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rubra-wav · 2 months

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Entry #7 : Vox and Blackouts, Connection, etc.

A/N / Disclaimer : Fanfic is fanfic, and people are allowed to make things as OOC or just in their own image as possible, so I'm not shitting on that at all. Everyone has the right to make whatever tf they want and explore concepts and stuff.

This is just me vomiting ideas that have been plaguing me for a while.

If I'm proven wrong by the show, then I'll eat my hat and apologise for this one, but for now I'm trying to think about this stuff like - as logically in the frame of what's canon as possible.

It's funny to say that when this is the topic but yeah haha 💀

Ah yes, theorising about the goddamn TV Man again.

Cw: SFW to NSFW/18+ (below cut)

- So, let's establish some things before I begin to truly dig into this haha.

- Vox is not wireless, and thus does not get effected by things that are not directly connected to him. This is seen with him directly plugging into his set-up before being able to control all the TV's and devices connected to the main-frame.

- This would most likely mean that when the whole system goes down, he isn't affected by it and vice versa if he's not directly plugged into it. So yeah- if he blue screens or glitches out like he does just casually while not plugged in, then the whole city most likely would not blackout.

- An anon asked me about whether he would just go offline if the WiFi was down or if he would be just fine and yeah - he'd be just fine if he wasn't plugged in. If he was, however, then he'd most likely lose reception. He'd probably blackout/shut down.

- For an example: if he's plugged in and it's storming outside and lightning hits the main tower, then he'd probably be pretty injured because his system would be fine. But if he wasn't plugged in he'd be absolutely fine.

- I also could see his face dropping to low resolution and voice doing the blocky-glitchy thing audio over calls does if he's plugged into the system and the reception goes to absolute shit.

- Think 180p quality display and audio Vox lmao.

(Here's the other post as well)

- Having said all that, I also don't think that there wouldn't be any effect at all on surrounding technology if he starts glitching out.

- If he's near things like phones, laptops, lights, etc. Etc. He'd likely effect them, but on a way smaller scale then what most people seem to write about.

I'm gonna start going into directly NSFW below the cut

- So yeah, if you're just casually fucking Vox really hard and he starts glitching or goes to the point of bluescreening while coming, the whole of Pentagram city isn't going to experience a blackout because he's not plugged into the system.

- However

- He would most likely start effecting the direct surrounding technology.

- Think lights blinking on and off or getting brighter and then dimmer to the pace you're screwing him at. Think surrounding devices turning on and off.

- Think light bulbs and phones and clocks in the room - anything electrical or running on batteries - exploding into shattered bulbs, being destroyed, getting fried, etc. When he comes.

- Bro basically starts doing what ghosts/poltergeists start doing to mess with people lmao.

- The trope of him causing whole city-wide blackouts when hes fucked so hard is funny as hell in theory, but going off of canon that wouldn't happen that way.

- And maybe you're saying 'okay - but what if Vox is plugged into the system' That would also not happen.

- Yes, if you did screw him into bluescreening while he's hooked up to everything then yes it would most likely happen.

- but, it goes against literally everything we know about Vox to have that ever happen.

- He is all about appearances and looking perfect 365 days 24/7 to the public.

- I keep seeing these fics where that happens and he's all embarrassed and cute about it, but if that ever happened with what we know about canon Vox he'd be mortified and fucking pissed as all hell around it.

- I feel like if you're in a relationship with Vox, the first thing he'd make abundantly clear is how important his image is to him.

- So if reader was riling him up in his office while he's around all the machines and stuff or actually directly plugged in - he wouldn't be going 'no, stop it' as a kind of bratty thing, he'd be seriously telling you to stop.

- Like, to push him to causing a city-wide blackout by having sex would absolutely in my mind based on all we know about Vox; be violating his boundaries to one of the highest degrees there are.

- His public image is everything, and you would be let know that from day one. Hell, dude would probably jeaprodise/push your relationship to the side if it fucked up his image. Thats how important it is to him. The boundaries around doing something to fuck his image up would be set in stone from the second you enter his life.

- So doing that and causing that to happen wouldn't really be?? Like the cute fanfiction trope it is, he'd be rightfully angry as fuck that that's happened because it's what not to do 101 to not screw up his image.

- The 'blackout' you'd be able to cause and not have him absolutely hating you afterwards would be with your house, hotel room or wherever you're doing the do.

I'm way too passionate about this, i know, but like I see it so frequently, and it just makes like absolutely no sense to me at all, haha. I liked it the first time i saw it but after actually thinking about it I just find myself raising my brows and cringing each time I see it in fanfics because it just feels inaccurate asf 😭

#hazbin hotel #vox headcanons #vox x reader #vox #vox smut #again #im passionate here about this but im not bashing the trope #people can make what they want and im not gonna tell them not to do so!#these are my thoughts and opinions upon this though because i love him too damn much 😭#and when i see certain things that are reverberating in the fanfic section of the community i go a little hmm #just food for thought

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freedomfireflies · 9 months

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July Fic Recs 🤍

Rabbit Rabbit!! I hope June was a beautiful month for you all! Filled with love, relaxation, and really good stories!!

I feel like this is one of the best places to be on the internet because I always meet so many kind, talented, and insanely creative people! The stories I've gotten to disappear into this month are some of my favs so, without further ado...

~ Not Another Time by @be-with-me-so-happily

Summary: Harry is used to things getting crazy on tour. What he wasn't ready for is how much he misses YN during the Latin American leg of his tour. But at the Rio de Janeiro show, he needs to expect the unexpected.

The sequel to Could We Not, and a beautiful depiction of Harry's love and fear for somebody he loves! It felt so realistic, and I could actually feel Harry's stress while I read 😭💞

~ One More by @harry-on-broadway

"It never failed to surprise you just how well you fit in his arms."

This was so cute, I'm actually still crying??? A sweet blurb about the show before the last show. I wished on every star to be able to crawl into this story and live in it. Sadly, it hasn't worked yet.

~ Been There All Along by @lonelycowgirls

Summary: Where Stella goes to Harry’s last night at Madison Square Garden and gets a call that could change everything.

If really Harry isn't somewhat like this...I'm suing. Honestly

~ Zipper by @1d1195

"Harry was a smart guy, but he truly hadn’t a clue as to why he was so mad at the prospect of liking her."

The cutest, the most beautifully written, the sweetest story IN. THE. WORLD. The title alone deserves every award ever, but the connection to the plot??????? I'm still thinking about it

~ Love Don't Cost A Thing by @justmystyles

Such a beautiful concept!! I like conversations and stories like this because they really do feel so real! It helps really immerse you in the every day life of a relationship with him. And the line, "It's an us thing," LIVES IN MY HEAD RENT FREE!!!

~ Mutually Beneficial by @cherryjuiceblues

Summary: Y/N finds life difficult and Harry just wants to make her feel good.

I mean...we all just want a man that wants to make us feel good as much as this one does...AM I WRONG???

~ Guilty by @jarofstyles

Best Friend's Dad!

Everything they write is perfection and this sexy ass age gap story is no different, I am actually still sweating and convulsing I AM A SIMP

~ I Want Forever by @walkingintheheartbreaksatellite

Summary- Harry and Y/N broke up early into Love On Tour. Harry struggled to truly move on, as did Y/N. With tour over, a lost soul shows up at Y/N’s door one night, ready for forever.

Straight perfection, let's be real! A ring, the final show, AND AN ANGSTY, FLUFFY HARRY?? *chefs kiss*

~ Eros (Cupid) Harry by @0nlythrowharrybeaux

Harry is Eros and he is absolutely smitten with a human.

Listen, he absolutely would be this cute and you BEST BELIEVE I'm so down bad for this man...I literally foam at the mouth when I think about it, AND HE'S FUNNY?? Dead on sight

~ Personal by @shawnxstyles

summary: you and harry are best friends who tell each other everything. or so you thought. when harry finds out you’ve barely done anything sexual, he offers to change that. and then things get a little… personal.

Best friend Harry helping you out. Need I say more?? I NEEDN'T

~ Scared by @adorebeaa

You and Harry have your first argument right before his final show in Italy, about his final show in Italy.

