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mecachrome · 2 months

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Hi k! I love reading your ojp scholarship, as he has crept up on me and taken over my brain. Weird question but why do you think he picked Lando as his guy to be a bit weird about?

hi anon 🥺 first off thank u for indulging me & also that is not a weird question at all!!!

ok obviously this is just me saying Anything so i apologize in advance T__T but tbh i think a lot of it ultimately goes back to the idea of lando's ~Proximity~ and how a very specific mélange of career circumstance laid out a foundation for oscar's interest extremely early on... which. let me explain!!! more behind the cut:

not to go on too much of a tangent but if you look at the current drivers in f1 who are roughly within a few years of oscar's age and could have feasibly been someone he'd looked up to coming up the ranks, i'd say the cutoff is like, 2018? so the group is basically charles/george/alex/lando, of whom the first 3 were alr in intrepid together (albeit in diff categories) when oscar had barely started karting at all. also alex moved up to single-seaters very early and his career/road to f1 is obviously a lot more complex than the others, so in reality the only ones oscar would have properly "followed" are lando and george, and then having gone through rfm & british f4 himself it makes sense that he'd lean more toward lando.

...idk how to put this succinctly but basically it's Like: so you're a kid in australia who believes in yourself so much you're willing to move halfway across the globe and attend boarding school by yourself while all your friends and family and the World As You've Always Known It grows and changes without you, and the team you're determined to prove yourself at has semi-recently achieved victory with a guy named lando norris, who is now british f4 champion and runs three separate series the same year you move to europe and goes on to win them all, who is extremely accessible on social media and is kind of awkward but charming and uses dumb unfunny gifs that match your level of online humor exactly, and all the while you're learning to navigate a new country, learning what it really means to prioritize the endless grind of motorsport, and you wouldn't dare look too far ahead into the future but sometimes you see him and think if he can keep winning everything then why not you?

So. also i think what always krills meeee about young_814 lore is that you have to really envision what they looked like circa 2016 like they were undersized dweebs for a majority of their lives!!! anyway. but also nasdlfnagk every time oscar is like i thought you were 30 with your goatee going on haha xD it's like U knowww he's flashing back to that image of little baby lando in his mind..... ok i need to relax.

there are of course other people oscar could have been weird about but in the end it's kind of just a Skill Issue thing / matter of attrition. like from the rfm pack max and logan and guanyu never progressed the same way lando did, and you also have to remember that by the time lando was a mclaren junior he was genuinely their Golden BoyTM, and i know we often talk about lando's competency kink but oscar is also similar to that but in like a ........ he needs to respect you on some fundamental level to be obsessed with you. so the fact that he genuinely rates lando contributes (imo) massively to the fundamentals of their dynamic!!!

also tbh to me one of oscar's biggest mental strengths is specifically that he isn't a very sentimental person, as in if he left to another team i don't think he'd be torn up or anything about not having lando as a teammate lol. but i DO believe he's someone who adapts very well to unfamiliar environments and is always willing to match someone's energy/meet them where they're at (again - especially when he respects them), so he's basically the perfect person to vibe with lando's idiosyncrasies and engage in all the lighthearted push/pulling they have going on. because like he genuinely thinks lando is funny and is more than happy to follow along his meandering bantz and the weirder lando is the weirder oscar is in response and that's just how they Work ?__? so At the end of the day it's: oscar was once a teenage boy who followed (still does) at ladbible instagram and watched the same gaming streamers lando likes or whatever and has seen lando grow into the man he is today (way more confident and "visible" and successful, very much a menace, brutally honest as ever) from this Very Specific vantage point of basically the only other junior after lando to have followed the same path to f1 and been Equally as good / achieved the same stock.

*__* does any of that make sense.

do u ever think about how lando (extensively nurtured by the team as their only junior) and oscar (basically crashlanded belatedly into his seat) are the only driver pairing in team history to have both debuted with mclaren........ do you ever think about how in a way lando's karting success indirectly influenced oscar's move to europe. do you ever think about how if alpine weren't an abject mess we would have never gotten 814 as teammates and lando would have just been Another Guy On The Grid to him........ 😮‍💨

#ask #me: i'll be brief. also me: (writes 20 paragraphs)

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thelonewriters-fic-central · 2 years

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Wisdom Removal

(Gif not mine)

Third persons POV

The sound of high heels clicking against the linoleum floor of Riverdale high could be heard for miles and of course that sound was made by no one other than Cheryl Blossom. Her home life wasn’t the best and everyone knew that but this weekend just irritated her to no end. First her signature lipstick ran out and she had to go all around town to get such a shade of cherry red, she would’ve just ordered it and had it shipped to her house but she wanted an excuse not to be there so she didn’t have to be around her horrid mother. Speaking of her mother that’s her next reason for a terrible weekend, everytime Cheryl walked by her mother she would just spew this rancid tangent about how Cheryl is a disappointment to the family name. The only thing or in this case person that could turn her awful weekend around was Y/N L/N. She was like her slice of heaven after running through the deep dark depths of hell. But to no avail Cheryl could not find that said person she looked everywhere well- almost everywhere. She loathed talking to Veronica but this was her last hope of finding Y/N. Cheryl was on the war path so people made sure to stay out of her way and if they didn’t she shoved them. Cheryl finally made her way to Veronica. She clenched her teeth and crossed her arms, making Veronica stand tall waiting for the endless bickering they were about to face.

“Hello there heathen. Still got your daddy issues I see.” Cheryl spits and Veronica chuckles dryly.

“You still got your mommy issues? or do I need to give you some examples?” Veronica smirks and Cheryl laughs slightly.

“Enough with the foreplay. Where’s Y/N?” Cheryl said bluntly. Veronica furrows her eyebrows.

“Did you not hear she’s just got out surgery?” Cheryl’s froze cutting Veronica off.

“She’s- got out of what! I need to got find her.” Cheryl said practically sprinting to her car.

“Cheryl! You didn’t let me finish. She’s gonna be pissed when she finds out Y/N’s just getting her wisdom teeth removed.” Veronica chuckles and grabs her things getting ready for class.

You were at your house laying on the couch the laughing gas still in your system. You were staring at the ceiling when all of a sudden you heard the doorbell go off. You got up and hobbled off to the door. To your surprise you saw the most beautiful angel at the door. By that you mean you saw Cheryl not a literal angel but she was to you. You hugged her as soon as you opened the door.

“Cher your here how is the most beautiful girl in the world?” You asked her is a dopey grin and pulled her through the door sitting her on the couch along with yourself.

“What happened? Veronica told me you went into surgery but you seem fine. I think.” Cheryl says and you hugged her side smelling her hair.

“Well you see I had to get my wisdom teeth removed. But that’s besides the point are you finally getting along with Veronica. It’s a miracle you actually talked to her without me forcing you to.” You smiled up at her and played with the ends of her hair.

“Are you sure your okay? Your acting a little strange.” Cheryl asked and you nod.

“I mean I’m a little tired but I’m much better that your here. So I can say up a little while longer.” Cheryl smiles and shakes your head.

“No you should rest come on. I’ll tuck you in bed and wait till you fall asleep.” Cheryl says grabbing your hand and pulling you up. But you put up a bit of a fight trying to get up the stairs to your bedroom.

“No I’m not sleeping. Come Cheryl don’t be such a buzzkill I haven’t seen you all weekend I wanna listen to you talk while I pretend to not be distracted by your gorgeous face.” You blurt out and Cheryl blushes pushing you gently into bed.

“Fine how about we lay in bed together until you fall asleep.” Cheryl tries to reason with you and you shake your head.

“No what if you leave I don’t want you to leave. How about we cuddle and I’ll sleep. I know how much you like cuddling. I pinky swear.” You hold out your pinky and Cheryl giggles settling herself on your chest.

“Fine you dork. But I’m leaving if you don’t fall asleep.” Cheryl locks your pinky with hers and smiles.

“Deal.” You said wrapping your arms around her. This is the first time all week she found a sense of peace. She was glad you told her to stay because knowing herself she probably would’ve stayed anyway until you woke up but you didn’t need to know that. After a few minutes passed you cleared your throat.

“Hey Cheryl.” You said looking down at her and she nods looking back at you.

“I think you're really pretty. I’m not just saying that because you're my best friend I’m saying that because I really like you. But I’m not supposed to tell you that because it will ruin our friendship.” You say smiling sleepy at her. Cheryl blushes again hiding her face in your neck.

“How about this, if you remember any of what you just said right now you can take me on a date when your all healed.” Cheryl said and you don’t end up responding back she looked at your again. You were sound asleep. Cheryl was a little disappointed that you didn’t hear it but she hoped you did.

A little while later

You were the first to wake up. You don’t remember much but you remembered Cheryl came to see you. You looked at her sleeping peacefully on your chest and decided not to wake her up. You know she doesn’t get a lot of good sleep at home so didn’t want to reck this for her. You were about to sit up but her eyes fluttered open and she smiled at you remembering some of the things you said to her earlier.

“Hey Cher. Sorry I kept you here I was really out of it. I hope I didn’t ruin your plans or something.” You said and she shook her head.

“I had no plans other than looking for you at school.” Cheryl said and you smiled and hugged her gently.

“Rough weekend again?” You ask and she nods sadly.

“I’m sorry to hear that. I’m always here if you need me you know that.” You said rubbing her back softly and she nods.

