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penultimate-step · 2 months

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In Defense of Ruby Hoshino

Or: Yes, the Aqua/Ruby interactions from the last couple dozen chapters ARE necessary for characterization and thematic reasons, why do you ask?

The Oshi no Ko fandom has kind of frustrated me over the last few months. It feels like every chapter that comes out and any discussion of it now has people making over the top angry exclamations talking about how much they hate incest, calling it "bait" and irrelevant to the story. Now, while of course anybody is free to have their own preferences and things that bother them, I do think some of this is taken out of proportion, and perhaps blinding them to the actual narrative importance of Ruby's supposed feelings for Aqua. Which, I do think this is a critical, load bearing part of Ruby's character arc, and corresponding the themes of the story as a whole, so it bothers me when I see so many people dismissing it as "brocon fanservice" or shipping nonsense.

I think perhaps out of an instinctive disgust reaction, people have trouble engaging with it. The way people act seems to be that either this is a serious romance plot, and the series will end with them dating, or that it is merely for sexual titillation and shock value on the part of the author, with no greater meaning, but it's pretty clear that it is neither of those things - Aqua/Ruby is not a romance, they will not date, they do not have romantic feelings for each other. However, that doesn't mean that what's going on between them is pointless.

The issues that Ruby has, both in their relationship and just in general, hinge pretty explicitly on Ruby's assumptions about her own feelings in her past life. she cannot develop past those without first confronting them.

And this is not a new thing. The groundwork for how Ruby has been acting in the movie arc was laid down long before, and needs necessary followup. To simply not have her talk about potential feelings for Aqua, as some fans wish, would have meant leaving many threads hanging, and made for a worse story. Almost everything about how they've interacted was something that could have been predicted from chapter 77. In it, Ruby makes it clear that she believes her feelings for Gorou are romantic, and that she intends to try to initiate something in her new life. However, at the same time, the fact that it was never going to happen is also, I feel, fairly clear.

In the past, in the flashback scene, Sarina claimed she was in love with Gorou. He told her he would reciprocate when she turned 16. In my opinion, I do not think either of the feelings the characters expressed in this scene were meant to be believed by the audience at all. Sarina is 12 here, she might have a puppy crush on the doctor but I think true romantic interest was probably beyond her. Meanwhile, Gorou isn't actually a pedophile? His statement was made with both parties knowing that she would die long before then, a way to make his rejection hurt her less, and as a desperate attempt to motivate her to keep living as long as she could. Though it is clear that both are the most important people to one another, and that this is an expression of their real care, I very, very, much doubt there was any actual romance in this scene.

Does this not seem very relevant for a series with the theme of people not understanding love? Back then, Gorou was Sarina's one true bond. Her parents had abandoned her and she had no friends to visit her. This was the one example of real mutual care she had, of course she would call it "love." (I mean, I'd also call it love, but not a romantic love. Familial, if anything, but friends works too - the actual name on it is unclear, what matters is that they cared for each other, but not like that.) Now, in her new life as Ruby, she has many more people who love her and who she loves in return, but having died both painfully young before, she hasn't had the opportunity to really grapple with all the old feelings about the doctor. It's pretty obvious to me whenever we see Ruby thinking of Aqua now. Just look at this page from 126:

In Ruby's own mind, he's drawn in a completely different style, like a manga romance hero. Her feelings about Aqua are fantasies, dreams, and projections, not substantial or tied to reality.

Much has been made of how Aqua, despite being Ai's son, still puts her on the pedestal of an idol, and can not see her flaws and interiority, even as he tries to avenge her death. Part of this movie arc is having characters like Ruby, Kana, and Akane start to see Ai from new angles, and relate to the human part of her. But for Aqua and Ruby to truly develop past their issues, this isn't the only pedestal they need to tackle. Ruby's regard for the doctor is a direct mirror to Aqua's feelings towards Ai. Even with the object of her affections right in front of her, she can't she past her own assumptions.

And of course, while Ruby is slowly coming to understand Ai and still failing to understand Aqua, there's one more person in the room who Ruby needs to come to an understanding about: herself, both as Sarina and now. Her refusal to see Aqua's flaws is tied up in her own feelings about the past - to acknowledge him as imperfect would mean understanding that part of the reason Sarina loved Gorou was tied up in her own desperation to love and be loved. Furthermore, while she has many more ties in her life as Ruby, I don't think its a stretch to say part of her is still stuck in that past state, holding people at arm's length.

While she has friends now, the bonds she thinks of as strongest are the ones from back then - her idolization of Ai, her love for Gorou. When Aqua reveal's Ai's secrets, in 106, Ruby says that despite being siblings, raised together for 17 years now, she didn't think of Aqua as family on his own terms - she felt a bond solely because they were linked through Ai, and does not hesitate to cut him off. She doubles down on this in 122, calling them "strangers who happened to be born in the same place." Similarly, while Ruby has been shown to be friendly with coworkers like Kana and Mem, as well as classmates like Frill, on some level she is keeping them at a distance. Beyond the simple fact that she can't talk to them about her previous life, she's been keeping plenty of emotions held in for a long time - pretty much every Ruby appearance from the Miyazaki Return arc to today has shown her not wanting to acknowledge her own struggles. Her pain from her life as Sarina is easy to keep buried. When nobody else knows Sarina exists, all she has to do is not think about it, not talk about it, not say anything, and it's almost like it never happened. Not til her breakdowns in chapters like 115 and 121 does she speak it aloud, but always either with plausible deniability or when she thinks she's alone.

I don't think her bonds as Ruby are fake - part of what she says to aqua, I think, is a defensive cope - but much like how she says she is in love with Gorou now, that is what Ruby believes. To her, all the friendships and bonds she's made in her new life are transient and fleeting things. She can never feel secure that they are based in real feelings, that they won't simply drop her when she becomes inconvenient, as everyone in her past life did. This perception contributes to her own willingness to reject others. Putting her friends at a distance during her revenge arc, cutting ties with Aqua over the Ai reveal, these are all things she does because she has no faith in the foundations of these bonds, and without understanding them she is willing to throw them away for Sarina's old memories - for the sake of the one person she believes will never let her down.

The only way Ruby is going to solve the story of Oshi no Ko is through coming to an understanding. Of Ai, of Aqua, and of Sarina. Ai didn't understand love until the day she died, and both of her children have in some ways followed in her footsteps, but Ruby has the chance to be the one to break this, to understand what was holding her back before and fully embrace loving her family and friends.(platonically. geez.) Reckoning with her feelings for Gorou (and by extension, Aqua,) was always going to be a key step forward for her. These dominoes have been laid down for 60-70 chapters now, at least, and I am excited to see where it goes.

#oshi no ko #ruby hoshino #step.animanga #step.blogger #step.effortpost

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pastafossa · 5 months

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FINALLY got to take the holt monitor off today oh god the relief it was so itchy. I'm weirdly excited because I can't always predict when my heart's going to its weird 'slam into my chest for no apparent reason' thing but I had two days where I had a couple episodes, so that's been captured on the monitor presumably! Also I can read smut fics again now that they aren't monitoring me. 😅 And I got my echo done today! Now I just gotta wait until the results are in and for my followup in January!

In other news, I finished carving my newest lil sea serpent! Mom wanted to try her hand at painting one, so my part in the process is done! I think he came out adorably, personally. 🥺 Next up is a Bucky Barnes bear, aka a polar bear with blue eyes and my first attempt at a metal arm. We'll see how it goes. 😬

#pasta life update #i have to send the little heart monitor off and they should call me in a week #and let me know about the results #other than that I just gotta chill until the end of Jan basically #and my christmas carvings are progressing nicely #i'm hoping they'll help pay off some of the vet bills from this past year!

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revalentinee · 2 months

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Pokemon Legends Z-A: Starter Prediction (but it's actually about more than that)

Since the announcement of this surprisingly early return to Kalos, there's been a lot of speculation regarding the starters. Following the trend of Legends: Arceus, we're expecting the starters to be ones from other regions. Snivy and Piplup seem like really likely choices given their inspirations, with things more up in the air for the fire starter. However, I have a different Idea.

The starters for Legends: Z-A will be...

...Chespin, Fennekin and Froakie, the same starters pokemon X and Y had.

Why, you may ask? A couple reasons, or rather, one main one...

Mega Evolution will be making its grand return in ZA. When this feature was first introduced, it was a way to breathe new life into old designs, without having to commit to a new evolution-even accessiable to pokemon who already had a three-stage line. This idea for rejuvinating old pokemon has stuck around, but not in the same way.

Gen 7 decided to leave Megas as they were and brought along Regional Variants. Generation 8 cut megas entirely, but brought the variants back alongside new evolutions of those variants and Gigantamax Forms. Legends: Arceus continued the variant + evo angle, including the starters...

...and then, gen 9 only gave only two old pokemon variants, with Paradox Pokemon taking up the majority of the "revamp old designs" idea as well as the small amount of so-called "convergent" pokemon, or regional fakes. Quite a few old pokemon even got straight-up normal evolutions.

