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dont-offend-the-bees · 2 years

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Theories based on leaks abounding, so avoid if you don't want em, but I'm throwing my own wwdits finale theory/ideas into the pot bc I might as well

Regarding the season finale, 'Memories'

The most popular take I've seen around here is that Nandor's gonna lose his memories — either through a djinn wish or that tantalising foreshadowing about the Guide losing her memories for hooking up with a slayer. And I would love that, but you know what I'd love even more?

Guillermo losing his memories

Now hear me out!

So far this season, Nandor is getting it rubbed in his fucking face that Guillermo is important to him and that he might've missed his chance with him. Guillermo isn't rising to his jealousy bait, isn't taking up offers to see his magically enhanced dick (this fucking show), is dividing his attention to look after baby Colin and talk to his long distance secret boyfriend and presumably do Nadja's accounting (for whatever shady ass reason lmao).

Guillermo is, largely, operating as an independent person who spends time with Nandor and helps him, but doesn't need him or even technically work for him. Nandor, conversely, needs Guillermo a lot, or at the very least wants him around. He wants his help, his advice, he wants his attention. Even if he still hasn't actually consciously clocked that he has feelings for Guillermo and that his ex-familiar is the love he's been looking for, he knows that he wants Guillermo's attention and affection and time, and he's getting it but it's no longer undivided, and I think that bothers him more than he'd admit — partly bc yknow, classic Nandor abandonment issues, but also because whatever Nandor does, it all comes back to Guillermo.

And now on top of just having this strange sense of jealousy about Guillermo having other things/people in his life taking his attention, and this odd sense of discontent with his wife-to-be who is perfect on paper but still not quite clicking for reasons he can't name; on top of all that he now has to think of Guillermo during sex, too! (unless the djinn didn't actually curse him and he's just using that as an excuse for thoughts he was having anyway, of course xD)

I think as the season goes by and we get more and more ridiculous scenarios that emphasise just how throughly gone for Guillermo Nandor is, and how he needs Guillermo far more than Guillermo needs him, he's gonna get frustrated and angry and hurt. And I think it could all come to a head with a fight with Guillermo where he lashes out and wishes that he'd never welcomed him into his home, never scooped him up from that Panera Bread.

Cue Djinn.

Of course, for angst reasons, this is Nandor's last wish and he can't undo it. Which brings us to the final episode, Memories. And the reasons I adore this concept of a memory wiped Guillermo even more than Nandor are:

A) it's a culmination of this Nandor Pining era we're in. Guillermo desperately trying to make Nandor remember has angst and cuteness potential too especially in regards to like, how Nandor's feelings for Guillermo might differ if this time they didn't meet in a master-servant capacity, but also a risk of retreading ground we've already explored in things like 'The Wellness Center'. Putting Guillermo once again in the role of pursuer is a bit familiar and a bit of a step back after all his recent growth, but totally flipping their old dynamic on it's head by having Nandor be the one desperately trying to win the trust and affection of this memory-wiped Guillermo, who mostly sees this weird guy bugging him as a pushy nuisance? I'm here for it.

B) "From Panera Bread you came, and to Panera Bread you will return once again!" is now foreshadowing

C) MANY things they could do with memory-wiped Guillermo. Is he now meek and self-conscious with no self esteem again, because he earned that confidence through his trials and tribulations in the vampires' world? Did he grow in confidence a different way and now he's actually *gasp* well-adjusted? Does he SEEM well adjusted but actually under his polite every day Panera Bread manager facade he's still got something deeply fucked going on? So many great possibilities, either for exploring how he could've turned out different under different circumstances, or for showcasing just how far he's come over these 12 years and 4 seasons by showing us where he started.

D) Everyone's attempts to bring Guillermo home would just be such a beautiful way to show how he's actually wormed his way into the hearts and lives of these vampires. I mean for a fucking start, he is literally helping to raise Baby Colin Robinson this season. I think if I saw Colin talking to this man who doesn't remember him about his uncle Memo who always supported him no matter what, my lungs would cave in. And much in the same vein of Laszlo's "that would be a humiliating end for you" to Nandor, I can see him talking to shy, unassuming Panera Guillermo all serious and solemn, lamenting the man he once was and could be again if he'd just remember, damn you. And as for Nadja we'll that leads us onto point:

E) This whole situation would almost directly parallel Nadja's season one plot with Gregor/Jeff. She sees Nandor, her friend who's heartbreaks she's always found upsetting and tried to prevent (see 'Gail'), and sees him helplessly yearning for a man who might've loved him in a past life, but now doesn't remember who he is. Lbr, that's gonna hit close to home. Especially if we go with the new Guillermo is back to being a self-conscious pushover idea, after once being a man strong and deadly enough to be a bodyguard to fucking vampires, because that's exactly what happened with her warrior love Gregor becoming Jeff. I just think this parallel could open up some fucking incredible conversations between her and Nandor and memory-wiped Guillermo.

Obviously, this wouldn't address all the things we've had brought up this season, like the new Forbidden Romance angle, and this probably isn't gonna happen. But I love it and I may just have to try and write it sometime if I have the time and energy.

If anyone loses their memory, though, whoever is is, I hope one of the ways their friends try to bring it back is by making them watch the documentary footage.

#wwdits #what we do in the shadows #guillermo de la cruz #nandor the relentless #Nandermo #wwdits spoilers #wwdits leaks #fan theory #mr. bees speaks #Long post

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aikoiya · 1 year

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DPxDC Rant - Superman Isn't A Clonophobe

Hey, this is basically just a compilation of all my thoughts in regards to the subject of Clark being a clonophobe & a bad person from @nelkcats & @wolfeyedwitch posts on the subject.

A lot of this is just retreading old ground, but I realized that I don't have a post of my own on the subject. I thought I did, but I don't. So, this is just me putting it all out there in one spot. I might add onto it later, but right now, this is good enough.

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I think Supes is a genuinely good man & if someone were to actually try & talk to him about it, he could get to a point where he realizes that he was wrong about Kon & be genuinely apologetic.

Like, everyone's so busy demonizing him over the clone thing that a lot of people don't look at the situation from his perspective.

I just... I guess that I see it as victim-blaming. Not that Connor isn't also a victim, but Lex stole Clark's DNA without his permission & used it to create another person who he wanted to use against Superman. That's basically baby-trapping which is a thing that legit happens & it isn't right.

