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citrusrick · 7 months

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s7e5 Unmortricken (HUGE SPOILERS)

HOLY. SHIT. i did not expect this at all and was so fucking excited!! we've all been waiting for this for a looong time, both the rick prime and the evil morty returns! and they gave it to us in one episode!

there is soooo much to unpack in this episode, but i'm dumping all my initial thoughts into this post. i feel like every scene during this episode my mind was turning so fast. this episode broke me and healed me, idek. i just need to take a minute and stare at the wall in silence for a while. my brain is just a mantra of god i fucking love this show so fucking much.

evil morty not only being smarter than c137, but prime is so fucking cool. definitely hoping we see more of him in the future, especially with how he downloaded the schematics of prime's brain. his plotline is definitely not completely finished. (especially 'the rick project'? very interested in that tbh)

needless to say, c137 and prime's (and evil morty's) fight was fucking awesome and well-done. especially the very last when rick gets to just beat him to death, thanks to evil morty. also, we see a rick’s ego get him once again with the mindset of ‘a morty could never outsmart/get me’, and boom.

i loved how it ended simply like that, no gadgets, just punching the shit out of him until he dies while prime keeps saying things he thinks will cut deep. prime telling c137 that nothing he has now actually belongs to him, AGH! no words. just thinking about how hard that must've been for rick to assimilate into the family, so fucking painful.

learning that prime not only killed rick c137's diane, but ALL dianes across all the infinite realities makes a lot of things come together and make sense. basically, prime threw a massive fit over some rick's not wanting to drop everything to join him in his universe-hopping. also prime giving rick shit for his car sounding like diane when he literally modeled his kill bots after her is so fucking ironic lmao

rick prime saying he missed when he was just him and rick, the only two to actually invent portal travel, really interested me. so this means that both prime and c137 are the 'rickest rick'. also c137's diane was not killed with the omega machine, as we saw her and little beth killed with a bomb.

when i first saw that poster with rick and morty covered in 'spaghetti sauce' while morty hugs rick, i knew it was gonna end up being in an episode with blood all over them and i was half-right, since rick's the only one covered in blood when morty hugs him in this episode lol

another little thing i noticed, they very prominently showed us prime and c137's cybernetic wiring tangling together in a shot during the fight. is this something that'll be relevant later or just like a random shot?

i think it's possible rick prime isn't dead, maybe left alive by c137 for some reason we don't know yet. we don't necessarily see prime die only c137 come out covered in blood and imply that prime's gone. (i noticed tear tracks on in the blood on rick's face and thought i was tripping at first but he was crying, shattering my heart over here).

if it was truly that simple and rick prime is truly gone forever, rick now has to move on with the rest of his life and figure out who he is without this need for revenge driving him. i'm so nervous to see what happens after this. it'll either free him or destroy him.

p.s. that post credit scene, which was (in my opinion) showing us what would've happened with rick and birdperson if things were different between them. just a little thing i thought of, and i'm not even a huge birdperson/rick shipper.

p.s.s. and even if it's not about rick/birdperson specifically, it still means rick could've chosen a different path if he'd been able to let go of his need to kill rick prime and get revenge.

#rick and morty #rick and morty season 7 spoilers #rick and morty season 7 #rick prime #rick c137 #rick sanchez #morty smith #rnm season 7 spoilers

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sunlit-haruka · 9 months

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EVERYONE I just saw the new DRDT twitter post, and I have some things to SAY /pos (if you don't know what I'm talking about, you should probably view this post https://twitter.com/DespairTime/status/1703105596134654210 before continuing on reading this one) ... ... ...You back? Awesome !! First and foremost, gonna take a look at the synopsis

This concept is giving major 999 vibes, I love this already I also really like the shorter number in cast, I don't actually see a lot of fangans with shorter cast and I think that's a shame because I think there is a lot you can do with a shorter cast of 10-12 participants (see Danganronpa Lapse). > eleven students are forced to continue a killing game that they’ve supposedly already started. However, no one can remember the past trials, nor the deaths of their missing classmates. This is the main thing that caught my eye, and it definitely explains the shorter number in cast. And with their memory erased and the way this is worded, it feels almost like this death game that these characters are in has restarted. Like, something went wrong with it, and that resulted in the death game restarted using the eleven students still left. And if that is the case, that makes me wonder about the possible connection this death game could have with DRDT. But I will get to that later. > Between the killing game, their lost memories, and the “NG codes” that restrict their actions, how could anyone escape unscathed? So this is also using the NG Codes from Danganronpa 3? Yet another thing I find very interesting. I so badly want to know more about this cast. Which is why they are the next topic of my insane ramblings !!

Okay before I even get into anything, I just want to say mad fucking props to DRDT Dev for these designs and for their art in general. They have genuinely improved so much since the start of DRDT, and it's so cool to see Second of all

> That is to say, this is a story about a person who wants to become the perfect teacher. So hi, I love you very much first of all Go to a damn barber second of all I am very worried for you third of all /lh (Also my first thought when I saw him was that he reminded me of Enju from Ayakashi Akashi, and I think that's funny)

DRDT-Dev has confirmed that this is the protagonist, so I am already very intrigued with him and what his deal is even though we won't find out for a long time Another fun little thing I noticed was that in all of the art so far out with him has him with his eyes closed. I wonder if that means anything Anyway, I love him, and I am also concerned for his safety for something I will talk about later

As for some smaller observations, given how closely these two are depicted, their fire and ice motifs, and their general simialr appearences. I don't think it's a stretch to say that these two could be sibling, or related in some way. I think that's cool

I've seen a few people say that this person could be Elliot Cuevas, Charles' older brother, and I definitely think that's a fair theory to have. Not just because of the purple hair, but also because of the collar around his neck. What is one of the only details we know about Elliot?

His favorite animal is dogs. And that collar (to me at least, looks very similar to a dog collar. Just something to think about

I have nothing insightful to say, this person is precious and I want to give them ice cream If people start theorizing them to be "secretly evil" istg... /lh /hj The rest of the cast (except one) I have nothing to comment on, so let's get to the main question I am thinking about at this moment Does this project have any connection to the lore of Despair Time?

This wasn't something that was confirmed, nor denied by DRDT Dev, so everything I'm about to say could age awfully. But I think there are a few pieces of evidence that could hint to this project having more relevence to DRDT than it comes across at first glance. Three to be exact. Let's start with the first and most obvious one

This man who is looking very smug at me is wearing a jacket with an XF-Ture Tech logo on it, or at least something that looks the part.

We do not have much information on what XF-Ture Tech as it stands right now. All we know at the moment is that it is a profit tech company that sponsored Min's family when she was younger at the promise that she would become the Ultimate Student in 12 years time, and that they also do "a lot of other things"....whatever the hell that shady sentence means. Due to the lack of information about XF-Ture Tech, there is not much else I can analyse at this moment. But this fact alone does seem to connect this project and DRDT in some way. But obviously that's not all For my second piece of evidence, we go back to that teacher character. Because I swear...there was another, albeit hidden, place where a teacher character was mentioned... Oh yeah !

.....Ohhhhhhh righttt... Teacher man, you're in big trouble. In all seriousness, considering how intricate DRDT-Dev's writing is, I just don't think this could be a coincidence at all and if it is I'll be genuinely surprised. I think this teacher character and the teacher mentioned in the about page's hidden text are the same person. Now that does not exactly answer the big question of who is saying this text. It could be the mastermind of this project's death game, could be another participant in this project's death game, hell the possibility that this is the mastermind of the DRDT cast's death game still isn't really ruled out. But the main point is that I think it's a very big possibility that this teacher and the teacher in the about page's hidden text are the same person. And lastly, I would like to go back to what I said in the beginning: > it feels almost like this death game that these characters are in has restarted. Like, something went wrong with it, and that resulted in the death game restarted using the eleven students still left. If we're following the idea that this is a restarted death game, that honestly gives me the same vibes as a reboot of a television show. Which brings me to my point: What if this death game is also being broadcasted? I feel as though it is definitely a possibility given the summary, but for right now there doesn't seem to be much proof of this idea. _ That's basically all of my current thoughts on this project that DRDT-Dev has shown us. If this does end up becoming the next fangan DRDT Dev releases after the completion ot Despair TIme, I am very excited to see in the future what has been cooking

#haru chats about drdt #danganronpa despair time #drdt #fanganronpa #fangan #sorry if this post is clunky or poorly formated #mostly made this to get my thoughts on the table

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mysteriouslybluepirate · 8 months

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Thank you for offering your askbox. I've been thinking that Izzy being just a side character whose story wasn't main plot thread makes even better proof that not everything was well planned? If I was a writer and this would be easily the most discussed topic about the finale, I'd reflect on storytelling decisions I made. There's a good reason why Izzy's fate overshadows everything despite that he wasn't the point of the show.

(Post posted 10/31/23) Feel free to comment below if you agree or disagree, we're all here for discussions.

