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yumeka-sxf · 6 months

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I've been waiting to see Yor's epiphany chapter in the anime and it did not disappoint! I felt like analyzing more than usual because I loved this episode so much~ 💖

I hope that any anime-only viewers who at this point still had the opinion that Yor's just ditzy/submissive, one-dimensional, or whatever negative traits associated with her, have changed their minds. Throughout the cruise arc we've seen so many sides of her character: how she's struggling to understand the exact reason why she's taking on these dangerous assignments when her original reason for doing it (supporting Yuri) no longer exists, how her internal desire to seek her own happiness - live a peaceful life like Olka - is at constant war with her diligence to complete her mission, her yearning to be with Loid and Anya and how sad she looks when she has to tell herself that they're just a cover-up family and she'll have to leave them without a word if anything drastic happens, and how much more confident she is when doing something she excels at - assassinating - yet still retaining her kind and polite demeanor (Unlike Twilight, who dons the mask of Loid Forger, Yor Forger is not a mask for Thorn Princess, at least not in terms of personality. So everything she says as Thorn Princess can be interpreted as her true feelings, including the now two times she's hesitated during fights because of the thought of having to leave the Forgers).

And, in the moment where she's facing death right in the eye, all the doubts she's had since getting this assignment culminate, not only causing the samurai assassin to get the upper hand, but causing her to take a deep, introspective look into her reason for fighting...if it's not for the same reason as the other assassins, what is it?

What's even more amazing is that these things about her character did not come out of nowhere just for the sake of a flashy climax. We saw in previous episodes that not only does she understands that being in the Forger family makes her happy, but most importantly, how she's lived her life only thinking of the happiness of others above her own. And what's most tragic is that, upon finally realizing that her original reason for being an assassin is gone (since Yuri no longer needs support) she's ready to die then and there...until she remembers Olka's words about wanting to live a peaceful life, which in turn makes her remember her core reason for becoming an assassin was to not only support Yuri, but to make the world he lives in all the more peaceful by eliminating the villains in it.

Despite how naive Yor is about many things (due to her upbringing), she's certainly not ignorant about the needless tragedies that exist in the world. And here is where she makes her decision to keep doing her assassinating, not because she enjoys killing people, but because the result of it will make the world a better place...because now, she has even more people whose happiness she desires to protect.

Even if she sacrifice her own happiness by leaving the Forgers, that's not as important to her as preventing tragedy from befalling her loved ones, or the world in general. And these thoughts are so similar to Twilight's reasons for becoming a spy! Coincidently, as Yor has these thoughts, she thinks of how Loid complimented this aspect of her personality way back when they first met...and the thought that the man who she trusts and respects so much would approve of her decision, gives her the final push to keep on going (I love that they reanimated this scene too and didn't just use the exact frames from episode 2).

So yeah, if anyone who wasn't sure of how much depth Yor's character has, I hope this episode shed a lot of light! This is the right way to make a character both cute/sweet but also a total badass who's strong on the outside as well as the inside.

(I will probably reword a lot of this for my upcoming Twiyor analysis posts but I couldn't wait until then, lol).

#spy family #spy x family #sxf #spyxfamily #yor forger #twiyor #sxf anime

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piracytheorist · 4 months

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something i love about spy family is that its a very funny manga, but it isn't afraid to be serious and talk about serious things (and its also really good at transitioning between the two)

Tatsuya Endo has an amazing grasp of balance. There are a lot of posts going around about how Spy x Family goes from something as heavy as "war makes monsters of us all" to something as silly as "Anya finds Loid's tourist fashion choices lame" and it somehow works.

It's one of the things that made me fall in love with the story from the second if not the very first episode of the anime. It dares to be realistic about how war impacts humans and how it takes them into a path they wouldn't normally take, but at its core it's a story filled with humor and love and connection, because this is how humans are supposed to live like. I mean, not to break it down to a "live laugh love" moral, but at the end of the day it does prioritize people living happily together and in peace. Even the "enemy" is shown in a sympathetic light from time to time.

And the humor and silliness attributes to that. It makes the story light-hearted despite the heavy issues it tackles. It would be hard to find hope in a story that focuses only on those heavy issues, if its vibe was constant grittiness and violence and dark themes. Not that there's anything wrong with stories with such themes; but you wouldn't usually watch such a story and expect to feel full of hope afterwards, nor expect it to have the humor that SxF has.

What is amazing is how Endo manages the balance of it all. How he works in the silliness amidst an environment of a cold war, of hardened spies and assassins, because it would be very easy to veer right into tone-deaf cheesy territory that gives you (unintentional) emotional whiplash. I think it's due to how the characters are only slightly exaggerated versions of something you'd see in real life. Anya behaves as any five-year-old would, where her focus is to work in protection of peace, make sure the family won't break apart, and above all, have fun. Yor's view of the world has been impacted by how long she's worked as an assassin, but her "naivete" is mostly her tendency to see good in everyone, even the "bastards" she's sent to kill. Twilight keeps telling himself everything he does is "for the mission" but he's only human and can't help bonding with his family even if he doesn't realize it.

The characters may behave in an exaggerated way from time to time, but they're not caricatures. The humor and ridiculousness (affectionate) in their actions are based on real human traits and behaviours we can see in real life. The want to have fun, the tendency to see the good in people, the desire to love. Endo simply takes those and has three people whose special traits clash with those three mentioned traits. Anya grew up as a science experiment in a lab where she wasn't allowed to have fun, so now that she has people who care for her emotional growth she goes all out with fun activities. Yor was forced into the choice of becoming an assassin, having to be told "This person is BadTM so you play judge jury and executioner", but with Yuri being her motivation (and later on the Forgers too) she managed to keep her kind heart. Occasionally she can't control her monstrous strength and may also consider killing people who inconvenience her and then go like "Yo wtf chill maybe". Twilight became a spy and distanced himself from human connections, but now that his job brought him into the position of staying long term with a kid and a wife and a dog, his desire for such a connection is rearing its persistent head. And so you get a Professional Master SpyTM playing "Rescue Princess Anya from the Evil Clutches of Count Scruffy Head".

It's the contrast that makes the humor of it all, and in such a way that it never takes only one character's side. I think that also adds to the "flexibility" of the story. It's easier to connect to a story when there's multiple sides explained and understood by the audience; and I mean, the only thing the story looks to be trying to "convince" you of is that humans live best when they live in peace and surrounded by people they love, and that's an undeniable fact of human nature. The characters can and do make mistakes but they're shown to be able to grow from them, and even someone radicalized and extremist like Yuri has understandable motives and a very human nature - just one that was taken advantage of by people in power.

Overall yeah, I think it's how focused on the characters' humanity the story is that it makes the balance between humor and heavy issues work. Again, though it can be exaggerated at times, it's not a caricature or slapstick, just for the sake of making the audience laugh. There's a depth and a genuine reaching out for the audience's emotions and understanding.

(Anime only fan here, don't spoil me for the manga 😁)

#ask and ye shall receive #commieorcs #this probably got too deep lmao #but yeah I do love this aspect of the story so much #and Endo deserves the praise for balancing it all out so masterfully #Spy x Family #sxf meta

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forgottenamira · 2 months

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Aria/Amira - “ we all have secrets, don’t we? ”

flashforward

The room was dimly lit: sunset's last gasp splashed across the far wall while all else around the two women fell into ever-deepening shadow. Amira paused at the lady's voice, stilling even as she extended a hand to pull back the curtains.

Aria's words had in truth taken her by surprise but, lips curling into a smile, she considered that they ought not to have done. The former princess was of an outspoken bent. Was that an Astairan quality, she wondered, or simply an entitled one? It was hard to say with those who had never known true want, Amira often felt. They knew so little of this world while thinking to own it all. Disgust rippled over Amira. It was strange, this: two women in this dark room. One a rumored witch. The other...

Arching a brow, Amira turned to face Aria, limpid orbs drinking in the younger woman with curiosity. "Bold words," said the queen, approaching slowly. Stretching out a hand suddenly, she clasped Aria's, hard gaze biting into Aria's before a smile once again suffused her features and, slowly, she lifted Aria's hand, inspecting it with eager gaze.

"There is something more powerful than secrets, girl. Facts."

The hand was elegant, sporting long, tapering fingers and fine digits. Slowly, she turned it over. She opened Aria's fist with her other hand. Her fingers grazed the young woman's palm, running across it, tracing the lines cut into it, reading her skin just as if text were written upon it.

"A fact for you, child: my grandmother was a witch. You know this, I am sure." Another smile. Her hard eyes glittered like coal in the gloaming light. She pushed Aria's thumb flat, sweeping fingers across the lines in her palm. "And I was fortunate. I learned much at her knee."