“About that. Do you by chance remember what I said to you before fell asleep?” Cheryl asks you smile remembering your conversation before you fell asleep.

“Yeah something about me taking you out on a date when I get better. Does that ring any bells?” You grin and she plays your arm.

“That’s the one. You were serious right. About all the stuff you said. I just wanna make sure I wasn’t hearing things.” She asked you nod your head enthusiastically.

“I was serious about everything and if I could I would kiss you now but my face is still a little numb.” You said she giggles cutely.

“Don’t worry about that baby you’ll just have to do that after our date.” Cheryl smiles snuggling into your chest.

#riverdale #archie comics #cheryl blossom x reader #cheryl x reader #lesbian #lgbtq #cheryl blossom #gay #veronica lodge

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aquilathefighter · 1 year

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Fluffbruary 14: Teach & Fruit

Check out all of my @fluffbruary ficlets on AO3 here!

Fandom: The Sandman (2022)

Relationship: Dream of the Endless/Hob Gadling

“—and so, we see the arrival of Yersinia pestis—the Black Plague—crop up in England around 1348.”

Hob is smacking a projector screen with a meter stick when Dream appears in the back of the lecture hall. There’s a map on screen, marking the coming and going of the disease throughout Europe. It’s not the most romantic subject matter for Valentine’s Day, but Dream doesn’t care. He could listen to his lover talk about anything with rapt attention. The way Hob tells stories, especially those that he experienced, is intoxicating for Dream. He feeds off the energy Hob brings to his students, the fire and passion with which he teaches. Even talking about the grotesque, Hob glows with excitement.

Hob turns from his assault on the map to look out at his students. His eyes track over them, noticing who is online shopping and who is engaged with the subject matter. When he spots Dream, he breaks out into a grin.

“What’s so funny, Dr. G?” a student in the front row asks. Dream reaches for her subconscious. Sarah Williams. Her daydreams during this class are filled with images of his lover kissing her, touching her, telling her soft and sweet things that only Dream should have the luxury of hearing. He bites back a possessive growl when he notices Hob’s eyes are still locked on him as he opens his mouth.

“Looks like we have a very special guest that I just noticed!” With a flourish, he points Dream out. “My husband must’ve snuck in to embarrass me on Valentine’s.” The students all turn around to stare at him. Dream fights the urge to vanish himself as the students’ minds start to wander, making the connection between their professor and him, and what they must do in their private time.

“Now, now, I know he’s pretty,” he winks and Dream flushes, “but we do have to learn about the plague for the next 20 minutes. So, if I could get your focus back up here—”

Hob continues his lecture, diving into the intricacies of medieval ports and shipping, wandering through a tangent about what people in the Middle Ages thought about hygiene. It’s music to Dream’s ears as he relaxes into his seat and watches his husband at work. Somehow, the students are much more engaged, asking questions which Hob answers excitedly, jumping about the classroom and whacking the screen more than once.

“Alright, so make sure you read the next section I’ve assigned on the course website! We’ll be going into more of the consequences of the Black Death next time and I want to hear your takes on it. Have a great rest of your day. Go eat some chocolates!” Hob chuckles as Dream descends the stairs toward Hob, gift in hand. “I believe I’m about to have my fair share of them. Bye!”

“Hello, Hob.”

“Hi, love. Warn a guy before you disrupt his class next time, eh?” He wraps his arms around Dream’s waist, giving him a peck on the cheek.

“I enjoy hearing you tell a story. It is… romantic for me.” He shifts the box out of the way of Hob’s body, dropping his arm down to his side.

“Of course! The plague’s the most romantic thing in the world.” Hob rolls his eyes. “You insane creature.”

Dream presses their foreheads together for a moment, then looks Hob in the eye.

“I believe a gift is to be given on this day?”

Hob releases Dream from his grasp and looks at him eagerly. Dream smiles, the corners of his mouth turning up ever so slightly. He hands the box over to Hob, who tears through the bow.

“Chocolate-covered strawberries! Dream, you didn’t have to get me these!”

“It is of no consequence.” Dream says, his eyes sparkling at Hob’s delight.

Hob immediately picks the fruit up, lips wrapping around it as he takes a bite. It brings images of what else Dream has planned for their night to his mind, which he is all the more eager to get to as Hob moans in delight.

“Oh, Dream, it’s delicious! Thank you, dove.” He plants a chocolatey kiss on Dream’s lips.

“I obtained them from the dreams of a French chocolatier.” He moves to whisper in Hob’s ear, his cool breath making Hob shiver. “I have more gifts for you. If you will accompany me to our home.” He steps back and examines his husband. Hob’s pupils are blown, and he has begun to pant.

“Yes,” Hob blurts. “Let’s go. Now.” He sets the box of strawberries down and stuffs his course materials and laptop in his bag, then throws the satchel over his shoulder and grabs Dream’s hand. Hob power-walks toward the door, dragging Dream behind him. There are a few spots that Dream can transport them away without being seen, but the middle of a lecture hall that has student stragglers around certainly isn’t one of them.

If Dream shuts down a few dreams students have about them that night, Hob doesn’t need to know.

#fluffbruary #aquila writes #dreamling #dream x hob #hob x dream #professor hob gadling #professor!hob #how to seduce your man with strawberries by dream of the endless #happy valentines day yall!

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thefirstknife · 10 months

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If going by the Destiny 2 content creator reactions and their fans of Lightfall then the greatest enemy to all is the concept of a Cliffhanger.

There people wouldn't be able to handle any non bing able media. If they had to watch Breaking Bad, any mystery story or what have you before Netflix i imagine they'd throw a fit

Yeah, I'm feeling the same. I genuinely don't know what people expected from a penultimate expansion. Talked about it before in regards to how the marketing for Lightfall may have been a little weird and how people ended up feeling misled by it, which is a fair complaint to have. But if we go further than that, I still don't know why people expected "all answers immediately" from an expansion that's clearly not the final one. We knew right away that this is not the ending.

This is a good opportunity to talk a bit more about some extra stuff which will be below, because I'm choosing mercy for people on mobile:

Another thing that gets me as well is that this is simply how Destiny always does the story. Like, it's a live service game and has been for 10 years. Campaigns are on a frequent hit-or-miss scale and aren't really all that expansive on their own anyway; a 3 hour campaign is NOT and never has been the totality of Destiny's story. As a matter of fact, like 90% of Destiny's story is told in written format with lore and side quests and other stories, not in campaigns. Campaigns are generally just the initial setpieces that shift the narrative in a certain direction with a singular event, but the majority of the story happens as consequences of that, over the course of years.

There's been so much stuff that we've been waiting for years to be explained. I always figured this as something that the Destiny community loves and expects. I got here only in D2 and only got into lore properly in Shadowkeep, so everything I knew by reading about Destiny's past story and community reception was that the mystery and the players coming together to figure things out was one of the main draws of the game. That's how I perceived the game, its lore and its community when I joined. As something where we work together to pore through texts to understand where things are and where they are going.

Actually, recently one of the biggest complaints going from Beyond Light and onwards was that Destiny has lost its mystery component. It's been a frequent and overwhelming critique of the story and seasons. How seasons are here to just quickly sum everything up in neat and presentable infodumps given to us by characters and lore tabs that tell us everything directly without any need for deeper engagement. This obviously isn't even fully true (Beyond Light's deepest mystery remained undetected and misunderstood by the majority of the playerbase and still is to this day (that would be Savathun replacing Osiris)), but overall yeah, certain things were absolutely streamlined in comparison with how lore was done before.

Like, no contest: frequent seasonal story drops that give us dozens of lore books, item lore, quest lore, dialogues and so on over the year that are easy to acquire and are readable in the game, as well as stories that happen weekly and are more engaging than just playing a 2 hour campaign every six months or every year have all done A LOT for the lore to be more approachable and less "mysterious." I put that in quotes because people frequently also misinterpret what "mysterious" means or at least aren't talking about the same concept. I've noticed that there's quite a bit of backlash for stories being resolved and character arcs being finished. To a lot of people, that's the removal of "mystery." In a sense, a lot of people want an endless story that never resolves but that gives just enough easily consumable fandom-related details that aren't really progressing the story in a meaningful direction.

But yeah. To end this tangent here, people have been complaining a lot about the lack of mysteries and wonder in Destiny. Which is just weird to me because that's just how stories work. At some point, the story will start resolving the mysteries. And yet, then came Lightfall which brought completely new mysteries and some of the most fascinating ones I've ever experienced in the entire Destiny setting and people just kinda... Didn't care. I attribute a lot of this to people just not recognising that they're no longer into the story all that much. They no longer want to engage with a mystery, they just want to see the conclusion. They don't have the energy or the interest to pore through the texts anymore or engage with the fandom or, indeed, wait for information to be revealed, especially if this isn't the type of stuff they like.

For example, there's a lot of fans of the type of gothic horror mystery about the Hive and Lightfall simply does not fit that aesthetic. And mind you, Destiny is famous for genre switching all the time so this is something that should be expected. But Lightfall's futuristic high concept scifi story that's about virtual realities, mind uploading, human experimentation with nanotechnology, bizarre alien entities that play with the concepts of consciousness and the nature of reality, and so on is something that a lot of people have no interest in. And as much as I want to say "skill issue," it's a matter of taste. It's completely normal to me that there's people who aren't into this. However, a lot of those people just refused to engage and then proceeded to say that the story is objectively bad, "worst expansion ever" and so on. Absolutely insane to me. Like, genuinely baby behaviour in my mind. The "upset because we're not about me" type. Meanwhile I've seen a plethora of people who have quietly, almost ashamed, admitted that they like this stuff more than Witch Queen. No one should be ashamed or afraid to say that.

