#who knows she played some role in this even if its not all entirely clear

[peachcott]

[ aa ] reflecting / witnessed

#mine #aa4 spoilers #phoenix wright #trucy wright #ace attorney #7 year gap #naruhodou ryuuichi #naruhodou minuki #apollo justice: ace attorney #AUUUUGH #THEYYY #THE #TH THE. TH WRIGHT S. TH . #(i know nothing about how courts work) i like to think that theres an interim of a few days between The Trial and #The Hearing Where Phoenix's Disbarment Is Formalised #and this is the night before the hearing #so he knows this is his last day with this badge that's been the first thing in his pockets in his hand on his mind for the last few years #and then of course young trucy (still in cloak & hat because theyre big and she's small and its a way to hide & feel safe) #who knows she played some role in this even if its not all entirely clear #and knows that phoenix has been putting on a brave face these past few days #she is (after all) an expert in putting on a brave face #but seeing behind his reliable mask is still... jarring #confirmation that she's not imagining this. confirmation that she messed up REALLY bad #AUUUUUUUU #ANYWAY interpret these pieces however hits best for u !!! #just sharing what was in my mind when i made them :]

[heartpiratedrabbles]

Insecurities Part 2

Part 1 ~ Part 3 Part 4

Buggy X Fem Reader

Buggy was unreasonably angry, he knew it. He couldn’t understand why you had been continuing this ruse for so long. He slammed the bathroom door, leaving you in there and looked around, detaching his hands to grab clothes and get dressed quickly. He stepped on a piece of your discarded costume and it filled him with rage and sadness looking at it.

Quickly he grabbed a bag and rummaged in a chest to set some berries aside. He couldn’t have such a distraction around him anymore. He quickly gathered your things that had been placed in a few places in the room and stuffed them in the bag. He listened to see if you had moved in the bathroom and was slightly relieved that you hadn’t come out yet. The face you made before he left had broken his heart but he was sure that it was all apart of the act you had started playing so long ago.

Once most of your items were gathered Buggy grumbled leaving the room, if he had missed anything you could grab it yourself. He needed to be gone, his resolve would break if he saw you again. He stormed out of the room heading to his office to cool off, not even bothering to put his makeup on for the day.

~~~

        It wasn’t until late at night that Alvida was the one to break Buggy’s silence. He had made it clear he didn’t want to be disturbed and seeing the former captain saunter in with a knowing smirk pissed him off to no end. “Must’ve been an eventful night~” She laughed sitting down in a chair pouring out some wine for herself, “I haven’t even seen Y/N all day. You really must be gentler with her.”

        That name made Buggy go over the edge, “Never mention her in front of me again” he slammed his fists on his desk and glared at Alvida who seemed genuinely shocked at your outburst. “If she knows what’s good for her, she’d be gone by now.”

        “What does that mean? Buggy you didn’t kick her out, did you?” Alvida stood up, her normally composed self disappearing, “She’s been here since before me!” Buggy threw a knife in her direction.

        “She shouldn’t have played with fire then” Buggy was seething, he had almost forgotten that you were a senior member of the crew and it brought another wave of betrayal and anger to wash over him.

        “She wasn’t playing with fire you idiot” She slammed her mace down onto Buggy’s desk and got in his face, “I was so fucken sick of listening to her swoon over you that I convinced her to take her shot.”

        Buggy stopped for a second thinking about words he just heard, “That’s impossible Alvida and you fucken know it. Now get out of my fucken face.” There’s no way anything between the two of you had been real.

        “Fine but I better see that poor girl tomorrow otherwise there will be hell to pay.” Alvida murmured slamming the door on her way out. Buggy sat back down angry, He guessed Alvida was right, he couldn’t just kick you out entirely. You did have rather large roles. Best to demote you and avoid coming into contact, but to just kick out someone whose been apart of the crew for so long would be insane.

        He certainly wasn’t going to talk to you so he sent word through Cabaji to let you know of your new position. Much to his dismay though he couldn’t find you anywhere. Your roommates hadn’t seen you since yesterday and all your items were still in their quarters but no one had seen a single sight of you.

        Out of frustration Buggy stormed to his own room, assuming you hadn’t even left yet. He burst into the room nearly taking the door off its hinges but stopped when he looked at the bed. He quickly noticed that the bag he had prepared for you was missing, but the satchel of berries was laying right there. He looked else where in the room and found nothing else disturbed before his eyes glanced over at his vanity, noticing a neatly wrapped box.

        He grabbed it, and sat of the bed, no doubt this was your work, no one else would even bother wrapping anything, opting to just hand it to Buggy instead. He slowly ripped open the box, his breath hitching at the content inside.

        He thumbed the pages looking at your handy work, “Always the sentimental type,” He muttered under his breath looking at a neatly written paragraph explaining the photo right above it. As he flipped through, he was shocked to see drops of water appear on the pages below him and without realizing it he was full blown crying.

~~~

It had been a couple of days since you disappeared, everyone had hoped that you’d come back since you left, to their knowledge, without any money and without most of your belongings. They had assumed you were just sulking somewhere and that you’d come back once you calmed down, but as the days passed the outcome became bleaker.

~~~

The first couple of months from the crew were hard. You were use to the daily grind of preparing for a show and making sure the service was running smoothly. Ignoring your relationship with Buggy, you were also the main trapeze artist and escapist act for the circus, and you were in charge of assigning groups to missions on your off days from the circus.

        On top of going from island to island, you had to be careful as you were still a wanted criminal. Your bounty being 20 million Berries, made bounty hunters come looking for you, as soon as word got out that you, we no longer on Karai Bari. Early on Cabaji and Alvida also tried to get a hold of you but you ignored it, answering the bare minimum questions that you were alright and alive before hanging up. You didn’t know why they were contacting you but it hurt too much to hear voices of people you couldn’t see again. Opting instead to sell your transponder snail to help change your appearance enough to not be recognized.

        You dyed your hair and put made sure to wear clothes that covered every tattoo, choosing to look like a normal islander over the performer/pirate you look you had grown accustomed to over the years. You never stayed on an island for too long, a week or two at most to evade prying eyes from realizing who you were. You still needed to time to figure out what you’d be doing from now on, where’d you go. You thought about all the previous times you had restarted your life, how every time it was by no choice of your own.

The thought to join another pirate crew had crossed your mind but immediately left a sour taste in your mouth, you didn’t want to follow someone who wasn’t Buggy. He was your one and only captain, even if he no longer wanted you. Your thoughts wondered towards the circus and how happy it had made you to just preform. Hearing the applause as you swung across a chasm or got out of a box made your heart beat with joy. It was risky to get back into the business, it’d put you in center of attention again. Ultimately though, you thought it’d be best to do something you enjoyed rather than wander the world lonely.

After much thought throughout the weeks, you decided it’d be best to save up the money and start your own circus, certainly not on the grand line, that’d be too close to Buggy. You set your sights for the South Blue and let yourself relax now that you had a goal in mind. For now, you were still very much in the New World and needed a way to 1) make money and 2) get there.

What was also starting to concern you was the lack of period you had experienced since you had left, although the thought wasn’t really there. In the past, your period had stopped for 4-5 months before because of stress, and you certainly were in no lack of stress at the moment. For now, you’d rather sleep the night a little more comfortable now that you had decided on your path.

~~~

Alvida was able to get a hold of you for a quick conversation but you had kept it short and non-descript, not answering any questions about where you were or where you were heading. Buggy had faced Avida’s wrath for chasing away her favorite crewmate but he was dealing with a lot more emotions than just that. When Cabaji tried calling you, you had answered but he quickly realized you weren’t going to say anything.

The longer without you the more everyone realized just how much you did. When Buggy created his delivery service most of his crew choose one side to stay apart of, the circus, or the service. But you had somehow managed to do both, arranging practices and new routines for acrobatics while also overseeing groups training and sending the appropriate groups to whatever battle needed it. It was stressful having to catch up with what jobs you were no longer doing. And having to explain your disappearance was more painful, making Buggy push everything onto Mohji or Cabaji.

Buggy went through your belongings, one of your roommates bringing the chest of items when he demanded it. He pushed aside some clothing and Knick knacks before he laid his eyes on a journal that looked well-loved. He sat back as he untied the leather string that kept the journal closed. The first page seemed to have been dated 13 years prior. He flipped to the back of the journal, still a decent amount of empty pages but he finally found the last entry, dated just a day before he had kicked you out.

~4 months~

You couldn’t ignore it anymore; you had somehow made it to the beginning of the Grand line but with a more dire matter rearing it’s head you had to stop and figure it out. You had gained a significant amount of weight, ‘popping’ within the past 2 weeks as some of the people you were traveling with said.

        Right now, you were on a semi-busy island, one that most people stop at to re-stock their ships before venturing further and you were waiting in a small doctors’ office. You had tried to deny it but it was becoming a nuisance. The nausea at the smell of foods, the waking up to puke. And what would you do? It was painful to think about how you ended up where you were.

        The door opened stopping your thoughts and the doctors closed the door behind her, “Well Y/N, congratulations. It seems your about 17 weeks pregnant. Although you are much larger than an average pregnancy.” Your heart stopped hearing these words, “I’d recommend you stop you’re travelling. With how fast the baby is developing I wouldn’t be shocked if you had a short pregnancy.”

        You sit there thinking for a second, “What do you mean a short pregnancy?”

        “Well, most pregnancies are around 9 months. But that’s with 2 normal humans.” The doctor got out a small chart you’d never seen before, “We’ve noticed that when people copulate with others, say Fishmen or Giants for example, the gestation period can be much shorter or longer. And based on the information you’ve given us I’d expect your due date to be somewhere within the next month or two.” The doctor pointed out the information on the chart as she explained it to you.

        Your head was reeling, was Buggy not human? You knew his nose was different but that didn’t mean he wasn’t human. The doctor took your silence as a way to continue, “I’d highly recommend you’d settle down until you give birth. Traveling could put you and your child in danger. Would you like to contact the father? We have a great office of the island that can track down most anyone.” She rubs your arm a bit, “Until then I’d like to see you in the office at least once a week, especially since you’ve been out on the sea without any pre-natal vitamins this entire time.”

        You sit there placing your hands on your stomach. You couldn’t continue your journey like this, and what’s more what will you do when they’re born? Tears brimmed your eyes, “Ah- Of course we do have other options if you’d rather not have the child” The doctor quickly added seeing you slightly tremble.

        You snapped your head up and then looked down at your stomach again. Despite everything, you couldn’t bare the thought of giving them up, “No- ah sorry. I’m just, I’m overwhelmed at the news. Is there a place I could stay for a while?” You rub one of your eyes before looking up at the doctor with a meek smile.

