#which i actually think would add to his World-Changing Anger

[borealalice]

Valentino finds him crouched against the wall of the motorhome that they share with Honda on the other side, still seething with white hot rage after yelling at Márquez. Screaming at him had done nothing to get the anger out of his system, and then he’d heard Marc telling the press he wasn’t even going to bother discussing Marco’s outburst, and now he’s trying very hard to calm down before he goes to congratulate Pecco. His brother doesn’t deserve that kind of negativity, and right now, Marco wants to kill somebody.

Vale crouches in front of him, one of his big hands finding the curls on the back of Marco’s head. “Ben detto” he murmurs softly. “It’s not your fault, he clearly hasn’t changed at all.”

Marco scrapes his hands over his face, wincing at his nose. “He didn’t even react when I screamed at him. Just stared, and then told someone else to remove me from his motorhome.” His fists clench. “And then he says he’s not going to waste time discussing me! Figlio de puttana!”

Vale ruffles his hair. “I’ve been telling you, he’s a crazy motherfucker. He’ll never learn.”

“Hey!” A voice he doesn’t recognize rings out on the other side of the wall.

“Hey, man, ¿qué pasa?.” That one, he’d know anywhere.

“Classy move out there today, completely sidestepping the questions.” It’s not a driver. Someone from the Honda team, probably.

Márquez snorts. “Bezzecchi is what, 23?” He must be changing out of his leathers. They’ve clearly not realised that there’s someone left on the motorhome next door, because they’re making no effort to lower their voices to avoid being heard through the paper-thin walls.

“24, I think.” Says the other voice. He’s almost 25, actually. He rolls his eyes at Vale. What does it matter that he’s young? He has half a mind to go back in there and yell at him some more. Fuck him. Youth does not mean he’s not legitimate competition, or a good driver.

“Eh, still barely an adult.” Márquez again. “Everybody is a fucking idiot in their twenties, but I’m no longer in my twenties. I know how this circus works now, and what would happen if I said anything personal about him to the press. I don’t mind giving my opinion on what he’s done on the race, or what I think he’s done on the race, but anything beyond that is a no, even if he’s a dickhead.” He pauses. Then adds, softer. “Actually, I don’t think he’s a dickhead. He’s just young, and we have both heard everything he said today before, and we both know they’re not his words. I can’t fault the kid for following a god blindly, I used to do it too.”

The world tilts three degrees on its axis. Valentino’s face goes white as a sheet.

“Look at you. Is this what maturity looks like?”

Márquez’s laugh sounds bitter. “I already said it in my documentary, but I don’t wish what Valentino put me through at 22 on anybody. 22 is a stupid age. You think you’re immortal, but you also think you’ll die if you don’t win this championship. Or not die, but the team will drop you if you stop performing, which is just as bad. There’s always someone behind you waiting to get on your bike, if you can’t stay on it. Your body can recover from almost everything, but the press and the team are already counting down the seconds until it gives out. It's an environment where it’s almost impossible to make good decisions, especially in the middle of a race where you’re going 300km/h, your only thought is that you have to be 1st, and you have 2 milliseconds to see and react to anything.” Something opens on the other side of the wall.

“You must still be angry at him. Especially after everything you heard today.”

There’s no need to clarify who “him” is. It’s clearly not Marco.

Something closes. “I’m not even angry anymore, more like. Disappointed? Disappointed with Valentino, because he was supposed to be my friend but he thought badly enough of me to believe that I’d do all those things he accused me of. Didn’t even let me explain. But also disappointed in myself, because it really is the worst feeling when you are just being yourself and your idol, friend, favourite person” - Marco can’t look at Valentino - “in the world publicly says that makes you a danger for everyone and poison for the sport you have dedicated your life to. And suddenly everybody despises you. You don’t just shrug something like that off, no matter how hard I’ve tried to pretend I have.”

There’s a metallic thunk, like someone dropping a bag on a bench.

“I can only be myself. I’ve never learned to be any other way, and I will never play mind games. I want to keep winning until I physically can’t anymore, and then retire and be done with all of this.”

“Are you going to set up your own training academy?” Suggests the other man, timidly.

There’s a meaningful pause.

“I don’t know if you’ve seen the documentary, but only two drivers came to see me before I got the surgery. A surgery that involved re-breaking my arm on several points and rotating the bone. There was a chance I might never come back to motogp, and most people didn’t care, not even my own teammate. And even younger drivers like Bezzecchi clearly believe everything that has been said of me, after all these years and after riding with me. I don’t think I will have any kind of legacy other than a number of championships and a bad reputation for my riding style. And a lot of scars and metal in my body. I don't think mentoring will ever be a possibility. I don’t think I want to teach anyone how to ride like me, when this is what it gets you.”

