#Or when they use cards that are a representation of their bond with someone else

[pbear]

In Yugioh, when characters utilize the cards of another person's deck in a duel, especially when they are explicitly shown being given the cards by those people.

Always a banger move.

#Or when they use cards that are a representation of their bond with someone else #Like a fusion of their aces #yugioh #yugioh dm #yugioh gx #yugioh 5ds #yugioh zexal #yugioh vrains #yugioh sevens #yugioh go rush

[hpdabbles]

PLEASE I NEED MORE EDITOR REGULUS AU

Harry stares at the parchment that Regulus Black gave him. It's a lot like a regular business card except for the large blue number at the right corner, the phone number being replaced by an owl address, and a winking photo of the editor.

If what Hermione said is true, the number in the corner matches a corresponding page with the same number that Mr. Black has at home, bond in a specialized wizarding notebook set to vibrate when someone uses it.

He knows that tapping his wand to the blue-ink word Contact will alert Mr. Black that he wishes to speak to him faster than an owl can reach him. The man would not know what Harry wants but he would know instantly that Harry needed him.

It's a little sad that it's one of the first times an adult has a way for Harry to immediately contact them and he tries not to think about it. That's easier said than done when the last few weeks have left Harry with nothing but his thoughts.

His schoolmates had gone from hostile to pity in a whiplash of a reaction to the Daily Prophet article dedicated to the tournament and him.

Mr. Black printed the story he told Harry he would, painting him as a poor young wizard, being forced by the system in partaking in dangerous events against his will. He also included the school's negative reaction, the staff's incompetence in handling the situation, the lack of legal representation for Harry and practically laid all blame on the headmaster.

The last part made Harry vivid. It was not Headmaster Dumbledore's fault that someone was out to kill him again, if anything the headmaster was the first to believe Harry about adding his name but Mr. Black is a really good writer.

After reading the article, it left the Boy-Who-Lived wondering just why the Headmaster had not done things legally to get Harry out of the situation.

It made him feel guilty for doubting the grandfatherly man but Dumbledore had practically shrugged his shoulders at a student getting past his security measures if it had been Harry or someone else an unknown adult with unknown agendas.

Since Hogwarts was also hosting students from other countries, Mr. Black pointed out that such a lack of urgency could have landed the Ministry of Magic in hot water with the allies participating in the tournament. It could have turned into an international issue, but for some reason, the Headmaster just didn't seem to care.

One has to wonder, my dear readers, if the Headmaster truly cares about any of his students' safety when one is so obvious danger stands before him and yet he leaves him to die.

Mr. Black may as well had slapped him with those few words.

Harry avoided everyone now that they were trying to apologize and assure him they would be there for him. As if though, they hadn't ostracized Harry, mocked him for his attention-seeking ways, and sneered that Cedric was the only Hogwarts champion.

This false support made him itch.

Ron had yet to speak to him, taking this as another way for Harry to gain sympathy, Hermonie was trying her best to support him but she was just out of depth in what to do and now the article made Harry doubt he could go the headmaster or any other staff member.

It's been so long since he felt this crippling lonely.

He wishes he could speak to Sirius, but his godfather had not sent any more topical birds and he didn't want to accidentally expose him if he tried to reach out.

Maybe that is why he was considering this. It's not Sirius, but Mr.Black has shown already he is eager to help, even if it was just to have a story to print.

Maybe he just wanted an adult to help.

Harry sighs, then careful he taps his wand alerting the man before he can back out. The number glows, shifting into the word Sent and he waits.

The next morning, Mr. Black is sitting in the Gryffindor Common room sipping a cup of tea. He's wearing dress robes, his hair perfectly groom and the air around him regal in a way only the aristocrats can be despite the early hour and the huffing Professor Mcgonagall at his side.

The students are all staring, whispering to each other in an urgent bewildered voice. Harry only has a few seconds to blink before the visitor spots him.

Putting down his cup on the saucer, the man offers Harry the warmest of smiles. It...well it makes him glow and Harry hurriedly looks away, nervous all of a sudden.

"Good morning Mr. Potter. I am glad you contacted me. I came as soon as I could." The man says causing the head of Gryinddor to tsk.

"Too soon. Four in the morning, honestly, have you no shame?"

"I do not sleep professor, so I do apologize for the inconvenience of my arrival."

"...What do you mean you do not sleep?"

Mr.Black only smiles before turning his attention back to Harry. He stands from his seat, placing a hand between the Boy-Who-Lived shoulders, steering him away from the eyes watching them.

The editor struts them- and his stride could be nothing more than a strut- right out of the common room, wiggling a scroll of parchment at Proffesopr Mcgonagall

The woman had been on the verge to protest but whatever he was holding had her pressing her lips together in an angry thin line. She does not comment, silently resign. The tower falls silent as the Fat Lady watches them go.

"Anyhow, I do believe we must sit down and work out all the paperwork before we do anything else. Have you been able to get your guardians to sign?"

"Ugh, yes," Harry responds, rubbing his hair. He shifts on his feet feeling suddenly very underdress in his striped pajamas before the editor. He is not the only one dressed this way, as everyone had practically just woken up but still. "They seemed excited about it"

Not something Harry understands. His uncle had sent a letter saying It's about time and if that wasn't alarming, he didn't know what was. Why would the muggle care that Harry is talked about in wizarding media?

"Perfect! I do appreciate your efficiency. This will make the Magical ward process much faster-"

"The what?"

"Ward process. I making you my ward as a favor for a fellow old dog of ours. I already had everything in place I just needed your old guardians to sign over their rights to keep you and for you to show a desire to want me around. You shall never return to the Dursleys again, the dog was very insistent of that. "

Harry's jaw drops. "How? Doesn't that take time?"

Mr. Black's smile turns sharp, and the locket around his neck almost seems to swing by an invisible force. "It does not take time if one knows how to...encourage officials into working at a faster pace."

"Did...you blackmail them?"

"Of course! What journalist wouldn't?"

Oh well, okay.

Harry wants to ask how but he doesn't think he'll get an answer-

"I found out that one of them has a second secret family, the other is a werewolf, four of the board may be involved in some illegal dragon trade, and the last one I slept with." Mr. Black whispers from the corner of his mouth, looking ahead as though he hadn't just read Harry's mind. "Once the ink dries on your ward placement I shall make some interesting articles about them."

"Won't that...ruin them?"

"If they have secrets, they do not want to be exploited, they need to hide them better. Besides, why should I care about the lives of distasteful men?"

"....You slept with one"

"Yes, and it was distasteful."

Harry wonders if it was a good idea to call the man at all. "The werewolf? Do you not like werewolves?"

"I don't have much of a opinion of them. If I were to pick a magical creature to spend time with, I would pick a house elf. There is no need to worry, my fling and the werewolf I'll leave out of the articles. Neither are crimes, so they won't sell my papers. I enjoy knowing people's secerts but often they don't have much value besides blackmail." Mr.Black tilts his head, expression fond as if remembering a treasured memory. " I caused a riot once at Hogwarts when I leaked a few as a student. It was humorous."

Harry wonders if Sirius knew his brother had been mad from a young age.

#hpdabbles #Harry Potter #Editor Au #Part 2 #Regulus is barely a functioning member of society #His writing holds a chock hold on the media #Harry finds him pretty #Harry doesn't know if he wants to be him or not

[therealsaintscully]

Mary and butterflies - the inevitability of death, murderous calling cards and collectors

Some ramblings with links to other people’s excellent meta, in which I suggest that butterflies (and/or moths) symbolize Mary as Moriarty’s reincarnation and or calling card, while also hint at her inevitable death.

Disclaimers: credits are below the cut. I’m not an expert in any of these topics. Thank you, @thewatsonbeekeepers​​ for the beta. In this post I’ll be using moths and butterflies interchangeably, apologies to any entomologists.

Mary’s appearance in the show brings with it new imagery we haven’t seen prior to The Empty Hearse - butterflies. Once Mary’s in the picture, there are butterflies in some very strategic locations, all are either visually or subtextually leading to her. The show has done that previous to season 3; Moriarty is connected to some well established symbols like magpies, apples and IOUs. 

When I first started reading meta I used to think these themes were a bit of a stretch, but I’ve since accepted  that this is a show that puts barely noticeable phoenixes in a restaurant scene that shows us Sherlock rising from his death.

Here are some of the butterflies I spotted so far:

Butterflies (and in the case of this piece of meta, moth) symbolize most commonly resurrection, change and renewal. Behind the symbolism stands the transformation of a small, ungainly creature into something full-grown and unbound. In that case, in the simplest way, one could argue that butterflies were chosen to symbolize her because the ‘Mary Morstan’ persona was a stillborn’s identity that was stolen and used ‘reborn’ to create a new person.

But more than this simplistic idea; butterflies carry multiple symbolisms. When it comes to Sherlock, I and many others tend to look at Victorian symbolism, considering the detective’s Victorian roots. 

I find the appearance of butterflies interesting in Mary’s context, much like I find the skull interesting in Sherlock’s. The skulls, in Sherlock’s case, serve plenty of purposes, but one of them is the idea of memento mori.

Memento mori (Latin for 'remember that you [have to] die') is an artistic or symbolic reminder of the inevitability of death. These are representations that can appear in any form of art such as paintings, literature, poetry etc. It’s a concept that existed in many ancient cultures but is also deeply rooted in early Christianity. It serves to remind people of the inevitable; that even if we choose to ignore it, not think about it, it’s always there lurking, and the purpose is not to scare us but to encourage us to make good use of our time when we’re alive. Memento mori was the philosophy of reflecting on your own death as a form of spiritual improvement, and rejecting earthly vanities.

Victorians were obsessed with the concept (weren’t Victorians obsessed with everything?). They would take photographs of the dead and keep locks of hair of those who died in mourning brooches. It is said that they found these practices comforting. 

Another expression of the ‘remember that you must die’ concept was vanitas art;  vanitas is a symbolic work of art showing the transience of life, the futility of pleasure, and the certainty of death. The Latin noun vanitas (from the Latin adjective vanus 'empty') means 'emptiness', 'futility', or 'worthlessness', the traditional Christian view being that earthly goods and pursuits are transient and worthless. It alludes to Ecclesiastes 1:2; 12:8, where vanitas translates the Hebrew word hevel (הבל), which also includes the concept of transitoriness. 

This concept reminds me, most especially, of the skull used in The Abominable Bride, which is actually Charles Allen Gilbert's 'All is Vanity' Illusion art.

Back to butterflies - butterflies are a staple component of vanitas art - paintings executed in the vanitas style were meant to remind viewers of the transience of life, the futility of pleasure, and the certainty of death. They also provided a moral justification for painting attractive objects - in a way, it’s a justification for the vanity, or the human need of enjoyment of beautiful things.  Below is a vanitas by Jan Sanders van Hemessen:

But butterflies are also considered an omen of death: 

“Butterflies and moths were associated with death, sometimes merely as omens, sometimes as the soul or ghost.” These butterfly omens came in many ways.  For example, in the nineteenth century United States, some people thought that a trio of butterflies was an omen of death.” [x]

Oh.

But I also think there’s more to the butterfly symbolism than Mary’s imminent death; I suggest that, in keeping with @loudest-subtext-in-tv​ M-Theory (suggesting that Mary was planted in John’s life by Moriarty), they symbolize Mary as Moriarty reincarnated following his death in TRF. That Moriarty had indeed not disappointed Sherlock - there was a posthumous game after all! That Sherlock was supposed to understand that while one form of Moriarty died on that roof, another had emerged, continuing the mission of burning Sherlock’s heart. Mary is Moriarty’s calling card, left behind in the crime scene. They’re different, but not separate, which is why Sherlock is so obsessed with Moriarty between HLV-T6T; he’s both wrong and correct at the same time.

So far, what I’ve suggested is that in Sherlock, skulls are Sherlock’s symbolic memento mori - the skulls are associated with Sherlock in some very significant ways. 

However, Mary’s character was doomed from the start - she dies during Sherlock’s hiatus in ACD canon. I believe many fans assumed Sherlock’s Mary expected the same fate when she was introduced to the show. Although the story of Samarra is told by Sherlock, who expects his own death in T6T, Mary is the one who ends up dying. 

Butterflies in ACD canon

Searching for the significance of butterflies in the ACD and BBC canon led me to a number of interesting directions in meta written by others. 

The first and probably the best place to start is this meta post by @tendergingergirl​​, which I strongly suggest you read in full: Butterflies, Sexual Deviancy & The Bloodline Theory in The Hound of The Baskervilles. 

Stapleton also has a hobby. He collects bugs…Butterflies, to be exact. This can often be seen as purely academic, but depending on the actions of the hobbyist, they can indicate more disturbing things. That of holding something vulnerable captive, treating it as your hostage, pinning it down. The torture of animals has come to be a good indicator of someone who would do this to a human. He had already shown callousness by laughing as he recounts to Holmes of ponies wandering onto the Moor, becoming trapped, and dying. In 1974, there was a release of a new edition of Sherlock Holmes stories, with the forward of The Hound of The Baskervilles written by British author, John Fowles. He is responsible for several well-known works, including The French Lieutenant’s Wife. Another, was a novel that Mason finds himself wondering why Fowles doesn’t mention in his introduction, since the villain is such a close parallel to Stapleton.(but as we have learned through the study of ACD, most writers will not come right out and say where they got their inspiration. They like for you to guess!)

A lonely young man, works as a clerk, and collects butterflies, becomes obsessed with a pretty young girl, Miranda, an art student. He chloroforms, and kidnaps her, taking her to his cellar basement, to add Miranda to his collection. That book was called The Collector. But what else does it sound like?

“So yes, I googled. From an article on the release of the movie’s Documentary. "The docu proves a poor reference point for anyone who wants to understand the literary and movie links for “Lambs.” There’s no mention, for example, of how Harris partly based the butterfly-loving Bill on John Fowles’ kidnapper in “The Collector” …And here I thought Mofftiss added allusions to Silence of The Lambs into Sherlock just for fun. SMH.”

@tendergingergirl​ also added this photo to their post:

So what we have here is a chain of metatextualities/inspiration, starting with ACD’s THOB, where Jack Stapelton inspires a book about a disturbed butterfly collector (The Collector by John Fowles), which inspires a the author of Silence of the Lambs in creation of his character Buffalo Bill, a serial murderer who inserts a death's head moth into the victim's throat because he is fascinated by the insect's metamorphosis. Silence of the Lambs served as inspiration for Sherlock  as analyzed by @garkgatiss​ in Bond, Hannibal, and Holmes (I suggest you read the whole Hannibal section) . 

Let’s look again at some imagery from His Last Vow. Mary shoots Sherlock’s heart, essentially burning his heart out, and who does Sherlock meet in his Mind Palace in a very cocoon-like straightjacket? Yes, the dead dude who encourages him to die already (“one more push, and off you pop”).

What’s the next thing we as an audience see once Sherlock opens his eyes? Mary coming to the hospital to hear that Sherlock had, in fact, survived. And what is she wearing? Her butterfly scarf, one which will another appearance later in the episode, during the tarmac scene.

I also find it interesting that in the context of Sherlock and Silence of the Lamb, there’s an element of gender-switching between Moriarty and Mary. Buffalo Bill, the murderer from Silence of the Lambs, skins bodies of women to create himself a woman’s 'suit’; in Sherlock, Moriarty is a man-villain who transforms into a female-villain in the form of a bride and/or Mary. 

By the way, who else is obsessed with his suits?

Also, let’s not forget the worms, maggots and other such crawlers in the grave scene:

Now, let’s go over some of the photos I included in the beginning of this post a bit further.

Mrs. Hudson’s butterfly tea set is first shown in TEH - she uses it to serve John tea when he comes visiting her and tellis her about Mary. We also see it near John’s chair on the day of the wedding. This isn’t Sherlock’s set - his set is different, featuring the British Isles. Moriarty drinks from it in TRF. The next tea set we see, now that Moriarty is dead, is the butterflies one. In TLD, Mrs. Hudson uses Sherlock’s tea set - the butterflies are gone.

Mary’s bedroom wallpaper is very feminine, with flowers and butterflies, both complementing symbols while also very common in vanitas art. Much like Mrs. Hudson’s wallpaper in Baker Street, Mary’s wallpaper is supposed to show the contrast between Mary’s flat/Mary and Sherlock’s flat/Sherlock.

There’s an interesting moth reference in The Empty Hearse, which in my opinion, is Mary & Moriarty related. In short, in a previous piece of meta I wrote, I suggested that the Jack the Ripper case in TEH is subtext alluding to Mary’s skeletons, which Sherlock ignores because he’s upset by his reception by John. And what’s one of the first things Sherlock notices about the skeleton? New mothballs smell, hinting at an attempt to get rid of moth/butterflies - maybe a hint to  the fact that Sherlock has a chance to discover the truth about Mary but misses it. Also, in the context of Mary and the Jack the Ripper case, notice this transition:

Transitions are important on Sherlock - they’re nearly always there to draw our attention.

This, I think, is perhaps the most telling about a possible connection between Mary and Moriarty: we have both magpies (a Moriarty hint) and butterflies together here. This isn’t the only hint of Mary’s past we get in the wedding; there is, after all, the telegram from CAM.

Mary’s scarf is colorful, and it appears by the time Sherlock’s subconscious suspects Mary. Mary’s black butterfly dress - an ominous dress, I’d say - is the one she wears during the labour scene in the car. The third photo is a behind the scenes photo uploaded by Amanda Abbington, although I’m unsure whether this necklace is AA’s or Mary’s (but I couldn’t pass on including this).

