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multimilfs · 4 years

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Lilith Clawthorne x Fem!Witch Reader: 5 Times the Elixir Worked + 1 Time You Needed Something a Little Stronger

Summary: An anon sent in “Lilith helping out her Cursed S/O? I guess being part of the Emperor’s Coven have its perks: like having access to the elixir your S/O desperately needs while trying to find a cure for both her S/O and sister.”

A/N: So this really got away from me. It was supposed to be simple, but man once I got started, I couldn’t stop. This gets really angsty at points, but it does end happily, I promise. Thank you for your suggestion, anon! I hope you love it!

Warning(s): Mild Body Horror, Blood Mention, Sickness

“Miss Y/N, can you help me with number four?” A little voice piped up next to you, making you look down.

A witchling with yellow hair and grey eyes looked up at you, a timid looking smile on her face. You gave her a bright smile of your own, crouching next to her.

“Of course I can, Emone, what are you struggling with?” You asked in a calm voice.

The girl, Emone, was explaining what she didn’t understand when you heard a few gasps from other students in the room. Curiously, you looked up from your focus on the girl’s paper, to see Lilith standing next to your desk. You hadn’t even heard the classroom door open.

“Emone, will you give me a moment to speak with Miss Clawthorne, I promise I will be back to help you. Work on the other questions while I’m gone, alright?”

“Of course, Miss Y/N!” The girl said, diving back into her work.

It was unusual to see your girlfriend during work hours. You were too busy teaching and she had lists of tasks to fulfill for the coven. Whatever had brought her here had to be serious. Giving your students a look that said ‘get back to work,’ you ushered her out into the hallway.

“What’s going on? Is everything alright?” You questioned her as soon as the door to the classroom was closed.

“Everything is fine, dear. I just came to bring you this - it fell out of your bag.” Lilith’s tone was calm as she pressed a familiar bottle into your palm.

The yellow elixir seemed to look back at you accusingly. You were very glad Lilith had noticed it, but angry at yourself for not being more careful. Who knows what could have occurred if she hadn’t brought it? The scenarios running through your head made you feel sick.

“Thank you.” You said, wincing at how you sounded nothing like yourself.

She intertwined her fingers with yours, squeezing lightly. It didn’t take a mind-reader to know what was going through your mind right now. You worried constantly about your curse, both of you did. But while Lilith was surrounded with witches capable of defending themselves, you worked with witchlings. It would be horrible.

Lilith had dropped a few hints about giving classes from one of the rooms in the Emperor’s Castle, but you hadn’t given them much attention. You loved Lilith, but you needed your own time and space sometimes. Teaching at Hexside was your escape. And you kept your curse under enough control that it wasn’t a serious issue right now.

“Don’t let me keep you from your students,” She said softly, drawing your gaze back to her’s, “We’ll talk later this evening.”

You nodded, giving her a slightly strained smile. It didn’t stop her from placing a gentle kiss on your lips before departing. As soon as she was around the corner, you chugged down the elixir, almost frantically.

Once you got your breathing under control, you tucked the bottle into your pocket, re-entering your classroom as if nothing had happened.

As soon as your eyes snapped open in the dark, you knew what was happening. The itchy, painful feeling underneath your skin and the deep pain in your chest. You tried to remember if you’d taken your elixir. Or enough of it, anyway. The pain overwhelmed your thoughts before you could remember.

You tried to sit up, immediately doubling over in pain, letting out a low groan. It didn’t matter if you’d taken enough. You needed more, now. Reaching out blindly, you tried to rouse Lilith from where she was sleeping beside you.

“Lil-” You groaned as tufts of feathers broke through your skin, “Lilith!”

The witch jolted, shooting up into a sitting position. She immediately conjured her staff, looking around with wide, frantic eyes.

“What? What’s wro-” She started, before she saw what was happening, “Oh Titan!”

In a way that was so un-Lilith like, she tumbled out of the bed, letting out an ‘oomph!’ before standing up. She ran out of the bedroom quickly. You’d kept your focus on her until she opened the bedroom door, blinding you momentarily with the light from the living space. Not having something to focus on drew your attention back to your body.

The fingers on your left hand were lengthening, the joints letting out sickening cracks. Your skin felt like it was going to rip with the way it had to stretch. Then came your nails, morphing into sharp talons, and slicing the skin as they extended from their normal length. One perk of being cursed was that you healed much quicker than the average witch, so the cuts left behind were quickly mended. The only evidence they’d been there was rapidly drying blood.

Even though you healed quicker, it didn’t stop the pain from being excruciating while it happened. And since you were trying to hold it all back, it was even worse. You let out a pitiful whine. It hurt so much. All you wanted to do was give in.

You were so careful to manage your curse, but you could never control what happened if you turned. It had only happened a handful of times. Usually either you or Lilith grabbed an elixir before it could fully overtake you. But the times you had… well, you didn’t remember them - but Lilith always looked grim after it happened. She would tell you that it was okay and that nobody was too seriously hurt. The worry in her eyes told a different story.

“Lilith!” You screamed, feeling the curse begin to fully take a hold on you.

The bones of your ribcage were slowly breaking as the curse rebuilt your frame. Shards of bone would shoot off of the breakage, imbedding itself in the skin of your insides. It felt like a million paper cuts focused in a single spot. You couldn’t hold it back anymore, you didn’t have nearly enough strength.

So you gave in.

You don’t know what happened next. All you could recall was your mouth being pried open mid-transformation, which you hadn’t liked at all, making you swipe with your transformed hand. Something wet had soaked into your feathers and then it all went black.

When you woke up, your body ached. It was still in the middle of the night and your senses were still heightened, so your transformation hadn’t occurred very long ago. But you noticed above all else that Lilith wasn’t in bed with you.

Though it went against everything your body wanted, you forced yourself out of bed. Where was Lilith? You wouldn’t be able to rest until you knew where she was and if she was alright.

Blinking against the harsh lights of the living space, the sound of running water from the kitchen let you know where she was. But you wanted to see her. To wrap yourself in her. After a transformation, you felt raw, and would cling very tightly to your girlfriend. She allowed it, pretending she didn’t enjoy the contact.

Instead of feeling warm at the sight of her, your stomach dropped. She was next to the kitchen sink wrapping gauze over a bloody gash on her arm. A gash that looked suspiciously like talon marks. You felt frozen.

“L-Lilith?” Your voice broke, watching her.

Her eyes snapped to yours, and though it was brief, the fear that went through her eyes made you feel sick. You gripped your stomach as it rolled.

“Darling, I’m fine,” She reassured, moving to your side swiftly, wrapping you in her arms, “I’m okay. Nothing a little gauze and time can’t fix.”

“I h-hurt you.” You sobbed out, trying to pull away from her. She wouldn’t have any of it.

“It only hurt in the moment. I’m okay now. I’m okay, you’re okay.” Lilith whispered into your ear, holding you tightly against her, “It’s over now.”

As the two of you stood in the kitchen, wrapped up in one another, you couldn’t help but wonder - was it really ever going to be over?

“Darling, you have to sit still.” Lilith said, amusement clear in her voice as she watched you squirm.

“Easy for you to say, Miss Coven Leader, you’re not being poked and prodded by needles.” You snarked back, shying away as another coven healer approached you.

“We won’t know if this works if you don’t sit still,” The witch reminded you, “Or would you rather continue drinking that putrid elixir?”

Your stomach turned at the thought of the elixir, sending a chill down your spine. Lilith noticed. She couldn’t help but smirk a little bit, knowing she was right.

The two of you were sitting in the medical bay of the Emperor’s Castle. In-between missions and being there with you, Lilith had been aiding the healers in finding a more potent elixir for your curse. Rather than a drinkable one though, they created one that could be injected. They hoped it would be more potent since it went directly into your bloodstream. And though you wouldn’t admit it, you were hoping so too.

It wasn’t just that you hated the taste of the elixir - it was much better than the alternative, after all - But the curse had been evolving and the elixir didn’t seem to do the trick anymore. So you had both been a little frantic in finding something else. The current potion they were working on was the strongest contender so far. Using samples of your blood, it had been the most successful in holding the curse at bay. On a small scale.

That’s why Lilith was standing ready with a few elixirs, just in case it didn’t work. She was confident that it would, but you’d asked her to have them, just to be safe. And she could never say no to you.

“Let them inject the serum.” Lilith said when you dodged the needle for the second time.

“That’s a really big needle!” You whined, trying to give her a sad look. She didn’t budge.

“What will get you to sit still?”

“Something really nice, for a needle like that.”

“Oh, I can think of something…” Lilith practically purred. You blinked, stunned by the change. So stunned that you missed the look she gave the healer before leaning in to whisper in your ear, “If you sit there like a good girl, I promise I’ll make it well worth your while.. Later.”

You were sure that your face and ears had gone bright red. That certainly wasn’t an offer you were going to refuse. So you nodded, taking a deep breath.

“Alright. I’m ready.” You said.

“Um, I already gave it to you, Miss Y/N.” The healer said awkwardly, looking between you and Lilith.

Furrowing your brows, you looked down at your arm. She was telling the truth. A pretty pink bandaid was stuck to your skin where the needle was supposed to go in. And the feeling under your skin had stopped. It’d worked. Despite that, you looked up at Lilith with a scowl.

“You tricked me.” You accused.

“I never tricked you, merely distracted you.”

“But what about…”

“Oh darling, you know I always keep my promises.” Lilith said, giving you a languid smile.

Swallowing roughly, you avoided her eyes. Your face felt hot again. The needles made have sucked, but it was going to be so worth it.

“What did you all get for number three, class?”

The ten students looked down at their papers, then at one another. It confused you. Normally they would jump at the chance to answer the question for you.

“Um, you only told us to do one and two, Miss Y/N.” Braxas spoke up from where he was seated.

Oh.

“Of course, you’re right. Thank you, Braxas.” You smiled, trying to hide your embarrassment. Little things like that had been slipping your mind a lot, so they didn’t seem to react very strongly.

Looking at your watch, it was about time for the lesson to end anyway. Their ride back to Hexside was probably outside, anyway.

“I’d like you all to do question three before class tomorrow. You are all dismissed for the day.” You said kindly, watching as they all nodded, packing their things up.

When the last student had left the room, you allowed yourself to slump down into your chair. Exhaustion had been creeping up on you all day. Since the new treatment for your curse had been proven to work, you’d also learned that there were some serious side effects. It stole a lot of your energy and made it difficult for you to keep food down, so you’d lost a lot of weight. Doing anything for long periods of time was difficult and exhausting.

As a result, Lilith had arranged for you to teach your classes from the castle. That way you didn’t have to go too far and you had access to all of the best care within the building. It had been a good idea. Not that you’d tell Lilith that. You were still a little upset that she’d made such a change without consulting you first, even if it was the safest option.

You let out a heavy sigh. That had been your last class of the day, thank the Titan, but you didn’t have any energy to spare. And you really needed to get back to your room before someone noticed you were still there - or worse - Lilith found you like this. She would be so worried and that was the last thing she needed right now.

Summoning every last speck of energy in your reserves, you moved yourself into a standing position. Though you immediately had to lean against the desk as your vision blurred. That wasn’t good. You tried to take a step, but your right knee gave you, forcing you to hold yourself up using your staff.

Your palisman, a lovely little owl named Stara, animated herself to look down at you worriedly. She nudged slightly at you, giving a concerned coo. You reached up to scratch at her feathers lightly. Logically, you knew there was no way you could get back to your quarters like this.

“Stara, I need you to go get Lilith, please.” You sighed, sitting back down with a wince. It was the last thing you wanted to do, but it was necessary. The owl let out a chirp before gliding out of the room.

Even though you’d sat down, your head was still spinning. You put your head down on the desk. If it didn’t stop the dizziness, at least it would keep you from getting sick. That was the last thing you needed right now.

The gentle flutter of wings alerted you to Stara’s return, followed by the clicking of heeled boots you knew very well. Lilith let out a worried little noise when she reached the doorway. You waved to let her know you were okay, but you didn’t raise your head from the desk.

“Darling?” She said softly, kneeling next to you, “What’s wrong?”

“I can’t walk.” You mumbled out, though it came out garbled because of the way you were positioned.

“I’m sorry?”

“I can’t walk.” You snapped, raising your head.

It felt humiliating to admit and tears were burning at your eyes. You didn’t want to be weak like this. The new treatment kept the curse at bay, but you didn’t know if your body would ever adjust to it like it had the elixirs. You couldn’t keep getting weaker. The healers said that it would continue to eradicate the curse, but you worried it’d take you before it got there.

You felt horrible for snapping at Lilith. She’d been nothing but loving and supportive throughout all of it, but losing the only bit of control you had was difficult. It was horrible looking into the mirror and not knowing who was looking back at you. You were terrified that one day Lilith would wake up and do the same thing; look at you and not know who you were. She was a beautiful, powerful witch and she could have anyone. You couldn’t understand why she stuck with you.

“Alright, darling, let me help you stand. We can fly back and I’ll hold you steady.” Lilith said casually, knowing that making a fuss would make you feel worse.

It hurt her to see you so weak, so sick. She often wondered if it was her fault; she’d been the one to mastermind your new treatment, after all. You were losing so much so rapidly. So much weight. So much mobility. So much freedom. It felt like she’d taken it from you and it broke her heart. Your body was supposed to adjust to this, but it was taking a while. She promised herself that if things got any worse, they would move you back to elixirs, while they worked on something else.

Sitting on your staff, she found a way to perch you on it as well, so that you would lean against her. She tried not to let how light you were get to her.

“Is this acceptable?” She asked softly. You nodded tiredly, not having enough energy to open your mouth to speak.

It was easy enough to maneuver your way through the halls of the castle. Conveniently, it was early enough in the day that most people were still working, meaning nobody witnessed your trip back to your quarters. Even if you hadn’t been awake enough to notice, she knew you’d worry about it later. You hated being seen in such a state.

She was careful to place you in bed comfortably, kissing your forehead gently. As she went to wrap the blankets around you, though, she noticed your nails lengthening slowly. Not having the heart to give you another injection right now, she grabbed one of the elixirs you still kept around.

“Darling,” Lilith said softly, shaking you just enough to wake you slightly, “Your body is trying to transform, so I’m going to give you some elixir right now, okay?”

“‘Kay.” You muttered, opening your mouth expectantly.

Pouring the golden liquid down your throat, she watched with a relieved expression as your nails went back to normal, the curse at bay for now. Feeling almost as exhausted as you looked, she laid next to you. You snuggled into her arms easily. Nothing could keep you away.

“Oh, my dearest, you look beautiful.” Lilith sighed out, looking awestruck.

You blushed, smiling brightly as you twirled. The new dress you’d bought for the occasion flowed elegantly as you spun. It was a brilliant sage green, bringing out your eyes.

“Do you think so?” You asked, teasingly.

“You know I do,” She purred, wrapping her arms around your waist and pulling you close. With a smirk, she nipped lightly at your ear, “I might have to make a few excuses and put you on bed rest for the day.”

The smile that blossomed on your face was bright and happy. Happier than it had been in months. It warmed her from the inside-out to see.

“You can’t call it bed rest if I’m not resting, Miss Clawthorne.” You quipped, placing a quick kiss on her lips.

“Nobody needs to know that part.”

“As much as I would love to play hooky with you today, this is too important. But we can revisit this when I get back.”

“We’ll do much more than revisit it,” Lilith flirted shamelessly, capturing your lips in a kiss that made your knees weak, “Enjoy your day, my dearest.”

“I will.” You smiled.

Grabbing your bag and your staff, you walked out into the hallway with a pep in your step. After the episode where you couldn’t walk, you’d woken up noticeably more energetic the next morning. It turned out that mixing the elixir and the treatment was the perfect combination. And as the weeks had passed, you regained your strength and freedom.

You still had low-energy days, but they were few and far between now. Any other time, you could dance circles around even the healthiest witches. Lilith couldn’t have been more proud of your progress. You couldn’t be more proud of yourself. It had taken a lot of work to get to where you were. But you wouldn’t trade any of it.

All of it had paid off and today was your first day back to teaching at Hexside. You were so excited to be in the halls again, surrounded by your students and peers. It had been so long since you’d been there.

When you got about halfway down the hallway, you absentmindedly went to itch your arm, only to find a few feathers there. Oops. That was another side affect of your treatment combination; the transformations weren’t painful anymore. You’d even been working on controlling them, though you always needed the elixir to bring you out of it. But progress was progress.

Hurrying back to your quarters, you swung into the room, grabbing the elixir. Lilith looked up, raising a questioning eyebrow.

“Forgot to take my elixir, but I got it! I’m really off this time. I love you!” You said, giving her another quick kiss, before downing the elixir and leaving.

As you took off for Hexside with a bright smile on your face, Lilith’s loving gaze followed you from the window until you were completely out of sight.

“Damn it, Y/N, listen! It’s me!” Lilith yelled.

This was not what she’d imagined for her afternoon.

It had been fine to start. You both had the afternoon free of work, deciding to go out for lunch - as a treat. With you going back to work and Lilith catching up on her own, personal time had been a little limited. So you intended to make the best of it.

Or you had, anyway.