        The doctor sighs a bit seeing you calm down, “Of course, I have a friend who has a spare room, I’m sure he wouldn’t mind helping you out.”

~~~

Buggy hasn’t been the same without you. He was easier to anger and started doing more dangerous acts, pushing everyone to work harder. His crew didn’t know whether he was encouraging everyone to work their hardest or if he was trying to push them over the edge and no one tried to figure it out either.

He had taken his time to read through your journal when he got lonely and realized he never got to actually know you. His heart sank the more he realized that he just forced you to go with his own current, not caring about your life. He read as your life seemed bleak and dark before taking a uphill turn when you joined his crew. He smiled as he read your first impression of him as, “A charming blue-haired savior.” And he vaguely remembered the day himself.

        He had mistakenly decided to raid an island that had a celestial dragon on it, apparently the island made a tribute every couple of years by offering a maiden as a slave. You were there in the cage, contorting you body to make it easier to escape, the movements had intrigued him and he offered you a spot on his crew. He remembers you being surprised that he was even there, your doe eyes staring up at him before you smiled, revealing a key between your teeth that you used to unlocked yourself from the restraints before taking his hand. He couldn’t help but to remember a few tears fall from your eyes despite your smiling.

        His heart ached at all the memories that were resurfacing, before continuing to read your journal. Every big adventure written in remembrance, the read of your admiration towards him for changing plans when “the idiot in a straw hat” came by and it made Buggy chuckle as your recollection of the events. Closing the journal whenever he couldn't read anymore.

~6 Months~

Gin helped you to your appointment. When you had met him, you were on guard, but he’s the first one to open up to you about being an ex-pirate himself and how he settled down to help those in need. Just like how someone had helped him when he was starving. He didn’t seem to mind that you had stayed longer than expected and even offered you the place until you felt the child was old enough. Even pushing for you to raise the child a bit before continuing your adventure, after you had told him you wanted to start a circus, so that you wouldn’t have to worry about the newborn.

        But much of that talk was hushed as your stomach was now ballooned and you hadn’t felt any contractions as of yet. Dr. Shiegi was already waiting for you in her office when you arrived. Gin was about to sit in the waiting room when you looked back, “You know Gin. If you want to come in you can,” It was a friendly gesture, he had become like a protective brother since you’ve met him and he seemed overjoyed for a second before calming himself back down to be composed as he walked into the office and taking a seat there.

        Dr. Shiegi was mulling over papers after doing all the normal check-ups, “Are you sure the father isn’t from elbaf???” She was stressing herself over your due date and how large you were becoming. “I just can’t seem to pin-point anything, if I knew more about the father maybe-“ She stopped herself as she realized it was a bit of a sore subject for you.

        You sighed while smiling, a hand gently placed on your stomach, “As long as the baby’s healthy I don’t mind waiting.” The doctor across from you sighing heavily.

        “This is making me as stressed as when I was a student Y/N. How are we supposed to prepare anything if you have no idea when you’ll go into labor??” She took a deep breath before getting up to get herself some tea, pouring you a cup as well.

        “Well, there’s no use in stressing over what you can’t control,” you muse taking the cup from her extended hand, “So how was everything else?” Taking a sip.

        “You and the baby both seem to be healthy as can be, I cannot stress though you shouldn’t be working right now. Don’t think Gin hasn’t told me about you trying to sneak out to help in the garden or build things. You need bed rest especially with this unknown due date,” She stressed her words as she sat back down.

        “I feel fine, besides I’ll go crazy if I don’t do anything. I’m use to moving around a lot and I’m sure my baby agrees,” You smiled a bit as she groaned and you could feel Gin’s worried stare in the side of your head, “But if it makes you feel better, I’ll cut back a little bit.” Dr. Shiegi sighed a bit leaning back, willing to accept this small compromise for now.

        “By the way Y/N, have you thought about any names?” Gin seemed to perk his ears at this as you hadn’t talked to him about it either.

        You chuckled a bit, “I know it sounds silly but I was thinking of Benji or Azure. Either way I’ll raise them for the spotlight” Truth be told you were hoping for a girl and you couldn’t help but to imagine what a cute baby with a bright red nose would look like.

        “Not the weirdest I’ve heard, and if you’re raising them for the circus the names fit in well,” Gin piped into the conversation again a small twinkle in his eye at the thought of a child running around. You could tell he had taken on an uncle role already with how much he was doting on your unborn child, every now and then he let his hard shell fall to reveal it.

~~~

Another lonely night led Buggy back to your journal, this time to an entry of his time in Impel Down. You had been worried about your captain's well-being and if you'd ever see him again, only sighing in relief when you got the news that he had escaped only to be terrified when he had appeared in the Paramount War, broadcasting everything for the world to see. You had written about how it was stupid of him to go in there with little to no plan, but how it was exactly who you knew him to be. Proud that he hadn't changed while behind bars.

The more he read the more he realized how much you had been watching him for much longer than you had been sleeping with him. There was even mention on how Alvida bullied you about your school girl crush on the captain and how your first night with him had been because of the domineering womens interference.

Buggy had realized all his mistakes, even with his own self-doubts he was regretting everything. He never thought that anyone would truly love him, nor would he have ever thought they’d put up with how obnoxious he was all the time.

~~~

"We have to find her,” Buggy demanded bursting into the room. He brought his closest advisors into the meeting, Mihawk and Crocodile were meant to be there but they’d be damned if they were to actually be bossed around by him.

        “What do you think we’ve been doing this entire time behind your back,” Alvida mumbles, using a file to fix her nails, “Do you really think I’d ever let her escape without an attempt at finding her?”

        “The problem is she knows how to disappear,” Cabaji chimed in, “we lost track of her after she was seen escaping some marines a couple months back.” Buggy’s heart quickened at the mention of marines.

        “Why didn’t you report to me on any of this, What if she’s in trouble?” He demanded slamming a fist into the table.

        “What so you could tell us to fuck off and that your decision is final?” Alvida glowered at him, “Besides if marines caught her there would have been news on it, I’m sure she’s off hiding somewhere. We just have to look for what she loved and follow any leads.” And so started the full-scale project to find you.

~8 months~

Dr. Shiegi was stressing beyond belief, you were much larger than any pregnancy she had seen before and was starting to get worried about your own wellbeing. And you had to admit, it was getting much harder to walk around with a stomach the protruded as far out as it did. Gin was more than happy to let you sit and do everything for you, but you didn’t like being doted and waited on, you’d much rather be out and about but it seemed as though your child had other plans.

        Gin had also noticed how lonely you got at times. You had seen an updated bounty poster of Buggy on the street and had taken it without a second thought. You read of how he had been moving around, making waves in the New World. When you thought you were alone, you’d look and talk to the poster as though it were Buggy you were talking too.

        You weren’t sure how your old Captain would take the news of having a child soon, but it didn’t matter. He wouldn’t be a part of their life, but it brought you some solace to just talk about your dreams of raising them to be an amazing performer, a headliner no doubt for the circus you were sure to start when your body was your own again.

        Gin would sometimes listen to you through the doorway without you realizing, usually making noise to alert you to his presence. He had convinced you to stay on the island until your child was at least a year old, and you hadn’t told him yet but you were thinking of settling down and starting your circus here. No one knew who you were here, or if they did, they didn’t care. There were enough other ex-pirates or people hiding their identities on the island that people didn’t pry, they were happy with the present and didn’t question the past.

        You felt a rather hard kick against your stomach and Gin glanced over at you with concern, “I think it’ll happen any day now,” you say soothing your stomach.

~~~

Buggy was going insane, he had sent troops out to every nearby island to look for you. Every convoy came back empty and Alvida was beating on him every day there wasn't a sign of you. "There's no one else competent around here," She had yelled at him throwing her club in his direction.

The longer you were away the more reckless Buggy became, making a larger impact on those around him, and more importantly, the world around him. He had ransacked a couple Navy bases and didn't show signs of stopping.

~9 Months~

Dr. Shiegi was stationed at the end of the bed and Gin was wiping your forehead with a wet towel. It had been 30 hours already and you’ve never felt this pain before. You were gripping the bed with all your might listening to Dr. Shiegi’s commands. Maybe this hadn’t been a good idea, thoughts of Buggy kept rising up that brought waves of a different pain. Would he approve of this? You doubt it, the last time you looked at him he only held hatred for you.

        Soon enough though, you could hear a crying and breathed a sigh of relief hearing ‘it’s a boy’ before you felt another jolt of pain, letting out another scream. Your baby was quickly handed off to Gin as Dr. Shiegi took her place again concern filling her face.

