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kid-of-chaos · 7 months

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Since I haven’t got the chance to already I might as well knock out Gizmo’s Lore in one clean swoop! SOOOOOO..

Gizmo/Circuit Lore!

Part 1: Before the Starfall

Circuit was cranked from the Kirby Printer before it broke down for good by a curious pair of Waddle Dees. Oddly, he was able to keep his form even after the Printer’s deactivation, so they dee-cided (I’m sorry) to bring him to castle Dedede due to how fragile he was. This was also the time Kirby was off on that Soul Melter EX final fight. Keep this in mind, this will be important. Circuit wakes up, and upon hearing about Kirby, began to think that they were Kirby. (I mean, he ain’t wrong, he technically is.) So he got outside! Learned a lot, gained his name from Susie, and even made some friends, those being Bandana Dee, Adeline, Magolor and Flamberge. He also managed to score Meta Knight as a mentor! Everything was going peachy keen, but when things were looking up..

It begun to get worse.

Susie analyzed him, and announced he was a defect copy, in front of the King himself. This made him doubt himself, but he thought it was a minor convenience. His first training session with Meta Knight made other things clear: although he was tough, smart and adaptable, he lacked strength, stamina, and the one thing every Matterborn had: The ability to inhale and copy. This made everyone look down on him a LOT harder. Even though his friends tried to cheer him up, it wasn’t really doing much. But he saw Susie’s business suit.. and got a idea.

Technology! Of course! What he lacks in strength, he makes up for in knowledge! He began making gadgets to make up for his weaknesses. Lacked in speed? Use the Boost Attachment! Lacked in strength? The Holo-Cuffs can fix that! Reaction time a bit sluggish? Have a Visor warn you beforehand! This made him feel better, that even with his weaknesses, the Great Star Warrior will never back down! Everyone else despised him, but it’s their fault, not his.

And then, he heard of something revolutionary. (Unbeknownst to Circuit, Hyness foretold a prophecy.

“The last one made from machine, harbinger of dangers never before seen.

Allies lost in their own logic, while he of the stars feels nostalgic.

The king will be faced with the Wish of a Star, and shatter it quickly, wide and far.

If the darkness is that they did not bury, face the Wrath of the Five Star Fury.”)

Part 2: Star of Wishes, Fountain of Dreams

The Wishing Star was coming to Dreamland! He couldn’t wait! And at the Fountain of Dreams, no less! He prepared his home in a underground bunker, and used that to craft a Air Ride of his own, one he can control with his visor. The air ride would be dubbed the Mecha Star! After that, he set out, with visor, Air Ride, and Boost Attachments set! (He also brought a raygun with him just in case.)

[Ok for the journey imagine Kirby’s adventure but without killing and without copy abilities as a Any% run. Oh, and he didn’t fight Meta Knight because Sword Knight was there and he just.. walked past. Also, no Nightmare! Yey!]

At long last, he made it. He made two selfless wishes out of the goodness of his heart, but when he was about to make the third one, King Dedede, who he thought was defeated, destroyed the Wishing Star, shattering it across Popstar in the process! Circuit was about to speak, but the King was already fed up. He told Circuit the cold, hard truth, and told him to get out of his sight.

A month passed. Circuit was exiled to his bunker. And yet… his story didn’t end here.

Part 3: The Five Star Fury

A blue Wishing Star Fragment, out of all places, crashed next to his bunker entrance. Fueled by hope and vengeance, he wore his upgraded attire, and chose the name.. GIZMO.. as his new name. After creating the Star Compass, he set out to find the Star Fragments, 5 in total, and make the wish the dreaded king robbed him of.

(In order: Beginning (Spirit Star, Ghost-Based Powers) - Wave 1 Dream Friends (Chrono Star, Time-Based Powers) - Wave 2 Friends (Element Star, Elemental Powers), Wave 3 Friends excluded Mage sisters (Psycho Star, Psychokinesis Powers) - Revenge of Meta Knight (Fake 5th star), Jailbreak from Castle Dedede. He lost his mind here and went full Five Star Fury. Then it’s Flamberge, Francisca, Zan Partizanne, Dark Meta Knight, and (Masked) King Dedede (Dream Star, Imaginative Powers) Kirby comes back with the Space-time Milk after Dedede gets Dededethroned.)

Even near his journey’s end, there was still one Major Roadblock: KIRBY. His so-called brother. Gizmo decided to show him the wrath of the Five Star Fury, while Kirby tried to console his Mentally broken brother. In the end, the Star Allies caught up. Kirby was close to saving his Printed kin, but with one wish remaining, Dedede wished Gizmo and the stars away, much to everyone’s surprise and terror. Though it was a wish, it was not from the one who called the stars in the first place, making the energy unstable and sending Gizmo and the Star Fragments seemingly into a void.

The last thing they saw from Gizmo was a betrayed expression. The Prophecy was averted.. but at what cost?

Kirby’s been keep his Star Compass close to him ever since. It’s been 3 months now. The Star Compass, after a while of inactivity, went off again. Kirby went off to see what was up.. and to set things right for good.

Finale: Where Stars Go to be Reborn

Kirby and the Star Allies ventured into the Void of Stars, where Gizmo has complete power at the cost of his soul. By facing his perceptions of the group themselves, they gathered the Star Fragments, which have shattered into even smaller Wishing Shards. At the end of it all, Gizmo stood, fed up. He used everything he had, even went as far as to let himself be consumed by his own Rage in the form of a dark being, but in the end, his defeat would ironically be from the very Star Fragments he sought to collect long ago. Now nothing more than just a copy once more, he’s unable to control the Portion of the Void he ruled. In a act of selflessness, he wished everyone out of the Void of Stars and back to Popstar, using his own life-force as the energy the Fragments needed for such a great wish..

Everyone made it out, yet at the cost of Gizmo’s life. Kirby made one last wish on the Fragments, for him to live. With this last wish granted, the Fragments ceased to exist, their power becoming Gizmo’s. After all this time, he finally got what he always wanted.. to be loved.

… And power, too.

AND THAT’S THE CIRCUIT/GIZMO LORE, THANK YOU FOR COMING TO MY TED TALK.

#kirby oc #kirby #gizmo #five star fury #kirby fc #kirby lore #chaosverse lore #oc lore #lore dump

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shaymcsudonim · 2 years

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Crack Theory Theater:

Hiatus Edition

In light of recent events, I think the only thing logical to do is go back and re-read/re-watch arcs 1 and 2 of Black Clover.

Am I going to do that in the next three months?

Maybe.

But not right now.

Now is not the time for logic. Now is the time for the most off-the-wall crack theories we can come up with. We won’t be getting any answers for the next few months, so we might as well make our own.

The most intriguing ones I’ve seen in the fandom so far are: that the ‘Julius’ persona is actually an amnesiac Astaroth, that the Zogratis siblings are much older than they look (since their ages weren’t given on their profile pages), and that Lucius Zogratis has Soul Magic.

Whether or not any of them are true, none of us can yet say, so all I’m left with is speculation on how this might affect the narrative framework, and what we can predict from the structure of arcs 1 and 2: aka, the Elf Reincarnation Arc, and the Spade Arc.

And that structure is something that I actually do remember fairly well.

Arc 1 could have stood completely on its own, and I would have been satisfied if Black Clover had ended there.

And that makes sense. Like a novel or a TV series, the writers can never be certain how long their series will last. For book series in particular, it’s extremely common for a standalone novel to get turned into a trilogy. Essentially, Book 1 stands on its own, and books 2 and 3 are added later, knowing that they have at least 2 books to tie up loose ends/round out the series.

This makes sense, with the elf arc standing on its own, the spade arc ending on a cliffhanger, and the unnamed 3rd arc set up to continue and then finish the story.

Now, one thing I’ve noticed about Black Clover is that it seems to be a reconstruction of Shonen Anime.

That is, older shonen series were largely optimistic (haven’t seen a lot of these, but in my mind, it’s very early anime like Speed Racer, Voltron, or Astroboy. [Or He Man in the west.] “If it weren’t for Limited Animation, we wouldn’t have any animation at all,” sure, but I also like seeing people move more than their lips).

Shonen series being more bittersweet seems more ‘modern,’ with examples like Yu Yu Hakusho, Trigun, Bleach, and Naruto, (and One Piece, but the characters look like puppets to me, so I haven’t read that one. [I haven’t seen Bleach either, but I’ve heard people complain about the parts they didn’t like]). For western examples, a lot of fantasy follows this framework. (I’d include The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper in this category. That fucked up High School Me real bad).

In these modern series, it’s common for there to be some sort of conspiracy spanning a generation, or even centuries, with older characters acting as foils for the younger. In the story as experienced by the reader, it allows the themes of the story to ‘resonate’ across time and adds depth to the world.

But from the point of view of meta-analysis, it presents a single point of failure in the past that caused all the suffering the characters are now experiencing. And, a lot of the time, since the tragic backstory had to be written after the fact, it doesn’t gel well with having the characters act like human beings (cough-Anakin-Skywalker-cough).

Black Clover follows this pattern as well, in multiple layers, with the previous generation of Magic Knights (including the tragic deaths of Zara Ideale and Morgen Faust), and with the centuries-long conspiracy (with Zagred and his master plan to get himself a five-leaf grimoire).

You could even argue that the three time periods represent these three trends in storytelling:

Lumiere and Licht were meant to live in an idyllic episodic world where no one dealt with any villains more complex than Skeletor.

As has been pointed out by the fandom, Yami is a grown up Isekai protagonist. And, as the narrative has mentioned, he’s certainly not always a nice person, and some of his choices are questionable, but--for all of his drinking/gambling/casual violence--his heart is in the right place.

And then there’s the current generation, some of whom could stand to be better developed/fleshed out, but in general, and especially with the trio of Asta, Yuno, and Noelle, we see a reconstruction. A rejection of cynicism and inevitable tragedy, and an aspiration to ‘Here and now, surpass their limits,’ in a way that the previous generations were ultimately unable to do.

Now, looking at the themes of arcs 1 and 2, and what they can tell us about what we might see in arc 3, I see several patterns emerging:

1. The Man Behind the Man.

In arc 1, this was Zagred, who manipulated events to serve his own purposes over the course of 500 years. He was the true mastermind, with the apparent mastermind being Patri.

In arc 3, this will probably be Lucius Zogratis, probably with Morris, Adramalech, or any surviving Zogratis siblings as the apparent masterminds. (Also, I wouldn’t be surprised if it somehow worked out that Lucius was behind Zagred, due to some sort of Time Magic Bullshit.) [Even more convoluted would be if Astaroth were somehow behind everything through Time Magic Bullshit]

2. The Traitor.

In arc 1, this was William Vangeance, who couldn’t resolve his divided loyalty between Julius Novachrono and Patri.

In arc 3, this will likely be Julius, who is possibly unaware that his body is under the control of Lucius Zogratis. (Although my own money is on Yuno’s Mom somehow being the traitor. Yuno’s always struck me as having escaped being evil by the skin of his teeth. I don’t hold out much hope for his parents’ moral character. Also, she would likely have a divided loyalty, between Yuno and ‘loyalty’ to the Spade Kingdom which might require morally dubious actions.)

I could also see Sekke being pressured into betraying everyone, but I’m hoping he gets some positive character development in arc 3. For all that his function thus far seems to be comic relief, he’s gotten a lot of screentime for a minor character. I’d guess it’ll eventually go somewhere.

3. The Seemingly Sinister Ally

In Arc 1, Liebe was present, but largely silent, showing up only to make cryptic statements, or to emphasize that Asta’s power was demonic in nature.

In Arc 2, we learn not that he’s a manipulator or a deal-maker, but that he is Asta’s peer, his brother, and as he said earlier, ‘the person closest to Asta.’

This also occurred to some extent with Licht. The person that we thought was Licht was actually Patri. Licht was benign.

And also, same deal with Zora in the tournament arc.

In arc 3, maybe this is Astaroth? If not him, then maybe Adramalech.

The only truly batshit outta-the-left-field character would be if Lucius was somehow good. He’s definitely one of the most sinister character introductions we’ve seen. Unless Tabata really goes hard on the Spade Royals being evil, I don’t think it would work, and even then, maybe not.

4. Not Today, Grim Reaper.

In arcs 1 and 2, we see the constant rejection of the idea of a sacrifice being necessary to achieve the greater good (or greater evil, in the case of Patri).

After playing things straight with that first arc villain and his henchmen sacrificing themselves to protect Patri’s secrets, the sacrifice trope gets avoided more and more often as the story progresses.

First instance that comes to mind is Sally Valtos and Rades resurrecting themselves out of a bad ending. (actually, now that I think about it, the first true instance might have been Kiato and Kahono losing their leg and voice, and then getting them back when Asta shared the panacea he used to fix his arms.)

Then, there were probably more, but the next one I can think of is Mereoleona staying behind to fight by herself, only for Asta and Zora to come back to help.

Then, there was Nacht trying to sacrifice himself to buy Asta and Liebe time, which didn’t help at all, since they burned a union mode to save him.

And then, there were the magic knight captains who tried to sacrifice themselves against the dark triad, only for Mimosa to show up and be like, “nobody is allowed to die today.”

For Arc 3, I can only hope the trend continues, although I think it might scale up to view sacrifice on a grander scale.

Here, we’re out into the fringes of speculation, but the most buck-wild guess I have for how arc 3 might incorporate this resurrection/denial of death theme would be to bring the elves, Tetia, and the Lumiere back. Whether this would be accomplished through some purified version of the reincarnation spell, or by literally going back in time to stop the tragedy in the first place, I have absolutely no clue.

Mainly though, I’m just hoping Julius doesn’t die again. Hasn’t the guy died enough times already?

Anyway, there are probably more patterns I’m missing, but that’s all I’ve got for now.

#black clover #black clover spoilers #spoilers #manga spoilers #black clover manga spoilers #long post #very long post

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giantsreach · 3 years

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part of having written carver since like. 2013/14 is that i can never remember which topics i’ve posted meta on but i’m pretty sure i haven’t discussed his banter with fenris in-depth on this blog yet.

i think something that rubs me the wrong way about the way carver and fenris often interact in fan work is that there tends to be an underlying and fundamental misunderstanding about why carver approaches fenris in the manner he does. i’ve seen a lot of carver talking out of his ass to fenris for no reason other than a ) he thinks he knows better, and/or b ) his overly critical eye wants to fault-find. + he’s annoying or smth to that effect. 🙄

these interpretations tend to neglect the actual driving force behind carver interacting with fenris in the first place, and that’s that carver has had little exposure to other warriors. apart from his time in king cailin’s army, he was peerless ( literally ) in his field, and only interacted with his fellow swordspeople when they passed through town via the imperial highway.

now, there is aveline, of course, but the writing makes it clear that aveline takes on the role of yet another older sibling ( or family of a similar, authoritative position ) in his life, and as such, doesn’t quite qualify as a peer in the traditional sense.

this likely isn’t the most flattering way of phrasing it, but carver wants friends. people who he can relate to, who share his interests and background, who find him as compelling as he finds them. carver may seem prickly or sullen in act i ( and he certainly is at times ), but he’s also experiencing two-prongs of isolation:

1 ) cultural, as a fereldan refugee in a city-state that doesn’t try to hide its hatred of foreign asylum-seekers, and 2 ) mundane, as a displaced young man who has never quite fit in at home nor in any village they've settled in, and who has recently lost the family member closest to him, and who watches his surviving sibling pick up new companions left and right as if it’s not at all difficult.

cut to fenris, who is a consummate swordsman. and while carver is initially on edge because he's under the impression fenris could pose a threat to hawke, once the tension is dispelled, he's far from opposed to fenris's presence. if anything, carver is eager for his approval. fenris is, aside from aveline, the only warrior carver gets to spend any considerable amount of time with, and he's singular in his skill and ability. it's plain to see why someone like carver, starved for peers, would want to establish some kind of rapport with someone as exemplary as fenris.

the problem is, naturally, that carver — nineteen and having never learned to read socialize properly, due in equal parts to growing up sheltered as well as having poor self-confidence — cannot stop himself from saying shit that is so mind-blowingly stupid, that it is a wonder fenris was as forbearing as he was. i'm talking about:

Carver: So... this master of yours wants your markings back? Skin and all? Fenris: So his hunters told me. Unwillingly. Carver: So why not cover them up? Wouldn't that make you harder to find? Fenris: Let them come. I am not one to hide. Carver: Still, if it were me— Fenris: It's not. ─────── Carver: So you've really never thought of hiding from those hunters? Fenris: To what end? Carver: So you could, I don't know, have a life? Fenris: What life do you have? There are no hunters after you at all.

i feel like it should be obvious why these banters are in bad taste, so i won’t go into detail to lambaste carver over his blatant ignorance. the dialogue is proof itself, especially considering how little of fenris’s experience carver ( or anyone else for that matter ) can truly comprehend.

what i will do, true to form, is explain that no, carver did not just pull that suggestion, careless as it was, out of his ass. while hawke may or may not do their best to lay low as an apostate, potentially choosing to engage then-knight-captain cullen over the unjust treatment of mages depending on player discretion, carver has internalized how malcolm guided the family. his father taught them to keep their heads down and be prepared to hit the road in case the circle caught scent of them? then that must be the best way to approach it. emotional neglect unfortunately primed carver to idealize and adopt malcolm's choices and general philosophy. this carries over even to legacy, where, regardless of carver's current character arc, carver will agree that malcolm was correct to keep secrets.

so there's fenris, right, who carver believes is in a position similar to that which the hawkes have been in. carver, attempting to help ( as he is wont to do ), wants to share what had worked for them in attaining a semblance of normalcy, not realizing or considering that that is not fenris's foremost goal. hiding is not a one-size fix-all solution, but carver hasn't expanded his horizons well enough to grasp that fully yet.

then there's largest contributors to my secondhand embarrassment in da2:

Carver: You're very different from other elves. Fenris: Oh? You know them all? Carver: No. I just... you look different. There's no denying that. Fenris: It is what I am. And unlike the problems you claim to have, I really did have no choice. Carver: Do we know anyone who isn't brooding every hour of the day? Fenris: Like attracts like, it seems. ─────── Carver: You know, Fenris, I have a tattoo. Fenris: You have a what? Carver: A tattoo. A lot of us got them before Ostagar. It's a Mabari. For strength. Fenris: Does it curse you with the ability to reach into a man and tear out his insides? Carver: Uh. I can make it bark. Fenris: Please don't.

i’ll start with the second one first. at its heart, the tattoo banter hearkens back to the fact carver wants to feel like he has something in common with someone. yes, it is cringe. but it’s also misguidedly sweet, and on top of that, it’s something carver also tries to do with merrill, who carver arguably has the friendliest dynamic with out of hawke’s crew.