Interestingly, the butterflies do not appear in Rosie’s context - either because it’s a telling sign that Mary won’t be with us much longer, or because Rosie is spared being considered a part of the ‘burning Sherlock’s heart’ plan. Sherlock, on the surface, seems to love Rosie and accepts her.

Also, another BTS photograph I came across during my research which I’ve never seen before and ties nicely to the vanity topic is this one (found here):

The Death's-head hawkmoth and ‘Death with Interruptions’

You’ll recall that I referenced The Collector and Silence of the Lambs, both featuring butterflies on their cover art. 

The Silence of the Lambs cover features Acherontia atropos, otherwise known as the death's-head hawkmoth. It gets its name from the sinister-looking skull shape on its back. In many cultures it is thought to be an omen of death. In a bit of another coincidental but stunning piece of symbolism, all three species of the Death's-head hawkmoth are commonly observed raiding beehives of different species of honey bee; A. atropos only invades colonies of the well-known western honey bee, Apis mellifera, and feeds on both nectar and honey. They can move about in hives without being disturbed because they mimic the scent of the bees and are not recognised as intruders.

Anyway, the use of Acherontia atropos reminded me of the book ‘Death with Interruptions’ by Jose Saramago. Interestingly, this is another book about a deathly collector with a butterfly on the cover:

In Death with Interruptions death is a woman, and she falls in love with one of her future victims. She decides to spare his life: Every time death sends him his letter [notifying him of his imminent death], it gets returned. death discovers that, without reason, this man has mistakenly not been killed. Although originally intending merely to analyse this man and discover why he is unique, death eventually becomes infatuated with him, so much so that she takes on human form to meet him. Upon visiting the cellist, she plans to personally give him the letter; instead, she falls in love with him, and, by doing so, she becomes even more human-like.

It’s pretty common to read theories about Mary who maybe was one of the assassins due to kill John both at the pool and in front of Barts. So we have a death harbinger trying to kill someone twice and failing. She then falls in love with him.

But how does the butterfly fit in?

Well, at some point in the story, death (that’s her name, sans a capital d), contemplates that using the death head butterfly, instead of a violet piece of paper, would have sent a much stronger message to those whose death is coming for.

And here’s another last bit of coincidental reference to Sherlock: I’d argue shades of purple, among them shades of violet, are associated with Mary and her secrets. There’s the purple dress she wears in TEH, her bridesmaids’ dresses include various shades of purple (including what I would argue was a violet sash) and let’s not forget:

Oh and, by the way, remember the song Donde Estas, Yolanda from TEH, about a woman called Yolanda? Always thought it was a bit of an odd choice for a song?

Yolanda is a female given name, of Greek origin, meaning Violet.

:)

Thoughts?

Credits: thank you @lukessense​ for directing me to @tendergingergirl​ meta about butterflies. Episode screenshots are from kissthemgoodbye.net.

@sarahthecoat​  @tjlcisthenewsexy​ @devoursjohnlock​ @inevitably-johnlocked​ @shylockgnomes​ @possiblyimbiassed​ @raggedyblue​ @ebaeschnbliah​ @gosherlocked​ @waitedforgarridebs​ @helloliriels​ 

#mary mosrtan #butterflies #silence of the lambs #the collector #meta #sherlock meta #tjlc #johnlockendgame #jim moriarty

[themelodicenigma]

1/2 Hi! What's your opinion about Aerith's resolution scene? It feels like most of fans are more interested in convenient interpretations to confirm/discard the CA ship, without really wondering, from a narrative standpoint, "why", of all the things Aerith could warn Cloud against, she touches the romantic subject? And so early in the story too. Romance in FF7 is often treated by fans as a standalone thing more than something that is interweaved with the main story and has a role within it.

2/2 Should we now re-evaluate the weight of CA relationship in the OG? I never felt like Cloud had more than a crush on her or her death broke him. But when a compilation expands in such a relistic way, the main story needs to be retroactively reinterpreted (like what happened with CC). I'm also wondering what significance we should give to the black floating feathers in this scene (the most visible one appearing when Aerith prays – hard not to think about Sephiroth). PS Sorry for the bad English

Don’t worry, your ENG is fine here!

Anywho, it’s quite the subject isn’t it? I often speak on how sometimes the foundation of a fan’s understanding of the Remake is grounded by their understanding of the OG. Which does make sense and have its merit, but it can also lead to a lot of biased views if there isn’t a consideration of the Remake’s way of storytelling. That’s why we have less of a reasonable spectrum of thought, and more of these black and white interpretations you mentioned floating around. I’ve seen a lot of “Aerith is telling us a fact: Cloud’s feelings aren’t real!” vs. “Cloud confessed to Aerith that he’d fall in love with her!”.

It doesn’t take much time to realize who is saying what.

The first example is talking about something that hasn’t happened yet (e.g. Cloud confirming Aerith’s words), and the second example is talking about something that, by the scene itself, just didn’t happen anyway. From a narrative standpoint and with an understanding of the story of FF7, this part of Aerith’s Resolution reflects two points: Cloud’s false memories/self and Cloud’s feelings for Aerith—more directly, the premise that if Cloud falls in love with Aerith, his feelings won’t be real due to the state of being he’s in. Additionally, this resolution essentially acts as a reflection of Aerith’s GS Date but with twists—the first being that her thoughts on Cloud’s falsity is not tied to the correlation of his similarities to Zack, and the second being that it adds a dash of something more reminiscent of the dream/forest scene (if anything, the Resolution is almost an applicable replacement of it in general). Death, cherishing time left and memories, and Cloud not being completely himself—there’s a lot of foreshadowing here.

This is where people typically use their takes on the OG to formulate a conclusion for Aerith’s premise, as you’ve seen above, with even some extending alternates. For example, that the real reason Cloud’s feelings wouldn’t be real because he’s really in love with Tifa already and is incapable of feeling anything for anyone else as he is.

But my take?

To be upfront, this scene sets up the idea that Aerith is wrong in regards to the romantic storytelling between the two of them. That yes, his feelings (in this case, that of “suki” [すき, romantic like/love when used for a person]) are going to be real despite the state he’s in. Not to mention, it isn’t an “if” he has romantic feelings, because it goes against all reason and understanding of anything else in this scene to suggest this premise was written for the sake of something that won’t happen or won’t be addressed. Even if she is right, this is only effective writing if yes, Cloud indeed falls for her and thought those feelings were real, and thus, finds out that he truly doesn’t feel that way once he regains his true self. There’d be no point to this line if he doesn’t feel this, otherwise for the sake of writing, it would’ve made more sense for her to suggest that what she just talked about (the memories/moments/happiness shared) were going to be what wasn’t real, specifically.

Until further information tells me otherwise, I believe Aerith is going to be wrong because of how the OG and relevant material presents what Cloud retains once he regains himself.

Let’s get into it.

Unlike the OG, Aerith is presenting the falsity of Cloud not through her own feelings, but that of HIS. She’s not assuming that the mantra of “embracing the moments” is something that Cloud won’t retain—it’s just the romantic feelings that will grow from them. We don’t have to worry about whether what Cloud retains from these moments and memories of Aerith are false. Why? Because that was completely fine in the OG. The moments, memories, and the bond they shared were all real to Cloud after he regains himself. And obviously, not just with Aerith, but with all his companions. If he didn’t retain what he gained while Aerith was alive, he just simply wouldn’t have any reason to value Aerith, it’d almost be like he doesn’t know her existentially at all. But that isn’t the case. Really, what he gained with his companions was never put to the test of falsehood in the first place.

But the romance? So specifically?

The “why” of everything that is said in this scene is done for some narrative purpose, representing future events and themes to be further implemented down the line. In a literal conversation about romantic feelings to be confirmed or denied story-wise—this is romantic storytelling, and whether you like it or not, it has been issued between the two characters. And of course, I believe it should make someone re-evaluate their understanding of the OG—not in the way where the story itself begets change (like that of the effect with CC, as you mentioned), but more so in realizing that the Remake is just a more expressive reflection of the romantic storytelling that was already in the OG. The writing and approach of the Remake is different than that of the OG, as we can even see between the expressions and details expanded on, like say for Cloud and Tifa’s bond and what that alludes to later down the line as well. This same thing is done for Cloud and Aerith, and what may not have been as openly expressed, is now done so too.

In the OG, the romantic storytelling between Cloud and Aerith played on the typical RPG standard of player-story interactive choice, but was contained in that by not having the story clearly address those choices through Cloud’s character after he regains himself. That and all relative materials like interviews or guidebooks relative to the OG—we only have a few direct romanticisms and some that can be argued as indirect given context. It’s not absent, but it’s unclear to the point it’s a discussion people still have 20+ years later. Also, by those possibly confused, player choice does not eliminate this through character representation—I’ll digress as it’s a whole other thing.

Cloud’s time with Aerith isn’t a mystery—we see everything between them and experience it as the player. We know what did or didn’t happen, what could be expressed, and what we’re left with in regards to romanticism is more of an unaddressed, almost irrelevant idea. What’s represented openly instead is everything else about their important bond, basically. Romanticism—it’s all in the air, not invalidated, but also not further represented for the character in the things referenced afterwards, like Cloud mentioning his memories of her, wanting to see her in death [Promised Land], Aerith being a friend, comrade, irreplaceable, etc. His time spent with Aerith was still something Cloud kept with him.

So, if the question for the OG is: did Cloud retain any romanticism for Aerith as a cherished feeling/memory, too?

I believe by right of the storytelling values presented in the game, that yes, he did. While the game and other materials make no attempt at trying to elaborate on Cloud’s favor towards Aerith, they also don’t negate it in void either from his character. A general good rule of thumb: usually when you have romantic meaning issued between two characters, whether through parallels, symbolism, other characters, the characters themselves, etc.—if it’s something that isn’t confirmed (e.g. confessions or explicit showing of romantic interest) OR isn’t countered or denied significantly (obviously not including the typical false denial by a character), then typically, you go with the positive-end that the representation there does indeed confirm that romanticism.

Think about it like this: remember that show you watched where the two lead characters had romantic subtext, but the show ends without them getting together? Yeah. If you’re at the point of claiming romantic subtext, you’re not doing so for the sake of saying the authorial intent is to show non-romance, but to show romanticism in a subtle way. There are a myriad of writers who have this style, and getting a direct confirmation or explicit showing of romance isn’t always in the cards for how that storytelling is going to be expressed. But, that hardly erases what is still intended to be understood.

The thing about Cloud and Aerith, the romanticism that can be understood from Cloud IS indeed never confirmed, not like how it was for Tifa. Which, I do advocate this actually does showcase how his romantic feelings for Tifa have a further depth than of that for Aerith given the lack of relevancy in comparison. However, his feelings for Tifa don’t negate what he felt for Aerith in totality, not to the point of being evidence of absence. The OG and further materials paint the picture that, after Aerith’s death, Cloud still remembers and cherishes her as a comrade—the memories, the moments. All of it. What’s understood is that everything that Aerith was to Cloud was carried over and fueled his reason to want to see her even in death—if romanticism was a part of those memories, those moments, no matter how small in the grand scheme of their connection, we can’t cherry pick it out of existence just because it doesn’t take expressive priority. From the game itself, I would use the “positive-end” method to understand that the romanticism there IS a part of the character, and if I include representations from other media or interviews, the authorial intention becomes much more clear.

As for the depth of these feelings? Again, Cloud’s time with Aerith isn’t a mystery. Whatever happens during that part of the game IS the depth of the feelings. I won’t identify it as a “crush”, but I just know it wasn’t deep enough to cause conflict in his relationship with Tifa because rationally (and by general storytelling standard), it would if so.

In any case, without a specific negative address of that romanticism, we can’t reasonably split apart what Cloud felt for Aerith from everything else he retained from his time spent with her.

And that’s what the Remake is basically addressing, pretty directly this time. I feel that way about a lot of things, and I absolutely believe the story is better off with it as we’re reaching more avenues for telling the FF7 story and development. What we’re getting here is something more direct and expressive than the OG, as I believe we will for most things, like we already have with Cloud and Tifa, Tifa and Aerith, and even Zack and Aerith. It’s doing much more. One could say that it might be making more of the romance than it was in the OG, but to me, I believe it’s about the same. The subject matter being brought up directly won’t change that on its own, but it’s curious that it was brought up this way.

So, if the OG didn’t represent the meaning of Aerith being right, that anything of which Cloud has for Aerith was made to be false after he gained his true self, then I don’t believe the Remake has a reason for doing it either. This is reinforced by the fact that Aerith being right just isn’t congruent with a lot of the other themes happening in the story there. It makes no sense to pinpoint the romantic feelings specifically as something Cloud didn’t feel—and again, his feelings for Tifa shouldn’t be it. How they decide to show the “answer” is up for thought as writers, as discussed, will find many ways to give meaning from their story. If the writing is consistent, what some CA fans expect won’t be what they will get, but CT fans acting like the meaning from the resolution won’t pop up ever again are already missing the point, too.

There are other interesting things though, like Aerith’s thoughts on death and this lifestyle point of view—how this connects to her hatred of the sky and those she has lost will be an interesting point for her character. Maybe even the anticipated arc of her time in death within the Lifestream and reuniting with Zack. We might finally get solid context for that. As for the black/dark feathers, I’m not sure if it even is, but it would certainly match the motif, like at the very beginning when Cloud is in the reactor. It flying by like that could simply be part of the reference to her death.

#FF7 Remake #cloud strife #aerith gainsborough #ffvii remake

[tsukikoayanosuke]

Behind the Fic: How To - Research Epel (feat. Various Others)

Reading Epel card for research purpose and I learn some things:

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Epel PE Uniform

So, is the Flying Lesson elective or the whole PE lesson is elective?

Epel likes floral pattern embroidery. How sweet~

Epel and Deuce bonding over how awesome dragon embroideries are

It was mention that Vil is more strict about uniforms than even the teacher (I think this is also shown in Leona's School Uniform Personal Story)

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Epel Dress-up Bridegroom

Okay. So, Epel has this prince-ly aura. I haven't used any of my Epel cards so I don't know if Epel is a light or dark magic user. But he seems to be dark since he's based on the poison apple. If not, he might also be a reference to Prince Florian, just like how Rook is a reference to Snow White?

Rook would definitely do a very dramatic proposal, change my mind.

Epel recognizes Silver from Vil's movie. The same movie from Silver PE Uniform where he 'acts' as the Headless Horseman. So, Ghost Marriage happens after Silver PE Uniform. This also implies that Vil shows his movie. Does Pomefiore has a movie night of something? That would be wholesome.

So, Malleus is missing, but he appears in Riddle Dress-up Bridegroom Personal Story. This means Epel's story takes place at the same time as Riddle's flashback. (This also mean, when they should be thinking how to propose, Riddle was grumbling and tending the roses)

Malleus does what he wants...

Lilia knows Disney Movies Prince and Princess tropes.

Epel, you do karaoke? (he can yodel I bet)

Epel's house is located near his family house. I don't know how farming works, but a ranch is a pretty wide area, right? Does this imply that Epel has a ranch or he lives near a ranch? Or maybe his family works at the said ranch?

I knew the horse is borrowed! Also, it's all Silver's idea to have a horse.

Also the importance of the white horse in Disney Movies. All the good guys' horses (Florian's, Charming's, Phillip's, Shang's, Maximus) have white skin. However, Mulan's horse is black? Hans' horse is more tan... Eh, I don't know what I'm saying.

Where does the NRC stable is located?

Is the while horse a reference to Prince Florian's horse? That horse is the white-st if I recall.

Epel is a horse whisperer. I bet he has many Hiccup-Toothless-forbidden friendship moments

Also, Epel has a grandpa.

This child is a feral country boy

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Epel Ceremonial Robe

I remember someone mentions that Pomefiore students came from not-noble family. But because of the elegance of the dorm, you immediately assumed that this dorm is filled with rich kids. (It was @vyragosa , thanks @twistedapple )

I love my feral child. I bet he's stronger than Jack.

Rook talks a lot in some sort of poetic way.

Drinking the water for washing hands. Is that a Shrek 2 reference?

Vil calls the new students 'new potatoes'. He also has that bishonen sparkles when he walks in. However, he's mostly trying to hold up the image of the perfect form leader.

I guess this is the Personal Story that made everyone look down on Vil because he slaps Epel. However, he's mostly trying to hold up the image of the perfect form leader.

Epel's favorite food is grilled meat.

Vil has a strong grip that can crush an apple. Why is everyone in Pomefiore secretly a powerhouse?

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Epel Lab Coat

The Lambent Flower is a plant that emits light. Is that a Tangled reference?

Jack and Epel are in the same class

Cater nickname to Epel is 'Cutie-chan'

Cater is also very persuasive in teaching people how to make a MagiCam account

Dire Crewel is a killer teacher, he's probably the most feared teacher on campus. Avoid at all cost

Epel knows cowboy slang, change my mind

HORSE SHIT!

Also, connecting this with his Dress-up Bridegroom Personal Story, I'm guessing that Epel's farm and his neighbor ranch has a pretty good relationship. He can get horse shit anytime he wants for fertilizer

He also gets the horse shits from the Equestrian Club. My guesses that this story takes place after the whole Ghost Marriage since back then Epel only recognize Silver from Vil's movie, but now he seems to have a good relationship with the club

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Epel School Uniform

Epel is good with apple crafting and is very familiar with apples. Is Epel's farm actually an apple orchard or he had a farm and an apple orchard?

Sebek is from class D. This means, out of the whole first year, Sebek is the only one without the main gang classmate

Sebek talks like from a historical drama

Also, Sebek and Epel bonding over apple crafting

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Reading these cards makes me love Epel more. The whole Pomefiore gang is certainly underrated. I just want my country boy to be friends with the other first year gang faster, okay?

