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swampjawn · 1 month

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God I love animation. I love it for the way it can bring anything to life beyond the constraints of boring ol' reality, but also the ways that it's inextricably linked to, and draws on the conventions of live-action film-making.

So fuck it, let's look at how Hayao Miyazaki straight up copies some camera framing techniques from his predecessor and the other most influential Japanese filmmaker of all time, Akira Kurosawa! (Kurosawa really was the master of framing scenes around his characters, so he's a great source of inspiration)

(btw, this is a screenshot from this TV special where the two met for the first time just after the release of Kurosawa's final film. It's pretty interesting, and also very cute how nervous Miyazaki seems to be to meet one of his idols.)

Specifically, how the two each choose to break the 180 degree rule (well, not technically 'break' in the case of Kurosawa) to show their protagonists' changing destiny in "Throne of Blood" and "Princess Mononoke".

For anyone who doesn't know, the 180 degree rule is a basic film-making rule of thumb which states that in any scene where two characters interact, you should draw an imaginary line between them and the camera should always stay on one side of that line.

("In the Mood for Love" - Wong Kar-wai)

This way, one character is always looking to the right of the camera, the other is always looking to the left, and the audience doesn't get confused by the geography of the scene. Crossing this line can be disorienting, but when done intentionally, it can convey a paradigm shift of some kind in the scene.

In this scene from "Throne of Blood," (a feudal Japanese retelling of Macbeth) Washizu's wife Asaji discusses tactics with him and tries to convince him to aspire to the throne and to assassinate his lord Tsuzuki while he sleeps.

As two servants appear to notify them that Washizu's sleeping quarters are prepared, the camera dollies left and around the characters' backs. This camera movement is motivated by the motion of the servants' torches outside the room, but it also signifies a change in Washizu's outlook.

Washizu is completely silent for most of this scene, contemplating his wife's advice. But as the camera slides behind his back and across the line of action, the scene is now re-framed, illustrating his change in perspective.

He's been convinced and the trajectory of his life is about to change - and now, facing away from the camera, is the time for action.

Because the camera slides smoothly across the line, Kurosawa isn't technically breaking the 180 degree rule. Miyazaki on the other hand, takes it a little further.

The complimentary scene in Princess Mononoke comes near the start when the wise woman of the village reads Prince Ashitaka's fortune after he's cursed by the wild boar spirit. She tells him that it is his fate to leave the village and travel to the west, where he may be able to lift the curse on his arm. The trajectory of Ashitaka's life changes in this moment too. As he accepts his fate, the change is symbolized by him cutting off his hair, but also by the camera jumping the line.

Throughout this dialogue scene and even as he cuts his hair, the simulated camera sits just slightly to the side of Ashitaka's left shoulder.

But once it's done, for the final shot, the scene is reframed and we jump to the other side, where Ashitaka is now looking to the right of the camera instead of the left.

Making the camera dolly across a scene like Kurosawa's version in 2D animation is no simple task, so this transition with a simple cut is in a way subtler, in another way a bit more jarring, but it conveys the same meaning.

This is the moment when our protagonists make the choice to embark on a new destiny and re-frame their lives.

This has been an excerpt from a short video essay I made a while back, which not many people watched. I think this is at least in part due to my failure to package it well, and it seems you tumblheads like this animation/cinematography analysis stuff, so this is an experiment to see if, with the help of y'all, and a new title and thumbnail, it's at all possible to give this video a second wind in the eyes of the Youtube Gods!

So if you found this interesting, I'd appreciate if you checked it out! Thanks for reading!

youtube

#Also i spent a lot of time on the little animated bit at the start so please watch it lol #animation analysis #mini essay #video #video essay #princess mononoke #throne of blood #hayao miyazaki #akira kurosawa #Youtube #gif warning

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facts-i-just-made-up · 8 months

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Facts about Greek Myths?

There are a great many figures in Greek myth and they can be hard to keep track of, so here is a quick guide to which is which:

Ajax- Warrior who invented detergent.

Antigone- Funeral enthusiast who invented civil disobedience.

Atlas- First winner of the Olympic strong titan competition.

Bellerophon- Plot point in Mission Impossible 2.

Cerberus- 7 headed dog tragically born with only 3 heads.

Charon- Lead rower for Styx.

Cratus- God of strength, but not THAT god of strength.

Cyclops- Inventor of the monocle.

Daedalus- Inventor of the Labyrinth, and thus of David Bowie.

Dionysus- Drank 24/7 but very responsibly never drove.

Eris- Goddess of fighting with each other.

Eros- God of doing something else with each other.

Euronymous- God of Mayhem.

Fates- Least creatively named destiny gods ever.

Hera- Goddess of marriage yet only Zeus's third wife.

Hylia- Goddess of triangles and disjointed timelines.

Icarus- God of disappointing ones father.

Io- Space captain and epic 3D short film, still not on blu-ray.

Jocasta- Originator of Jo Mama jokes, mother of Oedipus.

Leda- Swan enthusiast and feathery-fandom originator.

Medea- Even worse mom than Jocasta.

Medusa- Inventor of reptile-safe shampoo.

Megaclite- LOL her name is "Megaclite." Pronounced like "Clitty."

Narcissus- Basically Trump.

Odysseus- Sailor who refused to ask for directions.

Orpheus- Inventor of impatiently checking the download bar.

Ouranos- Spelling that could've avoided a lot of planet butt jokes.

Pallas- Inventor of weird looking cats.

Persephone- Pomegranate fan, looked like Monica Bellucci.

Prometheus- Stupid fucking movie, especially for using some of H.R. Giger's original designs then putting them up next to a fucking plain white squid. Also let's make the space jockey a tall guy in a suit. How did Scott think that was a good idea? Fuck that shit and double fuck Covenant for somehow doing even fucking worse.

Rhode- Sea nymph yet not technically an island.

Siren- Inverse groupie.

Sisyphus- Limp Biscuit fan who never stopped rolling.

Tantalus- I'll tell you in a minute...

Thanatos- God of dying as easily as snapping your fingers.

Zeus- When the earth was still flat and the clouds made of fire, and mountains stretched up to the sky, sometimes higher- Folks roamed the earth like big rolling kegs. They had two sets of arms, they had two sets of legs. They had two faces peering out of one giant head so they could watch all around them as they talked and they read. And they never knew nothing of love. It was before the origin of love. There were three sexes then: One that looked like two men glued up back to back, called the children of the sun. Similar in shape and girth were the children of the earth. They looked like two girls rolled up in one. The children of the moon were like a fork shoved on a spoon, they were part sun, part earth- Part daughter, part son. Now the gods grew quite scared of our strength and defiance and Thor said, "I'm gonna kill them all with my hammer, like I killed the giants." And Zeus said, "No, you better let me use my lightening like scissors, like I cut the legs off the whales, and dinosaurs into lizards." Then he grabbed up some bolts and he let out a laugh, and said, "I'll split them right down the middle. Gonna cut them right up in half." And then storm clouds gathered above into great balls of fire, and fire shot down from the sky in bolts like shining blades of a knife and it ripped right through the flesh of the children of the sun and the moon and the earth. If you want the rest, see Hedwig and the Angry Inch cuz this is taking way longer to type than I expected.

#greek mythology #medusa #hedwig and the angry inch #norwegian black metal #unreality

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khaotunng · 1 year

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ALCHEMY OF SOULS: LIGHT AND SHADOW'S UK, THE 'BAD NEWS' CHOSEN ONE

(a short analysis on Uk in season 2)

I was talking to a friend here about AoS s2 and how Uk being basically overpowered meant the stakes weren't that high during the action scenes (the opposite of s1, where he was learning and growing and the underdog in every nail biting duel), when I realised why this aspect of s2 didn't bother me that much, if at all. Sure, we saw Uk grow into the mage he is in s1, so we feel a lot of pride and our hearts break seeing him so powerful yet lonely, but it's not only that. The entire season deals with the consequences of Uk being so powerful, continuing the storyline started in s1 of Uk being, basically, a Very Messy Chosen One, weird conception included. We remember how in s1, he was treated like shit because he should not fulfil his destiny and come into his powers, he was a Bad Thing Waiting to Happen. Therefore Uk has always been the trigger, in s2 he is also the nuke.

