#the concept is so fascinating to me i've used it so many times in my fics lol | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

cryptocism · 3 months

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Since I think about clones like I’m getting paid for it, I've been rotating those alternate universe "what if Bart and Thad were actually raised together" scenarios in my brain, with Thad either post-redemption-arc or pre-villainy. Because adjusting Thad's character to fit an ally role while still keeping true to his core motives and personality is so so fascinating to me.

Like I think there's an immediate first instinct to slot Thad into a "bad" twin category: ie rebellious and prickly, doesn't get along with people, mean lil shit. And obviously it's not wrong bc we're outside the realm of canon, but the reading still feels a little left of center.

Because Thad is mean and prickly in canon. In the Impulse comics he belittles Bart and Bart’s friends/family constantly in his appearances. He loves to goad, and monologue about his own superiority and intelligence. He’s very Not Nice, and he causes many problems, and he even does it on purpose.

But, I think it’s important to consider the context. From the jump Thad knows very little about anything except which team he’s on and who he’s playing for. He gets his orders from an unseen authority and he carries out his tasks because success means his team wins.

For all his self-aggrandizing talk, everything he does is in service of an end goal that doesn't actually center him. He's trying to get revenge for grievances he's never personally suffered, retribution for actions never committed against him. Everything he does is on someone else's behalf.

Thad sees in black and white, us or them. Up until the final few issues of Mercury Falling, Bart and co. are Thad's enemies, of course he's not going to be nice.

So Thad's motivation seems pretty simple: Thawne Supremacy™.

But it’s in Mercury Falling where this starts to fall apart, and the real core of his motivation gets revealed. Thad pretends to be Bart and suddenly Helen is nice to him. Bart’s friends think he’s funny. Bart’s teachers are impressed with his grades. Max ruffles his hair and gives him hugs and tells him he’s done a good job.

If he was actually an inherently mean and standoffish character, if Thad actually had significant personal stake in the Thawne VS Allen conflict, the weight of such tiny acts of kindness wouldn’t completely break him the way that it does in canon.

Thad thinks his goal is superiority and revenge and Thawne Supremacy™, but he's chasing validation. Thad doesn’t have a personal stake in the Thawne VS Allen conflict. He wouldn't get much satisfaction if he actually destroyed Bart and his family. Thad's personal victory would be the recognition after the fact: the praise and attention from the other Thawnes (a group of people he has literally never met) for his success.

He wants validation. That's basically it. And the fact that he gets it so easily from Bart's family and friends doesn't align with how he's told himself things are supposed to work.

Actually tangentially, Bart and Thad’s respective relationships to authority is so diametrically opposed and tbh kind of subversive in a superhero narrative. Where the hero is the one carving his own path without regard to social or societal rules, no fucks to give what anybody thinks of it. And the villain is a chronic people-pleaser.

Just based on Thad’s reaction to simple praise and affection from Max I really think Thad’s motivation has more to do with the response he gets than whatever the details are of any given task. He has no actual personal convictions beyond getting positive attention, and whatever he did have crumbled as soon as Bart’s friends laughed at his joke one time. Which of course leads into the core of his whole conflict at the end of Mercury Falling. He cares too much about Bart’s friends and family now, he doesn’t want to kill them, but worse than that, he’s faced with the sudden realization that he’s on the wrong side.

The Allens gave Thad everything he actually wanted and needed, but his conception of himself is inexorably tied to the Thawnes: who gave him jack shit. These two facts are in opposition to each other, and he can’t reconcile the reality of it.

Anyway all this to say, in an AU where Bart and Thad are raised together or Thad gets an actual redemption arc etc etc, I think my personal take on Thad’s personality whether it be pre-or-post-villainy would be one that is extremely socially conscious. He is much more of a people-person than Bart. Whether he's actually accurate in assessing people's feelings and how to respond to them can be hit or miss, but he wants to behave in a way that gets people to like him.

Pretending to be Bart isn’t remarked upon as, like, a difficult task for Thad. In his internal monologue he’s literally bragging to himself about how easy it is. But what’s especially notable to me is where his act differs from Bart's typical MO. Everyone notices, and lots of people comment, and presumably if Thad didn’t have the excuse of Max’s illness to “motivate” Bart to do better he would’ve been found out immediately. And those things are, specifically: paying attention in class, doing his chores, staying on task, and being helpful around the house. The one thing about Bart he chooses not to emulate is Bart’s rebelliousness.

Thad wants to prove himself, constantly, to whatever authority he respects (probably Max in this scenario) and will do whatever it takes to make that happen. In contrast to Bart, who only listens to authority when the shit they're saying actually makes sense to him. It’s excessively difficult to convince him to go against his own interests. (And I think a key part of that is Bart’s security in knowing that no matter how much he fucks up or doesn’t listen, the people he loves will always love him back.)

Thad’s got the people-pleaser in him that has to deserve whatever he’s given. It’s why he’s happiest when he’s given a clear goal or objective to complete, because it gives him an opening to prove himself.

All this to say that if we are quantifying Bart and Thad as a "good" or "bad" twin, in the eyes of every authority: Bart is the bad twin. Bart is the bad twin, Bart is the bad twin. Bart is the one who doesn’t care about school and whose grades vary wildly depending on his personal interest. He’s the one who goes off to do dangerous shit for fun and gets in trouble constantly and doesn’t do his chores and is thoroughly unconvinced by any authority figure trying to sell him bullshit.

Thad is the one who needs to know all the rules just so he can experience the joy of following them. Relentlessly obedient. He'll put all his effort into doing all the right things that’ll endear him to whoever he wants to impress - meaning he’s the asshole who reminds the teacher about the assigned homework. Bart might be the most popular boy in school, but Thad is a pleasure to have in class.

Like Thad can (and should) still be high-strung and short-tempered and sarcastic and edgy and mean, because he is. But he can’t be doing all that without rhyme or reason. Colouring every interaction has to be that one-zero binary of ally or enemy. He needs to have somebody he’s proving himself to: a team he’s on and a team he’s against. He’s not an inherently rebellious character. He can go up against The Enemy, whoever he deems as such, but it has to be in service of a hypothetical future in which somebody eventually tells him he did a great job.

And in the interest of continuing to beat a dead horse, it connects to their respective upbringings. Thad and Bart were both raised in VR, but Bart’s experience had the side effect of basically hard-wiring him against insecurity. His world was a playground tailor-made for him, and he was never made to feel bad or insufficient about any aspect of himself. His first interaction with a real human person was Iris moving heaven and earth to save him, without him knowing her, without her knowing him, with no reasoning for the act needed beyond Being Her Grandson. Which is probably a significant factor in why Bart moves through the world with frankly atomic levels of autistic swag.

Thad’s VR upbringing installed self-consciousness in his psyche before any other personality trait. As in: he is immediately made conscious of himself and his relationship with everyone he will ever encounter. He’s told two things: he’s a clone of someone else (inherently derivative, lesser) and that he was made to be superior (a status to achieve). Which is such an instant clarifier for Thad’s everything. Where superiority is a condition that everyone either has, or does not. It’s the one-zero binary again: are they better than me or am I better than them. Being above others is mandatory, and if his superiority is ever challenged by hard evidence or god forbid nuance Thad’s brain physically cannot take it. He needs to be better, to be worse is unthinkable, and there is no other way to be.

And this status of better or worse is, crucially, not up to Thad to decide. He needs The Authority to validate him. Bart never tries to prove himself because he has nothing to prove. Thad’s entire identity hinges on the self-worth he gets from doing a Good Job.

It is such an inherent part of his motives in the Impulse comics canon, which is why it always feels a little off when he’s interpreted as a jackass indiscriminately.

Like I don't think he needs everyone to like him. But I do think he has either one person or a set of very particular people that he needs to like him. Everyone else is either in that circle or outside of it.

(Which is why Bart is such a great foil for Thad tbh. There is no set of words or behaviors that’ll change Bart’s opinion of Thad, because Bart is unaffected by obedience or charm. So ironically Bart is probably one of few people that Thad doesn’t bother to put on even a little bit of an act for.)

While Bart goes with his instincts, his personal beliefs and convictions at all times, Thad is hyper-conscious of big-picture goals. They balance each other out that way. Thad's keeping track of whatever expectations he has placed on him, and how his actions reflect on him and the team beyond short-sighted solutions. He's a team player. AND he's an asshole.

#soapbox #dc #thad thawne #thaddeus thawne #inertia #bart allen #impulse #like he cannot be mean indiscriminately... u must interrogate WHY hes mean and to whom #if hes being raised with Max and Helen he would not intentionally do anything to make their lives more difficult #if hes being raised by Meloni same situation #he needs to be trying to get validation from SOMEWHERE u know #and of course he'll mess up and hurt the people he loves or wants to impress he is a human being #but while that can sometimes be the result #that is never the Goal u kno #not his Core Motivation #i feel like the more i talk about this the less sense im making

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thewarmblanket · 3 months

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My thoughts on tsalnu

"Tsalnu" is a baby pod in which, as stated in early draft of Avatar the Way of Water script, na'vi women give birth to their babies. It described as "a beautiful translucent chrysalis" and kind of works as an amniotic sac outside of the womb, connected to the mother through tsaheylu. We don't actually have any details on how it works and looks like since the existence of tsalnu hasn't yet been confirmed canon.

A lot of fans was not fascinated by this concept and wished that na'vi would be giving birth "normally" like humans. In this topic I'm a minority, because I think tsalnu is kind of cool. And before I tell you why, I think... they still need to work on this concept because it's still a little weird and maybe if it looked more pretty then more people would like it? (Well, they liked pinkish worm-like wiggly tendrils in kuru so why wouldn't they? Ke tslolam) And now let's get to the point!

Why I think it's cool?

I'm surprised I never saw anyone stating that, but it's actually pretty cool and useful evolutional mechanism. Yeah it maybe looks weird, but I'm just reminding you that na'vi are alien species that had their own evolutional journey and wasn't created by anyone artificially and they are too part or the Pandoran alien ecosystem. So why is it cool? You know how human women needed to grow their pelvic bone wider, so that our giant big brain babies could be born? And it's still freaking painful to give birth? And if it wasn't for our science and medicine women would massively die from bleeding out and all this stuff? Well, na'vi do not have this problem, they have chrysalis.