Thank you so much for this amazing question!! [If you're seeing this and want to discuss some aspect of S2, or my thoughts on OFMD overall, SEND ME AN ASK! I love doing this]

TLDR: Vague characterization from historical records means Jenkins is free to bend history without a lot of guilt. During early days of casting and during scene changes Jenkins got inspired by Con's audition tape. Con was told to play this shit as a Jesus/Judas relationship. An amazing performance in S1 keeps the character relevant in fandom spaces in the hiatus, and in Jenkin's mind for S2. The S1 season finale accidentally reveals a really interesting dynamic in Ed/Izzy's relationship. [Speculation from this point on] Jenkins feels like he needs to explore, with little plans to fully explore it. Fleshing out both Ed/Izzy abuse and love.

Jenkins realizes 'Oh shit, Izzy wasn't supposed to be this' midway through S2. But he still follows his original plan in killing him off, because he's not needed for the story in his outline, leading to him accidentally killing off a character as they're growing and healing. Leading to what some consider a move SO off-brand for the show, they are leaving the fandom.

[*Tin Foil Hat On*] I expect the original cut of S2 to include more scenes of the crew. I bet for every other Izzy scene, we got a crew scene. So when 'extra' not plot-relevant scenes had to get cut, they kept the Izzy scenes due to Izzy's stable arc, the fact that he'd die at the end either way and Con's amazing performance.

EXPLINATION AND DEPTH BELOW! It's a long one. A lot of this post will be speculation, interviews from Jenkins, and highly dependent on if you were in fandom between seasons 1 and 2. If you need me to hunt for sources, I can do that for you.

I'll separate everything into a chronological timeline as much as possible.

Before we touch on why Jenkins wrote Izzy to stick out in the story, we need to assume how he outlined this entire show.

Pre Con O'Neill:

I am of the personal belief that Jenkins likely wrote out an imagined arc for Ed and Stede. Including a lot of cool set pieces, fights, etc. for the three seasons he wanted vaguely based on the real lives of Stede Bonnet and Edward Teach(watch a YouTube vid documenting their history, it's a wild ride) turning it into something explicitly romantic. This is easy enough to do, as most of what we know about them was written YEARS after their deaths.

Next was filling in the cast. This is where we get our crew, mostly characters Jenkins made up, as very little is known of the men either sailed with.

Izzy Hands being a pirate under the age of 18 whose notable actions with Blackbeard include- Captaining his own vessel, running a ship aground, being Blackbeard's first mate, and getting shot by Blackbeard maybe on accident.

[THEORY] So. If you're any writer you see that and think 'cool a side character we know almost nothing about'. You slot him in as being Edward's one thing keeping him to the pirate lifestyle. Not necessarily romantic, but a serious Boss/underling relationship. This is a bit of how Izzy was written in S1 UNTIL-

Con O'Neill is cast as Izzy.

In interview, Jenkins has admitted that Con's audition tapes influenced how he wrote Izzy. As a writer, this shouldn't necessarily be ringing red flags. But he has gone on record as admitting to changing the script before shooting to suit Con. IN SEASON 1. My guess is Izzy at the end of episode 10 was meant to be more of a side character. Another Frenchie, or Wee John, who serves their purpose and then gets pushed to the side by the plot.

But at some point, Jenkins wrote how important the dynamic was between Ed and Izzy. Describing Izzy/Ed to Con before filming S1 of a 'Jesus and Judas' relationship like in Jesus Christ Superstar.

If you tell a (then closeted) queer actor who has been playing queer roles since the 1990s that his leather daddy character was having a Jesus&Judas JSC dynamic in a TV show that respects and celebrates queerness? 🤩 MY GOD.

[Speculation] That's how we get an Izzy Hands who is watching the man in front of him slip away, trying to dig his heels in. Hell, if I were Jenkins, I'd be adding a few more lines for Izzy to be pissed just to see Con have fun in the role. Let him be mad. Let him be in the background of scenes just glaring. Let us see a man slowly lose something he's built up his whole life.

[As mentioned from Comic Con- From Con O'Neill] This was important for me to bring up as Jenkins could have said 'henchman' but he didn't. Hell, when Taika and Con did hair and makeup they'd listen to the JCS cast album. It was a choice on both their parts.

[ovservation from here on out] Con plays it up, and a lot of queer fans saw this and grabbed hold of a man so desperate to keep the man he loved close that he sacrifices almost everything for it (Izzy also signs the Act of Grace to get Ed out of there).

Izzy, in a show full of openly queer people, is still on the fringe of society. SO MANY queers saw this and said 'OMG me'. ME INCLUDED. With a super supportive actor who genuinely is respectful of the fandom? Of art, and fic and meta? The Izzy 'Canyon' became so loyal because Con is a Queer Elder we didn't know we all needed in our lives!

Jenkins accidentally wrote into what could be an amazing story of a queer character living in a homophobic society where he learns to open himself up. All without ever writing a 'coming out' scene for Izzy. Jenkins knows this. Hell, since S1 Izzy fans have been telling him how cool that type of arc would be.

Now here comes the issue of where to take a side character, when you have loose plans for them.

S1 IS TIGHTLY WRITTEN ONTO ITSELF... S2?

Something we might forget now is HOW tightly written Izzy's falling out with Ed is tied into Stede and Ed falling in love. Beat per beat, Izzy is shoved away as Stede takes his place. That's really fucking smart. So smart, it was planned in the writer's room. The fact that some took it as romantic, that Ed could ever really love him back? Well...this is where Jenkins had a decision to make.

So he dips his toe. Let's make Ed even more violent than at the end of S1ep10. Let's include the bit where Blackbeard shoots Izzy Hands. Let's have Izzy confess his love for Ed and have it not be enough for Ed to change his mind. Let's show Izzy rising like a phoenix reborn after a failed suicide attempt where Izzy chooses to mutiny on Ed to protect the crew. Let's see Izzy growing. Because Jenkins loves Con's performance. Everyone in the cast enjoys him as a person. Let's give Izzy one last hurrah.

Jenkins knows this character meant a lot to Con. It's obvious in the way Jenkins recently confessed he told Con about Izzy's death midway through shooting. Sadly we likely will never be told when Con was told. But imagining Con filming the AMAZING character change of S2eps 1-2, then AFTER being told Izzy would die anyway? Oh. I wouldn't be alright. Not after all his fans had spent the last year telling him how much seeing a character like Izzy 'being accepted because they are worthy of love'.

This is the 1 thing that fucks me up. Not telling Con until midway through shooting, Versus his belief that writing Izzy's death was a fitting way to end his story. BOTH CAN'T BE TRUE. Right? If Jenkins felt the need to take con aside and go grab a meal to announce Izzy was dying but then market the ending as a 'Good Idea'. Then...What? If Con felt it fit the character, then he would have likely guessed Izzy would die. But that wasn't the vibe in the fandom at the time. It feels like a decision Jenkins made this season.

Because yes, some general audiences predicted that Izzy would die. But when your core fanbase for a character don't expect it, you didn't plan the death correctly. Fuck, I thought Izzy was trying to RECOVER this whole season. Not that Izzy was hiding how hard he was struggling. That's not a good sign when I've ALWAYS called Izzy as some brand of suicidal/depressed.

[Quote from Jenkins Entertainment Article: Oct 26 2023] 'What's the best journey we can give him(Izzy)? And what's the most interesting thing we can do with Con, who can do just about anything?'

That is not the quote of an author who has planned everything out. That's a writer who knows points A and E and is fighting to find everything in between.

The Fly in My Ointment

There's a point most writers know when a character or story slips out from under you. You didn't mean for this to happen. Hell, I write Scene by Scene outlines. My stories change. When Izzy Hands' growth arc became the most interesting part of S2, Jenkins had a choice.

How far was he willing to bend his idea to keep a character that wasn't 'essential'? Not that fucking far apparently. Because for some reason, Jenkin's labeled Izzy in his mind as 'Blackbeard' and tied Ed and Izzy's fates together. Ignoring how this season Izzy died to separate his old life with Ed from his new life with this crew.

Your question poses it perfectly- If I was a writer and this would be easily the most discussed topic about the finale, I'd reflect on storytelling decisions I made. There's a good reason why Izzy's fate overshadows everything despite that he wasn't the point of the show.

That's a trick they teach you in some writing podcasts. That in the end, you are telling one story. You can have twenty side characters and a romance arc, but in the end, you are telling one story. Each side character is going to show what happens when you fail or succeed at the central thesis.

What do we have in S1? What does Frenchie sing to set up where our story STARTS-

"A pirate’s life, [it’s] short but nice,” -“we won’t live long,” AND “to death we go, a certain death we go.”

Our characters expect a short simple life of what most pirates EXPECT. In my mind, this story has ALWAYS been about survival. From the extravagance of Stede's ship, and a crew ready to throw him overboard, to the barebones Shark eats Shark type of survival described in Ed's own fleet. OFMD is about living in a world that doesn't want you there. About surviving and thriving. About these two men from different worlds coming together and forging a life of kindness for them and for their family.