And most of all, there was disappointment that a "new mystery" was started "too late" when things were "supposed to be explained." And first of all, things ARE being explained. Again, this is a live service game. It's updating over the course of the year. We've received so many explanations and threads to follow and read about and engage with while we wait. That's the whole point; keep the content coming over time. Second, for people who claim that "Lightfall's campaign wasn't complete," yes it was. The Lightfall campaign was to save Neomuna and stop the Witness from destroying the Veil. We did both of those, except the Witness deceived us (as it is known to do) and it never wanted to destroy the Veil in the first place; it wanted us to get there with a Ghost. And it ends with us falling for that deception (out of necessity of course: our hands were kinda forced. Brilliant deception in that regard) and losing to the Witness as it hijacks our Ghost and opens the portal (but we do end up saving Neomuna and have the Veil at our disposal now to start researching it). This is known as a plot twist: a big "oh shit" moment in the climax of the story where we realise we've been duped and we've done exactly what the villain wanted all along.

Which leads me to the third point, perfectly summarised by your ask and by a single word: it's a cliffhanger. Lightfall is the penultimate expansion in a ten years long story. It's a cliffhanger before the end. It's supposed to keep us wondering what the fuck happened and how are we going to solve this until TFS drops. It's supposed to question our place in the universe, our understanding of it, the nature of everything we've learned so far, the extent to which we were right and wrong about the Light and Darkness, as we prepare for the finale of the saga. I genuinely don't know which answers people were expecting to be delivered in a 3 hour campaign that would immediately tell you everything you need to know and then you'd put the game down for a year OR you would keep playing and seasonal stories would just be meaningless side stories that don't progress the plot (yet ANOTHER complaint about seasons that's been going on for a very long time and an unsolvable problem: people want seasons to be meaningful stories that progress the plot but also not meaningful enough so that they can be freely skipped without missing important story bits. These are contradictory statements. Both cannot be true).

And of course, it's completely normal if this just didn't work for people. It's an important distinction to make here; "I understand what it tried to do, but it didn't work well for me" is a completely different statement from "this was a bad story and the worst expansion ever." I've never seen this distinction being made as pretty much everyone only ever spoke about it in the latter terms. How the state of the story is awful and "dangerous," how the writers "dropped the ball," how things are horrifically bad and nonsensical and so on. In worst cases, it was straight up "Bungie should fire these writers." There's also a lot of people who claim wholeheartedly that they've understood the story, but then can't tell you what the theme was or they start going on about how Nimbus was a bad character who "wasn't even sad for Rohan," which immediately tells me they haven't finished the story. So I'm afraid I don't believe those specific types when they say that they understood it, but didn't like it.

Most of all, this was a REALLY long-winded way to say that this ask basically says it as concisely as possible: Lightfall is a cliffhanger before the end. It's SO important to consume more than one media and learn some media literacy. This isn't even remotely a long wait as far as cliffhangers go in general. We need people to stop expecting the media to get churned out mindlessly in quick succession for instant gratification. Hell, some would absolutely classify Destiny as being churned out quickly. And meanwhile we have players here losing their minds and crying and throwing things because they have to wait 3 months for a new season. Absolutely bizarre to me. Try waiting for a book series to continue for longer than ten years.

#destiny 2 #lightfall #ask #long post #if you click read more

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house-of-mirrors · 9 months

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I know this is kind of a weird ask to get, rest assured I would not be sending it to you if I had found it another way but even after the Smending information ban was lifted, I still cannot find this information, and I saw that you completed seeking so I figured I would ask you.

What is traveler returning? Or more specifically, what does it mean, what is it about? I have deciphered the other endings frustratingly ambiguous writing style, but I still cannot understand traveler returning. What does it mean?

Let me tell you a secret, my friend: I don't think anyone, myself included, has a flying clue wtf the "who is salt" ending of smen MEANS. It has very little connection to going East in ssea or with Irem in FL. It's its own thing (derogatory).

I remember reading a blogpost where AK said he didn't think anyone would actually pick that ending and so threw that together and I guess that's why it's drivel? What did I call it again? Making fridge magnet poetry behind your back in the dark? Yeah

I've seen one interpretation that it's meant to break the fourth wall and imply the player has secretly been Salt all along. And honestly? I personally like that less than it being nonsense (no hate if u like that theory). I don't like meta reveals like that when there's no foreshadowing. Feels like a cop out. And also... why does the player have to be an otherworldly being to be special? Who is Salt? Well it certainly isn't me!

That theory aside, doing a strict reading of the text and ignoring meta stuff, interpreting its meaning as precisely what it says... it means all of nothing.

I did the Hate ending and thought that was the most interesting of the 3. Grieve, sure, fine. Who is Salt? [long fax machine noises]

(I gotta tell you I laughed SO HARD getting this because I'm always joking with my friend about "who is salt" being incomprehensible XD)

Disclaimer this is just my opinion etc, but as someone pursuing an MFA in writing with a good bit of experience in editing: this would NOT fly if it came across my desk. Even if your story is meant to be punishing and has "no good things at the end," I feel like you still have an obligation to have a narratively satisfying conclusion.

In summary: you can't figure it out because there's nothing to figure out, pat yourself on the back and treat yourself to your favorite snack and/or beverage

Ignoring the ending and going off lore, "Traveller Returning" means... (major spoilers for sunless sea under the cut)

Traveller Returning is an epithet for one of the zee-gods, Salt. Salt, god of farewells, of travellers, of the Uttermost East. The Hungry Monarch. There's a hidden ambition revolving around it in Sunless Sea. In summary, Salt was an emissary sent by the White to the Neath to find out what sort of Shames and various crimes the Sun was keeping hidden. Salt has not yet returned with its report, instead disappearing into the East. Now, the Sunless Sea quest actually follows a narrative of the player becoming an avatar for Salt and this makes a lot more sense in its execution than the smending. The Eastern horizon is called the "Deconstruction," a sort of endless horizon in Green and Gold where the laws of space and time get really weird. Imagine a function undefined at a single point, or a tangent line that goes to infinity. I'm not sure how to explain it beyond here because I don't have a firm grasp on it myself; there's not a lot of solid info.

We still know painfully little about Salt and I really, really hope the lore declassification means we'll get more material soon. Well-written material. What's up with Salt, what about the White, what about the Woods in Winter, what is the nature of the Old Man in Vienna, etc.

#i've had a very long week and i'm only semi coherent rn this was the perfect time to answer it #smen #anti smen #smen spoilers #the white my sworn nemesis #time to hit post before fussing any longer

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eemoo1o-animoo · 1 year

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for the ask game, perhaps N? and/or P?

Ask me stuff

This took so long to answer! I’m so sorry for the wait. And the links. And the tangent. Aahsbhdb

N – Name three things you wish you saw more of in your main fandom (or a fandom of choice):

This is tricky! I tend to just be like “Augh I wish there was more of that” and then forget all about it. I guess I’ll try thinking of things in the fandom and not in the canon material? Hm – tricky.

Black Butler fandom – I want more aroace William, or at least ace William, representation. I don’t want him shipped with Grelle, I want them being BFFs. *Pointing with judgement* Let them crack open a bottle of wine and/or whiskey by the fire after work and talk about nice, idle things, like their sonboy Ronald (who’s pawing at the babygate like the sad goldendoodle he is because he wasn’t allowed in due to his alcoholism).

Black Butler canon/fandom – I want Snake to speak for himself. Like, either in fanfiction or — more preferably — canon, where he at last breaks and, against the opinions of his snakes, goes “Fuck you, Ciel!” and then full stop. No “says Emily” or “exclaims Oscar”. Nothing. It’s meaningful. Poignant. You can tell that Snake is really hurt about having his found family lie to him so easily, to be betrayed by his second family after losing his first. This is Snake, even if it’s just for a moment, talking for himself. Poor Snake :(

Black Butler fandom – I want more creepypastas / grimdarks / etc.. Plain and simple, it’s meant to be a dark, perhaps horrific at times, franchise and so where are the creepy one shots? The “The Woman In Black” parodies? The subtly dark pieces where Ciel is stuck in an endless game of fleshy marionette for Sebastian’s own amusement? Where?

Bonus:

Sk8 the Infinity fandom/canon – I want more Adam-facing-consequences fics (and hopefully canon content in the upcoming season two), and Tadashi and Miya interaction, because those two look related and hardly interact in canon. I’ve only ever come across one (platonic) fic of them on AO3. One.

P – Invent a random AU for any fandom (we always need more ideas):

Oh, this is tricky! I don’t think I think of many AUs? At the very least they’re fleeting and / for one shot purposes as opposed to a full-fledged universe? (Alternatively there’s also an idea I had of making a book of rarepair scraplets vaguely set in the same universe for the reader to piece together, like a one shot where Soma, Lizzie and Sieglinde are paired together “trying to get back to ‘x’” and Soma has to carry Sieglinde because her spider legs are broken and Wolfram is nowhere to be found.)

