowel and three green cubes labelled by the game as Perfectly Generic Objects, using up the game’s abstract building currency dubbed Build Grist. Wasting time playing with the machinery proves to be an unwise idea, however, as John looks into the sky and sees…

Even worse than the meteor heading directly for his house, Dad is coming back!

FAILURE ARTIST: THIS is where I came in. It is the most impressive flash animation so far. It is still awkwardly animated compared to later ones.

CHEL: I think it’s one of his earlier efforts, so I wouldn’t say it was bad. It succintly gets the point across and it’s better animated than anything I could do.

John messages TT again.

EB: oh man who cares about the bathroom, now there's a meteor heading for my house!!! TT: I see. TT: Do you suppose it has anything to do with the game? EB: i don't know, maybe! what do i do! TT: I think it's very likely. TT: The walkthroughs vaguely suggest an impending threat before they end. TT: The already poorly constructed sentences become even more curt and ambiguous. TT: As if written hastily and with a sense of alarm. TT: Actually, their dedication to updating the walkthrough under such circumstances is admirable.

TT concludes that if the meteor is caused by the game, succeeding at a game objective must be the way to stop it, and investigates while John talks to TG, resulting in one of my favourite conversations in the comic, but also leading into another count.

EB: we'll talk later if i am still alive and the earth isn't blown up. TG: like the size of texas TG: or just rhode island TG: theyre always throwing around these geographical comparisons to give us a sense of scale like it really means anything to us TG: but its like it doesnt matter its always just like: WOW THATS PRETTY FUCKING BIG TG: like mr president theres a meteor coming sir. oh yeah, how big is it? its the size of texas sir TG: OH SHIT TG: or, how big is it? its the size of new york city sir TG: OH SHIT TG: sir im afraid the comet is the size of your moms dick TG: OH SNAP TG: sir are you familiar with jupiter TG: you mean like the planet? TG: yeah TG: well its that big sir TG: hmm that sounds pretty big TG: i have a question TG: is it jupiter? TG: yes sir, earth is literally under seige by planet fucking jupiter TG: OH SHIT TG: anyway later

I don’t know if TG is supposed to believe John here. If he is, then we get another count:

HURRY UP AND DO NOTHING: 1

FAILURE ARTIST: Hate to be a killjoy but the line about your mom’s dick is transphobic.

CHEL: My original intention with the PROBLEMATYKKS count was to point out cases where it wasn’t justified by the character saying it, so I wasn't going to count this. Thirteen-year-old boys trying to be witty say all sorts of awful bullshit. Though the writer’s old enough to know better and it didn’t ever get called out, so yeah, okay, I’ll expand the original intention.

CLOCKWORK PROBLEMATYKKS: 4

The rest of it’s still funny, though. Besides, I was more immediately concerned with the fact that TG seems remarkably unconcerned about the possible risk to his friend’s life. There isn’t really anything he could do about it even if he tried, obviously, but one would expect he’d at least say “oh shit, run!” or something. This will become a recurring pattern in the comic, as will be shown fairly soon, hence the DO NOTHING count.

FAILURE ARTIST: I think that conversation is also from real life. Hussie and a friend talked about meteor movie conventions and Hussie decided to use it. However, I assume during that conversation they weren’t threatened by an actual meteor.

CHEL: Possibly he’d have done better to make it clearer that TG did not believe John actually had a meteor heading for him. John is a known joker, after all. It would be quite easy, and I would have assumed that in a comic which had had fewer unremarked wacky happenings already.

Dad Egbert is also remarkably calm about the bathtub in the hallway. TT’s attempt to move it is foiled when her connection is lost, causing her to drop it in front of John’s bedroom door, trapping him inside. John is now on his own.

