i NEED to do a big gender themes analysis of knives in tristamp i’m listening to the melanie martinez album and milk of the siren is soooo knives i’m going to lose it. i gotta write about him AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!!!!

Interpreting Aventurine's Situation

(HSR 2.1 spoilers, watch out!) I think one of my favorite things to come out of Penacony is that the plot has left us with two completely opposite but equally valid interpretations of Aventurine's character. Is he a chosen child or just a "lucky" dog? The story leaves the door wide open for both possibilities.

Under a read more for space:

One Interpretation: Unfortunately for Him, Aventurine is Actually Blessed by an Aeon

If you work from the assumption that the Avgin mythology is correct, and Gaiathra Triclops is actually real (possibly a minor aeon of an unknown path or Ena, if you're on that train), then it's entirely possible, in game, that Aventurine has been blessed by a goddess to the point that he functionally cannot lose any gamble he makes. The odds are, literally, ever in his favor. In this interpretation, it doesn't matter how many gambles he takes with his life as the chip because he will always succeed. Despite how risky his behavior looks to everyone else, he's actually been perfectly safe all along.

But this is especially tragic because it means that, despite his mother's and sister's belief that his blessing will help everyone in their tribe, Aventurine's blessing has only ever extended to himself. He's not an omen of good fortune for his people. His luck was never going to protect his parents, sister, or friends. The goddess of the Avgin chose just one person and left the rest of her people to die.

This is where Aventurine's doubts stem from. He asks repeatedly: If the goddess can bless people, then why is life so miserable for the Avgin? Why do they have to live in pain, suffering, fear, and abject poverty if she could make them lucky enough to thrive? Why do people live if it's just going to be horrible?

(To be honest, I don't think this is out of line for the behavior we've seen of aeons so far. Even with aeons like Yaoshi, described as gentle and benevolent, with no intention to cause harm, their gifts often create horror in the human world.)

Aventurine's hands still tremble when he bets. He doesn't really believe he's blessed and still expects his own downfall at every turn--but it's never going to come because he is one of the few human beings in the entire universe with the direct favor of an aeon. Even Ratio, a skeptical, evidence-based genius, seems to think this might be the case.

(Choosing the Chinese because the text is a little clearer than the English, but basically: "This guy always has a way of dragging himself up out of the abyss, which can't be explained by just 'good luck.' Everyone is waiting to see him fail... Maybe even he's waiting too. But as time passed, I couldn't help but wonder: Will that day really come?")

This means Aventurine has lived a life of fear and uncertainty for nothing. He's spent his entire life awaiting a failure and painful death that will never come. He can't recognize the love of his own goddess nor trust in the faith of his own family.

The central question of this interpretation becomes "What does it mean for a single human to be favored by an aeon?" Can Aventurine really be called lucky after losing every single thing that has meaning in his life--all because an aeon chose him and only him? Should that be called a blessing or a curse?

The Opposite Interpretation: Aventurine Isn't Lucky At All, He's Just Skilled

On the other hand, the story leaves the door open to interpret Aventurine's situation in the complete opposite manner too. If, as the IPC seems to think, Gaiathra Triclops isn't real and Aventurine isn't blessed at all, then that means every single risk Aventurine has taken has actually been life-threatening--and that every single achievement he's reached has been by his own merits alone.

If Gaiathra's blessing isn't real, then Aventurine's life becomes one long self-run psyop: Everyone tells him he's blessed, he's lucky, he's favored--so young Kakavasha starts gambling early. Banking on this idea that he's favored, that he's chosen, he starts paying attention, he learns the tricks of the trade, figures out how to slip cards up his sleeves, how to word things just right so people will take his bait--he practices, practices, practices, until he can spot winning odds a mile away, until he can predict every possible outcome, until he's seen it all before.

In this situation, every single gamble he's ever made or will make carries a very, very real risk of failure--but Aventurine continues to succeed because he's just that quick-witted, just that aware, just that good at reading people. (He's been doing it for so much longer than everyone else he meets, after all.) He is the gambler extraordinaire, the archetypal charming rogue who can squirm his way out of any tight spot he gets into, time and time again.

He fears every gamble he makes because he has good reason to--there's literally never any guarantee that he will succeed, and he's constantly just flipping a coin to see what outcome he'll get. His personal skill and quick wit continue to turn things in his favor, but it's inevitable that one day he'll meet a situation that outwits him, a gamble where only a supernatural force could have saved him. And if you take this second interpretation, Gaiathra isn't real, so there won't be one.

This story choice would be interesting because it implies a greater degree of responsibility for everything that happens. If it's Aventurine's own quick wit and skill that continually save him, shouldn't he be able to help others with that skill? Shouldn't he have been able to help himself? How was he able to save himself from death but not from slavery? If it was skill, not luck, all along, then who do you blame for all the misery he still experienced?

This interpretation leads to greater questions of self-doubt and anxiety: Is it actual skill or just sheer dumb luck? Does Aventurine have what it takes mentally, psychologically, emotionally, and even physically to always come out on top by his own merits, or is he just the benefit of the wheel of fortune--statistically speaking, a one in a million chance still has to come through for that one, right? And when it all comes crumbling down eventually, will he have only himself to blame?

A Life of Uncertainty

The story doesn't actually give us any firm indication whether Gaiathra is real or not, or--even if she is real--if Aventurine is actually genuinely blessed. We just don't know, as players.

And Aventurine doesn't know either.

His faith in the goddess of the Avgin is shaky. He seems to want to believe and hold on to his people's mythology, but he has valid doubts that a goddess would choose to bless one person while leaving everyone else to suffer.

Is he the chosen of an aeon? And if he isn't chosen, then what meaning does any of it have? Is he just unbelievably skilled? Has he merely been lucky up to now? When will this blessing or luck or skill finally fail him?

Aventurine's most defining character trait is the extreme uncertainty that has plagued his whole life. What is true? What should he believe? Is he blessed or cursed? Does he have the talent to back up his massive boasts? Should others put any faith in him--should he put any faith in himself? Should he cling to his people's beliefs or reject the goddess that left him the sole survivor of a cultural extinction?

He can't trust anything. He can't trust his family's faith; he can't trust that he's actually a "chosen one" (because how could he chosen and his family be left to die?). He can't even trust that he's lucky because maybe it was just the years of suffering practice he put in. Then again, he can't trust in his own skill because maybe he's just blessed?

Which is it? Which is it? Which is it?

Nothing is certain. Nothing can be taken for granted. Nothing can be proven empirically true or false. There are no guarantees for Aventurine.

Every single thing in his life is a gamble, and none of that is his fault.

What an amazing character. What a great story. Thank you for the treat, Hoyo!

Let’s get some abandoned effortposts on disco Elysium in the list. Liked what analysis on it you had, would be great to see more, or fail to see as the case may be

Here’s one of the last insights on Disco Elysium I care to put to paper for a good long while; I really enjoy the nested futility and self-defeat of the central murder mystery, the way it structured to constantly raise the question of how anyone could possibly benefit from what you’re doing.

I mean off the bat the murder victim is a fascist stormtrooper, so there’s that. I personally maintain that it’s still good in a general sense to investigate murders regardless of the moral standing of the victim, but to get real, it’s a very convenient time for me to embrace universalist rhetoric given how little support the neighborhood receives with problems that don’t involve someone well connected. And then, over the course of the game, you can kill all four people left on the planet to whom the initial victim actually mattered on a personal level. Three in clear-cut self-defense, the fourth as an optional casualty to the same mindless, trusting proceduralism that’s admittedly and unfortunately intertwined with my “ no murder left unsolved” stance.

And then! You finally run down the murderer, and from a public safety perspective it turns out that if you’d just gone home after the mercenary tribunal, nothing would have changed; Dros is on his last legs, the odds he’s gonna kill anyone else are very very low.

The last redoubt is the ideological angle- there could be a narrative here about how you’re crushing the last vestige of the revolution, how the killing and the subsequent investigation was the last theatre of the old war- but I think the narrative resists even this attempt to read meaning into it. From an ideological perspective Dros committed the killing off the clock. It was spite, not praxis- informed in the moment by his misanthropy, his neuroses about women, and his obsession with Klaasje more than it was about striking a blow for communism. He killed Lely while Lely was doing probably the least objectionable thing he ever did. Obviously Dros’s neuroses and living situation were downstream of ideology, of material circumstances, in the way everything else is- but to try and elevate the killing by making it about that feels disingenuous.

And this is great, because Disco Elysium isn’t really about the murder mystery in the same way that Fallout: New Vegas isn’t really about finding the guy who shot you in the head-it’s an injection point, it’s a thread you pull for guidance, but the real meat is all the other stuff and people you encounter while poking around. The killing isn’t unimportant, per se, but the mystery surrounding it kinda is! Given the repeated anti-climax, it’s definitely *less* important than the harm you can cause to people in order to push the investigation forward, or the good you can do for the community by going off-script and helping people out with random bullshit. It’s neat!

