Tumgik
#i love stories about stories and i love lup!
anistarrose · 1 year
Text
to me, the most fascinating (and utterly unintentional) feature of TAZ Balance's narrative structure is the way that on the first listen, Tres Horny Boys are the audience surrogates because they, much like us, have no idea what the fuck is going on, but on all subsequent relistens, then Lucretia, and sometimes Barry, and arguably especially Lup in the umbrella become the new audience stand-ins, because just like us, they are, in fact, painfully aware of what the fuck is going on :)
7K notes · View notes
Text
Sexiest Podcast Character — Unscripted Bracket — Round 4
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Propaganda
Glenn Close (Dungeons & Daddies):
#Propaganda for Glenn Close: one of the other PCs mentions multiple times how hot he is #Actually several characters point it out but especially Henry #Also the only person in a podcast that has to put a disclaimer about not being a BDSM podcast to have had sex during the course of the show
We didn’t do hot Glenn summer for him to LOSE. Spoilers for his story but MORE PROPAGANDA FOR YOU:
Young hot rocker dilf
Loyal to his dead wife <3
Does in fact smoke weed
BARD!! HES A BARD. HE WAS LEAD GUITAR IN HIS BAND (that he was kicked out of)
His band was a Christmas cover band btw.
Literally the fandom had hot Glenn summer which consisted of drawing him being incredibly hot and sexy
Anti government (ofc)
Kind of cringefail (Disney adult) (was on dilfs of disneyland)
Young and sexy not your style? Then how about HIM AFTER YEARS LOCKED IN A TIME PRISON WITH A DAMN HANNIBAL MASK ??
Lost an eye and wears a fucking eyepatch
One incredibly buff arm
Has a pet rat named after his son <3
Immeasurable amounts of trauma in this man- becomes progressively more unhinged
OH OLD HUMAN BARD ISNT CUTTING IT? FINE
HE BECOMES A FUCKING DEMON
A COOL HOT ONE-EYED DEMON WHO WANTS TO KILL HIS DAD (also sexy)
HE CANONICALLY ENDS CHRISTIAN HELL VIA CHRISTMAS
IS ALSO WAY OVERLEVELED
Becomes a demon hunter for the rest of his existence
Also nonwhite !!! We are done with cringefail whiteboys !!!!!!!!!
I can’t put into words ok just know he is the best plz love him.
Listen, I don't know this other character but I've seem some good arguments for her However Consider Glenn Close winning through no effort of his own in a bullshit way despite being a dick is the most in character thing ever. He leveled up three times and got a crab mech, we GOT to give him this win, it's fitting
I don’t regulate if minors follow me or not bc I’m a pretty chill space but I hope the world is aware that’s the only reason I haven’t been downright nasty about Glenn close. I’m down bad. I’m NOT in the boat of ‘Glenn isn’t sexy but I want him to win bc it’s my fandom’. I would estimate I have 200+ drawings of Glenn on my phone that AREN’T safe for work. Way more that are. Where did they come from? That’s MY business. But I tell you this fact to assure you- Glenn IS sexy. I’m not voting to represent my fandom I’m voting out of TRUTH AND LOVE. IF YOU DON’T GET IT YOU DON’T GET IT!!! I just think my level of feral over this man is more powerful than y’all realize. If you don’t get his sex appeal that’s okay, but don’t doubt that this is my truth.
Okay but Glenn made a minivan cum by talking to her so
HE HAS A BOOK THAT HE MARKS X’S AND CHECKS FOR EVERY DAY TO SEE IF THAT DAY WAS A SUCCESS OR NOT. TO SEE IF HE DID GOOD THAT DAY. ITS ALMOST ENTIRELY X’S. HE WAS CUCKED OUT OF A SON. AND A DEAD WIFE. HE DIDN’T EVEN GET TO KILL HIS DAD IN REVENGE. There’s absolutely nothing going for him except his sex appeal in his life. Nobody he loved remembers him. He lost his eye. All he has is a pet rat and friends who admit they don’t really like him that much. He was kicked out of his own band. The band was named after him. He was kicked out of the Glenn Close trio. All he could do was deez nuts the big bad and be sexy. If nothing else, then pity him. Look in his eyes. Look at his heart and soul. Do you think pickman needs this to feel good about herself? Can she not accept a loss for the sake of a pathetic father? Can she shake hands with the minivan fucker and his human gun and just take the L on this one? He did not do the BDSM episode for this I’ll tell you what. Do this for my his sake. Do it for Nick Jr, who needs the prize money to pay for his rat snacks. Do it for his son. For Morgan. Ganbatte.
Tumblr media
Mod Note: While I will still take "bad dads are sexy" propaganda and "bad dads aren't sexy" anti-propaganda, I kindly request no more discussion on whether or not he was a bad father. This is a sexypoll, not a parentingpoll. If you see a post you strongly disagree with, you can just not reblog it.
Mod Note 2: This tournament is about fictional podcast characters. Please do not vote for the real actress Glenn Close.
Lup (The Adventure Zone: Balance):
Is somehow the hot twin between her and Taako
Lup Bluejeans (née... Taaco? Tacco? Taco? Tako? who tf knows this is why I'm going with her husband's last name. doylistly she gets her last name from her brother whose last name is given as "Taako again but spelled differently"): Hot, funny, smart and undead. Is there anything else you could want in a woman?? Well, in case there is: she's also canonically trans
LUP IS THE HOTTEST. VOTE LUP.
1K notes · View notes
yardsards · 8 months
Text
i think the line that made me really care about lup and barry's relationship was "you are my heart".
a line said by lup, not to barry, her lover. but to taako, her brother.
so often in media, there's the idea that a romantic partner is supposed to be your be-all end-all relationship. that ever putting family or friends above a long-term romantic partner is inherently childish and unhealthy.
a character will get into a romantic relationship and their other relationships will be thrown by the wayside and that's treated like the right way to live.
and that's a miserable message in general, but especially awful to me as an aroace.
but as lup reassures taako that she could never replace him, griffin reassures the audience that he's not going to throw away his story's platonic relationships for the sake of romance
and that also ties into one of the main defining quotes of the stolen century: "our capacity for love increases with each person we cross paths with throughout our lives, and with each moment we spend with those people."
the romantic relationship isn't there to steal love away from the platonic relationships, it's just there to be more love.
543 notes · View notes
jerreeeeeee · 5 days
Text
i don't think taako's voice is really all that high most of the time. it's higher than justin's normal voice a little, but idk, the defining quality of it isn't its pitch to me, there's something else that i don't really have the words for. but anyway i do notice that his voice gets lower and less exaggerated when he's being serious. which is interesting bc it sort of implies that the usual "taako voice" is something he puts on.
i don't really think of taako as a habitual performer. his charisma modifier is a -1, he's not this ultra smooth charming actor, and although he does tend to hide behind humor and is slow to build connections, he's also very frank with what he's about and what he wants. he goes on an entire tirade about wanting to talk about his feelings (he's multidimensional!), he never acts embarrassed or hesitant about big moments of vulnerability and caring for others (arms outstretched, "i'm not going fucking anywhere," admitting a deep fear to kravitz on their first date, spilling his tragic backstory to angus, not to mention several serious moments with lup) (and not all of these can be chalked up to "forgotten connections," either. he does have a foundation of growth with magnus and merle, even forgotten, and his conversations with lup are of course all with memories intact, but he does not have that with kravitz and angus). he's just slow to reveal all of his hidden depths, because of (understandable) trust issues. but all in all he's not nearly as closed off as i think fandom tends to portray him (which is not to say he's open, either), nor is he someone who wears a lot of masks and obscures himself. i don't think he hides his "true self."
sizzle it up was successful because of his intelligence, not his charisma. he's a natural teacher who's knowledgeable and passionate, and that was what made the show great, not his personality or performance (though i don't think those were bad. just not the primary appeal of the show. the only fan we see is ren, and she loved sizzle it up because it inspired her and taught her to cook, not because she thought taako was awesome or whatever). bc that's the thing, he's not a performer, but he is extremely adaptable. so when he's set up with a stagecoach and a show lined up, sure, he'll have a TV persona, he'll learn to be charming, he'll learn to be showy, when he's on stage. when he gets famous, he learns to like being famous, but i don't think it was really a dream of his before then. or at least not in the way people think of it. i don't think he ever wanted to be a celebrity as much as a celebrity chef or celebrity wizard. he doesn't care if people think he's pretty. he doesn't want people to adore him (before the voidfish, anyway. afterwards is a different story. there's a void where love used to be that he's desperate to fill, and adoration almost feels like it works). really what he wants is for people to appreciate his skill and intelligence and depth (and he's also very afraid of actually displaying those things. he's multidimensional).
but most of the time, when he's not literally performing for an audience, i just don't think he's putting on a show, desperate for people to like him and think he's charming. he'll do what he needs to do, say what he needs to say, be who he needs to be in any given circumstance, with strangers and antagonists, but he also drops the act when it's not necessary. or at least his performance is subtler. he performs stupidity, he performs nonchalance, he makes efforts to be funny (because he is always funny, but that's something you have to work for and always be thinking about, even when the humor is dry), he carefully does just enough to be useful, but not enough to raise expectations. he's very aware of how other people view him, but he's also perfectly okay with people thinking negatively about him—as long as they're the negative traits he wants people to see. but, he only does all those things in the beginning of the show; after a little while with magnus and merle, after a little while with the bob, he drops the act. so i guess that's the difference to me. he's adaptable out of necessity, it doesn't bleed into his entire life. i don't even really think i'd qualify it as a performance. it's more of an invisibility. he's not performing charisma to get people to like him, he's trying to lay low. but then when he actually wants people to like him, he's himself, fairly unapologetically. with the people who matter, lup, magnus and merle, kravitz, the other bob members, the other ipre crew, he's pretty comfortable with himself.