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2019/11/woman-who-impregnated-self-with-stolen-semen-from-billionaire-wins-child-support-battle/

At the same time, Supes' situation could also be considered analogous to a rape victim being forced to keep the baby & raise it despite having been so thoroughly traumatized by the experience.

Like, women these days can freely get abortions or give their kids up for adoption when the abortion doesn't work & it's considered brave & even merciful, but when Clark is put in that exact same situation & he wants nothing to do with the kid, he's a horrible clonophobe??

And that's perfectly fine, apparently!

Hell, there are even people these days debating if it's moral for a woman to tell the doctors not to aid the baby when the abortion does fail! And in California, a bill was suggested that would make it perfectly legal for a woman to just up & decide to let her child starve to death if she decides she doesn't want to be a mother anymore!

FYI, if a woman aborts her baby & if fails. Guess what? That isn't her baby anymore because she basically just washed her hands of the kid. My body, my choice, right? Well, that baby is no longer part of her body, therefore she has no damn say in the matter.

Yet, a man who doesn't want to be a father, is forced to provide child support? There are even situations where a woman knows that the baby isn't his, but tricks him into thinking it is in order to get that sweet, sweet child support.

You can't deny that it happens! Yet, *nasally voice* oh, the man's responsible. He shouldn't have had sex with her if he didn't want a kid. He did that to her! He got her pregnant! Nyeh-nyeh-nyeh-nyeh-nyeh!

*normal voice* Good grief, why the double standards?

If the man is responsible because if he didn't want a baby, he shouldn't have been having sex, then the same is true of women. Doubly so, in fact! Whether or not you like it, women are the gatekeepers of their bodies. If it isn't rape, then the consequences of sex mostly falls on her! If she didn't want kids, then she shouldn't have been having sex either!

Like, don't get me wrong, Clark is absolutely wrong for the way he treated Connor, but it's still understandable why he reacted that way. He was hurt!

Again, it's by no means a good reason to act that way, but it is a reason & an understandable one at that.

I just think that if the JL had informed Ma & Pa of the situation, then things would've been sorted out much sooner. They'd straighten their boy out quick! And if Clark is still determined to be stubborn & hard-headed about it, then if nothing else, I can see Ma & Pa taking Connor in & giving him all the love he deserves.

To me, this is the Superman I know:

And this is why I think that people are too hard on Supes:

All-in-all, I don't think that he'd be opposed to all clones. Rather, I feel like he has a problem with Kon, specifically, for a very misguided reason.

Besides, Danny has no room to criticize because even though he reacted differently to the revelation of Dani's existence, he is also canonically known to misplace his aggressions. It's even made into a joke.

One such instance is in the Fright Before Christmas episode where he says that he hates Christmas, but by seeing his reasoning, you realize that it isn't actually Christmas itself that he's angry at, but his parents who argue constantly during Christmas & allow said arguing to ruin the Christmases of those around them.

And, you can pretend that this wasn't a situation of misplaced aggression, but keep in mind that he went to the Ghost Zone to destroy a bunch of Christmas items to take out his aggression on the holiday even though it's just the background for the source of his anger. Then, upon learning that the book he'd destroyed was a Christmas one, his apology turned to satisfaction! He also said so himself!

That's a form of misplaced aggression.

Displaced aggression is defined as "occurs when an animal or human is fearful or agitated by external stimuli, a provocation, or perception, but is unable or unwilling to direct their aggression toward the stimulus. The aggressor may direct aggression toward whoever is nearest." That's exactly what's happening here!

I theorize that he subconsciously feels like it's preferable to hate Christmas than to actually confront his parents' negligence & be angry at them.

Keep in mind, he never blames his parents for their unsafe practices that lead to him half dying.

Danny points his frustrations towards those who aren't at fault all the time. Maybe not in the case of Dani, but definitely in other situations.

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Furthermore, I also feel like I have to clarify that I grew up watching Smallville, which is sort of a prequel to the Superman saga.

And, in it, (spoiler warning) for a lot of the earlier seasons, Clark & Lex are friends. Like, legit good friends.

So, that probably colors my perspective as, from my point of view, being betrayed so severely by someone who was once your friend hurts a whole hell of a lot worse than someone who's always been your enemy. Especially when you've got as big of a heart with as much love in it as Clark. When you love so freely, it's easy to get hurt & in a lot of ways, it hurts worse when those you trust most betray you.

Also, Smallville? Fun show, ya'll should totally check it out. (Also, Tom Wellings is super hot in it. <3)

Now, anyway, I admit that this probably isn't the case with most iterations of Superman, but I can't help that this was one of my primary sources on the characters' personalities growing up.

Because of this, I might be a little biased & in some way think that Clark might've been experiencing that betrayal by Lex all over again &, to be fair, knowing that he hurt Supes so bad, even if it's only on an emotional level, would absolutely thrill Lex & Clark probably knows that.

Like, I wouldn't be surprised if Clark had mostly gotten over the betrayal, but then this shit happens & it's like the wound is fresh all over again.

So, in this situation, Clark has nowhere to really put all that anger than on Connor, which is wrong, but also understandable.

Because, he can't even let Lex know he's upset because it'd just make the other man happy. Why would Superman give him that satisfaction? In other words, he can't really hurt Lex beyond some annoyance which sucks.

On the other hand, Danny & Vlad were never friends, the millionaire's dumbass monologue about killing Jack & marrying Maddie nipped that prospect in the bud in the literal first episode that he appeared in. So, discovering that the guy cloned him didn't hurt Danny practically at all other than the violation itself because he'd already dismissed Vlad as a creepy frootloop.

Meanwhile, from the very start, Vlad wanted Danny as his son, so in some form or fashion, he does care about him. He obviously has zero idea how to show that care & when he tries, it comes out very toxic & harmful, but he does care. Thus, when Danny rejects him, it hurts. And, somewhere, Danny probably knows this.

Which is why he's free to point his anger at Vlad rather than Dani. To point all that anger & frustration at exactly the person that was responsible. Clark doesn't get to do that. At least, not to the extent that he probably wants to.

Whereas in the case of the Christmas debacle, Danny doesn't want to hate his parents, so he finds it easier to take that frustration out on Christmas because Christmas has never made him happy & won't have the same emotional fallout to it that confronting the fact that his parents are selfish & self-absorbed & negligent would.