Ok ooooook OK SO.

Spike was literally made for Buffy because he was made for and by Drusilla, and Buffy and Dru are the same person:

Innocent, kind-hearted young girls, with special gifts that cause them to carry more guilt/burden than others and they are used/abused/traumatized by angelus/angel, then neglected and abandoned, with Spike being there to pick up the pieces and nurture, care for, and love them the best he can to help them move past their angel trauma (which is actually an impossible task with Drusilla because of the sire aspect but isn’t with Buffy)

WHICH is why I believe William’s first act as a vampire was to try and save his mother. He was literally created to be Dru’s knight. Not only her protector but her healer. Which is why his first instinct when it should be all about blood lust is instead, to heal his mother who he still loves even as a vampire. I mean even Dru, a certified nutcase, is like you wanna do WHAT?!?! When Spike tells her his plan to save his mom😹

This is also why I believe angel trying to mold Spike into his image never really took or rather Spike was able to break free from it. Angel was created by darla for the intent of death, torment and destruction.

Spike was created to care for and love Dru. Which required an OBSCENE amount of patience, determination, humility, and love of a challenge. Which is why he was so intrigued by slayers, another seemingly impossible task - but the joy/fun was in the TRYING, the thrill of the unknown and the unpredictability of it all. Which are all the traits he needed to be there for both Dru and Buffy while also ensuring he never gives up on them as long as they want him there, and then some lol.

IM FREAKING OUT ABOUT THIS

Because also this is soooooo not where I planned on going with this but “I was made to love you” episode title is now drawing in the connection of, is this why Spike didn’t initially see the problem with the Buffy-Bot until he saw the reaction of Buffy herself who often acts as his moral compass as he relearns what is “good” after 100+ years living by vamp code because him AS A HUMAN, in his vulnerable, dejected and devastated state was killed and made into a vampire for the sole purpose of loving and caring for Drusilla selflessly, without regard for himself, much like the bots were!! So why would he see the harm in creating something like that for himself when no one was going to die in the process and it meant he could stop fixating in the real buffy? Both of which to a vamp who’s only been trying to live by human morals again for like 14 episodes vs 120 years with NO help just trial and erroring his way through becoming a white hat which his starting point is “I would like credit for not taking advantage of bleeding disaster victims” and “what do you mean building a shrine to show how deep my devotion is and chaining you up, offering to kill my ex, and forcing you to talk to me and admit your feelings aren’t the way to do this??” 😹😹😹 like he gets it so wrong, it’s comical in season 5 because he truly is so earnest about all of it because while yes it is all for a chance with Buffy, he genuinely wants to be better for her so he can earn that chance. As he says to Riley “a fellas gotta try” after saying he doesn’t think he has a chance with her.

He was an Eleanore who desperately needed his Chidi. Which Buffy is his moral compass but she ends up being a “let them fail/push them into the deep end” kind of guide. So he makes A LOT of mistakes along the way as many of us often do in general but especially those of us who were raised by abusive parents; who in our adulthood, have to learn to discern what is healthy vs abusive to be a good person to both yourself and others and be in actual healthy relationships with boundaries and respect with zero practical experience or good instincts to go on.

NONE of this excuses any harm that Spike causes at all. That is not the point of this to say “oh he didn’t really do bad”, no he did. Spike caused a lot of harm but this perspective that I’ve finally been able to put into words is why none of the harm ends up being a deal breaker for me and many spuffys because it puts his choices in the right perspective which is not that of a human even though he looks like one a lot of the time.

Spike pre-soul, making the mistakes he makes isn’t the same as a human or a vamp with a human soul making the mistakes because he doesn’t have his human soul motivating and informing the decisions he makes. It really mimics different cultures in a lot of ways as anya really demonstrates during her wedding with all her talk of demon culture and tradition (and her own struggles to assimilate into the human world again and she HAS a human soul and xander to help her) and the initiative being VERY n*zi coded and Riley being called a bigot because he is ignorant to much of demonology. So un-souled spike has a more potential for forgiveness of his mistakes than human soul havers because he is always genuinely TRYING to do right by Buffy even when he gets it horribly wrong. And the characters in the show always hold him accountable and make him feel TERRIBLE for the mistakes he makes.

Why does he have such potential for forgiveness you ask? The best example is to think of the concept of someone trying to assimilate themselves into a new culture. We can’t expect them to blend right in perfectly and get all the culture norms right, right away (again -anya-but also a real life example - when I travel in Italy and catch up with friends there I STILL always stumble and forget they’re always gonna go in for a double cheek kiss greeting - pre covid anyway - and I KNOW it’s a thing but if I’m out of practice it takes me a while to start greeting people that way again and it makes for some AWKWARD ENCOUNTERS until I get it down😹). It takes time, and normally guidance and patience from others that spike honestly doesn’t often have except in the form of being yelled at or beat up until he gets his soul. But his willingness to TRY anyways despite failure, rejection, ridicule and cruelty. How can I not love him?? He is me, I am him!! I was also met with so much unhelpful criticism and cruelty when I was just trying to learn and do a good job.

Both as someone who is autistic and didn’t know it for a lot of life; I too felt like I was blundering through without a guide or a rule book and I was sure I was making mistakes because people would get upset but I had NO help identifying what exactly I did wrong or what to do instead. So I knew I was messing up but had to keep guessing and trying anyway and getting it wrong again and again!

And as someone raised by an emotionally distant/abusive narcissist, navigating healthy relationships became even MORE difficult and I made a lot of bad choices along the way that landed me in some awful relationships much like what spike and Buffy devolve into towards the end of season 6 because both of them are up stream without a paddle when it comes to healthy relationships, healthy coping mechanisms, and communication. They know pain, avoidance, fighting, torment, and ecstasy from always living in extremes and life or death situations (notice Buffy struggles the most in the season with no threat of the apocalypse until the last two episodes - season 6 - which is SO common for people with trauma, you really fall apart when things are low stakes)

It’s why the tenderness and gentleness of season 7 means SO MUCH. Both of them experiencing these tiny pockets of true peace with each other after everything they’ve been through individually and together. Experiencing true peace like we see from them is one of the hardest things to accomplish if you have severe trauma.

I’m always really happy when I can digest these complex themes enough to communicate why I love them so much and why they’re so important to me. The fact that this show had so much in-fighting amongst the writers and misogynists trying to make spike pathetic and accidentally making him one of the most complex characters, plus episodes based specifically on neurodivergent/queer peoples’ traumatic coming of age experiences because the parallels are SO strong there no way they’re not lol. This all means I can probably spend the rest of my life dissecting the layers of this show and learning about myself in the process and always find something new 🙃🙃🙃 and clearly I love all aspects of spuffy so god damn much as they each embody a big part of my life experiences in so many beautiful yet tragic ways.

That's Lunacy! No, It's Ineffable

The Resurrectionists is a great minisode bc it shows a lot of character development for Aziraphale, shows us another facet of their relationship, and gave us a great bit of dialogue from the Good Omens novel that I adore. I was hoping for the part where they reach name five or six human operatives working for their respective sides and find out that three names are on both lists, but oh well, maybe season three.

So anyway, this conversation is supposed to illustrate Aziraphale's blind loyalty to abstract Goodness over basic survival by parroting a bit of heavenly propaganda that makes no damn sense. Fair enough. But I can actually see where he's got a point. It all depends on how heaven keeps score.

So say you've got two humans, one rich and one poor. One has never struggled in their life, the other has never done anything else. Let's say they're both tempted to sin by stealing. The rich person is going to have no trouble resisting that temptation bc there's no reason to go to the trouble and risk making themself a public spectacle. The poor person has much less to lose and is really really hungry, so the temptation is going to be stronger.

So how does heaven evaluate the virtue of each human, if they both resist this temptation? If it's a standard pass-fail letter grade, they both score the same. You've been tested, you pass, congratulations. But if virtue is measured in the context of one's circumstances, the poor person is going to get a better grade. The temptation was stronger, there were real practical reasons to give in to it, and choosing not to break the law and potentially cause harm to others is a greater accomplishment.

Now this is where it gets interesting. Crowley clearly sees being good in heaven as pass-fail situation. You fuck up, you're fucked, sucks to be you. You either do what they want and get along, or you make a mistake and absolutely fucking don't, bye. Gee, I wonder why he thinks that.

Maybe Aziraphale knows better. Apparently he helped work on the Earth/humans project, so maybe he kept a hand in after Adam and Eve left the Garden and is privy to the process of determining goodness and wickedness. Maybe it's different for humans than for angels. Angels are more privileged than even the richest humans so maybe God decided they don't deserve the same slack.

Or maybe Aziraphale just hopes better. He wants there to be a system that rewards the poor and virtuous so that he can live with himself. But their differing perspective here really made me think about their entire approach to heaven and morality. They have more in common than either of them realize, but this is an interesting, subtle difference.

This gif has nothing to do with anything, I just really really like the coats.

And Now, The Weather!