one last interesting point is that while he doesn’t seem to hesitate when it comes to actions, he does shy away from verbal displays of affection, trust, vulnerability. and the best two scenes to show that play out almost exactly the same: lup’s best day ever dinner, and dropping his disguise self with kravitz. in each, taako does something meaningful for both npcs, who then verbalize their affection for him, which taako immediately deflects with a joke.
taako drops his disguise spell for kravitz, totally honest with him, (although… i don’t tend to think the beauty sacrifice was as meaningful to taako as fandom tends to portray, i think most of his vanity is an exaggeration he intentionally cultivates, but still, it’s a vulnerable moment, he clearly cares what kravitz thinks), and kravitz tells him he loves him. to which taako replies with a joke. he does not return the words.
taako doesn’t hesitate to construct the best day ever for lup, never even questions why she’d ask. he puts it all together, cooks for her, shows her he knows her, he loves her—and then when she bears her heart to him, tells him he is her heart, all he says is, “i know,” and pulls out a bottle of vodka. of course lup knows he loves her, the whole day was an elaborate demonstration of it, but he doesn’t say anything. to be fair, it’s not exactly a typical interaction between them, taako is textually scared shitless, lup did just tell him she’s going to turn herself into an undead abomination, so he’s not exactly at his best here. but anyway.
i don’t really have anything to add to this observation, it’s just very consistent and interesting to me. taako is fairly comfortable with grand gestures, but sidesteps around words. which ties in perfectly with his identity as a chef, to me. cooking is an action, work, intention, cooking for people is an act of love, an act of connection, an act of caring, and taako’s character doesn’t fit the bill for that—except, he kinda really does.
141 notes · View notes
sisiren · 9 months
Text
I discovered Audacity was free and decided to make a TAZ: Balance edit! More information under the cut.
Song: Experience - Ludovico Einaudi
Quotes (in order of which they appear in the audio): “One day I made the decision to… stop championing other people's heroism and to take the direction of my life into my own hands.” - Lunar Interlude III, Rest and Relaxation
“This is just for a little bit, I’m gonna stop this, what we’ve done to this world.” - The Stolen Century 7
“And, I lost dear, dear friends because of that decision, but it was the only one to make.” - Lunar Interlude III, Rest and Relaxation
“I’m gonna find you a place where you can be happy again, it’s just for a little while, and then, you’ll remember, I promise.” - The Stolen Century 7
“Magnus Burnsides” - Here There be Gerblins 1
“T-A-A-K-O” - Here There be Gerblins 1
“Merle Highchurch” - Here There be Gerblins 1
“Barry Bluejeans” - Lunar Interlude V, Reunion Tour 1
“I’m Davenport” - The Stolen Century 7
“Blasted the letters L U P into the wall.” - Lunar Interlude III, Rest and Relaxation
“I pull out the Umbra Staff and I point it at Lucretia” - Story and Song, Finale 1
“You fucking took everything from me” - Story and Song, Finale 1
“Oh shit! Is it today?” - The Stolen Century 6
“It’s today.” - The Stolen Century 6
“I did this one already. I did this world and kind of… crushed it.” - The Stolen Century 1
“I’m begging you, let me finish this and we can talk about it.” - Story and Song, Finale 1
“Are you my friend?” - The Stolen Century 4
“To have friendship, Merle, it requires you to...[sighs] love someone.” - The Stolen Century 4
“Our capacity for love increases with each person we cross paths with throughout our lives, and with each moment we spend with those people.” - The Stolen Century 5
“I said: I love you, Jules.” -The Eleventh Hour 8
“You are my heart.” - The Stolen Century 6
“I - I love you dad.” - Story and Song, Finale 3
“I love you too, baby.” - Story and Song, Finale 3
“And these things, Merle, friendship and love and happiness, they’re- they’re all so… small.” - The Stolen Century 4
“But I’ve been living a hundred years with me and one year with millions of people.” - The Stolen Century 7
“Honestly; do whatever you want. I don’t care anymore.” - Story and Song, Finale 1
“Everybody else that I ever met, aside from the six of you, were dust.” - The Stolen Century 7
“Dead…got turned into ash.” - Lunar Interlude V, Reunion Tour 1
“They were just talking dust.” - The Stolen Century 7
“I have nothing, and I don’t give a shit. The world is ending, and I. Don't. Care.” - Story and Song, Finale 1
“But the one thing we do have, is the thing that people in love rarely ever have enough of. And it’s time.” - The Stolen Century 5
“You found her! Maybe not how you expected to, but when you weren’t looking you found her.” - Story and Song, Finale 1
“Who?” - The Stolen Century 7
“I wonder which one would be worse to take from you: the person that you loved or the person that you… hate.” - The Suffering Game 5
“They are beings of pure, concentrated evil.” - The Suffering Game 1
“And they’ve all been evil?” - The Suffering Game 1
“Invariably.” - The Suffering Game 1
“Lup, they don't trust me.” - The Eleventh Hour 9
“The light is a sickeningly powerful energy source. Any items powered by that energy are going to be...devastating.” - The Stolen Century 7
“This is it!” - The Stolen Century 7
“Lup made us promise that we would never again put a world in danger just to thwart The Hunger's plans. And that is exactly, exactly, what we did to this world!” - Story and Song, Finale 1
“Did we make the right decision?” - The Stolen Century 7
“Sometimes there aren’t right decisions. Sometimes there’s just decisions.” - The Stolen Century 7
“Kind of seems like I've got you right here.” - The Stolen Century 4
“And the devastation it wreaks is immeasurable.” - The Stolen Century 7
“What if you didn’t have to worry and you could just cut out the bullshit and do good recklessly?” - The Eleventh Hour 7
“Merle...will you sit with me? Just...just for a moment?” - Story and Song, Finale 3
“...You got it, buddy.” - Story and Song, Finale 3
“And suddenly thousands of bonds are threaded between the three of you.” - Story and Song, Finale 3
“I know we don’t say this enough, but… Thank you.” - The Stolen Century 7
“I saw seven birds: The Twins.” - The Crystal Kingdom 11
“You ready bro?” - The Stolen Century 7
“Hell yeah!” - The Stolen Century 7
“The Lover.” - The Crystal Kingdom 11
“It’s only been twe— Um… Twenty-one years…” - The Stolen Century 3
“The Protector.” - The Crystal Kingdom 7
“Magnus rushes in.” - Story and Song, Finale 3
“The Lonely Journal Keeper.” - The Crystal Kingdom 7
“I’m gonna save us all, I - I promise.” - Story and Song, Finale 1
“The Peacemaker.” - The Crystal Kingdom 7
“I find joy whatever I do.” - The Stolen Century 4
“And The Wordless One.” - The Crystal Kingdom 7
“Have we not… earned a little wrath?” - The Stolen Century 6
“You got all the time in the world, my man.” - The Stolen Century 3
371 notes · View notes
barry-j-blupjeans · 1 year
Text
Barry was starting to wish he had bought a suitcase with a handlebar and wheels. Lup and Taako's apartment was on the third story up and, much like Lup had told him, the elevator was still in its constant state of disrepair. At the very least, a suitcase with a handlebar would be easier to lug up here. His back was already aching from the ride over (his body was not fit for airplane seats anymore) and this certainly wasn't helping.
But it'd be worth it. Tonight, for the first time ever, he and Lup would meet face-to-face. And Taako too. He was excited to see Taako. He had heard lots of good things about Taako. But he had never really talked to the guy outside of voice or video calls with him in the background and Barry- well, he had a soft spot for Lup.
That's what he told Magnus, at least, when he bought the plane ticket. Leaving Magnus to housesit didn't seem like a great plan, but Barry had no one else to turn to. Asking his coworkers felt weird and approaching any of his neighbors with the idea seemed even worse. Magnus, at the very least, was capable of fixing anything he broke. Probably. And was willing to do it for free as long as he was allowed to bring his dogs with him (he was, but Barry was very much hoping he didn't have to clean dog slobber off anything when he got back).
Magnus had seemed… uncertain about his plan. Flying halfway across the country without telling the other person you'd be there was, admittedly, not always a good idea. But Barry had planned this through. He and Lup had talked a lot about meeting up one day. What they'd want to do together, where they'd go, the plans they had. She offered to let him crash on the couch and Barry was 100% okay with that. It saved on hotel costs, at least.
And Lup loved surprises! Most of the time! Lup loved the surprises that Barry came up with, at least.
Barry paused at the third story, leaning against the wall to try to get his breathing under control. He had tried to only pack essentials, but that had quickly turned into "oh, I wanna show Lup this thing in person" and, "oh, Lup wanted to have this but I forgot to mail it to her", and "oh, Lup would-", et cetera, et cetera.