Chrysalis allows to give birth to a much smaller baby that will come out more easily, which is a lot safer for the mother. And then she can keep nourishing her baby just fine outside of the womb until it's strong enough. Just like a kangaroo 🦘. And when baby is hatching out of it's tsalnu it's already big and strong enough to hold it's own head. Human newborns require constant attention and care from it's parents and are a lot more vulnerable at this period of time. When na'vi babies are out of their tsalnu parents can carry them around in a sling while doing their chores, fishing or gathering fruits and not worry about anything.

Just my ramblings

I've been thinking a lot on how female na'vi reproductive system works and this just bother me so much. They are non-placental, so... maybe tsalnu is a something like an egg? Egg AND amniotic sac at the same time. Somehow. Gosh I need this natgeo documentary to come out as fast as it can I have so many questions 😫😫😫

Like, is it that only mother can nourish baby in tsalnu? Or anyone can? Everyone has kuru... If only mother can, I suppose that na'vi can give birth only to one child at the time since they only have one kuru, or, if anyone can, then we can't have an exact number.. But I'd say two at max, so that both parents would be carrying tsalnu around.

I still have a lot of ideas on na'vi birth, like how it works for other animals and how they developed their own ways of taking care of tsalnu, make illustrations of how tsalnu looks like in everyday na'vi life, mating and breeding cycles, this is so interesting!!! I wanna ask my friend that is studying at med university how she thinks it all works I feel so nerdy fuck oof *catching my breath*

@annestea 👋👋

#I hope that you'll get what I was trying to say #avatar #avatar the way of water #avatar frontiers of pandora #afop #Atwow #avatar analysis #Ask me about avatar series

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eldritch-spouse · 3 months

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HI AGAIN. Ever since I found your blog and also sent a totally normal ramble abt cannibalism I've been just. Gently tossing your guys back and forth in my head. You're a wonderful writer and I'm always excited to see you on my dash!!

Gonna throw my hat in as asking an actual question- How would your guys fare if their obsession had a particularly weird or morbid interest? I get the vibes that some of them would most certainly encourage it but I also feel like Vinnel would hit me with a hammer if I panic infodumped about ebola-

[Hellow, glad to see you again! Also, I know you probably just forgot, but "your guys" encompasses way too many characters to talk about at once, so I'll assume you were going for TCE staff.]

Morell especially likes hearing about your cannibalism infodumps. They're actually useful to him, since he's going to be living with you, and he needs to know what he can and can't feed you, as well as a possible child between you. It's actually interesting stuff, he'd like it if you talked about it to his family too, you're a smart piggy. Any other topics are usually met with less enthusiasm (unless kitchen/food related), and he'll ask you to quit it if you start talking too much about mushrooms. Overall, it's nice background noise to work to.

Patches is all about infodumping. In fact, you're subjected to it often too, even if he doesn't always stop to explain basic concepts you'd need to understand his rambling. He'll give you a recorder he has, so he can keep the sound of that boundless enthusiasm in your voice forever. He's much more participative than the others, asking various questions and tossing random scenarios at you that'll prompt you to learn even more. There's a potential he'll get distracted and stop working to just research this with you the whole day.

Gallon loves a weirdo -No offense- Feel free to dump all that morbidity on him, he soaks it up like a sponge (so does Martin, be careful). Although he prefers to let you speak unhindered, only egging you on when it seems you're getting passionately angry about things, there's a chance Gallon may begin his own little tidbit sharing regarding a variety of poisons and toxins. He's selective with what he lets slip, but figures it could interest you.

Santi likes listening to you. Doesn't matter what it's about. There's only one thing he doesn't want you to morbidly talk to him about, anything featuring kids. Other than that, you think a rant about the intricacies of cannibalism's effects will kill his mood? Hah, nice try. He usually doesn't have anything smart to say, but may actually pitch in with some first hand details if you mention something sexual and morbid.

Let's face it, this is going in one of Grimbly's eardrums and out the other. Unless, you can talk like you're in a true crime podcast, then he's all ears. Grimbly typically responds to these interests by bragging to others about how his Mommy's "so smart" and "cultured" and he learns so much with you! You should start a YouTube channel!

Nebul likes to hear what you think is morbid. He'll let you ramble when you've been good enough to earn his attention, or if it allows you to keep obeying him. He has his own morbidities to share with you, as a wraith who has seen the darkest parts of many a mind. Surely, you of all people would be fascinated to know how the brain reacts to very invasive types of trauma only some monsters can inflict...

Vinnel will use this to his advantage during shows. You're placed in dangerous games where the whole goal is for you to explain said morbid concepts to the audience while Vinnel or Jingles try to destabilize you so you'll fall into painful contraptions or get cut/bruised/undressed. Sometimes Vinnel pays attention to your infodumps, other times he openly doesn't, it's a coin toss.

Belo sincerely discourages you from seeking such dark information in your brain. A lesser's mind is like a canvas, and it shouldn't be furnished with such desolate knowledge... If your morbid interests somehow can shine a glimmer of positivity or utility, the angel will be a little more inclined to letting you keep pursuing these topics. Otherwise, Belo actively attempts to distract you.

Sybastian doesn't understand about 80% of what you're about to tell him, but he has all the time in the world to sit and listen to his favorite person spit words. He's not verbally communicative during these episodes, but he may clap depending on how impressive the information is, and he remembers things you say enough to sometimes present you with paraphernalia vaguely related to the topics of your morbid interests.

Fank-e is a good bet because he can add onto your information in real time, or correct small detail you may get them wrong. He's generally happy to give you links to more information sources and try to match your level of knowledge, uncaring of how dark the subject theme may be.

If there's one thing you can infodump to Krulu about, it would be diseases. Plagues and ailments of several types are his specialty, the chances of him imparting bits of knowledge you absolutely should not possess on this matter are high. Another thing you may infodump to him about is corvids. It gets him in very favorable moods, surprisingly.

#Morell oc #Gallon oc #Belo oc #Patches oc #Nebul oc #Sybastian oc #Vinnel oc #Santi oc #Grimbly oc #Fank-e oc #Krulu oc #hi-im-lugh

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circeyoru · 2 months

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This isn't necesarely a request, but I just feel the need to say this: I lietarly LOVE your work! Overlord Colector being one of my new absolut favorites! But I swear, everythig you write, I just eat up😭

U defenetly deserve all the praise and love! The way you dance with words just fascinates me so much!!! HDUDJJDHDJ, I DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW TO PUT IT IN WORDS PROPALY SO IMMA JUST JDHDISHKDHDKDVDJWGKDHDJDHDHHDZKBWUDGZHEGXHGS

Just quick question tough. It may be the fact that maybe I didn't pay atention, but in Overlord Colector, what are the Cages? Are they literal bird cages or what? You mentioned they had tallons with angelic steal and all that, so can you give us a better description (and by us I mean me, cuz I'm dumb, aparently)

I hope you have an AMAZEING day/night and I'm sorry if I misspelled words😭💗

Spoilers to those that didn't read this series yet, so I suggest you go to my MASTERLIST to read {Collection of Overlords} first. Or not, your reading experience, not mine

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!! Thank you for your words!!! (my poor heart can't take these compliments) And you read my other works too!! People keep eating up my work like snacks... Hmm....

Anyways~ So, lore on Cages is basically this ask's topic. Gotcha. I've been wanting to expand on this, but didn't cause I wanted to do the whole meeting scene with the Overlords first.

First appearance of the Cages concept is in Part 2, at the beginning.

[Whispers of souls from the bodies of your provided winged creatures known as Cages flew around you.]

At first, Cages weren't a thing or that they weren't even in my mind, but it just popped up while I was writing. It's the idea of souls being around The Collector (Silver)/Reader/you that was the point, then I didn't like that they were just orbs of light. Too simple.

Then it's the idea. Something to hold the soul. What's associated with death and misery? Crows and ravens. What got me is that ravens are also linked with hunger, that's what the souls are on about, they hunger for freedom and their captor's favour to be set free (in some way). Yet they turned mindless over time.

That's a bit of thinking while I wrote this creature.

Now, Cages are named as such because they are actual cages to the soul within it. The voice behind the chantings: (below are just some examples taken from the story)

[“Sinners have been brazen.”] [“Very bold. They have stolen your land.”] [“Disrespectful. Undeserving.”] [“Lazy Overlords!”]

Their appearance is a mixture between a raven and a crow, never just one to differentiate them from the other Hell creatures. It's a uniqueness for them, and depending on the soul it houses, the appearance will take more raven or crow-like outlook.

Some permanent features of the Cages are their blood-red eyes, metal-bladed wings, metal beak and claws or talons, and black feathers. The metal parts are all angelic steel that's painted as a more natural colour to disguise it from those that would hunt it down or treat it like some Hell creatures.

These Cages are your last and successful prison for the many souls you have, I mean, Collector right? The souls you have at your disposal is not just the Overlords', that's why you call them Elites.

The idea of the Cages was to act as your eyes and ears around all of Hell. Remember the life-sized wooden figures and hollow knight armours you have? (also back in part 2) Yeah, those were your other experimented forms of prison. While both were good and acted like an unbeatable army you command, that wasn't your purpose. Especially so when you started collecting the souls of Overlords into your collection.

You took the idea from humans that were still alive and experimented with putting souls into the wooden figures first, then into armours to make them more intimidating. Finally, it was the bodies of ravens or crows.

Cages doesn't have unique abilities of their own since their purpose was to house souls you have collected and have them do your bidding. You can summon them at will, with or without notice or an outward command. Like in Part 5 where they just appeared. They are in tune to act according to your will and emotions. The words they speak is a bit of an echo to what you're conveying.

As for the possibility of someone owning those souls or your Cages? Impossible, anyone who tries to touch or capture them with said intention will have their soul forfeited to you. (like the ones in the floor in Part 2)

I think this answers what Cages are. Right?