Season 2 answers the questions: What can you do if you're basically a god? How would people react? Can you really come home if you're not who you were before?

And again, it's a perfect continuation of season 1. I saw posts I loved saying s1 shows a perfect asshole/asshole main pairing, describing Uk as self-centred, and they're kinda right. Episode 1 season 1: we see Uk help a wanted assassin escape her fate at the hands of his friends and adoptive family basically, because he needs her. He was never ready to fight for the world, only for himself AND the few he loves (Naksu, Maidservant Kim, his childhood friends). Take this kind of person... and give him the power to not only be a magical overpowered prodigy and incredible warrior, but also a (technically rightful) king. On top of that, make him heartbroken because the only person he loved and wholly trusted killed him. It's a disaster.

This is how we meet Uk in s2, struggling to and outright avoiding answering these questions. He lives as a husk of himself, separated from society, using his powers in a very limited way. Inaction is the only way, he thinks, to avoid war. He is kinda right: the moment he starts wanting things again, the moment he acts again (the moment Cho Yeong is back in his life), he becomes an enemy. His existence is the reason why Jin Mu manages to turn so many to his cause: if power like this exists and walks among us, why should we settle for anything less?

In the end, Uk has to grimly embody Jin Mu's ideals: someone so powerful can amass even more power and do basically whatever he wants, even burn the representatives of 8 main families alive. He is also, again, the Chosen One of the Bad, Terrible News: the awakening of the fire bird could not be stopped, even if it is one of the main quests of 'normal people' throughout s2.

The shift in Uk in season 1 was spectacular, satisfying, hard won, flashy: from a ridiculed pampered noble to one of the most powerful mages of the country. The shift in season 2 is just as important, but internal. It's Uk choosing to do what's right –killing the soul shifters, even if it's Naksu, even if it means not killing Jin Mu himself–, and choosing to do what's right for the world, even if said world can't accept him in full. Uk giving his golden medallion to the Crown Prince isn't just the culmination of the two finally reaching an understanding, but Uk knowing he, powerful as he is, can decide the shape of the future of the country. Without his approval, the Crown Prince could never have become the king.

Finally, of course, the reason why Uk can grow is the same in both seasons, his bond with Cho Yeong. First she is his master, bringing him to full powers, helping him face his destiny, then she is his true companion, the only person who can stand beside him and help him find his rightful place in the world. Season 2 is very different from season 1, but all the good elements are there, and without it, season 1 would not end properly. I understand why some people say season 2 felt unnecessarily fanservice-y (there are standard moments of badassery on Uk's part and romance tropes abound), but actually season 2 is more profound and thought-out than one may think. Or maybe I just love Uk too much and this is just a long and unnecessary tumblr post.

alternative title of the series: uk and the very bad, terrible prophecies where he becomes a god

#alchemy of souls #alchemy of souls: light and shadow #alchemy of souls season 2 #jang uk #jang uk x naksu #jang uk x cho yeong #naksu #lyde vs kdramas #or: lyde overthinks the writing of a kdrama

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lunart-06 · 6 months

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I wonder what the main casts wishes were?

Herm herm! If you had seen one where I answered how they'll be as witches I think you could figured some out on what their wishes are since it's seem obvious, but if they were to wished it..

Let's start with Kyoko, her wish- in a dire and repressed desperation boiling her blood, to imediatelly take the chance that was just given in front of her, blinded her to not think through the price for it- was; "I wish.... to find the truth.. of what I've been looking for" and to say she regret it is an understatement, which explain her distant and her habits in containing her emotions later afterward.

Nagito's has already mentioned, prone to his sickness, his wish is "I wish to live longer.. it'll be a waste to die this soon yet.." and again, regretted it sooner after a few days of becoming a magical boy, because of his wish, he gets to live while watching others die on his stead. Believing he is the cause, thus explained how he doesn't really stick or attached to people for long.

Chiaki's a little hard to think of at one point but I figured out what she would wanted. Since it must be pretty lonely to play games all by yourself, and from the looks of it, she'd do what she could for her friends. Her wish involved, perhaps her bonds with this once in-a-life-time friendship she held dear;

"I wish..... that nothing bad would happened to my friends... I think.."

"You think..?"

"Yes."

But again, karmic destiny needs to be considered in order to see how well her wish will grant. Incubator had been curiously asking if she was sure to make a wish for someone else other than herself. But she didn't regret it (yet), her friends means a lot to her, other than video games.

Next is Hajime! Also already mentioned what his wish is from my first ask of this au, his wish being; "I wish.. I can be someone greater that brings a difference for the future" which is a big wish and his karmic destiny was not big if a potential to grant said wish YET. Thus manifested Izuru in being part of him (as the "someone" he wants to be) who is an entirely different person from him and to make difference for the future? Just slap him with foretelling like powers to "make a difference" himself. Explains why he (and Izuru) was unfazed most of the times, though Hajime has more reaction to the prediction before it even happened.

Lastly is Makoto, his wish- much like Chiaki's a bit- was; "I wish to protect every single people.. from the ones in the past and later in future, that you have and will tricked, from their inevitable fate! With my own hands, I won't let things go the way you wanted, Incubator!"

His karmic destiny were to somehow managed to grant him that much, he isn't technically a god in every timelines of multiple universes/multiverses (that is still Madoka even in this au), but perhaps an almost god like eintity of the timelines in HIS universe. He managed to reset the world at the moment he was born, since well, he doesn't exsist anymore beyond that point.

#also thinking a Guardian!Makoto and Ultimate!Madoka interact seem wholesome #since both understands eachother's loneliness #also both have fucked up girlfriend/boyfriends #Madokami can't really interact directly with Guardian!Makoto's universe #since her power overwhelms it that it will destroyed to pieces #just like how she can't interact with magia record world!!#so she just need ONE person to become the protector of that universe #sry I'll shut up wndbsbdbdb #ammm au #a danganronpa au I put this much thought in

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kanohivolitakk · 1 year

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Random thought I had: While most members of the Brotherhood of Makuta can be seen to have behaviors that are the antithesis to the Three Virtues (much like pretty much all the villains that were actual characters rather than mooks), I feel an argument could be made that some of them are perversions of the Three Virtues, and act as example of the negative effects clinging extremely to a virtue can have.

Unity is by far the trickiest since like many Bionicle villains most of the BoM dont really get along with each other and in fact are at each others throats, but I feel that Gorast and/or Antroz is the most fitting. Both of them are fanatically loyal to Teridax and are devoted to his cause. Their loyality towards Teridax ends being a major flaw however, as they didnt see how their leader was just using them and would discard them til it was little bit too late. Gorast is arguably the better fit since she is more defined by her loyalty towards Teridax and her blind loyalty directly led to her death as she refused to listen to Krika or Icarax warning her about Teridax, instead believing in Teridax and the Plan til the very end. That said either are good fits in my opinion.