After a minute, he finally got his breathing under control. He straightened up and his back popped in at least four different places. Pathetically, he started dragging his suitcase down the hall. 310, 311, 312…
113. Lup and Taako's apartment.
Barry knocked before he could start overthinking it.
Lup would be happy to see him, right? Right. Definitely. She was cool like that.
Seconds ticked by. Barry fanned himself, suddenly feeling too hot. It was from bringing the suitcase up, that's all. He wasn't nervous. He lov- he liked Lup a lot and he wanted to make a good first impression. Second impression? He wasn't sure what it was when you've been talking to someone for years but have only just now seen them in real life.
It must have been a full minute by now. Barry raised his hand, trying to figure out if it'd be a good idea to knock again, but the door opened before he could make up his mind.
It was Taako. All of his opening plans came crashing to a halt. He opened his mouth and just kind of made a strangled sound. He cleared his throat and went to try again, or at least try to ask if Lup was home, but-
"Barry?" Taako asked.
"Yeah," Barry said, hopefully sounding confident and casual. It came out a little like he was choking down a jolly rancher.
"Fuck," Taako said. He shut the door in Barry's face.
Barry… didn't know what to do in this situation. He was hoping for a "hey!" or maybe even an "it's Barry!". This was so wildly off-script from what he had imagined he didn't know how to move forward. Luckily, Taako opened the door again and practically pulled him inside before shutting it again.
The inside of the apartment was warm and cozy and exactly what Barry thought it would be. He recognized the couch where he and Lup often had long conversations via the internet. He could see the beginnings of the kitchen as Taako pulled him further inside. A man popped out from one of the other rooms. Barry vaguely recognized him as Taako's boyfriend. Kravitz, he was pretty sure.
"Barry?" Kravitz said incredulously.
"Hey," Barry said. Taako steered him towards the couch. It was so soft.
"But Lup-" Kravitz started.
"We're getting there," Taako said. He was standing in front of Barry now as Barry sat on the couch. Kravitz leaned over the edge of the sofa. Taako took a deep breath. "Okay. So. Wanna tell me what the fuck you're doing at our apartment, Barold?"
"Uhm," Barry said. "Visting?"
"Visting me?" Taako said.
"I mean," Barry said. "I- I would definitely like to hang out with you too, but, uhm-"
"Lup," Taako sighed. He rubbed at his temples, as if he was developing a headache. "Okay, Barry, I'm gonna need you and Lup to get like, a shared calendar or maybe like- any type of clear communication, 'cus she's not here."
"Like, she's at work, or-?"
"Lup got on a plane at nine AM this morning," Taako said, "to go to fuckin' Maine! to visit your sorry ass."
"Ah," Barry said. Okay. Okay, okay, okay. Sure, yeah, okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah. This was fine. This was normal. This was an everyday thing to him. He was pretty sure stuff like this happened all the time.
"You," Taako said, "are gonna call Lup and tell her she's a dumbass."
"I'm not gonna call Lup a-"
"She'll call you," Taako said. "'Cus you're both real fucking stupid, y'know that? Like, if you're gonna visit your partner then at least call before you show up-!"
"We're not- we're not dating," Barry said, blushing despite himself.
"Uh-huh," Taako said. "Sure."
"We're not!" Barry said. It seemed Lup and Taako had the same "I don't believe that at all" face.
His phone started ringing. Taako's look intensified at the I Will Always Love You by Whitney Houston ringtone. Barry's face got even hotter.
"It's a good song," he insisted, struggling to get the phone out of his pocket. The caller ID showed up as Lup.
"Answer the fucking phone, Barold," Taako said.
Barry sighed, answering it. He pressed it up against his ear, unsure if he wanted to laugh or cry at Lup's voice. Maybe both.
"So, uhhhh, we've got a problem," Lup said.
Definitely both.
579 notes · View notes
dogs2shouldvote · 9 months
Text
in contrast with my last post, in my latest relisten of taz balance i also recorded a bunch of quotes that felt like a punch to the gut (with zero context mostly). here’s some that made me a) cry or b) freak out because foreshadowing
MAJOR taz balance spoilers ahead; if you haven’t already listened to this amazing show, you should!
- “you can’t kill robbie, i have some big franchise plans for robbie”
- “you found her?“
- “one of you isn’t a lich, are you?”
- “tell julia i said i love her”
- “your staff, you lost control of it, and you blasted the letters L U P into the wall”
- “you look familiar too. have we met?” (this one i did put context for, it’s ren speaking to magnus in the eleventh hour during one of the early loops)
- “is there anything else you can edit in our past?” (this one also had context, magnus to istus i believe)
- “you’re going to be amazing”
- “there’s a long span of time that’s just not there” … “while you’re looking through these memories… there is something about the memory is a little bit off. there’s parts of it that are a little bit staticky.”
- “i named my fish after him”
- “he didn’t want to be a hero. it wasn’t his desire.”
- “Do you remember the last thing you said?”
“I said ‘I love you, Jules.’”
- “lup. they don’t trust me. i cant do it anymore, lup. i’m sorry”
- “the hunger is almost here. and when it arrives, the world will be lost.”
- “and it’s an incredibly familiar face, because it’s your face, magnus. this figure in the red robe is you.”
- “why are you doing this, taako?”
“because i’m worried no one else will have me”
- “you see this red robe put a single skeletal finger to its nonexistent lips”
- ”i’ll be having my body back you undead fuck”
- “trust barry. love barry. taako… it’s me… it’s *static*”
- “when there was trouble, you took the big hit. didn’t you, bud?”
- “and taako you remember lup now. how could you forget lup?”
- “are we just gonna burn every world that we can’t save just to keep the hunger from getting its hands on them? how does that make us any better than them?”
- “this is where we get to decide who we are”
- “show them the duck. it’s a good duck. i think they’ll like it!”
- “your journey could have ended anywhere… but it ended here. and you’re so grateful for that.”
- “sometimes there aren’t right decisions. sometimes there’s just decisions.”
- “back soon”
- “as his body falls further and further down, you realize you don’t know who that is.”
- “magnus. i’m going to find a place for you to be happy. it’ll just be for a little bit. i can do this. i love you magnus. i love all of you *fading into static*”
- “you *fucking took everything. from me*.”
- “i needed to say goodbye to someone
- “i don’t expect you all to forgive me…”
“i run over and hug her”
- “there’s magic in a bards song. they call it is inspiration and it tells the listener what they need to hear when they need to hear it… and you hear johann’s voice and it says: ‘you’re gonna have to fight… and *you’re gonna win!*’”
- “how does magnus die?”
- “and thus ends adventure zone balance. the story of four idiots who played dnd so hard they made themselves cry.”
206 notes · View notes
lifes-line · 15 days
Text
In honor of the Adventure Zone and the suffering game coming out soon I’m gonna talk about the moments in The Adventure Zone that got me the most emotional
Obviously spoilers for the Adventure Zone
5. Johann the Bard’s death
This one I think caught the majority of TAZ fans off guard. Whenever an NPC died.. it was always during the events of recovering a grand relic - never after the mission. It’s like-
Johann was here. And then he wasn’t.
And most people grew very attached to Johann during the episodes and arcs of making fun of him, asking if they’re ok with being forgotten, him and his relationship with the Void Fish— and to include this with my number 5
WHEN MAGNUS AT THE END OF THE PODCAST
NAMES HIS FUCKING DOG AFTER JOHANN
OHMYGODDD
4. Meeting Lup
Now- not when Lup was freed from the Umbra-staff and called out her brother for being gay, while that was a funny as fuck moment, that’s not what I’m referring to.
It’s when we cut back to the Stolen Century and we meet Lup officially for the first time. I just remember hearing her speak for the first time and her antics and I remember being like “god.. she’s just like her brother.”
And we get to know her and it’s like- we also find out she is nothing like Taako. She’s more empathetic to people - to strangers- she’s smarter than him(like book smart) , SHES a nerd, she flamboyant and kindhearted and it’s like also-
We’ve known her forever. She was in every single adventure the boys had- she was this overwhelming presence in the entire podcast - from her name burnt into the wall, to “where’d you get that umbrella?”, to flying to Taako’s aid every time he was in trouble— she had always been a character without a name or face to her and then we she is finally formally introduced you just love her instantly.
That’s amazing writing.
3. Arms outstretched
Now this got everyone.
It was such a powerful moment between brothers and between friends- even Griffin didn’t see it coming.
He fully expect them to just let Magnus float off into the astral plane but then they change the entire plot of the story and saved Magnus and brought him back.
Taako and Merle both using a spell slot to bring back their bestfriend. Also foreshadows to their deeper connection back in their stolen century.
The music behind that scene was also fucking phenomenal it was beautiful and I loved it.
2. “You fucking took everything from me”
Ok SO- THIS ONE IS INCREDIBLE- it starts me on the same tangent every time.
In this moment Taako has fully remembered all of the events that happened before Lucretia erased their memories and he is fucking infuriated.
Because if Lucretia had not done it that day- Taako and Barry would’ve found Lup. THINK ABOUT IT - that day they were going to check Wave Echo cave- they would’ve found Lup’s corse and the red robe and the umbrella - Taako would’ve made the connection and Barry would’ve figured it out instantly and Lup would’ve been set free and back.
