#I know that isn't very plausible either but I like the idea of it

[transmutationisms]

from a non-academic, i find parts of comphet to be useful (heterosexuality becomes compulsory when you’re raised in a heterosexual society) but the foundations . suck. what do we do with theories like this, that have touched on a truth but also carry a lot of garbage? can we separate the truth from the founder?

i have to be slightly pedantic and say that i don't think rich's essay is an example of this phenomenon. my central issue with her formulation is its bioessentialist assumptions about human sex and therefore also sexuality. if i say "capitalism includes economic mechanisms that enforce heterosexual behaviour and exclude other possibilities", then what i mean by "heterosexual" is plainly not the same as what rich means—and for this reason i would seldom formulate the statement this way, without clarifying that i am talking about the enforcement of heterosexuality as a part of the creation and defence of sex/gender categories themselves. so rich and i do not actually agree on the very fundamental premises of this paper! rich was not the first or only person to point out that economic mechanisms as well as resultant social norms enforce heterosexual pairings; i actually don't even think the essay does a very clear job of interrogating the relationship between labour, economy, and the creation of sex/gender; she means something different and essentialist to what i mean by sex and sexuality; and i think her proposed responses to the phenomenon she identifies as 'compulsory heterosexuality' are uninteresting because they mainly propose psychological answers to a problem arising from conditions of political economy. so, in regards to this specific paper, i am actually totally comfortable just saying that it's not a useful formulation, and i don't feel a need to rescue elements of it.

in general, i do know what you're talking about, and i think there's a false dichotomy here: as though we must either discard an idea entirely if it has elements we dislike, or we accept it on the condition that we can plausibly claim these elements and their author are irrelevant. these are not comprehensive options. instead, i would posit that every theory, hypothesis, or idea is laden with context, including values held and assumptions made by their progenitors. the point is not to find a mythical 'objective' truth unburdened by human bias or mistakes; this is impossible. instead, i think we need to take seriously the elements of an idea that we object to. why are they there? what sorts of assumptions or arguments motivate them, and are those actually separable from whatever we like in the idea? if so, can we be clear about which aspects of the theory are still useful or applicable, and where it is that the objectionable elements arise? and if we can identify these points, then what might we propose instead? this is all much more useful, imo, than either waiting for a perfect morally unimpeachable theory or trying to 'accept' a theory without grappling with its origins (political, social, intellectual).

a recent example that you might find interesting as a kind of case study is j lorand matory's book the fetish revisited, which argues that the 'fetish' concept in freud's and marx's work drew from their respective understandings of afro-atlantic gods. in other words, when marx said capitalists "fetishise" commodities or freud spoke about sexual "fetishism", they were each claiming that viewing an object as agentive, meaning-laden in itself (ie, devoid of the context of human meaning-making as a social and political activity) was comparable to 'primitive' and delusory religious practices.

matory's point here isn't that we should reject marx's entire contribution to political economy because he was racist, nor is it that we can somehow accept parts of what marx said by just excising any racist bits. rather, matory asks us to grapple seriously with the role that marx's anthropologically inflected racism plays in his ideas, and what limitations it imposes on them. why is it that marx could identify the commodity as being discursively abstracted and 'fetishised', but did not apply this understanding to other ideas and objects in a consistent way? and how is his understanding of this process of 'fetishisation' shaped by his beliefs about afro-atlantic peoples, and their 'intelligence' or civilisational achievements in comparison to northwestern europeans'? by this critique matory is able to nuance the fetish concept, and to argue that marx's formulation of it was both reductive and inconsistently applied (analogously to how freud viewed only some sexuality as 'fetishistic'). it is true in some sense that capital and the commodity are reified and abstracted in a manner comparable to the creation of a metaphysical entity, but what we get from matory is both a better, more nuanced understanding of this process of meaning-making (incl. a challenge to the racist idea of afro-atlantic gods as simply a result of inferior intelligence or cultural development), and the critical point that if this is fetishism, then we must understand a lot more human discourse and activity as hinging on fetishisation.

the answer of what we do with the shitty or poorly formulated parts of a theory won't always be the same, obviously; this is a dialogue we probably need to have (and then have again) every time we evaluate an idea or theory. but i hope this gives you some jumping-off points to consider, and an idea of what it might look like to grapple with ideas as things inherently shaped by people—and our biases and assumptions and failings—without assuming that means we can or should just discard them any time those failings show through. the point is not to waste time trying to find something objective, but to understand the subjective in its context and with its strengths and limitations, and then to decide from there what use we can or should make of it.

#marx #adrienne rich

[dorylinae-supremacy]

Thinking about an AU where Techno, Wilbur and Tommy are all the harbingers of the actual entire apocalypse and Phil (just some insane guy) decides that those are in fact his kids and starts gaslighting the absolute shit out of them about it.

Rambles under cut!

I wanna try something where they're just more insidious and passive killers than anything else, theyre mostly just biding their time and watching as wherever they're lingering around gets sicker and just starts withering away.

They're a slow moving threat that just can't be stopped and for some reason (because Kristin thinks its funny) Phil just isnt affected by them.

Phil: Oh Techno's always been like that ever since he was a baby Techno: I have literally never met you a day in my life Tommy: Idk man... you have always been like that Wilbur: Oh my death he's actually getting to us

Its a mix of that combined with that "how did he know I was a gemini" meme

Phil: Wil! I brought you some salmon, I know how much you love it! Wilbur: How the fuck did you know I like salmon Phil: I'm your dad silly, of course I'd know :-)

I just think itd be super fun since Phil in this au is literally just some insane dude. He literally lies about their entire childhood but does it so consistently and so realistically that it throws them off guard.

I also have a few ideas where they start referring to Phil as their dad in the beginning as a sarcastic / mocking thing but accidentally just getting themselves even more adopted as they do it.

Phil: Wilbur put on a coat Wilbur: I don't need one! Techno: Go on, Wil. Listen to dad Wilbur: Ugh fine. Only because dad wants it, though

Stranger: Whos this? Tommy: Oh thats our dad. He kinda just tags along Stranger: Aww thats so sweet! You got his nose and everything Tommy: I- wh- no he's not actually our da- Phil: I know he did! Isn't he the cutest, spitting image isnt he? Tommy: You're not my dad! Stranger: Oh someones embarrassed! Phil: Yeah he's going through a rebellious phase right now

Just a mixture of things like that where it starts as calling him it but then accidentally actually giving him parental authority along with that.

I also wanna explore how Kristin and Phils relationship would be like. Maybe her as death being very bemused by this silly human that just decided she was his wife one day.

She literally visits him in dreams and stuff and he just acts as if they're married and have been for years. He complains about their 'rambunctious kids' and how he has to threaten them with her so that they behave sometimes. She finds it so silly and just cant help but play pretend.

Kristin: Hello, human Phil: My love! Its been so long since I've seen you Kristin: We've never met Phil: Oh don't say that! It hasnt been that long. I've just been far too occupied with our boys to visit too much Kristin: Our boys? I made them Phil: And they came out beautiful! I'm so glad Wil and Tech got your eyes. I was hoping they would.

I think that'd be a core part of this AU as well. Everyone is playing pretend but then it just fuzzies and it all becomes real for them. At first its a joke that Phil is her husband and their father but then they get lost in the fantasy and fun of it all and actually accept him as such.

Phil has no ulterior motives either, he's literally just a strange insane man that heard stories about neotrio and started thinking they were his kids one day. He genuinely believes his delusion and they end up accidentally making it a reality.

He just makes lucky guesses and plausible lies often enough that he's still shiny and new, he's still fun to play with and thats what ends up 'tricking' them all.

#dory writes #harbingers AU #dark sleepy bois inc #dark sbi

[starry-bi-sky]

for clone Danny, Clone Damian

I give you

Edit Clone Talia as somehow Girlfriend of Danny, just think of the comedy

nah brO BECAUSE LITERALLY I HAVE THOUGHT BOUT THAT. Literally since the conception of Clone Danny, I have thought about it. If only for, as you said, the COMEDY of it all. Plus I love writing romance.

Literally my motto for my aus is: A) is it plausible, B) is it FUNNY (and a secret third option C) is it ANGSTY)

Clone Talia would be an offshoot au of Clone^2 because idk how she'd fit into the original timeline, bUT, she'd exist. And to avoid confusion I'll call her Nasra - I thought about Tameka (which means twin) but I like Nasra better. "Talia and Nasra" just flows so nicely doesn't it?

Idk WHY there's a clone of Talia running around -- maybe the LoA made her, maybe n unknown organization who hates Batman and knows he has romantic ties to Talia, and started making a clone of her to fuck with him and then she got nabbed by a portal when she was still Danny's age and in the middle of training. She might be like Connor (??) and have memories and thus her training is more proficient than baby Dames.

Either way, regardless of how she was made, I think it's hilarious if she, much like baby Dames, immediately attacks Danny on sight. She falls into his city and Danny only has a moment to go "goddammit not agaIN" before he's fending off a very confused, very violent Nasra. Fortunately he's able to actually try and talk to her and be at least somewhat successful -- Nasra knows english. although even if she didn't, Danny would still be somewhat successful since he knows Arabic.

Also Bruce and Danny are the battinson bat because i think that is also hilarious and 'wet rat' is STILL the perfect energy for Danny as Phantom - especially in the early days when he's running around in all but jeans and a hoodie. (and god watch me go on a rant in a separate post about his outfit and reasonings for being Phantom when he has no powers later on because it makes me go FERAL. and his active choice to look as inhuman and ghost-like through his behavior as phantom and the decision to wear such a creepy mask as possible)

(like seriously, imagine walking home late at night while danny was still in his early vigilante days (and even now when he's got damian and a better suit) and seeing a skinny figure in the shadows with sunken in black-and-glowing-green eyes, and a bone white, skull-like face, crouched on all fours like a wild animal about to pounce. THAT is the level of creepiness I was going for for clone danny)

In my head, Sam offers to house Nasra and Nasra stays with her. SAm is able to convince her parents to let her stay, or she pulls a Danny and just straight up smuggles her in and her parents are none the wiser. I also think it's funny if they have unspoken BEEF with each other. Only to later become like sisters. Nasra teaches Sam the martial arts she knows, and also Danny joins in too with Damian because goddamn he needs it even IF he's learning stuff from his mom (as per the most recent snippet post I made).