So seeing as you told me about your Snake/Edward / Sieglinde/Lizzie Friendship is Tragic-esque AU I’ll go ahead and state my Fallout Equestria-type one (why did I need brony comparisons for that?) that was kind of eluded to in this post (which is also kind of inspired by this post and its reblogs).

So in the post it was inspired by, I discussed if “shinigami and grim reapers” were different, and that “shinigami” were like “the original grim reapers” (don’t think of them like those things from Death Dote, but rather like The Exterminators from Hazbin) and that the redemption that the reapers work towards is actually fake, just a rumour used to keep them in line and then used as the excuse when reapers go “missing” (aka. the “Higher Up”, so to call them, of the original shinigami and/or older reapers that are in-the-know) to make way for newer reapers when Ole McLimboville becomes overcrowded (which it will as time progresses from the canon’s 1889 into modern day, as per real life suicide stats).

With my theory preluded, the AU would start off with Will’s “promotion/redemption” (#2 from (x)) (as it is known outwardly by the other reapers), but as the numbers begin to spike, a purge starts by the Higher Up / shinigami and Grelle and Ronald make it out after Grelle’s seen Othello die protecting her (a point which will later be paralleled when Grelle then does so for Ron), and go looking for the Undertaker, in case he knows what’s going on (after all, he and Othello are the same age-ish and Othello told them to find him).

I’d also thought about a possible, background Grelltaker flirtation, but that point can be ignored for now. I think if this is the case then Undertaker dies in front of Grelle rather than Othello, who, in this case, she just knows died? Also an point where Ron and Grelle begrudgingly take r!Ciel along with them (if he’s still alive / existing … he can be written out easily, though, I just remember him being a part of my original rough idea), and then it’s later just Ron looking after him after he and Grelle are separated (I’m still unsure whether a fakeout death is in order, or too cheesy to be worked into the plot well enough).

Essentially, it’s just Ronald then — as per his and Grelle’s plan after talking with the Undertaker — looking for a means to summon a demon (whether this will be Sebastian or not is undecided, though is the most likely because… why would I make an OC for something that isn’t TSoGtR? Really, now.) as to try and get an equal footing in the fight against the original shinigami (and the reapers in allegiance with them as part of the Higher Up’s council… as guides to the to-be ‘redeemed’, or even some of the redeemed themselves).

Perhaps there’s also a twisted element from the Higher Up like “You’re finally getting what you came here for/what you wanted, and yet you still fight it?”, when — on the reapers’ side of things — it’s actually because they want to avenge their friends for dying in massacre, so dishonourably (in some cases), and that they know that if they lose / give up, this will only go on and on, until it eventually happens again.

It’s an AU I definitely haven’t thought of in a while 😅 so trying to remember the better half of it was a bit of a struggle, but I enjoyed doing it! It’s a fun idea that I hope to revisit (though most probably will not, as I suck at action scenes / sequences / drama, so it would most likely turn out slow, and corny when it picks up pace, with plenty of emotional moments and monologues but not enough action/fighting).

Thanks for the ask! I enjoyed replying to it (though it took me, like, an hour to, by god).

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derangedthots · 1 year

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Hi author, anon about the ask over your CTF Jace and Aemond characterization here ✌🏾

First of I want to say that you are very kind to answer all of our asks, questions and comments. I of course left various comments on your fics but I often wonder if I or we, aren’t annoying you … but then I guess that is also the beauty of fanfiction over regular fiction novels,right ? the access, the direct line of communication the readers have with the writer. anyway a very tiny paragraph to say that I’m very grateful for your interactions with us on your tumblr.

To go back to my ask & your answer … I hope you didn’t think I was disparaging your Aemond and its characterization (if it came out that way I really apologize). I think he’s very likable and comes out as any individual who lost his eye & didnt get too see the perpetrator punished, and finally got a dragon and saw himself being reprimanded for it. Meaning he’s bitter, angry and slightly closeted. Also the yearning he has for Jacaerys that you made us peeped in the last chapter made him a very compelling character.

I like what you say abt still maintaining Aemond’s (book canon and show canon) darkness and his thoughts being as dark as his heart. Now I imagine CTF!Aemond’s yearning for Jacaerys is not all rainbows and flowery hope of a courtship. I figure at night, in his room … he must think abt all he could to Jacaerys …🫣

I also like what you say abt Aemond having to change for a place next to Jacaerys. It also parallel how Jacaerys will have to accept Aemond and his not so savory parts too (& also how the throne will inevitably change Jacaerys in some capacity). Ultimately both Jace and Aemond will have to make concessions to be together but also put a lot of trust in one another and love, lust and trust don’t often go together. They have a long way to go … which is probably very fun for you to write as the author.

Sending you good vibes for your college classes !

don't worry, you aren't annoying me at all!! in fact, it's always incredibly touching to me that you guys care abt something i've made so much that you're so curious abt it. i'm grateful for interacting with you too!!💕💕

also absolutely no need to apologize, it didn't come off like you were disparaging my characterization of aemond, i was just running off 3hrs of sleep that day and answering your ask at almost 1am so i misread and didn't realize i went off on a nearly unrelated tangent until after i'd posted😅😅 even when i was delirious tho, i just thought you were commenting on book!aemond's dark traits and wondering how much of them i would be incorporating (part of that whole spiel was also just me preemptively responding to any future issues readers might have with my interpretation)👍🏼

"bitter, angry, and slightly closeted" is such an excellent description of aemond in general but CTF!aemond especially😂😭 let's just say he thinks some very...colorful and impassioned thoughts abt jace frequently😳🫣 i'm glad you find my characterization of him compelling!!

since the FMF/CTF universe is supposed to be a fix-it, i'm really trying to get jacemond's dynamic to be as healthy as possible. not necessarily perfect by our modern standards of course, it is still westeros, but healthy all the same. and i personally think it's a mark of a healthy/equal relationship when you don't try to change one another but rather, your love inspires each other to change. (otherwise, what are you there for? just find someone who already fits your necessary criteria lol, trying to build-a-bear a relationship you're already in just sounds like a recipe for endless fights and disappointment+disaster) but yeah i'm a romantic what can i say🥲🤷🏻‍♀️ like you mention, there's still a long way to go before both them get to being completely level with each other; trust, i think, must preclude love - it has to be there for it to form in the first place, otherwise it's just lust/obsession - and neither of them are really at trust yet. it's def equal parts fun to flesh out but also frustrating bc i know all of us just wanna be there already😂

thank you for the good vibes, i'm sending you some too! i hope life treats you amazing!!♥️

#ask #jacemond #ctf

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romanticizingmurder · 2 years

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i know ur blog has more of a jason focus not a dick focus but since u posted NTT it unlocked a memory: at some point (i think batman year 3?) dick compares loving bruce to loving an alcoholic father, like directly compares bruce's dependency on crime/he can be a good dad sometimes but he just... gets wrong sometimes! it's a take that i personally am obsessed with but idk what ur thoughts on it are/were, maybe esp w/r/t say, jason's backstory? >:3c

I've seen that page!! I really like it. So I think this is one where I have to make the disclaimer that I think actual canon on Bruce as a parent is incredibly inconsistent. Especially wrt Jason, his post-crisis time unfortunately was just so short I don't think we had time to see how that dynamic might have played out. The Cult has some interesting stuff in it (and gorgeous art) with Jason having to be in charge at points while Bruce is unable to be but that's only a 4 issue series.

So! Headcanon central:

I tend towards the idea that Jason was the kid Bruce most acted like a parent towards as a child. I don't think the level of parentification that Dick had was nearly so present for Jason and I think that kind of reflects in how they think about Bruce! Dick has this fear of disappointing Bruce but also of his absence harming Bruce. He feels like he needs to be there to watch out for Bruce and be his support.

Otoh, Jason's major post-resurrection crisis is fueled by this belief that Bruce has failed him as a father by not avenging him. In some ways I think part of why Jason can hurt Bruce so badly is that Jason doesn't feel that obligation to protect Bruce or be in any way the bigger or more mature person - that's his Dad.

I think one of the tragedies of Jason and Bruce is that they can't go back. Some things change who you are so completely you can never turn the clock back. Jason is still Bruce's son, but they'll never be like that again. I actually desperately want canon to have them both acknowledge that - that they're both grieving the loss of each other, and the loss of the boy Jason was who will never return. And maybe they can't have that story back, but they can write a new one, figure out how to exist with each other in ways that don't hurt, how to fit their sharp edges together. Okay sorry that was a tangent I have a lot of thoughts on changing and mourning re: Them.

In terms of the alcoholic analogy I honestly think Jason could go either way with it? Something I was thinking about with this is I think out of the Gotham vigilantes, Jason, Cass, and Bruce are the least likely to put down the mask. I'm not going into Cass because I'm not qualified but! For Jason, his civilian life is...over. He's been removed from the non-cape world for years. I don't think he's ever going to build it back up in a meaningful way - even when I picture him retired, I can't really picture him with non-cape friends. That's just me, though. But Bruce... Bruce can't stop, because he can't. He has a life outside Batman, but the guilt and fear and shame and sense of duty won't let him leave the cowl behind. So I think on one hand Jason might agree with the alcoholic analogy because his situation is different to Bruce's, on the other hand he might kind of just view them all as dependants on this lifestyle. They're all going to die in their masks (some of them twice).