Locking her fingers around Aria's wrist, she gazed a moment more, and released her suddenly. Her eyes found Aria's own. "How much is known of the great Calainon here in Astaira, I wonder?"

Amira tilted her head. Her gaze measured. Palmistry had taught her, though still less than she might have wished. Aria's face would not prove so blank.

"He was much as you are, my ancestor: a heathen heretic who worshipped demons, as my husband might tell you. The witches of his line long continued the pagan practice after him. My own grandmother was one such. A seer, some here might call her, though that was not our word for it. A fitting term, however, for that is what she taught me, ultimately: to see." Amira's smile was cold. "Shall I tell you what I see, bastard of Stafford?" Amira's gaze roved the lovely face, ever darkening in the twilight, green eyes seeming to glow as the last rays of the sun stroked her cheek and, at last, Amira's smile dropped. "I see you."

Witch.

#this is set after the whole ~healing situation im imagining #ask #askbox #aria stafford #drabble #just amira displaying behavior™ lakjfkljsdjkfsdf another day another creep apparently #also don't know what this is sdjlflskdjfkjlsdf

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rarilight · 1 year

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MLP Drabble #6 - Marriage

Part of a series of drabbles I write based on prompts by readers! ft: Mane6 and Spike

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Twilight Sparkle looked beautiful in her white wedding dress, her mane held back with a beautiful floral arrangement. She looked like a dream, frankly, even despite the great frown marring her face.

Her friends surrounded her, sporting equally great frowns.

“Twilight,” Rarity pleaded, so opposed to the wedding she didn’t even bother to wear a dress. “You can’t do this. There is still time to call this off! Please.”

Twilight didn’t deign Rarity with a look. She just stared at the closed church doors, as stoic as ever.

“I told you this would happen,” she said, cold. “I told all five of you in no uncertain terms that if anypony ever said it again, I would do it.”

Applejack stepped towards her. “We know that, sugarcube, and we were all respectin’ your choice, but you and I both know Rainbow is an idiot.”

“Hey!”

“She’s not wrong,” Fluttershy whispered, upset.

“Twilight,” Rarity spoke up again, harsh. “Twilight, think of what you’re doing. This is beyond ridiculous. It’s ludicrous! There is still time to spare us all and yourself of this charade! Please.”

Twilight finally spun around, irate. “No. I’m doing this. None of you will ever understand what’s it like to have ponies say this all the time! To just be doing something I love, and have ponies constantly belittle and tease me about it.” She turned back towards the doors. “I’m doing this, and this is all you and everypony else’s fault, so suck it up and go to your seats.”

Pinkie whined. “But… But Twili—”

“Go.”

After a final round of whines, all five friends filed off inside the bustling church, taking their spots near the front.

“I can’t believe she’s going through with this,” Rarity whispered, horrified. “This must be a nightmare. It must be.”

“Don’t think it is, sugarcube,” Applejack replied calmly, having apparently resigned herself to the entire thing. She gestured to Princess Luna sitting a little ways away. “She looks just as bothered as you do, and she ain’t doing anythin’ to stop this.”

Before Rarity could say anything, music began to play and everypony present rose, all sporting looks of varying distress.

The church doors opened and Twilight Sparkle stepped out, her expression as determined as her steps. She made it all the way to the front, and then turned back towards the door, awaiting the entrance of her legal, permanent other half.

There was a momentary pause, and then wearing a best man suit, Spike appeared, looking beyond uncomfortable as he pushed a stroller on which the betrothed sat.

The Betrothed being the fifth edition of Starswirl The Bearded’s Advance Magical Theorems Vol. 1. An unwrapped edition, too, wearing the smallest of black bowties.

You see, if ponies were to constantly joke that she would marry a book, then she might as well shut them up by doing so.

#mlp #got this prompt and i had to do it immediately #twilight sparkle #rarity #applejack

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lucky-clover-gazette · 2 years

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thinking about how bodily autonomy is a really consistent motif in the zelda games... the amount of times link is forced into alternate forms or zelda is possessed/transformed/literally removed from her body is really interesting. off the top of my head we have wolf link, link's forms in majora's mask, link's forced aging in oot and revelation that he isn't kokiri, link doing a sort of tactical drag in botw, zelda being sheik, zelda being possessed in twilight princess, zelda preserving herself in time as the goddess in skyward sword, midna being cursed as an imp, batreaux, and the skulltula people in oot. there's also so much cross-dressing (i know that term might have a negative connotation but i don't think it should in this context) and gender nonconformity. bodies are constantly changed as a reflection of a character's arc and actions, and often a character regaining control of their own body is a resolution to their arc.

but i feel like the more you think about it, the messier it gets, both in good and bad ways. for example, i think there's a reason lots of trans, gnc, and queer people connect to zelda games because of the many ways gender and transformation are weaved into the stories. that's great. but i also think there are some huge failings on nintendo's part in terms of representation and transformation of bodies, mostly in their characters of color and lack thereof. like, tetra. just tetra. and that's not even mentioning the way they gave me the ick re: her forced gender presentation as zelda. also some designs like the gerudo esp in the earlier 3d games and holy shit the bokoblins and gorons in twilight princess (seriously they're bad) are obviously informed by racial stereotypes. and it's extra super not great bc there are not many hylian/human characters who have dark skin, or even tan skin. it sucks. it's just a shame that these fantastic games, some of which are 20+ years old, experiment with gender presentation in such a fascinating way (hell, even link was designed so that everyone could see a bit of their gender in him) but very little attention was placed on representing non-white players. in fact, some of the use of racial stereotypes and exaggerated features is just more alienating and dehumanizing, hence the not-good side of zelda's focus on bodies. holy shit, i say again, why did they do that with tetra! i mean i know why they made her white as zelda (racism) but they sidelined her in a way that seems uncharacteristic compared to sheik in oot!

just, so many choices were made in the zelda games re: bodies and some are fantastic and inspiring and some are huge disappointments. not to be blunt, but nintendo should absolutely be putting dark-skinned Black characters into their games. tetra and the gerudo are fairly light-skinned and lack many features (hair textures for example) that a large amount of poc have. it would just be nice if in future games the scale tipped from some great stuff and some bad stuff to mostly great stuff, bc the series has so much potential for future stories about bodily autonomy and the world(s) are not bound to any real-world or historical structures. they could do whatever they want and make it work, and should seek to improve! it would only contribute to the already sophisticated and nuanced themes consistent in the series.

#loz #legend of zelda #the legend of zelda #ocarina of time #majora's mask #wind waker #twilight princess #skyward sword #botw #breat of the wild #link loz #link #zelda #tetra #tetra loz #nintendo #also im sorry i tried to add a read more but mobile didn't let me

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anghraine · 1 year

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I'm just thinking about Tindómiel's and Arwen's names again.

As I've mentioned before, Tindómiel's name seems a clear reference to tindómë, the Quenya word for the twilight of the morning or dawn, by contrast to undómë, the evening twilight referenced in Arwen's name Undómiel or Evenstar. The distinction between tindómë and undómë comes from LOTR itself, so it's not the relic of an early draft or a late retcon or anything.

If Undómiel = evening star (as it clearly does), it would seem to follow that the counterpart name Tindómiel would translate as 'morning star.'

People sometimes suggest that the meaning of Tindómiel mirrors Tinúviel rather than Undómiel. I don't think that works as well given the information in LOTR, though, because while Quenya tindómë and Sindarin tinnú are related etymologically, tinnú refers to evening twilight/early night, like undómë (in Sindarin, morning twilight is minuial). Hence the poetic translation of Tinúviel as 'nightingale.' So if either Undómiel or Tindómiel were going to be equivalent in meaning to Tinúviel, it should be Undómiel. That would even fit well enough with the frequent comparisons of Arwen to Lúthien.

But Undómiel is not translated that way in LOTR. It is translated as 'evening star.' Given the identical structures of the cousins' names and the nuances of Elvish terms for twilight in both languages, it seems more likely to me that post-LOTR, Tindómiel is meant to be a counterpart name to Undómiel, and that in-story, Arwen was named for Elrond's niece.

Tangentially, I think Tindómiel herself was likely named for her grandfather Eärendil, the morning star. But on the meta level, the subtext of her name's structure and meaning is to mirror Arwen. Tindómiel is born as the first of the mortal princesses and queens of the Númenóreans, where the death of Arwen, queen of the last Númenóreans, closes out the era of the Elves.

At the same time, while the evening and morning stars symbolically represent the inverse of each other, the reality is that the evening star is the morning star. Eärendil was hailed on Valinor as the "star in the darkness, jewel of the sunset, radiant in the morning." So both granddaughters' names call back to him and to each other, which I find very touching, actually.