        After a long process you finally felt a relief. You were to dazed to hear what was being said and let darkness befall you.

~~~

You woke up to Shiegi wiping your forehead and looked around trying to sit up, “Hey calm down everything’s alright. You need rest right now.”

“Where’s my baby?” You ignore her concern and adjust to lean against the back of the bed, wincing a bit in pain. Your doctor and friend sighs before leaving the room for a second.

She comes back in holding a bundled blanket, Gin following behind her with another bundle, “Y/N. I’m an idiot, I never thought of the possibility of twins,” You look at the two blankets registering her words, “So I’d like you to meet your two healthy baby boys,” She smiled handing you one baby as Gin sat next to you holding the other.

You look down holding in a gasp, The newborn in your hand had a few locks of blue hair and a nose the was similar to his fathers, you quickly look at Gins arms and he takes the hint to settle the child in your other arm. Twins. They looked exactly the same, the flood of emotions you felt as you stared at your beautiful babies was too much that you started to cry a bit.

The pain was worth it, the months on this island was worth it, you couldn’t think of a single thing better than that of the two bundles of joy right in front of you.

#one piece #One Piece X Reader #Angst #Buggy #Buggy the Clown #Buggy X Reader #part 2

[ginger-berrie]

SO I JUST SAW FALSETTOS LIVE FOR THE FIRST TIME

HOLY SHIT OKAY. HEY GUYS I JUST GOT BACK FROM SEEING FALSETTOS. LIVE. MY FAVOROITE MUSICAL EVER. I HAVE WORDS TO SAY.

So firstly I of course have to say this musical is fucking phenomenal and if u havent seen it even on youtube you HAVE to. onne of the best musicals ever wrutten. ignore any typos in this my hands r still shaking and im not editing htis. OKAY.

The actors. It was a college level production but the actors were so so talented. My favorite performances were from Mendel and Jason, who both pulled off their roles INCREDIBLY. Mendel was like a carbon copy of Brandon Uranowitz he had his mannerisms DOWN. All the nervous ticks, touching his face, being generally so awkward all the time, even his face was just perfec t for the role. And Jason was played by an adult femme-presenting person but they were so good as him!!!!! their voice fit him perfectly and she also perfectly encompassed Jason;s awkward childlike nature. The entire cast was incredible but those two really stood out to me!!!! Everyone's singing voices as well were fantastic, especially Trina's—she KILLED the high notes and even sung up the octave on a few lines !!!! including the "but still the bastard divorced me" and she still belted the "you must exorcise a devil" even AFTER Im Breaking Down. In fucking sane.

THAT BEING SAID THOUGH. Even though i enjouyed every second of it I do wanna make some more analysis-related directing critiques because im fucked up and evil about this show . im so sorry just let me speak here meaout. Stating right now though I've only seen the 2016 revival (about 2 dozen times) and not the original 90's version (been meaning to watch it just havent gotten the chance) so i reserve all TRUE judgement until after I see it!!! maybe some of these choices were in the original but tbh if they were i still like how the revival did it better. okay i swear im not just one of those ppl who is like "tHaTS noT hOw ThEY dId iT On BroADwAy" calm down. thanks <3

First of all. Some of the scenes lacked energy !!!!! Thrill of first love had no homoerotic choreography!!!!! they just kinda sat there on the couch looking morose and barely looking at each other as if they truly just hate each other and feel ANYthing towards each other anymore at all. But thats not the point!!!!!! They dont fully hate each other theyre just lacking the excitement that they once had and it's been replaced with nothing but disagreements and sex. When Whizzer and Marvin do their gay little dance theyre not just dancing and being gross and sexual theyre also FIGHTING!!!! they still care about each other they just dont know how to act!!!! and marvin's a bitch of course. Marvin was still very much a bitch. But because of the lack of energy in this song there was a bit of a lack of chemistry between the two as well, which carried through the whole show. I feel like it's important to see just how gross fucked up n nasty these two are about each other to see how its truly affecting the other people in Marvin's life. Even their chemistry during the chess game was lacking. They just kinda felt like they really hated each other. Which isnt the pointtttttt. Guh

Trina (or the directors idk) also made some choices I wasn't 100% on board with but they were more subtle. Mostly in her tone about Mendel. Up through Please Come To Our House she seemed to really really like Mendel. Like it was clear she was attempting to woo him. But then when he was proposing, and when they were maknig their home together, she just seemed. Unenthused. I know Trina truly doesn't really love her life, and just needs the stability of a nuclear family, but it was odd to see her not even attempt to keep up the facade on her own. Her and Mendel were similarly lacking in a lot of chemistry because of this, which, maybe to some of you makes sense but to me i do want to see them be close even if Mendel isn't absolutely the best.

LAST CRITIQUE OKAY. This one is BIG SPOILERS if u havent seen it yet but probably if ur reading this far youve already seen it okay. The fuckign bar mitzvah!!!!! There was no acknowledgement from Whizzer to Jason as he was reading his Torah !!!!!!! He just layed there in the hospital bed, facing AWAY from the audience so we could only see the very top of his head (which was on purpose for a quick change but) and he didnt get up at all to thank Jason or even acknowledge him :( for all the audience knows maybe he didnt even see Jason get bar mitzvahd. screaming crying throwing up.

OKAY IM DONE W BEING MEAN HERES A BIG CHANGE I REALLY LOVED !!!!!! as well as some smaller changes that i also really liked or were jsut neutral things i noticed

For most of act 2, up until Days Like This, They had this really cool circus imagery? Now once again idk if this is in the OG, but they had a picture of each cluster of characters set up on either side of the stage, and each of them was doing some sort of circus act both in the pictures and on stage, especially during A Day in Falsettoland. When a character was having their point in the song, they'd sometimes cut the lights briefly and suddenly the characters would be struggling to perform their little circus act, and each of them had a differnt one respectively and they all represented their immaturities/flaws/struggles:

Jason was on stilts, representing his need to grow up and perhaps his perceived mental maturity compared to the other characters

Trina was balancing/spinning plates on sticks, representing her need to keep balance and order in her life

Marvin + Whizzer were fencers because of their lingering animosity, yet newfound respect, for one another. Fencing isnt a dangerous sport, like you dont actually hurt your opponent in it, but it;s still a fight and youre still pointoing a weapon at them. guh. (AND BTW they did this during the racquetball scene and HOLY SHIT. I just gotta describe this one. Racquetball number 1 They had their little racquets as they were singing to each other but then when they got really into the game the lights would cut and then theyd be FENCING each other instead!!!!! and then the lights would cut again and itd go back to racquetball!!!! BUT THEN in the racquetball number 2 when it cut to them fencing ONLY MARVIN HAD A SWORD. WHIZZER STILL HAD HIS RACQUET. GIUUHUHGGHGHGHGHGH.;..,.,/;;'.';.;'[[[.)

Then the lesbians from next door were like a duo balancing/acrobatics act where they were always leaning on each other and picking each other up which was cute but also like. Charlotte would start falling in one direction and Cordelia would have to scrambke to catch her. I always hail them as the healthiest couple in the show but sometimes i forget they have problems too, like Cordelia;s insecurity and Charlotte's stress over the virus of course.

And finally Mendel!!!! was the fucking ringmaster!!!!! He had a hoop and a top hat and every time he was trying to calm down Jason (Everyone Hates His Parents), or Caroline, or Trina (A Day in Falsettoland), he would appear with his hoop and top hat, to show that HE is the one who needs to "control" other people's lives, or at least he feels the need to direct them. Mendel of course needs to feel like he's smarter than everyone else and like he's the only one who can help people. It really drove that home and it was an insane realization to come to. Phenomenal directing choice idk who came up with that but. bravissimo to you

Now miscellaneous stuff i liked or noticed!!!

They didn't have the big ol foam block. just some couch ends that they moved around to be diff pieces of furniture. If you've ever seen Waiting In The Wings' analysis on falsettos you might have seen a comment in the youtube section discussing how in the set design for the revival, the lack of real furniture through most of the show represents the lack of maturity of the characters, and as things get serious for them, more real props and set pieces get added. Like the chess board, the decor for Mendel + Trina's home, Whizzer's suitcase, the whole hospital room, etc. They didn't lean into that with this but i think that's fine! its not a necessary detail in my opinion and they did their best with what they had!!

Marvin didn't hand whizzer the suitcase after the chess game. He just grabbed it, and packed it himself. I was waiting for him to slam it into whizzer's chest or something. but no. Whizzer just picked it up and walked off. okay. Neutral bad change imo

Marvin's performances of What would I do and What more can i Say were. Breathtaking. Marvin actor if you're out there reading this your voice is lovely and carries so much emotion in your solo numbers. I Did Cry. a little bit

god their group number harmonies were AMAZING. All of the cast members' voices blended together so well and it was absolutely beautiful. the whole show was beautiful and i adored it i swear. I jsut need somwhere to put my feelings

THE ORCHESTRA FUCKED. IT FUCKED

Okay its getting late now and im fading quickly BUT IF U READ THIS FAR UR INSANE. This is for me and nobody else i just eneded to feelings dump. tl;dr: i fucking lvoe falsettos this was one of the best nights of my life i love you actors i love you pit i love you lighting i love you run crew i love you sound crew i love you musical theatre

#falsettos #falsettos 2016 #musicals #musical theater #musical review #rambles #ramblings #shiksa caterer #short insomniacs #hypochondriacs #yiddish americans #spiky families #radiologist #intellectuals #nervous wrecks #sigh #falsettoland

[littleblackraincloudofcourse]

Verna my beloved raven

I've seen a lot of ideas about who or what Verna truly is. Most have compared her to Death or the Grimm Reaper because she caused most of (some would say all of) the deaths of the Ushers. I don't fully agree with this simply because Death doesn't make deals and Death doesn't stop for or hurry for anyone. Death comes for all things in their time without emotion There is no reason for death to have offered them anything. There is also no reason for death to offer the kindness of a peaceful end.

The other idea I see the most is that Verna is a sort of crossroads demon. This idea does make more sense to me considering the kind of people she had been seen with throughout time and the deal she made with Roderick and Madeleine. Three things about that don't fit to me. First the way she trys to ease things for the children (except Fredrick but fuck him), she gives them a chance to walk away and have peaceful deaths closer to what she gave Lenore. Which brings me to point two, Lenore. What reason would a crossroads demon have to share all the good that Lenore had done and the lives she would save before giving her a peaceful instant death? The third thing is when the deal was first made, Roderick ask if its his soul he would be trading. Verna says souls aren't real but "If they were you already sold your earlier tonight when you killed Rufus Griswold". If this was a demon what did they gain from this deal?

I believe Verna is neither demon nor Death but the Devil herself. Verna is the fallen angel Lucifer. What she offered the Ushers, what she seems to have offered those before is the ultimate test of free will. What would you do with unlimited wealth or power? She never forced them or manipulated them. Every evil thing they did was entirely their choice. She even points this out to Madeleine when they meet and talks about all the terrible things humanity does to one another without her having to interfere. Then there is her decision with Pym about his trip. She says she came "topside" to see what they did. She knows the people they sacrificed along the way, even what part he played in these deaths. She even laments the injustice that corruptions like Fourtonato never face any real consequences for their actions. When she showed Roderick his true legacy she makes it clear those deaths where his alone, she played no part. But most of all her attempt at mercy for the children. They're doomed to day anyway but she tries to ease their pain. Taking Lenore seems to break her heart. She tries to explain to Perry that he's done enough. She gives the others chances to be honest, make amends or just walk away and be a peace. Exect Fredrick (that piece of shit) he made his choice the minute he starts mistreating his wife. Verna never interacted with him until his death because the decision was already made. The worse their behavior, the less of a chance she gave them for peace. She also never interacts with Auggie. He sees her but she doesn't offer him anything or even speak to him. She knows he would never make a deal like that.

There is a karmic balance to everything Verna does. One that fit the role of a reaper or demon. But the angel who was banished for questioning GOD? The angel who questioned free will itself. The angle made devil that everyone blames for the every bad decision they make. That seems like someone who would be interested in how things would play out and still be disappointed they didn't make better choices.

#verna #carla gugino #the raven #the fall of the house of usher #mike flanagan #tfothou spoilers #just my opinion #my new hyperfixation #forever obsessed

[goldensunset]

ah mannnnn it’s so true that bbs is incredibly liminal and clouded and quietly lonely… especially now that we know more about scala and its history and traditions it becomes clear that what we see in bbs is nearly the end of it all. end of the legacy, now only kept alive by master aqua and one confirmed student. i imagine if you just play the kh games in release order and get to bbs it’s like wow cool!! new wielders!!! new lore!!! new aesthetics and stuff!! but in hindsight it’s like oh man those are just the pathetic scraps of what’s left…

eraqus is just some stubborn and sad old man who in any other circumstances would’ve probably never made it like this because there should’ve been many more masters his age who would’ve been more qualified than him, or at the very least could assist him. their home is some tiny remote place not evidently connected to anywhere as opposed to being in the vibrant center of a grand city. there are only three of them and only two of those were presumably like legitimately found under normal circumstances

