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kalinara · 4 months

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I did think I would feel a bit more satisfied when an actor finally confirmed what, I think, most of us knew about Kylo Ren's intended arc in the Sequel Trilogy.

Blah, blah, the redemption arc wasn't supposed to happen. Kylo was supposed to be a villain throughout. Where's that Captain Holt vindication gif when you want it?

I'd agree, personally, that it would have made for a better movie if Kylo had remained the big bad. Adam Driver, I think, is the one who really missed out. I feel like he missed out on his chance to go full out, balls to the wall evil overlord. He'd have killed it, I suspect. And I say that as someone who isn't particularly a fan of the guy.

I do think though I get why they went with a half-assed redemption arc, though. I don't think it had anything to do with the Reylos (the kiss maybe, but I'd like to think they're smart enough to realize that rabid shippers generally don't go for the romantic - die for your love type of ending. At least not if the hot guy is doing the dying...)

I think it's because of Carrie Fisher's death.

They'd said for a while that the third movie was supposed to be Leia's, in the way that TFA was Han's, and TLJ was Luke's. Whether or not this made you optimistic probably depends on how much you liked the fates of those characters in those movies. I didn't hate them, personally.

I'm not going to speculate too hard on what the original story would have been. I certainly can imagine some pretty epic stuff with Princess Leia as the Big Good set against her son as the Big Bad. But...well...when you lose one of your primary actors before you get a chance to actually film anything...well, that limits what you can do.

I suppose that's why I'm willing to give Rise of Skywalker a bit more slack than a lot of folk. They were kind of stuck. Ultra-evil Kylo Ren is a more satisfying story with the set up they had, but it's also a tragedy. For what it's worth, the man does have a mother, who will grieve him if no one else does.

Except...we can't actually film the grieving, can we? We can't film the confrontation between despairing mother and lost son - whatever resolution was likely to happen. We can, at least, use some lost footage to TRY to build the relationship between Leia and Rey that needs to happen for that side of the story, but even then, we'll need Force Ghost Luke to help with the more reactive parts.

And of course, they need to write Leia herself out as gracefully as possible. In a way that doesn't require a lot of new footage and still gives the character a sense of accomplishment. Otherwise, you might as well have just blown her up with Hosnian Prime.

So...half assed redemption arc. With not-exactly-force-ghost Han to help there. I do feel like they could have done a better job with Kylo's part there. You know, made it look like he was at least interested in doing something OTHER than violating a woman's mind and terrorizing her for a good third of the movie. But well. No one's ever completely happy with things.

I don't know. In the end, I think the folks behind the Sequel Trilogy did what they could to give us a final, reasonably satisfying conclusion. There were fuck ups along the way (see: Finn, see: Poe. Though that fuckery started with TLJ, IMO) but, I think if we sat down and watched all nine movies in a row, and got to Rise of Skywalker's closing scene...I think we would end it feeling like we'd reached a workable ending to the Skywalker Saga.

Probably because we'd be too exhausted to notice the plotholes at that point. C'est la vie.

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imminent-danger-came · 10 months

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Hello friend. At first, I thought it was a joke that there's a Lego show that people love. I've seen you post about it a lot so I figure it's just one of those things that maybe a couple people really really love otherwise, whatever. But I just sat that clip of that characters death and it made me realize I know nothing about anything ever lol. What is the Lego show about? What do you love about it? I'm just super curious

Well. Okay. My embarrassment aside, I totally get it—it is a lego show, but it's my lego show and I'll gladly tell you about it!

(my apologies this got a little long)

*inhales cigarette* I remember starting to watch lmk (Lego Monkie Kid) and not expecting anything except some very pretty animation—it's just legos, right? And then it completely blindsided me. Then I did some digging and realized it's a modern retelling of Journey to the West (jttw—one of the great classic chinese novels), and that half of the whole reason this show exists is to retell a familiar tale to the modern age. That's how the show opens, and that's how s3 ends.

And, at the risk of sounding a little deranged, I'm going to say that the show being legos is thematically relevant. It legitimately adds to part of the story they're trying to tell—and the story Lego Monkie Kid is trying to tell is legitimately very solid. It's super good. They completely blew me out of the water with season 4.

So. The first special and s1 isn't anything too unique on a first watch through. The characters are charming and the show is very pretty, but it's nothing I'd write home about (though, 1x09 is very good—in my opinion—and 1x10, the season finale, builds plenty of intrigue).

But here's the thing: legitimately so much is set up in s1 and you don't even realize it, and it's STILL being re-contextualized well into s4.

So, then the s2 special happens right after s1, and it's like, alright! The plot seems to be going somewhere! We get introduced to a few more antagonists and the status quo from s1 is already somewhat disrupted. But then the last half of s2 comes around. And they're all bangers. 2x05 Minor Scale is GREAT. 2x06 is pure game motif. 2x07 gives us backstory and continues the main protags negative character arc. 2x08 is one of my favorites in the whole show. By this point you realize how consistent the character writing is if you've been paying attention. 2x09 is the beginning of the end. 2x10 ends the season on quite the cliff hanger, and it's like. HOLY SHIT. WHAT IS THIS ABSOLUTE GEM OF A SHOW.

s3 is lovely, and the end of the s3 special has one of my favorite scenes in anything. s4 is so ridiculously good. Lmk honestly has what I would consider to be god tier pacing. They have 10 minutes to achieve their goal, and by GOD are they going to do exactly that.

But like, what do I love about the show specifically?

The animation. The characters. The themes. I kid you not a major theme in s4 of the show is the fact that every single thing you do leads to pain. Being the hero or the villain, it doesn't matter—you cause suffering and destruction with every step you take. You hurt the people you care about. No, seriously. I'm not kidding. THAT'S one of the main focuses of s4, and oh boy is it a wild ride. You get used to legos crying. I am unironically expecting s5 of this show to be a tragedy.

I can not recommend it enough!

(If it's your thing that is! I TOTALLY get not being able to look past the legos, and the fast pacing isn't for everyone.)

Anyways, here's a bonus gif of Mei to end off!

#I think lmk's body count is like. 7 or 8 at this point? depending on who you consider dead?#I'm going to be honest I don't even see the fact that they're legos any more. They aren't legos to me. It's an art style. AN ART FORM #anyways this has been ''imp goes on a long rant about legos'' (like she does every day). you are welcome.#I really ought to dial it back on my tumblr blog #But that lmk s4 special really rocked my shit.#tdp s5 trailer came out yesterday #I'm just like. THEY'VE OVERLOADED MY SYSTEM AND IT'S SUMMER.#WHAT'S A NEURODIVERGENT BITCH TO DO. anyhow #thank you for asking my beloved mutual!#asks #lmk #lego monkie kid

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imissthembutitwasntadisaster · 1 year

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Antigone and Penelope Have A Conversation As They Wait

"For whom do you weave?"

"My father in law. Whom do you bury?"

"My brother."

Antigone watched Penelope like a wounded fox, ready to spring at any movement. Penelope watched Antigone with her hands dropped to her lap, very, very still.

"I'm sorry," the woman said to the girl, "that you must bury him."

"Sisters always bury brothers."

"Still, some things always happen even when they shouldn't."

"You know this firsthand?"

"My husband left me twenty years ago for a war ended a decade past. Heroes never come home. It's hardly fair, but it's true."

"So the shroud is for him as well?"

"Hardly," Penelope almost laughed. "It's for me."

There was a long silence resting in the air.

"I think I might be doomed," said Antigone quietly. Her hands shook, stained with dirt.

"By the gods?"

"By myself. By the story. By Creon. By my father. I hardly know anymore."

Penelope began unravelling again but she hardly looked at the loom, her hands so used to the movement. Her expression was kind and sad and very very old.

"Some stories have to end in tragedy, otherwise no one would be able to face their own. But I suppose that's not much comfort."

"No."

"I may be doomed myself, you know. The suitors will catch me at my unravelling. They'll force me to finish it and I'll have to marry one of them. My husband is probably dead, you see."

"Is that such a terrible fate? Couldn't you marry one?"

"Could you leave your brother unburied?" Penelope's voice was steady and calm but there was a note of an edge in it. Antigone held her gaze for a long moment before dropping her head.

"No."

"Why not?" the question seemed didactic, but it was genuine. Antigone screwed up her face for a moment considering, then crossed to the bench before the loom and perched on its end beside Penelope. She watched her fingers twisting in her lap.

"Back before dad...and all that. When Polynices was younger he used to climb the apple trees behind the house. I couldn't ever get up them, I was too small, so he climbed them to get me the best apples. Eventually I got big enough, but he kept doing it anyway." She looked up straight into Penelope's face and her terror stood blatent in her eyes. "I think they're going to remember me for the wrong reasons. They'll remember I was angry and I was doomed. I was, I am, I'm both those things but it's not just that. It's the- It's the apples. I don't think they'll remember the apples."

"Didn't he betray you?"

"Didn't your husband leave you?"

Penelope reached out and smoothed the girl's hair as though she had done it all her life.

"They may not remember the apples. They don't remember the joke we had about the fishwives. Those tend to be the things lost most easily."

"But they're the most important." There was no way to reply to that, no way to face it, so instead the two women sat silently as the moments of the night passed, and the moment when Antigone would need to return to her grave and Penelope to her suitors drew closer.

