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effervescentdragon · 2 years

Note

something about Arthur and glasses 🤓 with whoever you want, I have no moral compunctions here 😏

hello anon! did you see that gifset of arthur with the glasses and prompt me, because if you did, thats the most valid thing ever 😘 you get arthur x oscar future!fic, because that prema video is living in my mind rent free ever since i watched it and silly season gives me hopes and delusions :) hope you like it!

Arthur is nervous as fuck.

"Calm down, petit, you'll do wonderfully," Charles says for the thousandth time, then leaves to talk to his race engineer. Enzo takes one look at him, rolls his eyes, and sends him outside behind the garage to calm himself down. He thrusts the headphones at Arthur and pushes him towards the back, and Arthur flees.

It's not that Arthur doesn't believe Charles and Enzo when they tell him he'll do well. He has racing in his blood, and Ferrari wouldn't have signed him if they didn't think he could deliver, no matter that his brother is their current champion. It's just that, well, fuck.

It's Ferrari. He can't be chill about driving for Ferrari, for fuck's sake. Only a psycopath could, and Arthur is pretty sure that while he may have some pathology about his relationship with his car (all the drivers do, really, just look at his brother touching the car and that should be clear), he isn't a psychopath. It's just. Ferrari.

He plays the psytrance playlist to calm himself down. It works, it's always worked for him, and the adrenaline pumps in his veins but his mind is starting to calm down, when he notices a shadow in his periphery.

A hand falls on his knee. He can barely feel it through the fireproofs, but when he opens his eyes and sees who is touching him, his skin seems to burn. Brains are funny like that.

"Well, if it isn't Mister Ferrari himself," Oscar says with that smirk of his, and Arthur rolls his eyes automatically.

"That is Charles, actually," he quips back, "he is the champion after all."

Oscar inclines his head. "Fair," he says. Arthur has always liked his accent. "What are you doing here?" He doesn't make any move to remove his hand from Arthur's knee.

"Calming myself down before the race." Arthur shrugs. There is no point lying to Oscar. They know each other too well, ever since their Prema days, and Oscar may even remember how Arthur was before every first race of the season. Only the stakes are now higher for both of them, except Oscar already has some experience, amd Arthur really doesn't.

Oscar hums, tilting his head and not looking away from Arthur. "Why are you nervous?"

Arthur scoffs incredulously.

"Mate," he says. "I'm supposed to drive for fucking Ferrari."

"And I'm driving for fucking McLaren," Oscar replies, then frowns. "It's - yeah, no, you're right, actually. It's fucking scary and - and daunting."

"You're absolutely no help at all," Arthur deadpans, but he can feel himself starting to smile. "Yeah, but you're smiling," Oscar calls him out. Arthur would punch him, but that would mean dislodging Oscar's hand from his knee, and Oscar moving away, and Arthur doesn't really want that.

Arthur doesn't think a lot, or that's what Lorenzo tells him at least. He acts first, letting his brain catch up, if it ever does. It makes him an extremely good racing driver. It also makes him a bit of a disaster of a human being.

The one thing he never let himself act on was whatever was going on between him and Oscar back in 2021. He's not sure if that was the very smart, or the very stupid thing to do.

(Lorenzo would say it was smart, but Lorenzo was a realist and a bore without any sense foe romance, in Arthur's opinion.

Charles would say it was stupid, but Charles was an incurable romantic and in love with his best friend for decades.

Arthur himself just thinks it is what it is, and sometimes, when he lets himself think about it, he regrets.)

"You'll do good," Oscar says suddenly. Arthur raises his head from where he's hunching over to look into his eyes a bit better. "I'll deny this if you ever repeat it, but you were always the best of us."

He presses on Arthur's knee, and Arthur's breathing stutters. There is something in Oscar's eyes that makes him think he's thinking about 2021 too, and he swallows heavily. Oscar's hand doesn't let off.

You're a Ferrari driver now, he thinks. You drive for the best team on the grid.

Cowards don't drive for Ferrari.

"If I score," Arthur says, and Oscar's eyes flash. "If I get points in this race, you owe me dinner."

Oscar just looks at him.

"A dinner," Arthur says, and pushes on, because he always did. "Or a kiss."

Oscar's eyes widen. He tightens his hold on Arthur's knee, and licks his lips.

"Or a good luck kiss now," Arthur says with a smirk, because he has never not known how to push. "Whichever you prefer."

He keeps eye contact with Oscar, his heart beating wildly in his chest.

"And if I score?" Oscar asks, and his eyes flit to Arthur's lips for a bare second. It's quite enough for Arthur to feel a profound sense of relief, because he did not read this wrong. "What do I get?"

"What do you want?"

Oscar seems to be battling with himself about something, but then he gets a determined look on his face, the look Arthur thinks got him his first GP win in his rookie F1 season, and steps closer, in between Arthur's legs. His other hand grasps Arthur's other knee, and he's suddenly so fucking glad for the space in his fireproofs.

"A dinner," Oscar says in a low voice. His eyes fall back on Arthur's lips. "And a kiss."

"Greedy," Arthur breathes out, and he knows they shouldn't be doing this here and now, with only some hour before the race and more or less in a very exposed space. "But so am I."

"Oh, I know." Oscar laughs, and Arthur laighs with him, because he does know, doesn't he? They've known each other for so long, but it was never the right time. "I'm counting on it."

Something clangs behind them then, and Italian cursing fills the air. Oscar doesn't jump away; he moves slowly, dragging his hands until they aren't touching Arthur anymore. Arthur feels their absence keenly.

"Good luck, Arthur," he says, a beaming smile on his face.

"You too," Arthur replies. "See you after the race."

"You will," Oscar nods, and turns, and Arthur definitely checks out his ass in those white and orange fireproofs as he's walking away.

Lorenzo appears not a minute later.

"You calm?" He asks, and Arthur is, and isn't. He laughs, and Enzo stares at him.

"I'm good." He jumps down. "Let's do this."

"Charles Leclerc wins the first race of the season, a good start to defending his title! Gasly in second, Schumacher in third, and that rounds out our podium, with the second Mercedes of George Russel just missing out in P4! What a wonderful Sillver Arrow battle, we haven't seen those since the days of Rosberg and Hamilton!"

"Yes, Martin, indeed, what a race! And so clean, a true masterclass in sporting conduct, and such smart driving from our young Arthur Leclerc, who scores his first points for Ferrari and in F1 in his maiden race! P7, I believe?"

"Indeed, Crofty! Both McLarens follow the two Mercedes, with Piastri in P5 and Norris in P6, Arthur Leclerc for Ferrari in P7, Tsunoda in P8, Zhou P9, and Gasly's teammate Ocon coming home in tenth to score last points available in Bahrain!"

"A joy of a race to watch, Martin, now let's go back to Ted..."

so where do u want that dinner? :)

oh idk arthur. your room or mine?

urs. mine has enzo

good choice.

544.

i know ;)

i'll be there after i shower

or you come here before.

no sense wasting water ;)

i AM very environmentally conscius

you spelled conscious wrong

ur aussie, you dont know this

just come here :)

coming :)

bring your glasses btw.

i know your eyes hurt if you sleep w contacts

will do

#idk what to say friends i was packing and this wouldnt leave me alone #arthur/oscar #f1 rpf #or more like #f2 rpf #and #f3 rpf #i cant believe i wrote this #my writing #effervescentdragonwrites #i was inspired by silly season and the narrative of ferrari and mclaren and that one picture from that prema video #oscar/arthur

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mephistopholes-brain · 2 months

Text

2,977 civilians died tragically in 9/11, 343 being firefighters.

Since then it has been “Never forget.” for over 20 years, the US attacked and destabilized an innocent country, and white ppl have further pushed the narrative that Muslims and Middle Easterners are all “evil terrorists”.

Now, in less than 6 months the OFFICIAL death toll in Gaza exceeds 30,000, half being CHILDREN. At least 200 doctors have died and many were TARGETED by IOF soldiers. I have seen children dismembered, maimed, sniped, run over, crushed, starved, scalped, exploded, burned, and strung up on the side of a building.

I have seen men, women, and children desperately digging through the rubble to find their mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, children, friends, lovers etc.

I have seen brave doctors run outside to save injured civilians while at extremely high risk of being shot by snipers.

I have seen a father carrying BAGS full of his children’s remains.

I have seen a young girl, no more than 9, with a leg, an arm, and a hand blown off while her scalp hangs from her skull.

I have seen doctors speak out against the cruelty and ethnic cleansing while surrounded by the bodies of those they tried to save.

I have seen hundreds of pictures of NICU babies who were going to die soon because the hospital was about to run out of electricity.

I have read the first hand story of a father who traded one of his children for one of his brother’s children so that if one group dies at least one of their children would make it.

I have read posts from lgbt+ KIDS talking about how they regret not kissing their crush because they just watched them DIE.

I have seen the public posts of IDF and IOF soldiers where they show off the underwear and lingerie they looted from the drawers of the Gazans they are massacring.

I have listened to the screams of mothers after hearing their child is dead.

I have watched a teen boy’s gaze harden into something cold and empty after his entire family died in front of him, leaving him completely alone.

I have seen an IOF soldier throw a father and his baby into a giant wood burning oven just for fun.

I have seen many children with shell-shock, shaking because their minds and bodies can’t comprehend the horrors they have experienced.

I have seen tanks run over women actively giving birth on the roads of Gaza.

I have watched oldest siblings, no more than 11, take on the responsibility of keeping their younger siblings safe. I cannot comprehend how incredibly stressful that must be.

A little 6yo girl was trapped for 2 weeks in a car surrounded by the dead bodies of her family as they rotted.

This is all done with American tax dollars while companies like McDonalds give free food to Israeli soldiers. We are quite literally paying for this. 20% of your work and hard earned money is paying for the genocide of innocent people in Palestine.

This is NOT a political issue. This is a human rights issue.

Pro-Palestine is Pro-Humanity.

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soapskneebrace · 1 year

Text

a break in the narrative

Pairing: John Price x f!Reader Rating: Mature (there are some suggestive themes but nothing explicit) Word Count: 3.2k Warnings: Descriptions of a man's nude upper body, smoking, overuse of italics as per usual Author's Notes: I have been absolutely overwhelmed by the support that has poured forth from people who have read and liked this little series. I'm so truly pleased that everyone has enjoyed it and I am so excited to continue this story. Thank you all very much! MASTERLIST Now on Ao3!

You learn John’s routine, at least as far as it overlaps with yours, fairly quickly.

He showers first thing in the morning, when normally you are still in bed trying to convince yourself out of it. In the limbo of fading sleep, it is a Herculean effort not to imagine it, not to picture steaming hot water flowing across broad shoulders, between and along full, plush pectorals, dripping along chiseled arms and down that narrow waist to…

You shake your head hard, and then wince when the action sends your toothbrush stabbing into the inside of your cheek. You are drowsily and unwillingly awake. The flow of water on the other side of the wall shuts off. You pretend, as you move on through your own routine, that you’re not thinking of long, strong legs, or anything else that lives below his abdomen.

It’s harder to hear the further away you get from your shared wall, but with a little time you’ve learned how to pick out the sounds of him working in his kitchen. There might be the thunk—never a harsh clang—of a pan on his stove, or the soft clicks of his fridge opening and closing. He doesn’t cook for very long, and washes his dishes in the sink rather than the washer.

You find that little detail endearing. From what little you know of him, it just seems appropriate.

There’s usually some quiet after that, and you’re pretty sure it’s because he’s eating. You picture him standing in his kitchen, leaning against the counter, plate balanced in one big hand. He hasn’t struck you yet as someone who would sit down alone to eat.

And he’s always alone. You have not heard anyone else in his flat. Not once.

You wonder at that as your own breakfast heats up. Does he have friends? Family?

A partner?

Your microwave beeps. You scowl at yourself. That’s none of your business. You don’t even know the man.

After he eats, you usually hear him step outside. You’ve peeked through your window, once, and have found him smoking a cigar, standing casually on his front doorstep. He’d been looking out into the street, his gaze moving evenly and methodically across the surrounding neighborhood, calm and attentive to the morning.

SAS. You’d known immediately what he was doing. An unexpected sense of safety had flooded you immediately, and continues to resonate in the here and now as you hear his door open and close.

Today, though, that safety is threaded with a little anxiety. You have to leave early, and it will be the first time you’ve faced him since that morning you’d spent trying to talk to him while ogling his bare chest.

He hadn’t been shirtless when you’d discovered his smoking habit. He probably is not now, either. You cannot decide if it’s a pity or a relief.

You check your hair a little nervously in the mirror hanging by your front door. Breakfast sits warm in a deep jacket pocket, a couple of English muffins wrapped in their plastic and bundled into a tea towel. Lunch is in your work bag, which sits ready and patiently waiting by your feet.

You’re just delaying. Your hair is fine. You breathe a little shakily, pick up your bag, scold yourself for a simpering idiot, and leave your flat.

“Morning, John,” you say as you step out, smiling, trying your best to sound casual.

His gaze comes to you immediately, and your knees feel very weak when those gorgeous blue eyes warm with a smile.