#homespork #homestuck #homestuck meta #literary critique #sporking #homestuck reread #homestuck review #homestuck let's read

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sheikah · 5 years

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My thoughts on Friki’s 8.01 leak

Ok so first and foremost I just want to say that this information is received second and even thirdhand. I do not speak Spanish and did not watch Friki’s video. As it was playing @adecila was kind enough to translate for @muttpeeta who was kind enough to chat with me. My bff @dracarysqueen was also feeding me some info (thanks my love!) and I read a somewhat broken English and at times unclear translation here. It gives you a gist of the video and I’m grateful to u/hang_the_dj2 for making it. Edit: Here is @adecila‘s leak translation so that you guys can draw your own conclusions without my salt about these revelations haha. Her translation is the undisputed best and I didn’t see it prior to writing this post, though my response is still the same!

One of the first things I read about the leak was the bit about Gendry/Arya. Essentially Gendry makes a weapon to Arya’s specifications. He calls her “m’lady” purposely to fluster her. There is “sexual tension” between Arya and Gendry. HELLO??? I can’t fucking wait. This is going to take over as like the whole world’s GoT OTP lol calling it now <3

Arya apparently also reunites with the Hound. My takeaway from that bit of the translation is that Sandor mentions something about how Arya didn’t go through with killing him, and I guess he’s grateful for that now? That part was a bit unclear to me in the translation I read.

Arya also reunites with Jon (!!!!!) where they share a tender hug, compare weapons with one another, and generally have a sweet and positive interaction. Arya is wary of telling Jon that she’s a Faceless Man, and Jon asks Arya to try and talk Sansa into coming around re: Dany. It is obvious that Sansa dislikes or distrusts Dany and Jon is troubled by this and asks for Arya’s help. I’ve heard from one person that Jon also asks Arya to talk to Dany herself. I’m really pleased by the prospect of this because I knew that Arya would support Jon no matter what, and that that support would extend to Dany since they’re obviously in love.

Speaking of, Friki did make note of the fact that Jonerys is obvious to everyone else: Davos, Tyrion, Varys, etc. Sansa can see it too and asks Jon point blank if he bent the knee out of love or if he did it to save the North. Apparently Jon is extremely taken aback that she would ask this question. We aren’t told more about this moment but I’m guessing Jon is offended that she would ever think he would do something as serious as swearing fealty to Dany simply because of his romantic feelings, and not with the best interests of his home and family at heart. I’ll be interested to see how that conversation ends.

Also, I realize we all already knew this (and have been knowing this literally forever) but these revelations all completely disprove political!Jon. Yeah, it was already disproven by the scripts and basically everything else about canon but this is just another nail in the coffin. Jon having apparently private conversations with both Sansa and Arya about his love for Dany pretty much solidifies that he isn’t secretly playing her in the interest of Stark supremacy or independence.

That independence, though, is something that is still important to the Northern lords. Lyanna Mormont is outspoken in her disapproval of Dany as queen. She notes that they chose Jon as king, not Dany. Again, we knew this was coming, but I’m stricken again by how silly this is. It’s literally the end of the world. Can this discussion not wait?

Anyway, the Northern lords are not a fan of Dany and it is obvious. Apparently Dany attempts to ingratiate herself to Sansa. Something along the lines of her telling Sansa the North is beautiful. I guess this isn’t successful given the bit about Jon talking to Arya about how much Sansa dislikes Dany.

The Northern lords also tell Jon and Dany soon after their arrival at Winterfell that the Night King has turned Viserion into a wight and is riding him. Dany is distraught by this information and encourages Jon to ride Rhaegal already, in episode 1, BEFORE he finds out about being a Targaryen. They do this to try and get an edge over the Night King.

Jon does ride Rhaegal while Dany rides Drogon, it’s a great time, and they have a pretty passionate makeout session afterward lol. Friki specifically said this was a good episode for Jonerys scenes. I obviously love this bit of info and think it’s hot and exactly what I want for them both. Who wouldn’t get turned on by riding a dragon with Dany???? (also, lol at how accurate @muttpeeta‘s fic is!!!!) My only wish is that the dragon riding happened after the reveal. I just think it would be a more significant acceptance of his identity for Jon to reach this milestone after discovering he’s a Targaryen. At the same time, I like this because it shows how much Dany loves and trusts him already. Before learning he’s a Targ, before learning he has a claim to the IT, she is already willing to share everything with Jon--even her “children.”