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Personal Headcanon:

This research is done to learn more about Epel because of his sort of importance role in my Octavinelle adaptation.

Reading the cards makes me think of how the Sorting Ceremony works. Pomefiore was founded on the unrelenting efforts of the Beautiful Queen. Epel may think that he doesn't suit in Pomefiore because, like everyone else, he thinks this dorm is for those fancypants who only thinks about beauty.

However, he forgets the 'unrelenting efforts' part. He's the one who thinks ahead and prepares a horse so he can fit the 'ideal prince' image. Even when he's not good in table manners, he's willing to learn and listen to Rook and Vil. He finds a way to collect a nearly unobtainable nectar, even when everyone keeps telling him he can't do it. He self-taught how to apple crafting, not caring if he gets hurt.

Epel may think he's unsuited in Pomefiore, but in reality, he's a perfect representation of the dorm’s true potential.

I love my country boy. Everyone, please respect Epel Florida Man Felmier not for his cute face, but his amazing never-giving-up spirit!

#behind the fic: how to #epel felmier #deuce spade #silver (twisted wonderland) #rook hunt #vil schoenheit #sebek zigvolt #divus crewel #cater diamond #jack howl #twisted wonderland #disney twisted wonderland #twst #twisted wonderland headcanons

[pontsalin]

Aaa I’ve finally finished them! The sides as Tarot card from the Major Arcana! I’m really happy how it turned out,,

The meaning of the cards and explaination are under the cut.

(All the meaning of the cards are the Golden Thread Tarot app)

Imma describe the cards meaning, and why I’ve chosen them, but there are also little details that are up to interpretation/ add more meaning!

Roman: The Fool

Meaning: The major aracna tells the story of an individual’s path towards completion. Being the first card, the fool therefore is a blank slate, a representation of purity and innocence of a child that knows nothing of the world. New journeys are signaled here, and the fool is full of exuberance and energy. He does not know the dangers that beset him during the travels, and thus he stumbles forward with complete optimism, never suspecting that he may be walking on a thin tight rope.

Why? ‘Innocence and purity? Shouldn’t it be Patton? I hear you say.

Well, travel and optimism sounds more like Roman, fearless Prince that fights the horror of the Imagination, unknowingly destroying himself as he tries to be someone else.

This card implies growth and development, which is something that Roman is slowly but surely going through.

Deceit: The Magician

Meaning: The Magician is the representation of pure willpower. She takes all that is available to her and molds and transforms it to her desires. With her hand pointing to the ground and her wand pointing to the sky, she is the manifestation of the ancient phrase “as above so below” - meaning that earth reflects heaven, what is within also without, the microcosm is the macroscom. Naturally, this phrase is the origin of what is commonly understood as ‘magic’.

Why? Honestly Deceit was the hardest side to chose a card for. 

This card means willpower and desire, things that Deceit has and wants to protect. He cares for Thomas, and wants him to do the things he wants. Also, I thought the whole ‘reflects’ and opposite was something very fitting to him...

Note: His four ‘bonus’ arms are all spelling something in ASL.

Logan: The Emperor

Meaning: While the Empress represents the archetypal mother, the Emperor represents the father. He exudes authority - and though he is stern, he is also filled with wisdom and understanding from his years. He signals structure, stability and the rule of thought over the heart.

Why? You might have thought this card was for Patton because the of fatherly meaning because we all know Logan is the mother of the group, but the rule of thought over the heart is definitly something more... logical. Honestly I don’t have much to explain for that one since it’s pretty transparent.

Patton: The Hierophant

Meaning: Following the bounds of tradition. What is tried and true is valued, and it is not the time to stray from the path. This card can also represent the pursuit of knowledge, or a spiritual guide.

Why? As Thomas’ morality, Patton would rather not have him stray from his path, and do things another way.

Note: The duality of the card being cute and domestic, and the meaning being ‘darker’ (not really the word I’d use but I can’t find something else rip) is absolutly intentional.

Virgil: The Devil

Meaning: Represents the fears, obsessions and insecurities that hold humanity back from reaching their true potential. Two souls are enslaved by the beast, a mirror image to “The Lovers”, but their bonds are not those that are physicalor real.

Why? I know, I know, Virgil had a redemption arc, but anxiety is still something that stops you from getting out of your comfort zone, making mistakes and therefore learning new things.

Note: I did not work much on the ‘two souls’ thing, but it’s actually something interesting to think about...

Remus: The Tower

Meaning: Ineviatble destruction and the breakdown something in our lives which we consider foundational. Reminiscent of the tower of babel, which was built upon far-reaching human ambition, creating an artifical comfort in our lives. But there is always an upside - when the tower levels, not only to we uncover our own hidden resilience, but we can also rebuild anew with greater inner insight.

Why? Because of the entire episode. In DWIT, Remus came in, fucked shit up, made Thomas, Patton and Virgi rethink of their action/ themselves. Now let’s just see what they will build from that...

#sanders sides #ts sides #ts art #roman sanders #deceit sanders #logan sanders #patton sanders #virgil sanders #remus sanders #thomas sanders #ts fanart #solart #i may do some more if i get enough spoons for it

[biaswreckermagnet]

Fate: The Winx Saga - My Thoughts and Critique - Part 1: Characters

Be warned: The following post will be quite long as I have a lot to say. Please note that this is all my personal opinion and this is just the thoughts and critique of someone that has watched the original Winx Club several time and I have watched the new Winx Saga, and this is in no way a blind hatred based on only word of mouth and seeing half a trailer. Enjoy

I will be comparing this new series to the original 4Kids version, as this is the version I hold close to my heart and grew up watching. So if there are any plot differences I describe from the animation, it is probably due to the slight changes made in the Nick Dub, which some people will know best (example, in 4Kids dub, Aisha’s name is Layla, and Sparks is known as Domino in the Nick dub)

CHARACTERS

Well, I have a lot to say about the characters, just like anyone else. I’ll break down, the casting, compare the character to the animation, and their personality in the Netflix series.

Bloom

The actress chosen in my opinion was a good choice. The problem I have, is her personality.  They got the determination and hot-head traits right, of course. But in the animation, Bloom is warm, friendly and bubbly. Easy-going and popular among her peers. I don’t know if they were trying to appeal to the oh-so-angsty teenagers that don’t want to go outside and have few friends. The typical “I’m not like other girls” trope. Tropes are popular, and as someone who has written stories in the past, I have used that trope once, but usually it’s a trope I like when it’s to show the character’s beauty compared to others who may be catty and selfish; not so beautiful on the inside. Here, to me, Bloom is just unlikable. She may be angsty and a rebellious teen, blah blah blah, but she was so rude to people like her Earth mother, and inconsiderate of her own actions and how it could affect those around her. Even if Aisha told her “That is a bad idea, you’re going to regret it” she runs along and does it anyway, and then she gets into a bad situation which also affects everyone, Even if she helps clean up the mess, damage is still done.

In Fate, Bloom’s relationship with her parents is not amazing. Yes, she’s an angsty, rebellious teen who almost kills them because she lost control of her power, but I found this cold, rude relationship so unnecessary.  As a teen, sometimes it may seem like no one is listening nor can understand,  parents just seem nosy and overbearing, but communication is key. That’s what I find so many shows are missing now: communication.

Looking at Bloom’s relationship with her parents in the animation, it’s not only simpler for them to know from the start that she has powers, but it makes the communication between both parties better. This strong relationship Bloom and her parents have is always present, but we see the beauty of it in Season 1, episode 13, “Meant to Be” when Mike and Vanessa sit her down and talk to her about how they realised she had magic before that fateful meeting with Stella.

There is none of that warmth and love now. Bloom curses at her mother, gives her attitude and is overall just a brat.  Bloom may feel remorse towards herself for burning her mother, but then, why is the attitude towards her so ugly? I really don’t like it.

Aisha/Layla

Next is Aisha, who is the only character that was not whitewashed from the original. The only reason I think she wasn’t is because the creators of Winx Saga knew there would be a true uproar if they dared to replace her with someone non-black.

She is the general voice of reason in the group, and the babysitter of Bloom and company. She will support and be the shoulder for Bloom to lean on in a few cases, but generally she’s the only one calling Bloom out for being rash and insensible, but then she gets ignored or sneered at for it, despite rbeing the only one with awareness for consequences.

There isn’t much to compare to with her animated version except for her being athletic; made very obvious in episode one where she says “I swim twice a day, every day”. (Even though that is the only episode we see her following said routine.) Other than that, her backstory is not expanded upon like the animation, obviously due to the lack of screen time and actual length of the Netflix series, therefore for me, I didn’t really bond with her character like in the original.

Stella

The actress is pretty. Not too hard to cast a pretty blonde in a series. Moving on.

In the original Winx, I adore Stella. She’s bubbly, she’s fun, she’s bright. Literally the sunshine of the group. Yes, she has her snooty privileged princess moments, but she is a likable snooty, privileged princess. Why? She showed that she really does care for her friends. Stella can be self-centered and insecure, but she’s never afraid to say that she’s wrong when she realises her mistakes. This is shown several times, but right now I can speak of two instances: Season 1, Episode 8 “Spelled”. Technically, she was under a spell that made her moody and rude, but she still knew she had to set things right after upsetting Musa. Another memorable moment for me when she showed her caring side was during the girls’ stay at the no-magic resort in Season 2, episode 21 ““Trouble in Paradise”. She went after Aisha/ Layla to check if she was all right, they connected and Stella earned her Charmix. Overall, Stella in the animation has her flaws, but she is loved by all and she herself loves the people she’s close to.

However, Stella in Winx Saga, I detest. I was really disappointed with what they did to her character. Honestly, it would have made more sense if she was Diaspro (Sky’s ex-fiance from season 1 and 3) and not Stella. She’s  a snob, rude and dismissive of others’ feelings. They did try to toss a sympathy card at our faces later when they eplained the reason why Winx Saga Stella is so - her toxic, overbearing and abusive mother - but honestly, maybe it was because it happened so fast because of the limited time, butI was not feeling any sympathy towards her. I felt like I should have, but I couldn’t. I hope her character changes in Season 2, if I even bother watching it, because I was enormously disappointed with Stella’s new persona for this first season.  The Solaria ring was nice enough though.

Musa

Well, here we go. One of the infamous whitewashing cases.  To tell the truth, I'm not surprised but disappointed that it acueallyhappened. You mean to tell me they couldn't find any capable Asian actresses for Musa? Yes, small production and low budget, but still. If you are going to make a live action for a cast that is well loved, respected and recognised for the diversity, you should keep it. It just feels like they do it on purpose at this point.

 Winx Club Musa I like a lot. I love all the girls, but she's just so laid-back and cool, but she's not afraid to call someone out for being unfair or on their attitude (namely Stella most times). She cares for her friends and she cares for Riven. She's family oriented and she's so passionate about music.

 In Winx Saga, she's a mind fairy who used to be a dancer and listens to music with headphones to block out the emotions of people around her when she gets overwhelmed. Interesting new concept and it comes in handy for the new show material. I wouldn't say she was completely unlikable in the WS series but there wasn't anything much besides her ability and that she and Sam (Terra's brother) had somehting more than a fling going on. They were a nice couple. Good chemistry in kisses. I don't know why they decided to not make Riven her man - who knows what the plan is. Riven was not hers in the beginning of the animation either, but we saw a great bond form later on. Their relationship had problems unlike the other Winx couples, but they still are a fan favourite. Let's see how this new match goes I guess?

Flora/Terra

Terra We all know she's supposed to be Flora, no matter how they try to spin it. Before anyone says she's a different character so it's not whitewashing, I have seen a video on Youtube where a girl explains that in actuality, it was supposed to be Flora because there are (now deleted) clips of characters talking to Flora, not Terra. And the adresses portfolio said she was to play Flora. They seemed to change it to avoid heating up the hot water they had already landed themselves into.

Therefore, I will be comparing Terra and Flora. I was extremely disappointed when I saw the trailer and realised Flora was clearly not there. I am not usually one to care whether or not someone looks like me in a show, but I do relate to Flora. I may not always be one that likes to get close to nature honestly, but everything else about her I relate to. I love pink a lot, I am a mixed race person so her looks are what I identify with the most, and our personalities are quite similar. 

Terra, on the other hand, is obviously white. The love of plants is there and her sweet and gentle personality is there. Though, it doesn’t get much time to shine because whenever she speaks, she’s either cut off or ignored, unless she’s spouting information the others want to hear at the moment.  They did make her quite chatty, and at times even I was a bit annoyed, not because she was chatty, but because that trait just seemed to be a gateway for the scriptwriters to hit you with details about Alfea and its history, and information about fairies without making much effort. Terra didn’t have much screen time, but whenever she was on screen, she was always the butt of a joke and treated poorly. When the situation became dire, she did have some moments of strength, but then the other characters still treated her the same so it seems meaningless.

One main reason Terra stands out to the audience is the fact that she’s the only plus-sized character. I’m all for representation, but I don’t like where they went with Terra. She’s shown to be insecure about her body (shown when she avoids her roommates to change alone). Yes, she’s supposed to be a teen who has heard non-directed comments about weight by other characters, but why couldn’t they make her a confident plus-sized girl? I have plenty of friends that are plus-sized and confident about themselves, older or younger. In media, it’s rare enough to see a plus-sized person, but also one that has confidence. This show is directed to teens, and those who may look and feel the same as Terra won’t have a good example set for themselves to be more confident. If you’re going to include a certain figure in your story, yes, everyone has insecurities and all, but if you have the power to shine light and empower, do it right!

Sky

One reason why I bothered watching the show. Danny Griffin. The man playing Sky. Iin the original Winx, I did not really care for Sky as I’m not really into the long blonde hair, I prefer shorter hair. So I was quite pleased to see this casting as it fits more into my personal type.

Anyways, let’s continue.

I found that the casting was done well for Sky. A hot blonde warrior that can wield weapons well? They nailed it. However, that’s kind of where it ended for me. Due to the plot, his character was pretty much ruined for me. Winx Saga Sky was sadly unremarkable personality-wise. The story didn’t allow for much expansion for him besides having the hots for Bloom and the whole boo-hoo story about his father. There was something of a nice relationship with his mentor, but I’ll get to that later.

Danny Griffin’s performance was quite good. My only issue was one part of his first appearance where his first few lines. . .sounded like lines. Not so much the result of bad acting, but it just was another case of sounding like lines written for a script than natural conversation. But I only really saw that in the first episode, and since everyone would have been getting into character at that time I can let it pass. Otherwise, he performed well as an actor.

Riven

Winx Club Riven does not have the best first impression. According to Musa, he’s “a little rough around the edges, but that’s kind of his charm”. He’s a troubled, moody guy who falls for the wrong girl. He has a very competitive side, especially with Sky, who always manages to beat him in combat. He is indeed often arrogant of his abilities, but he proved himself to not be just all talk during his escape from imprisonment in Cloud Tower during Season 1, and even Sky admitted to being impressed with his knowledge of survival and strategies, even going so far as to say he always thought Riven was the “Red Fountain Slacker”. Animated Riven also has a sweet side that was displayed in season 2 when he comforted Musa during the girls’ first mission to Shadowhaunt, and much more so after they started dating. He expressed how much he cared for Musa in shy but blunt ways. Flawed, but a character that developed throughout the series.

Winx Saga completely threw that out of the window. Riven is now just a clown that does bad boy things. He’s clearly still being portrayed as the “edgy” character with troubles and insecurities, but the rest of the show is so aggressively dark and edgy that he really has no way to stand out anymore. I don’t know what they’re planning to do with his characterr later on, but I really dislike what they did to him. The only thing done right is his competitive nature towards Sky. Side note, this is also my personal preference, but I must add that I am not feeling the minimal facial hair. I’d prefer a clean shaven face. The little spikes just looks messy. But then, facial hair always looks messy to me. 

Faragonda

Faragonda. Or as she is known now, Farah Dowling. I’m not sure what to say for her. The actress did well, I can say that. The problem always lies with the characters themselves.

 Faragonda is a beloved headmistress that always has an eye out for her students, whether she watches them through her magic mirror in her office or just personally. She gives them enough guidance so they can grow on their own and helps them when she sees the need to. However, she is also strict when needed and will not condone disobedience; this was seen in season 1 when the Winx were punished for breaking into Cloud Tower to get Stella’s ring from the Trix. She is a brave, just and kind woman, well suited for a principal position.

Farah Dowling does not have much besides her position. She’s very secretive and those secrets seem to be there to cause drama when it could have ben avoided. It could be an irrational thought process that humans have, but I’d expect that from someone who hasn’t experienced much in life. The type of past Farah has, she should know better than to keep secrets if she knows it can put the whole school in danger. Her lack of disciplinary action was evident, whether it was the scene of a villain making their move or Bloom blatantly disobeying orders and making choices that moved the plot forward a bit. It was odd to see that even if she knew this person went dilly-dallying in her office or broke a rule, ut wasn’t met with discipline unless something really bad happened. Whereas, we all know that in a school setting, small rule breaking is also punished. I did like the part in the last episode when she and Bloom finally had a warm interaction, I found it very sweet and it was nice to finally have her interact with Bloom without having to expect some impending doom to arise in the next scene.

Beatrix

We did not get the stylish trio we know and love for Winx Saga, but I must say, I was not disappointed by Sadie Soverall. She portrayed the character really well.

She’s a blending of the famous Trix. She’s cunning and does not let anyone get in her way, much like Icy. Seductive like Darcy and I’d say she has Stormy’s malicious nature. (I mean the Trix are all malicious but Stormy generally could let her viciousness rule her judgement). As well as the fact that her power kind of looks like electric bolts, like Stormy’s.

