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botwstoriesandsuch · 4 years

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Master Kohga Age of Calamity Trailer Analysis

I’m a speedy boi time for some thoughts on today’s new trailer

Ok first off THIS SHOT. Very important. Look at the Sheikah Slate filter. Last trailer I was able to write it off as some thematic choice since Robbie and Purah were Ancient Sheikah Scientists, but THIS trailer does not have that same connection. Couple this with this screenshot [credit to @rachelsmusicallife thanks for pointing this out to me!]

I’m under the impression that these cutscenes might be part of an overarching theme of reliving memories through the Sheikah Slate. Kinda fleshed out out theory on how this might be related to eggbot here.

“Hehehehe... Look. What. You. Did...”

The camera motion here is handheld (yes I know it’s not literally handheld but it has that feel) with Master Kohga here literally holding the camera. I’m assuming because this scene is from the direct POV of another character, perhaps Link. Which would make sense, since he is apparently accusing us of doing something. The lighting is also super weird, we’re in the Yiga Hideout (the area with the large pit where we fight Kohga in botw) but the sun is just setting with a shroud on the area. Although, I can’t exactly place the time of day because I’ve been through the hideout my fair share and no time of the day really lines up with this scene (because of the snowy Gerudo Highlands in the background, so the glistening of the sun is different)

This is by the Great Plateau. I’m thinking near the Outpost Ruins considering this isn’t Gatepost Town since they Great Plateau’s entrance is not in view. In fact, I could probably specifically place this right....HERE

Flag poles, juts in the Plateau walls, road directly perpendicular to the Plateau. If my three years of staring at the Botw world is correct, [please Nintendo it’s the only thing I’m good at] then I’d say they’re at the Outpost Ruins. The only thing is that the houses seen here are mainly wood, while the ruins have clear stone walls

Well...I don’t mind.

This is not Master Kohga. Different voice actor, new character design, new villain! I’m assuming he’s some sort of second in command or captain, given he duel wields Windcleavers. Also not how he doesn’t have a scar on his mask in this scene

Further note, look at that chimney!!! I love that chimney, I haven’t seen that chimney before... it’s in a style that I can only really place in Castle Town, but the location is clearly not there, so best assumption is that this is another prominent Hylian Village. The Hateno style archway at the bottom right seems to support so. The house shingles definitely mean this isn’t an outpost or military ruin...[this weekend I’d love to hope into the game myself and place it exactly] the background cliffs mean this isn’t Gatepost Town either. The rock formations look like a turn by Scout’s Hill, of the western breach by the Outskirts Stable...I wouldn’t put the Rauru Settlements out of the question either. All in all, I’m hesitant to connect this scene with the other scene because one clearly has a dirt path, and the other a stony road. Plus the house shingles are different

Ok I can pretty much place this scene exactly. At least the bottom one, the top one is a separate scene that doesn’t flow into the other one (you can just tell by the framing and continuity)

You can see the Great Plateau entrance, the line of sight is at an angle, placing this backflipping Yiga man somewhere here. Only inconsistency would be the trees, but perhaps it’s just grown over after a hundred years, you can even see a building in the middle of this forest in center left of the map.

Link is chasing Backflip Benny over here through to the exit of town, (you can see the town entrance/exit archway on the bottom right, similar to the one seen in the chimney pic) AND you can see that Backflip Benny also has a fresh cut on his mask, presumable gained after fighting Link, which is why he teleports away at the end.

So that places these two shots definitely after whatever conversation happened on the roof. Yay for timelines!

The stupendous Chief of the Yiga Clan! Master Kohga!

This takes place at some ruins of some sort. The rocks on the top right actually look Edlin or Akkala, but that might just be the lighting. The stony slabs and etches actually remind be of Zonai, but that doesn’t really seem right...I’ve never seen those designs before I don’t think...you can see from the way the stone slabs are angled that they lead to a circular pattern. It could be the circular pit at the Yiga Hideout, but that area is just sand, not stone. The smooth, plain style of these ruins is actually more in line with Gerudo Ruins so that might actually be the case; we know the Yiga have a history of taking Gerudo Ruins as their own (The Yiga Hideout is canonically an old Gerudo architectural dig)

I’ll also note that this scene has the same lighting as the first shot, and the last two shots which we’ll see later.

*maniacal laughter* Oo? TWO new characters I see???? O?????

This is definitely the Yiga hideout, you can tell from the wall design, plus the lanterns, and the general comfort of Master Kohga and Backflip Benny in the background. But, elephant in the room...who are YOU dear sir?

I’ll talk more about them later, but just keep that Calamity glowing thing in their hand in mind for later.

He’s gonna kill you all...to DEATH!

This is Master Kohga speaking again, if you couldn’t tell from his....very dramatic and in character dialogue. Maybe this game will actually make me like him now alsdfkjsdlk

Obvious is obvious, this is the Yiga Hideout again, similar lighting to the first opening shot, I’m thinking this might be sometimes before it though, considering he has his minions around. Maybe Link fights off the goons, which prompts him to ask “Look what you did” but we can’t know for sure.

Also there’s grass? So maybe that other shot isn’t the hideout. Also a spotlight???!? Jazz hands?!?!? Leave it to Kohga to defy the fourth wall huh.

Also I haven’t mentioned this yet but NEW MUSIC it’s so good aughghug I can’t wait.

And...we end on another Sheikah Slate fade out on this mysterious new character. Eyeliner says: Avatar Kyoshi

Ok but seriously I have THOUGHTS!! So firstly, they’re obviously working with the Yiga Clan, perhaps they’re the reason why the Yiga are in the Gerudo to begin with considering they have the Gerudo symbol on their cape. [Cause am I the only one that thought it was weird that the disgraced Sheikah people are living in Gerudo, and not like...closer to Kakariko, or their suposedl arch nemesis of the Royal Hylian family?] Also note that this scene most definitly takes place in the Lost Woods. Perhaps they need something with the Master Sword...or are ambushing someone...hmm..

Based on that rock formation in the background I’m thinking somewhere in one of these three general areas but I really need to just pick up my switch sometimes soon and find it exact...so bare with me it’s only from memory but I’m pretty sure of myself when it comes to locations

My money’s on this being the true mastermind and antagonist, notice how their eye circlet is the same of that of the Calamity goop eye

This person has...yellow? Brown? Hazel eyes? And light hair with a braid? I don’t think they’re Sheikah, but definetly not Gerudo either. So that leaves them to be some Hylian. A Hylian with an evil Ancient Core.

[It’s definitly some form of Giant Ancient Core. But there’s runes on the side of it that I have yet to translate]

Thinking on their idenity for another second, you’ll notice that they wear a black robe, but their cape with the Gerudo crest is actually torn and tattered. So, perhaps they were disgraced? A runaway? Or perhaps it’s a disguise, perhaps a spy playing both roles on either side of the war?

There’s an old theory that the fortune teller who initally told King Rhoam of the prophecy was actually part of the Yiga Clan. Seeing as, their actions led the King to dig up the Guardians, and cement the deaths of thousands of people. So, putting points in order here

Evil Magic dude

Works for the Yiga

Has connected to people in power

Has an evil Ancient Core

Could it be that this mastermind fully knew that the Guardians would eventually be corrupted? Could they be the “fortune teller” that encouraged the King to excavate the Sheikah Technology? Sheikah Technology, that would be an insult to the Yiga Clan considering their people were banished for creating them in the first place? Hmmm....

Final NOTE! Remember that one scene in the other HWAOC trailer with Zelda holding a mysterious object?

Hmm...Sheikah Scientists, weird egg robot, and now an evil Ancient Core...you may also remember Daruk mentioning in dialogue that something was wrong with Rudania...and cutscenes from Urbosa and Revali might point to the Yiga being close to the Divine Beasts...lots to chew on. I’m thinking the plot of this game will heaviliy revolve on the idea that there was some sort of plan that led to Ganon corrupting the Guardians and Divine Beasts, but we’ll see!

#hwaoc theory #hwaoc #aoc #age of calamity #hw age of calamity #Hyrule warriors age of calamity

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latenightsleuth · 3 years

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(Image from: https://disappearedblog.com/disappeared-episode-list/)

The Loxahatchee Horror – Could It Happen to Your Aviary?

If everyone in your household should suddenly disappear, would anyone notice? If they did notice, would they have the initiative or the authority to break into your house to rescue your birds from starvation? In the case of Moses Lall, the well-known bird importer, the answer was no–at least not in time to save the lives of most of the approximately 1,000 birds whose cages lined the open field behind his rented house. On June 15, l994, after the continued urging of several concerned parties, local authorities entered the property. The gruesome sight that they beheld was something that should appear only in ones’ worst nightmare.

What Happened

Moses Lall and his aunt, Lila Buerattan, both natives of Guyana, South America, had lived on a rented 5-acre ranch in Loxahatchee, Florida, since December of 1992. They had moved to the rural community with the idea of starting a large bird-breeding farm. They spoke with no one in the local avicultural community, nor did they interact with anyone at any of the surrounding ranches. They lived extremely private lives, and no one, except their veterinarian, was ever permitted to see their birds. In fact, they even refused to purchase a license that would have allowed them to legally breed and sell birds within the state of Florida. When approached by Florida Fish and Game officers the previous year and urged to purchase a permit and undergo the minimal inspection procedures, they declined. They claimed that the birds were not for sale or breeding, and were being maintained for their personal pleasure. Most of us locals who knew of them never saw them, and were aware of their existence only because we all used the same feed company. In fact, it was the feed company that began sounding the alarm that something was wrong.

On June 9th, the driver for Bird Haven Feed Company arrived to deliver the weekly supply of primate biscuits, sunflower seeds and dried corn to Lall’s farm. No one was there to let him in. Finding no one at the gate to receive the feed was highly unusual. Realizing that they never purchased reserve supplies, and not wanting the birds to go hungry, he piled the feed up in front of the gates. They tried to reach Lall by phone to make sure all was well, but no one answered. Feeling uncomfortable about the situation, they returned the next day. The feed was still piled up outside the gate and had been ruined by the rain. At this point, they called several local aviculturists, as well as Lall’s veterinarian. The questions put to all of them were the same: Do you know where Moses and Lila are? Do you now them well enough to jump the fence, walk through the pack of dogs and go around to the rear of the property to see if someone has been feeding the birds? They all gave the same negative answer.

Between the 11th and the 15th of June, several concerned parties, including the seed company and the veterinarian, began calling the authorities and demanding that action be taken. As birds were starving to death, the concerned parties were sent in a circular motion from one agency to the next. The Palm Beach County Sheriffs’ Department, upon hearing the story, said that animal abuse was the jurisdiction of the Palm Beach County Animal Control. When Animal Control heard the words macaws and parrots, they explained that jurisdiction over exotic birds had been taken way from them and given to Florida Fish and Game. Florida Fish and Game explained that since the facility was not permitted by them, they had no right to enter. They added that if, in fact, birds were starving, a misdemeanor had been committed and that was the jurisdiction of the Sheriffs’ Department.

On June 15th, the feed company contacted Bob and Liz Johnson, who rescue abused, mistreated and crippled birds through a branch of their nonprofit organization, Life Awareness Inc. At that point, Liz contacted me and Dr. Susan Clubb to get a full update on what avenues had been pursued. Upon discovering that pleas for action had been thwarted by “red tape,” she called the Sheriffs’ Office and made demands. After “much insistence,” they reluctantly agreed to send out someone to investigate. The deputy immediately called the Johnsons and reported that our worst fears had been realized. The Johnsons, Dr. Clubb, I and my daughter Stacie raced to the scene to offer assistance in the feeding and care of the birds. By that time, all three of the previously contacted agencies were present.

We were totally unprepared for the sight that we encountered. It was a horror beyond belief: row after row of cages with either dead or dying green-winged and blue-and-gold macaws. Literally every pair of macaws had at least one dead member. Several had succumbed to starvation and dehydration, with their heads in their empty food bowls–a final desperate move with the hope that food would arrive before their last breath was drawn. Although the collection was made up predominately of large macaws, there were also hundreds of smaller parrots and toucans. These included Amazons, hawk heads, African greys, Jardine’s, Pionus and mini macaws. Most of these had succumbed. There were several cages with 25 to 30 birds in them that had either one or no survivors. It was a miracle that any of the birds were alive.

The feed company had told us what the farm’s approximate weekly consumption was. By taking inventory of the feed that was left in the garage, we were able to determine that the birds had not been fed in at least 10 days.

