#META UNDER THE CUT!!

[charmac]

Unspoken tension ahead of Charlie Work, a wound left open in Family Fight

The Production Order (the order in which the episodes are written) always seems of some value to me in Sunny, but 10 I find especially substantial. With half of the scripts of the season written by RCG, 4 are back-to-back (with their 5th one, Psycho Pete, being 2nd in order).

The run begins after The Gang Spies like U.S. Going off that into Charlie Work, as opposed to into that off Charlie Work, paints a very different narrative for the timeline.

We leave the reveal that Mac and Dennis are jerking off together into an episode that starts with high tension between Mac and Dennis. Dennis is frustrated that Mac isn't being direct, won't look him in the eyes, he's avoidant, timid. That's interesting, because Mac isn't usually any of those things, he's direct and abrupt and loud. Off 9, fully establishing Mac is gay, juxtaposing his closeted behaviour to Country Mac's openness, 10 focuses hard on the fact that Mac's confidence is continually battered as he refuses to step out of the closet. The Gang is tired of it, but Dennis is frustrated. His words maybe cut even deeper than the scratch, "Come to me like a man. Talk about being tough all the time, can't even look me in the eyes."

We leave CW and go into Family Fight, written right after, also by RCG. This episode has big focus on Dennis' obsession with public perception of himself, and the Gang. Though he can initially handle masking his demeanor, his tone of voice, what he can't mask are his words. He's smiling, he's 'joking', but there's deep truth in what he’s saying. He's frustrated, though his frustration in the moment is intended for Frank, Mac feels it directed at him. There's a fresh wound between them, because Mac fully understands what his feelings for Dennis are now, and that’s irreparably shifted their dynamic.

Misses the Boat is the last RCG-written episode of the season. From Charlie Work, where we’re kinda first faced with the fact that Mac is now overly-concerned with how Dennis perceives him, to Family Fight, where Dennis' masks slip completely and he has a public breakdown, they both veer hard to straighten themselves. Mac, very quite literally, goes straight, and Dennis resolves that he needs to cut ties to get back to being ‘cool’, he’s going to be a cool guy who has a cool car and hangs out with a babe and is cool.

But what we learn in Misses the Boat is that how they think the world views them, or should view them based on how they believe they present, isn’t who they are. They can’t actually function well in these situations. Dennis, untethered, somehow can’t control his rage as well as he can when he *is tethered* to the Gang. Mac, well, he isn’t straight, and he realises pretending to be into women is miserable.

Dennis gives him the offer: Do you want to go back? (To not addressing it, to a standstill.) And Mac quickly, excitedly takes it. Looping back to where they are in Charlie Work, back to where they settle for too long: Mac, absorbed in himself, clawing for approval from Dennis, and Dennis lashing out, tired of telling Mac what to do.

And I think this is why I love 10 more than anything, it finally addresses the issue the audience knows. With Charlie, Dee, and Frank, too. They’re going nowhere, spiraling in circles because they refuse to address the roots of their issues, and Misses the Boat makes them, themselves, fully aware of that fact. They’re miserable together, but they’re worse off alone. And they go into 11 and beyond knowing this, and all kind of resenting each other for it, until 14. Where they acknowledge it again, and decide they’re going to keep playing the game even though it’s set.

#META UNDER THE CUT!! #this is not just mac angst people #but it can be if you dont care about meta ig #iasip #macdennis #mac mcdonald #dennis reynolds #sunny 10 #charlie work #the gang goes on family fight #the meta went way deeper than i was expecting but im happy with it #3am spiralling or something or other #waited until today to reread it cos yk #and i stand by it #sunny meta #i hate the idea of dividing sunny into 'new sunny' and 'old sunny' #i think theres a lot more to it based on all the dynamic shifts that happen #theres very clear stages that are more divided like #1-4. 5-7. 8-10. 11-14. 14-present #and you could probably label them in a fun way too

[stagefoureddiediaz]

I'm having a lot of thoughts and feelings about Eddie and clothing and being in the closet.

Because Eddie being shirtless is a thing - a thing that happens when he's in a spiral - and its always been a thing - right from his introduction. (and it kind of ties in with the black singlet - emotional vulnerability thing he has going on too)

Eddies introduction - him putting on a shirt - going from shirtless - to clothed - Eddie has upped his and CHristophers whole life an dmoved them to LA - he's been questioning if hes done the right thing - the shirt being put on - covering him up - is showing that it is the right thing - that the uniform is a safe space for him.

Then we have the Shannon of it all - they fall back into bed - and shirtless Eddie is spiralling out - not wanting to actually have the conversation about what they are doing (Shannon has to come to the firehouse to get that conversation to happen) he puts a tee back on so he can step back into dad mode.

Eddies fight club era - is a massive and obvious spiral that he is in - dealing with the death of Shannon and all his feelings around the fact she'd asked for a divorce, plus the fact that he could've lost his son in the tsunami, but Buck saved him and Eddie has complicated feelings developing there that he's not in a position to either recognise or deal with. We never see him put a shirt on here - just a zip front hoodie - that he doesn't zip up - symbolic of not actually dealing with anything - just sort of hiding it.

We also have a flashback scene in Eddie begins where he is shirtless in the militrary hospital - once more it is Eddie vulnerable and exposed and dealing with a traumatic event.

Then we have Eddie after leaving the 118 to work at dispatch - we see him start shirtless - essentially when he's at his most vulnerable and then as he finds a way to build up some new walls for himself we see the black singlet appear and then we move on to various tee his spiral happen - we never see him put a shirt on here - he does get into uniform, but its always cut to rather than watching him actually get dressed. He hasn't dealt with his issues at this point and the implication is the walls he's built up - that are letting him pretend to be fine are flimsy - then a bit later we get his breakdown

We get no shirtless Eddie in season 6 - its a season about him dealing with and healing from a large portion of his trauma.

In season 7 we've had him shirtless several times already. Firstly in the locker room - Eddie is shirtless whilst talking about first dates but then we get Eddie putting on his shirt - its denim - much more robust than anything we've seen him put on in this way before as soon as Buck reveals he's single.

Then when Marisol was moving in - not going to go into the parallels with Shannon here - and Eddie starts to spiral. We've already had the closet conversation by this point, so the fact that we have him shirtless essentially in the aftermath of that conversation is an interesting choice, we also don't see him putting on a shirt here! instead we are left with a visual representaion of a part of Eddie he had tried to keep locked up newly exposed.

And now we have this bachelor party - where it seems to be that Eddie is losing his shirt bit by bit (cannot wait to get the context for this!)and ending up in just the collar.

He wakes up in the bathtub in just the collar before he puts the suit jacket back on, in much the same way as he put the hoodie on back in season 3. Its an indicator that while he's covering things up, he isn't actually hiding them - that they are still visible for people to see if they go looking. And while I'm on that subject - the fact the collar is the thing he's left wearing - literally playing into the religious theming of Eddies vulnerability because it is screaming dog collar!

The show making such a clear visual indicator that connects to the last time we saw Eddie shirtless is very telling - its indicating to those looking, that Eddie might've asked Marisol not to move in and taken a step towards dealing with his catholic guilt, but the reality is that he hasn't dealt with it at all and that it is still very much a part of his story - his arc.

THere seems to be something in the soft underbelly of who Eddie Diaz is, that reveals its self for these brief moments, only to be covered up and hidden once more - with varying degrees of sucess. This season its especially loud and telling.

If we look at this season more closely - all of them are interesting moments, and all of them are connected to closets or defacto closets. The locker room - Eddie's locker is open while he is shirtless - he stands in front of it - a locker is a form of closet - its for storing his clothing etc while he's at work - a place where he stores is civvies - his real self. He only moves away from the locker and puts a shirt on, when the conversation moves from him onto to Buck - Bucks vulnerability is not Eddies and so he doesn't need to be shirtless - in fact he needs to not be - to shield himself from Bucks vulnerability.

Then we have the bedroom - which while not technically a closet, is Eddies safe space - a place where he can be his full self (in theory) and shirtless Eddie has one of his biggest vulnerabilities revealed in that scene - its so big that he cannot cover it up and hide it - his catholic guilt. This is the first time we're seeing Eddie's room since Buck was in there at the end of season 5 helping patch the holes in the walls. It makes sense that Eddie having a moment where his catholic guilt is revealed becasue even if it isn't directly a closet it - indirectly because he was going to start putting things in his closet - was going to let Marisol into his closet.

The implications of him not being able to let Marisol into his closet are pretty telling in my opinion. Even the fact that she was coming with her own armoire is in and of itself speaks volumes

And now we have bachelor party Eddie - kicking in metaphorical closet doors (whilst kicking in actual closed doors) and falling asleep in bath tubs whilst wearing pink!

The pink in combination with this idea that Eddie is vulnerable and heading towards dealing with his catholic guilt in the same way that he was heading towards dealing with his other trauma before. Pink - as I've talked about in the season 7 costume meta's is the colour of naivety or innocence. yes there is the idea that Eddie (and probably by extension, Buck) will be innocent in whatever ends up happening with Chimney.

But there is also the idea that this innocence and naivety plays into the fact we're seeing a lot of Eddie shirtless and the play into his vulnerability as well as Eddies catholic guilt and all the closet references. This idea that Eddies naively trying to ignore his catholic guilt, ignore his vulnerablity as well as the fact that his catholic guilt stems back to his childhood - when he was effectively an innocent.

yeah I have a lot of thoughts on all of it

#shirtless Eddie meta #the show is always so intentional with when they show them shirtless - that goes for Buck and Chimney etc as well #Eddies queer journey is getting under way #I didn't put this under a cut becasue who doesn't want shirtless Eddie gifs filling their dash!!! #eddie diaz #911 spoilers #911 abc #911 costume meta #sort of!

