#and BIG episode 18 spoilers
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guess who just posted what appears to be the first ever FKF fanfic on AO3
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But the weirdest thing about this show is that the climax will apparently be a 24-year-old woman marrying a 14-year-old boy?????
#i know i shipped them but i was kidding! i didn't expect it to actually happen!!#it's weird but also there are big extenuating circumstances that make it Sort Of Okay#they'll have to treat it with care#although it would be a big screw you to all the enemies#oh you didn't want either of us to get married? well now we're going to marry EACH OTHER#ahahahh#but he could've been at least 17 or 18#the matchmakers spoilers#the matchmakers#episode 11#elly's posts
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NeverAfter Ep 18 As Brian David Gilbert Gifs (SPOILERS!!!!)
Can you believe theres only 2 more episodes of NeverAfter left? I am excited and terrified. Hopefully we get a lot of answers this episode and hopefully shit doesnt hit the fan too much in this episode.
Continuing to do this for fun but as always in advance:
The Baba Yaga describing the red mancala pieces are corruption and a burden on destiny's children:
Emily flumoxing Brennan as the Baba Yaga by saying Ylfa has a hot form:
Baba Yaga talking about how she's seen the authors die:
The group giving baba yaga the whiskey bubblegum pinocchio select:
The Entire vibe (AKA ZOOM CALL ENERGY) around the first bit of this episode as they talk about baba yaga pissing a little bit everywhere:
Gerard giving comfort to Pinocchio who is worried about being on his own and Gerard talking about leaning on Tom Thumb:
FINDING OUT THE BABA YAGA KILLED, SKINNED, AND ATE THE WOLF:
Gerard doing his trial first and immediately encountering the Heron and Rapunzel showing up in the water's reflection:
Finding out that rapunzel is the one who asked Gerard about using the sword of truth if elody still loves him:
Gerard giving up his humaness and name to the Baba Yaga to make Elodys story her own and becoming a giant frog:
Rosamund going into her trial and seeing a prince caught in the briars:
Me at the fairies trying gaslight gatekeep girlboss rosamund into doing their bidding and give them the book and ink:
Rosamund giving her story to the Baba Yaga to make her own decisions and saving the prince by defying the fairies:
Emily adding a little levity during her trial to help lighten the mood:
wolfy ylfa introducing herself to the past version of her grandma and her name is her name and stepmother took her name and this cutesy moment:
Ylfa escorting her grandma's grandma as the new death and becoming the new death:
Pinocchio's trial immediately starting with a meeting/vision? Of the stepmother and immediate horror with his father being hurt by the Stepmother:
Pinocchio giving up his chance to ever be a boy again to save his father from the stepmother:
Finding out the name of the Stepmother is Minerva:
ALLY GETTING THEIR MOJO BACK AND ROLLING A NAT 20 ON THEIR NATURE CHECK AND PULLS A RED CLOAK AND MARIONETTE HANDLE OUT OF THE GROUND AND PUTS IT IN THEIR BOOK:
Finding out the times of shadow is the fear of times of shadow:
Mother Goose offering Baba Yaga a full page of their book and us not knowing if it was blank or not:
Pib seeing the fox and rabbit dead and rolling a 24 to see they are in fact still alive:
ME WONDERING IF DIMENSION 20 ABOUT TO GET SUED BY DREAMWORKS AS BRENNAN TALKS ABOUT PIB SEEING THE WISHING STAR AND THE PATH TO THE LINES BETWEEN AND I WONDER HOW BRENNAN PREDICTED SO MUCH OF PIB:TLW:
The Reunion between Mother Goose, Mother Hubbard, and the true Jack of this world:
Mother Goose putting the Stepmother's true name Minerva into the book and seeing themselves and other characters in their book fighting the stepmother:
Murph rolling for the table's luck check and MURPHING IT:
Me seeing the set=up and preview for next weeks showdown and me yelling at BRENNAN LEE MULLIGAN WITH THE SAME THING EVERY WEEK BECAUSE HOW THE FUCK AM I SUPPOSED TO SLEEP AFTER THAT BRENNAN:
and brennan lee mulligan every weeK:
#neverafter spoilers#neverafter the trials of the baba yaga#neverafter episode 18#neverafter#dimension 20 neverafter#destinys children#mother timothy goose#prince gerard of greenleigh#rosamund du prix#ylfa snorgelsson#neverafter puss in boots#neverafter pinocchio#neverafter baba yaga#neverafter fairies#neverafter rapunzel#neverafter stepmother#neverafter jack#mother henry hubbard#neverafter big bad wolf#d20#d20 neverafter
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My thoughts about Hetty’s storyline in 3x8, holes are bad. I wrote this in the ghosts 18+ discord server, but I thought it would fit here. Spoilers for that episode and a content warning for suicide
That poor, tragic woman. Her demise fits and works so well for her character. She spent her entire life surrounded by people who didn’t care about her and failed her repeatedly. There’s a poetic kind of sadness in the fact that what was supposed to be her saving grace — the telephone — was ultimately what destroyed her. The part when she unravels the cord to save Flower, I gasped and went “oh…oh, Hetty.” She used her greatest shame to save one of her dearest friends. She took that power back from a moment where she truly felt powerless and trapped. And when she talks to Sam and Isaac about it, oh, my heart. She spent her whole life being either feared or unloved and gets to share her deepest secret with people who care for her deeply, all without judgment. Isaac’s line “You were in a hole. Those are hard to get out of” had me feeling things. Hetty learning that there are people who love and support her and that everything Elias and Thomas did wasn’t her fault was such a big moment for her and I’m so proud of her character development. That was a long Hetty ramble, but I love her so much and this episode just strengthened that for me
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Finally, after months of work, I have completed it: the collection of all* character appearances in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood!
edit: if you want a more detailed spreadsheet on the homunculi in particular, @vuullets has a collection of all homunculi appearances in the manga! you can find it here
Some notes on this spreadsheet:
there are spoilers. obviously. proceed with caution
timestamps indicate when a character first appears in a scene, not every time they appear. if the scene changes to one without that character, and then we return to that character in another scene, that's another timestamp for a new appearance
all timestamps are approximate, give or take a few seconds based on how quickly I could pause the show
only unique flashbacks count as an appearance. if the flashback is to something we've seen in a previous episode, that is not counted as a unique appearance, but if it provides something new that we haven't seen before, it counts!
I didn't include background easter egg appearances, like when you can see Mei in the background at a train station before she's introduced
I didn't actually do all characters. there are a lot of characters, and I am just one person. sorry if you're a big fan of minor members of the military, i just couldn't do it
since Greed is kind of a special case, he deserves a specific explanation: OG Greed and Greedling are not counted as separate characters, they're both just Greed. when Greed is in control of Ling's body, that counts as an appearance for Greed, and it's not an appearance for Ling unless he's in control. if they're both in a scene together (talking in the mindscape, for example, or switching control back and forth) they each get a timestamp for when they first appear/speak in a scene
feel free to use this as a reference! I made this as a useful tool for myself, and because I'm a nerd about data. if you are also a nerd about data, I tallied up some stats, which I'll put under the cut:
only six characters broke 30 episodes. the characters with the most appearances are Edward (60), Alphonse (58), Mustang (45), Hawkeye (42), Scar (40), and Winry (31).
next highest on the list are Alex Armstrong and Mei (tied for 29), King Bradley (28), Hohenheim (26), and Ling (25).
the homunculus in the most episodes is Wrath (28), and the one in the least is Lust (11)
as previously mentioned, Alex Armstrong and Mei are in the same number of episodes (29), as are Olivier Armstrong and Marcoh (24), and Buccaneer and Ross (18)
Hughes is in only 10 episodes, the same number as Grumman and Fu
Yoki is in a whopping 23 episodes. what the fuck
the chimera in the most episodes is Zampano (21), closely followed by Darius and Jerso (20), with Heinkel falling behind at 16. The Devil's Nest chimeras are only in 2 episodes, with the exception of Bido, who is in 3
#fma#fmab#fullmetal alchemist#I feel like I should make a specific tag for when I do. stuff like this.#I love. spreadsheets. I love data collection#anyway please enjoy! I've been working on this for six months!#sol collects data#<- I've decided that will be my tag#tallying up appearances made me mad. which is not a surprise to me#scar is in 40 episodes and yet the fandom bias completely sidelines him. I'm not mad. I feel normal about this. <- seething#I guess I'm also guilty of paying more attention to characters in fewer episodes considering greed is in only 18 episodes#BUT STILL. justice for my guy scar. he's an extremely prominent character and should be treated as such
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MHA 2.17 - Climax - part 3
This is my first watch of MHA, so no spoilers please.
This is me every single day of my life. Why do I relate to this anime Grandpa?
From Gran Dorito's perspective he looked away from Midoriya for one moment, and when he saw Midoriya again he was dragging a wanted criminal out of an alleyway with a rope.
Yeah, an apology is warranted here, but I hope Iida doesn't beat himself up too much over it. He made some understandable mistakes. I trust Iida to learn the right lessons from this experience.
If a villain injured my older brother to the point of permanently paralyzing him, I would hunt them down and make them regret it too. But I guess heroes in training have to hold themselves to a higher standard. Iida did not react like a hero, he reacted like a human, and I think that is a forgivable misstep.
What a sweetheart. Deku really embodied both 'hero' and 'human' qualities during this arc. He is moved by wanting to save people as a hero should, but also by the personal need to be there for his friends. What a precious green bean.
Blunt, but it made me laugh so hard. I feel like you need both types of support in your life, the kind of friend who will be soft with you, and the kind of friend who will tell you to pull it together and carry on.
OMG A BABY SNATCHER. UNHAND THE BABY YOU PTERODACTYL LOOKING REJECT.
OooOOoooOoh, Stain saved Deku? As much as I think Stain's ideology is whack, it is kind of a big deal for him to accept Deku as a worthy hero, isn't it?
The blood red moon, the glowing eyes, the majestic floating scarf, edgy arm bandages, and that crusty turtle-esque visage. The man certainly has an aesthetic (one that came out of a Spirit Halloween dumpster).
By murdering heroes that he arbitrarily decides he doesn't like. Better watch out hero society! Miss Staingina George is going to put you in his 'Burn Book' of loser heroes.
DID HE DIE?
Click here for episode 18
Click here for the masterlist
#mha#bnha#my hero academia#izuku midoriya#boku no hero academia#anime#deku#midoriya#tenya iida#iida#stain#hero killer stain#shouto todoroki#shoto todoroki#todoroki#gran torino
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pt XII good omens sEAsOn 2 (the non-traumatic part) episode 1
Alright yes I know, I know, it's been two days since the livestream. I was reading fanfiction. Don't blame me, love made me crazy, and all that. I'm enjoying myself as much as I can before we get to the season 2 finale. But here we go, season 2, episode one, maggots:
[on reading this back after finishing, a lot of text is my being in love with Crowley. mainly, points 3, 4, 9, 14, 17, 18, yes I have issues, feel free to skip that for an absolutely concise and precise summary]
Before the livestream starts, everyone decides that there will be no spoilers whatsoever on the chat, even hidden with the black, because I have a tendency to keep clicking and revealing them. I'm sorry, temptation and all. I have emotional support fruit, an apple, two kiwis, two sapotes and two bananas.