Also at Winterfell, Dany and Jorah break the news to Sam about the death of Randyll and Dickon. This is the part I really don’t like, so I apologize in advance for the rant here. So Dany shares this information and Sam is unbothered by the death of his father. Good. We expected that. He is, however, perturbed by the death of Dickon. While he thanks Dany for sharing the information with him, he is upset and apparently leaves to seek out Bran for more insight. Bran stresses that it isn’t important and that Jon needs to know the truth of his parentage. So Sam leaves Bran and finds Jon in the crypts.

The first thing Sam shares with Jon, though, has nothing to do with Jon or his parentage. Sam finds Jon to tell him that Dany killed Randyll and Dickon. Jon, understandably, isn’t really phased. There are more important things to worry about, and Jon points out that not only do they need Dany, Dany is the queen. This is the moment when Sam drops the bomb. He tells Jon the truth of his parentage. Jon is shocked and denies it. Sam pushes further and tells him that Dany doesn’t have to be the queen because Jon is the king.

This is the part that really, really bothers me. A lot. I knew there would be friction about Jon’s parentage. I knew there would be friction about Jon’s claim to the Iron Throne. What I didn’t expect was for the Tarly deaths to be brought up again (literally they brought these unimportant characters back in s7 just to kill them, just to cast doubt on Dany’s decision-making by her male advisers) in the same breath as Jon’s parentage reveal. These things are not of equal importance. The world is literally ending and we’re supposed to be worried about Dany’s judgment again? And to say she “killed” Randyll and Dickon is silly anyway. Let’s not forget: Dany didn’t break into Horn Hill with a dagger and kill Sam’s unsuspecting family in their sleep. Sam’s family betrayed Olenna Tyrell, sacked the Reach, wiped out the entirety of House Tyrell leaving no survivors at Highgarden, and allowed their liege Lady to be murdered in cold blood by Jaime Lannister. Dany retaliated on behalf of her slain allies and even offered mercy to the Tarlys if ony they’d swear allegiance to her instead. They refused, and died for their crimes. Why is this still being discussed? I genuinely don’t understand.

By comparison, the Umbers and Karstarks betrayed their liege and were killed, but that act was seen as so egregious that Sansa suggested (and was supported in this suggestion by many Northerners) that even the descendants of the traitors be rooted out of their homes in retaliation for treachery. So why is Dany’s righteous vengeance on traitors still an issue? Why?

The episode apparently ends with Sam telling Jon that he is the heir. Again, I understand that. Westeros is built on male-preference primogeniture. Jon’s claim could trump Dany’s (for multiple reasons) and Sam and others would see that and likely push Jon to see it. The natural extension of that argument would be to suggest that Jon and Dany marry and unite their claims. Instead, Sam is possibly (again, we just had one brief video and multiple translations and interpretations of this video. I’m not sure exactly what Sam said) encouraging Jon to press his claim as king because 1. he has a potentially better claim and 2. because Sam might not believe Dany is an ideal queen due to the Tarly execution after the loot train battle.

I just hate this. I find it massively OOC for Sam to use the huge moment of Jon’s parentage reveal to air his grievances about something Dany did. I find it massively OOC for Sam to be so concerned about Dickon in the first place, especially now. We have not been shown a positive Sam/Dickon relationship in canon, and Dickon was aware of Randyll’s abuse of Sam--he witnessed it firsthand--and did nothing to protect Sam or stand up to his father. On the contrary, Dickon loved and looked up to the brutal Randyll enough to willingly die at his side. This was not a man who was overly concerned about Sam, or vice versa. But now, suddenly, Sam loves his little brother enough to complain to Jon about Dickon’s death in a way that disparages Dany? Additionally, Sam is one of the few people at Winterfell who knows exactly how big of a threat the Night King and the White Walkers are, and we’re supposed to believe his main concern right now is what happened to Dickon? We’re also supposed to believe that Sam, Jon’s best friend, would think he could talk Jon into being king of the 7K, despite Jon’s multiple explicit statements about how much he abhors ruling?