Lunch had been lovely. There was a new restaurant that opened across the isles and Lilith had surprised you with a reservation. Not that you had been there very long. About half-way through your meal, Lilith had dropped a few hints of returning home for some more… adult activities. You weren’t going to say no to that.

But your luck seemed to have run out, as you ran into none other than Odalia Blight outside of the castle. You didn’t remember what she said, but it had been enough to make you lose your cool.

As you’d been working on controlling your curse and transformations, your emotions had been constantly fluctuating. They meant the difference between a good transformation and a bad one. And the combination of Odalia’s words, plus the lack of your elixir for the day, had created this - a giant, angry owl-beast going on the offensive outside of the Emperor’s Castle.

“Get a hold of yourself, Y/N!” Odalia yelled from behind a barrier she’d created, only serving to make you angrier. You lunged, clawing at her barrier, jumping back in pain when it shocked you.

Lilith rolled her eyes. Of course Odalia would cause this and then continue to make it worse. Her mind was assessing the situation rapidly. She couldn’t get close enough to give you any elixir, which was really her only hope. But you had been working hard to control the owl beast. She hoped that you had enough control to not gut her.

“Get out of here, Odalia!” Lilith yelled, before taking a chance and walking out in front of you, unarmed and defenseless.

Your beast form tilted its head, looking confused. Lilith felt familiar to you, but how? You didn’t get the chance to find out. Odalia caught your attention and you lunged once more, going to wrap a claw around her form.

Before you could snatch the woman up, Lilith was there in front of you. You stopped dead in your tracks. One part of you was screaming to continue your task, but the other was focused on not hurting the witch in front of you. The internal debate gave Lilith enough time to let Odalia get out of the way.

“Y/N, look at me,” Lilith cooed, speaking in a gentle, soothing tone, “You know who I am. My darling, I need you to transform back for me. Can you do that?”

Once more, you tilted your head, letting out a confused cooing noise. Lilith’s soothing tones relaxed you, allowing your conscious mind to finally break through your cursed mind. And with an extreme amount of focus, you felt yourself transform back, growing back to your normal height and build.

“Lilith?” You said, holding your pounding head.

“I’m here. You did so well, my dearest.” Lilith said, pulling you into her, “So well.”

“My head hurts.” You whined.

“I know. Let me get you inside.”

Lilith helped you into the castle, back to your living space. She settled you in gently, going around and securing everything, before joining you. It would still be difficult in the future to work with your curse and overcome it fully, but you had time. Time, and the love of a very determined witch.

#lilith clawthorne #lilith x reader #the owl house #lilith clawthorne x reader #lilith toh #the owl house x reader #lilith the raven lady #lilith the owl house #the owl house imagine #odalia blight #wlw #wlw imagine #lilith clawthorne x fem reader #oct2020 #multimilfswritings

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ohgodmyeyes · 3 years

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hi! I was curious as to what are both your fav and least fav versions of anakin? (like aotc, rots, old force ghost, clone wars, etc)

This is such an exciting question, but I'll try to be succinct instead of long-winded and boring. (My stories are already there for that.) Here's a quick rundown of a few different Anakins, from my most treasured to the one (and only one) I tend to side-eye:

ROTJ Anakin / Force Ghost Anakin - I'm grouping these guys together, because I love them all for the same reason, and that reason is that they DID it. ROTJ Anakin is the Anakin who finds himself again; who takes responsibility for his family, and a huge step toward atoning for the things he's done. He spends ROTJ slowly changing; we see it in how he regards the Emperor, and the way he regards Luke. The closest thing he’s ever going to do to getting his wife back, realistically, is saving his son and finally openly defying Palpatine. It doesn’t matter that anyone else knows Vader has been rescued from himself, or that he was really a good man all along. Luke knows, and that’s enough; it’s part of why their relationship is so special to me. Luke is the only living person who says a proper goodbye to Anakin: He knew all along that it was worth it to try to know him. That’s beautiful.

His journey isn't finished at this stage, exactly, but his he's in a better place than he's ever been, and I love him for it. He's hope personified, even for the very worst of us.

As an aside— physicality isn't a barrier to any of this; I love him all busted up and dying, I love him as a fully-healed Sebastian Shaw, and as a pretty, young Hayden Christensen.

Padawan Anakin / AOTC Anakin / Jedi Quest Anakin - In second place is a much younger iteration of him— a sad, lonely kid who's easily excitable, and dangerous, somehow, without being at all frightening. He's a mixed-up kid who's had a less-than-ideal upbringing, bound to an ancient prophecy no one knows enough about. He cries out constantly to be held and loved; he's got his heart in his hand, and he's always ready to give it away to the next person who shows him kindness— or who even just needs him.

He's still so compassionate and well-intentioned at this point in his life, even when it doesn't benefit him. He can be petty and sensitive, although anyone would be, if they had to bear the kind of weight Anakin carries on his own shoulders at that age. His emotions sometimes run amok, but his heart is still so good... and more importantly than that, he knows it. He still has hope, for himself and for others, despite the overwhelming sense of 'otherness' he tends to feel. That's what sets him apart from Vader for me, even though I think AOTC Ani resembles the ultimate, 'suited' Darth Vader a lot more than the Anakin we meet at the beginning of ROTS.

Plus— although this is fairly irrelevant— AOTC Anakin happens to be Anakin at peak hotness. No damn wig is going to change that, nor is the sad fact of my own rapidly-advancing age. :)

Little Kid Anakin / TPM Anakin - The sweet baby version of Anakin comes in next for me. The altruism he struggles to hang onto until he finally falls is front-and-centre at this stage. He's tough by necessity (obviously, he's a fucking slave), but he isn't jaded yet— largely owing to his mother. Even when he loses Qui-Gon and gets to the Temple and struggles to integrate, his heart just stays enormous. God knows what he's already been through, but he never stops trying, and there's nothing fake about his confidence at this stage in his life. I love that; I think we could all stand to be a bit more like nine-year-old Anakin Skywalker.

There's an Anakin & Reader story on ao3 by @itohan called 'Kuebiko', and it's a beautiful depiction of what it might be like to be a caregiver for a very young Anakin. It's headed for some pretty sad places, to be sure, but there's a lot of sweetness and lovely (sometimes chilling) little insights into his character that I don't otherwise get to see very often. Anyone else with a soft spot for child Ani should go and read it.

'Classic' Vader, between the end of ROTS and the end of ANH - This is an enormous chunk of time, but again, I think it's more helpful than not if I just group these iterations of him together, at least for the purpose of compiling this list. It's horrific and tragic and a devastating waste of potential, but Anakin really does spend a huge amount of time mired in a thick, dark cloud of grief and anger. He convinces himself of a lot of stupid shit during this period in his life: 'Anakin is dead, I'm fulfilling my destiny, I can get Padmé back, she'd love all this ORDER I'm bringing, blah blah blah'. Every ounce of his extraordinary control is purely surface-level; he's a raging wildfire inside for a longer period of time than I think nearly anyone else could realistically sustain (as in, Kylo Ren was always going to die at 30, and I'm surprised I didn't, too lol).

He's empowered by his shitstain of a 'Master' to hurt and kill people against everything that once made him who he was, and no one can know he suffers for it (or for the loss of his wife, or the family he wishes he could have raised with her). No one can know anything about him; he's a man playing a part who can't ever take off his costume. Everything hurts him, and the only places he can turn to for comfort are the battlefield, and the inside of his own head. He has profound disabilities of every imaginable nature, and receives no more than the most cursory physical maintenance to remedy them. He escapes into his missions, but every one of those is a slight against his own better nature. His personal pursuits don't benefit him either; for basically twenty years of his life, he's living in an emotional storm— it ebbs and flows, but it never lets up, and his entire existence is set up specifically to reward the most despicable of his behaviour.

He doesn't make very many genuine emotional breakthroughs, because he's not allowed— just tricked and lied to and manipulated and taken advantage of, even when he's the one ostensibly in 'control'. His life only starts again when Luke comes into it; again, one more reason their connection is so special to me.

I'm going to go ahead and recommend another Anakin/Reader story by a different author; it's called 'mrfiveohone' by DarthDoritos, and it's on ao3. It's a brilliant exploration of what a strange, budding relationship with a youngish Vader might look like, and just an overall beautiful portrait of escalating intimacy on top of that. Another one I would highly recommend (completion status notwithstanding) is called 'Afterimage', and it is by garnettrees, also on ao3. It's a very dark Vaderdala story that gets right inside Anakin's head in the most wonderful ways. He never stops loving Padmé, and in that, he never truly stops being who he is.

This is the Vader I (admittedly somewhat dramatically) see the most of myself in. It puts us at-odds sometimes, but my urge to get up underneath that mask and make him feel worthy of his own name is insurmountable. I love him because if I didn't, I'd be in trouble.

Which brings us to TCW Anakin… who is, perhaps, the only version of Anakin I can honestly say I don't care for. Which is fine, because the show itself really isn't my kind of thing. Suffice to say, that particular depiction of him departs so dramatically from any of the other ones I've known (or listed here) that I just can't get into it, no matter how hard I try.

I'm going to end this with a shout-out to Lego Anakin! I've never seen a shitty version of Lego Anakin, whether in a cartoon or on my desk at home. :)

Thank you for asking, anon. That was fun to write out!

#anakin skywalker #thanks anon #fanfiction #headcanon #boring to everyone but me #i am trying to answer all of my asks #the nice ones anyway #late #too long

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truisticrhino28 · 3 years

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Insanity, by TruisitcRhino28

Prologue:

It is the year 3642 BBY. Revan has been freed by the Jedi Order, and the Sith Emperor lies dormant on Yavin 4. This information is a well-kept secret, though not well-kept enough, because a brash young Jedi Padawan finds out about the Emperor’s awakening…

Chapter 1: Brashness and Secrecy:

Padawan Vold Sagar was very strong in the Force; however, he was also very, very brash and reckless. He often let his emotions get the better of him and never really liked to come up with a plan, often preferring to rush into things head-on and improvise as he went along. This made him frowned upon by many of the Masters in the Order, particularly on the Council. Naturally, this meant that they did not consider Vold a good example of what a Jedi Knight, and thus, refused to elevate his status from Padawan to Knight. Upon hearing this news from his Master, Claudios Brenthen, he felt mocked, insulted, and most of all, furious.

“How dare the Council deny me the rank of Knight?! How dare they, those conservative old fools! I worked my butt off to become a Jedi! I did everything the Council requested of me, everything! And now those staid archaic bastards refuse to promote me!”, Vold was yelling in a fit of rage.

“It is not a matter of personal grudges with the Council. The sole reason you were not promoted is because you are brash. You never think twice, never form a plan. You are impulsive, and impulsiveness can be a very dangerous thing.” “I do not mean these remarks as insults, for few things can be insults if they are true”, replied Claudios in a calm but serious tone.

“I know, Master, and you are not the one I am mad at. Everything is making me so mad, the Council, this war, the Empire, everything!!”

“Remember, there is no emotion there is peace”, Claudios reminded calmly.

“Yes, Master”, Vold said in resignation, knowing that trying to continue the argument was pointless. With that, Claudios left meditate on the Jedi Temple grounds. Vold however, was still very mad at the Council and was desperate to prove himself. As such, he naturally thought that the only way to prove himself worthy was to gain power, of a darker kind.

Chapter 2: Hidden Power and Hidden Love:

Vold carefully made his way to his Master’s quarters and once he had entered unseen and knew he was secure, he began searching through the Force for his Master’s locked away Sith scroll. After a few minutes, he found it and retrieved it from its hiding place. As he carefully opened it and read the first words, he saw the name “the Sith Emperor”. Vold was fascinated by this, and began pouring through the text on the scroll, until he happened upon a location: Yavin 4. He was familiar with the location of Yavin 4; it had been the primary base of operations of the famous Sith Lords Exar Kun and Naga Sadow. What does the Sith Emperor want with Yavin 4? Vold then remembered that the Sith Emperor had previously been defeated at the hands of the Hero of Tython. Perhaps he is waiting until he regains his strength. That means he is weak, and ripe for the killing. Defeating the Sith Emperor once and for all will surely give the Council cause to promote me to a Jedi Knight. With this in mind, Vold realized he had taken up a large amount of time looking at the scroll and swiftly exited his Master’s quarters unseen, leaving everything in the condition it was in before he entered. He then headed to visit his lover, fellow Padawan Nehani Forrez. The two of them had trained together as younglings, and had begun to deeply care for each other, feelings that eventually blossomed into love. As he entered her quarters, they embraced and began making out, as they usually did when they saw each other. When they had finished, they stood holding hands and Vold began saying, “Nehani, I’ve finally figured it out.”

“Figured out what, Vold?”, Nehani asked in curiosity.

“I’ve finally figured out how I can become a Jedi Knight!”, exclaimed Vold excitedly. “I will go to Yavin 4 and once and for all defeat the Sith Emperor!”.

Nehani had many questions about this. “How did you acquire this information? Why are you doing this? Does your master know of this? How do you know this is even possible?”.

“I must become a Jedi Knight. I must prove myself to those staid old fools on the Council that I am truly strong enough. The only way to do that is to kill the Sith Emperor.”

“But you’ll die!”, Nehani objected in concern. “To try and do that is utter insanity! Have you never heard the stories? The tales of absolute cruelty the Emperor committed on its victims? If you failed, then you would go insane, and constantly wish for and be denied the glorious privilege of death.”

“No matter what happens to me, as long as the Sith Emperor lies dead, I will have proved myself at last.” Nehani had no further words. Vold gave her one last kiss on the cheeks before leaving, satisfied he had explained his point. “Do not come for me, nor mourn my death. Your future as a Jedi is too important”, he finished. He then left Nehani and headed in secret for his ship, the Passionate Champion.

Chapter 3: The Hunt for The Emperor:

As the Passionate Champion exited hyperspace, Vold was overtaken momentarily by dark imagery. Mental images of agony, screaming, and death flooded his mind. And at the source of all of it was the Sith Emperor. For most, this would have immediately deterred even the most mentally strong-willed being. But for Vold, this was only further motivation and reason that the Sith Emperor was a soulless monster that must be destroyed. He landed and exited his ship and began meditating in search of the Emperor. Once he’d found the Emperor’s location, he headed there at speeds unheard of to the human mind simply by using Force Speed. Once he’d happened upon the temple, he stopped, and cautiously sensed for any possible threats in the surrounding area. Once he felt it was safe, he ignited his lightsaber and entered the temple. Not soon after he had entered, he began to feel weakened and groggy, and eventually collapsed unconscious on the floor. When he woke up, he didn’t know where he was in the temple. Seeing his lightsaber, Vold tried to get up and use the Force to retrieve it, but he was snapped down to the ground, like an invisible presence had pushed him back. Next, he was bombarded with an assault of terrible images, similar to the ones he’d been bombarded with as he’d entered the atmosphere. Except this time, Vold was seeing a blurred vision of his future. He saw a person killing and murdering all life on Yavin 4. A person with dark eyes. A person that looked very similar to himself. A person he realized… was himself! No! It... can’t be! How is this possible? How? Vold then went unconscious again, and when he woke up, he found himself outside the Temple and empowered with a new strength, something far, far stronger. A power, he felt, one that would bring him victory. Then, as he looked at a tree, he saw not a tree, but the image of the Emperor. Driven by nothing but mad rage, he brutally slaughtered the tree. Vold then thought that he had defeated the Emperor, but then saw his image on another tree, so he cut down that tree, and another, and another, and more and more trees until he had cut a sixth of the forest, he was standing in. Losing sanity more by the second, he screamed a yell of dark rage that could be heard across the galaxy.

Chapter 4: The Call Heard Across the Galaxy:

Claudios was meditating in his quarters when he sensed a grave disturbance in the Force: his apprentice was in trouble. He was going to exit his quarters when he noticed something off, something he hadn’t noticed before. It appeared as if something had been left open. He opened his library cabinet, and nothing had been stolen, but one thing had been opened. As he opened the scroll about the Emperor, he read the entire scroll, and came upon a clause of the scroll regarding the Emperor’s horrific abilities to take control of people. It mentioned Revan, along with some other examples, but one part of this read of how the Emperor could drive people insane by making them see infinite projections of himself. He then thought back to his conversations with Vold. Realizing the terrible danger Vold was in, he rushed to his starship, and headed to Yavin 4, completely unaware that Nehani had boarded the ship in secret.

Chapter 5: Unheard Pleas and Failed Persuasions:

Claudios’s ship exited hyperspace and immediately he was hit with disturbing Force visions, but he ignored them by projecting a field of light side energy around his ship. As he landed on the planet and exited his ship, he was in shock of the pure dark energy on the world. He realized however that this would do nothing but stall for time, so he quickly went in search of Vold. After a decent bit of traveling, he eventually ran into Vold brutally slashing trees and wildlife all around him. He realized this would be much more difficult than he had originally anticipated.

Vold was on a killing streak murdering everything within his path of sight that he thought resembled the Emperor. By this point, the dark side was so strong in him it was like a hypotonic blood cell about to explode. Suddenly, all of his focus was concentrated on one singular being standing a good 200 meters away from Vold, in the midst of the forest fires and destruction Vold had caused. He recognized this being as his Master, however, all he could see was the image of the Emperor in his mind.