When the livestream starts, it has to be restarted, because I am an incompetent nincompoop and have somehow managed to muck up my settings. And it is absolutely imperative that I watch the opening scene.
So then I do. And immediately have to consume my emotional support apple because I am so fucking in love with Crowley. Already? someone asks. Yes bloody already, I need that apple.
Thanks, guys. I'm broken. Crowley. Just. She looks so peaceful and untraumatised, so delighted with the plans, so full of wonder at what she's creating. Let there be light, she says, and rather than seeing Crowley turn off a streetlight with a flick of his fingers, we get to see her create nebulas. Aziraphale looks at her and he's just instantly so spellbound, and who would bloody blame him? His wings just do a slight dip of realisation that he's fucked when Crowley says the gorgeous line. Look at Crowley. Worried about the apocalypse. Smiling at Aziraphale, and we can see Azi's concern because something as pure as that has to be protected and Aziraphale knows what Heaven will do to Crowley if she dares to ask questions. Crowley is angelic and filled with light and Aziraphale sees that and tries to keep her safe with his words.
Hey spoiler alert, it doesn't work, Crowley's wings are greying even as she protects Azi and Crowley falls and I hate everything and I am filled with unbridled rage.
UNDERSTAND? RAGE.
I am speculating how much pain and torture Crowley went through when she fell into Hell that first time. I am told to not ask questions I don't want answers to.
Maggie sells records, Aziraphale is a cutiepie, and Maggie is very gay for Nina.
Crowley is lounging on a park bench, suit and skinny tie, just being all sexy and demonic and probably contemplating nihilism.
Crowley spreads awareness about duck health. No bread, guys. Frozen peas. He also angsts a lot to Shax (whom I keep mixing up with Michael) about the meaning of life. Someone points out that this is very Barbie of him. "do you ever think about death". Ah, Crowley.
More lesbians gaying. I would kill for Nina's hair.
JIMBRIEL IN THE HOUSE. I WON'T SAY ANYMORE ABOUT HIS ENTRANCE BECAUSE THIS IS NOW A TOPIC OF CONTROVERSY. BUT JIMBRIEL IN THE HOUSE.
Aziraphale, ah I love him, absolutely fucking panics and has the loading symbol over his angelic little head at all times. FINALLY, THIS SHOW IS A COMEDY.
Crowley is leaning on his Bentley and mmmmhm his arms and his lounging and his personality I am back to crunching on my temptation emotional support apple.
Sorry back to the summary. Jim finds Aziraphale funny and says he loves him. Someone points out that this was the fandom upon encountering my dumbass self. "You're funny Asmi we love you."
Aziraphale is a little bitchy babygirl, really just enough of a bastard to be worth knowing. Just absolutely slaying through every Jimbriel scene. 100000/10.
Six shots of fucking espresso in a big cup. Crowley, I love you. Can I love Crowley any more than this? Yes I can. My love for Crowley is like the universe, infinite and yet ever-expanding, explosive with entropy.
Crowley holds the door open for Aziraphale and holds his plate and honestly what absolute husband (gn) behaviour.
CROWLEY MEETS JIMBRIEL WHO IS FUCKING DUSTING AND LEAPS BACKWARD AND JUST RELIVES TRAUMA WHILE JIM IS CHILLING AND AZIRAPHALE IS STILL GAY PANICKING. I LOVE THIS SHOW.
MARRIAGE QUARRELS ABOUT ADOPTING JIM, JUST ANOTHER DAY IN THE FELL-CROWLEY HOUSEHOLD.
Coffeeshop AU lesbians time.
Heaven is horrible.
MURIEL IS BABY I LOVE THEM HELLO CUTIEPATOOTIE.
There is an ethereal paper file.
Beezlebub beezles their way into Crowley's car and is very concerned in Hell about finding Jimbriel.
Nina's partner is a toxic ass don't worry about it.
Sulky Crowley says he's back and apology dance time mmmhm.
Miracle hide Jimbriel time, but they've got to be subtle. They do the miracle. Jim is glad to have friends.
They are very proud of themselves for their subtle miracle.
THEY ARE SO FUCKING USELESS. FUCKING USELESS LITTLE GAYASS DISASTERS JESUS LORD IN HEAVEN. LITERALLY IN HEAVEN ALARM BELLS ARE EVERYWHERE.
GREAT JOB, GAYS. GREAT JOB.
End of episode one. Take this screenshot.
#good omens mascot#good omens#good omens fandom#weirdly specific but ok#asmi#crowley#aziraphale#lgbtqia#maggots#neil gaiman#anthony j crowley#crowley needs a hug#gabriel#jimbriel#jim short for gabriel#jim short for james short for gabriel#good omens 2#go 2#good omens summary#not really im just simping over crowley#and admiring aziraphale's bitchy babygirlness#icon behaviour really#ineffable idiots#IDIOTS#ineffable fandom
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My thoughts on episodes 1-3 of Netflix ATLA (SPOILERS):
1. Commander Zhao has middle-aged white guy manager energy. I feel like this man is about to lead me in a team-building exercise
2. Aang having his origin story changed irks me! He ran away impulsively in the original show and got stuck in the ice. In this version, he fully monologs to Appa about his fears, but then just leaves for a joyride and gets stuck. It takes away from the significance of Aang leaving in the first place. When Kyoshi berates him for running away, it doesn't feel right because in this version, he didn't really run - he just got stuck in the wrong place at the wrong time
3. The Zuko that stood on an iceberg during a full Moon and challenged Katara to battle would be absolutely enraged at the Zuko that ran from the conflict in Omashu
4. Also, the fact that Zuko has not mentioned honor yet? What the fuck?
5. Seriously, Commander Zhao has a LinkedIn. He's got great networking skills
6. I miss aggro Katara. This version is way more subdued (though we do get a sibling fight in episode 3) and somehow listening to Aang's weird circular philosophy helps her learn how to waterbend and I don't get it
7. Seeing Aang be joyful is a nice change from the movie that shall not be mentioned
8. If Gram-Gram putting the waterbending scroll in Katara's bag replaces the storyline where Katara says fuck cultural looting and steals one I will scream
9. It's interesting to see Azula so early in the story, but I'm bummed we missed out on the whole blackmail thing with her & Ty Lee
10. Do you think Commander Zhao pays his employees a fair wage? Do you think they have health insurance? 401k matching? Vacation time? Sick days? What kind of benefits does his company offer?
11. This version of Sokka is definitely not silly enough
12. I feel robbed that Aang got to transform into a magical girl but we didn't get a magical girl transformation sequence
13. Also, we were robbed of Sokka crossdressing as a Kyoshi warrior and they are so rude for that
14. The graphic murder of the Airbenders felt. Weird? Wrong? I don't think we needed to see that. The impact it had when Aang arrived at the temple to find all of them gone in the original show felt heavier than in this version. We saw what happened, we know they're all dead. As a kid watching ATLA the first time, I remember feeling hopeful for Aang that maybe he wasn't really the last one. We don't get to feel that with this version
15. They did not understand Uncle Iroh at all. His character is so weird. Maybe it gets better???
16. The pacing is weird but maybe that gets better too???
17. I have never related more than when Ozai just burned that Earth nation dude who was about to start monologing, please shut up in my presence
18. Apparently everywhere has names?? Who decided on these names?
19. As a lesbian I also get horny on main immediately for girls who could definitely kick my ass, Sokka was so real for that
20. Overall I think they lean into the idea that the audience for this show is primarily older than the audience for the original (they're not totally wrong!) but I worry about it losing some of the messaging along the way. Part of the beauty of the original ATLA show was tackling these big, complex issues in a way that both kids and adults could relate to and understand. Anyone who knows me knows I also love Bluey for this, along with a few other shows that do it well. Media like ATLA that tackles the ideas of colonization, genocide, war, and so many other important issues is crucial! I hope that these topics are handled just as well as they were in the original series.
Am I going to watch the whole thing? Probably, yeah. Will I enjoy it? I hope so! It's not terrible, but it's also hard to do a show that has so much nostalgia attached to it in a way that will please all viewers.
If you haven't watched it, I think it's worth a shot. Just don't expect it to be an exact retelling of the original story.
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In today's episode of Shut Up Robin, Nobody Cares:
I finished Maison Ikkoku back in February, and I had a lot of feelings about the series. (It's good, do yourself a favor and go read it if you haven't.) As I read through it, I couldn't shake the thought: this is the caliber of romantic development Rumiko Takahashi can bring to the table?? We could've had this kind of relationship development in InuYasha??? 😭😭
The other thought I couldn't shake: InuYasha fans who still question the sincerity and depth of InuYasha's feelings for Kagome might benefit from reading Maison Ikkoku all the way to the end. They should read the final chapters of Maison Ikkoku, think for awhile about the blatant parallel themes found in InuYasha, and then try reevaluating InuKag's dynamic.
Now, I should clarify: I think the InuYasha series already makes it abundantly self-evident that the Inu/Kag/Kik "triangle" (🙄) is a complex situation that puts InuYasha in an extremely difficult position. (Well, it puts all of them in a difficult position, but you get the idea.) You just have to read the series with your brain on to see that. To review: teenage boy is tricked and terrorized by a demonic murderer; that demon successfully murders the boy's ex while masquerading as him; later his ex is revived from the dead against her will, wanders the earth as a vengeful spirit for awhile (who wouldn't be pissed about being brought back into that bullshit?), and is actively stalked by the demon who already murdered her once; teenage boy is falling in love with someone else when this happens, but he still wants to save his ex from being re-victimized by the demon who already brutally murdered her once. Anyone who sees that situation and describes it with a straight face as "InuYasha needs to make up his mind already" is probably never going to reconsider their assessment of InuYasha's character. They've already formed an opinion in defiance of the evidence. That ship done sailed.
But for some folks, I think experiencing the way Maison Ikkoku explores the same relationship themes—and particularly how it resolves those themes in the final chapters—could help them re-evaluate the emotional nuances in InuKag's relationship, and maybe help to re-contextualize the Inu/Kag/Kik conflict.
The parallels between Godai/Kyoko and InuYasha/Kagome are pretty obvious—Rumiko Takahashi consistently revisits this relationship dynamic in her work (it's present in Mao to a lesser extent). But I think Maison Ikkoku more directly confronts the emotional complexity of that dynamic. You can feel the difference in how RT more directly explores the messiness, complications, and pain of a) grieving a former relationship even while falling in love with someone else, and b) loving someone who is still tangled up in grieving their past. The InuYasha series obviously deals with those themes too, but Maison Ikkoku brings more focus and resolution to its exploration.