Carver: Your people came a long way Merrill, but I like to think that we have Ferelden in common. Merrill: I never saw Lothering. Did you walk as much as we did? Probably more, you didn't start with halla. Our ship stunk. Carver: Your ship? Merrill: There was something foul in the hold. I can still smell it. Carver: Oh, well, that must have been unpleasant. Merrill: It was. Did I miss something dirty again? Carver: No.

speaking of parallels, the “you’re very different from other elves” dialogue mirrors this one with merrill:

Carver: So, you're not like a lot of other girls. Merrill: No, I'm an elf. Carver: Right. Alright then. Merrill: Oh, did I miss something dirty? Carver: What? No! It wasn't dirty. It wasn't anything.

yes, i took 42069 points of psychic damage from reading that too. but the main takeaway from this is that carver is trying, poorly, to make the two people he thinks he could be friends with feel like they’re special. ( you know, like how carver wishes he was. lol. ) to disastrous results. but i think it’s more than worth mentioning that the intent behind his conversation-making is never once condescending.

and it’s not like carver lacks self-awareness, either. after he becomes a warden and returns to the party for mark of the assassin, he admits he lacked polish.

Aveline: I'm glad you found a place with the Wardens. Carver: Well, it's not the city guard, but it'll do. Aveline: Carver... it wasn't the place for you. Carver: No, it's all right. It is. It cost a lot, but I get it. I really was a bit of a tit those days, wasn't I?

Carver: So, we're lost. Varric: Just like old times. Carver: Maker, I hope not. I was an ass. Varric: (laughs) Fair comment, Junior. All right, let's get this done.

and specifically to fenris:

Carver: Orlesians. Can't build a hallway without turning it into a maze. Fenris: Keep going. I'm sure your training will kick in any moment. Carver: Still don't like me? I've tried to change. Fenris: You have. Now you're dangerous. Let's move.

i don’t know how to end this nearly 1.5k meta, so tl;dr i guess

#( here it is the 1.5k carver re fenris meta i've had brainworms over for litr years #at this rate i'll have one for anders merrill fenris and aveline by 2023 afhouwehd #anyway. first day of work is slow )#( miscellaneous ╱ outofchara. )#( re: study ╱ headcanon. )

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zehecatl · 3 years

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rec post for @f-eef that got too long for its own good, and is now just. a general rec post i guess

(as of writing, today is the steam summer sale! writing this before that goes live, so no guarantee everything on here is on sale, but! most of these are older games, so it’s likely. keep them in mind~)

- Iconoclasts my absolute favourite game, ever (along with OFF, but shh), if you check out one game from this list, let it be this one. it’s a genuinely almost flawless package, with gorgeous pixel art, fun gameplay, a really good story, and a cast of characters i just. adore. it’s so so so good, and three years later, i’m still not over it

- The Binding of Isaac so there’s this genre called roguelikes, wherein the whole gimmick is that, when you die, you gotta start from the Very Beginning; and the ‘point’ is getting better and better at the game, until you win! it’s super easy to just, play a few runs (they generally don’t last that long!), and then go on with your day, so it’s a really fun game to just waste time in, if you just wanna chill with some game. and, in my personal opinion, Isaac is the best roguelike game, with so much stuff to unlock, a whole slew of items to play with, and so much content it’s kind of unreal. i definitely think the DLCs are worth picking up, but it’s mostly for more content than like. actually being necessary

- Terraria it’s minecraft, but 2D. unlike MC, it’s got a bit of guidance, which i personally prefer, with bosses to fight and such. an absolutely BLAST with other people too

- A Hat in Time a 3D platformer, ala Mario, that’s just. super charming. it’s also really fun to play. i haven’t actually played the DLC’s, since i played it way back, but i’ve heard good things about Nyakuza Metro, which does look super slick, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

- Slime Rancher you are a slime rancher. you ranch slimes. it’s honestly just wholesome as hell, and just exudes happy vibes. mostly for running around and collecting slimes, ngl

- The Messenger really funky retro game, wherein you play a ninja on a mission. it’s primary draw is definitely in its gameplay, but there’s a surprising amount of story for this kind of genre? i honestly really just like this one. it’s neat

- Underhero you play as a cute minion, who kind of like. managed to kill the hero. and whoops, guess you’re doing his job now? it’s got that undertale vibe, though i’d say it’s less polished than it. HOWEVER, it’s absolutely lovely and it’s climax is REALLY good

- Hatoful Boyfriend bird dating sim. trust me. the ‘secret’ finale route is just. *chef’s kiss* fantastic

- Night in the Woods if you don’t mind having a very poignant sad time, oh my god, i could not recommend NITW more. it perfectly captures that period when you’re done with school, and suddenly your whole life is stretching before you, and you feel so so fucking lost, and overwhelmed and pained with it. it’s just. so good. a sadness worth experiencing

- Shovel Knight another retro game! this one is, pretty much, the king of the genre, and for very good reasons. the first one (shovel of hope) doesn’t have much story, but the latter ones really add on it. they’re honestly just, really solid games! with funky knight characters!!!

- Hyper Light Drifter man, it’s just a masterpiece. everything about it is perfect. it’s been like, five years, and it’s still one of the very best indie games

- Tell Me Why it’s currently free for june! and it’s a story game! plus, if you like the genre, the devs got the ‘Life Is Strange’ serie(s) to delve into!

- Cat Quest honestly, i just really like this little game. the gameplay is SO much fun, and everything else is just. really charming :’)

- Yoku’s Island Express metroidvania, where you play as a dung-beetle post officer, and the gimmick is that it’s pinball-y! it’s really fun, and very cute and just an all around good time :)

- Owlboy you play as an owl boy! named Otus! and you can fly around, and there’s GORGEOUS pixel graphics, and a neat story, and just. the BEST cast of characters. it’s delightful

- Yuppie Psycho + Count Lucanor just gonna bundle these two together, because they’re both REALLY GOOD. YP is the newer one, and is therefore probably ‘the better one’, but i like them both a ton! they’re 2D horror, but i wouldn’t say they’re that spooky? though that might just be because they’re pixel games! you explore spooky place, and weird stuff happens around you. just a really fun time :)

- Angels of Death my FAVOURITE rpgmaker game, it’s main draw is, a 100%, the main characters and the relationship that develops between them. i just love it a whole lot, and it’s got that lil’ tinge of horror that i, personally, fucking adore. there’s actually an anime based on this, but i haven’t seen it myself!

- Celeste curve ball! it’s a 2D platformer! it’s really good, got a ton of accessibility features, and has like. the tightest gameplay- and, on top of that, surprisingly emotional story!

- Bastion putting Bastion here, because it’s actually the only one i’ve properly played, but you could probably buy any of the Supergiant Games, and come out satisfied. Bastion is the oldest of the bunch, and is definitely a bit less polished for it, but i personally adore it; the gameplay probably hasn’t aged that well, but i think the story and presentation more than makes up for it

- The Darkside Detective funny point and click adventure, with great wit, and a pair of characters i kind of simply adore. it’s main draw is definitely its humour

- Littlewood very wholesome and chill farming game, that feels more like an RPG than something like stardew valley- i’d not recommend it over SV, but if you want more of SV, Littlewood might scratch that itch!

- Pony Island + The Hex absolutely adore both of these, though if i had to rec only one, it’d probably be Pony Island? they’ve both got that undertale-off vibe, though Pony Island definitely leans harder into it. very interesting plays, both of them

- Oxenfree another horror-ish game! primarily story-focused, but oh boy, what a story! i’m a BIG fan of this game, and the sequel was recently announced too! definitely worth a look if you like ghost shenanigans

- Creature in the Well wasn’t a 100% sure if i should rec this, but beside the finale boss, i really enjoyed my time with this! it’s this weird pinball inspired hack and slash, with some amazing vibes

- Kindergarten 1 + 2 they’re just fun little games okay. the 2nd is much more fleshed out, but the 1st one is really fun too

- the Henry Stickmin collection I JUST... LIKE THESE GAMES A LOT... i think you can find the old versions somewhere on the internet, if you wanna check them out first? idk, they’re fun!

- LIMBO + INSIDE personally, i like INSIDE more, but both of these are classics, and also they’re made by a danish team, and i like them a WHOLE LOT

- The Final Station i could not tell you why i like this game as much as i do, but oh my god. i love this game? it’s got a dying world, neat pixel graphics, big zombie apocalypse vibes, and a weird little story

- Year Walk i love Year Walk :)

- Smile For Me if you liked undertale’s lovely cast of characters, oh boy, you’d likely LOVE this game! it’s really, really, fantastic, and the epilogue (not in the actual game lol) hit me right in the feels

- Pikuniku just a fun little game! there’s not really much there, in the grand scheme of things, but it’s a wonderful little play, one of those games that just sets out to give you a good time, and absolutely success. i like it a lot :’)

- A Short Hike wonderful game, where it’s more about exploring the island than actively finishing the game. it’s real wonderful

- ULTRAKILL ANOTHER CURVEBALL! no idea if you like FPS, but oh my god. ULTRAKILL is so fucking good. just an absolute blast to play. there’s a demo to check out, and i’d definitely recommend it, because if it’s a genre you might like, you’ll love this one (OH also it’s in early access, which means it’s not finished yet! personally, i don’t mind that, especially considering this is more gameplay focused, but ya’ know!)

- My Friend Pedro it’s honestly just really fun to play, and sometimes i still think about the implied lore, and go all !!!!

- Little Misfortune another point and click! this one is pretty short, and is set within the same universe as their other game, Fran Bow, which is much bigger, but idk. i like this one. it’s dark cute

- This Strange Realm of Mine i honestly dunno how to explain this one, because it’s kind of weird and a bit odd, but i really like it, in all its weird poetic glory. it’s neat!

- Donut County you’re a terrible racoon who’s ruined the whole city with holes. it’s great and i love it

- OneShot another ‘gives me undertale vibes’, though this one was in development before UT, if i recall correctly! it’s so good, and it’s got some fantastic meta bits, and i love Niko. i love Niko so much

- Inmost gorgeous vaguely spooky game with a neat story... my favourite genre

- Sayonara Wild Hearts i’d call this more of a spectacle than anything else, but oh my god. what a spectacle it is! the OST is amazing, everything about it just hits right, and even if you suck at the gameplay (which i did), it really doesn’t matter, in my opinion? it’s just great all around!

#ze.txt #the sale likely just went live so #steam sale #hope there's something here to your taste feef!#i honestly haven't been playing any 'real' games in. A WHILE? so all of these are older-ish #and there's a bunch of good new games out there!#but here's my little rec post of older games :')#that i have. actually played #i think inmost is the only one i never finished? plus TECHNICALLY oneshot since it got a BIG update after i played it but shhhh #also TECHNICALLY also ultrakill but that's in ea so it doesn't count okay #i just love ultrakill so much. i had to rec it. I HAD TO #also keep in mind some of these probably require a mouse!! i know ultrakill DEF does #but you might have one?? i usually play on my big pc so i. would not know #oh also DST does have a single player version which is very good also

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deafeninggardenerpanda · 3 years

Text

“PIRKA!!!!” Kirby shouted as loudly as he could. One by one, Pirka picked up a stone and threw it away. The dammed-up water flowed out, little by little.

“Stop, Pirkaaa!!” Kirby screamed. However, Pirka wouldn’t stop. The streaming water increased in force as the stone pile crumbled. On the opposite shore, Coo and Kine, Rick, and Gooey, as they fought, held their breath in fear. Coo groaned.

“The water, the Rainbow Islands-!! We’re too late!!”

“Everyone’s gonna become a puppet~?! Even my wife~?!” Kine said as he flopped around.

“It can’t be true, right!?!” Rick screamed. “Even Pick’s gonna forget about me, and she’s gonna become Pirka’s slave!?!”

Gooey didn’t say anything. However, with sad eyes, he continued to evade King Dedede’s attacks. Kirby stopped moving. While hovering above the surface of the lake, simply staring at the flowing water. He had just one thought on his mind:

“...I’ve gotta do something about this.

If this water rains down on everyone, it’ll be a disaster.

I’ve... GOTTA DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS!!”

But what would he do? He had absolutely no clue what. Either way, he couldn’t let that water rain down. One by one, all of his friends on the Rainbow Islands that were waiting for his and the others’ return came to mind. Bandana Waddle Dee, Captain Vul, the Meta-Knights, Pick, Mine…

He couldn’t let them all fall under Pirka’s control.

He couldn’t let them become empty-eyed puppets, unable to do anything unless ordered.

He could never… HE COULD NEVER!

Kirby raised both arms and took a deep breath. Then, he held his head up. He spread his arms and inhaled with all his strength.

“Haaaaa-!”

A strong wind broke out.

Pirka looked back in surprise and hurriedly folded her wings.

“What’re you doing!?! Don’t get in my way!!!”

“HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-!”

No longer thinking about what he was doing, Kirby kept inhaling.

He sucked up all of the overflowing water.

Not one drop would fall to the ground!

“What are you thinking!?” Coo screamed. “Kirby, stop!!”

“No way, you’re sucking up all of the lake water?! Why would you do that?!”

“If Kirby sucks up the water, he’s gonna fall under Pirka’s control!!” Kine shouted tearfully. “It’s no use, not at all!!”

Kirby shut his eyes. It hurt to breathe. He felt as if he were going to burst.

However, he wouldn’t stop sucking.

The water that was going to rain to the ground was sucked into Kirby’s mouth.

“HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-!!!”

*Fwoooooooosh!*

The lakewater roared, swirled, and sprayed.

“Wh-Wh-What are you doiiiing!?”

Pirka clung to the clouds, frantically trying to resist. Kirby sucked up the water, which had become a torrent.

*Fwooooooooooooooooosh!*

Meandering as if it were a living thing, into Kirby’s mouth the water went. The former lake was now devoid of water, to the point where the bottom could be seen.

“Kirby!!!” Rick, Kine, Coo, and Gooey exclaimed as they watched. Kirby had sucked up all of the water in the lake. He had already reached his limit. Kirby hung his head, dejected.

“KIRBY!!!” the group screamed again. Kirby fell unconscious, falling to the bottom of the lake with no energy.

Rick ran toward Kirby as quickly as he could. Kine followed. Coo suddenly noticed something.

“Meta Knight? King Dedede?”

The pair, unknowingly, had stopped moving.

“Have you two come to your senses?”

The two didn’t answer Coo’s question. However, as if they had lost strength in their hands, their grips on their weapons loosened.

“Kirby, snap out of it! Kirby!!”

“Kirby, open your eyes~!”

Rick and Kine called out to Kirby, trying to shake him awake. Appearing to be in pain, his face formed a frown. That was not all. It seemed that tears were about to spill from his closed eyes.

Neither Rick nor Kine had ever seen Kirby’s face like this before.

“Kirby looks like he’s in a lot of pain~. Should we get him to spit out all that water~?”

“No, there’s no way that Kirby fit all that water in his stomach.”

“Guess that’s right~. Well, where did all the water go then?”

“I have no clue. Kirby’s stomach is full of mysteries.”

“Hey, Rick…” Kine said with anxiety, “when Kirby starts to fall under Pirka's control, what’re we gonna do?”

Rick’s expression stiffened.

“D-Don’t say scary stuff like that! If Kirby fell under her control, there’s no way we’d be able to manage!”

“I-I know, right? What’re we gonna do~?”

“It’ll be alright, probably! After all, Gooey drank the water and he was completely fine!”

“Gooey and Kirby aren’t the same~. Besides, Gooey didn’t drink that much of the water, while Kirby drank the whole lake~!”

“I told you to stop saying scary things!!”

As the two were talking, Kirby opened his eyes. Rick and Kine stared at Kirby, startled. His painful look disappeared without a trace. He rubbed his eyes with an absent-minded face.

“K-K-Kirby,” Rick said in a trembling voice, “are you ok?”

“Y-Yeah… Rick… Kine…” Kirby said in a half-asleep voice, “dinner time already?... thanks for the meal…”

“Wow! You’re alright!” Classic Kirby~.”

Kine jumped up and down happily. Rick, still startled, poked Kirby.

“Come on... we were so worried! You took a big risk there!”

“Big risk?’ Wha-”

Kirby finally remembered what happened. He jolted up, and, looking around the area, saw that the scene above the clouds had completely changed. The lake water was gone, leaving the cloudy bottom viewable. Kirby rapidly blinked.

“Did I drink all of that water?...”

Uh-huh, Kirby. How are you feeling?”

Kirby rubbed his tummy. It was the same way it always was. Kirby had no idea in the least of where the water he had sucked up went. However, at any rate, he was able to save the Rainbow Islands from a serious crisis. Kirby sweetly smiled.

“The puppet water didn’t rain down! That’s good!”

“You’re OK? Didn’t that hurt?”

“Yup! I’m just fine!”

“Really? Before you woke up, it looked like you were in a lotta pain, and you had a really sad face~.”

“Pain? Me? Well…” Kirby was saying when, suddenly, he changed the topic, "what happened to Pirka?”

“Huh? Oh, now that you mention it…”

Rick looked over at where the pile of stones used to be. Gooey was there. He had Pirka caught in his long tongue. Pirka appeared to have lost the energy to fight back, exhausted.

“Looks like Gooey dealt with her at some point!”

Rick was about to run, when…

“Are you alright, Kirby?”

Coo flew in, landing behind Kirby. Kirby nodded.

“Yeah, I’m just fine!”

“Kirby sucked up the lakewater, but he didn’t fall under the puppet potion’s effects~!” Kine reported. Coo sighed in relief.

“It’s really weird,” Rick said, “both Meta Knight and King Dedede fell under Pirka’s control, but Kirby’s completely fine. Is Kirby idiosyncratic like Gooey is?“

“Rather than that-”

Coo fixed his gaze on the puzzled-looking Kirby.

“Would Kirby’s heart not be too soft for the puppet spell to work with it?”

“...?”

“Meta Knight and King Dedede hold very powerful wills, but such things may leave their hearts easy to take hold of. Kirby’s mind is very ‘fluffy’ by contrast, not dealing with a lack of love. Rather, I’d say it may contain nothing but love.”