"You may not be doomed though, your husband may yet come home. Stories of brothers and sisters and kings, those are tragedies. Stories of husbands aren’t always so," said Antigone at last, a soft smile hovering around her mouth. She hoped dearly that would. She was born knowing her own story, her own end, but still she wished softer final chapters on others.

“Perhaps,” said Penelope, “after all, his old dog isn’t dead yet. The story only ends when the dog lays down his head.”

“When the vigil ends.”

“Exactly. I’m sorry your vigil is so terrible.”

“I’m sorry yours is so uncertain, I would rather weave my shroud once and for all than always unpick at it.”

“But you don’t want to die,” said Penelope. It wasn’t a question.

“No, that’s why my sister’s there, so the audience understands, so they can feel the conflict.”

“Will she live after you?”

“Of course she will, she’s hope. Not hope that it might get better after I am gone, but hope that it might have gone differently. So they come back to the story next time.”

“Might it ever go differently?”

“Not for me,” said Antigone and her voice was a sigh and a weariness and a child. “But there are other sisters and other brothers and other laws.”

“I have a son,” said Penelope, and now she smiled, fondly and worried all at the same time. “He’s leaving, to seek news of his father. I suppose he’s the same, someone has to live on to let us know we can live on. We come back to ourselves and the lights go up and the pages close and we still have to stumble home in the dark wondering how we can continue to live after seeing that. Still, hope stays in her jar.”

The dawn began to reach out over the horizon, and Antigone stood.

“I have to go now,” she said. Her voice wobbled and she looked pale. Penelope stood too, and took the girl’s hands.

“I’ll remember. If I get out myself, I’ll remember.”

“Thank you,” Antigone said, then sucked in a quick breath as though she were going to say something more, ask something more. Instead, she shook her head.

“Of course it matters,” she muttered under her breath, “it has to matter.” She looked up and in the movement there was the sharpness and the swiftness of a hawk, of a fox, of any angry girl. “Tell them I was angry but not only angry. Tell them I was other things too. Weave it in a shroud?”

“Of course, the very best,” smiled Penelope.

And the girl walked back to the grave, and the woman back to her loom. Apples, she thought, a good design. She sat down, and again began to wait.

#writing #my writing #HIIIII THIS MEANS NOTHING I'M JUST GOING INSANE #this is the most pretentious thing I've ever written in my life also I cried over it

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batfsm · 6 months

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After 83 Years, Robin Just Closed DC's Oldest Plot Hole

A conversation between Batman and Superman reveals the secret of how Bruce was able to take custody of the boy who would become the first Robin.

JUSTIN EPPS

PUBLISHED 16 HOURS AGO

SUMMARY

Batman's money and status as Bruce Wayne played a crucial role in him being able to take in Dick Grayson as his ward, with little to no questions asked.

The Waynes' prominence in Gotham and Bruce's funding of social programs gave him a certain level of leeway when it came to adopting a Robin.

Batman is aware of his privilege and knows how to use his wealth and status to his advantage, including bending rules that others have to follow.

Warning! Spoilers ahead for Batman/Superman: World's Finest #20!

One of the most perplexing things about Robin's origin has finally been justified. An old ally of Superman has returned, but it brings up a notable problem about Batman taking in Dick Grayson as his ward. The Dark Knight reveals just how he was able to take on the Boy Wonder with pretty much no questions asked.

Since nearly the beginning of his crime-fighting crusade, Batman has almost always had a Robin by his side. Dick Grayson, the original Boy Wonder, came into Bruce Wayne's life after a terrible tragedy at Haly's Circus that killed Dick's parents. Dick became Bruce's ward, and later, the first of many Robins.

While fans have accepted that development for the sake of the story, in-universe, no one's ever batted an eye at how or why Bruce Wayne gained custody of Dick with little to no questions asked. It worked out in his favor, as Bruce and Dick were able to operate as Batman and Robin with no oversight.

Batman's Money and Status Helped Bruce Get Custody of Robin

In Batman/Superman: World's Finest #20 by Mark Waid and Dan Mora, Clark has finally found where his fomer sidekick Boy Thunder wound up in the multiverse: Earth-22, home of Kingdom Come. Superman travels with Batman to the world and the two begin their search at the restaurant Planet Krypton. Bruce asks if Clark is prepared to let David back into his life and what his long-term plans are. Batman reminds his friend that the only reason Bruce was able to take Dick Grayson as a ward was thanks to the Wayne name and money. Someone like Clark would be much more scrutinized by Child Protective Services.

Fans often joke about Batman's true superpower being his money, and here it's actually kind of true. The Waynes are the most prominent family in Gotham and Bruce has been using his money to fund social programs for years. It makes total sense that he'd be given a certain level of leeway when it came to taking in a ward. Bruce even admits that it wasn't easy, exactly, and that his resources could only do so much. However, as Bruce Wayne, he'd obviously have a much better chance of adopting a Robin or two compared to a relative nobody like Clark Kent.

Batman Knows How to Use His Status to His Advantage

Batman knows better than anyone that he's quite privileged and he can get away with bending rules others have to follow. But he knew that Dick was much better off with him than going into the system. Truth be told, Batman's wealth and status helping him game the system is too perfect an explanation not to use when justifying how someone like Bruce managed to gain custody of Dick. For better or worse, it wraps up a plot hole from the Batman canon and neatly explains Robin's role in the lore. Batman/Superman: World's Finest #20 is on sale now.

How is this news? We all know how it happened, it happens all the time with celebraties and etc, so why the fuck are they acting like it's a huge thing?

It's not! Are they that desperate that they literally have to make a damn comic on it and then an article? Oh wait, it's because somehow they're bringing Boy Thunder back instead of fixing how Clark meets/acts to Kon.

Jesus Christ DC, what is going on with you guys now?

#dc comics #batman #superman #dick grayson #clark kent #bruce wayne #batman/superman #batman/superman: world's finest #opinion

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rosescries · 6 months

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Hello, idk if you're accepting asks atm or if you'd even be willing to do this since it's about a story you're not continuing but would you be willing to write all the mobs reactions to finding out MCs their soulmate from "Cheating Death"? (Basically just their reactions to that bombshell at the end of the last chapter)

Oh, I'm happy to answer asks about this fic even if it is abandoned.

I'm always taking asks too, no one has to wait until I request them.

I don't know if this is what you meant, but I'll explain their reactions.

Guns (Mobtale Sans) is as furious as he is surprised. He... wasn't expecting to have a SOULmate, much less for them to be a Human. But of course she dead when they find her, of course. That's just what he should've expected. But... he's also not going to let this happen. Now that he has her, she's going to live dammit!

Ace (Mobtale Papyrus) is shocked and a bit devastated. He's simultaneously overjoyed and heartbroken, and not just because of her current state. He was hoping for a SOULmate, but also kind of hoping he didn't have one. Or if they did exist, that they were in the same business as him. Even if that wouldn't work out well. He won't, he can't, let go of her now, but he is regretful that she won't be able to just rest easy.

Don (Mobtale Gaster) is absolutely furious when he finally returns. Not just at her death, but the fact that he has to share her, and with his sons even. What cruel trick is fate trying to play here with that? Her death is something that angers him greatly though too, another cruel trick of fate. But that anger is mainly at the fact that he couldn't prevent the tragedy, even if there's no reasonable way he could've.

Hit (Mobfell Sans) is mainly in shock. He goes out to save some stupid college kids and one of those idiots turns out to be his SOULmate?! And in fact the only one that died. He admires her determination to keep her SOUL together long enough to save her friends, and he's aware she's not... really his. But he feels that strong connection anyway, so it's good enough. But he's... going to need a drink.

Sniper (Mobfell Papyrus) isn't exactly... happy. He means, none of them are happy about this situation. Their SOULmate's dead. But he's not particularly happy about her presence all together. She's soft and innocent, there's no need to croupt her. But he can't ignore the instinct telling him to save her, save her, SAVE HER. Nor the one telling him to get closer, even if he doesn't really want to.

Boss (Mobfell Gaster) is just not happy to have to share her. He wants revenge on her friends for her death, but mainly just wants to get closer to her and make sure she stays on this plane of existence. He's not willing to let her go now that she's here.

Lucky (Mobswap Sans) is very upset by all of this, but he can work with this. He just needs to make sure she's all taken care of and doesn't get close to anything that could harm her fragile SOUL. This is kind of preferable actually, he's got a reason to keep close to her. Keep an even closer eye on her too.

Strike (Mobswap Papyrus) finds this to be very... regrettable. He feels bad for her mainly. She very obviously wants to pass on and doesn't understand why they're doing this to her, and she's in pain he can see it clearly. He wishes they could've met under better circumstances, or better yet never met at all. The only thing he can do is try to comfort her the best he can.

Cat (Mobswap Gaster) doesn't really... care? He's got other things on his mind and she's got enough of them doting on her. He's more focused on the situation and possibly how to make her form more solid and permanent. Mostly out of curiosity of it they can really cheat death this way. She's not really his after all, and he won't get to keep her if they end up back in their own universe.

Capo (Mobswapfell Sans) finds this completely unacceptable. First off she's a Human, second of all she's an innocent, and third of all she's DEAD?! He's not going to stand for this. Absolutely not. She's going to keep her cute little ass on this plain if it's the last thing he sees to.