While he isnt technically a Brotherhood member anymore, Miserix definitely fits the best as pervesion of Duty. I have spoken about this before, but I believe Miserix can be read as being largely defined by his loyality towards his duty as a protector of the Matoran Universe. To Miserix, duty isnt just his purpose in life bit rather his whole identity, it's everything he stands for, everything he is. So, when Teridax strips him of his duty, Miserix loses all his sense of self and personhod. He was so tied to his duty, he became nothing. Is it wonder the guy snapped and became a ragefilled murdeous monster by the time we see him in the actual story? But not only that, it could be argued that Miserixs fanatical devotion to his duty was his downfall as I wouldn't be surprised if thats a big reason Teridax wanted to overthrow him in the first place. Sure, Teridax was a powerhungry controlfreak with a god complex and desire for total domination of the MU, but I wouldn't be surprised if part of the reason for his coup had to do with his disatisfaction in how Miserix ruled things. I also wouldn't be surprised if Miserix one tracked way of viewing duty affected in how he ruled the Brotherhood, especially when considering what the canon tells us about his rule. So yeah, in more ways than one, Miserixs devotion to his duty led to why he became what he became.

Lastly, Krika can be read as the pervesion of Destiny. Krika is a fatalist, who believes that he is doomed to be evil because of his nature as a Makuta. While Krika does rebel against Teridax and the Plan to an extent, he never tries to change his own Destiny. Instead, Krika has accepted his lot in life: sure he laments it but ultimately he doesnt do anything to change it. Krika believes his role and purpose in the universe is set in stone, and thus doesnt do anything to revolt it. Interestingly enough, Krikas last act of warning Gorast is a act of defying his destiny as he actively tries to warn his kin of their death. Though in a cruel twist of fate, when Krika tried to defy destiny and be a good person, he faced his own death. Its as ironic as it is poetic.

All in all I find these three (technically four) characters representing the logical extreme of the Three Virtues really fascinating. It makes Bionicles moral framework much more complex, as it shows that its virtues aren't automatically good, and in fact can lead to distrasrous results if acted to extreme. All these characters ultimately fall because of how extreme they are with the virtue associated them:Gorast and Antroz fanatical loyalty to Teridax is what leads to them being betrayed him without even realizing, Miserixs devotion to his duty is why he gets overthrown and goes mad after loosing his sense of purpose and identity and Krikas fatalist worldview is why he refuses to change his ways and redeem himself in spite of hating his role as a villain. Its all so poetic in a tragically ironic way and just one of the many things that make Bionicle so fascinating to analyze and re-examine in spite of its seemingly simplistic writing.

#kirika talks #kirikas bionicle meta #bionicle #brotherhood of makuta #makuta #gorast #antroz #miserix #krika

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quixoticrobotic · 4 months

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Question entirely on a whim - classpect the comicrew, go!

CLAPS MY HANDS TOGETHER LETS FUCKIN GOOO

i also have jaeris, joanna, erin, and allen bc sburb aus delight me i also have chumhandles, i can share those if you like

also i assume you want reasoning

Linkara: Knight of Mind. Hes such a knight of my god like insisting your fine when you arent? absolute knight behavior. i chose mind because one of my favorite aspects of linkara is hes like. the kind of character who needs to have a plan for everything which is usually a bad guy trait and is a trait you see in a lot of neurodivergent ppl so its nice to see in The Hero

but yeah a knight of mind would use logic and thinking as a weapon which linkara really enjoys doing

90s Dude: Mage of Hope

hope players represent! (im seer of hope!) but yeah hope is a broad term bc like lots of things can inspire it, hope plays typically have something they're really passionate about, something that sparks that ability to believe and like i dont have to say what 90's dude's is. he wears his passions on his sleeves, he gave us "more radical, less sadicle", the stuff that hes passionate about is his strength. mages are kinda like seers except less direct? instead of sharing knowledge to help the team they have this very personal, intuitive understanding of their aspect and how to wield it. fits the sleepwalker arc p damn well

Harvey: Prince of Time

every time i have to make a character i love a prince like i know you'd hate these pants im sorry

but ok i knew harvey would be a time player bc time is associated with music and death, two things that are very relevant to harvey as a character. i think i settled on this bc i saw a quote on pintrest "not living, just killin time" and harvey was the character i was fixated on that week. princes destroy their aspect/are destroyed by their aspect/destroy with their aspect. so if you wanna put a less gloomy spin on this you can go with "making up for lost time"

also i rarely get to have a session that has both a time and space player and thus isn't automatically doomed, which brings me to

Linksano: Seer of Space

multiverse and green. also seer fit since his official job on the team is science consultant like, he uses his knowledge of the multiverse to help his friends

Jaeris: Thief of Void

THIS IS ANOTHER MEAN ONE like thief bc of him stealing magic weapons BUT ALSO thief's tend to have a "my way is definitely the correct way of accomplishing this goal" and it bites them in the ass. i saw a theory i take whith a grain of salt but its basically void players tend to have their perspective skewed by some personal bias

and meanest of all

jaeris gets nothing. thieves take their aspect for themself. void is nothing. jaeris gained nothing. im so sorry space cowboy u make it too easy

Joanna: Witch of Doom

AW YEAH I GET TO TOUCH ON MY HEADCANONS ABOUT WHAT JOANNA IS LIKE

so doom is destiny, fate that cannot be changed. but this often represented by computer code/coding (which fits so neatly into the at4w 'verse tbh)

witches manipulate their aspect

now of course we know joanna sees the tapestry of fate and pulls out a seam ripper

but i also headcanon joanna is a cool gamer hacker babe who likes computers/ai/robots/ect. she and jaeris are a steampunk/cyberpunk power couple. also i like to think think by giving her one of the most OP classpects i'm making up for her lack of screen time

Erin: Rouge of Light

rouges allocate their aspect to help the team, light is luck, fortune, and fate that can be changed. fits Miss "Technically I was always your friend. Just in very weird and roundabout ways." who was introduced stealing the magic coin

Allen: Page of Life

im not gonna lie allen is mostly here so we have an even number of players. im sorry allen fans

i dont actually have a gt for mark bc linkara needs a strife specibus

and we cant have marksprite because PLEASE DO NOT PROTOTYPE THE EXTREMELY POWERFUL MAGIC WEAPON

#I WROTE THIS WHILE EATING BREAKFAST SORRY IF ITS BARELY COHERENT #words to people #silikat

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the-marron · 1 year

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Guardian Fic Rec: Destiny/Fate

Here, have a collection of fics that are mostly about how Weilan and Fate and or Destiny. I have omitted fics I have recced before, and the Destiny/Fate here is understood very broadly - from soulmates to “we will meet again” promises

My fill for ‘Destiny/Fate’ for @guardianbingo

on the road, the spirit of the traveler is almost broken by si_mao

Novelverse, a look at Shen Wei after Kunlun’s death and after the novelcanon - short but so beautifully written and so touching 🥺 their fates are entertwined here so tightly, I could not pass it up

On the day the ghostlight shines for the god who restlessly awaits by Hyde_DualDomination

Art and a short story about god Kunlun and his Shen Wei reuniting. It is, technically, a companion piece to my fic, but I believe you can enjoy it without any prior knowledge of said fic, the writing and the art speak for themselves

Nameless by thosch3i

Soulmate au that incorporates novel canon and it has Shen Wei in pain over not being able to be Kunlun’s soulmate because he does not possess a soul. Very touching, perfectly written and it has a happy ending!

Not All Those Who Wander by Xparrot

A blend of drama and novel verse - I won’t spoil how and why but it’s heartbreaking and wonderful in equal measures. Happy ending, don’t worry.

No Matter How Long by rlyqueer

A bit of Weilan derivatives, because it is technically a Time Engraver fic, but it also serves as Guardian post-canon and that’s all I will say on the matter. It’s great 🥺

A vow set in stone by naye

Arranged marriage and magical vows of true love, I cannot say more not to spoil the finer details

These are my favourites on the subject - I don’t read stories with ‘destiny’ as main focus very often, that’s why the list is short, but I hope those interested will find something interesting here nonetheless ❤

#fic rec #guardian fic recs #guardian bingo 2022 #weilan fanfiction #weilan fanfiction rec

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shallowseeker · 1 year

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Love yourself, love your child

I'm going to add the quotes later, and this is SO rambley it probably belongs in @shallowtakes where it can be properly hidden away, but I LOVE my three un-wise men (king, god, and death) as parents and I adore where they go wrong with Jack Kline, because they're all in such in varied states of arrested development due to growing up as child soldiers.