“You, whatever you are, you are not my Master! This is a trick! A deceit shaped by the Emperor to make me think you are not him! But I see the truth! His deceits may have gotten me before, but not anymore! I see you are him! And now, you will die.”

“Vold, listen to me! You are not yourself. The Emperor is driving you mad. Come with me and we can free you of his influence and the corruption of the dark side.”

“Lies! All lies! I know this is another deceit to throw me off track, but it will not work! I have become too powerful to be deceived by such trickery again.”

“Vold! This is not you! Please, I implore you, do not do this. If you continue on your current path, I will be forced to end your life, which is a deed I very much do not wish to commit.”

“These lies will not work! The opaqueness of you is nonexistent, for I am transparent to your true self! Now, you must die!”

With deep regrets, Claudios concluded, “It is with the deepest of rue that I am forced to fight you. I am sorry for not protecting you from the corruption of the dark side better. Such flaws are the signs of a bad teacher, and a withered old fool. With that, Vold launched toward Claudios in fury, and he was barely able to defend the pure hatred of the first strike. Defend it he did though, and he proceeded to use a Force push to lift Vold off of his feet, in hopes of possibly knocking him unconscious. This only momentarily disrupted Vold however, and once he’d gotten back up on his feet, he used the Force to send waves of fire toward Claudios. Claudios responded to this attack by raising water from a nearby marsh to counter this. However, this gave Vold the opportunity to strike. Catching Claudios off guard, he threw his lightsaber at Claudios, forcing him to redirect his focus for a mere millisecond, causing fire to seep through his defenses and cause him critical burns. Wincing from pain, Claudios tried to use a Force Wave to push Vold away and give himself time to recover. However, Vold merely brushed past this, and instead threw his full strength into a single Force Wave, forcing Claudios to counter the interaction, an interaction which he lost. The sheer power of the Force Wave shattered many bones in Claudios’s body, leaving what was left of him barely alive and scrunched up, like a crumbled piece of paper. Vold then made the finishing move and killed him without a second thought. Then, at this very moment, Vold was released from the control of the Emperor, and everything was replayed in his head, the incineration of trees, the mindless slaughter of the life, and the murdering of his Master. Completely overcome with emotions and with no time to process them, he entered a state of insane grief and thrashed at everything around him, at which point he was again put under control of the Emperor, and even madder now he began brutally annihilating the flora and fauna at an alarmingly more intense level than before.

Nehani had been overtaken by the dark imagery, and had struggled to recover, but once she had, she’d carefully followed Claudios out of sight and had cried when she had seen Claudios die. That said, she knew she probably had one last chance to plea for Vold before he destroyed the entire planet.

Chapter 6: Insanity:

Nehani made her way toward Vold in nervous strides. Vold, sensing her through the Force, stopped and dashed to confront her.

Nehani began by yelling, “Vold! This isn’t you! I know you! The real Vold would have never killed his Master like that.”

Vold would hear none of it, and countered by yelling back, “You, you evil, cursed wretched being!! You made me kill my Master!! I will decapitate you; I will choke you but make sure you still hold breath, I will make sure you bleed, but still do not bleed dry. I will make you suffer like no being has ever suffered before!!” And with that, Vold began to choke Nehani all the while slowly cutting open parts of her skin. She tried to resist, but to no avail. She couldn’t scream at the pain, for she was too busy merely struggling for air. This continued for another 3 hours, at which point Nehani finally crumbled and died. It was at this point that the Emperor lost interest in Vold, and released control of him so he could go back to lying dormant. This shattered Vold’s mind utterly and completely, and this compounded with him mentally replaying the recent events caused him to collapse in remorse, and as he ignited his lightsaber for a final time and stuck it through his chest, he let out a final cry that released the last morsel of sane present within him, leaving him a corpse of his own insanity.

#starwars fanfic fanfiction starwarsfanfic swfanfic sw swfanfiction shortstory starwarsshortstory starwars short story tragedy

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taurealuna · 4 years

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Hi dear! Hope you’re doing well, I wanted to ask if there’s any type of past lives karma between my mom (D.R) and me, we have a really difficult relationship so I’m interested in knowing if it’s related to karma; tysm in advance dear ^^ -Z.O

hi Z.O!! yes of course! i’ll try my best to interpret it for you!

this is quite a heavy reading! i do feel like both of you have a lot of past lives together. firstly, i feel that both of you have to work on understanding each other and working together as a family. (3 of pentacles, 10 of pentacles) it’s not a coincidence that both of you are family members in this life. both of you also have a lot of differences together, so it’s also important to overcome this. because of some past life issues, both of you may subconsciously struggle a lot of being close with each other. in this life, both of you have to work together to overcome this and not focus on what has happened in the past! (5 of cups)

right now, you could face some obstacles in relating to your mom emotionally. you could feel that she comes off as immature or someone who doesn’t care about your emotions. (king of cups in reverse) furthermore, you could feel that she may affect you in terms of your reputation and career, her personality and relationship with you may indirectly affect how you want people to see you. she could also come off as someone who does not take responsibility for her supposed duties and is constantly stressed out/ignorant about her doings. this was because in your past life with her, both of you shared a very strained relationship as well. with the devil and temperance, i feel that one party was..extremely demanding and made life very tough for the other party. one example could be a gambler who has a very very bad addiction, and has accumulated deep debts for the family to repay. on the other hand, the other party was someone who was smarter and much more mature, which i believe could have been you. no matter how demanding and unreasonable the demands of the other party were, you tried your best to keep your calm and only gave what was needed, because you knew you could not give in and let them indulge in their temptations. because of this, there was a lot of tension between the both of you. with the emperor and the high priestess, i feel that you mom in her past life could have been very authoritarian and forced you to do many things for her. she also expected you to “serve” her needs and give in to her temptations. because of this, you felt very unhappy and trapped. you were more focused on your dreams, your hopes and trying to be someone who was trying to lead life as truthfully as possible. you were always calm, and in a way your mother in her past life struggled to “control” you. both of you had a lot of power struggles in the past. in your past life i believe, both of you were meant to work together as well and understand each other. (the world, 8 of pentacles) i feel that both of you started as with the potential to contribute to the family, and have a balanced mother-daughter/son relationship, but because of your mother’s temptations, it led to a very broken family. i feel that money could have been a big source of problem for the family, because of the abundance of pentacles in this reading. with the 8 of pentacles, it suggests to me that you could have worked very hard to sustain the relationship, and that your mother may have overlooked it sometimes in favour for her own “happiness” and thus you feel that your efforts are being wasted sometimes. there’s a strong chance that this energy has been carried over to this life as well, which is why you are feeling this struggle even in this life. in this life, you are meant to break the shackles of this burden and start a new relationship with your mom, and see the relationship is a new light. (the hierophant reversed, 4 of wands reversed) in this life, there’s a chance that your mom could be demanding as usual, because it was her personality in her past life. as her child, you could feel obligated to give in to her and provide for her, especially in a financial way. (4 of pentacles, 6 of pentacles) however, in this life, you have to learn how to build healthy boundaries with her. educate her and let her know nicely why you cannot be giving in to her every time, and if she does indeed overspend or have some addictions, in this life it is your chance to correct it and break the chain. otherwise, you may continue this relationship in your lives ahead. in your past life, you could have been someone very wounded and trapped because of the relationship with your mom as well. (8 of swords) you could have felt that your mother didn’t understand you and that she was very demanding. you felt that you weren’t deserving of love and you felt very lonely and that the situation was hopeless as well. this was because, in your past life, your mother was a very sly person as well. (7 of swords) she often deceived you and tricked you of your money and sincerity. you genuinely cared for her, but she often prioritized money or her own happiness and cast you aside. in a way, she was using you as a machine to give her money or financial security. when you refused, she often found underhanded ways to trick you and made you give her what she wants. because of this, you developed trust issues and a lot of unresolved anger with her because of her dishonesty. in this life, you are meant to be firm in your thoughts and successfully break this chain of relationship and start a brand new one. for some reason, you could achieve public support or that outsiders may be helping you (eg. social workers) with the 6 of wands. 6 of wands suggests achieving success and recognition from public, which i believe is what you are meant to achieve in this life. in order to heal from this in this life, once again what you have to do is to start things on a fresh note and repay each other what you have owed. especially with the wheel of fortune and death, it suggests that these experiences are important for your spiritual growth and that what is meant to happen will happen. instead of avoiding and trying to find alternative ways, try to ride out the waves and grow as you live. most importantly, build a healthy relationship once again with your mother and put aside any grievances or hurt. this will help!

#tarot divination #Z.O

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beneaththetangles · 4 years

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Teasing Master Takagi-san, and an Easter after Lent

Teasing Master Takagi-San has been a joyful surprise for me. This slice-of-life school comedy about the excessively self-conscious Nishikata and his clever and humorous female deskmate, Takagi-san, is full of color and light and small moments in which I could find myself—and God—went much further than I thought it would, and really pulled me along for the ride.

And very appropriately, as this is a twofold story about gradual change for the better in the midst of daily life, about heading in a direction and being able to see more clearly as you grow. It’s about being guided, which requires hope, and about what seems a messy cycle of everyday chaos at first glance, but is really a path. After all, our everyday life may be, in fact, a series of miracles, and one day I will join Japesland and write about why Our Lord probably likes Nichijou.

Takagi-San may not have the crazy originality and brilliance of that series, but it has strongly reminded me of how I felt watching it as well as other favorite comedies of mine like the Haruhi Suzumiya series, Toradora, OreGairu, Barakamon, and Ore Monogatari, all fish-out-of-the-water stories of a sort.

Enduring the crazy status quo, half-knowing that something is growing and solidifying at the other side, as in all romance, as in Christian life, and as in Lent too, which is like a small parable of Christian life, I must confess Takagi-San has rapidly become one of my favorites, and has also taught me a great deal.

On the surface, Takagi-san seemed like a well-paced mix of the similarly named Tonari no Seki-kun (which I also enjoyed a lot) and Tsuki ga Kirei. There are the seemingly endless variations of the same basic premise, each done in a wildly inventive way. There is the absurdist character comedy centered in small moments. There is the indirect connection through a feeling of “but I can´t help but be interested.” There is the recreation of the school ethos, with all its small pleasures and small torments (Get yelled at in class—the horror!). And on the other hand, there is also the attention to detail, the small moments, the side characters, the luscious colour and detail and developing relationships of the second. Yet, too-cute shows usually push me away (it ended up happening even with Tsuki ga Kirei, despite its other virtues), but here, the teasing, the constant battle of wits, the slow reveal of new aspects of our characters, did the trick: I was invested in them from beginning to the end.

Part of its appeal for me is that I remember, and can still imagine, how nightmarish it would have been to be sit next to a Takagi-san as a kid. I would have died. At that time, I was a good student, I practiced a faith that few around me practiced, and I did read a lot of books that nobody else read, so it was only natural for me to model many of my attitudes on those books. Sometimes this was helpful, and I’m glad I did that instead of finding other models. Oftentimes I was more or less socially awkward and self-serious, a time-traveler from the Victorian era or downright ridiculous, bordering on having the infamous 8th-grade Syndrome. In time, my demeanor at school became that of a Hikki (more so around girls). I would go in my school suit as if it was armor. While I changed at university (not without a not-so-little help from my friends), I was still told once by a classmate that I was the most serious person he had ever known, and I’m intimately familiar with all species of Phariseeism you can think of, and maybe more.—Luckily, my parents are wise and dealt with all my antics with patience and a good sense of humor, and God played the role of a Takagi-san in my life. That is, He teased me, threw me off balance, told me who He was, and patiently guided me so I didn’t become completely trapped in my own defense mechanisms. Like Norman in The Promised Neverland, He was the one who told me something like, “Come with me, and I´ll show you something cool.”—That being so, I really appreciate how without fail, Takagi-san teases Nishikata in a way which subtly helps him mature and develop, while also making herself known to him. Her jokes are never separated from her appreciation for him. It is truly an art. She pays attention to him, to how he thinks, to what he likes and dislikes, to what he seeks and to how he reacts, and uses all that to play him. She has the courage to make herself comical and compete, and seeks the occasion with delicacy and cunning cleverness, again and again. She searches for the weak spot in his defenses, and for the correct word and the correct time. She patiently waits, and when the time comes, she takes him out of the frontiers of his small world like a rollercoaster, showing him a ray of intimacy he did not know she knew (or even that existed) and places him again in the floor of a broader world, shared to a greater degree and more open to the true meaning, to the joyful surprise, to the deep adventure.

And now I will discuss more specific aspects of the plot, so spoilers ahead.—Nishikata may or may not have realized, but Takagi never humiliates him for the sake of humiliation alone. She does it to let him know when he is being ridiculous; to make him acknowledge what he likes and dislikes; to strengthen their bond; and to encourage him to try harder. She offers him a way, and asks for him to choose to go on at the crucial times. She trusts him. God has acted like that many times in my own life, and in that I see the fatherhood of God the Father, the intimate knowledge and loving wisdom of the Holy Spirit, and the humanity of Christ, Who told the Apostles, “Let the children come unto near me.”—Just as He approaches in the Bible and the Gospel to each person at His own pace, to John and James through the Baptist and a day of hanging out, to Peter through the miraculous catch of fish, to the Samaritan by asking her for water and discussing Jew-Samaritan issues, to Zacchaeus by requesting he host Him at his house, to the sickly woman by letting her touch Him in a crowd, or to the Canaanite by debating and testing her, He has often chosen to approach me and make my head spin with His unique sense of humor, and offered me a way which certainly takes control out of my hands in many situations, but that I would not change for any other. And I am very grateful.—The path of the Christian, for me at least, feels very much like that of Nishikata sometimes. After all, God knows everything, and if I am being dumb, evil, or infantile, He sees it at first glance. Yet, He is kind, and interested in develop a personal bond, an alliance. So He speaks to me every day while everyday life goes on, challenging me, putting up with my antics, leading me further, showing me my folly, forgiving me, taking the effort to get me to feel that He really understands. And from there, it is a strange and sometimes downright embarrassing world full of crazy situations where I find myself confessing my blackest sins to a guy I just met; asking for a McFish for the first time in my life because it is Lent; returning at once forty books I had been taking out of the library during the years; engaging in practices, prayers and devotions that only in time come to “unblock,” so to speak, their meaning; trying to love in some way the cartoonish teacher whose philosophy and manners with which I violently disagree; the cheerleader-like classmate who constantly shows off how rich her family is or to the man trying to rip me off twice with the same story on the street; discovering that I am crying at the Passion; singing at the Church with the very elderly choir; letting Christ wash my feet or sharing all this in an article at Beneath the Tangles. And this is not even the crazies part. It is being a long and strange journey.

Takagi’s trust in Nishikata has another aspect I like: It highlights how chaste he is. Nishikata is often dumb, very much immature, believing everything he sees on TV and would die before admitting that he enjoys a romantic comedy show, but he is remarkably noble and respectful in dealing with Takagi-san. Chastity as a virtue is not a popular topic outside a Christian context, and may make him sound like a loser. Yet, he is not losing. He is fiercely competing with a girl who teases him all the time, yet he wouldn’t take advantage of her, respecting her space and her intimacy, refusing to risk hurting her feelings even at the cost of the game and the joke, and rushes to protect her whenever she is in danger. He will not tickle her, even though she tickles him. She can be alone with him, flirt with him, close her eyes in front of him, or make herself vulnerable, knowing that she is safe, that he would refuse to take advantage of her.—He wants to trick her (and so badly!), but never to humiliate, use, or demean her. He chooses to interpret Takagi’s teasing as a challenge to become stronger, both physically and in cunning, and he does, everyday. It is meant as effort, as he is being teased and they are always competing, and more so as their bonds grow. Of course, giving his immaturity and the context of romantic comedy, his barriers on this matter are sometimes excessive and even an obstacle, but I cannot help feeling that he puts this embarrassment to good use.

As Takagi-san, I admire that: I´d rather be cool than uncool, but I´d rather be as chaste as him when dealing with girls and women, who are the precious daughters of God. The life of St. Joseph’s example (Medieval Otaku commented on this here a few years ago), for instance, is one of trusting God, taking care of Our Lord and of His Virgin Mother and dealing with major inconveniences at a maddening pace: the duty under the Law to reject his betrothed, carrying out with a love which would have taken the fault before the world; the sudden change of plans and the courageous faith required to accept God´s design; the edict of the Emperor and the rushed voyage to Bethlehem; the birth of Jesus in a barn; the flight to Egypt; and Jesus lost in the Temple at twelve. All of it unplanned, and probably a mess in the eyes of those who knew him. And through it all, he exhibits the chastity, the respect, and the paradox of being the guardian of St. Mary, who he always loved and always respected. His relatives and contemporaries may not have admired him, but I certainly do.

Returning to shame is described in the Bible as being a result of the Fall, of the end of Edenic innocence. Man and woman, both being now broken inside—unclean, with their sins ingrained in the heart—in a suddenly hostile world where the inner ugliness was present and the gaze of fellow human beings was not warranted to be one of love, became ashamed. They needed clothes to hide, and a path to communion with God and with others, sometimes full of hardships, in which both maturing and cleansing, purifying our intentions, play a part. They tried to do it with leaves, and God gave them better clothes.