My point is, when Game Freak makes a new way to rejuvenate old designs, the old way is reduced or not used at all...could the same not be true when bringing back an old idea? To put it bluntly, The Kalos Starters will receive Mega Evolutions.

-Lack of Kalos Megas. Out of all the pokemon introduced in XY, only Diancie received a Mega Evolution. The reasoning apparently being to let these pokemon stand on their own first, but it's been long enough, hasn't it? Especially for these three.

A few reasons to back up why this could be the case:

-Limited Scope. Legends: ZA is stated to be taking place entirely within Lumiose City. and while we know little of the specifics, one big city as opposed to an entire region leaves a lot less room for possible regional variants. All the more likely the old gimmick will take most if not complete focus.

-Starter Saturation. Assuming Legends: ZA beings back all previous mega evolutions, both the kanto and hoenn sets of starters will be bouncing around Lumiose. With the Kalos starters included as well, that's three sets of starters for one game. Legends Arceus only had two, and as shown with that game's 240-ish amount of pokemon, Legends will likely have a more limited pokedex than the main series. Feels like too much to throw in a fourth set.

-Galarian Precedent. The Base game for Pokemon Sword and Shield did not give its starters Gigantamax forms, but the DLC for it did. It's likely the same idea, but for megas, was intended for whatever XY followup was scrapped back in the early 2010s.

-Once isn't a trend. Some might site Legend Arceus' use of other starters as a trope of the "Legends" series, but Legends Arceus was only one game. We have no idea how much or how little of that game's ideas will continue into this one.

And well...They're in one game! The complete set of Kalos starters only had one set of games to enjoy being those starters, while starters of previous and later generations had multiple sets, or at least DLC continuation, to be >your< first partner in. I think they need another shot while not competing with pokemon that have had more chances to be picked, like snivy or piplup.

And...yeah, as someone who loves regional variants, speculated on what variants of other starters could look like and even somewhat preferts variants to mega evolution as a concept...I might be a little bummed if this prediction comes true. But the more I thought about it, the more likely this seemed, and the true Kalos starters frankly deserve getting what the kanto and hoenn starters got. Besides...

look at him face :)

#pokemon legends z-a #pokemon legends za #pokemon z #kalos #plza #plz #plza starters #starter pokemon #pokemon predictions #mega evolution

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hacash · 1 year

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What do you think abt how colin kissed his bf in public when in earlier episodes he made a point he was content with just the team knowing and he didn't want to be a spokesperson I'm curious on your thoughts

I think the only way they could have done it is in the finale when there's guaranteed to be no followup, if we're going for raw realism! That being said, this was happiness-driven raw realism that I can forgive a lot more readily than the far more ugly 'raw realism' of Colin being outed against his will, which everyone was predicting at the start of the season - it was a sweet moment that Colin clearly has been wanting for ages and even I in my stone-cold heart can't deny him that. He got caught up in the emotion and hell, whether he decides that that means he's happy to come out further or whether by some miracle no-one noticed in the joy of the moment is very much up to the audience.

This post has some great ideas about where it could go from here. But ultimately, Ted Lasso had freakin' Santa Claus in it - I'm willing to believe in one tiny miracle that had everyone looking in another direction/too dizzy with elation to care, if it means Colin gets a happy ending.

#ted lasso #ted lasso spoilers #colin hughes

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pellaaearien · 27 days

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tell us more about the Oracle AU? <3

So uh... holy shit? I set out to write another snippet of something to give you and oops 1200 words later?

I haven't written that much in a LONG time.

So, yes, following on from the first ask, and following the series of asks sent into Gabe's blog, Dream starts to see horrible visions of war and destruction coming to the kingdom. He is eventually kidnapped by Burgess to pre-empt the war, believing Hob killed in his defence.

Hob is down, but he's not out, and the instant he's able to move, he goes to rescue his Dream.

Hob can’t separate the burning of the pain in his body from his rage. He probably shouldn’t be out of bed, much less wielding a sword and fighting multiple men. He ignores his body’s limitations with the ease of long training. He knows has enough in him to get to Dream; nothing else matters. He’d sworn Dream would be taken only over his dead body, and he isn’t dead yet, so his course is clear. Fortunately, he doesn’t meet any other guards on his way down the stairs. Hob breathes deeply, husbanding his strength. Rescuing Dream is paramount. Failure because his body gave out at a critical juncture is not acceptable. He pushes open a door at the bottom of the stairs. He sees cage bars and apart from a glance to see that there’s someone inside he doesn’t let himself look. He’s already having a hard enough time being in a fit state to fight. Instead, he focuses on the man in rich robes standing in front of him, with a guard to either side. His vision narrows, his arm numb so he can barely feel the sword in his hand. “Come now,” the king says, calm and composed, his voice ringing in Hob’s ears as his guards draw their weapons. “Surely an Oracle with such weak prophecies isn’t worth all this trouble. What use a foreteller who can predict nothing?” Hob doesn’t bother to answer, letting his dodge from the first soldier’s attack carry him into the second, cutting him down with a heavy blow that he puts all his weight into, bolstering his faltering limbs. He parries the first guard’s followup attack, overbalancing slightly, and is saved by the fact that the man presses too eagerly, leaving an opening that Hob can exploit. When both guards lie dead, Burgess is slightly less confident, his expression slipping. “Surely there’s no need for this,” he says, with a smile that shakes slightly in the face of Hob’s righteous fury. “You can certainly stay with him, if that’s what you wish. No need for all this unpleasantness.” Hob’s lip curls in a snarl. He’s sure Burgess would love that. Only a matter of time before he sought to use them against each other, and uncovered the secret of Dream’s powers. There’s a sound of metal striking stone; Hob’s hand releasing his sword, quite without his say so. Burgess’ smile widens, somehow believing he’s won him over. It makes it all the more satisfying for Hob to drive his fist into his face.

#wip tag game #oracle au

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hlvrai2predictions · 5 months

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GNOME LORE MEGAPOST

Hello all! This isn't quite a prediction, but I've recently rewatched the final act of the Gnome Series, and I thought that it may be a good idea to go over some relevant information!

Firstly, there's debate on whether or not HLVRAI and HLAGE are in the same continuity at all, or just separate stories in a long anthology of Wayneradiotv being besieged by various supernatural entities that dwell within the strange copies of games he plays. I believe that they are interconnected, and while I haven't seen hard proof of it, there is an implication. Now, both the Red Gnome and Gabe Newman (who I will be calling Newman for the sake of clarity) make occasional references to HLVRAI, with Newman even saying "Dr. Bubby was my favourite character." I don't believe this disqualifies their connection, though. HLVRAI begins with Wayne explaining the nature of this version of Half Life to his stream chat, saying that he's going to "get into character" so that the game "works" (here at about 2:45.) This is removed from the final cut, but Dr. Coomer confirms that it IS 2020, the Coomer fight confirms that Gordon is a real human being playing Half Life, and Gordon makes semi frequent jokes about 'JustinTV', which was created nearly a decade after Half Life's setting and would only really make sense to joke about if he was a streamer. Furthermore, in HLAGE, the events are EXPLICITLY live streamed, with Wayne saying "No, nah, I'm done, that's the stream guys, that's the end," (here at 55:03) when removing his headset during the ending, which was scripted and edited behind the scenes (meaning it was considered and approved as part of the narrative and not a passing remark) but presented as part of the livestream in story.

In terms of actual implication that the two are directly connected, the Red Gnome almost always refers to the protagonist as Gordon, despite Baalup calling him Wayne and the player character of the game being Alyx. This would only really make sense if Wayne was portraying the same version of himself and either conveying that by keeping the name consistent or implying the underlying strangeness of the game is connected to the strangeness of his copy of Half Life. Next, a line from Baalup (here around 40:55) could possibly connect the two:

Baalup: Y'know...my friend Wayne...won't-can't just play a game normal...he has to play a game with these stupid mods...

This could indicate other games Wayne has played in the past of this continuity have involved something similarly 'stupid' and possibly involved the characters interacting with him. This could directly tie it to HLVRAI, or could just be in reference to the general RTVS content that puts Wayne through strange experiences.

There is another reference that could strongly imply the two are connected, but that is part of something much larger I will get to later on.

Now, the Gnome Series is heavily analyzable, but to keep things brief, I will mostly be focusing on the ending, starting with the last commentary node. Up until this point, the nodes have been popping up, mostly saying nonsense that is almost certainty lying but occasionally expressing confusion about the gnome, but the final node is the most plausibly prerecorded, the longest, and the most lucid. (here at 47:00)

Gabe Newman: Congratulations! You are the first player to complete the Half Life: Alyx "Gnome Challenge." We were hoping people would be a little more enthusiastic about it. But it seems no one else has been brave enough to rise to the challenge. On behalf of all of us at Valve Software, we hope you're ready to accept the consequences of your actions.