Because of this, having Danny lecture Superman on not misplacing his anger actually makes him come across as a bit of a hypocrite & it isn't fair because I have yet to see this point brought up in fics. Instead, Danny is portrayed as completely in the right! Like, it'd be one thing if their version of Danny had grown out of displacing his anger & was even trying to actually move on from it.

Hell, they could even make it so Danny is lecturing Supes from the perspective of someone who used to do it himself & is working on getting better at it. But they don't & instead portray him as holier than thou.

At the end of the day, I just don't think that a lot of fic writers, at least, none of the ones I've read about, give the situation the nuance it deserves, instead going the easy route & turning Superman into an asshole when he really isn't. Not usually anyway.

In this situation, yeah, he was kinda a dick, but there's a reason & I feel like people either ignore that fact completely or just say "not good enough."

Hell, they don't even take into account the fact that even in Young Justice where he's an ass, he doesn't stay that way! He eventually accepts Connor, so why harp on him about it!?

Edit: Someone seemed to be under the impression that I thought Superman had it worse. To the contrary, he has it way better.

This isn't a victim contest, it's about understanding why the characters might've reacted the way they did & that has nothing to do with who has it worse.

You don't have to have a bad life to react badly to things. It's all in how you process information & experiences.

Clark just processed the situation in a very bad way in this particular instance.

The point was to show how the 2 aren't all that different. I can easily see the 2's reactions being switched in the right circumstances.

DP Character HC Masterlist

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Re-Post: My original post of this was suddenly taken down without any warning as to why.

Like, there was no notification whatsoever! Just gone! No explanation!

Re-Post Edit: The original is back, but it's still suspicious that it just suddenly effed off, so I'm putting a link to it here, just in case:

#danny phantom #dp #dc #dp x dc #superman #clark kent #connor kent #superboy #kal el #kon el #clone rights #debunk superman as a clonophobe #in defense of superman #misandry #sexism #in defense of men #babytrapping #clonophobia #anti clonophobia

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rexcaliburechoes · 1 year

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diamant, the horrors chamber, and why he’s just so fun to mess with // the diamant-sertation series

i’d talked a little about this before on twitter about diamant angst and if i’m doing alright (i’m fine just biochemistry major go brrrr) and i just remembered this:

and i wanted to think about this for a little bit. i’m going to try and not retread old ground, but that’s kind of impossible if i want to break him in a realistic way.

but i was mostly thinking about how easy it is to destabilise him. i might be woobifying him too much, but i swear, i’ve been through this rigamarole before with a variety of characters. i’ve hurt characters over and over and over again, testing their limits, watching them bend and potentially break, and diamant has keeled over the fastest. it’s kind of funny in a bit of a twisted way.

but i mean it: why does he bend to easily compared to others?

i think it’s because he Refuses to experience The Horrors, and so when something encroaches on that tenuously stretched self control, he simply cannot deal with anything new, so he shuts down. you’d think he’d have a fight response to new stressors (he is of brodia; if you can’t fight, then what kind of brodian are you?) but i think he’s gone past that point. he’s dealing with enough already as it is, just One More Thing just will set him off. he’s tired, overwhelmed, and bottles everything up because He Should Be Able To Deal With It.

there’s definitely an allegory of being undiagnosed neurodivergent in here somewhere but we don’t have time to unpack all that.

but since diamant is so easily burnt out (which, haha, funny fire trauma go brr), he’s just an easy target to picking at all of his weaknesses and flaws. diamonds have very predictable cutting planes, and if manage to hit one just right, the entire crystal will shatter.

#rex rambles #fire emblem #diamant #diamant fire emblem #fire emblem diamant #fe engage #fire emblem engage #story abt the breaking in realistic way: i'd once met a writer in a different fandom who tortured the charas as a sign of love as one does #she at least tagged her shit so i could avoid it but what most struck me and drove me insane was how all the characters were consistent...#consistently same-y that is. all of them filled the same basic tropes of weak and abused + abuser which doesn't work for some characters #also she wrote one of my favourite characters as an abuser to a character he would never abuse and though he can be neglectful he's not...#he's not like an outright abuser like that. unfortunately a lot of ppl keep stepping on his goddamn trauma so he's very testy #but he's loyal to a fault been burned before scared and angry and he just needs a friend that won't hurt him like he's been hurt before #i have a mild headache and biochem to work on so this is as far as i can go rn so i'm sorry if this one is a less polished than my usual #i just find it interesting that he will bend sooner and requires much more time to. ah. rehydrate him. so to speak #if you want him to be healthier and less stretched thin #bc that's what burnout does: it messes with your ability to Exist and work and the more chronic stress that piles up #something will inevitably snap and usually it ain't pretty

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fefeman · 1 year

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It's insane that the AAA industry is fine with being "okay."

Like, the budget of those games could feed a whole country for a little while, but often what's come out is "okay". "Yeah the graphism look good but there are only a few very good moments... The gameplay is polished and entertaining enough, but not exceptional, and mostly retread old ground... The story is nice, but it try too hard to be a movie. Even when playing we get movie-like dialogues."

If you have that much money, the least you could do is blow us all out of the water. Make something revolutionary. For 70 dollars I can get like 7 "okay" experiences if I go searching for indie, and likely one will be "interesting concept with imperfect execution - Okay" instead of "Highest quality vulgum in the market - Okay".