Marco can feel his own face drain of blood. There’s no emotion to Márquez's voice. He’s clearly thought this over plenty. It sounds practised, rehearsed, and utterly sincere.

“You still said very nice things about Rossi in a recent video, even after all of this.” 

“I told the truth.” Comes Márquez’s response. “They ask what I think about him as a driver, and that has never changed. He’s the best. Always the best.”

He sounds as certain as anything. The sky is blue, the sun is yellow, and Valentino Rossi is still the best ever MotoGP driver in Marc Márquez’s world.

Valentino’s face is doing something so raw that Marco feels filthy when he hazards a look. He averts his eyes again. 

“As I said, I’m not even mad. I would be happy if he decided to stop hating me one of these days. I still like Valentino. I think what he’s done with the academy is great, the way he’s basically adopted those kids. I try not to think much about him other than that.”

He sounds wistful, Marco realises, like part of him wishes he could have been one more of them at the ranch. Like part of him envies that they got that with Vale.

“Except when one of said kids goes to your motorhome to yell at you.”

Marc snorts again. “Hm, maybe he should have taught them better manners, that’s true. But he’s Valentino Rossi. We wouldn’t like him half as much if he had manners.” And with that, the voices finally fade, Márquez clearly done changing. And then it’s just him and Valentino, still crouched on the floor on the other side of the wall.

Valentino looks ill. Properly green, and Marco understands, because he’s feeling queasy himself when he thinks of everything he’d yelled at Marc only hours earlier, everything he has said about him loud enough for everyone to hear. 

Valentino has approximately eight years of that.

God help them both.

#I have been on my Rosquez feelings so I had to engineer a situation where Valentino has no choice but to confront his sins head on #and then grapple with the realization of how much irreparable damage he’s dealt Marc #marc/vale #rosquez #realistically would Marc ever bare himself like this? Absolutely not #but let’s pretend that Bezz yelling at him in Valencia caused a weak moment and the jagged edge was visible for a millisecond

[jackiestarsister]

There is a musical about ADHD

Since apparently it’s ADHD Awareness Month, I thought I’d share something I wrote recently: my reaction to discovering the musical adaptation of The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan.

I read The Lightning Thief as a young teen, though not the rest of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. I’m now revisiting the series because this summer, I came across the musical soundtrack on Spotify, and then found recordings of productions on YouTube.

With music and lyrics by Rob Rokicki and a book by Joe Tracz, The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical is impressively faithful to the source material. Even with some changes from page to stage, the storytelling quality is fantastic (much better than the movies!). But what really surprised and impressed me was how much it resonated with me as someone who has ADD. Altogether, the musical feels like an allegory for the neurodivergent experience.

In the book, there are scattered references to ADHD and the kinds of symptoms it manifests—impulsiveness, procrastination, time blindness (demonstrated quite literally by the lotus-eaters). But the show delves much deeper into the emotional life of a person who has a learning disability or mental disorder: alienation, anger, resentment, self-blame, low self-esteem. The music matches these emotions, often angsty and sometimes harsh. The overall tone of the show is chaotic, which is how our brains and our lives can feel. The lyrics of some songs may sound like a lot of whining, but imagine the kind of real-life thought spiral that that represents. (Then imagine being frustrated with yourself after realizing how much time you just wasted on that worrying.)

What’s cool is that in the story, conditions like ADHD and dyslexia are explained to be characteristics of the demigods, because their minds are hardwired for ancient Greek, and their bodies have instincts and reflexes that would keep them alive in battle. In a very real way, the things that make them different—the things that Percy initially thinks are causing his problems and holding him back in life—turn out to be their greatest assets. That’s an empowering idea, and expressing it through music makes it even more powerful!

It's also good to see that the characters with ADHD are not stereotyped. The same condition can look different in different people, due to a variety of factors--how they are wired, the individual’s response to having it, and the kind of environment they are in. Contrast Percy, who is put through tough schools and labeled as a delinquent, and Annabeth, who trains at a camp for kids like her and is a complete perfectionist. We have different personalities, we develop different kinds of coping mechanisms, and we go on different journeys of learning to function in a world that was not designed for minds like ours.