Inside the house awaited another horror. Incubators, still operating, contained dead babies that had hatched but were never fed. Aquarium brooders that were lined up against the wall all had one or two dead baby blue-and-gold macaws. All had starved to death, sitting on clean bedding, while waiting for their next meal. An open bucket of handfeeding formula was on the kitchen counter with a bowl and spoon next to it. It appeared as if someone had changed the bedding in the brooders and was ready to mix up some formula when he or she was interrupted. With our assistance, Dr. Clubb was able to tube-feed those that were too weak to eat or drink. One died in Bob Johnson’s hands while it was waiting to be tube fed. Another 60 birds that were too far gone died the following day. In all, there were only 335 birds left alive from the flock of almost 1,000. The following morning, the birds were taken to the Palm Beach Animal Control facility. Food donations, as well as volunteer labor from all the local bird clubs and organizations, began pouring in. When Lall’s family from Guyana tried to claim the birds as family property, they were presented with a bill for $130,000. The majority of this bill was Animal Control’s standard charge of $10 per animal per day for the care of confiscated animals. Ten dollars per day multiplied by 335 birds adds up very quickly. As the Lalls fought to regain the birds at a more reasonable price, the bill rose to approximately $180,000. On August 22, a judge ordered that the birds be auctioned off individually to the general public in order to raise the most money. Exactly what happened to Moses and Lila is still officially a mystery. Those who knew them said that they truly loved their birds and would never have deserted them. Moses and Lila are now considered dead. The murder investigation cannot proceed any further until their bodies are found. There were also two other people staying at the farm that were originally considered missing. They were Daljeet “Harry” Gobin, a fellow Guyanese, and Felix Eyuom, a reptile dealer from Africa. Harry Gobin is being sought for questioning.

The purpose of this article is not to try to solve an unsolved crime. It is to make everyone aware that such things can and do happen. Although this situation may be unique due to its magnitude, it is not unheard of on a smaller scale. It is not uncommon to read about animals dying from lack of care due to the undiscovered death or incapacitation of those responsible for their care.

What You Can Do

To prevent such a calamity from happening again, each and every one of you should have a plan. This plan should ensure that, should anything happen to you, it will be discovered without delay and your animals will be cared for. This can be as simple as a regularly expected phone call to a friend, a relative or someone’s answering machine. A simple statement like “I’m okay” is all that is necessary. The receiver of the regular call must be ready to notify someone who has been given written authority by you to break into your house and aviaries to care for your birds if you cannot be located. It must also be specifically stated, in a notarized document, who will hold and care for your birds until your whereabouts are discovered, or until your estate is settled. Your birds must never be allowed to be considered legally abandoned.

Lall’s birds were considered abandoned. They suffered the ultimate fate of being sold to the highest bidder without regard to the bidder’s expertise. Two thousand people converged at the auction on September 10th. Most were there to buy a cheap bird for their kids. Most bought bronco wild breeder macaws with the intention of turning them into pets.

Luckily, due to some generous monetary donations, the Johnsons were able to purchase the birds that were blind or crippled. These were purchased to be retired to the parrot sanctuary that they maintain.

All the birds were sold in small temporary holding cages with no doors and with two tiny metal cups. The idea behind no doors was to keep the public from opening the cages at the auction site after the purchase. It was explained to the buyers that the birds should be transferred to suitable housing after they were removed. Unfortunately, two weeks later buyers were still showing up at local vets with their purchases still in the temporary cages with no doors and nothing but the two tiny cups for food and water. As time went on, a large percentage of the birds were diagnosed with papilloma infections.

All proceeds from the publication of this article will go to support the parrot sanctuary run by the Johnsons. Private donations are also appreciated. Their address is Life Awareness Bird Sanctuary, P.O. Box 641032, Miami, FL 33164.

#moseslall #moseslallandlilabuerattan #lilabuerattan #missing #missingadults #missingrelatives #missing person #disappeared #thecharleyproject #charleyproject #lifeawarenessbirdsanctuary #voren #latenightsleuth

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bladekindeyewear · 4 years

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HS^2 bloggin’ mainline 2020-04-13

Happy 4/13 upd8! Glimpsed part of the title when I was checking but otherwise blind.

Time to liveblog this quickly and pile into RevScarecrow’s first-readthrough stream of Cascade. It REALLY hurts to see him tortured having to read through long conversations with dyslexia, but at least he gets to draw purer enjoyment out of the huge flashes.

EDIT: Added an important clarification from a friend to the bottom, regarding the tail end of the upd8.

Well here we go. Whose daughter? Candy Vrissy as Rose/Kanaya’s? Or some weirder metaphorical Roxy/RoboRose thing.

> CHAPTER 8. A Daughter Astray

Huh, not where I thought we’d start a chapter named like that. We can’t leave Candy so soon after cutting to it though.

JANE: Assassinations, open warfare, so-called "revolution," and where has everyone gone? JANE: They've ABANDONED me. They've taken our precious son. And now...

Are we going to see some of the beginnings of John’s plan in action, from her perspective?

> (==>)

Steven King novels??? Like an IT joke? Sure, I guess?

DIRK: Itadakimasu.

I mean he would. Especially the Jake-imagined version of him.

JANE: "An eye for an eye." JANE: Once we have rescued our son from their clutches, I'm going to take something of my own; something as valuable to the rebellion as Tavvy is to me. JANE: Two can play at the hostage game. That loathsome daughter of theirs should fit the bill nicely.

Okay. That’s certainly a plan, I guess.

Wow, she really runs everything by the seat of her pants, doesn’t she.

(She seems less murderous than usual now that the spotlight of HS^2 is on her instead of Epilogue darkness, though, all things considered. Walking back some of the negativity of the Epilogues in general. That’s the impression I get anyway.)

> (Kids: Converse.)

Vriska, come on.

--Oh! Oh and there’s:

That middle photo! Harry, Roxy, and Calliope hanging out, yes! Glad to see Candy Roxy and Callie were definitely not as distant as they appeared throughout the Epilogues when we were being convinced everything was going out-of-character as a Meat!Callie-written fanfic instead of what Roxy would plausibly actually do. (Which... it kinda was, so they need to soften the blow by showing not everything was ruined by the way it was written.)

((And there are lots of cats everywhere, but this is outside Harry’s room so it’s all Roxy, no classpect.))

HARRY ANDERSON: so... HARRY ANDERSON: um. vriska? VRISKA: The one and o........ VRISKA: (Ughhhhhhhh) VRISKA: I mean, yeah. That's me!!!!!!!!

It’s hard to get enough of Vriska’s irritation with her reduced relevance.

VRISKA: From now on your name is just Harry. HARRY: o... k?

Dick move, but I have to thank you for shortening his chat handle there.

HARRY: but um, yeah. john and roxy are my parents.

Yeah, deal with that, Vriska. Nice job wooing John. :)

Aaaand then Harry’s Egbert genes kick in and he starts going off on a tangent describing a piece of media he likes with a situation barely mappable onto this one.

HARRY: ok, so have you ever seen the musical calamity jane? HARRY: i guess you probably haven't. HARRY: but so there's this part at the beginning, where the title character comes back from chicago, and she talks to all of the old-timey locals about how bizarre and new-fangled everything was, and VRISKA: Godddddddd it really is like talking to teenage John all over again. VRISKA: No I haven't seen Chastity Jane or whatever the stupid title was. It sounds like a total snooze!!!!!!!!

Calamity Jane and Chastity Jane. Probably means nothing.

VRISKA: And anyway, what are you trying to say? VRISKA: That I sound outd8ed?

HA. Now you’re a boomer! Eat that Vriska.

HARRY: i mean, we've done stage fighting before, but never the real stuff. HARRY: but i bet i could learn. i took kickboxing with my mom for a month and half when i was nine.

Yaaay Roxy-style martial ar-- oh wait only a month and a half, huh?

We’ll have to see if he’s really as inexperienced and kinda-thinking-too-well-of-himself as he looks, or if this is all just a joke setup for when he proves to be pretty combat capable later.

VRISKA: He totally freaked out the first time I told him I killed some8ody. HARRY: haha, that sounds like my dad.

Harry and Vrissy look clearer together by the minute, dynamic-ways.

But now he's not so sure. Ever since hearing that one of his dad's old friends had turned up, that border between past and present has felt fainter by the minute. And as they talk, he begins to think that Vriska seems so much... fresher. More real. An actual, authentic, bona fide god from another universe. Harry can’t imagine his dad even talking to someone like her, let alone punching her in the face.

Freaking out about murder, though; that's definitely something Harry can see his father doing.

Kind of like a fresh breath of relevance, huh? I mean Vriska had to carry a little in with her.

HARRY: i'm not allowed ONE vriska in my bedroom. HARRY: i don't even want to THINK about how much trouble i'll be in if she finds out i had TWO of them up there.

PFFFF.

And Roxy grew up the kind of mom to set those limits, huh? Nice. She’s definitely proving a less lonely and inscrutable mom than she was to Rose. (And Rose had the additional disadvantages of Horrorterror- and Gamzee-induced fear- and certainty-amplification to help drive her to believe her mother hated her, on TOP of all of Mom’s glaring flaws/abuses vis-a-vis drunken responsibility-aversion.)

HARRY: of course i am freaking out vriska! HARRY: i'm freaking out what i think is probably a good amount about this. the fashionable amount of freaking out.

I’m starting to really take a liking to this asshole.

HARRY: he's going to absolutely flip his fucking lid if he ever finds out about this!! HARRY: or worse, it might just make him as miserable as before, and he'll be really disappointed in me, and then he'll just leave again, or... or SOMETHING!!

Auugh. God damnit, Past!John, raising him to believe this. Luckily, Current!John will most likely disabuse him of the notion at least SOMEWHAT by the end of this story.

BECAUSE JELLICLES CAN AND JEEEEEEELLICLES DO JELLICLES DO AND JELLICLES CAN JELLICLES CAN AND JEEEEEELLICLES HARRY: oh fuck.

Why is he hiding the CATS poster in his room, but has a whole ringtone set up with it? Either a global one or a John-specific one?

Is it John-specific because he has to outwardly play it cool about how much he loves and needs his dad, just like Cats?

VRISSY: Check it out, someone's already cospl8ying my fit from tod8y.

Oh nice! Inborn popularity at work.

VRISSY: Good? It's Infuri8ing!!!!!!!! VRISSY: UGH! So many f8ke accounts pretending to 8e me. Stealing my hard-earned Clout. Fakey f8ke F8KES.

Mhmm, why give up any attention? She wouldn’t want to share it.

VRISSY: Damn Right it's import8nt Tavros! Image is a8out as Important as it gets.

(classpect blah blah)

VRISSY: Relax Tavvy. VRISSY: You're starting to Sweat Nervously. You know I H8te it when you Swe8t Nervously. TAVROS: Thank you,, VRISSY: Th8t wasn't a Fucking H8mance Complim8nt, I do genuinely Hate it and not in a Fun Way. TAVROS: Oh,, TAVROS: I'm,, sorry,,,, VRISSY: Ugh. Whatever. VRISSY: I'm just... 8eing a 8itch. Forget about it.

Look how INCREDIBLY much more mature Vrissy is right here than Vriska ever was.

And Vrissy’s understandably a lot more worried than we are about Vriska moving in on Harry. Even though with Vriska’s experience she would hardly be likely to see anything in him to--

Oh. Fuck, what am I saying. Of COURSE Vriska would be tempted to move in if it meant stealing attention from Vrissy. I keep forgetting this is ORIGINAL VRISKA we’re talking about. That’s got to be a conflict at some point, right?

TAVROS: I know you don't like to talk about these kinds of things,, TAVROS: Having said, on previous occasions, stuff like,, TAVROS: "Feelings are for adults and babies, not real people," TAVROS: And i'm not,, necessarily, saying that you have some unaddressed feelings, TAVROS: But,, maybe if we're going to be around her, TAVROS: You should try to be honest, about the feelings, that you don't have,,

Nailed it like a true Tavros.

VRISSY: It's Something about the W8y she Looks at him. VRISSY: The Rest of us too. VRISSY: Like we're not even Real.

That’s right. Making it important that you be extra careful that she doesn’t hurt you, because she’ll undoubtably or neglectfully TRY.

VRISSY: And to 8e Honest, I think I Understand why! VRISSY: Everything Here is so dwee8ish and 8oring!!!!!!!!

A little more complicated than that, Vrissy.

TAVROS: Because you're worried harry anderson thinks she's cooler than you,, TAVROS: Because you're jealous,,,, VRISSY: W8. VRISSY: What? VRISSY: No! VRISSY: Tavros, were you Listening to 8NYTHING I was Just Saying? VRISSY: I'm not worried a8out Harry Fucking 8nderson right now! VRISSY: Hell, I'm so Unconcerned that I think I'm going to start just calling him Harry from now on! It'll Save Everyone a lot of Valua8le Time! VRISSY: Listen Tavros, Vriska will get 8ored of Harry in a Heart8eat! VRISSY: That's the whole point!!!!!!!! VRISSY: She shouldn't 8e w8sting her Time on someone like Him! VRISSY: SHE SHOULD BE T8LKING T8 ME!!!!!!!!

Hm, jealous of the attention Vriska’s giving Harry, not the other way around. Huh!

And here come the Crocker cops...

> (Harry: Pick up.)

Wait, I don’t understand this picture. Who are those two silhouettes outside? Isn’t this Roxy’s house? (Is that Jake facing away on the left? Them being already here would be pretty good reason for alarm.)

HARRY: ok everyone, my dad's calling. HARRY: if he finds out you're here then he will definitely put two and two together, so PLEASE just keep quiet and let me do the talking.