And just in general, my preferred Bruce is deeply flawed but trying Bruce. I think Bruce is at times a pretty terrible father, in canon. Not for lack of love, but because he's a man with severe mental health concerns who refuses to get help and spends his nights in an endless and largely futile quest fueled by survivor's guilt. That doesn't make the best formula for a stable father but, at least for my headcanons, I like to think that he tries so damn hard. He loves his children. The tragedy is never a lack of love.

Sorry I don't know if I really answered your question but I guess here's a long ramble on Bruce and Jason's family dynamics?

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dragons-bones · 2 years

Text

FFXIV Write Entry #21: After Action Report

Prompt: solution || Master Post || On AO3

A/N: Thank you to @blackestnight for reminding me of “alcohol as a solution.” :D

Thancred braced his elbows on the table and buried his face in his hands. “An Ascian,” he moaned, voice half-muffled. “He woke her up as an Ascian. Don’t they need those memory stones to pull off that sort of nonsense?”

“The forbidden rock candies? Yeah, normally.”

“Rereha, I beseech thee,” Urianger sighed in the tone of the long-suffering, pouring more whiskey into his coffee, “in language thou art capable of comprehending: stop calling them that.”

“They are brightly colored like the fruit-flavored hard candies the confectioners on Quartz Avenue sell,” Rereha said haughtily with her nose in the air , clutching her pint of ale close, “and it makes my brain go ‘sweet and crunchy, put in mouth and chew.’ Therefore, they are forbidden rock candies, fight me.”

“Thou art a menace, and I will do as Synnove oft threaten, and toss thee into Silvertear from the highest tower of the Toll.”

“Not if I bite your ankles off first!”

“Tangent,” Thancred said tiredly. “Stop making me be the Heron and let me wallow, you degenerates.”

Both Urianger and Rereha harrumphed and took long swigs of their respective drinks.

“So, yeah,” Rereha continued after lowering her pint, “Synnove theorizes that the combination of the sheer amount of power Mitron had access to as Eden and the depth of his relationship-obsession-whatever with Loghrif is probably what triggered a partial ascension.”

“And with a fraction of power already available to her as the Oracle of Darkness, Mitron’s manipulations further primed Gaia for transformation,” Urianger mused, and shook his head slowly. “Always, with the Ascians, the inability to let go of the past driveth much, if not all, of their choices. I begin to wonder if such was a requirement when the Unsundered sought replacements for empty seats.”

“Wouldn’t be surprised,” Thancred muttered. “But both Ryne and Gaia are all right?”

“Yup!” Rereha said, “Right as rain—well, except for the damage Mitron did to Gaia’s memories. We had a bit of a scare with Gaia; after the battle, her consciousness had been yanked…somewhere. All Gaia remembers is just walking through endless darkness. But Ryne used your gunblade as a focus and was able to bring her back.”

Thancred laughed, fond and soft. “That’s my girl,” he said, then dropped his hands and shoved his empty mug towards Urianger. The elezen poured him a generous serving of whiskey, and the two clacked their cups together.

“Nice big flash of released aether came along with it, too, finished revitalizing that pocket of the Empty,” Rereha chirped as Thancred took a deep pull of fine La Noscean booze. “The girls don’t do things by halves. Synnove’s doing survey work with the Crystarium environmental teams still to assess the other nodes, but the prelim reports are showing that the effect is spreading.”

“A successful endeavour, then,” Urianger said, a proud smile on the face. “The restoration of the Empty begineth properly, and will continue apace with the care and attention of the people of the First.”

“It just took primals and possessions and bloody Ascians to get it done,” Thancred said, taking a sip of whiskey and then dropping his head to the table. “I’m feeling oddly sympathetic to Ran’jit right now and I bloody hate it.”

“The fox kit is very good at attracting trouble,” Rereha said with a nod.

“A skill unique to any who beareth the Echo,” Urianger drawled.

“Rude! I resemble that remark.”

PREVIOUS PROMPT || NEXT PROMPT

#ffxivwrite2022 #final fantasy xiv #ffxiv #thancred waters #urianger augurelt #oc: rereha reha #dt's writing

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reikunrei · 1 year

Text

got some little (big) brain worms thinking abt Heroes popping up twice in Stranger Things and how i would not be surprised if it shows up for a third, and probably reading into it a little too much but hey! that’s what this website’s for, babeyyy!

not sure where exactly i’m going with this, but i think i’ll figure it out as i go along. overall, i think the song works very well for the whole show, and many of the lyrics i feel work very well for El’s character, but i’m especially interested in tying it to Mike and Will, too.

i started thinking about this because i remember specifically when it plays in s3, they cut out the lines “And we kissed as though nothing could fall / And the shame, the shame was on the other side” in the final verse, so i wanted to go back and see exactly when that happens, and compare it to when the song shows up in s1, and see if it’s founded to believe that it’ll show up a third time in s5.

obviously, a good deal of the songs in the show are likely for the purpose of nostalgia and fitting the era, but for the big emotional scenes, they have to be considered very closely, I think.

under the cut because uuuuh i don’t know how to be succinct :3 be advised, a lot of this contains endless rambling and tangents bc I wanted to write stuff down as I worked it out in my brain

first! i want to break down what exactly happens in each of these scenes and my immediate thoughts/interpretations.

Heroes in s1e3:

it starts playing just as the kids roll up on their bikes behind the fire engine to stay hidden from all the cops.

“i will be king” plays as they pull Will’s “body” out of the water and we and everybody else realizes that, yes, this is the Byers kid.

Mike says, “it’s not Will. it can’t be” before/during “though nothing will drive us away.” in this moment, Mike (and the others) don’t want to believe it’s Will because not even death will drive them apart.

“Oh, we can be heroes” starts when Lucas says that “it’s really Will” and when Mike snaps at El. she wanted to be the hero, she wanted to help these boys find their friend, she still wants to help them find their friend, she wants to be the hero, but Mike isn’t having it anymore. he has the understandable knee-jerk reaction of getting angry because he’s so upset thinking he’s lost one of his best friends in the world forever, believing that El deliberately ran them around in a circle (like how he also gets frustrated with her when they go back to the Byers house) because they don’t understand that she’s correct.

Mike is the first one to leave in this scene. he yells at El, and then picks up his bike and runs off, leaving Lucas, Dustin, and El.

“I can remember / standing by the wall” plays as Jonathan comes up on Joyce running away from their house after the Demogorgon came out of their wall.

“And the guns shot above our heads” plays as Mike gets home, and “And we kissed as though nothing could fall” plays when he reaches out to Karen and weeps into her arms. this kind of automatically makes me think of all of the boys spending time together, playing dnd, dealing with pretend “guns” and weapons, but reveling in it, having fun, because it’s all just games. they “kissed” so to speak, they celebrated their fun and their victories, because for them, nothing could go wrong. except it did this time, and now all of that love is turned painful at this abrupt loss of life and hope.

interestingly, “And the shame, the shame was on the other side” is split between Mike and Karen, and Jonathan and Joyce, both pairs of which are hugging. maybe Mike is feeling ashamed that he though to trust in Eleven, maybe he’s feeling ashamed that he couldn’t save Will, that maybe he could have saved Will if he had tried to go out on his own rather than humoring this random girl, and he feels guilty for it. for Joyce, since at this point she doesn’t know that they found Will’s “body” maybe she’s leaving the shame that she’s “crazy” behind. she saw this thing crawl out of her wall, it’s not just in her head, it’s not just faulty wiring, something is wrong. and she doesn’t care what anyone thinks, as she later expresses to Jonathan as they leave the morgue, and she insists that she knows she sounds crazy, but she knows she’s right.

before we get into the song in s3, i want to describe the scene leading up to it:

El reading Hopper’s letter to her.

overall he explains that while life hurts sometimes, that means you’re alive. in the end, you’ll only hurt more if you ignore all of the pain, because that just makes you apathetic. you get “stuck in one place, in a cave, you might say. A deep dark cave” because once you ignore the hurt, you don’t feel much of anything at all.

he expresses how it hurts to see her growing, changing, becoming distant (which is also what he says during the focus in on Mike as they leave the Byers’ house on their bikes, but hey, let’s not get too distracted here!) and that scares him more than anything else. because he doesn’t want things to change, even though he knows it’s inevitable.

he then goes on to hammer home that it’s good to keep changing, to keep moving, and nobody should stop her. she should make mistakes, learn from them, and remember the hurt.

then, the song starts.

Heroes in s3e8:

it begins playing right as El finishes reading Hopper’s letter, and it picks up on the “I will be king” line. i think the “king” in question is the sentiment he expresses in his letter.

“you will be queen” is sung over El as she assures Joyce that she’s okay. this feels too literal, but i’m a snotty crying mess after watching the scene again so i can’t really think too much rn, but i do think that El is the “queen” in question.

