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#wow this is sort of meta but I don't even care
thebreakfastgenie · 18 days
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honestly the part of mash that i consider the time loop IS the syndication of it all. it’s already so screwy with time and now it must all happen over and over and over again, in its unstuck messy order or out of it, because we need it to, because it moves us every time we see it and we must keep it playing. it’s like the thing in the musical hadestown where they know they have to tell the story again, because we must keep ourselves hoping that things could turn out better, even if the story remains the same. that’s mash to me. the war goes on. which war is it anymore? we tell the story again, it all happens again, because every time it makes us laugh, cry, get angry, it keeps us connected to each other and to our humanity. or something like that wow i got maudlin as hell in your inbox excuse me. i’m normal about mash and i’m normal about cyclical forms of storytelling (lying)
Yeah I love the meta cyclical thing!!!! My thing is just that I'm a pedant and that doesn't make the narrative a time loop (though you can make a time loop out of it, plenty of fic writers do). MASH going on as long as it did had its pros and cons, but one of the pros is this sort of feeling that war is endless, that time loses its meaning.
I think what I dislike about the time loop thing is the "theory" approach. It's like "what if MASH is actually a time loop" like "what if this cartoon is actually a dream this character had while in a coma" or "what if this entire medical drama was the fantasy of an autistic child staring at a snowglobe" (iykyk). And you know, the idea that the time loop "explains" why the timeline is the way it is, or that that needs an explanation at all. It's not that deep! It is very funny.
I haven't seen or listened to Hadestown (I'm the opposite of most musical theatre fans and I rarely listen to shows I haven't seen, although there have been exceptions) and I'm not really the target audience because I don't care about Orpheus and I don't get that "maybe this time he won't do it" feeling from that particular story, but from what I've heard about how they do the ending it's really cool!! It would probably work on me if I saw it tbh.
I love cyclical storytelling! And I think a lot of people in the MASH fandom like the same things I like with regards to playing with time, I notice that when I get into actual conversations. To me the real potential is in the ability of time tropes to portray how something feels. This is why I keep coming back to Slaughterhouse-5 and the idea of being unstuck in time. What Vonnegut did was give us this war veteran who is trying to live out his life, but is frequently, against his will, transported back in time to the most traumatic experiences of his life. Sometimes he's abducted, taken to a place where he is an alien, observed and put on display for everyone. It's PTSD, but made physical by science fiction elements. It's brilliant. And MASH is so ripe to do stuff like that! You can use the funky timeline and the meta of the show lasting 11 years, being rerun again and again and shown in syndication out of order, to dig into that. And I mean I literally have a time loop WIP so.
I really enjoyed this ask <3
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elflock-magician · 10 months
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"How To Save a Soul" (Reupload)
Summary - In the after effect of Planet Robobot, Dedede goes to check on Meta Knight. He doesn't seem to be as okay as others assume.
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Kirby had saved the day once again, just by waddling around and eating everything in sight. Kidding. King Dedede couldn't be more proud of Kirby. After they took down Haltmann and saved Planet Popstar once again, most of everyone met up at Castle Dedede to regroup and make sure that everyone was fine.
In this event, Dedede quickly noticed how Meta Knight was nowhere to be seen. The same went for the rest of the Halberd Crew. Not one of them in sight. But King Dedede knew Meta Knight could handle himself, and trusted him too. So he didn't think too much of it. Later that night, Kirby took a well-deserved nap. Meanwhile, Dedede decided to go to the Battleship Halberd to check on his Knight. He was the King of Dreamland, after all. It was his job to make sure his citizens, all of them, were okay. He knew that Meta Knight stayed on the Halberd most of the time, so it wouldn't be too hard to find him. The Halberd, when landed, was kept in a take-off area. After the Halberd had been repaired, Dedede had supplied Meta Knight with the area. He was very grateful for it. But it was also handy for Dedede, so he'd know if Meta Knight had set off on whatever it was he did elsewhere.
Sooner than later, Dedede climbed on board the Halberd, knocking on the door to the interior, not wanting to just barge in as that would be more than impolite, and he knew how Meta Knight did value manners. The door abruptly opened, Captain Vul on the other side, clutching a blaster weapon. "What do ya want?" He croaked, clearly having been awoken from sleep. "Hey Vul." Dedede greeted. "I came to check on Meta Knight." He added. Vul slowly lowered his weapon. "He's not awake, go home-" Captain Vul tried to shut the door in his face, but Dedede quickly held it open. "'Course he's not awake, but I wanna see if he's okay." He stated. Vul raised his eyebrows, not in shock, just disbelief that this guy was at his front door in the middle of the night, asking to see the person he very much considered his child. But Vul did trust Meta Knight. He groaned. "Mh, just don't do anything you could regret. I will kill you if you hurt that boy." Vul responded with a sigh, stepping back to allow King Dedede inside. "Thanks Vul." Dedede said and punched Vul's shoulder, Vul grimaced and squinted his eyes. Dedede quickly walked to where he knew Meta Knights room was. He wasn't going to watch him sleep or anything, he just wanted to see what state he was in. He had heard from Kirby that he had been mechanized, and fell into some sort of chasm. From what Kirby had said, it sounded terrible and really brutal.
So, he made it to his comrades door. He gently pushed it open. He heard the sound of someone's breath spike.
"Whose there?!" Meta Knight said, clearly alarmed. That was out of character. Usually, if he had been alarmed by something, he'd just silently draw his sword. Was he so hurt that he was incapable of doing so? And so genuinely unhinged he didn't care to silence himself? "It's just me." Dedede said and stepped into the room. He took a sharp breath in. That looked brutal. Meta Knight's mask was off, so in addition to his usual scars, the left side of his face was now slightly lagging behind the right side, signaling some sort of nerve damage. And both of his eyes were completely bloodshot. However, it didn't look...irreversibly terrible. A couple good hours of sleep and a nice shower, and he'd be back in shape! That's what Dedede thought before he even heard of the emotional damage.
"Oh...Dedede." Meta Knight muttered. "Wow, those Haltmann freaks really roughed you up, huh?" Dedede asked and sat down on Meta Knights bed. Meta Knight had already been sitting up. "I suppose you could say that." Meta Knight replied, his tone lightened from Dedede's rather positive attitude. "Vul told me you were asleep. And ya should be. After everythin' you've been through you need to get some rest." Dedede said and looked to his Knight. "It is quite hard to sleep with everything that happened." Meta Knight replied honestly and looked down. He was clearly exhausted. "You don't gotta tell me anythin' if you don't want too." Dedede said with concern. "Well...though I do appreciate you being here, I would not want to impose all of my issues onto you." Meta Knight mumbled. "You're not imposin' anything! I'm here to listen because I care about ya, Meta!" Dedede said and put his arm around Meta Knight. Meta Knight flinched and pulled away. That was weird. Usually Meta Knight found the gesture comforting.
"I apologize, I am not...ready to be touched yet." Meta Knight said gently. Dedede nodded. "'Course." Dedede said comfortingly. He respected Meta Knight's wishes. Being close to him was good enough. Meta Knight sighed. "Pardon, but if Vul told you I was in slumber, why would you come here?" Meta Knight asked. Dedede pursed his lips. "If ya want me ta' leave I can go." He offered, not wanting to cross any boundaries. "No no, you misunderstand. I want you to be here, and I am quite relived for your presence, but I was curious for these are strange circumstances." Meta Knight explained while rocking back and forth slightly. "Oh! Well yeah, tha's understandable. It ain't everyday I just drop by in the middle of the night." Dedede declared. "Yes, that is true." He said. "Well, I'd heard from Kirbs what happened to ya with the whole mechanization thing-" Meta Knight tensed very visibly at the very mention of it, which Dedede noticed.
"Oh! Sorry...I didn't mean ta...bring anything up or..." Dedede said quickly. Meta Knight slightly hugged himself but gave a something of smile. "It is fine." He said. Dedede took a deep breath. He had to be more careful when helping someone. "But yeah, I wanted to see if you needed more medical attention than you were getting." Dedede explained. "That was...thoughtful of you." Meta Knight thanked. "Ya think so?" Dedede asked. "I suppose. It is kind of you for you to even worry for my welfare." Meta Knight answered. Dedede smiled. "Of course I do. Ya mean a lot to me, Meta. And it's just...god, you really don't deserve to have to deal with all of this." Dedede complained. Meta Knight smiled softly, even though he had sharp teeth, he managed to somehow keep soft features like that. "But you're a strong guy, MK, you can get over it. In time I guess." Dedede said. With those words, Meta Knight frowned.
