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raayllum · 2 months

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Time to be wonderfully self indulgent and talk about a scene comparison I've wanted to for a hot second (while pointing very decidedly to This Post for posterity's sake).

So let's talk about the hostage exchanges for Callum and Rayla in 4x09 and 5x08, shall we?

First, let's look at the scene setup.

In 4x09, Rayla is very much the aggressor and pursuant, and the one who — initially — has more power. She has her sword up to Terry's throat, neither him nor Claudia have strong reason to think she wouldn't go through with it, and she explicitly threatens Terry's life precisely because of his importance to Claudia. This is similar as to why Finnegrin threatens Rayla (though there are differences, which we'll get to in a moment), so both elves start out as the aggressor in each scenario.

However, there is soon a shift. Callum's "deal" happens because he escalated violence against Finnegrin (the infamous punch), a tad more similarly perhaps to how Rayla is only threatening Terry because she believes Claudia and co. are a threat to the whole world. Now to be fair, Claudia is only threatening Rayla's parents because Rayla is threatening Terry, but we can assume she had the realization of their connection to Rayla a while ago and has been sitting on it just in case she needed leverage, given that she doesn't seem to need a second to consider. I also think we're inclined, typically within the show, to see the person offering up Options / a choice to make as the one who holds more power in the immediate situation (i.e. Karim's whole sun seed for Janai debacle) even if it may be 60-40 the way it is here.

Not a huge power imbalance, but enough that people are being pushed into corners, and that's exactly where Claudia and Finnegrin attempt to do, and arguably do more successfully, to Callum and Rayla respectively.

We've talked a fair bit about Claudia, so now I want to talk about Finnegrin, simply because he gets a whole episode of corner backing, and therefore there's more stages.

The first stage is Finnegrin attacking Callum as an individual — "Look at you: slave to your friends, your loyalties, your pride. I can give you your freedom though" — and it's the least effective, as Callum never budges or shows any real hints of budging even under torture. However, Callum's admission that he has indeed done dark magic before ("I did one spell. One. I had to, to save my friends") gives Finnegrin the tools he needs to create the next prong of his approach.

Stage two is attacking Callum through his friends, and is far more effective. This is why he sets the hand cutting challenge, and Callum buys into it, i.e. the idea that he has to choose, over the idea that Callum could conceivably offer up his own hand instead. This is not to say that he wouldn't — there's little doubt in my mind that Callum wouldn't have seriously considered if not outright done the chain spell up on deck if Rayla hadn't tried to intervene, since as Finnegrin correctly assesses, "They would do anything for you, so clearly you'll do anything for them" — just that his own hand didn't occur to Callum as an option the way it might've to someone like Rayla.

The third stage, of course, is the one that's most interesting to us, simply in how Callum's "hostage deal" differs from Rayla's in both its construction, their assumptions, and their responses.

Claudia: One thing I don't know though — if I threw the coins in the lava, would it release your spirits? Or would they be trapped in some kind of eternal burning agony? Let's trade. You let him go... and I'll give you the coins.

Finnegrin: The cave is for his protection. This way, he lures us a leviathan but doesn't get eaten. The one getting thrown into the sea serpent's hungry mouth is your elf girl.

Claudia's offered deal is different from Finnegrin's in a few ways.

1) Claudia's deal is explicitly stated in not just the text, but the scene itself ("Let's trade") meanwhile Finnegrin, unlike the two stages prior, does not offer Callum any notion of freedom this time around. Even though neither ends up being a fair deal regardless, the setup of said deal is different. Rayla is being legitimately offered; Callum is making a (desperate but understandable) assumption.

2) Exemplified in a drabble I wrote in which Finnegrin was bluffing, I think it's worth noting that the peril Rayla's parents were in was much more apparent. They were completely defenseless, Claudia was already holding them over the lava, and just one quick throw would be enough to potentially leave them in an "eternal burning agony" (which sounds worse than death by sea leviathan to me; at least that decidedly ends at one point). Rayla could see and hear all this. Callum, by contrast, did not see Rayla tied up, or in distress, and Finnegrin had no proof other than his word. That's not to say Callum was wrong to believe him — he'd just watched Finnegrin torture her, and Finnegrin was very much not bluffing in canon — but that normally Callum is a bit more skeptical and wants a bit more proof in regards to things, and this was a time where emotion really pushed him forward. The immediate consequences of however Rayla responded would be seen with her own eyes, where it's unlikely Callum would've even known precisely when Rayla had died/been eaten with any of his senses or knowledge; it's arguably the one 'mercy' that Finnegrin provided him.