Saying fuck you, I'm here, I'm still alive, and I'm going to THRIVE. I deserve kindness, happiness, love, and a fully lived life. I deserve to spend my short time on this Earth happy.

IN S2? The ONLY character that matches this thesis is Izzy. After scenes of Izzy struggling. Of finding himself. Of crawling up from his own personal hell, Izzy dies. He dies from a random bullet wound in the same spots that didn't kill Stede or Ed in the previous season. Breaking the one established rule for wounds in this universe that the left side is the safe side so that Izzy can die.

Even if Izzy spent this entire season wanting to die, he tried to live. For a few days after a breakup of over 20+ years of casual intimacy. Of a bond where Izzy was the murderer, the brawn. The dangerous right hand. Where Izzy dying meant not just his death, but likely that of Ed. Given the man's constant depressive moods, crews that didn't like him, and reoccurring suicidal tendencies. Ed didn't need Izzy Hands anymore. Ed had Stede now. He was ready to finally leave Izzy for good. What will Izzy Hands do now?

He gave up. He tried to move on. He listened after being told he was too rough, too loud, too mean. He tried. He tried to survive this new way of life surrounded by people who supported him. But he was tired. After so many years of putting up a mask, tearing it down was too much work. So he wanted to die. In the end. Izzy died in the arms of Edward surrounded by his family.

Buried on a plot of land Jenkins has already told us Stede and Ed will leave when things get boring. Left behind like the corpse of a pet the family has forgotten. Buried without his ring and cravat, items Izzy is only seen without when he's naked. Without the prosthetic gifted to him by a family that cared about him.

Izzy wasn't mourned for more than five seconds, before Stede and Ed were making jokes on his fresh grave, and then the episode moves on to a wedding.

RIP Izzy Hands- a man who loved more than he was ever loved in return.

Was this the right message? FUCK No. But for those of us who believed that theme of queer survival and community- We saw framing Izzy's death like this as a fucking betrayl.

Izzy Hands isn't buried with his most prized possessions- they're left out to be stolen or rot in the front yard. With only one man crying over his death and a silent funeral. He leaves this world without more than a 'he was intense'. Which...isn't great coming from the man Izzy loved for most of his life.

The reason why we're mad about Izzy isn't that it's Izzy. It's that when we boarded this flight we were given a set of rules to follow. It's a comedy about men falling in love on a boat that sometimes gets serious. That's it. To watch a character start to grow only to die for NO PLOT SPECIFIC REASON. Is insulting. If your death has no tie to the narrative (sacrifice or it comes with a revelation) it's a death just set up for shock. Izzy and Ed could have had that deathbed confession talk at the start of episode 7.

A REASON WHY I'M MAD BEYOND THAT SPECIFICALLY. [Very Personal Gripe]

A SALUTE TO CON O'NEILL -AGAIN!

I had the privilege of hyper-fixating on this show from the entirety of S1 ending to S2 beginning. During this time I explored the catalog of Con O'Neill's work on Tumblr under the tag 'Conography'. I watched this man play queer roles since the 1990s. Genderqueer/somewhere on the Trans spectrum, Gay, Bi. This man loves to play a queer story, even if it's sad. If it's tragic. He will breathe new life into their lungs and express their moments of Joy. Of love. Of community.

After the filming of S2 at a con, Con he felt comfortable publicly coming out due to the love and support he felt from our fandom. Do you know JUST how crazy that is? That Con KNEW Izzy was dead, yet he loved our fandom so much he let himself be vulnerable, and come out as queer? It's fucking INSANE to me, and shows just how much this show means to him.

He's not just Queer. He's a Queer fucking elder whose been protective of this entire community since S1. This 57-year-old man has proudly stood up in the name of Trans rights this entire time. Treating everyone, but especially Trans Izzy fans with so much fucking respect. Trans Izzy is a common headcanon partially because of how comfortable people feel knowing they won't get harassed because they interpret Izzy a certain way. That trans people feel at home seeing themselves as a misunderstood character with a chip on their shoulder.

I'm pissed for every in universe thing listed above AND NOW THIS. Because our Queer Elders are dead. There is a generation of Queer people we can never get back. They died from a mix of society pressuring these people into the closet or an early grave. Of disease running wild in communities unchecked. Of media ruining the careers of anyone who dared to come out. To see Con O'Neill So Fucking Happy and having it cut short because Jenkins thought Izzy was better dead than being an actual background character makes me see fucking red.

No. Jenkins probably didn't know Con was Queer when writing S2. But I'm assuming he still saw how happy Con was at Izzy fans before S2 was written which still makes it feel shitty.

Sure. Give Izzy all the amazing speeches about family and belonging and rip that right from his hands as soon as Izzy realizes it's something he might want for himself. Let's have Con O'Neill say all the prominent lines that are a blatant metaphor for why the Queer community needs to stick together.

Izzy's arc isn't just overshadowing the conversation because it was mismanaged and feels unplanned, it also just feels cruel to the central arc of this series. Add that to an actor who was so vocal about loving this community, it feels pointed to give him a tragic ending.

Jenkins doesn't need to consider why people hated this finale. Because there are SO MANY Ed/Stede fans who just don't care. They put Izzy in the box with every other side character and decided to put their effort into the protagonists and point and laugh when we suffer. Jenkins won't rethink anything because he can just say the 'Izzy community was passionate and are sad their favorite died'. Ignoring how this season made Stede into a shittier, less sympathetic captain and gave Ed an interesting arc only to give up before the finish line.

#Now. I didn't bring up how viewing Izzy as being useless post disability ALSO pissed people off but there are posts everywhere about that #physical disability is not my place so I don't overstep #THE WAY IZZYS DEATH WOULD WORK SO MUCH BETTER IF HE STEPPED INFRONT OF A BULLET MEANT FOR STEDE #Or that post floating around of Ed getting shot for Izzy. Showing that yes. Ed cares. that they're both fucked but are working on it #If most of the fan base hates the *implications* for S3 thanks to this ending it wasn't the right move #GOD I DIDN'T EVEN TALK ABOUT THE DAD/MENTOR THING. Ah well #it's taken me 3 hours to type this up. I'll add later if it needs be lol #ofmd s2 #ofmd season 2 #ofmd s2 spoilers #izzy hands #ofmd s2 finale #ofmd critical #ofmd meta #omfd analysis #israel hands

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drainbangle · 10 months

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wait omg i’m curious about your unpopular thoughts about temenos writing wise.. i love when people discuss octopath writing it’s really enriching to see what we all have to say about certain story elements. plus you’re like a temenos representative to me. your thoughts about temenos make me go “so true!”

Aw, thank you! It took a while for me to decide on what to write here, since honestly I could go on for… frankly any aspect of this guy, especially in regards to treatment in fanon. But for now, I'll focus on my thoughts regarding how people treat tragedy in Temenos' story— namely, Crick's death— and why I personally dislike it as a writing decision and why I disagree with the idea that it is necessary.

Note: Goes without saying, but this is my personal opinion. If you believe otherwise, then that's all good. I'm not writing this to say that any one person is wrong, just to talk about an issue I have with the game's writing itself.

To start, I'll say that my main reason for disliking Crick's death in SH route is a matter of practicality. Killing him off causes Temenos to lose the main person that he had a fantastic relationship and banter with, and in my opinion, Temenos works best when he's bouncing off another person; not unlike most under the Sherlock-archetype.

Also, genuinely? It works wonders to keep Crick alive, if just because it provides a fantastic avenue to explore Temenos' institutional trauma. Having a character that's lived a different experience but within the same harmful institution opens up ways to explore the scope of its harm. And yes, this is for Crick specifically; not Ort, not the travelers, but Crick.

I think it really adds something that Temenos was raised by the church while Crick converted as a teenager during a really difficult time in his life. These two are good for each other. Crick sure as hell makes it a lot easier to write Temenos in fic.

(If you have a different experience, again, that's cool. I'm glad for you. I, however, will never fail to take the easy way out.)

(This is a lie, I'm over here making up fantasy church law for fic stuff but that's not related to this answer.)

I won't pretend that disliking Crick's death is an unpopular opinion. I mean, "Stormhail Fix-it" is an entire genre of fic on the OT2 Ao3 tag. What I do feel tends to go unaddressed though, is the fact that the idea that Crick's death is canon, therefore it is necessary, therefore it is the best decision; an idea that I wholeheartedly disagree with.

Within the text itself, Crick is killed off in order to give Temenos a personal reason to pursue Kaldena, thus putting him at odds with Kaldena's motivations being driven by her ideology and worldview that, "because humans committed the massacre, it was the gods' mistake to put us here". I also won't pretend that Kaldena's writing here isn't fucking awful, because Crick's death is also a device to make the player want Kaldena defeated even though she is just as much as a victim of the church; and that's to say nothing of her portrayal as an indigenous and dark-skinned woman.