But because Lucretia did it they never went to WaveEcho cave and they never found her- until a decade later- Taako found her stupid and unknowing - took her umbrella and watched her skeleton decay- AND NOW HE REMEMBERS THIS
And it’s too late to go back to WaveEcho now, the fucking hunger is here and her corpse is long gone, if she was a lich barry would’ve found her by now, and if she was in Phanadalin- it was all glass now - where could she have gone?
Taako is realizing silently what Barry isn’t aware of- Lup was right there. SHE WAS RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIM- and he couldn’t find her, he couldn’t save her.
In this moment of rage Taako realizes his sister is gone. She’s never coming back. Lucretia took his everything from him.
And it’s all her fault.
1. Magnus’s death
Now. The day I finished TAZ Balance edition, at 9:38PM, I cried myself to sleep. OF COURSE I DID
“HOW DOES MAGNUS DIE?”
SURROUNDED BY HIS LOVED ONES
WITH HIS DOGS
AND MAGNUS FINALLY ENDS HIS ULTIMATE QUEST- HE SEES HIS WIFE IN THE AFTERLIFE
Magnus, rushing in to everything because he ultimately wanted to die a crazed hero so he could see his wife again but still feel like he died doing something worth it just for her, who never loved another ever during his years alive, who turned down the temptation of his own relic because if he was going to see his wife again he wanted her to be proud of him, Magnus Burnsides whose ultimate destination and goal was to see the love of his life again.
And he finally did.
Magnus got the happy ending he truly deserved.
Magnus Burnsides is the most relatable character in all of the Adventure Zone(to me at least) I love and cherished him like he was truly my friend- so when he dies at the end of the podcast I cried like I was grieving a real person.
25 notes · View notes
omegas-reincarnation · 2 months
Text
Relistening to story and song and then immediately going into the final episode of Amnesty is like. So I just told you a story about how the connections between people and places and moments and ideas and food and music are the most important thing in the world, how they are our weapon against despair and greed. Now here's a story where that's still true! But we have to face up to the reality that the fundamental nature of evil is to justify itself as light, and to the impossibility of defining redemption when there is never any hope of atonement.
It's Lup begging Lucretia not to use the shield spell to cut them off from other worlds and Taako defeating the Hunger by opening up a gateway to the astral plane vs Duck blowing up the connection between two worlds as the last, desperate option to prevent Reconciliation from destroying them both. Taako being told "when you think you have only two paths, you must find a third" vs Duck being left with no choice but to destroy the last survivors of a planet that had faced annihilation multiple times before they succumbed to the horrific decision to kill all other life in the universe to save themselves. The fact that someone created a sword that would be bloodthirsty enough to carry out that act and named it Beacon because the last hope for the universe was violence.
It's not too late! vs but what if it was.
I love Balance but Amnesty has my soul.
42 notes · View notes
noodyl-blasstal · 5 months
Text
Tale as Old as Time
It's @taznovembercelebration day 26! Look how far we've come! Today's prompt was "familiar" and I also used an AU generator (you'll never guess what I got...)
Read below or on Ao3, missed yesterday? Catch up here.
--
“Did you see that next door’s open?” Taako asks, cool, calm, motives impenetrable.
“Raven Tattoo?”
“Yeah.” He’s nonchalant, inarguably casual.
“So you met hotboy then?” Lup asks.
Fuck.
It’s fine, Taako doesn’t have to admit anything, Lup doesn’t have a warrant. “Who?”
“Tattoo goth next door?”
“I’m not sure.
“You don’t know if you met the man who owns the shop you just told me was open?”
“Nope.” Says Taako, liar supreme.
“He’s your type, is all I’m saying.”
He is. But that is precisely none of Lup’s business so Taako keeps his mouth shut.
“It’s a tale as old as time, you know.” Lup says as she wraps the brown paper around her spray. “Tattoo artist, florist, can I make it any more obvious?” She winds twine to keep it in place.
“Ah yes, the ancient tattoo shop florist love stories which echo through the ages, they’ve got at least four Disney films with it as a central premise I’m sure. Do you remember the one where the handsome florist’s sister is a complete dingus?”
Taako barely dodges out of the way of the stem cut offs that Lup lobs at him. Thankfully he’s had years of training.
“Fuck off, goofus. Have you spoken to him yet?”
“No.” Taako says, quickly.
“Uh huh.”
Flawless lie.
“So what was he like?” Lup asks.
Double fuck.
It’s not fair that she’s using her twin powers for evil.
“Taako wouldn’t know.”
“You realise our shop is 90% windows?” Lup picks out some more roses for the ‘November, remember!… to tell them you love them (with flowers)’ promotion. The make-the-worst-promotion-name-and-people-will-tell-their-friends-about-it approach has been working well so far.
“I have eyes, Lulu.”
“Well so do I, genius, so cha’girl saw you look out the window, wait until goth boy was on the move, rush out to pretend to run into him and follow him back into his shop.”
Triple fuck.
Taako was so sure she was busy with the flowers, he didn’t expect to be observed taking actions. That was cheating, probably.
“Taako learned from the best.” The best defence is a good offence and Taako is going down swinging.
“Things with Barry aren’t the same!”
“It’s very interesting, Lup, that you should bring him up. Who said anything about Barry? Taako certainly didn’t mention Barry, which means that when you think of the spurious accusations levelled at Taako about flirting you think about Bluejeans. Interesting, very interesting, considering you’re just friends.”
“We are friends”
“Uh huh.”
Taako dodges another trimmed stem. Maybe if he aggravated Lup less he wouldn’t have to sweep as often.
“Not just friends, though, are you? You wanna ride the denim train into the sunset!”
“I can’t believe you just said those words with your actual face.”
Taako can’t either, frankly.
“Denim what now?” Barry asks, looking excited.
They need a bell for the door right now. They need one yesterday.
“Nothing!” Says Lup, high and panicked.
“Ooooh, say no more.” Barry winks dramatically.
Oh good, they’re going to have to make him some kind of denim train for Candlenights.
“Taako’s got the hots for tattoo boy next door!” Lup says, throwing Taako so hard under the bus that he didn’t even have time to yank her under with him.
“Classic love story, bud. Tattoo, flower shop, you know how it goes.”
“That’s not a thing and Taako’s not interested in hot goth boy! Now stop talking about it!”
“Hello.” Says Kravitz from the entrance.
They’re getting four bells for the fucking door. Taako’s going to invent time travel and go back and put them all on and never ever ever complain about how loud and annoying they are.
“Hi.” Taako says, casually. Throws up a quick prayer to Istus that maybe, just maybe, Kravitz didn’t hear him. Because Taako is interested, Taako is very interested.
“I was just bringing you a pack of the stickers you liked, I printed some extras.” He’s definitely frostier than he was 30 minutes ago. “Anyway, I’d better be going.”
“No!” Say Taako and Lup in tandem.
Kravitz looks alarmed, and Lup’s doing the wide eyes which mean she’s all out of ideas having tried precisely nothing. Taako needs a reason for Kravitz to stay and he needs a good one.
“I’m thinking of getting a tattoo.” Taako says desperately.
Kravitz raises an eyebrow but doesn’t smile. He’s so hot, even when he’s pouty. He’s also got a laugh like honey and didn’t act weird when Taako mentioned that he enjoys fishing - usually everyone’s shocked and they get to do the ‘wow, what a left field hobby’ chat. Kravitz had definitely been interested before so Taako needs to fix this right now. If he gets a tattoo then Kravitz has to interact with him, how long can they take? 10 minutes is probably enough to explain.
“You are?” Asks Kravitz at the same time as Lup and Barry.
“Yep.” Taako’s dripping confidence. This is great, it’s fine. He can just get a tattoo from a place he’s not familiar with because he thinks the guy doing it is hot. What’s a little stabbing among hopefully-soon-to-be-more-than-friends?
“Right.” Kravitz sounds worryingly unconvinced.
“What’re you going to get, bud?” Says Barry, choosing violence and genuine curiosity.
“Yeah, Koko, what’re you thinking of putting on your body forever and ever? I’m sure you’ve thought this through carefully.”
“Mongoose.” Taako doesn’t even flinch, he’s a master of his craft. They want to play? He can play. He’s a professional, baby, he’s sliding down the floor piano on his knees while everyone claps.
“Oh.” Kravitz sounds slightly more positive than he did a few moments ago.
“You wanna talk through ideas at some point, kemosabe?” Taako may as well clear this up sooner rather than later.
“I thought you weren’t interested.” Kravitz says pointedly. Okay, so he definitely heard, and maybe the huffiness hadn’t entirely faded. Taako might have to work slightly harder at this.
“I’m very, very interested.” Taako looks hard at Kravitz and hopes he understands.
“I’ve got a bit of time now. My next appointment isn’t for a few hours.” Kravitz is trying his best to sound like he doesn’t care, Taako can tell, but there’s a note of hope in there under the surface. If he just sifts through the dirt he can see that they’re on the same page. Kravitz had better not just be excited about the possibility of getting a new client. Hopefully Taako wasn’t going to have to resort to getting the tattoo on his ass in the hope that giving Kravitz an eyeful would encourage forgiveness.
“Go ahead, I’ve got this.” Lup nods at Taako.
“I can help Lup out if there’s anything urgent here, bud.” Barry adds. Setting a definitely-just-friendly hand on Lup’s arm and smiling goopily at her.
They were gross and Taako hated them.
“Okay, lead the way handsome.” Taako tugs off his apron and gloves and rounds the counter, swipes one of the rose bouquets as he goes.