Is John going to play along? That could be fun.

Hm. If Harry hasn’t turned off his phone’s signal, then that could be a way Jane can find and use him to find Vrissy. (Or already have.)

HARRY: er, HARRY: hi dad. VRISKA: HI JOHN!!!!!!!! VRISSY: Hi Mister Eg8ert!!!!!!!!! HARRY: oh god dammit.

THEIR NEED FOR ATTENTION BYPASSES ALL SURVIVAL INSTINCT.

JOHN: HELLO SON! JOHN: I AM JOHN: SO JOHN: VERY JOHN: PROUD OF YOU!!!!!!!! HARRY: JOHN: PHEW, that felt good to say. JOHN: or to yell, i guess. heheh. JOHN: sorry about that, harry anderson. JOHN: i just didn't think i'd be seeing your handiwork all over the news quite so soon!

Yeah, John really needs to take a page or two out of his Dad’s playbook right now! Because Harry really fucking doubts that his father is proud of him, and John’s Dad would never have let him come under such a misconception.

JOHN: it looks like you tried to pull one of the biggest pranks i can think of. JOHN: and it backfired! HARRY: y... yeah. JOHN: but that's ok!!! JOHN: it could have happened to the best of us. JOHN: ok, so maybe it wasn't the most original idea. JOHN: and you should probably have steered clear of such a blatant nod to weekend at bernie's without seriously planning some of the logistics in advance.

John, please stop so aggressively framing this in terms of YOUR interests.

JOHN: heh. two vriskas is NOTHING. JOHN: when i was your age i lost count of all the vriskas i had to keep track of. JOHN: it was probably some preposterous number.

¬_¬”

JOHN: now, harry anderson, i know that you and tavros haven't always gotten along. JOHN: but i am going to have to ask you to try and look out for him for the time being.

Harry could really use some reassurance from YOU you know? That you’re working to make sure he’ll be okay through all this?

JOHN: your uncle jake and i... well, i'll explain later. JOHN: let's just say that gamzee isn't the only family member jane is losing today. HARRY: dad... if you wanted me to KILL tavros, you only had to ask. TAVROS: (Um,,,) HARRY: couldn't resist.

What? Moved for custody in the divorce?

I feel like the divorce is SOMEHOW involved in whatever John is referring to here. Even though the Epilogues say that Jane initiated it. Maybe we’ll find out later that in the cut from then to now, Jane apologized a bit and didn’t go through with it, but he still had the papers to finalize it, or? No, that doesn’t quite add up with what Jake was afraid of before... hm.

> (==>)

Oh, the paparazzi. THAT’S a problem.

JOHN: the word "fuck" was invented for moments like this.

Nothing to comment on, just had to quote it.

JOHN: some guidelines that any budding prankster or newly fledged fugitive should know. JOHN: don't panic, JOHN: don't make a scene, JOHN: and whatever you do... JOHN: don't get caught!!

This is a reference to something, right?

> (High above the clouds...)

Jesus, that’s a visual. Hi, probably-the-only-source-of-happiness-between-Kanaya-and-Rose-we-might-have-onscreen-up-until-the-very-end. (Are those cat chairs, or just headrests with lil horns?)

As the world seethes with the acid sting of war, they have stood steadfast and resolute; when hope has seemed at its most distant, they have shone as a beacon of possibility.

Further cementing Hope’s ties to possibility, then.

Individually, they each represent immeasurable gains for the rebel faction. The rebellion's stratagems have never had a fiercer bite; their uniforms have never looked so fucking sharp.

Why you gotta do Kanaya like that, narrative?

> (==>)

Full glow? Kanaya must be nervous.

(I don’t think this short hair on Rose quite does the justice that short hair on her should. I suppose it’s punk to match her clothes, though. Still, I feel like short hair should look SO GOOD on Rose and the style chosen just doesn’t here.)

ROSE: I just wish I had answers!! My useless powers aren't being any help, and what's worse, ROSE: I can't see ANYTHING useful on this stupid news channel!!

I can imagine that a Seer of Light might find it harder to operate in a realm long void of most of its relevance, not to mention whatever measure of strength she gave up to concede herself into the “specific” and not ult-self manifest... but there are two Thieves of Light involved here and no Void players, beyond this being at Roxy’s house. Are they really stealing that much visibility from the situation to not blaze like beacons in Rose’s vision?

ALFONZ: excuse me mA'Ams

I don’t know how to feel about this troll’s name or quirk.

Kanaya’s ending every sentence with a shout pole, by the way.

> (==>)

ALFONZ: the reconnAissAnce teAm is bAck eArly, mA'Ams ALFONZ: the ship docked A few moments Ago ROSE: And the scouting party??? ALFONZ: i expect she's Zipping her wAy up here now, mA'Am

Karkat and Meenah? That’s just a singular “she”-- ah fuck it’s Jade isn’t it. The Jade here who had Dave ditch her suddenly to become a robot and abscond without telling her. That’s why there was so much talk about Jade in the background today, dammit. Please still be generally not despairing???

> (==>)

What is that bulky suit????? Is it seven layers of sweaters? Was she scouting the arctic??

> (==>)

Angry camo?

> (==>)

KANAYA: Jade It Is Okay JADE: its........ JADE: *sniffle* KANAYA: Please Take Your Time JADE: we dont HAVE any time!!! JADE: its too late!!!!!! JADE: janes forces were just too fast... KANAYA: Oh No ROSE: You don't mean... JADE: theyve taken her

Jade, you aren’t talking about Vrissy. Who the fuck ARE you talking about? Is this gonna be a punchline again?

> (==>)

JADE: THEYVE TAKEN YIFFY!!!!!!! D:

Okay, I’m hoping for the best but there’s precedent that this is Jade in full fucking despair mode right now. Having named pets like that and being this concerned about them.

Then again, if Dave and Jade had a pet they WOULD name it that wouldn’t they.

> (==>)

Sigh.

Well, let’s hope it’s mostly sunshine and rainbows on Jade’s front, unlike what it looks like?

That can be a caption for HS^2 going into the next two thirds of 2020 like this. “Let’s hope it’s mostly sunshine and rainbows.” Catch y’all another time.

EDIT: Oh fucking MAN, it might not be a pet after all. Quoting Discord:

[REDACTED] Today at 5:20 PM there’s a reason Rose knows but Kanaya wouldn’t possibly and look back at the chapter title BlastYoBoots Today at 5:21 PM I'll... correct that possibility. Did NOT realize it could have been a pet name for Dave instead of a pet. wait, what? no, they'd never have named a daughter that, Dave is NOT that cruel. (unless it could be nickname-shortened to that, that's just enough plausible deniability for Dave to hide behind.) [REDACTED] Today at 5:22 PM If it were a pet name for Dave, why would they use she/her in reference to him? JANE: Two can play at the hostage game. That loathsome daughter of theirs should fit the bill nicely. BlastYoBoots Today at 5:22 PM oh, and you're implying that the surrogate daughter thing happened with Jade and Rose-- [REDACTED] Today at 5:22 PM yes BlastYoBoots Today at 5:22 PM OH, and that they meant like, not Vrissy? [REDACTED] Today at 5:23 PM perhaps BlastYoBoots Today at 5:23 PM Why would Rose NOT tell Kanaya about her then? or is Kanaya just not interested in keeping up to date? [REDACTED] Today at 5:23 PM unless the yiffy ruse is a distaction BlastYoBoots Today at 5:23 PM it would be a pretty spectacular thing to spring on us though, a child the epilogues didn't mention, so...

SO, this could be a cheeky pet name for their daughter, who we’ve never met and Jane just legitimately planned to kidnap in front of us. Making Davebot’s abandonment of this timeline all the more dickish, essential as it might be. On the upside, new interesting HS^2-original characters that have nothing explicitly to do with the epilogues! (Beyond Jade hinting at how a surrogate child would be conceived possibly!) Plus another reason for Jade to steel herself and buck up about Dave not being there, to take care of her daughter, possibly. On the downside... Robo!Dave is going to be a little infuriating. Maybe to make him a little more palatable to miss if he goes down doing anything dramatic.

((EDIT2: "ROSE: Where is John? KANAYA: Where Is Dave" --ah FUCK, I missed that line. So if Kanaya's asking that, Dave probably only just vanished... I really was hoping she wouldn't have to deal with that onscreen.))

#Homestuck #hs2 #Homestuck Liveblog #upd8 #Homestuck^2 #bladekindeyewear #blastyoboots

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leftnipsdoodles · 5 years

Text

with Eris coming back i wanna give some attention to Asher bc im Like That

specifically, the fact that he might very well be the person Eris referred to as her cousin back when they were both alive. and i’ll get to sth abt that in a second, but first, here’s what the lore regarding this person says:

Undelivered, lost.

Cousin, do you remember the streets of the Last City? Do you remember eating fresh red grapes and playing tag between the market stalls? You cannot. We grew, we died, we were reborn. But I remember. It is the one thing I know is true. You used to LAUGH. What manipulation of the fates has led us each to our own calamities? [Forceful, looping script.] I listen to Vanguard channels every day for news of your death. If and when that news comes, I will fly to you at once, no matter where I am and no matter what front I fight on. [Aggressive pressure, carved deep enough into the paper to tear it.] I swear it.

- lore entry ‘Letters’, presumably letters Eris wrote and tried to deliver to several different people

3. I submit to you now photographic and video evidence recovered from civilian family albums, historical archives, and extant Ghost recordings originally captured in the Last City. Behold, ERI-223: a child of the Last City, born to civilian parents in a mortal-Guardian integrated neighborhood. Behold, too, tiny VIP #1786—though he is almost more unbelievable than ERI-223, if you look at his smile.

- lore entry ‘Forgeries’, dissecting and fact-checking the Truth to Power lore (in this case, confirming what Eris said abt her backstory in Letters)

i highlighted the contextually important parts here.

We grew, we died, we were reborn. -> Asher confirms multiple times that he’s never been to the Reef and goes above and beyond to distance himself from Reef Awoken. while this might mean he just died on Earth and doesn’t remember being at the Reef, it’s equally as possible he’s simply Earthborn.

You used to LAUGH. What manipulation of the fates has led us each to our own calamities? / [...] though he is almost more unbelievable than ERI-223, if you look at his smile. -> I used to think Toland was a good contester for being the person she talks about, since he’s also suffered a pretty bad(ass) fate like Eris, so she could be referring to him. But, we do know he’s still as... jovial, as ever. Asher on the other hand is known to be a big ol’ grump. The only time he does anything close to smiling is when he’s being condescending lol

I listen to Vanguard channels every day for news of your death. -> Eris obviously knows what’s going on with Asher’s ‘disease’. The first time we hear about him is in the grimoire where she visits him at the hospital while he’s in a coma after the whole Brakion thing. Toland’s already dead more or less but more importantly, the Vanguard wouldn’t report on him since he’s not affiliated with them because, yknow. He’s a ball. Asher on the other hand (heh) is specifically said to work under the Vanguard and his death would definitely have to be relayed to them.

now, the only reason i’m not 100% on all this is because, as always, the timeline in Destiny is a mess. I’ve talked abt it before but unless we get confirmation that Ghosts are able to revive someone at an age they never were (bc they died early or whatever), i dont see it adding up. Asher looks old, bruh. and he’s Awoken. we do know that while they do age outside of the Distributary, they do it at a much slower rate than humans. so for him to look this old, he must’ve been around for centuries before dying (since humans’ lifespans in this universe are already tripled). but the way the Awoken lore is written, it doesn’t sound like they have been on Earth long enough to warrant him ever getting this old before dying and being rezzed as a Guardian. and by his own admission, he’s been a Guardian long enough to see 6 different Hunter Vanguards come and go, which, while Hunter Vanguards change more quickly than the others, would still give us a rather long timespan. i will point out that all this COULD still add up, just because the timeline in Destiny has always been incredibly vague. so even if it doesn’t seem to add up now, the author’s intent would overrule any inconsistencies.

the other thing i want to put up for debate is the familial aspect of it, since I feel like these two being related feels ‘unbelievable’ (not that it has to be, but lbr). bear with me for a second, im gonna throw a lot of speculation at you but i hope you can understand that im doing my best to keep it in line with what we know: Awoken seem to face some sort of discrimination on Earth. 2 NPC lines hint at this: 1) ‘Who cares if he’s an Awoken? We’re in love, mom!’ 2) ‘I can’t believe it. I don’t mind that he was Awoken, but an artist? I mean, come on!‘ this is today, in a time where Awoken have been on Earth for a while. it was probably worse when they first got here, even tho in the lore, it is mentioned that generally the arrival of the Awoken was seen as something positive (since they came in a time of need, specifically to help. so not only were they seen as actual aid, but they also brought hope that not everything from outer space is here to kill humans). however, i’d say that especially in a day-to-day context, they would still be mistrusted. especially once they started banging humans. we all know how ppl react to outsiders ‘stealing’ things from them.

now, since we’re told that Eris grew up in a ‘mortal-Guardian integrated neighborhood’, when we know that most civilians outside of the Tower tend to be wary or even fearful of Guardians, i think it’s safe to assume she was born into a more ‘progressive’ environment. meaning it wouldn’t be a stretch for her to grow up around Awoken.

we don’t know for sure whether Eris is Awoken or just a Human with a very pale complexion (her being transformed by the Hive doesn’t help). either way, what I’m getting at with all this is that ‘cousin’ doesn’t have to be a familial term. ‘cousin’ is used by the Reef Awoken to refer to Awoken Player Characters (who, even tho it’s later hinted that we’re from the Reef ourselves, are presumed to be Earthborn by said Reef Awoken). ‘brother’/’sister’ is used as well. if we think Eris is Human, her calling an Awoken kid ‘cousin’ would fit in with her being from an integrating neighborhood. (EDIT: we even have the lore mentioning humans as ‘cousins’ of the Awoken: ‘Those who left went to scour the ruins for lost history and give some succor to their Human cousins [...]’ -lore entry ‘Revanche V’) if we think Eris is Awoken herself, her calling another Awoken ‘cousin’ wouldn’t feel unusual either. on the other hand, there’s the untapped potential in Awoken-Human hybrids that are mentioned by the lore but just *clenches fist* never fkn explored. so her looking so different from him could have a number of explanations and doesn’t necessarily mean they’re not related. but like i said, i think the majority of us can’t see it lmfao

ANYWAY what im saying is that whether ‘cousin’ is meant literally or figuratively, it wouldn’t disprove the possibility of Asher being the cousin Eris mentions as part of her past.

so uhh, these are all my thoughts on the matter. feel free to tell me your own if you disagree or feel like adding sth!