Clip (Mobswapfell Papyrus) is just... devastated really. Her whole situation is just awful and he's upset it had to be this way. He'll keep an eye out for her friends for her, since obviously they meant a lot to her. Make sure none of the others try to take their grief out on them and just.. to help them he guesses. They were important to you, so they're important to him.

Barone (Mobswapfell Gaster) isn't impressed, nor is he really interested. He'll engage if he has to, or is forced to by that insufferable connection between their SOULs, but otherwise he doesn't honestly want much to do with her. If it was up to him, he'd let you pass on. It'd be for the best really. But perhaps he'll indulge once in a while, while you're here. If for no other reason than to anger his counterparts and the sons.

Pass (Horrormob Sans) feels... nothing. Of course this is how it turns out to be. Of course his SOULmate is dead, she's probably dead in his own universe too. It should be what he expects by now, the universes wouldn't have it any other way. But you're still tethered to this world, if by force. So... he'll have to make the most of this while he can. He doesn't want to let her go.

Button (Horrormob Papyrus) is very upset. He's... not surprised, because of course this happened. He can't even have his own SOULmate alive, safe, and happy. Of course he can't. The universes hate him. But he's going to try to make this as comfortable as possible for you, even if you are in pain. He has to, he just found you. Even if he does have to share.

Crank (Horrormob Gaster) is just... sad. It's a battle between wanting to let you free and desperately trying to keep you here. He knows letting you move on would be for the best, no matter how much it hurts them. But he also can't deny the desperate desire to keep you here. Ultimately, he's selfish.

Gamble (Mob G!Sans) honestly... doesn't know what to think. He doesn't really like the idea of being tied down, but now he can only think of her when with another woman or man. Drives him crazy, especially since he knows the right thing to do would be to let her go. There's a good chance of this all going wrong and her SOUL is one gamble he's not sure they should be taking.

Vig (Mob G!Papyrus) is almost desperate to find a solution to this problem, even if it doesn't seem like it on the outside. Can he bound your SOUL to an object to tether her here? To one of them? Is she like a Monster Ghost? What can he do for her? To ease her pain if nothing else. She can't heal properly and the tether they gave her made her more physical, which made her injuries all the more present. There has to be something.

Doll (Lustmob Sans) thinks it would've been better if they had never found you. They wouldn't have to deal with this pain and you wouldn't either. You're obviously traumatized and there's not really anything he can do for you. Quite a few of the others seem to just ignore the pain their touch puts you through, agitating your injuries from the cave in. You could've been resting peacefully, if not for them.

Sheba (Lustmob Papyrus) is on pretty much the same page as his brother. Under the belief you'd probably be better off had she never met them. But there's.. not much they can do. They're already the outcasts of the group, their words mean little and the others are always crowding you and determined to make you stay. They're all selfish like that.

Peach (Lustmob Gaster) would very much like to make her pain all disappear. But he doesn't know how to do that without touch, not that anyone really lets him or his sons get close to you despite you being their SOULmate too. But he'll work with what he can get. There's not much else he can do at this point.

#fun fact due to the gaster bros fusion they feel the bond stronger than the others #abandoned story: cheating death #rosey answers #anonymous

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reneemauricesings · 11 months

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We're so close to seeing the final 10 episodes of Manifest and I am so freaking excited!

I don't know if Ben and Saanvi are endgame or if they're even gonna go there, but they're definitely going to be getting closer in these last 10 episodes and it has been clear since day one that they have for sure come into each other's lives for a reason.

But anyway, I wanted to write a scenario in which they explore their feelings for each other, whether it comes real or not. I can't WAIT to find out on June 2nd!

Peace and love,

Renee.

...

Ben and Saanvi were equally exhausted as they were wired. Running for your life at a Top Secret Government Facility will do that to a person.

Knowing they'd gotten far enough away to evade the authorities and escape immediate danger, they began to slow the pace of their walk.

They were still a few miles out from basecamp and although desperate to get back to the others to tell them what they had found, they knew they needed to rest first.

They had no shelter of course and very little to eat or drink. Their surroundings were quite barren which left them exposed to the elements.

But they had each other, and the stars were magnificent.

After picking a particular patch of dirt on which to sit, Ben curled his legs up to his chest and shivered.

"Cold?" Saanvi softly queried.

He nodded his head against his knees. "Don't know why though, it's nearly Summer and the air's pretty warm."

Wrapping her arms around herself, Saanvi gave him a sympathetic smile. "You've lost body fat. None of us have had enough to eat these past few months."

She was right. You couldn't exactly order takeout while living off the grid.

The passengers had formed a sort of commune, a self-sufficient one. They had learned to grow their own food and had really only been living off that and the few basic supplies they received from trusted outsiders on about a once-a-month basis.

Being on the run from the registry was a case of self-preservation for them all. They knew if they had any chance of surviving the death date and saving the world, it wasn't going to happen with them all locked up in prison cells.

Despite knowing they had a bigger mission to fulfill, the comforts of home were missed by everyoneBen could barely remember the days of sitting in his living room in front of the fireplace - with his family. It seemed like a whole other lifetime ago. What he wouldn't give to live in the comfort of those moments again.

Ever perceptive to him as she was, Saanvi asked shyly, "Do you wanna…warm each other up?"

He turned his head to her, snickering bashfully at what it sounded like she was suggesting…until the look in her eyes confirmed it.

Off his immediate lack of response, she shook her head, feeling embarrassed. "Forget I said anything."

But Ben didn't want to forget. He wanted to be reminded. Of what it felt like to lie in a woman's arms, to be held gently and tenderly. To be wanted, to be craved. To be loved.

Pressing his palm to her cheek, the action already a good start to warming both of them, he brought his lips to hers. Against his mouth, her breath was sultry, by both meanings of the word. They became wrapped up in each other, no longer nervous or afraid. More fearful of not having a deeper connection than of upsetting the balance of the one they already shared.

There was an undefined trust between the two of them that had been there from the day they met. With that trust at the fore, they gave themselves unreservedly to one another.

Protecting the back of her brilliant, beautiful head, he lay her down on the unforgiving ground and covered her with every bit of the love in him he still had left to give.

No two people lived more in the knowledge that nothing happened by accident, everything that occurred in the universe did so for a reason and a purpose. To not find the purpose out of the slew of tragedy that had befallen them would be a tragedy in and of itself.

And so they were both equally unabashed in honoring their mutual feelings. For Ben, being with Saanvi and for Saanvi being with Ben, sharing their time, their intellect, their passions, and now in baring their spirits completely to one another, they each felt like the freest versions of themselves.

They both wept, crying with relief to be here together now as well as for all the lost time. Then again, they knew it had been time needed to heal, to grieve, to trust again, to relearn how to give themselves, mind, body and heart, to another person.

The years they had been in one another's lives had passed so swiftly, yet it felt like they had known each other forever in their souls. The journey they had been on was perilous beyond anything anyone else on Earth could imagine. Whatever happened next, Ben and Saanvi were bound forever.

They lay together, beating heart to beating heart. Satiated, content and more than warmed.

Sensing he may have been suffocating her for holding her so tightly, Ben released his grip on her a little but Saanvi whimpered and pulled his arm back around her. "Mm-mm, don't let go."

He kissed the top of her head and softly whispered. "No. Not until the very end."

There was nothing around them for miles and nothing comforting or safe guaranteed for their future.

But they had each other, and the stars were magnificent.

#benxsaanvi #manifest season 4 #ben stone #benvi #romance #saanvi bahl #chemistry #manifest #manifest on netflix #manifest spoilers #manifest season 4 part 2 #manifest finale

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cypanache · 10 months

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18, 22 & 27 for the Fic Writer Asks

18. What’s one of your favorite lines you’ve written in a fic?

This was challenging. For two reasons: 1) when I don’t hate my own writing I actually like quite a bit of it; and 2) often what I particularly like about a line isn’t the specific line but the way it builds on things layered earlier in the scene or even 3 scenes ago so it doesn’t translate well to being excerpted. So I had to look awhile to find one. But I do really like the last two lines of the first chapter of A Trap of Your Own Making. Not because they're a particularly brilliant piece of writing, but because they set the tone. They tell you exactly what this story is. It's a love story but it's not a love story. It's a tragedy within a tragedy, it's already happened, you can't change it:

This is how they fall asleep. Anakin tucked safe in the space between them. Missing each other by millimeters. Unable to reach out, incapable of turning away. It's a pattern they’ll repeat for the rest of her life.

22. Do you know how your fic will end before you start writing?

So when I go to write the first section I usually have the broad brushes of tone (happy, sad, bittersweet) and the general direction of what’s going to happen. And then by the time I’m a chapter or two in I can probably tell you how the final scene will look if not the final line. I think for every WiP I have in progress right now I know, if not the closing line, at least an anchor line of dialogue that I’m writing toward.

Now sometimes that does change on me but when it does it’s because I’ve adjusted the end. I never go back to not knowing how it will end. So once you get past one or two chapters I’m always writing in a very specific direction to a bit of anchoring dialogue

27. Is there a fic you were nervous to post/share? Why?

Oh Trap, hands down. Star Wars is a huge fandom with a long history, a complicated “canon” and many people with lots interpretations and opinions. I was taking a not terribly popular pairing and looking to slot them right into canon. To conceive of an interpretation of the universe where everything happens exactly as shown and Obidala was a great unseen tragic love story that played a driving role in those events. That felt somewhat blasphemous to both the larger SW fandom but even to the smaller Obidala community where I hadn’t really seen an interpretation like this. (Trust me if I had I would not have taken this crazy project on). So I had no idea how it would be received, if people would tell me I’d gotten the characterizations all wrong, had completely missed some important part of canon … just flat out hated it? I honestly didn’t know.