I find it all the more so, though, because while we don't have any dates for Tindómiel's life, we know that she must have been born some time after the year 61 of the Second Age, since she is the second child and that's when her older brother was born. If her lifespan is similar to her brother's, she would live around 410 years—perhaps a little more, as Númenórean women were typically longer-lived, but I can't think by too much at that point in time, given the 500-year lifespan of their father. Tindómiel was likely dead by the year 500 of the Second Age.

The Second Age would last until the year 3441, another 2,941 years. Over a hundred more years passed before Elrond and Celebrían's marriage, and over a hundred more until Arwen's birth in the year 241 of the Third Age. By the time she was named, Tindómiel had been dead for over three thousand years. Elrond had seen the final wars against Morgoth, the rise and terrible fall of Númenor, the provisional defeat of Sauron, and innumerable nephews and nieces. Tolkien can't even fit the early house of Elros onto one genealogical chart and by Arwen's birth, there are numerous offshoots of Elendil's line alone. Elrond has seen a lot of people come and go, many of them related to him.

And yet, when it came time to name his only daughter, he thought of Tindómiel.

#elrond was one hundred percent tindómiel's cool uncle #and losing elros then vardamir then tindómiel in what for him would seem rapid succession must have been ... whew. :(#but he never forgot tindómiel in particular #and that's the number one reason for arwen also being undómiel #according to my personal headcanon lol. but i will die before giving it up #anghraine babbles #long post #tindómiel #arwen undómiel #elrond #eärendil #legendarium blogging #legendarium fanwank

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pinkandpurple360 · 5 months

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Something about how Viv described Fizz always bothered me and made me really lose interest in the series before Oops ever happened. She didn't say it directly but if I recall, a friend of her's who works on the show said Viv described Fizz as a Pillow Princess.

And, like, that's a really loaded term to be throwing around in the LGBT space. Being a pillow princess is usually an insult about a sexual partner who does not reciprocate in the relationship. Like, someone who just lets things happen to them and takes from the relationship without putting anything back in and that really bothered me.

Wasn't Fizz supposed to be a self-made successful performer who started from the bottom? Wasn't he supposed to be this strong willed fighter against all the social barriers as well as severe trauma and physical disability who still came out on top despite everything?

To call him a pillow princess was one of the first signs to me that this was not going to be good. It was a neon sign for me stating Fizz wasn't successful, he was handed success. He didn't have a story, he is just a footnote of a story. The really meaningful parts about who he is as a person and how he became who he is today, completely glossed over in favor of fetishizing him.

Season 1 Fizz would top from the bottom and take what he wanted. He would run up behind someone in a brawl and bite their ear off. He would read a room and walk out as he burned it to the ground. He was the definition of "The Most", and I just knew once Viv was said to have described him as a non-reciprocating passive bottom bitch "Pillow Princess", I knew that any hope for a single character in this series to not just be some heteronormative farce of queer relationships was dead.

It was such a drastic change from what I think Brandon had initially written. Alex at the end of season 1 said Fizz "Had two sins wrapped around his fingers". Only for it to be Fizz is getting spit roasted between them.

And then the fizz/ozzie fanatics get upset when the one character Fizz can be sassy, aggressive, assertive and on equal footing with is the one we ship him with.

Very Fizzarozzie writing critical ahead. How it is written what it could be instead. and possibly why. If you like the lovey dovey ship don’t read this thanks

How much better would it be if Fizz was the one to say “mammon didn’t do shit, neither did Asmodeus, I already was this, I’d be this no matter what” Instead of..daddy telling him how great he is, again, and fizz parroting it back to him. That’s probably why Blitzø was there originally, to help him stop looking for royal approval, and find independence the same way he’s did, or is at least trying to. Because he’s dealing with abuse by a royal too. The potential empathy there is lost.

And the funny part is it would have been way more successful. The super corny ‘crooked’ song is the least popular from that episode by a massive margin except for niche fangirls and like you and I both know, the fujoshi.

And yeah you explained why I like blitzfizz more pretty well. Some people want DDLG diaper wetting Fizz and I want the Fizz we were introduced to, assertive not wimpy and submissive out of fear.

I’m so pissed that his introduction in Ozzies is now ditched and he’s been turned into someone absolutely starving for male approval, specifically royal male approval. [Before Ozzies, if you like the wholesome ship this isn’t for you] Don’t forget what character inspired Fizz, Beetlejuice. And he’s a manipulative villainous character trying to dupe you. I can tell there was a more mature idea for Fizz to be an actual sugar baby happy to mooch of Asmodeus and manipulate mammon as well. He was possibly going after a ring so he can become immortal. Going by both his song ‘drama queen’ and the Bjuice plot where he goes after marriage. But instead we get Twilight levels of writing.

I’ve spent enough time in queer spaces to know the difference between how gay men see their sex lives and how uh… people who are not gay men and are definitely not fujoshi or anything think they see their sex lives. For example: Another thing Viv said that grossed me out was that she tries to have her lgbt couples with one having “masculine energy” and “feminine energy”….not all queer couples are like that. Some are, but most really aren’t because what the F is feminine energy? It gives the vibe of using straight people as a blueprint. So it’s fair to say you can read into it. He’s “the woman” to Viv and in a different way, to some people in the fandom, they change his canon gender not for trans representation, but to make him hermaphrodite (not intersex, which is a different thing) and get pregnant. Like they are obsessed with making him have both genitalia and I have no idea why, it creeps me out. Because it’s never about intersex or trans struggles it’s just a fetish.

A pillow princess -_- right…I want to know where he was born, how he feels about his childhood being taken away from him, what he has to say about the entertainment industry—not how energetic or placid he is during sex. Gross. I’m calling CPS

I thought pillow princess was a lesbian term? Also you’re correct. It’s someone who just lays there and lets things happen to them, a selfish lover, like Verosika criticised Blitzø for being. Stella used similar language describing a pillow princess, which was supposedly meant to imply that stolas barely consented.

Sorry I know it’s weird but I could barely sexualise him knowing I’m a woman and he’s a gay man, and the fact in my minds eye I still see him like This:

Cute widdle baby hands..I’d adopt him. How did this angel end up in hell 🥺

And I’m not saying it’s not ok to see him that way because obviously he’s an adult now, but I really don’t need to know what his kinks are and whether he tops or bottoms ffs. I should be allowed to not sexualise him lol.

Ohhh your third paragraph…how I mourn the story we could have had instead of “I need male approval not for my reputation or my career or my status in life or my self esteem or where I came from, I don’t care about any of that, I’ll lose my boyfriend!!” She even teased us with a good story by having Fizz say “Oz, working for mammon is a big deal to me” (in the end it was just because mammon gave him his boyfriend Asmodeus -_-) “this, is for me” (This is for Ozzie so that I don’t lose him and I’m barely worthy of him) He is astring

I can tell Viv rewrote it because we started out with this much darker Fizz within the form of a robot. An angry blast from the past Blitz couldn’t forget about and couldn’t measure up to, and was also really attracted to. Even if it’s not the real thing. But this personality was changed to be Ozzies pet, then changed again to his ‘soulmate’ for more shipping fodder. Like many people have pointed out, the change from stolas as the villain to blitzos boyfriend has caused massive ripple effects, Ozzie was supposed to be Fizz’s boss who he has a secret scheme against, possibly the secret selling of Asmodean crystals. I’m basing this off of the magazine article which is probably the ditched story. Another thing is mammon and Ozzie were introduced as business partners obsessed with Fizz who in turn is making bank off of them both. All of blitzos exes and potential new love interests have been sorted into neat little pairs except stolas. It’s a weird fujoshi marketing strategy.