#asher mir #delete later #steroid gaming #me while playing destiny: do snakes have buttholes #me when im not playing destiny: -and thats why i think the sociopolitical climate on the Reef is what it is. especially when we take into ac

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icymirss · 5 years

Link

Four years ago, historian Tamar Novick was jolted by a document she found in the file of Yosef Vashitz, from the Arab Department of the left-wing Mapam Party, in the Yad Yaari archive at Givat Haviva. The document, which seemed to describe events that took place during the 1948 war, began:

"Safsaf [former Palestinian village near Safed] – 52 men were caught, tied them to one another, dug a pit and shot them. 10 were still twitching. Women came, begged for mercy. Found bodies of 6 elderly men. There were 61 bodies. 3 cases of rape, one east of from Safed, girl of 14, 4 men shot and killed. From one they cut off his fingers with a knife to take the ring."

The writer goes on to describe additional massacres, looting and abuse perpetrated by Israeli forces in Israel's War of Independence....

The Upper Galilee village of Safsaf was captured by the Israel Defense Forces in Operation Hiram toward the end of 1948. Moshav Safsufa was established on its ruins. Allegations were made over the years that the Seventh Brigade committed war crimes in the village. Those charges are supported by the document Novick found, which was not previously known to scholars. It could also constitute additional evidence that the Israeli top brass knew about what was going on in real time.

Novick decided to consult with other historians about the document. Benny Morris, whose books are basic texts in the study of the Nakba – the "calamity," as the Palestinians refer to the mass emigration of Arabs from the country during the 1948 war – told her that he, too, had come across similar documentation in the past. He was referring to notes made by Mapam Central Committee member Aharon Cohen on the basis of a briefing given in November 1948 by Israel Galili, the former chief of staff of the Haganah militia, which became the IDF. Cohen's notes in this instance, which Morris published, stated: "Safsaf 52 men tied with a rope. Dropped into a pit and shot. 10 were killed. Women pleaded for mercy. [There were] 3 cases of rape. Caught and released. A girl of 14 was raped. Another 4 were killed. Rings of knives."

Morris' footnote (in his seminal "The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem, 1947-1949") states that this document was also found in the Yad Yaari Archive. But when Novick returned to examine the document, she was surprised to discover that it was no longer there....

When she asked those in charge where the document was, she was told that it had been placed behind lock and key at Yad Yaari – by order of the Ministry of Defense.

Since the start of the last decade, Defense Ministry teams have been scouring Israel's archives and removing historic documents. But it's not just papers relating to Israel's nuclear project or to the country's foreign relations that are being transferred to vaults: Hundreds of documents have been concealed as part of a systematic effort to hide evidence of the Nakba....

An investigative report by Haaretz found that Malmab has concealed testimony from IDF generals about the killing of civilians and the demolition of villages, as well as documentation of the expulsion of Bedouin during the first decade of statehood. Conversations conducted by Haaretz with directors of public and private archives alike revealed that staff of the security department had treated the archives as their property, in some cases threatening the directors themselves.

Yehiel Horev, who headed Malmab for two decades, until 2007, acknowledged to Haaretz that he launched the project, which is still ongoing. He maintains that it makes sense to conceal the events of 1948, because uncovering them could generate unrest among the country's Arab population. Asked what the point is of removing documents that have already been published, he explained that the objective is to undermine the credibility of studies about the history of the refugee problem....

One of the most fascinating documents about the origin of the Palestinian refugee problem was written by an officer in Shai, the precursor to the Shin Bet security service. It discusses why the country was emptied of so many of its Arab inhabitants...

An appendix to the document describes the specific causes of the exodus from each of scores of Arab locales: Ein Zeitun – "our destruction of the village"; Qeitiya – "harassment, threat of action"; Almaniya – "our action, many killed"; Tira – "friendly Jewish advice"; Al’Amarir – "after robbery and murder carried out by the breakaways"; Sumsum – "our ultimatum"; Bir Salim – "attack on the orphanage"; and Zarnuga – "conquest and expulsion."...

In another case, Malmab decided to conceal the following segment from an interview that historian Boaz Lev Tov conducted with Maj. Gen. (res.) Elad Peled...

Lev Tov: "We're talking about a population – women and children?"

Peled: "All, all. Yes."...

Peled: "Look, let me tell you something even less nice and cruel, about the big raid in Sasa [Palestinian village in Upper Galilee]. The goal was actually to deter them, to tell them, 'Dear friends, the Palmach [the Haganah "shock troops"] can reach every place, you are not immune.' That was the heart of the Arab settlement. But what did we do? My platoon blew up 20 homes with everything that was there."

Lev Tov: "While people were sleeping there?"

Peled: "I suppose so. What happened there, we came, we entered the village, planted a bomb next to every house, and afterward Homesh blew on a trumpet, because we didn't have radios, and that was the signal [for our forces] to leave. We're running in reverse, the sappers stay, they pull, it's all primitive. They light the fuse or pull the detonator and all those houses are gone."

#history #palestine #israel #ethnic cleansing #nakba #war crimes #bedouin #bedouins #refugees #censorship #secrecy #middle east #politics

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windup-warrior · 5 years

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Prompt 7: Serendipitous

The Broken Road

“There isn't any questioning the fact that some people enter your life, at the exact point of need, want or desire - it's sometimes a coincidence and most times fate, but whatever it is, I am certain it came to make me smile.”

― Nikki Rowe

“What are you…?” The downy snowfall touched the already white haired Elezen’s crown with glittering diamonds, each glimmer dying only as quickly as it could be replaced by new fallen flakes. His cheeks were ruddy, flushed with exertion and dare I say panic. It’s a moment I think about often, when I first met Graham Hruodland, immense pain in the ass that he was and is and forever will be. Coerthas is unforgiving in the best of times. This could hardly be called best. Caught somewhere between the light and the dark, the paladin turned dark knight sank to his knees before me, caught in the throes of conflict. The sort of earth shattering tumult that changes the very foundation of your being. He was a bundle of nerves and questions, some coherent, some not. The heat that rolled off of him in undulating waves accounted for the feverish haze through which he had fought his way thus far. I should have washed my hands of the whole thing then and there but the pleading look upon his face told me I couldn’t even if I wanted to. He must have sensed my hesitation because he reached for my hand, taking it with both of his. For all of the heat coming from his, his fingers were frigid, icy against my palms.

“I’m… look, that doesn’t really matter.” I gently withdrew my hand from his grasp and instead set about digging through a string of small satchels dangling from the belt around my hips. Potions, pills, pomades… salves, tinctures, ointments… it wasn’t the most extensive assortment of healing herbs but surely I had something that would soothe this man, at least enough to get him back on his feet and on his way. I had done well thus far to avoid this kind of trouble, the last thing I needed was a mess like this.

“But it does. It does matter. You’re here, you’re…” He trailed off with a shake of his pretty head and a vague gesture that swept up and down to indicate me in my entirety. He was too lost to his own calamity to notice the arch of my brow and the odd look I gave him. He sighed, bowing his head and sinking his bare hands into the snow around his knees. I thought maybe he was going to leave it at that before he finally finished. “You’re different.”

“No shit?” There was a little more bite to my words than I should have given, all things considered, but thank you, Captain Obvious, for stating something everyone always knew but would never say. But it wasn’t like it was my fault either. I never asked to be made this way, I have only ever done what I had to in order to carve some sort of path for myself here, a broken road full of bumps and bruises, scrapes and scars. But here I am, just like he said.

Different.

“Please…” He said softly. To this day I still seldom hear this word come out of his mouth so to hear it even back then still stands out in stark contrast against the backdrop of our overarching relationship. I finally found what I was looking for, Coerthan tea and rosemary from the Black Shroud. It would take a few minutes to put it together, mostly because it was so damn cold out here and any sort of flame would be fighting that in order to heat the water I poured into the metal flask I normally reserved for harder liquids. It would heat the quickest though so hopefully he didn’t mind his tea with a hint of mead to it.

“It’s a long story.” I said, dusting fresh snow from the horizontal plane of a fallen tree trunk. Atop it I sat as I cupped flame beneath the flask, held in my bare hand in an act that typically unsettled those that watched. But Graham simply looked on, still eyeing me with desperate scrutiny as if I was both his salvation and damnation all in one.

Maybe I was.

“My father… was a good man once. Before I came along and ruined all of his plans. A hard working and ambitious man whose only fault was being the wrong race in the wrong place. Kinda suiting he would get saddled with me, huh?” I chuckled before realizing that none of that would mean anything to this Elezen before me. Hunching my shoulders to guard the flickering flame against the wind, I continued. “Miqo’te in Ishgard aren’t exactly common, you know. But my father’s family had lived there for generations, long before they closed the gates to the rest of the world. My father worked in the employ of House Haillenarte and married one of the youngest of House Bale… not a daughter, a niece I think. She ended up serving one of the other high houses as a lady in waiting of some sort. I don’t know. She also served one of the lords of that house too, if you know what I mean. When she got pregnant, she couldn’t bear the shame and killed herself.”

The flask was red hot and I could practically feel the water inside boiling so I removed it from the flame and set it upon my knee to free the cap and carefully funnel tea leaves and rosemary. With that, I added a few drops from an opaque vial to the mixture for a little extra oomph. It was a tincture I picked up off of a shaman in Dravania once to soothe and settle me enough to function when the storm in my head proved to be too overwhelming. Maybe it would prove beneficial for him too. Still he watched with vague curiosity, eyeing my every move with foggy scrutiny. I glanced up to meet his gaze for a fleeting moment. Those eyes, those were going to be hard to forget. Arctic blue and preternaturally bright, they bore into me for the half moment that we locked eyes and even after I looked back down to the flask, I could feel their weight upon me.

“In her final moments, her body was overtaken by a Voidsent… a succubus more specifically. My father didn’t even know. At least not until it was too late. He lost his wife and ended up instead with a half Voidsent daughter bearing no trace of his late wife in her bones or blood. I was equal part his, equal part Void, an abomination…” There was no humor in the laugh I gave him as he listened. While the tea steeped, I capped the flask and gave it a thorough shake then set it in the snow to cool. It would do him no good if I burnt the hell out of him while handing it over. “His shame and grief drove us out of Ishgard years ago.”

“Where is he now?” Graham asked hesitantly, almost as if he already knew the answer. This time when I looked up at him, I held his gaze steadily for a pregnant pause.

“He’s dead. He… died when I was twelve. I have been on my own pretty much ever since.” I answered without elaborating further. There was no need to spill my life’s story to this man, I didn’t even know him. Not well at least. Hell, I didn’t even know his name. May as well remedy that, right? “What is your name, Paladin?”

He cringed, his exquisite features twisting with disgust at the moniker. Turning his head, he spat then looked back to me. For all of the arctic cut of his pale blue eyes, there was an unmistakable fire within that I must have missed before. Or maybe I just stoked the embers at last. “Don’t call me that.”

“Alright, alright, settle down, drama queen. What should I call you instead?” I prompted once more, rolling a wrist to gesture for him to answer.

“Graham.” A single name was more than I had before so I took it with a nod and leaned down to scoop up the flask from the snow. Offering it over, I handed it off and sat back, drawing one leg up underneath me as I watched him in much the same way he had been watching me prepare the mixture. He uncapped it and brought it up to his nose for a nostril flaring sniff before carefully drawing it to his lips for the first testing sip.