“Handsome, is it?” Kravitz asks quietly, holding the door open for Taako.
“Very, very handsome, in Taako’s expert opinion.” Flattery could also be the truth.
“But handsome isn’t something you’re interested in?”
“Handsome is something Taako is very interested in. What he is not interested in, is his sister being all up in his business. Look!” Taako grabs Kravitz by the shoulders, before he can even register that Kravitz is leaning down, eyes closing, he’s spun him to face the windows of the flower shop.
“See!” Taako points at Lup and Barry, pressed against the window and panickedly trying and failing to look like they’re doing anything else but spying.
“Uh… er… yes. Yeah. There they are.”
“So if we could continue that kiss somewhere that isn’t visible to them I’d like that, I’d like that very much.”
Kravitz grabs Taako’s hand and tugs him into his shop. “We’re in luck, I know a place.”
--
I hope you enjoyed! Wanna read some more? Find tomorrow's prompt here.
39 notes · View notes
anistarrose · 1 year
Text
the thing I keep coming back to about TAZ Balance, I think, is that there's heroes — lots of them, even — but there's not really a hero, not a singular one. when our characters try to save the world all on their own, and oh, do they try, their arcs — while eventually culminating in happy endings, for the most part — are, at the time, cast as tragedies. lone heroes, in TAZ Balance, are invariably tragic heroes.
Lucretia can't gather all the Grand Relics and defeat the Hunger on her own. Barry can't find Lup, much less sway Lucretia from her plan, on his own. Lup, crushed by guilt, sets off to neutralize her greatest mistake without even facing her family as she leaves, and that decision sets the story into motion in the first place. their intent to spare their family, to shoulder the burden alone so no one else will have to, fixes little and leaves them isolated. lonely. trapped.
even Magnus, rustic Folk Hero of Raven's Roost, fails to avenge the community that took him in. he sets off on a solitary mission to do so, never opening up about his pain to even his closest friends, but he never sees Kalen again. yet, maybe not too late, he learns, or rather, remembers — the strength to protect and avenge others comes from the strength to ask for help. the last thing helping anyone is trying to do this alone.
Lucretia assembles the Bureau, and as soon as she sees a way, brings Tres Horny Boys back under her wing. Barry, the very same day that Lucretia recruits them, sees the Phoenix Fire Gauntlet surface, and realizes it's time to put his trust in his family again — he shows himself to them soon after, and even with him putting up a facade, that's progress. and Lup, with endless time to reflect, is possibly the first of all of them to see where she went wrong. she won't be making that mistake again.
there's not a singular hero of the story, because taking on the burden of saving everyone is no task meant for one person. there's "our heroes," Tres Horny Boys, and there's the secondary, "secret," but no less important heroes who complete the ranks of the IPRE, but none can defeat the Hunger — nor reunite their family, nor vanquish an old foe — without leaning on each other, and on the new bonds they forged on this cycle. leaning on Johann, Kravitz, Team Sweet Flips, and the whole ensemble; every single connection that convinced them not to flee but to fight.
accepting that none of them can, that none of them should, be the hero alone — that's what averts the tragic end. the Hunger, terrible as it is, is wholly united, sharing and amplifying each other's despair. the only way to victory is to rely on each other, to care for each other, to learn how to be cared for, and to let your loved ones grant you hope.
2K notes · View notes
fandomsnstuff · 5 months
Text
Second last day!!!!! One more to go!!!! We're almost done @taznovembercelebration
Three guesses what this one's about (shocking no one, it's blups)
Day 29: musical
Lup's just trying to get the rust off her violin skills for the challenge the Legato Conservatory has posed them when she finds someone she didn't expect at a piano.
Read it on AO3
Lup's heading to one of the practice rooms in the Legato Conservatory's music building late one night to keep brushing up on her violin basics. One of the doors isn't shut completely, letting a sliver of light out into the darkened hallway along with muffled piano music. She stops to quietly pull the door shut, but pauses as she sees the pianist through the window. 
Barry's eyes are lidded as he looks down at the keys, and his hands glide easily over the keys. It's a simple enough tune, but it's soft and sweet and beautiful. He has no sheet music, playing simply from memory. Lup stands with her hand on the doorknob, watching him. She doesn't want to interrupt him. 
He finishes his song, and takes a deep breath, lowering his hands into his lap. 
She opens the door slowly, “Barry?” 
He jumps slightly at the sudden intrusion. “Lup?” He relaxes, “what are you doing here?” 
She lifts the violin case. “Same as you, apparently. I didn't know you play piano.” 
He sighs, running a hand lightly over the keys. “I don't, really. My mom put me in lessons as a kid to… build my confidence or something. I couldn't tell you the last time I touched a piano, even before the mission.” 
“You sounded good.” 
He smiles, still looking at the piano. “Thanks. I'm still really rusty, but I couldn't think of anything else to do for this.” He looks up at her, and nods to the case in her hand, “violin? I hear that's really hard to learn.”
She laughs sheepishly. “Yeah… one of the caravans Taako and I traveled with had a handful of bards. They said we'd get a cut of profits if we played with them, so I got one of them to teach me. Taako wasn't interested, he stuck with cooking.” Her smile grows as the memory comes back, “the one who taught me said I had “fiddling fingers” so,” she lifts the case again, “fiddle.” 
“Fiddling fingers sounds inappropriate.” She barks out a laugh. Barry puts on a deep, gruff voice, “you could fiddle something with those fingers, young lady.”  
Lup leans against the wall as she laughs, brushing tears away. “Oh my god,” she takes a deep breath, “I never thought about it that way.” 
He makes grabby hands and in the same mocking voice says, “or maybe you want to try out my fiddle fingers.” 
She clutches her imaginary pearls. “How dare you! Trin was a perfectly respectable and pleasant young man.” Barry laughs as Lup tuts and shakes her head. “I never thought you'd be one to disrespect the consumed.” 
His smile fades slightly and his eyes drop back to look at the piano. 
“Hey…” she puts her violin down and walks over to him, sliding her hands over his shoulders, “you okay? I'm just poking fun.” 
“Yeah,” one of his hands comes up to cover hers, “I'm just…” he sighs deeply and his voice wavers, “my mom…” 
“Oh, Bear.” She sits next to him and draws him into her arms. He drops his head onto her shoulder and wraps his arms around her, holding her close. She slides her fingers into his hair. 
He doesn't cry, he's just silent for a while. She's learned by now that sometimes he just needs someone there. They've talked about his mom a lot. She was the only person he was leaving behind for the mission, and when he was finally comfortable enough with Lup, he started telling her everything he could remember. She's heard a lot of childhood stories. She loves learning about baby Barry. 
When he withdraws from her, she brushes the back of her fingers against his cheek and cups his jaw, bringing him in to rest their foreheads together. “Feeling okay?” 
“Yeah,” he says softly, his eyes closed. “Sometimes it just hits harder.” 
“I know.”
“It was a lullaby. The song I was playing. She used to sing it to me, it was the first thing I ever learned on piano.” 
“Will you play it for me?” 
His eyes open, and she gets lost in the ocean of them as they meet hers. “Okay,” he whispers. He sits up and turns back to the keys. He takes a breath, then starts to play. After a few measures, he starts singing quietly. Lup's heart swells. She wants to link her arm with his and rest her head on his shoulder, but she doesn't want to mess him up. She presses closer to him, his warmth seeping into her where their sides touch. 
It's when he finishes that she slides her arms around his middle and leans her head on his shoulder. “Beautiful,” she says. 
He lifts his arm over her and settles it around her shoulders, pulling her into his side. “I'm not much of a singer.”
“I like your voice. I'm sure it could soothe a baby to sleep.” She's long since stopped trying to force away the image of Barry with a tiny baby half elf in his arms that comes to her in moments like these. 
She can hear the smile in his voice, “you think so?” 
“Mhm.” She closes her eyes. “In fact, it's soothing me to sleep right now.” 
“I don't think so,” he jostles her lightly, “you've got fiddling to do.” 
She giggles. “I know something I'd like to fiddle.” 
She doesn't need to look at him to know he's rolling his eyes. “Come on, you need to practice.” She stays firmly in place. “I played for you, it's only fair you play for me.” 
She groans and laboriously tears herself away from him. “Why do you have to be so logical?” She crouches and opens up her case, taking out the violin. “What do you want to hear?”
He shrugs. “Anything.”
“I don't know any classical stuff. We only played in taverns and town squares.” 
He laughs, “that's okay. Play me your favourite.” 
She puts her bow to the strings and says, “you asked for it.” 
She plays an upbeat tune with dirty lyrics that always got crowds going in taverns and made her teenage self giggle when she'd sing it. By the time she's finished, Barry's roaring with laughter. He gives her a standing ovation. 
“I think you should play that for your submission.” 
She snorts, putting the violin away. “I think the professor helping me would have an aneurysm if I did. She almost popped a vein in her forehead when I kept calling it a fiddle.” 
He sits back down. “Lame.” 
“What are you going to play?” 
“No idea. I thought about maybe trying to expand the lullaby? Make it more complex or elegant? But I don't want to risk losing it, you know?” Lup has an idea. She chews on it for a moment. Barry notices her gears turning. “What?” 
“What if we played something together?” 