This may be for two reasons: 1) Maison Ikkoku had an older audience, as it was published in a seinen magazine geared for adult men between 18 - 40 years old, and 2) the relationship tension between Godai/Kyoko pretty much constitutes the main story of Maison Ikkoku; in InuYasha, the plot (such as it is) revolves around a vengeance quest and the monster of the week, and the relationship tensions between InuKag are second to that. Maybe that's why RT was more willing to get into the weeds with Godai/Kyoko and to more directly resolve the tension.
InuYasha does have some standout chapters where it explicitly deals with the tension of InuKag's situation (e.g., chapter 78, chapter 124, chapter 176, chapter 286, chapter 458, etc.), but there's this distinct hesitance in the narrative to resolve that tension in a substantive way. That's one of my beefs with the InuYasha series: it gives us moments of standout, concrete relationship development which then doesn't impact the future narrative all that much. The same relationship conflicts play out over and over again, well past their narrative expiration dates. See: Miroku flirting with women right in front of Sango after they've acknowledged feelings for each other; also the entire Kaō arc, which just... I do not understand the narrative purpose of that arc when it just exacerbates tensions that already existed and resolves none of them. Anyway. I digress.
You could argue this hesitance to permanently resolve relationship conflict comes from the episodic nature of InuYasha's storytelling. There's some truth to that, but that's not a satisfying explanation for why the main couple's relational status quo remains inert for the latter half of the series. Maison Ikkoku also does this to an extent—the "will they, won't they?" tension is strung along for as long as possible—but in general Maison Ikkoku does a better job of allowing relationship development to actually affect the narrative. Moments of emotional revelation and growth do change the relational status quo between Godai and Kyoko. They don't stay in quite the same relationship limbo that InuYasha and Kagome get stuck in for the latter half of the series. (It probably also helps that Maison Ikkoku is significantly shorter than InuYasha.)
All that to say: I think Godai/Kyoko is actually a useful mirror for examining InuKag, because they share the same themes and relationship dynamics without sharing the same narrative failings.
Okay, so: big time major spoilers ahead for Maison Ikkoku. Stop here if you don't want to see the conclusion of that series.
I want to look at how Maison Ikkoku's conclusion simultaneously revisits and resolves the main conflict between Godai/Kyoko.
Ahhhhhh my feelings!!! Man I love this series.
Okay, let's review the major takeaways from this scene:
• Notice how the tension between Godai and Kyoko—Godai's struggle with insecurity and Kyoko's feelings for her deceased husband—mirrors the tension between InuKag. And notice that the reader is encouraged to sympathize with both Godai and Kyoko. Godai is not "at fault" for struggling with insecurity and feelings of jealousy. That's a natural human feeling to have, especially in a relationship that hasn't been anywhere near secure until very recently. And despite whatever jealousy or inadequacy he may be feeling, Godai tries to see things from Kyoko's perspective. Part of Godai's struggle—the heartache of it—is his understanding that Kyoko is also not at fault. It's not her fault that she married before she ever met Godai, it's not her fault her husband died, and it's not her fault that she's struggling with the grief of that tragedy. She's trying to reorient herself to her new life after loss; she's falling in love with Godai, but she's also scared of betraying her husband's memory. (Let's hold that mirror up to InuYasha now, shall we? SHALL WE?) Moving on from Soichiro emotionally represents to Kyoko a breach of duty to a loved one.
• To reiterate: neither Godai nor Kyoko are "at fault" in this situation. That's precisely why it's a tragedy. They both have to process painful, messy feelings; both their feelings are valid and understandable. (Hold that mirror up to InuKag, girl. HOLD IT UP.)
• Notice how Godai explicitly acknowledges that loving Kyoko means loving the Kyoko who once loved Soichiro. "On the day I met Kyoko, you were already within her. That's the Kyoko I fell in love with." It's impossible to divorce Kyoko from her feelings for her former husband: that part of her life significantly shaped her into who she is. And I just love that Godai is hashing out his feelings at Soichiro's grave: it shows a sort of respect for Soichiro's memory, but more importantly it also shows that Godai knows his negative feelings can't ultimately be "fixed" by Kyoko. If she could fix them, he'd be having this conversation with her. (And by this point in the series they have had this conversation.) But Godai knows he's the only one who can truly work through/resolve his insecurity—especially now, when Kyoko has already assured him that she loves him—and I love how the scene's setting subtly demonstrates that. Soichiro's ghost is haunting Godai's feelings, not Kyoko's, and Godai is trying to work through that with Soichiro himself. There's no love triangle to resolve here: what needs resolving is Godai's own feelings of inadequacy which no amount of assurance from Kyoko can ultimately "fix." This is his ghost to fight. (We get an echo of this kind of inner conflict in chapter 458 of InuYasha: Kagome directly wrestles with the "ghost" of Kikyo and struggles toward some resolution of her own insecurities.... Only for the Kaō arc to come along later and materially damage that resolution and character growth for no clear reason, BUT I DIGRESS.) And this scene shows that Godai wins that fight: he comes to understand that loving Kyoko has to include accepting her past. Kagome reaches a very similar understanding in chapters 175 and 176 of InuYasha.
• To reiterate: Maison Ikkoku's conclusion is not the resolution of a "love triangle." It's the resolution of a series-long conflict, which is completely different. In order for love triangles to work—to actually function as love triangles—two competing love interests have to be viable options. This is quite evidently not the case in Maison Ikkoku: Soichiro is dead at the start of the series. It's literally impossible for Kyoko to choose him in any meaningful way. RT blatantly acknowledges this early in the series when Kyoko's father-in-law tells her she has to live her life. I cannot stress enough how self-consciously the series is not about a love triangle between Godai/Kyoko/Soichiro. (Mitaka is another matter entirely, for a different post.) Rather, the series is about the damaging power of grief in our lives, the rocky and painfully non-linear journey to healing from that grief, and how messy, fraught, and ultimately profoundly beautiful it is to love another person for exactly who they are — past pain/trauma and all. (Please for the love of heaven hold that mirror up to InuKag.)
• No, you know what? I'm not leaving that at a parenthetical. I'm just gonna say it: exactly as Maison Ikkoku is not about a love triangle, InuYasha isn't either. For the same reasons as stated above, the Inu/Kag/Kik dynamic is not ultimately a love triangle because Kikyo is dead at the start of the series. And while her spirit is magically revived—in an altered/diminished form—she is still not truly alive. The story conspicuously communicates this: her body is literally created from decomposing bones and cannot sustain itself (she needs to consume souls—other deceased spirits—to remain animated), symbolically suggesting she is of the dead even as she walks among the living. This is a facsimile of life. RT is not subtle about this. Kikyo is a tragic and complex character whose arc can be interpreted in many ways, but I think it's fair to say that the series self-consciously represents her as a past which can't be recovered. The damage has been done. She is dead, time continues to move forward, and there's no reversing that. (That's, again, why it's a tragedy.) Even her resurrected body symbolically represents this reality via death imagery. Ergo, from the very start of the series—just as we see in Maison Ikkoku—Kikyo is not a truly viable option for InuYasha. He can't choose her in any meaningful way. To "choose" her would be to essentially choose death—abandonment of life—just as Kyoko choosing Soichiro would make her "a wife who hadn't died yet." Kikyo represents an irrecoverable past just as Soichiro does. And the main thematic trajectory of each series does not suggest that Kyoko/InuYasha should give up on life by choosing death — it suggests they should choose life. Godai and Kagome conspicuously represent life, the possibility of living into the future. (Kagome is literally from the future, that's how unsubtle RT is about this.)
(A quick aside while we're here: no, Kikyo's not being a viable option does nothing to diminish the sincerity of InuYasha's feelings for Kagome. Kagome is not a "second choice," for the love of God the series blatantly addresses that very thing many, many times—like it's right there y'all—and I have already written a long ass post about why Kagome's insecurity over InuYasha's feelings for her shouldn't be taken as gospel truth.)
So, rather than being an actual love triangle, I think the Inu/Kag/Kik dynamic is a complicated emotional landscape that explores the same themes Maison Ikkoku does: how grief and trauma affect our lives, how painful and messy it can be to heal from that grief, and that loving someone—choosing to take that mutual risk with them—means trusting that they mean it when they tell/show us they love us, and choosing to trust them more than our own insecurities.
It's just that Maison Ikkoku explores those themes a little better. 😅 Which is why I think it makes a good mirror for re-examining InuKag: all the same themes without all the narrative failings and missed opportunities. ✌🏼
#it's done!!!! I've been sitting on this since March @__@#there was a whole other section comparing and contrasting Maison Ikkoku's conclusion with chapter 176 in InuYasha...#but it was too meandering and I lost the plot on it so maybe I'll try that again in a different post one day lol#InuKag#Maison Ikkoku#analysis#that whole section where I basically said 'some emotional intelligence is required to understand InuYasha's situation'#that same sentiment caused the biggest shit fest I've ever seen on a fandom server#it was truly mind boggling#so naturally i've decided to write a 2200 word essay to more thoroughly explore that idea 😈
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Who's ready for some more Earthspark appreciation and Bumblebee simping?
Here's a favorite moment of mine regarding Bee being an absolute badass in episode 18, because I adore how his capacity to be a dork is only matched by his ability to take names.
Spoilers under the cut below, plus a criminal amount of Bumblebee thirst!
So we get RIGHT into it with Bee in the arena, looking pretty worn down already but possibly more determined than we've ever seen him. It's a pretty big shock after his absence for the past few episodes to say the least!!
He takes a nasty hit to the jaw, yet recovers swiftly, putting his defenses back up even when it's clear he's not doing so good. You can see him forcing himself to focus through the pain and it breaks my heart every time because MY BOY
But then you get a look at who he's fighting, and everything gets so much worse. Brawl is easily a third taller and at least twice as heavily built, complete with some built in weapons that would only take one solid hit to end the entire fight. It very quickly becomes apparent this is a fight of strength versus speed, but neither side is especially lacking in either.
Bumblebee dodges effectively, narrowly missing some MAJOR hits while getting in a few of his own, and actually proves strong enough to hold both of Brawl's fists at bay. You can see he's struggling, but if not for a well aimed headbutt from the bigger bot he might have held him off!
They exchange more hits, with Bee landing quite a few out of sheer athleticism (if someone could GIF these scenes I'd be eternally grateful because pics do NOT do them justice) before he's hurled to the ground and Brawl makes it VERY clear this is a fight to the finish. Bee reacts accordingly.
After dodging a number of near stabbings, he transforms and utilizes his altmode, taking out one of Brawl's legs before transforming back and trying to make use of his Stinger... which he remembers (and we learn) far too late has been disabled. This gives Brawl enough of an opening to grab Bee and CRACK HIM OVER HIS KNEE LIKE HE'S FREAKING BANE. But does that stop our boy?! Not for more than a few seconds, and he picks himself up JUST in time to stop what would have been a possibly fatal hit.