Rick and Kine blinked in bewilderment at the enigmatic words.

“What do you mean?”

Coo shut his eyes and answered:

“As they say… The rugged stones can be grasped tightly and swung or thrown with ease. However, the things that don’t have a set shape- for instance, the spring breeze- cannot be grasped. It’s something like that.”

“Umm?...”

Rick and Kine exchanged glances.

“Is that an allegory or something? Is Kirby the spring breeze?”

“Coo’s story is confusing~.”

Coo opened his eyes.

“Well, not even I truly understand its meaning. At any rate, Kirby’s thoughts always center around food, naps, friends, and overall fun, things which are not compatible with Pirka’s spell.”

“Oh, I get it now!”

Rick and Kine broke into laughter. Kirby, a little miffed, objected:

“Hey!! Some things are a little bit hard for me to think about!!”

"Like what?”

“Well… umm… ummmmmmmm-!”

“Don’t think too hard about it,” Coo said (while chuckling) to Kirby, who was giving himself a headache by trying to think of something, “you’re just fine. Onto more important matters, the strange state of those two over there.”

Coo raised his wing. Under the Dreamstalk look-alike tree, Meta Knight and King Dedede were standing. Both of them stood motionlessly with Pirka, as if they had become statues.

“What’re those guys doing? Pirka’s spell still isn’t broken?”

“No. While they do not seem to be in the mood for fighting anymore, they have yet to move from that spot. It’s as if their souls have been ripped from their bodies.”

Kirby and the others hurried toward the two.

“Meta Knight! King Dedede!” they called, but to no response. The two stood stock still, silently.

“What happened?...”

“Maybe we should try tickling them?”

Rick tickled Dedede’s stomach, but the king didn’t even blink.

“The spell’s effects still haven’t worn off,” Coo muttered. There, Gooey came along unsteadily. He still had Pirka caught in his tongue.

“Hey you, Pirka,” Rick said in a rough tone, “your evil plan has failed! Let Meta Knight and King Dedede go right now!"

“...I don’t know,” Pirka said in a sulky voice.

“What’s that?”

“I said I don’t know how to undo the spell!”

“You little-!!”

Kirby stopped the belligerent Rick.

“Hold on, Rick. Let’s hear what Pirka has to say.”

“What else could she even tell us-!?”

“Didn’t she say she doesn’t know how to undo the spell? Let’s hear what else she has to say.”

“What then?”

Pirka glared at Kirby with cold eyes.

“I won’t tell you foul people anything!!”

“But I wanna know!”

“Know what?” Pirka asked, seeming irritated.

“How you feel,” Kirby answered.

“...feelings? Mine?”

“When I drank the lakewater, it really hurt.”

Kirby looked up at Pirka, who still had Gooey’s tongue wrapped around her.

“I thought it hurt because I drank so much water, but that wasn’t the reason, was it?”

“...what are you trying to say?”

For some reason, Pirka seemed anxious.

“That’s how you felt… wasn’t it?” Kirby said.

“What do you mean?”

“In the lakewater, it wasn’t just the puppet potion, but your feelings were mixed in there too, weren’t they?”

Pirka opened her eyes wide and fell silent. Gooey loosened his grip until he dropped Pirka onto the cloudy ground.

“Wh-What are you talking about?” Pirka asked, hesitantly. “None of that is true!”

“Why won’t you stop being so stubborn and speak to us?” Coo asked. “If you tell us everything, that will likely clear a few things up. You carry a great pain with you.”

“Wh-What!? How am I in pain!?...”

Pirka tried to retort, but, seeing Coo’s sharp gaze fixed on her, quietly said:

“...what should I say? I have nothing to talk-”

No one had anything to say. Pirka, closing her eyes, said:

“I… just… wanted...”

“What?”

“All I wanted was to be like the great Queen Sectonia…”

“...WHAT?!”

Upon hearing such an expected name, Kirby was surprised. Pirka continued muttering.

“Queen Sectonia is the name the great queen that had ruled over Floralia went by. I know, you don’t know her, but-”

“I know her! I do!”

Pirka was unaware that the person who stopped Queen Sectonia and saved Floralia was none other than Kirby. Pirka glanced at Kirby and laughed.

“Sure you know. You’ve never even heard her name before. The great queen was a truly magnificent being.”

“...u-um-”

“However, the almighty, great Queen Sectonia was defeated by someone and never seen again. Such a sad ending.”

“W-Well-”

It seemed better not to say that Kirby was the one to defeat her. Pirka tightly grasped her own hand.

“When I learned of the incident that happened in Floralia, my heart was absolutely shaken. Then, as I researched, I increasingly longed to be like the great Queen Sectonia.”

“...wh-why?”

“What do you mean ‘why?’ Don’t ask such foolish questions!” Pirka said in flat denial. “There’s no one who can match her in beauty, strength, and nobility. Moreover, she ruled over many people, and everyone revered her!”

Pirka, spellbound, shut her eyes.

“How wonderful. To have tens of thousands of people obey one’s every whim. Nobody could defy the great queen’s orders. Everyone would get what they want. If only… If only I could be like her!”

“And that’s why you came up with such a plan?” Coo asked, astounded. “How foolish."

“What’s so foolish about it!?” Pirka retorted, raising her eyes sternly. “If it weren’t for you people getting in my way, things would’ve been perfect!”

Rick scowled at Pirka.

“You idiot! A true queen doesn’t use a spell to establish her rule. No one would respect someone like that, and, if the spell gets undone, they’d all just hate you, wouldn’t they!?”

“!!”

Pirka grimaced, as if she had gotten hit in some kind of weak point.

“Th-That’s fine by me! Anyway, I wanted to be like the great Queen Sectonia, so I visited the floating continent of Floralia. I understood that the great queen was no longer there, but I at least wanted to see the great castle where she once lived. So, I met a former servant of hers, and we had a conversation together!”

Pirka, once again, had a spellbound look on her face.

“He told me a wonderful tale of how amazing the great queen was. More and more, I yearned for that strength. But, how could I be like the great Queen Sectonia?... while thinking of ideas, I came up with a wonderful plan!”

“What plan?”

“They say that once, the great Queen Sectonia parasitized a mysterious plant known as the Dreamstalk, and took its power. If I utilized that power, maybe I could get closer to that goal. They say that the Dreamstalk disappeared after the battle, but I traveled from star to star, and, finally, found a small sapling!”

Pirka turned to look at the tree growing by the former-lake.

“That was a Dreamstalk after all, huh?” Kirby said. “But its color is weird. The real Dreamstalk-”

“I know. When I planted that tree, it was a nice green color. However, when I applied my spell, it changed color…”

“That’s the color of your heart,” Rick said, leading Pirka to glare at him.

“I know that!! The puppet spell I originally casted was much inferior in comparison to the great Queen Sectonia’s!! In just a few hours, the effects would wear off. However, with the Dreamstalk’s power, my spell’s power could increase tremendously! Moreover, If I let it fall down on the world in rain form, I would be able to gain control of many, many people at once! I know, such a wonderful idea."

“It’s a wicked idea,” Coo said, “if Gooey hadn’t noticed, things would’ve been disastrous.”

“...humph!”

Pirka puffed up her cheeks.

“That’s all I have to say. Hope you’re happy. Beat me up, tie me up, you should banish me to the depths of the cosmos.”

Coo looked at Kirby.

“What shall we do, Kirby?”

“...Pirka…”

Kirby walked up to Pirka.

“Now that I’ve heard your story, I get it.”

Pirka jumped.

“Wh-What? What do you get?”

“You said your puppet spell is weak on its own. Does that mean… you’ve used it on others before?”

Pirka turned pale. She tried to retort, but no words came out of her mouth. She trembled.

“Everyone did whatever you said but then the spell wore off. And then…”

It was as Rick said. When the spell wore off, everyone would go back to normal, and they’d hate Pirka. They’d be scared of it, so she’d use the spell again. Then, again, the spell would wear off, and they’d hate Pirka even more…

As the cycle repeated, people would stop getting close to her.

Kirby remembered. When he drank the lakewater, the pain. The sorrow. The loneliness. Were those feelings the shadow cast over Pirka’s heart?

For a moment, Pirka silently casted her eyes down. One by one, memories of those old days resurfaced. She looked on the verge of collapsing, her face as white as a sheet. Finally, large tears formed in her big eyes.

“I’m small, there’s nothing special about me, and I don’t have any friends, but… if I casted my spell… everyone would think I’m important. I did all of those things… so I could be happy…”

The tears spilled over and fell, drop by drop.

“But, because of that, everyone hated me. They were scared of me, they’d throw stones at me… when they saw me, they’d run away…”

Pirka’s crying voice grew louder and louder. The tears kept falling and falling and wouldn’t stop.

“That’s why I decided to cast a spell that could never be broken. With the power of the Dreamstalk… so that great numbers of people would revere me for all eternity!...”

“Pirka,” Kirby said. Pirka wiped her many tears and glared at him.

“Like you said, it’s foolish!! I get it!!”

“It’s more fun to be a friend than a great queen.”

Upon hearing Kirby’s words, Pirka shook her head furiously.

“I don’t need any friends!”

“Pirka-”

“Friends would betray me, we’d get into fights, and, soon, they’d cast me aside. However, puppet subjects would never do such a thing. They’d never hurt me!”

“If you get into fights, you can just make up, can’t you? Being a great queen’s no fun at all.”

“Silence! I… I-”

“LET’S BE FRIENDS!!!”

Kirby offered his hand. Pirka was flustered.

“Hey, Kirby,” Rick said, “you’re way too nice for your own good. Don’t you know what she did?-”

“Let’s be friends!”

Kirby kept insisting. Despite the atrocities she had committed, Kirby held no hatred for Pirka. Because Kirby knew. About Pirka’s painful memories. That loneliness, no one there for comfort, as if frozen.

“Friends?... w-with… me?...”

Until recently, Pirka, who had been ghastly pale until just a short while ago, had turned red.

“You’re lying, right? Kirby, do you understand? I’m the bad guy who cast the puppet spell!!”

“It’s OK. I don’t mind!”

“Me too!”

Gooey reached out his tongue. Pirka looked down with a white face.

“...good grief,” Coo said, “I, until just a short while ago, would never have been able to forgive Pirka. However, Kirby seems to have caused her to undergo a change of heart.”

Pirka looked up. Rick and Kine exchanged looks. Rick kicked the clouds hard.

“I-I’m… I’m Kirby’s friend!” he said. “So, if you become his friend too, well… I should be your friend too!”

“Me too~. If you get rid of your puppet spell, I’ll be your friend~.”

Nevertheless, Pirka continued to stubbornly shake her head in refusal.

“I don’t need friends. I don’t want anything like that!”

“Tell the truth, Pirka.”

“You should understand your own true wishes by now,” Coo said.

“Wishes?...”

“If you really don’t need friends, then why did you cry?”

Pirka averted her eyes.

“Wh… Why…?...”

“In front of Kirby, you didn’t lie, and you shed tears. Drowning in an everlasting pool of loneliness must’ve been unbearable for you. That’s how you truly feel.”

Pirka fraily shook her head. Once again, tears overflowed from her big eyes. She could no longer continue being stubborn.

“...yes,” she said in a faint voice, “I was jealous of you guys. Believing in each other, helping each other, laughing with each other… things I… couldn’t have. Things I thought I… couldn’t have… it hurt… but… but… really…”

She looked up, tightly shut her eyes, and shouted with all her strength:

“I want… I want… I… WANT TO BE FRIENDS WITH YOU!!!”

...then, suddenly, the sound of water could be heard.

< Previous | Table of Contents | Next >

#kirby #rick (kirby)#kine #coo #meta knight #king dedede #gooey #pirka #Kirby: Save the Rainbow Islands!#kirby light novel #translations

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renegadeontherunn · 3 years

Text

happiness by taylor swift is a disaster lineage song, sorry I don’t make the rules

okay so yes I should be writing or doing homework instead of making this extremely rambly, slightly incoherent post but it’s friday so I’m vibing and you lovely people get to join me!

this is the ultimate star wars grief song for our tcw trio and I see it in three different contexts:

Ahsoka’s POV to Anakin, Obi-Wan, and the Order after she leaves in the season 5 finale

Ahsoka & Rex during/after Order 66

Obi-Wan & Ahsoka to Vader (Obi-Wan on Tatooine and (REBELS SPOILERS) Ahsoka after her duel with him in The Twilight of the Apprentice—for reference, I’ve only seen parts of Rebels so if some of that stuff is inaccurate, let me know!)

so we go . . .

honey when I’m above the trees / I see this for what it is

on a ship, in the Force, in hindsight

but now I’m right down in it / all the years I’ve given / is just shit we’re dividing up / showed you all of my hiding spots

#1: Ahsoka’s years learning in the Order, being a Padawan, her dedication to the Jedi and her faith to their teachings (”the values of the Jedi are sacred to me”), all the years she’s given are just completely thrown away as soon as there’s suspicion against her (in the unfinished episodes, Anakin says “well what choice did we give her? the moment there were any suspicions about her loyalty the Council turned their back on her.”) they both share this anger about her expulsion, and Ahsoka brings it up later during the Siege of Mandalore when she says “and what? defend the Council’s actions? I hardly think I’m the best person for that.”

#2: again, Ahsoka’s years fighting alongside the 501st, growing close with Rex and Jesse and everyone else to suddenly find them turning on her (this is before she knows about the chips, of course). she could also be feeling this in tandem with Rex—“those soldiers, my brothers, are willing to die and take you and me along with them!” all the years Rex has given in the 501st, with his brothers, fighting for the Republic, having to watch his brothers be killed and not be able to do anything, all his hardship just means nothing. their attempts to be themselves, to be unique, to not just be “another number,” were useless in the end. the “showed you all of my hiding spots” line points to the closeness and friendship that they had with each other

#3: again again, pretty self-explanatory, all the years Ahsoka and Obi-Wan have given to teaching and learning from and loving Anakin are just completely thrown away by his fall to the Dark Side and him ultimately trying to kill them. the same for the last line applies here, they were brothers, they were sister and brother, they were a family and then it was all ruined.

I was dancing when the music stopped

In each of the scenarios, they were preoccupied, in the middle of something else (the war, capturing Maul, defeating Grievous, helping Ezra, etc.) when everything stopped and collapsed. each situation was completely unexpected and each time, their worlds fell apart.

and in the disbelief / I can’t face reinvention

#1: all Ahsoka’s ever known is the Jedi, and now without them (without anyone to help her or any connections or support), she has to completely change her way of life, as well as lie or invent a new background for herself (”Skywalker Academy,” “my older brother taught me,” “I used to live on the upper levels of Coruscant,” etc.)

also—Ahsoka becomes Ashla, and then Fulcrum (reinventing herself over and over again) and Obi-Wan becomes Ben. obviously, they don’t want to have to change, and again with “in the disbelief,” each of these events was unexpected and a complete gut punch.

there’ll be happiness after you / but there was happiness because of you / both of these things can be true there is happiness / past the blood and bruise / past the curses and cries / beyond the terror in the nightfall

I don’t think this line needs any explanation, but I’ll give some anyway! In a meta-sense, the audience started Star Wars with the happiness after all three events, but especially Vader. the Original Trilogy showed the end of the Empire, the Rebellion, the happy endings of Luke, Leia, Han, etc. in-universe, both Ahsoka and Obi-Wan hold this sense of bittersweet nostalgia (because how can you not?), both with Obi-Wan training/looking after Luke and Ahsoka joining the Rebellion and helping the characters in Rebels. they’re both trying to ensure happiness after Anakin.

but, of course, of course there was happiness because of Anakin, that’s what The Clone Wars shows us! we see them happy (or, at least, somewhat) in tcw, which obviously makes everything much sadder, but still. they were happy. and Obi-Wan and Ahsoka both know it—we see it explicitly with Ahsoka meditating to Anakin’s holo and reminiscing in Rebels. they found happiness and love and family in the war, where there was so much death, so much destruction, so much darkness and terror. they found each other, they found happiness anyway. this can also apply to the OT, since that trio also found family and happiness in the midst of the Empire.

it’s this inherent optimism that both Ahsoka and Obi-Wan share that Anakin doesn’t (or didn’t) that’s keeping them afloat. it’s the adherence to the light, to kindness, to compassion.

haunted by the look in my eyes

#1: going back to our three scenarios, you could say Ahsoka was probably haunted by the look in the Council members’ eyes—especially Yoda, Plo, Obi-Wan—when they expelled her. as well as, of course, the look in Anakin’s eyes when he begs her to stay and she says no. the ending image of season 5, the last image we ever saw of tcw for years—with Anakin’s sad, wide eyes—yeah. that look.

#2: overall, this context has less to it, but I’ll still argue that the look in Rex’s eyes, in the clones’ eyes haunted both Ahsoka and Rex, probably especially Rex. or even, not seeing his brothers’ eyes and instead seeing their blasters pointed at him. their final scene, with the eyes of the helmets (Ahsoka’s eyes painted on) stuck on sticks. yeah, that definitely haunted them both.

#3: Obi-Wan and Ahsoka both get horrifyingly clear images of Anakin’s gold eyes. Anakin’s look when he shouts “I hate you!” surely haunted Obi-Wan, as well as Anakin saying “Ahsoka” and “then you will die” with a very clear, obvious image of Anakin’s gold, scarred eye through his mask.

that would’ve loved you for a lifetime

#1: Ahsoka was prepared to be a Jedi forever, for a lifetime

#2: Rex, more in this case, but both he and Ahsoka did and would’ve loved the clones forever. those were Rex’s brothers and it’s so clear, especially with the scene of him crying in the hangar bay, that this is killing him

#3: Obi-Wan and Ahsoka would’ve loved Anakin for a lifetime—and I’d argue they did, despite everything (”you were my brother, Anakin! I loved you!” and “my Master could never be as vile as you” and “to the best of us”)

leave it all behind

#1: sorry if this is getting repetitive, but yeah, Ahsoka left everything, her entire life, everything and everyone she’s ever known behind

#2: Rex and Ahsoka leave everything on that moon, including her lightsabers that she just got back and then had to give up a second time

#3: Obi-Wan leaves everything behind and flees to Tatooine. Ahsoka tells Ezra this—to let Kanan go, essentially leave the past behind him. And she can’t “save her Master” either. she too must let him go.

tell me when did your winning smile / begin to look like a smirk?

this is just so Anakin slowly falling to madness and the Dark Side. Ahsoka and Obi-Wan thinking about the signs they’d missed, if there was some way they could’ve stopped it, if just one thing had been different, if they’d just noticed. trying to figure out where it all went wrong.

when did all our lessons start to look like weapons pointed at my deepest hurt?