[symptomofgout]

the narrative of kaveh being an idiot is so baffling to me because he is, quite literally, canonically considered a genius…? why is the popular consensus “6000 IQ alhaitham and his lovably stupid roommate kaveh” when every npc commenting on kaveh refers to his intellect & talent, the literal god of wisdom says kaveh has an “almost-perfect grasp of what it truly means for sumeru to be a nation of wisdom” (whereas she questions alhaitham’s wisdom in her line about him), and alhaitham’s own story profile calls kaveh a genius multiple times??? like the whole point is that he’s alhaitham’s intellectual equal despite having entirely separate worldviews and demeanors, which frustrates alhaitham to no end — ‘how can someone so smart do all of these things that, to me, are so evidently stupid?’ the takeaway from their dynamic should NOT be kaveh is dumb, but rather that empathy and emotion aren’t actually the opposites of logic and intelligence, but sadly both alhaitham and the realm of academia as a whole are too blinded by their own definitions of logic to fully realize that.

tl;dr kaveh is not dumb by any standards and i will prove it

(under the cut: quotes/screenshots/etc proving this + more. please spread the gospel and dispel ignorance. amen)

some npc voicelines (there are more but i’m lazy):

these are pretty self-explanatory — kaveh is a widely-renowned scholar, architect, and engineer throughout sumeru. he graduated from the akademiya with flying colors, students were desperate to take his classes, etc.

nahida’s voicelines:

both are intelligent but only one is wise: kaveh. alhaitham is too restricted by his narrow definition of wisdom (read: what he deems ‘logical’) to look beyond himself and grasp that there’s more to intellect and knowledge than pure cold rationality. he can’t comprehend that empathy and intellect aren’t fundamentally incompatible — in fact, they’re best when put hand in hand. kaveh is one of the few scholars capable of valuing emotions, empathy, and artistic endeavors, while the rest of the akademiya closes themselves off to that entire realm of knowledge from the get-go. this is what makes kaveh uniquely wise, and what alhaitham lacks. until you understand that emotions and logic can and should coexist, you won’t be successful in the true pursuit of knowledge.

last but not least:

alhaitham’s profile (worth noting that profile stories are pretty much the most reliable source of information on characters’ true beliefs and opinions — their voicelines are still them putting on acts in front of the traveler, but these stories are told from the perspective of an omniscient narrator and are likely closer to the truth):

“two geniuses.” and even after their falling out, “neither of them will deny the other party’s exceptional brilliance” — meaning alhaitham considers kaveh to be exceptionally brilliant. point blank. in the text bro

hilarious line — it’s basically alhaitham saying he doesn’t understand how someone with kaveh’s talent and intellect could have a personality/worldview so different from haitham’s. ‘how can someone that smart be so annoying!!!!!’ and ofc by values we know it’s referring to kaveh’s idealism, empathy, and affinity for the arts

alhaitham considers kaveh to be “another genius,” someone who is so much his intellectual equal that he’s “an excellent mirror” for alhaitham. it’s like an experiment for him — the initial question is “how can someone as smart as me care about all of these things i’ve always believed to be worthless,” the subjects are kaveh and alhaitham, the controlled variable is their intellect. because their intellect is the same, alhaitham is able to study their differences (can’t attribute said differences to varying intellect). alhaitham would never say it out loud — and luckily he doesn’t need to bc his character story tells us — but he’s deeply fascinated by kaveh bc kaveh’s very existence is a threat to haitham’s worldview, & he’s letting kaveh stay with him bc through kaveh, alhaitham learns about not just himself but the outside world and humanity as a whole, and as a scholar, there’s nothing more valuable. (also because he feels comfortable with kaveh [“he’s a familiar face”] and they’re both lonely [“similarly lacks familial attachments”] lol these two are never beating the We Know You Don’t Actually Hate Each Other allegations but that’s a different point so i digress)

IN CONCLUSION:

this is all just the TEXTUAL evidence — people saying “kaveh is smart” — and doesn’t even include all of the obvious implicit signs of kaveh’s intellect (no one who graduates from the akademiya w honors and teaches classes there could be anything other than incredibly intelligent, al “i don’t do anything that i don’t want to do” “i’m not going to bother explaining it to you because you won’t understand” haitham not only puts up with but actively seeks out debates with kaveh which he absolutely would not do if he didn’t respect him or consider him to be of roughly equal intellect, look at the debates he has w alhaitham on sumeru messageboards and TELL ME those messages sound like they were written by an idiot or itto or something [you cant], etc etc etc).

and also this is all from 3.3 (+ 3.4 alhaitham leaks)! we don’t even know kaveh’s rarity yet, that’s how far he is from being playable, but there’s already this much information on just how smart he is! it’s the main thing we know about him — 1) he’s smart, 2) he’s passionate/driven by what he feels is right! why does that keep turning into “LOL HOTHEADED HIMBO”??!

okay look. this is all so extra i know. BUT. i must set the record straight now (god knows it’ll only get worse the closer we get to kaveh’s release) because this sudden-onset mass illiteracy within genshin players is going to send me to an early grave. feel free to use as a resource and educate the ignorant so kaveh does not end up reduced to a one-note meme dumb guy when literally that’s just… not even in the game. i mean at least other annoying OOC fandom interpretations have basis in the game but genshin literally tells u every time it gets the opportunity that Kaveh Is Just As Smart As Alhaitham Because Cold Rationality Does Not Equal Wisdom/Intelligence and losing that would be such a crime because it is by far the most interesting n promising thing hoyo has done with new characters in ages! like, not only are they funny and entertaining, not only are they fascinating incredible foils for one another, but they’re used to make a much-needed argument against the prevalent hegemony of mindless rationality and our “logical” society’s illogical fear of emotion/empathy. but yeah sure, theyre just itto & ayato 2.0, i guess. god. the lack of reading comprehension among genshin players is literally an epidemic

#frustrating me to no end. miss the entire point of their dynamic and characters as a whole why don’t you #literally this isn’t ‘shipping goggles’ or anything it’s just … knowing how to read. not looking for subtext just literally reading the text #kaveh #genshin impact #genshin #genshin kaveh #genshin impact leaks #alhaitham #haikaveh #kavetham #kavehtham #genshin meta #i hope ppl see this bc it Needs To Be Said but sadly it will probably get like 10 notes. BUT STILL. i will try #fr the narrative needs to change i don’t think i can take five months of people on reddit characterizing him as th watson to hthm’s sherlock #yeah maybe if watson was a fucking genius too!!! #long post #(under the cut lol) #100 #500

[vickyvicarious]

Every scrap of paper was gone, and with it all my notes, my memoranda, relating to railways and travel, my letter of credit, in fact all that might be useful to me were I once outside the castle. I sat and pondered awhile, and then some thought occurred to me, and I made search of my portmanteau and in the wardrobe where I had placed my clothes.

The suit in which I had travelled was gone, and also my overcoat and rug; I could find no trace of them anywhere.

The items Dracula takes have some fun implications. Regardless of whether you think he rushed off to steal these things as soon as he locked Jonathan in the study last entry, or if you think he took them a few days later, he has two clear goals here: prevent Jonathan from writing, and more importantly prevent Jonathan from leaving. Both point to him having a fear of losing control of the situation.

Sure, this escalates the mental torture. But it also suggests that, after seeing Jonathan's shorthand letter, Dracula became aware that his guest is more resourceful than he expected. Jonathan has access to at least one kind of knowledge which Dracula does not. There could be others (in fact, there is the diary). So. He takes away his writing materials - he won't be able to write any more coded letters. But Jonathan does still have access to paper as long as he has access to the study. If he's very resourceful he could rip pages out of a few books, fold up notes, maybe craft a sort of envelope by folding paper. It's not nearly as likely but it isn't impossible. The other aspect of preventing Jonathan from getting a message out is probably to keep a closer eye on him, to isolate him further from the people around him.

But he's already tried to send one letter. He arrived in the castle weighed down with anti-vampire gifts. Whatever language barrier he has is obviously not enough to keep him from receiving aid from the locals should he get out somehow - and after the incident with him encountering the vampire ladies as well as this letter, Dracula is no longer just assuming Jonathan can never get out. He is taking precautions to ensure he won't get far when he does.

He won't be able to get money with his letter of credit. He won't have access to his notes about the surrounding area or the dictionary that helped him to communicate better. He won't know where to go or when to get on a train heading far away from here. And more than that - he won't have his travel clothes, he won't have his coat and rug (basically a travel blanket to keep you warm). This might make him less likely to try an escape, which is a bonus, but the focus is on ensuring Jonathan cannot get out of Dracula's reach. He will be slowed down enough - by weather, by difficulty communicating, by uncertainty about where to go - that Dracula can catch up to him and stop him.

If needed, of course. It's not to say that this will be needed, and certainly Dracula would prefer it not to be, because that would spell a firm end to this game. But he now feels the need to prepare for such an eventuality. It's not just about stepping up the encroachment on Jonathan's space/privacy/belongings. That's a bonus for sure! But taking these things also points to him feeling threatened to some degree.

And not just by Jonathan, either. If his control over the locals were as complete as he presents it, I don't think he would be this worried. But his actions here actually support the interpretation that he was bluffing when he implied that the man to whom Jonathan entrusted his letter sold him out. Or at the very least, Dracula doesn't have confidence that everyone would sell Jonathan out. He fears that they might take a message, so he has to steal his writing materials. He fears that Jonathan might find a way out of the castle, so he ensures he won't get far.