So I noticed that the weather changes in Purge March follow a sort of pattern, so I think a meaning can be derived from it.

Amane's MV begins with clear sky's. Amane is saying her speech, she's announcing the cult's values/rules using flags and altogether things seem promising. There are no grey clouds, no looming omens, everything is pure and positive and happy - all sunshines and rainbows if you will.

But as we all know, rainbows can't exist without rain. It's very obvious from the MV that the rain is tied to Amane being punished - in order for prosperity there must be strict rules you follow. Break those rules and you'll be punished so you don't break them again. Rainbows and rainbow imagrey are also tied to very positive things. I think this might be implying how the cult brainwashes it's followers - these bad things are for the greater good! is it really a punishment if its for such a beautiful and good cause?

I would also like to point out how the weather pattern mirrors Amane's abuse she got from her mentors vs Amane killing her victim.

The first picture is before the old man tells Amane's mother that she helped a cat through traditionally ways, instead of being faithfully that her religion would fix whatever is wrong with the cat. We also know after her mother tells her this information she gets tazed, and when we see her again she has bruises and what looks to be tear stains on her face.

The second picture is before Amane kills her victim. She saw what her mentor did to the cat she tried to help and decided that he broke one of their values/rules (-> Amane is vegetarian so harming animals is most likely frowned upon.) We also know straight after this scene she beats her victim to death in her house while wearing a badge that looks to be the cults logo.

Both of these scenes have a "calm before the storm" vibe that they share. The sky isn't clear, so the mood isn't positive and we can tell that something bad is about to happen, but the rainbow is also there in the corner. What they're about to do next is for, in their opinion, the "greater good" of the cult. They're both just carrying out something they believe to be right, to help clear those pesky grey clouds and get the sky back to being pure and clear.

It also rains in both of these moments which I also think contributes to the idea that both her mentor's and Amane carried out the actions they did because they believed it was for the greater good (although we can put more blame on one more than the other ..)

Rainbows symbolise all that is great, and seeing them is generally seen as a great and exciting thing, but they cannot exist without rain. The cult's perfect, prosperous image cannot exist without harsh rules and punishment.

I also found this more philosophical interpretation of rainbows and rainbow imagrey while doing some research which I think could also apply to Amane's situation.

The cult's image of a prosperous and happy place is just that - an image. The reality is much more darker and sinister. Amane has been brainwashed since she was a kid so this is how she views her beloved beliefs but no matter how hard she tries she will always end up failing in their eyes because you can never touch something that isn't real. No matter how hard she tries to be a good girl, eventually it will get to exhausting and she will fail. And when she fails, she will be punished.

Din vs Bo as a Leader

I've seen people say that Bo is the rightful ruler of Mandalore and owner of the darksaber and deserves to lead and I'm genuinely curious to hear from others as to why that is because I'm having a very hard time seeing that point of view. Semi-spoilerish for people who aren't up to date but I kept it vague enough to not be a problem I don't think.

Since CW and Rebels, Bo has continually made choices that negatively impact the people around her. She's a morally gray character who has a list of war crimes on her rep sheet that honestly makes some real life bad guys look green and it baffles me that people want her redemption to be easy. I'm not saying she should never be redeemed, I genuinely believe people should have the chance to turn over a new leaf cause being human is hard, but how she's acting and being treated in Mando feels like a middle finger to those her actions caused harm to. Like she can be sad about her sister all she wants but she willingly joined a terrorist group who spelt it out for her that they planned on publicly executing Satine and followed the orders of two Sith lords, and she didn't see that as a deal breaker. Being sad over that is like being upset that you got shot in the foot when you fired the gun yourself when you continue to make choices that negatively impact others. And this season alone Bo hasn't tried to be a leader to her people, she cared more about the title and the weapon it comes with than actual democracy. She wields it well, yes, but so did Sabine who taught her how and gave her the weapon despite not knowing how badly Bo has fucked up with it in the past. The moment the darksaber was in Din's hands and she lost her crew, she didn't try to scout Mandalore and find other Mandalorians to help her with her decades long failed plan. She didn't try to put any plans together with outside help to achieve her goal or even try to establish a new territory for her people to be safe on until they can find a way to make Mandalore a livable again. She was never an active leader, just someone who craved leadership and believed was owed it because of her birth right and that reflects in the selfish choices she's made while in a leadership position, which include harming Din and Paz. She didn't lead her people into the siege and trap that awaited them, Din did. He shouldered and strong armed his way through and was willingly going to sacrifice himself if it meant a safe planet for his people and foundling. And she wasn't the last out, Paz was, and for that his clan suffered major losses. She had focused more on weapons and supplies for her fleet and siege than the actual people who would help her achieve her goal, and not once has she discussed what she planned on doing once Mandalore was safe for all Mandalorians again. Reuniting and rebuilding isn't the same as establishing a political system that benefits the well being of her people with the promise of a stable economy, fair societal roles, establishing an intergalactic democracy to avoid what Nevarro went through, and combining the differing traditions/beliefs the remaining Mandalorians have to not favor one over the other and unintentionally cause a civil war. Each time she's gained leadership it's always met with mixed support, often not universally, and has led to her downfall three times now for a reason.

Just the same, I've seen people argue that Din doesn't want to lead/rule and isn't the kind of man who'd be a good leader and I strongly disagree. Since the first episode, Din established himself as a selfless character even if it irritated him to be accommodating. He still tried to compromise with the Jawas, didn't turn his back to Frog Lady needing a ride, was willingly going to sacrifice himself to a Krayt Dragon for people he had just met and entrusted with Grogu, went head first into every battle even for people who didn't deserve it (Ran's Crew), was everyone's Ride or Die at least once, became multilingual which was used more to keep the peace than to gain information on his quarries, and has united and mediated more unlikely foes to friends than anyone else in the SW universe. Even if his actions originated with a selfish need (gaining Boba's armor back for Mandalorians, exchanging his services for info on where Mandalorians/Jedi are for Grogu, etc) he still went above and beyond because it's the honorable and right thing to do and his compassion has earned him friendships across the galaxy and allyship on every planet he's visited whereas Bo can't get even her own people behind her without a legendary sword in her hand. You can't tell me all the people Din met on his journey WOULDN'T lay down their lives for him if he asked?? Paz already did despite Din's choice to rescue Grogu despite unintentionally causing a massacre because Paz recognized the selflessness behind Din's choice that carried over to Paz's own foundling and that is what gained his respect and allyship. Din hadn't asked for anything in return, and his own motive for moving the covert was so that their children could play in the sun and the future generations can flourish. I'm fairly certain even Sorgon would join forces whether it's to take care of Din if he had a bad head cold or taking back a whole planet for him. Same with Peli and her droids, Tusken Raider survivors, Freetown, Boba and his syndicates, Frog Lady and her hoard of warrior toddlers, Karga and the grateful people of Nevarro, Ahsoka, and Miggs Mayfield. We've made jokes about Din accidentally making friends all over the galaxy for a reason. He's so selfless that he never saw himself worthy of his Creed, of being Grogu's father, of being a leader when everyone else has told him otherwise. Din's view on leadership reflects his own self esteem wrecked by his cult and it would take everyone he's ever helped to make him see that he is the leader that the galaxy needs to reunite not just The Mandalorians, but all the people and their planets I mentioned. Leadership comes with a burden for Bo, but for Din, it comes with the strength and camaraderie Bo has only ever dreamed of having and that The Armorer overlooked because of her narrow, traditional views. And this is a side comment, but Din mastered riding the stubborn Blurgg after Kuill made fun of him for not being able to conquer it when Mandalorians rode Mythosaurs into battle. Din riding a Mythosaur would be a great call back to that and would gain more respect as a leader than just having the darksaber. In my opinion.