3) And as stated, both Claudia and Finnegrin end up being disingenuous. It seems likely that Claudia always intended to trick Rayla, even if she'd let Terry go, given that while we don't see her slight of hand in general on screen, it doesn't seem like it would've been possible for her to take the coins back out again and switch them before tossing the pouch. That seems like a one and done type of thing earlier on. Finnegrin, of course, takes Callum to task for his assumption ("Oh my poor lad; that deal was no longer on the table") and given his choice to feed Rayla to the sea leviathan anyway, I don't think Finnegrin was ever telling Callum about his plans in order to get him to give up the info. I think it was just supposed to be a punishment, plain and simple, for the literal blow to his pride.

But now for the difference I think everyone clicked on this meta for, realistically, are the choices that Callum and Rayla made in response to the offered Deals.

When Rayla's parents lives are on the line, she considers, but ultimately refuses.

She does not partake in the deal. Rather, she escalates her own refusal of it by pushing Terry to his knees, says so outright — "I'm not making a deal with you!" — and looks up at Claudia, watching and waiting to see how she responds. Claudia as wholly tossed the coin pouch, and Rayla is seeing it arc down towards the lava, before she finally releases Terry to go and try to save her family.

Rayla does not fold the second her parents are verbally threatened, or when there is a possibility of getting them back. Despite her wanting to stop Claudia and Viren, the bigger issue is ultimately letting Claudia escape > actually keeping Terry away from her as an ally/helper. It is only when her parents will burn to death in front of her eyes that she relinquishes her stalemate in an attempt to save them.

You can argue that Rayla going back on her refusal means she made the same choice as Callum in 5x08, and that's fine; it's your prerogative, it's your interpretation, it's cool beans.

However, that doesn't ignore the character beat that Rayla at least refuses upon the first possibility of a threat. Claudia directly threatens three of Rayla's loved ones, and Rayla doesn't budge and verbally/physically refuses to give Claudia what she wants.

And Callum does the same with Finnegrin under torture... until Finnegrin threatens Rayla. The second Callum realizes that Rayla is in danger, that she will or might be killed, Callum folds.

The parallel response here would've been Rayla letting go of Terry the second that Claudia said she might throw the coins into the lava, but Rayla doesn't. And Callum does, even though as he said earlier ("I'm not going to help you murder the Archdragon of the Ocean") this makes him complicit in murder.

And this is where Callum's assumption really bites him in the ass, because he assumes that Finnegrin is still operating under the terms of their previous deal ("Told me something I wanted and now she's free as a bird") even though Callum isn't asking for his freedom, but Rayla's. But Finnegrin's pride is wounded — this was always meant to be a straight up punishment, not enough form of coercion — the wick of his anger lit, so it makes no difference.

Rayla refuses Claudia's deal when thinking it existed, only to find out it didn't. Callum agrees to Finnegrin's deal only to find it out it no longer exists. He gave Finnegrin what the pirate wanted and it isn't even going to save the person he gave it up for.

Both failed exchanges — or in Rayla's case, a failed rescue — end in defeat and devastation: Rayla sobbing and letting out a scream of anguished frustration, and Callum laying on the floor in despair, totally sideways from how much he's pulling at his chains.

I don't think I have to say much else as these scenes and comparisons basically speak for themselves. Neither choice these two make is necessarily the right or wrong choice — for Rayla, her inability to put what she wants first could've resulted in her parents' deaths and has caused herself and others a lot of suffering; for Callum, he understandably wanted to protect a loved one at all cost, even if that left him exploitable and unsuccessful amid Finnegrin's ire, and gave the pirate a dangerous piece of information.

However, I do think that although Callum's choice spells an ominous future (and that Rayla's foreshadows the uncertainty of what she may do when Callum is, inevitably, possessed again, and their futures collide), it's worth examining it as his biggest, more positive difference from Viren, and that's what my next post will be about — so stay tuned if you like.