Implying that the Romani who work for him will never help Jonathan is intended to build a sense of isolation in Jonathan. He wants to erode trust, to make Jonathan feel like he cannot rely on anyone else (except his friend Dracula, who protects him from worse dangers). That means, even if they did want to help him, he will try to make Jonathan think no one is even interested in doing so. It means he will keep him separated from them as much as possible. It means that he will do anything to break down trust and ensure Jonathan cannot access a support system.

Because if he has no support system, then if (when) he tries to escape he will have to do so all alone. And without the things Dracula took from him today, it's not likely that he will get very far. Not before Dracula catches up to him, anyway.

.

A few more spoilery notes below the cut:

In the last entry Dracula tried to ensure Jonathan wouldn't seek help from the Romani. When he goes out in Jonathan's clothes to kill people, he is trying to ensure the local villagers will not offer him help. Both are aimed at isolating him, and when you think about it they imply Dracula is concerned that Jonathan would be able to get help if not for these measures. Later on the wolves escalate matters even further, adding yet another layer of difficulty aimed to ensure Jonathan doesn't try to just leave. Because Dracula no longer puts it past him to somehow manage to do that.

And yet, at the same time, he's enjoying his time with Jonathan too much to end it prematurely by stopping him permanently. Dracula is arrogant enough to believe he can control the situation long enough to have his cake and eat it too, basically. But in the end, he was wrong to not ensure that Jonathan was taken care of, because as soon as he knew there was no more time to play the waiting game, Jonathan acted. And yeah, he was indeed capable of getting out. He was capable of moving very quickly, even with the obstacles put in place by the missing belongings, and he was capable of finding people who were willing to be kind to him. Jonathan's timing was perfect in the end because he waited out Dracula who could and would have hunted him down. The vampire ladies either don't have the control, the range, or the interest to do so.

Dracula is forced to acknowledge that Jonathan is clever, but he refuses to see just how much. He insists on treating him merely as prey trying to escape, who just needs a better trap. But Jonathan isn't merely going to flee, he eventually becomes the predator himself. The knowledge he has is absolutely vital to defeating Dracula; he's aware that he is a threat to the Count from early on. And if Dracula had been willing to truly play it safe here, he would have killed Jonathan before leaving. But that would require treating him as a legitimate threat. That would require Dracula to stop indulging himself with Jonathan. And Jonathan is so good at playing along, so good at being fun to toy with, that Dracula really doesn't want to stop. Not to mention his arrogance and expectation that he can surely handle this one man. And he can - until he leaves his castle. Then Jonathan is finally free to act.

And sure, it's no immediate victory. It's certainly not a one-man crusade or dependent on Jonathan alone. But that was never the danger Jonathan represented anyway - his escape represents knowledge getting out, spreading freely. His escape represents people freeing themselves from Dracula's control, acting without his awareness. And it happens, and it leads to Dracula being killed once and for all. Because Jonathan plays along, and because Dracula enjoys it and doesn't want to admit to the threat.

#dracula daily #count dracula #jonathan harker #dracula daily spoilers #but only under the cut #dracula meta #my meta

[chanbig]

Big Kinnporsche and his uniform

i know the costume design dept gave the theerapanyakul bodyguards different versions of their uniform to make it easier to distinguish between them and make it visually more interesting (even though the point of a uniform is homogeneity) but i think it's interesting how they make big and porsche outliers

Porsche is out here in his slutty little vest and tie (the only one in his shirtsleeves because he is freewheeling, he is bucking the rules, we gotta show off that shoulder-to-waist ratio). he is new, he is special, he doesn't give a fuck. he is the Main Character.

pete, ken, arm and pol are in the usual blazer, no tie, shirt with a couple of buttons undone combo, with varying levels of undone-ness. (pete has the most buttons done up, intriguingly!!!! he typically only has the top button undone. what does this Mean. what could he possibly be hiding under there 🤫). this is what the typical bodyguard wears—most of the bodyguard extras are wearing a black suit and white shirt (one or two have ties, but most don't). they are integrated into the system. they are a team.

chan gets distinguished as head bodyguard by being allowed to wear all black, which gives him a very intense, no nonsense look. he stands out from the crowd when he first walks into frame—without words, you can tell THAT is a man with authority (😳 <- live me reaction)

AND THEN you have big over here in his closed blazer, shirt buttoned to the neck, perfectly knotted tie, and suspenders (!!) outfit. the whole getup. no one else on the main cast is doing it like him—literally. he is on the opposite end of the spectrum from porsche, even though they wear almost the same number of pieces. with the blazer on, big's outfit gives him the most buttoned up/rigid/follows the rules look, like he will wear the fullest version of the uniform because It Is The Correct Way. he has been at this job for years and he is still so strict about this. he is so strict about this BECAUSE he has been at this job for years. even with his ponytail and edgy eyebrow cut, he comes across as 'I am 100% on the job all the time'. he is All Business.

spot the suspenders 🧐

even when he's wearing the standard tracksuit, it's zipped completely up to the neck, sleeves all the way down.

we never see him in the pool. we don't see him in casual clothes. he is always SO closed off. he takes his uniform blazer off ONCE (making porsche crawl across the floor is hard work 😏).

spot the blazer thrown over the chair in the back 🔍

the only time we see him wearing a shirt with the buttons undone is when they're at the casino and he's being forced to 'blend in'. looking closer, though, even that outfit looks like the shirt and trousers he normally wears, just without the blazer, tie, and suspenders.

same slim-cut black trousers, same type of stiffened spread collar, same big pocket. his trousers fit him well—clearly the suspenders are just for the Look.

hmmm ive seen this shirt before.

the only time we see him in a short sleeved shirt is when they're on a SWAT-style rescue mission and everyone else is ALSO wearing that.

field trip time. everyone put on their outside clothes.

so arguably even both 'more casual' outfits are literally part of his uniform

where am i going with this... we see the others in their casual clothes. we see them disheveled, drunk, unbound from their jobs. they are allowed to be something other than just a bodyguard, even if just for a minute, even if they're still with tankhun at the bar—they are allowed that measure of freedom and personality. they drink, they laugh, they have fun. they have desires outside of their jobs (notably, we see ken in a hawaiian shirt when he is revealed to be the mole, i.e. have desires outside of the main theerapanyakul house)

we do not see big outside of his role as a bodyguard. he is this role and this role is him. there's something there about him scrubbing away all of his personal wants and needs to fit into this role as kinn's Head Bodyguard. giving up everything else so he can do this job, be of use to the theerapanyakul family—to kinn. not allowing himself to think about or want things outside of the compound because those things will distract him. no faltering from his role, or any vision of him as a person is allowed to come through. all he has is just a single minded pursuit of his goal and his focus (protecting kinn). he has dedicated himself and he is proud of that. he still gets up and puts on the whole uniform every day, suspenders on, shirt buttoned up, tie tight. he follows the rules and his orders even though he hates them sometimes, even though he might protest at first—one word or gesture from kinn or korn or kim and he falls silent. he will push down everything else he might have wanted under the role he has chosen for himself, that he has now become. he has already given up everything else for the theerapanyakuls—so, in the end, why not his life? what else does he have to offer? what else is left?

#kinnporsche the series #big kinnporsche #kinnporsche meta #WHAT does this man wear on his days off. if he even takes them #go on vacation babygirl i beg #does he have casual clothes??? does he go outside of the compound?? #theres that fic where chan goes to collect bigs things from his room and big doesnt have anything personal at all which is so heartbreaking #under a cut because it got long #kinnporsche #kp

[1pcii]

Disguises (click for better quality// no reposts please but reblogs are greatly appreciated!)

extra little ramble-y meta snippet I wrote for this idea

#psii.png #FINALLY FINISHED IT YAY #+ added the extra meta snippet i wrote yesterday under cut #i love these two sm. worth the pain of actuay drawing a background for once fo-sho :') #1pc #one piece #fanart #one piece fanart #op fanart #nami #cat burglar nami #nefertari vivi #vivi #namivivi #vivinami #id in alt text

[quitefair]

alright time to gripe about inquisition again (what’s new)

dyou know i barely understood what the fuck was going on in orlais politically from just playing the game? i’m basic, i never read the masked empire, also by the time we hit like wewh i am absolutely not reading all the codex entries because im distracted with how pretty orlais looks VISUALLY and also mentally scarred from all the warden nonsense

but in doing research i found out a bunch of COMPLETELY WILD THINGS that the game does that they don’t??? talk about???

okay so here’s the deal:

Vivienne’s lover is this guy called Duke Bastien of Ghislain. A dude you have to help kinda save as part of Vivienne’s personal quest (I have even more gripes about how Vivienne’s character and arc was so poorly handled but that’s a post of its own)

So yeah this dude

Crusty old guy you kinda only see as some random B plot side quest with no relevance. But okay okay I went in and read up about him right? 

He’s the head of the College of Heralds. Yknow what they do? They literally handle any and all problems to do with titles and lineage related to them among the Orlesian nobility. They were called in when Emperor Florian died in 9:20 Dragon without an heir. They were the ones that chose Celene over Gaspard as the new ruler of Orlais.

They’re technically the reason the entire Civil War happens in the first place!!!! The Fuck!!!!!!! I may be stupid but I don’t think anybody stressed on this in the game???

Also wait, there’s more yeah!!!