THE CUTEST MOST DEVASTATING ADDITION TO THE FINAL SHOW!!! CRIED FOR HOURS

~ Y/N and Harry are expecting a baby, and they’re both very impatient by @tobesolonely

I mean...delicious honestly 😭 Just...wow

~ Sex Therapist by @tsumtsumrry

in which Harry helps you out a bit, and he’s not actually a sex therapist. (but he might as well be)

I am...scarily attracted to this man. And I am okay with that 😭💞

~ Brother's Best Friend by @helladirections

Summary: Harry is YN’s brother’s best friend and YN isn’t a little kid anymore. Featuring Italrry, teasing, and a sea view.

He is....so hot. I genuinely have no other words to describe it honestly. It's...it's bad over here for me

~ Complicated Freak by @lukesaprince

Summary: Where you’ve been hooking up with your best friend’s dad and decide to tease him with a tiny bikini.

I think about this man once a week at least...okay fine, once a day. oKAY FINE I THINK ABOUT HIM ALL THE TIME and I'm okay with that

And a shout-out to @londonharry for providing us with all the gifs we've been needing to help us through our depression 🫶 You do the Lord's work, thank you!!

I hope you all find some amazing things to discover!! Cannot wait to see you again next month!! 💞

Previous Recs:

~ Fic Rec Number 1

~ Fic Rec Number 2

~ Fic Rec Number 3

#harry #harry styles #harry styles imagine #harry styles fan #harry styles fic rec #fic rec #harry styles smut #harry styles angst #harry styles fluff #harry styles fanfic #harry styles x reader #harry styles fanfiction

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windvexer · 4 months

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When you first started practicing, did you ever have trouble letting go or forgetting a spell after you did it? I know that obsession can be a spell killer but sometimes I can’t help when my mind wanders and I think of the spell or potential outcomes

When I first started practicing this was one of the first notions I was disabused of. So while I think I recall pondering the concept, especially while I was developing my understanding of manifestation, it's not something I currently believe in.

"Random thoughts that pass through my mind can ruin my magic or cause bad things to happen" is not a magical rule. It's not a law of magical physics under which all magic operates. It's a personal belief that some people choose to adopt.

And in my opinion it's one of the poorer beliefs to adopt, because if we spend like two minutes pondering it, I think we can agree that it's not only a shitty way to treat your own practice, but it also just does not make sense at all.

As far as I can recall, the justification for this belief is that if you think about your own spells, they are "pulled back" towards you, preventing them from being able to go to their destination and carry out the work. In addition to that, perhaps you are "tainting" your spellwork by dragging it down with emotional baggage.

However, all of this is immediately solved if you don't operate on a paradigm that your spells are defenseless blobs power created out of the pure thought and belief.

But even if we do operate on a paradigm that spells are blobs of thought power:

I don't believe there is any reason to think that casual thoughts create real metaphysical connections or "cords" with anything.

I think that believing that any random passing thought you have creates real metaphysical tethers is a harmful brainworm.

Not only do I think it encourages you to treat your own mind as an unsafe space where random thoughts can literally hurt you in a real metaphysical sense, or at least harm your willful efforts towards progress and change,

But I just don't believe it to be true at all, because we don't see the results of it when we apply it to anything verifiable.

For example, we might say that spells are a special circumstance where thinking about them always creates an energetic tether or energetic baggage. Perhaps spells are a special case for the following reasons:

The spell was personally created by you, so there is a special link or connection there which wouldn't exist for other things.

Spells exist in nonphysical state, which is more susceptible to being warped by random thoughts being "attached" to them.

If these things are true, then I believe the following would also have to be true:

Literally everything you've ever created has a special link to you that will be pulled towards you every time you randomly think about it, which means if you've ever knit something and then lost it, simply thinking about it will automatically draw the object towards you, such objects perhaps even returning into your life years or decades later because you created them and sometimes thought about them.

Other things you've created which only exist in nonphysical states, like original characters, are susceptible to being warped and losing their true form if you randomly think about them in ways that don't correspond to canon. In other words, you will not be able to control the canon of that character because random thoughts automatically change what you've intentionally worked towards. Which... we know isn't true. You can choose the canon for your characters and it stays that way no matter what little AUs you randomly think of them being in.

And this isn't even to mention that even if an energetic cord does exist, there is no particular reason to think the cord has a drawing or magnetic effect.

And, this also doesn't address the idea that spells aren't necessarily like sponges. There is no reason, in my point of view, to assume that a random spell will automatically absorb any energy sent to it at all.

In fact, I believe that spells often tend to have quite reactive and self-protective natures.

Go on a thought experiment with me here, Anon:

We cast a distance protection spell for our friend. It's our intent to send our friend very warm, cozy, guardianship energies. The spell is created out of our intent and willpower, and perhaps some raised energy, and we send it on it's way.

Then randomly the next day we accidentally start thinking about the spell, and how good it will be to help our friend get out of that "cold," unsafe situation they're in.

So, working on this paradigm, we would assume that thinking about someone we care about automatically hurts our efforts to help them, which again I can't point out enough how weird I think that is, but also,

We would have to assume that our warm protection spell is somehow easily susceptible to feelings of doubt and danger, when it's literal purpose is to melt away and transform those feelings and realities.

So we'd have to believe that our spell is so weak that a few random thoughts that it is designed to overcome can "kill" it.

Which leads us to the next point, would we assume that our random thoughts would have the power to affect a well-cast spell?

I mean, not at you directly Anon, but how weak are we assuming the spell is that all the steps we did to cast it (like.... grounding, entering trance state, raising energy, charging candles, chanting, praying, releasing energy, making offerings of thanksgiving) are literally going to be overwhelmed by randomly thinking, "awwh dang, I hope the spell ends up manifesting this certain outcome, that would be really cool if it did."

Like, if we're saying that the power of random thoughts can control, influence, and dismantle metaphysical energies with almost no effort on our part whatsoever, then what is the point of ever "casting a spell?"

Under this exact same logic, you should just be able to randomly think about what you desire coming to pass, and links will automatically be created to it to pull it towards you, and those energies of desire will have *as much power as an actual spell* to bring it to you.

I mean, if this is all true, why would anyone ever learn how to reverse a spell? All they'd have to do is think random thoughts about a prior spell to eliminate it.

None of this very much even touches on the idea that if you use a separate spellcasting paradigm, none of this is relevant at all.

Suppose you summon a spirit and pay it to carry out a task. The spirit is a real entity that exists independently of you. The spell is not a blob of your mental energy encoded towards a purpose; it's an entity who's going to act on your behalf.

Are we now saying that your random thoughts count as a clear psychic link to entities and they are watching you 100% of the time and interpreting your random thoughts as new spell instructions?

Because in my experience, once you've set those guys on a task, it actually kind of doesn't matter what you think - they're going to do what you asked unless you specifically call them back to the ritual space and ask them to do something else, which they might not even agree to do.

Or another method perhaps - devotional faith. You pray to a god and complete earnest devotional rituals in pursuit of some particular manifestation.

So, your thoughts have the power to control or dismantle that god's efforts? Or, the god watched you perform that special ritual night after night, and then is randomly like "lmao well this morning she idly wondered what the outcome might be so fuck her, I'm not doing it then"?

In the greater scheme of things, Anon, I actually think it's quite difficult to accidentally ruin spells just by pondering the outcomes that might occur, or to have personal doubt, or even to feel very anxious and worried and filled with disbelief.

And regardless of how easy or hard it is, I encourage you to avoid adopting spellcasting "rules" which by default make your own mind an unsafe space for your magic.