“Though nothing will drive us away / We can beat them forever and ever.” even though things might keep dragging them back down, they have to keep beating back those monsters, both literal and metaphorical. they have to beat back the Upside Down, but they also have to beat back their trauma because of it. they have to deal with it rather than ignore it. they won’t let the apathy take them over. they might yearn for things to go back to the way they were before any of this happened, but what would be the point in that? it would be the same as being apathetic.

i also love the “we can be heroes just for one day” line in relation to El, specifically because of this idea she has in her head of being a hero vs a monster. in this context, it almost feels like she’s trying to assure herself that she doesn’t have to be the hero. she doesn’t have to be this big, powerful, amazing person all the time (like Mike and the others have painted her out to be, despite how that will ultimately hurt her more). she’s allowed to be a hero “just for one day,” and for no more.

this also makes me think of how so much of s3 was about El overusing her powers, and that scaring Mike because they don’t know what it’ll do to her. like, they end up relying on El again and again, making her be the hero, always saying how “this’ll be easy because the girl with superpowers is on our side!” when constantly putting her up on this pedestal led to her ultimate crash and burn. she is allowed to be a hero “just for one day.”

the switch to “we can be us just for one day” is also interesting, because it makes me think of them longing to just be allowed to live again, to be kids. especially in relation to El and Will. El has only recently been allowed to live a “normal” life, and Will had his “normal” life ripped away from him, but neither of them will ever get that normalcy back in its entirety, despite their yearning for it.

and then we get to the final verse. all of this pans across Jonathan closing the moving truck door and Joyce looking back into the house one last time before locking the door. they’ve endured so much trauma in that house, and in this context (again taken very literally) the lyrics are driving home that the Byers have been through hell, but they will continue to “beat them forever and ever” and power through the change and the hurt along with the other characters.

and the part that got me thinking about this at all: the removal of those two lines.

“And we kissed as though nothing could fall / And the shame, the shame was on the other side.”

right away, those two lines are the most hopeful to me. "we can be heroes just for one day” always sounds more like a plea to me, it sounds desperate, but “And we kissed as though nothing could fall” just screams that love is the answer, and feeling the hurt makes the joy so much richer. everything could be going to shit around them, but that “kiss” will save them every single time.

“And the shame, the shame was on the other side.” they’re allowing themselves to feel all of their feelings without trying to hide any of it. they’re moving on from trying to keep themselves buttoned up. moving and changing and growing might be messy, painful, they might make mistakes, but that’s okay. they don’t have to be ashamed of any change that comes their way.

but neither of these lines appear in s3. how come? i know that the decision could purely be because they wanted to trim down on time, but just a few seconds...? especially when the final verse played all the way through in s1? who knows how far ahead they were thinking when they made s1, but the Duffers seem to do everything very deliberately, so, at the very least, it was a deliberate choice to remove those 2 lines from s3.

compare and contrast:

in s1, the song plays over the whole party. in s3, the song mostly plays over El and the Byers, most specifically Joyce and Jonathan. however, Joyce and Jonathan are also present in both s1 and s3.

in both instances, Hopper is a big part of the lead-up into the song.

in both instances, the song comes in on the lyric “I will be king.”

in both instances, there’s an emphasis on acceptance. in s1, it’s about the boys accepting that their friend is really dead, but also about Joyce finally accepting the severity of the situation she’s in, and accepting that she’s gonna sound crazy even when she’s right. in s3, they’re accepting that they have to move on, that they have to keep growing and changing, and they can’t remain stuck in one place, otherwise they’ll only get hurt, even if the change also hurts.

“oh, we can be heroes just for one day” plays most often over shots of El in both scenes (minus the final shot of each scene, both of which have Joyce (and Jonathan) as the final lyric plays out).

branching off of the above point, i find it interesting that i had different interpretations of the same lyrics between both seasons. in s1, she (and the boys) wanted to be heroes and save Will. in s3, it feels very much like El wants to stop being the hero, that they all want things to go back to “normal.” although, you could also argue that she wants to be the hero again, meaning to get her powers back.

while in s3 the shots of Mike don’t take place during the song, he has similar moments in both seasons: we see his pain the most out of the other characters with scenes dedicated to him in the aftermath, and in both cases he goes home to his mom and asks for her comfort. in contrast, he’s the first to leave in s1 and the last to leave in s3. also in contrast, he’s visibly crying in s1, while he isn’t in s3.

and, the final point that got this whole ramble started: removing “And we kissed as though nothing could fall / And the shame, the shame was on the other side” from s3.

in the context of El:

I’ve already said this a few times, but the “we could be heroes” line always jumps out as distinctly El to me, especially because of her insistence in being the “hero” rather than the “monster.” she wants to be the hero so badly, she wants to save her friends, but it doesn’t come as naturally to her as she wants it to. this isn’t any fault of her own, it’s just how life works, nothing will be as neat as she wants it to be, but it makes her desperate for it.

“We could be heroes just for one day” as I said before has always sounded like a plea to me. whether it be read as “let me just be a hero for one day and nothing more” or “please I want to be a hero so bad” they’re both desperate pleas for something. and I think El is desperate for both.

in the context of Mike:

I didn’t actually start thinking about his relation to this song on his own until I started writing this up, but I think it’s super interesting, and sort of obvious once you realize how prevalent he is in both scenes.

Mike is a big fixture in both scenes.

in s1, he’s the one who gets upset, certain that it’s not Will’s body, and goes home to weep in his mother’s arms as the (false) reality sets in. we see the rest of the kids upset, we see Lucas and Dustin beginning to grieve, but the focus is on Mike.

I feel like it’s also obvious that he, too, wanted to be the hero in s1. he and the others were so certain that the adults didn’t have the whole picture, and they were determined to find Will on their own without help.

in s3, while he’s not a main aspect during the song actually playing, the lead up to it ends up focusing on him a fair amount (hesitating as all of his friends get on their bikes to leave, him being the only one to look back at the house before riding off, him going home and falling into his mother’s arms again. though, notably, he’s not weeping this time, he just looks... empty).

he also did many heroic things in s3, like taking on Billy in the Sauna Test, trying to convince everyone that El should ease up on her powers, always physically protecting her and his other friends.

most notably, though, Mike is the only one we see a further reaction from after the fact. we get long, dedicated moments to emphasizing his pain at losing someone, and the one consistency in that loss is Will.

this leads me back to the two missing lines, and how they remained in s1 when the only person Mike lost was Will, and how they were removed in s3 when he was losing both Will and El.

two thoughts with this:

1) maybe the lines were removed because, as i said before, those lines feel the most hopeful out of the whole song. and in s3, because he’s losing his best friend and his girlfriend in the same instant, he’s lost his hope. matched with the fact that he isn’t crying like he was in s1, he’s falling into that cave of apathy that Hopper warned El about.

2) maybe the lines were removed because, even though the whole season had Mike and El dealing with their romance, she’s not the one he should have been kissing in the end.

b-b-b-b-bonus 3) it’s both at the same time.

and so we finally get to the song in the context of Will and Mike as a duo:

the song as a whole, but especially the final verse, and more especially those two lines, I feel like are extremely closely tied to Mike and Will as a pair because of how the lyrics appear (or don’t) in the show.

a lot of what we saw of Mike in s4 was him being wishy-washy. he’s unsure of himself, finding himself not as emotionally mature as El and Will, and being stuck in forcing himself not to feel his strong feelings for El (and Will). obviously, we see this most explicitly with El in s4, with him being afraid to tell her he loves her because he thinks it’ll hurt when she “inevitably” decides she doesn’t need him anymore, but we’ve established that the hurt is good! he just hasn’t learned that lesson yet! he’s scared of feeling so much, but that’s coming to bite him in the ass. not only because it’s greatly unfair to his friends, but also because it’s unfair to himself. it’s stunting him, and he’s unable to keep growing and changing like he’s supposed to because he’s trying to keep things exactly as they were/are.

when we get to his feelings for Will, obviously we have nothing explicitly stated right now. but we can infer that there is something going on in Mike’s thick skull, and maybe we’ll get something more concrete in s5. i think it’s safe to say, though, that he feels shame. he feels shame at not being able to tell El he loves her, and he’s ashamed that he can’t tell Will how he truly feels. and i think, if he is queer, he will feel ashamed of that, too.

but we all know they (the Duffers) won’t let him wallow in that.

Will also feels shame. he’s terrified of being true and open about his own feelings, always hiding behind El in s4, but we can see that he’s accepted his feelings to some degree. he knows he’s in love with Mike, and he’s accepted it, fear and shame and all. he’s already one step ahead of Mike in terms of emotional maturity in this department, and I think he’ll be the one to get Mike to really open up. Will will be the one to have Mike dissect himself, to look inward and acknowledge all of his strong feelings, and embrace them. Will will show Mike that it’s okay to feel shame, they don’t have to shove it all down and pretend to be “normal.” only when they acknowledge their feelings, including the shame, will they be able to grow as people and as characters.

I feel that it would be a disservice to not have the song show up again, with those two missing lines added back in. I feel like the fact that they decided to put the song in twice is already evidence enough to think it could show up again, but the fact that they cut out those two lines of the last verse feels like we were meant to take it into consideration, and assume that it will appear in s5 again, hopefully now with those two hopeful lines tucked back in to remind us what the core of the show really is.

i believe Will and Mike, while the world is growing darker around them, will “[kiss] as though nothing could fall” and they will leave their shame “on the other side.” they will express their love for one another, come to accept their growth and their changes, no matter how scary it might be to embrace who they truly are, and they will be unbeatably strong for it.

but alas, I am ready to be proven wrong now that I’ve jinxed it and the song will never show it’s face again :-)

#I say things #byler #stranger things #will byers #mike wheeler #eleven #I just have to post this so I stop thinking abt it I think #we’ll see if I get embarrassed and delete it later LOL but it’s fun to look forward to smthn like this #like obvs a lot of the music in the show is for nostalgia reasons #but for big moments like this? it’s important

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janeykath318 · 1 year

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Partner in Handcuffs

Prompt: “Please go away.”