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mitskiluvr · 27 days

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i wish that miles lost his shit in 1-4 like for all they try to portray him as fake-apathetic he definitely should’ve torn manfred von karma apart. You’re telling me that FOR YEARS you were haunted by visions of you killing ur father and then you find out that your surrogate father figure WAS THE ONE that killed your dad and your response is to … nod along and go “yes yes it seems my name has been cleared oh indubitably”

#maybe you should beat his ass instead #give miles edgeworth a WEAPON #sigh #i think that there were many occasions in the entire ace attorney series where characters should’ve lost their shit #and beaten people up #i want to see anger and bloodshed and grief and anger again and also anger and did i mention anger #ace attorney #miles edgeworth #mitsurugi reiji

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transmasccofee · 7 months

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talking about the ending again I love the ending. The more I think about the ending the more I love it. It’s hopeful but it’s not happy. It’s the best conclusion I can think of for Saiki’s character. It gives the audience so much room to headcanon what happens next. It’s so good it’s so sos so sos hkfiejevfemmfrejfmfnfmf.

#I’m so used to being disappointed by endings #Never seen any other series beat the ending saiki k has #Fuckkkk. AAAAAA. ITS SO GOOD THE WHOLE SERIES IS SO GOOD. HOW IS IT SO GOOD.#It left me wanting more but didn’t leave me unsatisfied like #Expertly crafted #I don’t think people understand how good it is #It’s also like.. weirdly cohesive.#I can’t remember any arcs that felt clunky or awkward or unfitting #Because of the premise even the stupid stuff works #And everything like. Matters.#even brief arcs matter and get referenced again (possibly because from what I can tell Shuuichi Asou really likes callbacks)#It’s just so good

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juneviews · 1 year

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ONE YEAR OF NOT ME DAY 4: favorite scenes

#one year of not me #not me #not me the series #seanwhite #danyok #thai drama #my gifs #bypiningbisexuals #I couldn't just choose one scene ;_; so I did my top 10 #tbh I still had to cut so many of my faves scenes including dan's betrayal & black beating up sean but those are present in other days #this again took forever lol

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tsuchinokoroyale · 4 months

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It’s so good to see you.

Lies of P (2023)

#I finished lying and penising for the last time…#I got the game for my PS5 after 100%ing it on game pass bc I was so impressed and obsessed I needed to get a physical copy #so I obviously had to 100% it again and I hilariously forgot to read a letter to unlock an achievement #so I had to play the game a FOURTH TIME since you only get the letter at the end and restarting the game wipes all letters from your bag #but that let me do something I LOVE doing with these shorter games #which is putting the effort to give these characters the best endings their quests allow #so I can leave the characters in the world with as much peace as I can #I also did this in majora’s mask with my final run of the game being about doing every single side quest I could and beating ever boss #so that termina would be as peaceful as it would be once the mask was destroyed and skull kid freed #that being said wearing the alidoro mask led to an unintentionally hilarious semi final cutscene #a tear is supposed to roll down your face at one point but instead it was just a completely still super close shot of the dog mask #and I burst out laughing like nooooooo #luckily I’ve scene the ending like 3 times already but can you imagine if that was the only time I’d seen it 😂#I one rounded nameless puppet this time I truly felt like a god I’m so grateful for neowiz for making this game its been so fun #even after beating it like 7 times I know I’ll be playing it again one day and I’m gonna be a preorder ho for the Lies of series #the DLC and sequel can’t come soon I’m so in love with this game I need to eat it #Lies of P #video games #lies of p sophia #lies of p carlo

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tough-n-dumb · 3 days

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high tide - chapter 1: return

A series of sequentially linked scenes that may have taken place during the Ice Court Heist: SoC Spin-Off Edition. Mostly Kanej.

First chapter posted—in which Inej returns

"The Volkvolny was docked in Fifth Harbor, which meant Inej was too. At least, that’s what Kaz assumed. He wouldn’t give in to the temptation to check himself. She made the decision to leave, and she would have to make the decision to come back. To you, his mind supplied treacherously. He did his best to banish the thought."