#answered

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yangsharperavery · 9 months

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carmy telling sydney that she loves taking care of people is SO specific and exacting coming from him bc carmy hasn’t really experienced or allowed himself care... yet he recognizes that ability and characteristic so astutely in sydney.

that line is a callback to what nat says to him last season about chef’s liking to take care of people through their creativity, their gifts, their food. which is one of the reasons carmy gravitates toward food.

that’s one of the ONLY times he felt connected to and cared for within his highly dysfunctional and fractured family. THRU their likeness with and for food.

every other time he cared within his family, it was thrown in his face, he didn’t do it right or he was punished for trying.

part of him recognizing sydney’s brilliance and capability is absolutely about her skill and the food but it’s also about her ability to CARE about all of these things above and beyond the food as well.

something carmy really struggles with. like the accolades, the stars, certain details of the business. he can’t care bc care is such a tenuous and foreign concept to him on so many levels.

some people took noticeable (and justifiable) issue with all that he saddles sydney with both last season, and moreso, this season.

but without delving too much into the unjust and imbalanced distribution of labor on a black woman, which has valid and necessary critique, part of the reason carmy feels so comfortable and trusting in allowing sydney to do so many things is because he feels secure in her care and the expressions of it.

not for him specifically or directly, but for all the things that are required in their business. and even all that is required as a human as well.

he knows that her care extends beyond the food and the nourishment and the fulfillment of a meal.

and i think he does this almost unconsciously because he still wanted final say and approval on things. that’s his limited need for control and to know the working facets of a thing in order to feel certain it won’t implode.

but the CARE. that is something he sees in her. it’s something he’s lacked in a broader sense for most of his life. that care from another, directed back.

carmy desperately wants to feel and experience care. but he can’t. he keeps it at arm’s length, he self sabotages from it.

this also speaks to how we don’t ever even see HIM experience this basic care via a meal. like this guy is a chef, he’s surrounded by chefs and owns a restaurant yet he eats pb&js and poptarts?? cannot experience or allow himself care.

i think his simple acknowledgement and vocal proclamation of sydney’s care and heart is so special and impacting bc that’s what he needs. that’s what he desperately craves. but he has no real concept of it. he’s tried to display it so much throughout his life in his family but the remnants and byproducts have wounded him so severely.

so even in the way he expresses care there is an inconsistency or a haphazardness.

which is also why him telling her earlier in this season: “you’re gonna have to care about everything, more than anything” is actually just a projection. because sydney doesn’t have a lack of perception and understanding and dynamic with care. HE does!

sydney has experienced care on additional levels he hasn’t had access to. sydney has been loved. even if primarily in a familial, parental way. that is a foundation for so MUCH when it comes to the capacity of care and nurture. both giving and receiving it.

this is also why he seems so visually fixated on her sometimes. he’s trying to gauge and learn her but also figure out how he can care for and about her (while also keeping her at an arm’s length and protecting himself) because someone like her is literally BRAND new to him.

this is why he can’t handle her being upset or peeved at him.

this why he called in the favor he did for something he KNEW she would care about wearing.

WHY HE LITERALLY TRIES TO GIVE HER WHAT SHE WANTS NEARLY ALWAYS.

he witnesses her capacity for care continuously displayed and feels his own opening up toward and for her.

#sydcarmy #carmy x sydney #the bear #the bear fx #the bear meta #sydcarmy meta #the way i'm ENTRANCED with this dynamic #i need to be able to focus on other things PLSSSS

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iamnotshazam · 2 years

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On Cassiopeia the First, Grand Lysis and the Locked Tomb

Spoilers for Nona the Ninth: This may be an important theory for Alecto the Ninth.

In Harrow the Ninth's conversation where Harrow tells John about the Ninth House infanticide, John says something interesting-

[John addressing Harrow] "You generate too much light, or too much darkness, for me to look at you [. . .] You were awake during your first time in the River, and you performed necromancy, and believe me when I tell you the only one other person has ever done that their first time in. Keep in mind that she was an adult necromancer who went on to found the Sixth House. [. . .] How did they get you?"

I think John may have been speaking more literally about light and dark than I assumed at first. Gideon saw weird auras during one of the trials at Canaan House. But more importantly, Cassiopeia kept awake and used theorems during her first time in the River, too. But her connection to necromancy and death cannot have the same origin as Harrow's, because Cassiopeia was born before the rise of John as God and the death of the Earth. She was a lawyer and Nigella was an artist.

John is taken aback by Harrow's explanation. He wasn't expecting anything to do with eggs, birth, or possibly even thanergy:

"This was . . . all so different . . . before we discovered the scientific principles." "[. . . ] your mother and father committed a type of resurrection," he said. "They did something nigh-on impossible. I know, because I have committed the same act, and I know the price I had to pay. Thalergetic modification of an embryo is difficult enough, but to achieve the same thing with thanergy . . ."

Was Harrowhark Nonagesimus already a Lyctor? There's more than one type. Palamedes called his theory the Grand Lysis or megatheorem, and Harrow rejected it out if hand at first, possibly because she was already familiar with a similar concept and thought it couldn't be that. Her own existence would have been open for discussion if the joining of many souls into a true new soul was possible - so it can't be that, because she's an ordinary necromancer, right?

John ends the topic with:

"Harrow, nobody has the right to know," he said fiercely. "Nobody has the right to blame you. Nobody can judge. What has happened, has happened, and there's no putting it back in the box. They wouldn't understand. They don't have to. I officially relieve you from living in fear. Nobody has to know."

Is God panicking about Harrowhark revealing something to other people? Is God projecting some of his own justifications and anxieties onto Harrow?

The Body (Alecto) is very quick to tell Harrow to lie about her age to Mercymorn. This would have kept Mercymorn from asking questions about the plot to create a child of God to break into the Locked Tomb, but on the first read it's assumed it's Harrow's mind hallucinating a self-defense against investigating the infanticide. But if the true answer might have led to Mercymorn unraveling the success of Dios Apate Major, why would Alecto want her to lie? Why would Alecto want to hide a key to her Tomb? Alecto can't lie. Does Alecto like Harrow that much, to continue her own imprisonment?

Why?

What we know about Cassiopeia as of Nona the Ninth could barely fill a page. She:

Was gay with Nigella but had to keep it secret (why in near future 21st century NZ, though? The nun?)

Was in the original followers, witnessed everything at the cryo-lab, was resurrected, and had her memories erased

Married Nigella, as officiated by John, then turned right around an hour later and told John he was making bad choices

Was at Canaan House with the Lyctors and the Cavs researching how to . . . Lyct. The wiki said she worked closely with Anastasia (?), who had a more complete idea of Lysis, a tripod theory.

Ate Nigella and became the Fourth Saint

Founded the Sixth House, a research library

Left the Sixth House a note 6,000 years ago that eventually led to the Sixth House seceding from the Empire. (Blood of Eden made contact with the Empire 5,000 years ago.)

Is heavily implied to be another Lyctor source for BoE at one point (TV tropes, can't confirm)

Spirit magic and Resurrection Beasts were her specialty

Died in the River fighting a Resurrection Beast, lasting seven minutes under - except Palamedes while being ~mysterious~ implied maybe she didn't die

I'm wondering if pre-resurrection Cassiopeia (truth-teller, secret-keeper) made a note somewhere about how concerned she was about John's mood and possible actions. If she somehow found it again after the Resurrection. If the note was vague in hindsight and she didn't understand the full implications until after Lysis. If she was the first person to understand John was hiding something but also learned that he couldn't read their minds. If she created a moveable research facility and library that held itself separate physically and emotionally from the rest of the Empire, with the ability to move with enough stele, for a reason.

She wasn't like the rest of the Lyctors. She checked in on her House every now and then. She left them a note. Maybe she didn't have to avoid Dominicus like the others. Maybe she didn't have to fear the madness of a Resurrection Beast, where other Lyctors did. The first, broken type of Lyctor. Gideon the First and Harrow both managed to unintentionally make a bodge of their attempt at Lysis. Did anybody else? Would they know how to pick up the pieces and put them back - in a different way?

And was Cassiopeia doing something else during those seven minutes in the River?

There's a backdoor from the Tower in the River that connects directly to the Locked Tomb. Paul-amades thought he knew how to get to the Locked Tomb via the River. Harrowhark began walking towards the Tower as soon as her conversation with God ended. And in the conversation about her parents committing infanticide, Harrowhark told God:

"I am assured they had no previous research to go by. They came up with it themselves."

When her parents learned their daughter had brought Armageddon upon the Nine Houses, they reacted eerily calm. They killed themselves and may have expected her to as well. About a decade before, a person in a haz-mat suit appeared on the Ninth with a baby assumed to be named Gideon. Where did she land, outside of the airlocked Ninth? Who would have gone out to get her? Who gathered up the baby? Who eventually learned this was the same baby that lived through the nursery massacre?

"You remain - what you are," said Crux. "A worthless millstone hung around my darling's neck. You were born to make her suffer. You died as you lived, Gideon Nav - a disappointment to me - and to God."

Did someone put the idea in the heads of Harrow's parents that they needed a necromantic heir so assuredly they would risk the slow death of their house with no children? That maybe the survival of their House would soon not matter? Was there an indication using necromancy that way was even possible?

Mercymorn and Augustine had abandoned Commander Wake after Dios Apate Major. Space is big and stele are hard to come by. Was there someone transporting Wake to the Ninth? Someone with access to the River? Someone with the ability like Nona or Paul

Anastasia was locked in the tomb, as ordered by John. Samael died and Alecto was sorry for him. An oath existed to bind Alecto to Anastasia's blood.