Gabe Newman: This commentary node was triggered via completion of the "Gnome Challenge." You are the first player to access this node. You are the only player that will...hear these lines of commentary. And I advise you to heed their words well...Dear Player. Half-Life...Half-Life is not what it seems. These games, uh, should NEVER be played, by mankind. But...we here at Valve...we knew how well they would sell. We knew the success that would come. And we knew what chaos could be wrought, what...dark dreams could waken and...and we distributed Half-Life anyway. This, is my greatest regret.

Gabe Newman: We had some challenges trying to wrap up development on this bad boy. There was, uh...it's a seal, really old thing, etched out on obsidian. I won't get into the details on how we broke it, but...uh, it was worth the wait. And, the consequences. We'd used the seal before. Many times, actually. It allowed Half-Life to achieve the legacy it has today? The games, each of them...were, amazing. As I'm sure you experienced, having done this challenge. Uh...

Gabe Newman: It wasn't until we started development of Episode 2 that the dread started to overtake me. I had these...nightmares. Every single night. I-I couldn't even tell you what they were, in truth. What I saw in those dreams, what...transpired...was beyond my understanding, but...what was within the grasp of my cognition was the fear. One day the nightmares, just...uh, stopped. And when they did, I-I went into work that mornin'. And that was the day...he...appeared.

Gabe Newman: All of these commentary lines are encrypted. And will delete themselves from Steam's update depository, once a player has listened to them, removing them from all copies of Half-Life: Alyx. These messages...are a confession, of sorts. And this knowledge, dear player, is now yours to do with as you wish, it's in your hands. After completion of the Gnome Challenge the gnome should no longer appear in the game.

Gabe Newman: If you are seeing or hearing the gnome during the vault sequence, DO NOT go to the end of the game, do NOT proceed any farther. We here, at Valve, are not responsible for what happens if you ignore this message. Please. You HAVE to listen to me. Do NOT leave this room. DO NOT complete the game. Take off the headset, put it on the dirty floor and turn the game off. Uninstall it! Rid yourself of all of this.

Gordon: But...gnome...Ugh, what is he-is he pranking me? Is there more dialogue?

Gabe Newman: Please enjoy our new RPG. It's called: POOP. and the Power of PEE. We made it bad on purpose.

The most immediately jarring aspect of this speech are the wild tonal shifts, most obvious in comparing the body of the speech to the ending note and every other node, but even within the body itself. He begins with regret for whatever consequences came from releasing Half-Life, but is also deeply prideful of what he created, lamenting that fewer people seemed interested in the Gnome Challenge than he expected, calling the games amazing, and even saying that they were worth the consequences. He grows frightened as the speech continues, and stresses that if the gnome appears in the vault the game should not be played, before quickly implying that the game should not be played at all and that the player should take their headset off and delete it.

It's a small detail, but it's also notable that despite this being the most believably prerecorded node, he still notes that players weren't enthusiastic about the Gnome Challenge as he'd hoped, which either means he recorded the nodes significantly after the game's launch or is still somewhat aware of the situation around him. I personally believe that Newman is either dead and some part of him is stuck inside the game, or that the Gnome is manipulating his recordings in the same way that he silenced all other voices in the game, but that remains headcanon.

Onto the contents of the speech. Apparently, a "really old" seal etched into obsidian was involved with the development of Half-Life: Alyx, and likely the creation but at least the "legacy" of the other Half-Life games. The seal was "used" in some way, and was "broken" at some point either during the development of Alyx or Half-Life. This seemingly supernatural, ancient influence is presumably why he says "Half-Life should never be played by mankind" (with a notable, if small, pause before he says "by mankind.") After the development of Half-Life 2: Episode 2 he began feeling severe dread and was plagued by nightly terrifying dreams which he couldn't understand or explain. This is presumably the HLVRAI-universe explanation for why Half-Life 3 doesn't exist, the project was abandoned due to the heavy toll it took on Newman.

Then he says the nightmares stopped one day, and that "he appeared." This is likely referencing the gnome, as it is solidly after the development of Episode 2 which would exclude every other already conceived of character. It's not clear whether the gnome appeared physically or just on the software, but considering in another node Newman says that the Blue Gnome's voice just appeared fully formed in the code, and the fact that the Red Gnome later DOES become real, either are a possibility. Either way, this led to the development of Half-Life: Alyx, or possibly just the inclusion of the "Gnome Challenge."

The Finale could be analyzed heavily from the perspective of Gordon and the Gnomes' relationship, but currently I am looking more at what could be set up for the new installation, so we will move forward a bit. Gordon disregards the warning, partly due to its nonsensical ending, and finishes the game. The opening of the vault reveals the Gnome.

The Red Gnome: UH OH! Gordon! You never should have come here! Looks like you gonna get the bad ending! HA HE! You never figured it out, did you? This was never. Your. CHALLENGE. AND I...HAVE WON...THE CHALLENGE!

I will get to the possible importance of this line later. The Gnome rises from the G-man's body, before flying at Gordon, transporting him to a twisting hallway that seems to use Half-Life 2 textures.

The shadow of Alyx Vance's model is also visible on the ground, which is notable because there is a scene in a previous act which specifically calls attention to the fact that the Gnome has a shadow while Gordon does not, and for the fact that it is several feet ahead of Gordon. This is when Gordon decides to "end stream" and take off his headset. He begins to hear loud, antique music that isn't coming from his headset, and tries to leave his room. Opening his door returns him to the same hallway. While there is an implication that Gordon felt real pain and possibly really blacked out as a result of the soldier's ambush in HLVRAI, that the G-Man somehow compelled him to stay for the theater segments between the Commentaries, and that Balp's heat was somehow knocked out by the Gnome, this is the first time a real human being has been directly brought into an 'unreal' space, and sets up the aspect of the Gnome entering real space.

During Gordon's walk through the hallway, the Gnome (in a heavily distorted voice) sings this:

goodnight my beautiful just being with you is so beautiful and tearing away from your arms is not easy to do goodnight my wonderful

goodnight my wonderful there’s nobody who is so wonderful each moment with you is like living a dream come true so hold me close to you

parting is such sweet sorrow your love is all i have to waken for tomorrow

goodnight my beautiful the night will be lonely but beautiful when i’m alone with wonderful dreams of you

This can be inferred as the Gnome essentially saying goodbye to Gordon, as it is him basically getting ready to "wake up" with just a memory of him after they switch places. The Gnome does, to some capacity, love Gordon, but has also accepted his death/parting.

Gordon reaches the end of the hallway, where a door stands. He lights a flashlight which illuminates something immediately in front of him that isn't visible but casts Alyx's shadow. The figure was looking at him, turning around before opening the door. The hall is revealed to immediately terminate behind Gordon, and he is forced to enter the door.

The theater seems to be the same model as the one used in the Commentaries, with four small lights at the bottom of the entrance's interior wall and a dark red accent across all of the exterior walls, though I am not sure of the significance. The Gnome still speaks with his usual informality, but Gordon is less energetic, less argumentative, and audibly scared and placating, probably because any level of safety or understanding he retained while playing the game has now been lost by the fact that this is happening, to some extent, in his real life. He remarks after drinking from a cup that "that's not Mr. Pibb..." in a disgusted tone, which implies he genuinely tasted it and his surroundings are tangible.

The two watch the 'movie, titled The Peppa Pig Movie, uploaded to the WayneradioTV Youtube channel, and attributed to Gordon. The movie is several minutes of stills of Peppa Pig, a Spanish Peppa Pig creepypasta read over footage of a plush holding a knife, and a poorly made gorey Peppa Pig cartoon. The screens abruptly glitches before blacking out. It then plays the actual intro to Peppa Pig, or at least the first few second as Peppa leaps off the logo and stands in a grass field, smiling and blinking before giving a monologue.

Peppa Pig: Hello Gordon! I'm Peppa Pig! Would you like to hear about my day, Gordon? I made three friends today. I became friends with the man clothed all in blue. I became friends with the little man with white beard and red hat. And I became friends! With someone else. You will meet her very soon. Don't Worry. Do you hear the sounds of the hollows, Gordon? I hear them. The girl and I, we know them very well. Don't tell me you can't hear it, Gordon, the song they sing at the edges of the mind. It's quite beautiful. Maybe it's better that you can't hear that, lest you end up like her. Tis a shame what befell that girl, really. But I can tell you this, Gordon. The white woods call for you in dulcet tones, your name, I hear. There is so much more I'd like to talk about with you, Gordon. But alas! Every movie must come to an end and it is time for us four to part ways. But Gordon! You must not forget. Never...forget. The woods. The seeds. The girl. THE KEY! How will you fare, Gordon? When the sea of mud comes for us all? Well, I know what I will do. Splish. Splash. Splosh.

If it had to be said, this is not Peppa Pig. But that does not mean we can't glean a huge amount of information about this character from this. Firstly, it should be noted that the Blue Gnome used the phrase 'dulcet tones' earlier in the same stream, though the significance of that is unclear. The Blue Gnome and Gabe Newman also make completely unprompted references to pigs in this stream, each at least once. The Red Gnome had previously expressed a large amount of excitement and affection surrounding Peppa Pig, and it is unclear if he was actually talking about this or this thing just used that appearance for the sake of the Red Gnome.