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reverieaa · 1 year

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" 𝑇𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒇𝒂𝒍𝒔𝒆 "

In a community where strict mental diets and positive affirmations/self concepts are often pushed into your fyp 99% of the time, admitting your current mental circumstances feels like a fall from haven to hell. As if you were the brightest, most high angel, who sinned by having a bad thought and fell from your grace.

But you cannot put blame upon loa bloggers or their posts for feeling helpless, you cannot put the blame into the 3D or it's people. After all, even if every loa post has positive intention, it's what you do with it that matters.

So I ask you, did you use the post you read to free yourself, or did you use it to see more things you are now afraid of?

To be afraid of negative feelings, negative thoughts and God forbid- have doubt.

And while I've seen affirmations and methods work for people, if you're anything like me, they only caused a war in my head.

I decided to go back to Edward Art's older posts, where I stumbled upon something he wrote which I find very interesting, helping me come to a fascinating conclusion.

He talked about the famous Neville quote:

" 𝐴𝑛 𝑎𝑠𝑠𝑢𝑚𝑝𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛, 𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑓𝑎𝑙𝑠𝑒, 𝑖𝑓 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛, 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑑𝑒𝑛 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑜 𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑡"

I tell you now I always hated that quote, never understood it as it always felt contradicting to what Neville was teaching. I asked myself why would he say an assumption is false if he was teaching people that their desires are real amd within them? That quote made me feel like I was beliving in a delusion, that is why I stayed away from it.

Up until now, I feel in love with it. It was when Edward art broke it down to what Neville was truly saying, that I understood.

Forcing yourself to believe in something makes you feel delusional, doesn't it? Unnatural.

It is when I accepted that what I was assuming of myself was fake, that I felt the sense of freedom and relief. It was then that I could imagine whag I wished and feel what i wanted without worrying if I was doing it right or not, if you dare, accept that you assumption is fake, and feel foe the sake of changing your feelings simply because you want to.

But then as Neville said, what if is the difference between your assumption and this reality was simply trust? It's all real only because you trust that it is, that you experience it.

It is then that I realized, the point isn't that every reality/state is real and I must occupy the one I want. It's that everything is only as real as I make it to be.

Nothing is real without your trust that it is, nothing has it's own life without you breathing air into it's lungs. That is what Neville meant with this quote.

I found it easy to imagine after that, I didn't worry how real it was to me, if I was doing it correctly or if it would ever even happen.

So let it all go, break your inner self free from 3D and make yourself absolute in your mind. To feel beautiful because you want to, to feel rich because you can, to feel powerful because you must.

This is because many connect the word " real" in their dictionary with the 3D. But like i said previously, everything is as real as you trust it to be.

This goes for everything on this earth, the undesirable circumstances you loathe to wake up to everyday, the frustration you feel when you imagine what you want because it feel so close and so far at the same time, it's all another state/reality-yes- but it's only as real as your focus on it is.

I found it ironic that this is what helped me the most. To stop caring of the truth of my assumption is what made it real for me.

This should free you, you should be able to imagine what you wish and how you wish whenever you want to, knowing you can't do wrong because what wrong is there to do? You are reality, the only thing that truly exists, that is why a change of self/mindset is a change of everything, because that's all there always is.

To me it was not a matter of " everything/ every state or desire is real and I must come the realization and acceptance of it" it was that nothing truly was without me bringing my focus to it.

So go ahead and let your emotions out whatever it is that you've been keeping in, no matter how negative it feels, you are not called to be perfect or move mountains, not to change things or make them happen. You are called to be free in your own mind only, you are called to be alive.

And so when your mind tries to argue you out of imaging by saying " this is all fake" it is then you fire back by saying " well so is everything, what does "real" mean to you after you found you bring meaning to it?

#law of assumption #affirm and persist #loa #manifesation #manifesting #neville goddard #3d #affirmations #loa methods #void state

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yellowymellon · 2 months

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I BROUGHT YALL ANOTHER CRAZY THEORY

not mine actually it's from tieba, ppl are theorizing that sunday is possibly going to get recruited by elio. fascinating yet crazy right? LEMME LAY EVERYTHING DOWN

okay so sunday's design is very much inspired of ena, both his old one and the new one. it has many eyes, the halo, the golden accents. not to mention his personality that resonates with her path.

this will not make sense if u dont pay attention to elio's concept art (most likely will change by the time he appears but) here it is :

notice the amount of eyes, the sun and the similar patterns, a picture of ena for reference :

they also said that ena seems to be holding a puppet string and it could be related to "destiny's slave", i dont completely agree but it's A COOL THEORY!!

i've always assumed elio to be an omen vanguard of terminus the aeon of finality. since he has blessing/curse of seeing the future unlike finality followers i believed he might be our first finality emenator BUT! emenators could follow a different path, it's so interesting to think he could be a finality emenator but an order follower, and it makes sense! who would greatly seek to stop nanook and restore balance? well hooh too but ena would very much dedicate themselves in stopping nanook. now ena is debatably dead but paths don't disappear. but keep in mind we actually don't know which aeon gives the stellaron hunters powers.

so far we don't know what the stellaron in penacony does, it doesnt seem to be the threat itself but the one who obtains it might be dangerous. that's why elio wants the nameless to go after the stellaron. but that doesnt make THAT much sense either, why wouldn't the stellaron hunters themsleves do the job? they're already capable. if u ask me penacony feels the best place for kafka/SW instead, it might be easier for us to obtain it if we help the family but anyways- we can go on forever abt why it's not right so lets force this theory to make sense tehee~

i talked abt how sunday might learn a truth after his "death", gallagher's voice line abt him is "He reminds me of the "Odes of Harmony," but I caught a whiff of something behind the facade he puts on... something real." the odes of harmony is basically a song praising xipe, he means sunday being a reserved religious saint like person, is a facade and gallagher saw something real. based on my post where i discovered that i'm a follower of nous after all (i'm not-) https://www.tumblr.com/yellowymellon/746431759854551040/you-know-it-would-be-funny-if-the-actual-villain?source=share

gallagher might've caught on it earlier and targeted sunday from all the family heads, if he was going to kill in any case he needed the best victims that could give him the break through he needed, robin might've been just the stepping stone to kill the oak family head (important) who conveniently might be the one to side with him (YALL IM COOKING AND IT'S BURNING)

sunday is described as perfect on the outside but secretly a freak, he shows no mercy to what he thinks is wrong and doesn't compromise. but i don't trust him with what he thinks is wrong. he might be shrewd and manipulative fitting for a head, but still young and emotional to make absolutes (judgements). see, the family is a perpetrator to many MANY evil stuff that shouldn't be in his book (literally lol)

u see where i'm going? me neither elio could potentially need to ally with sunday if his stance changes after learning the whole, purest truth

#elio and sunday? in the same sentence? ITS HEAVEN #maybe it's me coping maybe im unto something (death)#nah ill do 10 last pulls if gallgher comes home this theory IS CORRECT #i saw tiny pic spoilers from 2.2 cuz they're everywhere in twitter and i feel like i'm cooking LET ME COOK PLS WAAAAA #my genius is sometimes too frightening ikik #hsr spoilers #honkai star rail #hsr #hsr sunday #hsr gallagher #if there's typos know that i can't spell #penacony #hsr elio

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vasito-de-leche · 5 months

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I've read all of your Reverse: 1999 related posts about a hundred times already and I'm still mesmerized! I love how your writing is fluid and meticulous — all of your analysis feels so precise that it might as well be official.

I was wondering if you could write a one-shot or headcanons about Forget Me Not with a human partner, whichever you believe to be more fitting; to extend what you said in his relationship headcanons. It's such a fascinating concept... at least I think so.

If you are not feeling up to it, I beg of you to at least write some of your thoughts about this. That would make me more than happy!

;R1999 FORGET ME NOT - Relationship Headcanons (2)

Compilation of headcanons about Forget Me Not's relationship with a human partner. A continuation of this post.

thank you so much for the kind words! I really love talking about blorbos so it means a lot to me that you like my work!! for this post, I went for HCs since I already wrote two FMN fics lolol

warning for abusive/toxic relationships!

Even though this is a continuation of the first relationship post, I feel it would be nice to bring back that one point I made about Forget Me Not's potential relationship with a human or mixed - just so everyone knows the themes this post will dwelve into!

The way I see it, all of Forget Me Not's relationships naturally lean towards unhealthy and dysfunctional dynamics, regardless of his partner's status. Being a pure-blooded arcanist only means you're simply trading a specific set of problems for different ones.

So when it comes to humans (note, humans, not mixed - that's a whole different can of worms) Forget Me Not is at his worst. After all, you represent everything that he sees wrong with this world, he's conflicted and torn between his hatred and his love.

He's a difficult character to grasp, but it's clear that he's fully dedicated to Manus Vindictae's goals, as they align with his own unique set of experiences and emotional baggage - this means that he would need a lot of work, effort and time to reconcile with many, many things such as being in a relationship. Especially one with a human. And yet, I don't think it's impossible for him to grow and change as a person.

On the subject of Forget Me Not's mentality towards a human partner.

I want to stress the fact that Forget Me Not is, above all, a cowardly man - it's easier for him to act behind the scenes and react accordingly than to be upfront and confrontational.

He's manipulative, but not controlling.

And one can argue that manipulation is just a different type of control, I agree! But I feel there's a bit more of nuance in this context. Compare characters like Arcana or Constantine to Forget Me Not - the former use manipulation as a means to an end, it's just one of the many tools they can employ to maintain their control over their respective groups. But they have other ways to remain on top. Forget Me Don't doesn't have anything else. When it comes to Forget Me Not, his manipulation comes across as the single thing he can do to win, or turn the tides to his favour, even if it means winning by the smallest of margins. Chances are he's already mentally prepared himself for the worst, anyway.

This originates from the fact that he's fully accepted the fact that he's inferior, that the universe will constantly try to undermine and step all over him, dealing the worst hand for him over and over - so for someone like him to win, he needs to outsmart and pull the strings from behind the scenes, to cheat at a system that could never allow him to get his way. Hence all the emphasis on his two-faced and contrasting themes (a snake in the grass, waiting to reveal itself. a docile and put together bartender, controlling the flow of the market, etc).