What have Cassiopeia and Anastasia been planning?

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fire-fira · 1 month

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IDK if you've been keeping up with the Trujillo Blue Beetle run, but they put Jaime with some random Horizon girl named Oo'li and it really feels like some half-assed attempt to prevent him from ever falling in love with Khaji, I don't know, maybe I'm running on some insane troll logic here, but the writers really put Jaime with a girl who's connected in some way to the Reach, when Khaji Da is RIGHT THERE! Do not ignore please, I really wanna hear your opinion on this.

While I will agree that the relationship with Oo'li feels shoe-horned (and that detail honestly isn't helped by the breakneck narrative pacing, which may be reflective of a time crunch those involved with this most recent run might be dealing with), I think it's important to step back and take stock of some things.

The vast majority of comic writers-- and presumed comic readers-- aren't likely to even consider Jaime/Khaji Da as a ship because they're sharing a body. For better or worse, there are a looooooot of people out there (both in fandom and outside of it) who can't or haven't wrapped their minds around the concept of a ship where one character is the host body to the other; if they've put any thought into that kind of ship at all, they may have difficulty conceptualizing how a romantic/queerplatonic/committed relationship of that type can even work when the characters involved technically can't do things like hold hands, kiss, or sit across from each other while having a candlelit dinner. (Yes I realize that example may be a little cliche in this instance, but I think it's the best way to convey one of the big stumbling blocks for some writers when it comes to this kind of ship.)

It's fandom where these concepts have really been hashed out and played with, so of course as fans we're going to see the obvious potential and the ways it could work, but writers for officially published works generally should not read fanfiction-- especially of anything they're actively working on-- because doing otherwise invites the possibility that someone might feel their own work is being stolen and repurposed by a company to make money, which can lead to a lawsuit. Ergo, if they're not already familiar with the concept of how such a ship could work (or they haven't come to that concept on their own), then the chances of them even thinking to do so in their writing for DC is slim.

And for as much as Eddie Brock/Venom has put forward the idea of a host/symbiont ship more broadly in the public imagination, that reach is still limited by who would be interested in seeing those movies, and if those people were or are able/willing to recognize the host/symbiont ship as even being a possibility. And even if they did, Khaji Da is a dramatically different character than Venom in temperament and personality; we also have no guarantee that anyone looking at the movie/various-tv-series Khaji Da has been in will think to consider Khaji Da as a fully realized character instead of an AI-that-is-maybe-'sub-human'-in-personhood-but-more-advanced-than-anything-we-have-and-so-should-be-respected-as-'kind of'-an-individual (and the siri-voice in the movie probably won't have helped change that perspective). The point is, with that dramatic character difference, it might not even occur to any of them that Jaime/Khaji Da as a ship would be believable or that the characters could even have the potential motivation to share that mutual interest.

We also have no clue if Trujillo or anyone else currently working on Blue Beetle have seen any of the Venom movies to even plant the idea of a host/symbiont ship in their heads. We literally have no idea if they're even aware of the concept. And even if they are, they're in the business of trying to sell comics. I don't know the ins-and-outs of the comic industry by any means, but I think it's fair to assume that introducing a host/symbiont ship in canon might be a risky venture-- even without the breakneck narrative pacing they currently have going.

I'll be honest, with the current pacing trends I don't think they'd be able to do justice to the Jaime/Khaji Da ship in building it up into something that would make sense and have readers-- who weren't already-- get invested. Host/symbiont ships are a hard sell, so there HAS to be a believable buildup, but when the pacing's shooting by like the reader got fired out of a cannon and has to rapid-fire take notes about what they pass within seconds so they can only record the broad strokes and nothing in between, then all of that buildup crumbles into nothing. (Case in point with relationship buildup crumbling into nothing: the whole thing with Oo'li.) Physicality can kind of override some of that in a narrative, but that requires the characters to have separate bodies so they can externally interact and separate from time to time-- and Jaime and Khaji Da, by the very nature of what Khaji Da is, don't have access to that narrative override.

In terms of them trying to sell comics with the lack of decent pacing and time that DC is pushing, it's probably financially safer for them to not put the effort in to try for that kind of narrative buildup; it would take time they don't have to do it justice, and trying to force it anyway might lose them buyers due to said buyers getting put off by poorly done stories.

Yeah, as a fan to whom the possibility seems obvious and who is heavily invested in these characters, it's frustrating. I get that, and I don't blame you. But on the flip-side, DC has made plenty of wtf decisions of late (don't even get me started on the absolutely ridiculous number of Batman or Batman-adjacent books they're currently putting out right now, to the point where Bat-everything is drowning out damn near everything else), and with the lousy pacing and quick turnaround on comics they currently have going I'm honestly glad that they're not currently tackling a Jaime/Khaji Da narrative. I don't want to see what they would do to it at this time, I don't trust them to do it justice.

And speaking as someone with at least one fave DC character who has shown up in all of 94 issues total, sometimes you're honestly much better off looking to fandom and fanfiction for what you want to see. At least then you know you have a solid chance of seeing it done really well rather than getting hit with frustration or disappointment over not seeing it at all.

#Blue Beetle #Blue Beetle III #Jaime Reyes #Khaji Da #DC #DC comics #comics #ScarabLove #fandom #fanfiction #my life

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disease · 2 months

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Hi, I know you’re not a therapist or anything so you can absolutely ignore this but idk where else to put it… I feel like you are somebody who would understand.

I’m a young woman who found out about Gen January last year. I have never, ever felt more connected with a person. I can’t even listen to their music without feeling physically ill, when I look at a photograph of them it’s like looking at an old lover who’s died (I apologise if I’m using wrong pronouns by the way I’m just not sure which to use so I usually use they)

It was okayish, just an admiration until I had a manic episode (I’m bipolar) and subsequent depressive episode where I became convinced they were literally living in my body. Like I could feel their presence 24/7, everything I did was to do with them, I couldn’t read anything that wasn’t read by or related to Gen in some way. I couldn’t even look in the mirror because I would see Jackie. I became so jealous of her I couldn’t listen to any of Gen’s music past 1990 because the specific way that they loved with pandrogyny was everything I had ever wanted - Genesis was everything I had ever wanted. Genesis was the love of my life I thought.

It felt like all the confusing feelings and emotions and authors I have liked and poets and painters I’ve admired and just EVERYTHING was shared by them when I never even knew it. The more I learnt the more I felt connected. I couldn’t sleep at night because all I could do was just think about Genesis, and Neil, and all the versions of who they were in their lifetime. It felt like being reborn in a way… I felt like a prophet for them. I’ve never related to anybody more in my entire life. It’s like I found my twin flame but I know so many other people think that about Genesis as well. But I can’t explain it, this just feels different.

It subsided a bit when I got a boyfriend but Genesis is always in the back of my mind even now. Even after being medicated, I still feel like we are connected somehow and I feel this sorrow for them almost 24/7. It feels like I have lost a child. Like some sort of grief. I’m not the best at putting my thoughts into words, but I just can’t handle this. I love Genesis so, so much. More than I can write down or explain. I get this stomachache when I think about their life and how beautiful they were.

Do you have any advice or any helpful words? I’m really struggling. I feel so crazy. Sorry that this is so out of the blue. Sending love! ❤️

this message is extremely touching—and you shouldn’t feel ashamed by the intensity of your emotions toward Gen! however, i’m glad to hear medication helped to some degree, as these situations can prove to be very exhausting.

regarding Gen—as last i knew ‘they’ sufficiently addressed the Pandrogyne—they certainly had an incalculable influence on countless many during their lifespan on this realm. speaking for myself, i’ve worn a psychick cross pendant for years, along with it having been my first tattoo. Thee Temple Ov Psychick Youth was/is yet another brilliant idea of Gen’s… but, as we know, Gen disbanded from the concept upon feeling that it had shifted into somewhat of a religious cult. its intention was always to be an influence for artistic expression and self-empowerment—sort of an evolution from COUM Transmissions—but nothing beyond those basic principles alone.

fast-forwarding to more current times, i felt it to be such a privilege that they utilized contemporary media (notably Instagram) to remain virtually connected and provide further documentation. in one of their conversations with Carl Abrahamsson, i recall them accurately predicting the potential significance of technology, and what it could/would become. [i highly recommend obtaining a copy of this book: Sacred Intent.]

when Gen eventually did transcend beyond their mortal vessel, i recall this same feeling as you’ve noted… somewhat of a ‘unity’ between them & self. unselfishly, it was a relief to know they no longer had to suffer from ongoing cancer. but, beyond that, there was purely this feeling of their presence still being here… perhaps a universal feeling which then manifested into S/he Is (Still) Her/e.

the only advice i could provide given the circumstances are essentially the root of what you’ve already been doing: learning about, discussing, and manifesting the lessons & artistic creations they provided to the universe. if you’re an avid lover of music, do recall the role they played in pioneering both the Industrial and Acid House genres. if Gen desires anything from you, it’d likely be at the core of their teachings in TOPY, which was recognizing and seizing your unlocked potential as a Human Be-ing. forgive yourself for your behavior in the matter; then continue to be influenced by the infinite wisdom of their words and actions.