Goodness. Does he smile at everyone like that?

“Mornin’, love,” he replies, and you resolutely ignore how much love—which half your coworkers call you, too, stupid—makes your heart flutter. “Early start?”

“Yeah,” you say, locking your door, feeling your face already heating with a blush. “And a full day, too.”

He turns his head and exhales a puff of bluish smoke. “Wish I could say the same.”

You wrap both hands around the strap of your bag, lean against your door. You can’t help but surreptitiously look him up and down. House slippers, large. Long legs, hugged by worker’s denim, loose at the ankle and snug at the thigh and hip. A tight gray t-shirt providing an easy reminder of what you’d seen in all its glory only a few days ago. And—

“Mutton chops,” you say.

His brows raise. “Sorry?”

You slap a hand over your mouth. “That wasn’t meant to be out loud!”

John gives a laugh that sounds like it isn’t often used. The beard you’d first met him wearing is now trimmed neatly into two even swoops of dark auburn that make his smile look even fuller than before. “I suppose you haven’t seen ‘em, have you?”

You’ve often heard the buzz of his razor going as you’ve dragged yourself out of bed. At that point, of course, his shower is done.

Does he shave shirtless, with a towel around his waist?

You blink hard and shake that traitorous thought out of your head. “Sorry, I—don’t get me wrong, I mean, it suits you!”

The bristles of his mustache sound against the palm of his hand as he rubs his face. “You think so?”

Those gorgeous blue eyes are on you again, soft and appreciative, the same as they had been the morning you’d first met him. It makes your entire body feel a little warmer than it should.

“Anyway,” you say fretfully, scratching at the strap of your work bag, “I wanted to say, I imagine it’s hard to be home sometimes, isn’t it? With nothing to do, I mean.”

He gives a huff, but this time it’s a laugh that’s only trying to be amused. He looks out into the street. “Shouldn’t be, really.”

Most days, you hear him pacing. You think you’re able now to puzzle out his moods according to the tempo he beats against the hardwood floor. Slow, even, steps seem to be days that are better—those are days you don’t have to knock on the wall after he’s turned the TV up. When he blasts some sort of audio, it’s always following a stretch of agitated, arrhythmic circuits that travel the whole length of his flat.

You’ve noticed, though, that when you knock, and after he’s turned it down, the pacing does not resume.

You open your mouth to say something when your phone starts dinging furiously. You huff, dig it out, look at the screen—and roll your eyes.

“And I’ve kept you again, haven’t I?” John says ruefully.

“No!” you exclaim, clearing the notifications and looking up at him. “No, it’s just my coworker losing his bloody mind.” You suck on your cheek. “I should probably get going, though, sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it,” he says, picking up an ash tray and stubbing out his cigar. The rueful quirk of his brow does not leave his face, and the smile he gives seems perfunctory. “Get there safe, will you?”

“Sure, John,” you reply. You want to say something back, tell him something that will make his day easier, but you don’t know what would help, or even be welcome. So you just say, “Thanks.”

You’ve only walked a little ways away when you look back at him, and see him standing with his hand on his open door, about to go inside.

As if he’s felt you gaze on him, he turns and looks at you. You stop in your tracks.

How are his eyes still so blue even this far away?

You lift one hand up. Wave a little hesitantly.

He waves back, easy and casual as you please.

You duck your head, and hurry away.

Your heart jumps to your throat the next morning as you hear him step outside.

You do not need to leave early today, but you’re at your mirror anyway, tidying up your bed head and frowning at yourself.

This is a terrible idea. You have no business doing what you’re about to do. You’re only opening yourself up to disappointment. He’s no one to you, why are you even thinking of doing this? So what if he’d been fucking disappointed when you’d had to leave? You’re just neighbors. It’s been what, a week since he’d come home? If he’s getting attached, it’s no responsibility of yours to deal with.

And really, had he even been disappointed? It’s not like you know him. Maybe that’s just his face. Maybe it’s just your overactive imagination.

Part of you knows you’re making excuses. You aren’t prone to that kind of stupidity. You’ve heard him pacing. You remember shouldn’t be, really.

You know what it’s like to be lonely.

So you get one big mug of coffee in hand, open your front door, and step outside.

John, as expected, is standing there with a lit cigar between his fingers. “Morning, love,” he says, brows lifted. Of course, he hasn’t expected to see you today.

“Morning,” you reply, smiling.

It’s a little colder today, and he’s in a fleece-lined jacket and dark beanie. This surprises you.

“I didn’t think you could get cold, John,” you say, indicating the gear with your mug. “Unless I really was dreaming the first time we met.”

You want to cringe at yourself immediately. Stupid. You have no intention to flirt. You're just being a good neighbor.

The mutton chops spread in a smile. “Bit different when there’s no heat at your back, isn’t it?”

“I suppose,” you reply. You bite the inside of your cheek. You hope you sound casual. “I hope you don’t mind if I join you this morning?”

The expression he gives is one that is going to live with you for a long, long time. He blinks at you, slowly, and fixes you with a gaze that goes from surprised to pleased. As it was before, it’s an expression that tells you that you have done something more meaningful than you can know.

“Be happy to have you,” he says, his tenor low and soft.

So, you leave your doorstep to stand with him at his own. He steps to the side, giving you space, and though there is a polite distance between you, something is humming in the empty air.

He surprises you by offering his cigar. Your brows shoot up, and you look from it up to him.

“Maduro,” he says. “Don’t worry—wouldn’t offer if it wasn’t good.”

“Oh,” you say, “thank you, but I don’t smoke.”

He shrugs and takes a drag. “Just came outside to stand with me, then?”

You sip your coffee. It’s the same question you’ve been agonizing over all morning. “Maybe I’m tired of my own company.”

He huffs at that. “Think I know how that feels.”

Silence falls between you, and it is surprisingly comfortable. You think it’s because the two of you are used to not actually speaking to each other—your days occur in parallel, intersecting only with knuckles on the wall. Conversation has not been necessary to be the kind of neighbors you are.

So why are you doing this? Why are you out here, if you’re not even going to speak to him? You’ve been content with the degrees of separation that have characterized your acquaintance with John Price.

Haven’t you?

You peek at him through your lashes. He is every bit as handsome in profile as he is straight on. The mutton chops make his face look fuller, incongruously younger, despite the crows’ feet at the corners of his eyes.

“Do you like to read?” you find yourself asking.

He turns back to you, brows raised. Somehow the cool morning has seeped into his eyes, sky blue tinted almost periwinkle, sharp and intense and yet still undeniably warm. “Read?”

You have to avert your gaze. Look at the pavement, a sign on the street. “I have plenty of books I wouldn’t mind loaning, is all. It would be something to do.”

His gaze is still on you. You can feel its weight, like hands on your arms, around your wrists. You bring the rim of your mug to your lips and pretend that nothing inside of you is thrumming with the awareness of it.

“Like what?” he asks.

You sip, insisting to yourself that it’s only the heat of your drink warming your ears. “Different things. A retrospective on the Battle of Actium, a Da Vinci biography, an Iranian professor’s memoirs. Those are nonfiction, but I have plenty of novels, too. Space operas. Westerns.” Romances, too, but you aren’t going to mention those.

“Sounds like you’ve got a big bookshelf,” says John, and you think he’s smiling at you.

“And too many books,” you agree. “Which you’re welcome to, if you like.”

You hear him exhale, see pale smoke bloom in front of you both. The scent is earthy and sweet, and a part of you regrets not taking his earlier offer.

The same part of you wonders if it’s what he tastes like.

You’re saved from having the throttle yourself for the thought when John replies, “Think I’ll read ‘em all.”

You blink, and look at him incredulously. “All of them?”

He grins. “You’ve offered a bored soldier on leave something to do, love. There’s a few men I know who’d propose on the spot for that.”

You go completely blank for a single heartbeat. Your brows are trying to make it into your hair. All of the blood in your body rushes to your face, and finally you sputter in protest, “That’s—I—really, now!”

John only adds fuel to that embarrassed flame when he laughs at your expression. It’s a good laugh, a real one, that comes from deep in his chest.

“That’s ridiculous, John, you’ve having me on!” you grouse, covering your mouth with your mug.

“You don’t know too many military men, then,” he chuckles. “They’d fall all over themselves for a pretty girl like you.”

You think your whole body might be hot enough to start steaming. You look at him petulantly. “It’s not nice to tease.”

He smiles and takes a drag. Paints the air translucent blue with his breath. “Haven’t been.”

It’s too much—you can’t string any sensible thoughts together to bring this conversation back under control. This is not how you’d expected the morning to go, is not what you would ever admit to having hoped for.

“I’ll just get those books, then,” you mutter, trying to ignore the smile he wears as you leave his doorstep.

You have a moment to breathe back inside your flat. You realize, as you search along one shelf, that your heart is pounding in your chest, and the scent of his cigar has trapped itself in your lungs. This not good. You should not be this easy.

John is just a bored soldier on leave. He said it himself. You have no business getting worked up over some flirting that likely, to him, means nothing.

If he was even flirting at all, you remind yourself to consider. He’d certainly been amused at your reaction. You don’t think he’d been making fun, but certainly he could’ve just been pushing your buttons.

Haven’t been rings low and purring in your ears.

You return with the three books you’d mentioned, and John takes them all into the crook of his elbow. The stack is dwarfed in his arm.

“Which one should I start with?” he asks, ashtray and cigar stub balanced in his other hand.

You give a surprised laugh. “Why should I care?”

He tilts his head, pins you with amused eyes. “‘M relyin’ on your expertise, I’m afraid. Been a while since I’ve read anything other than reports. Might not be smart enough for the real deal, anymore.”

SAS. “I doubt that.”

He shrugs, and looks at you expectantly.

“Da Vinci, then?” you suggest.

“He did that painting, didn’t he?” John asks. “Louvre. The woman. Uh…”

“Mona Lisa?” you supply, laughing and scandalized. “You have to be teasing now!”

“Well, maybe I’ll be smart enough to talk to you after I finish the book,” John says, accommodating with self-deprecation. “Da Vinci it is.”

You can’t help yourself. “Should I assign you comprehension questions, too? Name three things you remember and such?”

John smiles. “Be something else to do, anyway.”

Oh, this is dangerous. Every good sense in your head is pounding on the inside of your skull, warning you in one unified voice. Bored soldier, pretty girl, knocking on walls, books lent and borrowed. The story writes itself in your head, saccharine and heady—followed swiftly by ugly, mundane, inevitable denouement.

You are familiar now with the narrative of disappointment. You do not want John to wear its mantle.

“I’ll leave you to it, then,” you say lightly, taking a swallow of your coffee as casually as you can. “I need to get ready for work.”

“Sure,” says John. He looks at you too fondly to stomach. “Appreciated the company.”

“Anytime,” your dumb, traitorous, too-honest mouth gives away.

The next morning begins as the rest do. John’s shower wakes you up. You resolutely don’t think about hot water and hotter skin as you drag yourself out from beneath the covers.

You brush your teeth. His water shuts off. A pan thunks in his kitchen while your first cup of coffee brews.

Silence. You drink. He eats.

You make your second cup. He steps out for his cigar.

A decision hangs on the knob of your front door.

This routine has been comfortable. Safe in its predictability. Measurable in its contributions to your daily life. The previous morning does not have to be anything other than an interesting deviation, a graze up against something more exciting and infinitely more fraught. You can keep the memory of John’s smile, John’s laughter, John’s kind blue eyes sweet and harmless in its ephemerality.

You can ignore the disappointment that stretches hairline cracks across that facade.

Your mug is warm in your hands as you stand in your living room, still and unmoving. From the quiet, the sound of a book falling over on your shelf, lost now of the support of its fellows, captures your attention.

You realize he is going to have to return your books at some point, and relief suddenly floods you. The decision is already made, isn’t it?

He smiles at you when you step out into the morning chill, bundled like you were the first morning into two coats. “There she is! Was hoping you’d join me again.”

Does it show on your face? The warmth that blooms inside of you at that sentiment so openly expressed?

The corner of his eyes crinkle as you stand there, transfixed and unable to hide your pleasure at his words.

“Morning, John,” you finally say. “Finish Da Vinci yet?”

As before, he steps aside, makes room for you on his doorstep. As before, you take the space next to him.

He takes a drag, eyes still on you and creased with amusement. “Not quite,” he says, exhaling. “Always was a poor student. Might take some time.”

You sip from your mug to hide your smile. “At least it’s something to do.”

The smoke from his cigar lingers in the air, mingling with the steam of your coffee.

Bonus notes: the books I referenced here are The War That Made the Roman Empire by Barry Strauss, Leonardo Da Vinci by Walter Isaacson, and Reading Lolita in Tehran and Things I’ve Been Silent About by Azar Nafisi. I wholeheartedly recommend every single one.

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alyseofwonderland · 1 year

Text

the ending of the last of us being a point of discussion is one of those things that I know is going to be a breaking point for me. because i have been upset about it since the video game

BUT NOT FOR THE REASONS YOU THINK.