Moons later, here we were, his arms looped protectively around me as he held me against his side, our legs a tangle of sweat sheen and exhaustion within the cozy confines of my bed. Just an hour or two prior we had been a knot of unbridled lust perched atop the bar counter just beyond the pair of sliding doors that kept us tucked away from the world.

"Dare me?"

"When have you ever let something like a rule stop you before?"

"You're a filthy brat. You're fucking my filthy brat. I love how your body looks when I have all of your blood flowing, do you know that? I love you in your raw glory and passion."

“And… … … I love you. Don't you fucking stop."

"Why do you think I came to get you?"

"Because you like that thing I do with my mouth? … … ...Say it."

"I love that thing you do with your mouth?"

"Say it, jerk."

"I fucking love you, I came to find you because I love you. I love you, I love you, I love you.”

"I think I'm alright with being found if you're the one looking."

From that moment of meeting in the dark of the woods to the first time those words spilled from his lips. His hand passed up and down along my arm, his eyes closed, his expression relaxed. I watched him sidelong and considered it all, start to finish… not as though this was the end. If anything, it was the beginning of something else. Something new and terrifying and intriguing. Something I couldn’t quite name. For the first time in forever, I wanted to stay.

Of all the roads I’ve taken in life, never did I think the broken path I tread would bring me here to him.

#FFxivWrite2018 #Karma #Graham #Prompt 7 #Serendipitous #One of my favorite words #So have some light fluffy couple stuff #writing prompt

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pocketseizure · 6 years

Text

The Legend of the Princess, Chapter 22

A Swiftly Encroaching Darkness

In which Zelda almost gets what she wants as her kingdom falls apart. NSFW

(Chapter 22 on AO3) (Story Tag on Tumblr) (Cover Illustration)

* * * * *

It’s amazing, really, how rapidly order can descend into chaos. One moment everything is fine, but the next moment nothing is. In retrospect we desperately wish we could have foreseen the catalyst that triggered the calamity, but at the time our eyes were turned elsewhere.

----------

“But I saw everything,” Zelda objected. “That monster, whatever it was, destroyed Hyrule. There was a city, and it burned. The entire land burned.”

“That ‘monster’ was a god, and it didn’t destroy Hyrule,” Ganondorf replied in voice that was so devoid of emotion that it disturbed Zelda more than his earlier anger. “Hylia did that.”

“But why would she – ”

“To keep it out of the hands of her enemies.”

Zelda opened her mouth, thought better of what she was about to say, and closed it. This was something to think about. She was still overwhelmed by what she had just witnessed, but a stray thought tugged at a corner of her mind.

“When the monster, or god, or whatever is was… When it cursed that girl, it didn’t curse her specifically, did it? It cursed her descendants. That’s what it said, right?”

Ganondorf narrowed his eyes. “What of it?”

“So listen, maybe all we have to do to break the curse is not have children.”

Zelda watched as the light of understanding filled Ganondorf’s eyes.

“That’s… That’s why I came here,” he said.

“That’s why you… What?”

“That’s why I came to Hyrule, to avoid having children.”

Zelda was struck by an icy stab of jealousy. Who would Ganondorf have children with? Now that she thought about it, it would make sense for him to be engaged already. Or, at the very least, being surrounded by women as he was…

“I thought you came to attend my coronation,” she said, unable to excise the bitterness from her voice.

“I had to fight Nabooru to get her to allow me to attend in her place.”

Something about this didn’t sit right with Zelda. “But aren’t you the king of the Gerudo?” she asked. “Why wouldn’t it be you who attended?”

“I’m the only highborn male in a city full of women. I have one job as king, and it’s not to rule the country.”

Zelda suddenly understood what he meant, and Ganondorf laughed as her eyes widened.

“I made it clear that I had no interest in that sort of thing, but Nabooru managed to convince the council of state that I might find inspiration if I spent time in Hyrule.”

“And did you?” Zelda asked. She smiled before she kissed him.

----------

There are many things about the current state of affairs in Hyrule that Zelda suspects but does not know. How could she?

How could she know why all the Darknuts have left the castle? How could she know why Barghest has remained? Zelda is attentive to detail, but she is bothered by these questions no more than a baker is bothered by the comings and goings of the assistants to the miller who grinds his flour. In an earlier era, perhaps a monarch would have been able to track the movements of every member of her staff, but Hyrule has thrived and flourished in the two hundred years since the last war, and the size of the bureaucracy that occupies the castle has grown along with the population, as has the number of people needed to keep the machine of state running efficiently. Zelda’s domain is the abstract realm of numbers and letters, not the care and feeding of the horses in the royal stables.

How could she know, then, that rebellion has fermented among the Darknuts, and that Barghest’s motives for remaining in the service of the Hylian king have little to do with loyalty?

Link knows, and he might even have told her if she’d thought to ask him, but she didn’t. Why would she? Zelda has always been aware that he hides things from her, but it’s only recently occurred to her that what he hasn’t said is far more important than what he has. As she sat on the floor of her father’s study surrounded by her late mother’s letters, Zelda considered finding Link to confront him, but it took her no longer than the space of a sigh to decide that their conversation could wait. After all, she has other fires to attend to at the moment.

----------

“This doesn’t have to be so complicated,” Zelda murmured into Ganondorf’s ear. “We can be civilized and have this conversation like civilized people.”

“Civilization didn’t make your ancestors any less evil,” he responded, turning his head to kiss her.

“‘Evil’ is a strong word,” she said, twisting her face away from him.

“So is ‘monster.’” He put a hand on the back of her neck and pulled her to him. She allowed his tongue to find hers. He took his time.

She eventually pushed him away, her hands on his chest. “I should go,” she said, intending to do no such thing.

He placed his hands over hers. “Don’t go,” he said, kissing the corner of her mouth. “We haven’t finished talking yet.”

“Can you convince me to stay?” she countered, allowing the upturn of her question to linger on the fullness of his bottom lip.

“Just try to get away,” he said. She felt every movement of his teeth on her skin.

“Is that a challenge?” She smiled and turned to leave. He caught her by the arms and reeled her in so that her back was pinned against the front of his body. He had her trapped, at least in play.

“Would you like to be challenged?” he asked, trailing the fingers of his hand down her throat and sliding his thumb under the strap of her gown.

----------

In less than two days Zelda will become a queen. This has real political significance concerning the balance of power in the kingdom, but the ceremonies themselves symbolize the stability of continuity and reflect the contentment of a people who have never been attacked, who have never readied themselves for war, who have never known true hardship for hundreds of years. Peace has resulted in wealth, and wealth demands comfort. Trade has flourished, as has culture. Hyrule is a prosperous kingdom, and its people have much to celebrate.

As dignitaries from across the land congregate, festivities continue within the great hall of the castle. Likewise, raucous merrymaking enlivens the city, until suddenly it doesn’t.

All it takes is a single spark to light a fire, but that spark will not catch if it doesn’t find kindling to burn.

The centuries since the last war have been good to the victors, but the prejudice against those who opposed the monarchy has been slow to fade. The Zora have enjoyed the favor of Hyrule, as have the Rito and the Gorons. The Darknuts, once proud knights who served both the Hylians and the Gerudo, have not been so lucky – the Sheikah saw to that. Entire generations were lost on both sides the last time Hyrule Castle came under siege, and neither the monarchy’s allies nor those who fought alongside the vanquished Gerudo were forgiven. Cubs were lifted from the cold hands of their parents and placed into the homes of Hylians, who took their language and names and shaped them into model subjects of the queen who had denied the same opportunity to their families. Children grew as decades passed, and perhaps injustices would have eventually been forgotten had not memory persisted in the shadowed hills and forests of Ordon, where the light of the divine queens could not reach.

The Darknuts had once despised the Moblins. They thought, as did most of Hyrule, that they were no more than savage beasts, barely capable of language and only good for the most menial of tasks. The Darknuts were strong, but they were architects while the Moblins hauled stone. The Darknuts were fierce, but they were strategists while the Moblins fell on the front lines. The Darknuts had a way with animals, but they bred prize horses while the Moblins shoveled shit. When the Gerudo turned their backs on Hyrule and the Darknuts had nowhere else to go, however, the Moblins gave them shelter in the ruins hidden in the forgotten corners of Hyrule. The Moblins defended their territory with the ferocity of a people who know what it means to be hunted, but the Darknuts quickly learned that they were by no means uncivilized.

The Gerudo keep a close watch over these ruins, and they maintain good relations with the communities that live there. Water springs from deep within the bedrock upon which crumbling towers and dusty underground palaces have been built, presenting opportunities for Gerudo engineers and Darknut masons alike. Trade flourishes, with the fruits of the sandy soil exchanged for cool water, and in recent years strange relics have begun to surface and circulate. Old grudges fade slowly, however, and the Gerudo know better than to interrupt the slumber of the ancient deities that may still dwell within the sites once sacred to the Hylians. Neither the Gerudo nor the Darknuts venture farther than their Moblin guides will lead them.

This balance was maintained until, almost two hundred years after the Darknuts were driven from Hyrule, a Gerudo prince once again ascended to the throne. The prince asked questions, and he demanded answers. Unlike those who came before him, he was not afraid of the power of the ancients, and he devoured the messages of the glyphs carved into the timeless walls with a ferocious hunger that could not be sated.

----------

Ganondorf slowly moved his hand until it was directly over the line of fabric dividing Zelda’s skin from her dress. She could feel the weight of his palm on her breast, whose peak stiffened into a hard point from the pleasant friction. Ganondorf must have noticed, for he shifted his palm to cup her breast and circled her sensitive nipple with his thumb. Zelda sighed softly, and he kissed her neck with an equal softness.

“Let me touch you,” he whispered into her ear, and Zelda nodded.

Ganondorf slipped his hand under the fabric, and then the heat of his palm was directly on her skin. He met the curve of her breast with the firmness of his fingers, trapping her nipple as he teased it with his thumb. He did not paw at her as other men had done, but neither was he gentle.

He kissed her at the base of her ear and then moved his arm around her as his hand glided down to the skirt of her gown. He touched her bare leg, murmuring in appreciation as he stroked the smooth skin of her thigh, and then he raised his hand so that the thin fabric of her dress cascaded like a waterfall from the ropy muscle of his forearm. The tips of his fingers burned against her stomach as he caressed her bare skin. Zelda knew exactly what he was doing, and she allowed it to happen. She whispered his name into his mouth and reached down to position his hand between her legs.

He exhaled as his fingers slid over the silk of her panties, and he cupped her sex delicately, as if it were a precious thing. When he began petting her, he did so gently, moving his fingers back and forth slowly across her. The strong pressure of his middle finger created a delicious tension, especially as it lingered at the top of her slit.

Ganondorf shifted his position, and touch of his hardness against her back made her feel as if she were melting. She wanted more, and so she turned to face him, pressing herself against him as she pinned his waist between her legs. His eyes were liquid gold as he gazed at her in wonder, and she kissed him.

She tasted sweetness, nothing but sweetness, a surfeit of the sweetest things – the taste of his lips and the touch of his hands and the fragrance of his hair. When Zelda had dallied with men before, there would always be a moment when her curiosity chilled and curdled into discomfort, but her desire for Ganondorf only grew warmer. There was only his cool breath, the spiciness of his tongue, and the pressure of his fingers on her neck, calloused and unyielding, forcing her to lift her face and open her mouth to his.

As they kissed Zelda remembered how he had led her in a dance through the air above the ruined castle in the Twilight Realm. She felt the same giddy rush of flying, but now she had complete control. She guided Ganondorf's hands where she needed them to be, flush against her skin. He grew even harder at her waist, the thickness of his length hot on the skin of her belly. When she moved to adjust her position he groaned low in his throat, and she rocked against him, taking her pleasure as she teased him. She knew what his hands were capable of, and she wanted to force him to use them. She wanted to force him to lose control.

----------

The Moblins waiting outside the city walls have been watching for a sign, and the smoke rising above the ramparts is as good a sign as any. It’s difficult to say who throws the first stone, who fires the first shot, who bellows the first war cry. Various people will later proudly claim or vehemently deny the charge, but in the end it doesn’t matter. Buildings burn, fighting fills the streets, and Darknuts lead battalions of Moblins as they pour through the city gates to join their brothers and sisters. The soldiers withdraw from the chaos, determined to defend the castle at all costs. Their commanders believe that Hyrule Castle is the primary target of the invaders, whose forces move through the city on their way to the center. This assumption proves to be correct.

Ganondorf was not being entirely honest when he suggested to Zelda that his primary purpose is to breed Gerudo children. He had been raised to be a king, and he occupies a political position equal to that of the council of elders who govern the Gerudo city in the desert. He has never seen himself as a leader, however; his interests are far more specific.

When his mother was poisoned by the Hylian queen he realized that he would not be able to serve his people through statecraft. He knew his martial prowess would never be equal to that of the women who spend their lives training to serve at the palace, so instead he developed his talent in magic. The pursuit of knowledge became its own reward; but, for every question he answered, dozens more sprang up in its place. Eventually he arrived at the mystery that lay at the core of these questions – Where did magic come from? All evidence pointed him in the direction of Hyrule, where, ironically, magic had all but disappeared. Why?