#rant #I WANT a whalefall event for the videogame industry #AAA studios in ruins and indie devs picking tallents and money left and right

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cute-pluto · 4 months

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its really not obvious from my blog but im a philza qsmp seconder i watch a good chunck of his vods but unlike with jaiden i dont have a feverent urge to watch them in real time so i dont liveblog.

and also hes like 100x more popular n covered than her so id mostly be retreading old ground. his plot is cool though hes really getting into the groove of cinematic scenes n people who still insist hes allergic to rp in 2024 can kiss my ass weve been through this and its demonstrably just been an incorrect thing to say about him. oldza jokes can die too hes mid 30 whatever

#cutepluto screams #its definetly interesting comparing and contrasting my two povs. in ways that probably warrants another post

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dateamonster · 4 months

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what’s powering this whole Angel/demon system? Are humans a part of it? Is god harvesting humans for sin and regret?

tbh i prefer to leave the more like blatantly theological aspects a lil ambiguous for funsies and to leave things open to interpretation but the gist is that, regardless of what the objective Truth may be, angels are beings who believe themselves to be the messengers, architects, and when necessary, soldiers of capital g god.

but new orders havent been coming in for a looong time, so angels, being sort of singleminded beings by nature, have just sort of been retreading the same ground over and over since bible times. studying the scripture, spreading messages of love and light, polishing up the ol holy swords in preparation for the day they are called to use them at last, etc etc etccc. its like if you combined a nun with a doomsday prepper. theres also the matter of the angel hierarchy that dictates who exactly does what to keep celestial society running on like an internal level but thats the basic vibe.

angels mostly exist within the celestial realm but they have outposts in the mortal realm as well (because demons started setting up shop there and they didnt want to be shown up). while angels are only supposed to go to earth for business purposes, theres not always a whole lot of oversight on their activities and in modern times there are plenty who are just kinda. living normal lives amongst humankind.

and in the other corner, demons. contrary to common belief, they are not all or even mostly fallen angels. theyre their own thing, occupants of the infernal realm and dealers in human misery and avarice. back in ye olde days it was just you know every once in a while one of these funney little guys with pop in the mortal realm to fuck with humans or trick them into selling their soul for a piddling bit of magic or whatever, but over time they industrialized and now hell is a massive sprawling enterprise with a highly competitive and highly confusing economic system and no clear idea who is at the top.

its an mlm. its just literally a really big slightly more evil than normal mlm scheme.

angels and demons have had beef from the very beginning, not least of all because team infernal keeps bringing those angels who cant stay the path over to their side, but also just about every non-infernal beastie in existence thinks devils are kind of a bunch of little yuppie shits. actually, neither side is particularly well liked by the rest of creature-kind come to think of it.

btw shouldve mentioned earlier but humanity in this world is like. vaguely aware of the paranormal and such. angels are more of a rarity because one of the many many rules they abide by forbids them from doing anything that could bring harm to humans (gods specialest little guys) which over time, following several Incidents, has been expanded to mean "dont reveal yourself to humans or ideally even interact with them unless absolutely necessary", meanwhile demons whole deal kind of requires direct interaction. they might keep the horns under wraps until theyve got your signature for obvious reasons, but at this point everyones got a cousins best friends uncle who did some shady shit at a crossroads and came back with a crazy story and a blurry photo of some cloven hooves or smth.

tldr god is not rly a factor here. demons deal in mortal souls for power and promotions back in hell and angels intervene wherever they can. otherwise everyones just kinda doing their own thing. its more in line with like the pop culture tradition of angels and demons as fantasy creatures of a kind more than anything specifically religious, though i think its sort of impossible and tbh kind of boring to try and avoid all the source mythology.

anyway this whole post is barely legible sry lol ill try and make a more coherent lore post on this someday

#ask #ocs #angels #demons #the other school

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veritas-in-notitia · 10 months

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Every time I take the shc quiz I end up wrestling with the questions as I go. I’ve decided to start doing it in writing. At the very least it’s writing practice, and I’ll stop retreading old ground with myself every time. If people in your family or community disagree with you, is it hard to act against their wishes? Family? Sure. Community? No. Even with people I love, the struggle is usually in them not agreeing with me or me not understanding them. Either prove I'm wrong or see it my way, damn it.

I tend to go along to get along in groups, but that’s not the same thing as community. Also it’s boring, but riling things up isn’t worth it most of the time, and the times it is my spouse usually stops me saying anything (which is ironic, because in every other circumstance he’s a troll. he likes to stir the pot with people he knows as a sign of affection).

(I’m specifically remembering early covid. He had a dental surgery, and we were both masked in the waiting room. Two other people were not masked. One was across the room on her phone, one sitting quietly near us. The person on the phone loudly and proudly proclaims they have no intention of ever wearing a mask because if “god wants me, it’s my time to go.” My head snapped around so fast I probably should’ve gotten whiplash. My mouth opened -- I have no idea what I was going to say, exactly -- and he stepped on my foot. His reason was he didn’t want to have to fight the person on the phone if they got mad at me. I proceeded to give him a diatribe about herd immunity and basic common decency and empathy while occasionally pointedly looking at the quiet unmasked person sitting near us. And then he got called in for his appointment and I went to sit in the hot but unpeopled car.)

And the actual *communities* I've been a part of -- no, it's not hard to act against their wishes when I'm in a healthy place because they've all been online communities. When I was much younger and craved -- I don't even know. Attention? Validation? I went from having almost no social life to having one entirely online, and I had no real framework for how to act. I was, like any young teen, equal parts wildly cringe and anxiety to be liked. I wanted to be admired.

I still do! But for being me, thanks. Okay. Enough ramble. Time to pick an answer... which is tough, because they’re all valid answers to the question. 1 and 2 specifically if I’m thinking about family; 3, 4, and 5 for groups and communities, depending on the context.

Yes, because I care about them.

I care about my people, but that mostly makes me want to be around them and do things for and with them. It doesn't mean I have to agree with them, though I’d prefer to on important subjects. Whether or not I’d defer to them depends on the person, context, and how important the issue is to me.

As for community, I care about my communities and their mores, but not like that. They don't define me or my choices.

Yes, because you should listen to other people before you act.

Obviously? I mean, I’m not going to take advice on every topic from every person, but I want all relevant opinions before I act, and several of my people are quite clever. I value their input.

Yes, because I have to live with and around them, and they can make my life more difficult with their disapproval.

I have to live with them: I had SO MUCH fight in me when I was younger. Argue argue argue. Stand my ground. Make a fuss. I can't do that anymore. I discovered my ideal situation is calm. I am ape. Give me fruit and hammock and a source of good vibes. So yeah, I generally try to keep the peace. But I don't think I'd call it a moral imperative. It's just easier.

It might be hard, but I've got to do what I think is right.

I try to always do what I think is right. I’m not always correct about what that is, and my mind can be changed, often by myself. I spend a lot of time arguing with myself. My brain is a very busy place.

No, not at all.