#1: “the values of the Jedi are sacred to me”—and then she’s expelled and told that it was part of her great trial in becoming a Knight. a foundation of the Jedi Order and its process gets turned against her.

#3: this line becomes literal—Padawan lessons, sparring, suddenly became dueling Anakin to death, for both Obi-Wan and Ahsoka

no I didn’t mean that / sorry, I can’t see facts through all of my fury

#1: you could argue that Obi-Wan is right when he said Ahsoka let her feelings cloud her judgement in leaving; that she couldn’t see the facts through the pain of being betrayed by the Council. and then, when she comes back in the Siege of Mandalore, immediately, she and Obi-Wan start arguing, and then both of them are clouded by their feelings, both feeling hurt by the other and lashing out.

#3: again, this is just so Anakin turning to the Dark Side. he obviously doesn’t realize that he’s being blinded by fury (or maybe he does and just doesn’t care, or probably, thinks that is the only way). but he is. he’s completely blinded to logic, to reality by the fury that Sidious has spent years amping up and harvesting and Anakin himself has spent years bottling.

you haven’t met the new me yet

this line is really painful if you view it from Anakin’s perspective. they both believed he was dead, but no, turns out he’s a Sith Lord, in fact the Sith Lord that’s been the Emperor’s tool in causing immense pain and destruction across the galaxy. it’s this evil, excited little line from his POV (think that ROTS comic: “please say it’s Kenobi. Lord Vader gets such a thrill from killing people who care for him”)

there’ll be happiness after me / but there was happiness because of me / both of these things I believe

again, there’s that optimism, that desire to help people, to do good in the world, and this faith that Obi-Wan and Ahsoka both have. that’s why Obi-Wan helps Luke, that’s why Ahsoka joins the Rebellion. it’s all to ensure that there will be some happiness, some light after them (and maybe a little because of them. again, see the first chorus. they were happy once, and they both know it. “we’ll be fine, as long as we stay together.”)

there is happiness / in our history / across our great divide

I see this mostly as Ahsoka and Anakin (and Obi-Wan) during season 7. there’s still a connection, of course, love and happiness between them, despite the ending that’s right on their heels, as well as the great divide of Ahsoka leaving the Order.

there is a glorious sunrise / dappled with the flickers of light

Anakin does end up returning to the Light Side and his reunion with Obi-Wan is surely like a “glorious sunrise” that ended the darkness of the past twenty+ years. the second part I just see as a fun, literal line—flickers of light are lightsabers, blaster fire, the Light Side

I can’t make it go away by making you a villain

in short, Obi-Wan and Ahsoka can’t make the pain or the past happiness go away because Anakin’s now Vader. they still both remember Anakin fondly and with love, despite his fall. they loved him, still. in ROTS, when Anakin says “from my point of view, the Jedi are evil!” Obi-Wan doesn’t say “then you are evil,” or even “you are wrong,” he says “then you are lost.” lost. as in, can be found again. not evil, not unworthy, not wrong. just lost. there’s this goodness that Anakin has that he is ignoring and straying from (”there is good in him”). and in the context of Order 66, Ahsoka can’t and doesn’t make the clones villains because she knows they’re actually the victims. as much pain as it causes, they’re not the villains and she can’t act like they are.

so I know there’s a lot of discourse about Anakin apologists or whatever, so all I’ll say is that George Lucas has said that the prequels are to show how a “nice little kind kid, who has good intentions” turns into Darth Vader. the whole point of the PT is this line—while Anakin/Vader is no doubt the villain in the OT and in ROTS to a degree, that doesn’t make everything else go away. the other stuff doesn’t excuse what he did, all the pain he caused, but we can’t make it go away, just because he’s a villain. that’s one of the beauties of the prequels, that we get this extremely fleshed out, torn and struggling kid who ends up making all the wrong choices and becoming the terrible villain we see in the OT.

I guess it’s the price I pay for seven years in heaven

while none of these scenarios is seven years exactly, it does continue to drive the point of “all the years I’ve given is just shit we’re dividing up.” everything these characters had, individually and with each other, just gets utterly, completely ruined.

in a more meta-sense, the ending of The Clone Wars is the price we, the fans, pay for seven seasons of the show.

no one teaches you what to do / when a good man hurts you / and you know you hurt him too

this could point again to Ahsoka and Anakin, but also Ahsoka and Obi-Wan after she leaves the Order. when she comes back, none of them really know what to say, what to do, how to act around each other. this obviously comes out as arguments and words that are so close to what they really want to say, but just short. they’ve all been hurt and none of them know what to do about it.

and, of course, Obi-Wan and Anakin in ROTS. Obi-Wan doesn’t want to believe that Anakin’s fallen to the Dark Side, and later on Tatooine, knowing he’s hurt and been hurt by Anakin, doesn’t know what to do

after giving you the best I had / tell me what to give after that

again again, all the years they’ve given. all the love they had. everyone they knew & loved. gone.

leave it all behind / and there is happiness

#fiona speaks #what do i even tag this?#my writing #i guess?#HA anyway i refuse to proof read this or reread it bc WOW it's long #and if you chose to open this post and read the whole thing then you're probably somewhat used to my ramblings #hopefully i articulated all my thoughts well #bc i have so many thoughts about this song so i hope they came across!!#if yall have any additional thoughts lemme know cause this song is just UGH *chef's kiss*#wow i just said the word thoughts three times #fun fact! this song is taylor's only song in the key of b #which means she has a song in EVERY key #isn't that cool?#anyway this was so fun i get the hype with doing this #thanks to daisy caroline and mel and honestly so many others for THEIR wonderful analyses of taylor swift songs and tcw #which inspired me to actually make a post about it instead of continuing to let this doc sit in my drive #i originally wrote this on wait one sec lemme check #december 28 and then did one w more words on feb 15 #but now it's here! in one (mostly coherent) post #oof anyway #taylor swift #star wars #taylor swift and tcw #can you tell i'm procrastinating writing my fic exchange?#song analysis

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appleaxolotl · 4 years

Text

Meta Knight x Reader- Thunderstorms and Apple Pies

“Poyo!” “I don’t know Kirby, Dedede is always up to no good,” Tiff responded. “Well I don’t know, maybe he really has changed,” Tuff said. You heard the group of kids chatting at your table. Tiff, Tuff, and Kirby were holding up in your house currently. You had heard furious knocking on the door shortly after the rumble of thunder sounded overhead, followed by a summer downpour on your roof. When you opened the door you found the three of them soaked to the bone. After you ushered them in, they told you they had come from the nearby Whispy Woods but got held up in the sudden rain. The bag of apples they brought with them confirmed this. “(Y/n)! Poyo!” Kirby interjected. The group looked over at you. “You all know how I feel about Dedede,” you spoke, slicing the apple on your chopping board with a bit more force than was necessary. “Anyone who’s mean to Kirby is no friend of mine.” You chopped another apple, cutting out the core from the center. “Honestly I don’t understand how anyone could stand working for him. How does dad do it?” Tiff huffed. “Maybe it’s so he can try to keep the kingdom from going completely off the rails,” you suggest, tossing an apple core out the window, into the rain. “Isn’t that what Meta Knight does?” Tuff asked. You paused your chopping a moment, hearing the mention of Meta Knight.

“Well yeah, but he’s got his whole deal about bringing back the Star Warriors. We know he’s not loyal to Dedede,” Tiff said. “Poyo!” You glanced towards the table to see Kirby staring in your direction. You smiled. “No, it’s not ready yet, Kirby,” you chuckled. Kirby jumped down from his seat and walked over towards you, watching you place the apple slices into a bowl. His eyes looked longingly at them. “Kirby you have to be patient!” Tiff called. “It’s alright, Tiff,” you smiled. You bend down to be closer to Kirby’s level. “You wanna help me out so it’s ready faster?” Kirby’s eyes lit up, and with a happy “Poyo!” he started helping you make the apple dessert you were preparing. Tuff came to help a little later. You could tell Tiff was still thinking over what Dedede was planning next. By the time the dessert was done, the rain still hadn’t let up. When you were pulling the apple pie out of the oven, much to the delight of Kirby and Tuff, you heard a knock at the door. “Oh, who could that be? It’s been raining too long for someone to have gotten caught in the downpour,” you mumble, placing the pie down and taking your oven mitts off as you go to open the door. As the door opens you see a small knight standing out in the rain. Meta Knight’s cloak is wrapped tightly around him as he looks up at you. You feel a blush creep onto your face as he makes eye contact, and you quickly glance away. “Uh, hi Meta Knight, what, uh, what brings you here,” you stumble. God you can’t keep your composure around him. “Sir Ebrum sent me to find Tiff and Tuff.” “Ah, I see,” you nod quickly. For a moment you both just stand there. Your blush starts to creep back, until… BOOM! Another loud clap of thunder sounds. It rumbles deep in your chest. You make eye contact with Meta Knight’s mask. His metal mask. Wait. “Meta Knight, did you walk all the way here with a METAL mask on your face!?” You suddenly shout. Meta Knight stiffens, looking down. “Get inside, you dork!” You grab his hand and pull him inside, shutting the door with the other hand. After you close the door you stand still a moment, listening to the downpour on your roof. The rain hasn’t let up since it started. And a louder crash of thunder makes you jump. You feel a squeeze in your hand, and you look over to see you are still holding Meta Knight’s hand tightly. You quickly let go and glance away. “Sorry about that,” you quickly apologize. “It is alright,” he says. You can’t even make eye contact with him, your face is heated and your hands start to feel sweaty. You rub them on the apron you’re wearing to try to dry them off. When you glance up you see that Meta’s eyes are a pink color, rather than their normal yellow. You try to remember what that means, until you suddenly hear a yell from the kitchen. “Kirby no it’s still too hot to eat!” “Poyo!” “Kirby, no!” “Shit,” you curse, distracted from Meta Knight now as you run to the kitchen. A bit of commotion later and things have settled down. The children are still watching you as you start to cut the pie. Meta Knight walks in from the hall, drawing the attention of the kids. “Oh hey Meta Knight, want some pie?” Tuff asks. “Poyo!” You continue cutting the pie into eighths, not turning around to look at Meta Knight. You felt you had embarrassed yourself enough for one day. “What kind?” You heard him ask. “Apple!” “Sure,” he answered. You hadn’t expected him to want any. You grabbed another plate from your cabinet and started dishing out. Kirby, of course, was done with his before you had even served everyone. He held up his plate to you again. “No Kirby, no seconds until everyone gets some,” you smiled at him. “Poyo,” Kirby looked at you with the biggest puppy eyes you had ever seen. You leaned down and kissed his pink head. “Even with those puppy eyes, you still have to wait your turn.” You heard a chuckle and looked over to see Meta Knight watching you. His eyes were still a pink color. You felt heat rise to your cheeks as you turned back around to focus on serving. After all the kids had eaten, they went to another room while you started washing dishes. There always ended up being lots to wash from cooking alone, let alone having unexpected guests over. As you were washing, you felt someone behind you, and turned around to see Meta Knight. You stood still for a moment, unsure what to do. “Need some help?” He finally asked. “Oh! Right, yes, that would be nice,” you smiled. He grabbed a dish towel and stood beside you, drying off dishes as you handed them to him. For a little while there was comfortable silence. “Hey, sir Meta Knight,” you started. He hummed. “You haven’t touched your pie. It’s the only plate that hasn’t been touched. Are you not a fan of pie?” “No, I like pie,” he responded. “Oh, did it taste bad? You can tell me if it tasted bad. Baking recipes tend to be finicky, especially when you don’t blind bake the crust before adding-” “I’m sure the pie tastes wonderful,” he cut your rambling off. “Oh,” you blush at the compliment. “Thank you. But if that’s not the reason, what is?” He hesitates a moment before answering. “I don’t like eating in front of other people.” “Oh, cause of the mask?” He nods. “Oh, sorry, if I had known I probably just could have given you a tupperware and you could just save it for later. If you want to, that is. Or I could leave the room and you could have it then, or-” Meta Knight set the dish towel down and went to grab the plate he had left untouched. You went silent as he grabbed a bite and, lifting his mask up slightly, ate it. You turned your attention back to the dishes in the sink, feeling like you were staring. “You don’t have to look away, my mask is still covering my face.” “I know, I just,” you glanced back over to him, “I don’t wanna make you uncomfortable.” “You’ve been a very gracious host, (Y/n),” he took another bite. “And I trust you. You’ve proven yourself worthy of trust.” You blushed again, turning back towards the sink. “Thank you, Meta Knight.” A silence fell as Meta Knight ate his slice of pie. When he finished, he set the dirty plate in the sink and went back to your side to help with the dishes. “(Y/n)?” “Yeah Meta Knight?” “I do have one question for you.” “Go on?” “Why did you call me a dork earlier?” Your face heated up once again as you remembered you did, in fact, call Meta Knight a dork for wearing his metal helmet in the rain. “A metal helmet in a thunderstorm seemed like a bad idea,” you mumbled. “Yes, but why did you go to dork? Why not stupid?” “Because you’re not stupid, you’re,” You trailed off. “A dork?” You handed him the last dish as you turned to face him. Your own face was as red as the apples you had put in the pie. His eyes were a green color as he looked at you. That meant he was thinking, right? “I, uh, I guess in some ways you are kinda, well,” you trailed off. Meta Knight’s eyes lingered on you. “Listen, you look intimidating when people first meet you, like, you put on this whole air of being above it all, but, you’re actually really nice?” You met his eyes, which were shifting back to a pink color. “Like, you pretend to be working for Dedede but you never actually help him achieve his goal. And the way you treat Kirby is really sweet, like you’re kinda, I don’t know like a father to him? It’s cute- I mean,” you ramble on. Meta Knight’s eyes shift to a purple color. You definitely don’t remember what that means. “I guess, you’re just really sweet? I don’t know, I’m rambling, sorry.” “Don’t apologize, I appreciate you sharing with me,” he grabs your hand gently. Your face goes even more red, and you hear him chuckle. “Thank you, Meta Knight. You’re very kind.” You both stand there a moment. His hand is still in yours, but neither of you makes a move to remove it. The chorus of your clock interrupts your thoughts, and you glance at the time. “It’s getting late, the kids should probably be getting back home, huh?” You say. Meta Knight nods, and starts moving towards the door. His hand still doesn’t let go. So you move with him. “Hey, it’s getting late! You kids should probably be heading home!” You shout into the other room. Shortly after you hear footsteps running down the hall. Kirby and Tuff are the first ones into view, and Kirby sees you are still holding Meta Knight’s hand. “Poyo!” “Yeah we are holding hands, Kirby,” you smile at him. You glance over to see Meta Knight’s eyes are still a purple color. It’s hard to see but you swear you see a faint red color under his mask. Kirby holds up his hand to you. “Okay, you can hold my hand too,” you laugh. Tiff comes out to see you holding Kirby and Meta Knight’s hands. She doesn’t bat an eye at you holding Kirby’s hand, but she gives Meta Knight a long look. The red you think you see behind Meta Knight’s mask gets a little deeper, and you laugh. Before you leave, you make sure Meta Knight’s mask is covered by a layer of insulation, so as to hopefully prevent any lightning strikes hitting you all. And then you’re off. You drop Kirby off first, as his house was closest. Then the rest of you head for the castle. Meta Knight still hadn’t let go of your hand. You didn’t complain about it. With a quick drop off of Tiff and Tuff, you and Meta Knight were left alone together again. Out in the hall, looking out on the courtyard of the castle. Now that you were inside, Meta Knight had his mask uncovered, but it was still storming outside. “(Y/n), I do not want to force you, but perhaps it would be better if you stayed the night here?” “Like in the castle or with you specifically?” Meta Knight seemed flustered by that. “Uh, whichever you prefer,” he mumbled. It was uncharacteristic of him. When you looked at him his eyes green again. He was thinking about something. “Meta Knight, can I, uh, ask you something?” He snapped back to attention. “Of course, (Y/n), anything.” “Are you, uh” your cheeks flushed up again, “romantically interested in anyone?” His eyes flashed purple when you glanced up for a moment. “Yes,” he responded simply. “Could you, uh, tell me if…” You trailed off, your courage fading. Oh god what were you thinking? “Do you know what my eye colors mean, (Y/n)?” He asked. You look up, surprised. “Not- not all of them,” you give your honest reply. “Do you know what purple means?” “No I don’t.” “Give me your hand again,” he said. “Oh, uh, okay,” you held out your hand. He took it. “Purple means love, my dear,” he said, his eyes a brilliant purple color as he looked at you. And that’s when your legs gave out. Meta Knight, of course, being the smooth gentleman he is, caught you. “Oh my god, don’t scare me like that,” he laughed. “Well you’re one to talk! Do you know how much that anticipation was killing me? You dork,” you breathed. He laughs again, and you feel the rumble against you as he holds you against him. “Just so we’re clear, you do like me, right?” He asks, already knowing the answer. “Yes, yes, of course I like you!” You giggle, giving his helmet a kiss. “Just making sure, so I can feel alright doing this,” and with that he tilted his mask up just enough to give you a quick peck on the lips. Your face grew the reddest it could, and you covered it with your hands and you quietly screamed. “Oh my god warn me next time!” He chuckled. “You’re very cute, (Y/n).” “You’re one to talk. Let’s head back to your room so we can stop worrying about the rain for now.” And you did.

#Meta knight #meta knight x reader #kirby right back at ya #kirby #the meta knight crush continues #my writing #first time I've shared my writing here #but I have a lot of experience writing x readers on wattpad #which is where I posted this first

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escargoon-sandwich · 4 years

Text

marx attempts to ruin a chatfic - scrapped chapter

there is a reason why this isn’t going on ao3. simply put, i’m not satisfied with it.

11:50 pm

Zan Parthenon: @everyone

Zan Parthenon: HELP

Zan Parthenon: MARX JUST RAN BACK TO CAMP WITH A BUNCH OF THE SKULL GANG FOLLOWING HIM

Big D: I’m already on my way.

Zan Parthenon: please tell me you’re bringing kirby

Gryll: AAAAAA

Gryll pressed their back to Zan’s, sucking their breath in. “Man, this sucks! Big time!”