Why do I bring this up? Because when it comes to something as unfamiliar and daunting as falling in love with a human, Forget Me Not doesn't have it in him to even take the first step or decide how he even wants to approach the situation. He knows he's already at a disadvantage, and so he defaults to manipulating.

A lot of his behaviour is heavily dependant on your personality and the way you see his actions. Again, it's much easier for him to adapt like this than to confront why he's having so much problems admitting he might've caught feelings for you.

Basically, this is a lot of text to give some insight to why he manipulates you. It's not done out of the desire to control and dictate your every move, your every thought, let alone mold and/or break you into a more ideal partner - Forget Me Not can barely take responsibility for his own life, don't expect him to do that with yours. He does it because he's very sad, pathetic and desperate, that's about it!

His view on love is also an important thing to discuss in this specific point - in the first post I talked about how Forget Me Not is quick to catch feelings, he falls hard and fast. This still applies despite everything I just mentioned.

In the context of this relationship, love and hate simply go hand in hand to the point where he cannot tell one from the other.

He latches onto you like a parasite because you're the only person who seems to care for him or give him the time of day. As negative or harmful as his interactions with you could be, he's addicted to your presence.

If his partner is oblivious to his actions and ties with Manus Vindictae.

I decided it's easier for me to just tackle all the big possibilities, so here we go!

This is possibly the best outcome for Forget Me Not, a partner who is entirely oblivious to his unpleasant sides and morally corrupt actions. It doesn't even matter what your opinion on Manus Vindictae and their goals might be, because you don't know he's related to any of it! This way, he doesn't have to unpack any of those complex feelings and thoughts, nor think too hard on the fact that you're a human - who cares? You're not tainted with all that unnecessary knowledge.

And this would also allow him to continue living in denial, to indulge in a delusional fantasy in which he gets to be happy without putting any sort of work into being a better man. It's perfect for him!

The top priority is to keep you in the dark, and he'll do pretty much anything to make sure you never find out anything that could paint him in a negative light. If he could edit his own files - the ones that the Foundation had - to erase all traces of his past, then he would have no problem gaslighting, lying and playing all these mind games so that you only focus on how loving and doting he is as a partner. All while telling himself that he's simply protecting and shielding you from the horrors of the truth, that he doesn't want you to deal with the stress.

Forget Me Not could continue with this façade for years, presenting his best, most gentlemanly persona to you. It's easier for him to be vulnerable, to allow scarce moments of quiet, gentle intimacy, now that he has a way to excuse his actions.

I'd say that the only thing that could ruin it is, as usual, his own mind. He's the one who took all these precautions into maintaining the fantasy of a perfectly normal relationship, and yet he'll start spiraling into depression over that exact same thing. What if you were faking these feelings all along too? He made you fall in love with a fake version of himself because there's no way you'd love the real thing, etc etc.

Depending on how long you two might've been dating, I can see him choosing to disappear from your life without even saying goodbye. One day, he's just gone and he makes sure that you cannot find nor follow him. Alternatively, he can fall victim to the usual impulses and confess everything he's been hiding, to scare you away and see how you'd react to the truth.

If his partner is aware of his actions and ties to Manus Vindictae, while being very vocal against it.

This dynamic is the one that absolutely leans heavily into a very codependent, toxic mindset. The relationship itself makes no sense: you're a human, therefore someone who Forget Me Not resents and loathes. And he's a member of Manus Vindictae, a group you recognize as extremely dangerous and biased, rejecting all of their ideals.

And yet, you two stick together exactly because of that. Whether you have good intentions (wanting to fix him, save him, what have you) or not, it doesn't matter because Forget Me Not will instantly assume that you're exactly like him: you want someone who sees you for who you are.

Knowing that you openly disapprove of everything that he does and says is addictive, as he's spent a good chunk of his life concealing all of these aspects. Knowing that someone sees him in his totality, without turning away, without fear, it gets to his head pretty quickly. You're the only one who knows him and you continue to stand up to him, all while claiming that you care for him - Forget Me Not eats that shit up. It's a type of affection he's never been shown.

But the more you call him out on his bullshit, the more you attempt to help or challenge him, the more Forget Me Not will sink into Manus Vindictae's mindset - because he loves to see you put so much effort into a lost cause like him. His manipulation tactics are used to make you believe, just for a moment, that you can truly change him for the better. He pretends to breakdown, to reconsider his lifestyle, just so you don't feel disheartened and continue pushing him.

In the previous post, I said that Forget Me Not would get a little unhinged around his crush - this also applies here, but on a much bigger scale. Everything he does is a cry for attention, he wants you to witness everything and still come back to him every night.

Given how self-destructive Forget Me Not can be, he would never think of ending the relationship. It doesn't matter if you begin to pose a threat to Manus Vindictae or The Walden or whatever, he'd gladly give up everything he's worked for if it means having his life ruined by your hands.

If his partner is aware of his actions and ties to Manus Vindictae, but supports him wholeheartedly.

One would think that having a supportive partner who encourages Forget Me Not to never change and to commit as many crimes as he wants as long as he has fun, would be a dream come true - but he's much too paranoid to accept this reality, always expecting to have the rug pulled from under him the second his guard is down.

Now, when I say "support" I mean a lot of things! From truly siding with Manus Vindictae and hating humans as well, to simply being there for Forget Me Not no matter what - as usual, it's up to you!

Your never-ending kindness throws him in for a loop and he channels all that energy into figuring you out. What do you get out of this? Forget Me Not wants to know the catch, and he grows more and more vulnerable each time you show him that there's no catch - you just love him, that's it. All of him, scales and all. At his worst and at his best.

Confronting the antithesis of everything he's believed in is difficult, but overtime I think Forget Me Not would slowly reconsider things - if you, a human, coud love him so earnestly regardless of his constant hatred and bitterness towards the rest of your peers, well... Maybe he can learn a thing or two from you.

This dynamic is the most confusing, however, as Forget Me Not will be clinging onto you like his life depends on it only to keep you at arms' length, emotionally and physically, for the next few weeks. A lot of back and forth between those contrasting aspects, cold and hot, love and hate - but this is good because it's a sign that he's reconsidering things, that he can't just make up his mind with a half-assed excuse. Here, Forget Me Not lacks that conviction and confidence from the previous two points, he doesn't know how to get the upperhand when faced against such brutal, honest love.

His manipulation tactics come across as a half-hearted attempt to get you to slip up or to distract you from the fact that he's losing his edge. Forget Me Not relies on his distant and intimidating persona to operate, but none of that works on you, and so he attempts to keep up the façade to make himself look cruel and heartless.

I think this is when you get to see Forget Me Not at his most pathetic and saddest self - the way he's been lying to himself and to the world for years, how hard he tries to have power to make up for the fact that he has any substance as a person. How afraid he is of letting you in his life because by doing so, he'll have to step out of his bubble and face the consequences of his actions.

#reverse 1999 #reverse: 1999 #r1999 #reverse 1999 headcanons #reverse 1999 x reader #reverse 1999 forget me not #hmm not my best post i think #i feel like i keep repeating myself when talking about FMN

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trinkerichi · 6 months

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What is your oppion on ribbun?

OOOH that's Jax/Gangle right? Oh boy you probably aren't asking for this but I feel like doing a big ramble and this is gonna be a long one. CHARACTER ANALYSIS INCOMING!

I'll preface this by saying I don't usually get too invested in shipping. I really like drawing interesting character dynamics tho, so I'll play around with the ships I see without really sticking to one. It's why I tend to draw a LOT of different ships only a few times each.

I'll ALSO preface by saying I really uh. Don't like Jax very much lmao I'm sorry. I'm not opposed to jerk characters in general, but I just didn't think any of his lines were funny. BUT I think that comes down to the fact that we only have a pilot and haven't seen much of their personalities yet. My favorite jerk characters, (Osomatsu, Bender, etc) all balance out their jerkiness by being dorky insecure losers that almost never win in the end so you kinda feel bad for them. I think if Jax ends up being written that way I'll become endeared to him. And goose has revealed before that none of the others actually like Jax so I kinda want to see that.

On the other hand, Gangle is my favorite character. She has barely 2 minutes of screen time but I love her concept so much. A friend called me out for this recently lol but all my BIG FAVS are characters that are themed around strong divided emotions. Pretending they're happy even when they're not, and having a hard time controlling their emotions as a result. (The latest ENA episode was a great example of this. Anyway.) Gangle being a sensitive flimsy pile of ribbons with a literal mask for a face? The fact that the tragedy mask seems to be her REAL face, while the comedy mask is so fragile that breaks if you so much as breathe on it too hard? I find that COMPELLING I want to see a whole series about her honestly.

Pairing her with Jax was inevitable, as is any fandom ship where the characters hate each other in canon. I usually hate this kind of pairing but this time I found it kinda fascinating! I think it's cause we don't really know a whole lot about either one of them so there's a lot of room to explore their characters through it.

I really do feel like Jax could hold a specific resentment towards Gangle. He's obviously not handling being stuck in the circus well, and he's bullying easy targets. He plays dirty. A person with high self esteem doesn't do that. Maybe he takes it out on Gangle because he hates how open she is about her feelings. He's putting on a tough and uncaring front, trying to pretend nothing bothers him, and she's out here being sensitive and fragile? How dare she! He's pushing her to her limits and she still won't harden herself. She doesn't have the energy to! Maybe she feels like she doesn't deserve to defend herself. It's so unhealthy! It's horrible!... And uh, sometimes horrible things are fun to write! DON'T JUDGE ME.

(And just so nobody accuses me of being insensitive here, without revealing too much, I've been in Gangle's place before. That's all I'll say.)

So with relationship stuff oh boy. We can take all those toxic traits to their extremes. But who would be the instigator?

What if Gangle coped with Jax's bullying by becoming more clingy. Becoming used to it.. Seeking him out. After all, he's paying attention to her right? Her warped self image being depressed and isolated in this circus for years would drive her to wanting any kind of stimulation.. does she realize this is self harm? What's it going to take for someone to step in before it goes too far?