So we’re going to have a delightful week between episodes 1 and 2 during which the antis compose dissertation-length dark!Dany meta like crazy. We have to suffer under what I consider to be a very poorly manufactured conflict that was written just for petty drama. I literally spent the day today at a conference on Women’s Leadership and one of the key topics discussed was how women with true power are seen as threatening and have to work twice as hard to be taken seriously. Glad to see Game of Thrones doing literally nothing to challenge that idea where Dany is concerned.

Moving on.

We also apparently learn that Theon saves Yara early on, early enough to be back at Winterfell in time for the Battle of Winterfell. I’m thrilled as a shameless Yara fangirl :)

In King’s Landing Cersei receives word of the Night King and wight!Viserion. She also sees that the Golden Company arrives but not with the force she expected. Apparently they were supposed to have elephants, and they don’t? She’s angry about this, but still sleeps with Euron as payment for delivering her army. I also read somewhere that back at Winterfell, Tyrion is aware that Cersei has commissioned the GC and that she plans to use them against the North instead of as aid against the Night King. This is interesting considering Friki’s other leak involving some treachery by Tyrion later in the season.

Overall, the episode sounds compelling at least and I’m excited about Gendrya, a Jon/Arya reunion, Jonerys getting horny from riding dragons together lol, and Yara living. But Sansa still being a constant voice of opposition for Jon, and the petty Jon/Dany/Sam conflict is really unsettling to me and I’ve very tired of hearing about Randyll and Dickon Tarly.

#got spoilers #friki leaks #ep1 spoilers

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nothingbuttheawesome · 5 years

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Here’s how I would have ended Game of Thrones

This is just my personal opinion because I wasn’t satisfied with the actual ending so easing my own mind with this.

This is going from the end of season six where Dany sails to Westeros. (season 7 would have the full 10 episodes, season 8 would have at least 8 episodes - it’s a slow burn but that’s what the series was missing towards the end in my opinion)

I read someone’s suggestion that they kill the NK at the end of season 7 then do the downfall of Dany during season 8 and I like that so that’s what I’m basing this on (sadly cannot find the OP to credit)

So: Dany sails to Westeros, first episode (season 7) the North gets wind she has arrived so they go to get her help with fighting the NK (basically the summit in KL and the events leading up to it would happen within about 3-4 episodes a bit more condensed than it was)

Sansa would be at first a little apprehensive about Dany, but then she would put aside her differences and we see them working well together, but there are moments of tension that start to show Dany’s ignorance of Northern culture and further hints to her madness (eg. we see a man who fled from the Night’s Watch and is brought to Winterfell for justice - Sansa wants to pardon him/punish him with imprisonment because they need all the men they can get, Dany wants to burn him)

We’d see Jon playing a larger role in actively training the Unsullied etc. in tactics for defeating the White Walkers. We’d also see more of his leadership that we saw in earlier seasons because I thought he was a pretty flat character this season.

Cersei’s army wouldn’t head North to help as before, but Tyrion wouldn’t fall for it. He would still try to convince her to come North and help and she’d lie about giving help, but he’d be like ‘nah she’s not coming we’d better prepare for an eventuality she doesn’t’. However, Jaime would go North to help and abandon Cersei.

So season 7 has episodes 1-4 ish with building up to the summit of King’s Landing. Episodes 4-6 would be the summit and setting the scene for the scale of the battle, also laying the groundworks for what could be a good alliance between Sansa, Jon and Dany but it gets slowly tenser and weakened by Jon bending the knee and Dany’s tendency towards violence and impulsiveness and the clash of cultures etc.