Honestly, it feels like Percy and the other half-bloods could be speaking for all neurodivergent people. The encouragement of “Strong,” the anger and despondency of “Good Kid,” the longing for recognition and approval in “My Grand Plan,” the acceptance and conviction in “Son of Poseidon,” and the determination of “Bring on the Monsters” all ring true. Finding people with experiences like yours can feel like finding a new family and home. And Percy’s indecision in “Last Day of Summer” describes the kind of dilemma I've faced at different points in my life: whether to stay in an environment that is easier to function in, or venture into the world where we’ll have to face challenges.

You can find the soundtrack on YouTube or on Spotify. I strongly recommend seeing or listening to the musical if you or anyone you care about has AD(H)D, dyslexia, or other mental disorders or disabilities (or whatever the medically/socially acceptable terminology is now).

Even as an adult, the idea that qualities we consider weaknesses and deficits can actually be strengths is really encouraging and inspiring.

#Percy Jackson #Percy Jackson and the Olympians #The Lightning Thief #The Lightning Thief musical #musical theatre #ADHD #ADD #Attention Deficit Disorder #Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder #neurodivergent #half-bloods #Annabeth Chase #Rick Riordan #ADHD Awareness #ADHD Awareness Month #neurodiversity #neurodiverse art #neurodivergence #allegory #Greek mythology

[alexanderlightweight]

I'm in love with your Lilith is Alecs mother AU!

Do you mind sharing anymore of this fic?

What are your thoughts/head cannon for this universe?

Thank you for all or your hard work and for sharing your work with us!

here is some more from desecration of souls which is mama!lilith obsessively raising her kid

i hope you enjoy and i'm glad you like it <3

lumine

-

“Alec,” Maryse calls like she has for the last fifteen minutes and for a moment, she thinks she sees him but then the shadows move and he’s not there, just another empty corner. It’s with annoyance that Maryse walks away, her heels clicking and tapping, and she tries not to let her anger get the best of her, or her worry.

It would be one thing if this rarely happened, but Alec is a strange and silent child, who listens obediently but who watches more closely and quietly that Maryse thought a child could. It was useful, at first, when Maryse needed to spend as much time on Valentine’s orders as possible.  But here, in New York, now that she’s from under Valentine’s thumb and struggling to regain honor for the name she wears, she has time to be a mother and she hates how hard it is.

Alec is more difficult to find than a shape-shifting demon, sticking close to the shadows and rarely smiles. Oh, he’ll smile to himself and sometimes he’ll play with Izzy and Maryse will see hints of the child he is, but more and more those moments are lost to her. The smile gone before she looks and Alec’s eyes are cold as they watch her, as if she’s unfamiliar and a threat.

It’s unnerving, to be looked at by her own heir and Maryse ignores the whispers of her own instincts telling her that something is wrong and pushes him harder, speaks to him more firmly when she does see him.

And Alec never complains, he never starts fight or argues with her, but he never stops watching her and for some reason, it scares Maryse more.

—

Alec struggles to bring the flowers together in a crown and he pouts when it falls apart.

“Mama, your crown broke.” He complains to the darkness of his room, secure in the knowledge that his mother is always listening to him, always watching him.

In an instant, a body made of willowy shadows forms and shifting shadows cup his face. Alec tilts his head up and smiles at the faceless shadows that make up his real mother and he sighs as her possessive magic covers him in a soul-deep hug.

“My sweet little prince, always so good for me.” Mama croons and her hands pet through his hair and Alec sighs in delight, leaning into the touch with an eagerness that he only shows around his mother. 

“Mama, I miss you.” He admits it and instead of scolding him, his mother makes a sound as if she’s been lanced and the darkness of her form pulls him even closer to the darkness.

“Precious child, I miss you. So very much, my little prince. It won’t be forever though, I’m still here. When you are older, we’ll find a way.” Mama reminds him and Alec nods and clutches the shifting sands of her dress and wishes that he could just be swept away by his mama.

“Love you mama.” He promises, because he does and there is no one in the entire world that he loves as much as his mother.

—

“Mama, I don’t want to marry a girl when I grow up.” Alec tells her, his nose wrinkled as he’s going over a book of runes. Lilith has been helpfully reminding him of some that have been lost to time and Lilith pauses at this change in subject.

“You don’t ever need to get married.” Lilith says, because she hardly needs Alec thinking he needs to go out and get engaged at a young age like others of his kind.

“I don’t want to marry a girl.” Alec repeats and he’s watching her with something suspicious in his eyes.