But you’ve all been so kind. I’ve been overwhelmed by how pleasant and welcoming this little corner has been. So thank you all.

#obidala #cy writes things #cy answers things #fic author ask game

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jingerhead · 1 year

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JINGER BABES!!! Hi hello hi, you know what I'm gonna ask about!!

Ahem

DND OCS

ATLA AU

MAGIC PEGASUS AU

I need these like I need air thank you.

Omg pint babe I would love love love to tell you about these!!!!! Buckle up for a very long post haha!

Play the WIP game with me here!

DND Ocs

Omg so I have been DYING to tell someone about them in detail cause the campaign I've been playing is with some of my closest friends and unfortunatly I can't tell them ANYTHING 'cause we aren't done yet. So, let me tell you about Themong and Chairion.

They're both tieflings (I commissioned @fortheloveofexy to draw them and they turned out amazing ;-;) that were raised together in a cult worshiping the goddess of necromancy. At eleven years old, Themong discovered his unique ability to directly communicate with said goddess, and as a result he was forced into a leadership position from that moment on. He grew up with far too much responsibility on his shoulders and with the mindset that his goddess' word was law and that he should always listen to her first and foremost. Despite his new role, he and Chairion remained very close, and Chairion was the only one that didn't treat Themong like royalty. They were simply friends despite everything.

Tragedy struck the kingdom they lived in when it became engulfed in a war. In desperation, the queen of the kingdom reached out to the cult powerful in necromancy magic for assistance. The final decision was left to Themong, as it always was, and he turned to his goddess for help. However, for the first time in his life she told him this was a choice that he had to make alone, and he was lost, only thinking about the fact that if he agreed he could loose his friend. As a result, he decided to do nothing. The war was quick, and within a day the cult was destroyed by soldiers from the warring kingdom, resulting in everyone scattering and becoming separated.

Feeling tremendous guilt, the only reason Themong survived was because of Chairion. They wandered the destroyed kingdom they once called home for years, alone and separated from everyone else. As the years passed, they slowly went from simply friends to something more, developing a physical relationship that never went further. In the end, on one random night, Chairion approached Themong to admit to him that he'd completely lost the faith he'd grown up with. They have an argument that night that resulted in a destroyed friendship and them going their separate ways, meeting each other only one other time to fight to the death that they both give up.

And thus far, they haven't met in the campaign again yet but Chairion's presence has been heavily hinted at and I'm just waiting for it. I'm in the process of completely writing out their backstory because I'm obsessed with it lmao. Thank you for asking Pint and I'm sorry this was so long haha!

ATLA AU

SO I've gotten so into ATLA again and couldn't help but make my own au. Here's a snidbit I wrote ages ago for it:

"So," Matt began. Neil already knew what was coming, but he wished that people would be blunt about it like Wymack had been, or simply wouldn't ask at all. "You're a refugee," Matt continued.

"Mmhm," Neil hummed, pretending to be busy shoving another spoonful of soup into his mouth.

"And you're from the Earth Kingdom?"

Neil nodded, taking his sweet time finishing up the food he'd eaten, and waited for Matt to ask what everyone in the room wanted to know. He exchanged looks with Dan once, then hesitated for too long, prompting Allison to huff and spit it out. "What happened to you?"

"Colony village got erased," Neil explained with a shrug. "Nothing special."

Thankfully, nobody in the group seemed shocked or gave Neil a pitying look like others he'd run into had. There were some small parts of the world that managed to go untouched by the war, blissfully unaware that the slightest opposition could mean absolute destruction. Then again, everyone here had to have experienced exactly that, or they wouldn't be a Fox.

"And the scar?"

The only reason Neil tensed was because it was Andrew who asked the question. He slowly turned his head to face Andrew, feeling himself frown despite himself. Though he looked as though he was lounging against a nearby rock, both of Andrew's feet were firmly placed in the ground as though he couldn't keep himself from already taking a fighting stance. It made goosebumps flare up on Neil's skin and a chill go down his spine, but he wasn't sure why.

"Ran into a Fire Nation Commander," Neil managed to get out once he remembered how to move his tongue.

The answer was good enough for everyone else judging by the subtle gasps Neil heard, but he didn't break eye contact from Andrew, whose head tilted so minutely that nobody else had to have seen it. But Neil did, and now he could feel adrenaline running through his veins, the familiar feeling of running trying to move his body.

But Neil couldn't run. He'd come here to stop doing that, after all.

Later, when dinner was finished and everyone began heading to their rooms for the night, Neil found himself cornered against his door by Andrew. He wasn't surprised. "Do you have any idea how easy it would be to sink you into the ground and leave you there?" Andrew asked.

"Yes," Neil said. He fumbled when he felt his feet sink into the stone he was standing on, arms flying to his sides to keep balanced.

"Lie after lie after lie," Andrew tutted, tapping one foot on the ground and causing Neil to slip further down, until the two were at eye-level. "Your sob story won't work on everyone, Neil."

"It was the truth."

"Pieces of it were," Andrew agreed. "Nobody here will care who you really are so long as you're not a spy."

Neil sucked in a breath and had to hold it so as to not let the fire roaring in his body escape. He knew that had to be what Andrew wanted to happen, and the one thing stalling the panic growing inside him was the fact that Andrew wouldn't be able to get away with killing him. "I'm not a spy," Neil said, looking Andrew in the eyes as he did so. They were hazel, but a trick of the lightmade them glow gold momentarily, almost like a Fire-Bender's would.

After a second, Andrew blinked and Neil found himself suddenly standing on solid ground again, slightly disorienting him for a minute. Andrew began to slowly walk around him, still staring. "I can feel vibrations in the earth," he explained as he went. "I can feel where everyone in the Foxhole Court is. I can feel every breath you take. I can even feel every beat your heart makes."

Neil stiffened. He wasn't sure if Andrew was lying to scare him or not, because he'd never heard of an Earth-Bender capable of that, but he couldn't take the risk. The Earth Kingdom had always been the Fire Nation's greatest opponent because of benders like Andrew, after all.

"Your heartbeat quickens when you lie," Andrew said, finally walking away. "Make sure to consider that the next time you open your mouth."

When he was finally gone, Neil let out the breath he'd held and saw a tiny puff of smoke. He managed to move after another moment, walking into his room and leaning against the closed door, thoughts consumed by the fact that Andrew only let him live because he hadn't been lying about being a spy. Then again, the truth was more complicated than he'd ever know.

Magic of Pegasus AU

It's exactly what it sounds like. Ever watched Barbie: the magic of Pegasus? Yeah so I thought it would be funny if Aaron was cursed to be a Pegasus, and then it spiraled from there with Andrew seeking revenge on Riko and with finding a way to turn his brother back, becoming so consumed by it that Aaron leaves and Andrew's memories of him get erased until Riko suddenly returns a year later. Also, I thought Neil would perfectly fit Aiden's personality. I haven't actually written anything for it yet but this is a completely self indulgent fic I wanna do haha.

#jinger answers #jinger's works #aftg #aftg wip #andreil #andreil wip

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lovecolibri · 1 year

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SaL anon here friend and I don't know about you but I'm so, so tired. Amazing how the rush of excitement I got at seeing the promo pics for an actual dramatic emergency could instantly be taken out by a 7 second promo. I feel like KR got the news well before the official announcement and said "I'm going to turn this finale into everything I want", and basically decided to push everyone but Buck to the sidelines and make them observers while pairing him with her failed self-insert. And ugh, the only thing equally as bad as the prospect of L being involved in saving everyone is the prospect of the emergency just being like a quarter of the episode and us wasting the rest of the time on wrapping up Buck's many, many, many storylines. I know we don't know for sure this is what would happen, but KR has given us no reason to think it won't. Frankly I think we should let ABC know that should they, in taking over 911, choose to retcon anything (or everything) from the last two seasons we're okay with that, and no questions will be asked.

And yeah, I can definitely agree that while Buck taking over during a crisis would be a nice way to get closure on his doubts from episode 1, the path there (if one can call it a path, which implies it goes somewhere) makes absolutely no sense. I don't even want to think about how they are going to shove Natalia (I think she's around next episode?...still) and a baby into the whole mess. I honestly would have easily taken 50% less Buck this season if they had just taken the time do the leadership arc well and have this grand emergency to show that off.