A manipulator that was being manipulated. She’s icy cold, cunning and she knows who she should attach herself to in order to reach her goals. Just a sub-villain I say, but I enjoyed the character. Minus the odd little plots her character was mixed into, which I will discuss later.

Rosalind

A new character who so far seems like the puppet master of all the characters - both good and evil sides. A master manipulator and charismatic. Very enjoyable to watch despite her short screen time. She was the one person that actually had me excited to know what was going to happen next. Very well performed in my opinion.

Mike

The only time I saw this actor truly in character was in the last episode when he was wearing this blue shirt. He really looked like Mike. It may always be necessary to dress a character exactly like the original, but some things are just subtle and yet iconic. Imagine Shaggy from Scooby-Doo without his green shirt and brown pants combo. It wouldn’t feel like him. Otherwise he’s quite a basic looking man so not too hard to cast. I do think this actor really matched Mike though - looks wise, at least.

With Mike, there are less interactions with Bloom besides having very basic “How are you doing?”conversations. There’s a lame joke here and there but nothing really worth commenting over.here now The focus when it came to mentioning the parents in Winx Saga was mostly to Vanessa.

Vanessa

Vanessa in the original series is warm, loving and a good mother.  She and Bloom have a strong relationship and have great communication between them, and Bloom not only respects her but also goes to Vanessa when she needs advice and support. The ideal mother-daughter bond.

Date’s Vanessa is more. . .trying to be a good mother but not quite nailing it. As I mentioned during Bloom’s analysis, she’s met with hostility or downright rudeness if she even mentions going out and making friends to her daughter. There were a few moments when it could have been touching to see thieir interactions, but apart from the scene when Bloom was feeling homesick, it felt a bit rushed. Perhaps it was the acting, perhaps it was that the awkward interactions overruled the positive ones, but the Winx Saga relationship between Bloom and Vanessa didn’t feel as connected.

In conclusion, mot of the acting was well done. The issues I have were mostly due to the writing of the characters, not the ability of the actors.

Other minor characters will be analysed during the plot discussion.

#winx club #winx saga #fate winx club #bloom #sky #musa #flora #terra #aisha #layla #riven #4kids dub #netflix #2021 #winx alfea

[daretosnoop]

Lessons I learned from the Games

Most of this is just silly, some are actual lessons.

SCK/SCK2:

If you’re going to get murdered, get revenge by leaving clues to the blackmail you have on potential suspects and hope to god someone figures it out

If you’re investigating a crime, being a random transfer student at the end of the year is probably not the way to go, but no one cares because they’re too busy with college applications.

If your niece is coming to your place to investigate a murder and you’re not there, the least you can do is set up a cage to trap any possible break-ins.

Nothing beats being able to hold a gun to the murderer #whySCKremastered???

Teens dealing with pressures to meet college and parental demands

Teens resorting to drugs

Teens dealing with sexism that’s found in abundance in college and work environments

Teachers not giving a shit about what students are going through.

STFD:

If you’re getting death threats, play it cool. Keeps the perps unhinged

Toxicity of fan culture

Throw all CEOs into the closet

Nothing beats Jazz

If you’re going to commit crime in an actor’s community, you must do it with flare

MHM:

If you’re going to buy a Victorian mansion, the least you can do is check for ghosts. And also hire a carpenter beforehand

Never invest your life’s savings into anything

Treat those who help you with basic decency (my god Rose!)

If you’re snooping on someone, don’t give them any indication that you’re onto them

If someone slips a threatening message under your door, open the door.

Victorian houses have all sorts of booby traps, FIND THEM.

TRT:

Don’t trust anyone who’s eager to be your friend

Trust the weirdos and grumpy people

Learn French

Don’t leave incriminating evidence that reveals your lies

There is no such thing as too much food

Women in history have been badly treated by (male) historians.

It’s called the past for a reason

Turn a bad situation into an opportunity to learn

If you’re going to do crime, at least ensure you have an escape route that’s not blocked by the snow

Don’t date people who pressure you to marry them/ask you to prove your love for them

 FIN:

As a woman, if you want anyone to take you seriously and help, you have to be adamant, sassy, and everything men don’t like to see in women.

If you’re a POC, the chances of the police helping you decreases

Capitalism sucks

Police suck

Misogyny in capitalism

Old theaters are amazing

Don’t trust the person who’s trying to be your friend!!!!!!

Don’t talk to suspects about your case

Have confidence in yourself

 SSH:

Colonialism still exists in the form of capitalism

The art industry is completely profit driven

Mexico and America tensions

The Mayans

They never talked about what happened to the Mayans…..

Don’t deal with shady salesmen

Sometimes saving money contributes to a bad system

If you accepted a position, take your work seriously

Don’t trust the guy trying to be your friend!!!!

Master the art of amnesia should you ever need to use it

Even if you disband a group of art thieves, it’s best to be humble

No one in life is going to help you, even if you get pushed into a monolith

 DOG:

This game is why it’s important to put your dog(s) on a leash! (insert that dog vine: “it don’t bite. Yes it do!”)

If we didn’t have uptight rangers, the parks would be burnt to smithereens

Misogyny exists in the woods

People who are just trying to do their job always get a bad rap even though it’s because of them the park still exists!

Gangsters are bad, but also low-key cool

Get back at your enemies by making a fake grave of them

Old people have interesting stories

Gold can release arsenic into water

Always check well water before using

Wood mice are bad for health

If you’re going to get tied up and tossed into your tool shed, keep a scythe on hand

Go birdwatching at night

Torque is a fancy word for screw driver

If you’re a POC, people are most likely to suspect you.

CAR:

There is no job security if you end up in hospital

Sometimes you really need a 2000 calorie sundae

If you went to jail, people are most likely to suspect you first

Don’t spy on your co-workers

Don’t trust the person who’s trying to be your friend!

Don’t procrastinate on a job

If you’re miserable in life, maybe it’s time to sign up for some therapy

If you have a sad backstory, you’re automatically entitled to everyone’s sad backstory

Mental illness: depression

Health awareness: niacin, don’t eat junk food like a 2000 calorie sundae

Don’t dump someone just because they’re not able to give you a lavish lifestyle

DDI:

If you’re going to trash someone’s boat, don’t leave your business card behind

If you’re tired of small mindedness, it’s best to just leave

It’s always handy in life to know boating skills

If you’re trying to report suspicious activity, communicating by bottles is not the way to go

Don’t feed wild animals!

Capitalism sucks

Look carefully at your environment, you never know what clues are left behind

Always make a plan B in case plan A doesn’t work

Don’t be afraid to explore

SHA:

Never trust the guy who’s trying to be your friend!!!

Always trust the grumpy guy

Horses die easily

There is no such thing as over ripe vegetables

Sunflowers should be planted near gardens so that bees come

Respect chickens

Falling in love with a criminal is difficult when your dad’s a cop

It’s handy to know how to ride a horse

Ghost towns are terrifying

Farmers work hard and should be respected

CUR:

Don’t trust the person who’s trying to be your friend!!!!!!!!!!

Don’t be a negligent parent

Before getting married, make sure your partner has a good relationship with your child

Don’t trust creepy people

America and British will always oppose each other

Talking parrots are always handy

British aristocracy was supported through colonialism #got Loulou on his Travels, uh huh

If you’re a spinster, you’re going to be the mom of something

If you’re afraid of becoming a monster, best be dramatic about it

It’s really important to have good communication between partners

Don’t stick your new wife in a room that still has pictures of your old wife and where all the furniture has covers on them

If you have a manor, you better explore it before some 12-year-old gets hurt exploring it

don’t go to great lengths to protect a rock

calling something that skips every generation a “family tradition” is just rude and exclusive

don’t leave your child alone for so long. Don’t keep them away from people their age

don’t write memories, no one wants to hear your life story

CLK:

if you’re going to presume someone’s identity, you better nail the part down hard

don’t blow up the kitchen when there’s only three people in the house and you were the closest and last one in the kitchen

emotional manipulation

gas lighting

if someone mentions stolen jewellery, putting back what you stole just incriminates you

even if you have psychic abilities, don’t be an ass bout it

no one ever tips because no one like the system. Pay your employees what they deserve!

Even though the depression’s going on, people are still dumping money in psychic lessons and dress making

No one ever gives anything away for free

Even if you’re promised money, don’t put too much trust in the promises of others

Don’t be rude to the person who’s trying to help you

If your partner is demanding to be spoiled during an economic depression, find a better partner

People aren’t as smart as you, tell them straight where you left your will.

 TRN:

The dumb blonde joke is not funny

Cops are useless and unhelpful

People are more willing to listen to adults then teens/young adults

Celebrities are much different in real life then in their celebrity world.

Don’t steal someone else’s ideaà artist theft

Old trains are super cool

People aren’t as smart as you, tell them straight where you hid your treasure

Don’t dump someone just because people think they’re dumb

 DAN:

Capitalism sucks

The fashion industry is brutal

normal size representation

Boss’s can be crappy people

Don’t blackmail people

If you promised to do work, you better dedicate yourself to it

Having a healthy fear of giving away personal information is not a bad thing

Don’t aid stalkers

Covid-precaution: cover face with mask. Act erratic to keep people away from you

Concept of older men dating younger women is actually frowned upon

Love is mysterious

Flashlight on the many women who helped decode during WW2 but largely remain unrecognized by countries today

Forgery is okay sometimes

 CRE:

Indigenous cultures continue to be badly and negatively portrayed in media

Capitalism sucks

Environmentalism

Academia is not as research oriented as one wishes it was

Daddy-issues

Native Hawaiians forced to “work with” big corps in order to survive.

Tourism industry and its affects on the environment and native population

Sometimes an upgrade is not a good thing

ICE:

Animal conservatism

Capitalism sucks

International competitions suck

Running away from humans to hide in a cabin and bonding with a wolf is not a bad thing

Never enter a sauna alone

It’s bad business to kick customers out

If your customers are falling asleep everyday in a common room, it’s probably not a good sign of booming business

Don’t be chill over bombs exploding near your hotel

Always handy to know how to drive a snow mobile

Don’t volunteer to be a maid, ever

Cops are useless

CRY:

Don’t dump your job on your girlfriend

There’s nothing wrong with being emo

Men being emotional and desiring love and affection

Men being abused in relationships

Even if your relative leaves you a ton of money, it’s no excuse for not being a good guardian/parent

Don’t trust strangers. Don’t eat food from random people

Customer service is awful. Even when the customer is trying to instigate a horrible reaction in you, you got to put on a smile

Always trust the eccentric lady

Nancy’s sad backstory allows her to hear everyone else’s sad backstory, unless you’re a guy, I guess.

A date in the cemetery is not a bad idea

If your partner demands you to spoil them, get a new partner

People aren’t as smart as you, tell them where you hid your treasure

VEN:

Anyone can help out on an international mafia case

The mafia is very creative and artistic

Capitalism sucks

Assert your independence as a young woman by dancing in a cat suit on stage? I guess?

Money can be found anywhere

Eat the rich

Don’t trust the person trying to be friends with you

Possessive relationships are red flags

Don’t steal a cheap neckless if you’re a notorious thief

Cops kind of useful for once.

HAU

Don’t pull a prank on your partner before your wedding

Don’t invite someone who used to date your partner and still has feelings for them

If your partner is missing, actually look for them instead of sitting around

Crows are amazing

Fiona might have lost her parents at a young age and her life as a hermit definitely had its side affects, but she also saved herself from the misogyny women endured

RAN:

If your friend gets kidnapped, please, at least fake some concern

Don’t waste time with monkeys

The only other person on the island is probably the culprit

WAV:

Girl bullying can be worse than boy bullying

Don’t trust the person who’s trying to be your friend!!!!!!

  TOT:

Nancy’s sad backstory allows her to hear everyone else’s sad backstory, unless you’re a guy, I guess.

Academic institutions are struggling to fund research

Capitalism sucks

Even if you hate your lead, don’t sabotage the team

Communication is important

Even if you hate your job, don’t sabotage your team

 SAW:

People who resist to change just become boulders in the way of progress

Boomer mentality is soul destroying

Emotional manipulation

Gas lighting

Depression

Sometimes you have to cut away from those you love in order to maintain your sanity

Nancy’s sad backstory allows her to hear everyone else’s sad backstory.

If you have to give your partner a gift every time you fight, you might have relationship problems

Don’t be in a relationship just because you’re used to it

Don’t force someone to adhere to your expectations in life

If you’re unable to talk to your partner and so resort to haunting her inn, you probably have relationship issues

#nancy drew

[illfoandillfie]

Hi love! So excited about the readings! Could I get the Year Ahead?

here you go lovely! and happy new year!

Let’s just jump right in here. 

January: 9 of Cups

Brilliant way to start the year. The 9 of cups is all about satisfaction and success. The man on the card doesn’t have to look at his cups to know that each of them is full. January is going to bring positivity in many areas of your life and it may be that things you’ve been hoping will happen will actually come to pass.

February: 9 of Wands

Another 9. In tarot the nines represent the step before completion. It’s about awareness - you’re realising what you already have, becoming aware of what is around you. But, not every realisation is a good one. Becoming aware means becoming aware of the more negative things as well as the positive and the 9 of wands is waking you up to challenges you face. You’re close to success but the road hasn’t necessarily been easy. The 9 of wands signifies resilience and grit, taking a stand. February will bring success with it, or at least put you close to achieving something, but it may take a toll in some way, be it physically, mentally or spiritually. 

March: The Devil

Bone down. If you’re looking for a physical relationship or looking to spice up an existing one, March may be a good time for that. The Devil represents vice in all forms but is often specifically linked to sex. 

Seriously though, at it’s highest vibration, the Devil signified self-knowledge and self-mastery - learning a lesson and applying it to your own life. But at it’s lowest vibration is can symbolise oppression and addiction. The two people on the card are collard and appear to be chained but their bonds are loose enough that they could break free if they wish. They choose to remain there, they choose to stay attached to their vices. I believe this could be a warning. Following on from the 9 of wands in Feb, it may be that March is a bit of a stressful month and in such situations it is easy to fall into patterns of addiction. Everyone has a vice or two - smoking, drinking, expensive clothing, power, etc - but sometimes the line between habit or escape from overwhelming situations can be blurred and slip into addiction. If in March you find yourself picking up a new “bad” habit, be careful. It could also related to a addiction someone around you is dealing with.

April: Ace of Wands

Something new is going to begin in April. The wands suit is representative of passion and creativity. It may be that a new physical relationship (or a new aspect to an existing one) begins this month, or perhaps a new creative endeavour. 

May: 7 of Cups

The 7 of cups is about imagination, choice, wishful thinking, and fantasies. It may be that during May you’ll be faced with several options to choose from, perhaps related to that new thing begun in April. It’s important to evaluate all your options so you can make the best choice. Not all the cups on the card contain positive things and you don’t want to pick up a snake when you meant to grab the treasure. This card may also be a sign that you need to start putting your dreams into actions. Coming up with ideas is easy but while it can be exciting to start making them a reality, it can also be frightening. But this card indicates that May will be a good month to work on making something real, making something happen for you. 

June: Queen of Cups

The Queen of Cups is seen as a compassionate and kind woman. She connects with people at an emotional level and is honest and fair. She’s also not one to become overwhelmed by her emotions of those of others, though she thinks with her heart more than her mind. June may be an emotionally heightened month and you may be called to be compassionate and caring to others, or someone specific. She may also represent someone you will be able to turn to for help - the Queens are often seen a signs of older women who are part of your life but it isn’t always the case. The Queen of Cups is also highly intuitive so remember to trust your instincts and spend some time looking after your own emotional wellbeing.

July: Page of Wands

The Page of Wands represents excitement, adventure, energy, fearlessness and fresh ideas. He is passionate and has so many ideas of how to succeed at his tasks or goals, but often his inexperience and perhaps a fear of the unknown keeps him from actually doing anything. Sometimes he just has too many ideas and gets distracted too often. July may bring conflicting messages about how you are progressing with a goal or project. It may be a time when the voice that discourages you is particularly loud. But it will also be a time when something will trigger a desire to take the leap, to explore something new, to make an advancement in your life. Summon your courage and harness that desire.

August: The Magician

This card is the representation of pure willpower. During August you will have the chance to tap into your potential. Whatever doubts crept in during July are no longer worrying you. You know what you want and you know what you have to do to get there, all that remains is to do it. August will be a good month to put your plan into action. The Magician represents skill, resourcefulness and manifestation so there is no doubt that you are capable of achieving what you want. 

September: 5 of Wands

Here we get a little bit of conflict. Now, the 5 of Wands speaks of rivalry, competition, arguments and aggression, however it may not be the bad kind of conflict. The imagery on the card can be interpreted as either a group of men fighting or a group of men play fighting/enjoying the competition. So, September is likely to be a time when conflicts arise but they could take many forms. It might be a rivalry at work (say two of you are up for the same promotion or you’re applying for a job against other candidates), or it could be an argument resulting from a miscommunication or misunderstanding. Whatever it is, there’s a chance it won’t be as serious as it first appears. 

October: Judgement

The Judgement card represents awakening, renewal and reflection. It indicates that October will a be a good month to reflect on yourself and the progress you’ve made through the year and evaluate what is left to do or what you’d like to achieve by the end of the year. Use these reflections to make any changes you need, no matter how small, so you can finish the year in the right frame of mind.