And now instead, we have baby girl pillow princess queen clussy fizz, his cuck boss who sees him as a son, as his doting sugar daddy therapist 😵‍💫

#helluva boss critical #fizzarozzie critical

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rawliverandgoronspice · 4 months

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What's your ranking for favorite iterations of zelda characters??

thanks for the ask!! much appreciated <3

hmmm... if we're talking proper list, I think it would go like this:

Link

Ocarina of Time/Majora's Mask/TP (he's just very. he went through a lot ok ;;)

Hero of the Wind, so WW/PH (love how expressive and aggressively brave he is at all times)

Twilight Princess (I don't know I just really like this grassroot countryboy who cares deeply for his folks, I love his quiet and purposeful Strongman Stance, and Midna allows him to shine a lot by being the voice to his silent disapproval, very fun dynamic these two share)

Hero of the Wild, BotW/TotK (he's a gremlin of improvisation and raw brute nerve, which is honestly very funny, and I kind of like the very rare glimpses of characterization we get through the other characters)

Skyward Sword Link (he's just. I know we throw himbo around a lot, but, genuinely, he looks so. content, all of the time)

Spirit Tracks Link (I haven't played the game unfortunately, but I always like Toon Link's expressiveness)

Minish Cap Link (I'm biased I played this game a lot when I was a child)

Link's Awakening Link (I know it's the same Link as another one but I can't remember which --anyway what a trip bro)

A Link to the Past Link (love the tuft of pink whatever in his hair)

A Link Between Worlds Link (I don't dislike him he just doesn't really have a ton of character from what I remember)

CDI Link (do I need to say more)

Oracles Link (I never finished these games u_u)

Other Links I have not played as (so Four Sword and FSA, and Zelda 1 and 2 --I have played Zelda 1 a bit, but, you know)

Cartoon Link (leave Zelda alone I'm begging you)

Zelda

OoT Zelda (she's so interestinggggggg what is WRONG with you girlboy guy plagued with nightmares and a pathologic guilty urge to make sure everything is correct and just and right)

WW/PH Tetra (she's so cool!! I wish we would get to do more adventures with her, but conceptually I think she's really great)

Spirit Tracks Zelda (she's just a fun time and we get to do stuff with her and that's amazing. love her!)

Skyward Sword Zelda (bittersweet stuff. I wish she was more of herself tbh, and less in a crystal, but she's cool)

Zelda of the Wild (if she was not thrown into the garbage bin in TotK in terms of character arc, she'd be under OoT Zelda I think)

TP Zelda (love her somber resignation and quiet resilience, and whatever is going on between her and Midna)

Minish Cap Zelda (she's just really cute)

A Link To The Past Zelda (she's... there, but the sequences she's connected to are very memorable)

(genuinely cannot remember whether she is in the Oracle Games?? it's been a hot while)

A Link Between World (for everything I like about the game, it's a shame she's barely a character in it tbh)

CDI Zelda (she's a *savage*)

Cartoon Zelda (much prefer her to Link!!)

Other Zeldas I have not played and do not know that much about

Ganon(dorf)

Wind Waker Ganondorf (yeah)

Twilight Princess Ganondorf (okay I know it's pretty controversial to put him above OoT, especially since he's barely in the game and perhaps shouldn't have been, but I *cannot* resist his arthouse swagger and understated/probably-not-actually-there tragedy. If that helps, they're both on the exact same level, and they're the same guy anyway!)

OoT Ganondorf (the one and only --wish the game was less Like This re: everything gerudo, but he's just iconic and a king and we love him so much. My favorite iteration to ponder upon --I'm mostly commenting regarding in-game execution)

BotW Ganon (okay this one is even Worse in terms of placement justification, but I just. It's the fact that malice is being called "rancor" in French, and just how fundamental and "part of the natural world" his hatred became. I think it's great subtle worldbuilding and it just works for me)

TotK Ganondorf (looking fly, being as internally incoherent as humanely possible (derogatory), punching spines, and! having genuinely cool and thrilling moments and a really fun final battle in spite of The Mess)

A Link to the Past Ganon (he's just creepy and overwhelming in a really cool way, he actually made me feel pretty uneasy and powerless as a kid)

Oracle Games (now that's just fucked up, really bad morning alarm clock rang too early also my moms died for this bullshit kind of energy)

Cadence of Hyrule (I know including that game is pushing it but little guy!!!!!!! he's such a little guy!!!!!! with his little organ!!!!!!!!!!! i love he;;;;)

FSA Ganondorf (I hear he's cool but I unfortunately never played the game myself, and I should really look into it)

A Link Between World Yuganon (can you imagine trying to fight for the ultimate agency, and then failing and then being used as a vessel for other shitty wizards without any regard for who you were and what you were trying to achieve isn't that messed up kind of unfortunately talking about ganon without getting sad is an impossible feat to me)

love both CDI and Cartoon Ganon, they're great and strangely goopy in their own way and I appreciate them very much for their contributions to the Culture

I think he's there in Four Swords??? okay

Impa

Skyward Sword Impa (I like her behavior and her commitment, and her design, both old and young, is the best she's ever had imo)

Ocarina of Time Impa (she's *barely* in that game honestly. And Yet. your influence. your secrets. your buffness also not gonna lie.)

Hyrule Warriors Impa (just realized I did not put HW Ganondorf/Zelda/Link in the list, but I haven't spent enough time with them to have strong opinions honestly --but Impa being a strong general fighting the hard battles is a weak spot of mine u_u)

BotW/TotK Impa (I love grandma Impa!!! love her little roadtrip in TotK, wish it had been expanded upon and she had been more involved in the Zelda search, but. not so fun fact but I cannot stand the design of her young version in Age of Calamity --she looks so generically moe it's borderline unforgivable, what is up!! with all the nothing dollface sheikah babes!! honestly!!!)

I like all the old women Impas --but I'm kind of craving another, slightly edgier take on the character again honestly

and that's it I think!!! thanks for asking!!!

#asks #thoughts #zelda #impa #ganondorf #link #thanks for the ask!!!#turns out. making lists is a good distraction #so thank you!!!

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blueskittlesart · 1 year

Note

okay so feel free to delete this message for asking you about TP crimes. but I'm curious if you have any purely aesthetic thoughts about the Link + Zelda designs, as well as the Zora designs, in TP? like how do you feel about the designs on their own, even apart from your distaste for the general atmosphere + story. again feel free to ignore this for TP crimes and no harm done!

yeah ok. disclaimer for those who don't know. i don't like twilight princess and i think the art direction was almost as bad as the story. do not argue with me about this. let's get into it. link first

from a purely character-design standpoint I don't think this design is bad, but I don't think it's all that special either. it's very evocative of oot link, which I'm SURE was intentional based off everything else in the game. it does a decent job of complicating the outfit to the standards of tp's setting without going too overboard in terms of little details. the long hat looks stupid but i understand what they were going for. my biggest critique of the design itself is the desaturated color scheme, which I understand was present in the game at large but. I don't like it. I honestly do think that taking away the vibrance and colorfulness of loz takes a lot of the fun out of it. these games were originally for the NES. we're working off of 8-color pixel graphics. link's tunic should be eye-searingly green no matter how dark and brooding you want his story to be, because without that brightness and vibrance the games cease to feel like loz imo.

anyway. the real PROBLEM with this design, and with most of the art direction in tp, lies in how it was actually handled in-game. twilight princess was a game for the wii & gamecube, released in 2006. while advancements in graphics were GETTING THERE, the models were still relatively low-poly. The franchise had already seen a lot of success working with low-poly models in oot and ww, specifically because they leaned into the limitations of low-poly graphics and went for a more cartoonish, unrendered art style which made the blocky models seem purposefully stylized instead of limiting. twilight princess, however, did a complete 180 with the art direction and decided to attempt to HIDE the low-poly graphics behind over-rendered textures. this combined with the desaturated color palette of the character designs makes everything look very flat and lifeless.

in every close shot of link throughout this game i was constantly distracted by how awful the textures made the model look. the rendered folds of his tunic being slapped onto a flat surface, the rendering in his hair being an obvious coverup for the fact that it's one mass on the model with no physics, etc etc. the textures seldom rendered perfectly smoothly on the wii either, so the painted rendering would be strangely pixelated or blurry compared to the model's sharp edges. the game's lighting also seems to operate entirely in harsh black gradients, making the color and rendering choices on the model all the more obvious. Again, I understand that these are limitations of the medium the devs were working with, but i think that art direction that takes the medium into account and works WITH it instead of AGAINST it is almost always more successful than attempts to cover your ass after the fact, and i think that twilight princess could have been a more visually pleasing game if the art direction hadn't been so focused on covering the flatness of the models with hyper realistic textures.

onto zelda. again, we have a theme here of taking the oot design and overcomplicating it. i think the color choices are better here than they are with link, but i would have liked a brighter pink on her bodice. I also think that the dress's neckline was... pretty obviously a sexualization attempt. there's a reason men love this zelda. imo if they were going to keep oot zelda's shoulder armor they should also have kept the breastplate-ish piece in the middle and the high neckline from that dress. you cant say ooh look shes a swordfighter see she has armor!! and then leave her fucking jugular exposed. no wonder she got possessed by ganon immediately. other than my general complaints with the over-rendering i don't have much else to say about her tho. shes fine

the zora tho... this is where i start to get pissed off. HOW ARE YOU GONNA DESIGN A SPECIES OF FISH PEOPLE BASED ON TROPICAL FUCKING FISH AND THEN REFUSE TO PUT A SINGLE SATURATED COLOR INTO ANY OF THEIR DESIGNS. the way these designs could all be improved by about a hundred percent if you just TURNED UP THE GODDAMN SATURATION. GIVE ME A REAL RED. IM BEGGING. UGGHHHHHHHHHH. i also think the ugly rendering REALLY shows through on these guys because they don't have a lot of detail on them to cover it all up. someone needs to explain to these designers that you don't shade with black. like. god. the designs truly are not bad in terms of like creature design i dont think but they are so DESPERATELY in need of color that it's fucking distracting. color is not your enemy guys please

#tp critical #twilight princess art direction my detested. bane of my fucking existence #COLOR IS NOT EVILLLL YOU CAN PUT SATURATED COLORS IN YOUR DESIGNS ITS OK. ITS NOT GOIGN TO BITE YOU #asks

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class-1b-bull · 1 month

Note

How would 1b react to thier little sister demanding they join her tea party?And how would they react to their crush walking in on them participating egearly at the tea party/their sister bawling her eyes out because they said no?