So while I'm kind of resigned on the finale for OG, I have a bit more hope for the LS one, though I too am hard side-eyeing the "earn the wedding" comments. Who exactly has to earn this wedding? The audience? They make the effort to tune in regularly despite some pretty shitty writing choices, I think they're owed a debt. The characters? Not sure how two people being in an long-term relationship and seeing each other through hardships hasn't earned them a wedding. We'll see what happens, but at this point its the odds are 50/50 that this "tragedy" will involve either a hospital or a crime scene (or both)

Hi my friend! I have been under the weather this week and ended up being out of town all day today so I am *literally* tired, but also I am WITH you on my excitement for the finale getting sucked away by half that promo being of L and her once again butchering line delivery on something as minimal as "mayday" 🙄 I already got my hopes up for a good firefam feels focused episode and got let down by 6x11 SO HARD, so I'm just going to operate under the worst assumptions that way I can, hopefully, end the episode with a "could have been worse I guess". Although I went into 6x17 with zero expectations and the show still managed to let me down anyway soooo 🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️

I'm sure KR knew something was up, the negotiations were *rough* last year so I'm sure they were all told to prepare. And since it's something the show usually does, wrapping up nicely each season, it won't feel out of place, however I'm also worried the emergency won't be that long. Seasons 2-4 all had a cliffhanger in the penultimate episode to get people to tune in to the finale but 6x17 did NOT give people a lot of reason to HAVE to tune in. At least s5 made the effort of showing that firetruck crash like 8000 times over the week and making it look like Bobby was in danger, even if it was just a 5 min emergency that ultimately didn't do anything at all or affect anyone. They couldn't even be bothered to give a promo until Friday and without a cliffhanger, what's the hook to draw everyone in for the finale? Because you know those casual viewers are scouring the internet for news about the show, hell, most of them probably figured with no promo that 6x17 WAS the finale! Madney got engaged which is usually a season finale thing so I wonder how many of them though that was it!

"I honestly would have easily taken 50% less Buck this season if they had just taken the time do the leadership arc well and have this grand emergency to show that off." 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 SAAAAAAAME. They should have spent less time trying to turn everything about his storylines into a joke and actually delved into HIS emotions more. Instead we got the whole sperm baby now being about some rando characters we don't even know or care about's emotions for some reason?! His death being turned into "haha funny math skills for ONE episode only!" And this whole death doula thing where we haven't even heard them actually really talking about anything and what we did see was her being DEEPLY insensitive and unempathetic for her line of work, and then a parade of Buck's awful choices to remind everyone of them for??? What reason exactly? To give her a reason to leave? When after what we've seen we....didn't even need her in the first place? Like, WHAT has she actually said or done that has actually been meaningful or addressed Buck's death? We saw some of the aftermath in his talk with Eddie at the cemetery but what purpose besides giving Buck another LI he met on a call is she actually serving? Anything important could have been imparted by a victim at a call, and that triggered Buck to talk to someone in his firefam (OR HIS THERAPIST FOR THE LOVE OF CHRIST!), and given us a peek into Buck's head about it. Instead we have wasted all this time on what? An excuse to bring two of the most audience hated characters back? WHAT?! Like, literally, who allowed this to happen? WHOMST in that production team looked at this absolute mess that KR presented as an idea and said "yeah, that works!" ?!?!?!?! Sorry, I'm too grouchy to try and make sense of this, it's just SO stupid and such a waste of time, the ONE thing KR is good at.

As for LS, I still haven't gotten to watch last week's episode. I'm hoping to watch it tomorrow but at this point I'm just watching that show with an "eh. This might as well happen I guess" because I'm out of energy for much more than that. I've seen some of the spec floating around but mostly I'm just excited that we were all right and Paul is officiating. Bobby is gonna be sooooo jealous. But for real, WHAT is this idea on shows that characters have to "earn" happiness and that always meaning that someone like, dies, or they have to be miserable in 98% of the episodes to get one or two happy scenes before the next tragedy strikes? Because I think the WRITING should have to earn the payoff and neither show has managed to do that this season.

Here's expecting the worst so we aren't TOO disappointed, while holding space to be happy if Andrew manages to get around the nonsense KR insisted on to give us a decent emergency because I doubt we'll get a satisfying wrap up for anything else on the Buck or Eddie front. Maybe we'll get extra lucky and the backlash after this week (and on that TVLine article, seriously what did they expect with that question?) will get L's scenes cut as much as possible again. For old times sake. Pretty much every article comment space, review space, and SM space I've seen has been pretty clear about KR needing to be gone so here's hoping ABC is taking notes! At the very least, their promo team can't possible be worse, right?

#my sweet nonnie friends #sleeping at last anon #911 #911 spoilers #anti lucy donato #for blacklisting purposes #i want to be excited but it works better for ME personally to not be right now #and then maybe be pleasantly surprised when it airs and the emergency takes more than 15 minutes #sorry to everyone else in my inbox it was a rough week

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fatherramiro · 11 months

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top 5 episodes of 1899/top five scenes? please and thank you!

thank you!! under a cut because im a Wordy Bitch

top five episodes of 1899

The Calling (Episode Five) - I think it's such a terrific episode that does so much to change the game. We hear Elliot speak for the first time, we see Maura's father in full the first time, Sebastian reveals his true allegiances, we get that AMAZING scene where time stops (and honestly we don't even know in full how that actually fucking worked now that I think about that, like did Elliot stop time or did Maura control the simulation herself?)... plus, the imagery of the passengers leaping from the ship is so much and so terrifying. The loss of both Yuk Je and Krester hurts so much at this point in the show. And also amidst all this plot, we also still get so many character beats - Jérôme going to protect Lucien and Clémence, Ramiro and Ángel reconciling, Maura and Eyk being honest with each other, and Olek and Ling Yi's relationship really becoming important. I love it. It's a powerhouse of an episode.

The Ship (Episode One) - To get a mystery box show right, you need to crush the pilot episode, and boy does 1899 ever! The imagery in the first couple of minutes immediately sets up the tone of the show. Emily immediately kills it as Maura, and the slow introduction of all the ensemble is so magnificent. I could talk for hours about the way that scene in the dining hall is written and shot, especially how that scene with the cups immediately tells you something is Inherently Wrong with this ship. The slow burn to finding the Prometheus, as well as what happens when they get on the ship? Amazing. Plus the way the show tells us exactly what's happening on the show both with Ada talking to Tove and the goddamn last word we hear in the final montage's music - "remember" - shows us Bo and Jantje knew what they were doing.

The Boy (Episode Two) - This episode is high for a lot of personal reasons as One Might Guess, but we'll get to that in a minute. I love the way they build up Eyk's character. Andreas is an incredible actor and I just love the way he sets up not only Eyk's grief and trauma but exactly who he is as a person. Another acting highlight is Fflynn as Elliot - he's so creepy but his performance is also really goddamn sophisticated for him being a literal child. On the subject of key scenes, I also love that this episode has Jérôme and Clémence's first meeting - they're such a fascinating duo and their first scene is loaded with such tension. And of course, I love the Ramiro/Ángel of it all, but my favorite moment is that brief scene of them where Ángel is watching Ramiro sleep as Anker's prayer plays over it because I do think that was setting some stuff up.

The Storm (Episode Seven) - This episode is such a gut punch in the best way. The stakes are so high and even if we know that the characters we lose aren't necessarily gone because of the simulation, it still hurts to watch all those death scenes. Anker's decision to stay with Iben, Olek dying after promising Ling Yi she'd live, Franz sacrificing himself for Tove... and of course, Ramiro losing Ángel all make it such a perfect human tragedy against the sci-fi backdrop. Add in the conflict with Maura, Henry, Daniel, and Sebastian, and you've got a perfect episode of TV. The ending of the Kerberos going into the archive is also just such damn good visuals.

The Fight (Episode Four) - While I absolutely despise the character, I cannot help but love Maria's performance as Iben, and I feel like this episode is her showcase. What a pitch perfect performance. I also am obsessed with Jérôme, so getting to see his story and his character flourish in this episode is just catnip for me, especially since Yann is one of the strongest performers in an already strong group. The Jérôme/Clémence "romance" is also so well done, and I love seeing that instant connection blossom more. Plus, the dynamic duo of Eyk and Ramiro is excellent, as is seeing Ramiro getting to take on a more active role in the narrative (if only we had better footage of him kicking Franz's ass!). Also the Krester and Ángel moment is such a powerhouse, but that's a meta for another time.

Favorite Scenes!!

The Ramiro and Anker confession scene. Look, I could sit here all day and talk about why this scene is brilliant, but at the core it is so much about human connection and understanding, even if they can't understand how similar they both are. Also the acting makes me scream.

I am only allowing myself one (1) Ramiro/Ángel scene on this list and for me the scene is their pseudo-breakup in episode three. José absolutely destroys me in this scene and you can feel Ramiro's desperation and anguish just pouring off the screen. It also represents such a key moment for Ramiro, my beloved, so I have to put this on here.

The dining room scene. I love Rosalie's performance as Virginia so much and the way this scene weaves in setting her up for something as well as introduces us to the key first class ensemble players is so much. Plus, I do think the moment of them all lifting their cups at the same time is just such an excellent way of setting up something being Wrong before the Prometheus even enters the picture.

Clémence and Tove in episode six. I love Clémence and the idea of her bristling at the life she's been forced into - one where she's married to a man she does not love, who mistreats her, and where she's undoubtably expected to have children - sets up so much for her character and illustrates why she makes the choices she does throughout the series. I also just love her look with the pants.

This is so hard for me but I think I have to give this to a section of an episode - the characters going through the different memories in episode 8. I love that Clémence and Jérôme hear Lucien and try to help him (also how did they escape???). I love that Ramiro and Ling Yi are teamed up in this scene - the fact they're holding hands kills me, they're besties - and then I love how the voices of their love interests lead them out of the memories and back to the ship. It's such a good sequence!