Then, after enduring all that damage and exhaustion, he manages to end the fight by HURLING BRAWL OVER HIS HEAD AND CRACKING HIM DOWN ON THE CEMENT LIKE HOW???!?!!
There's no sense of victory though, just Brawl getting hauled away and Bee looking utterly exhausted, his frame seizing up before he collapses from it all... You can tell he's had a rough go of it after having to leave, and the expression he makes when Brawl is hauled off just hammers in the tragedy. He doesn't want to fight any of these bots! Which sucks even more, because his only immediate reward for surviving this fight is to endure another.
Look at him I know he's three times my height but I need to COMFORT HIM
Thankfully he's reunited with the Maltos, and after enduring even MORE suffering, complete with a shattered arm and nearly having the literal life drained out of him, what does our Scout need more than anything?
A nap.
Sleep tight my beautiful prince.
I think of this scene frequently, can you tell? I definitely didn't have a great time watching Bee display a ridiculous amount of athletic prowess or anything, just, you know, appreciating a good character on a good show... Because this may be my favorite Bee and my favorite piece of Transformers media, and the bar is HIGH.
Please feel free to share your Bee thoughts, I have accepted I simply can't get enough, and my inbox is fully open for Earthspark requests.
#transformers#maccadam#earthspark#transformers earthspark#transformers: earthspark#tf earthspark#tfe#tfes#earthspark bumblebee#bumblebee#tf earthspark spoilers#tfe spoilers#es spoilers#earthspark spoilers#spoilers#bumblebee thirst
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Book 7: The Ruler of the Abyss – Chapter 3 (Part 2)
Following is part 2 of my translation of Chapter 3 of Book 7: The Ruler of the Abyss. This part contains episodes 7-44 to 7-50.
Main storyline spoilers after the cut!!
Episode 7-44
Silver: Zzzz….zzzz…
Sebek: Zzzz……zzzz…..
Lilia: Zzzz…..zz….
Everyone: zzz……
Grim: zzz…...zzzz….
Ortho: ……………………
(Cyberspace)
Ortho: ….Aaah! ….Phew, I was finally able to break out of my gear! Since I uploaded my data using the school’s public WLAN network, it took quite a while.
(Beep)
Ortho: Thank goodness. Neither my AI program nor my memory appear to be crashing. And I was able to preserve all my recordings, as well.
(Ortho plays back his recording from the going away party)
Crowley: Draconia-kun!? Just what are you intending to do here!?
Grim: Yikes! All my fur’s standing on end!
(An alarm sounds)
Ortho: A rapid accumulation of blot has been detected within a 10 meter radius. A magical disaster emergency alert has been issued. Immediate evacuation and further precautionary measures are advised.
Crowley: A magical disaster!? Augh…. Everyone! I permit you to use offensive magic! Stop Draconia-kun!
Malleus: Stand back, you fools.
Lilia: Stop it, Malleus!! That’s enough!!
Malleus: O Spinning Wheel of Fate, spin thy thread of calamity. I, the King of the Abyss, shall bestow upon thee… a blessing.
Everyone: Zzzz…..zzz…..
(The recording ends)
Ortho: ….It appears that Malleus Draconia-san’s magic affected my magical reactor and caused my gear to shut down. It’s unbelievable… My armor is comprised of anti-magic materials that Styx developed, and yet his spell penetrated it like it was nothing… Just how strong is this guy…. The large amount of blot and magic activated the magical disaster emergency alert system I have installed in my gear, but…. Seeing as the network is in working order, that probably means the school facilities weren’t destroyed when he attacked. The timestamp on my crash report is 21:18…. I know my magical circuits got fried, but I don’t recall my gear getting destroyed. Since I transferred myself to the network in a panic, I wasn’t able to fully retrieve all of my data. I’m really worried about the other partygoers…. But first I have to make sure big brother is okay!
Episode 7-45
Idia: Zzzz…..zzz…..
Ortho: Big brother! Are you okay!? Oh, thank goodness! You don’t appear to be injured anywhere. Perhaps the effects from Malleus Draconia-san’s magic didn’t spread further than Diasomnia?
Idia: Zzz…..z….
Ortho: I’d normally hate to wake you up when you’re sleeping so peacefully…. But this is an emergency! First, I’ll just connect to the wireless speakers…. There. BIG BROTHER! SOMETHING TERRIBLE HAS HAPPENED! WAKE UP!
Idia: Zzzz…..zzzzz…. *mumbles*
Ortho: THIS REALLY ISN’T THE TIME TO BE GETTING SOME BEAUTY SLEEP! BIG BROOOTHEEEER!
Idia: Zzz….zzzz…..
Ortho: Fine, if it’s gonna be that way….
Ortho: Haaaah, haaah….! I tried transferring my data to my spare gears, but the magic circuits are fried in all of them, and I can’t even get them to move a single inch. Since I’m able to operate devices that just run on electricity, I tried playing some Precipice Moirai songs at a loud volume from the speakers in this room, and moving around the cleaning robots, but… ALL OF THEM HAD ZERO EFFECT!
Ortho: Big brother, normally, no matter how deeply you sleep… All somebody has to do is play Precipice Moirai’s hit single “Cut the Thread of Fate!” and you’ll fly out of bed and start doing that weird dance… I can’t even pick up anything to throw at you. I feel like I’m more fleeting than a ghost right now…. I wonder if anyone else is awake? I’ll hack into the security cameras and take a look.
(Ignihiyde Dorm - Lounge)
Ortho: Ah, I think I see some people over there. As expected of Ignihyde students, some of them ended up not going to the party. I’ll just connect to the dorm’s speaker system and… HEEEY!
Ignihyde Students: ……..
Ortho: Hey! You two sitting in the dorm lounge. Could you please come to the housewarden’s room… Ah.
Ignihyde Students: Zzzz…..zzz….
Ortho: They’re asleep. Could it be…. All the “living people” in the school are…? This is unbelievable….. Did the effects from Malleus Draconia-san’s magic spread all the way to…. I’ll go outside and check.
(Main Street)
Ortho: !? …What is this? The whole school is covered in thorns. And there’s a thick fog of blot as far as the security camera can see…. …No way. Did it also reach outside the school?
(Town at the foot of the mountain)
Townspeople: Zzzzz…zzz….
(Royal Sword Academy)
Royal Sword Academy Students: Zzzzz….zzzz….
(Idia’s room)
Ortho: It’s not just within Night Raven College…. Everyone on Sage’s Island is… No, not just the people. The animals…. And the insects and the fish… Every living thing is asleep. And the only one awake is…. Me? He took the whole island under his control in a matter of seconds…. That’s insane. That’s, like, beyond using cheat codes. For the time being, I need to get off this island. I’ll utilize the submarine network cables and transfer my data over to Styx via the branch office they have in the Land of Dawning. Wait for me, big brother!
(Ortho disappears from the terminal in Idia’s room, and then reappears there a moment later)
Ortho: …Huh? I was trying to leave the island, so how come I ended up back here in big brother’s room? I’ll try again….!
(Ortho tries to leave again, and is sent back to the terminal)
Ortho: Uwaaah! There’s a powerful energy field covering the island, and even if I try to leave along the undersea cables, I keep being forced back here. It’s like the whole island is cut off from the rest of the world…. Huh?
Ortho: ….What? 21:18? No, that can’t be! It took me half an hour alone just to upload all my AI data to the network… And at least another half hour has passed since I came to big brother’s room. No, wait a second. …I’ve got screenshots of the clocks I saw when I was checking the security camera earlier. …I’ll just enlarge the images and stabilize the pixels…. All the clocks on the island read 21:18. Could it be that time has…. stopped on the island?
Episode 7-46
Ortho: Could it be that time has…. stopped on the island? And that’s why I keep being forced back here every time I try to leave? I-In other words, the spell that Malleus Draconia-San cast wasn’t for putting living beings to sleep, it was to suspend spacetime - suspend everything - within the domain his magic controls? That’s crazy! That kind of magic is the stuff of legends! It’s not something you see except for in history textbooks. Do mages who can control spacetime really exist? That’s… That’s the definition of a “living disaster”…………..
Ortho: What should I do? I feel like we… got dragged into something terrible. I need to contact Styx as soon as possible. But how? My gear won’t move, and I can’t get out via the internet. I’m certain that my magical disaster emergency alert activated just before Malleus-san’s magic did. As long as Styx was able to receive my alert, then… But what if… If Malleus-san’s magic doesn’t just suspend spacetime, but also has a damaging effect on a lifeform’s body and mind… Then there’s a possibility their bodies will begin to breakdown as they continue to sleep, as they won’t be able to replenish their nutritional stores. I can’t just wait around for help to arrive. But I don’t know that I can even do anything in this state, if I can’t even move my gear. …………….. No, wait a second. Big brother’s tablet…. It’s supposed to be able to connect to Styx’s experimental broadband satellite uplink.
Ortho: Since Sage’s Island is pretty isolated, big brother was worried about whether the school's network would hold up during an emergency…. And he was saying, “No matter what kind of natural disaster we get wrapped up in, the one thing I don’t wanna run out of is my dailies.” And so he secretly installed an antenna on that big tree that’s behind campus. I’ll use a remote control app that’s on big brother’s computer to boot up his tablet… Here goes! And then we just go into the network settings…. Ah!! It worked! It’s connected to the uplink! The connection speed is… E-Eww! It’s so slow!! It’s barely 1/10th as fast as a 4G cellular connection. I know big brother said before that it’s just an experimental unit, and not one for practical use, but still! This is slow as molasses! It’s worse than ADSL!! I’ve never in my life come across speeds this bad!
Ortho: And what’s worse, since there’s very few communications satellites I can use, I’ll only be able to connect to it for a few hours each day. I was just barely able to establish a connection just now, but I have no idea when it’ll get cut off. Oh, man…. My data is absolutely massive. Even if I’m lucky enough to be able to upload all my data up to the communications satellite…. Will I be able to make it to Styx’s private gateway? What if I get stranded up there in outer space… No, I have no other option. The only who can ride along those radio waves, get through that magical barrier, and escape this island is me, the AI. I have to go.
Idia: zzzzz…..zzzzzzzz… *mumbles*
Ortho: I’m going, big brother…. To space!
Episode 7-47
Styx Technician B: A magical disaster emergency alert has been received from LOD Area 9-40, timestamped 21:18! The sender’s ID is…. Magical Humanoid ORTHO! …!? Wait, what is this? The alert stops right at 21:18, and the transmission just ends there.
Styx Technician C: I’m pulling up the logs from the blot measurement devices in that LOD area. It appears a large-scale magical disaster has occurred on Sage’s Island.
Styx Technician B: The logs cut off immediately after the disaster occurred. Details on the extent of the damage are unknown.
Man wearing a Helmet: Did you say… Sage’s Island?
Technicians: Chief!
Styx Technician A: I see you’ve returned to headquarters.
Chief: Yes. We need to confirm the extent of the damage as soon as possible.
(beep beep)
Narrator: The number you are trying to call cannot be reached.