For little things, or even middling things, this is the one. I do what I want, unless it impinges on someone else, in which case I usually adjust slightly. For important stuff, moral/ethical issues, it’s harder, because if I care about someone (= they are my people = they are family), then I’m automatically going to consider their input. Answer: is really hard to pick. Do I pick the Community answer (not at all), or the Family answer (yes, because I care about them)? I’m inclined to pick the Community answer simply because this feels like a Badger-filtering question, which leads me to think Community is what it’s asking about despite the “or family.” (Of course, it does say “people in your” -- so it could mean individuals, not groups. But I’m going with my first assumption, because I’m fully aware that I’m massively overthinking at this point.) So then. No, not at all. Next question: When you’re not sure what’s the right thing to do, what do you turn to?

#notes to self #i am an argument #overthinking r us #maybe i will get through the whole quiz before the hyperfixation fades again #shc

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fiddleabout · 2 years

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hello my kingdom for your thoughts on taylor's new midnights album

okay pal let’s get into it

The Vibe: this is Reputation but from Swift’s Aaron Dessner era. Which is not to say that this is the album that Swift would’ve made if she’d been working with Dessner back then-- both Lover and folklore had to happen first-- but the point stands that there’s a not-insignificant amount of anger underpinning this album and there is a sonic weight to it that, even if Antonoff is more technically present throughout the album, is very much the precise intersection of Swift and Dessner. Even the bob/bop-adjacent entries throughout are still couched in a heavy, almost sludgy base, which works specifically because juxtaposition is a powerful tool. The contrast of Lover-era Swift (big bright sounds, the way everything tilts towards shimmering) and folklore-era Swift (grounded, pulled back, the kind of warm sound that feel likes it’s holding you in one place against your will) creates this sound: that underwriting almost muggy synth with interpolated brighter pieces lifting the sound but never quite as much as you’d expect. Swift took the sound she cultivated between Red and Lover and pulled it in, not so much giving it the folklore treatment-- there’s plenty of synth and keys on here and barely an acoustic trace to be found, and I don’t mean that as an insult at all-- as compressing it down into something denser and heavier, and for the most part it works.

Vibe Assessment: 8/10

Lyrics: look. Look. Look. I’ve never shied away from that fact that I think Taylor Swift is an obnoxiously incredible songwriter, and I stand by that-- time can’t stop me quite like you did is incredible! when my depression works the graveyard shift is like getting slapped in the face! and if i was some paint did it splatter on a promising young man! -- but to be frank, there are some lyrical clunkers on this one. Sometimes I feel like everyone is a sexy baby. I just. Ma’am. Please.

Lyrics Assessment: 6/10

Individual Tracks: there is....a lot going on, and not all of it great. Which is not to say that there are bad songs on here-- to be completely honest, I dunno that I’d say Swift has put out a bad track since London Boy-- but coming off the heels of folklore and evermore lifted Swift’s already-high bar even higher and honestly not everything here hits it. There are some unequivocally great tracks on here: Anti-Hero stands singularly out, but also the quicker tilt and the bubbly little late-eighties flourish underpinning the verses of Mastermind are fantastic, and Question...? leans less on that heavy underwriting and does a masterful job of balancing it and a more traditional pop rhythm like what Swift used on 1989. Would’ve. Could’ve, Should’ve is distinct from the rest of the album with those drums that pull the whole song up and keep it pushing forward at a clip that most of the rest of the album doesn’t hit while eschewing the mostly-traditional song structure that the rest of the albums uses, extending the bridge before barrelling into the last chorus.

But there are also tracks that feel like a very distinct retread of old ground. Bigger Than The Whole Sky, while still good, also feels very much like rewriting Clean with Aaron Dessner instead of Imogen Heap. Paris is a stylistic sequel to Paper Rings with just a little less oomph (which isn’t a bad thing, necessarily-- I love Paper Rings and I quite like Paris-- but it’s still a retread). Karma and Vigilante Shit both just sound like they were plucked out of Reputation and polished up with that now-distinct Swift/Dessner vibe.

Tracks Assessment: 7/10

So, tl;dr final thoughts: much like evermore was a good album that had the misfortune of being constantly compared to folklore-- an incredible album-- Midnights is a good album that has the misfortune of being caught between two polarizing styles. If this is the direction Taylor Swift is moving in then I’m delighted, because when it works out the way I think she intended for it to it’s phenomenal--again, there are some great standouts on this album-- but it also still has a feel of a bit of a work in progress.

Overall Assessment: 6.5/10 with the important note that x/10 for a Taylor Swift album is, crucially, an assessment of it as a Taylor Swift album. Which is to say: like it or no, Taylor Swift is one of the best in the world at doing this, and 6.5/10 on that scale is still a very good album.

#taylor swift #music #anonymous

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creepy-crowleys · 1 year

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((What's the easiest and hardest thing(s) to write to differentiate Meredith and Crowley for you?))

((Well, one of the hardest things is getting Other Meredith to write at all. She just isn't as sociable. :p

But, ah, I suppose it's wondering if their voices are coming across well. They feel distinct to me, but there is a fair amount of overlap from having more or less identical upbringing. They use a lot of similar language, but their writing styles and cadences have diverged a bit - or at least I hope so. :'D

Crowley can be a bit clumsy and awkward at times, but she's generally more conversational in her day-to-day communications. She 'um's and 'ah's, uses exclamation points and ellipses, sometimes just abandons thoughts midsentence... She's more likely to tease, joke or pun... Just overall a bit more comfortable and confident around others, at least enough to be openly emotive and playful in her posting and in-person communication.

Other Meredith tends to be stiffer and more formal. She's from an educational background where ellipses and exclamation points come across as immature and sloppy, which she's only just starting to pull away from, mostly by mirroring how others speak to her. The weird spacing in some of her posts is mostly my best attempt at conveying how stilted her speech/communication is. There's just as silly and pun-loving a person in there, she's just harder to tease out.

There's also the matter of how defeated Other Meredith is and how much self-hatred she's stewed in for decades now. She tried to make it on her own, lost her nerve, and had to grovel to return to her aunt's side. She is far more tired, bitter and hopeless than her other half, even with Crowley's efforts to pull her back. I guess I worry about it retreading old ground considering how much of it overlaps with Crowley's emotional and mental health journey a couple/few years ago, eheh...))