Tumblr media
23 notes · View notes
noir-renard · 1 year
Text
@kiwwles you sent me an ask about fics I recommend, and I was trying to save the answer as a draft and the whole ask disappeared 🥲 I don't know if it got deleted or if I answered it privately, but since it appears all traces of it are gone, I will try to recreate it here, because I worked on it for a while and I don't know why tumblr is like this
AnYwAy, I chose two fics per category, from four categories: DPxDC, DP only, Batman (+ DC), and Other. I focused on DP/DC because I figure if you like IYGABAB, you might want to read more from those fandoms.
Here are my recs:
DPxDC
Vacation Crashers by @impyssadobsessions
Batman crashes in the wilderness following up a lead in a recent case.
Meanwhile the Fenton family was having a camping trip to celebrate Jazz's last year as a "kid", but considering who suggested the location, it spelt disaster.
Now Danny and Jazz have to survive an onslaught of ghosts, take care of an injured Batman, and while worrying about their parents.
This was the first DPxDC crossover fic I ever read; I saw Impy_'s art from this fic and I just had to know more, and now I'm happily tumbling down the rabbit hole into the wonderland that is the Danny Phantom/Batman crossover verse. Vacation Crashers is the first in a series, which is the best news ever ^w^ 10/10 recommendation!
Bat Ghost by @megaerakles
Bruce is attacked by the ghost of Batman from the future. To get to the bottom of it, he pays a visit to some prominent ghost hunters, and happens to encounter a teenaged half-ghost vigilante (?), who just *happens* to resemble Damian. A lot.
On an unrelated note, Tim Drake has done nothing wrong.
I love fics where the Batfam goes to Amity Park. It's always a good time to watch them out of their element and adapt accordingly. This is a particularly enjoyable rendition, and it's still updating, too!
DP only
Exhumed by Marsalias
AU where Danny left behind half his physical body when he half-died. (AKA Corpse AU.)
Marsalias is one of my favorite DP writers, hands down. I really love the Exhumed series in particular, though; the world-building is excellent, the OCs are wonderful, and the writing is skillful.
Trust Your Instincts by @peachdoxie
A new kind of danger threatens Amity Park. With no other leads, Maddie Fenton turns to the one individual that might be able to help: Danny Phantom. Meanwhile, after a near death experience, she begins to question everything she knows about ghosts.
Excellent Maddie-centric fic where a near-death experience forces her to confront her own prejudices and misconceptions around ghosts, as well as the failings of her own scientific hubris. Currently on hiatus, but this fic was my obsession this past spring. Features cool OCs, interesting ecto-science, and lots of heartfelt/heartwrenching conversations.
Batman only
Loading and Aspect Ratio by Jube514
A world where nobody has wings, but people think they do, and that changes everything. (A Batfam Wingfic with a twist)
An excellent twist on the wingfic trope that really suits Batman. Features a Good Dad!Bruce who leans into the misconception that Batman is a cryptid because a)it's funny and b) it's convenient.
Take It Back Now, Y'all by Timthetoaster
(In which Tim finds himself in the past, and tries to do the right thing. It's more complicated than he'd like.)
Tim Drake being a bad-ass, accidental time travel, attempted fix-it. What's not to love?
Other
TAZ(Balance): All The Things You Prayed For by @anonymousalchemist and @marywhal
Taako is The Winter Soldier and Lup is Captain America AU
This is one of the best stories I've ever read, hands down. I've read it about four times *at least*. Even if you are not familiar with The Adventure Zone or The Winter Soldier (MCU), it's written so well that you can enjoy it without context.
TMA: The Magnus Institute vs the 21st Century: a series of emails and IMs by @shinyopals
What happens if the Magnus Institute gets a Data Protection Officer? What's it like to work in Tech Support? How are employee reviews conducted when your manager is Peter Lukas? This series does its best to answers these sorts of hard-hitting questions about office life at the Institute.
If you aren't familiar with The Magnus Archives it might be a bit hard to follow, but this epistolary fic has some of the best CSS coding and humor I've ever seen.
Anyway picking just a few was really difficult because I read a lot! I think every fic I've ever read has affected me in some way. But these are some of the ones most special to me. I hope you enjoy them!
163 notes · View notes
jerreeeeeee · 26 days
Text
there's nothing inherently wrong or unhealthy with a platonic relationship being the most intimate and important in someone's life (whether that person is also in a romantic relationship or not). this has been said before but people still treat it like its true. ESPECIALLY that a prioritized platonic relationship belies “codependency” even though no one would bat an eye at the exact same dynamic if it were romantic, because of the idea that a prioritized platonic relationship is somehow immature/unhealthy and something to grow out of/move on from.
the idea that the twins just go, well, you've been the person i felt safest loving and trusting in my entire life, our souls have been bound by fate and magic and our love for one another is one of the strongest bonds in the multiverse, transcending death and unimaginable loss, the motivation behind everything we’ve ever done, but since we're both in romantic relationships now and the story is over, the reasonable and in-character thing to do would be to split up and have separate nuclear families because that's the "healthy thing" (read: expected thing). there's no other form of a domestic happy ending than a marriage and typical nuclear family. you're everything to me, my entire world, my heart, see you later.
ok this got too long i'm putting it under a readmore.
(also why i don't really like the idea that taako adopts angus. "parent" is not the only important, loving role an adult can play in a child's life but people feel that need to shove everything into a nuclear family. also taako has too much going on to be the good parent that angus needs anyway. and magnus and lucretia are right there. but this is another post <- this is actually a fan fiction i’m writing, kind of)
i just find that frankly silly. i truly believe that the twins live together for the rest of their lives and are always each others' most important person (before anyone kills me i do think barry is there too. they also both love him so much. capacity for love INCREASES there’s no need for a replacement or a “moving on” it’s an addition). there's not any reason they wouldn't live together other than that it’s not “normal?” but why would they give a shit about that. their prioritization of one another isn't the unhealthy thing about their relationship. they do have other stuff going on that's actually codependent, but i think they eventually work past it and come to have a healthier (yet no less close) relationship. actually this post was originally just supposed to be about those codependent tendencies but i felt like i needed to compensate by clarifying that there are only a very specific few things abt their dynamic i find unhealthy and that by and large they’re fine, actually.
the main thing is, as is so succinctly put in this post—they aren't able to communicate about big, important decisions. not to say they never communicate about anything, i think they actually do communicate effectively about a lot of things—warning i’m going into a complete tangent here—i see a lot an idea that they’re not siblings who hug or really verbalize affection at all which is crazy to me (<- personal opinion alert) like they’re closed off and distrusting (taako more than lup, but she’s certainly not exempt from their trauma) to other people and the world at large but they have always always been each other’s exception, each other’s utmost safe place, the one person they could be absolutely comfortable around, who they never have to be afraid of. that’s one of the things i find so compelling about them, that they trust each other with their entire selves. they have no reason to ever feel defensive around each other. oh to be known so entirely and intimately and never feel ashamed or afraid of judgement or abandonment. augh. so i do think they hug.
also—i don't think they're unhealthily codependent in the sense that they "don't know how to be a person without each other" like that's certainly not true for lup and i don't really think it's true for taako either. they have their own distinct personalities and identities they just also both inform each others’ lives. they're an integral part of each other's identity the way your family or best friend or partner or most important person in your life is but again i think that's fine.
but back to the topic at hand anyway they DO hide their misgivings from each other when it comes to huge shit with world-changing, life-threatening consequences lol. when it comes to, like, turning herself into a lich, or leaving to recover her dangerous magical artifact, lup feels like she needs to be entirely decisive and confident for taako, and when it comes to his sister turning herself into a lich, or proposing a dangerous magical artifact plan, taako feels like he needs to be unflinchingly supportive and loyal for lup. and those both backfire obviously. because they trust each other so completely that they don't trust each other enough to not trust each other. weird paradox.
but really its not a lack of trust in each other its their own insecurities projected onto each other. lup second guesses herself but feels like she can’t express that uncertainty so she’s alone with her doubts which increases the pressure and stress and creates a feedback loop that only makes her more insecure. and taako feels like he doesn’t have anything to bring to the table other than backing up lup and is afraid doubting her would hurt her which means he never has an opportunity to find out he does actually have good ideas and that lup would listen to him constructively. but it manifests in lup “not trusting taako” to have her back even if she doubts herself and taako “not trusting lup” to take criticism even if his idea is good.
and honestly i think the solution to this codependency just comes with… not being in those lifethreatening situations anymore. the universe was saved and they have normal (magical fantasy world) lives. so now when they’re hiding things from each other the stakes are a lot lower. and when the stakes are lower they’re able to express uncertainty because they don’t feel that extreme and terrifying pressure anymore. lup doesn’t have to make impossible decisions and stick to them despite any doubt because she doesn’t have the survival of entire worlds on her back anymore. taako doesn’t have to always agree with lup and uncritically support her every choice because he’s not the only thing holding her together from oblivion anymore. so they're able to express doubts and nothing falls apart and they're actually stronger for it. and they’re already doing so much work on fixing their relationship just from being separated and kinda grieving for a decade too, so they eventually work past that.
and also because they have to face those insecurities and their consequences. lup got trapped in umbrella limbo for a decade and taako had his life destroyed. if lup had been able to overcome her need to put everything on her shoulders and expressed uncertainty, if taako had been able to overcome his blind loyalty and expressed doubt, would they have gone through with the relics? would they have even gone through with the lich plan? they realize only afterward that they should’ve talked about it, and so they learn from their mistakes.