Chief: …..I can’t reach Idia’s phone, either. It’s possible he and Ortho got caught up in the disaster together. Contact the Magical Force office that’s on Sage’s Island.
Styx Technician A: Yes, sir! ……….Chief!
Chief: What is it?
Styx Technician A: I can’t get through to the office!
Styx Technician B: We’ve also tried contacting the police and fire departments and the private shipping companies on the island, but we’re not able to get through to any of them! We’re running into some sort of radio interference.
Chief: What!?
Styx Technician C: I’m accessing the latest aerial footage of Sage’s Island from our observation satellites! I’ll pull it up on the monitor.
Everyone: !?
Chief: What…. Is that? “Something” is…. completely covering Sage’s Island.
Styx Technician B: Based on the observation satellite’s magical optical sensor, it appears to be an energy field created by magic.
Chief: So there was a high concentration of blot at the time of the disaster, and the whole entire is covered in an energy field… It’s possible that the people on the island… that my sons are already…
Woman wearing a helmet: It’s alright. I’m confident they’re still alive.
Styx Technician C: Head engineer!
Chief: They’re still alive…. How can you be so sure, Head Engineer?
Head Engineer: It’s just the opinion of an engineer, based on the data we’ve been able to ascertain so far, Chief…. Is what I’d like to say. It’s my “mother’s hunch”, papa.
Chief: ….But I thought that engineers despise baseless “hunches” more than anything else?
Head Engineer: You could also argue that hunches are simply real time calculations based on all the experiences - all the “data” you’ve acquired so far. Pessimism won’t improve things one bit. Let’s all try to be a little positive here. You’re absolutely certain the emergency alert came from Ortho?
Styx Technician B: Correct. But we’ve had complete radio silence from him ever since.
Head Engineer: Hmm…. It’s possible either his gear was damaged, or that energy field is blocking his transmissions…. Don’t we have an experimental communications satellite we launched some time ago?
Styx Technician B: Huh? Ah, y-yes. But it’s far from being ready for practical use… Presently, we’re only using it to pick up the logs transmitted by blot measurement devices located in mountainous areas with poor reception.
Head Engineer: ….I see. It should work just fine, then.
Styx Technician B: It should work? My apologies, Head Engineer. But I’m not quite getting the big picture here….
Head Engineer: Can you send me the past three years of access logs for that satellite?
Styx Technician B: R-Right away.
Head Engineer: …I knew it! Looks like someone in LOD Area 9-40 has been hacking into the satellite for some time now. Maybe you think you covered up your tracks, but you can’t fool your mama! …….*sigh* Make sure you keep an eye on that communication satellite’s access logs.
Styx Technician B: U-Understood…. But, why?
Head Engineer: I’ve got a feeling a shooting star will be flying on by sometime soon.
Chief: Is that another one of your “mother’s hunches”, mom?
Head Engineer: No, Chief. This one is an “engineer’s hunch”.
Styx Technician A: Magical Special Operations unit Charon has reached the aerial perimeter above Sage’s Island.
Charon: Hepta Team reporting in. We have visual confirmation that Sage’s Island is inside the energy field, and we’re not seeing any damage to the residential areas.
Chief / Head Engineer: *sigh in relief*
Charon: We attempted making landfall on the island but were unable to breach the energy field. It’s too powerful.
Head Engineer: So you couldn’t even get through when you used the powered armor’s magic shield?
Charon: Affirmative. The target’s energy output surpasses what our magic shields can handle. One powered armor unit on auto-pilot mode was captured by the target. Additionally, the energy field appears to be gradually expanding.
Chief: Expanding?
Charon: Affirmative. The field’s perimeter is expanding at an approximate rate of 6-9 kilometers per hour and is encroaching into the surrounding waters.
Chief: Notify the Land of Dawning and have them issue an immediate evacuation warning to residents on the surrounding islands.
Styx Technician A: Yes, sir. Right away.
Head Engineer: Get me an anchor into that energy field. I want to get a better idea of just what kinds of magical forces it’s comprised of.
Charon: Understood.
Chief: Those black thorns covering the island… Just where have I seen something like this before….
Head Engineer: Chief?
(An alarm blares)
Styx Technician B: !! We’ve received a transmission from that experimental communications satellite!
Head Engineer: It’s here! What’s the sender’s ID!?
Styx Technician B: It’s ORTHO!
Episode 7-48
(An alarm blares)
Styx Technician B: !! We’ve received a transmission from that experimental communications satellite!
Head Engineer: It’s here! What’s the sender’s ID!?
Styx Technician B: It’s ORTHO!
Ortho: Thi… is.. Or…. Styx… ….you copy…..
Head Engineer: Yes! He did it! I thought for certain your big bro would do something or other to ensure he’d always have internet access. So I figured he must’ve been the one hacking into that communications satellite all this time!
Chief: So Idia’s once again been doing as he pleases with Styx equipment, huh…. *sigh*
Head Engineer: Apply a digital filter and noise reduction on his transmission! And align the gateway’s antenna towards that satellite!
Ortho: Mayday, mayday. This is Ortho. Styx headquarters, do you copy?
Chief: Roger that. Can you hear me, Ortho?
Head Engineer: Or-kun! It’s mama!
Ortho: Dad! Mom! Oh, thank goodness. I finally made it through.
Head Engineer: Or-kun, are you hurt anywhere!? Is your big bro okay!? What the heck is that energy field?? Oh, it must’ve been so scary….!
Chief: Ahem! Please calm yourself a little bit, Head Engineer. Ortho, can you explain what’s going on for us?
Ortho: Yes. The files from my video recordings are really big, so I’ll just playback the audio.
Chief: ….I see. In short, that powerful energy field that’s surrounding Sage’s Island is being caused by Malleus Draconia’s magic - the crown prince of Briar Valley himself.
Ortho: Yeah. And his magic appears to be cutting off the island from the rest of the world… Even the passage of time there is under his control right now. And all the lifeforms within the barrier have been cast into a deep sleep.
Chief: …That déjà vu I was feeling earlier when I saw the island covered in black thorns… Now I get it. This spell bears a striking resemblance to the legends of the Thorn Fairy. I remember seeing illustrations of her powers in old literature. It makes sense to me, seeing as a fae was the one who cast the spell…. And since he’s descended from the Draconia family and all.
Head Engineer: Everything within that energy field is under his magic’s control…. “Domain Control”… It’s an ancient form of magic, where you can alter everything within the domain of your magic at will.
Chief: The fae have governed over the changes of the seasons and the upheavals in the planet’s crust ever since the age of myths. I’d heard that even now they utilize magic that’s connected to the planet, but this is…. This is beyond anything I could’ve imagined. For him to cast a spell of this scope…. There’s no doubt he must’ve overblotted in the process.
Ortho: My internal cameras only recorded up to the point when he activated his magic. But judging by the concentration of blot that I had detected right before my systems were shut down… There’s definitely a high possibility he’s overblotted.
Chief: And if that’s the case, we’ll just keep trying to constrain the expansion of his magical domain as much as we can. And once he burns through all his magic, then…
Head Engineer: Hold on a second. Some fae can draw in magical energy from nature around them, in addition to using their own internal magical stores. A prime example would be the fae who rule over the elements of fire and water. What if… What if Malleus also possesses such an ability?
Chief: You’re saying his spell would never be broken, and his magical domain would just continue to grow? If that’s the case, then it’s possible his domain could expand even beyond the Land of Dawning, and the whole world would eventually fall under his control…
Ortho: Oh, no. Don’t tell me…. That’s why he’s been slowly expanding his domain, little by little….?
Everyone: ………
Head Engineer: We working with way too little information right now….. Let’s contact Briar Valley and ask if they can provide us more data on Malleus Draconia.
Chief: I heard that the previous head of the family, Aidne Shroud, had a lot of difficulties when communicating with the Valley, but…. We’ll give it a shot. And we can’t just sit around waiting for them to respond. In the meantime, we need to work on rescuing the islanders.
Head Engineer: Top priority will be to figure out that energy field and try to find a way to force the spell to be broken, then.
Chief: But everything within Malleus’s magical domain is under his control, right? I fear it won’t be possible to even send the Charon inside.
Head Engineer: And that’s why we need to hurry and come up with something that can break through that energy field!
Chief: But even if you’re able to create such a device…. We have no idea what will happen once they enter his domain. The AI we have equipped in the powered armor that’s onsite has a hard time making ad hoc decisions. There’s no telling if they’ll be able to bring back any helpful data for us to analyze…
Head Engineer: That said, it’s way too dangerous to send in manned units. I’ll try asking the AI engineers if they can provide an upgrade for us, but…. Oooh, if only big bro were here right now!
Ortho: You guys should send me in.
Chief / Head Engineer: What!?
Ortho: As we speak, I’m the most advanced form of autonomous AI in the world. I’ll be able to accurately assess the situation and bring back the data you guys need. I know Malleus-san is an incredible fae who’s able to use disaster-level magic, but… I exist outside the realm of “Nature” that fae are able to interfere with. I’m a product of science that was created by man - by my genius big brother. My magical reactor plays the role of my gear’s heart, and as long it doesn’t shut down, then even Malleus Draconia-san’s magic won’t be able to overwrite my *program. As proof of that, just consider how I was able to escape from the barrier. Don’t you guys agree? But the gear I’ve got right now won’t operate within that energy field. So that’s why I’d like you to make me some new gear, mom. Gear I can use even inside Malleus-san’s domain!
Head Engineer: That’s way too dangerous! We haven’t even finished analyzing the composition of the energy field yet. Even if you’re able to get in, we have no idea if you’ll be able to come back again. And if your core gets destroyed before you’re able to transfer all your data, then you’ll…..!
Ortho: Huh, what’s going on? The reception out here’s getting bad…. Uh-oh, the satellite is passing into the planet’s shadow!
Head Engineer: What!? Now you hold on just a second, Or-kun!! We aren’t done talking yet!
Ortho: I’ll segment my configuration data and start sending it over to Styx in packets. I won’t be able to talk with you guys for a while, but… If you guys haven’t started making something for me by the time I come home… Me and “Cerberus” will see to it that all the sprinklers on the Island of Woe can’t be turned off. Okay, bye-bye!
(Ortho departs)
Chief: Ortho, wait!
Head Engineer: Or-kun! Geez! You’re going to be sorry, young man!
Styx Technician B: Audio communication has been blocked. Now downloading ORTHO’s configuration data from the communications satellite. Estimated time of completion…. 48 hours.
Chief: 48 hours, huh…. What do you think we should do, Head Engineer….? Huh? Head Engineer?
Styx Technician C: If you’re looking for the Head Engineer, she already left.
Styx Technician A: Staff from all technology development related departments are to report to Meeting Room 4 for a mandatory meeting.
Chief: *Sigh* Why are geniuses always like this…. Alright, then let’s go ahead and get started with whatever us average joes can do.
*He is saying “program” out loud and “consciousness” in the text.