I have a lot of SPN parenting takes like this, so it's a bit of me saying what I always say, but boy is it fun to think about! When I see other posts talking about this, I have to revisit it. I love #spn parenting and I trouble myself with it so often.

///

Because, I mean, Cas didn't protect Jack, not at the end. No one did. He let him eat angel hearts and went along with Death's plan, for starters, using Jack as the primary weapon against God. Cas did that, and Dean was actually a little wary / disapproving of the eating-hearts at first, remember? This is because Cas has a toxic, angelic relationship to destiny, fate, and the cause. He's spinning it like overcoming God is a beautiful, good thing. (And who knows? Maybe it is?) But the point is that, while Cas is not motivated by revenge, per se, the end result IS the same. That's how angels do. They're righteous.

That's Cas in a nutshell, dressing the authoritarian good-king-fallacy-mission up in lovely words and declarations of goodness, but what he's really doing is imposing a new child king onto the holy throne and calling it, "good for the world." Ultimately, that's too much to put on yourself, or anyone, especially your kid. Chuck had similar expectations of Lucifer, remember? With Amara and the mark. It's heavily implied that he thought Lucifer was bright and good enough to withstand that burden!

///

But what does Jack want? He wants:

14x07 (Unhuman Nature), Dean and Jack discuss his dying wished

///

Cas partially comes to his senses when Jack tells him the depth of Billie's plan, but the devastating truth remains that Cas was marshalling him as super-soldier in the first place. It's not until after Jack explodes via rib-bomb that Cas more completely comes to his senses. That is, he gives the wonderful, "we love you for being you," speech, but, like Dean's fretting and care in 15x19, it's technically too late for it. (But wait! The overarching point of SPN is it's never too late. You can start being good any time.)

Anyway, Cas loves Jack dearly, and he tries his best, but he is completely shaped by being an angel, and Jack absorbs the self-hating parts of being an angel, too, I'm sure. Cas woobies humanity and puts it up on a pedestal because of the nature of the devastating moral injuries and disillusionment Cas suffered as Heaven's solder. Cas becomes the dreaded blue-collar soldier loyal to family instead. Still, power and the use of it is this awful phantom specter embedded within Cas and Jack's relationship. "This child must be born with his full power."

Cas, like Sam, is genuinely horrified when he finds out about Jack's suicide, and indeed, he goes off to look for another way. But the fact is, prior to being faced with Jack's suicidal plan, he wholly submitted to Jack's BIG DESTINY the same way Dean submitted to REVENGE and Sam propped up INDEPENDENCE.

///

By the eleventh hour, Jack has wholly absorbed the toxic heroism and penance-making of all three of them. There's also quite a lot of self-hatred that goes unsaid, especially after he regains his soul, because he loved Mary. (Mary called Jack Sweetheart. She loved Jack.) But she is heavily implied to choose to use him as weapon in Game Night.

This is due to all of them being shaped by constant, neverending war their entire lives. :(

///

While Sam verbally disagrees with Jack wanting to sacrifice himself, Sam values INDEPENDENCE so much that he doesn't fully step in to block the move, until it's too late and Jack is already in countdown mode. He won't override Jack's autonomy to protect him (even though arguably, THIS is a lot of what parenting and family support is: trying to walk that line of independence vs safety).

///

Season 15 is beautiful in some ways because it showcases all of their individual neuroses wrapped into one. They all over-prioritize the mission, and heartbreakingly, maybe they have to in order to stay alive / on-the-air. (Audience are the monsters demanding sacrifice, perhaps.)

Dean treats Jack like Dean often treats himself, as a weapon to complete revenge. He allows Jack to go off and be a bomb (Amara-callback; no one stopped Dean then; he brutally dissociates Jack from the concept of family in order to do it because unlike Sam and Cas, Dean can't as easily allow familial sacrifice; so, Jack becomes weapon).

Cas wants Jack to rise up and meet his destiny and become the new God (that bit's implied, but wrapped in pretty "good-for-the-world" language). Cas has said of himself, "I overestimated my own (military) importance" and he does the same to Jack. Jack is going to be the merciful, purely-good human-angel-god that Cas could never be. Jack can withstand the corrupting forces of power because he's good.

Sam is overall a very safe role model, even if he at times expects to "mold" Jack (13x01) and laments that "Jack is who he is, not who Sam wants him to be" (14x20). Sam also falls prey to the "I and I alone can fix this," mistake that is somewhat penultimate to SPN, except that he applies it to Jack, with "You're the only one who can (defeat Chuck)." Ultimately, in 14x17, Sam over-prioritizes independence at the expense of safety, verbally disagreeing but ultimately allowing Jack to do the heroic sacrifice; Sam is thus also treating Jack like he treats himself.

THESIS: The tragedy of it all is...they love their son as they love themselves; that is, HOW they love Jack reflects their individual FAILURE to love themselves as they are.

#spn parenting #anyway it's not so much about stereotypes #cas is kind #dean is a caretaker who feeds jack and soothes his nightmares and shares his music #sam is a confidante #but they all make critical mistakes #sam and dean were going to put jack in a box #the very same episode cas reaches for the exact same solution #it's a glorious mess #and it's true cas protects jack at critical moments #but he puts the weight of the friggin universe of his shoulders like it's some birthright and devastatingly maybe it IS #it's also about the terrible circumstances that chuck has groomed them into accepting and is actively pushing them into

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princess-of-the-corner · 1 year

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How is the "branching outcomes" rule of the multiverse affected by prophecies, such as those of Apollo's Oracles? The future technically still has to follow the prophecies, or demigods would stop taking stock in them since they only apply to a few possible futures.

Basically kinda how SU has Garnet's Future Vision work but with a bit more knowledge than just the Oracle themself has?

All knowledge and plans of what's happening is taken into account, and the Prophecy will choose the most likely outcome. However, it is still left up to interpretation enough that some things may change.

So take the original Great Prophecy with 'one of the kids of the Big Three will either save us or fuck us over when they turn 16'.

There were so many ways that could have come true. The Gods attempted to postpone the Prophecy instead of letting it happen, making a pact that the Big Three wouldn't have more kids and killing off or time-freezing any who were under 16. This shoved their potential demise from WWII-era to all the way in the 2000s.

In the present, we had four options on which kid would be the Prophecy Child. Percy, Thalia, Nico and Bianca.

Thalia is initially taken out with the 'dying and becoming a tree', then brought back into the fray, then took herself out of the equation by joining the Hunters. However, if she hadn't died, she would've fulfilled the Prophecy earlier. If she had decided to face destiny and join the Hunters, then she would've faced Fate at the end of the third book.

Nico and Bianca are both younger than Percy, so something would've had to happen to him to make him not the Prophecy Child. Maybe he dies at some point before 16. Maybe he stayed with Calypso on Ogygia. Hell, maybe Percy, Annabeth and Grover never made it out of the Lotus Hotel while Hades yoinks his kids out at some point without realizing they're there.

Bianca joined the Hunters and died, but what if she had made a different choice? Maybe it would have been her who stayed behind at camp, as she was too new for such a Quest. Maybe she listened to the warnings and didn't steal from the junkyard. Maybe she declined to join the Hunters, wishing for freedom but wanting to make sure Nico was safe before making that decision.

Nico's still alive. If Percy had died or gone missing, even with other shit happening, then it'd be his turn.

And of course. The Prophecy itself is open-ended. The Child has to make a choice. Any of the four could have made the wrong choice. Whether it be accidentally, like Percy not trusting Luke to kill himself and refusing to hand over the blade, or if Kronos actually got to them because hey they have plenty of reason to be mad at the Gods and be manipulated with their rage and teen minds that don't understand long-term consequences just anger and wanting justice for their shitty lives.