Bonus sixth scene - The final scene with Maura and Daniel. I cry every time.

#1899

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aotopmha · 1 year

Text

Final Fantasy XIV thoughts:

Hermes (Fandaniel/Amon).

The criticism for Hermes from people who say they've struggled with mental illness themselves and then proceed to be extremely dismissive or condescending towards people who are struggling with mental illness and do relate to him and understand him makes me sad.

(Just yesterday I saw a comment from someone who said they went through mental illness themselves that said anyone who thinks Hermes is a good depiction of depression is probably 'crazy' themselves because that's what FF14 fans are according to them.)

Mental illness is so often mocked and looked down upon even by those who have gone through it, for whatever reason this might be (for a few examples, perhaps forgetting the struggle they had themselves, or maybe the anger/unhappiness of still having to deal with it in the first place).

Not all characters are going to be relatable to everyone and I think there will be disagreements on how well or how badly a theme or topic is handled in a story, but this particular disagreement strikes me as fascinating because this is the exact kind of dismissiveness of mental health that I think the story criticises.

Part of the reason everything that happened, happened was because the ancients were really bad at being considerate of feelings.

Meteion ended up being an empath because Hermes was an empath.

And Hermes cared deeply for life.

And needing to kill life in his job is what slowly screwed him up, too.

He couldn't find connection in front of him, so he created another being just to fulfill his wish of finding it in space. He created another being with feelings he used for selfish reasons.

And mental illness doesn't exclude you from consequences. It shouldn't be an excuse to hurt other people.

And all of these elements, as someone who has struggled with mental health, as well, I can relate to and understand.

"Why is he so annoying?"

"Why won't he stop being sad, although he's at this high ranking job?"

"Why won't he get over his sadness and pain of killing other living beings?"

This is exactly the attitude the story criticises and in turn is some of the criticism I see directed at Hermes and from there in turn is criticism directed at many struggling with mental illness irl.

People say they really care about those who struggle with mental illness until they don't.

When those who struggle become frustrating/an inconvinience, many just turn on them anyway because "they're whiny" or "it's not that bad".

So to me Hermes is a fantastic depiction of what being dismissive of mental health (and lack of peer review, actually) looks like and can end up looking like.

Because, above all, mental illness traps you in your own mind and often does make things seem worse than they are, too.

It's a closed cycle that can only be mitigated by other perspectives, other people genuinely supporting you. This is why simply talking to other people saves so many and isolation leads to many tragedies.

This is why the Blasphemies spread so strongly and you can't save everyone from becoming one.

In my own struggle I also didn't need anyone telling me 'how wonderful the world is, actually' – I needed to be told that it was horrible, but you can forge on anyway.

And that's what was effective about Endwalker's conclusion to me.

I think the story saying that you aren't alone in your suffering is great, too, but the detail that yes, the world sucks, but instead of burying the issue to "make you feel better", the dark feelings are acknowledged, is what I really liked.

Validation and acknowledgement is what truly lead to me getting better.

And if things truly reach the lowest point, where you truly have nothing left, the memory of the good times with those you loved or even just the smallest moments of good still live on within you, for you to find new ones in the future.

"The sorrow of a thousand, thousand worlds weighs heavy. And yet you can walk on."

All of this said, the final detail I'd like to talk about is the karmic cycle of the rebirth of Hermes.

Hermes, Amon and Fandaniel all reach one singular nihilistic viewpoint: nothing matters, so it all must go away. Just like Meteion.

This happens with every incarnation, so I think it's kind of a fascinating cycle that has been built here of a soul looking for peace and closure.

And this cycle is finally broken when Hermes acknowledges he has hurt Meteion and for the first time truly connects with her on an emotional level.

He didn't see what was in front of him all along, but now that he did, he finally found the connection he so wished for.

This is, of course, not literally happening because at this point Hermes is long dead, but this is the reason why his words so often make me tear up whenever I rewatch the scene with his message to Meteion.

I actually wasn't initially too big on Hermes, either because I thought just a tad too little time was spent to exploring him, but subsequent revisits of the Endwalker story really warmed me up to his character.

As said, right now I feel like his story ended up being really satisfying.

But I'd also like to validate anyone who didn't find Hermes to be well-written or effective. You're not crazy or wierd or whatever else anyone might call you because of disliking or liking a fictional character, especially if you have struggled with mental illness yourself because the character of Hermes is exactly about this and views can absolutely differ with a topic like this.

#Final Fantasy XIV #Final Fantasy 14 #FFXIV #FF14 #Final Fantasy #FF #Hermes #Fandaniel

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mmriesoftvat · 9 months

Text

THERE'S REALLY NOTHING to stay for at this point. kami had done the bare minimum of surviving up until this point.

the past several months had been nothing but a blur. while kami can recall the funeral, he can't remember anything he'd done in school, outside of school, or with anyone he can reasonably call family.

kaminari especially doesn't remember any time spent with arakan. maybe that's his fault -- he'd shut himself away, locked his emotions up so tight that nothing can get in. kami doesn't WANT anyone or anything breaking down the door and trying to reason with him.

irrational? yes. kami is very aware this is probably going to bite him in the ass later. but the alternative is staying here and letting himself SUFFOCATE in the tension. arakan may be his only sibling, maybe even the only family that actually gives a damn.

ei? not likely. yae miko who is the next fucking loser who glued herself to ei's hip now that makoto's out of the way? or had yae always been there? kami can't bring himself to recall those particular details. and ren...

there's a distant, barely noticeable acknowledgement that ren hadn't exactly had it easier. but then again, kami knows through the grapevine that ren travels a lot. some backwoods corner of japan that doesn't have much going for it. all kaminari knows is that ren tends to go there a lot more than stay here, so whatever relationship he and arakan could have with him, it doesn't exist.

which means kaminari doesn't have to worry about ren, either. if no one else cares, then kami doesn't have to.

it's the middle of the night now. arakan is either sleeping or painting. either way, they're holed up in their room and shutting out the outside world. maybe arakan is grieving, maybe arakan is finding their own way to move on from this stupid TRAGEDY that shouldn't have ever happened. whatever killed makoto, whoever decided to take her life -- it doesn't matter. maybe it never did to begin with.

kami's alll packed and sneaking outside. he keeps glancing back at the house, almost SNEERING at it. forcing himself to turn away, kami slides his suitcase into the trunk, and quietly closes it again, before sneaking back into the house one last time.

honestly, kaminari doesn't know where he's going. ANYWHERE would be better than here. maybe arakan would even understand one day. or they won't. maybe they'll never see each other again. kami hopes arakan will find their own way in life and will eventually forgive him.

reaching into the parlor desk, he grabs a sticky note and a pen, before sitting down. his GOAL is to jot down a quick "goodbye", but that feels far too final. ideally, he'd leave without saying anything, but arakan at least deserves this. reaching for a pad of paper, he sets it down in front of him and begins to write.

ara: sorry. couldn't stay anymore, this place is killing me. maybe you'll hold this against me forever, but can't be in this house anymore. no one else gives a damn and i can't give one either. just promise you won't do what i'm doing, i know you're better than that. see you in another life -kami

setting the pen down, he thinks of everyone he's potentially leaving behind. arakan, ren, ei, yae. the only family he's ever had, and the family that never really paid much attention to the two teenagers who were orphaned and left without a proper guardian. all either of them had was some lousy inheritance, though kami's cashing his share out in the morning.

tonight, right now, he's sneaking back down and ripping down the rearview mirror and hitting the gas and going

going

...gone.

#( DRABBLES. )#( SELF | KAMINARI. )#( IC. )#( V. MODERN. )#SETTING: SEVEN YEARS AGO.#major character death #family abandonment #whump #angst

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alias-sam · 2 months

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Pierced by a Golden Soul

Chapter 34. Eavesdropping

Platonic Jojo's x Reader

Summary: Fate is a bizarre concept with countless more bizarre implications. In life sometimes such extraordinary events happen that the only reasoning left must be fate. The tragedies that constantly befall the Joestar bloodline for example may be the unluckiest series of cards drawn in human history, or perhaps the work of a greater power. There is no way to tell for sure. Had Dio Brando or Jonathan Joestar moved slightly on a divergent path the world itself would be left very different. The fate or luck of the noble Joestar bloodline has led to destruction of evil likes of the Pillar Men and DIO. This story is of a similar caliber to that of the other Joestars (as I am sure you are familiar with them). This is a story of lost souls, compassion, hope, and above all fate.

Word Count: 2,445

(Crosspost from Wattpad, full fic is already posted there.)

"So...run this by me again." Tim sat next to you in the biology lab, writing down the results of the water tests. "You're going to go consult with your stand user associates and do what exactly? Where did you even meet these people?" You rolled your eyes, handing him another test tube.

"They're experienced with these things apparently. They haven't led me wrong so far, as of right now I trust them. They haven't given me much reason not to." It had been awhile since you'd been able to talk to Jaya, so Tim was your next best option for someone to vent to.

"I still think it's a bad idea." Tim muttered. "They're strangers." In true Tim fashion, he was facing the plan with a level of logic and criticism. As of late, you hadn't had the luxury to distrust and verify. You rested your head on the table, the full force of today's events finally taking an effect on you.

"I'll keep your concern in mind." You said, sitting upright.