OH AND DAMIAN AND NASRA. I think it's equally as funny if they ALSO have beef with each other. Nasra is a clone of his mother (of whom he might have complicated views on due to being a clone but still is his mother) and Damian is a clone of Nasra's "son". This beef largely starts from Damian's own refusal to want to share his Danny with another clone, especially with a clone of his MOTHER.

Danny and Nasra don't become lovers for a good, long while I think. They're besties first before they even consider the idea of dating -- not only just because of the whole "uhhh our counterparts dated so it'd feel kinda weird and forced if we dated" and also because Nasra, with her newfound freedom, is busy trying to figure out herself.

A big theme here in clone^2: discovering your identity and who you are as a person when the only thing you own that's unique is your name (which isn't even the case for Damian), and figuring out if your choices are your own or because you're a clone and its something your original would have done. Nature vs Nurture and the illusion of choice and whether it really is one or not.

Also Nasra also becomes a vigilante. Danny appreciates the help but is also tearing out his hair because what the fuck is up with these assassins and becoming vigilantes?! Nasra goes by "Nesha". She's similar to Red Huntress at first where she kinda does her own thing, but is lowkey forced to team up with Danny about it because she doesn't have any proper ghost hunting equipment with her.

And then a duo becomes a trio, and Danny is spending more time with her. And they steadily become friends. Very snarky friends who are very bratty to each other, but friends. Damian still doesn't like her so Danny spends extra time during patrol keeping the two of them from making insults at each other.

"Nesha please stop fighting with a nine year old. Wraith, quit insulting Nesha."

Nasra also uses like, weaponry as Nesha which exasperates Danny a little because why are you using swords??? They're already dead its not gonna kill them,,,, If you cut off their heads its just gonna piss em off, its re-attachable. Let him ghost-proof it first too. But well, its still gonna HURT he supposes. He's still a little exasperated.

And MMM i'm sorry lmao im so focused on Nasra becoming her own person than the actual romance aspect of it all. Nasra cuts her hair short for the same/similar reasons that Danny keeps his long - to try and gain a semblance of autonomy and identity that's away from their original. Danny has his alternative rock-kinda geeky look and Nasra's got, from influence from Sam, a more alternative fashion style. Although she still leans into being feminine, which is a good challenge to Sam's belief that feminity = bad, and gets her to unlearn those bad habits since her new adoptive sister is feminine while still being an unapologetic badass.

And ykw I think Nasra gets into rollerblading and loves it. She rollerblades constantly. Damian is furious because skating is his thing (even if what he gets later on is a skateboard - skater boy damian ftw. i can see him wearing flannels and graphic tees as a teenager. very grungy/skater aesthetic. He also has a much more relaxed and teen-y speech pattern compared to DW's more formal way of talking. He also spray paints as his form of artistic medium.) and he refuses to have Nasra be a copy of him.

They will sort out their differences eventually. LMao.

Anyways they eventually do get together, but not before Danny finally has his run in with Mister Wayne. Which, they only meet because Danny starts destabilizing, and thus needs Bruce Wayne's DNA to help stabilize himself. Which that meeting in and of itself is pretty chaotic on its own, but then add clone Damian and Nasra? Bruce needs coffee.. or alcohol.

Because picture this: its late at night, you're on patrol with the rest of your family. It's like, two in the morning. You suddenly get a call in from your butler, Alfred, informing you that not one, not two, but THREE children -- two of them in their late teens and the other one not even ten yet -- showed up on your doorstep. One of them is unconscious. They are all clones.

The girl and the boy are twins - and are clones of YOU - and the girl isn't even technically YOUR clone she's a clone of your clone - and also this clone of you is your college friends' kid. And then the youngest boy is a clone of your youngest SON. Bruce is running across rooftops when he gets this call and does a literal 180 degree turn and touches the ground because he basically did a figure skating turn, and sprints back towards the manor because what the fuck? He needs to check this out.

And then half a day later a clone of your fucking ex shows up on your doorstep demanding to see the clone of you - the boy that is, not the girl - and then immediately gets into a verbal lashing with the clone of your son. Like what a fucking DAY. Your kids are equally as baffled but also laughing their asses off -- except your bio son, who is very unhappy about this turn of events and keeps getting the stink eye from his clone.

Like??? I'd quit right then and there.

While Danny recovers he's staying in Wayne manor and Damian is very reportedly not leaving his side. Ellie has to leave to help take care of Amity Park with RH, and then Nasra is also very determinedly not leaving his side either. This is her friend dammit. The first thing she does when he becomes lucid is insult him, and he insults her back - they're bantering. It's how they flirt later on. None of the Bats know how to deal with this situation.

#dpxdc #dp x dc #dp x dc crossover #dpxdc crossover #dpdc #dpdc crossover #dpdc au #dp dc #dp dc crossover #clone^2 #danny fenton is a clone #danny fenton is not the ghost king #sorry this got so long and i barely even got into them falling in love with one another #satoshy you should totally reblog this so we can talk about this more i'd love to bounce ideas with you or anyone else about it 👀 #this is so funny to me personally because like. im imagining nasra doesnt show up unti danny's like at least 18-19 #which is a wild set of 3 years for danny because he finds out he's a clone when he's 15 #acquires Damian at 16 and then meets nasra at 18 #like he got one grace period where it was just him and his new little brother and then BAm another clone #damian showed up by accident but i promise you nasra was specifically clockwork's doing because its hilarious to me personally #CW loves danny but also he's a little shit. i was originally gonna call Nasra's vigilante name 'revenant' but thought it was too basic #also danny not meeting bruce until he's almost 20 is very funny to me. especially since baby dames was with the league for 6 years #beforehand #like what do you mean my clone has been living unnoticed for 18 years. he's had damian for HOW LONG? THREE YEARS? #morally gray danny has my heart ever since my post where he murdered three guys for nearly killing his brother. #nasra attacks danny and yay! he doesn't hurt his hands this time around! he's grown since he met damian. that was also a large part why dee #didn't like nasra right off the bat. she could've hurt him and made his hands even worse.

[therantingsage]

Misc additional observations/notes relating to the implication analysis post that I either forgot to add or omitted for pacing reasons.

This one's embarrassing to admit, but I literally did not remember this until the post was done and posted:

N being bad at keeping things to himself is literally the first thing we learn about him when he starts talking. "Inclusive reflexes" isn't what teaches Uzi this, it's literally the first thing she finds out about his character, so she has no excuse. There is no plausible deniability she knows her boyfriend can't keep secrets.

((Unrelated to anything but since I'm talking about the pilot like. Why does he fan himself here. Dude you don't even have feelings for her yet bro what's this about. Guy who really likes strong personalities I guess))

N's tiny little smile in Promening when Uzi admits to wanting his help. He's like, critically underappreciated by the people around him before this so Uzi reaching out to him here must be so meaningful to him. He wants to be helpful and she's letting him be.

And Uzi, too, despite being stubborn about it. N being so eager to offer help in the first place isn't something she's used to, either. I'm pretty sure the (correct) general consensus is that this is the episode she falls for him, and honestly all the blushing has very little to do with why I think that's the case.

Because, like...no one really bothered even pretending to get along with her. Like, aside from Thad, but that's for like one scene total before N enters the picture, and Uzi's "how do you know my name, people willingly talk to you" implies to me that they didn't have a lot of, if any, meaningful interactions before that point anyway. And then here comes N, who despite how they'd parted, doesn't even seem upset with her. They both spent their time apart terrified of things being bad between them....but it all just melts away when they reunite and the mutual genuine concern shines through. It's great.

N maybe has fragments of memories of life at the manor, not a lot, but he probably has the vague sense that people used to be nicer to him in general. So it's not as foreign to him. Uzi does not have that luxury so having N be so enthusiastically in her corner definitely touches her heart. And it shows through in how she interacts with him in this episode.

There's lots and lots of little moments in Cabin Fever that I like but this tiny sheepish blush is a funny one. Like he just. Alluded to talking about her. And that flusters her for some reason. We have no idea how much time has actually passed since the last episode but its clear from how little it takes for this reaction to happen that her feelings have grown stronger. She likes him and its cute.

This scene is one I want to talk about in more detail, though. Home establishes that V still has faint lingering feelings for N, so it's not that hard to assume that her behavior here is at least partially motivated by jealousy. She's petty and vindictive and jealous...but most importantly she's perceptive.

Uzi has abandonment issues, which I think is easy enough to understand so I'm not going to elaborate on it. But V figured that out, and makes this threat with the knowledge that Uzi is worried about being abandoned. Uzi fears the idea that she wouldn't be missed if she disappeared, and here comes V, claiming that the one person she cares most about wouldn't care either. Hitting her where it hurts, trying to convince her that her fears are justified and inevitable.

It's likely that this moment contributes to her eventually going feral. That the stress overheats her faster.

She's incredibly vulnerable, when she snaps out of it. Shares that specific fear with N, who reassures her. Because this whole scene is him telling her that no, he wouldn't be able to just get over it if she was gone, because their brief time apart in this single episode was already something that scared him. That she's already become important enough to him that her absence was keenly felt.