“Understatement of the year, my friend.” Zan stated flatly as she charged her drums. Gryll had managed to build up a small wall to hide behind, but the blocks they’d made crumbled easily - it wouldn’t hold off the Skull Gang forever.

Something glittering hovered above their heads, and Gryll glanced up to see Marx barely clearing the wall. “Yo Zan! Mind lighting me up?”

“Sure. Just stand in front of me.” Zan ordered as she jumped up to the top.

“Oh come on, that’s gonna suck…” Marx whined.

“Think of it as payback for when you sprayed me with febreeze earlier.”

“Okay but you asked for that-”

“BECAUSE I THOUGHT YOU WERE DRINKING KOOL-AID!”

“WHY WOULD I DRINK KOOL-AID OUT OF A FEBREEZE BOTTLE-”

The inane argument was interrupted by a particularly large skully barreling through the wall, showering Gryll in brick fragments. Gryll cried out and swung their broom forward, borrowing some techniques they’d seen some Broom Hatters do. The skully tumbled away, just in time for Marx to body slam it. “Hey, Gryll!” he shouted, twirling on his toetip. “Go find Dedede and Kirby!”

“I - okay!” Gryll hopped on their broom and booked it out of there, weaving through the trees. Beneath them, they felt the broom sort of sputter - which was to be expected. The enchantment was beginning to wear thin - they probably should have refreshed it before coming to the islands.

As the sound of battle faded behind them, Gryll bit their lip. They really, really wanted to help, but they were more of a hedgewitch - someone who did spells meant for everyday life, not for the battlefield.

Whatever. Finding Kirby was helping too.

The broom fell suddenly, about five feet - it couldn’t last much longer. Gryll groaned, knowing they’d have to continue their search on foot. Quietly, they landed and leaned against a large tree, trying to listen to their surroundings…

Okay, there was the fight going on, and that kind of drowned things out. Oh, how Gryll longed to have nice big ears like Daroach, then maybe they would have better hearing! Above them, the branches rustled, and then something dropped on them - Oh, Lord.

They swung their broom wildly, batting at whatever had chomped down onto their face. They sucked in air, choking on the downright rancid breath, then filled their lungs again. “LET! GO!” they howled at the top of their lungs. “I’LL TASTE AWFUL, SO LET -”

Suddenly they were free, and they gasped for air. The thing was now howling in pain, and Gryll cautiously looked over to see something brown and furry mauling their attacker - a skull gang member. They’d been followed! “Shit…” they breathed. “I gotta find the others quick…”

“Wait!” The furry thing turned, and - oh lord, if that wasn’t the cutest thing Gryll had ever seen! Kirby was wearing some sort of animal costume - it was probably a copy ability! “Gryll, it’s me!”

“Yeah, I can see that now. Sorry, I thought you were like… some sort of raccoon…” they muttered. “Where’s Dedede?”

“Over here!” The king crashed through a bush and faceplanted in the dirt. He scrambled to his feet quickly, just in time for Escargoon to slam into his back, with Gooey close behind him. He stumbled forward, but caught himself before he could body-slam Kirby. “Okay. Okay, I’m good. Um.” He smiled sheepishly at Gryll. “Where’s the circus?”

“The circus? Oh, you mean Marx!” A crack of thunder roared through the forest, and Gryll pointed in that direction. “I’d say they’re over there.”

“Thanks.” Without missing a beat, Dedede charged forward. “Escargoon, you stay with Gryll!”

“But Sire -”

“No buts! I don’t want those freaks anywhere near you!” Dedede turned away and disappeared through the brush, and Kirby and Gooey soon vanished after him.

“No, wait!” Gryll cried, only to be drowned out by another crack of thunder. “... Damn. Okay.” They turned to Escargoon, who was tugging at his beard. “We can’t stay here. I don’t care what Dedede said, it’s not safe. There might be more of those guys around.”

“Are you kidding me? Why didn’t you say so earlier?” Escargoon growled, waving his arms in the air.

“I would have, but they ran off before I could - wait.” Gryll’s eyes narrowed as they heard more rustling in the branches above. “... Hey. Weird question. If you were surrounded by, say… five or six dudes who wanted you dead, how likely do you think you’d be able to survive?”

Escargoon was peering at the canopy now, quivering. “H-honestly? I’d give it like, a twenty percent chance?”

“Okay then. Let’s run.”

----

12:39 AM

Kirby: you know i’m glad those guys don’t get stronger at midnight

Big D: @Marx did you find Gryll and Escargoon yet? Or DMK?

Marx: i found the first two and got a broom shaped bruise on my face

Kirby: ouch, did gryll get you? they hit pretty hard sometimes…

Marx: no it was escargoon lol

Marx: gryll got one of those tears to the face, so i think goonie grabbed the broom to defend himself

Big D: Shit, are they hurt?

Marx: nah, they’re in pretty good shape

Marx: gryll is now under a bunch of leaves, we made them a little blanket so they could stay worm

Marx: … i meant to say warm but you know

Marx: i guess that fits too? since they’re under some leaves

Marx: anyway dedede come get yo mans

Big D: I have absolutely no idea what that means, Marx.

Marx: oh, you know

Marx: ;dauhnjffff

Kirby: MARX????

Marx: You know that massive downed tree? We’re near that.

Kirby: yeah i do know it, but what happened?

Marx: A stupid clown nearly played a nasty prank.

Zan Parthenon: Who is this?

Marx: This is Escargoon. I grabbed Marx’s phone before he could do something dumb.

Zan Parthenon: He was going to send the winky face, wasn’t he?

Gryll: nooo, that’s our inside jooooke

Kirby: oh hey, welcome back gryll!

Gryll: right i need to debrief everyone, maybe in the morning? i need access to my dream journal even though this wasn’t really a dream it’s a good idea to write it down

Zan Parthenon: I got it, and I’ll bring it over.

Gryll: thanks

----

8:14 AM

Gryll: alright, i wrote down what i saw in the doc you guys have going for that sort of thing

Daddyroach: Alright, I’ll take a look.

Gryll: the good news is that i did find a good tree, finally, while i was writing everything down

Gryll: so i’ll be re-enchanting my broom and making a new one

Gryll: … actually, wait

Gryll: @Escargoon do you want to borrow one?

Big D: He’s still sleeping.

Gryll: oh, okay

Gryll: i’ll try later then

Big D: Any reason why you want to give him one?

Gryll: because last night, i lent him it

Gryll: well, he took it from me actually, and he was like, “if you want to get rid of a pest you sweep like THIS” and then did the windy thing

Big D: The windy thing?

Gryll: kirby knows the windy thing! the thing the broom hatters do

Big D: ooooh, i get it

Gryll: but he seemed to like it, he was cackling

Daddyroach: Okay so, uh.

Daddyroach: My dad got sacrificed to Necrodeus.

Gryll: the guy who was PROBABLY your dad

Daddyroach: Most likely my dad.

Daddyroach: Considering that you said my mom confessed to being pregnant at the time.

Gryll: well no necrodouche kind of forced the confession out of her because he grabbed her and…

Gryll: uhm.

Gryll: he tried ripping you and your siblings out of her

Gryll: i think he wanted to eat you

Daddyroach: … thank god dedede’s dad was there.

Gryll: yeah

Kirby: we still haven’t found any sign of DMK anywhere…

Taranza: Come back to the hotel, Kirby. Ribbon, Adeleine and I are gonna go look next.

Kirby: okay

Borb: Do you need me there?

Big D: You know, not to sound rude, but I’d rather you be at the castle right now.

Big D: If we have a group of people back at the castle, it’s… something.

Big D: In case something bad happens.

Borb: … I see.

B. Dee: I’ll do my best, your majesty!

Big D: Thank you.

Tiff: something happened

Big D: Tiff? Are you okay?

Tiff: no

Tiff: dmk came back here and took my mom

Tiff: she went out to the balcony and he grabbed her

Gryll: oh shit, oh SHIT

Daddyroach: This lines up too well.

Daddyroach: I’m going to try to find her.

Tiff: she’s where you guys are?

Daddyroach: Yeah, and she’s in immediate danger.

---

Normally, Daroach would be happy to have a target that broadcast its location. When that target was a woman who was five months pregnant, though, things got intense.

Lady Like was kicking up one hell of a fuss, though, and it made tracking her down easy. "Yo! Marx!"

The jester crashed out of the canopy, faceplanting into a puddle. He coughed out some mud and grinned at Daroach. "I meant to do that."

"Sure you did. Now listen." Daroach pointed in the direction of the screaming. "Go up ahead for me, okay? We'll try a pincer attack."

"Oh, good idea!" Marx took to the air, then visually screeched to a halt. "Did you tell Kirby and Adeline too?"

"Yeah." Daroach readied the Triple Star, listening for the sounds of struggle. "We're close. Just a little farther…"

"Right. See ya!" Marx flew off, and Daroach zoned in on where he heard the fighting. He soon found himself in a small clearing, where he caught Dark Meta Knight getting a square kick to the face, delivered by one Lady Like.

Daroach couldn't help it. He laughed and clapped as he made his presence known. "Good job, idiot, you're getting your ass handed to you by a pregnant woman."

"A woman with a black belt," Lady Like corrected, pouting.

Dark Meta whirled and drew his sword, brandishing it towards his poor victim. "Listen here, both of you!" he growled. "I don't have time for this horseshit, nor the patience." He was shaking slightly. "All I want is for one thing to go right for me!"

"Yeah, and I'd like some goddamn peace and quiet. But life isn't fair and we don't always get what we want." Daroach shrugged. "You'd think you'd have learned that by now."

"Bold words from a thief." Dark Meta hissed, prodding Lady Like's belly with the tip of his sword. "Now. I have a gift to deliver to my master, and I'm willing to rip it out of her if need be."

Daroach felt like his stomach was turning to ice, and he lowered the brim of his hat to hide his panic. "... Master, huh? You rebounded kinda fast, huh?"

Dark Meta's wings twitched, as Daroach heard rustling in the nearby undergrowth. "What do you mean, rebound?"

"I'm just saying… you hopped on the Necrodeus train pretty damn quick." Out of the corner of his eye, Daroach saw Kirby peek out of some tall grass. He wished he had a way to signal to him to wait. "You got a thing for toxic men, don't you?"

Oooh, the sword tip was wavering now, and it was quickly pointed in Daroach's direction. "I hope you realize what you are implying."

"'Course I do." Daroach flicked the brim of his hat up and grinned. "You, my friend, are a slut."

Dark Meta Knight roared and flung himself towards Daroach, who gasped as he felt the serrated blade sink into his gut. Lady Like stumbled away from the two, and Daroach saw a waiting Adeline reach for her hand and drag her out of the area. “You do not get to impose that judgement on me!”

Daroach smirked, then coughed up blood. “Well. At least I set out what I meant to do here,” he muttered as he pressed the Triple Star against Dark Meta’s mask, and blasted him away. “Go and run back to your new sugar daddy!”

There, he fell to the ground, where he wrapped his cloak around himself as his opponent scanned the treeline. One of Daroach’s ears twitched as he heard Marx yelling hysterically - he must have found the two escapees.

“Hmph. The child’s not worth getting in a fight with the jester over.” Dark Meta sheathed his sword and turned, leaving Daroach in the dirt. “My master will be back soon anyway.” With that, the sound of shattering glass filled the air as he teleported away, and Kirby darted out from the bushes.

“Are you okay?” Kirby squealed, while pressing a few leaves into Daroach’s wound. Daroach yelled in pain, and Kirby almost looked a little sick. “Ooh, guess not…”

---

12:12 pm

Daddyroach: Alright, so maybe calling him a slut wasn’t the best idea.

Kirby: !!!! you’re up!!!

Tiff: is my mom okay?

Kirby: yeah!!! she kicked him a lot!!!

Adeleine: I’m pretty sure I saw some dents in that mask, your mom’s a straight-up badass.

Adeleine: Are you okay though, dad?

Daddyroach: No.

Daddyroach: He got me bad, but Doc’s taking care of the stab wound.

Adeleine: i should have stayed?

Daddyroach: Absolutely not. You could have gotten stabbed.

Adeleine: … yeah, you’re right.

Gooey: tiiiiiiiiff

Gooey: yourmoooomisssniccccce

Marx: so uh daroach

Marx: why’d you call him a slut?

Tiff: what’s that word mean?

Marx: you’ll find out when you’re older.

Tiff: what if i want to know now, marx?

Marx: i’d have to say too bad because your mom would probably kill me

Tiff: oh it’s a swear word?

Marx: yeah lol

Escargoon: Speaking of your mom, Tiff…

Escargoon: Should I go talk to her?

Tiff: is there a reason why you think you shouldn’t?

Escargoon: We weren’t always on good terms.

Escargoon: Scratch that, we were never on good terms, up until I left.

Tiff: i think she knows you’re trying to change for the better

Tiff: i don’t think it’ll hurt to see her

Dedede: Can you like, keep her company while I’m out dealing with some shenanigans?

Dedede: There’s something going on to the north, and I’m going to go investigate.

Escargoon: I can do that.

----

Escargoon stared at the door handle way longer then he probably should have. One of the Waddle Dees that worked for the hotel was giving him a curious look. He knew the worst things Lady Like could do - he’d seen her beat the shit out of those guys who’d stalked her daughter. If she didn’t want to see him, well… he probably deserved whatever she dished out.

He finally decided to just knock. “Oh, who is it?” Lady Like’s voice rang out loud and clear, and Escargoon swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat.

“It’s, um. It’s me.” There was a brief pause, and he added. “Can I come in?”

“Yes. Yes you may.” Oh boy, that response was rather terse...

Escargoon took a deep breath and entered the room. Technically, it was the one in his name, but with the… thing with Dedede, that was up in the air. Lady Like was here, now, nestled in a pile of pillows, one hand resting on her belly while the other one picked at a piece of bread. She looked like she’d been woken up in the middle of the night - in fact, she probably had been. “So! I’d ask you how things have been, but. Yeah.”

Like gave him a look so sour it could curdle milk. " I have had one of the worst mornings of my life. Are you certain you are happier here?"

"Huh?" Escargoon blinked in confusion. "Of course I am! Why, instead of getting hit all the time, I get hit on -" Lady Like had instantly raised an eyebrow. "Oops."

Well, her mood seemed to have improved. "Escargoon," she said with a conspiratorial smirk, "I have the inkling that you have a thing with the king!"

Escargoon felt his cheeks heat up, and he turned away. "What gave you that idea?"

“Well…” Like tilted her head and winked. “I heard you were sleeping with him...”

“T-that was only last night!” he spluttered. “A-and it was platonic, okay. No shenanigans happened!”

“Yes, and I only married my husband platonically.”

“Look, he hasn’t even kissed me yet, okay?” Escargoon crossed his arms. “And I doubt it counts as a thing if he hasn’t even asked me out yet.”

“But there is a potential of a thing, yes?” Like smirked at him. “I’m sure your mother will be happy to know her little snail has a sweetie!”

“Oh, no, no, you are NOT telling her before I do!” He began to pace a bit. “Great, now I forgot what I even came here for in the first -”

Escargoon was interrupted by a wet “thump” on the balcony, and he jumped and whirled to face the sliding glass door, now plastered with Gooey’s face. He sighed in relief as he went to open it, but as Gooey rolled in, he realized that the little slimeball did not seem happy at all. “Hey little guy, what’s up?” Gooey wiggled around, a look of distress on his face. “Listen, Gooey, I know you’re upset, but you’re going to have to use your words, okay?”

Gooey paused for a moment, then opened his mouth and shouted one word. “FUCK!”

Lady Like gasped in horror. "Was this where Tiff learned that word?"

"Nah, that was probably Marx." After a look of confusion from Like, he continued. "Y'know, little jester guy, kicked Dedede in the junk?"

"Ah, him." She rose from the bed, smoothing her hand over her stomach. "Oh, my! Escargoon, look!"

"Huh?" A massive thundercloud was beginning to form on the horizon, but something was off. Mainly, it seemed like it was pouring out of the ocean. "That's not good..."

Gooey was beginning to buzz loudly. "Is he supposed to be doing that?" Lady Like asked, then cringed in disgust as Gooey spat out his phone. "Oh…"

Escargoon, however, noticed something else. Something that looked like a shockwave of sorts… and it was heading towards them, fast. He shoved Lady Like aside, away from the glass door, then grabbed Gooey and ducked into his shell.

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mogwaei · 4 years

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Wolf Statues and the Tower of Bone tinfoil!

A theory about wolf statues crossed my dash again which...got me thinking along a somewhat separate train of thought of all the different places we find them. I’ve seen the posts about the Dales/Exalted Plains, but not much about somewhere like Emprise du Lion. I’m not sure if this has already been talked about, but I’ve been searching and can’t find any posts elsewhere.

This is going to be a long and rambling post about Wolf statues and Emprise du Lion, so a two in one theory 😂. I’ve never actually written a meta and I generally hoard my theories and write them in fic...because I’m not good at writing anything that isn’t in story format. You’ve been warned lol

First, some really long and tangential exposition about statues.

There are a ton of Wolf statues across the game. We’ve got a whole pack of them across the Exalted Plains watching over various locations. But they’re also located in a lot of the elven temples we run across as well. @serial-chillr and I were talking about the possibility that, assuming the Wolves are all Fen’Harel statues (unless the ones in the Dales are Emerald Knight wolves, but I kinda doubt that), then what is the likelihood of Solas himself having built these statues?

We know from Solas himself that elvhen nobility used to mark their slaves to honour the ‘god’ that they subscribed to. Sooo, why wouldn’t the more zealous ones build great big monuments in addition to marking their slaves?

What I fail to see mentioned in a lot of fics and theories is much mention of these nobles or the politics of Elvhenan. I’m sure that higher ranking elves probably owned land within Evanuris territory, and they probably needed permission before doing so, but I’ll bet that if a kiss-ass noble came up to one of the gods asking to build a pretty statue (hoping for bonus points) the narcissistic bastard god was probably like “You want to build a statue of moi? BUT OF COURSE!!!” and maybe gave the noble a pat on the head and a cookie for kissing butt.