“Given That we’re handcuffed together, that’s pretty much impossible right now.”

“Please go away,” muttered a very annoyed Johnny Storm to his fellow prisoner, one Darcy Lewis.

“Much as I’d like to, sulky face, given that we’re handcuffed together, that’s pretty much impossible right now, so I’ll continue my coping mechanisms until we’re in our future dark cell or are miraculously rescued, hopefully by a hunky hero.”

Darcy sighed and went off on another tangent about her Avenging friends and her love of Thor and Captain America while Johnny groaned and rolled his eyes. He was tired of the endless praise for his doppelgänger, mostly because of how frequently he was negatively compared to him.

After she finished her enthusiastic tale, he sighed and attempted to change the subject for the twentieth time.

“So, why were they hunting you?” he asked. “You secretly a superhero?”

“Not exactly, but I have a certain…… gift that makes me qualify to be considered enhanced. Though, technically it’s more of a mutant thing,” Darcy explained carefully, wiggling her fingers to try to keep feeling in them.

“I’m intrigued,” Johnny commented. “Just what kind of “gift” is it? Laser eyes? Telepathy?”

“I can heal with my touch,” Darcy said quietly.

Johnny whistled in appreciation. “Wow. That’s an incredible gift!” He responded. “Bet that came in handy.”

“It did, but it also made me a target for being taken advantage of. I learned pretty quickly who really cared about me and who just wanted a quick fix for their sprained ankle,” Darcy told him, a touch of sadness in her tone.

“When I read those Accords, I knew it was bullshit to control us and abuse us in the name of oversight,” she went on. “And I’m guessing you came to the same conclusion.”

“Sure did,” Johnny confirmed. “That’s our one common ground.”

He sighed dolefully as the van rumbled on. Yeah, he thought Darcy was plenty cute and all, but she wasn’t the type to ever be interested in him, he thought. Maybe as a substitute for Steve.

“You think you could melt the handcuffs off, Hot Stuff?” Darcy asked.

“Flattered as I am at the compliment, It would leave your hands pretty charred and I’m not gonna risk that. You need them for your science, after all,” he told her.

“I guess,” she sighed. “Natasha showed me how to dislocate my thumb to get out of cuffs, but they’re too tight for even that. We’re pretty much screwed.”

The van stopped and Darcy and Johnny tensed, waiting with baited breath, eyes widening as they heard scuffling sounds that turned into grunting and shouts and a weird clanging.

“Division among the henchmen?” Darcy whispered.

“Could be. Maybe they’re taking each other out with steel beams,” Johnny suggested. “That’s loud.”

Darcy giggled at the thought, imagining their captors brawling WWE style and braining each other with heavy crowbars or something.

After a few minutes of silence, the van doors were jerked open and a hooded figure holding a long metal pipe looked in on them.

“Are you okay?” said a gruff voice. Johnny didn’t recognize it, but Darcy’s eyes lit up.

“Yeah, except for numb fingers,” she told their visitor. “Are you our rescue?”

“Yeah,” Hooded guy said. “Dr. Foster and Dr. Richards passed the word along that you two had gone missing and We tracked you down.”

“Who’s we?” Johnny questioned suspiciously. “How do I know that you’re not just another one of Ross’s goons?”

Darcy shot Johnny a look of disapproval that he couldn’t see.

“Don’t you know who this is? The epitome of truth, justice, and freedom? He hates people like Ross.”

Their rescuer chuckled and bent down to pick the handcuffs. As soon as they were free, they took a good look and Johnny felt like he was looking in a mirror—a scruffy, dusty, bearded, insanely ripped mirror. It was obviously Steve Rogers.

“Oh. You.” He said slightly ungraciously. Darcy elbowed him.

“Ow!” he complained.

“I apologize for my ungrateful companion,” she told Steve. “He seems to resent you.”

“Join the club,” Steve said, looking very unsurprised.

“What club?”Johnny shot back, rubbing the feeling back into his hands. “Everyone worships you and makes sure I know what a big disappointment I am that I’m not you.”

“Not the time, buddy,” Darcy whispered. “We’re trying to get rescued, not hash out our insecurities.”

Steve looked at him steadily.

“I’m sorry to hear that, but if they can’t appreciate your value as your own person, that’s their problem. We’re all in the same boat right now and I could really use your mechanical skills to get the get-away vehicle running again.”

Johnny felt a tad bit ashamed of his outburst, but it felt good to know he could be of some use for once. A bit of tinkering and the three of them were on the road, headed for Steve’s current hideout.

“Feeling better?” Darcy asked him.

“Yeah,” Johnny admitted. “I guess I have more issues than I thought.” He put his head in his hands. “I’m just tired of people wanting me to be something I’m not.”

“I get that,” Darcy sighed. “Everyone expected me to be a doctor or a modern day Jesus, going around healing everything. It doesn’t work like that and My friends respect that. I don’t think you let many people see the real Johnny Storm and that’s too bad because I think underneath all the playboy tendencies and the Human Torch, you’ve got a big heart that loves to help people.”

“I’m not even sure who the real Johnny Storm is anymore,” he admitted.

“Welp, you’ll have plenty of time to figure that out,” Steve commented from the driver’s seat. “Living off the grid has brought me my own clarity. I hope it will for you, too.”

“Thanks,” Johnny said, kicking himself for how he’d acted. Steve hadn’t asked to be compared to anyone. “Nice work with the pipe, by the way.”

He nearly choked when Steve replied straight-faced “That’s what she said.”

Darcy burst into laughter and Johnny shook his head in stunned amusement.

“I take my cap off to you, Cap,” he told him. “I walked right into that one. Good to know your mind isn’t as squeaky clean as the press claims.”

“It’s like they forget I was in the army,” Steve said in fond exasperation.

#prompt fic #darcy lewis #johnny storm #steve rogers #potential multichapter fic #fantastic four #post civil war

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eaglefairy · 2 years

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I was writing up my thoughts on Xenoblade 3 as a whole when I realized that I'd written a mini-essay on why I like the ending and why letting the nations stay together from the start would've been narratively and emotionally unsatisfying. Instead of trying to cram that in with the rest of my thoughts on the game, I figured I'd make it its own post (since this is much more of a meta piece than the rest of my opinions). Spoilers below the cut for the ending!

3 is a heavily thematic game. One of those themes is that even if the future is uncertain, it’s worth fighting for anyways. Noah and the party make that choice, and there are two options for what the narrative can do from there: it can reward them narratively for fighting a fight with an uncertain outcome (making the right choice), or it won’t. They make the right choice, but the narrative doesn’t reward them for it. I hesitate to call the ending of 3 a “punishment” in any sense, but narratively it somewhat is. They make the difficult choice to continue fighting against Z, the Moebius, and the endless now, and the consequence of that is that the worlds separate and they have to leave behind the friends they’ve made form opposite nations. Why would the narrative punish them for making the right choice?

For a second, I’m going to take a tangent here. In her Trope Talk on magical otherworlds, OSP Red discusses some of the pitfalls of escapist stories, one being that a “happy ending” in a portal fantasy where the hero is allowed to leave their boring life in the real world forever can actually depress the audience, because we will never get that same opportunity to literally leave the dissatisfying parts of our lives behind. It’s the same principle here. The narrative could have rewarded the party for making the right choice by giving them a no strings attached happy ending, but that’s not how real life works. In real life, we also don’t know if the future we are moving towards will be better than what we’re living in right now. But unlike in Xenoblade 3, we don’t have the option of grinding to max level and beating the superbosses before moving to the future–that is, we can’t live in the endless now. In a constructed narrative, we expect heroes to be rewarded for their good deeds because that’s a convention of storytelling: good is rewarded, evil is punished. Good people win, and bad people lose. But real life doesn’t work like that, and I believe the impact of the ending on the audience would have been diminished significantly if the uncertain future the Ouroboros were fighting so hard for turned out to be unequivocally good.

The other main theme of the game is about grief, loss, and accepting those things into your life, which is another message the ending conveys supremely well. Just because everything goes back to the moment the world stopped in the beginning doesn’t mean that anything that happened on Aionios doesn’t matter. It all mattered! Just because something ends doesn’t mean it doesn’t have meaning while it’s occurring. That goes for lives, events, relationships, and even worlds. Nothing in this world is permanent, not even the world itself, and to pretend that none of it matters because it doesn’t last–to say that nothing we did on Aionios meant anything just because it’s all been erased and it’s remembered by no one–is to say that the only things that do matter are those that last forever, and that is a road that leads to nothing but grief and regret.

And besides, the game is very clear that they’ll all meet again at some point in the future. Even if Monosoft never elaborates or tells us about the reunion from on high, that does nothing to stop us all from imagining it and writing it ourselves–giving the characters a lifetime of joy, and giving ourselves a path to hope.