These decisions are ones I disagree with. Killing Crick off was unnecessary to give Temenos reason to pursue the culprit, because Temenos already had someone close to him killed; and that's Pontiff Jörg. He raised Temenos from infancy, but due to the lack of focus on him outside of banter conversations, it's never relevant to his motivations outside of the desire for truth because a crime was committed.

We also didn't need to kill Crick off to show that the church was a terrible institution, because Roi already went missing in action. The Sacred Guard is the main body of law within Eastern Solistia, it's not unreasonable to think that the reason why Temenos dislikes them is because they clearly didn't do shit to investigate his disappearance.

However, one thing I really don't agree with is the idea that Crick's death is necessary because Temenos' story is a tragedy. And if you asked me why, I'd ask this in turn: why is death the only form of tragedy? Furthermore, why must a tragedy contain only tragic events? That in mind, what gives anything value in a tragedy, then?

Pretend we cannot completely rewrite Temenos' story. Even then, changing Crick's death to a permanent injury, a coma, or whatever is still a tragic event; and that's nothing to say of living with the consequences. Isn't losing your faith a tragedy? Isn't losing something you worked for years to do a tragedy?

Similarly, I'd still argue that it's more valuable to make Stormhail a near-death experience because not only does it show Temenos succeeding in making someone question the church but also the terror that is feeling like you're doomed to repeat tragedy. Even if you really aren't, it's hard to dismiss that feeling; especially when it has to do with being victimized by institutions.

And before someone says, "but bad things happen to good people in real life", I'm not treating these characters as living, breathing people who are subject to things like gravity, hunger, and exhaustion. I'm treating them as choices, and choices made that I disagree with.

It's why I make different choices. I choose to make Crick have to deal with chronic pain onwards. I choose to make Temenos realize change is still possible. I choose to let them both leave Stormhail alive. Are these better choices? I don't know. But I'll never stop questioning the ones made by the writers regardless; much less stop disagreeing with them.

So, in summary: I dislike Crick's death. I dislike Temenos having to spend the rest of the story without someone he can talk to so easily because Crick's absence weakens a lot of his scenes in Temenos 4. But more than that, I dislike the idea that tragedy is necessary on top of the idea that it is superior. Tragedy's good, I adore the genre; but written in mindful doses and all that.

#ty sm for the ask!! i'm sorry it took so long to get to but i really wanted to like. get my thoughts sorted since there's sm i'd talk abt #i had fun writing this out. it also really helped to get my feelings on SH down on paper bc *man* i got thoughts on the last half of #temenos' story. along w/ how it does hurt his writing that it's not even fully resolved till endgame #um. again if anyone disagrees then cool. but this is just my thoughts on the matter and all that #also i did get kinda... harsh towards the game near the end but it goes w/o saying i say all that bc i love the game sm #i absolutely would not dedicate this much energy to smth i didn't care about and i'm glad for the opportunity to talk abt it haha #bestomato #telegram #8path tag #octopath 2 spoilers #also i def have more to say abt dena but again we'd be here Forever if i did. head full of thoughts on temenos' story OTL

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whymustyouhurtmeinthisway · 3 months

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Well that’s the 13th volume of Soul Eater and its Noah arc (ha) done, I thought it was pretty good. It’s a shame to see Giriko go out like that, he was super entertaining, but his death was a cool metaphor for how unending hatred crushes your soul (shoutouts to him for keeping it up for 800 years though, if only he hadn’t choked at the finish line). Kid and Black⭐️ Star’s fight scene in the Cthulhu void was pretty damn good, and the fight against Noah was also fun (though I wish Kiriko got to contribute more, as always).

This isn’t really directly related to anything that happened in the volume, but I realized after reading it that it’s kinda insane how fast the power level and antagonists ramped up from volume 1 to volume 13. Remember when the story was about fighting witches? Like regular witches in that coven that seemed important? Obviously there are several individual witches still relevant in the story, but witchkind as a whole kinda dropped out of the story and been replaced by chaos (which they seem to have no inherent relation to).

Don’t get me wrong, I like Asura and the concept of chaos just fine, but I really wish the story took a bit of time near the start (maybe between the Remedial Lessons arc and the Experiment arc) to have the gang fight some lower level, more individual foes. That’d be a great way to

Ease the insane ramp-up in villain power level/importance a bit. As things are right now, the Masamune arc (where an individual swordsman threatens the safety of one singular town) and the Big Bash arc (where one of the most powerful witches on earth attempts to free the mad god of chaos from his eldritch bindings and use him to rend the world asunder) are SEVEN CHAPTERS APART. Shit goes by fast and I would’ve appreciated a few buffer villains (preferably other non-Medusa-related witches) to ramp up the power level more gradually as the series progresses. As things are now, that prerequisite of “99 human souls and 1 witch soul” to become a Death Scythe kinda seems like the easiest shit ever (especially with Mifune demonstrating that one human soul can be strong enough to be worth 99 average human souls so time investment isn’t an issue, and Angela and Kim demonstrating that witch souls are inherently different from birth and have nothing to do with alignment or power level, meaning a meister could kill a literal newborn witch and that’d count towards becoming a Death Scythe)

Establish the characters a bit more. Soul Eater’s character’s are obviously very distinct and memorable, but when I was reading the first couple volumes I had trouble telling a few of them apart, it’d be nice to get a few more defining character interactions and dynamic, especially earlier in the series. In addition, this would be a great time to better introduce the B Team (Kiriko, Pot Siblings, Ox, Harvar, Kim, and Jackie), because they were kinda just thrown into the fray as “main characters but not really” midway through Brew, and as much as I love them they could definitely stand to get a bit more characterization and story. Like where are each of them from? Why’d they enroll in DWMA? How’d the weapons and meisters meet? Who gets along and who doesn’t? What are their individual goals and aspirations beyond graduating and beating the bad guys? What’s that stuff about Fire and Thunder being shamans? Is it similar to witch magic, thus giving them a potentially interesting dynamic with Kim as she sees the difference in societal acceptance between shamans witches despite their similarities? Jackie doesn’t seem to be a witch herself, and she probably wouldn’t have known Kim pre-DWMA if she’s not, so how’d she react to learning that Kim is one? (that’s probably answered in Soul Eater Not isn’t it) Does Harvar have even a single personality trait beyond being Ox’s nerd buddy who’s slightly more cynical than he is? These characters deserve better introductions than what they got (and answers for at least some of these questions)

Some other third thing

I did not realize how long this rant is. Oh well. Fun volume, can’t wait for the next.

#soul eater #soul eater spoilers #rant #me

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invested-in-your-future · 1 year

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why should I care about grimm when maidens exist - it cheapens the threat that they or silver eyes are there

You know what cheapens the Creatures of Grimm? Cheapening the Creatures of Grimm cheapens The Creatures of Grimm.

Hyping up The Goliaths as this intelligent unstoppable force that even professors at Beacon don't want to approach and that new Huntsmen are taught to avoid and then having a Goliath job to a teenager(who has not changed at all since the last time she was faced with one back then when she got told she can't even scratch it) cheapens the Creatures of Grimm.

Hyping up and introducing a water type grimm only for one of them to get taken out by (yet again) two teenagers and the second one to to get taken out by a random mech cheapens the Creatures of Grimm.

Introducing dozens of different grimm types only for none of them to really matter and get taken out in few hits, cheapens the Creatures of Grimm. The show went through dozens of, honestly, pretty cool designs and most of them end up having the exact plot relevance of a DLC skin in a game.

At this point the creatures of grimm are more of redshirt enemy mook than even "masked WF fighters" were. There's often really no real thought put behind new grimm designs beyond "we need something that looks different get thrown at the cast".

The last new grimm types where them being new ended up genuinely mattering were all the way back in V3 when we got the Griffons and the absolutely terrifying dragon.

Once again, less is more. A more uniform look for mass of enemies is fine actually - it creates a distinct sense of "Sameness" in that unlike humanity which is defined by individuality, your average grimm is just almost exact same copy of the others like it. And having armies of beowulves and the like means that in that specific moment something DIFFERENT is introduced and pattern breaks, you know things are about to go down.

So if there's an actual NEW type, then you got to ask WHY. WHY is there a new type. One possible answer could be Rule of Cool but…Is the show about to do a long and cool fight scene like in V1 to show them dealing with it? Of course not LOL. So if its not rule of cool, then what? What's the narrative reason for a new type. What you are doing with it?

Look at introduction of a first Nevermore, or even a deathstalker. The show works to portray the cast taking them out and its pretty clear that those things are harder to deal with than Beowolves. Look at introduction of The Goliaths? You get a sense of dread of this probably unbeatable presence just lurking - its a thematic thread that not every "evil" can simply be beaten(nor is a simple beast) and a plot thread for V3. Look at the absolute terror and the havoc the dragon causes.

Then look at nuckelavee - arguably extremely creepy looking creature and one of THE best parts of V4. There's an attempt at narrative reason for it and an attempt to portray as something strong…but then bunch of teenagers just bonk it harder to death and move on. Not even "bonk it harder" in a creative way like with Nevermore. But okay there's story reason for it and it ties together nicely into backstory and stuff so eh…its fine.