"I do not think that is how it quite works." Meta Knight stated. "What do ya mean?" Dedede replied. "One can't just 'overcome' something like this." Meta Knight explained. "Well if not how are ya supposed to- y'know, keep going? Of course you can move on." Dedede proposed. "Dedede, they...violated me in every sense of the word. There is no just getting over it." Meta Knight said, becoming something of aggressive. Dedede faltered, seeing as he might have made a mistake in wording. "Woah, that's not what I meant!" Dedede said, unable to meet Meta Knight's soft eyes, embarrassed with his mistake in wording. "What I meant was...MK, I think that you can get through this. As in, I guess ya can come to terms with what happened, somethin' like that." He began. Meta Knight calmed, becoming less tense than he was moments ago. Dedede continued, "And I wanna be here for you as much as I can to help you get through this. You're right, there isn't any way...over this. The only way is through." He explained. Dedede looked down with his brow furrowed. He felt so humiliated. His friend was so troubled and he had managed to basically remind him of what happened and then ridicule him.
"That was quite metaphorical and...even deep for someone like you, Dedede." Meta Knight said in a light tone. Dedede's head shot up. "Sorry MK, I really didn't mean to ridicule." He said. "I know you didn't...Thank you for being honest with me." Meta Knight said. Dedede sighed with relief. "Can count on me to miscommunicate." Dedede said jokingly and with a grin. "But regardless, perhaps when I get to my feet once more, could you do me the honors of a duel? You and I?" Meta Knight asked. "Don't gotta ask me twice." Dedede replied and laughed, Meta Knight giggling lightly with him. "Also, I did bring you a little somethin'. Kirbs said you'd be bed bound for a little so I thought I might as well drop this off since I was already comin'." Dedede said and reached into the pocket of his royal red coat. Meta Knight blushed. He was not used to most sorts of affection. "Thank you, Dedede." Meta Knight thanked. "Course. Here ya go." He handed Meta Knight a thick book. "One of the Dees had a copy and I thought you'd find it interestin'." Dedede said. The title of the book was simply 'The Tale of Galacta Knight.' "And you'd be right. This was very thoughtful of you." Meta Knight said. He looked away for a moment. "Would you like to stay and read with me?" He offered. "What, like right now?" Dedede asked, though still in a positive tone of voice. "I understand if it is to late at night, but I have been meaning to look into this legend for some time. I think it would be meaningful to read it with you." Meta Knight said. "Tch! Well I guess it would be. Scooch over a little." Dedede stated and climbed up to the head of the bed with Meta Knight. Meta Knight moved over and opened the book, bending the pages a little. Wait! Dedede was trying to be more thoughtful about Meta Knight, learning from his past mistakes. It was clear his eyes were tired after everything that happened.
"Here, let me read to you." Dedede said. Meta Knight paused. "Pardon?" He asked. "You're eyes are bloodshot. If we're reading then I want you to be able to rest while doin' it." Dedede said. Meta Knight paused. His eyes did hurt. "If you insist." He said. Dedede laughed, though trying to keep it down. "That's what I thought." He said.
So, Dedede opened the book and turned to page one. The prologue. Meta  Knight found his eyes slowly closing. Before he was having trouble sleeping, having the prior events looping over and over in his head, but with the words of the story in the background, giving him something to listen to, was calming and kept him something of focused. Dedede's presence was also nice. It felt like nothing could go wrong. He slowly began to doze off. He leaned against Dedede, his eyes fluttering shut. He wasn't listening to the words of the story as much anymore, more so the sound of Dedede's voice. Just not being alone was good enough for him at that moment.
Dedede paused for a minute as he felt Meta Knight nuzzle against his arm. This prompted him to slowly lift his arm and gently bring Meta Knight under. Wait wait wait! Dedede stopped himself. Before, Meta Knight had said he wasn't ready to have anyone come into contact with him again. Dedede scolded himself, telling himself he needed to be more aware. He pulled his arm back, but to his surprise, Meta Knight stopped him.
"MK...?" Dedede muttered. Meta Knight had woken up, though he was still sleepy. "I didn't mind." Meta Knight said honestly, just owning up to his comfort. Honesty is what made relationships with others nice. It's what made life easy. It was a good concept. "You sure? Before ya said..." His voice trailed off. "I will tell you if I experience discomfort." He said, his voice quiet. Dedede nodded. He put his arm around Meta Knight to where he was now leaning against his chest, as he continued to read. Dedede did have something of a blush on his face from this. God, Meta was so cute-
But regardless of that, his goal was to get Meta Knight to get some rest. So, he continued to read. Meta Knight began to doze off once more, as well as Dedede himself. Dedede's eyelids became heavy as he became tired. He could hear Meta Knight's soft heartbeat. Meta Knight himself was already asleep at that point. He felt...safe. Finally at peace.
Sooner than later, the book would lay forgotten in Dedede's lap, as he was sleeping, with Meta Knight in his arms. 
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mrcspectr · 2 years
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please PLEASE go feral about The Scene w/dr harrow honestly i adore reading your metas and thoughts about the moon knight boys i don't care if it's 50k words i would LOVE to read what you have to say ^^
ALRIGHT YOU ASKED BESTIE.
This is quite possibly one of my favorite scenes of the entire show. It's not just the fact that they were cofronting so easily. It's not just the fact that this was essentially the biggest mindfuck right into Harrow's psyche, the way they turned a direct attack on their identity and mental stability, sharpened it, and threw it right back at him in retaliation. That it's implied that this is their final interaction with him before they hide this broken man and his imprisoned god from the world in a psychiatric hospital, just like Harrow did to them.
What really gets me is how Marc and Steven are on equal footing as the dominate parties in the entire interaction. It's usually Marc that's more forceful and tries to control the situation right? Lemme explain.
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This is not the face of Steven Grant afraid. We've seen Steven scared, the way his eyes can take over his whole face and just shine with it. This is Steven feigning discomfort, faking concern at Harrow's words. His eyes are darker here, have more focus and purpose to them. He's pretending. Steven has to make him believe that what he's doing is working because that's what Harrow assumes about him, that he's the fearful one, the one that's easier to manipulate.
He plays it so damn well and then he gets to be the one to drop the façade. But do you believe that Khonshu and Ammit are real?
Do I? No.
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And then Marc slips in, and the transition is like a whisper, there's no struggle in the way it happens anymore. They've planned this out amongst themselves, pinpointed the exact moment to drop the act and twist the knife so that it has the desired effect, makes Harrow start to question in the same way he wants them to question even now, even when he's losing.
And what if we disagree Doc? What if we believe somethin' different?
The boys are hovering over him, looking down at him, and that's the moment we see Harrow experience that first pang of fear because of them.
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Then our work here continues. And Harrow tries to walk away, tries pulling back and taking control, but look at Steven. The way he's watching for something, anything that gives him away. Because Marc's the one that mentions the blood, but Steven sees it first.
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It's the way they have so very clearly hatched this plot together, and worked together to just.. Essentially "playing with your food before you eat it," so to speak. And then Steven, oh Steven gets to be the one to drive the point home, and it's so satisfying to see. It's the world's biggest gotcha moment.
Yeah, I don't think you know as much as you think you do.
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This is Steven playing an equal part in not just saving the world, but in their own story. It's his subtle sort of revenge against Harrow for everything he's done, and everything he's tried to make Steven believe about himself, about Marc.
This is how the boys finally win.
While it is tempting to accept your diagnosis Doc, we'd rather go save the world.
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And they love it. They love having the final say, that last word, they find their own sort of amusement in it because they did it together. We don't have to listen to you because we bested you. I remember watching this for the first time and thinking oh wow, they're unstoppable now because if they can do this, if they can grow into this teamwork and continue to use it for good, who even needs the suit anymore.