This dude had a wife (who died or something idek the details sorry) and had two kids - Calienne and Laurent

Calienne, mind you, went on to fuckin MARRY??? GASPARD DE CHALONS??? Duke Gaspard was this DUDE’S SON IN LAW???? A dude that he (as part of the College of Heralds) chose to snub as they chose his cousin as the Empress instead of him????

This is fucking wild you guys.

Calienne supports Gaspards claim to the throne despite what her father did, plays a part in the assassination of Celene’s mother, and eventually was murdered by Celene’s father and cousin (another thing I had to read with my own eyes was that Duke Motherfucking Prosper of Mark of the Assassin infamy was Celene’s relative. Oh also that his son Cyril is also on the Council of Heralds and is also the Orlesian representative at the Exalted Council??? What the Motherfucking Shit???)

On the other hand, we have his other child Laurent.

On first pass I seriously got him confused with the dude that tries to get the Inquisition to pay taxes to him cause he owns the land around Haven?? THEYRE WEARING THE SAME OUTFIT???

But apparently they’re not the same guy. And the only time you interact with him in person is in Skyhold after Vivienne’s personal quest where he thanks you for helping his dad or something. You barely see the guy, and he’s apparently the heir to all his father’s lands and titles, including the seat at the Council of Heralds?? While his BROTHER IN LAW is MOTHERFUCKING GASPARD DE CHALONS????

And despite all of this, the only more you can learn about him is through this absolutely random war table mission where you help him out and they give the Inquisition some insignificant strip of land in Orlais??

Dude what the fuuuuuck.........

#meera talks #dragon age #bioware critical #da critical #yeah sorry im getting more and more pissed WE COULDVE HAD A LOT MORE COOL SHIT!!!! #putting under a cut cause it's pretty long #da research and meta

[exilepurify]

I love that ONE made Mob’s confession explosion less about Mob being helpless and out of control and more about Mob breaking pedestals.

Because Mob wasn’t really out of control. It’s just that his conscious self was being overpowered by his emotions and, by extension, his powers. But ???/Shigeo is still Mob. Shigeo’s intentional rampage is Mob’s intentional rampage, whether or not Mob likes it or wants it to be happening. After all, we hardly ever get to chose how or when or why our emotions manifest and we usually can’t stop it from happening.

Throughout the entire series, Mob is put up on a pedestal by almost everyone in the show. Everyone reveres him or looks up to him or is inspired by him. They were changed by him; compelled, endeared, embraced by him. He is seen as this ultimate power due to the strength of his ESP—the final judge, jury, and executioner; the fixer, the moral compass, and almost god-like in both his effortless power and his effortless compassion.

And the audience are unknowingly complicit in this!!! The manga and the anime both gently suggest that the audience do the same throughout the show!! It’s human nature to become attached to Mob. He’s the protag! We follow him everywhere! We see his vulnerable moments, his intentions, his likes, his hopes, his dreams! We place ourselves into his position unthinkingly. We forget that he is 14, that he is suffering, and that he is locked away somewhere we could never hope to reach. We forget that the anger, the desire to hurt, the intent to kill—that was all real.

And I’m sure trying to live up to that pedestal was exhausting. No one can be a perfect role model, and definitely not at 14. Shigeo has an inalienable right to his anger, his hatred, his violence, and his grief. He has been oppressed by this desperate need to be betterbetterbetter that he’s been haunted by since he hurt Ritsu. He’s also haunted by the need to measure up to the weight of the idolization others put on him because they’ve bought into Mob’s repression facade.

The only way for Mob to be free and calm and happy is to break it all at once. He must dethrone himself. He must fall back to Earth and regain his humanity.

And never once does his anger or sadness or urge to hurt ever impede his goodness, his love, or his will to save and nurture, because it was inside him all along, from the beginning. It is him!!! It is us!!

We all have these things inside of us. And to be a happy and healthy person, we must coexist with them. We must embrace them and accept them as a part of us, no matter what, because we own them as much as we own our joy. We must have anger and sadness and joy and love and hatred and grief and compassion all together inside of us because they need each other to survive.

I just… really like how ONE handled Mob’s culpability, personal depth, and dimension. How his capacity to hurt never once cheapened his capacity to save.

#mp100 #mob psycho 100 #mob psycho 100 spoilers #shigeo kageyama #mp100 meta #mp100 analysis #mp100 season 3 #i might be beating a dead horse here #i just like to talk about it #so sorry if it sounds like i’m ranting about common knowledge or not making a unique point #it’s fun to discuss anyway #more under cut

[borbology]

¡Viva La Tomatina! 🇪🇸🍅

he misunderstood the objective (what did you expect?)

#only cool people never do things on time #bonus under cut #meta knight #kirby #la tomatina

[starmonsterrr]

✦ IN THE BLUE STARLIGHT

BREAK AWAY THE DAY

AND BRING TO ME THE NIGHT

IF I SHOULD REST

BEFORE THIS ENDS

BREAK THE CLOUDS,

MAKE THEM TURN TO SAND

✦— – - ·

[ * Artist's notes and such below the cut! ]

[ * WOAH THIS IS DONE ]

[ * I got the idea for this a few days ago and could NOT get it out of my head, so .... Here!!!! ]

[ * The lyrics I put there are just because while I was close to finishing this, a variant made by the same artist came up on the playlist, and I liked the lyrics, so I searched for the original song, and I liked it, so I just Ctrl C + Ctrl V'ed ]

[ * also I did a bit of cheating here because I misheard them a bit (it's actually amber starlight but shhhh) ]

[ * The concept going on here is that y'know how in Undertale, us Players have the yellow star and when interacting with it, we are filled with determination ]

[ * From there I started thinking.... A lot.... Very much.... And well, here we are! ]

[ * What about Creators, then? Creators are more of a fan concept thing I'm grabbing for the sake of this though but anyways. I interpret them to be a counterpart to the Players. So one day when I was bored I just took the color yellow and used a hue filter thing to make it the opposite color and I got blue (...neat! Io, my UTMV sona, has a blue and yellow color combo.) ]

[ * Blue star → Creator → “You are overflowing of IMAGINATION” ]

[ * Yellow star → Player → “You are filled with DETERMINATION.” ]

[ * The silly fox creature is Aurum by the way, my sona for the UTMV Meta. It creates stuff for the UTMV pretty much ]

[ * I still have yet to make a proper ref... ]

[ * bonus thing: the sketch I made for this! ]

#utmv #utmv meta #utmv fandom #utmv sona #utmv oc #utmv oc: creator edition #corv draws #corv's aurum #aurumverse meta #aurumverse #[ * this is utmv i swear just take a look at the ramble under cut please don't snipe me ]

[regallibellbright]

So, I've been thinking about Toby's knives.

Well, okay, I specifically think primarily about Toby's main knife, but there's something interesting to be said about all three of the knives she "regularly" wears (silver, iron, and the new one.) All three of them are gifts. All three of them are given to her by someone expecting Toby to be a hero.

"Ms. Daye?" "Yes, Dare?" It was like trying to leave kindergartners with a babysitter. If I was lucky, they'd run out of questions before the sun went down. Maybe. "Here." She pulled a knife out of her sleeve, offering it to me. I didn't recognize the style of the blade, but if it was street legal, I'm a Kelpie. "In case you don't scream fast enough." "Good idea," I said. She looked almost disappointed by my reaction - she was still young enough for the rules against saying thank you to seem pointless. I winked, sliding the knife into my belt with the edge facing outward to keep me from cutting myself. She brightened, reading the unspoken gratitude in my eyes. She was pretty smart when she let herself be.

(Rosemary and Rue, Chapter 21, pages 239-240)

The first and most important, of course, is Dare's knife. And yet, this is a pretty minor moment. There's no sign this particular knife is special to Dare - it's mentioned earlier she's got enough weapons on her at the moment to clank. Manuel will ask for it later, claiming it was a loan, but that's the most he can say - and May, who would know, corrects him that it was a gift.

By this point, Dare's already told Toby she wants to get away from Devin and take Manuel with her, and Dare asks because Toby's already her hero. She got out. Dare doesn't get to, in the end. And so the knife that Dare all but offhandedly gave her becomes a keepsake, and one of Toby's most valued possessions. As Toby says taking it in A Local Habitation, maybe Dare's knife would help her be someone else's hero. Eventually, it does. Dare's knife is Toby's promise to herself not to fail anyone again. It's the justification she uses when she needs to go back and confront Blind Michael. (Incidentally, May tells her they can get a new knife in response. For all that she remembers being Dare, she doesn't yet understand what the knife is to Toby.) It's so tied to Toby's identity that when she loses her way home, among all the allies she can't recognize or only knows as enemies -

[Quentin] walked toward me, pausing to bend and gingerly retrieve a silver knife from the floor. It looked sharp. It also looked well-used; there were flecks of blood dried on the hilt, and streaks of something much fresher on the blade. "I'll just, um, hold this for you, for now," he said. "I promise I'll give it back when you're ready." "You can't give it back when it's not mine," I snarled. At least I could talk.

(A Killing Frost, Chapter 19, page 266)

Toby thinks at this point that she's sworn to Sylvester and can return to him, not knowing she's banished. He's not part of her way home anymore. But the knife is. When Toby can't recognize the knife, it's because she's not herself anymore. (Incidentally, it says a lot about how thoroughly Sylvester fucked up, particularly in AKF, that Shadowed Hills isn't home anymore.) On top of that, because of its link to Dare, the knife is also Home - the shitty flophouse for changelings with nowhere else to go run by an exploitative crime lord, but also the place where Toby learned to fight and survive. Sylvester's tried to teach her, but she's not the kind of knight to use a sword.