I genuinely hope Bo comes to these conclusions herself and recognizes that Din is more deserving of the role than anyone else and passes the darksaber back to him and helps him see his potential than just saving the day yet again from the very gun she shot everyone with. Redemption for her starts with letting go of the very thing that's plagued her her whole life and leadership is recognizing when you need more time before you can be the example people need to be the best versions of themselves. This isn't a Bo hate post or any stan post, this is a fan post who wants a fair redemption arc for Bo and a chance for Din to rise up to the best version of himself he's capable of being. So yes, I want to hear everyone's thoughts whether you agree or disagree that doesn't involve Bo being the rightful heir or wanting her redemption cause you like her as a character. I want to hear deeper reasons than surface level motives, cause as I said, your favorite hurting over the consequences of her decades long actions she never learns from isn't a good enough reason for her to lead or have the darksaber but I'm down for any other explanations people have regardless if you're a casual fan of the show or lifelong SW fans like myself.

wip wednesday

thank you for the tag @racfoam @cringe-queasy @leafiloaf and @reggieblk 🥹 it is always an honour

tagging: everyone 😭 i'm sorry i still don't know a lot of people. and the people i do know have been tagged 🤦

i had a difficult time selecting a wip. i suppose this is my fault for having too many and never getting anything done before starting sixty more 🤦 and how long are these meant to be? i'm not sure. have this:

He didn’t believe in ghosts. Isn’t that how it always starts? Harry didn’t remember the first time. Or the second, the third, fourth, or fifth. Harry did, however, remember meeting him. Though, it’s not a memory he liked to dwell on often.  Harry had gotten quite good at disregarding the stains in his vision. The smudges that sulked just in his periphery. He learned how to ignore them, to avoid the whispers and stares, the pointing fingers from giggling children, and the concerned shared glances of his teachers.  He hadn’t yet grasped an understanding of shifts in reality. Of identifying when very real-looking things were not very real at all. At least not real to anyone else.  Because for Harry, who walked into walls people couldn’t see and whose skin bore scars from his curious nature provoking his detriment, there was no difference. Both realities were single, the same.  It was his…anomalousness that spurred their fated meeting.  As it happened, Harry was an easy ride for the lost, the damned. Something bright, whole, and alive that blipped in and out and promised the sweet, sweet temptation turned attainable chance at a second try—a do-over.  And though these damned, untethered and unable to pass on, appeared mutilated and broken, missing in more than just soul—they were people once. They are people still beneath the guilt and sorrow and anger.  In all, alive or otherwise, there was a desperation that couldn’t be snuffed out. Harry knew they saw him as a saviour, a beacon, a host. He also knew this desperation left them unaware of the harm they caused and the scars they left. Harry was too headstrong to let go. They tried to overpower him and failed. But Harry wasn’t always strong enough to keep himself safe and wasn’t always privy to his powers. He fought for Harry and taught him how to stay alive. “You’re thinking about me again,” a pleased voice interrupted Harry’s thoughts. It laughed at his disgruntled face, the sound humming from just beside him. “I am not,” Harry insisted and continued moving through the rubble of the fallen house around them. Scorched wood and ash still hot and popping.  “Come now, Harry. I’ve known you long enough to know what that look means. Hardly ever is it about anyone else.”  “Says a lot about you, then. Don’t you think?” “Oh, hush,” Voldemort walked a step further, blocking Harry’s path for just a moment. His towering height and dark mass blocked nearly everything else from sight. “You were much cuter as a child, you know. Coming to me for advice, hiding away in my protection, calling us Soulmat—“ Harry pressed his hands to his ears, “Get out of my head! Stop shuffling through my thoughts— you have no right.” Voldemort’s teasing wisps turned sharp. “No right? I have every right. You repressed me for half a decade and summoned my help like no time was lost, expecting me to go along with your desperate little attempts to make friendly with the beings on this side of the line even though we both know you’ll never fit in here or there.” Harry scoffed, “Typical. You’re acting out because I needed a little space? We’ve been attached at the hip longer than I can remember, and you’re throwing a fit because I asked for some time to sort things out—time that, for you, is so stupidly inconsequential that it’s laughable.” “What can I say, Harry?” Voldemort sighed all dramatics and grating callousness. His sarcasm was scathing enough to scatter Harry with the house’s ashes, “Ever since we met, all my time seems to revolve around yours.” “Great. I hope you had a fucking miserable five years.” Voldemort crept even closer. “What a tongue you have in you today. It would be a shame to cut it out so soon when we’ve spent so long apart.” Now Harry was sighing. He pinched the bridge of his nose, disrupting his glasses, “Alright. I’m being an asshole; I get it.” But so was Voldemort.  “I heard that.” You were meant to, Harry thought viciously and stalked around him to survey the damage like they were supposed to be doing. 

Wat you think of Zorpox/Evil Ron they are powerful like rest villain of series.

Oh, that's a really good question!

In my opinion, Evil Ron is more powerful than some of the villains in the show; However, he's not more evil than all of them.

For example: to me, evil Ron is less evil than for example Gemini, DNAmy, and even Drakken.

We see in the episode 'Naked Genius' that Ron's doomsday machines do have the capability to do some damage. So amplify that with evil and he could really harm people, but that´s not what he intends to do, he first tries to scare people into doing his bidding and if that doesn´t work then he might turn to actual violence.

Compare this to Gemini who has allegedly killed a handful of his henchmen off-screen for the littlest reasons! That man is truly evil (but he's also very incompetent).

DNAmy who basically toys around with human lives for her own twisted obsession over Cuddlebuddies. She doesn't really care whether or not others are harmed as long as the results are there.

Dr. Drakken would definitely have been able to take over the world a long time ago if his ego wasn't in the way. He has some seriously dangerous inventions/outsourced projects... I mean he tried to erase all the oxygen from the world, TWICE. His problem isn't "I have too much goodness in me" it is "I have too much pride that I cannot cast aside". THE ONLY REASON THE SUPREME ONE FAILED IN KILLING OFF KIM WAS BECAUSE BUFFKKEN EGGED HER ON TO GLOAT AND RUB IT IN HER FACE > thus revealing the separation of team possible and unlocking Ron's ultra-instinct powers.

Ron is 'evil' but not necessarily 'evil'.

He's evil in the sense of 'This is what it takes to be a villain' but as a person himself, he's well, short-lived.

Towards the end of the episode 'Badboy' he proclaims:

"The inhalator has been set to go off in five minutes. When it does quakes are going to shake the world to pieces."

and then he later adds:

"--I’m just getting warmed up. The inhalator was to keep you busy while I worked on my real evil plan. My mega-weather-generator. All will fear me and tremble beneath my storms, and then hand over to me the world’s supply of Nacos. Booyea!"

He has the potential to do really bad things but he isn't evil in the sense of what the villains try to obtain: absolute power and world domination. Ron's wants in the episode 'Badboy' are just amplified:

- Getting revenge on Cousin Larry by bringing him humiliation (but not death).

- Getting the world's supply of Nacos.

If he went through with the last one, he'd be easily defeated because he'd eat himself into a fast food coma, he would get his stomach pumped at the hospital and Kim would switch his evilness with Drakken, dividing it again. Drakken would try and intimidate Kim and Ron but Kim will point out that she isn't sure if Drakken could handle combat with her since Shego's back at the lair (she would not go along to the hospital). Drakken would get nervous, not wanting to get beaten up and take his leave.

The reason Ron goes after/fights Kim is because she's in the way of his plans. Not necessarily because she is his archnemesis, 'cause she's not. But he knows how capable Kim is in stopping everyone and the man really wants his Nacos.

TL;DR: Evil Ron is evil but not necessarily dangerous world ending evil because that's not what he really wants. He literally took all of Drakken's 'Playground bully' evilness.

Anyway, this is my take on it, hope it makes sense.

Hope you like it! :)

32-33- Thousands of lives risked on a gamble (and other complaints)

Welcome back to the Anti-Dazai Series!!

School starts late August this year, meaning this will be the final entry I’ll post before my classes start. But rest assured that no matter how long the gap between entries becomes, the Anti-Dazai Series is NOT dead or abandoned! So long as I never explicitly say that I’ve gotten bored of this, I will continue posting here–

Now onto what you’re here for—

—-------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 32 has no Dazai content, since its focus is Poe and Ranpo. Meaning we’re moving right on to chapter 33–

Dazai and Ranpo have a strategist meeting to decide the agency’s next move. Dazai went into this meeting with ulterior motives: to present the idea of Atsushi infiltrating the Guild’s Moby Dick alone, as to have him team up with Akutagawa once they’ve both already boarded. With that in mind, the way Dazai and Ranpo’s conversation plays out is rather interesting. Rather than going back and forth putting multiple ideas on the table, Dazai throws in a few specific combinations of agency members to send in, knowing they’re a bad match for this mission. Ranpo knows this too, and points out why each of these combos wouldn’t work. Once those purposely wrong solutions are shot down, Dazai suggests sending Atsushi in. Since this would technically work, Ranpo approves of this suggestion and allows the agency to go forward with it.

Dazai’s tactics here are classic but effective. He suggests subtly bad ideas, knowing that Ranpo will see through the flaws in each one, and then hands him a plan that wouldn’t automatically fail, knowing it would have to be approved. It also casts the illusion that all other options were analyzed, even though only a few specific combinations of agency members were considered. In a way, it’s also a standard “make them think it was their own idea so they’ll agree”. Dazai prompts Ranpo into giving the solution he’s aiming for, so he could move his “create a rivalry-partnership” plan forward.

After Dazai’s done ensuring Atsushi will have a Very Bad Time aboard the Moby Dick, he goes to visit Ango to negotiate Kyoka’s release. Ango, as you may recall, is currently recovering from a car crash. That Dazai caused. He’s stuck in a hospital bed in a full body cast. So Dazai’s greeting of “You look lovely! ;)” just seems like rubbing salt in the wound. But let’s be real, this kind of cruel mockery is exactly what can be expected of him. 

Note that Dazai not only caused the accident to begin with, but also removed the airbags on Ango’s side of the car, to ensure he gets as injured as possible. 

