#but also really motivating to think i could be on the same level as them somehow????

[melbatron5000]

The confines of a story

Any time you play a game, you need to know the rules. A puzzle has a border, you can't smash the pieces into a spot they don't fit with a hammer (I mean, you can, but it won't look right when you're done), etc.

My mental assumptions are that we are following the rules of stories as told in both novel form and video form. I'm not going to list ALL the rules associated with storytelling in both forms, because whole books and classes have been written about them and the parameters are way too big.

How do I know these rules? Well, I write novels, too. I'm not Neil Gaiman, (and I'm not going to go so far as to say I'm anywhere near his level, looking at you, Magic Trick OP), but the people who've read my books say they like them, so I think I do okay? I never went to school for any of it, but the library was and is my best friend, and I've read as many books and taken as many workshops as I can on this topic. Am I an expert? Nah. I know some stuff. There's always more to know.

So anyhow, some rules:

Rule one: the story has to be generally satisfying and not make people feel betrayed or angry. Hurt is fine, angry at the characters is fine, tricked is fine, but the reader can't feel betrayed or totally let down by the author at the end of the story. It's impossible to avoid this entirely, but most people in general have to agree that the story isn't a betrayal of the reader. The author needs to keep faith with their reader as best they can.

Rule two: in mysteries, all the cards need to be on the table at some point. Misdirection or downplaying of important information or use of double-meaning words are totally fair tactics, but the answer has to be there to be sussed out by a clever observer. (I got really mad when I tried to read murder mysteries for a little while. I figured this rule out very quickly on my own, and I could always spot the killer by the end of the second chapter. I gave up on murder mysteries. HOWEVER, another author I admire wrote a classic murder mystery-style book, and when I spotted the killer in chapter two like always, she had arranged matters so that the killer's motive was shrouded in deep mystery. I burned through that book to find out WHY he dunnit, and when the main character helped the killer escape at the end, I was troubled but satisfied.) But mah point is, all the pieces to the puzzle need to come in the box.

Rule three: (which isn't really a rule so much as an observation and something I myself struggle with), writing fiction can be very hard because people are naturally not good at knowing that other people do not know what they know. You know? Psychological studies have shown that when a person knows something, like where an object is, they develop this sort of assumption that the object's location is OBVIOUS, or that other people also know where the object is or can easily guess it, no matter how hard a time they had guessing it themselves before they were told. So not only do newer writers sometimes struggle to maintain what various characters do and don't know at different times in a story, readers can also struggle with the same thing. Gotta keep your eyes peeled for what information each character actually has, and also keep in mind how easy it is to be fooled when you think you have all the facts. I notice Neil and John taking advantage of this in Good Omens a lot -- the lies that Crowley and Aziraphale tell to the other angels and demons seem really obvious -- but that's because we know they are lying and what they're lying about. When we are lied to, we fall for it as easily as those angels and demons, because we assume we know what's going on. Watch out!

Rule four: you can't break the rules. If you're going to make a wild, avant garde, ground-breaking story, that's pretty much the whole point of the entire story. Twists are fine, emphasizing or de-emphasizing expected tropes or ideas is fine, subverting a trope is fine. Otherwise, you have to stick to ideas, formats, plots, structures, etc., that have come before. For example, just as I started seeing metas about the POV characters in Good Omens 2 jumping around, I had remembered an episode of the X-Files from way back where an "alien landing" is told from three characters' perspectives. When told from the POV of the alien conspiracy-believing kid, the story gets really weird with all kinds of wild things happening. When told from doubting Scully's perspective, it gets very boring and mundane. POV jumping is nothing ground-breakingly new. There won't be anything ground-breakingly new.

Rule five: it has to make sense. Mark Twain once said, "Of course truth is stranger than fiction. Fiction has to make sense." Once upon a time, a friend of mine who liked to embellish stories told me all about his new fiancee, who he'd met and proposed to all in a few months, who was head over heels for him, a gorgeous red-head, one of triplets. I never met this mystery woman, and then one day he called me to tell me she had died very suddenly and dramatically. I had my suspicions that she wasn't even real in the first place, so I made consoling noises and asked him when and where the funeral was so I could be there for him. I expected to be put off, told some crazy reason why there wouldn't be a funeral or it hadn't been planned yet and I would somehow mysteriously not hear about it until it was over. Instead, he gave me a date and location immediately. I was taken aback. I was even more taken aback when I arrived at the funeral to meet this woman's family, including the remaining red-headed pair from her triplet set, and hear all about what a whirlwind romance she'd had with my friend. If that had been a novel, I would have shut the book and told the author to give me a break. Books and TV and movies and plays can't push the consumers' credulity too much. Readers have to maintain their willingness to suspend their disbelief. It can't get too crazy. What's too crazy? Hard to say, it's kind a of a "I'll know it if I see it" sort of thing. And some people are certainly more willing to go along with something wild than others. The author can only try their best to maintain faith. To tell a story that can be believed.

Anyhow, I dunno if that's helpful at all, but it's sort of the litmus test I'm using to gage all my questions and theories. And what I'm using to shuffle in the metas and theories I like from others.

#long explanation #this is how my brain works for any who are curious #good omens #good omens 2 #good omens fan theory #searching out the ineffable mystery #the rules of the game

[artekai]

Having insane crossover AU brainrot tonight girlies!!! :D

I'm vibrating so hard I could write entire essays of pretentious meta pretending that crossing these two entirely unrelated series and adding my OCs improves the canon storylines lmao :')

#ramble #oc tag #i will go INSANE thinking about p5r!kai's relationship to the yoshizawas and horizon!kai's relationship to the sobecks omg #*beta voice* aloy is the one people WANT #oof 😩 #i like that both have antagonists with the same aesthetic who tries to present as helpful but later reveal they had more self serving motiv #all along and are also really weird about a trio of redheads #(well. i guess kasumi isn't a redhead but shh) #and one of them is their ex girlfriend and the other two are twins #idk it's so dumb and surface level lol but it matters to me because i did the fross & tilda and the takuto & kai thing on purpose #it's supposed to compare and contrast the influence that their parents have on them #but you know what i DIDN'T do on purpose? the tild//aloy and frosskai thing #while i was hearing tilda at her tea party i was thinking ''YES. YES THIS IS PERFECT FOR FROSSKAI'' #but frosskai was. from the very beginning. a very ''projecty'' sort of relationship? #like the fact that fross fell for kai SO quickly and THEN tried to shape kai into the kind of partner he wanted? #i definitely think it was the adrenaline and the masochism that made him fall at first #but he was more in love with the idea of the relationship than with kai himself (i feel like i'm repeating myself lol) #and part of that was (subconsciously of course). he's not dumb. he could see where things were going #and who wants to thirdwheel to tild//aloy for the rest of eternity? the obvious solution is to find a boyfriend for himself too ASAP #but. more importantly. it's the desire to take back a little of what his upbringing and the apocalypse took from him in a way? #he was playing perfectly by society's rules. and he was looking forward to finding a spouse and having a family and all of that stuff #but even though he followed the rules and did his best to fit in... his life was basically stolen from him #anyways. fross is a bad person but my favorite interpretation of him is the betrayal of how following rules without question won't save you #he followed the rules of christianity and god punished him for it. he followed the rules of capitalism and his favorite CEO punished him fo #he followed the rules of far zenith and their own creation punished him for it. #i guess you could even say he followed the rules of amatonormativity and his boyfriend punished him for it. #but that's all he ever learned to do isn't it? to passively accept and adapt to what others expected of him. no critical thinking in sight. #and what did he get for it? trauma and lots of blood on his hands that's what!!!!

[ambrosiagourmet]

I want to talk about why I think this is the one of the most important Falin panels:

So, Falin is really nice, right? It's one of the first things we really learn about her. She's kind even to the monsters of the dungeon - choosing to ward the party rather than fight spirits and cause them needless harm.

In the above early flashback in chapter 11, we see Marcille fawning over Falin's kindness, calling her an angel. Namari calls her soft-hearted. We see Falin choose not to fight even when a zombie attacks - instead she resolves the confrontation with a hug. After the flashback, the first thing Senshi says is that Falin "sounds like quite the person," which Marcille strongly affirms.

At this point in the story, all we have seen of Falin are these impressions; she is a healer, an angel, a caretaker with an infinite well of kindness towards everyone she meets - both friend and foe.

And honestly, that remains most of what we have to go by to understand her. The only times we get to see Falin on the page, alive and just herself, are in the opening and closing pages of the story and in the brief period of time after she is resurrected.

Nonetheless, we do have some more details to work with. For one, there is the scene that The Panel is from - a short memory in chapter 75, when Marcille flashes back to while she's dying. In that scene, Falin prepares to teleport them all out, and says that she's sorry "if there is a person at [their] destination." And that's when we get The Panel.

If you teleport someone or something into another person, the person teleported into is likely to be, at minimum, severely injured. They could die.

We can see a lovely little horrifying example of exactly why in one of the Daydream Hour doodles:

So, hmm. That's not... that's not SUPER nice. Certainly not displaying the same "kindness to all, friend and foe included" we saw represented earlier. On a basic level, this adds some nuance to Falin's kindness. We see it break a little, when pushed to the limit. We see her chose to protect the people she loves above all else.

Which makes sense! As Laios says when the Winged Lion accuses him of similarly being motivated more by his friends' safety than everyone else in the dungeon, "...most people, aside from virtuous do-gooders, would feel the same way."

So, we can take The Panel as simply showing a moment of weakness for Falin. A time when she was pushed to her limits, and that "most people" selfish side of her shone through.

However... I think there's a little more going on with Falin than just her being an angel 99% of the time, except just that once. I love The Panel because I think it helps us understand that Falin isn't just motivated by kindness - she also has a desire to avoid seeing people in pain.

Isn't that the same thing?

No, no it very much is not.

Let's look at a short comic from the Falin section of the Adventurer's Bible, because I think it illustrates this point perfectly. The group is complaining about how much Marcille's healing hurts, and comparing it to Falin's, which "doesn't hurt a bit." Marcille retorts with the following:

Now, the punchline of this comic is that, despite Marcille's sentimental assertion that she's "thinking of [them]" by letting her healing magic hurt, they all still prefer to be healed by Falin.

But hey, this wouldn't be the first time that Dungeon Meshi hides a very real character beat or insight in a gag, so let's think about this somewhat seriously.