Shame, like a guardian, is intended to protect our intimacy and that of others to let us share ourselves with purity, with respect, in a way that helps and enriches us and others. We need to overcome it to achieve communion, but it helps us realize that, in sharing ourselves or entering the space of others, we are dealing with something valuable, something that must be protected. I think we must understand what our shame tells us, not merely deny it. Like Nishikata, we need to gradually learn to be vulnerable, but also to love with all our strength, and to be faithful.

Every time Nishikata is foolish, he is also vulnerable in a way he cannot help, as he is exposing his true self. There are aspects in which we all behave like idiots, in which our silliness is exposed to others. We may not think anymore that having a two-storied house with one story dedicated to manga and other to video games is a sophisticated and mature thing, but we believe things which are equally ridiculous. We become comical, and it is easy to make fun of us. But even the dumbest can do that, to laugh at others: The real challenge, the interesting, helpful thing, is to make them enjoy the joke, to bring them to smile even so, as God does with us and Takagi-san does with him.

That´s why gossip, slander, dirty humor, frivolity, and cynicism are repugnant: to take advantage of the weak spots of others, real or imagined, to have a laugh. The foolishness of man shows something of the inside in a way beyond his control and perspective, and thus becomes hopeful when looked at with a hopeful view, with compassion, joy and tenderness, reflecting the view of God. Our friends and our loved ones are like messengers of God when they do this: They are godsends. And humor is precisely one of the biggest challenges that every tyrant pretending to be God will face: It will reveal that, despite all his might, he is in some way ridiculous.

Which leads me to the final episodes, and the connection with both Lent and Easter. Having endured the constant teasing for more than a year, Nishikata has grown, and he and Takagi-san are closer and closer. Through all this embarrassment, all this effort, all this training, all this hard-conscious guidance, all this hardship (and what may seem trivial to us may be a world to a middle school boy), he has changed. He is able to bring comfort to Takagi-san when she is sad, and when she leaves an open spot, also to triumph over his shame and ask her to the festival, where they will be together in public.

And there, after the final separation and reunion (Our Lord, when He was twelve, also used the separation and reunion during the feast to prophesy His passion to St. Mary and St. Joseph), she tells him the secret: Whatever he thought, he was not losing at all. Every part of it is now a part of their valuable future, a sign of the triumph achieved through them, not by sheer force, nor in the sense he expected: The triumph of having freely chosen to follow an uncertain path, and to have letting himself be guided, enduring the proof, confronting the obstacles. He has come to see what he could not see at the beginning, a whole new world.

The road for Nishikata and Takagi-san is ahead, but they already have a joyful sign of hope in this first triumph. Likewise with us and the Lord: I hope you will let this Easter celebration be the conclusion of your Lent, rest in the bond between you and Christ, and prepare yourself for what lies ahead. I assure you it will be worth the wait.

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Teasing Master Takagi-san can be streamed in Netflix and Crunchyroll.

#Anime #Christianity #Karakai Jouzu no Takagi san #Teasing Master Takagi san #Lent #Holy Week #Comedy #Easter #God #Articles #Author: Gaharet

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theprodigypenguin · 6 years

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For Insecure Fic Writers

Hec it's midnight and I can't sleep cuz college kids are playing fortnite in the apartment next to mine so I guess it's time for an angsty writers rant.

There's a huge chance this is just a personal quirk of mine, so really I'm just searching for validation from other fic writers, so let's see how this goes.

So I'm a Sheith shipper, absolutely, hardcore, so much that I teeter on the edge of bitterness when it comes to that other ship I won't name because I don't want to give them the satisfaction of another tag. Yet despite sheith being my number one, I seem to write a lot more fics that revolve around Jeith/Jaith (James and Keith). Not only that, but the jeith fics I write seem to just... come out better. And for a minute I didn't get why.

I mean sheith is my favorite thing ever, you'd think I'd put my best foot forward when writing with them, that I'd prefer writing sheith over every other ship, but no. It doesn't seem to be that way. And I think it's because of my general insecurity as an artist, and my habit of comparing myself and my craft to other writers in the fandom. Writers who have been here longer, and who just seem to write the dynamic of the couple better than I ever could.

There are THREE Sheith fic writers that I admire and idolize on Tumblr, and I won't name names because I don't want drama. But they're fucking amazing. Everytime I read their work I'm struck with this flash of awe and adoration, followed by this sinking feeling in my gut and this voice on my shoulder going "See that? That's what good writing looks like. You're never going to get there, so you should stop trying, you're just embarrassing yourself." And I listen, because I'm dumb, and I stop writing sheith. Or if I do write sheith, it comes out complete crap.

Literally every Sheith fic I have I pretty much DESPISE because I keep holding them in my hand and comparing them piece by piece to these three writing GODS who I could never compare to in a million fucking years. Even when I put all my effort into a Sheith fic, I end up feeling sick to my stomach, because I just look at the end result and think "this is crap". I look for validation that it's decent, wonder to myself if the three sheith writers I love so much would enjoy it, and here's the really dumb part.

I can't control how my thought process works on this part because of my anxiety and depression.

But whenever those three don't like or reblog or comment or go "hey, neat" somehow it ruins me even more. Even though logically, of course they probably won't ever read or even get a peak of my work? I mean when I think about it, the odds of them finding my writing and liking it is slim to none. First of all, there are THOUSANDS of sheith posts on tumblr, what are the damn odds they'll come across one of mine? And even if they did, they suck so much that I'd feel BAD if they even read them. Like no please I love you and this writing isn't a good example of my capabilities, look away I'm begging you.

So I'm left with this stupid feeling of "please don't ever look at this crap" clashing with "please read this and give me some kind of advice to better my craft because if three gods think I have potential then maybe I actually do". And depression and anxiety is SHIT for this exact reason.

I fucking HATE writing sheith, because I always end up butchering them both and coming out with absolute trash. That's why I only have one Sheith fic on Ao3, because despite the fact that one is also utter shit, at least it's not as shitty as the rest of them.

Which brings me to jeith. I have been writing a lot of jeith lately, and honestly for a while now I've felt guilty about it, embarassed that I've been so focused on this rare pair crack ship that isn't even that popular when I should be focusing my time and energy into sheith.

I mean I didn't even finish the sheith angst week prompts because I was so sick and anxious about how shitty and fucking horrible all of them were coming out and I didn't want to make anyone suffer by reading any of my shitty work.

Then I sorta realized that the lack of popularity and pressure is probably what made it easier for me to write jeith. Its relaxing, it doesn't make me feel sick. When I write jeith I'm always smiling and giggling like a dumb ass.

Whereas when I'm writing sheith, I'm a bundle of anxiety, my hands are shaking, I can't eat and I have to stop constantly to calm down and keep from crying, because I keep tricking myself into thinking what I'm writing is crap, because compared to these three incredible authors, my work is MUNDANE and INSUFFICIENT. NO ONE is going to like my Sheith fic because these three authors are SO MUCH BETTER than me and why on earth would people read my work when they have these beautiful fics instead?

This is why I haven't started to post my Galra Emperor Keith AU, because I fucking hate it and writing it makes me cry because my anxiety makes me terrified of backlash.

Not to mention I've got kind of a complex of people comparing my work to other peoples work. Why? Well that's a really long and depressing story that I don't want to get into right now, but it's wattpads fault. DM me if you care, otherwise whatever(long story short fuck Tokyo ghoul and everyone who enjoys it).

Anyway, since jeith is such a young and unbiased ship, I feel none of that fear and anxiety that I do when working with sheith. Jeith is still in its early stages, there isn't a lot of fanart and even fewer fics, so when I read a jeith fic I don't start freaking out and comparing myself to those authors, I just squeal over jeith and write more in my own fics, because I don't feel like I have anything to prove.

With sheith, an already established ship, I feel like I'm stepping into a minefield when writing, like my work will get washed out to sea when thrown in with the work from these three particular authors.

With jeith, I don't even care. I write for myself because it's effortless, and when another jeith fan uncovers my fic it's like they're digging up rare gems that are super hard to find.

But anyway, yea. My advice to fellow insecure fic authors, try not to take yourself too seriously. And if you're super mega popular, take the time to really look at your fans, because you have a lot of influence on them, so don't take advantage of that.

Write for yourself and everything that you put out will read like silk. Force yourself to write something and it'll be like jagged glass and utter crap.

I still love sheith and it will always be my favorite, but Jeith has given me a lot of peace and has become incredibly special to me. And that's perfectly okay.

#jeith #jaith #sheith #voltron legendary defender #fanfiction #writer #fanfic author #writing is hard #insecure #anxiety #it's all bullshit #when i admire people i like to run away from them and cry #because i cant emotion properly #my writing sucks okay #my sheith fics are crap #and im sorry they exist

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silentpuppeteer · 6 years

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Month of Spreads Day 8: Energy Drain Spread

I’m now home after a day long train trip, to a more comfortable place. I never read outside my home, let alone during my travels. It was an interesting experience, something I’d like to try again...

Either way, now that I’m back to my other two decks, I could choose whichever felt more appropriate for today’s topic. Sorry for the low quality picture.

Since I’ll definitely get lengthy here, I’ll put everything under a cut. I feel like ranting... you’re free to ignore anything below.

Energy Drain #1: Parents. Eight of Swords

As much as I try to appreciate them, I have a very conflictual relationship with my parents. I chose this card because whenever I try expressing my true thoughts or explaining myself, they do nothing but defend themselves, saying that it’s my fault, that I’m the one wrong. They trick me into dragging myself down with self doubt, guilt, and regret. Every word sends me into a spiral of self deceit, and while I know they mean well, they say terribly hurtful things. I’m trapped through their actions, and they tell me the blame is entirely on me, instead of taking responsibility for the things they say and do.

First Card: Page of Cups

I should try and turn this around, turn their abrasive behaviour into a possibility. What can I retain from what they try and teach me? When are they wrong, and when is it actually me who’s being too harsh and uncompromising? I have to trust myself, my hunches, in discerning this. I should also keep a close eye to my emotional stability, trying not to explode, but to let things go instead. There’s no helping it; they’ll always be like that. Might as well ride the tide in the best way possible, with joy and gratitude.

Second Card: The Hierophant

If I wish to have them stop feeling this cold and acting so harshly, I have to respect their authority. They do feel entitled to my respect and affection, to having their status recognized. I don’t get it, and that probably puts me in the wrong already; if I don’t respect them first, they won’t respect me. But I can only respect them as human beings as of now... Should I change and let them step all over me? Or should I merely change how I’m seeing the situation? Perhaps there’s wisdom - and a touch of warmth - hidden in those words. I personally don’t feel like submitting to them in full, so I’ll merely try and improve relations by being calmer in my approach to them, pacifying them we needed, relenting when I must. I did get drawn to that hidden dagger; I’m advised to play the game as they wish it to be played, while still keeping my independence on a mental and spiritual level. Peace will come, and perhaps things will look up for all of us.

Energy Drain #2: Obsessive Thoughts. The Moon

This card is related to that subconscious readings I did on day 6. Yes, it’s that relevant to me... It’s something that obsessed me for literal years. I wish to be freed from it; it torments me, gnawing away at my personal strength, energy constantly leaking into an endless void. Either way, I’ll keep the interpretation barebone. This is too sensitive to share in full.

First Card: King of Cups

I need to approach this topic with more calm, with a tighter and yet mellow control on my emotion. No panic, but also no strictness. Take this experience as it comes, welcome it, because it did shape how you grew. Whether you made a mistake or not, it matters not. It helped you with coping, it helped you with moving on. Be thankful for this experience, and gently face these thoughts when they resurface, with mercy, with kindness. It’s difficult to fully move on from something this important to a growing, struggling identity.

Second Card: The Emperor

If I wish to fully get rid of these thoughts, I must take full conscience of my role in this. I’m the ruler of my own fate and my own mind; I need to take responsibility in full, without projecting on others, without deceit, without running away. Whether these thoughts have proper roots or are just fanciful distractions, it’s how I handle them that matters. If I learn how to handle them properly, they’ll no longer be a problem, even if they might not disappear in full.

Energy Drain #3: Failure. Three of Wands

Of all my personal problems, the worst I’m afflicted with is probably this terror of failure that pervades every single aspect of my life. I can’t handle social situations because I’m afraid of being ridiculed. I’m afraid of taking exams because I’ve been traumatized by that kind of setting. Even writing these lines, even interpreting the cards, reading Tarot and learning divination - I’m terrified of confronting myself with others, in fear I’ll get laughed at and chased away. I chose the Three of Wands because this fear drains me of the creativity and energy this card transmits me; the warmth of new beginnings, the daring of passion, a strong conviction, powerful planning, and decisiveness. All of that gets drained from my bones because of this paralyzing fear.

First Card: Four of Swords

These terrible feelings, that rush of terror and panic I feel when confronted with a challenge - when this happens, I have to be conscious of it, and distance myself from it. When I realize I’m burning out, I should cut myself some slack. Allow yourself to feel disheartened, to fall without shame. This stumbling is normal and expected: you can’t be perfect every single moment. Let the minor things slide, and be fully conscious of your bigger missteps, with a clear but gentle gaze. Don’t worsen your conditions by beating yourself into the ground; allow yourself to rest up and chin up. Life moves on.

Second Card: Knight of Cups

It’s curious this card is here: in time, it became some sort of personal significator. It suggests me to develop and grow in my own power, embrace my identity: what I like, what I enjoy, what I’m good at, my passions and everything else - if I learn to welcome them without reservation, I can put these fears to rest. Growing into my own person, without seeking outside validation, any permission to exist: I’m here, and I’m me. The only thing I should look for is improvement and personal development. Keep those dreaming eyes open, and only let positive lessons get in. Creativity in action, shameless but kind self-determination. Become yourself and be yourself. Rejoice in what you are and have, and failure will only become a stepping stone to a better future.

#monthofspreads2 #tarot #my readings

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bluerosesburnblue · 6 years

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Liz Liveblogs Bravely Second: Chapter 4

Seems like I was right. Time for a short one with Chapter 4: He Who Would Change the World. Two liveblogs in one day? Pretty good, considering the extreme gap between past ones

Why on earth did we take Lotus and Sakura with us to dock on the Skyhold? Lotus has a son! Sakura is really just our kindly bath mom! They shouldn’t be coming with us to the gate between dimensions!

They’re not coming into Skyhold with us, but the Rubadub’s still attached! If the Skyhold goes down, you two do, too! I don’t want to risk the lives of our boat mom and airship dad!

Skyhold has an actual name, Diamante. And it’s gorgeous. Like a palace of blue diamonds

Kaiser, Anne, and Janne are already aware we’re here. Subtle, this party ain’t

“I really want to see my dead - No... I really want to see my living parents.” Janne, hey, maybe instead of changing the past you could... get therapy? How far back are you guys gonna go to change things? One change effects many things. Is the Kaiser’s change gonna eradicate Janne’s family, thus invalidating Janne’s whole quest? Does anyone know how causality works in this empire?

Kaiser, at the very least, seems willing to save Janne’s parents should Janne be unable to

My guide says there’s a summon this chapter and it ain’t on the Skyhold, so we’re just gonna jump off the side and spit in the face of Gho Gettar’s dreams by snagging Amaterasu. Worst. Timeline. WORST! TIMELINE!

I have no idea how anyone is intended to find this spot in the far northeast of Eternia, and then also figure out that the cutscene only triggers if you slam your face into a very specific cliff

This poor Anchorite really got the short end of the stick. The other guys get to hang out in buildings, but they stuck this guy on a remote island in a freezing blizzard. The order he belongs to must really hate him

Oh I just realized I have Tiz as an Exorcist. This battle against a healer is gonna go GREAT now that I can just... undo those

Oh yeah, Exorcist was the real MVP job of that fight

My party is gonna waltz onto the deck of the Skyhold covered in blood and wielding the goddess of light and no one can stop us

We’ve found Agnès’s cell, but she doesn’t seem to be in it

BUT MAGNOLIA’S POSSESSED. Of all people, why did it have to be the one who can summon?

She’s acting like a bratty five-year-old. Is there a child ghost here? I’ve watched a lot of ghost hunting shows, can I appease you with a toy or something?