The pig seems to speak in a very antiquated way, using "tis", "alas", and "quite", as well as having very strange grammar in some of its sentences, implying it could be very old. Its line about the "sea of mud" implies that it will be happy and dancing during the destruction of all things, though it does say when it "comes for us all" which could imply it is mortal? The lines "There is so much more I'd like to talk about with you, Gordon. But alas!" and "But I can tell you this" indicate that the pig is somewhat limited in what it can and cannot do, and it is not fully in control of the situation. This is perhaps furthered by the fact that it doesn't use 'we' or 'us' when referring to "the white woods" or "they" who sing at the edges of the mind. It also seems to be confident that at the very least, Gordon will not be killed by this experience, assuring him that he will meet the third friend "very soon" and asking about the sea of mud.

Onto nouns. The pig references "three friends" that it made "today." The second is the most easily identifiable. A little man with a white beard and a red hat is a clear description of the Red Gnome. The first is more vague, described as a man wearing all blue. The most obvious answer is the Blue Gnome, but the fact that only the second is described as little, having a beard, and having a hat leads me to dispute this. I would posit that the closest matching character to this description is Benrey.

Gordon wears an orange HEV suit. the science team wears a white labcoat and white pants. Benrey wears blue jeans and a blue button-up shirt. Benrey also appears chronologically before the Gnome, and while it wasn't a day, we also have no reason to believe that the Gnome met the pig the day of the stream, either, and its implied age could mean it wouldn't use exact units of time.

The third friend is the most interesting. We know she uses she/her and is referred to as "the girl." She is alone out of the friends as being able to hear "sounds of the hollows" which is the same as "the song they sing at the edges of the mind" and possibly the same as the "dulcet tones" with which "the white woods" call for Gordon. Something "befell" the girl that was a shame, something that is relating to the song because Gordon might "end up like her" if he could hear it. It's unclear WHAT happened to her, but it may be some variety of madness due to the focus on the mind. The pig remarks that Gordon will meet the third friend "very soon" further implying that he has met the other two before and that this character cannot be someone that Gordon has interacted with in the past.

I personally believe that the third character will be Alyx. Explicit attention is drawn to her as a character with her independent shadow moving into the theater. I am sure that this is in some way relevant to the scene in which it was commented on that the Gnome had a shadow while Gordon (while playing as Alyx) did not. The pig also says "Every movie must come to an end and it is time for us four to part ways." This group of four must include the pig, as it uses "us", and must also include Gordon, who is being spoken to directly. That leaves only two other characters, which does not fit with the three friends. I suggest that the third of the four is the Red Gnome, who sits adjacent to Gordon, and Alyx, who entered the theater. This leads me to believe that it is very possible that Alyx will take some kind of antagonist or at least a deep role in the HLVRAI-HLAGE followup.

"The white woods" is the last described location/character. Not much is said, only that they call for Gordon. It is also mentioned in the phrase "The woods. The seeds. The girl. The key." The seeds are possibly related to the woods, maybe the origin (seeds) that created the woods (trees.) This could indicate that the girl and the key are also related. It emphasizes that he should "never forget" these things, implying they could be important in the followup.

While not much is said about the white woods by the pig, we do learn a bit more. As it finishes speaking, the theater screen dissapears, revealing a forest behind it. Said forest has tall trees, sharp cliffs to each side, a dirt path going forward, and a white sky with pale fog. The fog slowly enters the theater, and a whistling wind can be heard from outside. The Gnome prompts Gordon to enter the woods. The screen seems to be replaced by glass after Gordon exits, trapping him outside. The Gnome then says this:

The Red Gnome: What's wrong, Gordon? Woken up with something of a...nightmare, have you? A foul, murky, story, quite beyond my own reckoning? Well, don't worry! In a few moments, you will wake up good as new! Like this was all just a mere bad dream. HIACKK. HI! You gonna cry about it? Bitch! Understanding comes later. One year. Seven months. Thirty days...Six hours. Twenty-two minutes. We've waited so long...Now Gordon, time to pay...THE FOREST. This was never about you...It was about me.

While the Gnome still says some of this in his usual style of speaking, a large portion of it is VERY verbose and formal. This, combined with the glitching captions, the use of "we", and speaking not out of anger when talking about the time since the challenge started but something like hunger, leads me to believe that the Gnome is still in control of his actions, but at the very least being influenced by something other, most likely the forest itself. It is unclear if the white woods simply demand payment for the challenge being started, or if it possibly has something to do with the obsidian seal that was broken. There could also be connections to how Coomer refers to Gordon's dreams and sleep when talking about the real world

The Red Gnome: I thought you'd never come back...but this was always going to happen, wasn't it?

This is said in the Gnome's normal voice, and indicates that he previously did not understand fully what was going to happen.

Bright, psychedelic images begin surrounding Gordon, the screen fades to white, and he starts screaming before cutting out.

This is when the Gnome becomes 'real', taking over Gordon's house, career as a twitch streamer, and entire life. He returns to his normal voice and cadence and begins a playthrough of Half-Life 2. Besides having God mode, the only other change seems to be that the screens have been glitched to obscure Kleiner and Breens' faces. Strangely, an individual Combine Police Officer's mask has been blurred at around 1:22:00 as well.

In a playground, he finds a gnome modeled to resemble Wayne, implying that the two have swapped places. The Gnome gets increasingly upset about the fact that Gordon no longer speaks, going from mocking him to trying to bait him into reacting and then just begging him to speak.

The Red Gnome: Alone...Al..one...Alone...Alone. This is...This isn't right.

This prompts the second song the gnome sings.

Now it's time, I fear to tell I've been holding it back so long But something strange deep inside of me is happening I feel unlike I've ever felt and it's makin' me scared That I may not be what I think I am

What of us, what do I say? Are we both from a different world? 'Cause every breath that I take I breathe it for you I couldn't face my life without you And I'm so afraid There's nothing to comfort us What am I, if I can't be yours

I don't sleep, don't feel a thing And my senses have all but gone Can't even cry from the pain Can't shed a tear now I realize we're not the same And it's makin' me sad 'Cause we can't fulfil our dream In this life

So I must, let us break free I can never be what you need If there was a way through the hurt Then I would find it I'd take the blows Yes, I would fight it But this is the one Impossible dream to live What am I, if I can't be yours

Where the previous song was the Gnome saying his goodbyes to Gordon before the switch, making his fondness for him a thing of the past and speaking like he was already gone, this song is the Gnome's realization that he can't live without Gordon, but he will also never be able to exist or function with Gordon. So, donning the VR headset, he lets Gordon free, sending him back to reality and disappearing in the process.

When Gordon seemingly wakes up, he is on a beach. It curves steeply into an endless ocean a few feet in front of him, a black bird circles above, and there is something difficult to make out behind him.

The pale sky and audible wind lead me to believe this place has some relation to the white woods.

When Gordon realizes he's in his headset, he yanks it off, finding a goodbye from the Gnome.

In conclusion, and a somewhat hasty one because I am tired, it would appear that Valve/Gabe Newman discovered a seal carved into obsidian and broke it. Something about this seal results in the creation and success of the Half-Life franchise, possibly spawning the artificial intelligences, but also comes with terrible consequences, filling Newman with dread and visions he doesn't understand. This could be the reason HL3 is never made and on more of a stretch why the copy of Half-Life Gordon plays in HLVRAI is rare/unheard of. The white woods might have a connection to this seal, being the supernatural force with the greatest power seen. The white woods have a definite connection to the Gnome and the pig, who itself has connections to the Gnome, Benrey, and maybe Alyx.

#followup prediction #followup theory #benrey #gordon #the pig #the red gnome #the blue gnome #gabe newman #long post

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nico-esoterica · 2 months

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🔮 Celeb Astro Roundup (Predictions) 🔮

1. Justin Bieber — Transit Sun x Saturn: Triggered by Saturn beginning to apply an opposition to his MC w/ Jupiter approaching one w/ his natal Jupiter, expect for there to be a ‘big reveal’ as far as industry abuse goes involving him and others bc of his 5H stellium and Saturn Return in Pisces. It opposing the MC = Industry grooming and abuse if we look at 5H equaling pleasure, 11H = networks of people/power groups.

2. Taylor Swift — 11H Profection: Going by the theory that she’s a Cap Rising, this puts her in a Scorpio Mars ruled year co-present w/ Pluto in this house. We’re seeing the shift already, but expect the public to completely turn against her. Antphrodite on YT called it. Because the eclipses will be on her 10/4 axis of Public vs. Private, she’ll still be beloved internationally, but at home (4H), people will be launching full blown (unseen) hate campaigns against her. W/ the ruler of her house of hidden enemies (12H) currently transiting her 5H, that Jupiter in Taurus opposing that Mars/Pluto in the coming months spells flat out The People vs Taylor. This isn’t going to affect her fanbase or her bag but bc of Saturn transiting her 3rd inevitably squaring her 12H Sun, her mental health will suffer because of it. I also agree w/ Ant that I foresee a breakup between her and Travis Kelce bc of those Jupiter oppositions. It might be nasty.