"What are you two talking about?" Vita suddenly appeared behind the two of you, Tim nearly jumped from his seat. Vita looked no worse for wear. Given the fact he literally took a fall for you the other day, you were glad he hadn't hurt himself too bad. For awhile you were worried he was gone because of that little stunt.

"Uh- project...stuff." Tim replied, fumbling with his test tubes.

"Hey V. Nothing much." You greeted casually. "Didn't we talk about finishing the last bit of the project at your house the other day?"

"We did!" Vita lit up at the change in subject. "Wanna do it tomorrow?"

You glanced over at Tim who was still looking rather sheepish.

"I'm free." You shrugged. Vita turned to Tim expectantly. Tim adjusted his glasses, not taking his eyes off of the graph he was working on.

"I have some things I need to work on, sorry."

"No problem." Vita chirped. "Y/n and I can put it together ourselves, right?"

"I don't see why not." You shrugged again. Before the conversation could go on any longer the teacher called Vita away, saying something about missing classwork. Vita gave you a wave goodbye, you simply gave him a nod before continuing your work with Tim. "So what was the pH for sample three-" You glanced over to Tim only to find incredulity was written all over his face. "What?"

"I have no idea if you're crazy or just stupid."

"Excuse me?"

"That guy is a walking red flag!" Tim whisper shouted, pointing over to Vita who was just across the room.

"I wouldn't say that." You replied lightly making Tim lower his hand. "He's not nearly as bad as people assume."

"I hope you're right" Tim sighed, settling down a bit. "No offense, but you rely way to much on your judge of character."

"I wasn't all that wrong about you, was I?" You joked. The conversation reminding you of a similar one you had with Learco. Tim seemed creeped out by your classmate, but was far more subtle than Learco.

"Well- yeah..." Tim faltered. "But I was also t-trying to kill you."

"No you weren't." You shook your head, placing a hand on your friend's shoulder. "You don't have it in you, and neither does Vita." Tim was calming down, but there was still an obvious apprehension in his eyes. "If he is a stand user, I can handle myself." You assured him.

"Whatever you say Y/n."

..........

Tim's words had an unexpected effect on you. Perhaps you had become too complacent? Could one too many near death experiences do that? Even as you were walking into Mr. Joestar's apartment building, the thought was bothering you. It was never a bad idea to be more careful. Tim had also made a good point about your judgment. So far you hadn't been wrong on going with your gut. It was strange. Ever since meeting Learco at the dock, it was like a sixth sense. Just by being around a person, you got a read on their character, even without any particular proof. Now that you were thinking about it, you had always been like that, really it wasn't a useful skill until recently. As you were trudging up the many flights of stairs in the building, a thought occurred to you. You stopped mid step and summoned Golden Soul. The stand watched as you tiredly leaned the wall behind you. After checking the stairwell was empty you sighed, looking your stand up and down.

"I'm only going to ask this one more time, what exactly can you do?" Your question was met with silence. "Still nothing? C'mon, I know you can talk." In fact, you'd heard your stand yell on several occasions while fighting or punching things. Your anger only grew when Golden Soul didn't even give you a nod or shrug. "Jeez. What the hell does 'muda' mean anyways?" You moved from the wall to pace across the steps. "Is that even a word?" You asked, once again being met with silence. "I'm really starting to wish you came with an instruction manual." You muttered, glaring at your non responsive stand. "Whatever. I just thought if I asked nicely you might answer." As Golden Soul dissipated you continued your way up to the top floor. "It was a long shot anyways."

.........

When you eventually reached the top floor you were winded. This place really needed to invest in an elevator or something. You quickly reached into your pocket, taking a moment to make sure you still had the metal shard. It was safely sealed in a new ziplock baggy.

"I really hope you aren't as troublesome as I think you are." You muttered looking at the tiny piece of gold-ish metal before tucking it back in your pocket. After a few minutes of searching, you found the apartment you were looking for. Without remotely as much hesitation as last time, you knocked on the door and waited. There was a quick shuffling sound before the door was opened by a very tired looking blonde woman.

"You're too pretty to be Mr. Jotaro."

"Excuse me?"

"S-sorry ma'am." You apologized, stepping away from the door, you checked the flat number. "I could have sworn this was Mr. Joestar's place." It looked like the right apartment, then again, the complex was massive. It wasn't impossible you just got turned around.

"It is." The blonde woman replied. She regarded you carefully before seeming to realize something. "You wouldn't happen to be Y/n, would you?"

"Yeah..." You nodded hesitantly. "That's me."

"Jotaro told me you were going to come by." The woman stepped aside, gesturing for you to come in. You tried ignoring it, but she was eyeing you oddly. It made sense though, you were a stranger after all. You didn't know this woman or her relation to the two stand users you were seeking out.

After an awkward moment standing in the doorway, you passed the threshold and followed the woman inside. The flat was exactly the way you remembered it except the boxes were gone now. On the floor next to the coffee table, a little girl was playing with a stuffed toy fish and a model race car. An elderly woman was sitting on the couch drinking tea and watching the young girl.

"Who was at the door dear?" The older woman looked over to where you were standing and smiled. "Oh! You must be Y/n. Joseph told me you were coming." Despite her age, the woman jumped up to greet you. The older woman snatched up your hand to shake it. "It's lovely to meet you. I'm Mrs. Joestar."

"Nice to meet you ma'm." You replied, finally gaining enough sense to speak. There was something about the woman's bubbliness that made you feel much more at ease. The blonde woman that answered the door was still glancing at you with suspicion, or maybe caution. It was hard to tell. "I don't mean to be rude, but might I ask where Mr. Kujo and Mr. Joestar are?" Both women tensed, it was slight, but just enough for you to notice.

"They're in the office." The blonde woman pointed down the hall hesitantly.

"They've been talking for awhile." Suzie Q sighed.

"Please excuse me," You said, turning to face the hallway. "But I really need to speak with them."

"Of course." Suzie smiled, moving back towards the couch where she was earlier. The blonde woman who answered the door for you gave you one last weary glance before following.

You quietly made your way down the hall. As you neared the office door the hum and muffled mutterings of a conversation caught your attention. The office's door was cracked open slightly, giving you a small view inside. Confused, you walked closer, stopping right outside the door.

"Y/n doesn't even know about all this." You heard Mr. Joestar sigh. He sounded tired. "You can't expect them to be like him."

"Can I?" Jotaro snapped back. "You haven't seen Y/n fight. You haven't seen their stand." It was unusual to hear much emotion from Jotaro, but by his tone alone you could tell he was stressed, maybe even scared?

"Jotaro..." Joseph responded softly. Typically, you weren't the type to eavesdrop, but given the conversation pertained to you...You decided to keep listening just a bit longer.

"Sorry." Jotaro took a slow steadying breath. "You remember all the things he did."

"It's not Y/n's fault." Joseph reminded his grandson softly. There was a shuffling sound and the quiet squeaks of an office chair.

"I don't understand how you can be so calm about this." Jotaro muttered.

"Because you're overreacting." Joseph said with a slight laugh. The two men continued talking, but their conversation fell on deaf ears. Your heart was racing for some reason. They had been talking about you. Why? The exchange was incredibly out of context, giving you nothing to work from.

With slow and deliberate movements, you snuck back down the hallway into the living room. The little girl was still sitting on the floor, playing around with her toys. The women were standing in the kitchen, both with a teacup in hand. Suzie noticed your appearance and frowned.

"Is everything alright?" She set down her cup to approach you.

"Y-yeah!" You answered quickly, already reaching for the front door. "It's probably for the best I don't interrupt them." You laughed awkwardly.

"You couldn't possibly go out in the rain." Suzie Q motioned over to the window. Indeed, the sky was overcast, water was softly pattering against the glass panes. You hadn't even noticed.

"Its fine." You sighed. "I've walked home in much worse." The rain was light, nothing compared to some torrential downpours you had faced before.

"Please, take a seat. I insist." Suzie Q urged gently. "You look tired."

"I wouldn't want to intrude ma'am." You said, trying to escape her concerned gaze.

"It's no trouble!" Suzie laughed, standing her ground on the subject. "Can I interest you in some tea?"

"No but thank you." You answered, taking a seat on the couch. Suzie Q gave you a small nod and went back to the kitchen. You propped one hand on the arm of the couch. The moderate tapping of raindrops on the building slowly lulled you a state of dissociation. You simply stared at the wall in front of you, thinking about the conversation you'd just overheard. It was odd, and severely out of context, but the two Joestars were distressed over something, something pertaining to you. Before your train of through could press the subject any further you felt a small hand tap on your leg. You looked down to find the little girl who was playing on the floor just a moment ago. She was watching you with wide curious eyes.

"Who are you?" She asked, pointing a finger in your face. She couldn't be more than six if you were guessing.

"Just a visitor." You shrugged, lightly pushing her hand away.

"My name's Jolyne." The girl introduced herself. You watched as she hopped up onto the couch next to you. "Mamma calls me Jojo." After a moment of contemplation, you decided to just roll with it.

"No way!" You responded with mock excitement. "My friend calls me that too!"

"No way!" Jolyne said airily, echoing your own tone. You awkwardly looked away from the girl, unsure on what else to do or say. She shuffled across the couch before tapping your shoulder. When you looked back, she was holding her toys. A car and a stuffed fish. "Pick."

"Uh... what?"