For posterity:

That being said, because I can’t help but mention my own worldbuilding fic, The Guardian, I’m assuming the statues were built of Fen’Harel, and while Solas might not have really approved (or maybe wasn’t even able to stop them from being constructed ‘nu stop I’m not a godddd‘) he would instead have found a way to use them to his advantage. I write that he begins placing statues where allies (both agents and freed slaves) can find them and follow them back to safe places marked for the Rebellion. I go into slightly more detail regarding these special wolves (how he would get statues into the temples/palaces of the Evanuris and how to distinguish them from regular ones) in a plot involving infiltration of a compound in Chapters 111-120. I can’t give away all my secrets!

Anyway, moving onto statues in specific locations:

The one in Emprise du Lion

hewwoh big boi

What I find fascinating about this one specifically is that it’s also located in the same region as Suledin Keep (which also has wolfies inside of it ofc). Because of the landmarks codex in Emprise I’m hedging that this land used to belong to Elgar’nan. Look at Pools of the Sun for reference - THAT’S ALL I GOT FOR NOW

Anyhow, floundering, but my attention was next drawn to the Tower of Bone

In this story, a blood mage summoned a greater pride demon, who then possessed the entire tower. When the mage died, his sons were unable to control the demon, so they commissioned eight monstrous iron chains intended to hold it. The touch of the cold iron chain is the only thing holding the stone abomination in place. Should they break, the tower will pull itself off its foundations and walk, destroying everything in its path.

I know that they found human bones in the tower, but bear with me. I’m tinfoiling hard and trying to read deeper and tie it all together but I’m just a humble apostate hobo.

Anyway, some blood mage summoned a greater pride demon who in turn possesses the tower - of the companions, Solas has the Tower tarot card. The next sequence in the story, the sons bind the tower with 8 chains. The only mention I could find of the number 8 is in the Draconis codex where it mentions there being a possible 8th Old God being stricken from records.

Should all the chains break, the Tower will destroy everything in its path.

The Tower tarot, as we’ve seen in a hundred other tin foils, is commonly interpreted as meaning danger, crisis, destruction, and liberation. It is also associated with sudden unforseen change. WHICH ISN’T NECESSARILY A BAD THING! (Look, despite everything, I’m hanging to that thread of hope that Solas will have a good ending).

So, again, I’m probably totally wrong but the symbolism here has some pretty interesting potential if it is referring at all to Solas and the Evanuris.

Recap:

>random thought (because I’m totally writing this on the fly) but IF the 8 chains symbolise something more, then maybe it’s possible that the 8th ‘God’ could be the Sun that is briefly mentioned in elven legend (referring to the codex I mentioned above). And the Sun could be symbolism for yet another thing we aren’t aware of. Whether that’s some sort of dragon or spirit or entity we haven’t been introduced to in game (yet).

>The chains themselves could also be representative of holding back...again, something we don’t know. Blight? Something worse? (thinking about the Dread Wolf Rises mural and the seals, but there are only 7 there. Maybe the 8th is the thing they’re holding prisoner if it isn’t free?) ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

>While I’m down this rabbit hole, maybe the 8th is part of this: “A final eluvian is situated in a peaceful bolt-hole where Solas has painted murals. Fen’Harel was here and wanted to make sure nobody ever found what the other gods were doing.” - this can be found in the game files under bolt_hole (in other words, maybe it has to do with whatever they found?)

>A big ass, greater Pride demon (more Sooooolllasss symbolism? looking at Tevinter Nights and some other cool theories on Dread Wolf - Pride demon connections)

>Reoccuring tower symbolism (does the little wolf Rook that Mark Darrah tweeted a while back count?)

>Breaking chains (liberation?)

>ALSO THE TOWER IS COVERED IN RED LYRIUM (AAAAAAAH)

>Someone’s gonna go wreak havoc when a Specific Thing Happens (*cough* Solas? *cough*)

I realise I flew off the handles here and I’m not sure if anyone is going to even be able to follow this tangent 😂

Anyway, that’s it for now until I think of something else. If you’re into a long winded fic of worldbuilding and lore weaving, check out The Guardian where I do a lot better job of putting my thoughts into words. I swear I’m not usually this scatterbrained and I spend a LOT of time weaving theories...that I then hoard like Smeagol. :3

As a closing message, I’d like to include this shot of my dear friend @schoute ‘s Piper Lavellan who doesn't know where the fuck she is.

Thanks for reading and I apologise if you’ve lost any braincells in this thought spaghetti orz

#dragon age #solas #the dread wolf rises #dragon age 4 #dragon age inquisition #fen'harel #Solas and Abelas tinfoil over tea

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dafodilion · 4 years

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okay so like, this might be lowkey controversial but, for the time being i’m not mad with The Letter For The King. Do i think certain things could have been handled better? Absolutely. But it’s definitely set up for another season at least. Tiuri’s mom hasn’t been seen since like, ep 2 or 3, The Queen had the black eyes that they haven’t explored yet, Lavinia hasn’t found the road, and Iona and Jaro’s strange acquantanceship is just starting.

I’m definitely upset about the death but I want to see what the show writers do with it. If it’s kept through the story and used as a source of inspiration/determination and not completely forgotten about then its one thing but if it is completely forgotten then it begs the question of why the character was introduced in the first place if they were only going to die.

This got long so analysis under the cut

I know a lot of people are upset that Tiuri was teased as the hero but it turned out to be Lavinia who had magic and I just have to say that Tiuri is definitely the protagonist in this story. It is completely centered around him. Not only does he tick most of the ‘hero’ boxes from Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey, he’s also the one we establish the emotional connection with first. I think that’s a part of why a lot of people are upset about the magic thing. He was designated ‘special dude’ in the first few episodes and then everyone finds out that there’s nothing supernatural about him. But what I think a lot of people are forgetting is that the thing that makes Tiuri the hero/protagonist in TLFTK is that he chose to be. He made the choice to help the old man at the chapel door. He’s also a kid. They all are. And save for Lavinia, they likely haven’t had much agency in a lot of their choices because they’re kids. They’re only just starting to be baby adults. So Tiuri chose to go help and that lead to him travelling across the continent.

Another part is the race thing. I’m not going to comment on this too much, not because I don’t think it’s there, I think it is to an extant, but more because I don’t want to make any rash judgments on the writers who had six episodes to tell a story that could very easily have been cut back from ten which is the usual netflix original s1 episode count. They also address that Tiuri does endure certain racist attitudes from other characters through the series. This in mind i’m really hoping that there is some nuance going into the writing that we’ll be able to see in future seasons.

Tiuri also has a questionable Lineage. His home was a victim of genocide and his and his Mother are, for all that we know, some of the few who are left. He doesn’t know who his biological father was. It was teased that his father was a Shaman and while I want to believe that, the information was given when we still thought that he had magic. It’s also shown that Shaman is used as a gender neutral term and I’ll get to that later. His mother tells him not to worry about who his father was and it could be that she was trying to get him to accept Sir Tiuri as his father and that it really doesn’t matter, or it could be that she said it for complicated plot reasons.

Speaking of parents, we have Lavinia. Lavinia’s character is interesting. She was introduced as a self-serving and very ambitious noble/princess who wants to help her people in a sustainable way. Her father is shown to see a quick fix and try to take it. Lavinia wants to find the road that ran from two kingdoms directly through her town(?). She’s done the research and the math and the planning. She just needs to go do it. That’s her goal. Then we’re introduced to the idea of her mother. We know almost nothing about her mother other than she’s gone. There’s mysterious circumstances there that have yet to be explored but they’re set up to be major plot points in the future. Also, just a side note about the magic, we only know of three cultures in TLFTK when there could easily be hundreds of cultures around the world. For there to only be one with magic would be bad world building and just on the detail we’re getting for future season set ups I want to say that the world building wouldn’t be that bad but I could be wrong.

I mentioned the gender neutral term used for Shaman and it being used to describe a magic user. For the time being, and until we get more info on the world building and term usage for the Netflix series because it apparently does differ wildly from the source material, I’m inclined to believe that Lavinia is a Shaman. So was(is?) Prince Veridian. Lavinia’s mother could have been the Shaman being talked about when Prince Veridian was interrogating the Shaman in the village. Now I’m not trying to say that Lavinia could be a woc in this world, I’m just saying that we don’t really know a whole lot about the magic being used and it’s cultural significance throughout the world, and that what we do know is incredibly limited.

Now, names are important for characters not only to distinguish them to readers but the also tell something about the characters. The name Lavinia also belonged to the wife of Aeneus who in Roman mythology was a survivor of Troy and son of Aphrodite and is an ancestor to Romulus and Remus, founders of Rome. One part of her story that her hair catches fire as an omen promising good things for her people and bad things for the latins. This is similar to how Lavinia in TLFTK almost looks to be on fire as ‘the light’ in the battle scene in e6. This is so interesting just from a meta standpoint so I wanted to point it out. I haven’t read the book or the sequel so I don’t know anything about the source material but from a writing perspective that’s a hell of a derivitave. Side note, Tiuri could possibly be derived from Turi meaning ‘of Thor’ or Tiri meaning ‘swift one’ from persian mythology or ‘outsider’ in ijaw, and these are theoretical, it could just be a name. The meanings do come from behindthename and babynames so the meanings could be entirely wrong.

Now Iona. I lover her character and I can’t wait to see more of her. She’s competent, knows what she does and doesn’t know, she can work in a group or independently, takes charge, and can kick ass. She’s also a kid, which is super important. We don’t know much about her history other than her parents are dead and that she’s likely lived a pretty rough life to be somewhat proficient in thievery, survival skills, sleight of hand, and ‘bar speak’ for lack of a better term. Past this we don’t really know much about her, or the rest of the characters for that matter. We have six plot based episodes and that’s it, so from here it’s gonna be less character analysis and more general analysis.

I think that she’s being set up as a foil to Tiuri. A foil is one character who contrasts another. They’re not necessarily opposites. One of the reasons I think this is so is because of how competent Iona is and how incompetent Tiuri is. She goes off with an adult who now(?) has no real ties to anyone, but he’s following her. (This would seem creepy but I see it more as an exasperated adult accidentally adopted an ambitious kid and now feels obligated to make sure they don’t get themselves killed.) Tiuri ends the series belonging to the knighthood. Speaking of the knighthood, this was the one thing that Iona was sure she would get and Tiuri was sure he wouldn’t. She had the confidence and skill to match and Tiuri was just kind of. There.

Now, we know so little of the characters mentioned above and even less of Foldo, Guissipo, and Piak, but they are intrinsically connected to eachother.

Its implied that they grew up together. Piak knows that Foldo tells good stories. So the three of them know each other and that makes the little romance between Foldo and Guissipo a bit more believable once that is realized. Like I said earlier, I really want to know what the show writers deal with Guissipo’s death and how it affects Foldo and Piak. I don’t really expect it to hit Tiuri or Lavinia so hard, maybe Iona if she knows, but it should definitely hit Foldo and Piak. I really hope that in the future, it’s addressed how they both grieve individually and together.

I think the only other character that I really wanna talk about is Queen Alianor. She has Tiuri’s mother and had black eyes, but she also knighted all of the boys. i really want to see what they do with that only because I don’t know what could happen.

Anyway this was more of a ‘okay people are mad about a lot of things and while I know and can agree with why, we don’t really have a lot of information as to what is planned especially with only 6 episodes adding up to less than 300 minutes and a story that could have been so much longer.’ I know that it has issues and that the show has hit certain pitfalls. I know. But I want to hope that there was a reason behind what they’ve done and with more time we’ll get to see those reasons.

#the letter for the king #tlftk #tlftk spoilers #tirui #lavinia #iona #foldo #guissipo #piak #jaro #queen alianor #prince viridian

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pokkop15 · 4 years

Text

(Ok so I was a fool and had had a lot of this meta written up yesterday and instead of saving it as a draft while I watched critical role, I, like a fool, just left all the tabs open and then went to bed after the episode. Then firefox crashed in the night and everything was lost. Press F to pay respects I guess cause here I go again.)

First off, Aradia is best girl and I am so happy she's RELEVANT again. I had a whole preamble the last time I wrote this post, but I can't remember what it said other than mentioning that this is gonna be a long post beneath the cut and that I have other metas that will kind of overlap with what I'm saying in this one so I will try to keep my discussion of the narrative styles of the The Prince and The Muse to only what is relevant to this post and to what is RELEVANT. Also previous metas should be reblogged directly before I post this to make it easier to check them out before hand or to reference them more easily.

The main points of focus will be: The differences between how the two Time gods interact with The Muse and her narrative, as well as the general level of metatextual awareness of characters within Candy. | The juxtaposition of the Knight and the Maid. | The possible suppression of the Ultimate nature of The Knight, and by extension The Seer. | The Muse's unique state of power and presumed Awakening | I swear there was more but I flat out don't remember what they were.

One last thing. I am a rambly motherfucker so if you haven't read my previous metas, here's your warning to expect a very long and very chaotic mess of a post beneath the cut. Also for anyone confused anytime I emphasize someone as 'The Class' it's referring to their actions as a potential narrator and as an Ultimate Self. For example, the difference between The Muse and the Muse is that 'the Muse' would be for character moments like when the dead cherub possessing Jade's corpse in Candy is just talking with Davebot and Aradia, while 'The Muse' is for when talking about her influence over the narrative. (There's a lot of different ways I put emphasis on words or phrases, but “The Class” was the one I felt really might need clarification)

I find it interesting how Davebot acknowledges and shows distaste for The Muse interjecting her narration and thus inhibiting his ability to live in the moment. I find this interesting because as an Awakened god of Time, he is simultaneously living in every moment but as a Knight, and as The Knight, he is also intrinsically separate from those moments as he is the Ultimate One who Wields Time. Aradia on the other hand is the Maid of Time, who while almost assuredly having reached the pinnacle of her god tier after the hundreds of years we now know her to have lived, is not ascended to her Ultimate Self. As a Maid, Aradia literally embodies her aspect. As such she doesn't worry about living in the moment because she is the moment. Because of this Aradia is more prone to just accept, agree, and repeat the sentiments The Muse dictates in her constant exposition. However, despite acknowledging the narration, Davebot still ends up being incredibly passive in the face of it. Even though he has an Active class and is a dreamer of the Active moon, Dave himself has always come off as an incredibly passive character to me in a lot of ways. (Even the aspect of Time itself and its heroes are specifically denoted as incredibly Active in the {official and Canon} extended zodiac test [which means its contents are NECESSARY, RELEVANT, and TRUE]). Always acting under the direction of other characters, subject to The Lord's rule over Time, and constantly struggling with his seeming lack of control. Here, even after reaching his Ultimate Self, he still only makes passive-aggressive remarks instead leaving the flow of the story and the big decisions to others. (In my last post I went into deeper detail about the nature of, and relationship between Aradia and Dave's classes and how that affected their sessions, but I can't remember what the tie in was unfortunately so for now I'll leave it at this and move on)

Among the human players of sburb, the Strilondes have always been the most genre savvy and possessed the most awareness of the narrative and its' influence, (although Dave was never near the levels of Dirk and Rose). But up until this upd8, direct interactions with the narrative have been few and far between in Candy (at least as far as I can recall). I mentioned this in my previous meta as being a result of The Muse being the type to inspire characters to action whereas The Prince is far more heavy handed in is dictation and rarely attempts to hide his presence in the narration these days. But we see here once again, that not only is The Muse bad for the people under her influence, she's also just really not good at constructing a story. She relies too heavily on tropes and cliches, on plot contrivances; she tells too much and doesn't show enough, (something that should literally be her greatest strength as a Muse). Yet despite this, Davebot and Aradia are seen multiple times to interact with her dictations directly and Aradia even points out on page 284 that she is aware of The Muse “observing (their) every action and noting its relevance : )” (the emphasis on 'relevance' being mine). As such we can infer that it doesn't take an Ultimate Self to recognize The Muse's narration. But if not that, then what? If it was just pre-disposition of character that let them notice, then between her own abilities and self awareness, surely Candy!Rose would have by now, but she hasn't. Then is it proximity? Maybe The Muse is getting complacent and starting to unknowingly imitate The Prince and his methods? Or is it because both Davebot and Aradia are Heroes of Time? The aspect opposite The Muse's. After all, The Muse did express that the way (either Aradia specifically or that the both of them) experience time is “woefully unfamiliar” to her. Perhaps that makes it difficult for her to write a story that resonates with them fully. Whatever it may be, all the information up until this point doesn't come to a head so much as it is something that I believe to be RELEVANT.

With that, let us switch gears while keeping the previous information in mind. As I said before, in spite of all the active components of Davebot's Mythological Role, his character has often been passive. And the precise story beat I want to focus on right now is his Awakening to his Ultimate Self. Candy!Dave was out on patrol with a wife who he loved, but who also had very much always been the driving force of their dynamic. He was pulled to the ancient bunker by the narrative where a hologram of Obama expertly guided him through a conversation like a true politician, somehow knowing a lot about Dave while at the same time withholding “classified” information as if that word had any meaning without a country or government holding Obama accountable. (Unless of course Obama was still answering to someone... *Cough cough*the authors*cough cough*). Look, all of this is me saying that Obama was a leftover contrivance of The Prince that The Muse utilized for her own means. Dirk was a skilled programmer and engineer. He had a deep understanding of how to build AIs that could easily impersonate someone. He had an even deeper grasp of how to manipulate Dave. Dirk built the bots. The Bots. The bots that are supposedly NECESSARY for one to Awaken to their Ultimate Self and survive. And yet even if that is TRUE, it isn't true. The Prince claims he was a special case but his powers are of the soul, not the body. And it is the body that breaks down. And we know that Rose really was suffering in her path to Awakening, but I will remind you that her poor condition was first established through narration that we know was under the control of The Prince. Further more it happened prior to the Meat/Candy split, in which the Canon still possessed TRUTH, which is why it still remained RELEVANT in Candy (and it was obviously NECESSARY in Meat for reasons about to be discussed). Both Rose and Dave ultimately played a passive role in their Awakenings, guided to their Ultimate Self by another even though they are both Active players. I believe that The Prince established these rules about Ultimate Selves and built the robot bodies as a way to give him an upper hand against the two characters most likely to overtake him. Because to reinforce a point from a previous post, Rose is the only full on published author among the players and Dave himself has written comics and presumably screenplays for his films, making them the two people who might not only do a better job than The Prince or The Muse, but just do a flat out GOOD job. The Seer especially, which is why The Prince went through the extra effort to disrupt her sense of self as she was coming into her Ultimate Self. If these two had played an Active part in their own Awakening and without The Prince’s influence I think they both would’ve been quite capable of giving The Prince a run for his money. But the humans are not the only players in this game...