I’ll give him credit for negotiating for Kyoka’s release– Kyoka doesn’t seem to have any part in his grand Atsushi-related plans, so for once he’s doing something good for someone else without it being a part of his grand schemes. However, negotiating for anything in exchange for medical attention for the grievous bodily harm you intentionally caused someone is Very Messed Up, to say the least.

And now it’s time for the long-awaited mission. 

Dazai, as per his previously stated plan, sends Atsushi into the Mody Dick alone. Atsushi is reasonably stressed about this, and being the world’s most encouraging mentor, Dazai explains that it makes sense for him to be the one chosen for this, since “[Atsushi’s] the guy who runs away the fastest.” I’m sure Atsushi found courage in that reminder.

Once he boards the Mody Dick, he discovers that the mission was misrepresented to him (in more ways than one, but we’ll get to that). Or to put it more simply– he was intentionally lied to to get him to agree to do this in the first place. He discovers that the Moby Dick is set on a course to crash in Yokohama, and the only way to stop it is to retrieve the control terminal guarded by Francis. Dazai and Ranpo were both aware that this was the Guild’s plan based on their previous conversation during the strategy meeting (“mountain?” “no, sea”). This could have easily been relayed to Atsushi to allow him an opportunity to mentally prepare himself or plan ahead. Yet they allowed this to be suddenly sprung upon him by Melville, causing more unnecessary panic in an already tense situation.

But let’s draw our attention back to the problem itself: the Moby Dick, a giant airship, is about a come crashing down upon a densely populated city. If only we knew of an ability user who could prevent this from happening– Perhaps someone who could… simply decide whether or not any object should fall in the first place? If only we knew someone like that! Unfortunately our easy solution to this problem is in the Port Mafia, and as per Dazai’s conversation with Mori in this chapter, we know that per Dazai’s request, the Mafia is not to interfere with the agency’s current mission to stop the Moby Dick from killing everyone. 

Let me reiterate: Dazai made sure to make a prior agreement with the mafia that they won’t interfere in stopping the Moby Dick from crashing–something  that could potentially kill thousands of innocent people, that a single specific mafia member could easily solve in a matter of seconds– all for the sake of putting Atsushi and Akutagawa in a situation where they would have to work together, thus forming his rivalry-partnership that he’s so invested in. THOUSANDS of people’s lives were risked for a gamble that had no guarantee of paying off. 

Atsushi is, of course, unaware of all of that. And Akutagawa thinks he’s acting on his own free will when he disobeys his boss’s orders and boards the Moby Dick. And now that Akutagawa’s here– yet another factor that Dazai orchestrated in advance, Atsushi has yet another one of Dazai’s pawns here with him to add to his ever-growing stress. 

And that’s that for this week’s entry of the Anti-Dazai Series!! Join me next week when I talk about how Akutagawa is just a traumatized child who desperately needs a great therapist and a hug. And so does Atsushi. So does everyone who has to deal with Dazai. Actually while we’re at it can we get Dazai a therapist too? He probably needs one just as much as everyone else.

MAG 199 Relisten

Activity on my first listen: Slow Tuesday at work/after work...

MARTIN: "Anyone want another cup of tea?" Ah yes, Martin's solution for everything. Tea XD

MELANIE: "So, we’re seriously holding up ‘let Jon become god’ as a legitimate choice here?" Yeah, I guess Melanie would hate that. Even if it's not her god, with her being cut off from the Eye and all xD

So, as far as I see it from these first few sentences we have Melanie and Martin who want to send off the Fears. Then we have Jon who is adamant on becoming the Pupil and letting the Fears die so no other Jon ever has to suffer this. And Basira and Georgie, who are kiiiind of more on the neutral/fence-sitter side.

GEORGIE: "But is it all other realities, or just some of them?" JON: "Does it matter?" MARTIN: "I mean, maybe? If there are infinite worlds out there then “thousands” isn’t even a drop in the bucket, cosmically speaking." MELANIE: "'Cosmically speaking'?" MARTIN: "You know what I mean." [MELANIE SIGHS] BASIRA: "It’s still more than one, though, isn’t it? Which is what we’re discussing." It's time to bring up MAG 155 again! xD They are talking more than one, that's for sure, so it seems like they would do more harm if they send off the Fears, hitting more people than they are, in total numbers I mean. But are they? Here's the hypothetical part again (in MAG 155 it was that the statement giver was working on projects which could save thousands of lives. Hypothetical, cause in the end nobody knows if the projects would have actually failed if it wasn't for her). They don't know what these other worlds look like. We know there's one very similar to theirs from MAG 114. But how many people are there? Maybe all those other worlds are so much smaller that in total numbers they are less than the people here. Very unlikely I know, but there is no way to tell for sure.

GEORGIE: "Option two is Jon takes over from Magnus. Keeps the Powers contained here with us, and tries his best to make the place a little more… tolerable, until the end." MARTIN: "And we lose him." Technically, they don't know that either. Martin fears Jon's humanity will be lost once and for all. But what if he just stays the same?

MARTIN: "No, Jon, I’m sorry, but if one world still matters in an infinite spread of dimensions, then one person does, too." That's the problem. Jon doesn't think that way. If you're counting in total again, trading one life for so many others would have been quite expensive.

Lol, I just remembered this is basically Life Is Strange on a much larger scale and more complicated due to more variables and unknown outcomes XD

MELANIE: "I-I think the issue is he matters a bit too much." MARTIN: "The point is you don’t have a responsibility to sacrifice yourself just to make everyone else’s lives a bit easier." JON: "I’ve already made them a hell of a lot harder!" Okay first, fuck you, Melanie, seriously! Second, their conversation here again feels so real. Martin thinks Jon's martyr complex is bullshit and that it's not his fault. I feel like Jon did a lot better during their pilgrimage, accepting that it was not his fault and that he was used. But now after what Annabelle told them I'd say he sees himself existing already as his fault.

MELANIE: "Hey! Georgie didn’t do anything!" GEORGIE: "No, Melanie, I, I didn’t." MELANIE: [Softly] "Yeah." GEORGIE: "And maybe I should have. I kept out of it, even when I got a pretty good idea of what was going on towards the end. But… I should have known better. Hiding never helps." It's cool that doing nothing is also presented as doing something. (On a lighthearted note, it's just like someone asking you "Hey, what's your plan for the weekend?" - "Doing nothing" - "Great, then you can join-" - "No, you don't understand. My plan is to do nothing!" XD)

GEORGIE: "For a while! But… we couldn’t actually do anything, could we? Couldn’t save anyone." BASIRA: "Okay, fine, blame for everyone. But the hard fact is, Jon’s the only one who can take over the Panopticon." Oh wait, isn't there a Communist Bugs Bunny meme with Basira??

GEORGIE: "Which brings us to our third option." JON: Which is?" GEORGIE: "Do nothing. We… adapt to the new world, and just wait for it to finally end." Of course Georgie comes up with that one xD But she's right. As I said, doing nothing also is doing something.

BASIRA: "Do we actually have the right to make this decision? The five of us? For the whole world, or for maybe infinite worlds we know nothing about?" GEORGIE: "No, of course we don’t. But we’re the ones here." Ahh, I love the dilemma.

GEORGIE: "And I doubt there’s anyone else out there who’s in a better position to decide." JON: "There isn’t." I mean, Jon wouldn't know, he can't see them. They could technically try to ask other watchers who don't like that they ended up as a tormentor.

MELANIE: "Right? It’s kind of shitty to bring them out just to ask them if they’re willing to sacrifice themselves for the greater good." There simply is no right way to do this.

MARTIN: "If it’s just a matter of guilt, then I’ll take it right now. I’d rather live the rest of my life lying awake wondering if I made the right choice, over lying awake listening to the screams of everyone on Earth being tortured!" JON: [Angry] "What? So it’s better for a thousand times more people to scream as long as we can’t hear them?" Very fair point of Jon. Also, most of the guilt would still be weighing on Jon, since he was the lynchpin to all this. I think it would totally fit his character to be high at risk of committing suicide in a scenario where they pass on the Fears and nobody knows he was the Archivist so nobody would come to take revenge on him.

MARTIN: "No! Because Annabelle said it wouldn’t be like that. Wherever they go, it’ll be like it was here before, with the Powers just lurking on the edges." MELANIE: "And our world survived like that for… for what, all of history?" MARTIN: "Mmmm." MELANIE: "Sure, it’s not great, but it’s, it’s not like those other realities won’t have bad stuff happening already. We all lived with monsters in the shadows, and we just got on with it." BASIRA: "Yeah, until we didn’t – until the ritual kicked off. What’s to stop the same thing happening in these other worlds?" MARTIN: "It, it took like millennia of failed rituals before this happened. That means there has to be a chance that it won’t happen at all, right?" Sooo many possibilities! It's such a shitty situation all over again!