Ganondorf ventured deep into the abandoned temples and sprawling underground mazes where the Darknuts and Moblins made their home. Unlike the other Gerudo, he was eager to learn their language, and with only a minimum of instruction he had taught himself to read the spiraling mosaics that served as their writing. The Moblins had drawn this system from the patterns of glyphs covering the walls of the ruins they occupied, and with their help Ganondorf began to read these walls, lines running along narrow corridors and across vast chambers, which flared to life with magic as he chanted, one wording echoing like a refrain – Triforce. No matter how much he learned, he still kept asking questions. Why? Why? Why?

Ganondorf was courteous and generous to the people who watched his journeys and assisted in his excavations, but he felt no sense of obligation to them. Nevertheless, they were infected by the relentless flame of his curiosity. “Why” is a powerful question, and the answers it dredges up can be dangerous. At first Ganondorf was nothing more than a child, and then he was a strange and sullen teenager, and when he became a king he ceased to visit at all, bound as he was to his people. Nevertheless his legend spread among the Darknuts, who have never forgotten their history, and even the Moblins have started to whisper the name of a fallen god who may one day rise again – Ganon.

----------

The doors to Ganondorf’s chambers burst open, sending a pile of books flying. The vibrations upset a vase perched on one of the bookshelves set along the wall, and it shattered on the floor, spilling flowers and water in a fan across the tiles.

“Impa!” Zelda exclaimed, digging her nails into Ganondorf’s shoulders as his muscles tensed.

Impa stood in the doorway as a dozen Sheikah filed past her into the room. “Seize this man,” she ordered, fixing Ganondorf in an icy stare.

Zelda rose to her feet and adjusted her dress, blocking Ganondorf with her body. “What is the meaning of this?” she demanded. “I’ve got this situation under control.”

“I have no doubt you do,” Impa responded, “but the orders to arrest him came directly from the king.”

“Then we will talk to the king directly,” Zelda insisted. “The Gerudo ambassador has done nothing to deserve this treatment. And can’t this wait until morning? Surely my father knows better than to send Sheikah barging into the rooms of one of our guests in the middle of the night. I will not allow you to take this man anywhere without my permission.”

“If I may,” Ganondorf spoke up from behind her.

“What?” Zelda muttered, not allowing her eyes to leave Impa’s face.

Ganondorf laid a hand on her waist, and there was a metallic hiss as the Sheikah drew their weapons in unison.

“Stand down.” Zelda raised her voice in the cool assurance of command, and Impa shrugged in acquiescence. The assassins stepped back, but they did not sheath their blades.

Ganondorf gently positioned Zelda to the side as he stood. He stretched his arms and fastened the clasps at his collar. “I’ve been meaning to see the castle dungeon,” he said casually. “I knew this would happen sooner or later, and I’m honored to have been granted such a fine escort. By all means, take me away. I’m sure this will be resolved soon, one way or another.”

Zelda glared at him, but he didn’t meet her eyes. The silence was so thick that Zelda could hear her heart beating in her ears.

Impa weighed his words for a moment before arriving at a decision. “Blindfold him,” she said, snapping her fingers at the woman positioned at her right hand. “And make sure his wrists are bound in the back. Keep a knife at his neck, we don’t want to take any chances with this one.”

As her orders were carried out, she walked to Ganondorf, putting herself between him and Zelda. “I wouldn’t try anything funny if I were you,” she said. “I’m sure you know what will happen if one of those blades so much grazes your skin.”

“I’m familiar with your poisons,” Ganondorf sneered. “Intimately.”

Impa narrowed her eyes. “Gag him too.”

Ganondorf allowed himself to be bound and led out of the room tightly ringed by a phalanx of Sheikah. Impa remained behind with Zelda, who watched the proceedings with a blank stare.

“Well, that was fun,” she said after the doors whispered shut. “Do you want to explain what’s going on?”

Impa took Zelda’s hands before pulling her into a fierce hug. She released her but kept her fingers twined through Zelda’s. “Heart of my heart,” she said, “I understand what you were trying to do, but I can’t even begin to fathom how you could bring yourself to touch that man. I thought it would be better not to tell you, but he’s single-handedly bringing about the downfall of this kingdom. He cursed Jabun and the Deku Tree, which are dying as we speak. If they die, the Zora and the Kokiri will die with them, and he doesn’t care. He provoked the dragon on Death Mountain into attacking Darunia’s son, and the boy is as good as dead. Still he sits in this castle and smiles like a thief. But don’t let him fool you. If only you knew what he’s done…”

“Impa,” Zelda said softly as she squeezed her hand. “I knew.”

----------

Daphnes is a good man, kind and just. He is a good king as well, and he has tirelessly devoted himself to the welfare of his people. He knew about his wife’s affair, and he accepted it. He performed his duty to her as best he could, as he continues to do his duty to her daughter – their daughter. He loved the queen, but it was a distant admiration, and he gives all the affection he could not express to her to Zelda. He adores his daughter, and he has faith that she will become a capable ruler who brings glory to Hyrule, but darkness enfolds his heart like a shroud.

One night the queen, who had never so much as touched his face with her long and graceful fingers, came to him in the moonlight. She begged for a child, weeping all the while. After so many years of following along behind her like a dog he could not do as she asked; there was no spark of intimacy between them, and it was impossible.

And so she drugged him and took what she wanted.

He was unaware of this until her pregnancy was announced. He jumped to the natural conclusion a man might come to in this situation, but when Zelda was born he could not deny that she was his own. He hated his wife, yet he still loved her in his sad and patient way, even then. He grew attached to the child as he had never allowed himself to grow close to anyone else the castle, and so he was the first person to understand that the girl was different, and powerful.

He demanded an explanation, and the queen obliged, finally. If Ganon had returned to the world, she told him, then there must be a Zelda, and she must be a trueborn daughter of the royal line. She told him about the Triforce, and about the terrible enemies that would seek to claim it. Armies could be amassed, but they would all be consumed by flames; the only defense the kingdom had was the princess and her chosen knight. Hyrule had been cursed by a primordial demon, and only Hylia’s heir was its equal. If Zelda couldn’t seal this evil, then no one could.

Daphnes was the second son of a minor aristocrat who governed a small stretch of coastline in Faron province, and he loved nothing more than the sun on his face and the wind in his hair. He knew nothing about gods and demons and curses, but he would do anything to protect his daughter.

“Kill the Gerudo prince,” he told the queen, and instead of objecting she had grown thoughtful. Later she came to him in the night, and for the first time he embraced her as her husband. The next day she left for the desert, and a week later she was dead.

Daphnes was not a vain or a foolish man, but he knew the queen had selected him as her consort because of the cast of his face. He had the outward seeming of a king, and suddenly he was forced to become one. To his surprise, he was good at it, and he allowed the work to consume him and shape his character. If there were gods and monsters in Hyrule, he had no problem with them as long as they paid taxes and settled their disputes in court. Despite the tragedy lingering over the untimely death of the queen, it seemed as if his reign was blessed with peace and prosperity.

When his Sheikah advisors reported to him that the Darknuts had started meeting in secret under the cover of darkness, he thought nothing of it. Better to allow them to dream of rebellion than to imprison anyone without cause. When the urban gentry complained that Moblins had begun to congregate in growing settlements outside the city walls, he permitted it. Castle Town was growing, after all, and the Moblins were hard workers who didn’t demand high wages. In fairy tales it is said that Hylian ears are long so that they can catch the whispers of the gods, but Daphnes had no use for old legends or divine revelations.

All of that changed when Ganondorf came to Hyrule Castle.

Other people may wonder, in retrospect, what moment led to the calamity that resulted in the end of an era, but Daphnes knows, and he hates himself for knowing.

( Link to Chapter 23: A Daring Rescue )

#Princess Zelda #Ganondorf #Zelgan #The Legend of the Princess #Zelda fic #my fic

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botwstoriesandsuch · 4 years

Text

The Champion’s Identities 10,000 years back

I was tagged in this post by @no-themes-just-memes for a theory about the original Divine Beast pilots 10,000 years back. This was too big for a reblog so here is this...

This tapestry, the one that was passed down to Impa, over what I can assume is a lot of generations, is pretty much our only information regarding the original Champions. It’s well guarded, behind Impa, which is near where their “treasured heirloom” was kept so it’s definitely a valuable heirloom.

[Full theory/analysis below the cut]

Now the fact that it’s in Impa’s possession and clearly in the Sheikah style is obvious to the fact that it was Sheikah-made, but just to reiterate that point, you can clearly see the Sheikah text, swirl designs, eye symbol, and obsession with constellations that other Sheikah stuff (like shrines) have. Impa’s version is much more weathered, which in comparison to the much brighter and refined picture I have at the top, obviously means that this piece of art is old. This was definitively made by the Sheikah and not something that was from the Hyrulean Family as other people may think

Why is this important? Well firstly, and a bit off topic, but I think this confirms that the sealing of Ganondorf in botw 2 was done by the Sheikah as the wall art in the trailer is of Sheikah style and not the Zonai (although that’s on the pretense that this art of ganondorf is related to his sealing, and not just art depicting the events of something else entirely, which could also be likely to be fair)

Anyhow, the fact that this was done by the Sheikah, means that we can definitively say that the art here is not only accurate, but we can understand that the artist had the basic knowledge on what the different races across Hyrule were when making this. Basically, I’m saying that this isn’t a case of “Oh this was a legend passed down through time and this art was made by someone 100 years ago so the description of the Champions is not accurate.” No. This was by the ancient Sheikah, who had first hand, or at least very close hand, knowledge on the events and more specifically what the Champions looked like.

[And I can further prove this because the tapestry in the trailer is obviously woven, and not inked into, unlike the other more “modern” art across Hyrule that you see in the game. It’s on an almost papyrus like “paper” and not the more modern book binding paper that is present across Hyrule, the only exception being the Rito, but again, this is definitely Sheikah design]

If we understand that the depictions of the Champions are accurate, and not the result of misinterpretation through myths passed down to later artist, we can actually use the art of the Champions as fact to identify them.

I’ll start off with this, none of the Champions were Rito, Goron, Hylian, or Sheikah.

Rito and Goron are easy to disprove, the shape of the Champions are vastly different from the larger, circular Gorons, and there are no wings, beaks, or talons present on any of them, so Rito is a no.

You could argue that Medoh’s pilot has a beak, but 1) There’s still no wings or talons, tail, or even feathers. 2) It’s more likely a helmet, such as the Divine Beast Vah Medoh Helm which is canonically worn by the pilot/controller of a Divine Beast. We will come back to that point.

None of the pilots are Hylians or Sheikah, because the tapestry includes depictions of those very races in the same piece. The Hylians are depicted very human like, and the Sheikah are all with their signature masks with their symbol on it. Both, vastly different than the styles of the pilots.

(And also the Sheikah race devoted themselves to assisting the Hyrulean family with their technology and knowledge and not with direct combat making it unlikely they were pilots)

[btw there’s a theory that the corpse in botw 2 is actually the hero because they could both be Gerudo/ganondorf, cause the hero in this tapestry was Gerudo cause of the skin tone and hair or something... but I’m 99% sure that’s wrong because 1) the curse of demise wouldn’t allow Ganon to be the good guy and 2) the hero clearly has pointed ears, something not developed by the Gerudo (who had rounded ears) for many many many generations]

[Fun fact! This last image showing the ancient Sheikah being cast out displays them escaping to the Forgotten Temple (with the large goddess statue) and some of them also splitting off to become the Yiga Clan]

The only possible known races left are the Gerudo and Zora, but I’m very hesitant to even say that for a few reasons I’ll get into later.

The reason they’re not crossed off completely is because they have distinct arms and legs which Zora and Gerudo have, shocker I know. In addition, it could be argued that the red hair that some of the pilots have indicate their Gerudo race. Also, the pilot for Divine Beast Vah Ruta has a skirt/petitcoat like fins around their waist which could be argued to indicate a Zora. However, this obviously won’t explain the other pilots, but we’ll get to that soon.

[I’m not gonna re-screenshot the other pilot just scroll up and look at how their hair color is red ok]

Now, other than those obscure observations, this leaves me with my two theories. The simplest one, is that the pilots were actually Hylians, or Zora, or some other race, but they’re depictions here have them in armour, so it is impossible to tell. This lines up with the amibo descriptions of the Divine Beast Helms, which were worn by those who controlled the beasts, giving reason to the pilot’s unusual head shape. Not far-fetched to assume that they’re might have been a fully fledged Sheikah pilot armour made at some point.

[could be argued that the this helm explains the “tusk” or “trunk” like blue shape on the Ruta pilot’s face]

In addition, notice how the pilots are all wearing the same colors as their Divine Beasts. The Ruta pilot with the same shade of blue, the Rudania with the orange, Medoh with the green, and the Naboris pilot with the red (and yes its a different color than the Ruta one, I checked its a darker shade). This could explain away the coat-like shapes on the Ruta pilot, and and previously mentioned beak shape on the Medoh pilot. No race (other than the Zora, but again, they’re unlikely) have these colors naturally, so we can only assume it is armour that makes their weird body shapes.