As I've already alluded to, Lord English (The Lord), was almost certainly his Ultimate Self. Awakened and Empowered by the treasure (a juju so powerful that it enabled John to retcon things in a way that overrides the timeline instead of splitting it, and it did so without even granting him its actual power). When The Knight awakened, The Muse described it has having all of Time flow through his consciousness, allowing him to experience every instance of his own self. Conversely Jade described that her Ultimate Self would be “like... one ultimate self distributed across multiple bodies. so in multiple places and states at once. every jade that exists is like a light being shined through a thousand cracks in the timeline.” (Hey remember those cracks in the universe that had light peaking through them? Idk, seems RELEVANT if you ask me.) So if we reasonably assume that ones aspect heavily affects how one's Ultimate Self first Awakens and how it operates than that means there will be similarities between those who share aspects. If Awakening for a Hero of Time is an experience of everything that ever has, is, or will happen to a version of themselves, and Lord English possessed a juju that allows one to retcon and not split, than the combination of those powers would make it so he could be the singular instance of himself while at the same time always be “Already Here” than there is truly no difference between Lord English and the theoretical Ultimate version of himself. And since the Muse consumed Lord English at the end of Candy, granting her the power to punch a wormhole in the black hole. This is also presumably where she gained the power to “...exist in several narrative structures at once” (pg 286) (also see the above explanation of Jade's Ultimate Self for why that is RELEVANT). Because of this, we can assume that The Muse is just as indistinguishable from her theoretical Ultimate Self as The Lord was. But these powers and this simultaneous existence is not without consequences because the Muse's collapse at the end of this chapter is almost assuredly a result of Meat!Jade's rebelling against The Muse in chapter 6 (specifically the action on page 167/168). And finally, to tie this back to the imposition of bodily destruction to those who Awaken their Ultimate Self, it is worth noting that The Muse does not possess a body of her own to be destroyed. Instead inhabiting the body of various Jades.

Alright, so once again sorry if you thought there would be some big culmination to this post, and hey, what pumpkin?

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meandmyechoes · 3 years

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creator tag / 2020 Round-up

Thanks for tagging me @ahskatano & @katierosefun! I like to think my best work is yet to come, as I tend to think of myself more as a ‘sharer’ than a creator. I make things I want to see, and it’s a pleasant surprise to see so many people also like it! All aside, I do have to give myself a pat on the back for my study in Star Wars this year. It’s been unforgettable to go insane with y’all over the series finale. So here’s to sum up five of my favourite works this year:

1. The 3 times she called him ‘Anakin’

‘Ahsoka and Names’ is something that stayed with me since I first saw ‘Brothers’ in 2012. It was one meta and gifset and spun into its own series. Through writing it, I get to explore Anakin and Ahsoka’s evolution with lovely, lovely people, not so friendly shippers, and even tackle the variety of language! I’m really proud this is the first serious meta I wrote, and I poured all my heart into it. Retrospectively though, Recollection, Regrets, Reunion is a better meta.

2. TCW Cast Names Cantonese Transliteration!

Another project I’ve been wanting to see complete for a decade. On one hand I’m glad at least the machine-translate names weren’t employed here like other Chinese-speaking regions, but I still want an elegant localization for my favourite people, so I took it upon myself. I had a great fun weighing options and assigning meanings. This post probably starts my spiral injecting my tradition/culture into Star Wars. In itself, the post is a funny reflection of how I fandom. I just, make content so niche for myself.

3. Embers off a Page (Finale poetry project)

Yes, technically this is still a WIP, I still haven’t manifested my final memorial for the tcw finale, but writing poetry is definitely not what I could foresee myself doing (for TCW or not) in the year 2020. I tried a lot of new forms of appreciation for Clone Wars this year and creative writing has its magic. I only manage to write fluff fanfic and anything marginally angsty comes off as fragmented words. I do hope to continue this journey next year. There’s still a lot more to write about from the reflections of the two people to the oblivion of the clones.

4. Rex and Ahsoka 712 Hands set [1] [2]

These two are sister sets. It’s one of those spontaneous inspiration strikes. and I loove those. They also represent for me a step-up in the colouring game, and probably starts my barrel roll down ‘BLEACH’ as my ‘style’, on top of ‘soft indigo’. The bleach came aimless, was just playing around the levels and then it hit me to wash them out. Also the framing of that set… a great example of how giffing - pausing and reliving this extended blink - has improved my appreciation of the series and its cinematography so much more.

Moreover it is the final ceremony to my overcoming of the internal struggle to celebrate Rex and Ahoska’s friendship free of shippers hijack.

Fifth place is really difficult to decide because I want to name a gifset to give a fuller answer but besides I have several fave gifsets, I also have to consider the impacts these posts have so...

5. Togruta Lekku and Headcanons

I just, can’t NOT choose this for apparently how much hyperfixating on lekku became my reputation. I solved the ancient mystery of blue-on-white or white-on-blue, how can I not be proud =.= Yes, it’s a rabbit hole and I love every second of it. Still slightly embarrassed how geeky that was haha. Here’s to the hypothetical adjustable montral/lekku gear waiting to jump out of my head anyday now.

GIFs special round :3

Thrity Lives I unironically tag this as ‘favourite’. The criterion of a best descriptor for Anakin and Ahsoka’s angst to me is the verse’s interchangeability, that it applies to both of them because how similar they are in personality yet how different they chose. I see this whole song as Vader’s apology to Ahsoka whom he should’ve protected, should’ve seen knighted, should’ve been there, every step. Visually, I love the gradual blue to red palette that’s very subtle. and the lettering is something I take joy in.

Purple / Hands 2 idek what did I name this set now. It’s an inspiration strike and I just love how magically HD it turns out. This started out as I was so moved by the close-up of Ahsoka letting go, and just grew from there.

The 3D GIF. I had a LOT of fun summoning this format from the dead lol. I posted this one while away camping and the tags are hilarious. would love to do more. look how badass they are!

Comic Cover Parallel ooooh this set this SET. Yes I feel like I can’t take full credit of it because technicality-wise it’s actually not terribly difficult. but the hearts it broke, and I broke down crying twice making this gifset. Eternally grateful Filoni gave us this wonderful parallel.

Ahsoka Logo set This set took longer than necessary purely because I was getting rusty at the game. Yes this is a gifset out of spite but I also took my time. Haha, could’ve got it done on Saturday but I stalled. The response went over my expectation. I do think it looks pretty and I am very pleased with the placement and scene choices, even though I can tell every little flaw I didn’t bother to correct as I was getting sleepy. It does remind me how in-my-element it feels to work on your passion though.

Fics (but it’s just the small number of fics I’ve tried this year)

Sleep Series is still to be continued! I promise! I had the layout for S3 & S5 Anakin and Ahsoka cuddling and fall asleep on each other’s shoulder like true siblings. It’s going to be angsty and nostalgic and bittersweet and the brightest sunset.

Wrench and Wretches I guess. I do love them OK. I do wanna write them. But maybe Dad!Maul and Baby Tano will catch up faster than the Vigilante Comedy Canon-compliant AU?

I was also prompted to write Rex and Ahsoka with each other for the first time and though I’m not confident about this work, it’s was, representative of my mood then?

Others

shoutout to all my Ahsoka drawings, and of course clothes!! I only pick up drawing inspired by all the amazing artists on my dash, so I’m really thankful for every word of encouragement. I have a lot of hard work ahead in terms of technique. air kiss for my barbie Ahsoka modelling the sloppy outfits I put on her <3

I cannot shut up about how much I love kimono, and I will go through the four seasons designs for her and I’m so excited to make them and model it on her (yeah at this point i’m like, fuck i can’t draw let’s just sew) I am very, very flattered by the love this chinese clothing Ahsoka I doodled. It honestly was just a doodle, and nothing is very accurate, I didn’t even intend to make it (without adjustment *wink*). But so many kind words on this post, for a novice draw-er like me??!! <3<3<3

Out of all the clothes I made so far, my favourite is the jumpsuit. It just look so cute and clean on her and I’m proud that I made pants :3 Ahsoka in pants rocks.

Popsicle is a thing that happened.

Conclusion

I always like words more, so I’m more satisfied I’ve written so much for Clone Wars this year, completing several projects that dwelt in my mind for years so. However, I’ve since dug myself the black hole of a WIP list with all kinds of ideas from edits to writing to customization. I’m having fun though, maybe a bit slack on pace at times. But I will see them through. *thumbs up*

Kind of a coincidence now that I reflect, even though Tumblr is an international platform and TCW a specialized space, I still somehow gravitated towards the Asian side of the fandom?? Lucky me who not only found fellow hobbyists, but peers who understand our culture.

I’m overall, proud of all the new forms of expression I’ve tried this year. I just keep learning. It’s wonderful to have a platform to meet people with as much thought and attention I give to these dots of pixels. It was so fun to be productive. I love every minute of this madness. Here’s to another year of dressmaking before HT Ahsoka arrives, 2 years of clean air before LA Ahsoka arrives, and 7 more years before I get over Siege of Mandalore.

#2020 #myechoes #creator tag #ive seen most mutuals/giffers got tagged already so gonna pass??#otherwise not sure if you are too busy... ☞ ☜#but anyone can and should join if you want :3 !!

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ihassheepquake · 4 years

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Stargirl 1.07 “Shiv Part One” is out now on DCU, and I’m here to talk about it.

As my one comment before the episode actually comes out and we get into this little review/recap, I find it really interesting that we’re getting such an explicit two-parter. So far this show has been pretty much exclusively a serial, which means that a two-parter is gonna be extra important and we need to really pay attention to what happens in these two episodes.

I love the look into the morning routine of the JSA. Courtney goes to see the staff and say good morning, Rick is off being an angsty teen, Yolanda is training, and Beth is being buds with the goggles. We don’t necessary need to see this but it’s really great to see and teaches us a lot about these four core characters in just a few seconds.

Ooooh, our first look at Brainwave since episode 4 I think. And Cindy is, at least before coming into the room itself, yet again being a bitch about Henry Jr. being sad about his dad. She was like this at the Halloween party back in episode 5 and she’s doing it again. She only cares Henry Jr. when it benefits her, which I think is telling of the likely “redemption” arc we’ll be forced to deal with for him. At least he does clearly give a shit about his dad. Cindy later repeats this pattern with trying to force Henry jr. to take her to the dance he’s already said he’s not going too multiple times.

I love how the JSA has a little assemble moment in the halls at school. That’s fun. And then they give us a little Cindy backstory and at least gives a clue as to what some of these kids think of her. BTW fucking go Jenny for standing up to her and calling her out. And it ends with some interaction between Cindy & Sir Justin, and then Sir Justin & Courtney (and finally we get some lore & backstory for Sir Justin, how exciting).

Last time for 1.06 I talked about how I love the Barbara moments and the family dynamic we get for her. We get some good moments with her again in this episode. Each episode gets closer to both Mike & Barbara figuring out the truth. I kinda feel bad for Mike.

Honestly this kid playing Henry Jr. is fucking good at his job, he’s playing this losing it and discovering his powers thing really well. In the classroom he seems on the verge of a panic attack the whole time.

The interactions between Courtney & Cindy doing the science experiment are fun. There does seem to be a genuine bit of bonding here and there, in another life they could’ve actually been buds. I think she really just wants someone to be in control of though after Jenny stood up to her. Getting home her mum is scared as fuck though, is it because of Cindy herself or is the Dragon King himself around? This at home scene puts Cindy so clearly in charge and she seems like such a little monster. Wtf is this about “your dad gave me orders” shit. Cindy is supposed to be some genetic experiment or something and I’m starting to wonder if her mum is even a real person either. It’s cool to see that this evil lair is connected to both the American Dream building & Cindy’s house, so I’m betting it could also connect to the King house, the Zarick house, and the Mahkent place. And also the school? How much of this city is connected by these secret tunnels? I like this villain meeting, especially the specific point of how the group agreed to keep their kids out of it.

We love a training montage in this house! Especially low-budget ones. (thank you for the Joey mention yet again. Seriously, for someone who’s “dead” he keeps getting mentioned in literally every episode). Love the display of skill from Courtney & power from the staff, both always good to see, though I’m especially happy to see the rest of the JSA call her out on it. She’s clearly a really leader but doesn’t fully know how to completely work with a team.

Cindy’s a meta, oooooh, love that for her. And a look at her future costume?? Fuck yeah! And it looks great. And now that she’s talking with her father, it’s even more clear how unstable she actually is and how she gives literally no fucks about anybody. Her comments about how she’s “lonely” and has “nobody to talk to” is setting some interesting potential parallels with Beth, and they’re clearly setting up a ton of parallel between her and Court.

I love any and all Cameron scenes, love this kid. Clearly the girl he’s talking about is Courtney, and I 100% believe that Icicle killed the other dude interested in his dead wife. I’m surprised that we haven’t gotten any sort of love plot in this show until now, and even now that a possible one is being introduce, I can already tell that it’s not going to become the kind of overwhelming force that love plots usually are in these shows. Cameron asking Court is admittedly cute. But Courtney, is the middle of the game really the time to go ask her about postponing your hang out? But of course, Cindy is gonna be a bitch about it anyway.

A secret door in the principles office? How fun. And the fact that the staff is just kinda there is beautiful. And Sir Justin sees something huh? Is he gonna actually be around as Shining Knight?? A small thing but the effects of Court blowing the lock on the door is fucking incredible. Cindy suiting up to fight Court is pretty cool. Again, this outfit looks amazing. All the outfits in this show are amazing.I love even here between Courtney & Cindy how clearly out matched the JSA kids are. Yeah Court is holding her own in this fight but the staff is putting in a ton of work. OMFG SIR JUSTIN DID COME OUT TO PLAY AS THE SHINING KNIGHT!!! Fucking iconic. Gosh Pat, maybe in a situation where the staff comes to get you for help you shouldn’t go running around yelling “Courtney” because she’s probably in costume but idk, just a thought.

So there’s a lot to unpack in this episode, and certainly going to be more in next weeks 1.08 “Shiv Part Two.” We’ve seen shots of Henry Jr. using powers & working with the JSA and I’m willing to bet that’s happening next week. I’m interested to see how the rest of the JSA fit into this and what’s going to happen to Cindy for disobeying her dad. These little recaps of mine keep getting longer every week, so expect an even longer one next time. I should probably start doing a follow-up to these.

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campchitaquamemories · 5 years

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What are your top 10 Queliot moments?

Nonny, thank you so much for waiting patiently for this one!

I was just going to write out a list (after I got done being EXTREMELY stumped because- you expect me to just pick 10??! Rude.) but then I realized that I just hit 600 followers (what?!), and I wanted to do something a bit more to say thank you to all of you for putting up with me while I’m on my bullshit. So I went back through my favorite episodes and made some gifs for you, too!

Here you go. Hope you like it!!

Gigi’s Top 10 Queliot Moments (YMMV):

10. This is from 1x03, Consequences of Advanced Spellcasting, and… it’s such a great breathing space. This whole episode, the Eliot + Quentin sideplot to retrieve the book was a delight, and it only happened because Eliot is so far gone on this boy. He could have taken literally any of the Physical Kids with him, but no, he’s got a crush on the super cute nerd that just moved in and so it HAS to be Q that comes with him. Eliot is highkey flirting with Quentin here, both as emotional support, and - I will maintain until my dying day - if Kady hadn’t blown the hinges off that door he was planning to make a move on Q that afternoon.

9. I have so many feelings???? This is from 2x01, Knight of Crowns. Things are complex interpersonally between the whole gang right now, but out of everyone parting ways with Eliot, Q is who we get to see saying goodbye. Eliot is actually high king now, and he’s not any less depressed, or damaged emotionally or mentally. It didn’t immediately fix him like he wanted (much like how magic didn’t immediately fix Quentin, but that’s a meta for another time), and now he’s staring down being all that and an unknown future ruling this frankly odd kingdom (from books he apparently never bothered to read? El, baby. SMH.) potentially for the rest of his life without his friends. The two of them are so tender, Q initially leaning against Eliot to provide support, and then he doesn’t hesitate even a moment when Eliot asks for a hug. What at that point could be the very last hug he ever gets from Quentin in this lifetime. There is such a depth of feeling here between the two of them and I’m so glad the show gave us this (in S2! I’m!).

8. 1x11, Remedial Battle Magic. Look at our babies and how happy they are?! I know they’re drunk on wine and emotions and about to seriously fuck their friendships up, but have they ever gotten a moment to breathe and be happy in each other’s presence since this? They haven’t. It’s been arguments and recriminations and quests and beasts and averting world-ending disasters since they woke up from this night. So I treasure this moment of soft smiles and touches (even Margo, I am not opposed to Marqueliot in this list at all). And of course, the threesome it is leading up to, and all of the implications and interpretations of that night that they take forward into the series with them.

7. “I’m trying to tell you, you are not alone here.” From 1x02, The Source of Magic, this bonding scene has always felt very profound to me. These two boys have literally known each other, what, less than a week now? And here is Eliot “feelings are for other people” Waugh, opening up about his past traumas to try and connect with Quentin. The only other person we’ve ever seen him do this with is Mike - Eliot’s other love interest - and we know he told Margo during their Trials. This is Q confessing his biggest fear - that if he loses magic, he will lose his tenuous hold on his mental health - and Eliot reciprocating that confession: inducting Q into the very, very select circle of Eliot’s confidantes. This is each of them accepting some measure of comfort from the presence and understanding of the other, and a moment that underpins their entire relationship from this moment forward.

6. I’m cheating with this one, but I wanted to show both sides of this dynamic, and Quentin and Eliot have not had a chance to fight for their relationship together in the main timeline yet, so these will have to work for now. The first gif is from 4x06, A Timeline and Place, and the second is from 3x13, Will You Play With Me? It’s so, so important to see these moments - even if our boys are dumb and they don’t start fighting until the very last second - when they are willing to lay down everything, and burn down the world for each other. Quentin will NOT let the Monster kill Eliot’s body, and Eliot will NOT let Quentin throw away his future to play jailer to a sociopathic child-god. When push comes to shove, they will choose each other every time. Now if we could only get them to do that when the stakes aren’t life and death, am I right?