I’m mad that its even considered “a choice” for Joel to get Ellie out of there. THEY WERE DOING SCIENCE WRONG!!!

I’m sorry you don't kill your one immune specimen on the first fucking day! This is not how cures are found. How many tests did they run on Ellie? How much blood did they take? How many lab mice did they genetically alter and infect to see if it a replicalbe cure?

THE INCOMPETENCE OF THE FIREFLIES AND THEIR DOCTORS IS RAGE INDUCING. Living tissue it the key here people. Kill Ellie on day one and they can only test cures for as long as they have well preserved tissue samples which looking at the conditions in Last of Us, they dont have. This is a get it right the first time or you killed her for nothing set up.

That’s before the show decided to give us like an origin story of Ellie’s birth and we now have a clear picture of how she became immune. It was low grade inculcation. Cool neato. Marlene might not know what happened exactly but she certainly can put the pieces together. Marlene could have communicated what she knew of Ellie’s birth to the doctors and the fact that they have proof that Ellie is immune and from that information alone a good biologist could have started making test subject mice.

*pinches nose bridge*

I understand this is not the point. I really really do. I understand that the narrative and the discussion is supposed to center around the morals of One Life out weighting the Lives of Many. It’s supposed to be the exact opposite of all things Star Trek. EXCEPT THEY ARE TRYING TO PASS OFF SCIENCE THAT WOULD ONLY WORK IN A STAR TREK EPISODE. *deep calming breath*

Here’s the problem. The show and the video game want us to believe this is a morality question. Is it morally wrong for Joel to doom of of humanity to save his adoptive daughter? That’s the central question.

But if they were never gonna save humanity. If the Fireflies were just gonna kill Ellie the first day they have her then there’s no moral question. Or at least the question is different. We are now asking “Is it wrong to kill an entire building of people in order to stop them from committing a murder?”

If no cure can come from Ellie’s death (because we have established they would have never found it) then her life is more valuable than the lives of everyone in that building because she can survive situations no one else can. She could clear out whole infected towns one by one.

Anyway. Science Education People. Everyone needs more of it.

#the last of us #joel the last of us #ellie the last of us #fireflies #rant #i can suspend my disbelief until bad science happens and then i have to scream into the void for several years

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copperbadge · 11 days

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On Sunday, AS Roma had an away game against Udinese; I gave the game a miss because I had other stuff, but I thought I'd check the score after the game ended, only to find it was suspended in the 71st minute. One of the players, Evan Ndicka, had collapsed on the field while clutching his chest.

He's fine; he had to be taken to the hospital, but the injury appears to be from a collision with another player, not a cardiac event. It's always scary when a player falls like that regardless of the sport, but even the talking heads agree this was handled extremely well -- the fans fell silent so the EMTs could work, the coaches and captains agreed to suspend the game, and de Rossi, who is still very new to coaching at all let alone as head of a Serie A team, kept his wits about him, got the EMTs onto the field for Ndicka, and put his players first.

The most touching part of the whole narrative, however, isn't the good behavior of fans and staff or that the entire team all went to the hospital to see him -- it's that his inseparable best friend on the team, Houssem Aouar (on the left in the third picture), petitioned the hospital to be allowed to stay overnight with him. Request denied, but still a very sweet gesture.

[ID: Three images of Evan Ndicka, a center-back for Italian football team AS Roma; in the first he is being carried on a stretcher off the field, surrounded by teammates and medical staff, while in the second he is sitting up in a hospital bed, attached to monitors but with an upraised arm and a smile to show he's all right. The third image shows him in a black suit, entering a stadium before a game, sharing a friendly look with Houssem Aouar, midfielder for Roma.]

#as roma #evan ndicka #houssem aouar #serie a

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ivesambrose · 12 days

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𝑱𝒖𝒑𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝑻𝒂𝒖𝒓𝒖𝒔 𝒎𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒔 💛

(May 1, 2024 - May 13, 2025)

Based on sidereal transits

To book a personal reading with me DM or email me at [email protected]

𝒜𝓁𝓁 ℒ𝒾𝓃𝓀𝓈

PICTURE 1

"I know that if 1 believe in it even in the slightest, I can even make dust turn to gold." There's confidence in your words and even in your skills. You're done being a prisoner to your own limitations, it hasn't really been your ally eitherway. There will be considerable focus in starting or expanding a business or doing well academically for your future. Your focus and persistence will not go to waste either this time You might feel rather competitive though. Like you want to prove yourself no matter what. Be mindful of not falling into another cycle of self imposed limitations, this one being 'taking on too much all at once in order to be taken seriously. There's a strong message of not giving up or losing sight of your wants and goals when you're almost there. Perhaps this confidence feels too new to you and you're trying to find the sweet spot between being conceited and genuinely self assure. Additionally, some of you might be getting pregnant or planning on the same. Rest of you will be choosing a specific venture, whatever you choose will be the right option. Go for whatever inspires you the most. Your heart vigoursly feels called towards something. Don't make further excuses for it.

PICTURE 2

Fortune indeed favours the bold, fortune also favours the determined. You've been anticipating the tables to turn for you. The anticipation soon turned to a vision that you haven't wavered from. You may have at least one person who has been cheering you on from the get go, their presence and words have constantly pushed you to believe in what feels like the impossible. If there's something you have really wanted to excel at or get into, expect to see progress in that. Financially things will be gradually be getting better. You'll be focused on researching on making the right investments or where to invest money. You're advised to keep matters regarding property, work, ambitions, inheritance etc a secret. You may also be leaving behind something that's served it's purpose for something else, At some point after your dedicated efforts and hard work you'd want to move towards a softer life. Additionally, you might get into petty arguments with people who have their noses in your business. You might feel the need to stand up for yourself and what you believe in. Know your power but don't waste time in verbally proving your worth to people who don't really care deep down and want to see you fall, they are not worth the stress. I really do feel you might want to invest in magnesium sprays or melatonin gummies or lavender oils too since there might be sleep issues you might be facing or just a restless mind. Go easy on yourself.

PICTURE 3

You found joy in watching your life unfold, somewhere you, realised that regardless of what you see the result will remain what you want. Like knowing the ending of the movie SO the plot is simply there to take you to the journey. You might also be aggresively pursuing something by that mean this is something you're really fixated on and see unfolding. So what others might call 'obsesseive' doesn't really phase you. It is what it is Likely it's after significant trial and error you have decided to be deliberate in regards to what you want and it's a good thing. Likely you have decided to free yourself from the narrative that you have got to do everything alone abd by yourself and found a friend or people who are willing to encourage and collaborate with you. There will also be a focus on your nervous system/regulating your nervous system and health. You may also try holstic medicine or healing your system through food or lifestyle changes. There is new offer in love or for some an offer that emotionally fulfills you but you might have to self reflect a bit on the way you tend to self sabotage given your past experiences. Addressing this will actually help you look past your fears and illusions and see things from a different perspective. A perspective that serves you better and doesn't make you feel like you're losing grip. There is an emphasis on higher education/studies and travel as well that will further strengthen your faith in yourself. Some of you might just find better job opportunities or expansion out of your current city or hometown or in a foreign land.

PICTURE 4

Often what you so deeply want and what is supposed to happen ends up happening and coming through overnight and when they do, you're no longer counting the days or keeping track of them it simply becomes a part of your reality. Things have been gaining momentum behind simply because despite the circumstances you have still persevered and they will start coming through just as quick.

Be prepared, you're going to be travelling long distances and quiet often, you'll have a lot of connections coming through, new friends, new partnerships, existing ones solidifying and choices to make as well. Step into your new found confidence. You might as well find yourself commanding rooms you walk into with your presence alone. You'll also be finding yourself pursuing your joys and passions and romanticising your life more.

What you love to do might just become your daily routine and work. You'll have to learn to balance there too so you don't continue to associate what brings you joy only to 'work', you'll find other things to engage in too. Take extra care of your health given the travel and opportunities presented. You'll find yourself taking risks you have previously felt unprepared for and you'll be glad that you did. There's a a form of karmic justice that will be served too, The biggest thing you'l achieve is overcoming the worst of your hurdles with ease and being unapologetic about getting what you want. Just stay true to yourself above all.

#free readings #tarot community #divination community #jupiter in taurus #vedic astrology #astro forecast #pick a card #pick a picture #pick a pile

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steveharrington · 1 year

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can you elaborate more on steve being abandoned by the narrative?

yes <3 so i think there are two very unfortunate circumstances surrounding steve's character that have led to the current state of his plotline: 1. after not killing him in s1 like they originally planned, the duffers have never really had a plan for steve and 2. they are extremely influenced by audiences. when they were conceptualizing steve to fit in among the ensemble cast, the duffers were picturing him as a douchey boyfriend who unceremoniously dies. lonnie was originally going to come back to the byers house to save jonathan and nancy. there was no need to picture where he'd be 4 seasons down the road, so they just didn't account for that. then joe keery charmed them so hard that they literally couldn't bear to kill him, so steve ends season one still somehow alive.

but we've already established the nancy/jonathan plotline, because jonathan was once the duffers' self-insert who must defeat the evil jock and win over the girl. they couldn't just backpedal on that right away, so they needed to give nancy and jonathan a plotline alone, away from steve. but steve only ever functioned as an extension of nancy until this point, so what do we do with steve now? in an accidental stroke of genius that the duffers have admitted was a last second decision, they pair him with the children and make him into a babysitter. it almost instantly boosts steve into being tied with hopper and el for most popular character from the show, potentially even beats them both out. in 2017 when s2 aired, you could not escape mom steve jokes. it was everywhere, steve was everywhere, joe was everywhere, it was arguably the second coming of #justice for barb, which, in netflix business-y terms, was the exact viral meme type situation that the show wanted and needed to sell merch and remain relevant and say "see we still got it!!!"

you know who has the 2nd most lines in the entirety of season three? directly behind hopper? ahead of winona ryder? steve. think for a second about how absolutely insane that is. the character who was written specifically to die in season one. joe keery's name wasn't even in the season one credits, because he wasn't considered a series regular. and now he has the 2nd most spoken lines in the big blockbuster season because he rocketed up in popularity so intensely. season three marketing features the mall so heavily, creates a literal physical shrine to 80s nostalgia, and when the very first promo is released an entire year before the season airs, who's the star of that teaser trailer? and who, pray tell, is featured in the main brand sponsorship ad that plays in movie theaters worldwide? thats right its america's little darling steve harrington.

but here is the issue. the duffers look at what made steve popular and they see: funny exasperated babysitter, heartthrob action hero. they're like oh okay so we should keep putting him directly in the center of the action, bang him up every season to give him his classic bloodied aesthetic, but. he still needs to be funny. we can almost kill him, but we can't actually kill him because he's profitable. we can let him get horrifically injured because it's badass, but we still gotta let him crack jokes. it creates this very weird tone to steve's role in the story starting in season 3 because he's both the action hero and the comedic relief and protected by plot armor, so we get scenes where he's being literally tortured until he's begging for his life and gasping for breath but the tone is still.......fun? comedic? light and goofy? i think the duffers also forgot he's supposed to be a teenager.

now this is partially me making educated guesses but i feel pretty confident about this: once again, like gollum, joe keery uses his big shiny eyes and manages to evade death again in season four by being so likable and charming and marketable that netflix execs or shawn levy or maybe even the duffers themselves were like oh fuck we just can't do it. they were obviously tossing around the idea of taking mom steve all the way by letting him die sacrificially for dustin, so in season four they make eddie, transfer steve's relationship with dustin directly onto him, ctrl f steve's name in the death scene and just type in eddie instead, and once again steve is alive but he's directionless.

so what does he have now, in season four? i think the duffers have a whiteboard somewhere with steve's name and around it are little circles that say "funny" "cool" "DO NOT KILL" and steve is now stuck in this endless cycle of getting beaten up, popping back up somehow unharmed like a looney tune, saying something cute and oblivious, rinse and repeat. because that's what worked, that's what made him popular all the way back in season two. that's what the duffers are obviously keeping in mind when they're writing steve: popularity. not realism, not depth, not growth, just literally how to continue making him popular. meanwhile, other characters get to be part of the actual story. other characters get to serve a purpose other than selling merch. when el is bitten by a monster, she gets to actually feel pain and need help because that's realistically what any human would need. when hopper is tortured, he gets to suffer and ponder his existence and reflect on the relationships in his life. steve never gets any of that, because the writers just don't see steve as the 19 year old boy on his 4th straight year of traumatic events that he actually is.

they literally just see him as a money maker, there for cool viral moments and witty lines and maybe the occasional emotion experienced but only if it's about his romantic prospects. and the narrative that other characters get to have and be apart of just kinda runs parallel to steve. he's there, technically, but he's not really in the story. and it's like actually crazy because you'd think after all the funko pops he sold, he'd have earned an actual storyline!!!

#sorry this is So long im just tb the history of steve......#know your stevestory #anon #answered

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elyvorg · 8 months

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The Real Reason That Sissel Refused to Help

(or: the subtle genius of Ghost Trick’s tutorial)

“I just want to find my own lost memory. I’m sorry, but I can’t help you.”