Moving on:

Then Acacia's hand was on my shoulder, and a knife was landing in the dust beside me. "Kill him or let him go, Amandine's daughter, but don't torture him," she said. "Make your choice. You haven't got much time." I looked up. "Acacia -" She looked down at me, the short tendrils of her hair curling around her face. When I distracted Blind Michael, that must have broken his hold on her, allowing her to rip herself free. "No. You let others make your choices too often. Kill him or let him live, but do it now. No more games." "I don't know what to do." "You always know. You just don't listen to yourself." She shook her head, turning, and started to walk away. The Riders parted to let her pass, still silent, still staring at me. Choices. Oh, Oberon's blood, choices. I put the candle between my teeth, keeping my knife pressed tight against Blind Michael's throat. The flame licked at my cheek, filling the air with the hot smell of singed blood as I reached out and picked up Acacia's knife. I almost dropped it when the metal hit my hand. Iron - it was made of iron. It would have to be; did I really think I could kill one of the Firstborn with silver alone? That was never an option. Not really. ... "I'm sorry," I said. "I can't forgive you." I lifted my hand, bringing the two knives together, and slammed them together down into his throat. Iron slices through faerie flesh like it's nothing but dry leaves and air. That's what iron exists to do: it kills us. Silver can do almost as well, if you use it properly. Acacia's knife was iron, Dare's was silver, and I held them together as I thrust downward. ... It didn't really matter; he was dead, I had won, and I couldn't fight anymore. No more children would suffer because of him. In the end, I'd proved myself as a child of Oberon's line, no matter how much I tried to deny it; I was a hero...

(An Artificial Night, Chapter 31, pages 295-296)

A longer passage there because Acacia's knife is by far the one that gets the most dramatic focus when Toby receives it, for obvious reasons. But it's also more significant than the moment itself. Up to this point, the closest Toby comes to considering herself a hero in more than Dare's eyes is just before the Ride, where she thinks that all her kids are safe (except Katie, who she can't save,) and that she should run before the Ride begins, even if it kills her, because at least then she'd die a hero. There's even a moment early in the book where the Luidaeg calls her a child of Oberon (five pages after Toby reflects to herself that the children of Oberon are heroes,) and Toby thinks to herself that the Luidaeg's wrong, since she still thinks she's Daoine Sidhe.

But she claims it here, because she has no option not to. You can't kill one of the great monsters of Faerie and not accept that you are, ultimately, a hero. So long as she's herself, Toby won't deny that she's a hero again.

Toby carries Acacia's knife with her regularly for the period of time between the end of An Artificial Night and the events of Late Eclipses. This is all but exactly six months - she receives it on October 31, 2010, going back to confront Michael almost immediately after being freed from the Ride. She stops being able to carry it regularly once Amandine changes her blood, in early May 2011. (I’d have to reread Late Eclipses in full to get the exact point it ends, since she’s still carrying it even though she can feel it in the scabbard at the very end.) After that, she keeps it secured at home unless her blood’s changed far enough back towards mortal that it’s safe. But she always keeps the iron knife, and she always brings it with her when she IS more mortal than fae. In The Brightest Fell, she notes the hilt fits perfectly for her. She has to throw it off her when she changes back in Chimes at Midnight, but once the False Queen’s been ousted, Toby apparently makes sure to reclaim it from the treasury. It’s not a good idea to lose a gift from one of the Firstborn, after all. And you never know when you might need to kill another one, especially when one of them is your (terrible) mother. Which she considers, to some extent, at the start of The Brightest Fell, and openly threatens in its ending to get Tybalt and Jazz back.

In short, Toby thinks of the iron knife as being a part of her life for much longer than it actually was, consistently. Part of it’s definitely that it represents the balance of her blood the way she was used to for most of her life - after all, when she gets another blood choice vision in CAM, the choice is presented as iron and silver knives for human and fae. But it’s also the knife she used to kill one of the Firstborn. Dare’s knife is Toby’s promise to be a hero going forward. Acacia’s knife is Toby choosing the title, and all the danger that comes with it. She stabs them both into Michael at the same time. When she’s rebalancing her blood, in CAM, she does the same thing to herself.

"... You do make the first cut, though, and you use my knife to do it, since yours is probably covered with something unspeakable that would despoil my beautiful creation." "Or she can use mine," said a male voice, from behind me. I turned. There was Oberon, still in his mostly-unassuming buise, the antlers on his brow small enough not to attract more attention than he wanted. He was wearing red, which was a little odd, since he wasn't part of the official wedding party, but he was also Oberon, which meant absolutely no one, not even his daughters, was going to tell him "no". And he was holding a knife by the blade, offering it to me hilt-first. I blinked, first at the blade, then at him. "Sire?" I asked. This was one of those things that probably held some great meaning and import no one had ever bothered to explain to me, assuming it wouldn't be important enough to matter. ... "I would be honored," I said, and took the knife from Oberon's hand, turning to face the cake. ... Oberon was gone when I turned around, leaving me holding his knife. I tightened my grip on the handle. I wasn't putting this one down until I could return it to its owner.

(And With Reveling, the novella/epilogue to When Sorrows Come, pages 360-361)

Today would be the first day I carried two knives to Arden's Court. The first, the silver, was familiar. The second was relatively new, although it felt natural and easy in my hand, and was made of a material I still hadn't identified. In a very real way, it was the only gift I had received on my actual wedding day. ... The knife was different. I hadn't even realized it was a gift at first; I'd thought it was just something I could use to cut the cake. But when I'd tried to return it, the Luidaeg had interceded, explaining that once her father - you know, Oberon himself - handed someone a weapon, it was a grave insult to hand it back, and did I really want to insult my grandfather, the Lord of All Faerie, on my wedding day? Was I that eager to become something genuinely unpleasant and leave Tybalt functionally a widower? I was not. And so now I carried a gift from the father of us all on my left hip, sharp and deadly and ready to be used. But no pressure.

(Be The Serpent, Chapter Two, pages 9-10)

Oberon's knife is given with so little ceremony Toby doesn't realize it's truly a gift at first, at a time where - for once - Toby does not actually need a knife for standard stabbing purposes. Oberon's knife immediately has the kind of importance that Toby isn't entirely comfortable with it, in stark contrast to how quick she is to accept the iron knife and how thoroughly the silver knife has become an extension of her identity. She's gotten used to being a hero, and even a hero of the realm - she lets/asks Aethlin to re-recognize her hero status so she can help investigate, which may or may not mean she's now a hero of the entire Westlands as a realm, not just Maples. (Neither of them bothers to specify.) But when a god gives you a knife, it's understandable to be a little hesitant about it. It's given under the most gift-like circumstances of the three - Dare's was a preemptive gift for self-defense, and Acacia's came with a direct request: Kill Blind Michael, or not, but choose. Oberon's gift is more to have than to cut that cake, even if it's not laid out until later.

Dare's knife's metal isn't actually specified in Rosemary and Rue - it's specified when things are iron in that book, but Toby never actually bothers to mention what they use instead. It comes up for the first time in A Local Habitation, instead. What's important to know at the time is that it's a knife, and a pretty unexceptional one, because Dare thinks Toby might need it. Acacia's knife, of course, is immediately singled out as iron. Oberon's knife is just left as "a knife" in And With Reveling (most importantly, a CLEAN knife,) but when it first comes up in Be The Serpent its material is explicitly mentioned as unknown. We immediately know that will be important. Oberon's children are heroes. The man himself does not give weapons lightly.

The Luidaeg waited until the door was closed behind her before she spoke again. "I saw my father hand you a knife at the wedding," she said. "I know he didn't take it back. Do you have it with you?" "I do," I said, and touched the knife belted to my hip. "Show me." Pulling the knife from its sheath felt like a promise I didn't want to be making, as if by doing so, even when asked, I was committing to using it for its intended purpose. The Luidaeg held her hand out and I dropped the handle into her palm, letting her take the blade for me. She lifted it toward the light, squinting. "Hmm," she said. "I think it's antler, rather than bone, but it should still work." "Oh, go- Wait, what?" "Antler. You know what those are, don't you?" She offered the knife back. I took it. "They're the handles on the stag. Not that I'd suggest grabbing them if you don't have a damn good reason, since the best-case scenario when you do that is being stuck on the end of a pissed-off stag. Bone would be better, but I guess Daddy has a renewable source for antler. He drops them every spring, right around Moving Day, and we used to use them for all sorts of things. There's a piece in every hope chest." "You're telling me that I've been carrying around a piece of Oberon?" I demanded, staring at the knife in my hand. The Luidaeg nodded, apparently untroubled. "He isn't good at showing people he likes them, but he must like you, if he's giving you one of those. He tends to keep them close, given what they're used for." "What's that?" "Murder, mostly." She said it so lightly, like it was nothing out of the ordinary. "Silver and iron for a Firstborn, silver and bone - or antler - for our parents. Not that we know that for sure, of course. It was just what the magic seemed to indicate, and what the oracles Saw, back when there were enough of us to ask." I kept staring at the knife. I couldn't seem to take my eyes away. "So you're telling me this knife could - could -" "Could kill Titania, if you used it correctly and caught her off-guard, yes, I am," said the Luidaeg.