and knowing all this just makes the end of the game (but especially the part from aqua’s perspective) so much sadder. it’s so quiet and still after all that loud chaos. eraqus is dead. he leaves behind his key as a memento that aqua must pick up and use to finish one last piece of work. xehanort betrayed them and took advantage of terra and now neither xehanort nor xehanort truly exist anymore. they’re just gone. ven is in a coma and needs to be left behind. aqua is alone. we see her walk through the empty and quiet spaces left behind in the world she knew and even she has to say goodbye to that.

aqua’s role in the story was the one who tried and tried but made very little difference in the end. the tragedy couldn’t be stopped. more than just her own friends and home were lost- a legacy rooted in ancient history was all but severed. and this isn’t even something you can fully comprehend going off of bbs context alone but on a revisit of the story it starts to make you insane. the entire game is just absolutely haunted by the past— immediate, scala-era, and daybreak-era. man

#kingdom hearts #kh bbs #bbs #birth by sleep #man. #mine: kh

[nateconnolly]

I made a Patreon lol.

Here's the free sample post:

THE CREATION MYTH OF KILL 6 BILLION DEMONS

INTRODUCTION

I love fantasy religions. I love it when fictional humans try to understand worlds like Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere and Tolkein’s Middle Earth through a religious lens—especially because in those books and in many others, the fantasy religions are somewhat true, and somewhat false. It’s really fun to look at a fictional universe through the eyes of a character who might not see things objectively. Religion usually plays a role in that. But, if I’m being honest, a lot of fantasy religions are just Christianity wearing a fun hat. Don’t get me wrong, I am fascinated by Chrisitianity, and I really enjoy a lot of fantasy versions of Christianity. But it’s a great special treat when a fantasy story goes the extra mile and portrays another concept of the divine. That’s one of many reasons that I love the webcomic Kill 6 Billion Demons. The webcomic’s fictional religion Atru has parallels to Taoism, Gnosticism, Advaita Vedanta, theothanatology, Biblical divine nomenclature, the list goes on. I just threw a lot of big scary words at you, but I promise, this is a beginner level essay. I’ll break everything down into bite-sized pieces. I just wanted to list out some of K6BD’s religious influences to show that they are complicated, and diverse.

This is specifically a essay about the creation narratives. K6BD is an amazing comic—later on, it tackles questions about time, free will, and optimistic nihilism, but I won’t dig into that stuff here. Those things would require their own essays. Here, I’m going to try to explain how the seven-part world came to be. More specifically, I’ll examine the stories that White Chain, Cio, Michael, and the old devil’s tale tell us; then I’ll look at fictional holy texts found in the Concordance.

I’ll also compare and contrast with a lot of real world religion and philosophy. I want to be clear that the creator Abaddon and I have never spoken. I don’t know where he got most of his inspiration. I’m not revealing any information that wasn’t already available, I’m just compiling it and offering my own thoughts. Unless I specifically quote Abaddon, assume that I’m not even talking about his inspirations. I’m drawing parallels because it’s fun, even though it probably won’t give us new insight into how the text was created.

I promise I’m not trying to convert you! I genuinely don’t want to make other people believe the religion that I believe—or any religion at all. I’m just trying to show you how understanding some real world religious and philosophical concepts can deepen your appreciation of K6BD. Obviously, there will be tons of spoilers, so go read the webcomic if you haven’t already. It’s absolutely genius.

Lastly, I want to say I will discuss suicide and murder.

Ok, let’s get started.

PART ONE: THE FIRST AND GREATEST DIVISION

Let There Be No Genesis

White Chain begins the history of the universe with the words, “Let there be no Genesis,” closely echoing the in-universe fictional Psalm I. “For indeed, there was [no Genesis]. God has always existed and has never existed.” As White Chain tells her story, we are shown the god YISUN. This figure is sometimes described with it/its or she/her pronouns, but for the sake of simplicity, I’m going to follow the example of the fictional Psalm I, and use he/him. I might call him “YISUN” or “God” with a capital G depending on the context.

YISUN was eternal, and the “undisputed master of the entire omniverse.” He predates everything else, and without him, nothing would exist.

YISUN has at least twelve bodies, probably more. Some are smiling, some look mad; some resemble insects or animals; most hold weapons; and all are different colors. The central white body has four arms. Abaddon has said that YISUN’s appearance is directly inspired by the Hindu god Vishvarupa.  Hindu gods are frequently depicted with multiple body parts, an artistic tradition that Doris Srinivasan calls “the multiplicity convention.” She explains some of the religious and artistic reasons that many Indian gods have multiple body parts in her book “Many Heads, Arms, and Eyes: Origin, Meaning, and Form of Multiplicity in Indian Art.” The tradition of Hinduism is long, and diverse, so the multiple limbs in one text can mean something very different from the multiple limbs elsewhere. Srinivasan closely examines a vast expanse of Indian history, and I don’t have time to present all her ideas. I would like to specifically focus on the interpretation that multiple limbs represent the manifestations of a singular godhead.

Srinivasan writes that “Multiple versions of a myth are facilitated by the idea that there exists multiple aspects or manifestations of a godhead.” Think of the difference between Greek and Hindu goddesses. Bruno Snell suggests “that these four women signalize the four aspects of all womanhood,” but Srinivasan qualifies his interpretation. The Olympian women “are not multiple forms of [one] Divine Woman, as is the case in Hinduism.” Artemis and Athena are different people who are both women, plural. Parvati, Sati, and Uma together are Woman, singular. Zeus, Demeter, and Poseidon are gods, plural. Shiva, Vishnu, and Krishna are God, singular. That’s not how all Hindus see things, but it is one Hindu perspective that I find especially comparable to K6BD.

Similarly, the multiple bodies are only manifestations of a single God: YISUN. All of his bodies are a single person. In Hinduism, the plurality of the divine can be seen as empowering and liberating. Multiple body parts signify that the god is a well-rounded entity. But Abaddon makes it look like a curse. He turns the artistic convention around. Using the same symbolism and metaphysics, he tells a radically different story. As White Chain says, “Being was only circular.” “YISUN had no equal… It was a wretched life, without meaning or perception. Imagine infinite stories to tell… and nobody to tell them to.” Perfection is lonely. At this point, YISUN is the only thing that exists, and that can’t be fun. All those arms and heads cannot satisfy YISUN’s need for companionship. It’s fascinating to me that when White Chain says YISUN had no one to whom it could tell its stories, Abaddon chose to illustrate multiple heads right next to each other. Even if those heads told each other stories, the speaker and the listener would still be the same person. Dissatisfaction with isolation is why YISUN created the world.

Although not all Hindus follow the school of Advaita Vedanta, in this case, I think it will be helpful to compare and contrast with Advaita. As Ram Shanker Misra writes in “The Integral Advaitism of Sri Aurobindo,” “Brahman [ is] perfect, absolute, infinite, need[s] nothing, [and] desir[es] nothing…” Brahman is full of all perfections. And to say that Brahman has some purpose in creating the world will mean that [Brahman] wants to attain through the process of creation something which it has not. And that is impossible.”

But that’s exactly why YISUN created this world. He wants to gain something that he does not have: companionship.The universe is God’s escape from himself. There was no Genesis, but there was “the first and greatest division: division of self”: “God committed holy suicide.”

2. The Divine Suicide

White Chain’s story is similar to Friedrich Nietzsche’s famous claim that “God is dead,” but Nietzsche did not mean God was a real entity that had literally died. He meant that intellectually, it was impossible to continue believing in God, and that all intellectual achievements founded on belief in Him had to be abandoned. Nietzsche’s claim is a famous example of a philosophical school of thought called death of God theology, also called “theothanatology,” which means “the study of God’s death” in Greek.

“Death” can mean a lot of different things in this context. Sometimes it’s metaphorical, sometimes it’s literal, and usually, it’s a very confusing mixture of both.

Nietzsche proposed the death of God as a social claim about humans. He’s talking about what we can believe, what we should do, and what we need to accept. God never really existed, but as religion loses followers and influence, even the idea of God has begun to “die” because it no longer has power over the real world.

“Death” can also mean God exists, but in a way radically different from what people usually mean when they say “God.” The Rabbi and philosopher Richard L. Rubenstein thought God exists as a “ground of being,” but not as a supernatural entity that made a covenant with Abraham. Rubenstein proposed the death of God as an intellectual change in what humans think the word “God” means.

And, finally, “death” can just literally mean “death.” The Protestant theologian Thomas J.J. Altizer wrote “we shall understand the death of God as an historical event: God has died in our time, in

our history, in our existence.” This isn’t a social claim about humans—it’s a metaphysical claim about God.

Death of God theologians usually mean more than one thing when they say God is dead. Nietzsche wasn’t just trying to convince Christians to become atheists; he was also trying to convince many atheists that they disbelieved in God in the wrong way. Altizer had radical thoughts about what human beings are able to believe.

White Chain means that God is dead in the literal sense. She is proposing a metaphysical belief that God, as a historical figure, chose to actually kill himself. White Chain is not rejecting or critiquing religion—she’s asserting that her religion, in which God has died, is fact.

You can see slight parallels to Nietzsche, Rubenstein, Altizer, Hegel, Zizek, and Blake in White Chain’s version of the fictional religion Atru. But there is no better comparison than the king of sad philosophers Philipp Mainlander.

Mainlander was an atheist—but not in the sense that people usually mean when they say “atheist.” Mainlander believed that there was a God at some time, but that time is now over. There isn’t a God anymore. Mainlander is pretty unique among death of God theologians because he explicitly describes God’s death as a suicide. Whittaker explains that Mainlander thought “[a]ll things have their origin in what may be called… the ‘will’ of the absolute being… to annihilate itself.” Essentially, the cause of the universe is God’s suicidal desires.

God was a “real unity,” but his death caused a “collective unity”—that’s the universe where we live now. God had been a total and undivided One, but now the universe is made of distinct parts. God cut himself apart into the pieces of the universe. God created the world by becoming it, and he became the world by dying.

Mainlander said “the knowledge that life is worthless is the flower of all human knowledge.” He thought suicide was desirable, and ultimately, he put his money where his mouth was. The biggest difference between Mainlander and White Chain is that she doesn’t seem to think ordinary people such as herself should follow God’s suicidal example. Even beyond the views of a specific character, the story of Kill 6 Billion Demons reads as an affirmation of life’s beauty and value.

But the webcomic clearly argues that making a better world is a bloody project. So it should come as no surprise that making the world itself involved bloodshed. First and foremost, the blood of God. What’s so interesting to me is that both White Chain and Mainlander equate God’s suicide to the creation of the world. Our life comes from God’s death. Creation and destruction aren’t opposites—they’re different ways of looking at the same process. At the end of Book 2, Allison destroys Mottom’s evil tree and a lot of her palace—but this destruction is also part of the creation of a more just and free world.

So, what did God’s destruction create? What came after YISUN?

3. The Duality of Un and Yis

The destruction of the total unity creates duality. I know that’s a little confusing because YISUN had many faces, but remember that behind all of those faces was one God, and only one. Not anymore. “From division was birthed duality. White Un, Lord of empty and still places, master of all that is not. Black Yis, infinite mother of the rampant flame. Master of all that is''

I cannot avoid comparing the White and Black gods to the Yin and Yang—a spinning black and white symbol usually associated with the religion Taoism. Yin and Yang represent a cosmic duality. Yin is associated with femininity, darkness, passivity, and even numbers, among other things. Yang is associated with masculinity, light, activity, and odd numbers, among other things. Mainstream Taoist philosophy asserts that the universe can be understood through duality. So, why are these pairs important? And why do things get paired together in the first place?

As is written in the foundational Taoist text the Tao Te Ching, “Being and non-being create each other. Difficult and easy support each other. Long and short define each other. High and low depend on each other. Before and after follow each other.” What’s so interesting about the pairs is they “create,” “support,” “define,” and “depend on” each other. Black can’t exist without white, and white cannot exist without black.

As the Encyclopedia of Philosophy puts it, “...yinyang is emblematic of valuational equality rooted in the unified, dynamic, and harmonized structure of the cosmos. As such, it has served as a heuristic mechanism for formulating a coherent view of the world…” Essentially, neither of these opposites are “dominant” or “truer.” Choosing one side won’t help you understand the universe because the universe is their partnership. Their equality gives “structure to the cosmos.” That structure is order, not chaos, but it is differentiated. There are two different things: Yin and Yang. They contradict each other, but at the same time, they make the universe. Yin and Yang are a productive paradox.