Or on the other hand, what if Jax's fixation on bullying Gangle got mixed up in some more complex feelings.. If he really wanted to, I can see him manipulating her into a relationship just to see how many boundaries he can cross. He could have her wrapped around his little finger. Literally. He DOES have some misplaced affection for her deep down. He won't let himself think about it long enough to understand it, he's acting on impulse. She's uncomfortable but thankful for the seemingly lessened cruelty, so she puts up with it. And sometimes, rarely, between the thinly veiled insults disguised as compliments, he says something truly genuine and vulnerable. She can see it. He needs help. He needs love. But they're both hurting each other even more. It's wrong, but they're stuck now.

And now.. for the drama. Nobody can be pushed that far before snapping. As is the usual trope with soft spoken pushover characters, Gangle is a ticking time bomb. And I don't think she'd be willing to abstract entirely because of Jax, at least without clawing her way down.

Here's a fun fact. Have you seen that walk cycle video? Jax is tall, sure, but Gangle is PRETTY DARN TALL TOO. and she slouches. With her ribbons stretched to their full length she would tower over everybody. I want to see her get angry and be SCARY. I want her to stand up to Jax and lash out and scream and see him Genuinely Terrified. Everyone else caught in the crossfire too, covered in ribbon slashes. It wouldn't last forever. If the tension doesn't cause her to abstract she'll calm down eventually, or someone will be forced to break her mask to snap her out of the tantrum. Jax would pretend it didn't shake him at all, but would be noticeably quiet afterwards. Kinda shifting uncomfortably, they both avoid eye contact for as long as possible. His teasing towards Gangle never goes beyond slight ribbing again.

Whew.

Ok uh if you read this far, I don't LIKE the ship but it's a great character exercise! Hah I've thought a lot about it clearly. That being said, i usually prefer sweet cuddly ships myself. I think my favorite is Gangle/Pomni. I haven't seen this one around much, but those two are my favorite characters in the show and I'd love to see them interact! I think they could help each other with their anxieties and it'd be really cute. I don't even necessarily need it to be romantic I just think they'd have a sweet little dynamic together.

Surprisingly I've seen Gangle shipped with Zooble the most even though they haven't talked at all either and Zooble has like.. 2 lines. It might be cute but I wanna know more about them first.

As for Gangle n Kinger, I prefer them to have more of a father daughter type dynamic.

#trinket rambles #tadc #ribbun #jax #Gangle #the amazing digital circus #longpost #abuse m #self harm m

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sometimes-love-is-enough · 1 month

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Syzygy: Some Closing Thoughts

I'm writing this at 8pm on my backyard porch, under the wavering light of a distant full moon. Hello, moon! Please don't kidnap me. I just wanted to hang out with you for a while as I collect my final thoughts. It's a pretty cloudy night tonight, so it's not properly visible, which I suppose is the cloud cover shielding me from a terrible lunar fate. It gives a deliciously hazy atmosphere for the absolute essay I'm about to write.

Apparently, the Farmer's Almanac says that tonight's full moon is a 'Pink Moon', which sounds like it'd be a very pleasant viewing experience. I imagine pastel frangipanis spontaneously sprouting all over the moon's surface, covering every inch of its rocks and crags until the soft pink glow is visible from all the way down here on Earth. Unfortunately it's not named 'Pink Moon' because of that; there's some American environmental factors, etc.

I think it's kind of charming that there's a list of names for every possible full moon, as if the moon's putting on different masks or incarnations every time it tilts just enough that we can see its full face. I'm looking at a list of them now instead of writing these final notes like I probably should. The names are so delightful. Strawberry Moon. Sturgeon Moon. Apparently last month's full moon was Worm Moon. WORM MOON. I could go on. I won't. Let's talk about Syzygy instead.

Syzygy is... Man, where do I even start with this? Let's try the beginning. I started writing Syzygy in February of 2021, after ruminating on it for probably a few months before that, as I often do. That's three years ago, so my memories of the reasons why are a bit fuzzy, but I think I did it for two reasons: one, a desire to have a long-form meaty slowburn fic for a beloved rarepair in the tag so other people could enjoy it, and two, a fascination with the idea of fractured identity, what it means to be a Side without a Centre. The whole thing with the alternate-history steampunk swapped-around Earth came about naturally from that.

Except that's actually kind of a lie, because that's not the beginning, this began in 2020, when I wrote a pitch for a local station that was accepting radio play submissions (rejected, of course) featuring a hardboiled noir detective in a starlit city whose latest client was a tiny shiny girl asking him to solve her father's murder. And that's also a lie, because I think it really began when I tried to write an original novel in high school where the protagonist's name was Avery Allen, because I liked the way the name tripped off my lips.

My stories are always built on each other, especially stories I never get to write. They all recycle into each other in a weird blend of concepts and characters. 2021 was when I sat down and told myself I was going to write the Thomceit time loop fic, and I dove into it with aplomb. I can't recall the exact timeline of events, but at some point I underwent some truly gnarly health problems that left me unable to use my hands for extended periods of time, and so the fic that was meant to be for a Big Bang ended up... Just sitting in a folder for a while. But me and my beta managed to pull it the fuck together, and after adding some extra bits and pieces (the cutaways were a LAST MINUTE ADDITION even though I think they're some of my favorite bits in the whole thing) I started putting it all up.

Okay, there we go, that's enough of an abridged history of this thing. Let's just say: I never expected as many people to like it as it turned out, I thought that it would be a niche little fic for a rarepair, and I was honestly pretty content with that. So it was delightful to see so many people getting so into it, I have enjoyed the FUCK out of all of your comments and theories and predictions. It's been delightful when people predicted a plot point correctly, and honestly even more delightful when they predicted incorrectly. I've had such a blast.

As for the writing... Suffice to say I have many notebooks full of notes and thoughts, more than one spreadsheet to keep track of time loops and lore, and a semi-complete list of all of Virgil's tarot cards, which one day I'll probably polish and share properly, because I think the concept is neat. But that's kind of how it always goes with my writing.

Naming every inspiration for this would take forever and I'd still miss a few, but I'll just throw out a key few ones, because I gotta:

17776: What Will Football Look Like In The Future, because when I first read it I got the wrong idea and thought that Juice (Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer) was short for Betelgeuse (the star), and that sparked a whole thing about living stars in my brain. Also, just the general way that the worldbuilding and absurdity is handled in that world, it scratches my brain just right.

Welcome To Night Vale. I don't think I need to explain this one.

Madeleine L'Engle's writing, particularly A Wind In The Door, particularly-particularly the bit of it where Proginoskes explains why, precisely, he has to remember and Name every star in the universe. Fucking beautiful book.

A particular Untamed/Mo Dao Zu Shi fic I read years ago and haven't been able to track down again, which also features two people stuck in a time loop who are initially unaware that they're in it together AND dying at the same time. I believe they also meet on a bus? The details are fuzzy. The worldbuilding and descriptions of that fic were so stunning to me, it had me unable to read anything for a solid few weeks, it is definitely a superior work to mine in every respect. If anyone finds it, let me know, I don't think I finished reading it and want to know how it ends.

An unpublished fic that I had the privilege to read while it was being written, that changed my brain chemistry re: the Sides unknowingly existing without Thomas. The Flowerwall Cafe originally hails from this one, too, graciously borrowed and greatly beloved.

Both Ghibli films in general AND Dianna Wynne Jones books in general, and obviously the intersection between the two, Howl's Moving Castle, which is fascinating in how both mediums handle the setting.

The Doctor Who audio drama Scherzo, which is a wild ride, and there's a major plot point revolving around the two main characters holding hands and fusing gruesomely into each other - and another involving an in-story fairy tale.

There was no huge inspiration for the clockwork city and weird steampunk carriages, apart from (perhaps) Fallen London. Certainly, the idea of a background organization that wants to kill the sun, who also happens to be a sentient being, is cribbed from the Liberation of Night.

Syzygy also happens to be packed full of many obscure references to... like... personal projects of mine, some published and some unpublished, as well as a lot of my friends and co-writers, and some really REALLY niche stuff that only I will ever properly understand. I buried a lot of myself into this story, is what I'm saying. Juice hails from a completely different project (a TTRPG with my friends, of which she is a beloved and cherished NPC), the in-universe author for Avery Allen (and Mallory Wynn too) are named for a fictional TV author I created when the writing discord was making a nonexistent fandom, Logan's dumpling recipe is my favorite recipe of all time.

I have an apartment ghost, too. I talk to it regularly.

Final thank-yous, because I want to post this very very soon, I've been typing for too long and the mosquitoes are starting to get to me. Thank you to:

Everyone on the TSS writing server who listened to me complain while I was writing it the first time round, and has subsequently listened to me complain while editing it these past two years. So many people in there are responsible for little bits and pieces - phrasings, words, nicknames, jokes - and I couldn't begin to name everyone who helped.

Saphira and the rest of the people who are currently working on making a full-cast audio drama out of this fic (???) (???!!!!??) (!!!!). It is SO baffling to me that it's happening, I'm in complete disbelief whenever we talk about it or I see the script or I get asked logistics questions, I'm terrified and thrilled to see how it turns out, what the fuck! The very existence of that project has ended up influencing a few things about this fic's endgame, too.

Everyone who's commented extensively, commented entire academic analyses, commented numbered lists, commented laconically, left a single emoji in the comments, left kudos, bookmarked it, sent me asks on Tumblr, given me thumbs-ups on Discord, or even just silently read the fic without interacting at all. Your witness brings my words to existence. Love you love you love you.

And Len, who lives in my brain and my body and my heart and my throat, and who is honestly singlehandedly responsible for dragging this fic out of the depths of Google Docs and into the arms of AO3. They've already said I don't need to thank them, but come on, I totally do. Len is the best beta, and puts up with all sorts of deranged nonsense from me, because I have an unhinged writing process where I don't think about anything before I put it down on the page, and I use way too many connecting-dashes and not enough semicolons. Kisses kisses kisses. Thanks for doing this with me, and I can't wait to do it again.

Myself. I managed to write this and I managed to finish it. That makes me a pretty cool person, all things considered. I'm glad I did this.