MELANIE: "And if it does happen, it will be because of the actions of the people in those other dimensions, just like here it was because of –" JON: "Me." MELANIE: "Because of us." Ohhh, another Communist Bugs Bunny meme!! Also, if it does happen (another mass ritual working) it was only possible to happen at all because that world got the fears passed onto them. So it's not solemnly the fault of the people over there. Our crew would have given them the materials necessary for it.

MELANIE: "Exactly. Probably have their own Panopticon, their own Archivists." Oh yeah, what again are the stakes in The Magnus Protocol? TWO Panopticons and FOUR Eliases!!! xD

GEORGIE: "Well… Did Annabelle say for certain that this dimension is where they were, um, ‘born’, I guess?" JON: "No. No, the Eye can’t see its own creation, so… I don’t actually know how they came to be. Perhaps we can’t know." This does change things again. Annabelle said she doesn't know if they are unique to their world. But that there are definitely worlds without them to spread to. (Also, wait, isn't the MAG 200 statement exactly that?)

JON: "Sure, but even if that was true, it doesn’t change the situation." BASIRA: "Yes, it does. If it’s a choice between stopping the Fears completely – destroying them once and for all, here and now – or just being one universe they don’t escape, among potentially infinite ones where they do… Those are very different scenarios." Yeah exactly that, very well summarized.

JON: "We don’t know. And even if we hunted Annabelle down, and squeezed more information out of her, I don’t think she knows either. We simply don’t have that information, and we can’t just arbitrarily decide what’s true just because it makes the choice easier for us." Ahh yes. One of the themes in Magnus. Making decisions based on the information at hand at that point.

BASIRA: "No. No, I’m not just gonna stand here, and watch you try to justify murdering humanity." JON: [Angry] "How is it different from just letting it happen on its own?" BASIRA: [Forceful] "Because it is. It’s not an option. End of discussion." This and...

GEORGIE: "We’ve got to hope." JON: "Hope that our actions don’t destroy countless other worlds!" GEORGIE: "It’s better than the certainty that they’ll destroy this one!" [TENSE SILENCE] JON: "Sounds like you’ve all decided, then." ...this were breaking points. Especially not even counting Euthanasia as an option. It's Jon's life all over again. People deciding for him what to do. And the thing is, for the plan of passing on the Fears he doesn’t even have to do anything actively. All he need to do is watch them doing it. But doing nothing is also doing something...

GEORGIE: "Can I have a cigarette?" Noooooooooooo! This marks the point of no return. Just like MAG 1 already was the point of no return for them. And Jon once again takes the bait...

GEORGIE: "Then you won’t mind if I hang onto this?" JON: [Distracted] "Hmm." [FAINT STATIC RISES AND FALLS] Did Georgie know what the lighter means? Or that Jon can't keep track of it? We didn't hear how they explained the whole situation, so we don't know... And can this moment be seen as the one Jon finally sheds all the cobwebs off of him? Also I said last episode there's another lighter-moment for me, it's this one. Cause I missed this on my first listen!!! In MAG 200 I was just as surprised as Jon was when he looks for the lighter XD

GEORGIE: "I’m sorry. I know you hate what we’re doing." JON: "I hate all the options. I just… It’s all my fault, you know?" GEORGIE: "What, because you weren’t able to outsmart the literal embodiment of manipulation and scheming?" JON: "Mmm." GEORGIE: "We all make bad choices, Jon. It’s not your fault some eldritch horror decided yours were going to affect the whole world." For all the things Georgie did that made me not like her, I do like her for that one.

JON: "They were still my choices." GEORGIE: "Yeah. And you live with them. Or you don’t. That’s all there is, really." JON: "Hmm." I think that's another cog wheel for Jon to make his own decision.

MARTIN: "I’d understand if you hate me right now." JON: "What? No! No, Martin, I love you. I always will. And I know you love me too. I mean… [sighs] that’s it, isn’t it? That’s the real core of it. You want to save me." MARTIN: "I want you to save yourself." And that's the last puzzle piece for Jon to finally see the big picture. So to count them all again I personally would think its Jon learning his life was a set-up to this. The others dismissing his options. Georgie telling him all he can do is live with his choices or don't and finally this. Jon doesn't see sending off the Fears as saving himself. It's condemning himself. Again. Him saving himself would mean he can finally put a stop to this and save other people like him in return. Spare them the guilt.

JON: "Sometimes… I imagine if none of this had happened. If we had just… met. Been together, without… all of this." MARTIN: [Softly] "Me, too. … But we wouldn’t have, would we? Been together, I mean." JON: "Huh? W-What do you mean?" MARTIN: "Well, we had that, didn’t we? Almost a year of just working a normal job together, and you hated me." I don't think Jon meant this as them working in the Archives together. More like, him still in research, without the pressure of a job he's not qualified for, without a chaotic task of cleaning up after that one colleague who was about to retire and therefore didn't do their work anymore and without the feeling of The Eye pressing down on him. Just Jon meeting Martin in the library and getting to know him.

JON: "Oh god, Angela! Ha! She’s still about, you know? Lording it over a nasty little Flesh domain. Anyway, I didn’t explicitly say it. I… implied it." Face it, Jon, you're a prick xD

MARTIN: "Face it, Jon, it took almost two years of crisis and trauma to even make us compatible. And that sucks. But here we are. And I don’t want it to be for nothing. I won’t let it." JON: "That’s very sweet of you, Martin. Sort of. Thank you." I do see Martin's point of view and I think Jon sees it too. But I also think Jon thinks it will all be for nothing if he sends off the Fears. Also yeah, shared trauma can create a hell of a bond.

MARTIN: "Wherever you go, I go. That’s it." JON: "You promised to let me go. If I had to." MARTIN: "And you promised not to go if there was any other choice. And there is. So that’s the deal." JON: "That’s the deal." I wonder if it would have changed anything, if Martin left it at that. (Also "Wherever you go, I go" T__T)

MARTIN: "I guess that’s why it really bothers me, you know? I try, but I can’t actually imagine ever making a decision that I knew meant losing you. And it… It hurts to know you can." Oh no. If reminding Jon of his promise might have actually turned him around, than this here definitely sealed the deal on going with his own decision again. Martin basically admits here, that he wouldn't have held up his end of the bargain. This makes it sound like Martin is relieved he doesn't have to break his promise cause he definitely would have anyway. I think this is so crucial to what Jon ends up doing.

JON: "I did this. It’s my fault. And I don’t want… I can’t let anyone else feel that. That helpless, enormous guilt. Ever." [JON SNIFFS AS IF TEARING UP] MARTIN: "Hey. Hey, hey, hey, hey, come here, come here." [FABRIC RUSTLES, WITH SNIFFS FROM JON] Oh fuck that wrecked me. Still does. In general, these "hey, hey, hey, hey, hey"s get me, I don't know why. It was the same in MAG 102, when Jon does it when Martin begins spiraling into his guilt over not even knowing Jon was kidnapped.

MELANIE: "We were scouting. I was showing Basira where we think the gas mainline is." MARTIN: "And?" BASIRA: "Not good. You know those eye things?" JON: "The old Archivists?" BASIRA: "Yeah. I think they know something’s up. The place is crawling with them. It’s like they’re looking for something." I mean yeah, it's world-building, but also a bit of a loose end, since we never hear their struggle to get to the gas main. I think Jonny mentioned in one of the Q&As/Retrospectives that he thought about squishing in a scene of that somewhere in MAG 200 but he couldn't find a fitting place for it. And I think he's right. I don't think it fits anywhere before Jon realizes the lighter is gone and then an explosion immediately hits, it would kind of devalued this moment. And after that there's already too much going on, breaking off Jon and Martin at that point would destroy the atmosphere. But it's fine, there's a lot in TMA that was implied which we never actually hear first hand. It does give MAG 200 a bit of a suspense, like are they actually able to light up the gas main.

MELANIE: "Jon, you’re sure about this whole gas main thing? It just seems, I don’t know, really mundane." JON: "It’s what Annabelle said, and she wasn’t lying. At least, she didn’t think she was." It's also what Gertrude was planning on doing and she had lots of experience about blowing stuff up.

MARTIN: "You’re not listening. I mean, if he kills Jonah, then knowing our luck he’s just going to end up taking his place in the Panopticon, isn’t he?" Hmm, there's quite some dream logic involved. Cause in MAG 193 Jon said "The Eye would choose a suitable replacement" and "If we kill Jonah Magnus, I take his place". It is never specified if different persons killing Jonah have different outcomes. But I guess you could argue that if Jon himself does it, he's more connected to he whole thing going on and the Eye would be much quicker to put him into place. With someone else doing it (whom the Eye does not see fit to become the Pupil) it probably takes a few moments to connect to the Archivist.

MARTIN: "He can come up with me, but when it actually comes to Jonah…" It wooould make more sense for Jon to hide in the tunnels, cause the Eye can't properly see this place. It would probably take a looooot longer to get to Jon, which is easier for them to time their operations. Buuut, if Jon had to stay in the tunnels, we would immediately know Jon went up to Jonah alone, and so we still have a few seconds benefit of the doubt.