#xenoblade chronicles 3 #spoilers #xenoposting

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spade-club · 1 year

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Ive been off tumblr mostly for a few days and had the best week of my life (fri-wed)

Anyway, my friends and I are the absolute cutest. We played spin the bottle, just the five of us, and kept going around and around (to be fair we made some fucked up rules so not all of us even kissed eachother really. Others of us kissed 7 times o.o) And idk. I wish I could explain how much fun ive been having this week but its all so blurry and I may or may not have been high for the past 4 days straight which is not a feeling I've felt at all, before about four days ago. Which sounds like addict behavior, and it is, but it'll go away until it comes back later! Later me's problem! No one will be here to give me endless weed in literally two days, and im not here for the hunt, so whateves.

btw this paragraph is tmi sex stuffs ewwie look away if u dont want to know. But yea, I'm like, really understanding why people do these things. I mean, I am still a trauma sponge, so my enjoyment is very closely tied to how sober I am, but I am still understanding and craving rn, two things I didn't know I was capable of! I have never really Got The Point of sexual interactions, but no one has ever made me Feel Like This so uh, hehe, I'm starting to get it. Endlessly, I am grateful for my person <3 I am also so glad they're so understanding and kinda always the right amount of involved when I tell them things. They take what I say at face value and dont assign extra reasoning to things. If I say, "I got triggered during sex but its not your fault, and its okay," they go, "okay, thanks for letting me know!" And that's that!! Now, they sometimes ask me for pain updates during and also take those answers exactly in the way I mean them!!! & then they adjust accordingly and we move on!!! They dont let their insecurity or fear make me feel bad! And they dont make shitty assumptions on my character for no good reason!! I might be falling in love with them... but that's another tangent. I could go on about them for ever and ever

My friends and I have decided that the five of us are a "mostly platonic polycule," which has absolutely short circuit my brain bc that's all I've ever wanted, really, and it's really nice?? We all adore eachother and we paint together, and we kiss eachother, and go on five person dates, and have sleepovers, and cuddle in the back seat of the car while the other two jam to the music, and refer to a group as 4/5 or 3/5 if someone is missing. Idk, it's just nice, I know it's to be short-lived as we would not survive as a couple without the friend who came to visit (and may not be back again for months.) We will fall apart without her. We're all still good friends tho and im excited to see what does happen next!!

I have so many more songs to relate to now lol

#woa that one was a lot of ramble #hopefully incoherent enough no one has to see too deep into my brain #singing two trucks with ur homestuck bf in the backseat of a car while they have one arm around u and one around ur friend is an experience #okay anyway I'll save my other rambles for uh idk

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d-parade · 9 months

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Ramblings about social dysphoria, society and other random thoughts relating to “transness” or whatever

sharing my thoughts after watching the video below. it’s late so i’m drunk. lots of tangents.

youtube

extremely eye opening video, which gave me another perspective on dysphoria and being “trans”.

i think it’s extremely unfortunate that society is built in a way that pushes conformity and feelings of “not fitting in” during such an early age. while i still vehemently dislike the fact that people glorify transitioning as being the first thing to do when combatting the issues you have, i now have a deeper understanding on how social dysphoria can affect oneself.

i feel that labels such as “non binary” were created purely out of social frustration and feelings of discomfort that arises from it, which i get because i suffered from similar feelings too. socially, i struggled to fit in fully with either binary group, which is hence why i adopted the “non binary” term for quite a long while.

but nonetheless, i believe social and innate factors can go hand in hand, but the root issues are starkly different that they shouldn’t be lumped together all the time (an issue rn, with trans movements slowly moving towards an idea of dysphoria being entirely socially created)

while social dysphoria can tear and push someone into a corner where transition is the only way out, i feel that 99% of the time transition isn’t the immediate answer. therapy, friends, building support groups, working on demolishing the inner stereotypes that you’re unconsciously holding (which ofc isn’t easy) are i think far better solutions before considering transitioning. and this is shown to be helpful as i keep seeing “trans” people say that they’re comfortable being referred to as a girl/ boy by friends, etc.

the glorification of the other gender (and labels) is also extremely frightening. they’re hailed as the miracle solution to all your problems. i acknowledge that they might be happy after transitioning. but at the same time, it’s also in a way, enforcing the society that caused them to feel this way in the first place by solidifying further how “men/ women is this and that”. sure, incels turned trannies are happier as a woman, but they still are stuck in that mindset of negativity and only further plays into societal stereotypes.

you are who you are. you can do whatever you want. but recognise your actions influences vulnerable young people to never be satisfied as they yearn constantly to be understood to a tee. which as we know, is impossible due to the nuances of humans. therefore, like what the video mentioned, labels just shouldn’t exist. and we as a society should work towards that, rather than fall into the endless spiral of toxic acceptance and hatred.

while the transgender movement has good intentions, it fails miserably to deliver what they seek to accomplish. seen through putting down others for being “cis”, championing being “trans” as superior, creating endless labels, etc. there’s so many issues within the movement that i personally see, yet it’s something they turn a blind eye towards.

overall, i feel these are all just stupid products of “being in a society”. everything is flawed. and it’s sad. ugh i’m sleepy as fuck. thinking is hard.

#exclus #exclusionist #exclusionism #transmed #transmedicalist #transmedicalism #gender discourse #social dysphoria #idk what tags #Youtube

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twenytwenytwo · 2 years

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Nov 9 2022

Quick details: The Volvo is alive again. My sleep pattern these days seems to be sleep 4 hours straight, then hour by hour for the next 4. Anxiety low-zero, mostly zero though. I don’t think about anxiety all day basically, but sometimes am unrelaxed, unfocused.

I feel, as I’m sure others do, like I have to get my “shit together”. Like I gotta figure it all out, get my life in perfect order before I can allow myself to relax. I feel like I have to gaze over each department of my life, and feel “Yeah!!” otherwise something is off, like a barely crooked picture on the wall, irritating you from afar.

Perfect order to me would be a combination of feelings and circumstances.

1. I’d have a band of guys I love hanging out with; good friends basically, who I make great music with that is tight and dangerous.

2. A job that is well paying and not taxing on my mind. I still feel attracted to blue collar sorta jobs, despite embarking on the videography journey. I like doing video, I just wish there was no aspect of it that encouraged me to be cool or the best, that sorta vibe. Chimney sweeping sounds simple, kinda fun, and like it doesn’t matter in this relaxing way. Nobody cares, nobody is tryna be cool and getting the head in a knot.

3. A sexy girl who is crazy about me, and I’m crazy about her. I want to fuck. I want to have fun and relax together. Have kids and a home. A grassy property with a studio, some ocean, firewood, chickens n shit. Maybe have some like minded neighbours, who can come over and jam, or sit around the fire in the eve.

Feelings would be excitement, discovery, enjoyment, satisfaction. Potentially vague there, yeah, but oh well.

These are things that make me perceive life more fondly, make me feel like I am winning, and thus put me in a generally better mood where I’m focused on things I like.

“The hardest thing to do in life is focus on your dreams, the easiest thing to do is complain.”

Perhaps all this time spent philosophizing, going for endless walks, trying to articulate my thoughts is just another form of complaining. I’m focused on what’s wrong and not on what I want to/should be doing, like when you’re complaining.

The best thing I can say, while I continuously go off into tangents, is that all that comes into your life should be accepting your invitation. I feel like I’ve forced things into being in my life so far, coerced, tricked, deceived, to get my preference. Why is that bad? Because it’s unenjoyable, anxiety encouraging. In fact, the place that approach comes from is anxiety, and ultimately fear, fear that unless we muscle things, things won’t go our way. It lacks imagination and confidence. If a circumstance is to be, trying to force it to persist longer than it wants to is exhausting and sucks the colour from life. Nothing should take muscle, or coercion, otherwise you will not enjoy because that process takes all your energy.

I’ve learned this in my relationship with Ethan, and my relationship with Izabel. I used muscle to preserve them, which simply postponed the inevitable, and made me anxious and fearful. The anxieties of this past year were all about the immense pressure I put on this circumstances to give me everything I wanted, and secretly thought that losing them would be catastrophic. Ultimately, I lost them, and lived out that mental catastrophe, unaware of what psychological processes were unravelling within me, unaware of what I had been sowing, and now reaping. I was so anxious to be a success, in the vague sense.

- interupted

Tangent: The powerful human desires are like beasts who can be put to work. If they have no task, no ultimate goal, no hamster wheel to run in, no load to pull, they get annoying to experience, because they are roaming the woods looking for something rip apart out of boredom.

Tangent: The desire to be famous, or just kinda huge and superior, “wow they’re so ____, I wanna be like them, and be friends” is the desire to feel like you’re part of a community that values you. To have a role that those around you respect and value, and to feel like (as a result) people wouldn’t hesitate to talk to you, or think fondly of you, or invite to their party or whatever. The desire for fame, cultural significance, is a desire for safety and love from your fellow humans, to be part of something beautiful and life enriching. To celebrate life together and laugh without a doubt. Why are we so bad at identifying that? Perhaps it’s a result of increasing atomization in the world my generation grew up in, rise of useless roles, cubicles, and that cultural icons best illustrated the feeling of value, connection, and celebration of community and wonder. Why is it that we want to achieve that through fame? Perhaps because there’s no way to really “get” friendship, whereas you can (not really tho) “get” fame. It’s a singular checkpoint in the mind whereas friendship is a constantly changing thing, without a clear checkpoint, or point of “got it!”.

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