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aresmarked · 9 months
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knmf cohabiting arc? /hj but really, what do u think will happen now? will Mafuyu stay away from home or return sooner than later?
i've talked about it a bit with some folk I know on discord so genuine, TL;DR answer:
While I do think Mafuyu will try to stay away from home, I genuinely don't know with who or how, but i trust the writers to continue relying on the bonds that they've cultivated throughout the story so far to keep her safe.
I think staying with Kanade could be viable for a short term. Because let's be honest, Kanade is in no way really in a place to be taking care of another person's needs. Absolutely the guardian of Mafuyu's emotional needs. but physical/physiological? girl needs honami just to not eat cup noodles all the time.
And while Ena and Mizuki are a bit more equipped family-wise to be like 'hey we gotta help this friend of ours can she stay with us a bit'... it would probably necessitate questions into Mafuyu's home life that I don't think Mafuyu wants/is prepared yet for happening, and. this is me being a bit 'meta' here but the timing isn't quite right narratively? I feel, personally, Mafuyu's story needs a bit of a breather before they'd probably go 'hey, we gotta see, if, legally and morally, it's right for you to be with your parents'. that's going to be A Lot for Mafuyu to go through at this point especially.
of course, if the writers did choose to actually explore this sort of story i'd be awed in the same way the exploration of Mizuki's identity wowed me when I started playing PSekai. from a bit of basic research i did with some folk, child welfare cases have been a bit of an issue in Japan! And children getting out of abusive homes, specifically, what age children and teens can apply to be independent or the equivalent is still unclear. But it feels like a 'if so, not yet' sort of situation.
What we do know is Mafuyu is just, waaay too fragile to be going home, both narratively and just where her head is now. it would set her back, and her whole arc to this point has been, well, getting her to this point of speaking about all she's suffered to try making her mother happy. for the writers to be like 'oh actually there's not anything anyone can do she has to go home!' to start the next arc would be infuriating on so many levels.
there's the rest of niigo of course, there to help her. there's the people, shizuku and emu at school, who are a bit more aware and who'd love nothing more to support her and bring her ease too. and there's the people who have even less sense of the situation, but have come to know mafuyu a little and do care about her, and would try to help, if they were brought in.
one of the strongest parts of PSekai's writing is the character relationships, and it'd not only run counter to Mafuyu's development, but I'd say the soul of their stories, to not have Mafuyu be honest with a few more people and rely on them more.
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kimium · 7 months
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I asked @m34gs what she thinks the Twisted Wonderland house warden's favourite video games are. She answered in this ask and prompted me to give my thoughts. So, here I am!
Here are a few ground rules: I'm going to pick games I've personally played or had experience with. Also, if a game is in a series and I think they're very similar, I'm listing them together.
The House Warden's Favourite Video Game
Riddle - Kirby: Nightmare in Dreamland
Wow, I'm really outing myself with how many Kirby games I've played, huh? Well, I'm not sorry. When I was a child I LOVED Kirby: Nightmare in Dreamland. I loved the simple world design, the fun, easy mechanics, and the bright colours/music. It's also a fast game. Even as a child I think I beat it in like six hours. Anyways, I think Riddle would enjoy this game for those reasons. It's something he can lose himself in briefly and have fun. I know there are probably better Kirby games out there and newer ones at that, but the childhood nostalgia wins in the end.
Leona - Tetris
I really love your pick of Mahjong for Leona. Honestly, the desire to just go "yeah, what M34GS said" or pick another tactical game like Chess, Checkers, or even Go. But, I decided Tetris is also a good pick for Leona. As you said, Leona isn't one to care too much about video games, so he isn't going for one with story... like I do. He needs a low risk game with just enough puzzling. So, Tetris. It's fun to arrange things, does require some level of strategy, and is very satisfying when you win. Leona can also put it away at any time, so this means he can nap when he's bored or done.
Azul - Don't Starve Together
While I sort of wanted to pick a murder mystery game with Azul, Don't Starve Together has resource management. Which, I think is right up Azul's alley. Sure, the game has a "survive in the wild" vibe, but Azul is there trying to optimize his strategy, gather everything, and not die. He can also play with Jade and Floyd if he wishes, but there is a high chance those two would sabotage him. Azul will take that risk though, and I think those three would have a lot of fun. It's also a casual game, so he can put it away without worry of story or progress.
Kalim - Harvest Moon (any of them)
I agree that Kalim deserves a relaxing, slow game, without much conflict or objectives in it. While I think a game franchise like Animal Crossing also works, since I've never played an Animal Crossing game myself, I'm picking Harvest Moon. I think Kalim would find it very fun to build his farm, befriend the locals, solve whatever problem is occurring, and marry his favourite NPC. I didn't pick a specific Harvest Moon game simply because I only have experience with two: the original and The Tale of Two Towns (I think... I can't check right now). Besides, Harvest Moon all has the same "flavour" so to speak, so I don't think me specifically stating which game is necessary.
Vil - Super Smash Bros (any of them)
I agree that Vil would love a co-op game that he can play with his close friends. I also agree it has to be easy and with low stakes. Sure, SSBs has "meta units" and an entire competitive video game scene with the game, but I think Vil would play this as a party game. It's casual with everyone just picking their favourite characters and stage. There may be some sabotage (a must) and items on (deadly) but in the end, everyone is just playing to have a good time. Who Vil mains is up to you.
Idia - TWEWY/Neo TWEWY
The urge to pick a mobile game like Genshin Impact or an open world game like BoTW or TotK is high, but I want to avoid gacha games in my list and... I've never played BoTW or TotK. Sorry. So, I picked a personal favourite of mine: The World Ends with You and the sequel. I picked this because I think Idia is the kind of person who gets into the story of a game and enjoy the characters. TWEWY has some amazing characters, great story, amazing music, and of course, the essence of Shibuya packaged into the entire game. I also think Idia would love the game play, enjoying swapping his pins out for better ones, and enjoy the extra challenge modes.
Malleus - Pokemon Yellow/Red/Blue (or Green)
Okay, here is the problem: I think any sort of pet simulator game is great for Malleus, however, I dislike pet simulator games. I'm here for story and lore... which I think is the opposite for Malleus. But here is the thing while Pokemon has a narrative and many components it started off super simple: go around and catch Pokemon and go to the gyms. While newer Pokemon games have introduced so many things like Beauty Contests or an open world design, I think the old games are perfect for Malleus. He'd enjoy creating his team and nicknaming them. I bet he'd be delighted to learn that there are dragon type Pokemon in the world too. Sure, he may struggle with some more "meta" components but at least in the older games we didn't have Mega Evolution or newer Gens and BST to worry about.
There you have it! I hope you like my list! I had fun picking the titles while also trying to keep in line with the characters!
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sewerkingcharlie · 10 months
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i've been following you for ages and i love your blog so much!! you seem funny and like you'd make a good friend :D i don't know if this will make any sense or not but i like how honest you are too! it's cool that you don't say things on sunnyblr because it might get you a following or get people to like you, but because that's just what you think and how you enjoy the show personally :3 ok this feels really fangirly and weird so i'm sorry if i seem like a weirdo for sending this but i really admire you unironically even though you're just an iasip blog, it just seems like you are being yourself and don't care about the backlash you've got for sticking up for yourself over stupid things before and that you don't engage or act how the internet expects you to act and that's just cool
this is getting really long shit this might be so weird for you? but i'm too anxious to message you this or tell you any other time and you reblogged the anonymous opinions post so this is as good a time as any! :D i also think you're really well spoken in your posts? it's smart how you articulate thoughts and theories with your meta posts or theory posts or just personal opinion things! and your fanfics are amazing, obviously ^.^ oh yeah wait and i saw your charmac ballad where you used charlie's canon songs and spliced them together like holy wow you're so talented!
ok ok anonymous opinion done! you're really talented and i kind of look up to you to be honest :3 you seem like the sort of person i'd either want to be, or be friends with
this is so long oh my god i'm sorry
asks that make a grown man cry
seriously i woke up feeling like dog shite today and this is so. so fucking lovely of u friend ????? im like overwhelmed idek where to start like. woah. waugh!!!!!