#.NO SIGNAL #.RECEIVE #hulizi

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allsonicgames · 1 year

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Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1

Original Platform: PC/360/PS3

Original release: 12th October 2010

Version played: 360

Available to buy: Yes

I was originally going to do Sonic 4 as a single game, but after playing through Episode 1 and Episode 2, it’s evident that they’re completely different games so I’ve decided to give them separate slots. The “Episode” part of this is a complete lie, it seems.

Also a complete lie is the “Sonic the Hedgehog 4” name it has been given. It’s nothing like a sequel to the original games in any way. The best way I can justify the name is that it’s a new take on the Game Gear “Sonic the Hedgehog 4”, aka Sonic Blast, which seems apt due to the more maze-like levels and the “Donkey Kong Country” style graphics, where Sonic’s sprite is based on a 3D model. It kind of looks similar to the Sonic Blast one, too.

The other parts of the game take on different styles. The levels look like they’re 2D textures with some shading added in photoshop to make it “look” 3D. The backgrounds are sometimes layers of 2D, but other times are fully 3D. Dr Robotnic has a cel shaded style and stands out. There’s no consistency to the graphical style at all.

Also like Sonic Blast is how slow it takes Sonic to get moving. Moving from a standstill is so slow it’s agonising. Especially when you’re trying to move Sonic away from an obstacle. There’s something off about the way he moves and jumps as well. It’s not nice to play. Sonic Blast 2 (the name I’ve given this game) also features the homing attack from the 3D games, but unlike some of those, it also kills Sonic’s momentum, so you have to start moving from a standstill again. Even when you have the Power Sneakers, Sonic still feels slow.

The levels are a rehash of previous levels: Green Hill, Casino Night, Labyrinth and Scrap Brain. They have different names in Sonic Blast 2, but they don’t feel different (although Scrap Brain has elements from a Sonic 2 level). There’s three acts for each zone and two of these are all incredibly dull, just retreading old ground. The second act of each stage does try something new.

The second act of Casino Night introduces a cannon mechanic, where you have to aim and fire Sonic. Aiming is very slow and it’s not smooth or fun at all. Labyrinth zone act 2 is dark and Sonic has a torch, lighting other torches (sometimes activating switches) and setting off TNT. With a better level design and physics, this level could actually be really good.

The bosses are mostly the same as the original bosses, with a brief second stage. Even the final boss is just the final boss from Sonic 2, and you have to fight all the previous bosses again to reach it.

Sonic Blast 2 is a poor rehash of Sonic 1 & 2, with bad graphics and wonky physics. It’s a very poor Sonic game.

#sonic #sonic the hedgehog #sonic games #allsonic #sonic 4 #xbox 360 #ps3 #wii #android #ios

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fenmere · 1 year

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OK, so. We have a number of friends who are men, mostly trans but some cis, who are broad and hairy but dress very queerly with a bit of femme flair. And, we just thought of an identity name for that, if there isn't already one, or if this isn't already coined, for any such people who want to claim it for themselves. Note: this shouldn't be applied to anyone who hasn't explicitly identified with it. Apologies if we're retreading old ground or stepping on toes. We just love word play. Twink Beary.

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sepublic · 1 year

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I’m thinking of another backstory for Nizziverse Tarn, which seems useless since he’s a purely post-canon story and never appears in the main films. But who cares?

The thing that bothers me about his origin is that, admittedly, he IS Megatron’s fault. Not just in a general way, I mean Megatron deliberately targeted this dude for being Optimus’ friend, groomed and indoctrinated him, just to get back at Optimus. So it does admittedly feel a bit in poor taste, hypocritical even, for Megatron to condemn and kill the guy he’s directly responsible for and intentionally twisted, rather than simply convinced or enabled to come to his own conclusions that ended up being Decepticon.

Granted, I’ve never sat down and read the proper issue myself, only watched a video and skimmed TFwiki. So maybe there IS meant to be that discomforting edge to the big moment when Megatron kills the Decepticon Justice Division. But since I’m already doing some things differently, and because I don’t know that either… I’m changing up Tarn’s backstory.

And honestly, a pathetic dude like Syril Karn from Andor seems fairly perfect to plagiarize emulate for Nizziverse Tarn and this slightly-altered depiction, at least for me! I think there’s that same energy of pathetic, fanatical, and ultimately selfish desire that projects a lot without caring for the actual reality of a person.

Nizziverse Tarn, initially Glitch, was built post-Functionists, in the relative era of peace prior to the Great War. An admittedly lonely but also clearly unstable dude with a deep desire for power and the ability to crush others to fill the emptiness inside of him. So he signs up to join the Decepticons, the faction of Cybertronians whose whole purpose is to impersonate the technology of other civilizations to invade them; Organics are the perfect people to punch down from!

Unlike Syril Karn though (Syril… Tarn?) Glitch actually proves fairly competent, and yadda-yadda the rest is history. I did consider giving him more of a Soundwave origin, but I think that might’ve been retreading old ground, and anyhow I think this portrayal of the Decepticons is a bit different than IDW’s. Anyhow, Glitch fully immerses himself in Decepticon ideology, dedicates himself to this godlike pedestal he’s placed Megatron upon… He becomes recruited as part of this new “Decepticon Justice Division” and is codenamed Tarn. The rest is history.

Ultimately, I want Tarn’s backstory and his ‘corruption’ to be mostly his own choice and fault, his own agency. Like yeah, Megatron did allow for the colonization of other worlds to happen, but it was never HIS idea either, something he inherited from the Functionists and never learned to let go, unlike the other scars left from that regime. So Tarn still has plenty of agency in becoming an awful person, and Megatron lashing back feels more justified, especially since you can sort of argue that Megatron cares about his fellow Cybertronians, whereas Tarn is just a glorified bully and would probably be a mass shooter if he was human.

I think a Syril Karn-esque characterization just WORKS for a Megatron who has to deal with an obsessive, fanatical fan who can’t differentiate from reality and is more inclined to project than actually engage with things as they are. And whom is ultimately a pathetic coward who has the audacity to beg for his life and ask Megatron to be reasonable, when he was the one being a serial killer post-war. There’s less of an uncomfortable power dynamic (or something like that) involved this way, I think. But then again, you could compare IDW to Simon and Grace from Infinity Train… So who knows?