“I’ll make you pay for what you did to my daddy!” Well, the only dad Edea’s murdered this game is Geist, so I guess you’re Rev, then

If we killed him, then he should also be a ghost and therefore able to see his ghost child, though, right? Like, just pass on kiddo. Your dad’s waiting

Yeah, Revenant Grace. Fittingly, both father and son are named after types of Ghosts/Undead. Which begs the question of what Geist’s parents were thinking when they named him, and why he felt the need to give his son a name with heavy “return from the dead” connotations

I don’t think the Princess Bride reference was really necessary. “My name is Revenant Grace. You killed my daddy. Prepare to die!” just... doesn’t have the same kick to it

Okay, Rev’s possessed armor is really cool. And apparently, he died and Geist pulled a Fullmetal Alchemist and bound his soul to the armor. So there’s that

Edea’s trying to tell Rev that Geist was going to kill a kid just like him... but Rev’s, like, five, he’s not listening. He’s literally yelling “LA LA LA NO HE DIDN’T”

Geist went away on a trip, and some monster lurked on the boat that came back, where Rev was waiting. It killed him

I’m so glad I read about the trick to this fight, because it’s almost poetic. You set someone to Geist’s Exorcist asterisk. Let Rev posses one of his teammates, which sets his own HP to zero. Then it’s just a matter of attacking that teammate to kick Rev out of possessing them and back into his own body, then Undo HP to the last turn, where Rev’s body had 0 HP, thus killing him instantly using his father’s abilities

Also, we Exorcised a ghost. That’s neat, too

Rev’s monologue says that Geist was happier after he was revived and then he mimicked Geist’s psychotic laughter. I think the poor kid misread the situation. Geist broke when he lost his son, and if his last words were any indication, he regretted bringing Rev back

Edea just passed on those words. Rev’s grateful. He’s not a bad kid, just scared and stuck in a bad situation

Time to pass on and see your daddy, kiddo. He’s waiting

Yew’s entry in the journal states that the last name, Grace, is given to Orthodoxy saints and others who did extraordinary service to them. So Geist was either a holy man, or the descendant of one

And since it seems everyone in the Kaiser’s inner circle wants to “undo” something, I believe that Geist must have joined up to undo either binding Rev’s soul, or Rev’s death entirely

Agnès wasn’t there, so on to the next location

I’m almost baffled by how few named characters have died in this game so far, considering last game killed A LOT of people, to make the “redo” aspect feel fulfilling, and then pull the wind out of your sails when you realize that you didn’t redo anything. They stayed dead. (And then this game undid all those deaths because they were beloved characters who got a lot of development postmortem)

For FUCK’S sake, Janne, get lost! And especially don’t attack me mid-dungeon!

Janne “I Refuse to Die Until Yew Geneolgia, Specifically, Kills Me” Angard, is back for YET ANOTHER round

Oh god he’s Kylo Ren. “I was on this big revenge kick, so I befriended you to kill you! But then I liked you and that made me mad so now I’m going to kill you because I’m a child who can’t figure out my emotions!”

I’m... not that big a fan of Janne. He just comes off as a bratty teenager that they keep trying to make sympathetic, but he never stops being an ass about literally everything

“You were a true friend.” Yew, he really, REALLY was not

Rev works for me, because even though he acts like a brat, he’s acting as a reaction to his father’s death. Once you calm him down, the kid’s perfectly civil, and even thanks the party for passing along his dad’s last words. And that’s some stunning maturity for a kid

Janne, on the other hand, is older and should know better. But instead he lashes out, constantly brags that he’s the best, and even in the last fight he’s being petty. He thinks he can get away with betraying his friends, but as long as he tell them “Hey, good shot” as he’s dying, then he’s absolved. Janne has done a lot of REALLY AWFUL things. He has no intention of atoning because he can’t see past himself and what he wants out of this: his parents back. Rev’s a brat because he doesn’t know better. Janne’s a brat because he’s conceited and wants to delude himself into being superior

I’m gonna rip the Kaiser’s sword right out of his dumb metal hand

Yew is legitimately anticipating death. And blames himself for not stopping the Kaiser when he came to kidnap Agnès. That’s Yew’s undo moment. And I know for a fact we’re gonna make. That. Happen.

Edea’s pep talk about trying again and succeeding now that you’re stronger and wiser is something I think a lot of people need to hear. If you mess up, you shape up and do better

Wait, “Bravely Second” is an in-game term for something other than the hourglass? It’s moon for “the courage to try again.”

So the title of the game is, more accurately “The Courage to Try Again: A World With No Future”

Ooop. Just kinda slid into the Holy Pillar there. Okay

Kaiser’s robo-arm must be pretty tough if he can carry Agnès with it like that

I can’t believe I get to watch Leonardo the Ninja Turtle kick the ass of Leonardo the Ninja Turtle

Dude, stop saying the word “deny.” It’s gotten to be at least once a scene, we know. You deny, you deny, you deny, maybe accept that I’m gonna kick your ass?

Where the hell do you get the idea that only those who know sin can change the world, so you became a literal evil emperor to become a big enough asshole to fix time. Where... the hell do you get that idea? Was it Anne?

Wow. We just LET him do that. Nobody made a move while he went back in time with Agnès

...did Anne just imply that we sent the moon to another dimension?

Oh, no. She just sent the moon to another dimension. And Magnolia’s trying to call her people, but the moon just ain’t there

And here’s the scene I know about. The big reveal that, yes, Anne is Airy’s sister, she knows about you, the player, and now she’s gonna repeat her scene from the start of Default just to make sure you know that you. Messed. Up. You helped her stop Airy, and now she was able to do this. Aren’t you proud, player? You’ve done everything she asked

This boss music is amazing. A combo of Spanish guitar and Wailing guitar? Hell yes

And the butterfly battle background is gorgeous, even if it’s greyscale thanks to the moon’s disappearance

Well, shit. Anne’s hard. Attack one of her fake copies and she’ll basically insta-kill you. Group attacks are not recommended. They’re what keeps killing me

Not bad once you start playing more defensively. Resurrection Mist was a pretty decent idea for that fight with the way Anne can one-shot part members, but Magnolia’s Promethian Fire Arrow was the real damage MVP

Time to escape to the flying bath boat

I just glanced at the bestiary and Anne doesn’t have an entry. Also, it looks like all entries are locked, because the completion markers are faded. I think we’ve hit the end layer

Oh that’s nuts. It looks like time is frozen. All of the flames around the Skyhold stopped moving

“I know the feeling of losing your home” Actually, that raises a good point, Tiz. Are we ever gonna stop by Caldisla or is that just not relevant, since there’s no crystals there

A world without time. A world that both has no end and is the end. The final layer of all reality. The end layer

The Moon “created night from day.” As in, the Moon controlled time, much as the Crystals controlled the elements. Without it, there’s nothing left flowing or moving

This isn’t the first game with a Frozen Future apocalypse that I’ve played. Let’s see how this one stacks up against Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers. A leaf gecko hasn’t come to kick our asses, so it can’t be that bad yet

Ohhhhh shit I just got chills. Tiz said that we never got to fight the Kaiser once, and Yew realized something. He turned to the camera and said “If you’re out there, watching over us... hear my plea.” Yeah, buddy, I can hear you. “Not once?” I remember one time we got him on the battle screen. Just once

(I used up all my SP in the Anne fight, I hope that won’t be a problem)

Tutorial says that Altair has disappeared, so we can’t add entries to the bestiary. Is... the party not capable of writing without Ghost Dad? Did he steal our literacy or something?

It recommended talking to people, but also New Game+. Let’s see this timeless world, then make sure it never happens again

Not much different in Ancheim. Some worried citizens, a child who’s excited that they can play forever because it’s always day, a mom who wonders if she has to cook dinner now, and a man who’s acting like there’s always been no movement to the clock or sails

Al-Khampis seems to be a mix of panic and contemplating the scientific repercussions of this new world-state. One interesting tidbit is that one scientist detected an anomaly traveling through time, but not to the past. If it WAS the Kaiser, then he went 200 years into the future, instead. Rifa gave us similar dialogue to end layer guy in Sagitta, and then a message appeared saying I unlocked New Game+, so maybe it doesn’t unlock unless you talk to people

Florem is... Florem. Girls wondering if this means there’s not gonna be another festival, but at least the flowers don’t wilt. I can’t help but notice “Alternis” isn’t here anymore. The real interesting thing is Sylvie and the Matriarch

Sylvie: “...Miss Edea. ...So many tears, so many cries you will come to know from now on. So much evil... So much blood... But even so... Even so, that great ship will take to the sky once more...! To the world, bound in the sky, where Lady Agnès is held...!” I suspect we’re going to have to hunt down the Kaiser using the Buster Ship

Matriarch: “Sylvie would like me to tell you this... ...Edea Lee. ...A time is coming for you to come to a decision, no matter how difficult it may seem. You must tell your friends, then you must lie to the people, deceive the world, make yourself out as a tyrant in word and deed... Let yourself be attacked and blamed. Go after the friends you have lost. Take that glimmering ship to the sky once more! And that world, bound in the sky... Well, I’m afraid that this old lady has no idea about that.” Is this what the Kaiser was told? The sin he mentioned? To change the world, operate the shining Skyhold, he had to become the tyrant. And now it seems Edea will have to make the same decision

Though given her decision making track record in the sidequests... boy, she may already be a tyrant. We’re gonna fix that this time. Speaking of, there’s some people from the sidequests who reference a few of them hanging around, though I can’t say any of them won with a frozen future

Every person in Sagitta is just stuck repeating “Bravely Second... The courage to try again...” over and over, except for the guy who first introduces you to the end layer, who notes that this must be it, and the elder, who unlocks New Game+ just like Rifa did when I spoke to her

Gathelatio’s full of people screaming about the end times and divine retribution, and kids who hear all of this going “Are we gonna die?” And ominous cats

That... one Crystalguard guy whose name I can’t remember screams at us for not stopping the Kaiser, then apologizes and unlock New Game+. Hey, jackass. Do you want to go into the pillar of light and get one-shot by a fairy? No? Back off. I’m gonna fix it once I hit up the last few towns

Eternia has... a goat. Has that goat always been there? Well he didn’t break the moon. Just eats paper. Mm-hmm. And more worried citizens, a doomsayer, and one brilliant mind who wants to solve the moon problem using the white magic cables

I guess those taxes don’t matter now, do they, Grandship? Otherwise, not much here. An old lady who doesn’t care because she’ll die soon anyway, a guy who’s getting drunk for the apocalypse, and a kid who’s wondering where Alternis went

Yunohana’s pretty basic. Ominas is there trying to get Bahamut to fight off a Ba’al, but the little guy doesn’t look so good. The Lord of Bath tells us we have enough to uncover our feelings and unlocks New Game+ yet again

Maybe picking Ominas for the bad future was a good idea. Femto Flare could deal with the Ba’al outbreak that everyone’s talking about but I have yet to see

Visited the girl and her grandpa from the Eisen quest. Holly’s there trying to protect them, but she’s not enough and can’t find Barras (oops?) and the grandpa wishes he’d just sold the house so his granddaughter could’ve had a little luxury before the world ended

Goodman and his crew are holding down Eisen Bridge, but his soldiers back in Hartschild aren’t so confident. The people just want him home

I also checked on Sakura and Lotus. Sakura just warns us not to stay in the bath for too long now that there’s no time to keep track of, and Lotus is concerned at the appearance of Ba’al. Everyone keeps mentioning Ba’als, and I’m scared to turn encounters back on just in case they may be roaming

I also don’t think I ever mentioned it, but since the start of the game there’s been one person in each town who sings a different verse of the Tale of Sétana. They have to be important, but I suspect it’s relevant to the Yōkai quest, since it’s the only non-cameo-fight quest I’m aware of

*Edit after the Fact* I’m an idiot who can’t read. It’s Sétanta, as in the original name of the Irish mythological figure, Cú Chulainn. As in, the guy from the Prologue. The songs are his backstory. Setana is an area in Hokkaido, Japan. I knew that, I just can’t read, I guess. Wouldn’t be the first time I did something like this (like misreading the Harry Potter spell “Rictusempra” as “Rictumsempra” until I heard it said aloud while watching someone’s playthrough of the Order of the Phoenix game)

YEAH I TURNED ENCOUNTERS BACK ON AND THERE’S JUST BA’AL WANDERING AROUND AS RANDOM ENEMIES. Heyyyy, Urchin! Been... been a while?

Okay, the “next plot event” marker was on the “To Title” entry on the menu so I’m just gonna... gonna return to the menu. No point fighting Urchin if Altair won’t write a bestiary entry on it

Welcome to Bravely Second: Send Player. No more of this “End Layer” nonsense. I’m here, and I’m gonna help these kids take back their future

Back to the beginning. The fight where nothing seemed to work, but this time, I can help. Let’s get the team back together and RIP. THAT. SWORD. OUT. OF. HIS. DUMB. METAL. HAND!

Well, future Yew just kinda possessed his own body, and a good thing, too, because I don’t think past Yew even knew why he used the Bravely Second in the first place

“You, who would deny the past and present have no right to shape the future.” HE SURE DOESN’T, KIDDO. RIP HIM APART

“The future will be forged by those who accept the world they live in, and still fight for change!” I love Yew, and I’m so glad that I’m his extradimensional patron, in a meta sense

The chapter has ended. No cryptic monologues, no “Great Distance”. Just us, the Kaiser, and our Coup de Gravy!

#bravely default #bravely second #liz liveblogs bravely second

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sasuhinasno1fan · 7 years

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Bloodbender

So @terezees I’m your gifter for the @vldhalloween. Most of my stories are usually Lance focused so I hope like hell I do a good job of making Keith good in this. I also don’t really do a lot of platonic Klance stories either, but most of those are one shots so again hoping this doesn’t lean too much into the realm of coupleish. Most of the stuff you asked for I’ve never really done so I was like, what something that can work and then ATLA and Jet came to mind. So hope you enjoy your trick and happy Halloween.

“I’m sorry, you want me to what?” Lance had been happily studying away for his Myths within Astrology class when Keith sprung a question on him.

“I want you to use bloodbending on me.”

“Are you insane? No way? Why in La’s name would I even think about doing that?”

“Lance, remember what Pidge said? Lotor’s ‘generals’, one of them is a waterbender and you know he could care less about the laws. I wouldn’t be surprised if they knew bloodbending.”

“Ok just because Prince Lotor and his father took over Ba Sing Se and are practically running it into the ground, doesn’t mean I should do bloodbending on you. Besides, we’re avoiding Lotor anyway. We just steal stuff from the Upper Ring and heal those in the Lower Ring. Once Allura feels like its safe to get us out of here, we’ll join the resistance and then you’ll get to fight him. Until then, I plan on staying far away from Lotor.”

“That’s the thing. What if he catches us? What if I’m forced against this waterbender? I need to know how to defend myself.”

“Here’s how you defend yourself, run like hell and hope they don’t catch you. Keith, the only reason I know how to bloodbend is because my tribe believed it could be used for healing purposes but even then it’s only in serious situations. It affects the user’s mind and using it like that is horrible.”

Keith knew Lance didn’t talk about his home much, so he knew this wasn’t something he wanted to talk about. Keith knew it was a stretch anyway, but Lance was right. While they pretended to be just simple travellers trying to live in the Middle Ring of Ba Sing Se while Lance attended the University there even under the rule of Emperor Zarkon, the two were the famed thieves, Blue Spirit and the Painted Lady. They’d steal items from the Upper Ring, giving it to those in need and Lance would heal any sick people who were unfortunately too poor to afford anything to help them. They’d keep up with it to piss off Lotor and help the people until Allura, the leader of the Voltron Rebellion felt it was safe to pull them out so they could finally bring Zarkon down.

“Alright, fine. I’m sorry I asked.” He could see Lance relax now that he wasn’t being hounded but could still see that Lance’s mind was on bad memories. He grabbed the book from Lance’s hand, ignoring the sound of annoyance Lance made, “do they have anything about us in here?”

“Us?”

“Yeah, the Blue Spirit and the Painted Lady, or did they even have a male version?”

“Excuse you, just because I don’t mind being called a girl doesn’t allow you to give me crap about it. The Painted Lady is a distinguished woman whose power were amazing. I am lucky and honoured to be able to be called her.” Keith would constantly tease him about his choice in being the Painted Lady, but Lance didn’t care. He felt that the Painted Lady was someone worth being and he made no effort to change it from Lady to Man. Plus, Keith knew it was a way to get Lance to change his mind quickly, taking it off of their previous conversation.

When he first met Lance, Keith didn’t think they’d end up being the best bending team. They could argue for ages and could be unbelievably petty at times, but as time went on, Lance became someone he could rely on, his impulse control. He had no problem calling Keith out and Keith tried his best to help keep Lance’s spirits up. They were a good team, maybe why Allura thought it best they stay at Ba Sing Se with Pidge. The plantbender didn’t join them during their excursions but was very good at getting information to and from the rebel group. There were times that they’d have to steal information to help the rebel groups but mostly they saw Pidge around the city blending in just like they were. Keith hoped that they’d be out of here soon, because according to Pidge, Lotor and his generals were moving much more than usually did.

“A retrieval mission?” Keith asked, sitting across from Pidge at the local tea house.

“Yeah, I got this message that a man is willing to give information about Lotor and his movements. It seems almost too good to be true, but I don’t want to risk it.”

“Should we? If it’s a trap, we could be playing right into Lotor’s hands. You couldn’t find who sent the message?”

“No.” Pidge looked put out. “All my messengers came back with nothing. All we know about this guy is where he lives, which is a summer house for someone. There’s no name on the lease and I can’t get anything, which is so frustrating. I don’t want to risk you guys but this is either a trap, or this guy is really good and hiding his tracks.”

Keith thought. Getting information on Lotor would be a big help but if it was a trap, then they were screwed. The Blue Spirit getting caught would not be good, especially if Lotor found out he was connected to the Voltron Rebellion.

“Maybe I can check the place out? I might be able to get a better idea if I go check myself.”

“I don’t know, I mean if my messengers couldn’t find out a lot, I don’t know what you could do. I think we should take the chance. Just if your gut is telling you something’s wrong, then get the hell out of dodge, ok?”