So yeah like. There were so many ways the Prophecy could have come true. And that's the thing. It does give hints to what will happen, but it's not quite set in stone. They're also literally self-fulfilling Prophecies because you kinda know what's happening going in, so you stick to what it says instead of trying to fight it.

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vaalthus · 6 months

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Threads of Trust (spoilers)

My legit immediate reaction tbh.

Humor aside, it somehow never occurred to me that Jaania coming to the conclusion that Akanthus was deceiving her could have happened before she even tried to touch the Mana Core, in theory after he stabbed her in the back (and then I realized that first option would have just been the orb saga finale 13th all over again). However, it does make sense that upon examining the fluid from the Doom Device, she would have at least been skeptical enough to look through the mirror to see where it might lead. Which is a bit sad when you realize that at the end of the day that damned thing is her one and only true confidant, in terms of convincing her something needs to be re-examined.

Guess this means that our cosmic energy friends are out of the question when it comes to dealing with this armored moron. Though I am curious as to what this means for Atelan's magic, like why are there powers allowed to interact and influence Lore's system mechanically speaking. On another note, I guess this also means that Akanthus is immune to void madness even if we do toss him into the Void with the pearl?

Tied to neither doom and supposedly destiny as well, hmmm.

Sounds an awful lot like what Remthalas/Kathool wanted to attempt with the Aequilibria. Perhaps I miscalculated who intended to play at being a god.

Yeah comments like these really don't help with the Remthalas relations.

Sounds an awful lot like he's dying or suffering a debilitating fate already if he plans on taking up such a role that on the surface isn't so demanding on magic.

And so that silver tongue returns. In telling Jaania this, he simply manipulates her again by telling her to do what she's already technically been doing: trusting that she alone knows the best path forward even if she's far more alone now than she already was now that Akanthus completely stripped away his veneer of loyalty to her.

#dragonfable #dragonfable spoilers #akanthus #Jaania you fool!!!#I still hope I get to fight her tbh I feel its more than well earned at this point #ice witch got me quoting character i'm 70/30 on in terms of feeling #I wonder if Akanthus is denied an afterlife by default if he's not connected to remotely anything on Lore #His soul may not be tainted and yet...#this quest has given me much to consider and more #at this point i feel like the devs are just gonna put null into the lore

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foolish-fitz · 1 year

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fool's fate first thoughts

HOT OFF THE PRESSES, HERE'S ANOTHER CHAOTIC "REVIEW." I finished Fool's Fate yesterday* (ok by the time of finishing this post it was like 5 days ago) and I am absolutely buzzing about it. what a novel!!! insane!!

first of all, I am pleased to report that this is my FIRST HOBB FIVE STAR. Ship of Destiny came close but then Hobb fucked up the ending but she didn't fuck up this time!!

one thing to keep in mind: I listened to basically the first 50% on audiobook, and then switched between audio and physical for the second half. this is the first Tawny Man book I’ve read on audio, so that might impact my thoughts, especially on pacing and when comparing it to the rest of the series.

I will try to keep this one a little shorter, and I’m going to attempt to go chronologically. so let’s talk about…

the beginning

my main issue with the beginning was that I thought Fitz was going to chill at Buckkeep for a while and teach Swift, and the coterie was going to get stronger, and it was going to be great. (I am obsessed with the Skill coterie.) but instead BAM they’re on a boat. also the boat part was pretty boring but I was vibing, it was fine. honestly do not have many thoughts about this part.

the middle (before I absolutely lost my goddamn mind)

the Outisland politics and social games weren’t my favorite. I didn’t mind them but it got repetitive for Fitz to constantly be like “I just don’t have a good sense for what’s going on, our cultures are Too Different.” I LOVE Elliania, what an icon, and Dutiful really shone in this section too imo.

I completely convinced myself that Chade was draining Thick of Skill so his own Skill would be stronger. technically I was not directly proven wrong but I don’t think this actually happened and I’m bummed about it :( I guess Thick’s seasickness/hangup about boats, in addition to being a really interesting and genuine character insight, was mostly so Hobb could get him out of the way? and jumpstart Fitz and Nettle’s relationship a bit? god, so much happens in this book. side note, I do love how Nettle slowly becomes more integrated into the plot and the coterie. Nettle absolutely slays in this book - it was really the kids’ time to shine.

I also really like how much deeper Tawny Man went into Skill magic in general. I find it super interesting and it deepend a lot of character dynamics which I am always here for. this should be a different post so I'm going to stop there. good middle. it did have some pacing problems but... it's Hobb, so that's to be expected.

my mental breakdown

AUGHHHHHH. AUGHHHHHH. listen. listen. people kept telling me I was going to be sad but I was like “it can’t be that bad.” my friends kept joking about the Fool dying - “the book is called Fool’s Fate, Eve, what do you expect to happen” - and I plugged my ears and went LALALA and did not listen. and then I flexed my denial muscles so hard that even when Fitz was literally cradling the Fool’s body, I was thinking “but this isn’t right, this isn’t what happens, it must be some trick.” readers, it was NOT a trick. it was MEAN. he was fucking DEAD!! I genuinely could not conceive of this happening. I cried so goddamn hard. I could not function for several hours and then could barely function for a full day after that. 10/10 highly recommend, excellent pain.

the ending!!!

so... the scene where Fitz became whole again changed me as a person, it was so so beautiful. also true love's kiss between Fitz and the Fool which. what the fuck. I can't believe that was just in a book like that, and I got to read it. but I was a bit angry at the concept of Fitz going back to Molly. (and by "a bit," I mean "extremely.")

BUT THEN a miracle took place, which in retrospect was actually completely expected: Hobb wrote good. she wrote so good that there was literally no way for me to hold on to my bitterness for even one chapter. by the time Fitz sent his first letter, I was so invested and completely on board. it was just so cute!!! Fitz and Molly had a lot to work through, and they did work through it, and he gave her space but clearly expressed that he wanted to be involved in her and her children's life, and it was fucking adorable.

and they were happy. Fitz deserves to be happy, okay? he deserves the romance movie love story, and the sexy bee sting scene, and a bunch of children, he deserves all of it!!! god. Tawny Man really just got to me so much because of all the lighter and happier moments. I'm literally insane about this book series and if you read this far, you probably are too, so you know what I mean and I'm not going to elaborate any more.

I love this book.

#eve reads rote #me: i'll keep this review short and to the point #also me:#realm of the elderlings #robin hobb #tawny man trilogy

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bvd11975 · 7 months

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I amuse myself because Mortem's vague Patron of Bones (a fae) exists, and Nestor's mentor (Adrian) was technically forced to have two patrons, too. Two spirits who got way too big and vain and called themselves Fate and Destiny.

And it makes me wonder just what kind of patron Nes would have. One could argue Mortem or even Anthony could be considered such but it's not quite right or the same as a fae or actual deity acting in place. Anthony, despite being half of the God entity, doesn't actualize a pact of any kind (or really realize what he is entirely).

So I wonder just what type of deity (or fae) would make sense for fun. Nestor is a workaholic to the point of obsession - a guardian to humans a monsters or other creatures alike. She strives to keep hope (and potential) alive for others because she has accepted herself as a person without a future of her own. Her existence is solely based on the benefit of others and she is expendable in ensuring the chances she never had others will be able to have themselves.

I guess it would have to be a being that is rooted in the survival of life. Which is why Mortem's nature has always found Nestor full of potential and appealing to support. But at the same time, Nestor is a weapon and shield for those that she protects. Given she goes after awful people and beings. So they'd have to also accept the violence that was bred into her being in order to protect - along with the trauma she has endured that has come to make her so effective as a guardian. HRM.