another tangent—isn’t it so crazy how, by any standard, lup should be the strongwilled, passionate, heroic protagonist and taako her cynical, pragmatic, yet loyal sidekick? and yet he’s the protagonist and she the supporting character in the actual narrative? so subversive and intriguing. i cant believe this was all masterfully and purposefully written. anyway. (<- in the in-universe metanarrative version of the story, lup [and honestly, probably davenport] is the tragic ghost who haunts the narrative and lucretia & barry are the morally gray protagonist foils, and tres horny boys are supporting characters/comic relief who go on to have their own semi-important b-plot arcs that ultimately serve to further the protagonists’ arcs. btw.)
back to the twins. i also think they don't only grow post-canon, i think they grow a LOT during the century, because in the beginning, they're coming from a life where they have been not only the most important people in each other's lives, but the ONLY people in each other's lives. and now they're suddenly faced with more people, which they handle fine individually, more or less—lup is faster to warm up to the others, but even though taako's attitude is very much that he only cares about him and his, he is capable of expanding the people who are "his" (eventually). but they've never had to bring other people into their dynamic with each other before.
i don't think either of them are possessive, their relationship is built on deepest mutual respect and love and trust and "possessiveness" is kinda antithetical to that, but they can both be jealous on occasion. although there is a difference—lup is the only one who will outwardly display jealousy (and maybe a better word than jealousy would be insecurity), again because of the dynamic earlier: taako must always support whatever decisions lup makes without question. so when taako dies one cycle and all of a sudden merle and magnus and everyone else grieve him too, lup feels a sense of ownership over grief (not over taako himself, but over loving taako, just because no one else ever really has before, and she’s never had to think about the possibility that he might love other people too) that she initially may not challenge but does eventually let go of, because it's actually a good thing that other people love him now, and bringing new people into their family doesn’t make their love for each other any less. and taako has a similar experience but tbh i think its a little easier for him bc, like, who wouldn’t love lup, and lup loves other people way more freely than taako does (still not super freely, its a low bar). not that lup thinks taako is unloveable OBVIOUSLY (taako does think he’s unloveable tho) i just think they have different attitudes abt it, like they both have the moments of “but you don’t love them as much as i do!!” which is true, no one loves them as much as they do, but taako’s more willing to let that shit go bc he just doesn’t care as much what the others do as long as they don’t fuckin bother him about it. like lup sees the others equate (as she sees it, but oc they’re not actually grieving At Her) their (comparatively shallow) grief to her world-shattering loss of her best friend, only family, soulmate, silly rabbit, and she gets angry about it, but taako’s reaction is more like, “ok they’re stupid. who cares.” meanwhile and more importantly, all of a sudden lup is falling in love with barry, but taako's not one to throw a fit or demand that he's the only one who can love lup nor the only one lup can love. she’s made her decision. he just gives barry advice and lets it quietly hurt and draws distant, because he has a deep seated fear of abandonment that is now, for the first time, clashing with his unshakable trust in lup. and their relationship irrevocably changes but maybe not for the worse, because taako has, for the first time, doubted lup, a disruption to their typical (codependent) dynamic. but, of course, in the end his fears are unfounded and lup pulls him back in, because their capacity for love increases—of course lup still loves him just as much and yknow what, so does barry, and so does the rest of the crew. so he doubts and fears and is proven wrong. and so they grow and change, and their world increases from two to seven.
but that doubt doesn’t really go away for a long time, exacerbated and strained the more lup keeps secrets (especially with barry) until it reaches a head when lup finally doubts taako and does truly abandon him. but again, of course, never on purpose and never forever, they find their way back to each other despite everything and, again, come away stronger for it. the idea that the twins’ relationship is never as close again after story and song is so fucking tragic and heartrending but really i just think its unrealistic. because the rift between them is what caused their pain in the first place, of course they wouldn’t just shrug and move on. they would do anything for each other, including a lot of difficult emotional work and healing. for a little while they do have to deal with the reality that they’re not as close as they were. but they can be again. it just takes time and effort.
but anyway just to drive my point home—we mostly see taako's side of it since he is the protagonist in the real world narrative, but lup is always, always positioned within that narrative as his most important person. (and even then, lup says as much for taako! she loves barry of course but she loves taako so much he’s her heart!!) when thb see their lives after the hunger in paloma's prophecy, taako sees himself cooking with lup. she's textually representative of healing and joy in his future, and she's the main character present in his epilogue too. she's his greatest loss and his greatest love, positioned in exactly the same place as julia and merle's kids. there are a myriad of love stories going on in balance and a myriad of love stories involving taako that are all beautiful and significant in their own right but i really do think the main one in his life is lup!!
well all that to say they’re my favorite little critters ever and i’m studying them under a microscope forever. how do you end posts
15 notes · View notes
ashesandhackles · 1 year
Text
Prisoner of Azkaban reread (Part 2)
Chapter 17,18,19,20
The details of how furniture being gouged out makes you think of adolescent werewolf that Remus was (cooped up and aggressive), and why he would enjoy the full moon runs with Marauders. ('best times of his life' as he says. Whatever feelings he has of the near misses, his spirit in Forest Again is "happy to be back in place of adoloscent wanderings". This is important for Remus' characterisation)
Ron standing on a broken leg to yell at Sirius ("if you want to kill harry, you'll have to kill us too!") moves him (show of loyalty? After all of these years?) but also makes him feel guilty: "Lie down. You will damage that leg even more."
Hermione, who was petrified and asking Harry to be quiet - the moment she spots Harry is in danger from Sirius, she kicks the person she was petrified of moments before (book Hermione is nuanced!) XD And Ron throws himself on Sirius' wand hand. Basically Sirius is getting beaten up by kids.
"Going to kill me, Harry?" - ah, Sirius. He feels enormous amount of guilt for their deaths and doesn't deny that he "killed them". Sirius goes completely silent when Harry says, "You never heard her, did you? My mum trying to stop Voldemort from murdering me". He tried to plead his case before Harry said this, and now, he basically hands over the power to Harry in the scene and let Harry do whatever he wants. He even tries to push Crookshanks off, to get him out Harry's wand's way. (Crookshanks' love for Sirius is deeply endearing btw)
I know people focus a lot on the cracks in Sirius and Remus' friendship, but this wordless communication where Remus figures out who was the actual traitor (Sirius doesn't say a word, btw - he just points at Scabbers, and Remus immediately gets it) is… utterly radical after 13 years of suffering.
"Get away from me werewolf" - to show Ron say this, a child from largely progressive Weasley household, is to show deeply prejudiced the wizarding world is.
The fact that Remus is on his side after 12 years, makes Sirius sit on bed with a "shaking hand". It is similar to Remus' voice that was shaking with "suppressed emotion." (Crookshanks goes to comfort Sirius, and goes to his lap)
One of the ways Remus' guilt at not telling about Sirius' animagus form manifested is that he watched Harry on the map, in a way to handle the untoward incidents that may happen himself. (i mean he would have done it regardless, but this is way to keep his secrets as well)
There are two desires in Sirius - the desire to protect Harry, the desire for vengeance against Peter. The stronger desire, we see, even in the smaller moments is to do right by Harry. It is exactly what Remus invokes when Sirius tries to grab Scabbers from Ron - "You owe Harry the truth, Sirius" and he immediately stops struggling.
"My mind seems to be less so when I was with them" - the Marauders granted a very deep-seated need in Remus, a way to experience his wolf as not a terrible monstrous thing, but a source of joy, a way of integrating that self into his identity without shame.
Remus uses "err" when he is minismising the severity of a situation. "Sirius thought it would be - er - amusing to tell Snape.." (adding @urupotter and @thecat-isblogging-blog thoughts on this when we discussed )
Also, Hermione's role as an advocate in these chapters begins here - she asks Remus the right questions, and she will continue to do so in coming chapters, making sure everyone's story is heard. It is in keeping with the book's ideas of justice and mercy - and while Hermione is the advocate, Harry is the deliverer of justice - one who decides what to do.
Chapter 19 - POA
Snape having to play nursemaid by bringing Lups his goblet of Wolfsbane would not have endeared Lups to him. XD (But it also shows Snape's gritted teeth approach to things he considers danger and how to neutralise that danger)
Snape's first set of dialogue is "I told Headmaster again and again you have been helping Black into castle..". Translation: My father figure that I unfortunately projected onto has been dismissing my feelings and my concerns and now I can spitefully show him the proof. ("I will be very interested to see how Dumbledore takes this")
And Remus lets his anger show up more openly and it is cold and dismissive: "You fool. Is a schoolboy grudge worth putting an innocent man back inside Azkaban?"
Hermione tries to advocate for Lups, saying he should be heard. This is her role in the chapter - when Harry is too emotional and Ron is too confused, she takes over as the advocate in the chapter, while Harry is the judge.
Harry sees that Snape is beyond reason, so he decides to follow Hermione's lead and advocate for Lups instead.
"You would have died like your father too arrogant to believe that he was mistaken in Black" hints to what Snape is feeling in this scene, not to mention being inside the Shrieking Shack where he was sent by Sirius once as a trick, make him regress even more. (Also he dies in Shrieking Shack in Deathly Hallows)
When Snape threatens Harry, "Get out of the way or I will make you" - the trio try to disarm him at once and he gets knocked out. I love Ron and Hermione don't hesitate to do this (even though Hermione panics, "we attacked a teacher"). They are truly ride or die for Harry.