What next? I've got to rest. Well, I need to get some things done... and then rest. I've been juggling a hellish amount of projects for a while now, and now Syzygy's finally cleared from my plate, I'm going to try to let the others get cleared too so I can take some time and be less stressed. The Locked Tomb AU will be ongoing, as I get through final edits of chapters, so keep an eye out for that - if you're interested in a fic that's rather less starry and shiny, but very much Thomceit and death themes, check it out - and then....... Well, whatever comes next, whenever I have the energy to do it. I adore writing in this fandom. I'll be back with something weird soon enough.

Ad astra, baby! It's been a blast.

- Min (2024)

#Syzygy #author's note

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lisxdumbr · 8 months

Text

Hi I'm insane and I think I talked about this once in the past but today I'm going insane once again

The relationship of 2wink with math

Now, for this explanation I'll take notes from 3-4 main things. I'm sure there are many more references but this is what I could quickly grab from the top of my head.

Yes, 2wink is constantly being related to math, starting with their unit name, it's the only unit that has a number in it, even looking at their brand, we see constant triangle shapes that help support this idea.

Now, I believe the reason is clear looking at it in a geometrical (?) way. even in a trigonometrical way if you want to get fancy. 2wink's concept revolves around the fact that they're twins, they're two people who mirror each other. They're symmetrical.

The first clue that we get comes from a very old song actually. Heart Prism Symmetry, just look at the lyrics for a second

It's a song that clearly talks about them mirroring each other, since as we know, an important part of their lore has to do with how they're so identical not even their father can distinguish them.

Speaking of, we hear Hinata's demons in a part of the song (cough, go read setsubun)

Now, is their symmetry something natural? How is it represented, what is this telling us? I think Heart Prism Symmetry is a song in which they're loving and honoring their pasts being a two in one package for such a long time. This doesn't mean they're trying to be symmetrical on purpose though, they know already that the symmetry will break one day.

(again I'm sure these are Hina's demons, someone give him a hug)

Now this also has to do with the triangle part that I mentioned before, there are many different symmetrical shapes but the fact that they chose triangles is fascinating to me. Triangles are the most basic shape, since you need at least 3 sides to create a shape (less than that is just a line). But triangles are so interesting because of that flex (?), they present themselves in many ways and even inside other shapes. You can fit a triangle in any shape, even a circle can fit triangles since at the end of the day, a circle is just a 360° rotation.

They chose the most powerful shape and I'm obsessed with that concept.

But now, In which other ways is math involved? This is where I enter !! era, which is the point of the story in which 2wink are trying to discover more about themselves and we reach Twin Peaks.

Twin Peaks is Hinata's first focus event and it's full of math, starting from the title of the chapters

Factorization and division by zero.

Now, if you actually want to relate those concepts to Hinata as a person, it gets a little bit depressing because, well, division by zero,,, no matter how big your numbers are, (CORRECTION) you'll end up in an undefined result.

But this has symbolism once again ! I don't remember the story exactly but there's a story where Yuta is referring as them as math concepts and he refers to Hinata as a symbol. Now the thing is both Hinata and Yuta have opposite beliefs of themselves, so both of them say the other is a positive or a negative while they're a negative or a positive.

I've always thought about how Yuta may feel that Hinata is stealing a bit from him and perhaps that's why he thinks Hinata substracts, but at the same time, Hinata has done so much for both of them so of course he adds too.

Now since this can be a little confusing, let's stick with the factorization and division by zero concept, since that's how Hinata perceives himself I believe? I think factorization is a clear concept for how Hinata kinda gatekeeps himself and his brother and. everything. in general? And oh well, we know the guy is depressed as hell.

Now this makes me move to the important part of the story which is the second event. Yes. What we all waited for and screamed our lungs out when we saw: Yuta growing his hair and separating himself from Hinata.

If an equilateral triangle is symmetrical, what happens when one side is larger that the other? Is it equilateral still? No. But is it still a triangle? Yes

In the swee2wink album, we got a song called Polyphonic World in the B side, and the lyrics are fascinating let me tell you

1 + 2 = 3, which can be a triangle or as they say, a volume too (³), so the world is created with 3.

But I want to point out this part because I find it EXTREMELY important for the lore:

"our hearts want to create new shapes" "make new shapes that will change our hearts". HELLO. They used to be symmetrical prisms but as soon as Yuta changed his appearance, they decide to create a new shape that looks more similar to their hearts. They are the shapes. 2wink refer to themselves as shapes, they are the triangle

This is where the third side starts making sense too. 2 + 1 = Yuta and Hinata + a third member, "you" (me, they're talking about me, cough)

So knowing this makes much more sense in the way they refer to themselves and helps us understand them better.

Now my point, the new song is called Love×me⇄monsteR and according to my investigation, the ⇄ symbol is used for a lot of things but one of the meanings is exchange. Let's remember that an important part of the lore has to do with them being feared and seen as monsters, so Yuta is swapping that idea. He's swapping the negativity of the monster concept for love.

We're returning to what Twin Peaks tried to tell us. Hinata is (was, remember, development) seen as a division by zero and now Yuta is a multiplication of love times himself, he's GROWING. damn I love acceptance arcs.

Anyway, I wholeheartedly believe they're becoming something more positive given that the new logo is literally 2×2. Happiness for them.

Now as a little note to close the speech, Polyphonic World also talks about colors:

"we can make a new color that will change our hearts" and remember, they're changing their signature colors in this event as a new beginning!

So that's everything! I hope you find this interesting ! It's a little thing that I've been noticing for the longest time and I thought today was the perfect day to get it out.

#me using the new colors for the title #I'm ok #enstars #ensemble stars #yuta aoi #yuuta aoi #hinata aoi #2wink #❝ ritz.rambles !!

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angelxd-3303 · 3 months

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Soo..i saw your TFP oc, Mason so i decided to ask questions about him

How did he found out about autobots?

What's his favourite thing?

Who's his favourite autobots?

Does the autobots like him?

How does mason view the autobots

Does mason have a favourite person?

I'm so hyper about your oc so much :D

You're asking me about my OCS???? Oh my Primus, I've been waiting for this!

Mason is a character I've had floating in my mind void for awhile; he's originally from northern Wisconsin, but moved to Jasper to distance himself from their ex. (No, Miko, he's not going to talk about it.)

He has vitiligo, but it doesn't really bother them. He used to be really self conscious as a kid, even stealing his mom's makeup to try and cover it up. As they got older though, Mason came to accept and love his skin, because it's ultimately a part of him, and what makes them unique. (Ratchet found it fascinating, and that ended with them having an in depth conversation about dermatology)

Mason uses He/They, although he doesn't have a preference. His parents got him into geology and bushcraft, which is how he met the bots. (See above; I may write a drabble, idk)

As for favorite bots, Mason will never tell you openly. Honestly though, Ratchet and Optimus hold a special place in their heart. He has a strong bond with his parents, but those two have kind of become stand-in Dads for Mason.

His favorite thing? Probably his jean jacket. It was a gift from their grandpa, given after they came out. It was a reminder that he was loved and accepted by their family, no matter what the world said.

As for the Autobots, they like him plenty. Mason introduced a lot of new concepts to them, like gender identity and orientation, so there's no shortage of interesting conversations. As a diagnosed autistic, there are many times where they have to explain to the bots how it affects him as opposed to a neurotypical. (And if Optimus learned a few things about himself over the course of these conversations, well...)

Mason and Jack get along the best; they bond over their shared love for bushcraft and survivalism. He's almost positive that Miko is giving him gray hairs; but he admires her bravery. Even if it is a bit misplaced. As for Raf, yeah Mason's basically adopted him. Raf is his child now. ("How have none of your parents noticed you guys gone all the time?!")

They've honestly become the Dad of the group as the oldest guy besides Agent Fowler, and this extends to the bots. Mason can often be found scolding someone for doing something stupid or talking down some argument in the base. Their piercing glare is the reason Agent Fowler doesn't dare shout at Optimus anymore. Bro barely got one "PRIME!" out before Mason was nearly at his throat. Optimus may be a big bot, but Mason looked at him for half a second and immediately identified him as baby™. He and Fowler are ok now, mostly. Mostly.

That's basically all I've put together; thanks again for asking about my characters! I was kinda on the fence about sharing my ocs, mainly since I haven't made a lot of them since I was younger. I may explore that more often now.

Hope this was satisfactory, lol. I'm not the best at explaining certain things. I'm just a nerd who likes big robot Bois.

#traditional art #transformers #tfp #tfp optimus prime #tfp ratchet #tfp humans #tfp oc #gay oc #idk what the last name is either I finished this at 1am #people with vitiligo are beautiful #tw explosion

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humornaut · 1 year

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Sunny and Home and Basil (and Sweetheart?!)

Hey all! I've been thinking a lot about how home is represented in Omori, and especially about how Sunny thinks about home and imagines it. Omori Spoilers Ahead!

So to start this off, it has been noted quite a lot that Sunny associates the concept of home with Basil. The main thing that people point out to support this is the fact that before Memory Lane and right after the fight with Basil, it's Basil that is waiting for Sunny in front of his house to welcome him home, but there is so much more to look at when it comes to this concept.

For starters, the theme music for Basil's house in both the real world and Headspace is entitled "A Home for Flowers", but there are some very specific flowers that Basil's house is a home for. Within Headspace, it is a home for tulips, which is the flower associated with Sunny, courtesy of Basil. The other two flower versions of this are Sunflower and Daisy. Sunflower plays during the Birthday Memory of Memory Lane, and Daisy plays in Basil's Meadow after the true Something battle. Finally, the Empty version of this theme is what plays at Basil's house in the real world. Basil's home is also a home for Sunny, within Sunny's head. The Empty version shows that in the present day, Basil's home doesn't really provide any respite for either Sunny or Basil, because metaphorically, neither of them have been "home" since the Incident.

However, I'd also like to put forward that there's another big thing within Headspace that tells us a lot about how Sunny views the concept of "home".

Sweetheart's Castle

Sweetheart's Castle is a very interesting area of the game that the player spends a lot of time in. In fact, it can tell us a lot about how Sunny feels about the concept of "home" if you pay attention to the little details it gives us. For now, I would like to set aside the fact that the castle is associated with Sweetheart to talk about what happens in the castle itself.