It's probably around here, or a bit after this point in the nebulous timeskip between this episode and the next, that N falls for her. Scratch that, his whole speech, as I said in the prior post, just...really feels like some kind of romantic-adjacent confession. But I don't think it WAS explicitly them confessing feelings for each other. N figures out he likes her in this episode I'd like to think, but that speech was the closest he could come to admitting that. Cuz. Y'know. Uzi needs reassurance in other ways right now, no point in muddying the issue.

((and also not news to anybody I'm sure but the song that plays during that scene is LITERALLY called 'Falling...for you??' so. y'know. hindsight is 20/20 this is genuinely the moment he realizes his feelings for her are romantic))

And additional thing I like that I think about a lot, but the way he deliberately choses to switch his hands to claws when he pries her wings open. "I'm a monster, leave me be" she says, to which he replies "Hey, look, I am too, see? It's ok". It's great, he's mirroring, trying to make her feel seen. And by the vulnerability of her next line, it works. They really just, understand each other so damn well.

Home stuff. The fact that the first word that comes to mind to describe him is 'cute' is funny enough, but the fact that she even goes so far as to SAY it out loud before hastily correcting herself. Looking at her bf's baby pictures-coded. Has to keep her image up tho, this version doesn't know her so she can't be too weird or open about it.

But she still wants this version to think she's cool cuz she's a dork who likes him. It's unclear how much of this episode is diegetic when you subtract Uzi, but since these are memories and not proper time travel, we don't know to what extent Uzi's trying to avoid affecting the events. She might not care at all. Did the real N even go down to that basement willingly at any point? I doubt it. But we don't know! And also that's not what I'm making this post to talk about.

Funny Solvercam-Uzi body language on display. Delighted he recognizes her finally, spits out something edgy to play it cool (genuinely my favorite Uzi line of all time), sheepishly looks back at him, and shyly averts her gaze when he thanks her before looking back. Had she her regular face I'm sure she'd be smiling and blushing about it. It's cute as hell. It's very open delight, when you think about it. But still awkwardly teenage. It's easy to see this and have it make a whole lotta sense if they were already dating at this point. Got that meaningful eye contact going on. She likes making him happy so she's proud she succeeded.

Him trying to help steady her when they land. She blushes and slaps his hand away like 'dude I'm fine people are LOOKING at us stoooooop >:('

Her tail chewing on him is fine tho because we don't know if she controls it fully or if it does things subconsciously. And also the others aren't actually looking at them in this shot. Neither of them make the tail stop chewing so at the very least N doesn't mind.

Still flustered easily when he shows her he cares tho. Early-relationship 'hehehe he likes meeee' moment, adorable. Still clearly giddy that someone cares about her.

He's so conflicted after 'Tessa' tells him Uzi needs to die. He loves her, he loves her so so much, but Tessa is his oldest friend. All the memories he has of her paint a picture of someone he's supposed to listen to. Someone he can trust. Someone who wouldn't lie to him. He spends the rest of this episode bracing himself for a goodbye he doesn't want to give and its heartbreaking.

And despite his fear...Uzi still manages to comfort him the best way she knows how. And it gets him to smile! Because that's what the two of them are to each other. He's scared...but she's with him, so its less scary.

They've both caught up to the moment. 'Oh. We're still holding hands while the other two can see oh god'. They're both tight-lipped. She bumps him and they let go, maybe N thinks 'oh, right, yeah, not in public' but then they hold hands again but with intent this time.

And once again, it gets N to smile! And a second later Uzi does too! Awkward little moment of intimacy that must be so refreshing for them because there's so much heavy stuff happening but now they get to be distracted thinking about something lower-stakes.

To me, this bit is an interesting parallel to the Cabin Fever falling scene. He tends to be pretty perceptive about Uzi's worries. He's a good listener. Uzi fears abandonment, he fires back with a promise to stay with her.

But here, the thing Uzi fears is that things are being kept from her. That these two are keeping secrets from her. But instead of assuring her that they'll talk later, like they said they would, he instead chooses to use this moment to put his foot down with 'Tessa'. He just lost V maybe, and he's not willing to lose Uzi too, so he's decided she must be wrong about this being the only solution to the problem.

Up until that very moment, she didn't realize hurting her was on the table. It comes out of nowhere, freaks her out, and confirms her fear that she's not being told something. So she runs.

And the guilt he feels for scaring her off is heartbreaking. Half this episode is limb-chopping, genuinely, so the fact that he chooses this bone-saw to cut himself free instead of the litany of other things he has that he knows are quicker can't be a coincidence. He's punishing himself. And, additionally, probably reminding himself of V, hiding things because he worries the truth will hurt. Which makes the V hologram showing up moments later thematically very appropriate.

Can't add anymore pictures to this so maybe I'll make a part three later lol

#Murder Drones #Nuzi #biscuitbites #md N #md Uzi #Uzi Doorman #These aren't as vital to my point last time but I still think about them

[dsudis]

A Dreamling story I am not writing (today)

Hob makes a flirtatious little advance to Dream--something kind of plausibly deniable, testing whether Dream even thinks of him that way enough to notice a pass, and Dream busts out the "we cannot, it is forbidden for any of my kind to love a mortal, it can only end in tragedy and horror for all involved."

Hob Gadling, who has faked his death 73 times to exit a relationship before the otherwise-unavoidable Sad Ending could play out including twice before he became immortal, and furthermore can parse it's not you, it's me in several languages: "Oh! Wow, that must make dating difficult for you."

Dream: "I simply do not."

Hob: "Yeah! Yeah, I can see why you wouldn't. You know what would put you off the whole idea? Love Island. Have you seen--"

And then Hob just fucking drops the whole idea.

It's not like he thought it was possible, and wow, okay, turns out is definitively not possible, whether the whole "forbidden" thing is strictly true or just Dream putting a very firm kibosh on the whole notion. And Hob, outside a few limited cases which he's taken as Important Lessons in Surviving Immortality, is pretty good at not dwelling on what he can't have, so he just moves the fuck on with his life, goes on some dates, and it's fine! More new people in his life! Sometimes he gets to tell his oldest friend about them!

Meanwhile Dream is losing his fucking mind.

This is not! how! this story is supposed to go!! His old true friend who suddenly after 632 years finally makes a move is not supposed to just LET IT GO when Dream says they can't possibly be together!!! Dream wasn't actually invested in or possibly even aware of the possibility either, before that conversation, but now he is full speed ahead PINING while also being increasingly irritated with Hob for just TAKING HIS WORD FOR IT when he said it could never happen. Why isn't Hob willing to fight for him??? For THEM??????

So obviously at some point this all spills out and Hob is like "...I could? If you... wanted me to? Are we... just not going to worry about the inevitable tragedy at this time?"

And Dream, all sulky, is like, "I don't see why you should believe that would apply to you when you defied the inevitability of death just fine."

And Hob smiles, real slowly, and says, "You've got me there."

#dreamling #the sandman #tumblr fic #fic #hob takes no for an answer

[selenityshiroi]

I knew knew KNEW that Nate taking control of his own life and taking responsibility for his shit and making the effort to be a better man and not care so much about others approval for the sake of approval and to just do things he's proud of and makes him happy would be represented by him finally accepting the 'Wonder Kid' nickname.

I loved this episode for him. Nate quit and wasn't pushed. The support from Jade and his mum. His dad being honest with him (and Nate being honest in return). Also I had to Google if Nick Mohammed actually could play the violin or not (he can) because he looked very comfortable with that violin and he actually had proper hand placement so I was 90% sure that he could. And him reaching out first not to the biggest names on the team but to Will. Because he's been there and he probably knows that is where he started to go down the wrong path.

Also Keeley and Barbara was a small arc I expected but I was happy to see it play out exactly like I thought it would. Predictability isn't bad when it's an arc that works and makes you feel good about the characters and their journeys. I also thought that Keeley and Roy would be resolved by him realising his was a fucking idiot, genuinely apologising without any expectation and then Keeley either slowly forgiving him or accepting it 100% because she is that sort of forgiving person who doesn't hold things against people. It was nice that there was a bit of 'that wasn't the brightest idea but I hope it works out for you' with regards to them falling back together so quickly but I'm sure they will work it out from now on.

As for Jamie...his character growth remains phenomenal. I half believe the OT3 expectations and half believe it was all just him becoming Roy's bestie because I think either is actually perfectly plausible and a fitting resolution haha.

Rebecca and her defense of football and getting genuine respect and regard from a room full of rich, white men? Brilliant. The fact that she also seemed to accept that her relationship with Rupurt is now also completely in the past and she's able to look back and see both the good and the bad times without it affecting her going forward? Wonderful.

All in all this episode was very healing. Despite the sad tone to the beginning (with Keeley and Nate going through it) overall it felt very uplifting and empowering and like everything was starting to come together.

#ted lasso #spoilers

[moongothic]

You remember how in Ms Goldenweek's cover story, we get to see how the former Baroque Works agents have all beated up the other cellmates they had (not just in the mens' cells but also womens')

The way Daz is sitting on top of one of the prisoners, as if he was sitting on a throne or something, it definitely makes it look like he at least participated in the fight that took place, right

It just makes me wonder, did Crocodile himself participate in the cell fight, or did Daz handle it all on his own?

Like even with the Seastone cuffs Crocodile's hook alone should give him the most unfair advantage in a prison fight imaginable, so you'd think he'd be more than capable of defending himself if he felt like it. But also, considdering he didn't feel like even escaping prison... was he even in the mood for a fight? Like I don't think Crocodile would just allow some random, weak-ass pirates to beat his ass without a fight, but also... I can't help but to wonder... (Look you tell me what kind of a mental state Crocodile was in after his 4 year long plan to take over a country was foiled by a kid in flip flops)

Is it possible Daz took out all those other prisoners by himself (without Crocodile nor Mr 4 assisting him), either to make sure his boss didn't have to waste his strenght on them, or... did he maybe deal with the other prisoners to... protect Crocodile? Like the former would be straight forward manly man anime loyalty, nothing worth making a deepdive for, this is One Piece we get the trope. But isn't the latter option also plausible? 'Cause. Like. Daz was loyal enough to Crocodile to willingly go to Impel Fucking Down with his former boss whom he had only known for like a day or two at this point (I mean IDK how long it took for the BW members to get shipped to this Marine Base from Alabasta but you know what I mean). If some random criminals wanted to pick a fight with Crocodile in prison and he just seemed like he didn't feel like dealing with it, if Daz's was down to go to Impel Down with Croc, then would he not be willing to defend the man too??