Beyond that? So far pretty much majority of them boil down to "create mild annoyance for a while and then the cast bonks it harder a bit and its dead like it was never there". Show is OBSESSED with trying to recapture that one specific moment with the dragon from V3. It keeps trying to introduce these terrifying big new grimm things and then it throws them away the next second to try again.

Its yet another case of the same pattern of the writing staff trying to throw bunch of new things on top of existing ones in the kind of way that makes it possible to just remove all of it and nothing would change. You can cut out most of "new" grimm types and pretty much nothing changes in the story. You can't cut out the nevermore or the death stalker or the Goliaths or the dragon that way.

So no, having silver eyes or maidens does not inherently cheapen the creatures of grimm…the way the creatures of grimm are handled cheapens the creatures of grimm.

The show writing is pretty clearly uninterested to do anything impactful with them because its so enamored with all the Two Gods stuff. Its pretty reminiscent of how D&D handled White Walkers in Game of Thrones - where you could just feel they view them as a nuisance rather than something that can get focused on.

Just like with Maidens, just like with (sigh) Jaune, just like with Silver Eyes, the issue is not the concept but what the show does or DOESN'T do with it.

#rwby #rwde

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night-dark-woods · 12 days

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Hello Tis the book anon, are u bready for the final shape in less than a week (holy shit 5 days???)

GOD. im very very excited for the new enemy types (i wasn't playing the last time we got a new faction in forsaken! i started tail end of worthy) i think a lot of the design is VERY cool and im very concerned abt the potential of unstop husks. nightmare fuel.

i think prismatic is gonna be fun- ive seen ppl worried abt it breaking the game or whatever BUT i think bungie is in general pretty good with balance (for the casual player) and when it isnt balanced idk i think its usually unbalanced in a super fun way. i am do NOT have the minmaxer's spirit though so i am sure i will not be utilizing it's full potential "correctly" but ill be having fun and thats what im there for.

story-wise... eh? i think they ARE going to land the story they are telling. i just dont *like* the story they are telling. it feels very marvel to me (derogatory) and i dislike immensely the literalization of the concept of the final shape. (oooh they've been ~finalized~ okay why dont we just have a thanos snap situation. what is this *doing* that is different from that).

not to sound like a broken record but i think seth dickinson was putting down something MUCH more interesting when they wrote BoS and unveiling than. this. its very NEAT, it makes sense with the story beats they've been working on, but i think it... flattens the delightfully complicated metaphysics of destiny in a way that pisses me off. i dont think the final shape is meant to be literal. i think the final shape is a way of being like the sword logic is. i think the witness is a neat little deus ex and i think they will tell the story of the witness as they see it Just Fine, but i dont have to like it.

like, i dont have an easily articulatable alternative but im ALWAYS rotating in my mind that the two (three?) beings that escaped the flower game are the vex and the worm gods (& ahamkara?). and i DONT think unveiling is written by the witness. i WILL die on that fucking hill. swagless graycale megamind "no bitches" mcu villain did NOT write that insidious tempting little love letter.

anyway. some relevant lore excerpts connected by red string but no real arguments in my head:

They're majestic, I said. They have no purpose except to subsume all other purposes. There is nothing at the center of them except the will to go on existing, to alter the game to suit their existence. They spare not one sliver of their totality for any other work. They are the end. (The Final Shape; Unveiling)

SHAPES AND GLIDERS. I dreamt of existence as a game of cellular automata. In this metaphor, there were only two things: shapes in the game world and the rules of the game world. The rules were the rules of Life and Death. I understood that the sword was the desire to escape existence as a shape in the game and to become the rule that made the shapes. This rule said only "live" or "die"—it had no other outputs. It could not keep secrets. Against it was the desire to become a shape so complex that it could within itself play other games. (Tyrannocide I)

like! the final shape is a shape of THOUGHT. a philosophy of existence *made* real in the way that the vex and the hive effect the worlds around them and exert that philosophy through force of will, bc the metaphysics of the destiny universe allows and operates based on that leveraging of will over the physical world. the philosophical and the real are DEEPLY entwined in a way thats REALLY REALLY INTERESTING and i think its BORING if the final shape the darkness/the witness (bc i do think bungie is conflating them! but imo the traveller is not the gardener and the witness is not the winnower. i will die on this hill) is seeking is to. make everyone into a cube. i joked abt the final shape being a square but i didnt mean it! hello? can anyone hear me? is this thing on?

anyway. tantrum over. i think its fun that cayde and crow are getting to be a little faggy together. i think they should kiss about it.

im excited for the new content release format (episodes?), bc i think a LOT of the issues with the narrative are due to the seasonal model.

i think sjur is finally coming back theres NO way they would bring her up this much and not bring her back. i think in a Nine-themed season. downside is it will inevitably result in what my dear friend jackie and i have been referring to as "hashtag monogamy win" where sjur and mara get back together as a mirror to o14 and then mara tells petra shes always thought of her as a sister or worse a daughter. but if thats the price i have to pay for sjur. thats okay. the writers room is wrong so frequently i just do whatever i want. its like being a comics fan at this point.

also clearly SOMEONE knows what they are doing bc that radio message at the end of last season was. the most in-character thing since probably marasenna lmfao!!! so i tentatively have hope about the writing of it, and regardless am PERFECTLY capable of living blissfully in jackie & my mind palace version of whatever they give us, bc what we are cooking is beautiful and true and divinely inspired. and im very certain seth would approve.

#anonymous #book anon #do u have a tag. idr.#my posts #<long enough yammering to deserve that i think #this may have been more than u wanted djfjfhf but those are my thoughts.#destiny #sorry! i dont have a separate org tag unfortunately

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gakriele-lvs-blog · 1 year

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My thoughts for the last episode [Spoilers]:

---The beginning(approximately 5 minutes) was paced quite decent, they manage to cramp the Collector's development in all of that and it kinda works because the guy was never bad, just innocent and unaware of the bad things they had done.

---Belos as a whole was spectacular. The bastard really lives up to his expectations. And as a villain, he is one of my favorite characters by far. Possessing the Titan? We saw it coming, and they execute quite well for my perspective.

---They pull out an Anne Bounchoy in reverse here. They killed Luz to bring her back in an overpowering form. Not sure how to feel about that one. On one hand, it was a beautiful and climatic final confrontation. On the other, It undermines Luz's own achievements by giving her what she needs instead of finding it herself. Yet, I can see why they choose to do this, is just cool and considerating what she was against what else was she supposed to do?

---They really give Raine a protagonistic role on this, not unwelcome but feels a little out of the blue. Still their inclusion and relevance feels organic enough as to not to feel oppressive.

---The Hexsquad and Camila really get sideline in this one! Like, they weren't even relevant through the whole episode! Truth be told, they got more than enough development from the last episodes so I can understand why that was the case. Eda and King deserved and needed a lot of screen time to compensate for their lack of relevance through the third season. Still... Something like Hunter being present for Belos's death or Camila's reaction to Luz's "death" would have been a welcome addition

---The Collector leaving was to some extent unexpected and personally unnecessary. They kist learn a lot in a couple hours and them just leaving instead of staying and learning more feels kinda anticlimactic, let Eda be the mother's figure they need!

---The conclusion was just as expected, reunions after reunions, what else was meant to happen? It worked perfectly and it was quite a peaceful and hopeful resolution. And Luz losing glyphs magic was the perfect bittersweet closure to it. With the true death of the Titan, it makes sense that she would lose said magic, a noble sacrifice.

---Time Skips... Honestly, I hate those for a lot of reasons. Especially if they take place through multiple years. Luz's quinciallera a couple days/weeks should have been the ending, allow everyone's family to gather to celebrate together, give us as many small interactions as possible

-Vee hugging Camila and Luz upon their return and for the former to call them mom and sister

-Eda and Camila's proper introduction to one another (and the latter's reaction to harpy Eda)

-Have Lilith just randomly getting harpy form just for the giggles (the owl beast is just that happy)

-Have Hunter together with Vee, and King during the final parts of the Quinciañera giving Luz a tearful speech about how much she changed their lives for the better (They are siblings!)

-Willow and Hunter could ask at the same time to become partners (Maybe the same with Matt and Gus?)

-Have more and more people coming through the portal to see Luz (She changed a lot of lives after all)

---Basically, let the audience materialize their own far-away future. Time skips have the drawback of leaving too much development in between. Using one for Thanks to Them was understandable. But here it feels unnecessary. Instead of Luz's incoming stay on college, let's us see a open ending focus on showing us the many adventures and mysteries left unresolved, letting your audience's imagination go rampant with everything that was left to cover and wish for more!

Still, just because I have my own opinion and vision doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the episode. Although the shortening will forever taint my joy for the show, eternally wishing to see the missing potential we never got to see... I love it and nothing will change that.