(Be The Serpent, Chapter Twelve, pages 161-162)

Oberon's knife is a piece of himself, and it is the ability to kill one of the Three, if Toby dares, if Toby deems it necessary. Granted, that last part was also the case with Acacia's knife - she's Firstborn too, after all. (And of course, ANY knife has the capacity to kill a changeling like Toby starts the series, or Dare.) But coming from the King of All Faerie, it feels even more tremendous, particularly because it's given when the only one of the Three active is Oberon himself. He's actually surprised when Toby discusses killing Titania or threatens him in Be The Serpent. He isn't actually expecting her to start thinking about killing gods with her god-killing knife. Oberon doesn't think about things he knows A LOT. Toby probably gets it from him.

But he's already given her his absolute trust. You don't give someone the one kind of knife that can kill your wives and yourself if you think they would use it irresponsibly.

Toby's wedding is in many ways, in- and out of universe, a recognition of her heroism. Oberon's knife is, as well. And with it comes the burden she's locked herself into: She's the one who brought Oberon home. She's the restorer of the Roane. She's the one who will go to the Heart of Faerie. She has broken the bindings on Titania, set on her by Oberon himself, and destroyed the illusions of Titania; unraveling something of Maeve's seems as inevitable as finding her and bringing her home as well. The antler knife isn't just marking her a hero, it's marking her as something all but mythic.

Even a hero would be nervous about that responsibility.

But for all the weight it carries, it still feels natural to use, just like the iron knife. The antler knife and the role it brings with it are just as much a part of Toby as the silver and iron. And by the time she receives it, she's more than earned it already.

#violence #moreso than the sheer fact of Knife Meta implies there's a death scene under the cut #october daye #october daye series #meta #wall of text below the cut #spoilers through the most recent books; quotes through Be The Serpent #toby daye #Dare october daye #Acacia october daye #Oberon october daye #not gonna tag the other appearances here but I feel like the knife-givers deserve it

[essektheylyss]

I know you said you need to stop screaming first but I am EAGERLY awaiting your thoughts on Essek in the teaser

OKAY OKAY HERE GOES.

The thing is, there's no real reason to include him.

Yes, he's very popular, but he has never historically been included as a default, validly! He occupies a very interesting space mechanically and narratively, but he is still not a PC. Yes, he's part of the Mighty Nein as a group, per canon, but not until the end, which in theory would be well beyond the first season, and so is Cad, who is not present in this teaser—presumably to preserve the mystery around [INSERT MAJOR SPOILER WARNING HERE].

I would imagine that Cad is not present because having Taliesin's voice twice is too much of a tipoff for anyone watching LoVM but not the campaigns, whereas simply having Matt voice someone is not.

HOWEVER.

There are a decent number of lines that you could choose for Essek that are about the Nein—personally, my favorite, that I've thought previously would make a really stellar trailer line, is from 124: "You certainly carve a unique destiny, don't you?" Everything down to the way Matt delivers it (which you can see here) would make it a really viable option.

But the line they went with isn't about the Nein—it's very much a line about Essek himself. "I want to unlock these mysteries. I want to dive as deep as I can into that ocean of the unknown and see what is possible." It's a line that is very specific to Essek and his actions and goals, even beyond his involvement with the Nein.

And it's placed in the middle of the pack, which frames him on the same level as the rest of the Nein! Someone who is not familiar with the campaign would hear that as simply another protagonist. But of course, he's not—unless there is some serious restructuring (more even than the restructuring present in LoVM, which, aside from introducing a few of the initial less plot-bearing aspects later, like the Slayer's Take, it's thus far structured in order), he won't come into the show for quite some time, and almost certainly not in the first season.

But we don't really have any idea how this show will be structured. There are different comments on the beginning from different sources; notably, Gizmodo mentions Calianna being present in some way initially, while no one else does. The logline most outlets are reporting revolves the Nein "prevent[ing] the kingdom from plunging into chaos when an arcane artifact capable of reshaping reality falls into the wrong hands," presumably the beacon (my beloved).

So it makes sense to mention Essek, for, you know, the obvious reasons, as comment on the beacon itself. (I'm going to guess they're simplifying it to one beacon, per the press release, for ease lol.) But this line, while about dunamancy as a whole and the powers of the beacon, is not about it directly. It's still about Essek's interest in it. It is an excellent line, and on its face, it has nothing to do with the Nein or the plot of the first fifty episodes of the campaign.

There's plenty of speculation to be done about how this might be structured, and I'm sure I'll do plenty of it because, let's be honest, I do not shut up about adaptation and translating stories between formats, it is one of my absolute favorite subjects, and this is the Nein, babey!!!

So my point here being: I think there is a lot of room with the nature of Wildemount politics to get a little wild with structure in the translation from D&D game to TV show that, while not impossible in LoVM, wouldn't really have added anything to the story, and honestly, might've taken away from it. Because the point is to watch Vox Machina become the big damn heroes! We do see tidbits of Brimscythe and the Briarwoods beyond the purview of the heroes, but mostly in ways that feel very '80s cartoon villain cameo' which fits the feel of the show perfectly.

But there are a lot of political players and forces in Wildemount that the Nein navigate whether they're aware of them or not, one of whom of course becomes a member of their party, and that's part of what makes their story so interesting. The Nein are the heroes that no one knows, who are always playing within and against the system and are hyper aware of that, and I think expanding how much of that we get to see now that the format allows for it (not necessarily a lot, not to the point of adding whole plotlines, but at least some of it) would only add to the tension and stakes, and Essek's presence in the trailer makes me wonder if they will.

#not pictured: me sitting at my computer hollering while I power through writing both this and my fucking work emails #the work emails are uhhhh going fine. I'm being so productive. don't even worry about it. #(I am actually staying on top of things to be clear lmfao I also write very quickly) #critical role #mighty nein animated #cr spoilers #I gUESS??? #cr meta #long post #anyway now someone ask me about how much I am chinhands kicking my heels thinking about the TONE of this show and lovm #I mean do not get me started. nope don't have time for it. BUT I'M FASCINATED ALREADY #sorry I didn't put it under a cut #I forgot I mentioned I was gonna while tagging

[amarriageoftrueminds]

Hot take but the more I think about it the more I reckon they should've left the Russian aspect out of the Winter Soldier in the MCU. 

I know it's a part of the comics, and the name is meant to evoke the Cold War (Russian, Winter), but IMO it better suits the ‘Gitmo Army brat’ Bucky of the comics than the ‘Arnie Roth’ Bucky of the MCU; it doesn't fit with the MCU's specific backstory parameters. (Plus conflating Russian/KGB with SHIELD/Hydra just muddies the waters, for no particular purpose.)

Examples:

If Bucky was tortured by Nazi doctors in Russia it would've been under Operation Osoaviakhim, not Paperclip.

It doesn't make sense that Russians would name him after an American's quote about America. That's the exact opposite of what Russians would do.

Whereas it’s exactly what Americans would do if he was in American hands when the WS was created (ie. from early on). If comics!Steve can quote Mark Twain it doesn’t make sense that people don’t recognise a Thomas Paine reference in-universe. 

It doesn't make any sense, logistically, that the WS is tortured and operated on by Zola, who is in America (and stays there until he dies), unless the WS is also in America from early on.

(Per Agent Carter) It also doesn’t make any sense that the man who created the WS mind-control techniques -- Doctor Fennhoff/Faustus -- is working for the SSR in America, with Zola, if the WS himself is not also in America when those techniques are implemented. 

(And we know that that tech stayed in America, not Russia, because in the Black Widow movie the Red Room had to go undercover in Ohio just to steal it, and this was in 1995!)

It seems significant that we only see the WS in Siberia a mere 10 days before the Dissolution of the Soviet Union (and Howard Stark knew about him / recognised him instantly, and called him Sergeant Barnes, like Zola did.) 

It doesn't make sense that the WS is shown being conveniently stored in a local urban bank vault in Washington, DC... but was previously shoved hundreds of miles out of the way, in the Siberian wilderness, where it would've been a massive pain in the ass for any American Hydra to get hold of him. (And if they did, for some reason, want to massively inconvenience themselves just for a cold-name’s sake, why not Canada or Alaska?) 

It doesn't make sense that MCU WS is shown exclusively speaking English to the American Hydra agents who have control of him in the present day... but then all his control-words were in Russian and suddenly he speaks only Russian to handlers before this... And yet, he’s back to speaking English again in the flashbacks from TFATWS?? 🤦‍♀️

IMO it would've just been simpler and more straight-forward if it was just Nazis who found Bucky at the bottom of the ravine, not Russians (might even explain why he didn't escape, post-fall but pre-brain damage; he would've been thinking he'd get repatriated pretty soon, when the war's over... and he's kinda right 😭). 

And it would ram home the 'we were the ones doing wrong' horror of CATWS, if Bucky had just been on US soil the entire time and nobody good knew.

Possible scenario: 

The Russians who found Bucky wounded in WWII handed him over to the Americans, since the war wasn’t over yet and the two sides were ‘officially’ still allies. (And/or because they didn’t realise what they had, and/or he was part of some POW exchange deal.)

By the time Stark, Carter & Phillips found out, they had already hired Zola and Fennhoff. 

They intended to use Bucky to reboot the eugenicist supersoldier program and also experiment in the field of mind control (a la Project Artichoke, MK/Ultra etc.) Which they knew people would object to, so they kept Bucky’s recovery quiet from the other Commandos, his family, etc. 

SHIELDra had Bucky in America all along, and the whole Russian Boogeyman / Russian weapons thing was just a cover so that Hydra Demagogues could blame every WS hit on the USSR, and thereby drum up convenient anti-Communist hysteria during the Cold War. 