If Marcille is right (and she knows a fair bit about magic, so we can assume that she has at least somewhat of a point), then what Falin is doing isn't kind. I suppose if someone specifically requested to not feel the pain, it could be kind, but that's not really what happened here. She is the one who felt badly about the others being in pain, and she is the one who decided, without telling them or giving them a choice in the matter, to take away that pain.

Both Marcille and Falin are healing the party, but Marcille is doing it in a way that accomplishes the task in the most straight forward way, without any additional interference. Falin is going out of her way to perform the healing in a way she is more comfortable with. A way that avoids pain.

Going back the The Panel, I don't think its a coincidence that the only time we see Falin (well, non-chimera Falin) willing to do something that could hurt someone is when any potential pain will be far away from her. If she got someone hurt or killed by teleporting the party to the surface? Not only would it be far out of her sight, but she'd be dead before she had to deal with any consequences of that action.

Falin is not a confrontational person. She doesn't push when Marcille won't tell her the truth about the resurrection, and she comforts Laios about her own death - both of those things happening in the only full chapter she is alive and conscious in the whole story.

We also know that she considered accepting Shuro's proposal, despite not having any special feelings towards him, and that Falin never explained to Marcille that she wanted them to share a meal together. When she brought Marcille various foods at the academy, she just accepted Marcille's confused rejection and gave up.

And lastly, we know that she is still in contact with her parents, despite the neglect and abuse she suffered at their hands. Although the way someone chooses to handle contact with abusive or bad family is a complicated topic, which I don't want to overly simplify, I do I think this fact gets at the heart of how she handles conflict.

So many people that Falin loves have hurt her. There are understandable hurts, like Laios leaving the village, or Marcille not understanding the food. And there are bigger, far less justifiable hurts - like her parents neglecting her throughout her childhood, and sending her away to be alone at the magic academy.

It doesn't seem like Falin has ever confronted any of it directly.

And the unhealthy aspects of this kind of avoidance of pain and confrontation is one of the things that the story of Dungeon Meshi is all about. We see Laios grapple with it before he goes to kill Falin, and we see Marcille acknowledge it at the end of the story, when she tells Laios that she has come to terms with Falin's death:

Eating is a part of life. Consuming other living things is a part of life. It isn't really possible to avoid that pain - you can only hide from the truth of it. You have to be selfish everyday. You have to eat - to choose to live. To choose to take up space.

And this is something Falin embraces, too. She comes back to life, after all.

We see her choose to come back to life.

And how does she make that choice? She eats. She consumes, and then she is asked a question by the manifestation of hunger itself:

Do you want to eat more?

There is a double meaning in the Winged Lion's final words on the next page.

When I first read this, I took it as him saying: life is cruel. You will suffer. You will feel more pain.

But perhaps, especially for Falin, this also means: you are choosing a path where you must cause pain. Where you must consume. Where you must take, and must be selfish. Because eating is the special privilege of the living, and it is their burden, too. In order to stay alive, she will need to keep eating.

And she chooses that. Chooses to be selfish. It's why her resurrection scene is so important, and it's why The Panel is so important. Because Falin coming back isn't the ultimate reward for all of the party's hard work.

It's her choice. Just like it was her choice that started everything in the first place. But this time, she doesn't choose to accept causing pain for the sake of Marcille and Laios. She does it for her own sake.

#dungeon meshi #delicious in dungeon #falin touden #dunmeshi analysis #I love it when dungeon meshi says. the trauma was real and it changed you #and the way you are because of it isn’t anything to be ashamed of #but you have to keep living. you have to chose to keep living. #and you can #dungeon meshi spoilers

[artsekey]

Disney's Wish

Look, Disney's Wish has been universally panned across the internet, and for good reason.

It’s just…kind of okay.

 When we sit down to watch a Disney film—you know, from the company that dominated the animation industry from 1989 to (arguably) the mid 2010’s and defined the medium of animation for decades—we expect something magnificent. Now, I could sit here and tell you everything that I thought was wrong with Wish, but if you’re reading this review, then I imagine that you’ve already heard the most popular gripes from other users across the web. So, let me focus in:

The biggest problem with Wish—in fact, the only problem with Wish—is Magnifico.

Whoa, that’s crazy! There’re so many things about Wish that could’ve been better! The original concept was stronger! The music was bad--

I hear you, I do. But stay with me here, okay? Take my hand. I studied under artists from the Disney renaissance. I teach an adapted model of Disney’s story pipeline at a University level. I spent a ridiculous amount of time getting degrees in this, and I am about to dissect this character and the narrative to a stupid degree.

First, we need to understand that a good story doesn’t start and end with what we see on the screen. Characters aren’t just fictional people; when used well, characters are tools the author uses (or in this case, the director) to convey their message to the audience. Each character’s struggle should in some way engage with the story’s message, and consequently, the story’s theme. Similarly, when we look at our protagonist and our antagonist, we should see their characters and their journeys reflected in one-another.

So, what went wrong between Asha & Magnifico in terms of narrative structure?

Act I

In Wish, we’re introduced to our hero not long into the runtime—Asha. She’s ambitious, caring, and community-oriented; in fact, Asha is truly introduced to the audience through her love of Rosas (in “Welcome to Rosas”).  She’s surrounded by a colorful cast of friends who act as servants in the palace, furthering her connection with the idea of community but also telling us that she’s not of status, and then she makes her way to meet Magnifico for her chance to become his next apprentice.

Quick aside: I'm not going to harp on Asha as a character in the context of Disney's overall canon. Almost every review I've seen covers her as a new addition to Disney's ever-growing repertoire of "Cute Quirky Heroines", and I think to be fair to Asha as an actor in the narrative, it serves her best to be weighed within the context of the story she's part of.

As Asha heads upstairs for her interview, we're introduced to the man of the hour: Magnifico. He lives in a tower high above the population of Rosas, immediately showing us how he differs from Asha; he’s disconnected from his community. He lives above them. He has status. While the broader context of the narrative wants us to believe that this also represents a sense of superiority, I would argue that isn’t what Magnifico’s introduction conveys; he's isolated.

Despite this distance, he does connect with Asha in “At All Costs”. For a moment, their goals and values align. In fact, they align so well that Magnifico sees Asha as someone who cares as much about Rosas as he does, and almost offers her the position.

… Until she asks him to grant Saba’s wish.

This is framed by the narrative as a misstep. The resonance between their ideals snaps immediately, and Magnifico says something along the line of “Wow. Most people wait at least a year before asking for something.”

This disappointment isn't played as coming from a place of power or superiority. He was excited by the idea of working with someone who had the same values as he did, who viewed Rosas in the same way he does, and then learns that Asha’s motivations at least partially stem from a place of personal gain.

Well, wait, is that really Asha's goal?

While it's not wholistically her goal, it's very explicitly stated & implied that getting Saba's wish granted is at least a part of it. The audience learns (through Asha's conversation with her friends before the interview) that every apprentice Magnifico has ever had gets not only their wish granted, but the wishes of their family, too!  Asha doesn’t deny that this is a perk that she’s interested in, and I don't think this is a bad thing.

So, Is Asha’s commitment to Saba selfless, or selfish? I’m sure the director wanted it to seem selfless, wherein she believes her family member has waited long enough and deserves his wish granted, but we can’t ignore the broader context of Asha essentially trying to… skip the line.

Then, we get our first point of tension. Magnifico reveals his “true colors” in snapping at Asha, telling her that he “decides what people deserve”. This is supposed to be the great motivator, it’s meant to incite anger in the audience—after all, no one gets to decide what you deserve, right? But unfortunately for the integrity of the film and the audience's suspension of disbelief, at least part of Magnifico’s argument is a little too sound to ignore:

Some wishes are too vague and dangerous to grant. Now, there’s visual irony here; he says this after looking at a 100 old man playing the lute. The idea that something so innocuous could be dangerous is absurd, and the audience is meant to agree.

... But we’ve also seen plenty of other wishes that might be chaotic—flying on a rocket to space, anyone? The use of the word vague is important, too—this implies wording matters, and that a wish can be misinterpreted or evolve into something that is dangerous even if the original intent was innocuous. His reasoning for people forgetting their wish (protecting them from the sadness of being unable to attain their dreams) is much weaker, but still justifiable (in the way an antagonist’s flawed views can be justified). The film even introduces a facet of Magnifico’s backstory that implies he has personal experience with the grief of losing a dream (in the destruction of his home), but that thread is never touched on again.

              What is the audience supposed to take from this encounter? If we’re looking at the director’s intent, I’d argue that we’ve been introduced to a well-meaning young girl and a king who’s locked away everyone’s greatest aspiration because he believes he deserves to have the power to decide who gets to be happy.

              But what are we shown? Our heroine, backed by her friends, strives to be Magnifico’s apprentice because she loves the city but also would really like to see her family's wishes granted. When this request is denied and she loses the opportunity to be his apprentice, she deems Magnifico’s judgement unfair & thus begins her journey to free the dreams of Rosas’ people.

              In fairness, Magnifico doesn’t exhibit sound judgement or kindness through this act of the film. He’s shown to be fickle, and once his composure cracks, he can be vindictive and sharp. He's not a good guy, but I'd argue he's not outright evil. He's just got the makings of a good villain, and those spikes of volatility do give us a foundation to work off of as he spirals, but as we’ll discuss in a bit, the foreshadowing established here isn’t used to the ends it implies.

              While I was watching this film, I was sure Magnifico was going to be a redeemable villain. He can’t connect with people because he's sure they value what he provides more than they value him (as seen in “At All Costs” and the aftermath), and Asha’s asking for more was going to be framed as a mistake. His flaw was keeping his people too safe and never giving them the chance to sink or swim, and he's too far removed from his citizens to see that he is appreciated. Asha does identify this, and the culmination of her journey is giving people the right to choose their path, but the way Magnifico becomes the “true” villain and his motivations for doing so are strangely divorced from what we’re shown in Act I.  

Act II:

His song, “This is the Thanks I Get!?” furthers the idea that Magnifico’s ire—and tipping point—is the fact that he thinks the people he’s built a kingdom for still want more. Over the course of this 3:14 song, we suddenly learn that Magnifico sends other people to help his community and doesn’t personally get involved (we never see this outside of this song), and that he’s incredibly vain/narcissistic (he's definitely a narcissist). I think feeling under-appreciated is actually a very strong motivation for Magnifico as a character-turning-villain, and it works very well. It’s justified based on what we’ve seen on screen so far: he feels under-appreciated (even though he’s decidedly not—the town adores him), he snaps and acts irrationally under stress (as seen with his outburst with Asha), and he’s frustrated that people seem to want more from him (again, as seen with his conversation with Asha in Act I).