#the owl house finale #toh watching and dreaming #toh season 3 #toh criticism #luz noceda #eda clawthorne #king clawthorne #toh collector #the noceda siblings #toh spoilers

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inventors-fair · 1 year

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Chapter Two: This Week's Runners-up! ~

And our (very strong) runners-up this week are @batatafilosofal, @hanavesinauttija, and @spooky-bard!

@batatafilosofal — Alesha Defies Death (Alesha, Who Smiles at Death)

I think this card, despite being one of my favorites, suffers from being just a little too out there for the winner’s circle. Despite that, it’s a tight margin, and I genuinely wanted to make more space for winners this week. Alas, restrictions and creativity—restrictions like mana, which mean that this could be an RWW Jeskai splash in the Khans world, weirdly enough? What I really like is how you made that overlap okay with your mana necessities, and on top of that the way that you placed this card in the world is just plain cool. It’s the timeline’s story that was unbroken no matter where the clans went, a story that echoes.

That ultimate is a bit crazy, but no matter, I would’ve done two. The first ability, I believe, should be worded like Urza’s Saga: “Alesha Defies Death gains “Creatures you control have first strike.”” Bit wordy but you can adjust the text box sizes or whatever. Middle chapter is awesome still. So where does that lead us? I want to commend you first and foremost for really spinning a new idea onto an older story. Surprising and impressive all at once.

@hanavesinauttija — Isperia, Assassin’s Trophy (Assassin’s Trophy)

Not much to say that’s not already present, right? Phenomenal job making this card out to be the actual trophy part of the trophy; honestly the original spell seems slightly odder in its namesake compared to this card. It’s great to see it be a monument, almost. The reflection in the flavor text of that change is both welcome and natural. Vraska’s stony return is fascinating and speaks to the power of this moment’s presence. It lends an almost in medias res quality; we return to Ravnica again, and boom, there’s no Isperia. Here’s her trophy. What happened? We don’t get to see the assassination, and that’s all the more mysterious.

It’s also a great way to get rid of your lands, heh. Excess lands? Sac ‘em and weep. This card is great for getting death triggers as well as mitigating the damage from tokens. Your own tokens biting the dust is great, too! Drawing and gaining life is excessively powerful when done this repeatedly, but if you have a 10/10 trampler coming after you, it ain’t gonna do as much good. But it could be okay if you draw into something! Who are we kidding, though. Maybe you get burned out instead and nobody attacks, heck. That’s not gonna happen in limited, though, and this card is a weirdly interactive warning for all who dare want to come by and take what Vraska rightfully stoned up. I’d have to see this one in action, honestly. Perhaps the discouragement from attacking is a bit much.

@spooky-bard — Adversary’s Executor (Grand Crescendo)

Heck it. This card’s a personal favorite of mine this week. You got this guy that I’m totally not imagining as a handsome ogreish bouncer coming in and wrecking the party, and, uh... Lost my train of thought. This card’s still absolutely amazing, though, and I’m glad it’s a rare and a stunner of a bomb. It’s rare that you see a card with such a clear pre-combat vibe to it, a threat to end all threats. The citizens clear out, and now even the big boys are going to have to contend with the hustle of an ogre who’s been sold to the highest bidder, that being Mob Nixilis.

Having the treasures be tapped is probably the best option, so good call there, whoof. I wouldn’t call it a boardwipe but it makes the 4/3s that you’ve been amassing all the crazier. Menacing into some chump-blockers feels awesome for sure, and then the combination of Riveteer Treasures and Maestro kick-you-while-you’re-down-ing just ends up being awesome, too. I think this is a great other-side-of-the-page card for sure. It has nothing to do with the mechanics of its predecessor and everything to do with its presence. Admittedly, killing a bunch of 1/1s is relevant, but I mean in terms of the cards’ goals, that those are antithetical. One of them wants to be the life of the party, and this card? This card wants to clear the room, because it’s bashing and looting time. The show’s hardly over, but it’s sure as heck stopped.

Commentary to follow. Eventually. It's a long day today. —@abelzumi

#mtg #magic the gathering #custom magic card #storytelling change contest #runners up #commentary #inventor's fair

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anewp0tat0 · 2 years

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Chapter 190

wow I'm back with these things! didn't do them for a bit, and to be honest I thought this chapter break was very long, but that's just because I forgot last month's chapter happened for a moment. weird cause I thought it was sad and funny, but reasonable.

yana really went hard here and I'm so happy, Ada deserves this panel so much☆☆☆ I'll maybe never see her again and I'll probably forget soon but girl you a keeper.

I like that we have this little thing here, shows us everyone we know so far, kinda. yana's refusal to draw Polaris's right eye really doesn't do good for me. those other two seem to be people we don't know. I think I still fall on the possibility of him being Joker, which is a common theory. makes sense enough. but I'm not committed.

also, the one on the bottom left looks to be of Asian decent right? the only connection I can think of is to the quin bang, but that's a stretch.

also some of you know lots a flowers and that's very cool! that's a flower back there right? idk. I suck at flowers.

my first impression when he makes these shocked faces is that he's truly alarmed by the information. however after reading the panel below, it seems like that face is just his "new scheme in the making" face.

nice to see Lau is the same as ever. I really hope Ada and the rest have some sort of freedom from now on. Lau is sly with his repayment debts anyway. and I sure hope this is some side "i must bring honor to my country" thing and not some more relevant plot twist thing.

this poor girl I want to give her everything. she was meant to do nothing more in this world. also me too Lau. glad we all agree some information just gets lost over time. how is this man so powerful??

@grelleswife mentioned that so far all of the servants arcs have ended with a sunset, and thats a cool observation! i like that. gives me hope for the future. ofc yana isn't too predictable, but still. generally this panel is just... mhm. feelings.

that seems like a wrap then, overall super mega happy ending, finally!! it's been so long. I gotta say it doesn't feel as complete as a wrap that we were all expecting, but I think that's the general fault of having too much time to theorize and then totally expecting an explosion and multiple deaths. Ada is taken care of, Bard's alive, no one dies hazah. I think we can safely say that no one will die in these miny arcs until we get to ciel and sebastian unfortunetly.

one more thing though.

ngl i kinda forgot he was even here for a moment, no shade to Ronald I was excited and expectant but that's just what happens with a poor memory and 9 pages a month.

sorry that I'm just unable to buy the official translations atm so sit through my possibly unofficial confusion for a moment please. so Al is someone who seemingly is an ally of Layla, or so she thought. I have doubts that Ronald is a twist villain, even if it's just hopeful thinking. here though, Ronald's dialogue does in a way make it seem that he was supposed to meet with her, and she was certainly expected an "Al". RonAld is too much of a stretch right? or is that what is meant to be assumed?... what was his doctor allias again anyway, Dr. Knox right? idk sorry I gotta reread this whole arc soon but luckily it won't take long.

I would frankly be mad if Ronald turns out to be a secret baddy because 1) means future conflict with our cast. and grelle :< no they're meant to be best buds. also 2) means we need a whole other chapter to explain this and have them talk. nope, we're gone now sorry.

I doubt he is, I just wonder what type of deal he would have brought up with her.

and yea please discard the child, im very sorry to whatever she was before the fake soul inhabited the body, truly, my heart brakes. now throw it away.

#thanks again to anyone who bothers to read even half of this! or scroll to the bottom. you are appreciated #also sorry i barely spell and grammar check these ill start doing it if its too much of a problem #my fingers and brain are spead rn not smart spead just spead #kuroshitsuji #black butler #kuro 190 #kuroshitsuji 190 #chapter 190 #kuro chapter 190 #kuro spoilers #chapter 190 spoilers #kuroshitsuji spoilers #black butler manga #kuroshitsuji manga #if ronald actually goes by Al here ill be mad just go by Ron you idiot

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figurativepieceoftrash · 2 years

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wip game - 3. Sympathy for the Devil

I know you sent this forever ago but I only just now saw it while combing my inbox, sorry! Just gonna answer it now bc I'm bored, but fair warning, I REALLY wanna go off about this one so... this is gonna be a lot. Also this is a psych horror fic so. Keep that in mind

The final fight is over and Izuku won without the heroes suffering any (plot relevant) casualties. He himself sustained very few injuries, none of which were serious, and was able to save Shigaraki and convince him to attend rehabilitation along with a considerable number of the lov

Not long before Izuku killed afo in their one on one battle, he was told about dfo (bc of course it's a dfo fic lol), and believes that afo might've thrown the fight based on his own ease of victory and excellent physical condition post-fight

Even more strange, afo reached out to grab Izuku’s hand before he died, but doesn't seem to have done anything to harm him via the action

Izuku is concerned, but doesn't say anything to the vestiges bc of how happy they appear in the immediate aftermath. When he does finally talk to recovery girl, she finds nothing wrong, and ascribes his lingering anxiety to trauma, instructing him to relax and enjoy the downtime he's fought for