Read on AO3

#this one beat me up over and over again but it's here #the ice court scenes series i kept saying i was gonna do and finally started lol #six of crows #crooked kingdom #shadow and bone #kaz brekker #inej ghafa #kanej #kanej fanfiction #six of crows fanfiction #my writing

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pickletrip · 5 months

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August you little piece of shit.

Could you stop and think for once before doing something, especially when you already know that Day likes you romantically?! You already knew that you could not reciprocate his feelings so you decided to lie and pretend hoping it would make Day feel better?? What kind of rationalizing is this? Dude, c'mon.

Day is not just dealing with his romantic feelings here and you cannot just assume that you can fill in a role temporarily just to give him good memories and feelings. NOBODY FEELS GOOD BEING LIED TO. Take your pity and stuff it up your ass. I cannot feel any sympathy for him. If you want to make Day feel good and happy be genuine about it. It's very simple.

If you already knew that you did not like him that way, then why did you initiate that kiss?

Did Day confess directly to you so you felt the need to take some action? NO.

Did Day tell you that he had a crush on someone and you were scared of losing him? NO.

Then why would you kiss him and then reject him when he kisses back? What tomfoolery is this? Are you living in your imagination and you think your actions have no consequences? Did you suddenly think that by kissing him things would naturally fall into place? NO AUGUST. THAT'S NOT HOW LOVE WORKS.

#last twilight #last twilight the series #day x mhok #I'm ready to kill August #i don't care if he was having a moment of confusion #he could have had that moment with someone else #your pity is not needed here #take it and get out and don't you dare come back unless you are willing to face the consequences of your actions and you can apologize #you are probably not going to get in Mork's way again but if I see you even in the vicinity of Day I'll beat the shit out of you #HOW COULD YOU NOT APOLOGISE TO DAY?!?#my disappointment and anger has no bounds #as someone who is facing a physical disability myself I can assure you that lying and pity are the worst #people treat you differently because they don't know what to do otherwise when you are around #august pretending to be there for Day was terrible #look august - you have a history of bailing on Day already - what makes you think you can change that overnight #is this how you treat your friends?! learn from Gee #end of rant #dammit august #gmmtv bl #thai bl series

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pharawee · 14 days

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So Beating Again ended with Earth and Kaownah's characters as boyfriends with the cutest pining and confession scenes.

No kissses (except for Kaownah sneaking in some sniff kisses at the end) but I don't even mind since that's not the focus of the series anyway. I'd love to see them in a show of their own though. 🙏

#beating again the series #earth katsamonnat #cooheart #kaownah kittipat #kaownahearth #jane watches stuff #i've already recorded all their scenes i might as well gif this #i liked how kay/kaownah was the one falling first #and how fay/earth essentially tricked him into confessing #so cute #it's only four eps and i really hope they'll add subs for this eventually

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dykeyuu · 2 months

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every day when i wake up i say to myself “dykeyuu you are not purchasing any sanrio merchandise today” but then i find the deal of the century……..

#like. i only buy it if i know for sure ill NEVER find it at that price again #2007 corduroy keroppi that literally doesn’t exist on the internet? $16 #i came across it by chance and it took me hours to find evidence that anyone else had ever owned one #found a chococat one too from the same series but it’s pricier…#but it’s the only one listed anywhere that i can find so. perhaps #sike i found one in the philippines there’s TWO corduroy chococats on the internet #i mean there’s literally one reddit thread i could find from years ago confirming that this series existed #and it’s only got like two commenters who only vaguely remembered the series #and a handful of worthpoint entries confirming that a couple of each of them had sold on ebay at some point #all the other sanrio corduroy plushies i could find were from other series #there’s a hello kitty and my melody from the same year but it wasn’t the same series #both series were rereleases in 2007 and the original release year for hk/mm was earlier than cc/k #20in 2012 fiesta keroppi? $40 when he usually goes for $100+#(this includes shipping…)#was devastated to find an etsy listing for the 2010 limited keroppi build a bear for $85 that had already sold…#the next cheapest one of those is like $140 #and dont get me fucking started on chococat #no build a bear should EVER go for $500 #like be serious. maybe it was limited edition 14 years ago but it’s still a damn stuffed animal #manifesting they rerelease the original sanrio build a bears to beat the price gougers into submission #the intersection of two special interests: sanrio and buying things from people who don’t know what they have #throwback to the 1993 keroppi squeaky toy that i thrifted for 25 cents #just looked it up to see and i found the exact same one but only on worthpoint #he used to be a keychain… mine is just the little guy with no chain #comparable one from the same year same size/material etc just different design goes for $20+#context i refuse to make a worthpoint account and pay them just to see what things sold for on ebay they can kiss my ass #me when i need to infodump but gf is at work and has already heard like half of this