              But then… he opens the book.

Ah, the book. As an object on screen, we know that it's filled with ancient and evil magic, well-known to be cursed by every relevant character in the film, and kept well-secured under lock and key. But what does it stand for in the context of the narrative's structure? A quick path to power? We're never told that it has any redeeming qualities; Magnifico himself doesn't seem to know what he's looking for when he opens it. It feels... convenient.

I think it's also worth noting that he only turns to the book when he's alone; once again, the idea of connection and community rears it's ugly head! Earlier in the film, Amaya-- his wife-- is present and turns him away from taking that path. In her absence, he makes the wrong choice.

This decision could make sense; it contains powerful magic, and if it were framed in such a way that the people of Rosas were losing faith in Magnifico’s magic, as if what he can do might not be enough anymore after what they felt from Star, going for the book that we know contains spells that go above and beyond what he can already do would be logical. Along the lines of, “If they’re not happy with what I do for them, fine. I, ever the “martyr”, will do the unthinkable for you, because you want more.”

            It would keeps with the idea that Magnifico believes he's still trying to help people, but his motivation has taken his self-imposed pity party and turned it into resentment and spite.

 But, that’s not the case. Instead he talks about reversing that “light”, which has had no real negative or tangible consequences on Rosas. Everyone had a warm feeling for a few seconds. Again, it’s meant to paint him as a vain control freak, but… he hasn’t lost any power. The citizens of Rosas even assume the great showing of magic was Magnifico.

Act III

              Then, we get to the consequences of opening the book (and perhaps my biggest qualm with this film). The book is established as being cursed. Magnifico knows it, Asha knows it, and Amaya—who is introduced as loyal-- knows it. The characters understand his behavior is a direct result of the book, and search for a way to save him. This is only the focus of the film for a few seconds, but if you think about it, the fact that his own wife cannot find a way to free him of the curse he’s been put under is unbelievably tragic. Worse still, upon discovering there is no way to reverse the curse, Magnifico—the king who built the city & “protected it” in his own flawed way for what seems to be centuries—is thrown out by his wife. You know, the wife who's stood loyal at his side for years?

              It’s played for laughs, but there’s something unsettling about a character who’s clearly and explicitly under the influence of a malevolent entity being left… unsaved. If you follow the idea of Magnifico being disconnected from community being a driving force behind his arc, the end of the film sees him in a worse situation he was in at the start: truly, fully alone.

              They bring in so many opportunities for Magnifico to be sympathetic and act as a foil for Asha; he’s jaded, she’s not. He’s overly cautious (even paranoid), she’s a risk-taker. He turns to power/magic at his lowest point, Asha turns to her friends at her lowest point. Because this dichotomy isn’t present, and Magnifico—who should be redeemable—isn’t, the film is so much weaker than it could’ve been. The lack of a strong core dynamic between the protagonist and antagonist echoes through every facet of the film from the music to the characterization to the pacing, and I believe if Magnifico had been more consistent, the film would’ve greatly improved across the board.

I mean, come on! Imagine if at the end of the film, Asha—who, if you remember, did resonate with Magnifico’s values at the start of the film—recognizes that he's twisted his original ideals and urges him to see the value in the people he’s helped, in their ingenuity, in their gratitude, & that what he was able to do before was enough. Going further, asking what his wish is or was—likely something he’s never been asked— and showing empathy! We’d come full circle to the start of the film where Asha asks him to grant her wish.

Pushing that further, if Magnifico’s wish is to see Rosas flourish or to be a good/beloved king, he'd have the the opportunity to see the value in failing and how pursuing the dream is its own complex and valuable journey, and how not even he is perfect.

 The curse and the book (which, for the purposes of this adjustment, would need to be established as representing the idea of stepping on others to further your own goals/the fast way to success), then serve as the final antagonist, that same curse taking root in the people of Rosas who’ve had their dreams destroyed, and Asha works with the community to quell it. Asha’s learned her lesson, so has Magnifico, and the true source of evil in the film—the book—is handled independently. Magnifico steps back from his role as King, Amaya still ends up as Queen, and Asha takes her place as the new wish-granter.

This route could even give us the true “Disney villain” everyone’s craving; giving the book sentience and having it lure Magnifico in during “This is the Thanks I Get!?” leaves it as its own chaotic evil entity.

All in all, Magnifico's introduction paved a road to redemption that the rest of the film aggressively refused to deliver on, instead doubling down on weaker motivations that seem to appear out of thin air. Once the audience thinks, hey, that bad guy might have a point, the protagonist has to do a little more heavy lifting to convince us they're wrong.

Look at the big-bad-greats from Disney's library. There isn't a point in the Lion King where we pause and think, "Wait a second, maybe Scar should be the guy who rules the Pridelands." Ursula from the Little Mermaid, though motivated by her banishment from King Triton's Seas, never seems to be the right gal for the throne. Maybe Maleficent doesn't get invited to the princess's birthday party, but we don't watch her curse a baby and think, Yeah, go curse that baby, that's a reasonable response to getting left out.

What do they all have in common? Their motivation is simple, their goal is clear, and they don't care who they hurt in pursuit of what they want.

Magnifico simply doesn't fall into that category. He's motivated by the idea of losing power, which is never a clear or impactful threat. His goal at the start seems to be to protect Rosas, then it turns into protecting his own power, and then-- once he's corrupted-- he wants to capture Star. The problem is, there's no objective to put this power toward. Power for power's sake is useless. Scar craves power because he feels robbed of status. Ursula believes the throne is rightfully hers. Maleficent wanted to make a statement. Magnifico... well, I'm not really sure.

#wish #disney #review #magnifico

[tossawary]

Ranking power levels of the main MXTX couples is kind of funny to me, because I don't really see the point generally, because (there's no real reason for any of them to fight and) they're each working on completely different world-builds with slightly different genre rules. Also, even so, it seems relatively clear to me at first glance? (Obviously, this is all personal opinion.)

Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian are powerful and skilled cultivators, but still human, as is Shen Qingqiu. Wei Wuxian is probably the most "powerful" of the three of them due to sheer cleverness and destructive potential, able to raise armies of the dead and all that, though at great personal cost. But in any given fight, you generally just have to stab or hit someone once in the right place, so Lan Wangji and Shen Qingqiu are also able to potentially take on far more "powerful" opponents if they target weak spots quickly enough. Everything depends on circumstances.

Luo Binghe is interesting because, while he's able to be killed, he is an incredibly powerful cultivator and also descended from demons who "fell from the heavens". I tend to think of him as a "demi-god" of sorts and I figure it's potentially within his capability to challenge actual gods. The world of SVSSS is not the same as PIDW, so I am not counting "Protagonist Halo" as particularly relevant, but the fact that actual mountains and hellish abysses are getting shifted around in SVSSS using the Xin Mo sword is very relevant here.

I think cultivators like Lan Wangji, Wei Wuxian, and Shen Qingqiu are definitely in with a shot against someone like Luo Binghe if they're sufficiently clever/lucky and the heavenly demon in question is sufficiently unstable/unlucky. (See: the sealing of Tianlang-Jun, Luo Binghe's birth father.) Especially Wei Wuxian, with the potential armies of the resentful dead (which he probably doesn't want to do) and all of the other inventions of new forms of cultivation that he can potentially do if given motivation and preparation time. (All of these characters are HAPPILY MARRIED NOW, they don't want to fight, leave them ALONE.)

Hua Cheng and Xie Lian are so incredibly fuck-off powerful and skilled that the sheer difference in ass-kicking abilities is actually incredibly funny. Do I think that Luo Binghe armed with the Xin Mo sword could give gods and ghost kings a lot of trouble? Sure. Do I think that Demon Emperor Bing-Ge could make the heavens shake? Yes. Do I think that Luo Binghe would ultimately win that fight? No. Hua Cheng picks fights with gods and ruins their fucking lives for funsies, essentially, and I like to imagine Xie Lian snapping the Xin Mo sword in half with his bare hands because it's funny to me.

#tossawary svsss #tossawary mdzs #tossawary tgcf #wei wuxian #lan wangji #shen qingqiu #luo binghe #hua cheng #xie lian #spoilers

[lizardaggro]

on the flip side (twst bully!au) part 4

sorry this didn't get out sooner; my sleep issues are really upset (might be daylight savings?) and i spent most of the past few days feeling like a zombie. i'm better now though! it's also a bit shorter than i'd like, but i didn't want to leave you guys hanging. also two fics? in one day?? crazy!

part 1 part 2 part 3 genre: gn reader, angst trigger warnings: bullying, yandere has officially escalated word count: 897

“Child of man,” Malleus said. Even his voice felt suffocating. “Lilia has informed me that some… pests have been bothering you as of late.” He must mean the others. Did he really not know? Well, you supposed it wasn’t too farfetched, since he didn’t have any friends and everyone was afraid of him, especially after his Overblot. “You need only have let me know and I would have… taken care of them. But worry not. You’ll be safe here, where no one would dare to harm you.”

Oh no. Oh no no no. It was finally happening. Malleus had lost his mind. It felt a little nice, you’d admit, knowing that at least one person still cared for you. But that didn’t mean you could accept being trapped here for who knows how long. You still had to take care of Grim and attend classes. Not to mention you hated feeling trapped.

You knew you couldn’t count on anyone to save you. Lilia was the only one who might be able to make him see reason, but he seemed to be fully complicit in the matter. The dorm leaders might be somewhat capable if they worked together, but they’d have no motive for that, other than to torment you further.

Getting angry and yelling wouldn’t solve anything here. You had to be smart about it. “Tsunotarou, I can’t stay here. You know that,” you reasoned. “I have responsibilities to take care of. Besides, wouldn’t you grow tired of me? Everyone else did, after all.” You surprised yourself with how true your sentiments were. Maybe you harbored more negative feelings about all of this than you’d realized.

Naturally you were pissed that everyone turned on you, but you’d never really stopped to think about how lonely you’d been. Even your professors would hardly give you the time of day. You didn’t even know what you possibly could’ve done to set them off. Grim and the ghosts were the only ones whose attitudes never changed; but it wasn’t the same.

Malleus was pouting; there was simply no other way to describe the look on his face. “Surely you don’t mean that; not after everything they’ve done,” he quipped. Was he serious? In what way did he think you’d enjoy being trapped inside one tiny room for who knows how long?

“Yes. I do. And I don’t appreciate you taking away my freedom like this. If you really cared about me, you’d respect my wishes.” You hoped appealing to his emotions would work, no, you needed it to work. If it didn’t, you weren’t sure how long your sanity would last.