November: 8 of Wands

November is likely to be a month of quick decisions and fast turnarounds. The 8 of wands symbolises movement, speed, progress, and sudden changes. If during the year it has felt like you’ve not made much progress, don’t worry. The momentum has been building and this is the time when things will begin to fall into place and the progress will become clear. 

December: The Hierophant

And finally, December. The Hierophant is about tradition, conformity and convention but it’s also about seeking knowledge, learning, and being strong in your beliefs. If you celebrate Christmas this card may just be indicating that it’s a time of tradition and faith. It may also be indicating that December will be a good time for you to learn something new or that you’ll have success in a teamwork scenario. In regards to the progress you made in November, the Hierophant indicates that now is the time to stick to traditional or conventional methods of continuing that success rather than making outlandish adjustments that aren’t guaranteed to work. 

Your oracle cards are:

From the Destiny Cards you have the word Discipline. This is definitely reflected in the Page of Wands the The Magician and even in The Hierophant. Don’t be discouraged if things don’t seem to be progressing how you’d hoped. Stick to your guns and you’ll get where you want to go. 

From the Elemental Oracles we have Magnetism: Attraction. This is card number 37, so that number may be of importance to you. Know your values and needs so you can be aware of what your true attractions are. Take notice of what or who you attract and if it was your intention or an accident. Just like with magnets, there will always be an opposite energy to any endeavour you might take, it is natural law, so do not let it bother you. 

From the  Believe In Your Own Magic deck we have Homeward - Take yourself out on a date. This is card number 42 so, again, if you’re into numerology that may have extra meaning. But this card is reminding you to look after yourself. Treat yourself to something nice every now and again, take yourself out on a date, give yourself an evening to soak in a bubble bath or listen to your favourite album all the way through or whatever else you might do to look after your own emotional and mental wellbeing. 

And then there is your sigil for the year from the Making Magic deck. The Triple Moon. Embracing all aspects of yourself - the divine and the earthly. This symbol is also known as the Triple Goddess symbol as each of the moons represents a different aspect of divine feminine power - the maiden, the mother and the crone. It’s a popular symbol is Wicca and you’ll find it on numerous items used in witchcraft.

Last but not least we have some charms. 

In Jan we have the dice with the drama masks which are symbols from Ancient Greece for comedy and tragedy. It might indicate that this will be a time of heightened emotions. 

On Feb we have the word Freedom as well as the number 4 and the mushroom. Freedom may indicate that you’ll be free of something this month. That may be thing that the 9 of wands card is referring too. The number 4 may be of particular significance this month or may be a lucky number of sorts. The mushroom could be a warning of potential danger. A lot of mushrooms are poisonous so seeing this charm it may indicate  that something you’re considering is dangerous or that you’re approaching something in the wrong way. 

Over Mar we have the lightbulb. The coil inside the bulb spells the word love so it may be that the Devil really is referring to sex (though of course you don’t have to have one to have the other). It could also just be indicating that this will be a period of bright ideas for you. 

Over Apr we have the badge with the camera. This could represent your ability to decide how a moment or time in your life will be remembered. Your perspective of a situation will change how you remember that time when you look back months or years later. It may also indicate a need to slow down and appreciate the things around you or to document something in photographic or video form. 

Over May we have the cotton spool. This could indicate a desire for things to be neat and orderly this month. The spool could also indicate a complication popping up, perhaps related to the choice indicated in the 7 of cups. 

Over Jun we have the word Treasure. This could mean that during this month you’ll form a connection that you come to treasure or find an object you consider treasure. It may also be related to the treasure that appears on the 7 of cups card, perhaps indicating that you make the right choice or that during June you’ll make a start on turning your dreams to reality. 

Next we have the hello kitty charm which lies between jul and aug. To me this is a sign of childhood, nostalgia. Perhaps you’ll interact with a child/children during this part of the year or perhaps it’ll just be a time when you revisit some old favourites. 

The over Aug we have the question mark which indicates some confusion, and the “hello” badge which is a sign of an incoming message. It may be related to an old friend wanting to reconnect or someone delivering good news. The scissors also appear here. They represent cutting something unwanted out of your life. 

Then over Sep we have the words “to” and “true”. It may be that a truth reveals itself this month which could lead to the conflict indicated in the card. 

Between Sep and Oct we have the book. This charm represents knowledge and learning. Perhaps you’ll seek out information about a particular situation or, if you’re studying, now may be a particularly fruitful time.

Over Oct we have the Dolphin, a symbol of fun and frivolity as well as social situations. This is doubled with the Fun Token from an arcade. It may be that a fun social situation will happen this month - a party or other event. Or it could be that you’ll be able to find a lot of enjoyment in this month as part of your reflections or self care. 

In Nov we have a dice with a sleeping symbol (a face, eyes closed, with Zs floating up from him). With the 8 of Wands it’s likely that this month will leave you tired or exhausted. 

And finally the word Think. This charm fell sort of between Nov and Dec so you may find that as the busy Nov comes to an end you’ll have more time to think and consider what’s happening. 

#card readings #sorry it's a lil late lmao #hopefully at least some of it resonates now

[voicesofchaos]

VOC’s Review of the art of Magic The Gathering Core 2021

I an no art expert. Never studied art professionally. But I do consider myself a Vorthros (someone who appreciates the art, story, and flavor of Magic The Gathering). So I have been wanting to this for a while so let’s try it. If this is liked then maybe I will do it again for Zendikar Raising. I’m not going through every card in the set. Just a handful that really stood out to me and I just want to talk about.

Indulging Patrician by Miranda Meeks

Normally I like to save the best for last but this one is so obviously the best art in the set that I need to lead with it. When I first saw this card revealed my jaw dropped. It is purely captivating! It embodies what vampire artwork wants to be. From the powerful dominant vampire woman in the center, to her poor powerless victim, to the beautiful blood moon behind her, to the swarm of ominous bats, all highlighted with blood. Of course the traditional gender role reversal feels so perfect and not forced here. It is a beautiful artwork and you should want to play Magic just to look at this card. 

Liliana's Scorn by Josh Hass

We are not moving away from the gothic horror yet though. This is sadly a card that most players will never see as it isn’t in the Core 2021 booster packs but is in the Liliana planeswalker deck. Making this art very easy to overlook but quite impressive when examined. You really feel the struggle of the victim as he fights a losing battle against a horde of zombies. Being in the center you might think he is the protagonist that we cheer on to escape but Liliana even in the backgrounds steals the scene and you know she wins this fight. This is just a great group piece where each individual zombie displays a surprisingly amount of depth which truly makes this piece feel even more hopeless for the poor victim and even more empowering for Liliana.

Basri's Solidarity by Paul Scott Canavan

Basri Ket is a new planeswalker in the set but instead of looking at him directly let’s check out his magic instead. This is a piece that perfectly embodies cooperation and teamwork, Each figure looks quite a bit different, has a different background, and a different specialization. Yet they are all subtlety bonded together through the sand that basri controls. The way it wraps around and protects them all it a cool and powerful effect.

Obsessive Stitcher by  Joe Slucher

And we are back to dark and creepy. But I can’t ignore in crazy details in this artwork. On Innistrad, the doctor Frankenstein-like scientists that create ‘zombies’ though alchemy and science rather than straight-up necromancy are called “Stichers”. And this one piece explains all that without any words (except for the 1000 words a picture is worth). The corpses all have different faces showing that this is not simply a construct made from a generic stock but instead were actual living human beings at one point. The ominous green vat behind her is hooked up to them pumping them full of something that can’t be good. Plus we also have ominous test tubes in the background to really hammer in the point of “evil mad scientist”.But then her actual clothes has lots of handy tools to show a devoted craftsman. As she literally stitches thread through not only her diabolic experiment but also her passionate artwork. And finally I did not even notice until seeing the enlarged art but she is missing her right hand! I assume this counts as positive disabled representation right?

Village Rites by Bud Cook

I promise this is the last dark and creepy card (maybe) on the list but I have to give this one a shout-out. It is a throwback and homage to the card Village Cannibals from Innistrad. Even the same artist. Definitely one of my all-time favorite MTG arts so I am very happy to see a remake of that art! It is nice when Magic throws in the little nostalgia winks randomly.

Tolarian Kraken by Svetlin Velinov

Magic will often use what they call “Scale Birds” to show how big something is. These are tiny birds near a creature to show how much bigger the creature is than the birds and give a size comparison. Sometimes birds are too small and they use something like “”Scale Deer” or other mammals. Well then those are still too small we now have a “Scale Castle”! What is more terrifying than a Kraken this big! As if that isn’t bad enough it’s brain is actually visible and has like lightning coming from it or something. This feels like a very epic piece where you can feel the motion and terror from it.

Daybreak Charger by Forrest Imel

The next several arts are going to be under the category of “Things MTG does all the time but needs to make it new each time.” I feel it is most appropriate to start with this unicorn. You see unicorns take occupy a very unique position in both general fantasy genre and pop culture itself. Unicorns are very recognizable so they are very much a great fantasy trope to include. But they also have a reputation of being aimed at “young girls” and in the process made to seem very soft and non-threatening. MTG is a game about combat! You don’t want to summon a gentle non-threatening creature to fight for you but it wants to have unicorn cards. Meaning it wants “badass unicorns!”. Well they absolutely succeed here! But the beautiful thing is they need to over-correct. It wasn’t necessary to paint it all black and cover it in blood. We don’t need to put it on a heavy metal album cover to show its fierce side. Instead bright light is used in a way that makes it seem comforting but also powerful and not to be messed with. This is a unicorn that you are relieved to be on your side and terrified of seeing on your opponent’s side. That takes serious talent to bring it all together! 

Chandra's Incinerator by  Craig J Spearing

First I apologize that this art is a little cropped from the original. What is another thing that shows up all the time in fantasy art? FIRE! It gets hard to draw fire so often and make it feel different. This is a fire elemental so that is a bit different but still something we have seen a lot. The card Fire Elemental was in the very first Magic set. That card has had 4 different artworks and 3 other cards have some for of Fire Elemental in their name (Deepfire Elemental, Firefiend Elemental, and Wildfire Elemental). This one is clearly meant to be a nostalgic nod to the original art and it works so well! The fire is so detailed and intimidating but the creature is very expressive. It is very refreshing to see yet another Fire Elemental in such a new fashion and perspective.

Terror of the Peaks by Andrey Kuzinskiy

How many times have we seen a dragon in MTG? Over 200 times!! This set alone has 3 dragons! We have seen zombie dragons, skeleton dragons, dragons who breath lightning, dragons that breath frost, dragons covered in metal, and all kinds of other dragons. But sometimes you just need to go back to basics. But basics do not need to be boring. As we see here this is an awesome basic dragon that embodies everything you think of when you think of dragons yet still blows you away with how awesome it is! This is quality dragon art

Shacklegeist by Igor Kieryluk

Ghosts and spirits are again a common trope that gets redone a lot. I really like how this piece can just take a mundane object with some symbolism behind it and just make an entirely new creature from it. This is basically a giant lock with ominous chains attached being held by a specter and it all works so well together! This art style being more watercolors is a nice final touch to give this piece a spooky feeling but also a really cool feeling too.

Rousing Read by Campbell White

I am going to end this with a bit of a weird piece but I didn’t want to leave it out. This is apparently a follow-up to the card Hard Cover from the core set before. This guy has magical wings made from the pages of a book! Like I don’t have anything else to add. That is cool enough by itself.

Special Mentions

Alchemist's Gift, Chandra Heart Of Fire, Garruk’s Uprising, Peer Into The Abyss, and Sanguine Indulgence. All cards with awesome art but I don’t want this post to go on forever (and some of them I couldn’t find good clean versions of just the art). Please tell me what art from Core 2021 I missed that you really liked!

#MagicTheGathering #MTG #Core Set 2021 #Art Review #Vorthros

[comicteaparty]

May 16th-May 22nd, 2020 Creator Babble Archive

The archive for the Creator Babble chat that occurred from May 16th, 2020 to May 22nd, 2020.  The chat focused on the following question:

What are you trying to show or tell with your story that you find to be underrepresented?

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

-Mind control/mind reading where both people are okay with it. I like themes of trust -"Superpowers" without secret identities. Because researchers aren't always evil goddamnit! -Portraying people who hurt others not as card-carrying megalomaniac villains but as pitiful and broken people. I haven't gotten to this part of my story yet but I hope I can do it well when I do. -Queer characters but they never say that they are or talk about it in any way. Yes I know I'm probably the only one who wants this

Also, maybe the idea that you don't need to "do anything" with your life for it to be worthwhile? But I'm not sure that I believe this myself

Deo101 [Millennium]

Mostly I'm trying to write about love, and I hardly think that's underrepresented! But, I'm also trying to show a bit of my own personal disabled experience, and I find that the kinds of things I've experienced are hardly represented at all. so, I think I'm trying to show a sort of hope and positivity for things that I think are usually pitied and viewed negatively, which I wish were done more.

chalcara [Nyx+Nyssa]

I just wanted a good ol' classic Eddings-style fantasy romp, but with characters that would usually be cast in the "evil" role, without going the "misunderstood" route.

Plus I wanted to write about shitty family (born, found and married) and that you do NOT have to forgive them in the slightest to move on and better your life.

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

Hmm... One of the main things I want to express with Whispers of the Past is that after past traumas, you may not be the same, but eventually, you can be okay again—even if your "okay" of now, is very different than your "okay" of the past. Normalcy isn't a constant. It shifts with time and becomes something new. A new stasis. A new peace. A new normal. I don't know if I've ever seen another story show this in this way. Another underrepresented theme in WotP is that of the hero choosing mundanity over the amazing. When the quest is over, and all is said and done, and the big baddie has been vanquished, the hero doesn't become ruler, or claim bountiful riches, or sail across the sea to find new lands. No, the hero returns to a world that is familiar and unremarkable. The hero would rather just be an average person.

shadowhood (SunnyxRain)

-Fanfiction. I’m very surprised there hasn’t been a webcomic talking about what it’s like to create fanfiction! But overall the culture involved around it and being a creator. -The relationship and hardships of having a stepparent/being one. Particularly stepdad/stepdaughter relationships -Anger as a reaction to trauma. I see a lot of trauma portrayed as mostly sad, but I want a story where the heroes feel anger, where it’s seen as both a motivator and a detriment -The hardships of dating as someone who’s both touch aversive and on the grey spectrum. Not everyone would be as wonderful or understanding, but it’s important to be around people who are and will stand by you.(edited)

eliushi [a winged tale]

This is why I gravitate towards all these stories made by independent creators I think. So many personal and poignant messages. I’m with you there on the queer characters Eightfish. I want a society where it’s fine to be what you wish and respected to be who you want to be. I think having more positive ways of showing how we can reach that sort of openness can be helpful. In AWT I further explore: - characters in STEM fields and approaches to research design - informed consent and what that means - how to live even when things are falling apart around you, when things are falling apart within you - navigating through crushes, confessions and friendships!

Wow the beginning sounds like the objectives at a science lecture and you won’t be wrong thinking so

Joichi [Hybrid Dolls]

For my Hybrid Dolls comic, there are several things I want to explore: - Psychological trauma and the effects or damage it can give, without proper treatment. -Writing queer characters without them needing a self discovery episode. But I know some identities are better to be upfront? But in the story, they simply live normal or exciting lives - Narcissism in a relative that one doesn't have to forgive. Being treated as invisible or judged by age, birthright. - Other Concepts of love explored. Attraction that isn't conventional romance. - Friendship bonds between girls, and my own take on an eccentric quirky girl lead. - Being unapologetically feminine, girls who doesn't need to feel like being 'one of the guys' I'm aiming for more character variety in historical fiction, instead of yet another story of a girl 'defying gender norms' by raised as a boy/disguises trope in other similar comics. So the women in my story, use their wits and charm.(edited)

DanitheCarutor

I complain about this all the time, so I'm just going to do a quick overview since I'm sure everyone is sick of it. - Abusers can be smart, popular, generous, charismatic and subtle. I'm kind of sick of them always being portrayed as really obvious, and sometimes really stupid, while there are people like that it's not very practical for them all to be like that. - General mental health stuff. More open representation of it, that it may be something you'll live with for the rest of your life and how that's okay. - Trauma, how it can change you, make you lose sight of the person you were and make you lose interest in things you used to enjoy. (this is coupled with mental health) - Non-romantic relationships with a queer cast. While this is showing up more in fantastical indie works, not very common in slice-of-life type of comics. I can only imagine this is because readers would find it boring or too mundane (can't tell you all how many people tell me my comic is boring. Lol), but being a person totally sick of romance in everything I wanted to do something focusing on family, friendship and the relationships we have with ourselves. - You don't always heal completely. I've already mentioned this, but I want to put a focus on how someone who's been through a lot of shit doesn't alway heal completely, and that's okay. I see in a lot of media where people just overcome their issues, and they live happily ever after with everything all perfect, I want something along the lines of "we still got a long way to go, but we're doing better and we're happier than before". - Not having labels for everything. This sounds like hipster trash, but I don't see the point in putting labels for every character. Like, I put labels for them, mostly during Pride, but it feels pointless in the comic. Apollo is happy to say he's a gay man, but with Julian they're not interested in categorising themselves, all they want is to be comfortable and I don't see nothing wrong with that.(edited)

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

For me, it’s the importance of communication and empathy, and the dangers of its absence. And it’s something I’ve had to think about a lot recently, being more active on social media Everyone’s got their reasons/methods for cutting people off, but I’ve never been a huge fan of a point-blank communication cut unless it’s absolutely warranted. And I’m not a fan of instant demonization when someone messes up or does something I don’t agree with. People are people. We’re all different and we all mess up and we all can change. Keeping lines of communication open is essential for allowing that change, or else we all get locked into little echo chambers where anyone outside is automatically The Worst.™ In a world where everything has gone to hell - and may go further yet - how can things heal when no one is even listening to each other? Where the other side is automatically at fault no matter what? It’s something I grew up struggling to understand (maybe because I grew up outside Washington DC, lol), and really affects me to this day. And if you do end up protecting yourself with silence, how can you still allow other perspectives to be gleaned? I don’t quite have the perfect formula for it. But unless someone is genuinely trying to cause harm, I try to at least attempt to understand where they might coming from - whether I accept it or not. Otherwise it’s so easy to see a lot of people as monsters. It’s a complicated topic for sure, especially nowadays. But yeah. Something like that

Miranda

Hmm that’s an excellent question. Well, a big thing is the varying effects of trauma and ways to handle it. Mainly how burying the past and ignoring traumatic events can affect someone. Also that villains can be people we relate to that just take an extreme way of reaching a goal that most people can understand And how shared experiences can bring people closer (not a unique one) I also want to portray queer characters that are not solely defined by their queerness and don’t have to announce it to everyone.