S/he Is Still Her/e. 丰

#g #ask #genesis p-orridge #psychick youth #TOPY #COUM

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lnkedmyheart · 6 months

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hhhhhhhhhhhhh……..,.,….,,.,

thinkign about how people want and care more about sigma joining the ada again and saying Chuuya is happy in the pm……….

siiiiiiiggggggghhhhhhh…….,,.,,,,,…….,

Thinking about how Dazai left and managed to join the light but Chuuya was left to rot in the port mafia…………

thinking about how both of their “mentors” died but detective was at least a better person morally though when he died Chuuya had to stay in the port mafia… and thinking about how oda died but dazai managed to join the light…….. thinking…….. (this topic specifically drives me insane. I can’t put it into words correctly so I’m sorry if this reads wrong but it’s just. That whole concept makes me ill)

Wondering what it would take for Chuuya to leave the port mafia and what would truly happen if he did……………

I honestly don't expect Chuuya to leave the mafia even if it would be good for him overall. He has a lot to lose, more so than Dazai or Aku or anyone to be pretty honest with you. And I dunno I dont know if he'll ever really join the ADA in general. At best he is left with joining one govt organization or go into hiding for the foreseeable future which is again pointless cause a) Chuuya is not someone who likes to sit around useless when Yokohama is burning and b) the govt has ways and means of finding him. For Chuuya to leave I think its gonna take something like Mori actually being involved in the experimentation but idk.

As for why people are so hung up on Sigma joining, I dont know, I dont get the hype with the guy at all. I dont see him offering anything special/unique to the story since most of his canon traits are mostly just aspects taken from other, better established characters. Chuuya's missing memories, Kunikida's reactions to Dazai, Atsushi's naivety and connection to the book, getting used and manipulated by an organisation like 90% of the cast, a desire for a place to belong which is literally everyone in the cast. Dazai even brings up both Kunikida and Atsushi as a comparison for him.

Sorry, like no offense to his fans, we all have our preferences but I just dont care about the guy. Like, sure the one thing he has offered to the story so far is get Fyodor's information but I have no reason to root for him when there are characters that interest me far more. And I feel like if any of the ex enemies deserved to be admitted into the ADA it was Lucy anyway.

#this is gonna trigger some people #i dont care if you like the guy dont come into my asks demanding I see him from a different lens #i tried #he isnt my cup of tea #and do NOT put his name in the tags for fucks sake #i do not wanna put my opinion on him into the search result for his fans they dont deserve to see that stuff

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mdhwrites · 6 months

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whats your opinion on caleb and evelyn (at least from what very little we know of them-)

imo the whole caleb clawthorne thing is like. one of the most pointless things in the show ever

I have called them and their connection to Belos "TOH's final trick". TOH has a single trick up its sleeve that is great for fanfic writers and TERRIBLE for a narrative. They introduce really compelling relationships and ideas and then they never do anything with them. It happens with Amity and Luz, Amity and Willow, the Hexide Squad and the Coven System, Hunter and Belos, etc. etc. All of these concepts present tantalizing issues that one could really delve in deep to and find a lot of meaning... But TOH isn't interested. It is more interested in a blog about how deep Amity's character is implied to be rather than doing anything with that depth, hence why so many people hooked onto how awful the confrontation with her parents would eventually be and then the show itself just... Has her in like three minutes of that episode and her confrontation doesn't feel like the main point of it even if it's the climax. And then it's effectively over and any issue between Lumity is never brought up again.

Caleb and Evelyn are the same but with a bit of FNAF storytelling thrown in. The pictures are vague after all so people can interpret them in different ways for what they mean. The cast has been coy as to the actual events. It's a multiple choice backstory for your villain that ranges from irredeemable monster to sympathetic villain. That way the show can claim to have a complex villain that doesn't technically invalidate the fact that they have no interest in writing a complex villain, nor do they want to need to.

But it was also one straw too many. Lumity getting together paid off in some way that old narrative baggage of Amity's, even if less powerfully than it could have. Hunter being possessed and fighting off Belos doesn't have the weight it should and I have problems with how selfish the reasoning is rather than ideological but it is a payoff to that relationship. However, a genuinely real amount of time is spent in S3, and S2, building up that Belos is something more than a genocidal, egotistical asshole. Caleb and Evelyn are a LOT of this. So what's the payoff?

There is none. Beating him isn't an ideological victory. They don't come up like Lief did for beating Andrias to pay that off. In fact, they come up less in the final fight than they do during the fight in King's Tide where the heroes LOSE. So they spent some of the very limited time they had to wrap up their story on a subplot about Belos' backstory that doesn't actually inform us of anything, doesn't affect anything and has no payoff except the most obvious one.

It's literally Willow's story except for your PRIMARY ANTAGONIST'S BACKSTORY.

The fact that the majority of the meat of it is done in a really just AWFULLY animated set piece who's literal writing is boilerplate at best does not help it at all. The best parts of this mechanically are the portraits in Hollow Mind and they're vague and that's IT. Otherwise, it's clunky for the most part. I'll give the moment when monster Belos sees Caleb as he tries to take on a new form is neat but it tells us nothing and feels out of character in the end that he'd give enough of a shit to be haunted by his brother, especially after he's killed his brother so many times. Honestly, the Golden Guards looking like Caleb even NOW just makes me think the Collector is right: He likes hurting his brother. Why else would he not finally stop after the hundredth betrayal? Unless he gets off on the moment of their betrayal I guess.

It's just not good and a casual fan is going to like it even less because they won't really absorb and think the portraits so to them, it's just one really awkward sequence in the first special, an eerie sequence that doesn't add to anything in the second and then is sir not appearing in the third. That's not engaging.

Since little of it is engaging, it fails to function as a trick. After all, any magician will tell you that everything is about misdirection in their craft. Without it, a trick becomes nothing but smoke and mirrors instead of magic.

======+++++======

Btw, mentioned FNAF so may as well say here: Saw it and really liked it. I keep considering making a blog about it and then just... not.

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

A Twitter you can follow too

And a Kofi if you like what I do and want to help out with the fact that disability doesn’t pay much.

#the owl house criticism #toh critical #philip wittebane #caleb wittebane #evelyn clawthorne #belos toh

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ivaspinoza · 2 days

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I've never read anything quite like Fever Dream. I couldn't understand a lot of it as I read, although I do understand the characters and plot overall. In each moment, did you understand what was happening? What did you find profound? What did you like best artistically about it, and were there any big philosophical statements?

What a cool, exciting ask! I love this book, I wrote a 6-page essay about it for college at the time and I was never able to read it again because of how strong the experience was for me (I want to preserve the memory).

Latin America's magical realism is not about introducing some fantasy features into the ordinary, is more about the mystical experience of reality itself, the haunting mysteries or inexplicable events of life. They exaggerate the surreal, "magical" aspect to highlight the main issue. I will share more about that in the end.

What I like about Fever Dream the most is its originality. Once you start the book, you have to feel lost. That's the whole point. Schweblin is so bold, she actually doesn't want you to "understand what is going on", she invites you into the MC's feverish dream, and for that to happen you literally have to let go of any expectations and let the story unfold at its own pace. I honestly will recommend this book to any writer who is willing to take the (eco)horror path.

But it's not just about that. Personally, this book got to me because of the "rescue distance" concept — a better translation of the original title. As someone who lost a baby, the whole paranoia that comes from sensing danger, but being blind to it at the same time, drove me almost mad. I ate that book in one afternoon — and I'm a slow reader. Couldn't stop turning pages. It was too similar to my personal experience of foreseeing death, knowing that something was just about to happen, and not being able to avoid it at all. Very cathartic, per se.