I’d like to return to the notion that “being and non-being create each other.” At this stage of creation in K6BD, UN and YIS could not exist without each other. Their very existence is the fact that they are not a unity. If there was only one of them, then there wouldn’t have been a division—and they are nothing more than the product of division. Just like how being and non-being create each other, the Master of All That Is and the Master of All That Is Not create each other. YISUN was characterized by his totality—he was the total sum of the omniverse, there was nothing else. After the division, Un and Yis experience otherness. The first otherness in the omniverse. It’s difficult for them to find balance—in fact, they immediately went to war for seven years. At the end of their seven-year war, Un and Yis made love for seven days.

I want to be very clear that this is not a depiction of actual Taoism. Yin and Yang are not gods with faces and minds. Notably, the Tao Te Ching asserts that yin and yang are “older than God.” so make of that what you will. But I think Taoism is thematically relevant to this era. Two opposites have to come into balance with each other. The whole universe is a duality of interconnected forces.

K6BD repeatedly emphasizes the need for community. As Allison says at the end of King of Swords, “I couldn’t have done this without any of you… We make mistakes. We learn from each other. We all still have so much to learn. Once I saw that as a weakness, now I’m certain it’s not. Someone who lives still thinking like that… struggling to do everything themselves… I can’t help but think how alone they must be.”

YISUN had to do everything all by himself, and we saw that Allison was right—isolation was a struggle, even for God. But the struggle is over, and in its place is duality. Partnership. The first community.

These are the first four parts of a fourteen-part critical essay. You can read the rest here.

Bibliography is on the free Patreon post.

#patreon #nate's writing #original post

[koshka-sova]

i have finished reading hortus de escapismo. i liked it more than i thought! certainly grim and depressing in many parts, as this was the central conflict of the monastery' inhabitants and especially clément's internal breakdown. some thoughts below about the event's ending teasing future stories, in no clear order...

firstly, they really went and put in a teaser for the next celebration event (zwillingstürme im herbst) by having arturia be escorted out by a spire caster of all people. if her previous appearance in lingering echoes was any hint (or even oren's tip about her back in guide ahead), it's clear now shes not only operating in leithanien, she seems to have strong ties with the country's militia. from what little i got by filtering any spoilers, ZiH seems to involve not just the twin empresses but the witch king again, so just what kind of business did arturia even get into... im curious.

next, is andoain. it's nice that he gets a nod through the notebook lemuen found in the monastery. i wonder if it's a given that he visited there, given that hes from iberia, laterano's partnering nation in building the monastery in the first place? i used to share fiammetta's anger towards him and thought him unsensitive to lemuen and mostima, and really, none of them have given the closure fia so desparately wants. but with how internalised sankta othering is, how it's so ingrained in their culture because to them, Paradise is real and is their given right, andoain is unique in asking these questions about the lateran faith and equality. to the readers, who are now learning even more clearly how sankta naturally live in a system that promotes that specific brand of racism, andoain becomes more decent than most other sankta characters. seeing the sankta involved in hortus, we can now see just how prejudiced they are especially about sarkaz, with the exception of federico. the nod to andoain in hortus invites me to think he might play a role again in another laterano event, as despite having two laterano events that bring this prejudice into light, theres no satisfying addressing of the issue despite it being literally questioned--by patia, andoain, ezell and cecilia in GA, then by federico and abbot stefano in HdE. this brings me to...

third and last point: im hoping hg cooks something new for laterano. in the epilogue, the pope expresses satisfaction that federico is starting to ask questions about how the law is not as encompassing. he says he will relay federico's question to a man he knows. although there's no way to say this is andoain (hell, what if it's ezell or an entirely new person), it does raise the question why they'd include this dialogue. ofc, in true arknights fashion, this could mean nothing at all. the same is true for lemuen and the abbot's epilogue. both of them either say or think that the abbot's journey is yet to end, and that he will find his own laterano. a new kind of laterano? much like a new volsinii without the famiglie? or (the efforts of) a new iberia? or whatever is in store for leithanien in ZiH? or the strides kjerag is pulling in the new event with degenbrecher? this could be a sign that the issue of laterano and the Law's directive--and its consequences taking shape as sanktan prejudice--will be challenged again, perhaps in a more direct manner. and who better to challenge this than andoain, who's done so before? perhaps it is true that abbot stefano will be involved again then. and id also like to mention lemuen, who does show that sort of questioning as well, in the form of acknowledging the monastery residents' bond regardless of race. still, she seems to have concluded as of the event's epilogue that that sort of understanding between different people is impossible (though she even seems to extend this to between sankta; is she saying this bc even with shared empathy and common goals there is still conflict?). so, who knows. for all i know this is just my delusional hope that andoain and lemuen might become playable some day. even if not though, i do think hortus de escapismo intentionally doesnt give a resolving answer to the inherent issues with Law's directive.

i dont know how to end this, other than that in the end, it is nice to have an epilogue that gives closure to the different characters involved. theres closure for raimund, fortuna, abbot stefano... even hyman and aulus have a section.

last thoughts. the arknights wiki mentions that a sami priest once foretold that terra's end is near, though their cries were ignored. interestingly, we've seen at least two apocalypse scenarios, both not addressed as canon as of now. one is the seaborn assimilation (is3 ending), the other originium spread (kaltsit skin). so perhaps, its not out of pocket to speculate that there might be a future laterano event that signifies a sort of 'end' or fall, either of the physical holy city or the Law. we'll see in due time...

#glad i decided to read other ppl's analysis abt sankta othering #it gave me a better perspective on andoain #and also writings abt fia's character. girl really needs the closure and some extra therapy #arknights #catowl rambles #hortus de escapismo

[acourtofthought]

The Magic of Restoring a Land

While Elain and Lucien both have homes, SJM seems to be hinting that those current homes are a temporary thing:

(not to mention Elain was notably absent in the crossover)

Combine those hints with the following:

and it seems clear to me where Elucien's journey will be taking them.

I am enamoured at the thought of Elucien as High Lord and Lady as Day but I struggle to see it anytime soon because of Helion being such an important character to Rhys, to the LOA, and hopefully Lucien.

I wonder if SJM was being sly with the wording above:

"permanently station him at the Spring Court"

"The Spring Court had been made for someone like her"

What if she literally just told us that Lucien will permanently remain in Spring? In ACOFAS we know he wanted to return to living there but was unable to because of the lies Feyre spread. What if his good name was restored and it could once again be his home? What if he and Elain could turn it into the court he once hoped life in Tamlin’s court would be? I'm sure centuries down the line he'll play his part in Day (he could even travel there as emissary while living in Spring) but until then, Lucien isn't the type to sit and wait around to do something. And even Feyre said, "you enjoyed its pleasures and diversions. But don’t pretend you weren’t made for something more than that.” He's never going to be someone who waits for something to do, he wants purpose.

Also, when something is made for someone, there's a sense of belonging associated with the phrasing.

It wasn’t a guarantee that a High Lord’s firstborn would be his heir. The magic sometimes took a while to decide, and often jumped around the birth order completely. Sometimes it found a cousin instead. Sometimes it abandoned the bloodline entirely. Or chose the heir in that moment of birth, in the echoes of a newborn’s first cries.

“There are no High Ladies.” His brows furrowed, but he shook his head. “We’ll talk about that later, too. But yes, Feyre—there can be High Ladies. And perhaps you aren’t one of them, but … what if you were something similar?

I know some feel Elain can't be chosen as High Lady but why? Rhys tells us there can be High Ladies and just because there hasn't been one prior to the series doesn't mean it can't happen now that the Archeron sisters are having their stories told. Rhys made Feyre his High Lady so she wasn't exactly chosen by the magic but Feyre is still unlike anything that ever existed before. Elain as High Lady does not negate that Rhys and Feyre will most likely remain the most powerful fae in their lands.

Tamlin never wanted to be High Lord, it was never a fitting role for him, what if the magic always knew he was simply a place holder until the "moment of Elain's birth"?

What if Elain is made High Lady of Spring and Lucien stays by her side as interim High King (until the war is over)?

A major problem that Feyre and Nesta have when it comes to Elain is holding her back from doing more, from being unable to imagine her in certain situations. But I wonder if all the things they once doubted will come to pass-

I’d do it mostly to keep Elain from ever going to the Spring Court (a hint that Elain WILL end up in the Spring Court?)

I shook my head, trying not to imagine Elain subject to that … fire. (a hint that Elain WILL end up with Lucien and possibly perform in Fire Night with him?)

"Elain would faint to hear such thoughts." (Fire Night is very voyeuristic event, imagine if she were the main act?)

Being this is the current state of the Spring Court and it's manor -

Distant—because on the estate, nothing bloomed at all. The pink roses that had once climbed the pale stone walls of the sweeping manor house were nothing but tangled webs of thorns. The fountains had gone dry, the hedges untrimmed and shapeless. The house itself had looked better the day after Amarantha’s cronies had trashed it. Not for any visible signs of destruction, but for the general quiet. The lack of life.

A tomb. This place was a tomb.

No whisper of sound behind him. On any acre of this estate. Not even a note of birdsong.

Hunting for dinner—because there were no servants here to make food. Or buy it.

And though he roams these lands, he does not see or care for the neglect he passes, the lawlessness, the vulnerability.

- it seems so fitting that Elain and Lucien, two characters who are full of light and sunshine, who are extremely social, who make friends wherever they go and are able to convince anyone to do anything with their words, would be able to restore Spring with not only their personalities but the magic of their union.

"the magic that we create helps regenerate the land for the year ahead.”

With Elucien, the Spring Court could again be a place of light and happiness, filled with laughter and sound and as a result, a place of strength and an ally for the rest of Prythian.

#elucien #pro elucien #Prompt: magic #elain archeron #lucien vanserra #elain x lucien #lucien and elain #pro lucien vanserra #elain and lucien #pro elain archeron #elucien supremacy #lucien spell cleaver #elucienweek2023 #acotar theory

[siryouarebeingmocked]

Glass Onion (2022): Mixed company, mixed feelings

This movie is very Current Year, even though it finished shooting in 2021 and is set in May 2020. One minor joke early on; Blanc plays Among Us during lockdown, because he's so bored.

I am not making that up.

I had the same issue with the first movie. I wasn't sure what all the Topical References™ added to the movie. And I know we love to say that great art is timeless.

But as someone who actually does read a lot of old, public-domain, popular books, many  had topical social issues in them. Heck, the first Doc Thorndyke book is about fingerprinting, which was cutting edge science at the time, and even makes a self-depreciating joke about it's inspiration, Sherlock Holmes.

I've enjoyed the odd Clancy or Connelly or Cussler or Cavanaugh or Patterson thriller. And those tend to be pretty topical. (obnoxiously so, in one case) Not to mention my love of the Vorkosigan Saga, which was so progressive in the 80s it's still progressive now.

I've also seen stories that had poorly integrated topical issues and much better-handled ones in the same show. The same episode, even.

So I don't know why the political stuff in the two movies rankled. I'd say my issue is "politics I disgree with", but I just mentioned enjoying a book series which is clearly waaay to my left.

Heck, both movies are blatantly inspired by Agatha Christie, and I distinctly recall topical stuff in my mum's old copy of *Third Girl*.

Like, literally the whole plot.

I read it a long time ago, but I think I'd still enjoy it.

Other, less important criticism. And spoilers.

-Blanc intially felt like a caricature, which was very different from the way he appeared in the first movie. turns out that's deliberate. He later says he was playing up the folksy Southernness.

Even though he's an internationally famous detective who lives in a $10,000,000 Park Avenue penthouse.

Don't ask me about the high-waisted pants, the cute little scarf around his neck, or the 19th century bathing costume he wears to the pool. Apparently his style in this movie was partially Daniel Craig's idea.

Also, he's gay.

It's not made explicitly clear during the film, and the guy he's living with could be a roomie or friend or assistant, but Johnson confirmed it. I'm not sure what it adds to the film, except an explanation for the scarf.

And also some irony when Birdie flirts with him, even though he's famous and probably publicly known to be gay. Heck, just his visible discomfort in those scenes would be irony enough, whether or not he liked women.

Miles Bronn -possible shallow Elon musk parody --he’s fooling people w/ fake genius, when he's really just a charismatic idiot. And one who gets swindled, possibly. -There's one bit of irony. Early on, Miles guests on his private island get a COVID vaccine. It later turns out Miles is an idiot.

Since the movie takes place entirely in May 2020, the implication is that Miles should know it's basically impossible to develop a proper vaccine in just a few short months.

Cough.

The actual main protagonist isn't Blanc, it's Cassandra "Andi" Brand and Helen Brand. Andi is a tech genius who Miles ripped off. And also murdered. So her twin sister Helen, a teacher, steps in.

Anyone familiar with the Trojan War is probably going "hey, wait a minute..." Did I mention that this takes place on a Greek island in the Aegean Sea? Which has Troy on its borders?