3. Ariana Grande — Everything I’m seeing is pointing to her announcing a new engagement or pregnancy or the launch of a new brand relating to beauty or fashion that’s going to extend her career more. Like when Rihanna launched Fenty Beauty. But bc she’s in a 7H (lunar/cancer) ruled Profection Year and the ruler being in her 10H (conjunct) Jupiter and that ruler (Venus) being in her 5H and between the eclipses happening on her 10/4 and so much happening in her 7/10/5/4 (houses) and with JUPITER transiting her 5th, it’s reading as baby/marriage to me as well, especially w/ the NN transiting her 4H (preluding Saturn in Aries). Can even be a combination of them all. But I wanna make a followup about this to dig deeper.

4. Sean Combs (Diddy) — All the occultists have been saying this, but keep your eyes on September 2024. Pluto’s retrograding back over his Mars WHILE the NN conjoins his natal Chiron (in Aries) and Chiron in the sky will be making an EXACT opposition to his Venus-Jupiter conjunction. Because the theme of this eclipse cycle will be about voices being given to the voiceless and exploited, esp w/ Saturn in Pisces setting the tone. Then with Jupiter applying an opposition to his Pluto, he’s about to lose it ALL. My guess with the Pluto in Cap rx, there’ll be a ‘reveal’ of anyone behind the curtain that’s been protected or whoever’s closest to the stage. Big power figures will fall when he does or it’ll be the start of larger dominos falling. The eclipses in October don’t hit his Venus-Jupiter but they’ll still be affected and his Uranus WILL be clipped by it. I translate this to the radical/sudden reveal of more women coming forward.

5. Nicki Minaj — This will be the year of Nicki Minaj—but not in a good way, potentially. Oppositions CAN create incredible opportunities and incentive but because she’s in a lunar-ruled 6H Profection year (Cancer) and her Moon’s in her 8H if we go by the theory that she’s an Aqua Rising, then 5 PLANET ALIGNMENT being agitated by multiple oppositions all year into the next while Jupiter, the planet doing it, squares her Moon, that’s spelling chaos. It’s giving going on long, incoherent and emotional rants on tour and the public and/or her fanbase instigating conflict. Esp if you add the Saturn transit clipping those mutable points from her 2nd, translating to her pockets. It can be a GREAT period of growth for her OR one of utter clownery. Tickets and merch will be sold regardless. But unless she transmutes the hate and attention, it’s giving early 2000s Courtney Love. I have plans on writing more about this, however.

#astrology #celebrity astrology

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kaijutegu · 2 years

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>goes to take a nap >comes back hours later to find out i’m Owl’s bad guy of the moment

aw jeez i should probably say something huh

Tl;dr: Stop telling me what owlvid is up to, I really don’t care. I cared about Owl’s wellbeing at the beginning, but hey, they don’t want that and so I’m done caring, so please stop putting screenshots of their posts about me in my inbox.

Owl, I know you’re reading this. Let me make some things abundantly clear: I’m not mad at you for some take you have or don’t have on Sea World or the captive herp industry or anything. Until you said that, I didn’t even know, because I don’t obsessively read your blog and memorize your takes on every single aspect of animal science. I don’t care enough about you or your content to be mad at you.

I posted what I did out of amiable concern, and now I really wish I hadn’t because it’s clear that you’re not interested in how the public perceives the public posts you made on your public blog. You looked like you’re caught in a major negative feedback loop, I felt vaguely sad for you, and so I said something. Perhaps my first mistake was assuming you wanted to keep the educational mission of your blog somewhat intact. You run your blog the way you want- even if it seems like the way you’re running it is actively hurting you.

My own experiences with mental illness are what made me feel sorry for you in the first place. My prediction is that you’ll take this as an insult at best and an attack at worst, but whatever. I don’t care enough about you to be your bad guy. I am not here to be your villain. I would like to stop thinking about you, and so now I am. I understand that this statement will also make you mad, but that’s your prerogative. Have fun with your... whatever this actually is. Again, you’re responsible for curating your own online experience, and you are clearly miserable. I hope you find something that can make you less upset.

Followers, friends, and strangers who keep putting screenshots of their posts about me in my inbox? Please cut that out. I don’t want anyone to think that I’m trying to evade a block, and I have a sneaking suspicion some of you are trying to stir up more drama by goading me into responding. That’s why I’m not publishing any of the asks or sharing the screenshots.

Owl isn’t an archvillain and I have no quarrel with them. Their behavior is extremely concerning, but it’s clear they don’t want anybody to care. They just want to be mad. Fortunately for me, the impotent rage of an anonymous tumblr blogger isn’t enough to trigger my RSD, and my flavor of mental illness makes it really easy for me to move on. I don’t care about their opinions enough to want any further followup, and they can make of this post what they will.

UPDATE: please do inform me if they start claiming things that could affect my real life, like if they accuse me of an actual crime. (Thought crime, reblogging from the wrong people, and hurting their feelings are not actual crimes.) Apparently they now believe I have blazed this post, which is blatantly false, and I'm starting to become concerned they may escalate.

#owlvid vagueblogging #more like owlvid directblogging

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anonymousdandelion · 1 year

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Okay now, in recognition of the admirable, predictable, and very relatable flailing in the notes: here's a followup to the Which movement of Judaism best describes you? poll.

If you're Jewish, please click on the link above to check out that poll first, or this one won't make any sense.

If you aren't Jewish, please refrain from voting (reblogs for sample size are very welcome), and check back in a week if you're curious!

#jumblr #frumblr #judaism #jumblr poll #polls #poll #dandelion polls #I am having a lot of fun reading the answers to the other poll lol

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sailor-cerise · 2 months

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Anyone have tips for raising a fuss with your local government/press?

My primary care physician has adopted an absolute bullshit policy for appointments that is NOT at all in line with my state's "right to timely care", and I'm looking for ways to escalate this.

They are the biggest provider in this county and several neighboring counties and they put a LOT of effort into their public image. They are literally lying to patients as part of this policy (they claim this has always been their policy, that it's an unavoidable part of a teaching hospital, and that the residents' schedules are not possible to predict.)

I want to force them to rollback or adjust their policy by putting pressure where it hurts. You don't get to have a reputation as the local leading healthcare provider, and accepting new patients, if you are refusing to schedule existing patients.

What I've done so far:

Filed a formal written complaint through my insurance company

Had an in-depth mediated phone conversation with a "patient representative" as part of the insurance process, where I proposed several concrete changes

Brought up the issue to my doctors and nurses, all of whom agreed with me

Asked the front desk staff to file a complaint. Not sure if they did this.

What I'm considering but am a little overwhelmed by and not sure where to start:

Contacting local news outlets

Contacting local government

Starting a letter writing campaign to the organization with my local Mutual Aid network

Any ideas or tips would be welcome! I have a lot of physical and mental health issues, so my capacity is limited, but I am fucking pissed both for myself and on behalf of other patients, like the parents I overheard that were unable to book the recommended follow-up for their toddler.

If you're wondering why I don't just change:

I have multiple ongoing diagnostic processes and specialists

They have a fucking monopoly on the area and so finding a different one with in-network urgent care is hard unless I switch to Kaiser, which I can't change until next open enrollment

I have been with these doctors for 15 years and I loved them up until last year when they started this

When I do get an appointment, I really really like the doctors

Because of their monopoly in the area, this is affecting SO SO many people and that's not okay

The specific policy is that you cannot book any appointment with this primary care provider unless you call them during the 2-3 days a month where they are accepting appointments only for the next month -- they fill up completely within days. That means you cannot schedule ANY appointments, including follow-ups, any further out than a month, and that is if you're very on top of it AND lucky.

There are exceptions (urgent care followups and getting an appointment through the nurse triage line), but this means, for example, it took me 4 months to be able to schedule my follow up appointment for my newly-diagnosed asthma, where I then needed two referrals and new prescriptions. I can't schedule my gyno checkup. I can't schedule a visit about my new fatigue and pain symptoms that have been going on for 4 months.

This would be frustrating at a specialist, but it is unacceptable for a primary care provider.