To me, the castle is very clearly based off of Basil's house, or more specifically, the things that happen during this part of the game take a lot of inspiration from the memory of Basil's birthday.

To start out, there are four tasks that the player must complete while inside the castle. The first is assisting with preparing a strawberry cake, which is a clear parallel to the Birthday Memory, since it implies that Sunny was involved with the making of Basil's cake in the first place. The castle is also filled with many other strawberry cakes that Sunny/Omori associate with different smells, and bring the player to different areas of headspace. Check out my other analysis on Sunny's relationship with food and cooking for more details!

Within Sweetheart's bedroom, the player has to destroy a statue of Spaceboy, to be replaced with a statue of Sweetheart. In addition, Sweetheart's bedroom contains a bed that the player can rest at to heal, much like a picnic. To me, this very much relates to how Basil's bed is the only one that Sunny notes is comfortable, other than his own. It also is reminiscent of how Basil's birthday party in the Photo Album appears to have ended in a sleepover. The bedroom is also filled with different kinds of snacks and sodas, and this is also the area where you can get the Teapot weapon for Hero, and learn the Teatime skill.

Next, you have to go to the Royal Library to assist with the guest list. While I don't think the group had to think too hard at all about who was invited to Basil's birthday party, since it's pretty much just the friend group, there are some interesting things about this area. Sweetheart's Castle's purpose within Headspace is to cover up the Lost Library, so the fact that a library was included at all is interesting, considering the connotations. Within this area, you can find the Interesting Book for the "Fascinating Literature" side quest, a poetry book, and the Book charm, which can increase experience gain. To me, this relates back to Basil's love of reading, which he shared with Sunny.

Finally, you go to the Royal Ballroom to assist with preparing the Sprout Mole Choir to sing at the wedding. You might be able to say that this area is reminiscent of Basil's love of listening to Sunny and Mari practice their music, after all, it was Basil and Hero that moved all of the stools into the practice room to listen to the two. This room also contains a Sprout Mole that you can slow dance with to restore the party's Health and Juice. No matter if you dance with them with Aubrey or one of the boys, they will always say, "That was so much fun... Ah... What is this feeling? My heart is racing so fast... Thanks, hehe...". Just a little interesting thing for Sunny's mind to include in this area, specifically with the small plant creature that enjoys tofu.

The associations don't end there. There is also the Royal Gallery, which contains a bunch of art. Though we don't get to see it much in the real world, Headspace Kel notes that Basil does enjoy art, along with reading, flowers, and photography. The player can even become art in this area, by standing on a podium. You can once again do this with any character selected, so this could very much reference that Basil prefers to take pictures of his friends, since he is afraid of losing them.

Then you have the Royal Theater, where there are 11 different movies that the party could watch, which absolutely could represent how Sunny and Basil would have sleepovers where they would watch movies, or more generally represent the group watching movies as part of Basil's party. The castle also has a large garden, which is something that Sunny's mind also associates with Basil.

But What About Sweetheart?

I won't go into too much detail about what Sweetheart represents, as there is a very good post about it already, but to paraphrase what's important, Spaceboy and Sweetheart both represent aspects of Sunny, and his relationship with himself/Omori. Some people try and say it represents how Sunny really feels about how a relationship with Aubrey would go, but I think this concept is a little bit of a stretch. As far as we're concerned here, Sweetheart represents Sunny's broken idea of love following the incident, as well as his inability to even conceptualize what loving himself even means following what happened to Mari.

That being said, there is a character within Sweetheart's castle that does appear to represent someone other than Sunny...

Look at this dude, with his stupid dumb teal hair, pink hairclip and overalls. Wait

After finishing up the primary quest line in Sweetheart's Castle, you have the ability to meet a character by the name of Rococo. Rococo has some interesting similarities with Basil's story. He doesn't really have his own people due to his original planet being destroyed, in the same way that Basil doesn't really have his own family outside of his grandmother. He was taken in by Sweetheart and her family in a way that is similar to Basil being accepted into the friend group, and more specifically, how he appears to have spent a lot of time at Sunny and Mari's house. He'll paint pictures of Omori's party, in the same way that Basil in the real world would take photos of his friends, but not a lot of himself.

He sleeps on a futon with sheets made of the finest materials with a self-heating and cooling option. Seeing as Sunny recognizes Basil's bed as comfortable, this could be seen as a reference to Sunny sleeping on Basil's bed during sleepovers, while Basil himself slept on a rollout futon.

The fact that he has been sealed away from Sweetheart's castle reflects both how Headspace itself is filled with things that Basil loves while Basil is kept away from it by spending most of the game sealed away in Black Space or restricted to a picnic blanket, and how Sunny has physically shut out Basil in the real world for four years, keeping the two apart. Rococo is also depicted as being very lonely after being sealed away for so long, even growing desperate when the party tries to leave before he can tell his story, in a manner that resembles how Basil behaves during the real world segments of the game.

If you want to take the connections between Sweetheart & Rococo and Sunny & Basil literally, Rococo even says this:

Obviously, you don't have to take everything literally here if you don't believe there is any kind of romantic connection at all between Sunny and Basil, but this backstory does kind of parallel the way that the past is told in Omori. For instance, after meeting Sweetheart, Rococo has a gap in his memory of a few years leading up to he and Sweetheart falling in love and moving into the castle. Meanwhile, we know almost nothing about Sunny or Basil or anyone else in the group during the period of time between when Basil joined the friend group and when Basil started taking pictures for the photo album. Within the photo album, there are many things that imply that Sunny and Basil became closer throughout that final year than they were before, even if Basil already considered Sunny his best friend from the first picture. The falling out between Sweetheart and Rococo is more metaphorical than literal, as the thing that caused Sunny to lock Basil away both in his mind and in real life was the fact that he was a reminder of a past that Sunny desperately wanted to forget, not that Sunny was becoming more popular and receiving fan mail and requests from suitors, though you could see Rococo as representing the real Basil that was locked out and the suitors and popularity as representing the new friends that Sunny created within Headspace.

The Castle as Home

So how does this all line up with how Sunny sees "home"?

Below the castle is a little area with an NPC by the name of "The Keeper of the Castle".

The Keeper tells us that the castle takes the shape of one's deepest desires. "A place to return to. Somewhere to call home." In a way, since Sweetheart represents an aspect of Sunny, we could say that part of Sunny desires his home to be represented by this castle.

The Keeper also tells us that it knows that Sweetheart will soon leave, and it will need to look for a new owner. If you are playing the Hikikomori route, Omori will become the new owner of the castle. However, Omori/Sunny has rejected the real world in this route. He has rejected reconciling with his friends, ending the delusion, and he has rejected his special connection with Basil, with Basil's photo album no longer referring to the two as best friends, and instead referring to the friend group as a whole as Basil's best friends.

To that end, once Omori becomes the castle's new owner, all reminders of the reasons that Basil is associated with home are erased. All of the strawberry cakes, the art, the books, the garden, and Rococo himself are erased, leaving behind the "Boring Room", where all Omori/Sunny can do is sit, surrounded by pictures of a past that no longer exists, which is emblematic of how Sunny's own house must feel after those four years inside without his friends and his only family being a busy mother.

This is the hikikomori route's twisted version of Sunny "finding his way back home." No Basil, no Mewo, no Mari, and definitely no violin or Memory Lane. Only reminders of Sunny's broken family that he is confronted with every day, with all of the reminders of his friend group and especially Basil ripped away and forgotten. And this is how you get the "Welcome Home" achievement.

Hope you enjoyed!

#omori #omori analysis #sunnflower #omori sunflower #sunflower omori #kind of #i guess #sweetheart #omori sunny #omori basil #rococo #sweetheart's castle #omori spoilers #hikikomori route #keeper of the castle #rococo says he would do literally anything for sweetheart #omocat says that basil would do literally anything for sunny #thats real interesting #anyway if headspace still exists post true ending you just know that sunnys mind is moving himself and basil into that castle

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moistvonlipwig · 23 days

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hypothetically if i just sent you every heart in that ask as a lovely littlel rainbow…??? :D

I'm assuming for Supergirl again? ;)

I cut out a few that I just didn't have an answer for at all. The rest are under the cut. Again, kvetching about a CW superhero show awaits.

❤: Which character do you think is the most egregiously mischaracterized by the fandom?

I have had to click out of so many fics because they feel the need to get in a throwaway dig at James that often has absolutely nothing to do with his canon characterization. ("He was only interested in Lena because he liked the prestige and perks of dating a billionaire!" No??? Wrong??? Do not pass Go??? Do not collect $200???)

🧡: What is a popular (serious) theory you disagree with?

I don't agree with the idea that Kara is some sort of "genius" just because she's from Krypton. Being from a more '''advanced''' society (which is a thorny and problematic label in and of itself) does not make you ''smarter" than people from a '''less advanced''' society (see what I mean? Thorny and problematic). Living in a society with hyper-advanced technology doesn't mean that you know how that technology works or the fundamental principles that underlie its construction, especially if you are 13 years old. Also, even if you did, that is not inherently a more valuable form of knowledge than, say, knowing how to make dumplings – a skill I'm sure Kara herself would say is incredibly valuable, and which Kryptonians do not possess.

And that's not even getting into the fact that knowledge itself isn't the same thing as intelligence, which is a hard-to-define concept that has been historically used and still is used today in deeply problematic ways, but which I would argue is more about creativity, imagination, and the ability to generate new solutions to problems given the resources and education available to you than it is about simply knowing stuff. I certainly wish we got to see Kara display her resourcefulness, knowledge, & skills more often on the show, but fandom's insistence that she's actually way smarter than all these silly backwards primitive humans because she's from a planet that's made certain scientific advancements is incredibly fucking weird and frankly strikes me as the product of a colonialist mindset.

(I also just kind of think it's an uninteresting take on her character? She already has so many incredible abilities and interesting character traits, why does she ALSO have to be a "genius" who can rival Brainy & Lena in scientific thinking?)