And the first things we see in the film are tantalizing wooden boxes?

Helen poses as Andi with Blanc's help, so they can investigate the murder and figure out which of Miles friends, “the Disruptors”, killed Andi.

Both Brands are played by Janelle Monae. A famously left-wing singer and actress, whose biggest film role was in the movie Hidden Figures, where she played one of a team of black women in STEM forgotten by history.

And in this movie, Monae plays two hidden figures, eclipsed by white men. One maliciously, one charitably.

Birdie --Birdie is an idiotic middle-aged singer who keeps getting cancelled because she does dumb stuff. -She sexually harasses Blanc. This is possibly why Blanc's gay, to make it extra ironic. -She's introduced at a party during lockdowns. When she arrives at the island, she wears a completely decorative facemask.

-Birdie prides herself on her honesty. In this case, it means she's inconsiderate and narcissistic, with no filter. Which makes it kinda ironic (or something?) when the day is saved in the end by a combination of lies and truth.

Duke -Dave Bautista plays an alt-right mra. Supposedly.

-He supports a girlfriend and his mother, who abuses him. He's  three or four times mom's size. He goes "Mom, I told you not to interrupt when I'm recording!" and she physically slaps him. Not even any ramp-up, she just does it.

She also tries to disrupt his call with his friends by "helping" him solve Miles' puzzle box, right up until it's done, and she stops caring.

So the show decided to mock MRAs by...making one a male victim of domestic violence and emotional abuse from a woman.

And from what I saw on Youtube, plenty of people didn't notice the irony. In fact, I found an official Netflix short of the scene, and the comments were glad he was getting "put in his place" because he politely asked him mom to let him do his job.

Also, remember when I mentioned how Birdie sexually harasses Blanc?

This movie includes two examples of the exact sort of issues MRAs talk about all the time.

-I know he's supposed to be a parody, but of who, exactly? jordan peterson? andrew tate? Pewdiepie? All of the above?

I think they even got some alex jones in there when they mention how he sold pills. Specifically, "performance" pills for men, made from rhino horn.

-Duke carries a gun near his crotch at all times for most of the movie. Specifically, an underpowered Tokarev, I've read. On top of the abuse, he also self-cucks himself so his GF can try and pillow-talk Miles into supporting Duke's next endeavour.

Subtle.

And while I was looking up the gun, I found someone on /r/liberalGunOwners saying "well, maybe it's supposed to look Russian because he's pro-Putin like a lot of right-wingers?"

That's possible, but it would be a really obtuse reference in a movie chock full of really blatant references.

-Also, there's something a tad ironic about a supposedly (alt-)right influencer being a large, muscular, tattoo'd Hispanic man. Unless that's supposed to be a tan.

Claire -Claire is a left-wing, environmentally friendly politician. She wears beige, and always looks terrible (to Katheryn Hahn's frustration). She's also a hypocrite.

Some TVTropes editor: it's about progressive politicans that gradually turn conservative.

No, the message here isn't "conservatives bad". It's "hypocritical left-wing politicians are bad". And I'm not sure about the "left-wing" part.

Duke is a hypocrite because he self-cucks for advantage, and is also physically abused by his tiny little mom. Claire is just a straight up liar, as politicians often are. There's a contrast between his performative peacocking in every aspect of the way he presents himself, and Claire's beige cold mess.

I'm not kidding. That was the stated intent of her costume and makeup.

-claire calls duke an MRA. I'm not sure if the writers were wrong, Claire's wrong, or Duke actually calls himself an MRA in-universe. He's certainly a traditionalist, which MRAs usually aren't. He also wants women to get back in the kitchen, which MRAs usually don't.

And finally, there's Miles’ No 2., tech wizard Lionel, who spins Miles' straw - or napkin ideas - into gold. In fact, he spends most of the movie with a gold wishbone pin on his lapel. GEDDIT?

Duke is a right wing tradcon MRA who cares about physical appearances even though he has a bad social rep, Claire is a left-wing progressive with a terrible physical appearance and a good social rep, Birdie is an idiot who keeps saying un-PC things, and Lionel is the smart guy, who is apparently more or less apolitical.

Also, the movie has obvious inspiration from Christie's "And Then There Were None". And maybe Clue. Or Among Us.

Or all three.

#knives out #glass onion #netflix #tv #television #personal #writing

[muffinrecord]

Rambling Thoughts (Negative)

Putting this under the cut and out of the main tag for reasons. Sometimes people will read my opinion here and then say it elsewhere-- to be clear, I just want to say my own feelings without influencing anyone about the state of the game.

(also I accidentally lost and rewrote this post twice so I apologize if it feels all over the place)

So yesterday I responded to a post about Homucifer and EOS, but my feelings are actually a little more complicated than that.

The truth is, I do think that this game has maybe another year left, but maybe not more than that. I'm not actually sure how it could keep going-- not because of Akuma Homura, but actually because of all the power creep. But let's talk about Akuma Homura first.

Everyone and their mom knows the issues that plague her release. First off, she didn't get a new shiny transformation video but a copy+paste of her rebellion one. Hell, even youtube was like "this shit isn't original" and gave me this:

This video is banned in Austria and Germany for its content, not because of music (for once) but because it uses footage from the Rebellion movie. Like jeez.

The game has been having issues with its transformation videos for a while now, so I don't think anyone expected something revolutionary for her video-- but to have it just be reused animation is very disappointing for an anniversary unit and such an anticipated one at that. Additionally her chibi poke animation looks super weird and offputting (which is such a stupid complaint but it really adds into every other problem with the unit). Her Doppel reuses more animation, which is a shame.

I think that's the big deal for me-- this is a massively anticipated unit, and she was an Anniversary unit. I think everyone, not just myself, expected more effort to be put into her. I say this as someone who wasn't hyped for Akuma Homura-- I didn't have massive expectations to meet.

All that said, I still don't think that Akuma Homura herself is an EOS signal at this point. I meant it earlier when I said that I think the game has another year left. The entire reason that Devil Homura was considered an EOS signal in the first place was because that was the "big" unit that could for sure draw in the most money. She was the one "oh shit" button that could draw in a crowd and force people to spend money.

And in a way... she kind of did, through some scummy tactics. We all know very well why they released Historia Yachiyo the way they did-- she looks like an Anniversary unit, she has gameplay like one, and her banner runs throughout Anniversary. I completely believe that they released Historia Yachiyo to drain folks' pockets of magia stones so that people would be forced to spend money to get Devil Homura.

All that said-- to go back to my earlier point, I don't think Devil Homura is an EOS signal. I think that Madoka & Homura and Kyoko & Sayaka would fill a similar role. They are also both very anticipated units.

Additionally, I don't think that Akuma Homura being released in such a state, no matter how pathetic, is an EOS signal. As mentioned above, the game is having issues with its transformation videos. If they're going to budget the game accordingly, I'd rather it affect the henshins than anything else.

Here's the thing that makes me think the game is starting to wrap up in this year: Gameplay.

This game is suffering from powercreep. No, it didn't start now, or even last year-- I think Madoka & Iroha definitely began a bad trend which has become more and more monstrous. But even before then, we had units like Yozuru and Mikage which just completely outclassed units before them (before getting outclasses themselves).

But imo, Madoka & Iroha were still at least fun to use? But then you get to units like Devil Homura and Historia Yachiyo.

These units are straight up not fun to play with. In fact, they're the opposite of fun-- you don't even need to play the game. I did all of the EX-Challenges with my Historia Yachiyo and... jeez, the hardest part about them is that I can't turn off magia/doppel animations or use auto. And maybe the answer is: well don't use Historia Yachiyo then.

But what did I roll her for? I want to play with this character. I got her four-slotted. I like her aesthetic. I liked Puella Historia and I want to use a character that encapsulates that.

It's just, it feels like lots and lots of parts of the game that used to be important simply aren't anymore. Remember when the poison used by that one uwasa boss was a murderer for teams? Or the curse inflicted by the little uwasa mail familiars? You don't really need to worry about things like that anymore.

I'm not just speaking as a whale either... I do have alt accounts that don't spend money that I play a whole lot of.

At a certain point, the gameplay gets really really stale, but investing in your characters isn't fruitful anymore either, because they're already maxed in episode levels, magia, doppels... The only reason that Spirit Enhancement isn't maxed is 'cause the middle to large fragments are artificially capped and you can't grind them out.

But how do you give players more ways to invest in their girls without increasing further power creep? Attribute Enhancement was introduced and god, the numbers are fun but also jesus christ. Like, in what possible way can you make the girls have new ways to be new?

....

This really is a ramble.

I don't think the game is going to eos in the next six months or so. I base this on all the promo this anniversary put out (that costs money to make money), all the new quality of life things put in place by anni, the announcement of Magia Day + Scene Zero, and the upcoming movie. These are all signs that the game is gonna keep going for a bit.

But man, it also just kinda sucks that this game I love is actively becoming less fun for me.

[musicmakesthemovie]

"What Was I Made For?" A Look into Barbie's Most Tear-jerking and Overplayed Song

[WARNING: Spoilers for Barbie ahead]

If you've been alive and conscious for the last few months, you've at least heard of Barbie if you aren't one of the people who's been decked out in pink to go see what could, arguably, be called the Movie of the Year.

Even if, by some miracle, you haven't seen Barbie, you've probably heard Billie Eilish's song "What Was I Made For", which plays a pivotal, emotional role in the film. And you've probably drawn your own conclusions about the song, whether you're a fan of Billie's or not.

If you know anything about Billie Eilish, you know that she is no stranger to airplay and TikTok fame, and her most played songs tend to be earworms, played repeatedly until you're ready to pull your hair out. We've all been there.

So, it wasn't shocking when a friend, after seeing Barbie, told me how much he despised the song. I mean, he absolutely loathed it. His argument was clear: "It doesn't fit with the movie! 'Don't tell my boyfriend, it's not what he's made for' totally undermines the entire plot!"

Initially, I nodded in agreement. I like Billie's music, but did it really fit with the movie? Like every weekly hyper fixation, this required a deep dive. I researched how Billie Eilish came up with the song and what it meant to her. To my surprise, I found that it resonated beautifully with the Barbie movie. Let's break down the lyrics before delving into the song's musical significance.

"'What was I made for?' is...it's Barbie's voice...it's your voice...it's anybody's voice" - Billie Eilish Jul. 13, 2023 (Interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music)

The first verses are quite straightforward in their references. "I used to float, now I just fall down" alludes to Barbie's malfunctioning state, a central plot point in the movie. "Looked so alive, turns out I'm not real" reflects Barbie's mental conflict with realizing that she's just a toy; however, it could also be seen to reflect the other struggle Barbie faces: realizing that the real world is not the feminist, women-driven world she thought it was. Even as "Stereotypical Barbie," she senses that something's amiss. For her, it means that everything the other Barbies worked for has been lost. What's her purpose now? What was she made for?

Now, let's address the contentious line: "I'm sad again, don't tell my boyfriend, it's not what he's made for." At first glance, it seems like Barbie is concealing her sadness from her boyfriend as if she needs to put on a facade to shield him from distress. While this is partly true, there's a broader context that some miss. Barbie grapples with depression, a daunting experience for someone who has only known happiness. We've witnessed how it affects Barbie, both physically and mentally. In the film, Barbie lacks someone to confide in about her feelings, especially Ken, who's portrayed as having limited critical thinking skills. Barbie refrains from telling Ken because she understands he either wouldn't grasp it or wouldn't cope with the impact of her emotions. Thus, the song authentically mirrors Barbie's inner struggle to communicate her newfound feelings and her desire to protect others from her experience.

Another criticism my friend raised was that the music wasn't complex enough. The melody was too simple and the harmony was boring, etc. Here's where we delve into the technical side of the song, starting with the harmony or chord progression.

Firstly, Billie's song is originally composed in C major, one of the simplest keys due to its absence of flats or sharps, with a 4/4 time signature, making it rhythmically straightforward. The main progression comprises C-Em-F7, with an Am thrown in on the repeat of "What was I made for?" resulting in C-Em-F7-Am-Em-F7 until the beginning of the chorus, where the Dm and G chords are introduced.

So if we look at it as a numerical chord progression, it would look like this:

(verse) I-iii-IV7-vi-iii-IV7

and (chorus) ii-V-I-iii-IV

The most used chords in pop songs of a major key are I, V, vi, and IV.

So, what's the "iii" chord doing there? It's rarely used in recent pop music. The Beatles featured it in "Here, There And Everywhere," and Elton John in "Mona Lisas And Mad Hatters," but it's uncommon. When we think of common progressions, it's typically I-V-vi-IV.

What's intriguing is that the dominant (V) chord is only used 3 times in the entire piece, with the final one being the very last chord as a Dominant 7th chord, which, in itself, is such a cool choice. The "V" chord naturally gravitates back to the "I" chord, and the addition of the 7th intensifies this desire to return to the home chord, especially since the expectation has been set for it to revert to C major, as it did twice before in the song. Thematically speaking, this choice reflects Barbie's longing for answers and a purpose. The last chord leaves you aching for something more.