"Pick one!" Jolyne smiled, holding the two toys up to you. You hesitantly took the stuffed fish. It was a soft pastel blue and green; it was a bit worn down, obviously well-loved over time.

"This guy's pretty cute." You admitted, running a hand over the stuffed toy's tail. Jolyne shrugged, taking her toy car and rolling it across the edges of the couch.

"Hey!" She tapped on your arm excitedly. "Watch this!"

The little girl proceeded to jump off the couch, tossing the car in the air. You panicked, seeing her leg snag on a nearby side table holding a lamp. In the span of a second Golden Soul grabbed the table and lamp, preventing them from landing on Jolyne. On instinct you managed to catch the toy car before it landed on the poor girl's head.

You stood there, frozen in shock. The six-year-old smiled up at you.

"Careful!" You scolded, handing the car and stuffed fish back to the girl. "Good grief kid! You almost gave me a heart attack."

"Awesome! Again! Again!" Jolyne clapped. "You're like a superhero!" She pointed at the lamp that Golden Soul was now holding. To a non-stand user, to would look like it was floating. You quickly put the lamp down and had your stand dissipate. At this point the women in the kitchen had noticed the commotion. Suzie Q walked in, observing the scene of Jolyne on the floor and your mildly alarmed expression.

"I think I should go..." You trailed off, glancing between Jolyne and Suzie Q. "Thank you for the hospitality, but if I stay my mom is bound to start worrying." You said, slowly inching towards the door. "Thanks again. Bye"

You practically ran away from the apartment. The rain didn't even bother you. It was a light sprinkle if anything. After gaining a comfortable distance from the building you stopped, breath heavy, to look up at the overcast sky. Your mind was swimming.

The Martez brothers. Julius Rossi. The Arrow. Golden Soul. The Joestars. All were pieces of a puzzle that was sitting in front of you. The problem was there wasn't a single corner piece to help start putting it together.

Nothing made sense anymore. Maybe it never made sense in the first place.

You needed some time to think.

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likeabxrdinflight · 2 months

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so I've finished Silver Snow and I certainly...have thoughts

so...I understand why people say Crimson Flower feels a bit unfinished given it just kind of left the Agarthans as an afterthought to be dealt with in the post-script. and I think I agree that they easily could have slipped a Shambhalla chapter or two in between the attack on Arianrhod and the final fight with Rhea in CF, I don't even think it would have been hard. I do think, however, that Rhea needs to be the final boss for CF and I don't think you can change that. Adding the TWSITD as chapters after defeating Rhea is, I think, kinda stupid.

...and it's kinda stupid in SS too, is what I'm saying. The way there's like three whole chapters left after the climactic battle with Edelgard makes the whole thing feel paced very oddly. Like I get why they wanted to address it in this route given the Agarthans are Rhea's primary nemesis, but one- they don't even let Rhea fight them at all outside of the animated cutscene, she's not even an ally unit- and two, they're not even the final boss? Somehow that's still fucking Rhea???

And speaking of which, that just did not make sense as a final boss for this route. At all. This is the church route, the one where I'm supposed to sympathize with Rhea the most, and somehow at the end of it I'm still putting her down for being an out-of-control monster? Like I don't even like Rhea (even in this route I never got past C support with her lol) and I still think that's a harsh ending. It made sense in CF- there was no other character that could be the final boss in CF and have it make thematic sense. But in SS? Not only does it not make thematic sense, it just doesn't make plot sense either. Totally came out of nowhere, happened for no reason, really just felt like they wanted a cool dragon fight for the Black Eagles regardless of whether or not you side with Edelgard.

Despite CF kinda hand-waving aside the Agarthans, both it and Azure Moon (which also kind of ignores them despite the whole Tragedy of Duscur thing) feel like complete, thematically cohesive stories. Neither of them suffered too dramatically from not having a Shambhalla chapter. The character arcs of the main lords feel relatively complete and the general story that each is trying to tell ultimately get told effectively.

I don't feel like I quite know what story Silver Snow was trying to tell. It's not really Rhea's story, she's absent for most of it. It's not Seteth's story either, even though he functionally takes Edelgard's place as the "lord" character. You could maybe argue it's supposed to be Byleth's story? But I'm not sure that's accurate either. There's a lot of emphasis placed on the mystery of Byleth's birth and why they have Sothis' powers, but it doesn't feel like the story is really about Byleth. It kind of can't be, not when Byleth is a silent avatar for the player. So whose story is this? What's it for, and what's it trying to say?

CF was about Edelgard and felt like it was telling a story of revolution, of finding humanity, and had something of an anti-religion tone to it. AM was about Dimitri regaining his good heart and compassion for the world, it was about overcoming personal tragedy. It had the least political feel to it of any of the routes I've played thus far. But SS was about...what, exactly? Upholding the status quo? It didn't feel like it was making a statement about political or clerical reform. It didn't feel like it was about the Church characters all that much. It didn't even feel especially anti-war, even though it had an opportunity to be as the only route you can theoretically enter by actively deciding not to side with Edelgard's war.

Like there were some interesting things going on here. We do learn a bit more about Rhea and the children of the goddess. And Byleth's crest stone is a little better explained (though I kinda had the gist of it by now from the other two routes). So I dunno...I don't feel like it added much for me. It did make me like Seteth and Flayn a little more, but honestly I still just don't care for Rhea. Any good will it tried to extend to her was kind of ruined by the ending where I have to kill her anyways.

Granted I am not predisposed to like Rhea, so any route was gonna have an uphill battle convincing me to like her. But this route was billed to me as the one that was gonna try, and damn it sure didn't try that hard.

I'm told Verdant Wind is very similar to Silver Snow so honestly I'm not gonna play it any time soon. If it's as messy as this then eh...I'm gonna need a break from this particular game before I return to do that route. I do wanna see Claude's story at some point though, so I'll get to it eventually.

#tldr is why the fuck was rhea fridged for like 9 chapters only to wind up the final boss in HER OWN ROUTE??

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opalescentegg · 8 months

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So the thing about Moby Dick is that, like. It's a weird book, right?

For one thing there's the sliding between genres thing, in that there's everything from Shakespearian-style soliloquies to lengthy, Homeric metaphors, to anatomical studies, to flights of philosophy & theology---to say nothing of how the first-person narration will just quietly slip fully into another character's head without commenting on it at all. And it's not that it's exactly hidden that Ishmael is an unreliable narrator---plus there's the whole thing where Queequeg says they're married as he'd all "oh, silly Queequeg not understanding English, we just slept in the same (one-time bridal) bed & spooned & cuddled pillow-talked, he just means we're best buds :D"; like....sure, Jan. By the by, this book is one of the most homoerotic texts this side of the Iliad that I've encountered. And speaking of homoeroticism, what can I even say about the chapter where the crew has to constantly work the spermaceti found in the sperm whale's head with their hands in order to keep it at the proper consistency, which our narrator blithely describes as "squeezing the sperm." Aside from all of that though, it's completely fascinating how, the longer the voyage goes on, the more the style of the story begins to dip into a kind of magical realism---I can't help but think about a moment near the end of the book where Ahab has declared that all the crew is an extension of himself, a collection of limbs for him to manipulate; because that's kind of what ends up happening. The captain is the ship & the crew is the captain and the ship is the crew, and at that moment individuality dissolves and the Pequod becomes one single organism, going up against the great organism of the white whale. Is that why Ishmael gives us the thoughts and feelings of so many of his crewmates? Was it a gesture towards that eventual (and, per the themes of the novel, fated) experience of the Pequod, or a result of it? What does this have to do with the theme of cannibalism? I'm actually fascinated by that particular theme, especially in how it plays into the crew's interactions with whales---of course they're killing them & rendering their fat for oil, and it's a grisly process that the book describes, but outside of those times the whales are described more or less as people, with emotions and family relations and desires and so on. And hell, I haven't even touched on how, in some ways, Ishmael as a character is defined more by what he doesn't say than by what he does---I'm particularly struck by how, after Queequeg's near-fatal fever, both he and Ishmael begin to disappear from the text; Queequeg is only alluded to as one of the group of harpooners, while Ishmael stops giving any information about anything he's assumedly doing as part of his literal job on the ship. It's only after the ill-fated final encounter with Moby Dick that we even learn where he was at the time everything was going on. It's almost like, the closer the story gets to its inevitable tragedy, the more Ishmael wants to distance himself from it (maybe that's part of the reason for his digressions---if he didn't "pad out” the story so to speak, he'd have to actually talk about what happened). That may also be why he stops mentioning Queequeg, even though he told us near the beginning that he stuck to his, uh, companion "like a barnacle" ever since Nantucket---like, he can talk about his near-death, but his actual death is a wound too painful to touch. Hell, Ishmael doesn't say a single word about how he feels about seeing the Pequod sink, or how he felt in the minutes and hours after---or even about where he was when it happened!---until the Epilogue, which is less than a single page. For all of that, though, the last sentence in the book fucking breaks me. I listened to an audiobook version as this my first experience of the story, but all the same when I came to that line and it was all over I had to just stare at the wall for a little bit.

#I DID SAY I HAVE TO BE ANNOYING ABOUT THIS BOOK NOW SO HERE I AM STILL ON MY BS #i would've word-vomitted even more BUT I FUKCIN RAN OUT OF CHARACTERS SOMEHOW

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