Here’s a post in which I talk about this particular part of Ghost Trick’s story, which I’m keeping as vague as possible outside of the spoiler cut, but those who’ve finished the game should know what I’m referring to. What’s actually going on here is rather interesting, and paints our friend Sissel in a much less negative light than the face-value assumption I tend to see most people jumping to with this.

First, though, I have written a fic illustrating this idea in narrative form rather than lengthily explaining it. If you’re interested, I recommend you go read that first before reading this, because being shown is more fun than being told!

(Also, spoilers, obviously. Go play Ghost Trick if you haven’t; it’s so good and absolutely not the kind of thing you want to be spoiled for.)

So, in the original timeline, Sissel refused to help Missile save his mistresses, stating that he just wants to find his own lost memories.

It could easily seem at a glance like Sissel’s character development over the course of the game is that he started off selfish, only caring about his own mystery, and it’s only through getting attached to everyone throughout the night that he begins to care about others and the bigger picture. As such, his refusal to help Missile in the original timeline is easy to read as being born of that, since this was early on when Sissel still only cared about himself.

But… it’s not actually that simple, because Sissel isn’t as selfish in the beginning as one might think. Sure, he’ll say things like “I have to focus on my own mystery”, or “this is all for my own benefit”. But that doesn’t actually match up with his actions. His own mystery may be, in theory, his number one priority, but a remarkably close second priority for him is to save the lives of any dead person he happens to come across. Even very early on, before he’s grown to care about any of these people!

He doesn’t hesitate to save Missile, despite having zero reason to assume that this little doggie will be any help with his mystery. The second time he finds Lynne dead, when he’s getting to talk to her and learns that she doesn’t actually know much about him and probably won’t be able to help him because she’s got her own case to pursue tonight, he still reassures her that she doesn’t owe him and he’s going to save her life anyway.

And even right at Lynne’s very first death, in the game’s opening narration, Sissel makes a point that he doesn’t want to stand back and let her get shot, and that he feels bad for her, despite her being a complete stranger!

Evidently, even right at the beginning, Sissel isn’t selfish. He just thinks he is. Because cats can be tsundere like that.

Sissel: “Why am I so determined to save this woman? After all, it’s not as if I know her. My reason is twofold. Number one, I’m not the type to leave women lying around, discarded like trash.”

(Here’s a bit from later in chapter 1 featuring Sissel being amusingly surprised by his own altruistic streak. He seems to expect to only care about himself – yet here he is, not wanting to leave a stranger lying dead if he can help it. Not so selfish after all, huh?)

So if that’s not the problem in the original timeline, then what is? Why does Sissel leave Missile to deal with saving his ladies alone when he’d have no reason not to try and help? – after all, he hasn’t been given a fake time limit in this timeline! He’s not even in a hurry with his own mystery! For that matter, Sissel was still there in the junkyard at the beginning – why didn’t he just save Lynne himself?

We can get a good indication of what the issue is from that very same opening narration I was just talking about.

Sissel: “Now, I’m not the kind of guy who can just stand back and watch a poor woman get shot. But I have just one little problem… I’m already dead myself.”

Sissel: “I feel bad for her, sure. But what can I do? I’m dead. But just as I was thinking that…”

The real problem is not that he doesn’t care about saving a stranger’s life. Rather, it’s that, because he’s dead, he doesn’t think he can. He’s not expecting to magically have ghost superpowers; why would he?

And it’s just as he was thinking that he can’t do anything (which, while part of his screen-filling monologue narration, was still his thoughts and therefore something any nearby ghost could hear)… that Ray speaks up to tell him that actually he can save her.

Sissel: “Huh?” (Me? Save her? Uh, how?)

Immediately, Sissel questions the notion once again, not with a why but with a how. It’s not that he doesn’t want to; he simply doesn’t think it’s possible.

This general idea continues throughout the entire tutorial, which is absolutely packed with lines that show Sissel being deeply sceptical about the idea that he could possibly save someone’s life or alter someone’s fate.

Once Ray’s taught him about his basic ghost tricks and he’s managed to delay Lynne’s death by a few moments… she still ends up dead anyway. And Sissel thinks that’s it. Because of course he does. Even if he can stop time and manipulate objects, he has zero reason to believe that his powers can undo a death that’s already happened.

Sissel: “In the end, it looks like her fate remains unchanged. So what good are these ‘ghost tricks’ of mine? But just as I was thinking this…”

Sissel: “It looks like my ghost tricks didn’t do much good.” (She still ended up just as dead as before.)

He even ends up feeling like his new superpowers are barely worth anything, because he can play a few little tricks on someone, but that’s not enough to save someone’s life, is it?

Ray: “Isn’t it a shame to see such a pretty young woman lying here discarded like a piece of trash?” Sissel: “But what can I do? She’s already dead.”

Ray: “And while she’s resting, you can save her life.” Sissel: “Oh, sure. You make it sound so easy.”

And again, he’s very dismissive of Ray implying or telling him that he can do something about this. After all, how could that be possible any more?

In particular, there’s this vital little bit of trickery here…

Ray: “Now what do you suppose will happen if you possess a corpse?” Sissel: “Nothing, because I already tried that, remember? And nothing happened at all.”

…in which Sissel assumes his powers just don’t work on corpses, because he’s already tried and failed to do anything with “his” corpse. If he’d been alone, without Ray to guide him through things, he most likely wouldn’t have even tried to possess Lynne’s corpse in the first place, because he would have had no reason to believe it would achieve anything!

(Meanwhile, Missile in the original timeline also had zero reason to believe he could do anything for Kamila, but he was so anguished and desperate that of course he would have tried anyway. He’d try anything to save her, because he is good and loyal and Dog. So he was able to discover his time-rewinding powers where Sissel didn’t, and thus he passed that knowledge onto Sissel in the game’s timeline.)

And as Ray tells Sissel that he can in fact rewind time to redo the last moments of Lynne’s life, he’s completely dumbfounded and bewildered by the very idea of it.

Sissel: “Are you serious?! Back through time?!”

Sissel: “But this is crazy! None of it makes any sense!”

Ray: “To the time four minutes before this woman was murdered!” Sissel: “H-Hey, wait a second! I still don’t know what you’re talking about!”

What is this lamp even talking about?! Of course turning back time isn’t possible! He had no reason to believe it was possible, even as part of his new wacky ghost powers.

(Meanwhile, when Sissel is saving Missile in the game, we get a little exchange that shows Missile being completely unfazed by the idea that Sissel’s brought them back in time. It’s no weirder than humans walking around on two legs, right? One way or another, the cat can barely wrap his head around it, while the dog sees it as perfectly plausible.)

One thing Ray says more than once during the tutorial is, “The best thing to do is try it.” Because Sissel is being so stubbornly cynical that he will not take this desk lamp’s word about how useful his powers are and has to literally be pushed into trying it himself in order to believe it, every time.

Even after seeing for himself that he can go back in time and watch Lynne’s death again, Sissel still manages to be pessimistic about this.

Ray: “And there you have it. The last four minutes of her life.” Sissel: [strained] “No…!” Ray: “It’s kind of ironic, when you think about it. A woman toyed with by fate, and a man toyed with by a ghost.” Sissel: “But she still died.”

He went back in time, and she still died. There’s still apparently nothing he can do, right? No, Sissel, just have a bit of patience! This is just the mechanic that lets you understand what happens before you dive in and start changing things; you’ll get your chance soon!

And once he’s finally successfully saved Lynne…

Ray: “You used your powers to avert that woman’s fate.” Sissel: “So I did that?”

Sissel still has a moment of being surprised at the notion that he was capable of something like this.

It’s really striking to me, watching over chapter 1 again with this thought about original-timeline Sissel in mind, just how many lines to this effect there are throughout the whole thing. The writers did not need to include this many moments of Sissel being sceptical, or even any of them at all, really, in order for the tutorial to do its job as a tutorial! But they’re here anyway, because it is in fact really important to the story that Sissel is somebody who would not have tried hard enough to figure out that his powers can undo deaths unless he had someone holding his hand through it the whole way.

The way old-Missile talks about it when he’s explaining himself at the end, it’s easy to get the takeaway that the most important thing he did as Ray was to take advantage of Sissel’s supposed self-interest: by not contradicting his misconception that he’s the man in red, by telling him Lynne is the key to his mystery (a half-truth at best), and by giving him a fake time limit. And it’s not that those things didn’t help, but they’re not really the most important thing at all.

The most important thing Ray did for Sissel, the thing that Missile absolutely most needed to spend those ten years waiting to do, was exactly what it appeared to be during chapter 1: to teach him how to use his powers to save lives. Because the number one thing the Sissel from the original timeline needed but didn’t get was, quite literally, a tutorial.

There’s a little bit more to it than this, though. So, okay, Sissel in the original timeline didn’t know he had the vital time-rewinding power. But then that begs the question: why didn’t Missile just tell him that while asking for his help?

For that matter, why did Sissel leave Missile shortly after being asked for help? It can’t just be because he urgently had to go and look elsewhere for answers to his own mystery, because he’s not pressed for time here. And he was apparently chilling at the junkyard just eavesdropping on the investigators’ conversations before Missile showed up. Why the sudden shift in locations now of all times, when there’s someone here who’s actually talking to him – the first person Sissel would have been able to talk to all night – and asking him for help?

The issue here, I believe, is that this isn’t just a matter of Sissel’s lack of understanding what his powers can do. It’s also a matter of emotional state – both Sissel’s, and Missile’s. Both of them would have been incredibly stressed out and upset, Sissel due to his loss of memory and seeing deaths in front of him that he doesn’t think he can do anything about, and Missile due to his mistresses’ deaths that he also can’t do anything about, even though he has a superpower that lets him try but it just isn’t quite enough.

How would Missile and Sissel’s interaction go when they’re both so upset like this? There’s actually a fun little bite-sized example of this in the actual canon timeline. During the last desperate struggle to escape the sinking submarine…

Missile: “Sissel! Y-Y-Y… You’re not telling Miss Lynne to leave poor Miss Kamila behind, ARE YOU?!” Sissel: *sigh* “Could you just be quiet for a minute, Missile?”

Missile and Sissel are bound to be both extremely anxious and stressed in this situation – trapped in the submarine, Lynne and Kamila in danger of drowning if they don’t do something. And in that state of mind, it seems that Missile is prone to eschewing logic to be even more loudly desperately protective of his mistresses… while Sissel especially does not enjoy Missile being Loudly Boisterously Dog in his ear when he’s stressed out. After all, cats and dogs have very opposite and very incompatible ways of dealing with stress!

So it follows that the conversation between Sissel and Missile in the original timeline would likely have been an incoherent emotional mess, in which neither of them properly communicated their side of things at all. Missile must have just never even thought to tell Sissel that he can rewind time and therefore saving his ladies is actually possible in theory, because that was already obvious to him! He wouldn’t be capable of understanding why Sissel would be so reluctant about this.

As for why Sissel wasn’t just reluctant to help but outright ran away and sealed the deal – I think, more than anything, it’s got to be down to the fact that he couldn’t stand having Missile being so loud and energetic at him when he was this upset. Especially not while repeatedly saying that he can save them, which would be the exact thing Sissel has been miserably convinced that he just can’t. It follows that he’d just have wanted to run and hide somewhere Missile isn’t, where he can have some peace and quiet. Cats who are upset often like to hide and isolate themselves to feel safer.

There’s one other part in the game’s tutorial that suggests the problem originally might have been partly a matter of Sissel’s emotions:

Ray: “Hello there. How are you feeling? Not very well, I imagine. A terrible tragedy, what happened tonight.” Sissel: “………” [neutral face] Ray: “Ah, ignoring me, are you? It’s a little too early for you to be so stiff and cold, I’d say.” Sissel: [smiling] “Ah, so it was you. You were that voice in my head, right?”

This is very noteworthy, because Ray is the only person in the entire game who ever takes the time to ask Sissel how he’s feeling. He wouldn’t be feeling great after waking up dead, watching a woman die in front of him and failing to save her, would he?

It seems like old-Missile, with his years of wisdom and time to reflect on everything, realised that his approach to getting Sissel’s help last time really was way too focused on his own problems, and he never even stopped to think about how Sissel must have been feeling. So here, he presents himself as a friend, someone who cares about Sissel and his journey, because that’s exactly what Sissel needs! This poor kitty must have felt so lonely and sad and helpless in the original timeline. But hearing Ray’s words, and realising that this desk lamp is someone semi-familiar, does seem to cheer him up at least a little bit here! Sissel really is a character whose core desperate need is to just not be alone, even if you’d be hard-pressed to get him to admit that at the beginning.

Interestingly, way back when I first played Ghost Trick, on the DS soon after it came out, I found myself intrigued by Sissel in the original timeline. I vaguely toyed with the idea of writing a fic exploring how he was feeling and why he refused, though I never got around to actually doing so. Then recently, the game coming out in HD rekindled my hyperfixation and made me think about it some more and actually end up writing that fic after all. And the thing is, back then, I didn’t remotely consciously understand any of this stuff I’ve just explained here. But even so, I find it neat how I still had this wordless sense that what was going on with Sissel must have been so much more than just selfishness – that he must have been so sad in that timeline and that had to be the real basis of why he didn’t help.