“Right. Should I bring Lance with me?”

“It would be suggested. I would try and take care of the lower Ring earlier, cause this guy wants to meet tonight.”

Keith sighed, t'was the life of a thief. “Alright. Lance should be back from his classes. I’ll talk to him and we’ll make a plan.”

“Good luck and be careful ok? Can’t have our best retrieval experts getting caught.”

Keith was quick to finish his tea and head back to the house. He was assuming Lance would be there, but the place was empty. All there was, was a note on the table.

My anthropology class had a felid trip. I’ll be back before sundown.

Great, that meant he would have to come up with a plan all by himself. Lance hated not being in the know when it came to stuff like this but what choice did he have? There was a small part of him that didn’t like this, the whole situation, but he was sure it was because of what they were heading into. He really hoped he wasn’t wrong.

The sun started sinking as Keith came up with a plan and half of a backup. All of them depended on Lance, but he wasn’t even there yet.

“Come on Lance, where are you?” Keith muttered looking as the sun set beneath the wall. The time he wanted to head out was getting closer and Lance wasn’t back yet. Keith went into Lance’s room, hoping there would be something that hinted to where he could be when he noticed something. The chest with the fake side that held his Painted Lady stuff was halfway open. Lance would leave it like that in case anyone broke in and found it. Most people would close the door if they went through it, not half open. And his things weren’t there. “Could he be down at the Lower Ring already?”

Keith changed into his clothes, hooking his Dao swords to his back as that feeling from before grew. Keith usually listened to his gut and this feeling was telling him something was wrong. And that something had to do with Lance. He wasn’t one to abandon a mission but the whole thing felt too unsteady to do by himself. He’d find Lance first and then decide from there.

Keith landed on top of another rooftop. He had checked the building that housed the sick people but Lance wasn’t there. Lance wasn’t anywhere in the Lower Ring and there weren’t that many places to look. The feeling in his stomach was growing even more. He did not like this.

He might have been focused on looking for Lance but he did sense someone behind him. He turned only to be blasted off the roof with an airblast. He barely managed to somersault back onto his feet, where he saw five figures approach the edge of the roof he had been on. The one in the middle looked familiar but before he could even try and see if he was right, the largest figure jumped off the roof and landed on the ground, shaking the ground. Earthbender.

“The Blue Spirit, you’re under arrest for crimes against the Empire. You can come quietly or I can pound you into the floor. Please say I can pound you into the floor.” A woman, much taller and muscular than him growled, almost salivating at the thought of wanting to fight him.

Keith didn’t answer as he unsheathed his swords. Three other figures jumped down, leaving that familiar shape on the roof. He knew that figure, that shape, but it didn’t make any sense.

“Zethrid, let’s let his friend take care of him. It was amazing how easy it was to catch him, tricking his class to come to Lake Laogai.” One of the other figures spoke. Another woman, her hair tied in a bun with bits of hair in front of her face.

Oh Angi, he had hoped he was wrong. He watched the last figure jump down. It was Lance, dressed in his Painted Lady attire. But his eyes were vacant, like he wasn’t himself.

“Either surrender or your friend here will do it for you. I hear waterbenders can control people. I wonder if your friend can do the same.”

Keith was stuck on what to do. It didn’t feel right attacking Lance, something was wrong with him. But Lance didn’t seem to care as a waterwhip came darting towards him. Keith darted back to dodge and decided to run. If he could get Lance away from those women, he might have a chance of trying to talk to him without revealing who they were, unless they knew already.

“Hey, he’s getting away!” a new voice yelled.

“He won’t get far.”

Keith dodged another attack from the waterwhip, turning to face Lance. He had water covering his arms like tentacles.

“Lance, what are you doing?” Lance didn’t answer, attacking again. Keith kicked his leg up, fire escaping the sole evaporating the water. He stood ready as the steam clouded his vision and was granted with arrows of ice shooting at him. A swift punch melted them. “Lance, snap out of it. What are you doing?”

That’s when he felt it, like someone was grabbing his insides and pulling him as his knees were forced to the ground and his arms bending behind his back. His entire body moved like it was jerking.

“Yay, he did it!” the same voice as before cheered as the four women came strolling up to them. “Wow, bloodbenders are really scary. Narti, you really need to learn this.”

Bloodbending. Lance was using bloodbending on him. No wonder he didn’t want to, this was horrible. He could barely see the look on Lance’s face but he was still staring back at Keith with that blank expression on his face. This wasn’t Lance. The Lance he knew flinched at the idea of using bloodbending, even in situations of healing.

“I didn’t think the brainwashing would work this well. Very good, now bring him to his feet and we can hand you both over to Lotor. He’ll be very pleased.”

Lotor. He couldn’t allow it, if they got captured, the rebellion wouldn’t be able to happen, Lance wouldn’t be able to see his family again and he would never be able to see Shiro again either and the whole world would dissolve into chaos. He couldn’t and wouldn’t let that happen. He felt his blood starting to boil and could just feel his leg starting to lose that jerky feeling. He took his chance, swinging it around to send a wave of fire around Lance, separating them from the women. He guessed with Lance’s minor use of bloodbending he got distracted, but he’d take it. The minute he felt use of his body again, he darted forward and slammed his fist into Lance’s solar plexus. Once he felt Lance slump down on him, he moved like the entire Empire’s army was after him. He could hear the taller woman cursing and orders for them to split up and find them. Avoid and hide from them and then head to Pidge’s apartment. He hoped the plantbender knew a bit about healing.

“You will become the Painted Lady like you do at nights and find us your partner. When you find him, if he does not come quietly, you will attack. Use bloodbending to subdue. You will use bloodbending on him.”

Lance moaned as his senses came back to him, his head pounding. That memory? Dream? Whatever it was, kept sounding off on his head. He felt like he had been underwater with no way of creating an air bubble for himself, drowning and he was finally awake.

“Lance?” that voice was…Keith? Keith, his best friend and partner. The Blue Spirit to his Painted Lady. Why did he sound so worried? What happened to make him sound like that?

He opened his eyes and they took a while to adjust before seeing Keith leaning over him looking worried. He noticed they were in Pidge’s place, judging from all the plants he could spot behind Keith. Keith was in his Blue Spirit attire and he could feel the flowy cloth of his Painted Lady outfit. What happened?

“How do you feel?” Keith asked.

“I’ve got a really bad headache. Keith, what happened? Did we get attacked during our healing trip?” though Lance didn’t really remember ever leaving for it. He remembered going to Lake Laogai with his classmates but after that…nothing. “We didn’t go on our healing trip, what happened?”

“So apparently,” Pidge’s voice came into the room as they got into Lance’s view, “Lake Laogai is known as a hiding place for an old brainwashing facility or something? Technically it was denounced as the previous vacation spot by the old Earth King. You got caught; at least that’s what Keith told me.”

“By Lotor’s generals. They knew who you were and captured you. I don’t know how but they did. They brainwashed you into attacking when you found me.” Keith explained.

Brainwashed? So that voice he heard was the suggested implant they put? “What happened? Did I hurt you?”

“No, the fight ended pretty quickly but I think maybe because of something they suggested so you were more focused on that.”

“You’ll be happy to know that my first big healing session was trying to help your brain remove the suggestions. I sent a message to Allura to try and get us out of here since they know us now, so if I missed something, at least there will be other healers to help you.” Pidge said.

“Thanks Pidgey. Shame I couldn’t see you in action. As your waterbending teacher, I’m proud. That’s a big thing to do for someone learning. I’m sorry I blew our cover.”

“I don’t think it was your fault. You’re careful and those women still caught you. I think Lotor has known about us for a while.” Keith said. It was weird hearing him brush Lance’s apologies off. He thought Keith would have been telling him he should have been more careful, shouldn’t have brought his Painted Lady stuff, should have tried to get away.

“Did something happen? You’re being really nice, I mean more than usual.”

Keith gave him a weak glare. There it was. “You-you used bloodbending on me. I think it might have been suggested and they knew somehow.”

“Use bloodbending to subdue.” That’s what the voice said.

“Did I-?”

“I wasn’t hurt that badly. You just subdued me and I broke out of it I guess? I was able to distract them and knocked you out. After we got away from them I brought you here.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“Lance, it’s not your fault. I get why your village is so scared of bloodbending, even with its healing options. If anything, I’m sorry I even suggested the fact you try it out on me. I guess the only good thing that came out of that confrontation is that you don’t remember.”

“Bad thing, our covers are blown, well you two, and we need to get out of here fast. I guess this goes to show just how hard it’ll be to defeat Lotor.” Pidge pointed out.

While Lance was glad about the small upside, Pidge was right. Lotor’s generals outright kidnapped him and messed with his head. He hoped they could get out with any problems because this whole war just became so much more real.

#firebender keith #waterbender lance #bloodbending #vldhalloween

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thefortyeightlawsofpower-blog · 7 years

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LAW 8 : MAKE OTHER PEOPLE COME TO YOU—USE BAIT IF NECESSARY

JUDGEMENT

When you force the other person to act, you are the one in control. It is always better to make your opponent come to you, abandoning his own plans in the process. Lure him with fabulous gains—then attack. You hold the cards.

OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW

At the Congress of Vienna in 1814, the major powers of Europe gathered to carve up the remains of Napoleon’s fallen Empire. The city was full of gaiety and the balls were the most splendid in memory. Hovering over the proceedings, however, was the shadow of Napoleon himself. Instead of being executed or exiled far away, he had been sent to the island of Elba, not far from the coast of Italy.

Even imprisoned on an island, a man as bold and creative as Napoleon Bonaparte made everyone nervous. The Austrians plotted to kill him on Elba, but decided it was too risky. Alexander I, Russia’s temperamental czar, heightened the anxiety by throwing a fit during the congress when a part of Poland was denied him: “Beware, I shall loose the monster!” he threatened. Everyone knew he meant Napoleon. Of all the statesmen gathered in Vienna, only Talleyrand, Napoleon’s former foreign minister, seemed calm and unconcerned. It was as if he knew something the others did not.

Meanwhile, on the island of Elba, Napoleon’s life was a mockery of his previous glory. As Elba’s “king,” he had been allowed to form a court—there was a cook, a wardrobe mistress, an official pianist, and a handful of courtiers. All this was designed to humiliate Napoleon, and it seemed to work.

That winter, however, there occurred a series of events so strange and dramatic they might have been scripted in a play. Elba was surrounded by British ships, their cannons covering all possible exit points. Yet somehow, in broad daylight on 26 February 1815, a ship with nine hundred men on board picked up Napoleon and put to sea. The English gave chase but the ship got away. This almost impossible escape astonished the public throughout Europe, and terrified the statesmen at the Congress of Vienna.

Although it would have been safer to leave Europe, Napoleon not only chose to return to France, he raised the odds by marching on Paris with a tiny army, in hopes of recapturing the throne. His strategy worked—people of all classes threw themselves at his feet. An army under Marshal Ney sped from Paris to arrest him, but when the soldiers saw their beloved former leader, they changed sides. Napoleon was declared emperor again. Volunteers swelled the ranks of his new army. Delirium swept the country. In Paris, crowds went wild. The king who had replaced Napoleon fled the country.

For the next hundred days, Napoleon ruled France. Soon, however, the giddiness subsided. France was bankrupt, its resources nearly exhausted, and there was little Napoleon could do about this. At the Battle of Waterloo, in June of that year, he was finally defeated for good. This time his enemies had learned their lesson: They exiled him to the barren island of Saint Helena, off the west coast of Africa. There he had no more hope of escape.

Interpretation

Only years later did the facts of Napoleon’s dramatic escape from Elba come to light. Before he decided to attempt this bold move, visitors to his court had told him that he was more popular in France than ever, and that the country would embrace him again. One of these visitors was Austria’s General Roller, who convinced Napoleon that if he escaped, the European powers, England included, would welcome him back into power. Napoleon was tipped off that the English would let him go, and indeed his escape occurred in the middle of the afternoon, in full view of English spyglasses.

What Napoleon did not know was that there was a man behind it all, pulling the strings, and that this man was his former minister, Talleyrand. And Talleyrand was doing all this not to bring back the glory days but to crush Napoleon once and for all. Considering the emperor’s ambition unsettling to Europe’s stability, he had turned against him long ago. When Napoleon was exiled to Elba, Talleyrand had protested. Napoleon should be sent farther away, he argued, or Europe would never have peace. But no one listened.

Instead of pushing his opinion, Talleyrand bided his time. Working quietly, he eventually won over Castlereagh and Metternich, the foreign ministers of England and Austria.

Together these men baited Napoleon into escaping. Even Koller’s visit, to whisper the promise of glory in the exile’s ear, was part of the plan. Like a master cardplayer, Talleyrand figured everything out in advance. He knew Napoleon would fall into the trap he had set. He also foresaw that Napoleon would lead the country into a war, which, given France’s weakened condition, could only last a few months. One diplomat in Vienna, who understood that Talleyrand was behind it all, said, “He has set the house ablaze in order to save it from the plague.”

When I have laid bait for deer, I don’t shoot at the first doe that comes to sniff, but wait until the whole herd has gathered round.

Otto von Bismarck, 1815-1898

KEYS TO POWER

How many times has this scenario played itself out in history: An aggressive leader initiates a series of bold moves that begin by bringing him much power. Slowly, however, his power reaches a peak, and soon everything turns against him. His numerous enemies band together; trying to maintain his power, he exhausts himself going in this direction and that, and inevitably he collapses. The reason for this pattern is that the aggressive person is rarely in full control. He cannot see more than a couple of moves ahead, cannot see the consequences of this bold move or that one. Because he is constantly being forced to react to the moves of his ever-growing host of enemies, and to the unforeseen consequences of his own rash actions, his aggressive energy is turned against him.

In the realm of power, you must ask yourself, what is the point of chasing here and there, trying to solve problems and defeat my enemies, if I never feel in control? Why am I always having to react to events instead of directing them? The answer is simple: Your idea of power is wrong. You have mistaken aggressive action for effective action. And most often the most effective action is to stay back, keep calm, and let others be frustrated by the traps you lay for them, playing for long-term power rather than quick victory.

Remember: The essence of power is the ability to keep the initiative, to get others to react to your moves, to keep your opponent and those around you on the defensive. When you make other people come to you, you suddenly become the one controlling the situation. And the one who has control has power. Two things must happen to place you in this position: You yourself must learn to master your emotions, and never to be influenced by anger; meanwhile, however, you must play on people’s natural tendency to react angrily when pushed and baited. In the long run, the ability to make others come to you is a weapon far more powerful than any tool of aggression.

Study how Talleyrand, the master of the art, performed this delicate trick. First, he overcame the urge to try to convince his fellow statesmen that they needed to banish Napoleon far away. It is only natural to want to persuade people by pleading your case, imposing your will with words. But this often turns against you. Few of Talleyrand’s contemporaries believed Napoleon was still a threat, so that if he had spent a lot of energy trying to convince them, he would only have made himself look foolish. Instead, he held his tongue and his emotions in check. Most important of all, he laid Napoleon a sweet and irresistible trap. He knew the man’s weakness, his impetuosity, his need for glory and the love of the masses, and he played all this to perfection. When Napoleon went for the bait, there was no danger that he might succeed and turn the tables on Talleyrand, who better than anyone knew France’s depleted state. And even had Napoleon been able to overcome these difficulties, the likelihood of his success would have been greater were he able to choose his time and place of action. By setting the proper trap, Talleyrand took the time and place into his own hands.

All of us have only so much energy, and there is a moment when our energies are at their peak. When you make the other person come to you, he wears himself out, wasting his energy on the trip. In the year 1905, Russia and Japan were at war. The Japanese had only recently begun to modernize their warships, so that the Russians had a stronger navy, but by spreading false information the Japanese marshal Togo Heihachiro baited the Russians into leaving their docks in the Baltic Sea, making them believe they could wipe out the Japanese fleet in one swift attack. The Russian fleet could not reach Japan by the quickest route—through the Strait of Gibraltar and then the Suez Canal into the Indian Ocean—because these were controlled by the British, and Japan was an ally of Great Britain. They had to go around the Cape of Good Hope, at the southern tip of Africa, adding over more than six thousand miles to the voyage. Once the fleet passed the Cape, the Japanese spread another false story: They were sailing to launch a counterattack. So the Russians made the entire journey to Japan on combat alert. By the time they arrived, their seamen were tense, exhausted, and overworked, while the Japanese had been waiting at their ease. Despite the odds and their lack of experience in modern naval warfare, the Japanese crushed the Russians.

One added benefit of making the opponent come to you, as the Japanese discovered with the Russians, is that it forces him to operate in your territory. Being on hostile ground will make him nervous and often he will rush his actions and make mistakes. For negotiations or meetings, it is always wise to lure others into your territory, or the territory of your choice. You have your bearings, while they see nothing familiar and are subtly placed on the defensive.

Manipulation is a dangerous game. Once someone suspects he is being manipulated, it becomes harder and harder to control him. But when you make your opponent come to you, you create the illusion that he is controlling the situation. He does not feel the strings that pull him, just as Napoleon imagined that he himself was the master of his daring escape and return to power.