[Again, I’m not gonna re-screenshot them just scroll up or take my word for it :p]

So theory one is just that, their races are ambiguous/unknown because of the ancient Sheikah armour they wore, perhaps to protect their identities? Or, perhaps because Nintendo was lazy and didn’t think it was that important, which is fair, it really doesn’t impact the story that much.

What it does impact is my ability to theorize and assign meaning to things that they didn’t intend to, in the hope that I’m might be right, which brings us to theory 2.

I say that the pilots are not Gorons, Rito, Hylians, Sheikah, Zora or Gerudo. Now you might be thinking “That’s literally every race in Hyrule how is that possible?” and to that I saw no, no it’s not.

If we skedaddle back to my brief mention of the Zonai in that one paragraph a good 5 minutes ago (for your average reading speed idk) we can remember the Zonai people, responsible for the ruins across the Faron, Thyplho, Upper Eldin, and all three of the mazes in the corners of Hyrule. Their culture and ruins are vastly different than the Sheikah and Hylian, but they’re assumed to have human-like characteristic given their relation to the barbarian armour set, as I assume that the tribe from the Faron region is at the very least connected with the Zonai

This armour, by the way, is only found when completing Sheikah shrines, meaning the Sheikah must have made contact with the Zonai at least 10,000 years ago. Much easier to be in touch with someone if they’re...I don’t know, recruiting their people to pilot a giant mech of yours, wouldn’t you say?

Secondly as to why I think the pilots are all Zonai, is this line from Impa

These pilots were from “across the land.” Of course, you might initially interpret that line to prove that the pilots must have been of different races and background (ergo, Theory 1) but then how could you explain the similarities all four of the pilots have to each other.

All the pilots have darker skin (something that might be common if your people originated from a lush jungle, such as the Faron?) they all have distinct arms and legs, they all have hair, and are all of similar proportion, which is different than that of the Sheikah and Hylian.

I’m saying that all the pilots were off the same race, and what other race is present “across the land” other than Hylians? The Zonai, present in all four corners of Hyrule as proven by their ruins.

The Champions of 10,000 years back were Zonai, wearing special Sheikah made armour and helms, and helped the Hylian princess and the hero defeat and seal Calamity Ganon. While the Sheikah were later pushed out, no such violence or discrimination was recorded against these Champions because they were not Sheikah. Their race and names faded with time because just like their Zonai people, they and their tribe disappeared mysteriously never to be seen again. This is why their identities and race were left unknown, because their people were not remembered.

But that’s just a theory...a GAME THEORY. Thanks for watc— uh reading? Thanks for reading :P

#botw #breath of the wild #legend of zelda botw #loz botw #botw 2 #botw 2 theory #botw theory

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bffhreprise · 6 years

Text

Entry 192

The door opened as I reached for it. That sort of thing happened frequently around here when Mila was being helpful. I realized I was even luckier this time as I saw James. He was home!

“James, we have to talk!” I exclaimed, signing quickly as I spoke.

“What’s the matter?” he asked as he looked down to me.

He always made me feel so tiny next to him with his broad soldiers and greater than average height.

“The matter?” I asked. “What would be the matter? It’s not like I’ve been waiting two weeks for the date you promised only to find out that you went out with her instead as soon as you were free.”

Alma said something to him. She didn’t seem to be very happy either, running off with her incredible speed. I still wasn’t used to someone moving that fast.

“Umm… I think I hear my daddy…” started Aaliyah, turning before I could catch all of it. She had followed James and Alma inside. After a couple steps, she turned back to face me. Then she signed and said, “By the way, why are you in your hoodie?”

I fidgeted as I replied “Oh. I was getting frustrated waiting, and thought I might bump into James if I was out on patrol.”

“What happened to your other outfit?” she asked with wide-eyed innocence.

“I sorta lost part of it when Maxine hit me with a missile.” I explained.

She face-palmed before saying, “You’re not supposed to let missiles hit you, silly. If I were you, I’d ask Mila to print you a new outfit. See ya!”

New outfit!? I turned to James, grabbed his hands to get his attention, and asked “Was she being serious? Mila can do that?”

He shrugged said, “Mila ,are you capable of printing a superhero outfit for Portentia?”

Appearing on a nearby mirror, Mila signed as she said, “Oh, master. I would have no idea what you’re speaking about, though I do have a design in my database for Calamity’s outfit, strictly for cosplay purposes, of course. I think Portentia would be able to fit into it if she wished to cosplay as the city’s greatest superhero.”

James was saying something back to her, but he had turned to face her, blocking my sight. Oh! Mila was transcribing again.

“Are you saying she’s not the only one?” he had asked.

“If there are others, none have been successful enough to catch my attention, but I don’t claim to know everything.” she insisted.

I’d argue on her behalf. Mila certain seemed to know everything when asked. She wouldn’t always tell what she knew, but she knew.

“Please, get started with it!” I pleaded, nearly bouncing in my excitement. “I’ll put off going on patrol until after my date with James.”

I never dreamed getting a new outfit could be that easy. If only they could be as durable as me. Noticing Mila frowning, I felt a moment of unease.

“As you wish, but don’t let the master forget he still owes me a date as well, though I’m not quite ready for it.” she insisted.

I snapped my mouth shut, realizing it had dropped open. Then I turned to James and asked “You’re going on a date with Mila? James, why didn’t you tell me!?”

He seemed to be thinking too hard about what to say.

“Ugh. Now I’ll really have to show you that I’m more fun.” I insisted, grabbing his hand and pulling him back through the door.

Was I though? Mila was incredible. She was beyond incredible. I had no doubts she’d come up with some incredible date specifically designed for their needs.

James tugged back, so I stopped and looked at him.

“Are you sure you want to do this right now?” he asked. “I’m not entirely certain that I’m even done babysitting Aaliyah for the day.”

He quickly pulled out his phone to check.

I said, “She’s gone, so you must be. I have to grab you before you promise ten other girls dates before me. You’re not forgiven for giving Alma a date first.”

“Actually, I owed Alma a dress, since one of hers was ruined when she was helping me.” he stated.

I stared up into his eyes. He seemed to be perfectly sincere… When he wasn’t teasing someone, he was usually sincere. He was a good person.

Grinning, I said, “Sorry! I should’ve known better than to have doubted you. I’m still questioning this date with Mila. How is that even supposed to work?” I couldn’t get past the part where Mila was stuck in mirrors and phones.

He shrugged and told me “I have no idea, but she cornered me into it. Mila’s extremely bright.”

I nodded and pulled him forward again. “I know!” I assured him. “I’ve spent enough time watching Jarod and her talk to realize that they’re amazing.”

“So… what do you do with Jarod?” he asked, trying to be casual.

Was he jealous? I tried not to grin as I said, “Just hang out and talk about ways to stop Maxine, really. I’m not into him, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“Why are we walking?” he suddenly asked.

“Sorry. Are you cold?” I inquired. “I can’t really help with that. I don’t get cold, so I generally don’t think about it.”

“No. I dressed for the weather when I left this morning. I merely meant that we could be taking my car.” he explained.

“I don’t have one of those either, so that’s not the first thing that comes to mind. I have borrowed Mila a few times when she’s free. You don’t mind, do you?” I asked, feeling embarrassed by asking after the fact. Mila always seemed fine with the idea, and she was actually reliable, unlike most cars.

James laughed and said, “No, not at all. She needs to be kept entertained, so she doesn’t end up finding trouble.”

I found myself wondering if Mila’s idea of a date involved her using the car to be out with James, but I quickly said, “Thank you! You wouldn’t believe how difficult hiding the fist off maxine’s machine was. If not for Mila, I wouldn’t have managed getting it all the way here.”

James put his phone to his ear and said, “Mila, could you give us a lift?” After a moment, he looked down to me and said, “Mila’s bringing the car.”

I nodded and said, “I know. I was watching.”

Mila would never turn James down. Her admiration of him was obvious whenever we talked about him. She could seem so… human. I found myself wondering again what I was. I never really had this problem before. Meeting Alma changed things. She forced me to consider that I might not really be human. Most people certainly couldn’t keep up with me, and they certainly didn’t heal as I do.

James waved to get my attention before asking “So what do you have planned for this date of ours?”

“Huh?” I asked, blinking. “You don’t have anything planned?”

He sighed before saying, “Of course not. I didn’t realize we were doing this today.

I shrugged and admitted “I guess I just thought you’d have done some planning already. You had two weeks. Don’t worry though. Let’s just go down to the triangle and roam around.”

“Sorry, but I’m not familiar with that area. What’s ‘the triangle’?” he asked.

“It’s a bit of a slum, really. I’ve been trying to clean up the streets some now that Maxine’s not keeping me busy. Since you don’t have plans for us, I figure we might as well check if anyone needs some help today.” I explained.

He nodded and seemed to get lost in thought again, standing there silently. He never seemed to understand how incredibly handsome he was. One way or another, I was going to show him a good time.

#Best Friend For Hire Reprise #Best #Friend #For #Hire #Reprise #Jovial Times #Jovial #Times #Fantasy #Fiction #Story #Aaliyah #Alma #Mila #Portentia

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jbhenwiler · 4 years

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David’s Memories: The Day the Gems Invaded

David Memories 01: The Day the Gems Invaded

Author’s Note: This is going to be a bit of a departure from my other stories involving David. These are basically flashback episodes, a window into life on David’s world before he got transported into Steven’s universe. These are called “memories” but they’re not being told in first-person like real memories are. Any of you guys ever played “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild?” Having to go around Hyrule to specific locations where you could play a cutscene showing Link’s past life before the Calamity? Those scenes weren’t being told exclusively from Link’s perspective, and in one case the scene kept playing even after Link was unconscious, plus the Zelda and the Master Sword memory in which Link wasn’t even present! Anyway, this is the memory of the starting point of David’s adventure; the day Gems destroyed his hometown along with every other human settlement and enslaved humanity. You may notice some differences in the events here and the ones that transpired in David’s nightmares in Redemption from a Dark World. Those were nightmares, not David’s exact recollection of the time. Therefore, these flashback episodes can be considered officially canon to the RFADW universe, or at least more exactly canon compared to the nightmares. Enjoy. Oh, one last thing! Since this is David’s world we’re talking about, these stories are going to be much darker than the rest of the series. This is basically an apocalypse world, after all, so expect lots of death and destruction, and a few very emotionally gripping scenes.

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Waitress: Here’s your meatloaf, David. (Sets a plate down on the table)

David: Thanks, Emily. (Begins to eat)

In the background, the sky begins to darken, but nobody seems to notice. David’s phone lights up and vibrates. He looks at the text message from his mother.

SMS>> Mom: How did you do at your new job, David?

SMS>> Me: Fine. Clocked out. Having dinner at Maxwell’s now.

` ……………………

SMS>> Mom: OK then. Come home soon, it looks like there’s a storm kicking up.

SMS>> Me: Got it.

David puts his phone to sleep and slips it into his pocket. He continues to eat. A faint rumbling can be heard outside. Some people out the window in the front of the restaurant are running past.

Random Citizen: What is that thing!?

David looks up from his meal. Seeing people running past, David begins to suspect something’s wrong. At that moment, a colossal explosion shakes the entire building. Everyone screams and David, his food forgotten, stands up, and runs for the exit. Outside, the sky is dark red, and David looks up. The camera dramatically zooms out behind David to show the sky. Hanging in midair are two gigantic metal hands, green in color. Suddenly, the hands begin to shoot things at the town.

David: Oh, shi-- (Runs for his house)

Panicking citizens are running away from the invading forces, the entire town’s population creating a tide that David must swim upstream through to reach his mother. A laser blast hits a house nearby, causing it to explode into a cloud of smoke and splinters. David begins to search for his mother in the crowd.

David: MOOMMM!!!

He can’t find his mom. More buildings explode, and fires can be seen raging all around; the famed Henleaf Woods are now engulfed in an inferno. As David runs, he sees that some people are lying on the ground, bloody stab wounds visible on their backs and necks, awash in pools of their own blood.

David reaches his home street, and he continues to run until he sees something that makes his heart stop for a second. A gigantic, red-bodied being with five red gems set into its body, is cloaked in flame and is setting homes on fire.

David: (Panicked voice) What the hell is that thing!?

Then he sees his house. It is completely engulfed in flames.

David: Oh no! Mom!! (Takes off for the house)

Thankfully the creature doesn’t notice him as he races for the front door of his house, and throws it open. Inside, the burning home is showing signs of beginning to collapse.

David: MOM!!

David’s Mom: David!! Over here!!

David grabs a fire extinguisher from the kitchen and makes his way through the flames, shooting as he goes to the living room, where his mother is pinned underneath a bookcase.

David: Mom!! (Puts down the extinguisher and struggles to lift the heavy shelves)

The bookshelf is too heavy.