#ghost trick #ghost trick phantom detective #ghost trick spoilers #sissel #sissel ghost trick #ray ghost trick #ramble

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jenokoi · 1 year

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What attracted them to you, and what’s holding back this connection?

GENERAL TAROT READING BY JENOKOI

in this reading we’ll be be talking a bit about who you are as a person and how some perceive you, what attracted your person to you alongside a sneak peak of their intentions, and what’s preventing this union from flowing its natural course. It is a bit extensive, so please take only what resonates with you and leave the rest for your fellow companions.

Please take a deep breath and get comfortable. Let your intuition guide you to the answer you seek in the pictures below. Take as much time as you need.

PILE ONE > PILE TWO > PILE THREE

My tarot readings are guided by the current energy of my subject in question and my own spirit guides. Energies are prone to change based on our actions, and thus nothing is truly set on stone. Please take only what resonates, this is a general reading. It’s okay to not feel drawn to any of the images. If you have to force it into the narrative of your life, then it might not be for you. These readings are for entertainment purposes only.

PILE I

WHO ARE YOU?

This is the pile for the passive, sweet, and dreamy fairies. You don’t consider yourself an active player in life, often sitting by the side as it passes you by. The individuals who prefer to be left alone in their own world with a book and a cup. Head always in the clouds sweethearts. You do not disturb the peace of others and appreciate when they don’t disturb yours. Those who have tried are simply left dumbfounded at your lack of interest to play the petty game of revenge. You don’t meddle in other’s peoples’ affairs, because truthfully, you just don’t care. You are an spectator that isn’t really paying much attention to the show.

It does not means you are ignorant, however. Were someone to ask for your help you will gladly assist them as long as none of your morals or self-imposed rules are broken. You follow a guide of loose restrains that keep you safe and content. You are also a bit of a loner, very selective of your companions and to whom you give your energy to. People you don’t really interact much with think of you as apathetic, some might go as far as to say you are high on your horse. But truth is, you have no curiosity for the ways others chose to do life when you don’t play a recurrent role in their show.

You keep to yourself a lot, but aren’t shy to speak your feelings out loud with your circle of friends. And while it might take a while for people to get you to open up to them, being able to enter your loving energy is such a blessing. Your love is unconditional, unquestioned, secure. You would do anything for those you care about. And rest assure, for they would do the same for you.

You are very kind, pile one, but because you sometimes see it as a weakness you are careful when meeting new people. You have pretty strong boundaries, but you are too lost in your head that you forget to put them down when genuine individuals approach you. Some have no choice but to admire you from afar.

WHAT ATTRACTED YOUR PERSON TO YOU, AND WHAT IS HOLDING BACK THIS CONNECTION?

Unlike the other piles, your person’s attraction towards you started with a specific event.

Your person happened to witness an occurrence in which you offered your assistance to an individual without seeking compensation. For some it was to a friend of yours, for others it was a small animal in need of shelter or medical help. In this situation, you moved mountains and oceans to aid the subject in need, never once expecting something in return. It was the dedication to the deed that peaked your person’s interest in you. When before they had seen you as part of the background only, a newfound sentiment of respect brewed inside them after that event. Your person saw a side of you that is not often exposed, and they were mesmerized by it.

Your person then started to notice how fiercely protective you are of those you love and care about. How you treasure and respect your friends. How you bring out a childlike disposition (full of vigor and excitement) when surrounded by people you are comfortable around with. The way your energy seems to fuel the room when you come out of your castle in the clouds.

They want to take you out to explore, preferably where there is a lot of nature. Some of them practice skateboarding and they want to teach you. They want to be the person who makes you smile, and they want to make you feel the way they see you make your friends feel. They want to be the sun the shines upon your garden of roses.

Though they feel you are too closed-off, specifically towards them (this is their own fears projecting onto your passive nature). Your person thinks you are very careful of who you share your naturally bright energy with. They believe it would be hard to convince you to go out in adventures with them. Some of them might like spontaneous trips or late strolls/rides around the city.

They fear you are too out of reach for them. Your person would be grateful if you were to give them the opening to a friendship. They want to put the work into courting you, be the one to sweep you off your feet. They want the confirmation that you accept them as a friend. Your person is very bashful when thinking of being with you. They want to make you happy and make you feel safe around them. But they are afraid they will scare you away with their eagerness, and so they hold back from approaching you head on. They are being held captive by their own mind, both daydreaming of the two of you together and overthinking negative outcomes to your encounters. Your person isn’t shy, though. They just really want to get to know you but your closed-off vibes scare them a little.

One of you, or maybe both, was hurt in the past because you gave too much of yourself to someone else or was vulnerable with a partner that shamed them for loving too deeply. However, your person thinks you two are just the right amount of similar and of different to complement each other perfectly.

You might also know this person from work or mutual friends, but you two aren’t really that close or even on talking terms. They might have had tried to make light conversation with you but became shy at your silent demeanor around him.

Playing instruments, music, performing, skateboard, blonde hair, headwear, yellow beanie, bucket hat, flowers, children, sun, parties, rbf, caramel, city night, red brick.

Personal thoughts: if you give then the chance, they will take. They are a chaser, they are just waiting for the green light.

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PILE II

WHO ARE YOU?

Okay, so there’s a very heavy energy for my pile 2. Lots of trust issues, a very guarded individual, ice queen/king vibes. For starters, you guys are beautiful and attract a lot of superficial suitors, the type who only want you for your looks, which you are aware of. You keep your passions a secret and carry a big burden in your back (some of you might be the primary supporter to your family or household). You are a no-bullshit-allowed, get shit done person. Many seek your attention but lack deepness to themselves. And when you do find a subject of your attraction you cut that shit quick. You have a logical mindset. You don’t let anyone get too close to you, always on the ready to back away if emotions get involved. You don’t really let anyone get to truly know you.

However, when it comes to your goals and aspirations you turn into an unstoppable force to be reckon with. You become a great leader who people respect and admire. Some of you might be in a position of authority or in charge of a group. I see young people look at you in awestruck. You are an inspiration to many.

WHAT ATTRACTED YOUR PERSON TO YOU, AND WHAT IS HOLDING BACK THIS CONNECTION?

It was the same for this person. They saw you commit to a project or a goal and were mesmerized by your efficiency. They saw you weren’t only a pretty (beautiful) face but also an intelligent person with set morals. Some of you might be students, potentially in law major, or working in something related to the law.

Your person is very intuitive, and they wonder if you give a break to yourself every once in a while. They also feel a very guarded person, as it is a bit hard to get into their energy. They are not emotionally unavailable though, and they most definitely are not insecure. Your person is quiet, an observer. They admire you from a distance and are respectful of you and your work. They are very attracted to your work ethic and they way you handle problems. Your person likes that you are reliable and they would like to be the same for you. They want to be a person you can trust, to be a source of aid to you.

Some of you might be in different areas of interest though, and conversations between the two of you is difficult to come by. Imagine two people in a big, crowded room, each against a different corner but in view of one another.

They see that you are beautiful, but above all, they respect you. They want to be an equal to you. Your person would like to take long, warm baths with you and have deep conversations (some of them might be into the sciences, biology specifically). However, they feel as if you are not looking for an intimate relationship (some of you might be married to your work or your studies). They feel a sadness to you, loneliness perhaps. You have flourished beautifully in life, and have achieved a comfortable financial stability or you are working towards it. They don’t want to ruin your momentum, your peace. Your person would love to approach you with a romantic offer, though. A connection of two intellects. They are emotionally stable, they have experience in relationships, but not in the sense of being a player. Some might have had a long term relationship that ended when they outgrew one another.

Your person has a calm aura to them. They are a formidable partner. They want to be your rock, your safe place where the heaviness of your shadows disperse into clouds. They want to know about your passions, the activities you enjoy, your favorite desserts, the places you want to visit, and inquire about your childhood. How you became who you are today. They want a connection based on trust and honesty and curiosity of one another.

But your person feels as if you would not be willing to let them in. You seem so very far away from them. Oh, but they see you. They don’t have much hope for this connection, yet they can’t help but think of a stable future with you. Some of them might like to cook or bake. They have genuine intentions, but the amount of suitors around you and your clear dismissal of them prevents your person from taking action. They don’t plan on doing so either, not because of lack of wanting, but because they think and see you are not looking for a relationship.

Shadows, suit, lipstick, formal events, sweets, cold weather, black hair, snow, clean, petals, money, skyscrapers, tall windows, damp hair, tired eyes, longing.

Personal thoughts: return their gaze, pile two. Show interest in their work, all your person needs is to know you don’t find their attention a nuisance. Things might be slow at first, but there is a burning passion in the both of you. This is an equal partner. For some, it might be someone you have been waiting for.

This connection is up to you, pile two. If you don’t feel ready for it it’s okay to not seek it. But do not allow fear to be in control of you. This is a wonderful partner. Have in mind, though, that they are looking for a long term relationship. If that’s not what you want at the moment then discretion is advised.

Dear pile two, please take care of your mental health. It’s okay to take a break every once in a while. Don’t be afraid to be selfish, you matter and are important. Please stay safe.

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PILE III

WHO ARE YOU?

Well fuck, haha. Hello pile three.

You guys are loud. As in, you guys are not afraid of speaking out your mind and being vulnerable with your emotions and feelings. You guys are very fucking loud, cursing like a sailor and all. Some of you had a great childhood, others might have had a close relationship with your father figure growing up. But yeah, you don’t hold back when fighting for what you believe in. You actually enjoy getting into arguments, especially about silly stuff just to rile your opponent up (you are great at finding loopholes in their arguments and ideas).

You like to have fun and don’t have any trouble being around big crowds. You don’t necessarily seek to be the center of attention, but you attract a public with your charisma and conversation. You are very funny and a good storyteller. But you are also very stubborn, to the bone, stupidly so. Once an idea or belief is implemented in your head, good luck to the poor bastard who tries to swerve your mind. That aside, people just enjoy your company. Some of you might be the life of the party. You are everyone’s best friend and hanging out with you is always exciting.

Overall, you are very in tune with your emotions, even if they are slightly volatile and a bit obsessive. You are also good at expressing them, which sometimes (if not every time,) translates to you acting based on them.

Some of you might be an only child. You don’t like to share, and once you find something (or someone) you like it’s hard for you to let go, even when you know it’s bad for you or… doesn’t belong to you, haha. Happily ever after is something you believe in but don’t necessarily seek. Again, some of you had a good example when it came to relationships—specifically marriage—when growing up.

WHAT ATTRACTED YOUR PERSON TO YOU, AND WHAT IS HOLDING BACK THIS CONNECTION?

What attracted (and still does) this person to you is your honesty. How you are unapologetically you. Heart on your sleeve, mind in your mouth. They enjoy bantering with you, how easy the conversation flows between the two of you even when you disagree completely. They have fun with you (but who doesn’t, really). They find it endearing when you are stubborn during silly arguments even when they have proved you wrong, and they appreciate it even more when you accept defeat against them. You don’t take it too far when the joke stops being funny or threatens to turn into an issue.

They love the energy you bring into the room and how you challenge them to match it. But above all, they admire how deep your well of thoughts is and how you try to understand others without placing more importance to your own experiences and belief system.

Now, there seems to be a big issue here. An issue of three, to be more specific (come on, some of you saw this coming). This person might be already in a relationship or in a compromise of sorts that doesn’t allow for this connecting to flourish. It could be a family or religious situation. Family is very present in this pile.

This person might have a child. There is guilt in them, the aftermath of your encounters. The memory of you repeats in their head like an old film. Even if they try to go around the problem, a perpetual truth holds them back from you. The attraction is clear, even if some try to hide it. People notice, too, people judge in silence. This person is under the crowd’s eyes, and so are you, pile three.

This person is stuck or very grounded in their position/decision, which prevents this connection from evolving. This person yearns for you. You might catch them looking at you often but not taking any serious action, which might leave you confused and slightly hopeful. But they won’t come to you. There is something about running out of time or/and being too late to the game. External forces are also at play here, affecting this connection and pushing it astray. You are an addiction they are trying to cleanse, but both seem to share this obsessive nature when it comes to love.

There isn’t much I can say that isn’t already known. Feelings that can’t be spoken of. They don’t and won’t allow themselves to dwell much on fantasies of you, as it is mentally, and for some even physically, painful to them. It feels as if taking a step into this connection will ruin some kind of stability in their life.

Shots, parties, pillow thoughts, night, sky without stars, the number three, Taurus, arguments, beautiful smile, furtive glances, family, religion, loud music/noises, jazz, unhealthy addictions: alcohol, drugs, junk food.

Personal thoughts: I’m sorry pile three, it might not be what you wanted to hear, but sometimes it’s better to move on. No matter how hard it is. You got a lot of lions in your reading, so if you wish to work on this connection you must be strong and resilient, your energy alone is so powerful. Yet some stuff is better left unprovoked.