Everything depends on the sweetness of your bait. If your trap is attractive enough, the turbulence of your enemies’ emotions and desires will blind them to reality. The greedier they become, the more they can be led around.

The great nineteenth-century robber baron Daniel Drew was a master at playing the stock market. When he wanted a particular stock to be bought or sold, driving prices up or down, he rarely resorted to the direct approach. One of his tricks was to hurry through an exclusive club near Wall Street, obviously on his way to the stock exchange, and to pull out his customary red bandanna to wipe his perspiring brow. A slip of paper would fall from this bandanna that he would pretend not to notice. The club’s members were always trying to foresee Drew’s moves, and they would pounce on the paper, which invariably seemed to contain an inside tip on a stock. Word would spread, and members would buy or sell the stock in droves, playing perfectly into Drew’s hands.

If you can get other people to dig their own graves, why sweat yourself? Pickpockets work this to perfection. The key to picking a pocket is knowing which pocket contains the wallet. Experienced pickpockets often ply their trade in train stations and other places where there is a clearly marked sign reading BEWARE OF PICKPOCKETS. Passersby seeing the sign invariably feel for their wallet to make sure it is still there. For the watching pickpockets, this is like shooting fish in a barrel. Pickpockets have even been known to place their own BEWARE OF PICKPOCKETS signs to ensure their success.

When you are making people come to you, it is sometimes better to let them know you are forcing their hand. You give up deception for overt manipulation. The psychological ramifications are profound: The person who makes others come to him appears powerful, and demands respect.

Filippo Brunelleschi, the great Renaissance artist and architect, was a great practitioner of the art of making others come to him as a sign of his power. On one occasion he had been engaged to repair the dome of the Santa Maria del Fiore cathedral in Florence. The commission was important and prestigious. But when the city officials hired a second man, Lorenzo Ghiberti, to work with Brunelleschi, the great artist brooded in secret. He knew that Ghiberti had gotten the job through his connections, and that he would do none of the work and get half the credit. At a critical moment of the construction, then, Brunelleschi suddenly developed a mysterious illness. He had to stop work, but pointed out to city officials that they had hired Ghiberti, who should have been able to continue the work on his own. Soon it became clear that Ghiberti was useless and the officials came begging to Brunelleschi. He ignored them, insisting that Ghiberti should finish the project, until finally they realized the problem: They fired Ghiberti.

By some miracle, Brunelleschi recovered within days. He did not have to throw a tantrum or make a fool of himself; he simply practiced the art of “making others come to you.”

If on one occasion you make it a point of dignity that others must come to you and you succeed, they will continue to do so even after you stop trying.

Image: The Honeyed Bear Trap. The bear hunter does not chase his prey; a bear that knows it is hunted is nearly impossible to catch and is fero cious if cornered. Instead, the hunter lays traps baited with honey. He does not exhaust himself and risk his life in pursuit. He baits, then waits.

Authority: Good warriors make others come to them, and do not go to others. This is the principle of emptiness and fullness of others and self. When you induce opponents to come to you, then their force is always empty; as long as you do not go to them, your force is always full. Attacking emptiness with fullness is like throwing stones on eggs. (Zhang Yu, eleventh-century commentator on The Art of War)

REVERSAL

Although it is generally the wiser policy to make others exhaust themselves chasing you, there are opposite cases where striking suddenly and aggressively at the enemy so demoralizes him that his energies sink. Instead of making others come to you, you go to them, force the issue, take the lead. Fast attack can be an awesome weapon, for it forces the other person to react without the time to think or plan. With no time to think, people make errors of judgment, and are thrown on the defensive. This tactic is the obverse of waiting and baiting, but it serves the same function: You make your enemy respond on your terms.

Men like Cesare Borgia and Napoleon used the element of speed to intimidate and control. A rapid and unforeseen move is terrifying and demoralizing. You must choose your tactics depending on the situation. If you have time on your side, and know that you and your enemies are at least at equal strength, then deplete their strength by making them come to you. If time is against you—your enemies are weaker, and waiting will only give them the chance to recover—give them no such chance. Strike quickly and they have nowhere to go. As the boxer Joe Louis put it, “He can run, but he can’t hide.”

#mgtow #advice #the art of war #business #men #male #masculine #dating #seduction #psychology #sociology #philosoraptor #social dynamics

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cynthiaandsamus · 3 years

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Custom Toonami Block Week 64 Rundown

Code Geass: R2 continues its stint to recreate the first few episodes of R1 with Lelouch fucking over the current viceroy and being thwarted by a discount Lancelot that can use Chaos Control. Still bunny Kallen is there and is kinda pissed about Lelouch being Zero even though she was already pretty sure of it so she just kinda has some major cognitive dissonance going on. Anyway Lelouch gets out of the building and is like “Okay let’s try that whole United State of Japan thing again, sorry for last year guys.” And everyone just kinda rolls with it and he has China on his back so that works. And for some reason we don’t have everyone immediately after Lelouch’s home even though the newly promoted Suzaku and the Emperor’s Neon Genesis Evangelion machine know that it’s like 99% likely that it’s him because who the fuck else could pull off this shit.

Inuyasha: We continue the “Shippo adds to his harem” filler episodes with the heir to the Thunder Demons, Sotan who is an oddly even match for Shippo and uses Team Rocket trap antics to knock everyone else away. Really these episodes where we have to take Shippo somewhat seriously remind me of the Inuyasha fighting game where Shippo’s story is the joke route and he beats his way through the cast and his final boss is Sesshomaru who you really kind of have to stunlock to really stand a chance.

Yu Yu Hakusho: Yusuke returns from his Genkai training just in time to ditch his childhood friend for a new mission. I like the choice to give Yusuke a heavy dose of training relatively early on before we build the full team and start getting into heavier fights, like it’s a good transition from everyday relatable guy with one trick that gets lucky to actual shonen protagonist. Hiei, Kurama and Kuwabara join up to take down the Saint Beasts and Botan gets to use a fucking bat on a minor demon for no real reason, like I feel like an editor or fan asked Togashi to have Botan do something and he was like “Uhh sure, have her hit a mook with a bat” like it’s cool to see her in action again and not constantly an exposition machine but it feels so token. But the new group gets trapped in an oddly specific ceiling crushing trap that’s designed specifically to make one of them betray the others rather than crush all four of them outright like it clearly could, so I guess that’s convenient.

Unlimited Blade Works: So we got the final fight with Shirou and Gilgamesh and Shirou does the title thing and does the Unlimited Blade Works by believing in himself or something. Gilgamesh is still kinda stuck on how no one’s been original since him but Shirou’s made peace with that and uses it to fuck him up. Also Rin is saved by Ghost Archer who… happens for no reason and she commands Saber to Getsuga Tensho the Grail and then Gilgamesh is taken out because he can use his Electronic Arts sword so we don’t really get to see that which sucks. And then instead of taking any of the three viable mages as its core the grail wants Gilgamesh because it wants to suck his dick or something idk. But then Ghost Archer again saves Shirou from being dragged in with him and honestly despite all my complaining, most of the character stuff does kind of come together in the end, like I still have so many questions about the mechanics but a lot of the character arcs just kinda click in this episode like Shirou’s parallel to Gilgamesh and Archer being like ‘well it sucks but go ahead and give being a hero another shot why not.’ I’ve had mixed feelings on Fate until now but Ghost Archer and Stupid Grail aside, this was a pretty good ending. Gilgamesh sucking at actually fighting because he copied so many techniques kinda makes him a neat parallel to Rando from last week’s Yu Yu Hakusho too. Everyone just kinda seems to run out of mana as the plot demands and that kinda ticks me off but it wasn’t the end of the world since most of them still got taken out before they faded away anyway.

Panty and Stocking: So the first part has Scanty and Kneesocks giving a limited animation clipshow to save money, feel like it hasn’t been that long since we had our last limited animation episode but okay. Also they have some very strange food play fetishes but who am I to judge literal demons. The second half as the final plot finally kicking off and apparently Panty’s fucking rampage has let Stocking get a huge lead in the ghost killing department which means Heaven slutshames her and forces her to stay on Earth and gives her a super heaven hymen to keep her mind on her work while Stocking ascends. This really doesn’t make much sense to me since this is something they push at the last second, given that as far as on-screen ghosts (implied to be most of the ghosts by the previous recap episode) Panty actually kills most of them or it’s a joint effort and maybe it’s more the slutshaming but idk why heaven seems more pissed about that than all the stuff Stocking does but maybe they’re just huge hypocrites. But anyway Panty gets slutshamed so hard she’s not even an angel anymore which is gonna make the ghost hunting heaven wants her to do basically impossible so heaven was like “Okay Daten City just gets to have ghosts now because we’re taking this girl’s power to protect you because we’re a bit mad about her brazen sexuality” also there’s some plot about Briefs’ dick being the key to hell or something.

FMA Brotherhood: The fight with Father finally ends with Greed sacrificing himself to transform Father’s body into Brittlenium and Ed punches him right the fuck out. Father’s really confused as to what he did wrong and is dragged back into his own portal (which is kinda weird, we never really get an explanation for what Father originally was given he’s the only REAL homunculus in the series, the others are just parts of him, but like it’s implied he is a piece of the black goop with eyes that was inside the Portal but was he taken from Hoenheim’s portal or Hoenheim’s master’s portal or the world’s portal or somehow taken from his own portal. Like is he just taken from the idea of a portal and then once he gains sentience he gets his own portal? The mechanics of this are kinda weird) but while he’s scrambling with the question of what he should have done, Ed has the answer, relying on many different people and viewpoints and having faith in yourself is the way to achieve your goals and that’s the Truth. He’s no longer able to use Alchemy but he’s got a networks of friends and allies he’s made along the way and that’s enough, the real ultimate portal of truth to a dimension of eldritch tentacle monsters was the friends we made along the way. Also Hoenehim is kinda bummed that it came to this but is happy he got to live the life he did and dies with a smile on his face in front of Trisha’s grave.

Durarara!!: We get Celty’s backstory of losing her head, transforming her horse into a motorcycle, coming to Japan and getting dissected by a four year old boy which is all way less traumatizing than it sounds. Everyone’s just kinda navelgazing about purposes in life and stuff symbolized by Celty’s head quest and whether it’s better to keep trying for it even though it may change the person she is or if she should enjoy the person she is now, incomplete as it may be.

#ooc #Toonami #Custom Toonami Block #Code Geass #Inuyasha #Yu Yu Hakusho #Fate Stay Night #Unlimited Blade Works #Panty and Stocking #FMA Brotherhood #Durarara!!

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rawinternets · 6 years

Text

Star Wars Episode 7: A rediscovery.

I said before that Episode 1 / the prequels were the main impetus for this whole exercise. That is true, in a way. But it is only true in that I needed to see the prequels and the originals so I could compare my feelings about them with my Ep7 and Ep8 feelings.

If Ep7 and Ep8 didn’t exist, I doubt I would have undertaken this exercise. See, as I mentioned in the opening post, I had a suspicion that the new episodes were all the things many have criticized them for: derivative, overly commercial, written by committee. The magic of the originals has been lost, and we are left with simulacra.

It’s important that I come clean with a fact: I hate JJ Abrams. I think he’s a hack. He is fantastic at opening stories and god-awful at closing them. My hatred for JJ and his trademark approach began with the TV show Lost, where JJ opened an incredible number of fascinating storylines in the first 2 seasons, only to ad-lib the next four seasons to a highly unsatisfying ending. He re-made Star Trek by essentially cribbing from all the best Star Trek movies in the past, and I enjoyed that movie - while watching it, but not much upon reflection. For example, Young Cap’n Kirk is driving his father’s sexy car through the cornfields of Iowa - until he drives it over a ravine as big as the Grand Canyon. in the middle of Iowan corn fields. It’s a beautiful spectacle until you stop to think for a half second... wait, what? But by that time you’ve moved on to the next spectacle.

Like eating a Big Mac, JJ Abrams tastes good in the moment and then you realize what you just ate is mostly soybean paste, flash-frozen low quality meat, spongy bread, rubber cheese, all buoyed by artificial aromas that trick your brain into thinking that this is delicious, but only in the moment.

In short, a Big Mac is not good food, and JJ Abrams movies are not good movies.

But I really wanted to give this movie another chance. I wanted to know - was Episode 7 the “one beer too many” on a big night out, the one that feels good in the moment, but you later regret? Turns you off the beer brand once and for all? Is Episode 7 the extra Halloween candy that you eat at 10:30pm that makes you nauseous, impels you to throw the whole bag out? Did I lose any love and hope for Star Wars because Episode 7 delivered too much of the same thing, a Disney-ified, Abrams-ified, unoriginal pastiche of a pastiche?

The answer is “yes” and “no,” but mostly “yes.” This movie starts off amazingly - classic Abrams - but quickly loses its way, and tries to find it again by running into the same grooves we’ve already worn well over the past 7 Star Wars releases (in this respect, Rogue One gets the pass and Ep7 gets hurt because of my order). And while I was still eager to see Episode 8 (review to come), I was far less optimistic for the franchise, as I could see the blueprint for the future, and it is the same as the past. JJ Abrams is set to direct Episode 9, if you didn’t already know.

But of course -- JJ Abrams filmmaking is perfectly attuned to this kind of review. Taking poll on my feelings in the moment is the best way to watch an Abrams movie. That way, I can’t think too deeply about the fact that we’ve seen this before - in copy or rhyme - in nearly every scene shot. So even though this movie grades out not great - I feel even less great about it the more I think about it.

Onto the scores.

Average score: 6.57 Standard deviation: 2.01

Scroll. 7. Wait, why is there a new empire and a new rebellion? Why doesn’t a new republic have the ability to amass more forces to defeat a fragmented group of Empire loyalists? Are we saying the Empire never fell? If so, what were we celebrating at the end of Ep6? (Movie moves too fast to have these thoughts in the moment... these come to you afterward).

Jakku. 8. A cool star destroyer shot, Very cool stormtrooper visuals. BB8 is pretty cool. "This will begin to make things right." Poe is cool. Great and tangible feeling on the raid. Super scary. But wait... how did the First Order not scan for the X-wing? And Poe didn’t try to hide it? Even an awning or some covering would be fine. But still... good tension in the scene. Flametrooper! But wait... Another secret piece of info goes with a droid in the desert... mmmmmmm OK... Really like humanizing the stormtrooper, with a dramatic bloody handprint on (we later know is Finn’s) stormtrooper head. PTSD. And then comes Kylo Ren’s badass ship (that looks a lot like Darth Vader’s....).

Kylo Ren. 9. Kylo freezing the blaster bolt is superdope. I can forgive his Darth Vader wannabe character mask. I'm fine with the subtle "you talk first? I talk first?" joke by Poe. Fine to make fun of the mask as well. FUCK Captain Phasma - I immediately have distaste for this character. Finn’s Stormtrooper regret @ the massacre is cool. I like that.

Finn’s break. 7. Finn taking his mask off - a really powerful first shot. Captain Phasma is worthless. Did you know that this character was created because someone made concept art of a chrome stormtrooper for fun, Kathleen Kennedy walked into someone’s office and saw it and said “that has to be in the movie, it looks so cool,” and then they decided it should be a woman soldier for marketing purposes? What I’m trying to say is, the storytelling process was not the purest here. Phasma is exhibit A.

Rey intro. 9. JJ at his best: Really cool atmospherics on Jakku. Amazing wide shots of the empty destroyer bay. Rey is hot. Amazing shots. Huge scale of the desert and the downed star destroyer. Speeder... fine. Tie fighter wing down. amazing speeder shot with another downed destroyer. Fine with the stupid bird. (But... we have another mysterious sorta-poor desert dwelling force-sensitive hero?)

Trading. 9. Pretty beautiful shots (although borrowing heavily from Ep4?). Fine with the trading. I like the weirdo aspect of this girl idolizing the rebels and meticulously counting days. making a cool bread loaf thing. Lives in an ATAT, that's awesome too. Wearing silly rebel hat.

BB8 meets Rey. 8. Sorta bad dialogue (and “classified droid” of course). Nice desert shots.

Torture of Poe. 8. The mind reading is intense. Hux is fine. (But haven’t we seen a main character get tortured by Darth / Kylo before?)

Trading Part 2. 8. Why doesn’t Rey take the money for the droid? She’s so pure and perfect? Serendipity?

Finn Rescues Poe. 7. Wait... why? I guess Finn heard a good pilot is on board and he wants out. I don't love Finn’s heavy breathing. (Have you seen this? In bad action movies or even good ones, the actors are constantly hyperventilating to amp up the tension. I’m seeing it even in Harry Potter, particularly with Ron. Once you see it, you can’t unsee it ... like the Wilhelm Scream). The dialogue is fine but not great between the two, trying to get the vibe together. Tie fighter leaving the hangar bay... Kind of like that. Turrets on the outside of Star Destroyers never hit anyone... why do they exist? One tie fighter can escape a star destroyer!? Why do THEY exist?

They crash. 8. Fighter gonna crash. Hux is fine. Phasma is fine. Kind of a cool shot on the Tie fighter crash. I like the wide desert shots. Tie fighter sinking is cool. Finn stripping is humanizing. Desert shots are great here. (But we’re again following some crashed droids/people on a desert planet?)