pls don't apologise for a long ask like this is all so lovely and i don't think you're weird at all!! i'm super touched like holy shit i was expecting some silly slay kings in my ask box for that reblog like i did not emotionally prepare for somebody to be so kind :']]]
pls pls do message me if you ever feel like you can, i don't bite (without good reason djgfhdfjhdsgfj) and you seem like an UTTER sweetheart fr!! i straight up don't know what to even say that feels like a proper response but yeah like. oughwaugheauoegh.
i am finding it super tricky to know what to say about u looking up to me because like i don't see/understand why ppl would tbh but at the same time that's such a lovely thing to say, i don't wanna self deprecate and equally don't wanna just be like "SLAY ofc u do purr mama boots the house" like im somewhere in between those two like yeah im just grateful for this ask and for u taking the time to tell me all that bc it's genuinely brightened a shitty day waking up to seeing this
ily anon tysm id die for you ten thousand times <3333333
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spockandawe · 2 years
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I'm that anon who loves your meta ❤ Thank you for your answer! I've been thinking a lot about Tarn lately. What confuses me is that he killed Kaon, this is very out of his character. Also, I can't figure out if he wanted Megatron-sempai to kill him since he already had a suicide attempt. If you come back to IDW1 fandom and you have some inspiration, talk about Tarn please, I'm very curious how you see this boy 🙏
Okay, catching up a tiny bit on my inbox here!!!
So, honestly, Tarn killing Kaon was a surprise to me, but the thing that was more of a surprise to me overall was that the DJD had gone so long without a member being killed. Given their role as officially appointed moral police of the decepticon faction, it's kind of shocking that even a small, small team could last for so long without anyone stepping out of line or reaching their limit on what they can tolerate doing to people on like.... their own side. But the stability of a team like this for so long speaks to both the intensity of their bond, and to how fuckt things are going to get if something knocks them out of equilibrium.
So, as a parallel example that didn't end in outright murder, consider that the team received a MASSIVE blow shortly before canon that we only get to see the echoes of! I'm going to be vague on the particulars for anyone who may not have read it yet, but the pet? Like, WOW, imagine being part of this team and getting hit with a reveal like that! And even with the scope of that betrayal, they didn't kill the teammate who betrayed them, they kept him.... in a sense :V
At first glance, this seems to suggest the later scene with Tarn was an error in characterization. If he was willing to tolerate (in a very generous sense of the word) one of his team being an autobot SPY, and was willing to leave him alive, why would he kill a faithful member of the team over a minor infraction like frustration with his priorities?
But as far as my reading of the story went, Tarn starts spiraling out of control the moment Megatron updates his manifesto to be like 'lol whoops', and that's the most intense indication of how far he's fallen by the end. As fucked up as his morals are at the beginning of MTMTE, the DJD does care deeply about each other. Tarn's got two big priorities, megatron and his team. Those two things are pretty much aligned with each other, and it's hard to imagine anything would bring them into conflict. Until it's suddenly a HUGE conflict, and it becomes increasingly clear that Tarn absolutely 100% cannot cope with this.
In the beginning of the story, it's wild to think that the DJD would kill each other over anything short of a betrayal in the autobot-vs-decepticon paradigm, and it does eventually become clear that they wouldn't even kill each other DESPITE that. And by the end, tarn kills kaon because kaon wants them to go rescue the pet. Kaon continues to care about the team, and Tarn gets so frustrated that he casually kills Kaon on the spot. It's not JUST that Tarn is determined to get revenge for Megatron's betrayal of the decepticon cause, it's also that he's so fixated on that revenge that he's willing to throw away the family that's been a physical presence in his life for eons.
We see Tarn willing to chase his revenge past reasonable limits, all the way to his own self-destruction, but I think that seeing what happened with Kaon was the moment that really underscored how far he'd fallen. In the performance reviews, we see him getting angry when Tesarus questions the way they left team members behind, and we see the way he's willing to throw away the lives of Deathsaurus's people trying to get to Megatron, but those were technically deserters, sort of, Kaon's death is a true point of no return.
I don't think he necessarily wanted Megatron to kill him, but I also think he didn't really care what happened to himself as long as he was able to punish Megatron. And he didn't care about anyone else either. In early MTMTE, he cares a lot about his team, they're very close-knit. He takes a huge blow to his sense of self, and he could choose his team, or he could choose a rigid set of morally absolutist standards, and when he chooses that absolutism, we see him compromising everything else he valued until he's reached a point he can't undo.
This may sound like I don't like Tarn, but honestly, I adore him!! I'm a sucker for a character overflowing with this sort of intensity, especially when they've kind of... outsourced their sense of self. It's not entirely removed from the way I characterize Cyclonus, where he has a set of private values that mean everything to him, but where he relates them to the world around him by pinning Everything on something external, and hoping that his external linchpin stays stable. When Cyclonus lets himself begin orbiting Tailgate, versus when he thinks he's lost Tailgate forever, it's a similar flavor of implosion. But with Megatron, it's not even that Tarn lost someone he was in love with, but the revolutionary philosopher and leader who started a movement that Tarn built a whole identity around, the leader who empowered Tarn to hunt down and torture any traitor who betrayed the decepticons, was eventually the one to turn on his own creation and say 'this was wrong, this was a mistake, i shouldn't have done this.'
The trouble with the intense characters like this is that it's so hard for them to recover from a blow like that XD I love it!! While things are going well for them, they seem like such a powerful, confident presence. But it's like tapping a sheet of glass with a hammer and watching cracks radiate across the surface. When someone's more self-contained, less of them is exposed to take damage like that. But when so much of them exists outside of themself, how are they supposed to piece things back together? I've written and read a little fic that pokes at alternate Cyclonus futures, and I've read Tarn fic that takes him in different directions than canon, and so often, it's hard for a character to self-actualize past this kind of blow, it takes bonus personal support for the character to piece themself back together. But while they're in the process of falling apart, it's so tempting and easy for them to destroy their life even more than events already did. It's like looking at the burned-out shell of your house, and asking yourself 'well why CAN'T i knock down that last wall,' only instead of your house, it's everything you love.
So that's where I come at regarding Tarn!! He's very much shaped my one of my faves, but he's, uh, even more morally Difficult to really excuse than, let us say, Pharma (i probably won't get to him tonight, but i could scream about him forever). The fan vitriol in some quarters re: JC in MDZS really took me off-guard, because like, he didn't lobotomize one family member, murder another, and lead the rest to a terrible end after a long and successful career in the psychological warfare murdertorture moral police, lmaooo. I think Tarn was always remarkably fragile, it was just that blows like this could only come from a few possible sources, so he wasn't able to weather the hit when it did come.
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noona96n · 2 years
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Omggg my feelings about the guest are so big idk if I can manage to be coherent TT but you did ask for a vomit after all hahah
So true tho aroace gilyoung!!! Honestly when I first watched the show I interpreted their (all 3) relationship as like found family like they're siblings they're best friends they're each others most important person they bicker they care SO MUCH
I was a little disappointed when I saw most if not all the fics about their relationship were romantic but like I take what I can get but your qpr version is sooo appealing yes please
[Slaps roof of Yoon] this guy can fit so much religious conflict/trauma in him!! I love how he fights with his faith and himself and his feelings like OOF and and
And the way when Hwapyung untangled their hands in the water he kept the rosary??? 🥺 like he wanted to take a reminder of what he's leaving/who he's doing this for with him? And then he keeps it when he survives?? Soft.