Regardless, it just raises the question of... why? Why did Daz choose stay with Crocodile, despite Baroque Works failing so hard? Why did he choose to become loyal to such a cruel, horrible man?

Sad thing is, because we don't really know much about Daz, there isn't actually that much to go off-of to properly speculate here. But we do know Daz once dreamt of becoming a superhero! The irony of course being that not only he became a terrifying murder man, but also that he seems to lack that "superhero quality" of being... easily approachable, friendly, warm? Like he is a man of steel, but he's not The Man of Steel, you get me? But Daz's dream does tell us something interesting though; that deep inside, even if he doesn't show it at all, he might like the idea of being a hero? Like the concept of being a hero and saving people may have appealed to him, right? Because that's what being a hero is about, the heroic ideals of upholding peace and justice (and looking cool while doing it)

And arguably that idea still appeals to Daz. Even if he's frowning, deep inside he was enjoying the superhero costume Ms Goldenweek created, even if he can't admit it.

But in One Piece, the idea of being a "hero of justice" has quite different connotations than in our world. After all, the Marines are meant to embody that very idea, just in a far less cool, romantic way. We know the World Government is extremely corrupt, we know of the atrocities the Marines have and are willing to commit in the name of their so-called "justice".

So while it's entirely plausible Daz might've fallen "out of love" with his dream simply because his life just... lead him down a different path, and he didn't seem to have the right personality for it anyways... Knowing the WG, isn't it also possible Daz could have become kind of... jaded, knowing the "real life heroes" of his world aren't that cool, and don't actually stand for the ideals he may have looked up to?

And then he finds himself working for a man who seemingly wants to overthrow that very same corrupt Government?

#Moon posting #OP Meta #Daz Bones #Sir Crocodile #I know I threw out a potential explanation to why Daz could've chosen to follow Crow #But the real answer is that the Daz x Crocodile shippers are RIGHT #IT'S THE ONLY LOGICAL EXPLANATION #Daz is A Fellow Simp and he is SO VALID for it. He is A Man of Good Taste #No for real though-- Daz maybe somehow seeing through Crocodile a little bit and finding a goal he would work in him is just #Oh it sparks joy #Kindred sprits etc

[tmagpposting]

So, about TMAGP Ep 4

Some theories based on this newest episode. Major spoilers under the cut, so please go listen to it first.

I know there have been a lot of popular theories up to this point that Augustus would be Jonah Magnus, and episode 4 puts a lot more evidence out there that would seem to support this idea.

Here's what I thought was relevant to this theory after listening through the episode twice this morning:

Augustus is voiced by an older man who I don't think we've ever heard before, and we've never heard Jonah's actual voice either, since he's using Elias's voice throughout all of TMA as far as I'm aware. He sounded vaguely like Jurgen Leitner to me, although I think this is just on account of the fact that the VAs sound similar and not indicative of them being the same person or being meant to voice the same character (I didn't catch who voiced him in the credits and I couldn't find it online, if you all know please tell me and I'll update this)*

The incident report is a very old document, with a writing style and tone reminiscent of the old statements/letters to Jonah in the early days of the institute. It seems like it'd be right up Jonah's alley.

The episode revolves around a man succumbing to a dark power and eventually dedicating himself to it (the freaky bloodlust violin vs the Eye) and recruiting a younger man, in this case his relative, to serve this violent power (though probably after his death in this case, unlike with Jonah), which has some parallels to Jonah's recruitment of Jon and the rest of the staff in TMA.

We don't know much about the universe of TMAGP yet, but we know there is a Magnus institute that has aldready been linked to Eye-esque characteristics like paranoia, suspicion, (fatal) curiosity, and eyes as of Ep 1. It is possible that Augustus could be a version of Jonah from the TMAGP universe, rather than the same Jonah we dealt with in TMA.

.JMJ error could stand for some combination of Jon, Martin, and Jonah's initials, given that Chester and Norris also have Jon and Martin's voices.

In the TMA finale, Jon, Martin, and Jonah (though I assumed he was dead at that time) were close to where the fears were sucked out of the world and sent somewhere else, and Jon and Martin may also have ended up in the OIAR's computers in some form.

On the other hand, here's some evidence against Jonah being Augustus:

The other Jonah theory I've seen posits that Jonah took over RedCanary's body when they went down to investigate the ruins of the magnus institute, assuming that "canaries should stay above ground" and the gory photo of eyes was meant to represent RedCanary's eyes having been ripped out and presumably replaced with Jonah's. If you interpret things this way, it makes it less likely that Jonah is in the computers, unless you think both TMA Jonah and a hypothetical TMAGP Jonah are both around at the same time, though this theory is also a little shaky itself since it seems to be based on only a couple pieces of evidence so far. I first saw a post about this from @thermodynamic-comedian though that post says she saw other people discussing it, so please lmk if you know any major contributors to this theory and I will add them in here too.**

The fact that, to take over as the Eye's pupil, it was implied that Jon had to actually kill Jonah, and he was seemingly dead as of the TMA finale. Death was usually a very hard line in TMA except for a few avatars of the End and near-deaths where characters lost some of their agency (and/or humanity depending on your interpretation) to become an avatar instead (which Jonah already was), so him being back after seemingly already having been killed off isn't super plausible unless it's revealed that he didn't actually die in the first place.

It seems like there's enough evidence at this point that this theory definitely feels viable, though there is nothing definitive that I'm aware of, and there are some things that point to other explanations.

I personally (this is now entering pure opinion territory, tread lightly) don't love the idea of Augustus being Jonah, because I'd prefer it to be someone or something new to the series or something otherwise more surprising, rather than the same central antagonist as last time. There certainly are ways they could pull this off well, and bringing him back definitely doesn't tarnish the story on its own, especially since he was a pretty great villain with a lot of his character left more or less ambiguous or untouched by TMA, but it still feels a bit like relying on nostalgia for TMA to flesh out TMAGP's plot and conflict, at least to me. However, all the evidence pointing to it being Jonah could be some kind of red herring to specifically mislead past fans of TMA and set up for a later twist, or we could just be running our minds in circles and drawing conclusions that won't turn out to be relevant to TMAGP so early on. Only time will actually tell, and regardless, I'm really eager to see what happens.

* UPDATE: Augustus is voiced by Tim Fearon, thank you to @lokicat5 for finding that out! We haven't heard him before on this podcast, so he could be either Jonah Magnus's original voice, or a new character entirely.

** UPDATE: I found and reblogged what seems to be the original theory that Jonah killed and took over RedCanary, it's by @vertigala and @doomatix, check out their post it's pretty cool.

#tmagp #the magnus protocol #tmagp spoilers #the magnus protocol spoilers #the magnus archives #tma #the magnus archives spoilers #magpod #tma spoilers #tmagp speculation #tmagp theories #tmagp 04

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Do you think Kalim’s unique magic has healing properties or at least promotes growth in plants? In chapter 4 the rain made everyone feel better(though I imagine getting a drink of water after THAT work out would be good either way) and after a few days the oasis grew back. I know after rain fall in a desert plant life grows back, it just seemed like Kalim’s magic made it grow faster.

In the game itself, Kalim's unique magic, Oasis Maker, is described as being able to produce a large amount of water using only a miniscule amount of magic. Additionally, as noted by both Kalim and Grim, the water that he conjures is the most pure and delicious around.

There are no other explicit mentions of additional effects or properties, but I think the idea of Kalim's water having the power to heal is a neat concept. I'm not going to count the act of drinking the water since these homies just marched through a desert so any hydration would feel like a godsend). However, the actual physical properties of the water could be such that it provides more relief over normal water. For example, water that has been enhanced with electrolytes can replace some of the minerals that have been lost via sweating excessively. Grim also comments on the temperature of the water being perfect--not too cold, not too warm.

The example brought up of the oasis becoming lush again is really interesting! I believe that Kalim casts his UM once there (to refresh the students), but the oasis is still dried out the second time Scarabia comes to the oasis. The third and final time they pay the oasis a visit is at the very end of the episode, and the place has suddenly become lush and full of water again. Since the events of episode 4 take place over what is winter break, this means that it took about a week or a little over a week for the oasis to be restored. I actually don't know if this is possible in real life or if that's a realistic recovery time 💦 When I looked it up, Google tells me that it usually takes a few weeks to a month minimum to see change in a dehydrated plant. If we're using that as a point of comparison then yeah, the oasis blessed with Kalim's UM water did indeed experience a speedy restoration to its former glory. This could imply that Oasis Maker water has other benefits that aren't clearly exposited in the narrative or the dialogue.

What I find really cool about this idea is that it seems plausible enough given the lore and the attitudes of the characters surrounding Kalim's magic. Kalim himself doesn't think of it as a big deal; he says that maybe it would have been really useful back in the old days before potable drinking water was readily avaliable in arid areas, but nowadays it's pretty useless with how accessible water is. (Think of Silk City's canals and modern irrigation system!) However, Azul points out to Kalim that he's casually overlooking the true power he has. The game kind of just goes for a joke about Azul's greed (as he laments how profitable Oasis Maker could be), but in a sense, Azul's right. Kalim can do so much more with his abilities, it's just that he doesn't know how to really apply them and he underestimates what he can do.