Not proofread we die like men

Awase - he was so embarrassed when his crush walked in on him with a big pink tutu and a princess tiara. His pinky was up when he was drinking from his plastic but he instantly burried his face in his hands when his crush saw lmao

Sen - he said no at first but then he reluctantly gave in after she started crying. It didnt take long for him to actually get into it but he was so embarrassed when he saw his crush walk into the room lmao. He was about to complain to this girls manager about the teas terrible quality when he saw his crush in the door way.

Kamakiri - his little sister was holding onto his leg begging him to play tea princess tea party with her and he just kept saying no. When his crush walked by he was a bit embarrassed to had a crying toddler attached to his leg but he tried to play it off. His crush more then likely offered to play with her instead and if they did he silently thought it was sweet ngl

Kuroiro - his little sister was latched onto his leg crying because he wouldn't play with her. He thought it was embarrassing and didnt match his gothic subculture (idk if thats the right term but i frankly dont care) he got even more embarrassed when his crush walked by. Hos siter ran up to his crush and started complaining to them about how mean he was being lmao

Kendo - she was super happy to play with her little sister. So she wasn't embarrassed at all when her crush came by. She even invited them to join her sisters tea party. Her teapart with her sisters was definitely a lot calmer (i wouldent be surprised if kendo made rlly small cookies for them so they will fit on her little plastic plates.)

Kodai - she was a bit reluctant but eventually gave into her sister's begging. She was extremely embarrassed when her crush walked by and she was even more embarrassed when her little sister asked them to play too lmao

Komori - she was in character. She was gossiping so much about what princess twilight did (one of her sisters dolls named after someone from her fav tv show) while sipping the imaginary tea and her sister was loving it. She got a bit embarrassed when he crush walked by but she decided that cringe is temporary and she just embraced it lmao

Shiozaki - she was a bit reluctant to join her little sisters tea party but she eventually gave in. After a bit of pretending to eat sweets and drink tea her crush walked by and she got a bit embarrassed. She would have tried to hide her face but her hair would easily give her away.

Shishida - seeing a massive teen covered in fur sip pretend tea out of a pink plastic cup is the funniest thing to me lmaoo. He got a bit embarrassed when his crushed walked by but he calmed himself if his crush joined in lol. (Also now that i think about it his family is rich so it was probably a real glass teaset)

Shoda - he was embarrassed when his crush caught him and his sobbing little sister. He told his crush nothing happened but when his sister told his crush that he was refusing to play with her he finally agreed to the tea party. Only because he wanted his crush to know he was a good brother. It was cute lmao

Pony - she had so much fun playing with her little sister ngl. She even got a little dressed up for it because it was a fancy event lmao. She did get really embarrassed when her crush saw her though before she invited them to join her.

Tsubaraba - he wore that tutu and princess tiaras with honor. Pinkys were up drinking that pretend tea and he invited his crush to join them with no shame (okay he was a bit embarrassed and he was silently calling himself cringe but he embraced it for the moment)

Tetsutetsu - he puts 110% effort into everything even if its embarrassing. And he did the same when playing with his little sister. He would let out the loudest, most shocked sounding gasp when she told him what her dolls did last week. He obviously got extremely red when his crush walked by and saw him but he tried (and failed) to play it cool.

Tokage - i saw a video of this guy and his daughter being super sassy towards eachother while playing nail salon or smthn like that. Anyways thats what shes like. She will tell her sister to give her the most specific yet outrageous tea combination and she will talk to her manager if its wrong lmao. She was extremely embarrassed when her crush walked by though.

Manga - he adores kids so of course he said yes in a heart beat! He got into it too. Like he was speaking like some noble from a long ass time ago while inspecting the pretend teas quality and shit. He was honestly haveing a lot of fun making his little sister laugh so he didn't even notice his crush watching them play for a moment when they were passing by <3

Honenuki - he was a bit reluctant but it didnt take much begging to get him to play tea parties with his little sister. He was fine playing with her until his crush walked in and saw the two and he instantly got a bit embarrassed. Thankfully he managed to play it off pretty easily and he even asked for his crush to join lmao

Bondo - he said he would play with her later since he didn't want to risk one of his classmates seeing. But then his little sister started crying because she thought he didnt like her or something so he forced himself to play with her even if it was caused by a misunderstanding. And everything was fine when he was playing with her until his crush came by and he got extremely embarrassed extremely quickly.

Monoma - he was going off at his little sister. I mean why wouldn't he? The tea quality was terrible it took forever for him to get the extra sugar cubes he asked for at the very beginning and the waitress called him a butt face! He was about to talk to her manager when his crush walked by and was forced to join by his little sister. Now the manager in question was his crush and he couldn't be any more embarrassed.

Reiko - she only said yes to playing because she felt bad about an argument or something they had earlier. And she was pretty embarrassed the whole time. Her face was surprisingly pink the whole time which almost seemed out of character because of how calm and tough she seemed around her classmates. Her embarrassment only grew when her crush saw her

Rin - he only agreed to play with his sister after he did his daily home work and training and since it was so late he didnt think anyone would pass by so for his sisters sake he was being a drama queen (a very minor one but he was trying his best to make it interesting for his sister okay) but his entire face turned completely red the second he locked eyes with his crush lmao

Gif anime - dungeon meshi

#try not to be a yapper challenge (impossible)#power went out making this btw #i added it to the queue but i have no idea if it will post on time lmao #class 1b #bnha headcannons #bnha headcanons #mha headcanons #kosei tsuburaba #rin hiryu #sen kaibara #awase yousetsu #juzo honenuki #shihai kuroiro #im no longer sick btw #<3 #update #it did end up posting a day late #cuz the power went out #rip

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drsteggy · 1 month

Note

Can I get some DVD commentary on Uneasy Lies the Chosen of Farore? I know you have been in the process of rewriting the core fic and there are so many parts of it I love, so if you're able to talk about the rewriting aspect, that's a bonus!

I don't really have a specific section, more of a general point for discussion. Maybe less DVD commentary and more Farore interview exclusive!

One of the things I suspected on my first read through was that Twilight Princess really played a big part in furnishing the world. I went in to your fic having only played OOT and BOTW and there were some commonalities (though I think with OOT it might have been more of a general LOZ vibe because I'm not sure if you had played it at that point). Now that I've played TP and think back to Farore, I really feel its influence in the 'dungeon' design and some of the geography.

What parts do you think the games played in terms of influencing your worldbuilding on Farore?

Thanks so much for the ask, my god I love going on about this fic so much.

The rewrite has mostly been trying to bring it up to the level of how I write now vs how I did then. I lean into perfectionism (though I swear I’m much better than I was) and I will tweak things endlessly. There were a few things I felt were a little rough and never got smoothed the way I liked. The entire back half of the fic got pretty much written and published as I went week to week because I hit a spot where I just had to finish it- I knew how it would end, and I wanted to make sure it hit its marks. I wasn’t comfortable without having the safety net I had at the start, but the people who offered to beta at the start slowly shifted priorities and drifted…and man, if I could not keep a beta readers attention, how well I was doing here?

I mean, part of the fic is about imposter syndrome and learning who you are and all that and. Yeah. I half joke that Link is a self insert. I’m not the train wreck he is at the start of the fic by miles- but there are places where he is very much some hard projection. But by the second half of the fic he was getting his shit together, so I figured maybe I should try and follow that example.

So when I was first trying to deal with my Zelda brain rot, which was mostly Breath of the Wild brain rot, I ended up in a community of people who were very much Gamers who liked Zelda games. When I started Farore in its original six chapter form, I’d only played BOTW and the geography/map is 100% the BOTW map. The Zora’s Domain is differently laid out, but I think that’s it. I can show you where I decided specific things were otherwise.