And Gilyoung so good so true she was probably my favourite from the three she's so headstrong and so caring and at the end she WILL get these guys to take care of themselves if it kills her
And the relationship development between all three, and just the general vibe of the show and the horror. I just love this show so much
omg yah! Gil Young is my absolute fav, hands down.
i love the trio a fckn lot and Choi Yoon will always have a soft spot in my heart (see: poetic suffering) but Gil Young takes the cake. Gil Young is everything! i admire her tenacity so much, the way she persevere and willing to do what's right, even if the law disagrees with her. she's just… S H E ! ! !
i haven't loved a female character so fully and wholeheartedly like this in a while 🥺 she has my heart and my admiration 💖
and, honestly, same… it's kinda sad that romantic fics are so predominant in the fandom… i also see them as found family. like, LITERALLY found each other. like wow… found each other in the first ep and found each other again in the last ep… full circle. fantastic metaphor ✨
anyway, as i said, i label their relationship as qpr only bcs conventional society would demand that they name their relations to one another and people would be like 'u aren't family, y'all aren't in the same family registry' or whatever tf bcs ive come to realize that a lot of people need to process all sort of relationships in relation to romance bcs they don't really understand that love doesn't only refer to romantic love smh
(also, sorry for the mini rant on love… i just hate how allos are dominating the discussion on love and refuse to see love beyond the romantic lense)
then again, i also understand the hetero ships bcs the writer and director be dropping subtle hints of possible Hwa Pyung/Gil Young and Choi Yoon/Gil Young here and there. and Hwa Pyung/Choi Yoon too lol so i can see why they ship Gil Young with the boys but nah, for me she's a kickass aroace that's just tired of all the allos around her haha
and the rosary… the fckn rosary *pterodactyl screeching* HWA PYUNG WEARS THE ROSARY!!!!!!!! i dont think rosaries are meant to be worn but Hwa Pyung just… wearing it??? around his neck????? and it sits over his chest??????? the chest where his heart is meant to be????????? F E E L S P A I N
(also, shameless self promo but i made this gifset of their hands bcs fckn PAIN)
i love Choi Yoon, a massive soft spot for him and, as my fav, i want him to ✨SUFFER✨ i wanna read a fic/meta where the Catholic side of him is explored and explained. im so fascinated by the internal conflict that's caused by his religion but im not educated or aware enough to really understand. i really wanna write a character study fic that explores Choi Yoon as a person but im not well-versed enough in catholicism 🥲 i especially wanna explore his relationship with his hyung bcs i can tell how much he loves his hyung and how much his hyung loves him as well… his hyung was somewhat lucid enough to ask if he was at cram school before he went apeshit and murdered their parents. his hyung still remembered to care for him despite everything. his hyung loves him and im reminded of the way Itachi annihilated the entire Uchiha clan but kept Sasuke alive bcs he couldn't find it in him to killed Sasuke. (sorry about the Naruto segue rip im a weeb can u tell?)
anyway, a question just pops up into my head and that is: how tf does Hwa Pyung managed to still be sane and kind after all the shit Park Il Do put him thru? he's truly such a 'vast' and kind and beautiful character.
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bisexualmindcabin · 1 year
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I hate how much your S5 theory makes sense, but it does! The 100y D-notice thing, wow. However, the part about trying to recreate the outrage surrounding the original stories that led to it coming back after a decade didn't really happen. There's like 20 people who want more (I'm referring to TJLC-ers such as myself) but no one is being vocal about it. Even people who liked S4 at face value have all but forgotten the show exists by this point, so what is the big pay-off for waiting 10 years do you think? Is it just so they can say they did it? Because honestly, after 10 years even the most hardcore fans will move on to other interests. There's so much media out there, if it does come in 2027 the majority of people will be like, oh wow, yeah I remember that show and not like a huge celebration that it's coming back. And I say this as someone who is hyper-obsessed with the show, but a decade is so long. What do you think?
MOOD NONNY DJSJDKD. I too hate how much my theory makes sense!
To answer your other question, I agree. It didn't work. As I understand it, they meant to make s4 in a way that was off-putting, but made people react by saying actually, go back, we don't want a Sherlock that is only about the stories, we don't want a Sherlock in which Sherlock and John are estranged, or fighting, or with someone else in between.
The reaction that actually happened was astronomical compared to what (I think) they wanted. It exploded in rage or derision at how bad it was then died off quickly for the general masses. It made us, TJLCers, equal parts deeply confused and hurt, for a long time.
And they know this! The know they failed and "broke the contract between an author and a reader", which is exactly what BBC Dracula is about (If you haven't watched it, I recommend). In it, if you agree with @victorianpining's reading of them using Dracula as a self-insert, they pretty much acknowledge that they did, and didn't mean to, but that the game is on regardless.
I disagree with the part about it being too long a time. As a hyper-obsessed fan myself, I'm gonna be sat lmao. For normal people however, is it too long for hype to be high and fandom to be active? Yes and probably yes. Is it so long all interest will have died down? Well depends. People won't be thinking about it before it's announces, but 10 years is exactly the amount of time for nostalgia to sort of set in. People who watched casually have probably forgotten how bad s4 was. People who were once fans but despised s4 might, in 10 years time, stop resenting that season and decide to enjoy the first three again. It's difficult to know those things beforehand.
And ultimately I think it's a moot point. The BBC doesn't care about international audiences and has generally allowed the writers to do whatever they wanted, and the writers have never cared too much about what other people thought, rather they were doing the show because it was what they wanted to see. And that, right there, is the pay off. The thing that would motivate them to do it is that they consider their adaptation to be the first one that gets it right, where everyone else has been getting it wrong. If that includes a 10 year gap, that has been foreshadowed by the entire subtext and meta-meaning of s4, and brings new meaning to the reason they might ascribe as to why ACD originally killed off Holmes, but with a satisfying rewrite for the reason they will bring him back, then they'll do it.
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sulietsexual · 11 months
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i know you wrote it literally 4 years ago but as i revisit some of your videos i wanted to see what other meta or analysis you had written about charmed and your scenario of how paige would fit into the sisters's lives if prue had lived and breakdown of each dynamics was awesome but i got to thinking some more about parallels between phoebe and paige
both phoebe and paige grow up without knowing their mother and although both have caretakers, people who love and care for them there's that hole in both their lives, something missing and it's what drives them both to act out and get into all sorts of trouble. phoebe never became an alcoholic like paige did in her teens but she was reckless and in with crowds that were dangerous and hyde school reunion gives us a glimpse of that
in your what if scenario with the paige/phoebe dynamic you emphasized several times that they'd be partners in crime and bond over their rebellious youths but i honestly don't think they would because both of them aren't proud of that part of their lives and it was a dark time for both. phoebe was essentially an outcast, her whole look and demeanor was designed to drive people away and it always screamed defense mechanism to me
i think it's easy to look at both teen!paige and teen!phoebe and think they're just teenagers being rebellious because every teenager has that phase but i always thought for both of them it was rooted in something else. phoebe grows up never getting to have a normal sisterly bond with piper or prue but especially prue because prue is the sister and the mother and the father, she puts it upon herself to play those two missing roles in their lives because while their grandma lives she needs help
so even though we don't get to see little phoebe i'd imagine she wasn't often playing with her sisters like we see prue and piper doing in "that 70's episode" both because of the age gap between the three of them and because even if her kid sisters wanted to play with a baby or a toddler once victor left and penny died the home life probably changed a lot, i imagine the time for games had kinda passed, all their childhoods were affected not just prue's
and i also imagine there must have been a huge level of pressure for phoebe that maybe she put on herself to be worthy 'cause she's the baby the one who needs the most attention and with no one to rely on but penny both prue and piper have to step up to help raise her instead of just getting to be carefree kids, i imagine she felt there were unspoken expectations she could never live up to
and in that i see another parallel with paige. paige feeling she could never live up to the memory of prue and how brave and good she was and phoebe with this mother she didn't get to know, that she doesn't even remember but the knowledge from her sisters and grams that she was an amazing woman, the simultaneous sense of loss and wanting to make her proud, wanting to make everyone proud but not knowing how
i apologize for all these messages, the novels i sent you there i was getting hit in my paige/phoebe feels and wanted to share i guess feel free to tell me if you think i'm off about any of the points i brought up. i love reading or seeing good charmed meta/analysis and yours are always great!
Wow, that's a lot to cover Nonnie! Always happy to hear other's thoughts though.
When I said that Phoebe and Paige would bond over being trouble makers, I didn't mean that either was proud of their pasts, just that they have that in common and could probably find common ground over being "black sheep" and that would bond them. Even out bad periods/experiences can bond us with others!
I disagree that Paige had a hole in her life due to missing her biological mother - she had two wonderful parents whom she obviously loved, and while she did seem to have the normal curiosity about her lineage that a lot of adopted kids do (myself included!) I don't think that the absence of a biological mother affected her all that much, again, since she had such great parents who loved and raised her well.