But to talk more directly about the book, I will use my own words from a few years back, and if you don't want spoilers, don't read it:

"In the end, the loose thread remains. The feeling of loss is inevitable. All the danger and sense of paranoia culminated in a whirlwind of unstoppable events, engulfing the reader in a tachycardic, spiralling route; and he lands with the certainty that something very important was left behind: the essential and irreplaceable — perhaps, life itself. It's like returning from a trip without your luggage, empty-handed. Maybe this loose thread is the sensation of the entire humanity when confronted with its impotence in the face of a scenario of constant catastrophe, of destruction that disintegrates everything around: the web being woven as one lives, without being able to deviate from the tracks or turn back. The inevitability of evil — are we like Amanda, doing our best to protect those we love, and always losing what matters most? What similarity would we have with David, tying everything in his room (p.136), trying to connect the loose thread of this unreachable distance that can no longer be calculated? He may be trying to connect with what little remains, that which seems solid, in search of connecting then with something familiar; something that sustains a world that seems to be in free fall, heading nowhere. And this world — this same world of mutations, poisoned mist, dead ducks buried in the backyard, of silence that devoured all things, this world of Schweblin's magical realism — this is our own world."

I might upload my reviews and essays one day if I ever have enough energy and time to open a substack or something (they are too long). Latin American literature is fire! I'm glad you have this book a chance :) and thanks again for the ask!

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i-didnt-hate-it · 1 month

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I didn't hate Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire, honestly it was awesome!

I just got done watching it so I'm still digesting it, but here are my initial thoughts. Any potential spoilers will go under a break.

I went into GxK that it would be similar to GvK and the other Monsterverse films: big monkey hit big lizard, big lizard breathe laser, big monkey block laser with big axe, and so on. And don't get me wrong, it definitely was all that, all pro wrestling but with big monsters, but in a cooler way than what I thought. I'm still trying to figure out what all made GxK more than what I was expecting, but I think this is the main bit.

In today's media, there seems to basically be two options. Either you make a show on streaming, which means your seasons are too short so you have to sacrifice character to plot. Or you make a two to three hour long movie, which uses a big budget to explain either characters or concept, hopefully with something of a plot to tie it together.

But GxK is a secret third thing. Worldbuilding. Adding to lore. Letting the landscapes they paint and the creatures that inhabit them speak for themselves. There were long stretches of screentime where the titans weren't necessarily fighting, they were just doing their thing, exploring their worlds.

Now obviously we need some humans to A, be able to connect to the story some, and B, know what is actually going on. Because while I would love a completely dialogue kaiju movie, the concepts and gimmicks of the Monsterverse just get too convoluted to figure out without Exposition Lady.

I can confirm that Legendary realized that the less human characters they have the better. The cast was relatively small, and while character development was minimal, they did make me feel some feelings toward some of the humans. But they made the right call not giving them too much of the story. What is this, Godzilla Minus One?

It's not, and if you can go into it knowing that it isn't even close to being the same movie as Minus One, and just watch it as a fun Monsterverse entry, I think you'll love it. The music is great too, better than GvK, imo. VFX were awesome too.

Okay, now for some spoilers, just random extra thoughts:

Godzilla really did the OMG MOTHRA!!! thing from that one meme! And I did too tbh, our Queen is back and beautiful as ever!

I love how it wasn't an instant father/son connection between Kong and Mini-Kong (I don't remember his name). Kong tried to help him out a couple times, but then gave up after MINI KONG TRIED TO KILL HIM LIKE MULTIPLE TIMES! Like come on, this little guy is just chaotic. But like they actually had growth in their trust and relationship, it wasn't just like "me big, you little, I dad now".

Scar King was actually a lot cooler than I was expecting. Shimo/Shimu whatever her name is did not have as big a role as I was expecting, but I'm glad she's okay.

Shout out to Mothra for stopping her boyfriend from killing Kong, helping them in Hollow Earth, and then just chilling when they all went to Rio. She said, "you guys got this, right?"

When I saw there was another hollow earth inside Hollow Earth, I'll admit I had a bit of an eye roll. But they explained it away pretty well.

SCOTTISH GUY THAT SAID SHIT IN STAR WARS. Alex Ferns is literally the same character he was in Andor.

I love how they imply that they basically imply that the Iwi had something to do with building the pyramids in Egypt by having the portal thing open RIGHT NEXT TO THEM. Made a cool setting for the fight, too.

At this point, I have no idea how big the Coliseum actually is.

Last thing, for now. For having top billing, Godzilla wasn't in it as much as I thought he might be. I think Legendary is realizing that if you have a character like Godzilla who can just level up his powers instantly to take on anything, and just kinda does his own thing, you've gotta limit that screen time. Since Kong is kinda humanoid, it's easier to empathize with him and thus add character development. Godzilla can only convey so much emotion that most humans can relate to (obviously Shin and Minus convey a lot of emotions, but anyway). Godzilla is in the movie, but Kong is more of the star. Honestly the world of the Hollow Earth and the Iwi people and their history are almost as much of the focus.

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scattered-winter · 9 months

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Say, what are some characters you feel like had a metric ton of potential that was completely scrapped by the writers?

i feel like it would be cheating if i said all of them so. ill try and be more specific lmao <3 i was gonna show restraint and only do a few but FUCK IT you're getting the entire essay

coran. i know he's meant to be the Comic Relief character but idk. its possible to have a comic relief character who also has gravity and emotion, ykw ??? like idk i feel like all the show/fandom ever talks about is how allura lost everything (which is TRUE. SHE DID. IM NOT TRYING TO MINIMIZE THAT AT ALL.) but idk. allura was young enough that she probably didn't really have an established life on altea yet but coran??? he was an adult. fully grown, probably had friends or coworkers, even a partner and family. idk idk he lost as much as if not more than allura did and the writers barely ever acknowledged it. he isn't allowed to connect with any of the characters or have any actual genuine moments because he's supposed to be The Funny One. idk if the writing actually aknowledged his grief and trauma more, but still made him so lighthearted and goofy, that would be FASCINATING. HE STILL HAS HOPE. HE CAN STILL LAUGH. ET CETERA. but noooo he's just Silly with nothing deeper to it. sigh

in that same vein, hunk. again, he's often comic relief (and that comic relief is usually a fat joke

lotor. ik a lot of ppl have mixed opinions on the guy (fair) but like. he had SO much potential to be so many different things but i think the writers just. had too many things they wanted him to be. so his writing was all over the place because they couldn't make up their minds

haggar......again. i had SUCH a hard time pinning down any of her motives or characterization when she was the Main Villain (which to be fair might have been due to the fact that i was Mentally Checked The Fuck Out by the time s7/s8 rolled around) but like ??? i still have no idea what she was trying to do as the main villain in s7/8. she was such a menacing villain in the first few seasons but then the writing got soo confusing and needlessly complicated and i completely lost interest in anything about her character

shiro. the fact that he went through So Much but still gave the blade of marmora enough hope to risk everything to rescue him and kickstart the events of s1 ??? the fact that he Continued to go through So Much but was still a rock for the team and was still goofy and fun and dorky and lovable ?????? and ALL THAT to not even be in the show for the next 5 or so seasons and then be permanently sidelined when he DOES come back. what the fuck. like they tried to have an atlas metaphor later on to try and bring him back into the narrative but it was MEANINGLESS. sooo much wasted potential. a narrative about healing....finding love + family + connection......ending the war that has caused so much pain for Him Personally......man. we could have had it ALL

keith. i legiterally don't even recognize keith after s3 like !!! who is this man !!!!! he had abandonment + anger issues from being alone his Whole Life and instead of finding a close-knit family in space, he was isolated again and again and again, and shoved into a role he didn't want and wasn't meant for, and by the end bro was UNRECOGNIZABLE. in theory i LOVE the concept of keith learning to rely on his team more and take more of a leadership role as he grows as a person + teammate, but they had the PERFECT opportunity to do that already with keith being red paladin!!!!!!!! the red paladin is voltron's right hand!!!!!!! if the black isn't there, then red steps up to take charge!!!!!! idk. it would have been so so so so cool if shiro was only missing Temporarily and keith had to work through his own grief/fear/etc and take up the mantle of red paladin to keep the team together just long enough until shiro got back because he would NOT want that shit long-term. idk. i know keith literally got most of the storylines and arcs in the show but i still think he had wasted potential because most of those arcs fundamentally misunderstood him as a character and turned him into something he wasn't. idk