What I learned from this was people who identify as gamers first don’t really gel well with people who identify as Zelda fans first. Like these guys liked to shit all over BOTW Zelda (a 16 year old girl in the game) and go on about how a non male hero should never be a thing and turned me into a defender of the princess (who I’d only experienced as her yelling at me to that point, and I wasn’t really a fan) Eventually I left because they decided to make fun of cosplay photos I shared.

But these guys were obsessed with Twilight Princess. Obsessed!!! In particular, they talked about the Arbiters Grounds constantly. They claimed, more than once, that it was the best dungeon in the series!! And this influenced me as I continued the fic.

I’m a Switch girl, though my Nintendo introduction involved a Wii in 2009- I was recently married and unable to work as I was trying to deal with state level bullshit about a professional license that ultimately kept me sidelined for 3 months. I was going stir crazy and spouse decided I should learn to play MarioKart. I still had this Wii and started to track down older games to play them.

I scored a copy of TP and had already decided the Arbiters Grounds was going to be the desert dungeon in the fic, but I wanted to play through it first. As it turned out, playing TP with a Wiimote was a bad combination for me and I kept slopping into lava before I even properly entered the Goron temple. I ended up watching someone do a let’s play of that dungeon before I wrote it.

Much, much later I learned my Wii could play GameCube games and I did eventually play TP via a GC disk. I remember getting a chill when I finally rocked up on the Arbiters Grounds, and I do not feel that I made that dungeon as scary as maybe I could have- I don’t think I changed a lot in the rewrite because there’s a lot in that chapter that I really love and thought came out well.

I had also played part of Skyward Sword as I was writing (and I feel that after BOTW, this game has the most influence on the fic, particularly over the Link/Zelda relationship) and I knew spiders were sort of a thing in Zelda games and that’s why I made the first dungeon boss sort of a spider (it only has six legs, so it isn’t a spider) I was unaware that there was a classic dungeon boss that had a spider form, so when people were going on about Lady Ghoma in my comments I was very what about that. I was super shocked when I hit that dungeon in TP lol.

I will say TP has some of my favorite dungeons and the most fun bosses. I kind of wish that I knew about Snowpeak Mansion and the City in the Sky as I was writing, but I think my Link would have had a mental breakdown at the very thought of that much hookshot. He probably would have been into making soup, though.

I tried to Easter egg as many games as I could as I wrote- except I decided this was before BOTW- so that game is not mentioned at all aside from the map. I think I did a pretty good job of it, considering I hadn’t played (and had not completed any) many as I was going. I definitely hit Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask, Twilight Princess, Skyward Sword, Links Awakening, Wind Waker and the manga from Hyrule Historia. One comment I got on the fic - one that really touched me, too - referenced the Picori and the reader assured my Link that he wasn’t really alone. And like, I literally teared up reading that, because it was something my Link needed to hear but he also probably wasn’t open to hearing it at that moment. And I had no idea what Picori were…and now I’m sort of sad I didn’t think to go back and try and weave them in, but maybe I’ll do so as the edit goes on.

#unmasked cardinal #writer asks #dvd commentary #uneasy lies the chosen of Farore #legend of zelda fanfiction #well I thought I posted it but I just hit save draft

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muninnhuginn · 2 months

Note

for the ask game, spy x family 🕶💣

Sorry for the delay! I got ambushed by rl and then ambushed myself for several more days and-- anyway, I had to put this under the cut because it got long. Thanks for asking!

my favorite female character

yor yor yor. I like her for a few reasons, but I think the main thing is just generally her main emotional arc thus far. how she wants to 'belong' but how she also needs to 'fit in' and how it also circles around the idea of normality. she thinks she wants to be normal when what she wants is to be accepted. and she knows she needs to be *seen* as normal for safety reasons (sth sth societal commentary even outside of the cold war backdrop) but she doesn't understand *how*. what does it mean to be a mother and to be a wife and what aspects of that does she want to fulfill for herself and which is she just doing because it's part of her cover.

she has all these needs and wants and hasn't yet figured out how to even begin untangling them. and despite that, she's still one of the most emotionally intelligent characters in the series.

my favorite male character

loid. he's the obvious option but still. I always tend to appreciate the anxious types and whilst technically all of the main three have their own little anxiety spirals, loid's way of overcomplicating things is my favourite. he's a very intriguing mix of anxiety, denial, and competence.

I am very much enjoying the length of time it's taking to wear him down. we only got full confirmation he's actively compromised as of the mole arc which is super recent but for me the pacing is just right. he has to earn that character development and be dragged through kicking and screaming.

my favorite book/season/etc

volume 10 (starts with [redacted] arc and has some good handler moments (though I *think* my favourite handler chapter is later on))

my favorite episode (if its a tv show)

genuinely not sure. I do think the very first episode has a really good mix of comedy and earnestness with a hint of the underlying tragedy in growing up during wartime. it spells out everything to expect down the line in a very nicely balanced way

my favorite cast member

I... don't know? I think for Yor's VA this is my favourite role of hers whilst Anya's VA I prefer most as Frieren but like. IDK tbh. Can I skip?

my favorite ship

Not super into shipping in this fandom, but overall, I'd say twiyor. the fact that it's a 'fake' relationship but they enter into it on honest enough terms that they actually make something really healthy for both of them out of it. they each mutually get something out of it too.

yor wants to be useful. she's grown up providing for yuri and now he's gone all she has left is her job, but this 'relationship' and her new family give her the opportunity to *do* something. to defend and protect her people. and to give her someone to confide in, where she's never had that before.

for twilight, he's always been planning and preparing for all possibilities. always acting, never letting anyone see what's beneath, until he had forgotten even himself. one of my fave twiyor moments was in the recent chapter where twilight gets home and immediately his legs give out, because he feels *safe*. he's let his guard down with yor and even if he's worried about being compromised, he let it down because he trusts in her character. the remedy for someone so full of masks is someone devoid of them, and for all that yor is the thorn princess, she has never faked *who* she is.

and tying back to what I was saying about yor and normality before. the fact that loid knows what it's like to pretend means that he's in the position to tell yor that she's good as she is. she doesn't *need* to fake her whole personality to fit in. sure, they both have their covers, but for the large part, what's beneath is genuine.

a character I’d die defending

I think nightfall's character may not be as developed as most people would like at this stage, but the way she's written is very deliberate. she's a compare/contrast with yuri (and also to some extent, with twilight) and she shows how love and obsession intertwine. how *obsession* can be dangerous. the mole arc to me is waving a big red flag above nightfall's head and saying that if she doesn't change something, if she keeps metaphorically diving headfirst in front of twilight, then she's going to end up the one riddled with bullets.

a character I just can’t sympathize with

not that we're likely supposed to but donovan desmond

a character I grew to love

handler! it's not that I ever disliked her as such, but for a long time she just seemed a kind of girlboss-esque character with a neat character design. she had her moments (bond arc speech and also propaganda chapter my beloved), but it wasn't until we had her focus chapter where we followed her day that I was like "oh." Like, I knew that she'd lost her family, but I was falling for the facade that she was on top of everything. And the realisation that she wasn't? That she was deep in depression, but you know who might dig her out of it? Her pet dog and a little girl. Definitely got to me.

my anti otp

anti otp is a bit strong a feeling for it, but I think the way I read damianya differs from a decent chunk of the fandom. I tend to see it as one-sided and am perfectly happy for it to stay that way or for them to just end up becoming better friends down the line, but I know what I'm against here so I'm not going to place any bets.

#asks #ask meme #pinkie-satan #spy x family #sxf manga spoilers

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cpericardium · 9 months

Note

If you could be in charge of any piece of media besides worm what would it be

You KNOW the answer is MLP: FiM but honestly I don't think I would do a better job. Not that it's all good. Just that I'm worse.

There would be fewer alicorns I can tell you that much!!! Cadence can stay ig with some alicorn lore building but it's all over for Twilight and Flurry Heart. Twilight stands up to Princess Celestia, rejecting alicornhood, and it's incredibly painful for both of them but necessary for the growth of their relationship. She can become an alicorn later on her own terms out of necessity, but it's in a "mad science" way where she bioengineers the ascension and has these horrendous muscular fleshy wings she grew herself that Rainbow is super jealous of. NO changeling redemption. Maybe like, one (Thorax) can be redeemed as a lame-ass Buddy-type bug guy that Twilight keeps trying to integrate into the gang. No one really likes him but they also don't want to look racist ever since the Zecora thing. Queen Chrysalis stays evil but can have a two-part "enemy of my enemy" episode with Celestia as a treat where they have to band together to defeat a mutual nemesis. And she like, bites Fluttershy or punts Spike or something at the end to show she's still evil. Spike indentured servitude arc (happy ending). Pinkie Pie moonlights as Mare Do Well with more brutal methods unbeknownst to her friends (they never find out). Sunset Shimmer appears in the main series and keeps her real cow-leather jacket and it's problematic.