“I do care about you, Child of Man,” he objected. “Can’t you see that’s why I’m doing this? It isn’t safe out there. You’ll get hurt by those vile beings you once called friends.” He spat out that last word, like they were undeserving of the title. You didn’t know how to feel about that.

There was one thing you did know, however: this man was delusional. He’d gone paranoid with worries for your safety, even though he knew nothing just hours ago and was fine. He’d always been a little possessive, you’d noticed, but you’d brushed it off as him being afraid of losing his one and only friend. Now this? This was a whole new level.

Ah, but then you remembered. Malleus knew about most of the bullying, but not all of it. You doubted Lilia would’ve tattled on his own dorm members. You smiled, catching him off guard. “But am I any safer in here? I bet you don’t know, after all. You don’t know how Sebek would beat me in the halls, how Silver watches me everywhere I go. It’s creepy; I don’t like it. And I’m sure Lilia didn’t tell you how he tries to poison me with his cooking,” you listed calmly, as if you were having an ordinary conversation.

“They WHAT?!” Malleus shouted. “LILIA! SILVER! SEBEK! GET OVER HERE THIS INSTANT!” You flinched; he was usually so calm, you didn’t expect him to suddenly yell like that. It was good that he believed you, not that you were lying. You didn’t have a backup plan.

As the unfortunate trio entered the room, you made your way over to the door. You thought you’d managed to slip out unnoticed, but Lilia shot you a wink. Did that mean he’d keep his mouth shut about your escape? You could only hope.

You ran through the halls, Malleus’s shouting covering up the sounds of your footfalls. You knew this place like the back of your hand, so you weren’t at risk of getting lost. The only question was how long the lecture would last. If you were lucky, Lilia would buy you some time, but you wouldn’t count on it.

And then, at last, you were safe, on the other side of the portal. You were totally winded, after having had the run of your life. Everything seemed great, but then you heard a voice.

“Oya? What do we have here? What were you doing in Diasomnia, prefect?” Jade asked with a definitely fake smile like he didn’t know exactly what you were doing in Diasomnia. Oh, great. Azul was with him too. How… lovely. Staying with Malleus was starting to sound like it wasn’t so bad after all. No, nevermind. It was definitely worse.

taglist (CLOSED): @twistedcece @slxt4h1m @teawhere @pleasehugmeaether @reivelmin @aoiyx @trashlanternfish360 @probablynoposts @d3sperate-enuf @mono273 @help-whatdoimakemyusername @justuraverageeverydaydegenerate @im-here-for-the-fun-of-it

#twisted wonderland #twst #twst bully!au #twst bully au #twisted wonderland x reader #twst x reader #yandere twisted wonderland #malleus draconia #sebek zigvolt #diasomnia #twisted wonderland silver #lilia vanrouge #azul ashengrotto #jade leech

[chefkids]

So what comes next?

In case you have not heard. Season 3 might be the last. This was the same source that first announced that the bear will have additional episodes and they would begin filming in February so I would say they are pretty reliable. It was also Chris' intention to just do 3 seasons, and based on the major themes I do think it makes sense.

The timeline to pay back Jimmy was 18 months. We're already 3 months in. I doubt Season 3 will cover an entire year and 3 months. So why end it at Season 3 when there is still so much that could happen and they could explore?

The Bear will shut down.

It's not unheard of for Michelin star restaurants to shut down. I could see them giving it their all and even getting a star or two, but in the end it still not being enough. Operating costs is extremely high. Gentrification was touched lightly in season 1 with the landscape of the neighborhood changing. Many Michelin restaurants are part of restaurant groups and have large financially backing plus generate income through other products like books or packaged goods.

The show has been setting up everyone to be ready to be on their own if or when the time comes.

Marcus becoming a legit pastry chef.

Tina leveling up in the kitchen as a sous.

Richie becoming a high end host and expediter.

Natalie becoming a manager and also a mom.

They have all gained skills that could get them a job anywhere else. Carmy and Sydney are the ones still stuck.

Sydney is terrified of having to start over once again, because she's scared of time running out for her. She's not even 30, most people don't get to have their own restaurants until much later in life. She wants what Carmy got and she wants to share it with him.

Carmy doesn't know what he's doing on his own. Mikey was his motivation but now that he's accepted he's gone, the only thing that seems to get him motivated is his fear of disappointing Sydney. He started cooking out of spite and has seemingly ignored all his other interests like fashion and drawing.

They need want each other. I think it will end with knowing that they will have each other even if it's not about the restaurant anymore, because really this show was never really about the restaurant but the people in it.

Syd will stop stressing about time, Carmy will find his own purpose. And maybe 10 years down the line they'll give it another try and build something completely new and he'll actually be there for her in the process. I think it will be bittersweet, but still hopeful.

Honestly this is the only way that I can see it having a concrete ending, without leaving a ton of questions in the air, while still having a optimistic door open for the future. In the end the restaurant might have not succeeded financially, but it brought everyone together and made them better.

#the bear #the bear meta #sydcarmy #sydney adamu #carmen berzatto #the bear fx #chefs kiss #the bear season 3

[topbottomswitchblade]

Intro To Knifeplay

I'd been wanting to make a tutorial and then @hollyhocks-hoping asked if I had any tips for getting into knifeplay so that finally motivated me enough. Gonna try to make this seem like a really know what I'm talking about and not get anyone killed.

First things first: Knifeplay is risky. It can cause actual harm. But like, so can driving a car, so we mitigate the danger with things like seat belts and drivers ed. This is drivers ed. (driver's ed? drivers' ed? hm.)

There's different ways to do knifeplay that can make it more safe or more risky, depending on what you want out of the experience and are comfortable with.

On the safest end, you can use alternatives to real/sharp knives. I'm going to give some examples but to be clear I am not vouching for any specific products because I have not used them because I skipped the safety level and went for blood. But that's just me.

Acrylic/resin knives (example 1, example 2, example 3,)

Training knives (example 1, example 2)

This is a knife you can order dull, which is kinda the same as a training knife, but I'm making a separate point to say: I have seen some people give advice on ways to dull a blade so you can use it for knifeplay and um. Don't Do That. First of all, very tedious. Second and more importantly, it's unlikely you'll get it to a safe level of dull and could end up hurting your partner/yourself worse if you get careless thinking it's low risk. And if you get cut, it won't be a clean cut. Also the one I linked it sold out sorry. But this one is a dulled bowie knife intended to be used as a paddle?

Putting a butter knife in the freezer so you get the chill of a cold blade without it being sharp. Pair it with leather gloves so the dom's hands don't get cold.

Of course, there's still risk associated with a dull or non-metal blade. If you're like "let's do a scene where I stab you to death, and baby, I'm going for an Oscar," you can still, like, stab your partner. It just won't do as much damage as a real knife would. Like, getting shot with a paintball vs a bullet. Still hurts, but it won't kill you. Don't jam it in their eyes or whatever.

Next up on the danger level: Using real knives without intending to cut your partner.

Use the spine instead of the blade.

Here's is a v simple diagram for our purposes

This comes with some risk (especially with a clip point) as the point is still sharp

But if you want to flash a real knife and hold it to their throat and whatnot, you can press the spine to their skin instead of the blade. Note: even I, as a pretty experienced knifeplayer, do not hold the blade's edge to my partner's throat. If I want to do that, I still use the spine.

You can also use the flat of the blade, which I'm going to say is a touch more risky because edge will be against their skin. Your sub will have to be good and keep still.

Next level: Making shallow cuts with the tip

What I usually do with my partner is use the back side of the knife (spine towards their skin) and make scratches and shallow cuts with the point of the blade. Keeping the blade edge turned away and only using the point gives me more control of the depth. I don't have to worry so much about actually slicing deep, but it's still sharp enough to draw a bit of blood.

Like so

It gets results like this

Pro tip: Open up shallow cuts wider (but not deeper) by paddling them afterwards 👍

I gave an example of clip and drop point above because they're the most common for folding knives, and also are featuring in my parts diagram, but for this practice I also use a karambit which looks like this

Obviously in this case I would not be facing the blade away to use the tip

Spice it up: Put the blade in your sub's mouth. But watch out!

Questionable method: Light stabbing

So. You can push the point in a bit before it breaks skin (unless it's a really sharp blade). I started incorporating this, but then one time I did break skin and it started For Real Bleeding. I staunched it with a tissue for a minute and it stopped and you couldn't even see the puncture, but uh. Probably won't do that again. Do with that what you will. Don't kill anyone; I don't want my blog to appear in court.

I don't think I should really suggest anything more extreme than that in good conscience. I'm sure there are people out there who go harder, but you'll have to find those people and ask them. Ultimately if you practice it safely and feel confident enough to experiment that is a call for you and your partner when you feel ready, just be smart about it and be prepared for do first aid in case of accidents.

Suggestions for blades:

Knives come in a wide range of types and prices, but you can find pretty good ones for like $20-30. Even name brands like Smith & Wesson can be anywhere between $15 and $160. Or if you want a really fancy one like a Benchmade they can run up to the multiple hundreds. But you don't need that.

I've gotten a few of my knives from megaknife.com

Outdoors/sporting goods stores (Cabela's, Tractor Supply Co, Dicks, etc)

Website for a specific brand (Smith & Wesson, Buck, Gerber, etc)

Exacto knives (craft or office supply stores) or scalpels if you want to do some carving. I have used an exacto knife but I prefer regular folding knives. I have not used a scalpel so proceed with caution.

Be aware of the knife laws where you live! This is more for if you're going to be carrying the knife, but still. Usually blades over 3" fall under concealed carry laws.

Safety tip: Aim for meaty parts. Avoid veins and arteries.

Sanitation:

Use alcohol wipes on the blade and skin beforehand. Wash your hands or wear gloves. Clean the cuts afterwards using a gentle soap and warm water. Do not use alcohol on the cuts afterwards. I mean, unless that's part of your pain play but I don't know if that would even be fun lol. You can use neosporin, bactine spray, etc as well.

In general, use good BDSM practices. Talk it through beforehand to establish what you and your partner are comfortable with. Use safewords, give aftercare with the first aid. Don't hesitate to check in throughout. Take it slow when you start out. Don't feel like you have to go hard and draw blood the first time you try it.