Episode 7-49
(48 hours later)
(beep beep beep)
System Narrator: The download of ORTHO’s configuration data from the experimental communications satellite is now complete. Now initiating program recompilation. 48%....... 85%..... Complete.
Ortho: Aaah, I fiiiiinally made it back! Still feels like my data’s all jumbled up, though. The current time is 5 AM. I wonder what’s been going on with Sage’s Island? Big brother is…
Chief: …….Are you back, Ortho?
(The chief pops up from underneath the table)
Ortho: Uwaah! Dad, you scared me! You just crawled out from underneath the operator’s desk all of a sudden… What were you doing down there?
Chief: Our work has been going on and on and on, so I’ve just been staying overnight here at Styx HQ. I’m about to hop on a transport plane and head over to the temporary disaster response headquarters that’s been set up in the Land of Dawning.
Ortho: Have there been any changes in the situation while I’ve been uploading my data for the past 48 hours?
Chief: Styx was able to obtain assistance from the Magical Force and from Briar Valley’s royal family, and we tried getting through the energy field that Malleus Draconia created, but…. Neither our tech nor our magic made even the slightest dent. Whenever any humans or fae get too close to it, they get entangled in the thorns that cover the island and pulled into the energy field. We’ve got a wall of magical barriers setup around the island to try and prevent the domain from encroaching further into the sea…. But we haven’t been able to stop it completely. Even as we speak, it’s slowly continuing to expand. Sage’s Island is located quite far from the mainland, so we’ve avoided any extensive damage so far, but…. It’s only a matter of time, I fear.
Ortho: And what’s mom been up to?
Chief: She’s been holed up in Lab 1 the entire time.
Ortho: Does that mean she’s…
Head Engineer: You wait right there, Or-kun!! How many times has mama told you that you need to listen to people until they’re finished speaking! And you even had the nerve to threaten your own parents! You bad boy!
Ortho: Uhhhh… I’m really sorry.
Head Engineer: If you weren’t just floating around as a hologram right now you would’ve earned yourself quite the spanking, young man! But I’m proud of you for apologizing like you’re supposed to. Never forget: Honesty is the best policy! ……. It’s wonderful to have you back with us, and I’m so glad you made it safe and sound. Welcome home, Ortho.
Ortho: ….Yeah. I’m home.
Head Engineer: Alright. I’m ready if you are.
Ortho: Huh? Wait, so did you…
Head Engineer: Of course I did. I didn’t want you going and drenching the whole island with the sprinkler system, after all. Please come with me to the mainframe in Lab 1.
Episode 7-50
(Technology Development Department Lab 1)
Ortho: This is…!
Head Engineer: Anti-magical disaster gear, to be used in battle within magic domains. It’s specialized to defend against the system degradation caused by the domain. We named it…. “Cerberus Gear”!
Ortho: Woah…. And you made this in only 48 hours?
Chief: …Yes, and all the staff in the tech development department stayed up all night working on it.
Ortho: Now that you mention it, there’s a bunch of staff members lying down on the lab floor.
Head Engineer: Thank goodness the blueprints for your gear were stored on Idy-kun’s computer. All we ended up having to do was manufacture some supplementary special equipment and we were done. Without those blueprints, we wouldn’t have made it in time.
Ortho: No way! Mom, you hacked the ultra strong security system on big brother's computer!?
Head Engineer: Well, I didn’t have a choice! This is an emergency! And I didn’t look through any of the hidden folders he has password protected so it’s fine! ….We’ll just keep this a secret from big bro, okay?
Ortho: He’ll probably figure it out as soon as he sees this gear…..
Chief: Ahem! …Head Engineer, let’s wrap up the personal talk for now, and get back to work.
Head Engineer: Ah, my apologies. Then we’ll go ahead and get started with transferring ORTHO’s AI data into the new gear.
Head Engineer: How does it feel, Or-kun?
Ortho: It’s astounding, the way the energy is circulating throughout my body… It feels… Totally awesome!!
Head Engineer: Right!? Isn’t it super cool!? Mama thought you’d also look good in this kind of super sharp gear.
Ortho: Now that you mention it, the way this armor is styled is kinda different from how big brother normally designs my gear.
Head Engineer: Oh, if only I had more time. I could’ve made the area around the heat exhaust more compact… Everybody at Styx really put their heart into this. …Ahem. Now then… We’ll discuss your special mission you’ll be carrying out. You’ll be going headfirst into the magic disaster that’s taking place on Sage’s Island right now.
Ortho: Yes, ma’am!
Head Engineer: Support Droid units KB-RS01 and 02 will be accompanying you on your mission. These droids are equipped with a program adapted from the one used in the Cerberus System. They’ll help you search the island and will assist you in battle. After you breach the magic domain, that gear will operate for about twenty minutes, at most.
Ortho: Twenty minutes, huh. As long as I have at least that much time, then….!
Chief: You’re goal for this mission is not to subdue Malleus Draconia. You are to place an anchor within the domain that we can use to gather data for us to analyze, and then you are to return to headquarters immediately.
Ortho: Yes, sir!
Head Engineer: Finally, we’ll go over priority #1 in this mission. …Listen to me well, Or-kun. You absolutely, positively, must not do anything reckless. If things get scary, if you don’t feel safe, then please, you need to fall back. You understand?
Ortho: Yeah, I understand!
Head Engineer: …Ooh, why can’t you always answer me like that. My goodness! I’m sure you already know what I’m talking about. You don’t ever listen to what mama and papa say. Why do boys have to be like this? I could have a hundred hearts, and I’d still be all frazzled at the end of the day. You really are just like your “big brothers”. Once you’ve made up your mind, there’s no stopping you.
Ortho: Mom…
Head Engineer: Come on, papa. You need to say something, too.
Chief: …Ortho. This is a really a problem that Styx and the Magical Force should be handling. There’s no need for you to go to that island and put yourself in danger. It’s okay… You really don’t have to go.
Ortho: Dad…. Thank you guys for always treating me like a real member of your family, even though I’m a humanoid. It makes me really happy. But I don’t want to see you guys lose your precious son. This is something that only I can do. And that’s why I have to go. And I will save big brother. This is my… This is “our” will.
Chief / Head Engineer: ………
Head Engineer: Or-kun, you’re one of our precious sons, too. Promise us you’ll come home safe.
Ortho: ….Okay. I promise.
Head Engineer: Good, then give us a hug. This hug will be our vow.
(Ortho and his parents hug)
Everyone: ……….
Ortho: Heh heh, now I’m fully charged and ready to go! I’ll be off now – to Sage’s Island, where big brother is waiting for me!
Part 1
Part 3
#ortho shroud#idia shroud#malleus draconia#twst spoilers#twst jp#twisted wonderland#ruler of the abyss
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i dont know if you will see this but i am a big fan of your g!bruce meets the batfam!!!! I literally have tumblr just for this series (and now that I’ve tried it im beginning to love it ngl) . Annyywaayy ive just read the new chapter and it’s so good!?? Like i am really excited for the next chapter!!!
Oh and I haven’t watched gotham ( im planning too ) but i sometimes mix the twins????? Like your explanations are good dont get me wrong but yk when your reading and you need to check which ones which? Yeah … and like i want to fix that idk how .do i just like memorize the twins personalitys??
also in this au is theres 2 jokers??????? I saw you once mention Jerome(?) being revived or something
ps .im that great at English sorry .
oh wow wow wow thank you so so much!! i'm really glad that you're enjoying my story so much! it really means a lot to me. <33 i think your english is good! but if you need/want me to clarify anything i say here, just let me know and i'll try to rephrase it for you!
okay, so in the Gotham tv show (this has spoilers for all 5 seasons, so read on if you're okay with that) the way that they approached writing the joker was actually really up in the air in the beginning. this is because they didn't have the rights to use the name "joker," and so fox (the company that made the show) planned on making a bunch of smaller characters in the show as a kind of easter egg as people who could be the joker or who resemble him in some way.
this changed when cameron monaghan (the actor for both jerome and jeremiah) guest starred in s1e16 "the blind fortune teller." in it, the character of jerome is introduced as a 17/18 year old boy who travels with the circus with his mother, who is a snake dancer. he is meant to be one of the aforementioned joker-like characters in the show and wasn't actually supposed to be included again after that episode, if i am not mistaken.
however, the viewers LOVED his performance and jerome came back in season two as a member of the maniax, a group of arkham inmates who were broken out of the asylum. i won't go too into detail about the actual plot, but in seasons two, three, and four, jerome shows up in at least a few different episodes with very memorable storylines each time.
it isn't until season four of the show that jeremiah is even revealed at all! jeremiah and jerome are identical twin brothers, however, jeremiah has been in hiding for years under the fake name "xander wilde" in an attempt to escape jerome, who wants to get revenge on him for lying to their mother about what he (jerome) did when they were children. basically, jeremiah lied to their mother (lila, who jerome is revealed to have killed in 1x16) that jerome tried to kill him, causing jeremiah to be sent away and be adopted by rich people and get to go to a well-funded private school where he could live out his best life as a child prodigy (which was jeremiah's end goal to this), whereas jerome was left behind in the circus that they lived at (haly's circus, the same one that dick grayson later was raised in before being adopted by bruce). during this time, jerome was horrifically abused by his mother, his uncle, and his mother's many romantic partners. this eventually caused him to crack, which creates the character we see in the show.
here's an easy way to remember the difference in their personalities:
in the standard american deck of cards, there are two jokers: one that is black and white and one that is in color. in this analogy, jeremiah is the black and white joker and jerome is the one in color.
this is jerome:
he's got a *very* boisterous personality. he's outgoing and charismatic and, of course, severely messed up in the head. he *enjoys* the pain he causes people and does it with little to no reservations. he thinks things through less thoroughly than jeremiah but jerome always has a plan and is actually quite smart. i couldn't do him the disservice of calling him the dumb twin, despite some points about jeremiah that i'll get back to later.
anyway, jerome has a grand plan for all of gotham: he believes that, fundamentally, everyone in the world is like him and is also at least a bit crazy inside. he wants everyone to tap into their inner selves and let themselves run free / go crazy. he successfully ensnares huge hoards of gothamites with his persuasive way of speaking and interesting flare to his words. he amasses a large cult following, all of whom are very similar to him in the sense that they all demonstrate similar signs of instability.
here's some more gifs of him.
jerome kind of invented the iconic "HAHAHA" signature joker laugh in the gotham universe, even though he isn't the one who goes on to become "mr. j" (gotham's version of the joker) in the end (that's jeremiah, though i have a lot to say about that).
jerome's always smiling, a genuinely creepy smile that throws people off at first but can be really scary once you know what you're looking at. he single handedly turns gotham into a madhouse on multiple occasions and is the one who basically spread the "crazy" to the general population (for short: genpop).
he's a classic cult leader in the sense that he can mesmerize a whole room with his magnetic presence but also will ruthlessly cut down any of his followers if they so much as upset him (or even if they're just being annoying or could have a greater purpose, like when he stabbed a follower in the gut to take their blood to draw a frowney-face on bruce).