Kylo and Hux bicker. 8. What's with the bickering? But they do a good job. Kind of harkens back to Tarkin and Darth (too much similarity?)

Finn meets Rey. 7. I like the monster kicking him out of the way from drinking the water at the watering hole. This is the point in the movie where I started to think - Rey is a Mary Sue? BB8 shocking Finn is fine. Finn laying it on a little thick with the humor.

Escape in the Falcon. 8. Stop taking my hand! Meh. The Falcon! “That one’s garbage! ... The garbage will do.” Fine, pretty good. Cool shot of the Falcon escaping. BB8 in free fall in the Falcon is fine. "I'm getting pretty good at this" says Finn. You got one Tie fighter, dude. (The longer this goes the more this feels like old sequences from Ep4...) Going inside the destroyer is cool (and then feels like being in the Death Star in ep6...). The shut-engines-off-flip-downwards-and-shoot was a cool move, and some good shots in that sequence.

Kylo temper tantrum. 8. I like this part. It's petty and stupid, but it's a good contrast to the control of Vader.

Falcon and Han/Chewy. 7. Finn says “Droid please” (eye roll). BB8 gives a flame/lighter “Thumbs up.” Meh. Rey is a Mary Sue perfect mechanic... Finn being into her is a little meh. Tractor beam is meh. Han and Chewy discover them, meh fine but how the fuck did they just so happen to be there? They explain away that Han and Chewy just happen to be right where the Falcon is, moments after it flies for the first time after sitting on Jakku for years. Classic JJ. Pretty blatant sentimentality by Han that I'm not really getting drawn into. Luke Skywalker map. All this said, Harrison Ford is good as always.

Rathtars. 7. Death gang, Mantoon, Rathtar... meh. How did the second gang get on without him knowing? Fine with this I guess. Sad that Han is a sad old man hauling freight and swindling people. 7 movies and nothing changed. Rathtar monster is fine. (A little like Indiana Jones with large ball-like thing rolling down a hallway-like thing). Not huge on this chase sequence. Another alien tentacle monster dragging hero somewhere without eating hero. (Where have I seen this before?)

Snoke. 6. This is where I really start turning on the movie as it relies more and more on worn tropes. Another massive hologram... who the fuck is this guy? Another... weapon? This speech sucks by Hux. Who is this ultra powerful force sensitive villain? Kylo Ren is Han Solo's kid... mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmeh. Where did this new emperor come from? Is he a Sith? What the fuck is all this.

Rey and Solo fly. 7. Comedic + Mary Sue Mechanic is meh. Lots of references to old Star Wars here. Luke is running away? Why? (Is JJ opening mysteries that won't be closed?) Rey saying “I didn’t realize a planet could be this green” is a nice touch.

Han offers Rey a job. 7. Why is Rey so attached to Jakku and her parents who have been gone for so long? Meh.

Maz Kanata's. 5. Cantina 2... I really expected to like it better than I did, and I didn’t expect to like it that well. Really shitty music. So derivative as a scene. Relationshp advice with Leia? mmmmmmmeh. Empire again. Mmmmmmeh. Finn is a runner. Meh. Maz is a New Yoda, sorta. Meh. What's the point of Maz climbing on the table to look at Finn?

Kylo has feelings. 8. Crushed Darth Vader helmet is pretty cool. Have you seen the “Emo Kylo Ren” twitter? Worth it.

Finn tries to run. 7. This storyline is fine... Finn's a coward. He's in love with Rey for "looking at me" meh. They aren't so much conversing as just saying sentences at each other. Do they even know each other? it doesn't feel like a solid connection. (Kind of like another heterogeneous faux-mance of yore?)

Rey finds Luke's lightsaber. 8. I wrote: “At least it was a pretty interesting vision. Captivating. Lightsaber calls to her! interesting. Nobody waiting for you in Jakku. She runs away... interesting, OK, good.”

Starkiller. 1. Wait... the new base is a planet. It's a third fucking death star. Hux makes a shitty Nazi speech. What the flying fuck is this shit. Are we in the same system here? How did they build this weapon so easily when the Empire collapsed? How come people can see the weapon destroying the entire planetary system? What the shit. Fuck that. It looked cool at least, but this is a fatal and inexcusable flaw in this film.

BB8 Macguffin. 4. Sick of BB8 as the macguffin too, now. Rey wants to run, fine.

First order attacks Maz's. 2. Meh. Give lightsaber to the team. How is the First Order here? Is everything in the galaxy really fucking close to each other? What is going on? Kylo is here too? And now Finn is going use a lightsaber. And Han can shoot without looking. And there's a TR8R droid with a like handheld weapon that fights lightsabers? And this novice can use the lightsaber and not die? And Han saves him and then gets captured? Big bowl of Nope.

Resistance saves the day... 6. Why are these guys here? for the droid, sure, I guess. Everyone's looking for Luke. I'm sick of this battle already. Nice tracking shot of Poe I guess but sorta meh. Maybe I’m still hung over from the Starkiller reveal.

Kylo meets Rey. 8. Force freezing Rey in place is cool enough. Kylo with Rey is good. Han watches her get kidnapped. Finn gets balls.

Han sees Leia. 6. I'm supposed to be sentimental about this but it's just sad. C3PO still sucking, all these years later.

Rebel base. 7. Finn’s Reunion with Poe Dameron... fine. In the rebel base, fine. Leia is... fine. Old woman. Still fighting. Sad. What a treadmill this saga has been for her and for everyone. Map is partially complete, meh. R2 nostalgia. Meh.

Leia and Han. 7. Is this good? I can't tell if it's good. It's fine. Snoke seduced our son. Mmmmmmmeeeeehhhh. Still good in the kid! Good vs evil hooray! Turn the evil man good! (Where have we heard all this before?)

Rey and Kylo battle of wills. 9. Kylo takes off his mask. Good drama and reveal. Rey is attracted to him. Good, interesting, sort of sexually charged energy and tension here. Really well done scene - particularly well acted.

Snoke angry. 6. I wrote: “Just meh. Fuck Snoke.”

Rey mind trick. 8. Sure, I like it, she's organically discovering the force. Preternatural. Fine, OK with that. I like the stormtroopers walking away from Kylo’s temper tantrum.

The starkiller base again? 1. Charging the weapon from nearby sun... just... pure spectacle. "It's another death star" says Han/Leia. No shit. Power of the sun... MMMMMMmeeeeeeeehhhhh. So unoriginal. "There's always a way to blow it up" says Han. Thermal oscillator.... mmmmmmm. Disable the shields (just like Ep6). Gotta be there on the planet! Of course, as always! (Let's attack another fucking Death Star the same fuckin' way as before - with a bombing run and a sneaky secret force on the ground).

Han and Leia bye. 6. Meh, is how I feel.

Han et al assault base. 3. Meeehehhhhhhhhhhhhh let's land at light speed Hollywood style! The ship hangs off a ledge, duh! "That's not how the force works" meh. Yeah that's fine, but what a stupid plan. 15 minutes until death! of course! Phasma walking around by herself of course! Finn in charge! Meh. Not loving Finn. Rey sneaking around. Meh. Not a big fan of Boyega's over-acting comedic. "Yeah there is a trash compactor” meeeehhhh. More comedic tensiony stuff. Too much fan service, too much hokey.

Another death star assault. 3. It's pretty, but stupid. C3PO "it would take a miracle to save us now" meehhhhh.

Kylo kills Han. 5. Emotionally pretty sterile feeling. I’m just not there with them. And another infinite column for Han to fall down (like the Emperor, Darth Maul, Luke in ep5...) And everyone there to dramatically watch... just... meh. Snoke... boo. This dialogue is just kinda shitty. "You know it's true. search your feelings." Adam driver does very well in this scene with Rey. He's really great. John Boyega sucking... overdramatic. No connection to Leia here as she feels Han’s death. Just don’t care.

Kylo vs Rey and Finn. 7. Kylo is pretty badass. Amateur lightsaber fight: not a big fan. Pretty small fan, actually. Rey is badass but still amateur. Another ledge to hang off! Still, the fight is pretty cool. Snow steaming is cool after the lightsaber slices through. And even, a whole other ledge, a chasm in fact! Meh fine.

Trench run two. 6. Another trench run. Poe flying inside = another DS2 core reactor shot.

Starkiller blows up. 6. Snoke really sucks. Here comes the Falcon to save the day of course! In your darkest hour. Pretty shot. Pretty Death Star 3 explosion (and another death star blows up again...)

Celebration. 5. Dramatic Leia blows by Chewy and hugs Rey, but they never met.

R2 wakes up. 6. C3po *still* sucks. Why is his arm red again? The part of the galaxy that has the map that is unknown and uncharted is right in the middle of the damn galaxy??

Rey goes to Luke. 9. Beautiful scenery (Skellig Michael in Ireland). Dramatic. There's Luke! OK I like this scene. This is good. Super dramatic and memorable and iconic. At least the movie ended on a strong note.

VERDICT

Is there anything else to say? The plot hangs together like a disintegrating, snotty piece of tissue paper. Everything is a crib of something else in the SW universe. The visuals are pretty and the beginning is fire, and most of the rest is obnoxious. Kylo and Rey are actor highlights, to be sure... but Leia is wooden and virtually inaccessible, Han is on autopilot, Finn is trying too hard, and Poe is fine (but not captivating to me). This movie really lost me and even though the numbers went up and down after ~Maz, my feelings were pretty low for the last 2/3 of the journey. Five “9″ scenes - mostly at the beginning or the end - and a fair amount of 7/8′s but also a lot of bad scores. A score of every number, except 10. A movie that scores better than it maybe should have, and it didn’t score all that well in the end.

REVIEW LINKS:

Introduction: Star Wars, a rediscovery.

Rogue One: 6.92 / 10.00 (stdev 2.06).

Episode 4: A New Hope. 8.00 / 10.00 (stdev 1.34).

Episode 5: The Empire Strikes Back. 8.00 / 10.00 (stdev 1.29).

Episode 1: The Phantom Menace. 5.00 / 10.00 (stdev 2.08). But probably worse than that, actually.

Episode 2: Attack of the Clones. 5.48 / 10.00 (stdev 2.07).

Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith. 7.00 / 10.00 (stdev 1.77).

Episode 6: Return of the Jedi. 7.90 / 10.00 (stdev 1.91).

Episode 7: The Force Awakens. 6.57 / 10.00 (stdev 2.01).

Episode 8: The Last Jedi. 6.31 / 10.00 (stdev 1.89).

Verdict: Star Wars, A rediscovery.

0 notes

yumenosakiacademy · 6 years

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it changes a bit, it seemed like tsumugi to me at some parts bc natsume stays with him bc he says that tsumugi has the face/eyes of someone who looks like they'd kill themself (im paraphrasing i don't remember exactly) but also the oddballs (especially in the "If you can be saved, I want to do it. If I can save you, I’ll do it at all costs" and "All my efforts end in vain and transform into powerlessness" bc that's definitely towards wataru and how his plan to beat fine was denied) sorry ramblin

[cracks my tiny fingers] did someone say it’s time to analyze this shit yeehaw grjhgfr well i dont kno Intensive/Extensive knowledge on natsume, tsumugi, and the oddballs other than the oddball event and other small things (plus the fact i don’t remember exactly how everything went i’m sorry if any of this is inaccurate) BUT nonetheless an analysis is what you shall recieve, dear anon

This is RLY long so it’s put under a read more so i dont clutter anyone’s dash!

“You don’t have to be RIP for this to proceed. Time is too precious to spend it in anguish. If you can be saved, I want to do it. If I can save you, I’ll do it at all costs”

He doesn’t want the oddballs (and tsumugi, but the saving line most likely refers to the oddballs, due to his relationship with them) to despair over everything that’s happened to them, and doesn’t want them to break apart or have anything bad happen to them. He wants to save this small family/group of friends he has fom eichi’s disgusting influence/actions and he wants to show them how much he cares. As for the tsumugi portion for this part, the ‘you don’t have to be RIP for this to proceed’ could refer to Tsumugi being implied suicidal. Some people who are suicidal think, “Oh, things will be better if i was dead, they [friends/family/etc] dont’ need me”, and this could be Natsume telling Tsumugi to reject those thoughts. Evidence to support this stems from Tsumugi’s low self-esteem, so it would make sense for him to think “ah, sora and natsume can go on without my burden of a self”.

“Please fall under this magic. Don’t decay away, revive yourself once more.Don’t give up and say, “I have no future,”. Just realize the hidden, sleeping power in you”

This part already sounds like an idol song out of musical context? like just lyric-wise at this part and it especially sounds like a switch or tr.ickstar song but anyway this part, i think, could be abt both the oddballs AND tsumugi. The ‘revive yourself once more’ could refer to both the incident with the oddballs and tsumugi’s despair after being played by eichi and finding out. concidentally, they both happened around the same time, because tsumugi helped eichi with the oddball incident and eichi’s intentions were revealed at the end of said incident.

For the oddballs, he’s saying that they have to stick together despite being labelled as outcasts by eichi, and to revive themselves to stay strong and let their own magic of being the ‘odd mystical individuals’ become a good trait rather than one to hate themselves over. Stick together, and together they were strong, no matter what eichi said abt them. For Tsumugi, he’s saying to not care abt what eichi said or did- or rather, not ‘not care’, bc it’s impossible to forget misdoings that had happened against you, especially of an emotional nature, but rather to move past them and to leave the emperor in the dust. He wants Tsumugi to stop constantly berating himself and to just stop being ‘weak’ (rude wording, yea, but natsume aint exactly the Kindest) and realize that he at least has some potential and good traits abt him, so he can better switch and stop being so pathetic or a pushover. The part abt the ‘i have no future’ could be Tsumugi’s implied suicidal/hopeless nature, n Natsume’s telling him to stop that.

“Please expose the trick. Don’t fall in, pull through”

This might be a stretch, but the ‘please expose the trick’ reminds me of eichi, and he could be telling tsumugi and the oddballs (including himself n this as well) that eichi should be exposed regarding he oddball incident? as in, reveal to e veryone the thing that happened then, and press just how bad of a person he is, and why some things with tsumugi and the oddballs are the things they are. The ‘fall in, don’t pull through’ could mean that he hopes they won’t get roped into something worse with eichi, and to stay strong and not fall to the awful emotions regarding that time and around eichi as well.

“I try to relinquish my own project. All my efforts end in vain and transform into powerlessness. Without volition, we’ll see no effect. I can keep saving you, but then there’d be no end.”

This line sticks out to me but i can’t exactly place it on anything that’s happening presently.. my best guess would be this could be Natsume imagining the breakup of the oddballs due to something bad happening to them, them distancing themselves from each other, eichi doing something to them, or something (which would Devastate him, let’s be real) and/or Tsumugi’s suicide (possibly both) and that’s why he says there would be no end if he kept trying to save everyone once things had gotten past the point of despair.

“Please evade that hallucination. Dispel all those idle thoughts interfering you. Remember the impulse from that day and direct it into this precise moment. Please discover the trap. Undo it before you can’t slip out of it. Trash it into total disrepair. Don’t fill everything around you with despair.”

This part strikes me as more dealing with Tsumugi than the oddballs tbh? ‘dispel all those idle thoughts’ meaning like thoughts of self-deprecation and such, more specifically the ones brought on by eichi’s manipulation, but also the ones he’d had before eichi. The ‘impulse from that day’ meaning the despair he felt on the day of the fine performance when eichi cast him aside and revealed his intentions, and what Natsume means by ‘direct it into this precise moment’ is for Tsumugi to take those bad feelings of fear, possible anger, and despair and turn them into something Great. Call it Spite, call it whatever, but he should try to be his very best and show eichi that he doesn’t need him and never did. Kinda? I’m wording that a bit too strong, but to basically take that bad memory and use it to make himself stronger somehow. The ‘trap’ is possibly the aftereffects of eichi’s manipulation, and Natsume’s saying to slip out of his current anxious ways before he succumbs to himself and does something he’ll regret (Suicide, harm, etc) and to trash all of that and not seem so self-deprecating and gloomy aka ‘don’t fill everything up with despair’.

“Take control of your body. With all your might. Sharpen your heart. Bet everything on this”

This could be Natsume’s solidifying himself (is that the right term? ‘steeling himself’?) to be Switch’s leader since Sora is too naive and Tsumugi is how he is, so he has to ‘sharpen his heart’ and ‘take control of his body’ because even he had to deal w the aftereffects of the Oddball incident as well, since he has to be around Tsumugi and the oddballs, and ‘bet everything on this’ means to just kind of take power into his own hands and make switch great. He has to bet everything and try his hardest to lead the others as well as stick with the oddballs, and he loves both of them. Switch and the oddballs that is.

“Please, magic, take effect, I beg you, please, open your eyes”

To end this, it’s basically just Natsume telling Tsumugi and the oddballs to ‘open their eyes’ and he hopes everything will work out through all of their hard work. He hopes everyone can cope and things will end up fine.

#i have a feeling i botched this up bc i dont remember Exactly everything from the oddball event n some things might b wrong sry.. im also a #bit vague on some parts again bc i dont kno/remember some details BUT i hope u appreciate this it took a while to type it's abt 7 1/2 paras #asks #anon #suicide mention #ask to tag?

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