I apologize, there wasn’t much I could see about this person’s feelings towards you. They are very zealous of this information, a secret they want no one to discover. Please stay safe and be healthy in your decisions. I know you have the power to sway things in your favor, pile three, so whatever you chose, proceed with caution.

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That’s it for tonight! Thank you for reading till the end. Any kind of feedback is much appreciated, and please don’t be afraid to talk to me! The more contact I have with you guys the clearer your energy feels! Stay safe, the universe loves you all <3

#pick a pile #pick a card #tarot reading #general tarot reading #love tarot reading #romance tarot reading #tarot #pick an image #intuitive reading #astrology #spirit guides reading #pick a picture

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geekgirles · 11 months

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Liar Revealed

So Marinette and Sabrina worked together to lure Lila into a false sense of security that eventually led up to her spilling everything in front of an audience she was unaware of. Now everyone knows she’s been lying about everything, she’s a horrible person, and she and Chloé are about to be expelled for good... After 7 years, the fandom finally got what it wanted.

...then why do I feel like I’ve actually wasted those 7 years of my life?

Buckle up, ‘cause this is going to be a long ride.

As someone who’s been eagerly awaiting for Lila to be exposed since Volpina, a feeling that only grew with each passing episode she’s been featured in, I honestly find this development wholly underwhelming, highly disappointing, even.

Maybe I’m too vindictive, who knows, but this in no way feels like proper comeuppance for a character who’s been maliciously manipulating everyone around her and relishing in other people’s misery since she was first introduced.

First and foremost, because having Lila accidentally reveal herself while gloating is too much of a cliché. I’ve seen people before mentioning how Lila exposing herself seemed to be the only way this could go, seeing as Marinette’s best attempts always seemed to fail. But if we ignore for a second this was actually set up by Marinette and Sabrina, with the way it’s handled it just feels like a kick in the gut, not the overwhelming catharsis I’m sure most of us were expecting.

Because, and this is actually my main problem with the execution, by having Lila expose herself by spouting a self-satisfied tirade of every single lie she’s ever told and people have believed without question as she disparages Sabrina’s attempts to take her down, saying how she could easily turn everyone against her, the narrative is actually framing Lila in the right.

When we as the audience know it shouldn’t be like that.

Lila only really upped her game in season 5 (and even then the writers still rely too much on the characters being dumbed down around her for it to work), up until then all her lies would have been easily discreditable if the writers didn’t need the class and everyone in Paris to believe her for her schemes to work!

From our perspective, Lila is nowhere near as formidable as she presents herself to be. Which, admittedly, goes in line with her consistent characterisation (about her only consistent trait aside from being hateful and a liar) that she believes and presents herself to be more special than she actually is. But the problem is no character other than Marinette, Adrien, and now Sabrina ever learnt of this fact! Maybe now that she’s exposed herself, but with the way she gloated about all her plans going off without a hitch...

Which leads us to another reason this was the worst possible execution of Lila being exposed they could have come up with:

It was a stroke of luck.

That’s it. That’s unquestionably what it was. Because hadn’t Sabrina finally grown a spine and drawn the line with the actions she was willing to commit for Chloé’s sake, Marinette would have had no way of knowing of Lila’s plan and preparing accordingly.

Really, the only positive thing I can say about it is that it could maybe count as character development for Marinette since she finally learned she needed to be as sneaky as Lila if she wanted to take her down. And there’s of course the fact that Sabrina finally broke away from Chloé. Other than that? It’s a fairly sombre scenario, really.

Because, again, Marinette didn’t manage to finally beat Lila because she had a strong support network (which would have painted a very symbolic and meaningful picture showcasing how, for all the superficial attention her lies can get her, in reality, Lila will always be alone as long as she doesn’t put in the genuine effort to reach out to others like Marinette does), but because she had outside help. Again, help she couldn’t have accounted for until Sabrina herself reached out to her.

Relating to my previous point, Marinette never got Alya to even believe her about Lila or at the very least question how genuine she was until Lila spelled it out for her. Even though she’s known her best friend is Ladybug for months, which brings forth the question if letting Alya in on Marinette’s secret ended up being even worth it if the writers refuse to have her help her out where it matters (I’ll be sure to go back to this point in a minute, just you wait).

What else? Oh, I know! How about the fact that, for a season that was supposed to be all about Adrienette winning, the writers purposely robbed us of that Adrienette vs Lila alliance we were promised back in Chameleon, huh? Because Adrien was completely left out of the plan. In fact, ever since Ladybug back in season 3, he hasn’t been allowed to do anything to help Marinette against Lila. As with the Ladynoir conflict in season 4, his relevance all but vanished even though he was a central part of the conflict from seasons 1-3.

Even better! When he finally spoke up about Lila to Nino and Alya, arguably his best friends besides Ladybug, they completely brushed his concerns off as him just agreeing with Marinette out of boyfriend obligation! I didn’t know intangible things could slap me in the face, but boy was I wrong!

And the best part? This complete disregard of his feelings, lack of communication, and their assuming they know better than him (which disturbingly parallels to his own relationship with Gabriel...) is certainly never going to be explored, let alone resolved.

What do I mean with all this?

Well, basically that for a show that’s supposed to promote the power of love, friendship, and teamwork, when it comes to Lila Marinette is all alone. Has been since Volpina.

But at least that’s done with, Lila got her just desserts, and we’re never going to have to deal with her ever again...

SIGH

Except, not really. Not at all, in fact.

Because just as she and Chloé were finally being reprimanded for their actions, Mr. Damocles had to choose that of all moments to realise he failed as a principal, attract an akuma, cause a racket, and provide Lila with the perfect distraction to just...walk away unscathed.

And with the reveal that she actually has more identities, social circles, and opportunities to lie and manipulate to fall back to after being expelled from the Françoise-Dupont...Let’s just say it implies that while Marinette (and the audience) had to endure nothing short of psychological torture, Lila never really had anything to lose.

Now I ask you...how the Hell am I supposed to consider that a satisfying, cathartic resolution to that particular arc?!?!?!?

And if you permit me, there is one more thing I’d like to get off my chest.

Alya’s reaction to this.

After learning the truth she rushes to hug Marinette and apologise, being a clear wreck about it. And while Marinette getting an apology once in a blue moon is always a welcomed thing, once again the writers aim and completely miss their shot. Because Alya apologises for being gullible.

Look, back in seasons 1 and 2, Hell, even back in season 3, I could have overlooked this. Yes, she never listened to Marinette, could be a tad hypocritical, and the whole jealous thing got old and annoying fast, but at least she couldn’t know for certain Lila was bad news. But from season 4 onwards Alya no longer has such an excuse. No, from season 4 onwards Alya’s problem isn’t that she’s gullible, it’s that she willingly and repeatedly chose to blatantly ignore all of Marinette’s suspicions and warnings regarding Lila. Even after Adrienette finally became canon and Marinette had realistically no reason to feel jealous of Lila in any way, shape or form, Alya still couldn’t fathom that, perhaps, her best friend had her reasons for disliking Lila besides a love triangle.

The moment Alya learned Marinette is Ladybug, the two should have been allowed to talk about Lila, about the real reason Marinette hates her, and to work together to overcome this issue and bring her down. How do you expect me to be okay with season 5 opening to these two having daily sleepovers to talk about Marinette’s love life, but not a single second could be spared after Illusion to have Alya question why Marinette hates her so much, if not connect the dots herself since she is Ladybug’s best friend, not Lila, and Ladybug hates her?

I’ve seen people justify this saying it’s been a long time since Lila lied about being Ladybug’s best friend, and while I’ll argue the last time it was mentioned was actually Chameleon, not Volpina, I could see your point. Except that is not just another lie, like her claiming she knows Jagged Stone or Prince Ali. No, that is the lie that started everything.

It was because Lila lied about knowing Ladybug to impress everyone, especially Adrien, that Marinette completely lost it and chewed her out for it in front of him. It’s because of that lie and the consequent reaction it got from Ladybug that Lila even developed a grudge in the first place. It’s because of that lie that Marinette ever found out about Lila being a liar, because before she first lied to Adrien about being close to Ladybug, Marinette was panicking because she had no chance against someone as incredible as her. If she hadn’t lied about knowing Ladybug, Marinette would have been as fooled by her as everyone else and the two might have never really come to blows.

So don’t tell me it was never brought up because it was so long ago and it doesn’t matter anymore, when that particular lie carries so much weight and we all know the real reason they couldn’t have Alya in Marinette’s corner is because the writers know Lila needs everyone around her to follow her blindly for her lies to work and everything to always work out in her favour because otherwise she just doesn’t work as a villain.

TL;DR: If you want a good resolution to the Lila Gets Exposed plot, pick literally any fanfic dealing with this exact premise. It’ll be better, I promise.

#miraculous ladybug #ml #mlb #ml spoilers #ml season 5 #ml season 5 spoilers #ml s5.21 #confrontation #ml salt #ml analysis #Marinette Dupain-Cheng #sabrina raincomprix #adrien agreste #lila salt #alya salt #lila rossi #alya césaire #chloé bourgeois

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honesttoglob · 5 months

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Ok so few thoughts on the Season 2 Bigtop Burger Supercut:

- Apparently the "freakazoids" that Cesare and the underworld have been keeping tabs on are Cryptids. I had suspected the freakazoids in question might be demons as Hell is taking some responsibility for them but they're cryptids??? Man, that just makes me sad, leave bigfoot alone :(((((

- One of the cryptids pictured is Flatwoods Monster, who, according to legend, is also an alien. The other two appear to be Mothman and though I'm a bit fuzzy on this one some sort of bigfoot or yeti creature. He's wearing a lil stetson hat. Did Cesare use the stetson hat trick before?

- The second still shown in the credits appears to be Munkustrap descending onto Earth on some sort of spacecraft as the Bigtop and Zomburger crews watch. They appear to be in the same positions/outfits as when Cesare whack-a-moled Steve into hell. Which is????? Idk what to make of that. Could Flatwoods Monster have some kind of alien technology that they used to contact Clown World? Are we finally gonna have Clown vs Undead War??????? I wonder how Munkustrap will react to seeing other clowns in the pink-yellow-blue spotted outfit which Tim, Penny and Billie are wearing, which seems to be a pattern which all banished clowns are exiled in. Looking forward to see how he looks now that he's aged! Also, I like that this scene implies the Zomburger and Bigtop gangs stick together! Which I want them too! SO BADLY!!!

- As @fr0stmask mentioned in a reply on this post, the spacecraft Munkustrap is seen on is actually a tire, as in the musical Cats, cats who are deemed worthy are sent up to the Heaviside Layer on a TIRE!!! Thanks for the info!

- What if the Cats performance is literal, and one clown actually gets sent "up to the heaviside layer", and that's what happened to Munkustrap and how he got the tire spacecraft. Steve got booted out via banishment and Munkustrap was chosen to ascend, but in the end they both ended up in the same place.

- Frances, Conrad and Allen look visibly upset when they realize Cesare isn't actually proposing a truce and is still up to his antagonistic bullshit.

- The image of Cesare in his weird little Cabinet of Dr. Caligari coffin makes my stomach do little back filps. We've seen Tim, Penny, Billie, Frances, Conrad, Allen, and Steve all in their own homes (For Steve it's his truck where he sleeps) but Never Cesare! Seeing him in there makes me nervous honestly because in the image, his box/cabinet has two doors on its front, with no handles inside, which suggests it closes from the outside and he's "stored" in there and deanimated (seeing as his eyes are closed and this is the only time we've seen him at rest) when not in use. This would add metaphorical meaning to Cesare's comments about being a puppet vendor, as now that's all he is- a puppet. He looks like a little doll being stored in his box. This seems to suggest something I've long suspected, that the "1000 year sentence" Cesare is being held on by the underworld may be bullshit, and he won't actually be allowed to go on retirement. Instead, this idea of his sentence one day ending is merely meant to motivate and control him, like a carrot being held in front of a horse. Could that candle shown at the end be his lifeforce? When its lit maybe he's animate, while when its snuffed out, he's a lifeless husk kept in a box.

- You think Cesare's and Steve's footie pajamas have a similar narrative role? Like to make them easily identifiable as rejects (in Steve's case) or property (in Cesare's case)? You think they're just meant to be dehumanizing or a source of shame?

- Tim was the first one to find Steve, which makes me feel fucked up that Steve still doesn't know his name and seems to mis-name him the most :(((((( Tom and Toby???????? I mean I get that my man likely has memory issues, he's very old and he hit his head very hard on the ground and he refuses to go easy on that fckng juul

- Baby Tim is so cute and handsome I'm dying

- The alley Steve emerges into in the after credits scene seems to rememble the alley with the hole in the ground that Conrad recounts Cesare getting money from. Is this because the underworld was able to track Steve's ascent through the ground to Earth's surface? Is this the same hole Cesare enters and exits the underworld from?

- Also, Steve spits out some rocks when he reaches the surface. U think that's how he started thinking of rocks as food? They just kimda got in ther and he thought "mmmnm yummy!"