Tuyetnhi (Only In Your Dreams!)

- Having some talks about the implications of asking what you wish for and the potential consequences that comes with it. - Having more unappologic Vietnamese things happening in the comic. Giving representation to some common things that most Vietnamese Americans (or Asian Americans) can face in terms of relationships, roles, etc. Also since er i'm also directly affected by this, how does the Mixed-Asian Identity plays about it too.(edited)

hmmm I think another thing is that I want to bring up that men who express themselves in a more feminine form is valid and there's no shame that comes with it (positive masculinity hell yaaaa). Also same about expressing characters who are also queer but aren't defined about it either. it's just what they are along with their other interests and goals.(edited)

sierrabravo (Hans Vogel is Dead)

wow, this is a great question! I'm trying to be better about interacting here so I'll give it a shot. My comic is a historical fantasy set somewhat in Interwar Europe/WWII Europe and partially in a fantasy world based on the Brothers Grimm fairy tales. -War stories/histories that aren't about the actual experience of combat: most memoirs and diaries of soldiers I read doing research are about the day-to-day activities, meals, sleeping habits, and random thoughts instead of fight descriptions. It really bothers me when people zero in on in-depth battle maps and obsess over what kind of rifle was used by whom when, when I think it's much more interesting and important to look at the mindset of who was fighting, why they were fighting, and what emotional effect it had on everyone involved (including civilians!) -Asexuality, especially asexuality in history, bc it tends to "disappear" in the historical record as people who may have been ace before that label was widely used tend to not self-identify as it. I'm ace, people in the past were ace, it's a history I'd like to talk about more! -gryphons, they're cool monsters and I think they should be used much more than they are haha

eliushi [a winged tale]

I agree sierrabravo. I find it’s the personal, down to earth, close perspective accounts in historical records that resonate the most with me. Gryphons are also awesome!

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

I feel like there's two separate answers for Super Galaxy Knights Deluxe R (http://sgkdr.webcomic.ws/comics/) The first is what SGKDR represents compared to other webcomics. To me, a major thing I wanted to show with Super Galaxy Knights was a new style of creating webcomics. Animation is underrepresented as a storytelling style, sure, but the main thing I thought was underrepresented in the webcomic space was a "seasonal" method of storytelling. Like, most webcomics I see are either "each page is its own thing" or "it's one big long story, with chapters mostly there to split up different scenes/locations". I very rarely see webcomics build to a major climax in the story, then a resolution, then introduce a brand new conflict. The second is what SGKDR represents compared to other action series (specifically shonen manga/anime, as that's what SGKDR riffs off of the most). I can only think of one shonen story with a female lead, I can't think of any with an explicitly LGBTQ+ protagonist (i only know of one implied one), romance is usually handled very poorly (characters usually get paired with the protagonist due to being female and in the same room, with very little actual relationship building), there aren't many varieties of character motivations besides "pursuit of power/status" of some kind, power scaling usually gets way out of whack, and I... I dunno, I love those kinds of stories, but it just gets tiring after a while. So, I wrote my own that had all the things I wanted in it.

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

@sierrabravo (Hans Vogel is Dead) I totally agree with the difficulty and importance of talking about ace representation in a historical setting! It's extremely difficult to talk about when asexuality was so unknown at the time. I'm eager to see how you handle it!

eliushi [a winged tale]

@snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights) can you speak about

I very rarely see webcomics build to a major climax in the story, then a resolution, then introduce a brand new conflict.

I find slice of life/ some really long mangas with continuous streams of antagonists/web novel like formats use this too but unsure if that’s what you were referring to?

I am also looking forward to more ace representation in the webcomic world

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

Yeah that format is the sort of thing I was talking about. It's out there, but I don't see it very often.

eliushi [a winged tale]

Ah gotcha! Thanks! I recall some slice of life high school ones I’ve read years ago that have that sort of narrative structure (which feels like the story can continue forever).

Erin Ptah (BICP | Leif & Thorn)

There's a recurring trope in SF/F where the robot/AI/golem learns that it wants to have free will and make its own decisions. Or there's a biological species that are assumed to be "natural servants", and inevitably you get to the reveal that they're not actually any different from humans in terms of wanting self-determination and independence. If you think of this as a metaphor for relationships between different groups of humans, then yeah, that's the obvious outcome! But one of the great things about SFF is that you can write things that aren't just "direct metaphors for real-world issues, with spaceships and dragons thrown in for flavor." So in But I'm A Cat Person, I wanted to write something about, what if there's a group of beings who really aren't going to develop free will or self-determination? What's the reasonable, ethical way to deal with that? ...also: there's a ton of nonbinary characters in webcomics these days, but at least I can say BICP did it before it was cool.(edited)

Erin Ptah (BICP | Leif & Thorn)

Leif & Thorn, meanwhile, has a regular old "character forced into servitude, who definitely has independent thoughts and desires that are being controlled" situation. And there's no "Master has given Dobby a sock" loophole they can exploit for a quick fix, so they have to keep up a long-term process of double-talk and rule-bending, to communicate Leif's actual feelings without getting him in trouble. The "realistic language barriers with no convenient universal-translator to get around them" situation -- which, in this comic, is one of the biggest Underrepresented Things I wanted to explore -- makes it that much harder...

Capitania do Azar

I gotta commend you on that, @Erin Ptah (BICP | Leif & Thorn) because you're out there serving my bilingual needs

kayotics

Ingress Adventuring Company is all about the hero after they've finished saving the world, which I think is pretty underrepresented. It's not a quiet contemplative story, since there's still a lot of fun questing stuff going on, but I'm trying to make it clear that this all takes place after the main character has done his big saving the world quest and is still trying to figure out his place after supposedly settling down.

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

I love that Kay

Toivo feels like he has so much history behind him

sssfrs (JOE IS DEAD)

I'm trying to represent orthodox/religious jews because I almost never see my community represented in media. There are orthodox Jewish characters that will be appearing in Joe is dead. In future comics I want to try to plan the story more around including more religious Jewish characters because there still aren't that many in my current project

Also mental illnesses, like trauma and intellectual disability I want to represent my own experiences with it

There isn't as much of a distinct lack of that in media but it's good to have in stories(edited)

Also androgynous lesbians

Nutty (Court of Roses)

With Court of Roses, I'm trying to tell a fantasy story that's for older audiences but proving that Mature Fantasy doesn't have to be ultra gritty. People have each other to depend on, the world isn't bleak, and not every noble is greedy, peasant is starving, etc. I know a lot of fantasy likes to take from realistic Medieval Europe, but the freeing part about making my own world is that it doesn't HAVE to be like that. Their religion is different, more accepting, and again, people are more focused on looking out for each other and having a good time.

Mature themes are still present, such as murder, banditry/pillaging, alcohol, traumatic experiences, etc. but my goal isn't to present them in a darker fashion.(edited)

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

I wanted to make something influenced by my culture (Korean) without heavily drawing from the mythology. Mythology is just one facet of a culture, yet a lot of people who haven't read it expect HoK to be all about Korean mythology just because it wears a metaphorical hanbok. No. It reflects the traditional aesthetics, but more importantly, the cultural values and the unspoken rules of the society, regardless of whether I agree with them or not. Related to that is body language. I don't want my non-American characters using American body language, such as shrugging, or American ways of using eye contact, etc. I want to show them using (mostly) Korean gestures, sitting, standing and walking like Koreans. I always feel like there's a huge missed opportunity when friggin' aliens use American body language in sci-fi! I understand why people do that -- it makes the work more clear/accessible to English-speaking audience. But in HoK I'm taking the other path. It's a challenge for sure, but I would not have it any other way.

On a more thematic level, I really wanted to explore deeply hurtful experiences that happen in genuinely caring relationships. It's not about good guys vs bad guys, it's not about a nice person being hurt by someone who just doesn't care. Those stories certainly are valid, just not what I wanted to do with HoK. This story is about people who love each other, but don't always know how to communicate their love or needs.

Joichi [Hybrid Dolls]

I am also looking forward to more ace representation in the webcomic world

@eliushi [a winged tale] I agree, the ace rep is a challenge I would like to take on, I'm also curious how it will work in historical times? Even tho I'm ace,I'm still learning new innovative things(edited)

eliushi [a winged tale]

It’ll be important to dig deeper and research into what things were like if you want to capture the authenticity of the period you’re writing in! I’m sure there are personal accounts or documentation of these lived experiences.

Capitania do Azar

I see all these beautiful answers and I almost struggle to find something other than those to say I guess for O Sarilho https://www.sarilho.net/en/ I wanted to write a weird love letter to where I live and how I see my country (tho I'm glad I got other places I love in it too). To my knowledge, we don't get much like that, or at least that's not from a city perspective which is not what I'm trying to go for, at all. There's a lot of tiny cultural things that I want to touch that may be invisible for people who are not from here, but I'm glad that I'm including them for those three readers in the back. Linked to this, in a way, is the fact that I get really tired of those white/gray Sci-fi stories where everything is super clean and super white and technology is absolutely overwhelming and organised. I want Sci-fis in the woods too. And finally, there's something about the way violence is portrayed a lot of times that almost makes you feel like human life just is that cheap. I really don't want to go that road, I'm doing my best to tell a story about war in which death still leaves a toll and violence affects everyone involved

TL;DR I WANTED TO PAINT MY HOUSE

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

And finally, there's something about the way violence is portrayed a lot of times that almost makes you feel like human life just is that cheap. I really don't want to go that road, I'm doing my best to tell a story about war in which death still leaves a toll and violence affects everyone involved

@Capitania do Azar This is so beautiful (and tragic). This is something I also hope to express in my work. Super underrepresented message surprisingly.

eliushi [a winged tale]

I enjoy exploring sci-fi beyond the current conventions and absolutely love your setting shizamura!(edited)

Capitania do Azar

Thank u I really love Sci-fi but I don't appreciate that it has become associated with a very specific aesthetic because tbh I find it very limiting

DanitheCarutor

@Capitania do Azar That is actually really refreshing! Horror and action are so packed with glamorized death and violence, you can get really desensitized. The only stories I've ever seen that take those things seriously are war movies based on real life events, like Saving Private Ryan, (which my grandpa, a Korean War vet, said was the most accurate portrayal of what war was like.) and even then you get flicks that totally glamorize the whole thing. I really admire you wanting to put that sense of gravity onto the violence and death in your work, also I love when creators want to tackle war in all it's "too close to home", upsetting realism.

Capitania do Azar

I really love Saving Private Ryan, it is a very nice portrayal with a great message: nobody wants to be here

DanitheCarutor

Yes! I love Saving Private Ryan too, it was nice seeing a movie that didn't make war look like some fantastical bs.

#ctparchive #comics #webcomics #indie comics #comic chat #comic discussion #comic tea party #ctp #creator interview #comic creator interview #creator babble

[bleepbloo]

Season Episode Breakdown for Second Citadel (Part 1)

Based Solely off the poster and speculation thereof.

Thoughts under the cut, whitelist #bleepbloo theories if you’re not interested.

(At this time, 12/8/19, the first episode, ‘The Fool in the Garden of Death, Part 2’ has been released to the public; It will factor into discussion below. Spoilers Ahead, You Have Been Warned)

((Warning: VERY LONG, and has in-universe issues of Second Citadel))

Alright so, as based on the initial poster thoughts and the first episode in it’s entirety has been released, it confirms that we are going to be using the Major Arcana for each of the episodes, and that they will be in clusters of threes, for the most part. I will be analyzing each episode based on the trio presented, what that’ll mean for the episode, as well as the characters that may be highlighted as a result of the conflict presented. 

Before I get started, here are some things to keep in mind:

I will be using only one website [here], because there are often minor variations between different Arcana decks that end up giving it different meanings overall; so if you go exploring into Arcana yourself, please note that that’s a thing. Also something to note about major Arcana is that the can represent People as well as Significant Issues in your Life. I won’t be listing the full meaning for each card, as that’s going to make this MUCH longer than I know it’s going to be; I will be listing the BASIC positive(Upright), negative(Reversed), and general concepts behind each card, just so you don’t have to look up the full meaning. As a result, I’m going to be splitting my analysis in half due to sheer length it would be otherwise.

With all that mind let’s get started:

1- The Fool, The Magician, and the High Priestess

Fool: The Day Dreaming Adventurer

Positive: New Beginnings, innocence, free spirit 

Negative: Recklessness, inconsideration, taken advantage of

Magician: The Infinite Creator  

Positive: Willpower, desire, Creation, Manifestation 

Negative: Trickery, Illusions, Out of Touch

High Priestess: The one of the In-between  

Positive: Intuitive, Unconscious, Inner Voice

Negative: repressed feelings, lost inner voice, lack of center

So, I know this episode has aired already, but it’s worth going over, if only we have an established base. 

The sister’s at the garden of Death are probably dead. Marc realizes this, even if Olala doesn’t/can’t consider it - which, give her a break, she’s apparently like, 9 - and this thus has led Marc to try and figure out where to put her to hide, if only to buy more time. 

In terms of representation, I’m sure Sister Teele(Tile? Tealy? IDK how to spell her name, going to call her Sister Mom) is(was) meant to represent the High Priestess, considering she’s meant to see between the spirits, and the should, will and could happen.

I’m less sure if Marc’s meant to represent the Magician or if the Kite is, simply because they use different tool sets of mechanical vs. magical. 

(Side-note, but I do think it’s interesting that their titles as ‘creatures’ - with Marc being a Salamander and The Kite being The Kite - seem to signal to others that they are in some way associated with magic. Even though Marc’s only NOW gotten personally involved with Magic through Arum, he has known Rilla, who’s an exile for ‘magic’, even though she’s been unexiled through new laws, in comparison to the Kite, who’s very clearly a Witch. I absolutely do think we’re about to get some foiling regarding The Kite and The Salamander.)

((Also, semi-unrelated, regarding the bird to the East turning people into stone, and The Kite being disappointed that that isn’t true and that “it’s just an old wive’s tale” - if that ISN’T CLEARLY FORESHADOWING the OPPOSITE  to become true hopefully proven by someone from the East I will eat my goddamn pajamas.))

Here’s something I am sure of though; the more we see of the Kite on-screen, the more I’m sure that all 20 of the Sisters are dead. 

I’d be more worried if Sister Telay was alive, however, because that means The Kite- whoever he is- is going to be using her to some end. The same as with the rest of them, if they’re still alive. 

According to some research, however, The Kite apparently references a bird of prey- a hunter, which, y’know, explains the Axe of Wilds. Four of Wastes may be where Marc tries to take Olala, but then, they will encounter the Kite?

Really, it depends on where Marc decides to take her. 

Something that continuing to worry me however, is the Death card that keeps popping up- because that is the card of Death, make no mistake - is a signal that something is going to end. 

However, the Death card originally showed up when Olala asked what is her place in the universe; the Death card is in reference to /her/. The fact that, even now, when she has clearly escaped it (at least for the moment), doesn’t bond well for her survival overall. 

Here’s something interesting, regarding the Fool card of our deck. It’s not necessarily a numbered card- it can show up anywhere in the deck, in theory. In some decks, it shows up at the beginning; other times, it shows up after the World card, signalling the start of a new beginning, even after the end. 

Let that sink in. Let also sink in the knowledge that Olala- both in title, in name, and in her personality - is meant to be our “Fool”. 

So I mean, I’m not saying Olala’s going to end up becoming a sacrifice to renew some cycle, but it’s not outside of the realm of possibility either. The universe CLEARLY has something in mind for her, something involving death (or if nothing else an ending) and thus a new beginning, but what it is, is hard to say at this point. 

It is absolutely easy to say at this point, however, is that if Olala permanently dies, everyone’s going to ****ing riot. 

2- The Empress, The Emperor, and the Hierophant

Empress: The Female Authority

Positive: Motherhood, Fertility, Nature 

Negative: Dependence, Smothering, Emptiness, Nosiness

Emperor:  The Male Authority

Positive: Fatherhood, Authority, Structure, Control

Negative: Tyranny, Rigidity, Coldness

Hierophant: The Core Society

Positive: Tradition, Conformity, Morality, Ethics

Negative: Rebellion, Subversiveness, New Approaches

Here we get more into authority figures of the Arcana, and thus the society itself; the base of foundations that hold up any society. The mother, the father, and the society that binds us. Something I do believe we’re going to be seeing in this of episode are the parents of some of our Crew, as well as folks who have influenced them- like in Damien’s and Angelo’s Case, Sir Absolom, their mentor of knighthood. 