He asks the vestiges if afo did anything freaky quirk-wise, but they all answer that they can't detect anything off. Oddly enough though, Izuku begins to have very strange reoccuring dreams that seem to be taking place in the mindscape wherein strange, obscured figures approach him with silent urgency. The vestiges deny any involvement in these, however, and similarly suggest that Izuku is suffering from a form of ptsd

Izuku decides not to tell anyone ab dfo bc it doesn't seem to be especially relevant following his father's death, and less admittedly doesn't want to draw connections between the two of them. Afo was actually a very good father to Izuku in the trademark absent dfo sense, with regular phonecalls, checks, etc. Making their way to the Midoriyas prior to afo's imprisonment. This means that Izuku is still quite a bit conflicted over killing his father and hasn't fully processed the realization yet

He suspects that his father might've truly cared for him and thrown the fight for his safety, but won't fully admit this to himself, as he doesn't like how it reflects on his actions

Izuku receives constant compliments, thanks, and congratulations from both his peers and professional heroes, though each only serves to exacerbate his anxiety regarding his fight with afo. While everyone else seems to be incredibly happy and thriving, he's constantly plagued by nightmares, stress, insomnia, and an uneven temper

When speaking to class 1a the first day of school, he lets slip a very cynical and unheroic sentiment regarding current events. Although he sees nothing wrong with his words, his friends have very strong reactions, and he naturally draws connections between the sentiments he just expressed and afo's latent ones after he realizes how uncharacteristic they were

He finds himself thinking similar thoughts throughout the day and grows gradually more concerned. Eventually, he asks the vestiges, specifically Yoichi, for advice, and is told that his newfound cynicism is a natural response to the trauma he's suffered. Izuku rejects this explanation, but not aloud, hoping to deny any potential similarities to his father

There's a lot of sanity questioning, identity questioning, regret, etc. I do like my usual themes

Obviously, this being one of my fics as well as an efition to my psychological horror catalog, things get worse. I feel like the twist is obvious already, but if it isn't and you're cool with spoilers, afo passed his quirk and vestige on to Izuku directly prior to his death, and is doing something very similar to him to what he did to Tomura, who he only faked losing control of. He obviously has no reservations about sacrificing his original body so... all according to plan and all that :)

#ask game #wip #my writing #my fic

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escape-from-arcadia · 1 year

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To The Ends of Our World: Prologue and Chapter 1

A Pre-Canon Douxie-centric Wizards Fic

A wicked king, a runaway sorceress, and a young boy... Ever since the disappearance of his mother left him under the care of Master Wizard Merlin Ambrosius, Hisirdoux Casperan has tried to be a good child. He is diligent in his work and studies, and his boundless enthusiasm for all things magical never wavers. All he hopes is that one day his efforts will be enough to become a master wizard himself and bring his mother back home. But on his thirteenth birthday, everything changes. Sudden flashes of memories that occur at seemingly random times and secrets Douxie's mother tried so desperately to keep hidden begin to spill out into the light. Douxie is starting to uncover a plot far greater than anything he ever could have imagined, but can the young apprentice evade the people trying to keep him from learning the truth of his mother's disappearance? What is it that they're trying so desperately to keep hidden? And will Douxie like what he finds?

General content warning for dark themes (abuse, mild gore, violence, depression). More tags will be added to the AO3 work as the story is written since most don't appear until later in the work. However, you can expect content involving torture, suicide, and a major (and a minor) character death in future chapters. There may be other untagged things that I haven't thought of yet or planned on.

Hi.

I'm back.

Maybe.

Long Convoluted Author's Notes Under the Cut:

I'm not doing particularly well (guess who got a mild case of Covid a week before winter break? lol), but here to say I've started a new fic. I like writing angst when I'm sad. And this slightly convoluted pre-Wizards origin story came to me in a dream. I planned most of it out, wrote the prologue and a few chapters, published it, and realized that since all of my content is now on archive-lock, I should probably promote the fic here.

So here we are.

No update schedule.

No minimum (or maximum) chapter word count.

No clue when it ends.

No beta.

We ball.

So this story doesn't have a hidden meaning or big message you should get by the end of it. It's just an angsty mystery drama with some cliches just because. And the ending (I know what the ending is for once, yes) is very cliche and annoying because it lets me say "Nothing is stopping me from making this canon!" Anyway...

You'll get to see a take on a younger Douxie and Merlin's very...complicated relationship with him. You'll see another interpretation of how Douxie and Archie meet!! You'll see a 17-year old Zoe!!! You'll meet two (2)!!! OCs I suddenly came up with while planning out this story!!!!!! One is a mean lesbian and the other is a cool cleric!!! You'll also see Douxie's mom!!!! Because she is very plot-relevant!!!

I was scared of publishing this fic because compared to a lot of the stuff I've written before (especially coming out of ADAU - I still owe y'all posts), this is much darker. I've written stories about time loops and the inevitability of death and somehow the existentialistic dread I got from writing that left me less unsettled than this fic. To be fair, I'm not working with a beta so this might actually be a lot lighter than I think it is. But compared to my other works, it is...a few shaders darker.

If you do read the fic, I'd be really glad to hear your feedback and comments. Yell at me if there are typos (because stars know I'll miss something as I'm editing). Ask me questions. And if you think there is something there that needs to be tagged, please let me know; I'll add it to the AO3 work tags.

All this is to say that I am very grateful if you managed to read this entire post. Thank you for bearing with me and this blog being...something. It's been abandoned and resurrected several times, and my relationship with this fandom is still a little bit funky. But hey, I've learned to make stuff for myself and on my own time. And if this content isn't your particular cup of tea, you can always not read it. And this blog is just for fun, no pressure to make content, so yeah. I'm going to have fun on the internet.

I guess I'm back.

P.S. I am yearning for more people I can share these darker fics/AUs with, but I'm also very anxious and very busy. Just saying, if anyone has Discord (or a server) and/or doesn't mind sporadic appearances that may or may end up leading to very long conversations, my DMs are open.

#tales of arcadia #to the ends of our world #wizards toa #wizards tales of arcadia #tales of arcadia fic #hisirdoux casperan #ananonswriting #abuse mention tw #depression mention tw #violence mention tw #death mention tw #suicide mention tw

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semi-sketchy · 9 months

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I did it. I finally finished SatAM. The big cliffhanger the series ended on is...Snively usurping Robotnik and taking over as the next big villain? Wait did they seriously kill him? After those silly fakeout deaths, THAT is what deals him in?

I don't want to be too hard on the storylines that weren't finished, like Naugus or Sally's father, I know they were counting on a third season and didn't get renewed.

Alright, so I guess my opinion on SatAM is avoid season 1. There is nothing relevant there and it's frankly boring as all get out. Season 2 is better structured, has more continuity, although sadly the theme of de-robotization is dropped entirely half way through to go back to rebel shenanigans. They did use some game mechanics, such as the time stones, but then quickly went back to their own thing and left the source material behind. There's also a few episodes that are two stories and those are the most filler and boring season 2 gets. That said, it's not unwatchable by any means and I actually thought Antoine's torture sequence was funny, even though it was a cliché.

I liked season 2 and I see why some people really latched onto this. My biggest hangups are mostly inconsistencies, such as Tails' age, how de-robotization can be temporary it breaks all the laws of science, or how someone can even fight the mind control to begin with in Xenoblade it required the power of a god.

Aside from that, yeah this is Sonic in name only. Most obvious thing to point at is he is such a stuck up prick it isn't funny. Like he is legit so cruel to Antoine. I'm tired of asshole Sonic, give me back kind and compassionate Sonic who isn't out here to get kisses from a princess. Seriously Sally keep your lips to yourself for once she gives out like 5 kisses an episode They also called Sonic the "leader of the Freedom Fighters" in an episode, like...? Huh? SALLY is the one with all the plans, SALLY gets to do the cool stuff, at no point did I ever think Sonic was in charge. 99% of the time, Sonic is simply used as a distraction so the other Freedom Fighters can do their thing and that is SUCH a waste.

I've already said my grievances with Robotnik, he just misses everything I loved about Eggman to be generic evil. Like dude doesn't even design his own traps, he has Snively do it and you want me to believe he'd be a better villain in a hypothetical season 3?? They wanted this show to be taken over by the OCs I swear

I also assumed it was Rotor who took Tails' place as the smart guy, but no, that's actually Sally. Rotor builds stuff, but Sally is the smart one that hacks things and figures out the tech. Tails is so forgotten about, he's missing from half the episodes and is only featured in maybe 4? He's so babified and I am tired of that trope. The fact that they said he was 10 really makes me wonder how they viewed their target audience.

I'm not sure what I'd rate this. Like season 1 is a 2/10 and I never wanna watch it again, but season 2 I found engaging, like maybe a 7/10? 6.5? I guess I'll round it off to 5/10 overall, the good parts make up for the bad ones. It's not Sonic, but can be good as it's own thing when it wants. One day when I actually read all of Archie, I might get an appreciation for the cast that the show didn't give me.