#mine #knifeplay #psa #knives #text #probably gonna think of more stuff to say later but i already had to stop myself from rambling #best hits

[potatomountain]

CIY- CH 9

Chapter Nine

📍pairing: detective ateez ot8 x detective afab reader

📍word count: 3.3k

📍network: @pirateeznet

📍Warnings: mentions of mxm relationships and death. depictions of violence

📍Beta readers (and sole motivation): @flurrys-creativity , @candypop1611 , @yourfatherlucifer, @yessa-vie and edited by the amazing: @daesukiii

masterlist | Previous | Next

It wasn’t until the click on the lock resounded in your skull that you realized you were now in Hongjoong’s office, standing awkwardly before his desk still trying to wrap your head around what you just saw. He was quiet, only the sound of his breathing indicating that he was behind you: deep inhales and shaky exhales. 

Swallowing hard and licking your dry lips, you managed to call out. “Captain…?” It was all you could manage because where exactly did you start with the questions? Hell, what even were your questions?

“I know. Fuck I know.” Grumbling he moved around you and leaned back against his desk, head slumped forward. “I would ask you to ignore the things he said, but we both know that’s not going to happen. You’re too stubborn.”

Hongjoong had been neither welcoming nor unwelcoming until this point, seemingly giving you orders just to keep you busy or because that was his job, but really you couldn’t figure out the enigmatic Captain. You knew he valued the opinion of his team, the Vice the most, and that he would do things without an explanation and they all just trusted him enough not to ask. But you were also well aware some things that had been said just didn’t add up to what you expected a unit like this to run: maybe it was more so that it was things your unit would never say or do.

The sudden thought was jarring, a frown pulling at your lips. You shouldn’t be thinking about them when they weren’t your unit anymore- and they proved the way they did things was just not for you either.

Was it any better here?

Before you could dwell on that question, Hongjoong continued. “To answer one of the questions I know is in your head: yes we do have sexual relations with each other in the unit. Did you think I, or San for that matter, flirted just to do so?”

“To be honest, I refused to give it much thought.” You replied dryly, still reeling a bit. To think they would be open about sex with each other? Not only coworkers, but other men. How were they so open minded to such concepts but were so adamant about not needing you or welcoming you? Hell, Jongho continued on a daily basis to remind you that he didn’t like you. Did they think you were going to judge them?

Did they think you were going to be such a priss about it?

One glance at Hongjoong and you relaxed: of course, they thought you were. These men were a tightly knit group, and you were an outsider forced upon them. They trusted each other, now realizing on a much deeper level than you suspected, and they didn’t want you a part of that.

That shouldn’t hurt.

“But it’s not really my business is it? It’s not like you’re making me watch, nor forcing me into the same boat. Who you all fuck is really not my concern.” You clarified, attempting to ease the frown on his brow. 

It just deepened, your name tumbling from his lips. “We know it’s against regulations and policy-”

“And? You think I’m going to tell anyone? Would make me a fucking hypocrite, probably.” You scoffed.

He tilted his head in confusion. “Thought you didn’t do anything with your last unit?”

“Doesn’t mean I didn’t want to.” You fixed him with a hardened stare. “Not that they would’ve done anything, they are so adamant about following the rules. And I’d rather you not press. That is what you want to tell me, isn’t it? Keep my nose out of it as much as I can?”

His eyes widened a bit at your attitude, shaking his head as he stood up. “That’s not- fuck. You seem upset about that.”

“Why would I be upset?” Okay, the way you snapped it out definitely said you were. Trying to take a deep breath, you shut your eyes for a moment. “With all due respect Captain, I’m not here to get close or be nice; I just want to do my job and help where I can. One unit has already kicked me to the curb, I would rather that not be repeated, so you can rest assured I won’t do anything to draw the board’s attention. It would be the word of a troublemaker against yours anyways, and that is a battle not worth my time. So if you want me to keep my nose out of your personal life, so be it. Is there anything else you wanted to say?”

Opening your eyes to his mouth hanging open wasn’t what you expected, but the lack of immediate response was enough of an answer for you. “Very well, I’ll take my leave.” You turned on your heel with a hardened expression, reaching the door quickly and stumbling with the lock.

The door was slammed shut before you got to open it far, Captain’s hand holding it shut while the other caged you in. Again he muttered your name, breath fanning against the back of your head telling you just how close he was. You attempted to ignore the way your heartbeat skyrocketed, and the heat that tinged your ears.

“Yes, Captain?” You breathed out in response, hand still on the handle and not moving.

“I didn’t bring you here to warn you to stay out of it… I’m offering to give you an explanation to any questions you have.”

His tone was sweet, soft, almost pleading… and it disarmed you in a way you didn’t like. “I don’t have any questions right now, Captain. I’m still trying to process all that happened.” The questions that did come to mind weren’t ones you believed he could answer- no he wasn’t the one you wanted to ask. “When should I expect field work?” You asked instead, turning your head slightly and breath catching in your throat.

Hard to ignore how gorgeous he was when his face was right there.

“I’ll talk with Seonghwa, we’ll figure out how to implement you into the field and then Wooyoung and San will brief you before you go. Give us a few days to put it together, alright firecracker?” His thumb was on your chin, turning you a bit more so you were more face to face.

You felt almost hypnotized by how soft he was, the touch solidifying that even more for you. “A-alright Captain. What should I do for now?”

“How about you head home for the day and just relax? Go over your notes or go to the shooting range downtown? One of the others can go with you?” He ran his thumb just under your lip, gaze dipping before a second before locking onto yours. “Would you like that?”

“Maybe. I’ll take the day off then.” You weren’t sure you wanted to be here anyways. Not without looking at all of them and trying to figure out who fucked who. Wooyoung’s earlier comment about the Captain and his office got to you- maybe that’s why you were so easily swayed by him right now?

He hummed lowly, dropping his hand and stepping back. “Good girl. Don’t worry about the rest. Go on.” He stepped away and leaned back against his desk, giving you ample space to leave.

You were too flustered to do anything but nod and leave. Didn’t even glance at the others, just headed for your desk.

San, the ever knight-in-shining-armor rushed after you though, calling your name.

“Yes?” Still feeling a bit dazed, you glanced up at him, chest tight as you were reminded of his injuries. “You didn’t have to run after me.”

“You don’t look okay, I was worried.” He looked you over, bringing his good hand up to your forehead and frowning. “You look like you have a fever but you're not that warm.” 

“San- I’m just overwhelmed, please.” With much more calm than you were feeling, you reached up and grabbed his hand off your head. “I need to know though… about Wooyoung-”

“It’s just physical, I promise.” He interrupted, almost panicking. “He shouldn’t have- that wasn’t how- fuck I’m sorry you-”

You cupped his face, stopping his ramblings. “It’s okay, I’m not judging you or anything Sannie. Just… surprised. It’s… it’s just a lot to process. I knew you guys did things differently, I just didn’t expect this I guess? Don’t think this changes anything.”

He softened into a pout, bringing his hand to cover yours. “You fit in so well here sweetcheeks, I wish you knew that.”

You smiled wryly, pulling your hands away. “I don’t think I do. I’ll see you tomorrow, get some rest, okay?” You patted his uninjured shoulder as you passed him, not giving him a chance to prove you wrong as you rushed out the door.

You didn’t even grab your coffee.

San returned to the back to see that chaos was one thin string away from exploding everywhere. Hongjoong stepped out of his office and fixed Wooyoung with a glare as he advanced.

“W-W-Wait a second Captain! We can talk about this- ngh!” Wooyoung scrambled back against his desk, just to be yanked forward by the collar. 

“What the fuck was that? Huh Detective? Did you forget you are part of this fucking unit, that you are technically working as a policeman?” Hongjoong gritted his teeth, nearly throwing the man to the floor. “You nearly fucked up a little too much!”

Wooyoung tumbled to the floor, grabbing his glasses that had fallen in the process. “None of you told me about her!? What the fuck did you want me to do?”

“Keep your mouth shut!” San was the one to belt the words out, stepping over to his partner and planting his foot into his side. “Instead you just rambled and ranted in Wooyoung fashion. How the fuck does she know you as Mito? She wasn’t supposed to know!”

Yunho pulled San back, taking note of how pissed he was. “She should’ve been gone before you got back.” He winced when San shrugged him off, putting distance between him and the others.

“Then why isn’t she? Will someone explain to me what the fuck I missed and why you’re getting all huffy over a broad that ‘should’ve been gone’? Huh?” Wooyoung looked around, spotting Yeosang and relaxing a bit. “Sangie?”

Yeosang fixed him with a slightly colder stare than usual, tension in his jaw. “You should’ve asked instead of questioning how none of us fucked her yet. She’s a detective, not one of the women your mother- you’re used to being around.”

Wooyoung narrowed his eyes as he pushed himself up onto his knees. “Were you about to bring my mother’s work into this?” His voice was dangerously low, the already heavy tension growing in the room.

Yeosang seemed just as taken back by his own words, shaking his head and glancing down at the drink in his hand. Wooyoung took notice, then glanced at San who was still watching him with a fixed glare. With a look of understanding, he stood up. “Got it, fine. Anyone willing to fill me in? Or do you want me to continue trying to fuck her?”

The way San straightened just confirmed Wooyoung’s suspicions. But it was Hongjoong that answered, arms crossed over his chest. “She was forced to transfer from her old unit. Higher-ups approved her transfer here-”

“Let’s be honest, they were hoping she would throw us off.” Jongho spoke up, reminding them he was there as he put his gun back together. “And at this rate, she will. Some of you are getting too fucking buddy buddy and that’s going to blow everything we worked for if she digs too much.”

“Well if she is going to blow it, Wooyoung just gave her plenty of ammunition. Should we move up our plans?” Yunho chided in, standing up and stretching. “Mingi and I already set up the bait like you asked. It’s only a matter of time before it’s taken.”

Seonghwa shook his head. “If she was going to be a whistleblower, I feel like she would have been given an offer by the higher-ups: give them information to tear us apart and all her bad rep goes away. With how much she misses her old unit, I assume they still might give her the ultimatum. What do you think, Joong? You pulled her aside to gauge what she would do with this information.”

Hongjoong shrugged, shaking his head. “Hard to tell. She said she wouldn’t, that she doesn't care what we do. I think she was being honest. You would know better though, wouldn’t you San?” He glanced over at him. “You’ve been with her the most.”

“She won’t. It’s not harming anyone so she won’t feel the need to do anything about it. And if she is offered redemption for information on us, she won’t do that either. She feels pretty betrayed by her last unit for kicking her this way, so she wouldn’t do anything that would cause us harm, despite some of us deserving it.” San snarled at Wooyoung and then glanced at Jongho. “She’s loyal to her own moral code, probably loyal to some of her old unit but she doesn’t feel as if she has to work with them to be loyal. Higher-ups won’t do anything to jeopardize that unit.”