BASIRA: "I just mean… um… If we don’t make it out of this… I wanted to say thanks. For coming back for me. [sighs] What I did… Who I was… I – Thanks." JON: "I’m sorry for all of this." Aw, same thought as with Georgie earlier.

BASIRA: "We’ve all got regrets. But we can’t undo what’s done. All we can do is try and do something worthwhile with the time we’ve got left." [HEAVY SIGH FROM JON] JON: "Yeah." Oh no, that "Yeah" didn't sound good...

@a-mag-a-day

Is there ever a visit from the hermits to the DSMP

Cause firstly, why only one side gets to visit the other's server and take a tour? And secondly, I'm pretty sure at least some of the hermits want to actually see with their own eyes wth is happening at the DSMP.

Or would Tubbo just deny the whole idea if it was ever presented, cause he doesn't want to lose one of, if not the only, chance that he has of an alliance?

- Life's anon

Tubbo thinks himself a bit stupid when he's blindsided by the request to visit the Dream SMP. In hindsight, it's obvious; he's come to visit them in honor of the alliance, it's only natural they'd want to return the favor and see what exactly they're getting themselves into. Especially with the things he's accidentally let slip - but in his defense, there was no way he'd have known that it was weird on HC to completely destroy someone's base for a joke. But whatever.

He'll just have to figure it out, because Tubbo can't think of anything more suspicious than denying them a visit. What excuse could he even use? "Sorry, our server is in the midst of extreme political turmoil and it's really stressing me out, you know how it is, do you think the visit could wait"? Or maybe, "there's a serious concern someone might harm you guys and I'm a bit afraid you'll be unprepared to deal with that"? Fuck no.

He does ask them to wait though, making up some bullshit about bureaucratic red tape, enough to buy him a week to prepare. It's spent trying and failing to get members of his cabinet to help him fill in creeper holes and tidy the pathways which is annoying because this whole alliance was pushed on him by them to begin with - least they could do is help make it work. He learns he's a lot better at landscaping than he thought though (this is not saying a lot).

It's not nearly enough to hide the scars the land bears but it's a start, at least. It's not like they'll want a whole server tour, right? Just a breeze through, see the town and stuff. Maybe the mess will be good, earn them sympathy or something. He can't even convince himself that that's a good angle.

Four Hermits are to visit: Scar and Bdubs, for diplomatic reasons, and Iskall and Grian, who just kind of wanted to. Tubbo is thankful they're at least people he's familiar with, but it's a double edged sword. He likes these people and bringing them to the Dream SMP is like having your best friend come over while the floor of your room isn't visible, but even worse. Everyone forgets to do laundry, not everyone has a fucking crater where their original country was.

They arrive. Tubbo picks at his hands the whole time, leading them around the route he'd laid out beforehand which he'd taken special care to make presentable. (Which really just meant planting flowers and hoping that would distract from how ugly everything felt in comparison to the Hermit's home server.)

Iskall makes a real effort to compliment things as genuinely as possible, pointing out buildings he thought were nice or plant beds that were particularly well cared for. His actions had the desired affect of easing Tubbo's visible anxiety slightly.

Bdubs whispers to Scar all his Building Hot Takes, often just a little too loud to be confidential. When it's obvious Tubbo's overheard he shouts out a compliment to whatever is in his field of vision, often pointing out something that nobody in their right mind would think is worthy of a compliment that loud. It's an effort!

Scar does his best to nod along and occasionally ask Normal Politician Questions. This eventually devolves into just trying to give compliments and asking about their building techniques in a way that probably sounds condescending but is a genuine attempt to meaningfully engage. He does compliment Tubbo's landscaping attempt though, a win in Tubbo's book. Scar offers to give him a few tips.

Grian is uncharacteristically quiet, just kind of taking it all in. He occasionally chimes in with a question or two.

It's impossible to avoid the crater, though. Tubbo expects it to be the breaking point, the thing that shifts the entire tone of the alliance if not shattering it completely but to his surprise Iskall comments that it's impressive, how after such complete destruction they managed to rebuild. The others concur. Tubbo makes an active effort to ignore any looks the Hermits share amongst themselves while they continue because that's good enough. He just wants it to be done.

The Hermits are shocked but also a bit impressed. The Dream SMP is nothing like the organized chaos of Hermitcraft but it has its own charm, in a way. The people they meet along the way are kind. They enjoy the sights, the few there are. It's clear Tubbo put in effort. The Hermits leave more resolute to contribute to the DSMP's success than before.

Anonymous 𝖜𝖍𝖎𝖘𝖕𝖊𝖗𝖊𝖉 ; Do you think Dabi will live or die?

Honestly,  anon,  I'm  super  bias  about  it, so I might be totally wrong  but  I  think  (hope)  he  will  live  and  I  think  the  fact  he  hasn't  died  yet  is  a  good  sign. When  I  really  think  about  it  there  is  actually  no  reason  why  Dabi  should  die.  Taking  aside  the  stupid  missing-the-point  moral  posturing,  the  other  "logic"  I've  seen  for  why  he  should  die  has  already  been  invalidated  by  the  canon.  As  a  child  Dabi  was  cremated  to  such an  extent  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  not  only  live  through  it  but  to  actually  have  his  body  reconstructed,  and  yet  thats  what  happened.  Thats  as  far  as  real  world  logic  goes.  But  the  logic  of  MHA  being  set  like  150+  years  in  the  future  and  the  presence  of  supernatural  powers  negates  this. On  top  of  this  we  have  the  heavy  themes  and  tropes  present  in  Dabi's  character  which,  imo,  are  important  to  Dabi  "living"  through  both  of  his  self  immolations.  He  is  based  heavily  on  the  idea  of  the  Revenant  Zombie  and  the Onryo,  which  I  talked  about  in  this  post,  along  with  the  fact  he  parallels  Frankenstein's  Monster. 

So  in  a  way  I  think  its  very  much  suggested  Dabi  is  and  perhaps  always  has  been  some  type  of  pesky  undead.  This  isn't  way  out  with  the  presence  of  the  Nomu,  given  undead  bioweapons  are  exactly  what  the  Nomu  are  so  if  the  MHA  world  can  have  that,  theres  no  reason  it  can't  have  a  functioning  Revenant.  It  kinda  just  makes  Dabi  a  kind  of  proto-nomu.  Garaki  does  say  that  while  he  was  able  to  reconstruct  most  of  Dabi's  body  ( We  can  only  thank  whatever  medical  advancements  humanity  has  made  in  the  last  150  years  for  how/why  he  was  able  to  do  this )  he  ultimately  failed  and  Dabi  was  dead  but  he  somehow  "came  back  to  life"  and  that  it  was  obvious  it  was  Dabi's  burning  grudge  that  brought  him  back  and  has  kept  him  alive.  

So  we  have  that.  Which  means  I  can't  see  why  Dabi  couldn't  live  through  this.  So  far  he  has,  so  far  he's  still  alive.  The  last  time  we  saw  the  Todoroki's  Enji  and  Natuso  were  using  their  bodies  as  shields  to  protect  Dabi  from  further  harm  when  the  Twice  Clone  Army  were  closing  in.  This  suggests  Dabi's  still  alive.  And  if  Dabi's  body  could  be  restored  after  his  first  burning  why  couldn't  it  be  restored  now ? Theres  nothing  saying  it  couldn't  so  overall  theres  nothing  really  saying  Dabi  should  or  has  to  die  and  that  he  can't  come  back  from  his  current  condition. 

My  only  concern  is  that  the  tropes  of the  Revenant  and  the  Onryo  often  see  them  finally  "dying" or "moving on"  to the afterlife once  they've  settled  their  grudge /  did  whatever  they  had  to  do  to  find  peace. Thats  when  the  spirit  finally  moves  on  in  most  portrayals  of  them  in  popular  media.  This  could  be  Dabi's  case  too  but  I  don't  know  that  Hori  intends  to  throw  it  that  way.  I  think  he's  planning  to  invert  the  ending  of  Frankenstein  and  rather  have  the  monster  and  creator  heal  from  the  suffering  they've  inflicted  on  each  other and have neither die in the process  because  I  really  think  its  Hori's  intention  to  "save"  the  LoV .  (  Not  just  Dabi  but  all  of  them  and  current  canon  is  looking  real  good  for  this,  and  NO,  I  don't  believe  Himiko  is  dead  or  going  to  die  either.  The  way  Hori  set  her  story  and her  "redemption"  up  would  turn  her  dying  into  a  really  ugly  cliche  and  so  far  I  have  faith  in  him  to  avert  that  too. )   