- Based on the timelime and my own calcumalations, Steve landed in Sweden, creating the crater which is now known as the Siljan ring, and emerged a whole continent over in North America (at least I'm assuming the show takes place in North America. The driving wheel is on the left side, right? And everyone has American accents? (Except Tim) Is that enough?)

I have a theory that Penny reminds Steve of his own mother. Both women have the same voice actress (Lindsay Small-Butera, my beloved ;-;), and in season one, while Steve is high, once he hears Penny's voice, he shapeshifts into his child form (which I think might have been the last time he saw his mom before she dropped him off at Christian-Acting Camp) and asks her for soup. He's even in the same Little Lord Fontleroy outift. Also, at the Food Truck Expo, when Steve sees Cesare approaching him, he hides behind Penny's back. Also, they have a similar appearance in hair color and clown makeup.

- Speaking of Steve's family, in the scene where Steve is about to be shot into space, there are three clowns who stick out from the crowd. One, with a haircut resembling Steve's mother's on the right (I believe this is her), Munkustrap in the center (at least I believe this is him, their hair and faces are similar) and a male figure on the left. I believe this figure on the left is Steve's father, and Munkustrap is either Steve's brother or past love interest (I think him being his brother is more realistic because him being Steve's love interest and sending him into space is I think too dark even for this show).

- I think the clown actors in Cats may only refer to eachother by their character names. Munkustrap is given no other name, and Steve being stripped of his name as "Old Deut" is seen as a big deal.

- I noticed whenever male clowns get old, their hair develops into sort of a tonsure style with a little dollop of hair sitting right in the middle of their bald spot. Peanut has this, along with Steve's father, and Steve is also developing this as well, based on the wicked widow's peak he has whenever his hat is off.

- bro I wanna see Cesare and Munkustrap interact so bad. What if they get jealous of eachother like, "No! I'm the only emo twink that gets to make Steve's life a living hell, who the fck are you???"

- I want them. To fight lol

- Cat fight!!!!!

- I may be stretching with this one but Munkustrap and Cesare just look kinda visually similar to me? At least with the black onesie and the dark unkempt hair. You think there's a reason for that? Or is it more metaphorical, as in these are just two people who have an impact on Steve's life in that they do their best to not let him fit in with the general society?

- In the still of Munkustrap descending from the sky, Conrad is build like a brick shit house frfr

Just needed to get these thoughts out of my head so they don't weigh down on my humors and make me bad at art and work and remembering to eat food and sleep and bathe and breathe for the next however many months it is before another episode O-O

#bigtop burger #worthikids #btb #btb steve #btb cesare

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trincketbox · 6 months

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Jason Todd as a Trans (ftm) allegory

Written by me, a trans man

[this edit was made by me, original picture it's Dan Mora's sketch]

TW gender disphoria, (implied) transphobia.

Im not saying his story was written with this perspective in mind, Im saying *death of the author (*the reinterpretation of artistic creations by the public both as a community and aa individuals, and how this goes far beyond the creator's original message on mind) is a very real thing.

This narrative resonated with me, a trans man, and my experience as such. Maybe out there is another transmasc person who caught themselves invested in this character the same way as I, and maybe they'll read this post and be happy to found out they're not alone on these feelings.

Without further addue, let's begin.

The second Robin, and the feeling of not fitting

Every trans person first memory of perceiving oneself as somehow different (and how) it's particular to each.

Some realize pretty young, some older. Some always have this lingering feeling of not belonging but become conscious of it later in life.

This feeling its present trough all of Jason's life. First, when he first arrives at the Manor. Later, when he starts operating as Robin. Then when Tim "replaces him", and so on.

Usually labelled as the black lamb of the family.

Tragedy is always, first, born off love

Jason's death and resurrection is written as a tragedy (no shit, Sherlock). But there, to be a tragedy, there has to be hope first. There has to be love.

Now, this varies from version to version, but a general consence is that Jason Todd was loved by Bruce Wayne, regardless of how much their relationship might change and twist on the future; Jason Todd was a good kid, regardless of how he might be portrayed as recless. He was a traumatized, angry kid who wanted to make things better. Who wished for bad guys to not hurt people anymore. Who wished to change the system for better, and took the matter on his own hands both as a child and as a young adult.

This

This right here

Was a loved, brave, bold, sensitive, mischievous, smart child who would latter come back like this:

Demanding justice, demanding damnation for al the pain he went through, demanding retaliation to the monster that set him off this world.

And all these requests fell to the ears of Bruce Wayne, Batman. The man who took him in as a scared, bold litte child that beated him in the cold of the night in the alley where his parents died. He stole his car tires, he's a child and he stole his car tires and he made Batman laugh.

That Perception doesn't change with his rise from the dead.

What changes is Bruce's view of him now.

Now, this depends on the writer, but on the start of Jason's "coming back to Gotham to fight Bruce" arc, there is the accusation of him coming back wrong.

Of him being better before

Of something being wrong with him since the start.

The implications of his physical change as wrong in comparation to his younger self.

I find Jason's body dismorphia due to The Lazarus Pit™ very interesting,but in this case Im not referring to it as a comparation with body disphoria (even through, he does get the feeling of your body changing in ways out of your control and the trauma that surrounds it).

Im talking about Bruce's view on all of this.

Luckily, if you're trans and had supportive parents, you won't know these things by first hand experience, but many, many people do.

And Jason gets it.

Jason Todd its womanhood™ coded

This is, partially, one of th main reasons why his fanbase consists on a large part of fangirls.

Repressed rage upon the injustices you go through all your life, and once the last drop falls, said rage is weaponized. Seen as dirty, as over the top, as dangerous.

Your older self being compared to your younger self, being asked (directly or indirectly) where that sweet child™ went.

Being striped away from your body autonomy (murder, torture, resurrection against his will, whatever is going on in Batman Gotham War).

Being labeled as the most sensitive. Sometimes in a good light, sometimes not.

The burning weight of still loving parental figures that hurted you.

Topping it all, it's implied through many instances he's a feminist (yes, Im aware this is also heavily influenced by fanon interpretations of the character, but you can't deny it's still heavily implied).

All of these issues almost universal (however not exclusive) to AFAB people life experience.

There is this recognition in these wounds. "He gets it", you feel, he gets it.

He gets it in a similar way transmasc individual have an undeniable insight of these issues. He gets it in a way that feels genuine, familiar, personal.

Lastly but nor least important,

He gives me gender™ vibes. That's it, that's the argument

Over all, Jason Todd its a multifaceted, complex character. He's morally grey, his temperament ranging and mutating with each reinterpretation. Some core issues stick, others don't.

I do not hold the one and only right interpretation of this character.

We can al agree, nevertheless, that even through he's not canonically trans,

Jason todd would be a great trans ally, fighting by our side, in name of our rights, our pain but also our pride.

For that's what heroes do.

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canonicallyobserving911 · 6 months

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Buck & Eddie: Buck saw their future and Eddie prepared them for it!

(I created GIFs for this post but every time I posted it, Tumblr wouldn’t allow it to show up on the dashboard or in the tags🙄. I’ve been trying to post this for three weeks but since I couldn’t with the GIFs, I’ve included the video from 2x8 instead.)

In 2x8 "Buck Actually", Buck saw how his and Eddie's future could be when he looked at the pictures of Thomas and Mitchell while they were on the scene of Mitchell's accident. Reminder, he was the only one who looked at the photos Thomas dropped on the ground when he rushed over to help Mitchell after their SUV crushed him in between the vehicle and the fence. Several photos fell out of the album he was planning to take with them that day. Therefore, Buck saw how his and Eddie's future could be from start to finish.

The top of the photo album's cover read: "Love, Life and Adventures" and it also had a picture of Thomas' and Mitchell's first date on one side and a picture from their wedding day on the other. After he finished his conversation with Thomas, Buck saw their entire life including all the moments they shared together as a couple when he picked up each of the photos. Then he looked over his shoulder at Thomas right before he died.

Eddie and Bobby were both there with Buck while he performed chest compressions on Thomas.

Even though Eddie didn't see the pictures, he did see how distraught Buck was after Thomas died and he saw Thomas holding Mitchell's hand, actually they both saw it and he touched Buck's shoulder to comfort him. He also heard Buck say, "That's Love!" and after he said it, he looked at Eddie not Bobby!

Not long after Buck saw a glimpse of their future via the photos that he picked up that showed him Thomas' and Mitchell's life together, Eddie started preparing for them to spend forever together in season 3 after he had been trapped in the well in 3x15 "Eddie Begins". Reminder, he changed his will right after he emerged and he named Buck to be Chris' legal guardian.

Also, it happened right before Buck met Red in 3x16 “The One that Got Away” and Red was the one who told Buck not to neglect having a life of his own. This was the same episode that Buck was afraid of being left behind but the narrative showed he wouldn’t be since Eddie had already prepared for their future. Buck was panicking about dying alone and everyone at the 118 leaving him like the people who worked with Red left him behind but Eddie was the ONLY one who said, "Anyway, that won't happen to US!" and Buck said, "It better not!" They were looking right at each other while they were talking and the camera remained on them instead of it being turned back to show the rest of the 118.

Eddie didn't tell Buck about his will until one year later in 4x14 "Survivors" after he had been shot by a sniper.

Here are more instances that illustrate the parallels regarding Buck and Eddie's future to the pictures Buck saw of Thomas and Mitchell.

Buck did chest compressions on Thomas in 2x8 (see above) and he did them again on Lev in 6x2 "Crash and Learn" but in 6x2, Eddie was working on Lev's friends and he wasn't there by Buck's side like he had been in 2x8. Eddie being separated from Buck could signify the fact that Buck had to take his journey alone during season 6 while Eddie waited for him to finally "get it", meaning Buck had to get the fact that Eddie's been waiting for him.

Reminder, right before Lev died, he said "I think I get it now".

A few months later, in 6x10 "In a Flash", Eddie did chest compressions on Buck after he was struck by lightning and HE WAS THE ONE WHO RESTARTED BUCK'S HEART EVEN THOUGH CHIMNEY HAD BEEN DOING COMPRESSIONS ON BUCK FOR MORE THAN THREE MINUTES.

The last 17 seconds was ALL EDDIE and he's the one who brought Buck back to life. He corrected Chief Williams after she said Buck was dead for three minutes when he interjected and replied, "Three minutes and seventeen seconds".

This show is so unhinged it's ridiculous but there are two questions that plague season 7.

Will 9-1-1 continue the original narrative they started in season 2 that has continuously illustrated BUCK'S & EDDIE'S EPIC LOVE STORY in season 7 and make them a CANON COUPLE?

Or will they stay on that redundant BS with Buck and Eddie dating one dimensional women like they did in seasons 4-5?

Only the showrunner(s), writers and producers know the answer to that question but hopefully they'll finally let them be together so they can be happy!

#buddie #eddie diaz #evan buckley #christopher diaz #the buckley diaz family #buckley diaz family #911 on abc #911 abc #911 meta #911 season 7 speculation #911 season 6 speculation

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tbhimnoteasyonmyself · 2 months

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On Tee's Lonely Grief

I've seen people talk about New's and Phee's grief, Pimpa's grief but the gang has never been considered that much on account of their guilt. This episode, however, brings attention to that. Especially in Tee's case. Especially in the scene when he finds Non dead.

And I have to say, I fucking love this scene. So I'm here to tell you why.

PS: For the sake of this post, unlike what's normally my policy, the pictures used will not be edited in any way, shape or form unless stated otherwise. I think it would be taking creative liberties with the photography and it would diminish the validity of my analysis.

So:

Tee finds Non's body upstairs with his uncle's goons (dressed in entirely black outfits which obviously invoke death) very suspiciously looming over it.

So he does what capable and strong Tee, who has to support himself and his father and his uncle's business and now Non (as we saw very clearly this episode) would do: He lashes out. He demands answers. He threatens people. Because that's how he learned to solve his issues.

Yet he gets mostly silence. Arguably, the same exact silence he initially offers the 2 other people grieving Non this episode: New & Phee.

And so he argues with his uncle, makes accusations, mirrors New in the present moment so well it's uncanny.

And then he's alone. Everyone leaves, including Non's body. And now there's no one to perform that idea of a strong ruthless guy to. Now it's just Tee. And the contrast between the act of Tee and Tee is remarkable: one moment he's cold, and the other moment he's completely broken.

So he screams, at the top of his lungs, which is interesting. Because we do see Tee cry but not much. Tee's just not a person who cries. Which, besides being very relatable, is also terrible. Why? Because crying relieves you. It helps you cope, it releases the tension from you, at least a bit. Tee not crying here means this (Non dying), unlike the guilt of what happened before with him and the gang bullying Non

(something he is allowed to shed at least a single poetic tear about) Is a burden he can't be relieved of. At least, not at that moment.

So we watch as Tee screams helplessly. And the environment is so telling. GOD, I FUCKING LOVE THIS SHOW

There's an empty space. Virtually nothing is there with Tee. Because, of course, he's alone in the room, we know this, but he's also alone.