Also, that’s not a mask; The Decepticon logo IS his face, remolded to be as such to represent his devotion to the cause. It’s one thing to wear memorabilia but to make yourself into it...! And as I mentioned before, “Give me your face” really DOES feel like a Megatron one-liner as he kills Tarn and strips him of his authority, both in name and physically. It feels more metal (ba-dum tsss) when it’s an actual face and not just a mask, and more karmic with how gruesome the DJD are (such as Vos for whom Tarn led).

#maccadam #transformers #nizziverse #tarn

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pigeonclaw · 1 year

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It's been neat watching your journey through the books in chronological order, but if I may ask, what would your recommended reading order be for someone who's never read the series and is getting into it?

Whenever I look up "warrior cats reading order" on a search engine (even appending "first time" to it), it always recommends in-universe chronological order over release order, when that's a terrible idea for someone who's just beginning to read the series, as it spoils the events of the four prequel super editions before you read the first half of TPB and it spoils Skyclan's existence before FSQ.

Release order isn't much better, since as soon as you hit Po3, you're stopping in the middle of your read of the core series to read sixteen different books before continuing with half of them not really mattering to what you're currently reading.

Surely there's an optimal reading order for someone getting into the series that hybridizes the two?

It's tricky! I think there's no completely right order to this series anymore considering how long it's gotten and how many books overlap with one another. Going strictly chronological is definitely not as narratively satisfying (or even possible) for sure. And you're right about going in release order forcing you to take a lot of weirdly placed detours. So while there's no perfect solution, I tried to come up with a decent answer!

A note first. I think the simplest way to go about it is more or less with this pattern: read a whole arc, then read side books that are most associated with that arc, then move on to the next one. (Some of these side books can be read during the arc at specific points if the reader chooses, and I've labeled them accordingly.) How much side content should be read depends on the reader. Most super editions / novellas / etc. that take place before or during the first few arcs are supplemental — if they add anything to the "main" story at all, it's mostly backstory for various characters — so it's all optional to some extent. (But the farther it goes, I'd say starting around AVoS, they've gotten more vital — I noticed I was missing pieces of the story when I read AVoS and TBC for the first time without reading the super editions that take place during those times.) I mention this and label everything so specifically only because, while I'm someone who wants to read the entire series, I can understand someone who's less invested in all the side plots not wanting to get derailed from the main arcs or retread old ground constantly (and there is a lot of repetition if you read every book that takes place during the first arc back-to-back.) There are also some books that I believe are totally skippable on a first reading of the series. Even by the standards of "most side content is just backstory" there are some real stinkers, so I've pointed them out. This is just my opinion though, and others may very well differ! Just bear that in mind.

Okay, organizing this list was a bit of a challenge, so I hope it makes sense! Here we go!

The Prophecies Begin arc (Alternatively, you could start with Dawn of the Clans, but I believe the first arc to be the best introduction to the Warriors world.)

Tigerclaw's Fury (can be read by A Dangerous Path)

Exile from ShadowClan (I haven't read this one yet so I can't say exactly where it goes, but definitely during this arc. I'll edit this later.)

The Rise of Scourge

Blackfoot's Reckoning (If you want to want to read a series of flashbacks to random moments in Blackfoot's life. I don't find it particularly insightful and nothing is ultimately gained from this story so I consider it skippable. But it's there.)

Tallstar's Revenge

Crookedstar's Promise

Bluestar's Prophecy

Yellowfang's Secret

Mapleshade's Vengeance (anytime after Crookedstar's Promise)

Goosefeather's Curse (before or after Bluestar's Prophecy, I think either way works — also after Crookedstar's Promise)

Pinestar's Choice (anytime after Bluestar's Prophecy)

Firestar's Quest (This could also be read after TNP when it was written and Skywatcher's prophecy becomes relevant, but I think it makes the most sense here, when it takes place.)

Cloudstar's Journey (If you want more detail on events introduced in FQ.)

Ravenpaw's Path (This set of graphic novels adds very little to the overall story, but it is short and pretty cute.)

SkyClan's Destiny (can be read anytime after Firestar's Quest, but I believe this is about when it takes place.)

Three books that I think are unnecessary and completely skippable (again, just my opinion, read them if you want to!) but I'll list them too before we leave TPB era:

Leopardstar's Honor (Retreads a lot of TPB with very little new insight, contradicts previous books, full of mistakes in general.)

Redtail's Debt (This book is... fine? Except for the major mistakes it contains towards the latter half.)

Spottedleaf's Heart (Inconsistent with characterization from previous books, sensitive subject matter not handled very well, and arguably nothing of value is added to the overall story.)

The New Prophecy arc

Tigerstar and Sasha (can be read after Moonrise)

A Shadow in RiverClan (read after Tigerstar and Sasha)

Winds of Change (can be read after Starlight)

Power of Three arc

Graystripe's Adventure (can be read after The Sight)

SkyClan and the Stranger (can be read after Eclipse)

Leafpool's Wish

If you want to read the field guides (Secrets/Cats/Code/Battles of the Clans) this is probably the ideal time as this is more or less when they were written. Totally optional, and not entirely canon anyway. (I think they're fun but that may be nostalgia talking.)

Omen of the Stars arc

Mistystar's Omen (can be read by Fading Echoes)

Hollyleaf's Story (can be read after The Forgotten Warrior)

Dovewing's Silence

Mothwing's Secret (This one is hard to place because it's backstory covering huge stretches of time. This is the best spot I can think to fit it.)

Ravenpaw's Farewell (can be read anytime during and after OotS)

Crowfeather's Trial

Bramblestar's Storm

A Vision of Shadows

Hawkwing's Journey (can be read after Shattered Sky)

Pebbleshine's Kits (read after Hawkwing's Journey)

Tigerheart's Shadow (can be read after River of Fire)

Tawnypelt's Clan (can be read after Tigerheart's Shadow. personally I think this one is skippable.)

Now this is where it gets super fuzzy for me because this is as far as I've gotten on my reread, and I haven't finished TBC or read most of the super editions or novellas written during/after AVoS yet. So I'm currently unsure how to place anything from here out. But I will come back and update this post when I get that far!

Oh, and a note about DotC era. Here's the order:

Dawn of the Clans arc

Moth Flight's Vision

Thunderstar's Echo

Shadowstar's Life

Unfortunately I cannot think of an optimal time to read these books. As stated earlier, it's plausible to start with them since they're the earliest chronologically, but they're just not as good of an introduction as Into the Wild in my opinion. They could be read between OotS and AVoS when they were written, but it's an odd place to take such a long break. So I have no tips here. I definitely recommend reading them at some point though.