Sirius breaks, and Remus in response "gets a steely note" in his voice ("give me that rat"). The moment Peter appears, Remus will begin to grow colder and colder in the scene.
"His wet eyes seemed to be burning into his face". "fathomless eyes" "sunken eyes suddenly overbright". There is so much emphasis on Sirius' eyes for his emotion - even in GOF, his eyes "shuttered" when talking about his imprisonment. Such a powerful description of his energy and emotionality. It makes you feel his presence as a character.
"Well hello Peter, long time no see" "You might have missed finer points when you have been squeaking around on bed" LMAO. the passive aggression in this man.
Voldemort's closest supporters, most likely the Lestranges, are aware that Peter is the informant. Not everyone seems to be aware - Snape clearly isnt. This is to show hierarchy within Death Eaters. There is also an implication that Lucius may be aware - which is fun again when you look at power dynamics in his "friendship" with Snape. The implication in DH is that Lucius took him under his wing, something that Snape is clearly grateful for (he reacts unconsciously to him being named as DE in GOF), but Snape is not in on the Chamber of Secrets plot, nor about Peter. Also Snape is working against the Malfoys. So many criss-crossing loyalties. XD
"Throat too tight to speak, Harry nodded." - an indication that Harry is near tears too.
Remus rolling up sleeves to get ready to kill Peter. What a gentleman.
When Peter speaks to Harry, Sirius loses it. And then when Peter invokes James to manipulate Harry is when Remus comes forward along with Sirius to throw Peter to the floor. (it's a subtle detail because Remus is quiet and asking polite-sarcastic questions - but it shows how angry he is). For me, the interesting part about Remus' behaviour in the chapter is that he is already on Sirius' side without question. So all the questions he is asking Peter is almost like he is working up his rage more and more.
"You should have died, died rather than betray your friends, as we would have done for you!" "You should have realised, if Voldemort didnt kill you - we would." Sirius is talking about the loyalty Peter refused to show (that they would have showed), and Remus is doling out what would be the expected punishment for that lack of loyalty: "Goodbye Peter"
I am in awe of the fact that Sirius, who was in prison for 12 years and has much right to decide what to do with Peter as much as Harry does, immediately hands over the decision to Harry when Harry asks it. And even when Sirius is threatening Peter, "if you transform, we will kill you", he checks with Harry, "you agree Harry?"
The chapter ends with this sentence, "Crookshanks led the way out of the room, his bottle brush tail held jauntily high." LOL, he has been vindicated!
Chapter 20 - POA
the awkward way Sirius offers Harry a home. He is so unsure! He dominates the scenes of previous chapter, and he is a powerful personality despite being pretty much a walking corpse with alive eyes. And then he turns into something very endearing, when he is all: "of course I though you wouldnt want to -I understand. I just thought-"
And then - when Harry assures him he wants to live with him, "Sirius' gaunt face broke into the first true smile Harry had seen upon it. The difference made it startling, as though a person ten years youngers was shining through the starved mask" . I imprinted on this relationship right then and there, and there is no other dynamic that moves me as much as this in the series.
Harry gropes in the mist for Sirius' arm, and grabs onto him when Dementors come. "They werent going to take him". Adding link to my meta which explains in more detail the beginning of the intense bond between Harry and Sirius.
Chapter 21
Madam Pomfrey having a chocolate the size of a boulder that she has to break apart with the hammer. XD And then she tries to shut Harry up by forcing a chocolate down his throat.
"You surely dont believe a word of Black's story?" "Sirius Black proved he was capable of murder at 16. You havent forgotten he tried to kill me?" Ah, Snape. Dumbledore is siding with Marauders again in his head, and that, among other things, will trigger his final lash out.
Harry understands Dumbles' broader intention (fly Buckbeak to Sirius' window) and Hermione thinks of bigger plans: "If we steal him now, the committee is going to think Hagrid set him free." And Harry spots immediate threats: the werewolf that might run right at them.
"How can you stand this? How can you stand watching it happen?" - Harry doesnt know how to not act. It is one of the reasons in Deathly hallows that when he decides to not go after the wand, it is the scariest thing he had done in his life. He could not remember not acting.
"Get your filthy hands off it" - Harry's dislike for Snape deepened in this book, and gains even more personal edge than before. (it is also in reaction to Harry's anger when Snape suggests they have been confunded. "We' re not confunded!" Harry roars)
"Where are you Dad? Come on" : Harry realising he had seen himself, but conjures a Patronus in the shape of his father's Animagus form is just poetry. Legit one of the most beautiful moments in the series. (And Harry realised… "Prongs," he whispered). This book is also the most contained and stand alone when it comes to Harry's development.
Chapter 22 - POA
It is interesting here that Dumbledore is a bit amused by Snape's meltdown, Snape incensed - but by middle of GOF, their dynamic develops to this ("Sometimes I think we Sort too soon"). It was pointed out by econteacher on discord about how Barty Crouch Jnr as FakeMoody would play this book's fracture against Dumbledore and Snape, since they dont seem to be properly communicating in GOF ("Dumbledore happens to trust me. I refuse to believe he gave you permission to check my office" and how Jnr arrives at the scene of his father's murder: "Snape said something about Crouch."). The Dumbledore-Snape relationship is reaffirmed and repaired by end of GOF book, by Snape's show of loyalty to Dumbledore in front of Fudge (where Snape straight up shows his Dark Mark to Fudge to stop him from mouthing off Dumbledore), and him going to Voldemort on Dumbledore's orders.
Lups confirming to Hagrid he didn't eat anything in the night points to interesting stuff about his memory when he is transformed.
Lups wanting to leave as quickly as possible because he feels he has let down Dumbledore - by keeping Sirius' animagus form a secret back in school to now, and the fact he was loose on the grounds in the night.
Ron takes Pidwidgeon out of harm's way when he notices Crookshanks eyeing him. XD And then he gets Crookshanks to sniff him. "What do you reckon? Definitely an owl?" this moment is so adorable. Crookshanks purrs, and Ron decides, "Thats good enough for me"
"I only hoped to get a glimpse of you before starting my journey " ahhhhhh kill meee
Sirius gifting Ron an owl as an apology of what he put him through.
Harry threatening Vernon cheerfully with Sirius name rofl "He's a convicted murderer, but he's broken out of wizard prison and is on the run. He likes to keep in touch with me though.. keep up with my news.. check I'm happy"
POA ends on such a bittersweet hopeful note.
63 notes · View notes
umbraastaff · 9 months
Text
the main post was getting long but i wanted to highlight a couple of cool responses on my taz balance game posts pointing out stuff i forgot or didn't realize:
@widzi:
op forgot the new davenport glitch where if you manage to clip him into the voidfish tank he gets innoculated earlier and skips #right to the story and song cutscene
@scarlett-green-rose:
Wait, I haven't played (or really thought of) TAZ: Balance in years, and I never really got into the speedrunning scene. But do all the speedruns run in the optional chronological timeline order? I get that starting with hundred year journey lets you play around with the early faerun stats that Barry, Lucretia and Lup (or really the Umbrastaff) get, but considering the long gameplay loop I'd have thought that runners would just settle for the basic stats for those three and exploit the hell out of the tres horny boi's immunity to corruption buff to free lup and then speedrun the rest of the relics, at least for any%. Is running hyj first actually worth it despite the fact that the planar order is randomised? Or do runners use a specific seed when running that category? Also, shame to see that Merle and John's Parleys isn't as present in the current meta. That cutscene where John monologues about his doctrine and Merle rejects him is just *mwah* incredible. Although I guess it's understandable considering how long those dialogues are.
@somelittleplacebetweenthestars:
lol speaking of the spa scene i found a pretty funny glitch there the other day #i was messing around with menu storage clipping the other day and found out if you clip merle out of bounds during the first song#his properties get all weird #so although he loses his arm to the crystal cosmetically #it just. doesn’t register? so when it comes time for him to get the soul wood arm he just straight up cannot get it #idk it’s mostly a visual glitch#doesn’t really effect game play that much it just means he’s got half an arm for the rest of your run #but rlly why are you in the crystal kingdom if you’re running another other than 100% #where was i going w this #OH YEAH #but this weird not!arm gets SUPER FUCKED UP in cutscenes #like the spa scene!#basically#like once every two seconds it’ll spawn the soul wood arm in its pot plant#without despawning the previous iteration? #and bc the cutscene’s in-engine you basically soft-lock yourself bc you can’t start the scene without overloading the game #just kind of a stupid fun thing tho #mb it can become a category #arm% or whatever#(this is all in crystal kingdom btw sorry forgot to mention)
@barry-j-blupjeans:
oh shit really??? #listen. i love magnus but all his level 1 shit is so sloooowww #i wanna rush in!! how can i rush in if i cant land a hit half the time!! #(<- i say as if mangus still isn't the most overpowered character in the game anyway) #(esp in a lotta the alpha releases. i get why they had to nerf him down but it's really funny to see a very low level magnus #fucking up absolutely Everyone he comes across) #u used to be able to do the raven roost's arc in like. 3 months max #just bc of how overpowered they originally had him sldkfsdf
35 notes · View notes