#nestor: i don't... know if i want a patron. nor do i consider myself a likable candidate. ~n~#nestor classically just 'i don't think my sparse personality is likable' lmfaooo sdgfhfgh #me just musing aloud ahhhh nes having a patron would be so helpful to you tho i bet :')#headcanons

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just-some-guy-joust · 1 year

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if it's not too much of a hassle, i was one of the ones who submitted mike walters. i know he's probably going to get crushed BUT i would also like the whole world to know that i have thoughts about him. also i'm wondering whether i successfully edited my response or not because it was getting late

my ramble was the result of me basically just screaming into a form for 2 hours and signed off by "a way too obsessed w.bg fan" and has heavy spoilers in strange ways so you can tell that it's high quality

o7 here is your mental illness on display for all to see king (or whatever title you are most comfortable with). this is one of the longest submissions i got so ive put some of it under the cut

alright so i’m talking about the character mike walters (aka mikey, not latvia mike) but also simultaneously the breed mike walters because i’ll eventually dip into other iterations of him and y’know some people argue that they’re all the same guy so i’ll use that argument to talk about the alaska mikeys and by extension the compound mikeys and mw maybe (more on that later)! like they all are technically the same guy so…

so WOE.BEGONE is (spoiler alert) about time travel! but the time travel is strange and sometimes it’s a closed loop and sometimes it isn’t and it works on intention but only sometimes and only some people kinda know how to manipulate that? it’s weird

sometimes time travel inevitability is used as a comfort (mike thinking that he “wins” WOE.BEGONE in the end because a time traveling version of himself saved past him during matt’s murder, a compound mikey thinking that he’ll escape because there’s a mikey on the outside) but when it is, it’s usually revealed as a false hope (mike did save himself but it was DEFINITELY not in his control, the compound mikey is killed). so i’d argue that gives points just because i have feelings about it and it proves that no one’s safe from their destiny and that their destiny is never good. never ever ever. the main character? the guy i’m nominating. his boyfriend/husband/murder target? destined to die in 8 years no matter what it is not negotiable (well it is but only when he’s killed off to cement a constrike and push mike into misery). the guy that just yanked the timeline out of orbit twice and ruined-but-not-really everyone’s lives? well he’s doomed too because he’s not the protagonist of his era so you know that he’ll be toppled. mike (or i guess michael?)’s second boyfriend? doomed as shit. all pulled toward an inevitable destiny and they may fight but what’re you going to do? also that destiny is uncertain usually but victories are fleeting and everything can and will be ripped away in a heartbeat because that’s time travel baby!

i don’t know where i was going with that so i’m pivoting

so from the very beginning he is doomed (or he thinks) because he’s literally doomed to be killed by his friend who brought him back to life to kill him? it’s weird. that is undone for…. some reason? but i theorize that it’s because of his more doomed-ness past the 20s! because he is stupid. an absolute buffoon. he makes clever plans but he’s not clever enough to wrap up loose ends and he gets away with it somehow. plot armor? no. he’s being kept alive by someone who hates his guts with a burning passion because he’s important. and if he knew his fate, he would want to die immediately to get out of it. so he is sheparded to an unknown doom, necessary for the plot to advance, and once he’s used oh yeah he’s definitely going to be killed. i mean he was was killed, his hater killed him in a way that essentially wraps up loose ends and makes him not pop up again like a lil weasel, but that was because his use was done.

speaking of using mike walters: compound mikeys!! they are so doomed my god. there are an unfathomable amount of mikeys (and mikes and michaels) in the compound and they are all trapped forever and slowly killed off in terrible horrible experiments of them and their loved ones. and only one can escape. only one. there is one mikey and one (latvia) mike and one michael (kinda but it’s not related) outside the compound and living their lives and that’s how it’ll always be. there is time travel involved so if they ever truly flawlessly escape they’d be included in the ragtag team but they aren’t. their absence means that they are doomed. only one can escape i am very emotional about this. going back to the compound mikey that held hope because there was a mikey outside: at his execution he was told that it didn’t matter that he wouldn’t escape because one of him would live on outside. only one of him is needed, so only one of him is even allowed to survive. he is disposable and is disposed and this can never changed because of the iron grip the compound has and because it’d be way too confusing to have so many free mikeys to keep track of and a huge escape of mikeys would make everything too low stakes? so bam narrative dooming right there

okay and also mw ok. first of all he is so cool he’s the best he is like 30 people in one and he’s so chill and a cowboy and incredibly sad and i love him ok so he should get extra points for that in my personal opinion. he is a prime example because he is the result of doom.

so context: there were like two mikeys at one point, one for his super secret time travel work and one for his official government time travel work. and the official government worker (called OVER mike) is just chilling hanging out with his boyfriend not really in the line of fire, but he is often called to do base’s (the super secret time travel organization that definitely isn’t just mike’s friendgroup) dirty work despite not really doing anything with base otherwise. no real communication other than just “do this thank you”. so eventually OVER mike and his bf get fed up and are like “y’know what why don’t we just leave? huh?” and they go off to wherever their little hearts desire… BUT there still needs to be an OVER mike because otherwise they’ll be dragged back to work and be surveilled. so they decide to make copies of themselves and leave those copies to do their work. but guess what??? turns out those copies are still the same people, so they also want to leave, so they do the same thing!! and then whuh oh there are now like 30 mikeys running around across the globe (or maybe just america i don’t remember). eventually there comes an iteration that realizes “hey maybe doing this again won’t work because it hasn’t worked the past 30 times” so they just give up and go back home and plot a scheme to ruin base forever so they can have a vacation. and so the many mikeys and edgars (their bfs) run around slowly getting killed off by a mysterious force. but y’know…. who knows what they could do. and they used technology that records its use so they can be easily tracked. so base tracks them all down and, instead of killing them, decides to fuse them into a supermikey and superedgar for like info purposes and guilt purposes and that supermikey was mw.

so that’s mw. he is proof that you can’t have nice things. OVER mike runs toward freedom, toward hope, toward everything he threw away the moment he called his ex about his bff’s death. he’s suffered so much at the hands of himself, others, and some people in between that. he’s a puppet in a show starring one of his former best (?) friends, kept alive until his best by date, worked against by… uh, him, but not him, “pulled over the threshold by inevitability” to kill his former best (?) friend (if i have time i WILL talk about that too i swear), walked into closed death/pain loops a million times (fated to die, fated to get shot because “i’m the bear”, fated to die in the place he could’ve loved most [after he was KEPT IN OTHER VERSION OF HIMSELF’S HOUSE LIKE A DOG FOR LIKE A MONTH?? WHAT MIKEY DIDJA EVEN GIVE HIM WALKS I BET YOU DIDN’T] because he was found dead in a cabin weeks earlier, fated to ruin his relationship with his former best (?) friend [wow i was not expecting to talk about hunter this much], fated to… well you get the point), killed his boyfriend/husband/murder target many times, never on purpose or while knowing the full truth, and so much more. also may i reference the infinite mikeys in the compound literally created to be tortured. all in all being mike walters sucks and i agree with his decision to just dip. but he can’t do that. he’s mike walters. he can’t just leave. it doesn’t matter that he’s doing nothing. it doesn’t matter that ultimately base didn’t need to drag him back because he wasn’t involved in all the chaos that happened after his disappearances. he is important and must be put in his rightful place in an ego way and a narrative way. he just wants to go and live in peace but is forcibly dragged back into the life he so despises and is subjected to something that changes who he is and fuses all his memories together in a disorienting haze. and the fact that he’s all of those escaped mikeys combined just makes it all hurt more. he knows everything he could’ve had. he knows those sweet few moments of fresh air and the first glance at an endless future and the euphoria of a life free of the torment brought upon him by his choices and unknown forces alike and he knows all of this 30 times over. and he knows the panic at another mikey’s voice and the anger at losing another race and the feeling of utter hopelessness at the knowledge of what may have been and he knows these, too, 30 times over. and he smiles and laughs and carries these close to his heart because he struggles through life in a way that is impossible to escape from and perhaps the best way to escape the sorrow and the fury and the heartbreak and the pain pain pain is to stop trying. stop trying to escape. stop swimming upstream, stop breaking the norms. because you will be put into your place by forces beyond your control because of reasons you do not understand and maybe it’s better to give up than to fight the narrative itself.