#sorry this took a while for me to respond! it took longer than expected for me to organize my thoughts #hopefully i didn't forget any books #i used my spreadsheet of all warriors books as reference but i had to move stuff around quite a bit #anything that's newer than the beginning of avos and missing from my list is bc i either haven't read it yet or #i haven't read enough books around it yet to know exactly where to place it #hope this helps! my own biases definitely came through bc it's impossible to make this type of list without bias. hope that's okay!

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eirikrjs · 2 years

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recently finished watching a playthrough of both raidou games (played the tutorial of the first one and decided i wasn't gonna deal with that for two whole games lol) and i think it's a shame that they went back to the law vs chaos stuff for the second game. i mean, it's not like the first game doesn't also retread old ground, but it was still better than watching The Lucifer Show for... how many times had it been by the time raidou 2 came out again?

Honestly, it's been so long since I played Raidou 2 I can't even really comment on it anymore. But basically, what I remember is that the alignments mostly served to gate different unlockable demons rather than anything drastically different (i.e., same final dungeon). Oh, and this:

I remember thinking about replaying it right after I beat it but I lost enthusiasm quickly. I can't remember what path I ended up on, but there were demons I didn't get that I wanted. Oh well. Like, I totally forgot Lucifer only appears in 2. The current Raidou 1 stream, if nothing else, taught me that both games ran together in my head.

More and more I just want everything to be unlockable on a single playthrough. One one hand SMT5 is the worst about this yet but it's also an extremely fast game to blaze through, so it's probably still better than speedrunning the Raidou games with their vintage unskippable cutscenes and such. Whenever we get around to Raidou 2 it'll be yet another walk down repressed memory lane.

#smt #raidou

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quadrantadvisor · 1 year

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I have some thoughts for what the actual plot of owl house season 3 is about to be and I figured I ought to write them down in case I have anything right lol

We still technically have two big bads in play, seeing as Belos escaped back to The Boiling Isles and The Collector is over there doing something. I have no idea what their Owl House game is gonna look like, I'm just expecting it to be highly creative and chaotic. I don't think anyone is being seriously hurt.

(I have seen a lot of different takes on The Collector. Some people are interpreting him as straight up evil, some people seem to think he's essentially harmless. I would say neither are true. They have limitless power and a fundamental lack of empathy. Their highest priority is having fun, and they've never learned to value oth]er people's lives. They've also been hanging out with That Motherfucker Philip Wittebane for 350 years, which can't have been good for them. Basically, they aren't evil, they're just a child, but even that makes them incredibly dangerous.)

The Collector is beyond our reach to actually challenge in any meaningful way. He can move the moon with the twitch of a finger. How I see it, we have three options: making a deal with him, tricking him, or convincing him to change his ways. Any one of these has the potential to be really really interesting, but I do hope that we don't have to resort to trickery because that brings up more parallels between our protagonists and Belos and that would hurt me personally.

I think that we'll deal with that first, which brings Belos back to being our big bad. Just because Belos actually is evil and that makes the confrontation with him more narratively climactic. I could definitely see people saying and/or hoping that I'm wrong about this, since it could feel like retreading old ground, but I think the crew can make it work.

In any case, I think we're going to be getting a story of everybody teaming up against one big bad, but it's not gonna be like, power of friendship or w/e, more like, "Wow, this is messed up, it would be literally ridiculous to NOT be on your side." I'm basing this on just a few scenes that I think are potential set up.

I'm really expecting the Titan Trappers to come into play, mostly because it would be really fucking cool, but also that they have a pre-established connection to The Collector. Yeah, their teleportation thing got broke, but they just have to sail from the opposite side of the planet, it's not so bad. Personally, I'm expecting a bait and switch. We're meant to assume that they've come to either hunt down King or to serve the Collector, but they actually end up helping.

For one thing, it really complicates their lore if The Collector and King are already friends. But mostly, there seemed to be some set up in their episode. Tarak and King appeared to be legitimately bonding, and when Bill tells Tarak that King is a Titan, he gets a look in his eyes that looks damn near vulnerable to me. Still, Tarak rejects King and agrees to help sacrifice him. But after that, it's revealed to the entire group that Bill has been lying to them. Yeah, they still chase after Luz and King, but it seems like seeds of doubt in their belief system have been planted. I won't be surprised at all if we find they've changed their ways and come to help. Or, maybe they get here and see that The Collector isn't what they expected and flip sides then. Either way.

Similarly, I think the rest of the coven heads will be allies. They're bad people, sure, but they were in this for glory and power. None of them will want to be the plaything or a child-god or under the thumb of a genocidal dictator. They all know that Belos tried to kill them. It's the same as Kikimora during King's Tide. They'll also have much more to gain from helping out than by not. I'm mostly basing this on Snapdragon's moment with Raine during the draining spell. That shows us that she, and presumably the rest, are aware of what happened and will be ready to go against their former master.

Moving on to potential ending stuff, I don't thunk the characters will end up having to choose between realms. We will either get an unambiguously happy ending with free travel back and forth, or, in what I consider a far less likely option, we'll have a much darker story where King dies. Not only is King, y'know, full of Titan's blood, but we've also seen him do at least one task that could have been accomplished by blood just by like, being a Titan (freeing The Collector.) I'd say that that's enough set up for King to somehow learn to open portals. So if King is here, there's no reason that portals wouldn't happen. Thus, no isekai dilemma for Luz.

So yeah. Obviously these next two episodes are going to be harrowing and dark. But ultimately toh has been a pretty hopeful show about family and connections. I think a lot of people are going to come together and everything is gonna turn out basically okay.

#toh #toh spoilers #toh theories #the owl house #feel free to ignore me i know this is rambly #but if any of this happens i want 'i told you so' rights #also. I've said this before but.#if anything bad happens to hunter I'm going to start attacking people on the street #i mean i know that many bad things will happen to him #but my boy BETTER be happy by the end of this i swear to god #i am using his speech from the end of Thanks to Them as a list of shit that better happen for him #so #never having to set foot in the throne room again enrolling in hexside playing flyer derby and carving palismen #if my boy doesn't get everything he wants literally what was the point #of the entire show #my rambles

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