“But the other enemies might. They catch wind of her-”

“Don’t even entertain that idea, Jongho.” San stepped forward.

Seonghwa sighed, sharing a look with Hongjoong. “I think we have to make a decision, as a group. Either way is going to be a risk. We either fight for her to transfer out, or we decide to integrate her.”

A chorus of protests rang through the office, some louder than others. 

“Then we fight for the transfer?”

Wooyoung scoffed. “Yeah no, let me get this straight first. That beautiful woman gets forced to transfer out of her last unit and ends up here because the higher-ups insist?”

“Apparently she requested it because they made her choose- and we are the farthest from her last precinct.” Seonghwa mumbled, indulging the information she had said in their office. “The board and commissioner just pushed it instead of trying for elsewhere.”

“Okay okay- so she is forced to transfer by the unit, the very people she trusted, and was hurt enough by that to go as far as she could from them? Yeah?” He looked around, some of them unable to look them in his eyes. “And it sounded like you all gave her piss poor treatment since she got here.”

“Sounds about right.” Even Jongho looked away, a little guilty.

Wooyoung scoffed, rolling his eyes. “And yet some of you are getting so fucking offended over my talk of having her on my cock- that right fucking there Choi San, you’re obvious.” He pointed at his friend who had stepped forward ready to punch him. “So we are just gonna- what- push her away and break her even more because none of us want to give her a chance?”

The atmosphere felt even more grim as his words weighed on their shoulders.

“It’s not as simple as that- we worked too hard to take that chance!” Jongho stood up, fire blazing in his eyes. “I'm not going to let her problems get in the way of what we already accomplished! So what if she gets hurt? If she can’t trust us or blames us for turning her away? You want her to sacrifice the things we have? Want this to be her life?”

“Jongho has a point- we accepted this, all of us made this our responsibility because of our own reasons, our own choice. We can’t expect her to do the same. Does she even have any ties, Yeosang?” Yunho glanced over at the quiet man, who just shook his head. “She made it personal over a dead kid she arrested a few times? Big whoop.”

San narrowed his eyes on Yunho. “When did you find out about that? It was just Hwa and I-”

“Heard you talking it over with her.” Mingi grumbled next to him, apparently in a sour mood.

Hongjoong cleared his throat. “Then I think you two would find that the most relatable, wouldn’t you? With your own experiences?”

Mingi scoffed, shifting into the chair but Hongjoong continued. “You could’ve been that dead kid Mingi, you know that. We all know that. But officer Jeong-”

“Captain, I know where you are going with this and please don’t. We don’t need you comparing her to my dead fucking father.” Yunho fixed the smaller man with an intense glare.

“Sure we do. If we keep her on, it’s likely she’ll meet the same fate.” Hongjoong was unphased as Yunho slammed his hands on the desk, pivoting on his foot to step away and run his now shaking hand through his hair. “So you agree?”

Wooyoung rolled his eyes. “Back to what I was saying! Our options are to force her onto another team, which sounds like she is the type to get in way over her head wherever she is anyways, or take her on fully and let her help. And it seems like you already gave her plenty of ammunition on the green vipers, which, I’m assuming is where her personal vendetta you so graciously mentioned came from? If we’re talking about that newest kid that got killed- who is to say she won’t do what some of us have thought of?”

Several men in the room stiffened, guilty of the assumption. 

San was the first to speak after a drawn-out silence. “She would too. You don’t have to spend much time with her to know she would. Fuck! I don’t like what you’re implying, Wooyoung!”

“I’m not the only one. Right Captain?” Wooyoung smirked at him. “You’re so pissy with me because I forced your hand too soon, but this was your plan? She fits in here, I noticed that and I just met the chick.”

All attention switched to Hongjoong, his own expression impassive. It was a gentle nudge from Seonghwa that had him speaking up. “She’s made incredible progress, even suggesting something we hadn’t thought of. Mentally she is a great detective, and strategist, and would make a valuable asset to the team-”

“You have to be fucking kidding me? You can’t be serious, Captain!” Jongho was the one to slap his hands on the desk now, sneering at him. “Absolutely not!”

“This isn’t just your decision Jongho!” San stepped over to him. “Test her if you want, but she does fit.”

“Maybe on your cock.” Mingi threw out, in an even more sour mood. 

San rolled his eyes. “Fuck you Mingi.”

“Come do it then.”

“QUIET!” Seonghwa yelled out, silencing the room and halting the movements of everyone; even Yunho turned back around to take it all in. “Your Leader was speaking, and you will listen.” 

Hongjoong waited until all attention was back on him. “I’m not saying she knows everything, or be completely involved right away, but she would be a valuable asset. So we bring her in, find a place in this all where she could be helpful but won’t infringe on our other works. A few months, maybe a year, and then we can decide. Either she trusts us, works with us, or we handle things properly. After all… wouldn’t be the first time a cop dies on the job, right?”

With solemn expressions, each one of them nods, calling out in unison “Yes, sir.”

Wooyoung took note of a few things that had him believe it wasn’t going to be so black and white… and he was excited to see how this unfolds.

Taglist (form): @mingsolo | @wowie-hockey | @crispybaguettes | @tiny-apocalypse | @philijack | @lelaleleb | @idfkeddieishot | @isiloiale | @vannabanana1995  | @piratequeen-queenofgames | @starstruckforyou | @minheeskitten | @amphiroxx  | @cloudysannie | @sugarnspice630 | @hongjoongswifefr | @sanhwalvr | @plutoneu |  @sousydive |  @fatalt | @bts-army380 | @iwishiwasrichasfuck | @bitchwhytho | @st4rhwa | @thesafecafe

Taglist will be continued in a reblog!!

#pirateeznet #ateez x reader #ateez #ateez fanfic #ateez ot8 #ateez yeosang #ateez hongjoong #ateez yunho #ateez wooyoung #ateez mingi #ateez seonghwa #ateez au #ateez fic #ateez jongho #ateez san #ateez smut #ateez x y/n #ateez x you #poly ateez x reader #san ateez #ateez fanfiction #detective ateez #ateez detective au #ateez mafia au #mafia au #case its you #ciy

[onesidedradiostatic]

Honestly a part of me thinks that Alastor and Vox WERE really good friends and Alastor is in denial about how important Vox had been to him. Maybe that partially factors into him playing down how much Vox irritates him. And a part of me feels like his love of attention outweighs his annoyance at Vox, even now, since Vox is ALWAYS willing to give Alastor his undivided attention.

(prev post)

ACTUALLY ACTUALLY this connects back to this rb. like about alastor's need to sever emotional attachments, "Ah, an enjoyable collective to be around. I admit one could get accustomed." to ""Great Alastor, altruist, died for his friends"? Sorry to disappoint... That is not where this ends!" pipeline.

the juxtaposition of the vees' verse and alastor's verse being back to back. they're both villain verses, but one is a secure team (maybe a bit messy toxic and unhinged but. they're tight okay) whose members have one another to rely on, the other is a solo mental breakdown about having attachments, yet they both end about the need to eventually be in control and with evil laughter.

like I've seen this mentioned before but also alastor's part in stayed gone where he says "he'd be powerless without the other vees", he's making fun of vox for relying on others but at the same time it does speak volumes about his own view on seeing attachments as "relying on others", because in THIS department, vox has the fact that he's fine and secure having allies he can trust compared to alastor seeing it as a weakness.

we have like sooooo little information right now that anything goes, but I like the idea of alastor having thought of vox as a legitimate friend at least a little. made a post on that once even.

I also kind of like comparing it to like how alastor currently is with charlie/the hotel, like he started out spending time with him for entertainment but then he saw a semblance of sentiment and had to cut that out.

but at the same time I also like alastor stepping away because he started noticing things about vox he disliked (because like I've mentioned before, his insults in stayed gone seem to be legitimate jabs at vox's character/practices).

OR we could have it so that the initial falling out happened because alastor felt the need to cut out any risk of emotional attachments (and I want to STRESS that I see both of them being at fault in this situation, regardless of alastor's motives, vox couldn't take no for an answer and got pissy), but later on after they were split, he started to see parts of vox's attitude that he disliked, how much of a sellout he'd become and he thought in his mind that this only proved him right to cut him off, and so he learnt nothing, after all he was right to cut vox off so surely his idea of attachments being a weakness is completely and utterly correct right?

anyways idk if I got a bit off track here, but about alastor being in denial, I think to some level he would be simply because of him seeing attachments as a weakness. but at the same time he's the one who called vox "old pal" (albeit condescendingly) and vox was the one who got ultra super embarrassed about "he asked me to join his team" (of course this is framed in a mocking way, similarly to "he'd be powerless without the other vees", like "can you BELIEVE he wanted me to join him and start RELYING on him like how he relies on the other vees? HA! as if." but he's also not hiding the fact that they were at least on good enough terms for vox to want to ask him that, but then again he doesn't speak of sentiment on his own side, so it could easily just not count as a point against him downplaying it). but yeah um. I do think him downplaying shit is related to him hiding weaknesses, similarly to how he's always smiling. he downplays how much vox bothers him because showing so would be a weakness. which could also go into how he let that mask slip with lucifer but this post is getting LONG and others have pointed that out before.

and the other part, about alastor's love for attention outweighing his annoyance at vox? I mean I think both can be true, I do think he enjoys the attention he gets from vox's obsession but I do also think he does legitimately hate vox.

anyways this post got LONG sorry I ended up rambling about shit. tried to address contradictions with my past posts (which can happen a bit, cause sometimes my opinions change or there's multiple possibilities of something and I can see multiple of those possibilities even if they contradict one another). this is a long post so my brain is too lazy to read it over and proofread so sorry if it ends up being a mess ✌️

#ask #osrs.txt #tagging when I talk about alastor's side of the relationship is so impossible for me #it's like I didn't bring up one-sided radiostatic at all so I can't even use the one-sided tag #this is about their GENERAL relationship okay #radiostatic #staticradio #completely platonic on alastor's side okay #hazbin alastor #hazbin hotel alastor #alastor #hazbin vox #hazbin hotel vox #vox

[lynxgriffin]

Since we've got plenty of time to reflect, who do you the Knight is? (I'm very much hoping it's Papyrus)

Okay! So! 