Also disagree with the notion that both Prue and Piper had to give up their childhoods to raise Phoebe. We know canonically that only Prue had this responsibility - Piper herself says in the Pilot that she and Phoebe got off easy and that the two of them were allowed to have a normal childhood, while Prue had to sacrifice her childhood to help raise them. So I definitely think that Piper and Phoebe were close growing up and I don't think that Phoebe was isolated from her sisters at all.
Thanks for the ask and glad you enjoy my Charmed vids and meta!
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bitimdrake · 2 years
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I don't know if you're still taking asks about dc metas, so don't feel pressured to respond to this, but based on where you are in the comics, which of the batfam are canonically able to cook?
I'm happy to talk dc meta!
Technically where I am in comics is a few years into the new 52, but I can't recall anything in the new 52 establishing cooking ability at all, so I'd be going of vibes alone. (Vibes: I'm not sure a single new 52 batfam member besides Alfred can cook.) But I would love to answer this for the much longer-lasting and beloved post-crisis continuity.
CAN COOK:
Alfred, of course. This is one of those cases where there are so many examples I don't even know what to reference. Obviously Alfred can cook.
Barbara. While I can't, off the top of my head, recall an example of her cooking on-page, she has a "cooking stash" that includes tarragon (and a larger container for refills!) which seems like an unlikely thing to have if you don't cook (Nightwing #85). And she cared enough about her kitchen to get it redone for wheelchair use, so she presumably spends regular time there.
Dick. We've seen him cook in New Teen Titans, in the aforementioned Nightwing issue, and in Batman: Prodigal where he wowed Tim with his ability to do basic household tasks. He always seems to be making something in a pan on a stove.
Sort of Tim. This one is not to the extent of the others--like I said, he thought Dick being able to cook in Prodigal was super impressive. However, he was thirteen at that point. A few years later, at fifteen, he asks his step mom to show him how to make chicken soup, and by all accounts seems to do a pretty good job of it (Robin #102). So while he's certainly not a practiced chef, he's got some basic competence and ability to learn.
DEBATABLE: I cannot recall of any evidence for Steph one way or the other, but my instinct is that she's similar to Tim--perfectly capable of basics and able to follow a recipe, but without a lot of experience. She can definitely make a sandwich (Robin #111), but that's the best I can confirm.
CANNOT COOK:
Bruce cannot fucking cook. Bruce can ruin any meal he touches. Bruce is almost impressive in his complete and utter incompetence. Bruce has canonically somehow managed to mess up a tuna sandwich (Detective Comics #685). Bruce once tried to make soup off a recipe and ended up somehow starting a fire and ordering takeout (Batman: Gotham Knights #42). Never let Bruce cook.
I can't think of any bullet-proof evidence that Cass can't cook, but look. It never occurred to Cass to question how her laundry was getting done or her trash picked up until Alfred told her (Batgirl #45). There is no chance that Cass knows how to cook. The only time (post-crisis) when I would find it plausible for her to have learned is over the one year later time skip, where she apparently took speech and ESL courses and spent time with Alfred--but that would fully enter the realm of headcanon.
DEBATABLE: I personally do not believe Damian can cook at all. When he complains about Alfred's cooking, it comes across like a kid used to private chefs and Michelin restaurants, and not like a fellow chef making critiques. When and why would he have learned to cook? Look at that kid. They were too busy cramming assassin skills into his head to bother with life skills.
DEBATABLE: I have even less evidence for Jason, but I'm going to tentatively put him on this list. I think Jason learned how to feed himself very young, but that's different from learning to cook, and I don't think he had a lot of chances at the latter. After his death and return, there is no way he bothered to learn cooking what with his single-focus on revenge.
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Hi slug! I love all your answers to the weird asks. They always make me smile. With that being said, I've come up with one of my own that hopefully has not been asked before. I don't know if you play many video games, but what do you think the favorite video game of each of the characters would be? If you can't think of a specific game, genres (rpg, fps, sandbox, etc.) also work!
I do play a fair variety of video games, so I've given this some thought.
Ichirou - I'm of two minds here. Since Ichirou is a big fan of isekai and other fantasy style manga and anime, I imagine he would also be into JRPGs. He probably also enjoys anime action games, such as the DBZ fighting games. We've also seen him play rhythm and gacha games (ARB) on his phone in the manga. That's mind one. Mind two says that the minute he turned 18, he nipped on down to Akihabara to acquire certain games featuring his top waifus that he would never show to Jirou and Saburou. If anyone on this list would play eroges, well... it'd be Ichirou.
Jirou - I think Jirou would play whatever Ichirou recommends, but he'd probably also enjoy sports games like FIFA. Jirou likes hanging out with people, so I doubt he'd play many single player games.
Saburou - In addition to playing chess with people online, as he does in the anime, Saburou probably enjoys strategy games like Total War or real-time strategy games like Starcraft II.
Samatoki - Samatoki doesn't seem like he'd be a big gamer, but I bet he has an old bright-pink DS with a copy of Nintendogs. Ostensibly, it was once Nemu's, but now he plays it religiously to take care of a toy poodle named Fang or something appropriately edgy.
Juuto - Judging by how he drives, Juuto seems like he'd enjoy racing games or Rocket League. Mad Trigger Crew tried playing Mario Kart once, and the resulting argument after Juuto beat Samatoki in Rainbow Road nearly went to blows before Riou broke it up.
Riou - Riou would enjoy the hell out of survival games, especially ones in which resource management is vital. He would also be enamored with Cooking Mama.
Ramuda - Ramuda probably knows how to play Dance Dance Revolution like an absolute fiend. In private, he works off his aggression with fighting games or shooters.
Gentarou - Gentarou plays games for the story, so he probably enjoys JRPGs and artsy-fartsy indie games. He also secretly plays gacha games, perhaps even ARB for the meta factor.
Dice - Dice seems like he'd play whatever you put in front of him provided the game is fast-paced enough. He would also be into playing poker online.
Jakurai - Ichirou tried showing Trauma Center to Jakurai once, but the lack of medical accuracy simply baffled Jakurai. Then Ichirou gave him a fishing simulator, and Jakurai took off. I could definitely see him having a World of Warcraft membership simply so he could sit in WoW and fish. I hear it's calming to do this.
Hifumi - Hifumi would enjoy party games and two-player games to try with Doppo. Between the two of them, I could see them enjoying a wide variety of genres.
Doppo - Doppo doesn't seem like he has the time for games anymore, but when he was younger, he probably enjoyed playing all sorts of things with or without Hifumi. I can picture them as teenagers bawling as the credits roll after a long, emotional RPG.
Sasara - Sasara doesn't seem like a big gaming type, as his interest lies more in TV and films. He might enjoy casual mobile games to pass the time between acts in his show.
Roshou - Roshou is into TV and sports nowadays, but I could see him enjoying video games more when he was younger. As he was kind of a rebel, he probably tried to play shooters and the like. Nowadays, he keeps them around just to threaten turning his skills on the unrepentant bastards who keep breaking into his house.
Rei - Is Rei a gamer? I can't picture that myself, but I can picture him being part of developing an addictive mobile game with predatory payment plans.
Kuukou - Kuukou seems like he'd enjoy video games. Action horror seems like right up his alley, along with the weirdest shit he can manage to find on the Playstation store. You know those games that have names like Fart Simulator or whatever? That's what I'm talking about.
Juushi - Juushi would like Castlevania for the aesthetic. He would definitely try to play Resident Evil with Kuukou but would be horrified by all the blood immediately.
Hitoya - Hitoya doesn't seem like much of a gamer either. However, Juushi might suggest one day that they play Ace Attorney. Hitoya would refuse at first but would finally be wheedled into it. "This is bullshit," he'd say, approximately two minutes in and every ten minutes or so afterward. But then later, he'd ask Juushi and Kuukou, "So when are you going to make me play that stupid game with the dumbass lawyer who looks like a hedgehog?" In this manner, they've worked their way through most of the series. He likes Miles Edgeworth as a character but refuses to admit it. He also complains about the helpers (Maya, Pearl, Kay, etc.) and says they remind him of Kuukou and Juushi. Naturally, this is because he adores all of them, but he refuses to admit that too.