that reminds me, another important thing to know about jerome is that he has an iconic stapled-on face! this is because he died once (in season two, though he came back to life for season three onwards) and one of his followers tried to revive him using some insider medical knowledge from doctor hugo strange (who is just... a whole thing. ew.). he thinks that he failed at doing this and steals jerome's face so that he can wear it on television in an attempt to control jerome's followers (spoiler: this doesn't work).
however, it turns out that jerome *was* revived from this, and he's pretty upset that some dude stole his face! so he uses a staple gun to re-attach it after he gets it back (and kills the guy who did it). his face is later punched off by jim gordon but reattached more properly during his time at arkham afterward (the carnival scene happened in season 3 and jerome came back with a kind-of healed face in season 4).
here's some gifs with jerome's messed up face!
jerome is the colorful joker because he's very much expressive. he lets out every single emotion he feels---unless he's trying to deceive someone, at which point he is a phenomenal liar. (in season 1 when we are first introduced to him, he almost successfully gets away with the murder of his own mother.)
jerome is funny and laughs a lot and is *loud.* he's also absolutely insane and incredibly cruel, as well as impulsive, but he's able to curb his instincts if he feels like he can pull off a big plan.
jerome is a showman by nature. he's a product of the circus and it *shows.* everything he does is like an act, something that is acknowledged by many people in the show.
he's a funky lil dude. totally crazy, but kind of adorable at times.
he's also SEVERELY traumatized from his horrible past and has huge trust issues.
so, yeah. jerome is colors! remember that.
unfortunately, pookie died in season 4 and doesn't seem to have been revived this time </3
now, onto his twin brother jeremiah!
jeremiah is, at least at first, presented to be the complete opposite of jerome. he's calm, collected, and seemingly sane---at least at first. bruce trusts him at first and he even befriends him for a period of time before jeremiah betrays him.
jeremiah is a genius engineer, and, when looking into his past, we can assume that he was a child prodigy. he worked with thomas wayne before he died and designed the wayne plaza building under the aforementioned alias "xander wilde." he also locked himself in an underground maze for ~6 years (i believe?) and never went outside, instead sending his proxy (ecco) out to act in his place during business transactions.
as seen here, jeremiah seems to be the complete opposite of showboat jerome:
when we first meet jeremiah, we are told that he is totally sane, but we can later see that this is not the complete truth.
i'll use jeremiah's project as a metaphor for this. jeremiah was building a set of generators which could make energy harvesting and usage much less expensive and much more bio-friendly (if i remember correctly). bruce promised to fund his project and jeremiah accepts his offer quickly.
after jerome dies in season 4 after kidnapping bruce and jeremiah, he left behind a concoction of chemicals that seemingly make jeremiah go insane. this is a play on joker toxin / joker venom from the greater dc universe.
however, after jeremiah reveals his new self
he says that the spray did not actually change who he actually is, but just gave him an altered appearance. there are a lot of fan theories about this, but the general consensus is that the spray likely lowered his inhibitions, which gave him the kick needed to reveal his true self.
even his complexion resembles the joker he corresponds with: black and white. he is the black and white joker because he isn't as expressive, is way more calculated, and is more cruel and less happy. even his skin is paper white.
here's some gifs of what he looks like after those "slight cosmetic changes" :
that looks a lot more like the joker we know and love today, right? bleach-pale skin, red painted lips, green hair. he's instantly recognizable as the stereotypical joker now.
remember when i mentioned the generators? let's go back to them. the entire time that the generators have been around, they've also been perfectly functional as powerful bombs. their ability to be used as bombs does not undermine the fact that they can also be used as generators, and both of these things were true at the same time *for the entire time they have existed.*
it is in this way that jeremiah's paradoxical nature has always existed. jeremiah is crafty, cunning, and absolutely vicious. he has no care or concern for human life in general and will sacrifice most people in his life if it means that he will get what he wants in the end.
this is shown both before and after the joker toxin in how he lied about jerome when they were children (which caused jerome to be heavily abused) and in how jeremiah willingly killed one of his most devoted and beloved followers, who was being ransomed, just because someone put him on hold and it was personally easier for him to just kill him than sit on hold on the phone for a while. (he also has a vicious streak, though, because he immediately moved the demolition of the bombs up to immediately once he was out of the blast zone because those people inconvenienced him.)
something that's important to realize about jeremiah is that he has an issue with being called crazy. jerome does, too, but he eventually comes to accept the term, almost like he's reclaiming it, but jeremiah is *violently* against it. that's one of the things that set him off in the previously mentioned interaction.
both jeremiah and jerome are obsessed with bruce, though in different ways. jeremiah sees bruce first as his best friend and later as the "brother [he] could never have, that jerome could never be." jerome just sees bruce as a particularly entertaining and interesting kid who he enjoyed tormenting who he would eventually kill.
anyway, despite jeremiah being crazy (or, depending on who you ask, just less inhibited) he is still crazy smart and calculating. he thinks through everything before he does it and his master plans seem like they go on forever with 10000 parts to them and backups and contingencies galore.
the only time that jeremiah ever really seems to break out of this is when he's fighting with bruce. while he still does have a greater point to make or something he's trying to accomplish, he thinks through things less with him and shows his impulsive and rash side a bit more, which is interesting because jerome showed his thoughtful and contemplative side when faced with the obstacle that is bruce thomas wayne.
i love parallels and contrasts, especially in these two characters! i just love writing about twins, they're always so interesting.
some important things about their relationship to one another:
even though jerome kidnapped jeremiah and seemingly strapped a bomb to his neck (after breaking into his house and telling him that he would kill him), jerome doesn't seem to actually want jeremiah to die. instead, as we later find out, he wants jeremiah to unleash his true self and carry on his legacy of chaos and cruelty in gotham for him after his death. this is why he left behind the laughing gas for him.
(the fact that jerome thought to do all of that shows that he really was a smart character and that he truly did understand the world around him well. he knew exactly what would happen in the event of his death, i.e. bruce offering to fund jeremiah's work and jeremiah accepting, as is shown when jerome has the joker venom in a present box which claims to be sent from wayne enterprises.)
jeremiah *hates* to be compared to jerome in any way, as he thinks of himself as "the face of true sanity." he actually has an entire notebook full of jerome's ideas, which he says he will outdo and perfect, thus defeating his brother in the end, which i don't know if i agree with, but whatever.
i think that it's because of the reputation that jerome got at the circus. jeremiah wanted people to think of him as better than jerome and as the perfect child, which he succeeded at. to him, jerome is synonymous with crazy, which i've already mentioned that he hates to be called.
okay, just one more part to talk about. the infamous, much anticipated Mr. J!!!
in the series finale, it is revealed that jeremiah, after falling into a vat of acid, is horribly disfigured and pretends to be in a vegetative state for the whole ten years that bruce is on his quest to improve himself before becoming batman. he does this as a way of waiting for bruce to come back to gotham so he can continue to be obsessed with him.
however, though this is jeremiah, it seems that he has actually gone through immense mental trauma sometime during this time (perhaps during his fall into a vat of chemicals), which has caused him to sort of lose his sense of self. he once says that there was "another me" [another him] once, which is, of course, referring to jerome. this implies that jeremiah sees jerome as an extension of himself, almost, and almost makes it seem as if mr. j is a whole different entity of his own.
hopefully this clears everything up a bit for you!! let me know if you have any questions or want to know anything specific about the characters and i will be glad to oblige!
thank you once again for being so kind as to leave this ask!! it really made my day. thank you for enjoying my fic, i hope it continues to live up to expectations. i have a lot of fun things planned (and i am very happy that you decided to look into these characters more, because they are actually extremely important to the plot as we get more into the actual story!). <33
#ask response#ask reply#gotham#gotham tv#gotham tv show#gotham tv series#bruce wayne#batman#g!bruce meets batfam#jerome valeska#gotham!bruce#tv: gotham#gotham joker#gotham rogues#gotham series#bruce wayne gotham#gotham 2014#gotham fox#gotham show#dcu#gotham city#jeremiah valeska#gotham jeremiah#jerome gotham#valeska brothers#valeska twins
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*OBX3 SPOILERS*
The problem with this season personally is that it focused way too much on Big John and not enough on their biggest selling point: the pogues. I was expecting a little bit more of them in Poguelandia or at least more scenes with them bonding but pretty soon after meeting Kiara they were separated for like 4 episodes and the season was divided in teams instated of building their relationship as a full on group. John B spends 90% of the time without them.
They stayed one month on a desert island, their relationship has to be super strong and while it is, they don’t explore that beyond 2 scenes of some bonding. It needed the pogues reflecting on how it’s been since coming back from the island. We needed John B and Pope talking to JJ about why he is pushing Kie away. More Kiara and Sarah. More Cleo with the full group and not just Pope. It was chaos and tension and not enough moments to just chill and enjoy.
Sarah’s scenes with Topper were not necessary at all. Aside from helping them with the cross which ultimately was a failed attempt, the whole drama with John B was not needed at all.
I am not satisfied with the time jump and I can see why reviewers thought it gave finale vibes so I am glad season 4 has been confirmed. Too much of missing details on the pogues. What did they do for 18 months after El Dorado? It seems like they have money now? How did it all happen? I feel like that should’ve been a season 4 plot. We missed the start of Cleo/Pope and JJ/Kie’s relationship. The only thing that could redeem them for season 4 is to play the cards now that the pogues are basically legal adults and can own a house to live all 6 of them.
#outer banks#obx3#obx season 3#obx spoilers#john b routledge#sarah cameron#kie carrera#kiara carrera#jj maybank#pope hayward#cleo obx#jiara#cleope#jarah#text post
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Fall of the House of Usher: Jumpscares
SPOILERS AHEAD! (duh)
i love all things mike flanagan, but i’m a big chicken, so jumpscares really freak me out. so for everyone else out there who is equally as freaked out by them as me, here is a list with timestamps of all of the jumpscares in the show! some timestamps might be a few seconds off, but i did my best. enjoy!
i’ll update as i finish episodes!
Episode 1: A Midnight Dreary
0:29 Creepy, not necessarily too jumpy
0:53 Creepy again, could jumpscare you if your volume is up
17:04 After debating whether to call a doctor, their mother appears behind young Roderick in the lightning flashes
20:18 Not a jumpscare, but so so creepy. After older Roderick tells Dupin that his mother is right behind him, the detective goes on a rant about interrogation techniques. When the camera jumps back to show the room behind him, the mother is standing there, perfectly still. At 20:50, she leaves.
51:00 Not a jumpscare, but creepy. All of the dead children stand on the balcony where the woman in the mask just was. They’re all visibly bloody and dead.
51:59 First real jumpscare of the season. A clown in the backseat of the taxi? Scary af
Episode 2: The Masque of the Red Death
4:02 Not a jumpscare, but really creepy. Roderick falters before he can finish his sentence, and then the ghost of Prospero appears behind Dupin. He’s gone a moment later.