While I uh, think that Jaru is super wrong on almost all his theories, I've got one major exception where I think he is correct, and that’s the identity of the Knight:

(This is kinda long, so going under the read more)

Namely, that the Knight is Gerson’s soul tied to a particular object and brought to life in the Dark World. Although for me personally, I’m going to tweak that idea quite a bit because I think it can actually tie in really nicely with my current theories on Ralsei’s identity and nature. 

We keep getting little references to Gerson brought up here and there in both chapters: there’s a drawing of a turtle monster in the abandoned classroom, done by Alvin. It’s presumably either Alvin himself or his dad, Gerson, and I’m guessing it’s the latter. We have books written by Gerson in multiple places, a memorial bench for him, and then Alvin’s conversation about him in the graveyard by his headstone. Alvin also mumbles something about “did I do the right thing?” to Gerson’s grave. As long as you initiate a conversation with Alvin, the game makes sure that you don't miss that extra bit, which is a little telling.

We know that Gerson was originally a historian, and then later turned to writing fiction, and wrote a beloved fiction series that fans still send his family letters about after his death. 

What do we know about the nature of the Dark Worlds? They’re basically imagination and fantasy brought to life. While they certainly seem to have a full history outside of what we experience, with characters that remember each other even from other Dark Worlds, they’re only “given form” when a dark fountain is opened. Any Lightner with determination can stab the earth, and a dark, inky substance can spew from it and give a world of fantasy its own form. The Darkners frequently talk about how Lightners give them direction and purpose in their lives.

So…question! How many of you have used a fountain pen?

I have used those before. They’re quite sharp, and using them very often feels like scratching or stabbing the paper. Black ink spews forth, and from this black ink…you can create whole worlds of fiction! Worlds that other people can interact with! 

We know that Gerson wrote beloved fiction well into his old age. What if he knew his time was coming, but still had stories to tell? What if he didn’t want to stop? Alvin says how his dust was sprinkled on a hammer and buried in the earth, and that this is considered the appropriate monster cultural ritual for helping a soul pass to the afterlife. But Alvin also appears to have done something that is still really troubling him. Maybe Alvin, either at his father's request or based on his own wants, didn’t actually follow the appropriate cultural funeral rites, and somehow helped his father’s soul attach to a different beloved object…a fountain pen that he’d use to write down his story ideas. And if that object gets brought to life with a dark fountain, you could get the Knight: the soul of a writer, filtered exclusively through their favorite writing tool, unwilling to stop creating.

I think it would make sense on a few logical and thematic levels:

It explains how the Knight is able to get around and open the fountains: the same way that Ralsei is able to do the weird things he does. They’re both Darkners carrying Lightner souls, so they can bend the rules.

It explains Queen’s insistence that Lightners are the ones that can create fountains, while King hates Lightners but seems to fully trust the Knight…a Darkner with a Lightner soul can meet both those people's expectations.  

It sets up the Knight as a foil to Ralsei: they’re both the same kind of special Dark World being, both believing that they are fulfilling their roles and serving the Lightners, but coming to vastly different conclusions about how to do that. 

It explains the Knight’s motivations: not that he’s actually trying to destroy the world or anything, but that he’s trying to serve the Lightners. He knows very well how much joy and positivity his fiction has brought to Lightners in the past. How could more of that be anything bad? This is his purpose, what he was made to do. Not doing it is virtually unthinkable.

And I think that in turn keeps him following in the footsteps of how Toby usually writes his villains…rarely if ever fully malicious, but utterly convinced that they’re doing the right thing, or that they have no choice in the matter. 

And of course that ties in with one of Deltarune’s themes: the balance between reality and fantasy. The Knight has no more ties with reality, and therefore is focused exclusively on creating more fantasy and having it supplant reality, upsetting the balance between them. 

And this is extremely speculative, but I've been thinking about how Toby mentioned that chapter three will be a bit of an odd one out, that it's more about trying weird things than advancing a lot of plot. Kind of an interesting thing to note since Kris just made a fountain that should take us into chapter three. If the Dark Worlds are in some way shaped by the will of the Lightner that makes them, then chapter three indicates that Kris's will manifests more as just...trying out stuff rather than something purposeful. Kris makes a fountain because they really want to keep up this special hangout with their friends. But the Knight? He's making narratives.

#ask lynx stuff #ask me about my stupid Knight opinions!! #but yeah a big turnaround from it being Gaster like it was in PT #I am sorry...I'm not a Papyrus Knight believer :( #I do want to see Paps tho #deltarune theorizing

[envy-of-the-apple]

"God forbid god forbid god forbid", this is the repetitive phrase thats been circling on my mind(besides reader's character) because god forbid IF megumi finds out how you and gojo's relationship actually started, he would be the one that's in a pinch between saving his mom or keeping the peace, like she would always do. Its still hard to imagine how he would act after that revelation, but its no brainer he wont ever see nor respect gojo in a new light ever again, plus he would only feel with the intent to hurt(kill) gojo whenever they cross paths (lmaooo homicidal tendencies passed down from father to son)

Would gojo and megumi level cities for you, or would megumi just accept this shit, stew along his hatred and just get all resigned and tired feeling animosity and loathing for gojo(but the hate will still remain until he dies), and would these all depend on megumi's age aligning to how he would act? Its hard to imagine him how he would be, poor baby

And the kicker is when they all got additions to the family! We know he will be a great older brother and despite a bit of dislike about them because of who their sire is, hes obviously not the kind of person who will pin the sins of their father on them when theyre innocent in all of this. Though would he be that sibling who would jab at gojo at every opportunity without ever revealing contexts or would he just keep silent and just have their ignorance about the nature of you three.

All in all, you and megumi wont be having a good time, and definitely WILL motivate you to not let an inkling of discomfort bleed even through your pore whenever megumi's around lest he gets wind of it. Sorry its all over the place

i don't think I'll ever want to actively explore what Megumi will do if he finds out what happened. I highly doubt Ms.rain or Gojo would ever be that obvious about it, especially Ms.rain. Something hinted throughout the story is how self-sacrificial ms.rain is. That's why Ms.rain can't even hate Gojo after what he did. Ms. rain will do everything possible to keep the peace. You not retaliating against Gojo is also largely due to Megumi himself. He's such a small kid and Gojo's the only connection he has to the jujutsu world. How could you break that?

Also, Megumi is still a kid. At ten years old, you aren't really worried about the weird politics happening with your mom. It may take Megumi a couple of years to start to question why you and gojo's relationship seems so...off. Maybe someone else comments on it first, and now he's also finding it strange that gojo's affection towards you is mostly unreciprocated. It might have to do that you're shy, not a fan of PDA, but you almost seem indifferent...even if a tiny bit uncomfortable.

I really wish I delved more into Megumi and Gojo's relationship within the fic (but it was already 10k words long, i was not in the mood to make it longer), but I hope i implied how much Megumi respected Gojo. Their relationship is the same as the canon version. He thinks the world of gojo (despite acting otherwise), it will take a while for him to even question this new development between you and Gojo.

In the end, I think his reaction would be to quickly shut it down and ignore it. Of course your relationship was strange-Gojo is strange. Besides, gojo makes you happy. He buys you new clothes, jewelry, showers you with gifts. You two even have a baby on the way and he's seen the way you've been reminiscing over his baby photos. As long as you're happy, he shouldn't care.

As long as you're happy...right?

#monsoon ask #yandere jjk #yandere #dark content #dark jjk #dark gojo satoru #yandere gojo satoru

[lassieposting]

So on the back of my headcanon about the Prototype more or less raising CatNap, I've been watching someone play Project Playtime for the first time, and I'm fucking yelling

If you play as the monster, the Prototype literally teaches you (as Huggy Wuggy) how to hunt. He's the one giving the tutorial instructions.

And honestly? The vibe I got from that "interaction" is that Prototype likes children. More than that: Prototype is good with children.

Project Playtime takes place in the intervening decade between the Hour of Joy massacre and the start of the main game. Based on the fact that Huggy needs the Prototype's guidance, it's probably fairly early in that period - he's not used to hunting for himself yet. So Huggy here is a monster with limited intelligence - he's the most 'animal' experiment we've seen, though he is still able to write - and the soul of a child.

And the Prototype tailors his lessons appropriately. Like, I trained to work with kids, and he uses essentially the same approach I would to teach a young or special needs child a new skill.

Simple Instructions: what Prototype is teaching Huggy here is, at its core, strategy and tactical thinking, and that's a subject he seems to understand well and know a lot about. A more intelligent experiment - like, say, young CatNap - might ask a lot of questions, and Prototype could probably give them long, in-depth explanations of why doing X thing prompts Y response or why Z tactic is useful. But Huggy isn't on that level, so Prototype keeps his instructions and explanations short, concise and easy to understand.

No Guesswork: Huggy, described as having only "sufficient" intelligence post-transformation, likely has limited capacity for complex thought. Where CatNap might be encouraged to think ahead for himself and suggest problems that could arise, Huggy would struggle. So Prototype gives him all the information he needs: here are the ways the humans will try to avoid or harm or mislead you, and here are the ways you can fight back. He even points out little tips that might seem obvious, like listening for the breathing of a hiding worker, because he knows that might not occur independently to Huggy.

Positive Reinforcement: When Huggy successfully incapacitates a human player, Prototype laughs and praises him, treating a potentially upsetting conflict like a fun game. Once Huggy has gotten rid of all the human players and won the match, Prototype tells him he did a good job and that he can rest now.

The Bad News Sandwich: One technique I was taught for dealing with young children is that when you have to give them upsetting or disappointing news, sandwiching it between two good things limits the distress it will cause. And Prototype does this twice with Huggy:

[Praises Huggy for catching a player and putting him in the food chute] [warns Huggy that the other players could try to rescue their friend] [offers a way to stop them doing that]

[Praises Huggy for clearing out the factory] [tells Huggy that more humans will return] [reassures Huggy that for now, he can rest and relax]

Anyway. Prototype taught at least one child-aged experiment to fend for itself and defend the factory: confirmed. And so, scenarios I'm now picturing with Prototype and little CatNap: this

I'm also 👀👀👀 at the fact that like. While it's directly stated that while his main motive for having the experiments attack the Project Playtime workers is to stop them making more creatures, he's got a secondary motive in that he's using the Bigger Bodies mascots *to gather food for the smaller toys*. The larger toys may have become hostile towards the smaller, weaker, "prey" toys, but the Prototype seems to be at least trying to provide for them, albeit in the only fucked-up way available to him.