allura. she lost her ENTIRE FAMILY her ENTIRE CULTURE her ENTIRE SPECIES and it doesn't stop there lol !!!! over the course of the show she lost LITERALLY EVERYTHING. the castle of lions (the last remnant of her home), her tiara thingie (last thing she had left of her family), AND her life. what the fuuuck what the fuck. EVEN WITH the other alteans w romelle's group, allura still got discarded. like idk. she grieved her whole people and tried so hard to lead this resistance and then after she's grown so much and become a powerful leader and warrior she becomes queen of new altea. that would have been SO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

matt. he was alone in space for YEARS. like its unclear how long it was between shiro saving him from the arena and pidge finally finding him, but it was at LEAST a year, probably longer. he was a prisoner for most of that time, separated from the only two people he knew, and likely thinking they're both dead. no way to be rescued. no way to escape. and THEN when he IS rescued by the rebels, he's alone still because he's the only human!!! none of them can speak his language!!! he can't go home!!!! and ofc he fights the galra as part of the resistance and is this badass rebel leader but the show doesn't shed ANY light on how he got there. how he turned from nerdy little scientist to badass rebel leader in a space war. and just. idk. there was barely ANY matt screentime and there was so much wasted potential there

and i could keep going. i could have an essay for every single character. but alas i am sooo fucking sleepy so i must cap it here </3

#sigh. they really did every single character so so so so so so so dirty #i literally cant decide who got it worse because they all had it SO BAD.#anyway uh. there may or may not be some slight spoilers for quintenary stars in here. because that rewrite is fixing everything i hate #and much of what i hate is in this post godbless <3 #anyway TY TY i do love rambling about things i hate. i <3 being a hater #voltron #quintenary stars series #xpegasusuniverse

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glamaphonic · 2 years

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I read your answer on why Ed wanted to meet Stede. And wondering why Izzy was so unimaginative compared to Ed.

I think Izzy is half of Blackbeard, even if he would deny it. He's the murderer, since Ed doesn't. And he keeps the ship running while Ed enjoys his pipe and wallow in his boredom.

He also seems to have some kind of divine image of Ed, like he's more than just a man. Another reason why he doesn't like Stede, since Ed becomes more human, it ruins his idea of what Ed is/was.

I do love Izzy, he's an enigma compared to the other crew members. What do you think?

Why is Izzy unimaginative? lol idk why. He just demonstrably is. Ed asks him a standard ass question about what he thinks some clouds look like and this absolute fucking brick wall goes, "They look like clouds," lolololol and then Ed literally tells him he doesn't have any imagination and indicates that this is an ongoing problem!

As for the rest...

Okay. So. DEEP BREATH.

A of all, I think Izzy being half of Blackbeard or somehow integral to the construct of Blackbeard is a fanon concept and one that I don't particularly agree with at all. A huge part of Ed's boredom is that even Ed himself is no longer necessary to the construct of Blackbeard ("I don't even have to be on the boat.") and if he's not, Izzy certainly isn't.

Furthermore, Izzy himself talks about how he put up with a job he was miserable in entirely because he was so honored to be The Legendary Blackbeard's second-in-command. There's a clear implication that Izzy didn't even know Ed before Ed was Blackbeard* much less have anything to do with him being Blackbeard. Izzy always frames his objections to what Ed’s “becoming” in terms of Ed destroying Blackbeard/himself. Do you really think that if someone as obsessive and possessive as Izzy is about Blackbeard could feasibly claim any ownership over the legend he’d refrain from doing so? Especially when he’s furious about Ed “destroying” that legend.

*This is hitting on another bit of common fanon I don't agree with btw. (i.e. that Ed and Izzy have an extremely longstanding relationship spanning a massive portion of their respective lives.) Izzy also references Ed giving him a loyalty speech when he made him first mate, which if they'd been BFFs for decades or whatever (if we, you know, ignore the fact that Ed explicitly doesn't even consider him a friend) prior to Ed being his captain why would he need to give his Loyal Companion Since Youth a loyalty speech? Furthermore, even Izzy, who is demonstrably far more invested in the relationship than Ed is, unerringly frames them exclusively as colleagues. Stede did something to his boss's brain. His narcing on them was an act of loyalty to his captain. And obviously Izzy Hands is going to be resistant to admit to, like, emotions, but I feel like if a more significant or personal connection between them ever existed, he would've appealed to it one of the multiple times he's literally pleading with Ed to take his side. The general tone of his relationship with Ed is even in stark contrast to the level of (ultimately shallow) camaraderie that exists between Ed and Jack, whom we know factually came up with Ed from their start in piracy. And even if you attribute some of that to Jack also being Ed's former sexual partner, Ed is also way more friendly and open with the entire crew of the Revenge in a way that starkly contrasts with the professional distance he keeps from his own crew, including Izzy, to the extent that Ivan and Fang comment on it! I’m pretty sure Izzy and Ed never have a single conversation, even a private one, about anything but work. What Ed's breakdown in the bathtub demonstrates, among other things, is that a huge part of his depression is the loneliness of being Blackbeard, the lack of genuine personal connections, not just because he doesn’t think he’s worthy of them (though he doesn’t) but because he's never just a man to anyone he meets or interacts with. That just doesn't mesh, imo, with the idea that he has a deep personal connection, even a highly dysfunctional one, with Izzy.

And, yeah presumably Izzy has killed at Ed's command. So has...Ed's whole crew. We literally see Ed command Fang onscreen to skin a man with a snail fork and then drown him, but fandom doesn't have a boner for Fang so no one big ups that shit into Fang being The Other Half of Blackbeard. I’d believe that Izzy is maybe way hornier about killing on Ed’s orders than anyone else (can’t say for sure, since, crucially, we’ve never even seen it UNLIKE WITH FANG; sorry pet peeve of mine), but that’s Izzy’s business.

Secondly, there's no evidence that Izzy does anything above and beyond to "keep the ship running" while Ed Does Nothing except for Izzy, a wildly unreliable narrator, implying that's the case. In fact, almost everything that Izzy says when he's having his little tantrum about his job sucking is undermined or outright contradicted by what we actually witness on the show.

He massages the crew when they doubt Ed's judgment, yet when we see him actually interact with Fang and Ivan about Ed, he's just dismissing Ed's orders as inexplicable and calling him half-insane.

He follows his every command, but also whines about them constantly and also deliberately sabotages ones he doesn't like or is just stone cold outright insubordinate.

He manages Ed's erratic moods, yet even while Ed's depressed and semi-suicidal, I wouldn't call anything about his moods erratic. Izzy doesn't understand what Ed's about, but Ed is perfectly in command of himself. And unless complaining, yelling, insulting, or whinging counts as "managing" said (dubious) moods, I don't really see what Izzy ever does on that score.

And I'm not even going to get into how bad he is at like general management of the crew aka his actual job, but suffice to say he doesn't do much but yell at them ineffectually and bully them largely purposelessly because he likes to wield the authority he gets from proximity to Blackbeard like a cudgel. Furthermore, regarding Ed Just Sits In His Room While Izzy Runs The Ship, Fang specifically says that one time Ed left Izzy in charge. Putting the lie to the idea that Ed Doesn't Do Anything since why would he need to leave Izzy In Charge if Izzy was already running everything anyway?

III, I do actually 100% agree that Izzy sees Ed as something other than just a man and part of Izzy's hatred of Stede is that Ed doesn't try hide or obfuscate his humanity in favor of being Legendary and Mythic around Stede. I'd even argue that the part of their relationship with the most narrative importance is that aspect of hero worship/idolatry. I mean, I get why fandom focuses almost exclusively on the layer of subtext that is Izzy as a self-hating gay homophobe who is obsessively in dysfunctional love with Blackbeard and is internally crying Stede Stede Please Don’t Take My Man. And I’m not saying that said subtext isn’t present. Obviously it is. (Though I also think that fandom takes it way too literally because I am of the opinion that Izzy has never so much as admitted to himself that he has feelings for Ed, and I think a lot would have to happen with his character before he ever would.) But I also don’t think it’s actually of most primacy to the story being told. OFMD is a romcom but it’s also a workplace comedy and I think that the most significant part of Izzy’s whole deal is the ways in which he pushes Ed with regard to Ed’s job, which he’s come to hate and feel trapped by, because Izzy values The Work and Blackbeard’s prestige and authority in that sphere more than anything (not least because Izzy’s own authority is dependent on it).