5. Another moment from 2x01, Knight of Crowns. This coronation scene is just… Remember that they are fractured leading up to this: we’re coming right off of the fall out from the threesome, and Eliot has been spiraling for episodes now. But then we get this super tender declaration from Quentin: “So, destiny is– it’s bullshit…. For what it’s worth, I think you’re going to be a really good king.” And Eliot’s eyes just, light up, his whole face lifts. Because here is someone who believes in him, wholly and truly. Even after everything they just fucked up together, and separately, Q (someonee good and true) has faith in Eliot, and it’s infectious. They’re both looking at each other here like no one else exists in the world, like nothing is important in this moment except each other. And thats?? Beautiful?!

4. I fucking love this shot. Q kicking over those tiles and then saying “Oops.” is a whole-ass mood. Okay, so this is obviously from 3x05, A Life in the Day, and I could easily have made and entire top 10 list of JUST moments from this sequence because it’s all SO AMAZING. The beauty of all life, amiright? But this moment is so important to me. Making a conscious choice, every day to choose this quest and choose each other takes a toll. Ask anyone you know who’s been in a committed relationship for years. Sometimes it’s just fucking hard. They’ve been at this for so long that their clothes from Earth (which, I’ll remind you, they were still wearing at their 1 year anniversary) have worn thin, and they’re wearing traditional Fillorian garb. This was supposed to be over years ago, but they’re still going. And Q is struggling. And Eliot is struggling. And they argue, but neither of them walks away. I always have to stop and pause at this part of the episode, because this is so domestic and realistic that it makes me cry. And if I start crying here, I’m useless for the rest of the sequence once we get to Arielle and Teddy.

3. 1x01, Unauthorized Magic. So, so many people have talked about Q and El’s first meeting, how Eliot spread himself out on the Brakebills sign elegantly and Quentin’s one bisexual braincell shorted out to the point where, for a moment, he couldn’t even words. But I so rarely see people talk about this moment, when Quentin asks Eliot if he’s hallucinating. This look, right here, is so soft, and sweet. I’m sure Eliot gets hit on all the time, and he was 100% flirting with Quentin when he jumped off that sign and gave him an “I could eat you up” once over. But this is the moment Eliot decided that Margo needed to know about the cute new boy who thought Eliot was exactly the kind of person he would dream into existence, if he made those kinds of decisions. Right here. The beginning of it all.

2. Back to 3x05, A Life in the Day, and if you’re surprised this is my #2 moment you must be new here. This is a kiss that has been brewing for a long time. One not rooted in emotion bottles, and not one that can be passed off as being too drunk to know what you’re doing. Quentin sets his cup down, and starts to say something, but ends up finishing his thought with this kiss. It’s short, but not tentative, and Eliot is… look at his face. He’s surprised, because he’s pretty sure they fucked up their chances at this a season and a half ago. But Q is there and he’s not apologizing and he’s not panicking, and that gives Eliot the courage to reach out and pull Q back in. And for a little while, it’s not about the quest, it’s not about defeating a monster, it’s not about fixing anything they’ve fucked up. This is just about them.

1. “Fifty years. Who gets that kind of proof of concept? Peaches and plums, motherfucker. I’m alive in here!” 4x05, Escape from the Happy Place.So, this scene is where I live now, my trashcan, if you will, with these dumb boys and their dumb faces. Eliot’s absolutely perfect timing, and his delight to see Quentin is just- Just beaming out of his face here. This is the first of many chances he’s going to have to set the record straight, and he does it with style. This was a declaration of love - peaches and plums - and one that only Eliot would be able to give, and only Quentin would be able to understand. Q has been so beat down and defeated this episode, like he’s walking through a world that has faded into black and white, but we can see the moment he understands and the light comes back into his eyes. “Eliot’s alive. He’s alive.”

Honorable mentions to: “I’m Team Eliot.”, “Could I maybe have Eliot back?”, “I find you, and I don’t say magic is real, but I do seduce you”, and the extended throne room scene from 3x05/4x05 - which only didn’t make the list because I couldn’t pick a single shot to slice up for a gif.

#top 10 askbox game #queliot #quentin coldwater #eliot waugh #the magicians #nonny speaks #talking to people #gigi makes things #my gifs

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meetthemidwest · 4 years

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About Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio playing video game, I have to know what they said during the subspace emissary gameplay. May we hear about what happened? Please and thank you, you fabulous person

This took so long and I’m so sorry but finals week happened and I had to study for apush! There are spoilers, but the game came out in 2008 so I’m not too concerned. I still put it under the cut just in case someone didn’t want it spoiled. I really hope tumblr doesn’t cut this, there’s a lot here.

Subspace Emissary is a two player story mode in Smash Bros Brawl, and since there are three of them, Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio take turns. Indiana and Ohio play the first level.

Indiana: You know what? I kind of relate to Kirby.Kentucky: Please explain what the hell that means.Indiana: He inhales food and killed god.Ohio: Oh please, you haven’t killed god yet.Kentucky: Yet? YET??

After the whole fight with Mario and Kirby, there’s a part where the Halberd flies over the stadium and drops a bunch of shadow bugs.

Ohio: Those things look like the mold that was growing in my basement last year.Indiana: Glowing and purple?Kentucky: Delicious.Ohio: What the actual fuck Kentucky?Kentucky: No, you don’t understand, nature is delicious.Indiana: Oh really? I’ll be right back.She comes back in five minutes later with an armful of plants from Ohio’s backyard.Kentucky: *picks up a leaf* There’s a spider on this one.Indiana: Eat it.Ohio: DON’T EAT IT!Kentucky: Aw, it fell.Ohio: *jumps from his chair to the table* Fucking kill it already!Indiana promptly throws it at him and he screams like a girl. The video cuts there. It comes back to Indiana and Ohio arguing over who to save in the first boss battle.

Indiana: Zelda’s twenty times better than Peach you dumbass!Ohio: Peach is the original Nintendo princess! You respect the originals or I’ll put you in the goddamn dirt!Kentucky: You just got a game over.Indiana: No one asked for your input Bill Monroe!Kentucky: How the hell do you know who that is?The video devolves into screaming. It cuts to Kentucky and Ohio playing while Indiana eats a pot of Kraft macaroni and cheese. They’ve saved Peach and moved on.

Kentucky: Hey, it’s Pit from Kid Icarus on the NES!Indiana: Fucking nerd!Ohio: Nice redesign.Kentucky: Yeah, well, if we aren’t going to get Geno, it’s nice that an obscure Nintendo game is getting some love.Ohio: *looks directly into the camera* Localize Mother 3 you cowards.Kentucky: PLAYER TWO CAN TELEPORT HELL YES YOU’RE CARRYING THE TEAM OHIO!

Indiana: DOnkEy KoNG!Kentucky: Did Diddy Kong always have guns or is that a new thing?Ohio, drinking tea in the background: Neither of you have ever played Donkey Kong Country and it shows.Kentucky: Oh god, Danky Kang just sacrificed himself for his son!Indiana: Wish that was the relationship I had with Quebec but he just calls me his bastard daughter and I call him my asshole father.Kentucky: Oof.

Ohio: Oh shit, Indi, get your xylophone, we’ve got a pokemon!Indiana: *starts playing the original pokemon battle theme on the xylophone while Kentucky fights Rayquaza but dies because he’s laughing too hard.*

Indiana: That feeling when you’re kidnapped by a small primate in a baseball cap.Ohio: No, that can happen. Have you ever been to the zoo?Kentucky: Are you okay?Ohio: *voice crack* no.

*Lucas and Porky appear*Ohio, ripping the controller out of Kentucky’s hands: YOU LEAVE MY BABY ALONE YOU CAPITALIST FUCK!Indiana: Oh shit, he’s crying!Kentucky: And I’m the nerd?Indiana: Shut up nerd, Mother 3 was hard on him.

*Ness appears*Indiana: SNES is just a word scramble of Ness.Kentucky: Mother 3 confirmed?Ohio: NOOO NESS JUST GOT FUCKING KILLED BY WARIO!Indiana: Weak.

*Pokemon Trainer appears*Kentucky: ASH KETCHUM???Indiana: You’re so stupid. It’s Red, obviously.Ohio: Red and Ash Ketchum’s secret love child.Indiana: *Gets up* I quit.

*Battlefield Fortress*Ohio: You know what this looks like?Kentucky: Oh god please no.Indiana: *pulls out Kentucky’s xylophone* Ready when you are.Kentucky: Indiana, if you value our friendship, please don’t do this.Indiana: We’re not friends though.*Marth is introduced. Indiana starts playing Together We Ride on the xylophone. Ohio joins in on a green plastic kazoo. Kentucky slams his face into the table and gets a nosebleed.*

Indiana: Hey it’s Spanish Batman from Kirby Right Back At Ya!Ohio: Never say those words in front of me again.

*Ike appears*Kentucky: Please don’t-Indiana and Ohio: *Playing the recruitment theme With Us on their instruments.*Kentucky: *looks into the camera like Jim on The Office*

Kentucky: Luigi is my spirit animal because he’s a coward with a heart of gold, like me.Indiana: You’re a coward, but I know you had your heart surgically removed in 1847 so don’t even try that bullshit with me.Ohio: He had a heart before 1847? Damn. See, I relate more to King Dedede because he’s a king and his relationship with Kirby reminds me of Michigan and I.Indiana: Yeah, that sounds about right.Ohio: I don’t like the implications there.

*Link appears*Indiana, shoving Ohio and Kentucky out of the way and wearing a Legend of Zelda hoodie: Move bitches, it’s my time to shine.Ohio: Oh thank god Yoshi’s here because I’m not playing as Link. Kentucky, doing a scarily accurate impression of Yoshi: YOSHI!Indiana: What the FUCK Kentucky???Kentucky, coughing: If I do that for too long I lose my voice.Indiana: Then don’t do it!

*There are some enemies that I distinctly remember in this part that scared the hell out of me, and they’re called Puppits.*Ohio: Oh god, oh fuck, what are these things?Indiana: Kill it!Ohio: *dies* SHIT!Kentucky, eating gummy bears out of a paper bag: Why are y’all so bad at this? It’s just an enemy.Indiana: *throws her controller at Kentucky and hits him in the forehead.*

*The cutscene with the box*Indiana: Snake? SNAKE?? SNAAAAAAAAAAKE!!!!Kentucky: SPOILERS!

*Zero-Suit Samus*Indiana: I wish that were me.Ohio: Why? She’s not that much prettier than you.Indiana: Space guns.Kentucky: Of course.Indiana: Also I think a lot of girls would be into me if I had that ass.Ohio: There it is.

*Pikachu*Ohio: Did you guys know that this is how we powered the first rocket to the moon?Kentucky: Electricity rat.Indiana: Thomas Edison used Pikachu to power America, your history books have been lying to you.Ohio: We’re going to get killed by the government, aren’t we?Kentucky: Yeah, but not for this.

*The battle against Subspace Peach*Indiana: Mario’s going to be so pissed.Kentucky: Yeah, but Yoshi’s Mario’s lifelong friend, so surely everything will be a-okay!*Mario battle ensues*Ohio: Love blinds all.Indiana: Stop trying to sound wise, I literally watched you burn your tongue on your coffee and throw it into a wall.Ohio: You know what Indiana? Fuck you.

Indiana: Kirby Kirby Kirby that’s the name you should know!Kentucky: Kirby Kirby Kirby he’s the star of the show!*Both look at Ohio*Ohio, obviously disappointed in life: He’s more than you think, he’s got maximum pink.Indiana and Kentucky: Kirby Kirby Kirby’s the one!

Indiana: Ew it’s Ganondorf.Kentucky: Wait, I thought he was a pig?Ohio: Well Kentucky, people can be pigs without looking like them, like New York.Kentucky: No, wasn’t he literally a pig?Indiana: That was Ganon.Kentucky: They’re… they’re the same thing?

*Wario battle*Ohio: IS LUCAS DOING THE ARTHUR MEME?Indiana: HOLY SHIT HE IS!Kentucky: MOTHER 3 CONFIRMED!*they all start screaming incoherently. The video cuts to them actually fighting Wario. Ohio is Lucas, Kentucky is the Pokemon Trainer.*Ohio: My boy Lucas has seen some shit.Kentucky: Your boy Kentucky has also seen some shit, how about a little love over here?Ohio: No.Kentucky: Thanks.

*Bowser’s army attacks the castle Dedede is in.*Indiana: Oh my goodness he’s Dedede-dead!Ohio: I’m going to sew your lips together while you sleep.

*Bowser gets away with Peach’s trophy*Kentucky: This is so sad, Indiana play Ave Maria.Indiana: *plays Ave Maria on the kazoo*

Kentucky: I love how Ike, the youngest and most impulsive, jumps right off a cliff while both Marth and Meta Knight reach out to stop him.Ohio: Me with my bastard siblings.Indiana: Let me guess, Wisconsin’s Ike, Michigan’s Meta Knight, and you’re Marth?Ohio: No, because I don’t join them in their bullshit.Indiana: Oh? Then what do you call the time the three of you tied Illinois to a tree and left him there for a week?Ohio: It’s called knocking the wealthy down a few pegs.Kentucky: Guys, this was an appreciation of Fire Emblem characters and nothing more.

*Diddy Kong trophy*Indiana: PeRSonALLy I PrEFer ThE AiR!Kentucky: OH! GRAB THE FAN! *they proceed to get the giant Subspace Diddy Kong to 500% and launch him off the screen.*Ohio: The monkey’s kidnapping a bird.Indiana: I saw that happen in Florida once.

*Ridley battle*Kentucky: HE’S TOO BIG FOR SMASH BROS!*Kentucky then plays the Ridley theme on the xylophone while Ohio attempts to crawl out a window and Indiana screams*

*Olimar and Captain Falcon*Kentucky in the background playing Pikmin music on the xylophone: Isn’t this nice? Pikmin was one of the best games I ever played.*West Virginia kicks down the door and plays the F-Zero theme on an electric guitar*Kentucky: Get the hell out!West Virginia: While y’all were sitting in here playing video games I got arrested for tax fraud and broke out on my own.Indiana: Amateur. What’s your point kid?West Virginia: Get on my level. Get hobbies for god’s sake. You’re going to be killed one day, you gotta live in the moment.Ohio: I die when I decide, you little rat faced bastard. There’s a cupcake in the fridge, take it and get out.West Virginia: Alright, I’m going to elope with Mothman, see y’all later.

Indiana: DOnkEy KoNG!!!!Kentucky: Aw heck, I died.

*Ice Climbers*Ohio: That jumping noise definitely isn’t going to get annoying in the next few minutes.Kentucky: *slowly mutes the tv*Indiana: You guys are really dumb sometimes. You know that, right?

*the two groups meet up*Indiana: The gang’s all here!Ohio: If you play as Link again I’m going to suffocate you on camera.Indiana: With what?Kentucky: His Ohio State mascot body pillow.Indiana: What the fuck.Ohio: You’re next, Kentucky.

*Snake*Kentucky: Sometimes I just want to hide in a box while my problems run around without me.Indiana: Shame problems are like Lucario and can see right through your hiding place.Ohio: Guys, I dropped a hot pocket into the hole in the wall and I can’t get it out.

*Sheik and Peach*Indiana: I’m getting some strong Peach loves her strong girlfriend vibes from this.Kentucky: I’d love my strong girlfriend too if I had one.Ohio: No living organism would put up with you for more than a week.Indiana: YO PEACH IS SUCH A BADASS!Ohio: SEE???Indiana: Zelda’s still better though.Kentucky: Fox McCloud’s going down.Indiana: Do a barrel roll!Ohio: Shit, I want tea.Kentucky: Then make some!Ohio: Okay! Jeez, don’t yell at me.

Indiana: Where did Mr. Game and Watch even come from?Ohio: Hell.Kentucky: Actually, there’s a series of handheld games-Indiana: Shut up nerd!

*Subspace bomb factory*Indiana: American weapons storage.*the entire factory blows up*Kentucky:… American weapons storage.Ohio: It’s us when we try to get together for holidays.

Ohio: Kirby rides in on a fucking dragon to save the day!Indiana: Sakurai showing clear favoritism for his children.Kentucky: Virginia made West a pepperoni roll once and when I asked for one she told me that I could starve.Ohio: GUYS IT WASN’T MASTER HAND IT’S THIS ASSHOLE OLD MAN LOOKING GUY AND BOWSER’S DEAD STOP HAVING FEELINGS AND GET YOUR HEADS IN THE GAME!

*Everyone dies*Indiana: I want butterfly wings that kill people.Kentucky: Evolve and grow them.Indiana: Good idea.Ohio: LUCAS NOOOOOOO!

*Dedede, Ness, and Luigi**Ohio walks in dressed as King Dedede, Indiana’s dressed as Ness, and Kentucky is dressed as Luigi*Kentucky: I still think I should have done sexy Luigi, but whatever.Indiana: Ohio, say it.Ohio: I’m not going to say it, fuck off.Indiana: Say it.Ohio: No!Indiana: SAY IT.Ohio: I’m gonna clobber that there Kirby.Kentucky: That’s mama Luigi to you!Indiana: Fuck, Ness doesn’t have any funny lines. Ohio: Can we please play the game now?Indiana, clearly excited: OKEY

*Great Maze*Indiana: You’re going the wrong way!Ohio: You’re hogging the remote! Let Kentucky play!Kentucky: That’s the wrong door!*they start screeching at each other. Minnesota walks into the room about to say something, shakes his head, and leaves.*

*Tabuu fight*Kentucky: I’m vibing with this music.Ohio: Don’t try and sound young, we all know you’re old as fuck.Indiana: Ohio if you don’t stop dying I’m going to throw you out a window.Kentucky: SONIC SPEED! *proceeds to die* GOSH DARN IT!Indiana: WHY ARE YOU USING SONIC?Kentucky: HE WAS RIGHT THERE I HAD TO!*they die about twelve more times, but only one makes the final cut. At some point they beat the game*

Indiana: This was cute. I really liked the relationships in it.Ohio: Yeah, shame we’ll never get a wholesome and fulfilling story mode again, right guys?Kentucky: *plays the Smash Ultimate theme on the xylophone.*Indiana: I’ll go get my Switch.Ohio: You better.Indiana: I’ll hit you.Ohio: You’re in my house, that’s assault.*Indiana kicks Ohio out of his chair. The video cuts for the last time*

#i've still got another ask and i'll get to that one soon don't worry #statetalia #aph states #aph indiana #aph ohio #aph kentucky #hws states #hws indiana #hws kentucky #hws ohio #aph west virginia #hws west virginia #aph minnesota #hws minnesota #the states play video games

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