If this isn’t the episode we meet Sir Absolom, I’ll be surprised. I’m also hoping that this is the episode where we find out how Marc got his Knighthood title, and whether Talfryn is a knight as well, since...well, given what we know about Marc’s fears regarding Tal leaving, and Tal worried about not being wanted in addition to knowing he doesn’t want to be a knight, I’m more than a touch worried about their relationship. 

We should be able to explore - for whatever reason - why the Citadel is struggling through a shortage. I don’t know whether it’s a drought or what have you, but they’re clearly going through something, and as much as Mira can read, if you’ve never gone through a shortage before, things get rough quickly. Given Queen Mira is most likely meant to represent the Empress, well, she’s likely experiencing the more negative connotations of the card at the moment. I doubt a new solution will come quickly, if at all, and we’re going to be left uneasy just like in the first episode. 

Which is going to be interesting, especially considering the Second Citadel’s whole thing about ‘Unity’ and how it’s all about the community versus personal desires. 

Now, there’s likely going to be a rebel force that forms, maybe to oppose the Queen, because if people are hungry and angry, they’ll listen to anyone with influence that will promise them some food and protection and guidance, if the one currently providing isn’t doing that good of a job; which then ties back to the Hierophant, the society at large

Now, the question becomes this: who’s going to represent the Emperor? 

At first glance and thought, you think it’s going to be Sir Absolom, but while I think there’s some basis for it, I actually think it’s going to be Damien’s Father. After all, when things are hard, people go to church and listen to the priest. And Damien’s Father is a noted missionary, and if nothing else, a FIRM believer in the Saints and their messages. If there isn’t some conflict between Damien and his Father regarding the messages of the Saints, especially when it comes to monsters, I will eat my pajamas. 

So, to sum up: The episode is going to deal with authority figures, and them dealing with the conflicts that come up as a result of this shortage, as well as the power conflicts between the Empress and Emperor, as well as the overall society at large; when people are hungry, they get angry, and start looking towards anyone that’ll promise change. 

3 - The Lovers, The Chariot, Strength

Lovers: Those we value

Positive: Partnerships, Duality, Union

Negative: Loss of balance, one-sidedness, disharmony

The Chariot: Movement

Positive: Direction, Control, Willpower

Negative: Lack of control, Lack of Direction, aggression

Strength: What lies inside

Positive: Inner strength, Compassion, Focus

Negative: Self-Doubt, Weakness, Insecurity

Something to note about the Lovers card; it does represent the traditional meaning of Lovers, but also represents close relationships in general. Like a sibling/friendship bond, like Tal and Marc, or Marc and Rilla, or Sir Caroline and Angelo, or Sirs Damien and Angelo. However, this is going to be a Sir Caroline/Quanyii and a Rilla/Damien/Arum episode for sure

Also, I know we’ve had that whole arc about Damien growing and maturing, but like. He’s still got a long way to go to being a better person, or if not a better person necessarily, then at least to try and recognize his flaws to be an even better person. As with Sir Angelo, Sir Caroline, Talfryn, Rilla, Arum - everyone’s got shit to work on. 

The road to being a better person is recognizing flaws, and trying to improve, even if you fail a lot of the time. 

Plus, Rilla and Damien, for all that they love and respect and prioritize each other, haven’t talked about what they want 1) for their marriage or 2) what they want their wedding to be like. Also, now there’s also Arum to consider, and what he wants from the relationship, is another added factor

It’s not a bad thing, it’s just another voice in the conversation; the bigger issue is that Rilla and Damien haven’t talked about it at all, so Arum’s just going to be- thrown into the ring as it were. 

Which kind of sucks for Arum, considering he’s been I.D.’d as a hermit, by Helicoid “...then there are solitary beasts like that..(sounds of disgust)..Lizard and his House (The Hallowed Hall’s of Helicoid Part 2)” and Ernmark’s analysis (here). 

I think we’re going to the inner strength of Talfryn and Marc come to something of a resolution regarding their differences, and Talfryn will start to figure out what he wants to do with his life. 

I bet we’re going to see some stagnation in some characters, especially Sir Absolom, considering he really doesn’t like Marc. 

In Summary: we’re going to get some resolution between Tal and Marc’s relationship, most likely a positive one, but a not so good one between Rilla/Damien/Arum, due to the Arcana of the next episode. 

 4- The Hermit, The Wheel of Fortune, Justice 

The Hermit: The Distance

Positive: Contemplation, search for truth, Inner guidance 

Negative: Loneliness, Isolation, Lost your way

The Wheel of Fortune: The Changing Luck and Wheel

Positive: Change, Cycles, Inevitable fate 

Negative: No control, clinging to control, Bad Luck

Justice: Exactly what it says

Positive: Cause and Effect, Clarity, Truth

Negative: Dishonesty, Unaccountability, Unfairness

Hey. 

Hey. 

Remember when I said Arum’s the Hermit? This is going to be an Arum focused episode, I can feel it. That being said, if Marc is worried about Arum and Rilla asks, Marc’s probably going to be tailing Arum, and so is Olala. 

Remember, the major arcana both events and people,  so chances are, Justice is likely to be Sir Caroline. Why she’s following him, i can’t be sure, but clearly, a changing fortune and justice is occurring for Arum. Or something. 

I’m going to go out on a limb here, and say that the Kite is a part of the changing fortune, and Olala’s going to get captured by him? It’s a little hard to say at this point what else the changing fortune is.

Still thinking about Olala and the Death card, I worry a little more regarding the ‘inevitable fate’ part of the Wheel of Fortune, especially since (again) Olala is specifically I.D.’d with Death. 