No one else knows this story like Tee does. No one else has been with Non when he was a creative student trying to make a film, when there was life to him in all senses of the word and also saw his dead, lifeless body. No one else has been the cause for both Non's problems and Non's death. No one has liked Non as a friend and cared for him and watched him die without being able to do anything about it. No one in Tee's life knows what he's going through, what it feels like. No one in Tee's life is able to share his grief. And he can't escape it either.

You see that weird ass mirror there? Why is it there? There are curtains around it. But it's not a window. That's odd. But while it makes no sense decoration/architectural-wise, it makes so much sense from the point of view of symbolism.

There's no escape. Even when it really feels like there should be. Because Tee, the guy with all the solutions, should be able to find a solution, shouldn't he? Besides... We come to care so much for him and for Non... So how come there's no solution? Because, we, like these teens do to adults, naively trust the narrative. Of course, there's no solution. We all knew this from the start. We're only here because of this: Non is dead.

So, instead of a way out, a hope for something better than what's going on in that room, we get just more of it. Tee and we alike, have no escape. We're both forced to face that scene, forced to accept it. And Tee, if he dares look for that way out, will only have to face himself.

But interestingly, he never does. Tee never looks at the mirror on the wall. He doesn't even acknowledge it. Which, of course, might be a reflection (pun intended) of how he tries to pass the blame of Non's death to his uncle.

He repeatedly claims he didn't know what would happen, that he wouldn't have brought Non back if he did but... Is that true? As Perth's character (BOMBASTIC SIDE EYE, btw) says:

"You already knew, right?" Because, let's face it, it was obvious. Things could only go poorly for Non if Uncle Joe got his claws on him. Tee had to know that wouldn't end well.

So this scene also tells us that, despite deep down his immense amount of guilt telling him he is guilty of Non's death, Tee doesn't want to acknowledge it. He maintains that position, in fact, nearly all the way until the end of episode Ep.11. where he slightly changes his narrative.

He never planned to.

Right now, he's a new person. One that would not make the same mistakes as in the past but that, despite the changes, is inevitably the one who somewhere in the past did make them.

But back to the scene.

Tee is framed right in front of the blueish-grey curtains and we all know what that means, I do not need to cite the ancient scrolls. But I wanna add that grey is also:

a colour associated with sadness;

seen as a colour of death, as it is literally in greyscale, hence colourless, lifeless AND because it can also be interpreted as a mix of white and black, both of which are mourning clothes colours, depending on the culture;

a reflection of Tee's grey morality because, naturally, while we understand Tee's motivations and background, he did some pretty fucked up things that his good intentions and unhelpful help attempts cannot erase.

And then Tee finds a small paper, written by Non (in vivid blue, properly highlighting not only Non's depression but also Tee's).

And the paper reads: "I'm gonna get out of this place. I'm not a loser." And it hits him even further because Non (at least in Tee's vision, I'll leave Non's death up for debate, I'm sure people will have theories) wanted so bad to be victorious once, to succeed just once. He wanted to get a chance to live normally and it didn't happen.

This, of course, ends up shaping Tee's own path, as he meets White and gets a chance to do things "right" and as he becomes this "new person" and gets away from his uncle. But, in that moment, none of that is relevant because it hasn't happened and Tee cannot know it will, he can only know, with written proof, that he failed. And now Non's dead.

And so, in the last part of this scene, we see a more zoomed-out shot. And Tee's still alone but now we have a more clear vision of just how tiny that space is. And how he's nearly taller than the frame. How his grief is bigger than the space in which it was brought to him. But also how the weight of it, represented by the walls, is nearly crushing him. Another gigantic, and perhaps the biggest of all, responsibility on Tee's shoulders.

Furthermore, as @shannankle has marvellously described and explained in this post about sex scene framing, the framing gives us a level 3 visual gaze which is used to remind us as the audience of just how intimate and profoundly shaping of Tee this moment is: we are not supposed to be here, this moment is Tee's and Tee's alone. Because, of course, he is alone. In all senses. The access we're getting is nearly forbidden. Even to the other characters. Because they don't get to see it, they only hear about it (or we assume they do).

And, to top it all off, the cherry on top of this great scene: all of this happens while Tee is wearing his school uniform. Because, of course, it had to. Because we need to be reminded: this is a teenager. Tee, who's mourning his dead friend whose corpse he just saw and whose death is largely his fault is just a teenager.

#So yes #I might hate that Phee is apparently omniscient #but BY THE UNIVERSE AND ALL OF US IN IT #do I LOVE the care and thought put into the details of this story!!!#it's so good!!#dff #dff the series #dead friend forever the series #dead friend forever #dff meta #dead friend forever meta #dead friend forever ther series meta #dff the series meta #dff tee #tee dff #dead friend forever tee #tee dead friend forever #dff the series tee #tee dff the series

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antianakin · 6 months

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Didn’t get a picture but I saw someone on the internet claiming that

a. Ahsoka, unlike Obi-Wan, was actually good enough at combat to defeat Anakin properly at Mustafar and should have gone instead. (and just that she’s the best at combat out of all the Jedi or something along those lines) b. because of her training and goddess-ness it means she’s the Most Powerful Jedi now. I feel like your blog is a good safe space to express my complete annoyance with everything going on here. why. Why. I am so tired of this (and all the anti-Jedi people in the fandom as well.)

and also, I love all your analyses on Star Wars and they always brighten my day! Thank you!

Lollllll this is a VERY safe space to express annoyance at these takes.

For one, Ahsoka literally DOES go up against Anakin and she FAILS. Anakin punts her off the side of a cliff (it's technically a battlestation but they're very high up so whatever, I'm calling it a cliff) and she only manages to snag off a piece of his mask because she runs up behind him while he's distracted with Kanan and Ezra rather than because she's genuinely able to overpower him through skill alone. She gets LUCKY.

People seem to forget that Ahsoka does NOT recognize that he's Anakin for the beginning part of that fight on Malachor. Like technically, deep down, she probably DOES know, but she's convinced herself it isn't true and Anakin confirms that at the beginning by saying he's the one who destroyed Anakin, so Ahsoka can just... go at him with everything she's got with zero conflict at all. There is literally NOTHING holding her back here, this is Ahsoka at FULL FORCE and she fails pretty epically.

She doesn't really do any better once she DOES know it's Anakin because she's immediately refusing to go on the offensive at all, she's JUST defensive because she doesn't WANT to kill Anakin. And more than that, she REFUSES to kill Anakin. She feels guilty for what's happened to him because she's decided that it's her fault for having left him behind. That's the whole arc she's gone on in Rebels, it's why her line to him once she can't deny that it's Anakin anymore is "I won't leave you. Not this time." That's not the kind of thing you say to someone you're prepared to defeat and/or kill. Ahsoka is prepared to DIE here because she'd rather die than abandon Anakin a second time and killing him would ABSOLUTELY be counted in that category for Ahsoka.

So not only is she just not competent enough to have beaten Anakin, I don't think it's reasonable to argue she would've even WANTED to. If Ahsoka had been on Mustafar, Anakin probably would've killed her, and then he would've been able to capture Padme and the twins and who knows what he would've done if he'd been able to do that.

And even within the Ahsoka show, she goes up against Baylan more than once and loses EACH TIME. Baylan literally tells her that she CAN'T beat him. She just isn't good enough. And this is a FILONI-RUN SHOW, there are zero other writers on this show, so if Baylan is telling Ahsoka that she isn't good enough to beat him, then presumably Filoni himself believes that that's true, at least for now. I imagine that she WILL beat him eventually, but it may end up similar to her win in season 1 where she's relying on distractions from other people or assistance or something. Who knows. But either way, she can't even beat a regular Jedi like Baylan, so how the fuck is she supposed to have beaten a major powerhouse like ANAKIN when he would've been hell bent on her death and destruction?

Obi-Wan DOES defeat Anakin properly on Mustafar, he just can't full-on kill him because the narrative sort-of requires Anakin to survive. He does LEAVE Anakin to die, though, and if Yoda had succeeded against Palpatine, Anakin WOULD'VE died. Obi-Wan CHOPS OFF THREE OF ANAKIN'S LIMBS AND LEAVES ANAKIN TO BURN ALIVE, I'm not sure how much more properly defeated it is possible to get.

Also, the reason Obi-Wan defeats Anakin is almost never due to power levels. It's a combination of being centered/balanced in the Force and knowing Anakin so well that he can predict his moves extremely well. His win in ROTS on Mustafar isn't because Obi-Wan happened to be more powerful than Anakin, he's not. He just is aware enough of his surroundings to take advantage of an opportunity when he sees it and lasts long enough to be able to find it. The stunt choreographers also have explicitly stated that they intentionally choreographed this fight sequence with Obi-Wan consistently GIVING GROUND to Anakin in an attempt to give Anakin time to calm down and come to his senses. So not only is he just good enough to take advantage of an opportunity when he sees it, he's good enough to hold BACK for a while and still live through the fight. And if he's explicitly holding back in the fight, it means that there's even more power he could've been exerting and it's entirely possible that he might've been able to end the entire fight much earlier had he chosen to do so. There's never any kind of indication that that's true for Ahsoka during her one fight against him. She doesn't let herself get tossed off a cliff on purpose lol.

And of course in the Kenobi show, Obi-Wan wins in the flashback scene due to being SMARTER, not more powerful. In the final confrontation he wins because he's more BALANCED and is more willing to put everything he's got into his attacks and changes up his fighting style so he can take Anakin by surprise, so when he slashes off a piece of his helmet, it's not just because Anakin was distracted, it's because Obi-Wan genuinely fought Anakin down enough to make that hit.

Obi-Wan might genuinely be the ONLY person who could go up against Anakin and WIN by the time you get to the Rebellion era. And it isn't because he's more powerful than anybody else, he just happens to have an advantage against this particular opponent which means that the disparity in power-levels is canceled out by Obi-Wan's knowledge of Anakin and the fact that he is just straight up smarter in a fight than Anakin is.

Ahsoka, by contrast, was taught by a dude who tends to rely on brute force to win his fights, and so that's often ALSO how we see her win her own fights. Most of the fights we see her winning are against opponents who are far weaker than she is, like Inquisitors or Mandalorians. Occasionally she fights someone like Maul and has to be a little smarter about it, but most of her major victories are against weaker opponents. She's a brute force fighter, not a smart fighter most of the time, because she CAN be. But she's not more powerful than ANAKIN, and she'll never be able to brute force her way through a fight with him, and she's not smart enough to outwit him, even if she WAS willing to hurt/kill him.

I'm not sure what "training" this person might've been referring to, either, because Ahsoka gets 1.5-2 years of official Padawan training MAXIMUM and some of that would've been Anakin's bullshit blaster blocking training which isn't exactly going to help Ahsoka against ANAKIN HIMSELF. As for the goddess thing, while it's definitely sort-of in there and implied, it's not technically confirmed and so far nothing has really been shown about it that makes her exponentially more powerful than anyone else. She has to flee a fight against Baylan, she'd have died fighting Morgan and the zombies if Sabine hadn't stayed behind to help her, she'd have died on Malachor if Ezra hadn't jumped in to help her, etc. She doesn't seem to have any super special goddess powers that we've seen so far, so it seems a little early to be counting that in her power levels.

Not to mention that in the "Most Powerful Jedi Alive During the Mandoverse" competition, she doesn't have a shit load of competitors she's up against here. The only other options to compare her against that are currently confirmed to be alive post-ROTJ are Luke, Leia, and Grogu. All three of them are shown to be pretty powerful in the Force, but Leia likely isn't super well-trained and Grogu is still a child, and therefore it doesn't seem fair to compare them to Ahsoka at this point. But Luke? I have a hard time believing Ahsoka is MORE powerful than Luke. Close, perhaps, we know she IS supposed to be fairly powerful in general, it's why she was able to be a Padawan so early, but possibly not MORE powerful.

And power alone does not actually guarantee a victory. She could be more powerful than Baylan, but if he's a better fighter, he'll still beat her. As shown with Obi-Wan and Anakin, power alone won't win a battle if your opponent is smart enough to simply outwit you. Obi-Wan can beat Anakin, and Baylan can beat Ahsoka. Ahsoka can be an extremely powerful Force user and still not be able to beat someone with better training than her.

I'll also note at the end here that Ahsoka isn't even canonically a Jedi at this point. She's never once claimed to be in the Ahsoka show and she explicitly says she isn't one in Rebels. She makes comments about how there's more to being a Jedi than using a lightsaber, but that isn't confirmation that she CONSIDERS herself a Jedi or that she'd call herself a Jedi. So she can't be the most powerful Jedi if she's not a Jedi at all. Same goes for Baylan, Grogu, and Leia.

Which leaves us back at Luke as the most powerful Jedi in existence within the timeline of the Ahsoka show because out of all of our options, Luke is the single person alive willing to actually identify as a fucking Jedi.

#star wars #ahsoka tano #ahsoka critical #ahsoka tano critical #obi-wan kenobi #luke skywalker #rebels #ahsoka show #star wars rebels #anakin skywalker

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