💛: What is a popular ship you just can’t get behind, and why?

Supercat, for all the reasons I listed in my other post, and Sanvers, because the whole whitewashing thing is really egregious to me and also the way they were written just kind of grated on my nerves. Also Agentcorp. No real reason, I have no zingers to deliver about it. I just don't see it.

💚: What does everyone else get wrong about your favorite character?

You and I have already talked about how I don't actually think Lena has a "one-strike policy", and how the only person she actually cut off after only one strike was Andrea, whose betrayal came at a time when Lena was extremely vulnerable. I believe I've also mentioned to you in an ask that I think people read her politics wrong -- a lot of people classify her as a conservative when she is, IMO, clearly a libertarian, hence her pro-business, pro-gun, anti-secret government agencies, generally socially progressive views. (Additionally, one of the quirks of Supergirl's casting is that they accidentally cast all of Lena's past friends/lovers as people of color, which has some truly fascinating implications about Lena's racial politics.)

🤍: Which character is not as morally bad as everyone else seems to think?

Lena is the obvious answer, although the real truth about Lena is that she is, actually, quite morally all over the place, it's just that she's not any more morally all over the place than anyone else on the show. Andrea, also, I think gets a bad rap from some people and from the show itself, which I talked more about in my other post. Um...I don't think Clark is a bad person for leaving Kara with the Danverses? To quote one of Once Upon a Time's most repeated lines, he gave her her best chance. He wasn't ready to parent her and he knew it -- I think that takes real integrity to admit, actually. Does that mean Kara can't have complicated feelings about it? Of course not, but I don't think it's fair to say he "abandoned" her. Placing a child in a loving home is not "abandoning" them. It's quite the opposite.

(The Clark situation admittedly gets worse post-Crisis when suddenly he has two teenage sons who would've been born around the time Kara's pod landed, which means maybe Earth Prime Clark was down for being a parent but just didn't want to parent Kara specifically, which is much more dubious. But also, Crisis was very bad, so I prefer not to think about it.)

💔: If you had to remove one major character from the series, who would you choose?

I guess it depends on if my options are "remove them vs. change how they were written" or "remove them vs. keep them as is"? If I have to keep them as is if I don't remove them, then the clear answer is Mon-El, whose presence I would argue damaged the show more irrevocably than any other writing decision.

If I can change how they were written, that's a different story -- Mon-El in the comics is a cool character and I think the show could've adapted his story in a genuinely interesting way. Imagine if, in S2, Kara had discovered a pod with an amnesiac child inside who appeared to be Kryptonian. Not only is she now just a little less alone, she now has a chance to make amends for her inability to take care of Clark! Except then we find out -- he's not Kryptonian, he's a Daxamite. The same species as Kryptonians, but they left Krypton ages ago (or were driven out -- perhaps the stories Kara was told as a child didn't tell the entire truth) and are known to be isolationist and xenophobic, with a particular hatred for Kryptonians. The Daxamite boy (who Kara named "Mon-El") gets accidentally exposed to lead, and Kara must banish him the way she herself was banished. Then, S3 comes along, and would you look at that - the Legion of Super-Heroes is here from the future! And their leader is none other than Kara's adopted baby brother Mon-El, now grown up and with all his memories returned to him. Cue drama! (While I'm making up a version of Supergirl that didn't exist, I'd also like this version of Mon-El to be Asian. We truly didn't need more white guys on this show.)

So if I were allowed to rewrite characters like that, I'd have to opt for getting rid of a character who wasn't just executed poorly, but conceived poorly as well. William is a pretty obvious choice, as they clearly only created him to be a love interest and had no earthly idea what to do with him when that didn't work out (or, well, at any point in time, actually). Even when the show moves him away from his S5 misogyny and his (kind of baffling, given how little effort she puts into the job he values so much) late S5-early S6 interest in Kara, the only character trait they can think up for him is "baking", which kind of says it all, really. Winn, I feel, is also extraneous; even if you get rid of his misogyny in S1, I just don't think we needed a nerdy white guy character. Lena and Brainy have the scientist role covered. So, IDK, either of them, I don't care lol.

💕: What is an unpopular ship that you like?

I already talked about Guardiancorp in my previous post and that's probably my only actually unpopular ship. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

💀: If you had to choose one major character to die, who would you choose?

I don't think killing characters off truly fits with the vibe of the show, which is one of a long list of reasons why William's death was bad. If I could instead put a character on a bus, it'd probably be J'onn -- they clearly ran out of ideas for his character partway through the show (and David Harewood frankly seemed to run out of interest in portraying the character as well). Which, honestly, that usually happens with older male mentor figures in shows about young women coming into their own -- look at Giles post-S5 on Buffy, for example. IMO both M'gann and Malefic (both of whom actually did get put on buses to Mars in the show proper) would be much more interesting Martians to have on the show full-time.

#there is certainly less biting and maiming in this one but there still is some. be warned #up up and away #sideguitars

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aethon-recs · 1 year

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January 2023 Tomarrymort One-Shots

I wasn't planning to do a month-by-month rec list, but my god did January deliver on one-shots — so many showstopping works were published this month that these 10 fics deserve their own post. And what a variety too(!), with fics ranging from A/B/O to love potion mishaps to fem!Harry, and even canon-compliant(-ish) Harrymort.

Criteria for this list: one-shot, complete, published in January 2023 (yes, in the last month alone!)

Why one-shots?, you may ask. The majority of what I read is chaptered works and longfics, but I think one-shots can be a bit overlooked and underrated — they don't have ongoing updates on AO3, and the first rec lists in this ship that I encountered were dominated by longfics. So I wanted to celebrate and highlight the amazing work that the writers in this fandom are doing in short-form writing. Also, one-shots tell a full story arc in one go — and isn't that wonderful to get plot resolution and closure in a single sitting?

(Thank you also for dropping recs into my ask box! Please keep them coming!!)

Tomarrymort Recs (January 2023)

a dream is a wish by @funkyatheart (E, 5k)

This was such a delight to read from beginning to end. Cleverly weaved in between the canon events of book 5 are SUPER HOT dream-sharing sequences that show the escalation of Harry's increasing fascination with Voldemort. And we're gifted with hemipenes and consciousness-sharing through their mental link — what more can I can ask for from a Harrymort smut scene??

A Special Day by @vdoshu (E, 3.5k)

My jaw was ON. THE. FLOOR. for this whole fic. Grumpy old man Voldemort with all his old man habits was such a delight to read about — I don't think I've ever seen this concept done before. And when Harry shows up, the narrative tension is so good and kept me on the edge of my seat. I can't say much more without giving things away, but I definitely recommend this as one of the most unique and twisted concepts I've ever read in Harrymort.

Banish Me to the Garden of Eden by @contrarywiseizybel (M, 7k)

Rich, sumptuous descriptions run through this entire fic and bring to life — very vividly — the entire story arc of Harry locked up in a tower as Voldemort's captive and how he gradually comes to make the best of his fate. The author's writing is so poetic and lyrical and makes really good use of repetition, which gives the whole fic a very fairy-tale-like quality (including the happily-ever-after ending!)

Bruises Like Violets by @noumena-writes (E, 3k)

A forbidden romance between Tom and Harry who are on opposite sides of the war makes their last tryst VERY high-tension and fraught with danger. As always, noumena's writing is full of so many gorgeous and richly detailed phrases, like "The raging fire that burnt through every angry spell was slowly eating away at Harry, leaving a battle-weary shadow in his place." Absolute 🔥 writing.

Cherish by @amors-mordre (G, 1k)

This fic gave me the absolute chills in just 800 words. Voldemort is at his manipulative best here, as well as absolute peak possessiveness. The dynamic between Voldemort and captive Harry is delightfully creepy and leaves you craving more.

his lady in crimson (who reaches through time) by @ellorypurebloodculture (M, 5k)

This was such a cool non-traditional time-travel story! All the descriptions of fem!Harry and her outfits are absolutely gorgeous — I don't think I've come across this level of detail to costuming in very many other fics before; it was one of those really nice details that you can tell the author put a lot of work into and that really made the fic very memorable for me. And oh god, I felt every moment of Harry's heartful yearning and desperation and urgency in reaching out across time to Tom, and how much she loved him already — an absolutely beautiful love story.

never a victimless crime by @duplicitywrites (E, 7.5k)

Someone doses Tom with a lust potion keyed to Harry — and an absolutely wild, chaotic, wet, filthy hot mess of a shower-scene PWP ensues, featuring Tom who's been drugged out of his mind and Harry who's trying to do the right thing but is similarly incapacitated by a mild concussion. This had so much sexy chaotic energy, and is definitely one of the best things I've read on AO3.

Serendipity by @lissiamoonstone (E, 6.5k)

SO MANY LAYERS OF DUBCON. SO MANY LAYERS. And combined with super possessive Alpha Tom and Harry being in heat and somnophilia as the icing on top!? This was such a delicious mind-fuck — I reread it a few times and kept finding new things to notice, and I know I'll come back to reread it many more times.

They, of Riddle Manor by riddlereading (M, 16k)

I think this is one of the most unique Voldemort-wins story arcs I've read in Tomarry. Just one thing goes differently when Tom goes to Riddle Manor for the first time, and he doesn't end up killing his muggle relatives, which then sets off a sequence of events that result in Lily not dying and Harry growing up (with a happy childhood) in Riddle Manor. It's absolutely adorable from start to finish, and I had a huge smile on my face when I finished.

Tom Riddle’s Guide to Repeatedly Failing to Get Laid in the Restricted Section by TheOnceandFutureQueenofTarts (M, 3k)

I jumped to open this fic when I saw some of the tags here — dubcon, amnesia, mind manipulation(!!) This was such a fun and snappy read, featuring one of my favorite things — Tom repeatedly fucking with Harry's head to get what he wants (in this case, getting laid). He is absolutely undeterred and plays dirty, and we would expect nothing less of our favorite babygirl dark lord in training 💕

#tomarry #harrymort #tomarrymort #tomarry recs #tomarrymort recs #hp fic recs #one-shot recs #ao3 recs #fanfic recs #harrymort recs #2023 reads #2023 recs

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