(After scientists were sent there to work under Operation Osoaviakhim, Hydra grew slowly in Russia -- with the rise of (anti-Communist) capitalism, and with Fascism being typically the resort of anti-authority criminal classes. Hydra ideology flourished much more quickly in the US (where it would be conformist-authoritarian, not anti-authoritarian), because the US was already capitalist, and had already been doing Hydra eugenic science like Project Rebirth, back in WWII.)

Being a greedy liar and a thief, Howard Stark decided to take advantage of the end of the Cold War by selling the WS to the Soviet branch of Hydra, just days before the Dissolution of the Soviet Union made it moot, and stealing the WS from the Pentagon to patent it himself. 

He sold Bucky complete with the Red Book, which the Russians either translated while reading aloud, re-wrote in Russian for their own purposes (explaining why an American organisation’s supersoldier appears to have Russian trigger words; perhaps he doesn’t, they would work in any language?) and why Zemo read them aloud in Russian.

(And/or, maybe the Americans really did use Russian trigger words on Bucky, to perpetuate the ‘definitely-not-American’ Boogeyman mythos?) 

The Russians realised they had been double-crossed by Stark, and sent the WS after him and his wife in retribution, and to steal the WS serum back (which Stark may or may not have also promised but failed to deliver.) 

The other US intelligence agencies failed to look into it more closely because, once they discovered the sale of the WS, and the theft of the serum, they considered Stark and his wife traitors / double-agents, and thought it was best for PR if the whole thing was hushed up.

Despite now having a mind-controlled super soldier of their own, the Russians didn’t have the secret of creating new mind-control. This explains why they couldn’t control the other Winter Soldiers (despite them being Hydra ideologues before serum), and why the Red Room had to go undercover in America, to steal the secret of mind-control from SHIELD in 1995. 

Why would they have to go to America to get that intel, if it was already in Russia?

#dat's me #bucky barnes #bucky meta #meta #mcu #mcu meta #POSSBLE SCENARIO UNDER THE CUT #bout to post a hot take while spaced out and sleep-deprived #always a wise decision! #of course it doesn't follow that a thing is good just because it is in the comics #it could be a comic written by mark millar after all #what is the watsonian explanation... #for this preposterous east coast american / siberian wilderness set up?? #what does the russian aspect add to it? why was it necessary for the plot? #at first it looked like the russian stuff was just a cover up by americans to conceal bucky's true identity #but then in CACW they went full blown russian with it and that.... doesn't actually make sense for this MCU #time for a catnap

[roxannepolice]

So I was thinking of the answer for one of the ask games (which is coming!) but soon realised my reflections are both too long and slightly too salty to include in a fun ask, so here we are.

Because yeah what is below is hands down my favourite Delgado!Master quote, and one of my favourites from any regenerations. Hell, it may be one of my favourites in the entire show.

Gifs by cleowho and I'm sorry I ended up including them this way but I gave up trying to find the exact moment via gif searcher when my phone started smelling of burnt plastic.

So why do I love this so much and why should this result in saltiness? Because this is a very clear statement: there's actual philosophical outlook on the universe behind the Master's villainy. A deeply nietzschean one, but ironically enough underlying much of contemporary critical theories, usually of the progressive vibe. The Master apparently sees power relations as the inherent, fundamental aspect of all sentient relations, and acts accordingly, doing onto others before they do onto them (And that [a self-defence in advance] is how the Master started). And I don't even see it as a neurotic reaction to direct abuse! No, this is something much more intellectual, frozen and abstract. The salt lies therein that there is nothing "just..." to the outlook the Master presents here. Those aren't daddy issues, or the drums (which I love and think can be reconciled with classic Who canon with a bit of timey wimey cause and effect grandfather paradox shenanigans, but fundamentally don't see as the source of Master's villainy, unless they are a metaphor of permanent unsatisfaction and indeed neurotic need for more which is on the one hand awfully difficult for one and everyone around them but on the other perhaps underlie everything you are and you don't know what you'd be without it but you actually like at least a bit of what you are and this is very narcissistic and yes I have OCD), or getaway of insanity, there is no cheap psychologizing, no never heard the music, no Doctor complex that just needs to be talked through, only actual outlook presumably built on decades if not centuries of experience. That is not to say those psychological elements aren't essential to the Master's choices, just that there is no simple obstacle to overcome, no freudian complex to solve for them to see the light. This is something much more conscious.

And I can't express how fitting it is that this nietzscheanism should be the "dark twin" of the Doctor's philosophy of fixing everything they can - in its extreme taking on the form of prometheanism. Frankly, probably the reason Thoschei gives me such a brainrot is the idea of two people with very similar backgrounds (compare and contrast with Professor X and Magneto's backgrounds) arriving at universal outlooks that are at the same time so morally opposing yet in a way fundamentally similar. Because is not overcoming all possible pains of the universe an expression of will?

And the best part? The Doctor does not refute the Master's philosophy! He rejects it morally, but does not point to any single fallacy, does not overthrow it intellectually! And then...

... And then there's the reason I see Tensimm as Goethe's Faust to Threegado Marlowe's (that is not in terms of one being superior or sth only one being a logical development and discussion with the other). At a first glance, Ten is simply repeating what Three said all those episodes ago. But there's more, and there's no way I'm risking my phone again, so a quote will have to suffice.

To have the privilege of seeing the whole of time and space. That's ownership enough.

Ownership. As in having discretion to dispose of something as pleased? As in a very simple power relation?

Like. Wow. This here is indeed a Prometheus whose desire to make people better and literal knowledge of all possible pasts and futures pushed him to call some people more important than others and superimpose his will and knowledge of good and evil disregarding anyone else's choices. This here is indeed the Time Lord Victorious. And yes, knowing when to stop was much easier when there was an external shadow to judge.

The thing is, the Doctor here concedes to the Master's outlook on the universe. Indeed, power relations are unavoidable in sentient life. This is a moment of deep understanding between them because the Doctor now knows what it feels like to wield all that knowledge and perceive no powers saying no. Except, regardless of what poststructuralism might say, there is a fundamental moral difference between power imbalance of seeing vs being seen and y'know, forcing people to build you statues and conquering all other civivlizations and humiliating them in the process. As such, the difference becomes much harder to delineate, forcing one to always reflect instead of following a set of simple guidelines.

The question is, would it still be remembered if the walking counterpoint ceased to exist not physically but intellectually and morally?

#sorry for rambling i have an article that includes critical theories to edit #as always very open to discussion! but i take my time answering #and as always keeping my salt under a cut #yeah i am salty about the fact that the master's perhaps unpalatable philosophy of authoritarian personality is brushed over recently #i like my eldritch horrors representing different philosophies rather than representing their audience wish fulfillment selves #doctor who #philosophy in doctor who #doctor who meta #the master meta #the doctor #third doctor #tenth doctor #the master #delgado!master #simm!master #best enemies #doctor x master #thoschei #threegado #tensimm #yes absolutely tagging this as a ship the philosophy is why i ship them

[front-facing-pokemon]

#metagross #bonus angle under the cut because i didn't even know this thing had a mouth #TPC knew when they named this thing… they even put “meta” in its name… #i always used to pronounce this “meta–grahhss.” but i've also been told multiple times that it's “meta-grohhss.” don't like that #like the word “gross.” they're not gross..! they're strong competitively or whatever..! yeah this is never a pokémon i cared about #some folks only care about pokémon for their competitive viability but that just is not a factor for me when determining pokémon i like #i do like how the X on their face goes over their eyes to make them look angry from practically every angle. i think that's a nice touch #and steel/psychic is rather cool. but i still don't know what this thing is supposed to be. though again i guess there's something to be #said for a pokémon that isn't necessarily Based off anything and is just its own creature. i think there's gotta be at least a few of those #out there‚ innit? i thought the trapinch line was but. lo and behold i guess. maybe they're all based off something and i'm just wrong

[vickyvicarious]

I am anxious, and it soothes me to express myself here; it is like whispering to one's self and listening at the same time. And there is also something about the shorthand symbols that makes it different from writing. I am unhappy about Lucy and about Jonathan.

Welp, that didn't last long, did it.

It's really painful to see Mina's anxiety here, especially as she tries to soothe herself and we already know that in fact the situation is quite possibly worse than she suspects, at least in regards to Jonathan. And as for Lucy... well, I'll come back to that in a minute. For now, I want to just take a moment to appreciate how poetic Mina is here. The self-soothing via journaling is very sweet, but I absolutely love the way she phrases it "like whispering to one's self and listening at the same time." That is evocative as all get-out, and I love it. Somehow it gives me the impression of people hiding under blankets and whispering together. Mina has such an excellent way with words.

...yesterday dear Mr. Hawkins, who is always so kind, sent me a letter from him. I had written asking him if he had heard, and he said the enclosed had just been received. It is only a line dated from Castle Dracula, and says that he is just starting for home.

Another reminder here that we don't get all correspondence, just the relevant stuff it seems. And even though Jonathan's letter here may be relevant it would also be repetitive, since we know it's one of the ones dictated by Dracula. From this we can infer that we won't get repeated accounts of the same event typically either (a detail that can certainly leave room for some missing moments or missing perspectives in fanfic that are still canon compliant).

I really do wish we had access to these mentioned letters though. Or at least to Jonathan's letter. It would be especially powerful in the audio medium of @re-dracula - imagine if we'd gotten it, and the content is very short and pleasant, but it's read in the tone matching how Jonathan felt when writing it. I'm imagining it now and it would have been absolutely heartwrenching. Not to mention, hearing his voice again for the first time in a while, and while still so uncertain about his fate - it would've been very powerful for listeners/readers as well as Mina (more so than in the original format of the book, since the time elapsed has more of an effect this way). Sadly, we don't get that experience.