Up to this point, we have a harmonic progression that may not be groundbreaking, but it creates compelling tension. So, what about the melody?

Billie's sung melody is quite simple when looked at on its own. All of the notes are diatonic (within the key signature), and the most complex thing is the few leaps between notes that are present. However, when the simple melody combines with the harmony, that's where the magic happens.

The interplay between the melody and harmony is where much of the tension lies. Billie often sings notes that are "unstable" or not part of the chord playing in the harmony, even though the individual notes are diatonic to the key of C major. This adds complexity and tension to the song. When we hear these notes that don't quite harmonize with what's playing underneath, our ears long for something less discomforting, like the warmth and safety of the tonic chord. In this case, that mild discomfort is what gives the song its potency and relevance to the movie as a whole.

If you want to take a deeper dive into the music theory behind the song, I highly encourage this website to get you started!

Q&A: Do you have a song from a film that you feel strongly about, whether you love it or hate it? Share your thoughts and why it resonates with you.

#barbie #the barbie movie #billie eilish #what was i made for #music #music blog #movie #movie blog #film blog #film analysis #song analysis #music theory #music in movies #music in film #greta gerwig #billie ellish lyrics #barbie 2023 #barbie movie 2023 #elton john #the beatles #Spotify

[where-theres-smoak-2]

https://www.tumblr.com/darklinaforever/737358997307506688/i-already-did-an-entire-post-about-this-but-sylki

I mean, yes, the comparison of Sylki to Miles and Gwen totally makes sense to me.

People simply refuse to see that no Sylvie is not a simple female version of Loki.

She doesn't have the same DNA or the same personality. It's bullshit. And even if as I say they share the same identity, it is mainly from a divine point of view. The same role in the universe.

Because the simple case of being born Loki is completely called into question from the episode where Sylvie is introduced, simply because she did not keep Loki's identity. It's not for nothing that it has its own name. This is precisely to make the viewer understand that no, she is not a female version of Loki and is not supposed to be !

The purpose of a character meeting other versions of themselves always generally serves the same purpose of discovery or understanding about themselves. From a symbolic point of view, it's almost the same thing.

Anyway, I'm not going to repeat myself any further since I already say all these things in the link above.

This is all just my opinion. I would find it interesting to hear yours on the subject ?

Sylvie and Loki are not the same person, they play the same role in their own universes and its as simple as that. They don't share genetics or the same DNA in any way, shape or form, we don't even know if they've got the same parents for sure. The only connection between the two is that role they play as god/goddess of mischief. As you said the fact that she was given the name Sylvie was to help the viewers see her as her own character, to recognise that she is not the same person as Loki and she has her own individuality.

I honestly don't know why people are still arguing about this because Kate Herron, someone with creative control over the show has made it clear that they aren't the same person:

Call me old fashioned but personally if someone with creative control makes a statement like this, I take it as the truth. You can voice how much you don't like it or that you saw it a different way, but this statement is still the truth, Sylvie and Loki were not written as being the same person. The truth is some people are so insecure in their ship that they have to cling to this incorrect view that Sylki is wrong because 'they're the same person', in order to make themselves feel better. They'll do anything they can, say anything they can to invalidate Sylki. Which is fine until they start jumping on sylkis posts telling them they're wrong when they very clearly aren't as the creators themselves share the same opinion.

I often see the argument that Sylvie and Loki must be the same person and their relationship must be wrong because characters in the show have said so. But lets look at these moments. The first is in 1x4 when Mobius is interrogating Loki and realises Loki has developed romantic feelings for Sylvie. If we look at Mobius' role in this moment he is the TVA agent who is still under the brainwashing of the 'timekeepers' aka HWR and is not someone we are supposed to be rooting for in this moment. In some ways he's playing the antagonist to Loki in this moment in the sense that he represents the TVA who are the bad guys. We are supposed to see that Mobius is the one in the dark here and that his current points of view are not the correct ones. You could say there is a pre truth Mobius and a post truth Mobius. Pre truth Mobius was the one who told Loki that he is responsible for his mother's death, who said he was born to bring pain and suffering so that others could become the best versions of themselves and who said his romance with Sylvie was sick, twisted and demented. We as the audience are supposed to accept these statements as being wrong, as being a result of Mobius being brainwashed by this organisation. I mean who out here is taking the words of an indoctrinated agent of a fascist organisation at face value? Like come on.

But then we get post truth Mobius, he learns the truth about being a variant and the TVA, he sees the light so to speak. The biggest clue that you are supposed to understand that his previous comments about Loki and Sylki are wrong is that he takes them all back after he learns the truth. His view that Loki was only meant to bring suffering changes and he tells Loki he can be whoever he wants to be. His view on Sylki changes too and instead of seeing them as sick and twisted he recognises their connection as something positive, something that could be the solution and that could 'bring this whole place down.'

The second instance is when X-5 calls Sylki weird in 2x2 in the McDonalds scene and again this statement is coming from a bad guy. Like x-5/ brad is a villain in the show, who is self serving and doesn't care about anybody else, of course you aren't suppose to agree with what he says. Another important facet of both these scenes though is that they are supposed to be comedic scenes. You are quite literally not supposed to take them seriously, its just a joke, because yeah sylki are weird, we've all had a good laugh about it, but them being weird doesn't make them wrong.

Anyway pretty sure I've gone off on a tangent there, so bringing it back. No Sylvie and Loki are not the same person. No they don't share DNA or any genetics, obviously. Yes the Miles/Gwen comparison is valid in that they both play the same roles within their universe, Miles/Gwen are both spiderman/woman, Sylvie/Loki are both the god/goddess of mischief.

Not to sound harsh, but you can shout and scream about how Sylki are the same person all you like, I don't care I'm going with Herron's statement seeing as she helped create the actual show. So as far as I'm concerned this is no longer an argument or up for debate, the answer has already been given, they aren't the same person.

#sylki #loki x sylvie #loki #sylvie #answered

[brilliantfantasticgeronimo]

dw rewatch - takes from "rose"

companion watch:

Rose kinda plays the role of Ian in this episode. Action man. Etc

When Nine exits the frame in the Famous Walking Single Shot and Rose is left befuddled, after a second, she runs back- but it’s too late. The TARDIS is gone. It’s OK though because she’ll get a second chance. This moment is then repeated again at the end, giving us an expectation for Rose’s choices and specially, their timing. And... Rose takes a while to take the plunge… but gets there in the end. This is the emotional arc of the episode. If there’s an "appeal" to this story, beyond aliens, comedy, and its weight.. on its own, the pull of "Rose" is inspiring bravery. As Rose will say later, it’s not about the adventures or the aliens or the wonder... “it’s about taking a stance and doing what’s right, when everyone else just runs away”.

And it’s true: no one wants to solve the issues at hand: Jackie is more concerned with compensation, Mickey says “leave him!” when Nine is about to be slurped in physchic plastic lava, and no one on earth seems to know what is going on. But Rose is there to show that we all have a part to play in history, we all have a call at some point to do what’s right and to act. Even if we’re afraid or widely out of our depths. This is what makes the first adventure click, it's a universal story.

- “I got the bronze” even at "most condecorated" stage, Rose's archivement are very mundane and down-to-earth.

- Jimmy Stone / The Doctor parallels? Perhaps...? She definitely swore off pursuing her A-levels after this adventure.

- With just a few pointed lines, we learn that Rose’s relationship with her mom has some friction. It’s not a day after she almost died and Jackie is already pushing Rose to look for another job. She won’t coddle her and will make that loud and clear. There’s also a bit of… resentment? envy? In how she says it’s good Rose lost her job at the shop because it was giving her “airs and graces” (!!). It seems she wants her succeed but not in a way that makes her leaver her (oh hello, Jackie’s arc, nice to meet you). Also this line: “ Honestly, it's aged her. Skin like an old bible. Walking in now you'd think I was her daughter.”

- At the same time, we get from this episode’s climax (with Rose’s moment being intercut with Jackie’s almost dying, almost as if the editing is suggesting she can feel her mom’s in danger) that... at this moment, she’s the most important person for Rose. Which is sweet, it's a complicated, real relationship.

Themes: - Bodies used and discarded, separation of physical bodies and consciousness. The Doctor inspiring people to do brave actions. Mundanity and the extraordinary. Internet Culture and Fandom. Environmental crisis (blink and you'll miss it). London as a cosmo-politan city. Diplomacy vs violence. - vigilante justice and underground wars. conspiracies. "Well, who else is there? I mean, you lot, all you do is eat chips, go to bed, and watch telly, while all the time, underneath you, there's a war going on." A clear tension between the (relatively) comfy lives the Tylers live and the "world out there" that's burning in flames.

- Nine rumages over Rose’s living room, and this is how he finds her last name. Is this awkwardness? Or is this trying to “figure her out” in advance like Auton mystery? How much of this adventure was The Doctor inadvertly trying to impress her?. The Doctor as the maligned “shoot the messenger” trope.

Timeless Child Retroactive Continuity Bonus:

- Nine answers Rose by saying what he can do, not really who he is… or does he? what is the doctor but a title for someone whose entire identity is built around what they do (and not their memories, personalities or physicalities, as these are in constant flux)? Axiom 2 from this: the doctor's sense of self is only defined in the present moment. their sense of identity holds no permanence.

- The closest we get in the answer is the “I’m in despair” with a “if we let go…” what does it mean? We fall into the vacuum? We fall to existential despair, like Nine is right now after the Time War? Or perhaps that, like in Torchwood… “we’re moths clinging to the flame”, in the cosmic scale, all life is really, really small and really, really fragile.

- Could this space/time sixth-sens be a unique ability of the Doctor’s OG species? The mythology used to be that all time lords developed this sensibility to time, and that’s what allowed them to time travel. However, all other time lord characters dont seem to care very much about the universe around them. We know now that The Doctor has a special relationship to “Time”. Maybe, The Doctor’s gone so long assuming this is something every TL could do, when really is just something they could do.

Blorbos:

- Nine’s little “ok” when Rose’s turns him down TOT. Imagine taking a chance of being attached and vulnerable after being so traumatized and war-scarred and then. REJECTION. headcanon that that little eu gap is mostly him just processing this and getting the urge to ask the girl out again lol

- Nine and Rose hold hands so much here omg - Nine says he knew Mickey could survive but doesn’t confide this information to Rose. Was he trying to protect her feelings, in case it turned out Mickey was indeed dead? / - “Oh, I didn’t think about that”

Colonialism / Hegemony:

- The doctor shows a lot of prejudice to humans in this. And honestly, this gives me a lot of conflicting feelings. One thing I'm trying to do in this rewatch is keep a firm eye on the "white savior/colonialist fiction aesthetic/neoliberal power fantasy" spectrum of things and see what sort of things pop out. I think Nine's immediate "I'm so much Smarter and Intellectual THEREFORE I know what's best in Every situation" is a very good (bad) fuel to this strand of critique.

- but, it is narrative effective. it’s effective at showing us he’s quite full of himself, and humbling the viewer by telling them that hey, you don’t know everything that will happen in this show! - It also makes sense for Nine in particular to be this cynical, given what we know he's lived. But there’s also something a bit … grossly Victorian Intellectual about it. It feels like the pulpy DNA ethos, the one that comes from white “humanists” and “rationalists”, is very loud in those moments.

- In Dramatic Justice terms, The Doctor’s decision to seek a diplomatic solution comes at the cost Clive his life. Although we’re clearly meant to admire 9’s diplomacy, it is ultimately proven useless materially. But although there's an interest in reading the moment as virtuous, there's an ambiguity by Clive’s meta that in some ways The Doctor is a cause of destruction (which is a beat the series has never quite connected and I'll get to in s2... the timelords, and by extension, the doctor, were the cause of all these messes, but much like irl brittish imperialism and usa neoimperialism, the narrative is blind to their responsibility on the current mess).

- We learn the Nestene consciousness has high tech but not as high as the Time Lord’s (it gets scared by the TARDIS).

You cannot reason with an Invading force. That Nine attempts to do so without offering the Nastene any kind of deal, when he’s aware that they’re doing out of a need for Survival, for basic resources, seems almost like self-sabotage.

- Obviously, the implication is that humanity has caused this by being so damn contaminating. But The Nastene could’ve just eaten all the plastic and toxins honestly, would’ve done us a favor. Possibility for a symbiotic episode one day in the future?

#60threwatch #dw #dw meta #nvmd me just trying to get through my backlog of previous takes that i didnt post skdlfj #idk why the formatting bullet points dont work in most of the thing #sorry tumblr is really weird with bullet points