im love him okay…

i wanted to talk more about alaska mikeys and the fact that mike(s) walters is completely dead like actually now and MICHAEL and also latvia mike and many specific events in the podcast but it’s late and i’d need days to go through everything so. rant over

please listen to WOE.BEGONE even though you’ve been heavily spoiled. it’s a podcast and very very good (though also violent). you can tell i have many emotions about it. sorry if this is incomprehensible

- a way too obsessed w.bg fan

#someone should check the word count on this for me i know it rivals some of the longer ones #asks #doomed by the narrative showdown #also i do believe my spreadsheet marked this as 'edited by responder' so it seems your edit it went through

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thefruitanditsmysteries · 2 years

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EDIT: Just posted it on AO3 under the same username and title given here! It's a bit more edited but still not technically beta read.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/40132398

Stranger Things 4 Vol. 2 Spoilers

Mini Fix-it fic, feat. The "Byler" Scene and The Stack of Unsent Letters (tm)

Title: When You're Different

Alternate Title: Queer-bait Me Again and I'll Adopt Your Children and Turn Them Gay Myself

by Me (TheFruitAndItsMysteries)

The dialogue, up to a certain point is word-for-word from the show itself. And its not beta read.

At first, there was no sound but music playing, aside from the sounds of driving on the open desert road, of course. It was Reggae, the music; not bad, but not something Will would find himself listening to on his own accord. The atmosphere in the van was tense with everyone collectively worrying about Eleven, and Will worrying about something else too. He couldn't tell right now if this was awkward, or if he was awkward, but regardless he didn't like the silence.

That's when Argyle effectively broke the silence in the van after a chunky 30 minutes of Reggae and the sound of Jonathan lightly tapping himself to stay awake. Something about dominoes falling, but mostly something about Nevada! When did they get to Nevada? I mean, Will had been looking out the window sure, for no particular reason probably (or something like that), but he hadn't actually read the signs. He had been too focused on trying to, well, act 'normal'. As in, not thinking about how worried Mike probably was; or how Mike is so scared right now; or if he were to comfort Mike, how would would he be able to do so in a way that wouldn't seem- that wouldn't scare him away, or freak him out. or something.

But, thank God, he was able to use Argyle's observation as a jumping off point, "Well, how far is Nina from Vegas?" He turned a little to face Mike.

"From Vegas?" Mike also seemed eager for the break in possibly-awkward silence, "Um, as long as Suzie's coordinates are right, about another 90 miles. Why?" Mike stayed sitting the way he was, but turned his head towards Will.

"Well, once we save her, El, we should stop on the way back! El could make us, like, super Rick, and we'd never have to work." Will started smiling, showing excitement, he looked at Mike "We could just play D&D and and Nintendo for the rest of our lives."

"Yeah. Totally." Mike responded flatly. He didn't seem in the mood for joking around right now. Will immediately noticed, turning to face him a bit more.

"We're gonna make it, Mike. She's gonna be okay." He reassured, concerned.

"Yeah, I know. I... Know she is." Mike responded quickly, sounding confident in his words at first, then, "But..." he continued, "But what if after all this is over, she- she doesn't need me anymore?"

Ahh, so this is what he was worrying about. El's stup- *ahem* El's... important... feelings towards him. It is good to know that Mike has enough confidence in her ability to not worry about whether or not she'd be okay though; kinda sweet. almost. Either way, Will did what he thought best in the moment; well, what he does best too: help in the ways he can.

"No, o-of course she'll need you." He reassured Mike, trying to catch his eye contact, "She'll always need you, Mike."

"I keep telling myself that, but I..." He looked everywhere but Will, "I don't believe it." He finally looked at will... "I mean, she's special," He didn't hold eye contact for long -- or couldn't -- "She was born special.

"Maybe I was one of the first people to realize that. But the truth is, when I stumbled on her in the woods, she just needed someone." He was starting to talk faster now, spiralling: "It's not fate. It's... it's not destiny. It's just simple dumb luck. And one day she's gonna realize I'm just some random nerd that got lucky that Superman landed on his doorstep. I mean, at least Lois Lane is an ace reporter for the Daily Planet, right? But..." he scoffs, shifting in his seat. He was frustrated, with himself Will realized, which is absolutely absurd when he thinks about it because Mike is- well, Mike is the coolest, bravest, and most importantly, the kindest person he knows. He isn't just 'some random nerd' he's- he's Mike, the heart. Will's not sure how else to describe it, but... he knows it.

And Mike should know it too.

"Sorry-"

"No," He shouldn't be apologizing. Believe it or not, feelings dont stop just because it's the end of the world, and they're still important.

"No, I... it's so stupid, given everything that going on. Its just... I- I don't know, I just.. uh-"

"You're scared of losing her." Will finished for him [Tender, emotional music playing]. Even though he knew it, it still felt like a punch to the gut to say it. Mike looked at him, for the first time really since the start of this conversation... you know what, screw it, "Can I show you something?"

Will felt a bit unsure about what he was going to do. But, he had been preparing for this, mentally that is, and now felt like as good a time as any so he figured...

He picked up the rolled up artwork and,, hesitated. When he realized that he had already committed, he felt a surge of confidence as he handed the painting to Mike. He watched nervously as Mike unrolled it in his hands, glancing between Mike and the painting.

The painting was... well, for starters, some of his best work. He probably wouldn't have given it to Mike if it weren't honestly. And he made sure that there were no visible flaws before calling it the final product; by that I mean that you should see how many drafts and scrapped versions there have been. The painting was also a, uh, part of him per se. It's cheesy but, the painting was a part of his soul, or life, or-or being that was so important, and he needed to express that in a way that he just couldn't with anything other than what had become his passion.

He looked as Mike chuckled, "This is amazing! Did you paint this?"

Will was so relieved that his painting was recieved well. He let out a huff as he smiled while answering, "Yeah. Yeah. I mean..." still, he reminded himself that he shouldn't get his hopes up, it's still not... safe to do so. But he pressed on, "I mean.. I mean, El asked me to. She commissioned it, basically. I mean, she told me what to draw." He looked around as he talked, not quite sure how big the next step in conversation should be.

Then, Jonathan started to notice what was going on. With Will at least.

That's when Will realized it was time to say more words before they were back to awkward silence, "Anyway, my point is," He leaned a bit closer to see the painting while Mike was holding it, he started pointing to the various focal points of the piece, "see how you're leading us here? You're guiding the whole party, inspiring us. That... that's what you do. And see your coat of arms here?" He looked at Mike to gage his reaction before moving on, somewhat more cautiously, "It's a heart. And I know it's sort of on the nose, but that's what holds this party together. Heart."

Mike seemed to be listening intently to what he was saying, so he took that as a sign to continue explaining, "Because, I mean, without heart, we'd all fall apart." He looked into Mike's eyes and faltered for a split second, "Even El." He remembered that this isn't supposed to be about what he thinks of Mike, that's not- he doesn't think that's what'll help Mike right now. "Especially El." So he sticks to just focusing on El, because Mike won't get anything else.

"These past few months, she's been lost without you." He started looking out the window so that maybe Mike wouldn't notice that he was getting emotional, "It's just, she's so different from other people, and..." he swallowed, and hesitantly continued, "when you're... when you're different, sometimes... you feel like a mistake." Will felt more tears come to his eyes, refusing to let them fall just yet. He just needed to get to the end of this conversation, just needed to make Mike feel better, and needed to get this off his chest (one way or another).