Let's think of it like this: sure, the Scalding Sands are fine with their water. But you know who isn't? The Afterglow Savanna. The people there are pretty opposed to anything that interferes with their philosophy of living in harmony with nature; some of them live on well water which may not be entirely safe all the time--but with Oasis Maker, Kalim could literally make it rain clean, safe to drink water for all their needs with just a smidgen of magic. Even better, because the water comes down like natural rain would, it doesn't harm nature (and in the case where his water does have healing properties, it would actually promote the growth of plants). In other contexts, Kalim's UM could do immense good. (My thought is that perhaps since Kalim grew up so privileged, he takes some things for granted and therefore doesn't think too much in depth about things outside of his immediate environment or people who are lacking what he already has an abundance of?)

Kalim seems to adopt a somewhat flippant attitude towards his UM; he doesn't hate it or anything, but he definitely talks it down. He doesn't really seem to think it's useful or has large applications outside of reenergizing his friends-and for him, that's enough! Kalim's happiest when others are happy, and they can all sing and dance together, just like the incantation to his UM says. It's possible, then, that he didn't bother experimenting with Oasis Maker to determine its other properties outside of just producing nice water (which would sort of explain why Kalim doesn't see its broader uses, but a big brain like Azul, who is far more results oriented, can).

ADDENDUM: Interesting detail on Dorm Uniform Kalim; with M3 (magic 3) that comes with his third uncap, he has a healing water spell.

#Kalim Al-Asim #Azul Ashengrotto #twst theory #twst theories #twisted wonderland theory #twisted wonderland theories #twst #twisted wonderland #disney twisted wonderland #question #notes from the writing raven #spoilers #Grim

[bimboficationblues]

Do you picture family abolition resulting in *less* isolation? Because I think the reason most people find the idea scary is because it sounds like a recipe for increased isolation. Like it or not, many people's warmest relationships are with family members; yes, there are families for which this isn't the case, but they are dysfunctional families. I especially worry for certain people who have a hard time forming new relationships, like my brother whose only meaningful relationships are our mom and me due to his autism and PTSD. They are very happy and healthy relationships, without which he would be in a very bad place. I do not think he would have any friends without his family, like if he was raised in public daycares or whatever it would be in communism; many people analogous to him don't due to the absence of family. School (and the Marxist vision frankly sounds like turning society into a giant school - or factory as Lenin called it) was a place of loneliness and bullying for him, he always looked forward to coming home. So please explain why my worries are misplaced and family abolition would in fact result in less isolation.

Do you picture family abolition resulting in *less* isolation?

Yes, or I wouldn't endorse it.

Because I think the reason most people find the idea scary is because it sounds like a recipe for increased isolation.

I think this is maybe true in some cases, but it seems quite clear to me that many people find the idea scary because they think "family" is an entity ordained by god or nature and to challenge it is either folly or malice, or because it threatens certain kinds of class or gendered domination from which they benefit to various degrees.

Like it or not, many people's warmest relationships are with family members; yes, there are families for which this isn't the case, but they are dysfunctional families.

I don't think you can plausibly assert either of these things - the first clause is just vibes, the second is a lot more relevant than you're willing to admit. what does it say about "the family" if it so easily lends itself to "dysfunction"? I mean, I could go down a list of how many people I know experience isolation because of their families: are we to assume that this isolation doesn't count?

the family is a protection against isolation in the same way that like having a job is protection against being powerless in a money-society - that is to say, the family does not just produce warm, fulfilling relationships, but also engenders isolation both through its absence (disownment, the current foster care system, the experience of single parenthood) and its presence (the household acting as kind of a petty personal fiefdom "outside society" for the patriarch or parents to exert their will over others, repression, abuse, the gendered division of labor). it produces negative examples - the "dysfunctional family" in your parlance - as contrast against the positive ones; a form of threat.

Some people are happily married, and more power to them. and yet, I remain a marriage abolitionist, not because the idea of "two people decide to enter into a quasi-permanent commitment and have an expressive ceremony to celebrate" is somehow bad but because that interpersonal ideal is not actually what marriage represents in the here and now politically, socially, economically, or at least is not an adequate summary. likewise, "having kinship connections with people that are connected to you by either 'blood' or choice" is fine - but that isn't really what family represents under our current arrangements. we're not out here calling for the abolition of friendship, after all. the sociopolitical and economic prioritization and valorization of certain kinds of relationships - summarized under the heading of "familialism" or "the family" - at the expense of others, is a structural choice we make and it has significant faults. the family is a form of arbitrary political and economic power.

As always I'm pretty hesitant about trying to write recipes for the kitchens of the future, but at minimum I think the family abolitionist position is one of pluralism: as of right now, a fairly narrow understanding of family is given pride of place in law and society, and being willing to enter into that and conform to its expectations is a precondition of access to a variety of benefits that should either be available to all (instead of economically pressuring people into marriage/children/homeownership) or should not exist at all (arbitrary power over children, misogynist divisions of labor). It is broadly desirable to, at the very least, open the field for different forms of kinship (compare the concept of 'chosen family') for the many people that find this arrangement constraining or repressive. if your brother wants to have a relationship with you and your mom, that's awesome and I do not think most family abolitionists would endorse taking that choice away from him - but many people do not get this choice (or are repressed into being unable to make this choice) in a way that is bad for their well-being because of how we practice "family."

you could analogize to "gender abolition" where the annihilation of gender is fulfilled in allowing a thousand genders (or lack thereof) to bloom. (there's considerable debate as to whether gender is something that should cease to exist, or merely be transformed or opened to such a degree that it is no longer recognizable as such - I think the same question goes for "the family." but regardless I think it is fairly likely that we will continue to have a variety of kinship connections as well as various means of expressing oneself, but we need not elevate a particular way of doing either above all others.)

I can't like, convince you into recognizing that the family is not this neutral force, I can only tell you that you have constructed a particular shadow in your head (the communists are coming to take you away from your parents and siblings) that you are asking me to box on your behalf, which is not a very effective means of wrestling with a complex and thorny political question. I will also say, the questions in this vein almost always seem to assume that like, the only thing that we would seek to change is the family and would leave untouched the prevailing treatment of disability (which I don't think "families" handle especially well, your example notwithstanding!) or education. the family is kind of a nesting doll in the sense that confronting it also requires confronting how we value and treat education, romance, sex/sexuality, childrearing, birth, etc.

But like, at the root of it, I simply do not follow your reasoning: one of our issues with family is precisely that it is isolating (or rather bestows the power to isolate, the common critique of how CSA is perpetuated). I don't see how you can draw the conclusion that this means we want *more* isolation and would just abandon those who struggle - unless you are harboring the (erroneous) belief that because family is biological or socially ordained that it cannot hurt or isolate you, that because the relationship is "built in" (it isn't, really, people bail on family all the time in the current order), it is an automatically reliable source of stability for someone that has difficulty forming new relationships.

[thespoonisvictory]

Okay, I need to know what your thoughts are on whether the Ratgrinders (and which members if it's not all of them) will be redeemed or not.

***** pre warning that brennan has bamboozled me thoroughly and I have few coherent thoughts on the mystery at hand other than looking at theories and going "well that's dumb" which I recognize is unhelpful.

I think the Ratgrinders have a large sympathetic element to them as a group that is yet to be revealed. That could be a lot of things, but starting first with the fact that we don't have a clear motivation for why exactly they were xp grinders rather than truly adventuring, what's up with that? To me, it doesn't read as a malicious act against rats, lol. To me, it reads as the 11 year olds afraid to play Minecraft off of peaceful mode, OR the people who think that highschoolers risking their lives to get grades is unfair and scary, OR maybe people who just want to game the system to prove it's unbalanced. Either way, that feels to me like a pretty big piece of the puzzle we're missing, and would give us a better idea of the group.

Additionally, I think the Rat Grinders are, or at least were, friends the way the Bad Kids are, which is another big sympathetic element. Kipperlily points out that they are a parallel to them in the way that they are/were six very different people who found their way to each other. I think their friendship is going to be revealed to be in many ways Exactly like the Bad Kids, closeness and loyalty and all. Maybe Kipperlily isn't a part of that, or she's deceiving them, but how far would the Bad Kids let Riz go down a crazy plan? How much trouble would they have put up with from Kristen if she kept going down the path she was at the start of the year? How much would they do for each other?

All this to say, I don't think we've seen a full view of what the Rat Grinders look like yet. If Lucy was friends with them for almost two years after all, surely there's something more there. That makes all of them to me, again with the arguable exception of Kipperlily, plausible to be redeemed, or revealed to have had decent intentions and turning out to be an ally.

As for more specific, kind of meta-gamey guesses (minimal evidence just vibes):

Oisin feels like a potential good guy or absolutely irredeemable, leaning towards the former. Either he's a Hans, or he doesn't know quite what's going on as exemplified by Kipperlily keeping him out of the loop on the materials smuggling w Aewlyn. I just doubt Brennan would dangle a love interest like that as a villain for Adaine, when her character has had very little romance thus far. It feels both like he knew Siobhan was too smart of a player to take that as bait, and wouldn't want to punish socially anxious Adaine opening up to someone outside of the group. OR he's evil idk this most recent ep was pretty damning.

We've barely seen any of Ivy, but she gives me big "pulling away emotionally from the disaster that is this friend group and bracing for impact" energy. wild shot is that I bet she was one of the closer people to Lucy, and is detached from everything after her death, maybe just going along with KL's plans for the hell of it. Will maybe slink away unscathed but unredeemed.

Ruben is interesting, and I think after KL one of the more involved people in the plot given his involvement in the festival. Could see him being redeemed, think it's more likely he'll go out in a Wanda Childa themed blaze of glory.

Mary Ann I think just loves her friends and is loyal to them. Whether that means she's being manipulated or doesn't even need to be, unclear.