#asking for advice #medical bullshit #healthcare #Right to timely care #us healthcare #Vent

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daedalusdavinci · 1 year

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Dirkjake Fic Recs

i will be the first to admit im picky about my dirkjake, largely because i will not fucking stand for any fic where i feel like jake isnt given his just dues. jake is too fascinating and great of a character to just be that guy dirk liked. so here are my four absolute favorite dirkjake fics that i still stand by with my whole chest

The Four Kings, the God Thief, and the Black Diamond Pirates

by @oxfordroulette

Dirk and Vriska have it good. They raid ships, pillage merchant vessels, constantly poison each other, possess a lucrative pact with the Wind King, sing a lot of dope fuckin’ sea shanties, and captain a loveable crew of pirate scum. They’re ready to kick back, take it easy, and become the vile and revered scourge of the diamond trading line. Then they find someone in the water.

this has to be one of the greatest dirkjake fics ever written. oxfordRoulette excels so brilliantly at writing homestuck characters as theyre meant to be: assholes. horrible, horrible, terrible assholes. they pull no punches writing the pirates in this story to be just the most irredeemable pieces of shit and thats what makes it so goddamn good. their dialogue is hilarious, the relationship between dirk and vriska is EVERYTHING to me, and the gods are written so fucking brilliantly its impossible not to love them (predictably, i am particularly in love w dave, but theyre genuinely all so good). plus, its ILLUSTRATED, and their art is just fantastic

Wondrous Adventures of Harley, English, and Strider

by spectralPhobia

Jake English has a pretty straightforward life: he is an amateur writer who travels around the world with his twin sister Jade Harley and their dog Becquerel, thinking this is the best a life could be. Meeting Dirk Strider is only the beginning of the journey of changing his worldview, as well as an epic quest of saving the world, when spirits from an ancient legend come to life. A story about adventures, magic, conspiracy, sacrifices, smart people and clever plans, people who make mistakes, and many instances of great love. Set in a sort of steampunk world (no computer technologies, airships are a predominant way of travelling).

this is ANOTHER one of the greatest dirkjake fics ever written, but its also just one of the best homestuck fics ever written. if you liked my godstuck fics, you should DEFINITELY read this bc it inspired me a lot. the things they do w classpects are so fucking creative and while it is dirkjake its just as much a fic about jade and jake. its brilliantly fucking done, and i recommend it to absolutely everyone and anyone

A House Built

by sunflowerwonder

The Prospitian hero who seduced a foreign prince into sending his country resources. Certainly one for the history books.

medievalstuck. this one, as well as @callmearcturus's followup fic, A Spark, A Flame, A Fire, is definitely worth a read. jake is so often shafted in dirkjake fics, its a rare treasure when you find him written with quite so much care as he is in these fics. both authors have fascinating things to say about who jake is and how he communicates with people, and when it comes to arcs fic, i just LOVE how dave and rose are written, augh. theyre so fucking precious. im also a big big fan of roxy and jakes friendship! i still think about roxys little petnames for jake all the time. the derse vs prospit worldbuilding also just lives in the back of my head rent free at all times. if you liked my fic, Tactical Retreat, you should definitely read these bc god knows they totally influenced my worldbuilding

chamomile, rose water, and other unlikely intoxicants

by @callmearcturus

"I do swear by Skaia's guiding light to eschew ambition and direction to serve in the holy retinue. I will lay my head in the safety of the bower and pay penance in thought and deed. For the King of All Winters and the Undying Prince, I will provide succor and balm, and yield my being to ease the burden he carries for us all." An off-the-cuff jamfic for the Strilondes discord that spun rapidly out of control. In which Dirk plays the role of resigned god-prince of Skaia, locked in a twisted version of the Year King fable. His life is a sorry routine until one year, he receives a very bold, strange offering from the heir to House Harley, Jake. A story about cycles, and how to break them, and the patterns left in the scattered pieces afterward.

sort of a medieval, fairytale style fic. i just love the way jake is written in this one, hes so fucking charming. the story itself and the plot is really compelling, and the worldbuilding is great! arc also just has a writing style that just sort of... flows, you know? its fucking beautiful honestly i wanted to write like that so bad

#dirkjake #my recs #homestuck fanfiction

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raayllum · 2 years

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Relics, Rage, and Magic :: A Viren&Callum Analysis

So, anyone who’s been following this blog for a while knows that Viren and Callum have my favourite foils relationship in the show (which is saying something, because I love foils). I picked up the similarities between them early on even just in S1 (specifically in 1x02), and have been dedicating arguably too much time to pointing out the similarities between them since S2.

I thought, now that S4 is making the parallels between them even more explicit, now would be a good time to talk about just how rich this foils relationship is, what it’s built off of, and where it may be going in the future. I’m going to talk about Personality first, then Season by Season in terms of structure, and then in regards to Relationships. Finally, I’m going to talk about future Predictions and considerations for S4 (and possibly beyond). Some of these sections will be longer and/or more detailed than others, with certain things pointed out. I will be drawing from all canon TDP materials (show, graphic novels, S1-S2 novelizations, and Tales of Xadia) and providing my sources as I go along. If there is something I don’t address to the full extent desired feel free to send me a followup ask!

With all that laid out, strap in, because this is gonna be a Long one.

Personality

Both are defined by their curiosity (“You are too curious” -Aaravos in S2 / Callum wanting to learn everything he possibly can about all types of magic: “Curious, he stepped through the door—and there it was. A mirror” from “Inheritance” short story) and the sometimes dangerous paths it can lead them down, but more on that later

They are tempted accordingly by being able to use Power, specifically, in order to leave an impact

They respond to perceived or legitimate betrayals with a very harsh, nigh complete cut off when it comes to remorse or forgiveness. For Callum, we see this with Claudia and with Viren (as prior to 1x03 and learning Ez’s life in danger, Callum ran to Viren for help when being chased by Rayla) and for Viren, we see this best with King Harrow

On that note, they both have very harsh tempers. Callum gets verbally very aggressive (particularly towards Ezran), Viren can respond that way too (and physically, more so alone, like when he has his rage fit in early S2 about the mirror).

Each has a strong mind for strategy and is the usual ‘planner’ in their respective teams (Callum, Ezran, and Rayla VS Viren, Claudia, and Soren). Viren gives his children tasks to achieve his greater aims (1x06) Callum dictates what the team should do to defeat the slug in 1x08. He also comes up with the plans in 1x05 and 3x01 regarding Fulminus and the aspiro spells accordingly.

A few of their core wounds are similar, both of them adjacent to King Harrow and not quite belonging, perhaps, the way they would wish to. Viren and Callum both fear being useless and nothing, seen in their dialogue (“Oh you’re nothing! Powerless! Useless!” from Viren in 2x02; “But without [the primal stone], I’m nothing” for Callum from 1x08 as well as “I just don’t want to be useless” in the S2 novelization during 2x07).

By extension, they have a tendency to obsess and assign more meaning to objects than they probably should. For Viren, this includes believing the mirror is important purely because it was kept close to where the dragon king/queen slept, and proximity to power indicates importance to him (not projecting at all, bud) and the amount of importance (see above) Callum places on the primal stone and the cube.

Sassy, disbelieving natures. Cue Callum’s skepticism except when he’s tunnel visioning, and how much reckless caution Viren has with Aaravos.

Last but not least, both are self sacrificial when they also have a hopeful way out or a meaningful way in. Callum is willing to sacrifice himself for Ezran but still argues for his life; Viren risks it all in Lux Aurea but also knows he has Aaravos up his sleeve (uh, throat?); they are not self-destructive to degree that Claudia is nor self-sacrificial without hope to the degree that Rayla is.

With all that said, let’s talk about the Structural similarities season by season

Book One: Moon

Primal VS Dark Magic

Callum and Viren are the two defined mages of the series, with Claudia and Aaravos (and sometimes others, like Lujanne) swapping in to show off spells and perspectives along the line of dark vs primal magic. However, we see this connection between Viren (and his smoke/fire motif) and Callum (with his air/breath motif) very early on in 1x04. Cue smoke from Harrow’s funeral pyre and Claudia’s spell, dictated by Viren, transitioning into Callum’s primal stone. Although we don’t know it yet, this is transactional on a few counts; Viren is trying to steal the throne that would rightfully be Ezran (and Callum’s barring that) while Callum has a stolen primal stone from Claudia (that, as we know from 2x06, was originally Viren’s).

This set up is returned to a more meaningful draw between them in S2, but S1 still very much lays the ground for what’s to come, and the parallels will probably be stacked even further with S4. After all, that dichotomy is just going to be more and more blurred for Callum in particular as time goes on.

Team Leader

In season one, they are both established as their team’s little leader. As previously mentioned, Callum and Viren are the Planners in their respective groups (Callum: Ezran + Rayla + sometimes Ellis / Ava; Viren: Soren + Claudia), knowing how to use their family-turned-team’s skills and what to expect of their temperaments. We see this in how Viren is able to effectively manipulate Soren into taking on the task of killing the princes and that he gives it to Soren, not Claudia, at all. We see this in how Callum gives every team member a role in taking down the slug monster in 1x08, and even his musings from the Book One novelization:

He had avoided introductions thus far because he wasn’t sure if Ellis’s unbridled enthusiasm would mix well with Rayla’s dry sarcasm.

Also future parallels set up with Viren’s plan not going perfectly because of his team’s execution (“Nah, your plan was fine! Our execution was a little off”) and almost none of their plans ever going off without a hitch with only a couple of exceptions.