He turned back to look at Mike, hoping that will stop him from crying. Mike was already looking at him, so he continued, trying to get everything out as fast as possible so he can go back to looking anywhere but him, "But, you make her feel like she's not a mistake at all. Like she's better for being different," El. This is about El. Not him. Right? "And that gives her the courage to fight on." El. "If she was mean to you," not Will; this isn't about you, he would understand, Will, "or it seemed like I-she was pushing you away," Just don't say anything stupid- "It's because I'm scared of losing-" shit. Don't say anything stupid like that, shit, shit, shit, "She, she's scared of losing you." He tried to go on, "L-like you're scared of losing her."

Mike was giving him a puzzled look now. Will tried to backtrack now, feeling uncomfortable under his best friend's gaze, "I mean, I'm scared of losing you too, we are best friends after all, but-" He exhaled a breath, "that... isn't what's important righ now," he said quieter. Mike was still looking at him though.

"Will..."

"No, what's important is that you know that El is gonna be okay, and that she does miss you. And everything will work out for you in the end, like it always does." He added a quick smile before he looked back out the window, feeling nothing but anxiety and dread.

"Will... you weren't talking about El, were you." It sounded more like a statement than a question. Mike reached out to put his hand on Will's arm, hesitating for a second before following through with the action.

Will could feel his tears start to fall, still looking out the window, "What?" He questioned as he turned to look at Mike.

"That whole speech, that wasn't about El," Mike looked down at his hand sitting on Will's arm. Will looked at it too, Mike's hand.

Before Will could respond, Mike started again, "You know," he swallowed, "Eleven and I, we had an argument before she left." Will didn't respond to this, so Mike decided to continue, "She... got mad at me because I wouldn't- I couldn't tell her that I loved her. And- but, that sounded ridiculous because I had remembered writing it thousands of times, yaknow, 'love, Mike' 'love, Mike' but..." he looked back up at Will, "I didn't send them. Because... they weren't for," He paused, "They weren't for El."

He started to pull back his hand on Will's arm, but faltered when Will asked quietly, his tears having stopped, "Who, uhm... who were they for?" He wasn't looking at Mike, although his head was still vaguely turned towards him. He didn't want to look; didn't want to see Mike see him like this; didn't want to... get his hopes up, or anything. Even after a small, "Look at me." He still didn't.

He watched his periphery as, in a single motion, Mike turned himself to look at him, and leaned his head near his, trying to catch his eye.

Mike kept talking, but at a more quiet level than before, "Will, I need to know." Mike was looking at his fidgeting hands that had made it back into his lap, "Were you talking about El?"

"No." He exhaled shakily; he finally moved his head to look into Mike's eyes, and as he did he felt soft pressure on his lips.

Mike was... kissing him. And Will kissed him back.

It was probably only for a second but, even so.

When they parted, Will kept his eyes closed and didn't move until Mike chuckled, "You can open your eyes now, man." He was blushing when Will looked at him.

"They were for you, by the way." Mike added, smiling.

"What were?" He asked, giggling a bit.

"The letters. That I signed with 'love, Mike'." Mike looked down nervously, but Will swiftly moved forward to hug him. A tight hug, too.

One that they had waited for;

That they craved;

That they needed.

#stranger things spoilers #stranger things 4 #stranger things byler #byler #be gay make byler canon #fanfiction #stranger things fanfiction #how it should have been #st4 volume 2

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seelestia · 1 year

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it's like a patronus lol more proof that we're family, no? :P

very very true. any editors are better than tumblr atp ;w; even on mobile, tumblr editor deletes paragraphs at times. like... why. >:/

chicken sandwiches ftw!! hskshdks that's kinda adorable... yes child, you have your cocoa latte while i'll have my flat white- /j

yes yes the jp version is my favorite in that scene!!! (isn't umeyuu really ikemen irl too lol) i mean the en va did a good job too ofc but from all versions the jp one just hits differently... or maybe i am biased lol

i am loving the married couple bickering between those two lmao i really hope their banner is together or something (i heard kaveh is a 4*?)... oooh i wish genshin had a system where there was a unique "added to party" line that triggers if certain characters are in that party yk?? e.g. if you add kaveh to a party with al haitham he might have the chance to say "ugh not this guy" or "you have bad taste" lmaoooo wouldn't that be fun?? i'm so making this a post sjdlsjdl

i tried exploring around mond to 100% my exploration (so far only 2 areas are 100%) with the treasure compass and it's. it's so relaxing but also it takes so. much. time. lsdfjslhdfjks i'm gonna die from the electroculus and dendroculus searching, i just know it ;w;

*stamps 'chronic simp' sign on your hand* welp now we match-

yeye i heard about that too! so my current plan is to use my guarantee to 'mouchie cause i just gotta collect these anemo boys it's my destiny (i somehow have a feeling his rerun won't be anytime soon after this cause we're already kinda 'done' with his story, while compared to that childe will definitely still appear in the future???) and then pull on ayato's banner. if i'm lucky, i'll get ayato, but if not at least that means guaranteed al haitham (which i heard will be in 3.4?). but whatever it is al haitham's coming home no matter what cause i have the power of credit card

sobs i love that one the most too. the inspiration gods blessed me with that one ;w;

i'm cradling your hugs and cuddles close to my chest and sipping your tea with a smile. sending you back twice the hugs and headpats <3 <3

calling them our patronus sounds so cute AWWW <3 this makes me want to rewatch harry potter all of a sudden, but i'd probably end up falling asleep the moment i laid my head down on the sofa 😭 i think ayato would find the wizarding world vv intriguing and comment on its perks ("my, an invisibility cloak? i can only imagine the many tricks i'd be able to get away with." smack him /j). and for heizou, ik for sure that he would deffo be a fan of it (he's a nerd, a cute one).

i can see why you like the jp ver because umehara yuichiro's voice makes alhaitham sound extra feral LOLL i'm vv excited to see you go feral when his drip marketing comes out on twitter 👀 and yep, kaveh is a 4-star and it is most likely he'd be on the same banner as his beloathed roommate, pfft. OH, THAT IDEA SOUNDS FUN LOLLL you add kaveh into the party and alhaitham's unique voiceline is just "...sigh, care to remind me why he has to be here again?"

good luck with mondstadt's exploration, rin jie! >:) treasure hunting is like a more relaxed way to get 100% exploration and primos in small quantities. don't be like me and resort to finding the oculi yet because hoyoverse hides them in the weirdest places that i had to pull out guides 😭

GO GET SCARAMOOSH HOME! from what i saw in leaks, his kit is super cool and unique from the rest. the angy man literally floats in the air LOLLL and wishing you my good luck on ayato! hopefully, that commissioner will follow his great buddy oni's example and come home ;D and the way alhaitham is technically already guaranteed to be yours, whether that be with the power of credit card or not (hopefully not) fjejwkske

as you know for me, i'm definitely pulling for ayato with my guaranteed pity at 25 (i managed to secure layla within 20 pulls on childe's banner) + i have 80 fates saved rn, so it is safe to say the man will come home safe to me! i grinded so hard like i collected dendro sigils, the lumenstones and the res crystals at dragonspine to get those 2 free fates hoyoverse gave out 😭 i think after i get ayato, i'll probably go back to my "pulling on the banner i regret the least" technique. i hope ayato comes home early, so i'd still have some leftover fates <//3 EITHERWAY, BEST OF LUCK TO BOTH OF US! ✨

#i'm kinda excited for v3.3's livestream soon because i wanna see ayato again 😭#i'll probably record my wishing session for him and share it here for fun LOLLL maybe?? >:)#ANYWAY yes !! all the bone-crushing hugs for my dearest cousin <3 #probably not a good idea to give those hugs to zhongli in case we hear a crack (/j)#ask box! 📬#visitor: dearest rin! 💠#cw: leaks

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