The Long Night would take up at least 2, maybe 3 episodes. I’d still have Arya kill the NK, but Jon would fight him in a big epic battle, and he’d be pretty wounded by it. While Dany would still have lost Viserion to the NK earlier in the season (á la the real season 7), Rhaegal is still alive. Episode 10 would show the aftermath and starting to rebuild after such a massive battle. It would also show us the characters turning their attention towards Cersei’s betrayal (because they figured they had bigger problems to worry about with the NK but now Dany’s more interested in Cersei)

In season 8, they’d plan out their actions to take Cersei. I’d have episode 1 for planning, then episode 2-3 getting down and attacking KL then they’d take Cersei prisoner. I would have Arya and Jaime both going down to kill Cersei but it’s a race to get to her in the throne room, when they both enter they see Cersei on her throne surrounded by Unsullied and Grey Worm, who take her prisoner. Then we’d have what I was gassed for the entire second half of the series (unless Cersei was assassinated): The Trial of Cersei Lannister.

This trial would be a full episode. We’d see testimony from everyone: Sansa, Tyrion, Jaime, literally anyone who had tea to spill. But what would be the highlight of the episode would be this speech from Cersei (of a similar ilk to Tyrion’s trial speech in S4) where she’d explain herself: I’m talking emotion, I’m talking character arcs, I’m talking history, I’m talking just a pure character moment. Justification for herself, with hints of weakness showing through towards the end to show us that this is just a woman. No god or great power, just a woman.

Ultimately, the jury would find her guilty, and all vote for the Starks to finish her off, since she did them the most dirty, but then Dany would step in last minute and execute her with Drogon herself. This sidestep would cause whispers and talk of her being unjust and denying justice to the family who were wronged the most by Cersei. We see these rumours and whispers and talk eat away at Dany over the remaining season, as much as she tries to ignore them, and thus giving us the first full insight into what her madness could do to her.

In the meantime, Arya is very much doubting Dany and not at all happy with how she didn’t let her kill Cersei, so, being still young and impetuous, Arya talks of deposing Dany to Sansa, which is overheard and reaches back to Dany. Dany then captures and imprisons Arya for this, turning the entire North, Sansa and Jon against her. The Northmen and Storm’s End, led by Gendry, march down to get her back but Dany refuses. This incites a riot in King’s Landing and Dany sends in the Unsullied to stop it all. But the people of Westeros are tired of another conqueror and they rise up, taking up the weapons that Cersei hid around the defences (including scorpions) and they shoot and kill Rhaegal in the battle. Everything seems to freeze for a moment as they watch this dragon fall. This is the catalyst that causes Dany to burn down the city, since we have already seen Dany’s rule put a huge strain on her madness and we have good foundations for it. After KL is burned, all of Dany’s Westerosi advisors (Jon, Tyrion, Varys, etc.) have turned against her, and Jon is forced to kill her. He doesn’t enjoy it, but he knows he has to both from mercy and for the good of Westeros. Throughout the remaining episodes, we see his grief at having killed her, even though it was right, and showing the audience that although Jon does what is right, he doesn’t always like it.

After Dany’s death, Jon is pressured into taking the throne. It takes a while to convince him, but he has always done what was right. The council briefly considered making Gendry king (being the last Baratheon) but Gendry didn’t want to be king, and they considered Sansa but she wanted the independent North, so it falls to Jon Snow. Jon Snow takes his rightful place on the throne, weighed down by the guilt of how he got it and vowing to live out his reign always doing what is right for the people of Westeros. We see all the characters coming together at the coronation, weary and ready for peace. Up in the North however, atop the Wall, perhaps we see a single snowflake fall...

I’d also like to see some side plot where we see Jaime adjusting to life without Cersei, allowing himself to be happy with Brienne. I’d like to see them make plans to live on Tarth and the reliance Jaime has on Brienne, since he doesn’t believe he’s a good man. I think the final scene between them should be Brienne showing him what she wrote for his Kingsguard book entry (I don’t know the name of the book) or maybe them looking out over the sapphire isles. The key thing with Brienne’s character is that she no longer serves, she keeps the peace on her own islands. She has fulfilled all her oaths to protect the Stark children and make sure they are safe, and she has come into her own as a capable commander. I also want to see Jaime becoming his own person again having escaped his abuser.

#game of thrones spoilers #got spoilers #game of thrones #got #fix-it fic #au #my own #jon snow #danaerys targaryen #sansa stark #arya stark #gendry #brienne of tarth #jaime lannister #cersei lannister #tyrion lannister

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