“Good.” Lilith says, when she finally realizes what he means. She’ll be the only woman of actual importance in her son’s life and considering Lilith has had to share him with Maryse and Isabelle. “I’ll find you a decent warlock or seelie, when you’re old enough.” She adds, because that should give her a few centuries to properly coddle Alec once she has him away from his mortal ties.

Alec doesn’t seem concerned that she’s making decisions for him and Lilith settles, content in the knowledge that she is an amazing mother and doing a much better job than that bitch, Maryse.

#lumine writes #writing wednesdays #writing wednesday #shadowhunters #magnus bane #alec lightwood #shadowhunters au #malec #my fics #my fanfics #my ficlets

[rainbowcarousels]

I wanted to do a seperate post because of people who don't want Rebirth spoilers but the fact that the three friends in LOVELESS really look like the 'children of man' that the Cetra explain the story of Jenova with fascinates me.

As does the fact that the Cetra here kind of look like the Sephiroth clones.

The Cetra spirits tell that humanity were afraid and envied them, likely stoked by the Jenova influence and they fought and died together until they started to fight and die between themselves. They were 'forsaken by fate, abandoned to unquenchable anger and unbearable grief, condemned and driven forth powerless to forestall the coming of our end'. We even see some of the battles between the Cetra, humanity and Jenova play out.

The actual retelling of Jenova's coming is here:

"Long ago, a wound marred the northern lands and to mend it did many venture forth, only to be met with disaster. A deciever that stole the faces of the dead - of mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers lost. With their voices did it sow the seeds of discord among our people, among the children of man. For the planet did we lay down our lives in battle, and in death, returned to her embrace. Yet our adversary did not. Could not. Thus did it fall into a deep slumber. And in the long silence of its sleep, it was given the name 'Jenova'. Heed well our warning of that which is to come: the reunion. When our adversary's scattered malignancy shall converge to plague the planet once once more. It has been our sacred duty to protect our planet against any who would threaten it. They who came from without were one such threat. The Gi, who with bitter prayer forged the black materia. So foul was the orb's magic that we knew at once it must be hidden, that none might ever weild its terrible power. The black materia shall summon the destroyer of worlds. The meteor shall fall, sundering the skies and shattering the earth. All life shall perish."

There's a lot of key terms there that link through to LOVELESS and this is just another reason why I think LOVELESS is based on something from the era in which Jenova invaded. It provides a lot of interesting background, I guess I had never considered there were in fact full blown battles in the Jenova Take Over vol. one, but it makes total sense there would be. It really adds to the whole 'history doesn't repeat itself but it does rhyme' vibe of the entire R-verse.

Finally, there is the version of LOVELESS - or rather, the excerpts, it's clear we're only seeing snippets of a larger story - that we see in Rebirth is known as the G edition. Again, the wording shifts and changes but the core narrative remains the same.

When the end of days is come The Goddess alights from heav'ns above 'Pon those Her blessing She doth bestow True happiness but they shall know To claim Her boon, a valiant three Sally forth, heroes they would be One's life cut short, another slain Naught but a prisoner doth remain Bereft of his wings, he falls from grace Yet venerated is he in Her embrace Now, through the cruel world hath forsaken us all Will our hero ne'ertheless stand tall?

#ff7 rebirth #ff7 rebirth spoilers #i was just reminded of this #loveless #cetra

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

What if you gave Edward from Twilight the Auryn and a responsibility to reimagine Fantastica, because I feel like the end results would be hilarious. And also do you think any of his family is coming to rescue him when he's lost all concept of who he is?

I mean, that's the thing though, Bastian's father in the real world was becoming increasingly worried his son was missing for several hours but a) didn't know his son was in a book b) probably couldn't enter the book if he tried.

Going to Fantasia is a solitary journey that's just you and your imagination, I was never given the impression that you could go after anyone or that someone could travel with you. The only people that can help you are yourself and the friends you make along the way during the journey (e.g. Atreyu).

As for Edward, we'll have to back up a bit. We know the Neverending Story changes per whoever is reading it, as it's intended to draw you in and sus out who can add to the world and save them from a lack of existence.

In Bastian's case, it was the tale of a boy he would always have wanted to be, Atreyu, who is kind, brave, a heroic warrior, who undergoes many trials as expected in a fantasy novel. It's the kind of story that Bastian not only loves to read and escape in, but wants to be himself (hence, when he goes to Fantasia himself, he immediately starts transforming himself into someone much closer to Atreyu: handsome and skinny, brave, heroic, a warrior, wise and charming).