Finally, I find Frenchie an enigma. A ball of contradictions! The capable conman who's great at reading people but is also an 18th century conspiracy theorist. Who seems very gentle and empathetic but also displays no discomfort at all with the realities of piracy. A carefree fatalist who sings about how they're all going to die, but no biggie! I am obsessed with him. I think Oluwande is a bit of an enigma given that we know absolutely nothing about his backstory prior to one year before canon and all we know about that is that he met Jim at some point and later somehow helped Jim get a job at Spanish Jackie's. But...how does he know Spanish Jackie?! He seems like a legitimate insider with her and Geraldo! What's the deal there?! Buttons whole...everything...is the very definition of an enigma. (I STG HE'S A GODDAMN WITCH.)

Izzy, however, I do not find to be mysterious at all. He's extremely straightforward, as a matter of fact. He largely just outright says (or yells or otherwise very obviously telegraphs) everything that's going on with him at all times. It's all pretty much right out there in the open. Now, he is a weird little emotionally dysfunctional freak ass, but that's not the same thing as being somehow enigmatic or hard to understand.

As I’ve said before, I don’t really care about Izzy. I very much enjoy his role in the narrative and the things he represents about Ed's world, the cool things season one did with him as a foil to Lucius (one hindering the romance and one enabling; Ed's shoulder angel and devil), his largely one-sided rivalry with Stede! I also find him deeply, deeply hilarious. Every single time I watch 106 and he pops out from behind that curtain in Stede’s cabin I mcfuckin lose it. He’s such a creep and it’s so fucking funny.

But I am not emotionally invested in him! Asking me to emotionally invest in white men in a piece of fiction is a task with significant diminishing returns and I used up absolutely all of my OFMD quota (and probably the quota for the next like 3 things I consume) on Stede and Lucius. And even if I hadn’t, he is just not My Type of character, and frankly, I find about 85% of the way that OFMD fandom engages with him extremely tiresome.

I’m sure that people who are super into Izzy find many and varied complexities and fascinations in him and enjoy thinking about him and every possibly facet that they can extrapolate or infer or invent from every detail of every frame he’s in and every microexpression Con makes, but I…don’t!

So keep that in mind as (general) you process this long ass answer, throw it out entirely if you want, and please maybe refrain from asking me questions that are super focused on him in the future because this has definitely used up all the energy I am willing to invest in articulating thoughts about him!

#ask!#our flag means death #ofmd

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bananonbinary · 11 months

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the main argument I've heard made wrt the IP thing and AI art is that the AI can only ever combine works from other artists. it has no creative input other than combining works that already exist; which, personally, i would be fine with if it was just being trained on work in the public domain and work from people who consented to be included, but these bots are scraping art from literally everywhere on the web with *very* few opportunities to opt out. even a human artist that's heavily inspired by other creators adds something of their own to the mix, it's kind of impossible *not* to unless you're literally tracing someone else's design, but AI is using art taken from other creators And Nothing Else, which when combined with the fact you can ask it to produce art "in the style of X" gets a lot of artists very mad

that feels like a very esoteric complaint though. how does one measure "creative input," and why does the actual method it uses to create not count? if you can't actually point to a bit of AI art like "thats my OC it clearly lifted that from this painting i did" then it's clearly done SOMETHING transformative. what has it actually stolen? the knowledge that your work exists, somewhere?

as far as i understand it, the main practical reason for "intellectual property" to exist as a legal concept, is to prevent someone from harming someone else's livelihood or reputation by claiming the work as their own. parody and free use are allowed only so far as they are sufficiently different from the source work. but these AIs...don't claim credit for the source works. they don't reproduce the source works anywhere at all. and what they create IS pretty transformative, even if it's in a soulless robot kinda way. it can't really be considered to be "taking away" from sales etc of the original works that exist, because it doesn't actually look like any one of them at all. I think even if I, a human, DID create "here's a collage of tiny pieces of shit i found on deviantart" it would still be considered fair use, but the connection between anything in the data sets and the actual art the AIs produce is much, much more tenuous than that.

I think any way that it could hurt an artist that you could define would also just cover competing artists in general. Even if an AI created a picture of, say, a tree In The Style Of Artist (let's call them Phil), it still wouldn't ACTUALLY be the same as the tree Phil would draw, it would just kinda look similar. and anyone who wanted a tree by Phil would know that this wasn't one, and wasn't worth their time. Phil could draw their own tree, and still sell it, and the AI would only really compete with that among Phil fans if it actually tried to claim that its version WAS by Phil.

This is sort of my main hesitation for the IP argument. we here in fandom spaces exist in a grey area of intellectual property, where EVERYTHING is "in the style of" or "based on" existing properties. if we try to legislate those very conceptual qualities, instead of actual concrete "look this was literally my image it made i published it two years ago," then our spaces will cease to exist.

again, that's not to say there's zero valid complaints about AI art. i definitely see the problem with corporations trying to replace human labor with them because the humans wanted better working conditions. (this is a larger problem imo where any progress in the workplace is stagnated because it will inevitably be used as an excuse to fire people instead of give them less work). and a friend explained to me why it's fairly offensive at the very least to try and bring AI art into what was clearly a space to celebrate the process of making art (eg, contests, writers groups and websites, etc). i just don't think this specific argument is a good path to go down.

#this is a bit disjointed #tldr: im an extremely practical minded person #and i just dont see the practical things we're arguing about here #and im very very concerned it will do more harm than good to transformative artists #copyright laws never benefit artists they only benefit corporations anyway

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innocentlymacabre · 8 months

Text

NOW THEY CALL ME THE PLAGUE⤳ five snippets

little collation of the excerpts I've been sharing off late for my wonderful taglist :)

“Get back out, Trance. We don’t need to hide, it’s not going to hurt us,” Eda said, her voice dripping with despair and disappointment. “It’s already taken everyone it wanted to.”

I would be remiss to say my entire time here has been coloured with pain. I was dejected at first, yes, unable to make much sense of the human world. The single sun in the sky confused me, and the constant rhythm with which it alternated places with the single moon was a routine that took some getting used to. In the Dreaming, day and night is a looser concept, the landscape shifting according to its mood rather than its position in space. Our land might not be able to talk, but to say it isn’t alive would be a gross miscalculation. One can always feel its heart beating and its blood coursing through its veins, connected to us just as much as we are connected to each other.

While Trance had no intention of ever permanently changing his shift schedule, he did have to admit that the people who filtered through the tavern’s doors during Eda’s shift were far more, for lack of better word, interesting. He only got your usual group of mops that no one but their posse really wants anything to do with. But, as the night wore on on their rare use of the Arrangement, their numbers began to dwindle, and were replaced with a far more scintillating assortment. It also made him feel a smidge more useful than he did during his usual day shifts – which wasn’t something Trance particularly cared for, if he was honest. Resurrectionists quite literally working the graveyard shift (which was a profession Trance was thoroughly fascinated by), apothecaries either on their way back from or on their way to scouring for ingredients from who-knows-where, cooks from inns and taverns that closed early, captains floating through looking for a new crew – as one of the only places open into the early hours of the morning, Smokey’s brought in everyone and more.

Trance tried to pull her back. He tried to grab her and bring her away from the ledge, away from the ship, but his hand passed through a ghost. The rules were back in play and he was once again forced into his role as a spectator, doomed to watch as his best friend in the world – someone he would do so much more than simply kill for – was subsumed by the things of her very nightmares. Eda was going in to face the worst night of her life alone, and there was nothing he could do to help her.

Trance gulped and readjusted his grip on the sword. He nervously side-eyed Eda, wondering what the play was. He’d accepted that the ship itself wasn’t somehow going to hurt him, but he couldn’t ignore the growing feeling in his gut that was warning him to turn tail and run as far away from the rooftop ledge as possible. He’d lived in Thredfrost for a long, long time, so he was no stranger to trouble. He knew how to stare it down, and, most importantly, when not to. He’d developed a sort of warning system. This ship had grabbed the system by the throat and burnt it with a vengeance. And then everything cut off. It was all still there, of course, but Trance couldn’t feel anything any longer. There was no hatred or hunger from the flames, there was no heat fanning his face, there was just nothing. A heavy sort of nothing, one that hung in the air and made you aware of its presence, but wasn’t really there all the time. The kind of feeling you get when you know you’re meant to be doing something, but can’t, for the life of you, figure out what. It was like the wool had been pulled over his eyes so unmovingly that he'd been forced to come up with a world of his own for fear of going insane in the nothingness.

↝✧↝

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