Then, too, Lucy, although she is so well, has lately taken to her old habit of walking in her sleep. Her mother has spoken to me about it, and we have decided that I am to lock the door of our room every night.

Okay, and here I can talk about Lucy. There's some really interesting stuff going on with both her and her mother in this entry. I'm going to get the Mrs. Westenra stuff out of the way first. So... we see here that Mrs. Westenra is a nervous person. Mina seems to think her fears about Lucy's sleepwalking are a bit overdramatic (love the little smile in her voice as she says the line about sleepwalkers falling to their deaths), even if it perhaps is getting to her a little more than she's admitting. And Mina tries to excuse Mrs. Westenra's anxieties as well, but it seems noteworthy that she has them. She also seems to be quite controlling. We've gotten hints of that already in Lucy's letters, but here we see it in action in two ways. First, she went over Lucy's head to talk to Mina about locking their bedroom door every night. And secondly, this may be just me, but the phrasing about the wedding planning seems quite vague. Going right from the description of Mrs. Westenra's fears to Lucy's wedding planning read at first to me like it was Mrs. Westenra who was doing all the planning. On a reread, it's probably supposed to mean Lucy, but. I dunno, even though it's quite possibly just my mistake I can't help but feel influenced enough to think the confusion reflects that Mrs. Westenra is also quite involved in Lucy's wedding plans. It fits my understanding of her character. And that is someone who is nervous but doesn't speak about her concerns to her daughter (fear over her sleepwalking, possibly worry about how her/Lucy's life will change after the marriage) and instead tries to control the situation in order to take care of Lucy (arranging matters with Mina, being super opinionated/involved in the wedding planning). *

While it's perhaps more mild/excusable here than I may be making it sound, it points to a possible tendency to exclude Lucy in the name of protecting her. It's kind of infantilizing in a way; it certainly isn't putting equal trust in her as an adult who has equal right to know what's going on. Admittedly yes, she is quite young, and yes, this is her mother, so it's somewhat understandable. But even if I get where it's coming from, I think it deprives Lucy of agency in a way that is not at all helpful for her. It shows a lack of trust in Lucy's ability to handle things well, and it just strikes me as really unfair to her.

Because again, Mrs. Westenra spoke to Mina (she says "to me" not "to us"). There's no mention of her speaking to Lucy about this at all. Now, I feel like Mina would mention this locking the door plan to Lucy and she would be okay with it, but the fact that this discussion/decision was seemingly made entirely without Lucy's input rubs me the wrong way.

But there's a lot of not talking going around already.

With the context of this entry, we can infer that probably part of the reason Mina didn't go around on those "duty calls" the other day was because she was worried about Jonathan. She went off to spend some time alone and distract herself by emulating a lady journalist and focusing on plans for the future. By this point she had already written to Mr. Hawkins (probably before leaving for Whitby) and was awaiting his reply, but she didn't mention that until she had some kind of news. I highly suspect she didn't mention it to Lucy either.

After all, Lucy is stressed too. Enough to resume her childhood habit of sleepwalking.

A couple of things are important about that: first, Lucy did this before and so did her father. It's nothing new, but it has been a while. Now, sleepwalking tends to run in families, but the fact that she hasn't done it in so long points to some kind of trigger. I highly suspect the trigger here is stress (along with lack of sleep, a pretty common factor for sleepwalkers I think). I headcanon that Lucy's sleepwalking as a child got worse for a while after her father's death. Regardless of that though, the correlation between the major impending life changes and Lucy suddenly sleepwalking again is certainly suggestive to me. She's going to get married pretty soon, and as happy as she is about that, it's a lot! She's super busy preparing for the wedding. Her entire lifestyle and to an extent social position is going to change. She's going to have new responsibilities, a new home... she can be eager for all of it and still be really nervous.

But Lucy isn't talking about any nerves she may have. She isn't confiding her worries or fears to Mina, at least not that we hear. I think she's happy, and she knows she's expected to be happy, and thus she doesn't feel like she's able to talk about any negatives that go along with that as well. We know from her previous letter that she sometimes finds it hard to open up even when she wants to ("...I would try to tell you what I feel. I do not know how I am writing this even to you.") - and while some of that may have simply been embarrassment about love talk, I still think it's also just a part of her character. Currently, while she does have Mina visiting to support her, Arthur isn't there. He's going to be her partner in life; this wedding involves him too. Having him there would be incredibly soothing, and I think that's a big part of why she's looking forward to his arrival. She probably also hopes that he at least will be genuinely excited and not as worried as her current companions. Because as it stands right now we have:

Mina (afraid for Jonathan, worried about Lucy) (whispering to herself in her journal rather than talking to someone else)

Mrs. Westenra (worried about Lucy **) (talking only to Mina)

Lucy (worried about her future. quite possibly worried about Mina and her mother if she notices their stress) (talking to no one and instead sleepwalking about it)

All of these women care for one another. In fact, they're united by Lucy, whom the other two love and who loves them both. And yet all three of them are hiding things from one another. And Lucy, who is the center of these relationships, is instead left out if anything. They all want to protect each other by hiding the truth. Mina, likely to avoid having to verbalize her fears for Jonathan and to keep from being a damper on Lucy's happiness. Mrs. Westenra, because she wants to protect her daughter from any distress. And as for Lucy... she probably feels like she can't talk about what's bothering her, probably wants to pretend and make it go away. I'm even tempted to say she probably notices that the others are worried and doesn't want to pile her own (surely less important) concerns on them.

It's only in small details right now but when I think about it, it's really frustrating. They're isolating themselves needlessly, and I'm sure they would feel better if they talked to each other! ***

Spoiler notes below:

*This also ties in to Mrs. Westenra hiding her own illness from Lucy, and especially with her gifting everything to Arthur in her will. In both cases she is trying to ensure Lucy isn't stressed or bothered with anything too demanding (her mother's poor health, financial responsibilities). But in both cases all it really does is rob Lucy of knowledge and power. She lacks context for why her mother keeps refusing to sleep with her, and it ends up just being hurtful/isolating and actually dangerous since it leaves her vulnerable to Dracula. While she isn't alive long enough for it to be an issue, and knowing Arthur's character it also isn't likely to have been a huge problem, getting cut out of her own mother's will would also have likely been very hurtful. And it would deprive Lucy of any independence at all; if Arthur weren't so trustworthy or their relationship went sour in the future that could also be quite dangerous for her. Mrs. Westenra wants to protect Lucy from everything, and does so by putting her faith in a trustworthy older friend (Mina) or especially trustworthy men (Arthur, then the doctors to an extent). It's like she thinks Lucy herself couldn't handle it.

I also think the characterization of Mrs. Westenra as a nervous and possibly highstrung person who worries a lot about her family could be a major reason why everyone conspires to hide things from her. They know that her weak heart combined with her personality means that she is very likely to stress out so much that she actually makes herself sicker (or has a heart attack and dies even), whereas another person might be able to handle it. And even if she made it through the shock okay, her reaction wouldn't be helpful. It's easier for everyone not to let her know. This is kind of a mirror to her own treatment of Lucy, but feels more reasonable for her than for Lucy.

** her own illness is of course also worrying Mrs. Westenra. As of yet she hasn't confided in anyone about that either.

*** And of course, this is an ongoing theme all throughout the Lucy section of the book. It stands at odds with the eventual sharing of information that is so key to victory against Dracula. But what is especially frustrating is that the seeds for all that later pain are laid here. Jonathan wanted to tell everything to Mina, and eventually was able to do so via entrusting her with his journal. In this way, he was able to get around Dracula's efforts to silence and isolate him. But while Dracula certainly contributes to silencing and isolating Lucy, he isn't the source of it all. Society, her loved ones, her own personality... everything is already working to do so to an extent.

One of the reasons I love Arthur for Lucy is that he is able to notice her truth even when she tries to hide it. He can bridge the gap that others in her life can't always cross, that even she can't seem to cross even if she wants to. But he's kept away from her for so long that even though she has that relationship it isn't directly helpful to her a lot of the time (though Arthur's willingness to call in the cavalry is a major boon). As we see here, Mina isn't necessarily able to always be fully open with Lucy but she is still hugely instrumental in protecting her, and she too is torn away. That one is related to Dracula, since it's thanks to his effect on Jonathan, but once again he wasn't intentionally doing that. It was convenient for him, much like how Lucy starts out as merely a convenient victim from his perspective. He was even willing to leave her behind in Whitby and then she coincidentally/conveniently for him wound up going to London too, because the plot has fated her to die.

Lucy is surrounded by people and plot devices (her mother being both) that isolate her, and she can't ever openly ask someone else for help when she needs it. Like, maybe a little bit, but... honestly, she never gets to pour her heart out on paper and then share it with a friend the way the others do. Or even in person. When she eventually opens up about her 'nightmare' while being drunk from the first time she laughs it off. She lies to Mina about being better. She tries to tell Arthur she's fine. Even outside of the more strictly supernatural reasons/ways she hides what is happening to her, she can't ever ask for help. I think the closest she comes is that request to van Helsing on her deathbed (because she never was able to knowingly share that memorandum with anyone, and it was one of the times she spoke most openly). And that wasn't entirely for herself even then.

I'm so sad about it.

#dracula daily #lucy westenra #mina murray #mrs. westenra #dracula daily spoilers #only under the cut #my meta