What I'm getting at is that this has to be a book that engrosses Edward so that by the time he meets the Childlike Empress, he's invested.

I imagine it's the story of fantasy Bella Swan. (We'll place Edward before he actually meets Bella Swan).

The Neverending Story for Edward opens up on a beautiful young woman in a poor provincial town who believes she's very unordinary, plain, and isn't like the other girls. She's kind to others to a fault, sacrificing her own needs and wants for the sake of others, and is overlooked by everyone.

One day, her father falls ill and so she goes on a journey to seek the Childlike Empress who is the only person left who may be able to save him. When she reaches the Ivory Tower, Bella is devastated to hear that the Childlike Empress is ill herself and seeing no one. She is told that there is a person that Bella must find who can save both the Childlike Empress and then her father. Bella goes on a perilous journey to find said person, nearly losing hope several times along the way and growing as a person as she faces dangers she never imagined.

In despair, Bella returns to meet the Childlike Empress in defeat, noting she found no such person, "oh but you have" the Childlike Empress says and then Edward gets the truly surreal experience of being talked to by a book.

Like Bastian, it won't shut up until he gives the Childlike Empress a new name, which he eventually does, at which point he finds himself in Fantasia.

There, similar to Bastian, some of his first efforts are to change himself. He becomes human again, gallant, handsome, wise, a prince in every aspect, everything that is worthy of Bella in the novel (losing bits and pieces of himself along the way of course). To his dismay and anger, Bella doesn't love him, seeing that he's losing himself constantly and that what's left of him is a caricature of a man. Edward, too, forgets why he ever thought he loved Bella or the idea of this woman, and gets high on a power trip.

"I will declare myself emperor!" Edward says and... I imagine Bella does try to stop him but I'm not sure raising an army as Atreyu did is in her wheelhouse.

Edward might just kill her to obtain his goal at which point he damns himself and becomes one of Fantasia's many emperors.

#twilight #twilight meta #twilight headcanon #twilight renaissance #the neverending story #the neverending story meta #the neverending story headcanon #edward cullen #anti edward cullen #meta #headcanon #opinion #waywardhiker

[alwida10]

Hey! I just saw that you reblogged a post of mine on Loki's powers a while ago. And while I completely agree with your tags (Loki's powers in the tv series among other things), you also write that the show was originally written for a different character and only the names were changed and the magic added later on. I've never read that anywhere, could you explain? It would make so much sense given how different Loki is in the show and how his previous experience is largely disregarded.

Hi there!!

It took me a while to answer this because of real-life stuff, but now I’m there!

By saying the show was written for another character I referred to this analysis on Twitter which again links back to another analysis on Tumblr. (The original link in Twitter is broken, but I found the post manually). I read this analyses a while back, and admire people who were able and willing to read Waldron’s original script. For me, it reads like an insincere column on what a deeply conservative person assumes would be what a left-leaning, progressive audience would like to hear without understanding anything about the points he tries to mirror. I can't add much to the original posts.

However, Waldron’s comments about Loki, including the “he’s an ass and that makes him easy to write” as well as his jokes on never having watched Thor 1 before writing the series can certainly give you the idea he never knew much about our beloved blorbo before writing him. The fact that he thought making Loki say “he doesn’t enjoy killing people but does it anyway for his personal gain” (rephrased) would make TVA Loki in any way redeemable is telling imo.**

Now, technically this is all I can say to your ask, BUT I realize I never truly elaborated on the stuff I mentioned in said tags, so here is an explanation for everyone who would like more about it.

I read those a while back and took my basic analyzing skills to the test by taking a look at Loki and how writing for a character works in general. This has two aspects (I can think of from the top of my head).

If a work is written for one special character it should be impossible to achieve the same plot if he was replaced by another character without the special abilities.

One thing I read a while back (and sadly forgot where) is that both sex and fight scenes are both character exposition scenes. This is true for magic as well, just it gets rarely used since in all of literature there aren’t that many characters who possess magic.

In the Thor movies, Loki’s magic is masterfully used, showing that the works were actually written with Loki in mind. Both Thor 1 and the dark world would simply not work if you put -let’s say Fandral- in Loki’s position. Loki’s skill to find the pathways between worlds is essential. And his ability to make himself invisible is essential for Thor 1. I could go on, but you get the idea, and I don’t want to get this too long to read.