Buddy o7

Kipperlily? No fucking clue. I think we're missing a big piece of her and doubt that Brennan would this simply villify a 16 year old girl with so many clear issues. What we're missing? Simply not a clue. She's crazy to me and I love her

#fhjy #d20 #not tagging all these freaks but enjoy

[howtofightwrite]

Hello! I have a very particular sort of scene that I've been trying to get right for over ten years now and I can't make it work; I hope perhaps you can help.

A husband and wife duo who have Mixed Feelings about one another are trying to break out of a facility. (He was recently discovered to be a spy, she is a conscripted soldier in the facility. She was sent to escort him to execution but hesitated - I'm not sure where, in the cell, in the hall? - and - he took advantage of this hesitation? she was arrested as a traitor? - I don't know that either, yet - and they end up running through the halls together to escape)

The facility is vaguely sci-fi; think Star Wars Original Trilogy-style weapons, and there is space travel, but technology isn't... wildly advanced. Like it's not all digital and holograms and hand-wavey stuff, it's only a little more advanced than what we have available now. (Like SW OT.)

Point A is them in the cell. Point B is them on a spaceship breaking free.

I cannot get them from Point A to Point B with any kind of plausibility, or without staggering incompetence on the part of the soldiers and commanders in the facility.

They would likely be armed with only her sidearm, unless they happened to grab rifles off of further escorts sent with her?

I'm sorry this is so vague, thank you in advance for any help!

Personally, I’m of the opinion that any scene that’s been marinating in the brain for a long time (especially for years) has deeper structural/internal issues than just putting together action. Just from reading your question, I can feel the way you’ve laid this specific scenario out breaking your own suspension of disbelief. You’ve got several problems that have built up over time and, now, they’re all working against you.

Change if it’s Not Working

One of the best pieces of writing advice I ever got came from being forced to memorize my martial arts school’s Ten Steps to Mastery as part of my first test for black belt. I only remember the first five and I can’t guarantee they’re all in order.

Set a goal

Take action

Pay attention to detail

Practice, Practice, Practice

Change if it’s not working

Regardless of whether you’re practicing a front kick or writing a full length novel, flexibility is important. The more we try to force something to work, the less likely it will. Training flaws into your technique means they’ll be more difficult to correct later. So, don’t forget to stop and look at the larger picture if you feel yourself getting stuck.

Remember, change isn’t failure. Writing is a complex process and not every idea, plotline, character moment, or scene is going to work out when fit into a larger context. And that’s okay.

Outside emotional exhaustion and stress, my writer’s block kicks in when I’ve taken a wrong turn in the narrative or am avoiding a difficult emotional moment that my characters need to face before their story can progress. Something has made me/them uncomfortable and instead of facing it, I’m attempting to avoid the uncomfortable feeling by throwing some other distracting piece, usually action, in the way. I call these moments false notes. I usually hit them when I’m coming at the story from an external perspective (what have I seen other characters do in other stories/films?) rather than an internal one. (What would this character do?)

If something isn’t working, stop trying to make it work. Instead look for what you’re missing, and where the pieces aren’t connecting. It’s usually further back than the scene you’re working on.

My characters are always right. I’m either not listening or going about it the wrong way.

Food for thought.

Your Heroes are Reactively Active

We hear a lot from the writing community about the importance of Active Characters. These are characters who are doing things to move the plot forward. They make choices. They take action. Then, there are passive or, what I like to call, reactive characters. They are characters who react to things in their environment, whatever that is, but they’re not actively making choices. Passive characters get a bad rap in American storytelling tradition (more so than in the wider Western storytelling tradition.)

Passive characters really shine when working with characters who are in settings where they’re struggling to survive. In the real world, passivity is one of the best ways to survive abuse. Any victim of long term or systemic abuse can tell you that standing up and fighting back, especially in situations where you have no power or means to change your circumstances, makes the situation exponentially worse. You’ve got to gray rock it out, suppress, and survive.

Lastly, there are characters I like to call reactively active. These are characters who feel like they’re being active but are actually just reacting to actions taken by other characters. They appear a lot in YA Fantasy, but they’re everywhere. And, because these characters are always reacting to another character’s (usually the villain’s) actions and choices, they get an easy out when it comes to escaping narrative consequences for the things they do. It’s a deceptive sleight of hand used to maintain a character’s moral purity. These characters appear active on the surface, but, underneath, they’re passively reacting to the narrative events inflicted on them. They don’t take action. They respond to action with action.

Let’s get back to your scenario.

We have a husband and wife in some sort of heavily or, at least, decently fortified, military installation. The husband has been outed as a spy, put in whatever functions as a prison or holding cell within the complex, and scheduled to be executed. The wife is a loyal soldier who must now choose between her love for her husband and her love of duty.

This has the makings of some good drama.

The first obvious problem point is that these characters are trying to do too many things at once. They’re coming to terms with their deep feelings of betrayal, experiencing a last minute change of heart, making a snap decision to escape, and rapidly coming up with a plan to escape in the heat of the moment. If this feels unbelievable, it’s because it is and, even better, doubles for putting the characters in a reactive or passive state. The wife character isn’t acting, so much as she’s reacting last minute to the immediate, impending danger. That would be fine if she wasn’t also having to help carry the burden of coming up with The Plan.

There’s the surface level here, where the last minute change of heart is mimicking the kinds of behavior seen in countless other forms of media regarding escape scenes. However, this narrative decision happening in the heat of the moment is also allowing the character to skate over the emotional consequences of her own betrayal. She’s not choosing so much as she’s being forced to make a choice. And that is removing her agency.

If she makes the choice earlier, starts putting The Plan in place with the help of some friends/colleagues (even if it happens largely off page) then executes at the cell, she takes back her agency and retains her status as an active character.

The difference here is in the processing time. Characters can’t plausibly escape fortified lock up without a plan or, really, The Plan.

The Narrative Structure of Last Minute Rescues

The first problem in your scenario is that you have two characters, neither of which are doing the pre-planning legwork required to successfully execute The Plan. Rescues are like heists, they either take a village or require characters who are extremely meticulous and actively manipulating the village to fill in the gaps. (James Bond does Option 2 beautifully, but even he has a team behind him.) Usually, both happen to some degree. The burden is segregated out into different pieces for different characters. Normally, there’s at least three. The character locked up is trying to figure out a way to escape, but comes up short. The one on the outside who is putting together the pieces needed to execute the rescue/get away. And, sometimes, the one on the inside who is experiencing a change of heart, who, at the very last minute, turns heel and assists with the rescue (most often in the turn of misfortune where a piece fails and the rescue is at risk of being bungled.)

All of this additional weight/build up/expectation of the non-existent plan is being put on two characters and crammed into a single scene.

Think about the rescue of Princess Leia from the Death Star for a moment. How many characters are required to make that escape work?

Seven.

All of them. If a single character in the entire group is missing, the whole thing falls apart. Even Threepio is necessary, mostly because Artoo can’t talk. This off the cuff, by the seat of our pants rescue requires all seven characters and they still end up bungling it to kill their samurai master.

You need one to turn off the tractor beam so they can actually escape. (Doing the real work.)

You need one to figure out where the princess is being held, unlock the doors, and figure out where they are.

You need two to bullshit past the guards going in and one to pretend to be a prisoner.

You need one to bullshit past the guards a second time to save the one that can’t talk with the floor plan.

You need the princess to be the one to get them back out because she’s the only one with balls.

And none of it mattered because the escape was a trap all along.

While you don’t need these specific roles for everything, escaping from a heavily fortified facility is not a two man job. That’s where the feelings of implausibility and extreme incompetence are coming from. There aren’t enough characters helping to clear the way or be there as a safeguard for when things go wrong. This feeds into the next problem.

Soldiers, Spies, and Their Squads

We have another unintended scenario brewing at the same time. And that’s the exhausted retail employee going on a rampage and slaughtering their surprised colleagues. This really knifes your tension. By reacting to the immediate danger, the wife is not making an active, conscious choice with full knowledge of the consequences, and those consequences are killing people she knows, respects, is friends with, shares a camaraderie, or who are at least familiar to her. These other soldiers aren’t faceless goons. It’s a lot harder to pull the trigger on someone you know than someone you don’t, especially someone who has the same values that you do.

Soldiers aren’t characters who work alone. They have a squad. They’re part of a unit. They have a support network surrounding them that allows them to do their job to the best of their ability. Spies are the same way. They also have a support network which allows them to act to the best of their ability, even when it feels like they’re acting alone. Spies have handlers and they have assets, their job requires they build their own support networks so they have someone who can get into the places where they can’t. Those people may be witting or unwitting assets but they’re still there.

Both of these characters should have fairly extensive support networks to fall back on when in crisis. They’re in crisis. The crisis is both physical and emotional. Where are their people? Two characters who are social archetypes whose jobs and survival during wartime are reliant on building trust and skillful communication have no one willing to put their lives on the line to help them out? They only have each other? That’s staggering incompetence.

Spies aren’t assassins. They’re social animals. Soldiers aren’t lone wolves. They’re social animals. If there’s a structural failure here, it’s happening with your secondary characters.  Ignoring the importance of secondary characters is a mistake that a lot of new writers make and I can feel those early mistakes being carried forward in this scene. This is what Hemingway meant when he said, “kill your darlings.” If an idea isn’t working, if it’s holding you back, kill it. Look at the problem and your work from a new angle. One good line or one good scene, regardless of your emotional attachment to it, doesn’t outweigh the entire work.

Plans and Floor Plans

If you’re having trouble coming up with a character’s escape, step back and take a look at the facility itself. Whether it’s breaking in or breaking out, you, the author, need to have a clear visualization of the entire picture so you can find the weaknesses or fracture points.