Lying to Amaya

They both have plot lines that revolve around lying - to a degree - to Amaya like, an episode apart. Callum doesn’t want to lie to his aunt in 1x04 but he feels he has no choice, given her opinion about elves and protective nature. Viren also doesn’t want to lie to Amaya, but she’s in the way of his goals and doesn’t trust him at all, even with his fronting. Both Viren and Callum lie to Amaya through omission and directly, one to protect his cause (Viren) and one to try and protect his burgeoning friend (Rayla).

It’s a small detail, but it’s another set up for Callum being able to lie convincingly when it matters (re: saying he’s Ezran in 1x02) just like how Viren can do the same to just about everybody, when the time comes.

Circular objects

Last but not least, you have 1x08 and 1x09 with their parallels back-to-back. Each episode deals with confronting some kind of monster for a character; for the kids, it’s the slug that drains blood, and for Runaan, the human mage that’s going to drain his soul (“You’re a monster” “You’re mistaken; I’m a pragmatist”). Viren’s personal plot line this season culminates in him taking Runaan’s soul and sealing him away in a coin (a circular object) because he won’t answer questions about the Mirror, whereas Callum’s personal plot line ends with him shattering the primal stone (without hesitation) to hatch the egg, even though “Without this, I’m nothing.”

Keep in mind that Viren imprisons Runaan because “[he] is no use to me” and has ‘failed’ to be useful, whereas Callum smashes the primal stone after Rayla weeps about ‘failing’ to be useful and successfully keep the egg safe, since we will be returning to that later.

Book Two: Sky

Book Two is where the parallels for Callum and Viren are perhaps the most numerous and pointed in the series thus far (as of S4 not being released). Thus, this section is probably going to likely be the longest, so like with any of my longer meta: give yourself room to read in breaks! And to set the stage: both Callum and Viren hope to attain greater magical power and by the end of the season, have achieved those goals. There are also other parallels set up and commonalities drawn in both overt and indirect ways. I will be doing my best to catalogue and demonstrate each of them. With that out of the way, let’s get into

Mirrors and Reflections

Viren’s mirror motif (and subsequent breakdown) is obvious, perhaps, but Callum himself has to do a lot of reflection this season. The shots above are literally 1 second establishing shot apart in 2x02, in which Viren hopes to finally find real answers, and Callum isn’t even aware there are real answers to find. This is just hammered home in 2x07 and 2x08 respectively, where they both reluctantly make deals with something dubious - Aaravos and Dark Magic - with Viren facing the man in the mirror, and Callum literally facing a reflection of himself that matches Viren’s dark magic appearance more than anyone else’s (Claudia, Ziard), both in 2x08:

Narrators

Season two’s opening recap, while perhaps fulfilling a necessary (or unnecessary) portion of catch up for the audience, also turns the tide in establishing Callum as one of three primary Narrators in the series, alongside Aaravos (1x01) and Viren later this season (2x05-2x06). Callum gives his view of the events of S1, Viren tells the tale of the royal family, death of Sarai, and the Magma Titan. Both are even speaking directly or indirectly to a monarch, with Callum writing to Harrow, and Viren speaking specifically to Queen Aanya. I’ll touch on this more when we return to this motif in S3 with 3x06 and 3x08 detailing the loss of the egg and the Dragonguard.

But in a story where “Destiny is a book you write yourself,” chapters, books, lost scrolls, and history are increasingly important... them being set up as dual narrators with Aaravos is no accident, and we’ll only see the crucial aspect of it more as we go forward, I’m sure.

Search Your Heart

As part of the Magical Ascension quest, in which Callum and Viren do reckless and then slightly more sensible things in order to achieve magical prowess and further their magical connection, they are both instructed to search their hearts and uncover their own truths.

For Callum, this happens during his spiritual / dream quest in 2x08, in which the Dark Callum tells him to:

D!C: Look inside yourself, Callum. This is your destiny. You can’t deny it.

as well as when Captain Villads instructs him to:

V: [Needing a boat] You am! Into your voyage into your own heart and mind!

This is mirrored by what Aaravos says to Viren in 2x09, advising him to:

A: Search your heart. There’s something you want very badly. But something, or someone, stands in your way.

But perhaps more importantly, this ties into their magical ascension plot line in season two, so let’s dig into it and where it leaves them by the end of the season...

Magical Ascension

In 2x01, Callum and Viren both have a goal that they are being held back from due to status. Viren worries over the throne and wants to call a summit, but he cannot do so as he is not a king or queen. Callum wants to learn magic and continue providing protection to the group, but he is a human, born without a connection to a primal source. Viren has no crown, and Callum has no arcanum.

Viren also wants to learn more about the mirror and begins that process in 2x02 through 2x04. In 2x04, Callum re-focuses on his mage arc, with both him and Viren being presented a particular test symbolized by hands and connection. For Callum, he has to grip the lightning pole in hopes of possibly connecting to an arcanum. For Viren, it means doing the blood oath with Aaravos and slicing open his hand. You know, the exact same hand that Callum cradles in the same episode that was shown up above? (Rayla’s binding also goes around the same wrist/hand, but that’s a meta for another day.) 2x04 also ends with a brief reprieve. In the end, he covers up the mirror (the one time Aaravos seems truly taken by surprise) since his summit meeting is going to go underway. Callum, likewise, doesn’t risk his life to learn magic and instead manages to get him and Zym back to the boat in one piece.

2x05-2x06 put everything on pause for backstory, causing 2x07 to bring the magic arcs back to the forefront with a vengeance. Viren is faced with his failure and Callum with increasing anxiety and the reality that, the way he is now, he cannot protect his loved ones the way he wants to.

Backed into a corner of desperation, they then realize that there is something they can do. Dangerous, and possibly not without consequences, but one more possibility: trusting the the elf in the mirror and doing dark magic to save a Moonshadow elf.

Viren makes a blood oath, emitting something out of his body, and Callum takes dark magic into his body by crushing a slug that is a very similar size to Aaravos’ worm familiar. Viren’s choice to go to Aaravos turns out much better for him (at first) then Callum’s choice of doing dark magic, even if there’s a quick turn around and reversal in 2x09, with Viren descending and Callum ascending. But with that, we have to talk about

Crossing the Threshold

Most commonly seen in The Hero Journey’s structure, Crossing the Threshold refers most often to a point of no return, or a character slipping or stepping into a new reality, and seeing what was previously unseen. Most often this results in either transgressing or overcoming some kind of literal, emotional, or metaphorical barrier.

For Callum, this means shattering the ‘magic’ ceiling if you will (and primal stone) to gain a new awareness of the world and his place in it. This is what his speech in 2x09 boils down, in terms of explaining his new emotional and metaphorical awareness of the Sky arcanum and how its opened itself to him. Callum moves from being on his knees with Rayla to standing tall, ready to soar. He crosses a literal and metaphorical threshold, stepping into Sky magic, and then again, crossing into Xadia in the season’s final scene.

Viren, meanwhile, is brought back down to his knees again.

Viren has crossed a legal, magical, and social barrier. Unlike the beginning of season two, where he was generally trusted by the council if thought a bit fanatical, now he’s a full-blown traitor, taken into custody by Opeli after killing a bunch of guards. Like Callum (and Claudia, but again, meta for another day), he reaches a new threshold of magical power, but rather than finding it within himself, he takes Aaravos’ bug and the cost of dark magic further into his body in a dark almost imitation / inverse of Ezran and Zym’s more natural, loving bond and connection/partnership. The barrier Viren crosses is that of a supposed innocent to being proven guilty, and rather than entering Xadia, he finds himself locked into a prison cell.

Book Three: Sun

This season doesn’t have quite as many parallels but it does reaffirm and evolve some previous ones in very interesting ways, so we’ll do a quick run-down either way.

Mythic Parallels

TDP has always borrowed from other works, citing general Western fantasy and more (Plato’s allegory of the cave is the Moon arcanum, tarot card symbolism, Shakespeare) and weaving it into the world and the work. I was delighted to see that S3 heavily borrowed from Christian symbolism and gave it to Viren / the villain trifecta with some bonus Soren. Additionally, there were also some very apt comparisons to Greek myth. There have been outright confirmations, such Aaravos as being like Prometheus in interviews and the dark magic sigil from Hermes’ caduceus, and less outright ones in-text, most notably in the parallels between the Siege of Troy and Lux Aurea, and Through the Moon borrowing from the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. The book two novelization has as well, invoking the myth of Icarus, which is what I want to talk about today.

Where Viren gets saddled with all the Christ symbolism (and I mean all of it), Callum is presented far more as an Icarus figure. This would admittedly fit just about any character (particularly boy) who sprouts wings in such a notable way, but given the season is also called Sun, the previous evocations, and the fact Callum already has a tendency to fly too close to the sun (1x04, 2x04, 2x07) I’m not exactly surprised by where it seems his season four arc is going... but more on that later.