In Short: This is going to be an Arum centric/focused episode. Marc will likely be nosy and follow, and because of Sir Caroline or something happening, Olala will fall into The Kite’s greedy, greedy and SUPER murderous hands. Clearly has something in mind for Olala, and boy, that worries me more than anything else. 

~~~

That’s it for part 1, will put link to Part 2 [Here], when it’s finished.

#bleepbloo theories #second citadel meta #second citadel spoilers #second citadel

[incarnateirony]

Very unpopular opinion of a weird mesh of issues behind the cut. Likely to piss some people off. Strange mix of fandom issues and theological issues alongside fandom marketing and self promotion, and parallelism to the real world.

So let me get the offensive part out of the way first:

I fucking hate the SPN fandom tarot deck with the fury of a thousand suns. 

I don’t care that the person who makes it is a witch, that just makes it worse.

If we can be mad at christians mass boxing hollow versions of their imagery and selling it from the inside, I can be mad at my fellow pagans and practitioners for doing the same with ours.

It’s cute, it’s pretty. But it’d be infinitely less offensive to me if it was just made from someone on the outside, that knows next to nothing about how decks work and just thinks they’re cool, than someone upselling a broken version based on literal face value. Or the alternate reading that someone is fairly unread in what they practice still but still use it as a shield TO make it, but didn’t have the knowledge of deck construction enough to actually Do It.

In a showrunner stint doused front to back with hermetic imagery and storytelling and mythos and structure, it takes a strange kind of either active effort to mess up the available values of the cards or just an open willingness to shill out ones’ faith hollow of its actual merit for likes and the automatic “Well I’m pagan so”. So? So are christian marketers that have completely fucked over their religion. That doesn’t make it better.

Am I being oversensitive about it? Maybe. But it’s absolutely maddening to see a deck -- beautiful as the art may be -- profiting for views or even possible sales on a completely broken and nonfunctioning set of values. The Fool and Magician should not be bonded in place of the Lovers, even if it’s renamed Brothers. That breaks the entire process. Why is the Chariot card being shown in place of this major, pivotal process point in the deck behind the Not-Lovers? Where are the Emperor, the Empress, the poles? Why have we jumped to Castiel performing The Great Work without place in The Not Lovers, without any of the according union, without any tell of where The Great Work leads to? You’re clearly knocking off Rider-Waite some of the visual cards minus major related symbolism in the background, what are you even doing and why.  Why are we jumping to other simpler decks to streamline other cards? Why is there literally no journey between these?

Okay, sure, it’s super easy on a surface level to plug Castiel in the spot of the angel in The Lovers. But the two below absolutely should not be the magician and fool. This is a journey OF the fool.Sure we can vagueblog that the card independently is about choices and relationships so sure -- brothers! Except. We’re forgetting. Cards. Are written. As a process. I guess nevermind that the angel behind them is supposed to be Raphael for its own process reasons, just... just plug in the first angel you think of! Nevermind this process breaks transitions of everything from Fool, Magician, High priestess, Art/Temperance, I could keep going. But I guess Castiel now has a Tiphareth association in here. Because Reasons. Because Angel In a reframed card playing matchmaker. Even if you take the non-Raphael interpretation of the angel it’s supposed to actually be removed from being limited to the idea OF an angel, as much as a general creator by higher qabbalistic implications of Waite. And here we go. Another all around broken process.

Unless of course we take Castiel in Temperance pouring out the cup as somehow the angel creator in the background taking away that step from the pair (brokenly) journeyed into Lovers/Brothers oh LOOK *ANOTHER* broken process. Don’t want Temperance to travel visibly from Lovers, and be more like Rider Waite? You still missed everything from reflections of the journey from the subconscious, superconscious, union and all elements of the eucharist, but I guess it’s an angel pouring water in a bowl, so Good Enough For Reasons?

So even if we’re going by Rider Waite as the most obvious visual parallel we have, for unknown reasons, the Fool and the Magician bonded in the transition of the lovers, over the action of the Chariot for reasons unknown, and Castiel is somehow fulfilling the missing elements of their personalities and subconscious to be a matchmaker or like, WHAT is even going on in this hot mess-- are we removing the eucharist element from both cards and just making it about pursuit of goals and somehow Cas is their key representation of pursuing their goals, WHAT IS GOING ON, WTF -- WHERE HAS REPRESENTATION OF THE HIGH PRIESTESS GONE. WHAT. IS. GOING. ON.

Maybe it bothers me so bad because I’ve spent a few years on and off thinking about how to do one of these without wanting to just shell out my own faith for art attention, rebuilding it time and again to make sure everything actually connects, to do honor to both sources and then I just see it slammed down. 

I’m sure this is gonna piss people off but god DAMN.  

like OKIE DOKIE HERE YOU GO I USED THOTH BECAUSE IT FLOWS BEST WITH OUR AVAILABLE STRUCTURE BUT I’M SURE YOU COULD DO IT WITH RIDER WAITE, THEY’RE BOTH HERMETIC DECKS

Oh look! I can even trade which pairing is represented where, and give Cas a bee suit and DeanCas meaningful greenblue colors on two levels while trading their animal symbolism around! OH, and I can use that to trace backwards and easily put Mary in a high priestess position -- LOOK, WE HAVE FUNCTIONING CONVERSION, and even a 14.13 shoutout in The Great Work of Art. And have a path for Sam the Fool growing through the Hierophant into the pivotal image if I apply BASIC THINKIE THOUGHTS to HOW A DECK WORKS.

OH LOOK orphic jack is the chicken and the egg and the snake and the golden being of phanes/lucifer about to big bounce the universe even, holy WOW, you mean, the show itself is representing this shit? YOWZA.

AAAAAAAAAAAAGH

Edit: Ironically I wrote this, unwittingly, while my wife was building a really geomantically complex seal for someone. 

Me: Goes on a rant about magical symbolism Me: Goes to check what shea's doing Shea: happens to be building intensely complex geomantic seal for someone

Dean WinchesterToday at 2:31 PM

LMAO sorry we've been through that in dm like three times i'm at a point where i nod it off mostlyI MEAN WHAT

HuehuecoyotlToday at 2:32 PM

JSDFKsjdfsdf LOOK WHEN I SAY I GET MAD EVERY TIME I MEAN IT

------

PS one of my biggest frustrations of someone using “I’m a witch/pagan/whatever” to excuse bad practice and present themselves as An Accurate and Defensible Topical Authority is literally the same as “I’m a christian” to imply one knows better than anyone else, even far more educated and informed in their dogma and history, even within their own religion. Which we know leads to representable behavior. Please do not be this person. It’s not any better when polytheists do it than when monotheists dude. If history had gone a step to the left somebody would be cramming Zeus down your throat right now. Polytheists can be the same kind of assholes as monotheists if we don’t keep our methods and behaviors in check.

#pagan life #mildew

[nick-n-judy]

Voltron S8 - ????

Okay so this is just a rant I had to put out because I’m !!! about it.

First of all, I see so much negativity about vld right now - some of which is deserved and some I don’t think is. This season was beautiful - the scenes, main plot, the music, the acting - amazing.

Something that I’ve always loved the show for was it’s subtlety. Most other shows put in POC or LGBT characters in for the views and to be “PC”, while making several comments and hints throughout to make sure you understand that “look we’ve got representation! look we did what you want!” To me, representation has always been about portraying the things represented as normal parts of everyday life. Not making sure everyone understands they’re gay or making black/Hispanic/Asian jokes or comments so you understand they’re POC. It’s always just...been there. Shiro is Japanese, Lance is Latino, Pidge, Hunk, and Keith are American (/part Galra), as well as mixed alien races, too. Looking at the garrison and the crew of the Atlas, I was astounded at the unusual (in TV shows) mix of different people of colour who were featured characters, and yet I didn’t feel like it was being slammed into my face. To me, Shiro being gay but not saying anything about it made sense, because to walk around during times of war saying “hey I’m gay” didn’t make sense. All the paladins from the garrison will have already known since Adam was a teacher, as was Shiro. Their engagement would have been known to everyone. (but hey we could have done with a ring).

That’s what I loved so much about Shiro’s ending. They showed him moving on, actually showing the scene of the wedding and a kiss even though it wasn’t really expected (or necessary, it could have just been a still shot like the others). I was actually a little disappointed to find out he’d married a guy who had been in the crew all along and we never got any hints - but then again I don’t think they were together in the year later sequence, so romance was a long time away from our last scene of them.

Lance....my poor boy. No ending arch. No character development. No star quality ending like he deserved. He was the sharp shooter. And you’re telling me he just...farmed? He left the red lion and his now half Altean heritage and went back to earth and grew flowers? Allura’s flowers? Literally everything in his life was devoted to Allura even after her death. And Allura only showed her love for him once - right before she died.

The truth is, the writers had a very easy choice if they wanted A//urance to become canon: make it happen, kill off Allura, and then give him a new purpose and someone new (Keith, cough cough), or keep Allura alive and let them live out their days together (hopefully actually in Altea). Coran rebuilt Altea, Pidge made robots with Matt, Hunk cooked his way through diplomacy meetings and Shiro was part of the coalition. Not to mention Keith - who did so much for the Galra. And they made the sharp shooter a farmer?!

That’s not even taking into account the blatant queer baiting. Lance was supposed to get someone to choose him first - and he’d already chosen Allura first, so that didn’t make sense, right? Plus, Allura had fallen for Lotor already. Lance was supposed to have a slow burn relationship - that lasted a season. Lance was supposed to have moments with someone he hadn’t had moments with in season seven - and he’d had plenty of moments with Allura. Everything the cast and directors said about Lance turned out to be a lie. They gave Klance cinematic parallels to other couples in the show, bonding throughout the seasons, a truly romantic moment in the first episode of season eight, and they didn’t even hint towards it happening in the future?? Lance could have worked with Keith, strengthening the alliance between the Galra and the Alteans. But he farmed. On earth. Even though Keith had been the one he turned to - was comforted by - when Allura rejected him and pushed him away for Lotor.

After everything, I held onto hope - because they’d said we should make sure to watch till the end. This is it, I thought. This is where they even make some kind of skit scene that hints towards Klance (or any future relationship for Lance tbh). But...it was Allura. Again.

I didn’t mind Allura’s death - but I thought she should have gotten some kind of reward for the terrible life she’d had to live through so far. If they had given her and Lance a proper relationship, rather than a two kisses, a tiny bit of cuddling, and a few mentions, then maybe it wouldn’t have been so bad - she had gotten love and a family. But she didn’t. She just...died.

Subtlety is great - but not when you don’t even say it. Shiro and Adam were subtlety. Shiro and his new husband were subtlety. But only putting Lance in a picture with an LGBT card and then possibly pulling a JK Rowling in the future and saying “oh well he was gay, we just never said” is not representation. That’s pulling it out of the bag because you want to look good.

Another problem - if they could show Shiro getting married and kissing another man...why couldn’t they make Ezor and Zethrid even say they were together? Or Veronica and Acxa, who obviously had chemistry?

There were also no moments between Shiro and Keith?

Honestly, the season was beautiful and I enjoyed it very much, but it was really Lance that did it in for me. I really liked the Honerva backstory, and the episode that followed Kinkade so much.

In the end, I feel like they’re going to drop season nine on us. Or else...they screwed up the end of an amazing show.

#word vomit #voltron #vld #keith #lance #shiro #allura #lotor #klance

[scratchface]

The special person and the abyss

aka Part 1 of the Yusaku Character Analysis

Anonymous asked: “Your analysis of Revolver/Ryoken was very interesting and in-depth. If I may ask, what do you think of Yusaku’s feelings towards Ryoken, especially when he learned that he was the voice who encouraged him during the Lost Incident? There was an obvious shift on Yusaku’s character when he didn’t want to fight Ryoken anymore and his tone grew softer. I could go on but I’d like to see your take on this.”

Ah, Yusaku. Yusaku and feelings. By far the most complicated relationship in the series, besides Yusaku and Ryoken, haha.

For the past ten years, Yusaku has been stuck on the wrong side of “an abyss”.

This abyss was first created by the solitary confinement and the torture Yusaku was subjected to over the course of the Hanoi Project. Cut-off from all human connection, and the entire world, Yusaku started to “feel” the network through his developing Link Sense. Through this, the special person was able to speak to him, “joining” him in his isolation within the room he was trapped in. This is the initial “crossing” of the abyss, and Yuaku has a lot of feelings about it. 

Being eventually freed did not make the abyss disappear. Yusaku continued to be socially and emotionally isolated, and though he was physically free, he was psychologically still trapped. He couldn’t cross the abyss to reach anyone on the other side, and nobody could cross the abyss to reach him.

This is the reason for Yusaku’s ongoing solitude throughout the series; why he often calls even Kusanagi just an acquaintance. He’s had moments of understanding with the other characters: the duel between him and Go, a handful of brief instances with Ghost Girl, and his conflict with Akira and Aoi in SOL’s systems. Yusaku comes to know these people, enough that he decides to go encourage Go when he struggles against Genome, loses control of himself when Ghost Girl is deleted before his eyes, and to refuse to sacrifice Akira. 

But Yusaku doesn’t react these ways out of a sense of friendship or companionship or even attachment to the other characters; he acts this way because of his strong sense of justice and respect for human life. Despite opportunities to connect and bond with the other characters, Yusaku remains mostly isolated outside of forming these “working relationships” with them. And that’s because Yusaku is simultaneously unable to and unwilling to go further; Yusaku still cannot cross the abyss, and the others aren’t any more capable of crossing the abyss than his classmates, therapists, or Kusanagi. 

The existence of the “abyss” is something we didn’t learn about until the final confrontation with Revolver, because Yusaku never felt comfortable sharing it with anyone. Yusaku doesn’t share his thoughts and feelings easily, but with his special person, he can finally be honest about how he perceives the world.

Why is the "special person”/voice/SP so special, enough that Yusaku would make such a vulnerable and emotional confession? 

Well, in order to cope with the ongoing isolation, Yusaku made the SP into a representation of everything he wanted:

-A friend

-A will to live and fight

-A future

This is essential to Yusaku’s relationship with the special person; the voice is the source of his strength, his determination, and his hopes for the future. 

He built coping mechanisms around his memories of the SP’s voice and advice. But while Yusaku looks back on these moments as precious memories, it’s suggested that younger Yusaku might not have felt that way at the time.

We don’t know how many times Ryoken gave Yusaku the spiel of three things, but clearly it was a lot. Like, Ryoken meant well, but unintentionally this was practically brainwashing. The three things became engrained in Yusaku’s psyche so thoroughly, and the special person became the only person, as the only person Yusaku had any interaction with for six months. We talk about Spectre and his Stockholm Syndrome a lot, but Yusaku seems to have shades of it as well: Ryoken may not have been the one holding Yusaku captive, but Yusaku was still trapped with him, whether he wanted Ryoken to be speaking to him or not. Yusaku had no choice but to listen to his voice for six months, and it seems Ryoken’s was only voice he heard in that time. Yusaku’s fixation on the SP is really no surprise in the wake of this, such that he uses the three things in situations wildly out of their original context. 

The resulting coping mechanisms were Yusaku’s crutch, even when therapy and everything else failed. Because of this, in Yusaku’s mind, the SP became the only one that can help and save him. Yusaku’s been searching and waiting for the SP not just because he wants to make sure he’s safe from Hanoi, but because he’s Yusaku’s only chance at human connection. 

Now, that’s not necessarily true, but it’s how Yusaku thinks. 

The actual problem may be that Yusaku won’t let anyone else cross the abyss but the special person. That he doesn’t want to be friends with anyone else. Maybe subconsciously, maybe consciously, Yusaku has only really interested in forming a bond with the special person for the majority of the series so far. In a sense, Yusaku is sitting at an empty table with a card that says “reserved” waiting for someone that doesn’t want to come. 

It’s tragic, it’s unhealthy, but it’s also kept Yusaku going for ten years. This is why he keeps Ai and Kusanagi at arms distance for so long, and why he refuses to form relationships with the other characters. Yusaku has placed all his bets on one person.

I think the most telling thing about Yusaku with his SP feels is how he views being “saved”.

Yusaku initially views the voice’s encouragement and being released to be two independent things; he doesn’t suspect that the same person was behind both. So while simultaneously feeling like the SP saved him with his words, giving him the strength to live, Yusaku also feels like he was never saved from the actual experiment. He was just given the strength to endure it. 

And then Yusaku finds out it was the same person behind both. And Yusaku’s perspective shifts a little; it’s no longer about whether he was saved or not. It’s “You can save me”. Future tense. Even though he hasn’t been saved yet, Yusaku feels that Ryoken can someday manage it. Yusaku feels that Ryoken can save him from the abyss/the darkness. 

(Additionally, it’s likely not a coincidence that the same events that created the Dark Ignis from Yusaku also created “darkness” within Yusaku.)

Yusaku did immediately soften when he found out Ryoken was the person he’s been searching for. For over a year at this point, Yusaku has been relentlessly hunting Hanoi members, confronting them each without mercy or hesitation. And he goes to the mansion on the cliffs looking for a fight, outright storming in, but by the end of the conversation, a fight is one of the last things Yusaku wants. 

But between everyone’s lives, Ai screaming on his arm, and Ryoken’s insistence, Yusaku doesn’t have much choice. Saving the special person has been one of his goals from the start, something Yusaku has single-mindedly pursued for ten years. While Ryoken is the one Yusaku has been searching for, been relying on, Ryoken is also at the heart of Yusaku’s isolation and inability to move on. 

So long as Ryoken, Yusaku’s most important person, is trapped by the Incident of ten years ago, so is Yusaku. Ryoken is the friend Yusaku wants, the person he wants to help, and the person he wants to have a future with. And this is all because Ryoken “crossed the abyss”.

This abyss is at the center of Yusaku’s character: this isolation, this separation. Yusaku feels like there’s an actual, impassable division between him and the rest of the world. The abyss is still there, and Yusaku has never crossed it. Ryoken crossed it, but Yusaku has never gotten to the other “side” where everyone else is. There’s just him and Ryoken on their side of the abyss, isolated from the world. 

Now that we’ve unraveled all that, we have a good idea of exactly why Yusaku is so emotionally isolated. And so next we can take a broader look at Yusaku’s personality and how he’s changed over the course of season 1, and then we can talk about who get’s to assist Yusaku and why.

See y’all in part 2!

#vrains #yugioh vrains #ygo #yusaku fujiki #fujiki yusaku #datastormshipping #i guess?? this can all be taken completely platonically #kogami ryoken #vrainalysis

[welcometophu]

Not Your Love Song: Chapter 32

Marked Book 2: Not Your Love Song

Chapter 32

[ Previous | First | Next ]

Kit’s room is quiet. Peaceful. It’s easy to work in because there’s no one else randomly wandering through. Hayworth has a completely different feel than Douglass. It was built as apartments, so Kit’s room is actually a tiny efficiency, with a kitchenette when you walk in, a daybed/sofa along the side wall, and a bureau and television against the other wall, next to the door to the private bathroom. He lives on a floor with one other efficiency as well as three two bedroom apartments, and a four bedroom apartment at the very end of the hall.

People stay private in Hayworth, the doors always locked. There is no open door policy.

“It’s not that we don’t like each other,” Kit explains as he unlocks the door Wednesday night to let them in for Rory’s second visit to the dorm. “It’s that we only socialize when we plan to socialize. There are floor events, and whole dorm events where the floors compete against each other. Trey, who lives in the other efficiency, is a good guy who spends most of his life doing competitive gaming when he’s not deep in a coding project. One of the apartments upstairs is all girls from SigPsiE who wanted to live together, but not in the house, and not off-campus. It works.”

“I like it.” It bridges the difference between having a real apartment off-campus, like Thorne’s, with all the strange little quirks that it has, and living in a dorm. Rory wonders what his chances would be of managing to get one of the efficiencies for himself as a sophomore, and if he can use his need to cook proper vegetarian meals as an extenuating circumstance. The more he gets to know Thorne’s roommates, the less he thinks he wants to join them in their apartment.

Not that there’s a room next year anyway, and Thorne doesn’t seem to want to actually move.

Rory’s aware that he should have made a decision about where to live next year long before now, but he keeps putting it off. Right now he’s thinking trying to beg his way into Hayworth wouldn’t be a bad idea.

They settle onto the daybed, and Rory brings up a stream for a TV series that he started watching on and off a few years ago, after they bought the rights to use a Phoenix Rising song in one episode. They have halfway decent representation, so he periodically catches up on the new seasons after they go online. It’s nice to take break and watch something because he wants to instead of for a class, and it’s comfortable with Kit a line of warmth pressed against his side.

Kit moves slightly as he draws, the pad of paper perched on his knees, the pencil held loosely in his hand. The sketch is of the front of the Madison Center, created in broad, soft strokes of light pencil. Rory watches curiously. When he leans into Kit and lets the magic flow between them, that warmth surrounds them both, and Kit starts drawing faster, in a flurry of frenetic energy. The pencil sketch comes to life quickly, the strokes depending, solidifying.

It’s not in color, but by the time Kit stops abruptly, dropping the pencil to the bed, the picture has taken on the quality of a faded photograph. Kit holds the edges of his art pad gingerly. “That’s—”

“What?” Rory tilts toward him again, touches the paper lightly. “You’re a good artist. This is amazing.”

“I was always better at sketching than Carolyn, but we’re both decent. This is—” Again Kit cuts off, shakes his head before he sets the pad of paper aside. “That is definitely the best thing I’ve ever drawn. And the easiest. It’s like… all of a sudden I was filled with this need to put it on paper. Like I couldn’t possibly fail.”

“When I touched you. When our bond—” Rory gestures between them to finish the statement silently, and Kit nods. “Huh,” Rory says. “Is your art magical?”

Kit laughs. “Hardly. Carolyn and I grew up drawing because it was part of being predictive. It was expected. We had to draw every layout we did when we were little. We drew Tarot cards, to get the feel for them and fix them in our minds. It made it easy when we started doing science labs for school; I could sketch anything we had to. But it’s just sketching. It isn’t magic.”

There’s a thought coming together in Rory’s head, and only part of it is fully formed. It needs testing. “I think maybe that’s changed,” he says, and if that’s true, things may be very tangled up. “Can we try something?”

“Sure, yeah.” Kit picks up the pad of paper again when Rory gestures, and he starts sketching. At first, Rory isn’t sure what he’s seeing. A face, maybe, no, not just a face. A body curled around something, hunched over while sitting. It’s all circles and rough lines.

Then Rory leans against Kit. He puts his arm across his shoulders, lets his hand fall just below the line of Kit’s short sleeve, fingers brushing bare skin. The cocoon surrounds them, and Kit inhales roughly. His pencil moves with more surety, and Rory loses track of time as he sees himself come to life as an image on Kit’s paper.

No, not to life. It doesn’t move, it doesn’t seem to shimmer off the page in some magical way. But it is beautiful art.

Kit lowers the pencil and paper, puts them aside and turns to face Rory, so they’re both sitting cross-legged on the bed. The show has stopped in the background, and when Rory glances over he sees that enough time has passed that the streaming service asks if they want to continue rather than moving on automatically.

His stomach growls; he ignores it.

“What are you thinking?” Kit asks.

“A lot of things,” Rory admits. He raises his hands, lowers them again because he has nothing to hold onto, nothing he can fret like a guitar to put his nerves to rest. “Your art is magical,” he says, because it seems like the simplest place to start. “Your Lineage is Predictive, but you aren’t. Your Talent is still about art, because you’re the flip side to Carolyn’s Emergence. You’ve Emerged in your own way, recently. You create art from magic. She brings it to life.”

Kit looks at the pad of paper lying there, Rory’s image hunched over a guitar as he plays. Kit reaches out, flips the pad closed, hiding Rory from himself. “Why do you think my art is actually Talent?”

“Because I think that sensation that we feel between us,” Rory gestures from himself to Kit and back again to illustrate, “isn’t just a part of the soulmate bond or something. I don’t think we can blame the marks. I think we can blame me. And the fact that my soul recognizes yours or something, and wants to give you energy every time we touch.” He hesitates before continuing, because this is something he’s been wrestling with for a long time. “The same energy I take. But I struggle giving it during rituals. You, however, I want to give it to as soon as I touch you. I don’t make your Talent stop. I enhance it. From the way you fell into that, I’d say I enhance it a lot.”

“Okay.” Kit exhales. He reaches out, and Rory bridges the distance between them, clasps both of Kit’s hands with his.

“When I first met Mattie, I was holding her with my innate Talent,” Rory says quietly. He thinks Kit’s heard this story, but he can’t remember when or in how much detail. “Pawel trapped her, but I stopped her from being able to slip into the shadows. And she swore that if she ate us, I’d be the sweet dessert, to be sipped delicately. And she said that I glowed with all the Talent that I had stolen, and I thought she was lying because I don’t steal Talent, I stop it.”

“And now?”

Rory runs his thumb along Kit’s hands. “It doesn’t happen every time I touch someone. Stopping Talent, I mean. I have to think about it. Just like it always feels good when we touch, and we gravitate toward each other, but we don’t get that rush. But when I think about it, it’s like it surrounds us. Like there’s a wellspring inside and I’ll never run out of energy. And you take it as fast as I can give it. So I guess she was right.”

“And then I magically create art,” Kit mutters.

“Which Carolyn can use to travel to places.”

“Or people.”

Right. Or people. Rory remembers that. It’s a small detail and he has a feeling that there is something just out of reach that is important for him to remember. But he’s not there yet.

Instead.

“Maybe you should try working with Carolyn on your independent study project,” Rory says quietly. “Thorne’s definitely not the right fit for you, and if your Talent meshes with—”

“My Talent also meshes with you, and yours meshes with me,” Kit points out. “Which makes you a perfect partner for it.” He holds his hands out, palms up, and Rory lays his hands atop them. Kit’s thumb strokes along the side of Rory’s hand as his fingers close to hold on. “If Carolyn wants my help—if she wants my art—I’ll help. I’ll help her design rituals around using our new Talents. But I’m happy helping you do what you feel like you need to do to help Darrik. I don’t want to change away from that now.”

“Do you think this can help us at all?” Rory can feed energy into Kit, but he’s pretty sure that sketching ultra-realistic images isn’t the key to reaching Lora. And he’s not sure if Kit can channel the energy in any other directions. “You were using the pictures you created as a focus for the ritual, but that seems more like something Caro—” He cuts off when Kit’s grip on him goes tight.

Kit shakes his head. “I don’t want to get her involved. She’s got her own project, and it’s separate from this one. She’s got….” He hesitates, shakes his head again. “I just think she’s going in a different direction. We’ve got Del. It’ll be fine.”

He licks his lips, and Rory feels the tension sliding from his skin. Rory shifts to lean back against the wall again, offers his arm for Kit to tuck in close. Peace settles over them, and Kit relaxes.

“You really don’t want to involve Carolyn.” Rory thought about not asking, but he knows it’s going to linger in the back of his mind, and he’ll end up asking at another time anyway.

“I don’t want to involve Carolyn,” Kit confirms quietly. “Are you asking me to try to explain why?”

“If you think you can.” Rory doesn’t want to push, and he understands if it’s not something that Kit has words for yet. But he’d like to know, in part so he can avoid future mine fields in conversation.

“We’re twins,” Kit murmurs. “When we were very little, before I could express that I was male in a way that everyone understood and believed, everyone treated us as interchangeable. Even as I got older, most of our extended family and friends still treated us that way. We were Kit and Carolyn or vice versa. If one wasn’t available, grab the other one. I love Carolyn, and yes, she’s my twin. She’s like the other half of my soul, in a totally different way than you and I might be. And she’s doing this independent study with me, which is great. I love her for that, and I love the support, and I want her to learn traditional ritual. But she’s still Predictive, and she has something to fall back on. I need to prove that I can do this on my own. That I can work without her.”

“What if your powers are linked and they’re meant to work together?”

Kit’s hand flattens against Rory’s chest, then twists in his shirt as he clenches his fingers. “I’ll deal with that when I get there. Right now I want to be me, and I want her to be her. That’s part of going to college, learning how to just be ourselves, rather than the Merrill twins. I don’t want to be interchangeable any more. Because when we’re that, I’m always lesser.”

Rory can see how this new situation could make things worse. “And now you think that magically creating art is lesser,” he says.

Kit shrugs. “Maybe. I don’t know. It’s just art.”

“She can’t travel without it, right?” It seems obvious to Rory that their new Emergent powers are codependent in some way. “In some ways, it’s like she needs you even more than you need her.”

Silence for a long, drawn out moment. Kit reaches for the abandoned remote, places it on Rory’s chest. Rory wakes up the television and looks at where they are in his series. They’ve somehow missed two episodes while Kit was in his art fugue, and Rory suspects it’s far later in the day than he thinks it is. Rory switches back to the first episode they missed and starts it over again.

“I don’t want people to see me as just an extension of Carolyn,” Kit whispers into Rory’s shoulder. “And I really don’t want them to see me as an alternate for her. It trips the dysphoria in a very bad way.”

Rory turns toward him, kisses the top of his head while stroking his shoulder. “Anyone who looks at the two of you can see that you’re different. It doesn’t take much observation skill. And if your family can’t see that, they’re blind.”

“Thanks.”

Rory squeezes his shoulder again, and lets the conversation drop. Kit slowly relaxes, going quiet and soft against Rory’s side.

Rory doesn’t want to address the idea that their own Talents are somehow linked, that Kit’s art and Rory’s ability to stop Talent are interwoven. He doesn’t want Kit to think that he can’t stand on his own.

“I could get used to this,” Kit murmurs, and that brings a smile to Rory’s lips.

“Yeah, I could get used to it, too.”

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