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Something about magician's apprentice/witch's familiar really fascinates me. I feel like there's a sort - beyond all the interesting stuff that's definitely visibly there - a sort of other level, too? a sort of, reflection, maybe. there's so much in the dialogue especially that takes me out of the story and puts me in a place where I'm thinking about the story. even the whole show.
part of it starts with missy, maybe. there's so much explicit commentary on her and the doctor's relationship in those episodes! I knew these quotes before watching but I didn't realize they'd all be in one storyline.
Clara: You're not his friend. You keep trying to kill him.
Missy: He keeps trying to kill me. It's sort of our texting. We've been at it for ages.
Clara: Oh, it must be love.
This is so explicit!! I realize missy's all disdainful about clara's use of love here, but still, it's so weird to me to hear someone put it like that in the show. idk. and then like,
Clara: What's the matter with him? He's never like this.
Missy: Oh, you really are new, aren't you?
/
Doctor: Davros is my arch-enemy - why would I want to talk to him?
Missy: Sorry, what? Davros is your arch-enemy? [...] I'll scratch his eye out.
/
Missy (I think this was cut?): And when you're all used up and dead and blown away, the Doctor and I will still be friends.
This is obviously missy asserting herself as important in the doctor's life, teasing clara with how similar they are and clara isn't, etc etc. but it's also explicit in dialogue about their relationship - missy's conception of their relationship - in a way that I'm really not used to from thirteen and the master, lol. and then it gets mirrored with davros too.
Davros: This is the argument we've had since we met.
I don't know much about him and the doctor, but this is like, putting such clear boundaries on their, connection. on why they're enemies. And “we've exhausted the conventional means of communication” about murdering billions of people. conventional means of communication! wow!
there's such an emphasis on the Old Aliens in this episode but without the doctor ever going “I'm so old now”. like, explicitly the Alien part as well. violence as flirting. violence as texting. violence as communication. the doctor tries to find different means of connection with his two enemies and ends up being punished for both! davros cries and tells him he wishes they were on the same side and then tries to steal his regeneration energy. missy asserts their Ancient Friendship all episode and tries to goad him into killing clara-in-the-dalek.
I genuinely wasn't sure about what was going to happen either. when davros ended up betraying the doctor I was actually sad! because it was very typical doctor who-y to have the lesson be mercy but I'd have loved for the lesson to be something else. about people who've done so much violence to each other over millennia... not doing that for a moment. maybe it's a set up for the vault though, I don't know, I haven't watched that yet.
but even beyond the three of them, the story missy tells is very - meta? (how do I use that word?) too, in that it's like - she doesn't care about which face it is, it's all the doctor to her. he Escapes in the story and immediately falls into the next one (a nest of vampire monkeys). very episode/cliffhanger-like except it's an actual story missy is telling. only it doesn't matter how many android assassins there are because it is fundamentally a Story about The Doctor Is In Precarious Situation And Does Clever Thing.
the commentary about survival too!
Missy: There are lots of clever dead people.
/
Clara: Because he always assumes he's going to win! He always knows somehow there's a way to survive.
/
Doctor: Survival is just a choice. [...] I told you, you have one chance in a thousand - and one is all you ever need.
that's not really how survival works though right? sometimes, but not always. except it does in the show. the doctor survives because he needs to for the story, except for when he doesn't, which is then a Big Thing. he doesn't die in a random episode anywhen because we, the audience, need him not to. so he doesn't.
even little parts of the episode are like that! how did the doctor get the cup of tea? he's the doctor! just accept it! the daleks have to deal with that and we do too. except we Just Accept Things constantly because it's science fiction. not only science fiction, it's magic. the doctor's a magician not a scientist etc etc, and like, look at the episode titles.
then. “there's no such thing as the doctor”. I find it fascinating how he says explicitly, “I'm just a bloke in a box, telling stories”. and then, “some things matter to me, davros. not many, but a few.” maybe this is some witty thing I'm not getting but this is like - not many? not many?? we've seen missy all episode, actually showing what it means when not many things matter to you. clara's life doesn't matter. not many things matter, because she's old and Evil and the doctor will forgive her in the end because there will be no one else at the end but them. but the doctor? the lives of the people in essex mattered to him, clara matters, davros' tears matter, davros as a child mattered enough for him to consider long and hard if he would save it.
ah! and on the topic of friend and enemies! when clara-in-the-dalek tries to say “I'm your friend” it translates to “I'm your enemy”. that's nice! that's lovely! I love that as a conclusion to that thematic part of the episode. along with “friends, enemies, I'm not sure any of it matters” of course, “the enemy inside the friend, the friend inside the enemy” all that is very explicit and repeated in so many different ways.
also, I don't think this was in the episode? maybe I just missed it. but clara says to the doctor at the end that he's in a mid-life crisis, and the doctor answers, “mid-life? I'm only two thousand.” I love that too! there's so much age being thrown around in this episode - “friendship older than your civilisation” - and the doctor goes, hold up, no, this is just beginning!
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babygirlthor · 2 years
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i think i joined this fandom at literally the worst possible time.
this post has been a long time coming but i am currently irritated enough to actually post it so here we go
(under the cut because this just got WAY too long)
personally i'm here for the art, the angsty headcanons, the jokes and fic recs... but the negativity continues to run rampant. i want to see different ideas and interpretations but... it's like there isnt even room for that anymore.
being in fandom has always been a very strange experience for me because i don’t enjoy conflict. i don't mind that other people like it, but for me, it makes me feel sick to my stomach and if i can't fix it i have to avoid it. there always seems to be parts of fandom that love to argue, but it's usually not too difficult to sort through it all and find some people i enjoy interacting with. and i'd just find my little corner and stick to that. but lately... that doesn't seem possible.
and the few of the more chill areas of the fandom (that i've come across) revolve around shipping. which still has the usual discourse, don't get me wrong, but they also seem to stay in their pockets of people and ignore most of the other kinds of drama.
unfortunately for me, i dont have the desire to interact with shipping most of the time. so i'm stuck in this weird limbo that... is too long of a detour for this post so i'll leave it at that.
at this point i see so many conversations, even light hearted meta posts quickly turn to arguments. actual conversations and discussions are a rarity. people spend more time making fun of each other than actually discussing the material. the different 'sides' of the fandom seem to get further and further away and it seems like sharing a differing opinion is impossible. I know plenty of people love to argue but like.... first of all- okay, I really don’t care (tbch I didn’t even finish watching the show because it wasn't my thing) and i dont care to see it.
personally I think some of the concepts from the show are neat- even though i don't have a desire to finish watching it at this time- and applied to fic could be fun. but even that has become such a divisive topic.
putting that aside, I get that people are upset about the show. but sometimes i see posts from both so-called 'anti' and 'positive' sides of the fandom mocking each other. and at this point? what is this achieving?
~and there's just too much to rant about in one post so i'll just zero in on one very specific type of post that is currently bothering me~
i really hate to see people making fun of each other, especially behind their backs. (i want to point out: there's a huge different between 'this hc makes no sense and here's why i think it's wrong' and 'wow look at what these idiots think'. i'm not talking about the first one or general discourse rn, which is a whole other topic)
if one feels the need to repost something because they know OP wouldn't want to see it on their post... shouldn't that make one stop and think for a moment? there's zero constructive purpose for mocking someone, especially on a public platform where they could see it.
vagueposting doesn't always bother me, but sometimes i think... if you're really dying to talk about this, wouldn't it be more fitting as a private conversation?
and every time a post like that come across my dash, it makes me angry and uncomfortable and it's not even about *me* or something i relate to. why does one feel the need to do that? why do i have to see posts like this every week? and why is it encouraged and perpetuated as so many chime in with agreements? i guess it might feel cathartic in the moment, but is it really going to make anyone feel better? is it really worth it to push someone else down just for a few seconds of amusement?
and if something upsets you i get making your own meta (or rant) post about it. there's plenty of hc that upset me as well. but again, there is a HUGE difference from that and making a post, not about the actual topic and hoping for a discussion, but purely with the intent to mock someone.
and you know the worst part? a lot of the ones i see making these posts are the same people that complained about 'toxic positivity' fans mocking the fans that didn't like the show. and now they're turning around and acting the exact same way.
this is just my viewpoint and i don't expect anyone to agree with me on any of these points. and maybe there's some nuance to these posts i'm missing out on or i'm making this into a bigger deal than it is, but at this point intent is pretty much irrelevant (for me) because this continues to taint my experiences with the fandom.