#ask me anything #mlpfim #my little pony g4 #the problem with this "i could do it better” woolgathering is that I would just be building off of or subtracting from existing canon #so really I don't want to be in charge #just there like an advisor #ya know #chrysalis should have a leather jacket too #there should be more healthy discussion of “mating”

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brideofdiscord-rewritten · 10 months

Text

Bride of Discord Rewritten Chapter 5: The Dilemma

Read the tags for important notes.

"We're not really going to give into his demands, are we?" Rarity asked.

They had left the throne room to continue their meeting in the map room. A large mahogany slab sat vacant in the middle of the vast room. Upon it were etchings of names, all of which belonged to some territory or another. Certain points of the map, such as rivers or oceans glowed bright reddish-orange like embers. The lands were raised in accordance to the elevation of the real life counterpart.

"We may not have a choice," Twilight said. "Discord thought this out very well. I need my horn to power the Elements, but the only way I can get it back is if we don't use the Elements to stop him. And, the everfree forest houses many creatures, and zecora lives there!

"What about the third deal?" Applejack inquired.

She sighed. "Discord knows how desperate we are to get the princesses back."

"But we can't just hand some pony over to be his wife!" Rarity exclaimed. "We might as well be taking away her rights! Sacrificing her!"

"He said his bride has to go willingly. I think we should announce this to the citizens and see if any pony is willing to make such a sacrifice."

Fluttershy stood practically untethered to the other's words that hung overhead. Discord, the subject of her very torment held her. She didn't feel as if she had been violated, but the very nerve made her want to scream. She told herself she was being paranoid, but if that was the case, why did he seem to single her out?

"We should at least accept the terms of the first two," Twilight decided. "If I had my magic, we could be able to find another solution, and it would be easier to think if there weren't pigs flying outside."

Every pony nodded in agreement.

"What about Cadence?" Shining Armor asked. "And our daughter?"

"I want her back too, shining armor." his sister assured him. He ruffled her mane.

"I don't like the idea either, but…Discord has a point. Instead of losing four, we would only lose one. And…I don't know how long Cadence will last."

"She's strong. No matter what her conditions, she's always been able to pull through. Celestia and Luna will be strong too. Wherever they are, I'm sure they are holding out. Anyways, discord would never... Kill them. That's not chaos, thats maniacal!"

They all stood and wondered if any of this was really happening.

"Thee wanteth to receiveth did marry?!" Luna scoffed after Discord had told them his plan. "Who is't in the w'rld wouldst wanteth to marryeth thee?!"

"drop it Luna he doesn't care."

"why would anypony willingly marry thee?"

"Go ahead, laugh!" Discord said, rolling his eyes. "Just thought you would want to know what your freedoms going to cost."

"You will never get away with this, Discord!" Celestia bellowed. "Tartarus is non-discriminatory."

"Yes, yes. The whole 'you will never get away this' speech. I will respond with the usual comeback: 'oh, but I will!' Anyone up for a game of eternal mahjong? It needs four ponies!

She growled and lashed her hooves through the bars of the cage. Discord simply laughed.

"Oh, you three are just too amusing! Either of you willing to save the others and accept my proposal?"

Luna simply remarked, "I doth not think that the deal counts if it's true thee keeps a princess."

"And I'm already married, creep!" Cadence barked.

"I never been the type to break up a happy home." Discord said innocently.

A voice called from outside the cave. "Discord!"

The draconequus turned. "Oh, would you look at that? Sorry to leave you, girls, but I have a meeting."

With a wave of his paw, the cage vanished and he went to meet his visitor, leaving only a stack of cards in his wake.

"so do you guys know how to play pitty pat?

Twilight Sparkle and her five companions were standing at the entrance.

"Ah, my old friends! Have you made your decision already?"

"Yes," Twilight said defiantly.

She turned her head and nodded. Spike emerged from behind her, bearing a jewel encrusted case. He hesitantly stepped forward and placed the box in front of the draconequus.

"We accept your terms and promise never to use our Elements of Harmony against you. And to show you that we are serious about this…"

Spike opened the case to reveal the five necklaces and crown inside. Discord raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Appreciate the gesture, but keep them. I don't want those things anywhere near me."

He placed them on the ground and prodded them with his hoof.

"What about my piece of land?"

"The castle ruins in the Everfree forest," Twilight stated. "You may do with them what you like. Stay away from zecora's house."

"And no pony will disturb me?"

"No pony, as long as you confine your mischief within that area."

Discord clapped his hands. "Excellent! But…who's the lucky mare I'm marrying?"

Twilight glanced away.

"Well?"

"If you think we're going to send some pony to marry the likes of you…"

"You want your princesses back, you give me what I want!" He sighed. "But I am a creature of my word."

He snapped his fingers, blinding every pony with a white flash. When the light was gone, Twilight's horn was back on her head and the chaos from outside had ceased.

"I have all the time in the world to wait," Discord said nonchalantly. "The princesses, however, only have one set of cards.

"We'll give you anything!" Twilight pleaded. "Just please, don't hurt them!"

"I told you. When my demands are met, they go free! Any lucky ladies?"

Spike piped up. "Wait, who're you talking to?"

"Any of you. I don't care which one, but if some pony doesn't come forward soon, I will just have to make the decision myself. How about I give you…?" He tapped his chin. "Three days?"

"Isn't there anything else you want?" Twilight asked.

"Look, it's a bride or no deal! Got that?"

"But…"

"I think we're done here."

He zapped himself out of the cave, leaving the distressed ponies behind.

"He wouldn't accept anything else?" Shining Armor asked.

"He'll take a bride and nothing but," Twilight replied solemnly.

They had announced Discord's request to Canterlot that morning. So far, no pony was willing to accept such a search fate. It had 2 moons already.

"soooo, now what?" Applejack wondered.

Twilight sighed. She sat on a large, weighted isopod plush the size of a twin mattress. "No elements, no bargains, no haggling, there's nothing we can do!"

"do you think we should tell some people from other territories? I know there's gotta be some freaks out there!" Rainbow suggested.

"we can't, it'd take too long. Besides, without the princesses, the suna and moon can't rise. That'll seriously mess up the whole equestria! We could be in eternal darkness! Our crops and hay will never grow! Ponies can't handle that much cold!"

"What about you?" Sweetie Belle asked. "Aren't you the princess now?"

"hopefully only for now! I can't raise the sun! Do you know how powerful you have to be to accomplish that?! I just…I just…"

Tears streamed down her cheeks. Shining Armor put an assuring hoof on her. The ponies huddled together in a weighted hug. The pressure seemed to calm her down.

"Don't worry. We'll get them back. We'll get them all back. We just have to solve this..." He looked toward the others. "I know no pony wants to spend eternity with that…that monster, but we got to think…"

"I should go."

Every pony stared at Twilight.

"This all happened while Equestria was under my rule. I should put the well-being of my subjects before myself."

"I won't allow it!" her brother insisted..

"But Cadence…"

"Would not stand for it. I want her back as much as you do, but I don't want to lose my little sister in the process."

"For the sake of my friends," Rarity declared, "I believe I should go."

"No!" Sweetie Belle cried, hanging onto her leg. "I need you, big sister! And what'll Mom and Dad say?"

Applejack took off her hat. "I should go."

"Don't even think about it!" search Apple Bloom commanded.

"Me then?" Rainbow questioned.

A desperate hug from Scootaloo dismissed the idea.

Applejack and rarity looked at rainbow, then each other, as rainbow looked at both. Not one of them would let this happen to the other.

"What about me?" Pinkie asked seriously, which was out of character for her. "I mean I already like his party attitude!"

"anything other than that?... Exactly." Rarity muttered.

As the others argued, Fluttershy dealt with an internal argument of her own. She did not dare say her thoughts aloud, knowing her friends would just dismiss them. They all had reasons for staying behind: responsibilities, family. What did she have? There were her animals and friends, but what happiness would she bring them if they were to live in darkness for the rest of their lives? What happiness would she bring them if she left?

Every pony quieted down as Applejack leapt onto the chart table. "Look, it's been a long night for all of us. I say we get some sleep and see what c'n' be done tomorrow."

They all agreed and retired to their rooms.

The claws of the larger creature ran through her mane again. She felt every single knot pulled on. Every leaf torn in half. She felt the. Claw graze her thick scalp ever so slightly, drawing across like a bow on a viola. Every strike playing a haunting chord.

"Why won't you go away?" she squeaked.

Her captor's cackle echoed in the darkness. "My dear, don't you understand? I'm in your mind because you keep me here."