Plans are easier to conceptualize when you know what the dangers are and what defenses have been put in place to prevent what your characters are attempting. Which parts of the fortress are better fortified than others? Where does this military expect to be attacked? What have they done to prevent it? What are the patrols? Who are the techs? How does the military support itself while fending off attempts to damage its resources? Who handles the supply lines?

The boring minutiae of your world is what makes it feel real. Action is dependent on your world building and this goes deeper than just their weapons. The social systems in place guide how your characters fight. It’s there in how they perceive their environment, and how they recognize usable tools. If you build a functional and consistent world, the action will take care of itself because violence is a natural response to environmental threats. Violence seeks to exploit established systems, to gain an advantage over them. If the violence is imagined separately from the environment, the violence won’t feel real because it’s not reactive and it’s not reacting to environmental stimuli. From there, it’s not logical.

Ask yourself, why do we use guns?

Then ask yourself, why do your characters use guns? What does it allow them to do that they wouldn’t be able to do otherwise? Or, what does the gun do better than other weapons that makes it the preferred choice?

The answer for the real world and your setting might be the same, and they might be different. Both will influence how the character uses their weapon. How they use their weapon guides how they fight. If you’re lost, ask yourself questions.

For example, let’s take a last look at the prison.

Prisons are built with the expectation of keeping multiple people contained for an extended period of time, preventing them from leaving in the event of an escape, and preventing those who are sympathetic from breaking in to rescue them. What have the characters in your setting (not your protagonists) done to facilitate that goal? What safeguards have been put in place to prevent someone from leaving and entering?

In the real world, prisons are built in a way that two people can’t just walk out. There are points of entry and exit that are designed to be remotely controlled from secure locations and cannot be operated or accessed on the ground. You’d need someone (like R2-D2) who can access the remote functions to get someone past the exits that they can’t open themselves.

-Michi

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#howtofightwrite #Michi answers #writing advice #writing reference #writing tips

[wixelt]

Btw, I've been working to flesh out characterization and worldbuilding for the Player Culture AU but, due to that technically being a mostly completely seperate AU from Hermitphibia, I'm probably only going to update you where it's relevant as to not flood your inbox with unrelated lore. I've been mostly going through SMP's to see if they have anything lore relevant and seeing where it would apply.

...

So anyway, Pirates SMP Scar is almost explicitly HC8 Scar and also shares the name of his previous sailing ship with New life!Scar's plane and I think The Hermatrix may have done essentially the same thing to the Hermits' memories The Core did to Marcy's memories to ensure they were for the most part versions of themselves that wouldn't catch on to being in a simulations, with the exceptions of Doc and Ren, who were made into versions of themselves that would catch on quick. Yes, this is rather the big assumption to make based just on Scar having continuity, but it's either this or decanonising The Hermatrix.

It also goes to explain some of Season 8's weirdness as a whole and opens the season's lore up to be used again... just not in it's surrounding context. Mumbo is probably a formless shapeshifter with half a soul, but it probably isn't Grian's and he's probably been that way since before joining Hermitcraft. The reason The Hermatrix accounted for Pearl's connection to the moon is because of the subconscious memories she still had but hadn't recalled. Impulse eats rocks because he both is and isn't a dwarf due to existing in like two or three points of his life simultaneously. Pearl's megabyte resembles the human settlement in S9 because, well,

Tl;Dr: either The Hermatrix is explicitly noncannon or it was fucking with the hermits' memories to make them relive moments of their pasts because otherwise I can't see how the entrepreneur who traveled by wagon went on to become a pirate and possibly later an air pilot.

Also Pirate!Scar's pirate hat is in Scar's room in Scarland and Pilot!Scar's head is in Cub's meuseum if I'm remebering correctly, both shown in Sausage's world tour.

(Glad to hear your culture interpretation's going well. Always interested to hear about it in relation to the Hermitphibia AU.)

I like the idea that the Hermatrix fundamentally shifted the Hermits' inherent selves to keep them safe (& that it echoes Marcy in canon/False in the AU), though I imagine its less making them different in personality & more unconsciously nudging them away from certain lines of thought they'd usually have.

The idea that this process embellishes or reinterprets certain traits of each Hermit is fun, too.

I don't know if some of the specific interpretations line up with the way I view things, though, but lets work through them one at a time:

Scar's timeline in my mind happens as released & I don't think too much Hermatrix shifting would be needed, nor would it be non-canon. The Hermits take on personas all the time (RenTheKing, etc.), & Scar of all people is very inclined towards that.

I don't know where the interpretation of Mumbo as a half-soulless shapeshifter comes from (aside from the potato thing, maybe), but I'm not sure if I buy it over, say, the view of him as a vampire. I'd be interested in hearing more, though.

Pearl's connection to the moon in the sim - name aside - stemming from her past lives is something I like. Makes it more than just a symbolic connection, & that'd be especially important in the AU as unless Pearl chose her name (which is plausible), Grian's surname would also be Moon.

Impulse eating rocks coming form his dwarf phase is something I'm going to steer clear of, unless we interpret that the Hermatrix was somehow predicting the future as well, since that was still a season away.

#hermitphibia au #hermitcraft #hermitblr #hermitcraft au #amphibia #amphibia au #player culture au #goodtimeswithscar #marcy wu #amphibia core #hermatrix #docm77 #rendog #mumbojumbo #grian #pearlescentmoon #impulsesv #cubfan135 #mythicalsausage #falsesymmetry

[patchwork-crow-writes]

Regarding Ralsei's identity… the fact that his name is an anagram of Asriel makes me question whether he was "designed" by someone in-universe to resemble him in some form. People often dismiss this as out-of-universe symbolism of the player's attachment to Asriel. However, it's interesting to note that his mannerisms and even his sprite animations (like his giggling animation, which mirrors Toriel's) sometimes reflect Toriel more than Asriel. Also, remember how Susie comments, "Ralsei looks like your mom, right?" to Kris. His coaster design in Cyber World is also more similar to Toriel for some reason...

His entire form screams "Dreemurr Family", and not just "Asriel doppelganger" to me, almost as if he's been personally tailored to appeal to Kris. This isn't surprising, given how he seems far more attached to Kris than even Susie. (I'm leaning towards this being connected to Kris rather than the player, as our attachment typically leans towards Asriel, not Toriel.)

Though this idea is way more unsettling than the idea that he's consciously altering his form to "fit in" haha. And that could be the reason why Ralsei doesn't know what it's like to be himself – his entire being might be molded to be an effigy of Kris's family, a byproduct of either Kris's unconscious mind or another person's deliberate creation…

Yeah, I think you might be correct here, actually. Ralsei does have this maternal side to him, most particularly in the immediate aftermath of the Spamton NEO fight ("There, there" is such a mum thing to say, isn't it?) And his admonishments to Susie for drinking the tea too fast gives off big mom energy, as well! The Dreemurr I think of most in relation to Ralsei is in fact Asgore, on account of the fact that they are both male and enjoy activities you might consider "effeminate". They both also go above and beyond for the people they care about most, even at the expense of their own wellbeing. I'll grant you that Ralsei isn't quite as much of a wet lettuce as Deltarune Asgore is, but there are definitely similarities to be noted there!

With all of that in mind, an argument could be made that Ralsei is in fact some kind of mental amalgamate of the entire Dreemurr family. In fact, you can go further, and say that rather than him representing Kris's ideal form within that family, Ralsei instead represents the absolute platonic ideal of a loving family (i.e. the Dreemurrs pre-Dess's disappearance). Created to be the perfect brother, mother AND father figure, all at the same time. Almost tailor-made to try and grant Kris, and to a lesser extent Susie, the things they most seem to be missing right now.

As for the somewhat-romantic undertones of Ralsei's interactions with Kris, I think this too can actually be explained using the above. It seems to me a rather childish interpretation of the notion of love, not just in the sense that it's very "puppy love"-esque, but also in the conflation of romantic imagery with all other forms of love, including familial. I think this is because when you're young, things like platonic love aren't so clearly signposted and blatant, in both real life and in media, so a child's idea of expressing love to somebody might cleave more towards the more "obvious" expressions typical of romantic love. If that makes any sense whatsoever!!

Very interesting to think about, anon! And the fact that there's so many plausible theories as to who or what Ralsei is actually supposed to be means I can continue talking about all this for years to come! Or at least until the remaining chapters come out :P

#ask #answered #anon #Ralsei #analysis #character study #the dreemurrs #theory

[dotjretion]

My thoughts on Romeo F. "Bedman" Neumann Guilty Gear

SPOILERS FOR: Guilty Gear Xrd, Guilty Gear Strive

At the risk of sounding too nerdy, I have some predictions not just about Romeo (alias Bedman)'s current state of affairs after his death in Xrd and his young sister taking his place, but also for his potential return as his own character separate from the Bedman identity in either future Strive DLC or a post-Strive installment of Guilty Gear.

Based primarily on what I have been able to gather from Xrd and Strive's story modes, as well as the arcade mode for Happy Chaos in Strive, it is very strongly implied that Romeo is not in fact dead as it's presented on its face.

In his conversation with Axl, Romeo had mentioned that his sister was lost to the dream world long ago, meaning that she didn't even have so much as a physical body in the material world. In his final scene in Xrd Revelator we see his body straight up turn to stone and crumble to pieces. On its face, he would appear to be dead, right?

[COMICALLY LOUD INCORRECT BUZZER]

You would be wrong! In Guilty Gear Strive's arcade mode while playing as Happy Chaos, if you beat I-no on stage 7 without dropping a round, Happy Chaos discusses demi-humans and their ontological implications with I-no. In doing so, he offhandedly mentions Romeo. Specifically he says, and I quote:

"Did you know there was a guy named Bedman who managed to delete his own ID and became a multi-dimensional being?"