[awellreadmannequin]

Seeing that there are three times as many M/M HSR fics on AO3 than F/F ones really bums me out. HSR (like HI3 and Genshin before it) has a lot of yuri vibes, a huge cast of interesting and important women, and actual, textual relationships between those women that are heavily implied to be (or to have been) romantic in nature. Bronya and Seele all but confess their love to each other (which they actually canonically do in their HI3 incarnations!), Serval’s quest all but states that she and Cocolia were functionally married (at a time which overlaps with Cocolia adopting and raising Bronya), and Kafka and the Trailblazer “are each other’s destinies” (which, like, could be either MC, but let’s be real, it’s Stelle). And don’t even get me started on Yukong, who literally does the “lesbian hates her straight girl crush’s boyfriend for no reason” thing before ADOPTING HER UNREQUITED LOVE’S DAUGHTER after her death.

This is a game that devotes a lot of time and energy to exploring the lives and relationships of its female characters. At present, it spends a lot less time and a lot less energy on its male cast. Luocha isn’t even present for his own character quest, which features March role play as him instead. Blade and Dan Heng don’t even have character quests yet. Welt’s story is well chronicled in the supplementary media HI3, in part because that game itself is almost entirely about the girlies. Arlan’s quest is mostly about Asta (which is kinda hilarious given the actual content of that quest). Sampo, well, I suspect we’ll see more from him in the future, especially if Sampo = Sam is true. Luka literally just dropped and I didn’t even know he existed in the background of Belobog until I got his four star Lightcone. Meanwhile, both Silver Wolf and Kafka got character quests which gave us a lot of insight into the former’s personality and the latter’s feelings about the Trailblazer. Serval and Gepard get to share a quest, but it’s entirely about Serval struggling to reconcile her feelings about Cocolia. I can’t help but come away from the game in its present state with the feeling that it is just more interested in the female cast than the male one.

AND YET.

If AO3 numbers are indicative of the community’s interest, there is about 3x the interest in those less well rounded and neglected male characters. And before anyone throws the angry lesbian accusation around (which is, to be clear, an absolutely correct accusation), I don’t just hate the male characters or M/M relationships. I don’t go out of my way to read M/M stuff, but scroll through my blog and you will see likes and perhaps even some reblogs of my beautiful baby girl, Kaveh from Genshin. I’m also a huge Welt fan! One of my first HSR/HI3 posts was a joke about Welt being an Omega because I’m fucking garbage. Even Sampo, who I’ve previously criticized fan interpretations of, is a character I quite like. And I like him because he’s easily the most interesting male character in the cast. Sampo is someone who we actively shouldn’t believe when he speaks about himself, which makes him instantly mysterious. Dan Heng and Blade are also mysterious, but not because they’re actively misrepresenting who they are. Dan Heng just doesn’t talk about his past and Blade just doesn’t talk. Sampo talks a lot! And nothing he says is trust worthy because he’s literally a con man!! It’s great characterization!!! Again, this isn’t to say I think Dan Heng and Blade aren’t good characters. Rather, they clearly have roles in the grander narrative that mean we can’t know much about them yet. Which is fine, this is a serialized piece of fiction. But it also means that in the here and now, we know less about them than we do about much of the female cast. Yet, they still have double the number of fics as the next most popular pairing which is… Dan Heng and the male MC. Bronya and Seele, who have the most shared screen time of any of the Belobog pairings in the main quest and who are, again, canonically gay in HI3, are only the 5th most popular pairing after another Blade pairing and Gepard and Sampo (which is an objectively excellent pairing, imo).

And I don’t really have any insights to add here. Ana Valens, a journalist and mutual of mine on Twitter (humble brag, I know), has previously argued that this common disparity in fan spaces is a result of internalized misogyny. I’m inclined to agree with her, though merely pointing this out is almost entirely pointless. At the end of the day, fans will always fall on the side of ‘i like what i like, leave me alone’ and you can’t make anyone enjoy F/F if they don’t already. However, just like the other kind of FF, I think that exposing people to compelling F/F experiences can be revelatory. Learning about the history of F/F and yuri tropes can give people a deeper appreciation for the stories we tell about relationships between women. This is why I like writing about yuri so much! And why I will continue to write about yuri, Class S, and genre tropes that inform how F/F relationships are depicted in media and fan spaces.

Also, the other kind of FF refers to cars with Front Engine, Front Wheel Drive layouts. I couldn’t resist the joke, because every time I play Gran Turismo 7, the FWD cars are all labeled FF and I think to myself, “Ah yes, lesbian car.”

#claire thoughts #claire writes about yuri #im scared to tag the hsr tags bc i dont want people to yell at me #so this will just live here on my blog where no one will see it :)

[viruslearnt]

Wesker + S.T.A.R.S.

Wesker has ... lets say complicated feelings towards his time as a STARS captain and his fellow team members. As much as he'd like to pretend otherwise, working closely with the team for a year and a half ( and maybe a bit more ) left some marks. Playing the role of the protective, caring captain to such perfection took both a lot of careful planning and DEDICATION. It is obvious that Wesker put in enough work to make his team appreciate and trust him considering things such as Jill being willing to consider Barry is the traitor during the mansion incident simply because Wesker implied there's something off about him. Rebecca, Jill and Chris are all shocked and horrified to find out the truth when they confront Wesker in the lab. Rebecca especially seems struggle to accept the betrayal. It is obvious then, that Wesker succeeded in bonding with his team beforehand, to ensure they have FAITH in him and don't see 'X-day' coming.

It makes sense that Wesker put a lot of effort into ensuring his team genuinely looks up to and likes him. A team like this HAS to be able to follow orders and rely on their captain to lead them or they'd fall apart very quickly. It is also simply beneficial for his true intentions to be liked. The more his team trusts him the less likely he is to be discovered even if something should happen to threaten or weaken his cover. Wesker also had the advantage of retaining a lot of control over STARS by the virtue of Umbrella being one of its biggest sponsors, like obtaining seniority over Enrico despite Enrico being the more popular choice, older than him and more experienced.

So what about the team itself? Alpha team had a lot of direct contact with Wesker, so did Bravo team if Rebecca's experiences are anything to go by, and she only joined a month before the incident so clearly, Wesker spends a CONSIDERABLE amount of time with both teams. We only really have the mansion incident to go off, but during that event Wesker frequently fakes concern for the missing members of STARS and even takes up the support role for Chris that Barry fills for Jill in scenes where Rebecca cannot or should not be present. It becomes clear why STARS trusted him despite his uptight and arrogant attitude that even his attempt to fake being a great boss couldn't always cover entirely for the sheer length of this assignment.

Was it all fake then? Well ... kind of. Its complex. Again, as stated before, you cannot be a leader for a task force such as STARS and not get somewhat personally involved. People won't open up to you and trust you if you don't give a little of yourself too. I doubt Wesker told many real stories during his time as alpha teams leader but the truth may have been hidden in some of them, the tiniest hint of genuine emotions that he CAN offer to STARS given the circumstances. He also clearly picked favourites, given the fact he praises Chris for figuring out the truth while only getting annoyed at Jill for being in the way. While I'd say it is definitely not friendship or love that connects Wesker with Chris there is certainly some type of fondness he feels for him, as twisted as it may be. Jill on the other hand is someone he seems to perceive as more of a threat, someone he knows he can't silence as easily as he did with Barry and who would never see things his way ( as he may have hoped Chris would, further suggesting he formed some kind of twisted fondness for Chris ). It is also obvious that he views Rebecca as the weak link, likely due to her age and naivety.

Despite the hints and implications at Wesker's genuine connection to the team though, he also clearly has no issue terminating the team given that he executes Enrico himself and shoots Rebecca with zero remorse. Despite this, saying STARS meant nothing to him would be WRONG. He did connect with his team, he did have some weird bond with them he just happens to have a very easy time stepping away from a situation and cutting ties no matter how strong the bond between him and the team was. In all honesty Wesker would have liked to keep Chris alive and possibly at his side but he also had no issues facing the REALITY that Chris was a risk and if he moved against Wesker ( which he did ), there would be no room for emotions to get in the way of what 'had to be done'. Wesker is a realist and a brutal one at that. He likes cold hard facts and will put them above any human connection he has made with basically no hesitation. We see a similar thing happen to his friendship with Birkin. While he would have liked to evacuate Birkin and his family from RC, he also knew when to cut his losses and abandon a hopeless case to continue his own work.

#if u bring up the rebecca photo im eating u #anyway yes wesker made some weird almost meaningful connection with his team #yes he threw it all out the window at the first sign of trouble #its funny cause he DOES retain some weird connection to chris that eventually becomes his downfall bc he cant fucking let GO of his grudge #—* META

[jet-bradley]

Yeah... Lora being absent in the sequel is the 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵 of Legacy's narrative shortcomings.

Legacy is just completely devoid of... Everything but aesthetics. I know it's kind of not great to criticize movies on what they could have been instead of what they are, but... What even is Legacy? A daft punk music video? A tech demo? It succeeds at being both of those. But as an actual narrative, it just isn't that engaging.

Also, if I'm honest, I really don't think "Main character is the blood relative of a beloved character from a classic" should ever be used in a sequel again. It's a cheap way to draw in fans of the classic without doing the work to establish a reason to give a shit about them. But if you aren't a fan of the classic, it's really alienating and feels like you're just being told to care about the protagonist for no reason. Sam doesn't really have much going for him if you don't care about Flynn. He's some rich 20 something living off old Silicon Valley money. Watching the movie when it came out, I had zero reason to give a shit about anyone, especially Sam, and it honestly ruined the movie for me. There's a reason I only became a Tron fan as an adult, and it's because people introduced me to shit that wasn't Legacy.

The reason the bit about Lora pisses me off so much is because people treat 2.0 like the worse sequel because of how it treats its female characters. But like, IMO, Legacy isn't better. I've been trying to find the source to back this up, but IIRC, one of the actresses in Legacy took a fairly extended "break" from acting because of harassment she faced after being in the movie because of how sexualized the costumes were.

Quorra is the only female character who's an improvement over her counterpart in 2.0 (Mercury), because she has motivations that extend further than Sam or Flynn. But not much further. Clu killed her entire species because of personal beef with Flynn, and that entire genocide exists solely to pad Flynn's backstory. Quorra might have her own motivations, but she still gives them up entirely to help Sam find the End of Line. She's still only there to propel Sam from point A to point B, just like Mercury. But at least she's got human proportions, being played by a human actress? Is that a win for feminism? Good grief.

And again. I really think Lora's absence was better handled in 2.0 than it was in Legacy, or how Jordan's death was handled. Be honest, would you actually know Jordan was a character if you weren't a Tron fanatic? Most of the story in 2.0 is optional, it's hidden in emails which don't even contribute to Jet's version number (which is only affected by build notes). But the game does a good job of encouraging curious players to look for them, and it makes it really clear that Alan's motivations in working with the digitization system come a lot from losing Lora.

People overuse the phrase "haunt the narrative" but I think it applies really well here. Her voice is the voice of Ma3a and the games grid, and her work plays a direct role in propelling the plot and it's actually credited to her. Her death doesn't just give Jet and Alan a sad backstory, it provides stakes for what happens to Thorne, the Fcon trio, and even what could have happened to Jet and Alan. It becomes a story about how loss plays out in a world that's becoming more and more dependent on computers. She is still genuinely partially kept alive through her work, but it takes Alan and the rest of the digitization team to carry that torch so that her work can still help people, and to maintain it in a state that it can do that. If you've lost anyone in the past 20 years, it still hits kind of hard from that perspective. Like, it's still not good, but at least it serves its narrative SOMEHOW.

Comparatively, her and Jordan's complete absence from Legacy's story is... embarrassing. First of all, this whole idea of people being kept alive through their work is embodied solely through Flynn, and he's literally alive in the Grid, which takes away a lot of the meaning behind what happened to Lora. But despite the plot relying on Lora's work (with a laser system much more identical to the one she worked on in the original film), all mention of her is completely erased. Sam doesn't seem like he knows who she is, Alan never mentions her, Flynn never mentions her. The programs think of Flynn as the only User that matters to them, nevermind that digitization can only happen because of Lora's work!

So no, I don't think Legacy really holds up to this standard of being better for its female characters. Honestly, Uprising is the only part of Tron that I can see holding up to that at all, and they cancelled Uprising after the first season. Pretty much everything in Tron is built on disrespecting female characters at least a little bit, and Legacy isn't an exception just because it's more popular.

#sorry this is so long. idgaf anymore