David’s Mom: David… It’s okay. Save yourself, get out of here!

David: No, mom! I’m not leaving you behind! (Pushes himself past his limits, but to no avail)

David’s Mom: David, this house has gas appliances; it’s going to blow any second! Go, David, NOW!

David: (Soot and tears staining his face) Mom…

David’s Mom: It’s okay, David. You’ll be just fine. I’ll always watch over you, but you need to go now!

David: (Gives up on lifting the bookcase, gets up, and turns to his mother one last time) Goodbye, mom… (Tears are freely flowing down his face)

David races through the flames for the door. He makes it near the sidewalk when the house he grew up in explodes violently. David is knocked off his feet, and he flies straight into his mom’s car parked on the curb, cracking the side window where he crashed into it. On impact, David blacks out.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

The camera vision fades in and out, flickering a bit. A heartbeat and the sound of ears ringing is audible. The view focuses in to show David laying on his back, buried in a coating of ash. His eyes flutter and he slowly wakes up, raising himself into a sitting position. He checks his surroundings. Everything is gray. Ashes are slowly falling from the sky. Nothing is left, Henleaf Town had been replaced with an endless and bleak landscape, completely devoid of life, punctuated with the charred skeletons of buildings and the jagged tips of tree trunks.

David: Everything’s… Gone… …………………. ...Mom! (Scrambles to his feet)

David runs down the ashen sidewalk to where his house used to stand.

David: Mom! Mom!! Mo--

He sees a bone jutting out of the ashes and rubble, in the middle of what must have been the living room. David immediately has a flashback.

Child David: Mommy, where’s daddy?

They’re in a hospital. Doctors and nurses are bustling about. David’s mother, visibly distressed and on the verge of tears, looks at the young David, around the age of three, and runs over to him, her face awash with tears and sadness. She picks up David and locks him in a tight, sobbing hug, her whole body shaking.

Child David: Where’s daddy?

David’s Mom: Daddy’s not with us anymore, David. I-It’s just us now… (Sobs)

Child David: Where’s daddy!? (Begins to panic and cry) WHERE’S DADDY!?!?

The camera zooms out to show mother and son locked in grief and mourning, and the flashback ends, bringing us back to the ruins of Henleaf Town, showing a closeup of the bones in the rubble, which are being pelted with teardrops from above. David falls to his knees, tears beginning to fall from his eyes in droves, his body shaking with sorrow.

David: No… Nononono… MOM!!!!! (His anguished cry echoes around the area)

David sits there sobbing his eyes out for what felt like forever, and when he has run out of tears to cry, he gets up. With an empty look in his eyes, he strolls down what used to be the street. With no clear destination in mind, he wanders the wasteland, his limping, ash-covered body making him look like a ghost. He passes what’s left of Maxwell’s, the restaurant he had ate at just hours ago. Nothing is left of it, except for the skeletons of the cooks and waiters littered around the foundation.

David: That’s it then, everyone’s gone… Everyone I know is dead…

He continues walking…

David: T-This has to be a dream, no, a nightmare! (Stops) That’s it! I’ll just pinch myself, I’ll wake up, and everything will be OK again!

David pinches himself multiple times. Nothing happens.

David: W-Why isn’t this working!?

About half an hour later, David reaches the site of the Forest Guardian’s Shrine. With all the trees now gone, the charred but still standing monument now sits atop a hill overlooking the ruined landscape. A gem of some sort, resembling a Pearl, lay in pieces at the foot of the statue. Suddenly, David has flashes of vision, seemingly from another being’s viewpoint. For a few brief moments, David is a wolf, running for his (Or her?) life through the burning forest, pursued by a group of mysterious humanoids with crystals on various parts of their bodies, all carrying weapons like swords and spears. The vision abruptly cuts out.

David: (Holding his head) What… was that? I better get out of here.

As David walks down the trail, he begins to have a feeling he’s being watched.

David: H-Hello? Anyone there?

A shadow appears above him. He turns around, to face a large, muscular gem-being wearing a crash helmet looming over him.

???: You lost, little boy?

David: W-Who are you!? What did you do to my town!?

???: (Chuckles) The name’s Jasper. And you’re coming with me. I know just the place for you.

Jasper strikes David in the head with her helmet, barely avoiding cracking David’s skull but still instantly knocking him out. She chuckles again and hefts the limp human over her shoulder as she made her way to the landed hand-ship.

End memory.

Author’s note: In the Gem invasion of Earth in David’s timeline, hundreds of millions of human lives were cut short. And yes, the Jasper who captures David is indeed the same Jasper we all know from Steven’s Universe. In David’s world, Jasper is one of the lead generals leading the invasion of Earth. Her forces were responsible for the total destruction of Empire City and all the surrounding area, including Henleaf Town.

#RFADW #steven universe #steven auniverse #steven universe fanfic #steven universe fanfiction #the one where davids mom dies #apocalypse #post-apocalyptic #jasper

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toweringfiction · 5 years

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Tower-ing Fiction #7: LexCorp Tower and Wayne Financial, Man of Steel (2013), Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

by Shawn Gilmore

LexCorp Tower, a staple of DC Comics since the mid-1980s, is typically portrayed as the headquarters of LexCorp, the technology and/or financial company run by Lex Luthor, perennial Superman villain. It has become a mainstay of modern Superman stories, and was introduced in the filmic DC Extended Universe in Man of Steel (dir. Zack Snyder, 2013), with its role expanded in the amazingly-titled Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (dir. Zack Snyder, 2016). While the building itself only serves as the location for a couple of set-pieces in the latter film, the tower serves as a bridge between the two films and provides a window into the narrative tension and ultimately the revisionist narrative that Batman v Superman attempts to weave from the problematic ending of Man of Steel.

The third act of Man of Steel is almost entirely devoted to a climactic and multi-part battle over and through Metropolis. Refered to as the Black Zero Event, the battle begins when General Zod and his exiled crew of Kryptonians begin using a terraforming ship, the Black Zero, hovering abover the Metropolis skyline, to drive gravity waves through the earth in sequence with another ship in the Indian Ocean.

Superman and our human heroes—Lois Lane, Colonel Hardy, and Dr. Hamilton—attempt to stop both ships at the same time as Metropolis is pounded from the center. This leaves our ground-level protagonists, led by Perry White, to witness the inital collapses, resulting in imagery pulled directly from 9/11.

The Black Zero is defeated, but General Zod is not done, crashing his own ship through the skyline. Superman speeds back to Metropolis to confront him, in an exagerated and costly fight literally through the city, echoing the flying fight between Neo and Agent Smith in The Matrix Revolutions (dirs. The Wachoswkis, 2003). After punching their way through a number of non-descript office buildings—more on this below—their fight takes to the sky.

However, they pause near the spire of an under-construction tower, adorned with signage reading “The future home of LexCorp.”

Before punching their way through the sky and a variety of presumably still-occupied buildings.

Their fight then leaves the atmosphere, where Zod throws a satellite at Superman, which re-enters as a set of flaming debris, streaking back into the city, and directly in front of the LexCorp buiding (on the right, below).

So, at the end of Man of Steel, much of Metropolis has been brutalized by the fight, with seeming hundreds of thousands of civilian casualties, but the current and future LexCorp towers are apparently still standing (if the under-construction tower falls, the film doesn’t focus on it). Snyder went on to defend the tone and impact of the sequence, calling it “mythological” in scale, and screenwriter David S. Goyer explained its inclusion at length:

One of the things we were hoping to depict is that Superman is not a god. We say he’s a god-like figure but he’s not omnipotent. Even in the comic books he cannot save everyone. I think people die [in Metropolis]. Clearly hundreds if not thousands of people have died while the gravity machines are going off. There were probably even people who died in Smallville. When you’re dealing with a threat like this, there will be collateral damage. This is something that hadn’t been depicted in comic book films is what it would be like if these powerful figures did clash, if The Hulk and Thor fought, people would probably die. Particularly in this case where Zod and the Kryptonians really don’t care if people die. I think people died and I’m sure that upsets some people.

Retconning the past

The follow up to Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice opens with a set-piece revisiting the destruction of Metropolis from the perspective of Bruce Wayne, racing into the city as the calamity occurs above, introducing new elements that change the fundamental meaning an impact of Man of Steel’s ending. But even before the film begins, the narrative was being retconned.

The awesomely-titled prequel comic book Warner Bros. Pictures Presents Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice - Lex Luthor (DC, January 2016) opens with the ruins of LexCorp Tower, with Lex Luthor reflecting:

Lex goes on over the next pages:

A perfect marriage of architecture and technology. The biggest, grandest, most highly advances structure in Metropolis. But after the alien attack…I had to tear up those plans. And I’m glad. Because now, in the hour of Metropolis’s greatest need, when other companies are cutting their losses and running scared… …I have the opportunity—no, the privilege—of rebuilding LexCorp Tower to be the finest skyscraper in the world! To me, Metropolis isn’t a disaster area, or a financial risk. It’s my home. I believe in Metropolis. And I beleive its future—our future—is brighter than ever.

So, now a single LexCorp Tower has been destroyed by the “alien attack” (ie, the two Kryptonians, Superman and Zod), and rebuilding it is integral to Luthor’s image—at least what he puts forward to the people of Metropolis. When we see the still-being-completed LexCorp Tower, it features an asymmetrical peak, with a helipad a few storeis below a spire behind the LexCorp logo:

Later, we see these aspects in various distance shots, and when Superman confronts Luthor mid-way through the film.

After quite an amount of plot development—one could easily say too much—the tower reappears when General-Zod’s-corpse-turned-villain-Doomsday jumps to its spire and drops to the sign and then the tower’s helipad.

From which he fights approaching helicopters, in the obvious style of King Kong (dirs. Merian C. Cooper & Ernest B. Schoedsack, 1933).

Before releasing a blast of energy, bringing down the tower’s spire:

Interestingly, though Luthor and LexCorp (including a production facility) feature prominently in the plot, the tower itself is mostly shrouded in darkness, lit from below in the few scenes in which it appears

Luckily, the talented production artist, Christian Lorentz Scheurer, has made some of his art for the film available:

Locating Metropolis (and Gotham City)

Batman v Superman also expands and connects the Superman and Batman mythos, establishing that—though it never came up in Man of Steel—Metropolis and Gotham City are in fact sister cities, separated by a bay. This is established by some dialogue early on, and made evident when the Bat-signal is lit above Gotham, during the scene in which Superman confronts Luthor in Metropolis.

This fixes the relationship between the cities, which has long been an issue in the comics. Furthe, the film specifies where these two cites are—the fictional East Coast District of Metropolis (DM). When asked in an interview about the specific location of Metropolis, Snyder asnwered:

What we did is, I created this thing called the District of Metropolis, which is a mythical sort of… The problem was is that it happened because legal wanted a state. Legal was like, “What state is Metropolis in?” Legal called me and said it. I was like, “I don’t know. I don’t want to say.” They were like, “You have to say because there’s a Metropolis, Illinois and you could be sued and blah, blah, blah.” I was like, “Okay.” So we created this thing called the District of Metropolis and Metropolis is inside of it. We’re kind of setting it near, it’s sort of an east coast city, but it’s like, right there in Chesapeake Bay, you know? It’s kind of those islands. You could imagine if one of those had been a city had been built on one of those. That’s kinda where we put it.

Putting Metropolis somewhere on the map, like these islands in the Chesapeake Bay:

Though it is also something of an infinite city, skyscrapers occupying much of the frame everytime its shown:

And with the relation between the cities pinned down by the military command:

An Aside: LexCorp Tower in the Comics

LexCorp Tower is most frequently portrayed in the comics as a pair of towers with a shared base, anchoring Metropolis. And, I would argue, had already appeared on screen in Snyder’s adaptation of Watchmen (2009), as Adrian Veidt’s tower.

Wayne Financial, Metropolis

Wayne Enterprises, in various iterations, is itself a staple of DC Comics. Since the 1970s, it has appeared in a variety of forms, helmed by Bruce Wayne. Above, I noted that in the Man of Steel fight, Zod tosses Superman into a non-descript office building. As they fight inside, Zod uses his heat vision for the first time, cutting through the walls an floor, bringing the building down (note that it falls across the frame from left to right as Superman flies out).

Batman v Superman asserts (via retcon) that this building is Wayne Financial, and that Bruce Wayne’s employees there were mostly killed, invoking even more direct 9/11 imagery. The prespective characters see Superman hurled into their building, and can only pray as the building begins to collapse.

Bruce Wayne almost makes it to Wayne Financial in time, but arrives to the see the building fall from the reverse angle, then rushes into the smoke and debris.

Leaving Bruce Wayne staring up at the Superman/Zod fight in impotent rage, establishing his motivation and dark turn in the film.

Thus, by retconning a second building, Snyder and Goyer establish a new logic under which the entire DC Extended Universe will (problematically) operate.

Fans, being what they are, there is of course a cut of the end of Man of Steel and the opening of Batman v Superman spliced together:

#Man of Steel (2013)#Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)#tower #Tower-ing Fiction #Shawn Gilmore

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