19:43 He’s back. He approaches this time.
20:33 Real jumpscare this time. Thunder crashes and we cut to a closeup of Prospero’s deformed face. Dupin doesn’t even notice anything.
56:00 Not a jumpscare, just really gross
Episode 3: Murder in the Rue Morgue
2:00 Immediately very nasty. Lots of shots of the dead bodies from the party, all decayed and gross.
3:16 Minor jumpscare, one of the bodies isn’t quite dead and grabs Pym’s ankle. There’s a music cue with it. Kind of expected to be honest.
24:33 Roderick freezes. A pair of blackened hands appear on his shoulders, and we cut to a shot that reveals a dead Camille is standing over him.
25:35 Real jumpscare. As Roderick is going on his little rant, he pours himself another drink. When he turns back to Dupin, Camille is in front of him, along with a music cue. He throws his glass.
36:59 The cat is dead!! Oh no!! Napoleon follows the trail of blood to find Pluto has been stabbed. Fortunately for all animal lovers, it’s a very fake looking cat.
50:47 Jumpscare. A monkey slams against the bars of its cage behind Camille.
Chimps pretty much are just slamming against the bars repeatedly through this scene. Beware!
Episode 4: The Black Cat
This is a very gory episode! Beware!
24:50 Leo lifts his pillow to reveal a dead rat(?) with a big musical cue
26:30 Big jumpscare! As Roderick is saying “pour your energy into kickbox-“ Leo’s body falls from the ceiling and hits the floor. It’s accompanied by a loud musical cue.
Majority of this episode is just this cat terrorizing Leo, so there’s a lot of small dead animals. Beware!
47:50 Shit gets crazy. Leo hurts the cat after it attacks him, and then the scary lady (Veena) looks super gory.
53:53 After Roderick unties Juno’s robe, a burnt Perry appears behind her, then leans into Roderick’s face.
57:23 When Leo breaks down the final section of the wall, the cat and Veena are there, both with an eye hanging out and pretty gross.
Episode 5: The Tell Tale Heart
5:19 The camera pans in front of Roderick to see Perry’s burnt ghost in front of him. A moment later, Roderick looks up into the balcony to see the clown.
6:40 Roderick turns around to look back at the coffins and sees the ghosts of all three of the “bastards” standing in front of their respective coffins.
24:12 After Dupin starts bleeding, he looks up at the ceiling, and when he looks back down, he is instead Vic. She starts screaming, but at a crack of thunder, it returns to normal.
53:30 After this point, it gets pretty gory as we see Ali dying.
55:09 This part is pretty horrific. Roderick opens the door to reveal Ali’s dead body. The room is covered with blood and we get some close ups of the machine in her heart. It’s very gross.
57:05 Vic turns the scissors on herself and stabs herself.
Episode 6: Goldbug
2:04 Not a jumpscare, but we see someone in the doorway in Tamerlane’s hallway.
4:06 When Tamerlane opens the Goldbug box, it’s filled with maggots(?) and bloody stuff. She jumps away, accompanied by a musical cue.
7:07 After Roderick says “Don’t all answer at once” the camera cuts to show the four dead children watching him.
16:04 After Roderick asks “Can you see them too?” Lenore turns around and the four dead kids are behind her.
25:21 As Roderick says “Isn’t it all just water under the-“ the window behind him is shattered and he flies forward. While laying on the ground, Tammy steps towards him, then stands over him all creepy like. It’s done when Dupin says “Roderick?”
50:53 From this point forward, it gets mildly bloody, with Tammy cutting herself on some glass.
52:54 After “Before the inevitable” a hand reaches out and grabs Tammy around her ankle.
Episode 7: The Pit and the Pendulum
18:00 Not a jumpscare or even scary, but the implications of what is about to happen are fucking brutal. My stomach dropped. We don’t watch what happens (thank fuck) but we do see the aftermath, and it is gory.
23:26 The clock chimes. Scared the poop out of me because it was unexpected.
25:28 Freddy gets all terrifying? Honestly the only way to explain it. After Annabel talks for a moment, young Freddy’s body splits in half.
Episode 8: The Raven
2:34 Holy shit jumpscare. It’s the fucking clown again. There’s a metallic clinking sound, and when Roderick turns, the clown jumps out and grabs him.
10:48 Not a jumpscare, but when Annabel turns and walks away, there’s a bloody hole in the back of her head.
12:50 Repeat of the clown jumpscare from the first episode.
51:56 Not a major jumpscare, but a crash of thunder is accompanied by a musical cue that’s a little startling.
52:36 During a flash of lightning, Lenore’s ghost appears behind Roderick. It continues to move closer as he turns.
53:05 The raven squawks loudly as it flies by Roderick.
54:34 After Roderick says “Haven’t we?” there’s a crash of thunder and when he turns around, all of his dead family members are sitting around the conference table.
1:06:36 After Roderick says “I bet I still could’ve sold it” Madeline bursts out of the basement all bloody and gross.
And that’s it!! Hope this helps!
#fall of the house of usher#mike flanagan#rahul kohli#kate siegel#haunting of hill house#haunting of bly manor#ruth codd#carla gugino#samantha sloyan#t’nia miller#usher family#horror#edgar allan poe#netflix#netflix series#jumpscare#jumpscare warning
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ONE PIECE DRESSROSA ARC MY LOVE
(Uncensored version + closeups with big spoilers under cut)
YUSSSS!!!!
+closeups (with handwriting translations)
1. Coolest pacifist ever 🩷 I want nothing but good things for her
2. Clinical insanity 😊 we love to see it
3. LEO! He’s the coolest, I admire him
4. Sorry you had to endure Zoro, girliepop
5. God. They kill me. Just. They’re everything.
6. “I’ll keep you safe no matter what I have to become” and “you’re the one good thing I have left” and “why can’t you love yourself enough to know how much I still need you” and- FUCK!!!
(I could talk about Rebecca and Kyros forever TT^TT)
7. Slaayyy. He’s so fail queen.
8. THE VOICES!
9. I love Dollar Store ZoSan :D
10. He/they lookin haircut. The guy ever! The stinky!
11. This man needs to become real and win every political election ever.
12. I feel like if I hugged him it would feel like hugging my dad (positive, I love my father)
13. Also shoutout for that fantastic speech. He made me sob.
14. 4 episodes of screen time and yet silly heart guy is one of my fav characters
15. Threw child out a window -> the child stabbed him -> they are ♡family♡
16. Ace my love my light TTATT
17. I need a reunion with her and Jimbei ASAP
18. Also more Koala content in general plz. She plagues my mind..
#one piece#one piece fanart#my art#dressrosa spoilers#one piece dressrosa#rebecca one piece#kyros one piece#fujitora issho#admiral fujitora#revolutionary koala#cavendish one piece#bartolomeo#bartocav#corazon one piece#donquixote rosinante#trafalgardwaterlaw#trafalgar law#revolutionary sabo#flame emperor sabo#koala one piece#one piece rebecca#leo one piece#Wicca one piece#tontatta#dressrosa#one piece spoilers#saboala#hakuba one piece#mera mera no mi
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A Guide on Ashes of Love (for TTEOTM fans)
For TTEOTM fans debating whether to watch Ashes of Love (or struggling with how long it is), I highly recommend that you CHECK IT OUT and STICK WITH IT!
Why? A lot of people think that it's Luo Yunxi at his best looks-wise. It's the role that made him a household name and really defined the ethereal white-robed male god in Chinese pop culture. Runyu has much more screentime than is typical for a second male lead. And while it has a lot of filler, it also has some of the best scenes, lines, music, cinematography, and fight choreography among xianxias.
Now, there are problems with the drama... especially in retrospect, the two biggest are: (1) It's infamous for stretching 36 episodes into 63 because mo' episodes, mo' money. On the bright side, this gave the drama a bigger budget to play with, hence grander sets, better CGI, nicer costumes. (2) The naive female lead and love trumps all plot now feel dated and perhaps even problematic. However, Yang Zi is a compelling actress and there's enough politics to keep mature viewers around.
So here's a guide to the 63 episodes, for those who want the "lay of the land". You can decide for yourself what to watch or skip. Naturally it's hard to avoid spoilers, but I've kept them mild.
Episodes 1-5: Jinmi travels to the heavenly realm (Bloat Score: 3/5)
This is mainly Jinmi meeting different characters and having fun in the heavenly realm. You can speed watch as it's light on plot. Runyu only appears for 1-2 scenes per episode, but his fight scenes are beautiful (EP1-35m, EP3-27m, EP5-37m)!
Episodes 6-8: The four leads travel to the Demon Realm (Bloat Score: 2/5)
This part is pretty action-packed. Jinmi surprises everyone with her powers. Blossoming romance between the leads. Runyu has a more consistent presence. Would watch at normal speed.
Episodes 9-17: The two brothers compete for Jinmi while uncovering her true identity (Bloat Score: 1/5)
The plot really picks up here as you start to get hooked on solving the mystery of Jinmi's identity and affairs of the past generation. I particularly liked the mini climaxes in Ep 12 and 15.
Episodes 18-34: Jinmi & Xufeng undergoes human trial + Runyu's backstory (Bloat Score: 4/5)
This is the plot within the plot that was not in the source novel and has no reason to exist other than to increase runtime and give viewers more romance between the leads. If you didn't like the dream arc in TTEOTM, this will be even worse. Lucky for us they've also fleshed out Runyu's backstory and perspective in Ep 29-32, where viewers started rooting for Runyu instead.
Episode 35-45: Jinmi decides who to marry as the brothers head to epic showdown (Bloat Score: 2/5)
The drama takes a more serious tone here, with more angst, tragedy, and power play. Runyu sheds his innocence and fights for his own corner. You also get to see him confess his love to Jinmi in one of my favorite scenes in Ep 37.
Episode 46-59: The aftermath aka a big stew of tears, blood-spitting, regret, hurt (Bloat Score: 4/5)
Frankly I found this part painful to watch and repetitive. I can't recall what happens other than it builds up to another epic fight between the brothers Helen of Troy style. Runyu is at his darkest and there are a few TTJ-like obsessive love scenes between him and Jinmi (EP50-19m, EP56-28m, EP57-15m, EP58-25m)
Episodes 60-63 The Ending (Bloat Score: 2/5)
A pretty satisfying ending. The big battle itself takes place in Ep 61, so there are 2 full episodes to resolve things between the characters and give them a proper ending. Runyu's final scene is done very well and always gives me the goosebumps (EP63-39m)
Also, there are lots of scenes of the third couple (demon princess and her bodyguard) spliced throughout. If it doesn't do anything for you, just skip - it has no impact to the main plot.
Have fun watching!
#till the end of the moon#black moonlight holds the be script#luo yunxi#cdrama#chang yue jin ming#chinese drama#tteotm#tantai jin#ashes of love#runyu#jinmin
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