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todayisafridaynight · 1 year

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weh

#rgg #ryu ga gotoku #ryu ga gotoku 7 #yakuza series #yakuza 7 #yakuza like a dragon #ryo aoki #masato arakawa #snap sketches #i dont know what happened but today i woke up dying #i never get sick but ive been stuffy and coughing all mornin #then again i read The Most Fic ive ever seen so i think i got sepsis from it :///#anyway have to fill my quota of drawing aoki beat up #also i keep rewatching an amv my bestie made its taken over my brain #i have a comic drafted that i was going to do yesterday but i was too busy playing y3 to do it so #lets see if im alive later to do that LMAOOO #bye for now

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crazy-fangirl2524 · 8 months

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Right where you left me

As usual, the first thing Jean felt when he woke up was pain. The bruised ribs that made him gasped for breath as quietly as he could, a pounding headache from his concussion, throbbing pain in way too many areas of his body to even differentiate where it was from. Jean felt all of that before he even opened his eyes.

He didn’t even noticed that he was still on the floor, the same spot he was where Riko had left him.

This was one of the worst beatings Riko had ever given him. And what else had he expected?

Kevin Day had left the Riko, he had left the Nest, the Ravens.

Kevin Day had left Jean Moreau.

And it wasn’t really anyone’s fault now is it? Jean was the one that gave Kevin the opportunity to slip away. Because Kevin Day asked, he begged, “If you were ever friends with me, get him out of my room. I can’t see him right now.” After Riko had stomped the shit out of his hands.

Jean should have known that sentiments and feelings are what would get him killed in the Nest. He should have known better. But Kevin had always been a blurry hazardous warning that he should have known better about. Jean had known better than to befriend Kevin because there were no such things as friends in the Nest. Jean should have known better than to care for Kevin.

And now Kevin Day had left Jean behind. Jean should have seen it coming. He just never expected Kevin of all people to grow a spine. Jean’s had been broken by the Master and Riko a long time ago. Its splinters sometimes protruding and those were the rare moments where Jean taught Kevin French, sneaked a cake for Kevin’s birthday, and now this. The last time Jean would ever help anyone. He couldn’t afford anymore of this, physically and emotionally.

Nothing had changed. Everything had changed. Jean was still where he knew he would always be, behind and beneath Riko with no one to ever hand him a first aid kit or rough hands to pull him off the floor.

So Jean pulled himself up, arms shaking and sweat dripping down his face. With an agonisingly slow pace, Jean pulled himself up and onto his bed, wondering how he was supposed to go to practice later. He laid on his bed, every inch of his body aching and burning and screaming but none of it hurt as bad as his heart did. Jean thought it had been dead for years but Kevin Day had always been an exception. Jean never thought they could escaped. Jean never even dreamed of himself escaping except through death. Kevin Day was once again an exception.

#to soothe you guys at least Jean doesn’t have to go to practice the next day because riko got beaten up by the master as well #so the master for once let jean off to heal from this brutal beating from riko #hc that the masters beating for riko is even more brutal than the beating riko gave jean #a girl can hope and dream right #anyways kevjean(?) angst because I love jean moreau #jean always knew he would be left behind but but but and yet he didn’t expect it #so yeah jean is once again left in the nest #where else can he go he got nowhere else #anyways sorry for this angst if I’m suffering everyone gotta suffer #aftg #all for the game #tfc #the foxhole court #aftg series #aftg fandom #aftg incorrect quotes #jean moreau #kevin day #aftg kevin #aftg jean #aftg hc #aftg headcanon #tfc headcanon #tfc hc #aftg fanfic #aftg fanfiction #aftg fic #aftg trilogy #aftg shitpost #aftg reread

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