Its  a  way  more  compelling  and  satisfying  story  than  "Villains  bad,  they  all  must  die  cause  villains  bad"  cause  thats  really  not  what  the  stories  about.  I  feel  like  if  they  were  going  to  die  we  would  have  obvious  and  explicit  confirmation  that  they're  dead  already  as  was  the  case  with  AFO.  The  stark  difference  in  the  climax  of  AFO's  battle  and  the  way  we  had  his  story  and  motives  shown  to  us,  showing  us  that  he  was  rather  NOT  a  very  sympathetic  character  and  was  more  or  less  born  a  monster,  and  the  way  he  was  finished  is  another  good  sign  that  Hori  doesn't  intend  to  just  kill  off  Dabi,  Himiko,  Tomura  and  I  hope  not  Spinner  either. Surely  if  he  did  it  would  have  happened  already. 

some fans really are unbelievable. when faced with the suggestion if you don’t like dunes you should just mute and leave them alone and the response is

“what if i like hating?” and “if you don’t like dune hate you should take your own advice and just block those accounts if you don’t like the content”

the joy these fans take in bullying blinds them to the effect that their words have on other people. they only care about how good harassing others makes them feel and do not care about the mental health/self esteem impacts on their targets - people they do not know but also claimed to love at some point. people with known mental health problems, self esteem issues and addictions some active some not. people are calling you out because you are causing others harm and you sadistic qualities should not be tolerated.

and for the “just block the haters if you don’t want to hear” it is more than not engaging with material you don’t like, this is more then just a difference of opinions and only consuming the content you enjoy. these dune haters are going out of their way to sabotage the dune’s career. vocal hate online on all forums and in person, remember the booing at that show? spreading damaging lies about the dunes, recruiting more people to hate them. wanting them to fail, and gloating at any perceived failure. this is not something we can just pretend is harmless and it’s just mcr fans having fun at the dunes expense.

and clearly they know “being a hater” has a negative effect because they get real defensive when they are called out for their behaviour. not so fun when you are on the other side of it.

it blows my mind that these fans think that it’s okay to bully dunes because mcr would somehow be okay with it? as if frank would just forget as soon as he is working with mcr. that the other members will look at their friends being bullied by their so called fans and be okay with it. that they wouldn’t believe that one day they will be at the receiving end themselves - they know they aren’t perfect and make mistakes, while knowing that fans can be weaponized against them with lies and manipulation, it feels inevitable for them if they choose to continue on. so these anti dunes fans are actually sabotaging the thing they claim to love the most. gerard especially is sensitive to fan criticism, it’s why he does not use his public accounts and disappeared for a time and needed so much help and encouragement to get back on the stage with mcr. as much as i hated the swarm motif him and his wife created, damn times like this i get it.

and i find it astonishing that some of the fans doing this not only have been around for so long, but are known beyond a username. at the dunes concert it was weird to recognize people from their ‘face reveal’ selfies and other personal information they shared online. to the point i know a lot of them travelled to see dunes. some posted selfies with frank and the band after the shows. and made gushing posts about them. and now they are revealing they never actually liked them and they were hoping to placate frank so mcr would continue on. and mcr and dune members see more online then they let on. if i recognized some of these people, i’m sure they are well aware of who these people are. and they know and will remember this behaviour. they will be civil, but let’s be real. but if i was them, i would not like these fans very much. at all. they have no idea just how much they are embarrassing themselves.

          𝐒𝐔𝐊𝐔𝐍𝐀❟ 𝐉𝐔𝐒𝐓 𝐒𝐔𝐊𝐔𝐍𝐀 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐍𝐒 :

Sukuna has very many redeeming qualities mired in shades of confidence, pride, and violence. You realize that he’s silly, that he takes himself seriously and doesn’t at the same time. The same mouth that claimed someone can’t do a thing to him, praises that same person in the next breath. The weak show him what they are made of and he sees; his mouth opens to give them the truth. always the truth.

Telling someone the truth of their ability, tenacity, and power does not diminish his own nor does it harm his pride ANY.

Sukuna has very many redeeming qualities to the point that someone is endeared to him, and then, you see him unhinge his jaw to swallow a fucking mother ... and her child later on. do not think desirable qualities are synonymous with the good aligned. or that heroes cannot be truly terrible people. They can, and often are.

Hercules is the best fit for this analogy. both the gods and humans hated Hercules to the point that the gods begged Zeus to punish him severely. every last one of them. and that is not often expanded upon much, because how could someone do good deeds and be a trashcan person at the same damn time? very easily.

Sukuna is like this in reverse and it’s supposed to be this way. It is good that he is this way. Why? because one-dimensional characters begat one-dimensional feelings along with them. He’s cartoonishly evil almost, it’s true. the more we’re privy to the more it makes sense why he’s so dramatic and more than makes sense why the sound of this dramatic bitch’s name is enough to make people LOSE THEIR SHIT — enough so that people make the STUPIDEST decisions in concern to him.

We see him get folded by Go-joe so easily to show how drastic one finger is to having just ONE more to boost his power. I’ve seen quite a few people take this to mean he should be wrote off completely. I can GUARENTEE you this was on purpose. Sukuna passively gains cursed energy. he BREATHES and the next moment gains more strength. and these comparisons people make to his fingers ( even Gege himself out of a need to misdirect people ) and another character’s strength are to the Sukuna from a thousand years ago. I BET YOU. it’s hard for a character that is in pieces to be measured accurately, especially one that grows stronger without even needing to do much. hence why this odyssey to get his fingers to make it an actual effort; growth.

when I took Sukuna I said to myself, violence for the sake of it is empty fun. anyone can roleplay someone without a heart, because people wish they could leave theirs at the door and be terrible. but villains who are more decent than some of the heroes and do deplorable things are top tier. It’s my jam. My entire love.

You’ll never see me excuse Sukuna, but you can bet he’ll do something so sweet in one moment, be sassy the next, and follow it up by suplexing jesus on the cross while small children are barbequed because he is morally wrong. and he is only wrong, because he does whatever he wants. he destroys whatever he feels like. he eats people.

and yet, I endeavor to keep Sukuna reachable. he is uniquely able to be weak and strong at the same time. it does not diminish his character to be silly, to have him fail, to watch him get folded. He is someone that loves to fight, first and foremost. he will never take a loss seriously as he is because he is not HIMSELF right now. it is prime real estate to just be somewhere between absolute domination and ‘ i’d fight GODS, and even if I lost, bitch, i’m not afraid and do it againn cause i can ’. 

It's the anon from a few days ago that wrote about feeling lonely and forgotten. I just, I don't know, I want to say you are right. I know that I am the one causing this. But it is so hard to actually open up to people when all I have ever learned is that I am the problem. When I first opened up to my dad about my mental illness he actually said "How dare you to emotionally blackmail me with this". Then he went and told someone from the family about this, but I have never been asked about it. I also never told anyone about my self harming history but learned that they know from a worker at the youth welfare office (I google translated this so no idea if it means what I want to say). My mom told them this to make my dad look bad. Never once she asked me about it, or anyone else for that matter. My best friend who was the only person who I actually talked to about stuff like this, actually doesn't speak to me anymore, because they like you said that this is my fault. I really want to change, but I am so afraid of rejection.

first off, love, it's not your fault. I never wanted to say that, but I can understand why it might've come across that way and I apologise. I never wanted to put any blame about this on you, because it's not that you're doing anything wrong - you're doing what most humans in your situation do. I probably should've mentioned this in the previous ask, but I used to do the exact same thing myself. and I never realized the walls I was holding up were there until I learned to let them down, and I have since looked back and realized that during those years when I felt incredibly alone, I did in fact have people around me, I just didn't let them in. my intention was not to point fingers and make you feel guilty about where you are, because your situation is super common and what you're doing makes perfect sense. you're protecting yourself, I understand, and that's not wrong. but the ways in which we protect ourselves from getting hurt are rarely if ever easily split in right and wrong ways, because all of them have pros and cons and some are easier than other or fit our personal situation better. I just wanted to make sure you're seeing both sides of it so you can decide for yourself if this is how you want to go forward.

secondly, I'm so sorry your family has let you down like that and refused to listen to you or help you. you deserve a lot better, and you deserve to find people who care about you. and I know how terrifying that is, but that's the shitty part of life - you don't know who would be there for you until you trust them enough to give them a chance. and yeah, there's a chance someone will be hurtful about it. unfortunately it does happen. but the good people you can find who can actually make you feel like someone cares about you are worth it. in the end they will matter more and they will outweight the bad.

you have a valid reason to feel like you need to protect yourself when the people closest to you have failed you that badly. but that protective shield has it's down side too. you haven't done anything wrong - it's not that black and white. there is no right or wrong way to deal with these things, and I certainly am not the person to tell you how you should handle your life. your situation is much more complicated than the limited context I have, and out of everything I say I hope you're able to weed out anything that doesn't make sense or actually apply because of something I'm not aware of. you make your own decisions and I'm not trying to point fingers and pick out faults in any of them, I don't know your life and that is not my place. I can only offer a different point of view that may or may not help you.

and regardless of any of this, your feelings of loneliness are just as valid. where they stem from doesn't change the fact that they're real and hurtful, and I'm really sorry you have to deal with them. I hope you find a way to connect with people, even if it's scary. 🖤