Avizandum

Since both Harrow and Sarai are dead, in-story, we hear about Avizandum from Viren, Callum, and Aaravos respectively, each with their own opinions on the fallen Dragon King. Viren is very impassioned in the flashbacks, pushing even when Harrow resists, desperate to assuage his own guilt and possibly to restore he and Harrow’s bond to what it used to be, but Viren of the present is completely impassive as he speaks of the events that ultimately ruined more than one person’s life that day.

Callum also comments on Avizandum, showing a sentiment we haven’t seen from him first hand in the series until then, with “I hate him. He’s the one who took my mother away.” But even with all the big feelings being at Avizandum’s statue brings, Callum remains clear headed, and aware of the connections he has, and of the ones Avizandum would have had, too.

Narrators (x2)

And just like before, we have Viren and Callum set up as dual narrators, relaying a very similar set of events (these ones close in timeline, relation, and history) to an elven companion. Viren explains the vanquishing of one of Aaravos’ enemies, much to his delight, and Callum explains how Rayla’s parents didn’t really run away, much to her relief (and grief). Viren tells a story that he’s already written, while Callum gives Rayla a chance to rewrite her end, handing her the metaphorical pen before they write it together. And speaking of Rayla...

It’s Just Pride

S3 definitely skimped on the Viren-Callum parallels compared to S2, but what it delivered was quality over quantity. The Rayla-Callum fight in 3x08 mirrors so much of Harrow and Viren’s dynamic in 1x02 and 1x03 perfectly, with one half being a martyr determined to pay the price, and the other an angry mage, hurt and upset at being looked over and abandoned, if not also for their friend’s life.

For Harrow, he’s determined to not do anything to upset the precarious balance they’ve found themselves on, hoping his death will clear the way for his sons to lead Katolis and the world into a brighter future, not bogged down by his mistakes if he can pay this price properly. It’s more noble and slightly less guilty than Rayla’s, which is basically all guilt over choices that weren’t even hers (like, at all - she’d barely talked to her parents in years) and, unlike Harrow, was presenting no reasonable path forward. There was nothing emotionally or otherwise to gain from having her die there.

But either way, Harrow and Rayla mistakenly have their choices labelled as pride, even when it’s the opposite. While Callum comes to understand that and to let his own pride go, Viren doubles down on his under Harrow’s scolding, and they crack further under the pressure.

Transformation

So as mentioned TDP borrows from Tarot card symbolism (most notably with some of the things that fall under Moon magic, if I recall correctly) and one of the most well-known aspects of Tarot is that Death is not a negative card. (That honour goes to Lightning Struck tower - 1x03, anyone?) Rather, Death is the card for transformation and change of self.

3x09 says both for Callum and Viren. Viren literally dies, of course, and again, as mentioned, has the eye symbolism and ground work lain in season four to radically change as a character. It also speaks to Viren’s brushes with death (perhaps most notably in 1x03 when he and Harrow have a mutual discard of their relationship and it gets ugly fast) as a negative transformation. Then, you have Callum, who is physically transformed after a near-death ordeal out of his love for Rayla. This also speaks in line with the plans Aaravos had in mind for Viren being fulfilled (unintentionally and against their wishes) by Callum.

This is particularly poignant with Aaravos’ mention of human, as Callum only accesses his wings because he’s already done what’s basically unheard of for humans, transcending the limits of magic in order to manually connect with a primal source. Callum flies and survives, Viren falls and dies. The ending could not be more clear that they’ve ended, well, in radically different places.

But that’s not quite where they seem to begin in S4.

Book Four: Earth / Predictions

Right now, all we have from 4x01 is confirmation that Callum will be building some kind of connection / trying to figure out the mirror, and by extension, Aaravos. I am curious about how they’ll do a plot line with Callum and Aaravos conversing through the mirror without repeating Viren and Aaravos’ steady S2 pace, since there’s almost no way S4 has the time for something like that (everything indicates it’s going to hit the ground running and not let up, tbh). We also know from interviews with the creators that, for many reasons (including Rayla’s departure) Callum is less trusting than when he was young, and he already had a skeptical streak to begin with.

I’ve maintained since S2 I think that I thought the Viren-Callum parallels would be more overt in S4, so: why? Why did I make that prediction and why do I think it’s coming true? Well, Callum was always going to Ezran’s anchor to the magical side of things in Xadia, as well as the parallels he and Ezran’s relationship had to Viren and Harrow throughout the first few seasons (but more on that under Relationships down below).

I also figured that post-Rayla’s departure, Callum’s obsessive tendencies would come out. Either he’d be in Xadia looking for her already, or he’d be masking the pain with magic and trying to pretend everything was fine. Viren also has that obsessive streak (the mirror plot line in S2) as well as all their other issues. Pre-TTM, I thought Callum would chase magic a bit too much and a bit too dangerously (again, very Viren’s whole business, just of Dark and not Primal), so it looks like even with all the narrative loops, it’s rounded back into being accurate with some additional angst.

I think it’s likely due to Viren’s eye symbolism that he’ll have the beginnings of a redemption / atonement arc, or at least begin to doubt the path he’s on. Meanwhile, I think Callum will occupy more of Viren’s role, so solution focused he doesn’t think as much about the means or the aftermath. If Viren changes in S4 to slowly realize Aaravos is bad news, and that he doesn’t actually want things to work out in order to protect the world/Claudia - a similar but also wildly different emotional prioritization than he had in S1-S3, then I think it only makes sense for Callum to take the opposing position, and prioritize his loved ones over the safety of the world outright. Callum has always been a Viren, in many ways, who makes all the right choices, so if Viren is finally beginning to make the ‘right’ choice, it would make sense to me for Callum to make the ‘wrong’ one in a way.

Last but not least, we’re going to talk about relationships, specifically Harrow-Viren Ezran-Callum, and Viren-Aaravos Callum-Rayla parallels. I may include some thoughts regarding Claudia and Soren as well, but that may be a post for another day since this is already long enough, and I don’t have too many thoughts in that regard. Moving on:

Relationships

Viren and Callum both almost have a two-pillar situation in terms of the relationships that directly push them forward, thematically, across the first three seasons. While this is subject to change and for that ring of influence to be expanded in season four, particularly in mind thematically for Viren (with Claudia specifically), it’s a very prominent parallel in the first Arc. Viren’s two most defining relationships is the king-brother duality with Harrow, just as Ezran is Callum’s constant cornerstone, with an elven guide in the form of Aaravos and Rayla pushing each mage in new and more dangerously fulfilling directions.

King-Brother

The “Brother-King” parallel is arguably the most important and the most overt in the series. It was an early rewatch of S1 (my second or third I think) when I noticed Callum taking Ezran’s place without hesitation in 1x02 was immediately juxtaposed with Viren hesitating to do just that with Harrow. You have Callum and Viren, both adjacent to political power, kept as mage advisors and unable to fully exercise their will. Ezran and Harrow are also both very idealistic with Callum and Viren leaning more towards a pragmatic route in response. Where Viren seeks power, Callum is happy to support his brother on the throne (even or especially when they disagree).

But where Callum actually loves Ezran like a brother, Viren and Harrow are far too tumultuous and far too broken, even before the start of the show in many ways. I’ve talked a bit about how the boys parallel Viren and Harrow’s dynamic while also subverting it in some ways, already. Since Callum and Ezran both have to overcome the mistakes of their generational foils, respectively, it makes sense that they would have to overcome what broke Viren and Harrow apart as well and push through, stronger than ever.

Elven Guide (Rayla-Aaravos)

I’ve outlined a lot of Rayla and Aaravos’ similarities in this post, so I’m not going to repeat too much here, but the general structure of the relationships is very similar. Callum and Viren both want a magical object (mirror, binding) / person (Aaravos, Rayla) to reveal their secrets, and initially don’t trust the elf trying to offer them guidance with their already formed goals/quest.

By the end of S2, the bonds have grown much stronger. With Viren, he is now bound to Aaravos whether he likes it or not, whereas Rayla is realizing the strength of her love and devotion to Callum, and he to her.

This is accentuated in TTM where, like Aaravos, Rayla is “nothing if not elegant and efficient” by only risking one life in her quest to take out Viren, she’s just determined for that life to be her own rather than put Callum at risk, juxtaposed with Aaravos risking only Viren’s life substantially in 3x07. Callum means everything to Rayla and Viren means nothing to Aaravos, and it’ll be interesting to see just how deep that runs true in S4.

If you are interested in possibly more Viren/Aaravos Callum/Rayla parallels, check out this foil tag here. If you are interested in more Rayla-Aaravos parallels, check out this tag here.

Conclusion

If you have reached the end of this very long and dense meta, congratulations and thank you for getting this far! I’ve had a lot of thoughts about Callum and Viren for a long time now and thought now was as good a time as any to lay them out before S4 comes along and adds to them undoubtedly. If you are interested in where I think Callum and Viren’s arcs might go, I would recommend these posts: 1, 2, 3. Hope you enjoyed, that is all, and Dragons out!

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