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omg they included rowan in the new valentine’s tlsq. it was so sad though, they were like ‘mc sure seems to be having fun working with penny…’ it’s just so cruel like why are they doing this?
I've only been able to find footage from people who've already passed Y6CH18, so it's always heartwarming to see and hear about quests including Rowan if the player hasn't yet passed the point of no return for them. But this? Wow, and I mean wow. I'm not saying it's out of character, because I get the feeling Rowan was always keenly aware that MC had other friends and they didn't, and yes, I'd say Rowan could get jealous. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if their whole vendetta against Ben wasn't at least partially motivated by jealousy as he was MC's other close friend during the first two years. But that said, I've got to look at this from a meta perspective as well.
Because it's Penny. The character who has usurped the role of side-quest companion for as long as we can remember. Again, I know why they do it this way, but it's hardly Rowan's fault that they're a doomed character, and if you ask me, that's all the more reason to find a way to feature them more, not scale them back. Penny gets everything, and the fandom is tired of it. I know Jam City listens, so why put in a line like that? In the last few quests, it even feels like they're starting to write Penny to be more like Rowan when the situation demands it, even though they don't need to do that...and they could just, y'know, put Rowan into the quest instead. Christmas IV is probably the biggest example.
Jam City, you're the ones who introduced Rowan first and made them MC's best mate. You're the ones who crafted such a loveable nerd, and if you want future players to care about them at all, if you want their death to mean something...you've really got to find a better solution to programming conflicts than just excluding Rowan whenever possible. I've said this before, but all it would take is one little disclaimer at the start of the quest to clarify to players that it takes place at an earlier point. Frankly, even that isn't necessary. I'm sure nine out of ten players would be able to figure it out just by seeing Rowan. Hell, you could also just structure the journal in such a way that the TLSQs are sorted by Year. And when Rowan is allowed to appear...give us our money's worth, please.
Sincerely, a woeful fan of the #YoungestProfessorAtHogwarts
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mittensmorgul · 3 years
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Incoming sad rant about the spn ending. Don't read if you're not interested in reading something like that, but I literally don't know anyone in real life I can talk about this with, and I really need an outlet:
Sometimes I can put the way SPN ended out of my head and think "it's just a stupid show. I don't have to accept the finale, and the writers/network are wrong." But other times I just get gripped with really intense sadness at the disrespect that was done to my favorite characters. To the point where I'll sit still for hours a day, just wallowing in it. It ruins my whole day and mood. And then I think to myself "I'll just find some other stories that end better!" but then I get sad again, cuz I don't think I will ever love other characters as much as I love Dean and Cas, and then I spiral again thinking about all the potential this unique beautiful love story had, and how we're never going to get the closure we deserve.
I really hate that after all this time, I'm a grown ass adult getting sad over fictional characters. I know it's not that trivial, but I sometimes wish it was so I could get over it 😞
Hi hi, and first of all *socially distanced internet hugs* I’m sorry you don’t have an outlet, but you’re always welcome to chat with me (if you come off anon we can talk privately if you want. My DM’s are always open, even when it takes me a bit to reply. no one should have to feel alone in this.)
I’m actually gonna start at the bottom of your message and work my way up, because I also, as a grown-ass adult, get sad over fictional characters. And I need to emphasize that this is the *point* of fiction. A well-written and developed fictional character is *indistinguishable in our minds from an actual real human being.* The way we react to them *feels exactly the same to our brains and bodies* as how we react to real people, and that’s a testament to just how well developed Dean and Cas were in canon.
I am not a young person. I have engaged with a lot of media over my life, and have *never* felt this strongly about fictional characters before, so I understand what you mean when you struggle to think about finding another story that ended better, or struggle to think about finding other characters you might become this attached to or experience this sort of emotional investment in. And I think there is another factor you didn’t consider there: The vast majority of other media I have engaged with, I was able to relate to on a level of “oh that’s nice for them” or “wow that sucks for them.” I have never, and possibly never will again, feel so utterly invested in fictional characters, to the point where it affects my real life as much as Supernatural has. Period.
I will likely never experience *literal physical lovesickness* over two fictional characters ever again. I hadn’t ever experienced it *in my own real life* before, and yet 15.18 triggered all those symptoms in me. As an aromantic person, this was pretty shocking to me. It also says a lot about just how real these characters feel to us, and how important they have become to us. They make us feel this! This is not an accident. It’s *incredibly difficult* to create fictional characters with this range and depth of emotional connection, and yet here we are.
I think that’s the biggest evidence possibly to present in defense of the statement that THIS IS NOT JUST SOME STUPID SHOW.
Other evidence: this fandom, still going strong after 15 years. Look at every SPN convention for proof. Look at AO3, where there are more posted stories about Dean and Cas than literally any other pairing on the planet (by a not-small margin, too). If that isn’t enough evidence, we have fanart to look at as well. Look through @theroadsofararchive where at the time of this posting there are over 40,000 artworks catalogued, and more being added all the time. Same with @canonspngifs where you can search through through nearly 75,000 gifsets organized by an excellent tagging system and made by dedicated fans out of love for the thing. This is all proof that you are not alone, that so many of us care just as deeply about them as you do. Not even mentioning the people who have written hundreds of millions of words of meta, articles, and even masters theses and doctoral dissertations on Supernatural and the fandom. This is a unique thing, even within the larger fandom culture. Don’t ever let anyone tell you that your feelings for it are stupid or irrelevant or wrong.
But also don’t let anyone try to convince you that you must accept the finale as part of the story if you don’t want to. Don’t even let *yourself* believe that if you don’t want to. This show has done more to play with the themes of “what is reality” and “who gives a story meaning” and alternate universes and curses and djinn dreams to easily account for whatever the heck the finale was.
my current go-to theory: everything after Chuck’s defeat takes place in the Mockumentary Alternate Universe... it fits way too uncomfortably well... and then I just apply the fic I received in a cosmic transmission from the actual supernatural universe wrote detailing the events of what *I* hoped would transpire afterward. I know this doesn’t work for everyone, but it works for me, mostly because it *has* to. It means far too much to me not to.
You are not alone in having invested yourself into this story, and these characters. Your feelings about them are not wrong or stupid or frivolous. And the proof is everyone else who feels the same exact way, who connected to this story (and to each other through this story), and whose lives have been forever altered through this journey together. The fact that Dabb turned out to have been Chuck Junior and couldn’t see (or was prevented from showing us) what Team Free Will would’ve chosen to do with that after defeating their original creator just stands to prove to me that the finale can’t possibly be The Truth, you know?
I don’t know if any of this will help you, or provide you some small comfort right now, but maybe it will eventually. We’re all processing the loss of the show and the abject failure of story that was the finale in different ways, and I’m sure our emotional reactions will shift over time. It was just A Lot to process all in the span of a few incredibly emotional weeks-- not even mentioning how all of that emotional response was compounded by the american elections and surrounding nonsense, the general stress of enduring a global pandemic and all that entails, and *waves hands around broadly at everything else contributing to the trauma occurring in the collective of humankind right now.* We’ve all been emotionally compromised, so be kind to yourself in how you feel you’re coping with it all.
And know that no matter what, you are not alone in how you’re feeling. The grief is real, and our brains don’t care if it’s felt for fictional characters or real people. This was honestly a once in a lifetime experience for a lot of us, and not even the wtf of the finale can kill it for us if we don’t let it. I reject that particular piece of rusty rebar and choose to believe in a just and narratively coherent resolution. To do anything less feels like dishonoring the story and characters who have drawn me in and made me feel so much for them over the years. If the story itself couldn’t honor them properly, then I can choose to do so myself.
<3
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