Anyway I just think that's really interesting considering he's been implied to be the game's ultimate Big Bad. I think there's more to him than we've been told

#poppy playtime #poppy playtime meta #poppy playtime headcanons #experiment 1006 #the prototype #huggy wuggy #catnap

[trlvsn]

phoenix wright making apollo justice present forged evidence is, as rightfully rage-inducing as it is, also perfectly understandable and even justifiable to an extent. in this essay i will not cut my introduction off with an old-fashioned tumblr punchline and will actually elaborate on why i think so and what i think about phoenix wright in general.

the first few paragraphs will be rather surface-level, but bear with me: i'm writing this in one breath. it has already been established that the change in phoenix's character was so big and shocking that the fandom is still actively discussing it and making theories. i have seen people compare his sprites with mia and diego, kristoph and miles, yanni yogi and many others, and every single on of them is, in in my opinion, correct: there are actual similarities between them, intentional or not. i believe it can all be explained with two simple statements. one: phoenix is a sponge of a man. even before aa4, we frequently see him adopt mannerisms and figures of speech from the people he encounters. he learns, he absorbs, he changes, but only for a short while, as he stays true to his motivations, passions and drive. two: the seven years of being watched by kristoph and collecting data made him turn to that mimicking quality of his and use it as a weapon. phoenix wright could not afford to reveal his true motivations, therefore, he could not reveal what he was in general. it's a simple metaphor, really.

did he get lost in the deceptions somewhere along the way? absolutely. "what tangled webs we weave when we practice to deceive", a line said by him about kristoph, can easily be applied to phoenix. this is where the bloody ace comes in. incidentally, he is given the idea by zak: he is the one who says one can't win unless there's a ace up their sleeve, and, no matter how much of an influence that particular phrase had on wright, he follows the principle. here is phoenix's first motive for forging the ace: insurance. without concrete, dooming evidence, a trial could not end in his favor at the time. phoenix wright, post-disbarment, is no longer a man who relies on bluffs and "just believing in the client", he is strongly dissapointed in the system, outraged, offended, hurt, wounded, and he does not trust it at all, hence the dirty tricks. you can't just play fair against something unfair and win.

what i find far more interesting however, are his other motives. if the only thing that drive him to forgery was distrust and carefulness, he would have shared the plan with apollo or, perhaps, done something similar to the turnabout succession trial, where the letter is shown to the culprit, but never submitted as evidence and quickly admitted as a fake. really, i believe he is smart enough to find other ways. however, he doesn't. he gives the ace to apollo in a very specific way: through trucy wright, not a word of proper explanation. why is that? he is teaching apollo a lesson.

clearly, something about apollo reminds phoenix of himself. a young, bright, nervous mind, fighting for the truth and justice, full of belief, a little naive. phoenix knows what that naivety cost him, and he destroys it right away, because then it will hurt less, he thinks. the forged ace is a vaccine of sorts: you will experience some minor symptoms, but no actual serious consequences, and it will hurt for a moment, but for the rest of your life, you will never catch that sickness again. phoenix is already planning the jurist system reform and has already planned how this trial will go: the environment is controlled and safe for apollo, he will not get disbarred. if the truth is revealed later, under the new system, surely apollo won't be receiving the same harsh punishment wright did. so here you go, kid, learn your lesson, punch a lawyer or two in the face, and never ever, ever trust anyone like that ever again.

but wait, if the truth does get revealed, who will be receiving the punishment for it? of course, the man who forged the evidence, phoenix wright. here comes the third reason: punishment.

remember the class trial? young phoenix wright, blamed for a crime he didn't commit, overwhelmed and crying. what does the abandoned child do when the whole class accuses him of stealing? he stands up slowly and comes up to the kid with the grey hair to apologize for the money he stole but did not steal. he admits it. it doesn't matter what the truth is anymore, because if everyone thinks you did it, you might as well have.

you might as well do it again, for real this time, and maybe a weight will fall off your shoulders, because what you see in yourself will finally match the image the whole world has of you.

phoenix wright is working on the jurist system. phoenix wright is a father and phoenix wright is someone who will do his best to put kristoph gavin to jail. that doesn't mean phoenix wright sees any other use or future for himself. it simply does not matter. well, by the end of the first case, anyway.

he gathers more evidence. he thinks, a lot. he gives apollo advice on the cases, inevitability reminiscing. the new system is a success. in a new, better world, maybe he will take some piano lessons: he has grown tired of pretending he can play. he has grown tired of pretending in general. hell, maybe he will even take the bar exam again.

#i promised an essay #i delivered #there will be more and there will be better #this was written in a hurry bc i have A LOT to study rn #ace attorney #aa #phoenix wright #beanix #aa4 #apollo justice ace attorney #apollo justice: ace attorney #aa4 spoilers #ace attorney theory #turnabout trump #raystextpost

[nobodysdaydreams]

More Hatchetverse Theory: Sycamore High and the Timberwolves are connected to the Hatchetmen and the Tree-People

Starkid's Hatchetverse has retriggered my hyperfixation, and by golly if you think I'm not gonna share every unhinged theory...you're wrong. I’ll tag them “#hatchetverse theory” to make it easier. So let's dive in.

One thing I haven't seen anyone talking about is the fact that, based on what we know about canon, Sycamore High School likely shouldn't exist.

Hatchetfield is a "tiny town". There doesn't seem to be a reason for them to have two high schools, especially when Sycamore seems to not even have enough staff and students for most extra curriculars and programs (in TGWDLM, Paul mentions they don't have a theater program).

So why does Sycamore High School exist? Well, one thing I noticed was that SYCAMORE High as well as its mascot, the TIMBERwolves, have tree related pun names. And what a coincidence, trees happened to be big in the hatchetfield universe, particularly when it comes to the hatchetmen and their hatred of the LIB and magic/“the gift” in general. They did plant a forest of magic tree people after all. And, since they hate the LIB so much, they likely wouldn't want their children attending high school at one of the black altar locations, which just so happens to be Hatchetfield High. That gives them a motivation to build an alternative school.

Sounds like a pretty solid theory to me, but then there's also the fact that the residents also seem to have an odd attitude towards Sycamore High. It's not hated by Hatchetfield High with the same level of hatred they give the Clivesdale Chemists, but they still don't like Sycamore, and the students hate the idea of transferring there. Which seems odd. You'd think it would be the other way around since Hatchetfield High is the school with the black altar. Unless being around a black altar makes the students hate Sycamore, and I could probably do a whole different rant on how the LIB's influence is messing with the perceptions and behavior of the people of Hatchetfield, particularly at the altar locations or when someone uses or has used the black book, but maybe I'll save that for later.

However, if you really wanted to take this theory to the extreme, it could be part of the reason why Paul "doesn't like musicals." Musicals and music are the primary way Pokey expands his influence in Hatchetfield, at least in TGWDLM. That might be one of the reasons Sycamore doesn't have a choir or theater program: not just due to lack of students, but strategically to keep Pokey's influence out. Paul went to Sycamore High, which isn't a black altar (and indeed, might even be designed to counteract or resist the LIB), therefore he's more put off by music and musical performances in Hatchetfield, though he doesn't really know why.

I also suspect this isn't the only instance where the name of locations around town have significance. This has already been seen several times, particularly with the black altar locations.

For example:

The Starlight Theater: has a star theme similar to "the Church of the Starry Children"

CCRP (COVEN Communication Research and Power): Literally has the word "Coven" in it.

Lakeside Mall: Used to be the old mill (which would be located near water, also "mall" and "mill" are one letter off).

And trust me, I have my theories about Clivesdale as well, but again, maybe that one is better for another time.

I hope you enjoy Starkid fandom!

#starkid #starkid productions #hatchetfield #hatchetverse #starlight theater #CCRP #Sycamore High #hatchetfield high #the lords in black #team starkid #starkid npmd #nightmare time #hatchetfield universe #nightmaretime #paul matthews #tgwdlm #npmd #hatchetverse theory #star kid #nerdy prudes must die #Lakeside mall #black Friday musical

[writingquestionsanswered]

how can i make a fake framed traitor out of an extremely kind, virtuous and genuine character that the main character trusts wholeheartedly? what could i use to make the MC and reader be like ‘yes this is unlikely but unfortunately makes sense’ just to make a reveal later?

Making a Framed Traitor Seem Genuine

There are three things you can do to make a framed traitor seem like they're genuinely a traitor...

1 - Make the Motive Make Sense - Any traitorous act must have an underlying motive... the reason that anyone would commit the traitorous act to begin with. So the key is to find a way to make that motive make sense for that character, no matter how random it may seem. Like, maybe a side benefit to committing the traitorous act is a cash windfall, and maybe the framed character also happened to recently mentioned being in need of cash for some legitimate reason. It may not mean they're guilty, but the motive fits.

2 - Sweeten the Pot with a Little Plausible Deniability - Try to think of some additional coincidental thing that will make them look even more guilty, but which also gives them some plausible deniability. Like, maybe one of the orchestrators of this traitorous act also happens to own a popular night club in town. And maybe the framed character is known to never go to night clubs, ever, but maybe one night they were peer pressured into attending a barely known co-worker's bachelorette party, and during that party they got separated from the group and had to wander into several different nightclubs trying to find the group again. And maybe they happened to wander into the bad person's nightclub without even knowing it, and were spotted going into said nightclub by one of the about-to-be-betrayed friends, which obviously looks very bad for the framed person. Because now, in addition to having a reasonable motive for the betrayal they are accused of, they've also been seen in a place that suggests an association with one of the other perpetrators. And although they have the plausible deniability ("I didn't go there because I wanted to... I was looking for the group I was with...) there's no way they can prove that's true.

3 - Drop a Few Other Subtle Hints - That may be enough to make your character look guilty when they're not, but if you need to, you could drop in one or a few other hints earlier on in the story that accomplish the same thing on a more subtle level. Something that will look bad in retrospect but hardly be noticeable at the time. Like, maybe one of the soon-to-be-betrayed friends invites them to their slam poetry reading, and the framed person texts at the last minute that they can't come because they have to work late (which is actually true), and then later the group will learn that Team Bad did some big thing that night. At the time it seems like nothing, but in retrospect--thinking that framed-character was involved in the traitorous act, now it makes sense that they missed the slam poetry night because... of course! They were actually with Team Bad doing the bad thing they did that night. Again, this wouldn't occur to the characters or reader at the time, but when connecting the dots in retrospect, it all adds up. Of course, the reality is it was just a coincidence and they really were at work that night.

Just be careful not to go too far in making them look really guilty. You don't want to weight them down with so many coincidences that look bad that they always look a little guilty, even once absolved.

Happy writing!

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I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

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