Anyways, I've been using this stuff as background noise while sewing, so maybe that'll carry me through Underground. God, only thing I remember about Underground is I was actually mad there were so many episodes. As a kid I didn't understand the concept of stop watching something if you don't like it.

#sassy watches sonic #sonic satam

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ac-liveblogs · 5 months

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tbf the xianzhou luofu kinda Needs good ppl in charge bc like........the preceptors ain't SHIT lmfao (like I hope we'll get a luofu continuation in which we just. Oust everyone. bc godamn the high elder succession and the exuviation charm were MESSED UP (and that's all without getting onto dan heng raised in prison and bailu's tail shackle) but yeah I get what you mean. Even bright, trying-their-best charas like Asta had their moments! as I was laughing at the tizzy Asta worked herself into, I thought (huh, she never even thought "what's Arlan's problem", she immediately went for "I must have done something wrong") That says a lot about her character! Or the faith she has in Arlan. Maybe both.

.............I don't think I have the brain juice ATM to unpack why the shipping thing surprised me lmao. Maybe it's bc I got introduced to hsr late through izabellwit's fic and I joined knowing Dan Heng doesn't consider himself Dan Feng, immediately killing any relationship he once had with Blade. besides, yknow, blade hunting him down and killing everything around Dan Heng, which Is Not a basis I like for a ship lmao

But then again, I don't think I like his ship w Dan Feng either. That guy had a Lot going on, last thing he needed was trying to figure out a romantic relationship when he was already struggling with like. basic human empathy and emotion (genuinely, I'm wondering if the shattering of his powers into destruction/abundance also killed the alien dragon brain, bc again, What The Fuck.)

Haha, you're not wrong - it is just soooooo incredibly boring!!! Theoretically, you'd want to engage with all the fucked up shit you mentioned, bc... you know.... one of the main characters is a former Vidyadhara High Elder something something everyone hates Dan Feng (...but...), something something Bailu... but you kinda don't. You kinda just go "wow that's messed up! moving on, sorry about the assassination attempts???" while at the same time, Jing Yuan is just so smart and right and moral and cool and gets WAY more screentime. I don't want to focus on Jing Yuan and how cool he is, can we go and punch the dragon-elf elders instead?! This is Dan Heng's homeworld, why is that all that stuff directly relevant to him so weirdly out of focus?! We spent more time talking to dragon ghosts!

Tbh XL's greatest sin is, imo, always focusing on the exact wrong thing. The High Cloud Quintet isn't explained until way after the fact, we learn what Dan Feng did too late and why that mattered too late… BLADE… etc. etc. We did get a lot of focus on the Hunt vs the Abundance, but I kinda wish Dan Feng's sin had been tied into that more solidly than it was... seriously, why am I spending all this time with the Divination Commission. This is just filler, isn't it. Dan Heng's storyline is just running around trying to catch up and nothing interesting happens til the end except for Luocha's mystery. God damn.

I loved the Asta-Arlan quest's punchline. "…it's for Herta." god hyv does have a sense of humour

I'm pretty sure we probably will get a Luofu continuation, if only because we never got a Trailblazer path for it and judging by Preservation Trailblazer we probably should?

Fair re; the ship. I'm not jazzed about them either. It's impossible for me to care about Blade and Dan Heng's gaping pit of a dynamic as they are NOW let alone their past lives, a potential reconciliation(?), conclusion(?) or anything else theoretically bouncing around with them. I don't care about bios or loredumps, I care about what actually happens on-screen... And mostly I just find it hilarious that Blade keeps ending up in weirdly controlling relationships with hyper-violent women. It was the endless death loop with Jingliu and then the hypnotism/brainwashing with Kafka, that's two now, I think he's got a type (this is a joke this is a joke-)

Unfortunately, in terms of meaty interpersonal character writing, this is somehow currently the best there is? Kafka and Trailblazer is ~future stuff~ and. Welt and Luocha? I don't know, I didn't play HI3? Luocha isn't the same guy from HI3 so it doesn't count??? Eh??

penacony save me. penacony please save me

Dan Feng sounds like a hilarious clusterfuck. Dan Heng being screwed over by his actions being a purely backstory event kind of sucks, honestly. Jing Yuan let him go pretty easy all things considered. And, you know, we barely see shit re; him and Blade. I know why Blade exists (material consequence of Dan Feng's Masterful Fuckup) but like. The way he's written right now. Why does Blade exist.

#replies #ac plays hsr

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a-student-out-of-time · 9 months

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Honestly kinda disagree with you on a few points. The first is that just because you don't think the quality of work was acceptable doesn't mean it's a true blanket statement, because that stuff is subjective. The second is that even if the work is publicly available, it doesn't mean the creator has to do jack shit for the audience considering the work itself is completely free. This isn't a case of a genuine level of quality being expected for a product because nobody's spending money on SDRA2.

//If you're focusing very strictly on the money aspect, you're kinda missing my point. This isn't about money, this is about disrespecting your audience and derailing your own story.

//First of all, I've talked at length about why Chapter 3 is bad not just because it derails the twins' characters, but because it's objectively badly-written. It doesn't do anything to service the narrative, it doesn't advance the characters, it doesn't do anything but point and go "Hey, isn't Kanade wacko?"

//Say what you will about the quality on its own, but you can't seriously tell me that wasting 1/6th of your own plot on a completely irrelevant and self-indulgent side-story is a good idea. Especially when that side-story is the longest out of the entire game.

//Almost nothing in Chapter 3 is relevant to the ongoing plot about the Voids, and the bits that are can be learned later on. There was no real reason for things like Iroha being revealed as a Void to happen beyond dramatic irony, but when she doesn't even really do anything in service of the plot or grow as a character, I must ask what the point is.

//The only thing of note that happens is, as I said, Hibiki and Kanade's characters being derailed. Hibiki had a great arc in Chapter 2 and was one of the highlights of that chapter, but then she basically becomes a background extra in Chapter 3 who does nothing but cry and then die for a crime she had no conscious role in. Her death isn't tragic or poignant, it's cheap and emotionally manipulative.

//Kanade goes from a shy girl with a dark streak to a serial killer with a ridiculous body count not because it serves the story or has any bearing on the greater plot, but because LINUJ thought Korekiyo was cool and wanted to do his own spin on V3 Chapter 3. That's it. She turns out to be this manipulative murderer with a body count of over 60 people- which would make her one of the most prolific of all time- and none of it has any meaning.

//There were absolutely ways one could integrate the existing elements of Chapter 3 into the story, where maybe Kanade exposes Nikei as a Void like my friend Mod Poi has suggested. As it stands, however, it doesn't service the plot in any way. The characters barely even seen phased by it come Chapter 4.

//And thanks to wasting a chapter on the irrelevant, that means much of the room for exposition had to be shoved further and further down the line. This is why I think Chapter 6 became a mess of one infodump after another, because there was no room to put it anywhere else.

//The real kick in the teeth for me, however, is that in a character Q&A, LINUJ straight up confirmed that Hibiki- had she survived and gotten away from Kanade- would've eventually recovered from the trauma. If we want to take the creator at his word, this demolishes any notion that Hibiki wouldn't have been a good survivor.

//Kanade, meanwhile, has no qualities or interests beyond her obsession with her sister and just being smart. Without Hibiki, she would've offed herself.

//So essentially, one of them could've had an interesting arc had she survived and the other has no character beyond just being an evil obsessive freak. He deliberately chose to write them like this. And yes, the Q&A has some contradictions, like how he said Emma would've forgiven Kokoro in the afterlife, even though he said she wouldn't have in Emma's character sheet, but this just adds to my point.

//I'm not saying you can never be self-indulgent as a small creator or that you need a flowchart for your entire story. I'm just saying, if you've got a fangan or any story in mind, there are some things you really need to plan out and have nailed down ahead of time, otherwise it's going to end up cluttered, disorganized and full of plot threads that don't matter. Discovery writing doesn't really work when you have a story that needs a definitive outline and conclusion to work.

//Hell, I'm a small creator and my work is free, and I never want people to feel like I should never be criticized because of that. I admit I've made some bad writing choices in the past, but I'm trying to build off of that and make something better. It's a lot of discovery writing, sure, but there's just as much planning behind the scenes for the arcs I have in mind. The relevant points have been decided on ahead of time.

//As a creator, regardless of whether or not you're making money off of a project, if you make it publicly available, that doesn't make you immune to criticism. It also doesn't mean you're free to disrespect your audience and basically tell them they were stupid for ever wanting to get invested in the characters. Even if that's not the language used, it's what's implied with statements like "Oh yeah, she would've grown as a person if she survived."

//Yes, there is such a thing as fan entitlement, but that entitlement and basic criticism are not the same thing. Creators can be just as entitled and self-absorbed, and saying that any creator doesn't have to "do jack shit for the audience" just because it's free? No, you really do. You have to show them basic respect.

//I'm simply speaking as a creator myself and a fan, and on both levels, Chapter 3 fails hard for me. You can explain to me why it ended up the way it did, but that's not going to magically make anything about it better.

#mod talks #a student out of time

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