"Well, I don't want you here! Go away!"

He chuckled and soon his face was inches away from hers. "What are you waiting for, my dear? You know what you have to do. You know I favor you over the others. So do it."

"No!" She tried to struggle out of his grasp. "I don't…I don't…"

He whispered into her ear. "If you don't do it, who will?"

Fluttershy woke with a start. She put her hoof to her head and whimpered. I can't do it, she thought. I just can't! What will the others think? Still, no matter what she did, all she thought about was him.

She could not go back to sleep, so she went down to the kitchen to get a snack. She screamed when she bumped into someone, causing them to fall and drop a tray of food.

"Hwhat n' tarnation? Fluttershy?"

The pegasus squinted at the pony on the floor and gasped. "Oh, Applejack, I'm so sorry! You startled me."

The southern pony rubbed her head as she got up. "It's okay. I'm guessin' you couldn't sleep either, huh?" She shook her head. "Nightmare again?"

She nodded. "It was different this time. He spoke to me. He was…he was…" she trembled, but found herself unable to form tears

"Calm down. Tell you what. After I clean this up, I'll make us both some apples and peanut butter. Sound good?"

Fluttershy sniffed and nodded with a smile. As they ate, she told Applejack about her dream. Her friend listened intently, while still having trouble cutting things with just a knife and her hooves.

"You're lettin' his threat on the princesses get to you. Don't worry. We'll figure somethin' out."

The pegasus looked down at her hooves. "Applejack, can I tell you a secret?" Her face was vacant and terrified.

The cowgirl sighed. "Fluttershy, you know how bad I am at keepin' secrets. What With me bein' the Element of Honesty and all, I'm a terrible liar."

"You don't have to lie. Just don't mention it to any pony."

"Okay, but…why me?"

"Well, it's a very shocking secret. Twilight would be against it, Rarity would overreact, Rainbow Dash would tell me it's a bad idea and Pinkie Pie would throw a huge bash... Actually that last one doesn't sound too bad."

"Alright, I get it. So what's this secret?"

"First, you've got to promise not to tell any pony, and not to freak out."

"I promise."

"Pinkie Promise?"

She sighed. "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."

Fluttershy glanced around and then gestured for her to come closer.

"I'm...thinking of…" The rest was inaudible.

"Come again?"

"I'm…" This time was quieter.

"Didn't catch that one shug."

"I'm thinking of going with Discord!" she shouted.

Applejack choked on her apple. "What?!"

"You said you wouldn't freak out!"

"I had no idea you were…!" Then she stopped and took a breath. "Anyhow, I made a promise. I promised I wouldn't. But still! How could you even consider goin' with that monster?!"

"If I don't go, who will?"

"Fluttershy, do you hear yourself?!"

"We need Princesses Celestia and Luna to bring day and night and Cadence is with foal. Discord won't let them go unless some pony takes their place. I think that pony should be me."

"No, you shouldn't! You can't! I'd rather go instead of you!"

"But you have your family to take care of, and the orphans, they look up to you. Twilight has her crown and Shining Armor, Rarity has her shop and Sweetie Belle, Rainbow Dash is a Wonderbolt, and Pinkie Pie has her job at Sugar Cube Corner and to make every pony smile. I have no pony, no purpose."

"What are you talkin' about? Of course you have a purpose! The animals back in Ponyville depend on you! Your friend need you! Ponyville would be so much more dull without you!"

"Some pony else can take care of them."

"And don't think you ain't got no pony!" She put a hoof around her. "You've got a lot of friends who would be heartbroken if you left!"

She blushes and couldnt help her faceut suppose no pony agrees to marry Discord? Would all the ponies and animals be better off then?"

Applejack paused. "Well…I…"

"What if my dreams are a sign? What if this is my fate?"

"Fluttershy, your search fate is not to be unhappy for the rest of your life tied to that creature!"

"Why not?!" she snapped. "Can't you see that no matter what I'll choose, I'll always be unhappy?!"

Silence hung over them like thick cobwebs.

...

"You don't really believe that, do you?"

The pegasus buried her face in her hooves. "I don't know! I just don't know!"

Applejack patted her on the back. "I think we should talk to Twilight."

Her head shot up. "She's stressed enough as is!"

Applejack mumbled something somewhat unintelligible through her thick accent. Fluttershy comforted her.

"fluttershy, I'm gonna try'n stop you. Don't let me. I want you to do what'cha think'll give you purpose.

At this very moment, at the utterance of the last word, another pony miles away received an invitation of visitation from another. Beyond all the chaos, there rose collaboration.

Kimono stepped towards Zecora's hut, eager to discuss the recent events with her long time friend from afar.

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chateaulonlon · 4 months

Text

Ocarina of Time's story lasts 2-3 years

((By 2-3 years, I am excluding the 7 year coma. Plus the coma, the game lasts 9-10 years.))

A theory I've sat on for about a decade is that when Link collects the spiritual stones, it takes him an entire year, perhaps less, 6 months at the least. Retrieving the medallions takes 1 to 2 years. This means that the game, from Link's perspective, lasts 2-3 years.

Time in Hyrule, from our eyes, is strange. Each day cycle is a real-life 2 minutes and 30 seconds, and each night cycle is 1 minute and 20 seconds. By the time Link leaves the forest, the number of days it takes to venture across Hyrule might just take a year. Time in this game is extremely relevant, and personally, I think the day/night cycle is accurate in terms of Hyrule's scale. I am also including areas where time stops. Although not really relevant, Ocarina of time takes between 11-14 hours to complete if you know what you're doing. For others, it might take 20-70 hours.

Gaebora Kaepora does mention at Hyrule Castle that time "stops" in some regions of the game, such as the market or Lon Lon Ranch. I have always assumed that time stops to allow players to linger around shops or keep things from randomly changing every couple of minutes (i.e., if time continued in the ranch, Malon would bounce from the field to her house constantly). This is a game mechanic. I don't think time literally stops at the farm because then, the horses wouldn't move, and Malon couldn't speak.

The same goes for Twilight Princess. However, time in TP is further stretched, albeit unevenly. It takes around 17 real-life minutes for an entire 24-hour cycle, give or take. Places like Kakariko or Ordon do not change in time, likely because they're the players' "resting stops," if that makes sense. The overworld in Ocarina of Time is much smaller in scale than in TP. It makes sense that proportionally, time moves at different speeds. Kakariko is pretty close to the castle in OoT, but it's much farther in TP (which is the same field, btw). Discussing more of OoT and TP's map differences is a waste of time in this post because there are many inconsistencies despite the games taking place only a century apart.

My theory only works if Link isn't a speed runner. I am going under the impression that the game is played as Nintendo intended. I am also working with the assumption that the player 100%'s the game and isn't a total noob.

From YouTube playthroughs to my own, it would take Link around 105 GAME days, at the least, from waking up in bed until the point he opens the door of time.

This makes more sense in the story. Ganondorf's climb to power was calculated and pre-determined. He attempted to gain the King's trust over months or perhaps a year to determine his next steps. Ganondorf slowly corrupted each region and race of Hyrule and the Hylians were saved for last. When Link and Zelda meet for the first time, it's also likely the King of Hyrule and Ganondorf's first meeting.

It would've taken up to a year if we think about Link sleeping, eating, indulging in free time, etc. These story gaps are primarily filled in the mangas, but it's up to you to decide. People do sleep in Hyrule, and Link is not excluded. Link also defecates, but we thankfully don't see this on-screen. We can only assume it happens. In a way, you can think of Ocarina of Time as an interpretation of a story. In movies, we don't see people eating or peeing regularly. We get time-skips and jump-cuts, and viewers assume the gaps.

Considering it takes Link well over 100 days from the start to the temple of time, it's safe to presume we can double or triple that number based on things he would do off-screen. Sleeping is the biggest factor in this.

As an adult, Link's main quest is retrieving the medallions, which takes considerably longer. According to brief calculations, it would've taken Link around 200 game days to get the medallions, do quests, defeat bosses, etc. If we triple or double that number (400-600), it could've taken Link 1-2 years (estimation) to do all of this.

It took Ganondorf 7 years to prep for Link's return and gain full reign over Hyrule. In that time, he built an empire and gained followers. But these 7 years are only the beginning for the King of Thieves - in his words, he's ready to take over more than Hyrule, also the entire world. Ganondorf's work in Hyrule is practically complete, with the exception of ridding Link and Zelda from the equation. It only took Link 1-2 years to take this 7-year reign down.

#zelda #loz #tloz #ocarinaoftime #zeldatheory #Kikirambling #oot #thelegendofzelda #legendofzelda #tlozoot #Majora's Mask is next #by me

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