Entities in the Guilty Gear world who lack IDs (usually vampires or werewolves, i.e. demi-humans) exist in all parallel universes at once, and Romeo is a rare example of a multi-dimensional being who is (barring his unusual psychic powers) an ordinary human. While Happy Chaos does talk about him in past tense here, all other multidimensional beings we know of (e.g. Slayer, Nagoriyuki) are functionally immortal and I see no reason as to why Romeo would be an exception to this rule.

Now, what do I think happened? I figure that Romeo saved Delilah's life by switching places with her in the dream world, which as is confirmed in his conversation with Axl and his arcade mode in Xrd, is connected to the Backyard. Much like her, he lost his physical form and now exists as a disembodied consciousness who at most has remote control over his mechanised bed. It would also fit in with some of the lyrics in Bedman?'s Strive theme.

"Pitch black, pure white, all the same!" could be interpreted as meaning that where Romeo expected to find death, he found yet another dream. This is corroborated by how in Xrd his dreams are mostly represented as being a white void, as well as a common interpretation of death being nothing but empty darkness going on forever.

"But I can't find you with access to the back of my eyelids." implies that he still has some source of agency and isn't actually dead, but that he's in some kind of sleep, also tying into the idea that he's trapped in a dream with no body to wake up in rather than just full-on dead.

While the circle that's mentioned throughout the song can very clearly be referring to the cycle of death and rebirth known as saṃsāra, songs don't just have one intended meaning and the same symbolism can refer to multiple things at once. For example the circle could also be a way to refer to the physical world that Guilty Gear takes place in, in contrast to the Backyard which is a plane of abstract data. When he says he's on the border of the circle, it could in fact mean that he exists trapped in the Backyard, on the border of the physical world.

Now, how can he come back? If he's trapped in the Backyard, there are only really two people with the power to bring him back as of right now: Asuka R. Kreutz and The Original/Happy Chaos. Asuka would be able to as he's the one in possession of the Tome of Origin, which is the Backyard's physical manifestation in reality. He can glean all information from it, and thus if Romeo tried to call for help, Asuka could very plausibly find him. In addition, Asuka has made physical vessels for people in the past. He created Jack-O' Valentine as a vessel for Aria Hale's soul, and the planned Happy Chaos unit was a vessel to be made to house I-no's soul so she could live a normal life (though it was never finished). Nothing I know about Guilty Gear's lore precludes Asuka from making a physical vessel for Romeo's consciousness to inhabit to save him from the Backyard. As for now though, it seems Romeo's only connection to the physical world left is his old bed, where he silently watches over Delilah while he can say nothing to comfort her or reassure her that he's actually there.

tl;dr Romeo's trapped in the Backyard and only Asuka or Happy Chaos can bring him back. His only connection to reality left is his old bed.

#Guilty Gear #Bedman #Romeo F Neumann #guilty gear strive #guilty gear xrd

[psychewritesbs]

Unpopular opinion in the fandom right now, but I don't think Megumi becoming a villain is, if at all, plausible. It would be way too typical for Gege and very obvious.

I don't think he'll get out unscathed either and that a corruption arc is likely to happen, but in jjk's case this 'corruption' may be interpreted as the need to confront the worst version of one's self in order to reach completion. Kind of like a union of opposites (like how he got Totality after white divine dog got killed).

Don't know how Gege will do it but Megumi's upcoming arc might just make him the best character this series has to offer, and he's pretty much already on the way there.

Dear anon, I want you to know you are EVIL* for inducing the brain rot. Your cunning took you to the top of the ask queue. I have things I should be prioritizing, and yet here we are--me gladly taking the bait you so generously placed in my inbox lol.

You see, the thing is... yeah, my agenda is that I want to see Megumi go feral and do feral Megumi-things and be a menace. To whom? I'm torn 50/50 on whether I want him to be so distraught that he turns against everyone, including Sukuna, or whether I want him to shred Sukuna to pieces only. There's absolutely no denying that. But I suspect you might be right and I had already thought something similar might be the case.

I still think Megumi needs to take responsibility for himself, after all, him becoming or not becoming a "villain" and taking responsibility for himself are not mutually exclusive. But...

Evil*-induced word vomit under the cut.

... there's just something about Megumi right now that is asking for healing and self-acceptance and, yeah... other than the fact that Megumi going full on villain is an "obvious" outcome, a "cliché/obvious villain" arc feels kind of jarring rn if I'm honest. And while he could still become a "villain" and redeem himself (which is where I'd put my money--"corruption and redemption" arc)... idk anon.

I'm kind of with you actually? And at the same time I feel like being a "villain" in jjk is far more nuanced than just doing "#evil things".

Again. I want to see Megumi be selfish and go feral. But I really think right now the situation is calling for Megumi accepting everything he doesn't like about himself. Could he just loose his poop and go on a killing spree and then redeem himself? Sure.

I like the whole idea that someone you saved could hurt others. People have brought this up a lot recently.

But something that I can't quite put my finger on feels like you might be onto something.

Anyways, there's layers to your ask. Let's peel them back.

What if the corruption part of the arc was getting possessed by Sukuna?

Notice how the parallel between Toji and Megumi and them going on a path of carnage has to do with being "unconscious".

To be more specific, ever since Megumi got possessed I've been wondering whether the possession itself wasn't meant to be the corruption arc in question. As you say, "'corruption' may be interpreted as the need to confront the worst version of one's self in order to reach completion" and I couldn't agree more with you.

I wonder if Gege isn't telling us that Sukuna is what Megumi could be if only he got out of his own way. Tons of parallels to support this idea. But I think particularly relevant to this is that when we are "unconscious" to our potential and who we are, not only do we call what happens to us "fate", our sense of self is vulnerable to corruption from outside sources.

In Megumi's case, we're talking about Sukuna possessing his body because Megumi had a tendency to live for others and reject aspects of himself that he projected onto others. Cue that one panel showing "learned helplessness":

So... for a very long time I've been wondering whether getting possessed by a demonic force means his soul was corrupted.

Jacob's Ladder

Here I go talking about Jacob's Ladder again. Like... don't I have something better to talk about?

NO!

Guys. Seriously. Jacob's Ladder (1990) is... just do yourself a favor and go watch it and then watch videos analyzing it because I can't do the themes in it justice if I'm honest.

What I'll say about it for now is that this movie is a bit of a metaphor about the Tibetan Book of the Dead. Now, there are archetypal similarities between the stages of death according to the Tibetan Book of the Dead and Dante's Inferno in the Divine Comedy. This is relevant because Gege gave us two references to Dante's Inferno.

The first is that the purpose of the bath is "to be near evil" in the official translation.

But if I remember correctly, the Japanese raw uses the kanji for "beast" or something like that. Don't quote me on it. But the thing here is that at the very bottom of hell in the Divine Comedy, Dante meets the Devil.

The second reference is a little more of a leap in logic but we see it in the presence of Urizen's compass in the panel showing us Jacob's Ladder. Urizen is a character by William Blake who represents "God" and "good" as "reason". Blake is also the author of a painting depicting the Biblical "Jacob's Ladder". At the top of Biblical Jacob's Ladder and after climbing out of the Inferno, there is "God".

Gege dropping these references is interesting because they go back to the idea of good vs. evil and jjk "villains". More on villains in a bit.

That said. I'm going to leave this here just for funsies:

Jacob: I was in hell... it's all pain. Louie: You ever read Meister Eckhart?... Ekhart saw hell too. You know what he said? He said the only thing that burns in hell is the part of you that won't let go of your life. Your memories, your attachments. They burn them all away. But they're not punishing you, he said. They're freeing your soul... so the way he sees it, if you're frightened of dying and you're holding on, you see devils tearing your life away. But if you've made your peace, then the devils are really angels freeing you from the earth. It's just a matter of how you look at it. That's all.

What does it mean to be a "villain" in jjk?

Last thing I will say about this evil* ramble is that "villain" and "evil" are used in a very interesting way in jjk. The Jacob's Ladder reference specifically is very interesting because, according to what I shared above, going through hell can set you free from reason and attachments.

And villains and evil in jjk simply means "following your desires without regard for others." Villains have no attachments to others and are therefore freer to be themselves than others who do. This is, of course, exaggerated and blown out of proportion in jjk:

Sukuna emphasizes why extreme individualism (lack of regard for others) as "evil" is "bad". But I think that what Gege is actually doing with his villains is criticizing the collectivistic mindset in Japan: or "there is nothing wrong with leaving your attachment to others behind, being selfish, and doing what you desire, as long as you live and let live".

Where Sukuna says "if you're in my way I'll kill you," Megumi says "I won't kill you, so please don't kill me."

ANYWAYS. All that to say... I still want to see Megumi be selfish in the pursuit of what he desires, however that looks like. If that makes him a "villain", then so be it. He's already a more nuanced "villain" than Sukuna anyways because he is neither "good" or "evil".

And I think that's because Sukuna is missing one key ingredient...

Megumi's heart

(source)

I think D and I had this conversation after chapter 248 dropped? Remember I mentioned Sukuna's body language and thought patterns are unequivocally Megumi? If I remember correctly this conversation is in regard to that.

I haven't seen/read HxH so I can't speak to what D is talking about, but something about it rings TRUE.

And this is when I realized that, while I want to see Megumi do the "villain" thing, it rings more true that the corruption arc is behind us and now it becomes about Megumi's healing.

Just the way I had a weird intuition about something ominous happening to Megumi way back when, I smell a blessing from a mile away. Or as you said, "Don't know how Gege will do it but Megumi's upcoming arc might just make him the best character this series has to offer, and he's pretty much already on the way there."

ANON. YOU ARE EVIL for sending me this but I love you all the more for it. Thank you! As per usual, hope this made sense? LOL if I rambled too much and wasn't able to justify my points, I blame it on you for encouraging the brain rot before I finished cooking.

#ask the mental gymnastics anime girl #megumi kaisen #god i love jujutsu kaisen