Regarding the character exposition, Loki’s magic in the first movies was a mirror for his characterization (as it should be). He could make himself invisible, for he has been invisible to his family. He could cast illusions since he learned that people preferred an illusion to his real self. He could make others manipulate into saying what he wanted them to say because that was how Loki survived on Asgard (post-credits scene of Thor 1).

In TDW, we see Loki’s anger and frustration manifest in a telekinetic blast that ruins everything around him, and if that isn’t a masterful analogy for his arc I don’t know what would be.

Now coming to the series. All magic Loki uses is cosmetically or for show. He dries himself, he makes sweet little fireworks. How is that connected to his characterization? The show tells us he is insecure and loves only himself. If you squint real hard you might argue the drying is a sign of him being used to comfort. But I thought he was pampered and spoiled? Wouldn’t that mean he had other people to dry him?

And then there is the hiding/teleportation* scene on Lamentis. What does it say about his character? If it IS teleportation what does it say about him? That he can go distances without walking, perhaps, which would fit his line “I never walked so much in my life”, but doesn’t fit that scene from Thor 1 where we see how long he had to walk. And if he can teleport why doesn’t he spare them the walk? And if it doesn’t work for long distances, why does he run for cover right when they realize they are on Lamentis and doesn’t teleport? Why doesn’t he teleport onboard the spaceship? IF they wanted to use the fight as a character exposition, they should have made him use illusions. That’s his trademark.

Next is the “lifting a building” stuff. What does that say? I guess if you limit the interpretation to the series, it could be considered foreshadowing for the “we are stronger than we think”. And like so many stuff of the show it lacks any connection to the former canon. Loki isn’t known for brute strength, either of the body or of the magic. That’s Thor. Loki is known for being the intelligent one. Interestingly, the scene spells rather “we are dumber than we think”, too, since making two steps to the side would have achieved the same effect without any flexing of inexplainable telekinesis muscles.

The same goes for the fireworks in the train (characterizing Loki as sentimental, ok fine, and later as a dumb drunk who can’t control what illusion he casts, 😒). The plot would work without that magic. Just like it works without the drying, the building lifting, and all the other magic Loki used.

So, yeah, magic is Loki’s specialty that sets him apart from many other characters. Someone who writes a story with him in mind will use that automatically. They didn’t. Because it wasn’t him the show was written for. But the worst guy of all time.

Since I only talked about the magic here, I would like to recommend this marvelous analysis on Loki’s speech pattern and body language in the shown in comparison to the former installments.

* The only thing the “I don’t enjoy it” achieves is taking possible sadism out of the equation. TVA Loki is still irredeemable because he decided his sense of superiority would be worth more than the lives of the people in New York. This is egoism and a total dismissal of other people’s lives, something that cannot be “unlearned” by learning to love himself. That only removes the former motivation for the slaughter. Should something else motivate him to kill people, he would act just the same.

On the other hand, OG Loki has been coerced, not only by torture as we see it in The Avengers but also under the influence of the mind stone. Whenever we see him having the choice he acts morally better by sparing lives where he can.

**I don’t consider it teleportation since there is a time delay between Loki vanishing and re-appearing, and imo teleportation is instantaneous. Also, he vanishes feet first but reappears head first which doesn’t sit right with teleportation, and rather with making himself invisible and lifting invisibility again, but that’s for another post.

#mcu loki #loki meta #anti loki series #loki series negativity #loki series criticism #asks

[apompkwrites]

you may delete this—- may i ramble on about my ideas for the some of vice-dormleader’s siblings?

i plan on rambling about the other twst characters too but that aside:

Clover!reader

They weren’t the best at baking like the rest of the family, which is why they are often outcasted from the family since it was their family business afterall, so it was odd seeing a Clover not good at baking.

This led to harsh comments and insults from their parents, which shattered reader’s confidence in their skills in anything. Suddenly, one particular comment changed everything, “Look at Trey, delivering orders as fast as lightning. You should be more liking him!”

This led reader to start being around Trey often and always asking him to teach them this and that, help them with that and this.. sometimes reader even mimicks Trey, maybe something he does to concentrate, something he always says out of the blue and even when he stretches.

Trey notices this and finds it amusing, not aware of the consequences and what this may lead to, and it isn’t anything good; reader became more dependent on Trey and always thought, “What would Trey do?”

losing their sense of identity and independence, unable to even recognize themselves in the mirror, because all they saw was someone who tried their hardest to be someone their parents wanted them ti be: like their older sibling.

Bucchi!reader (he’s a vice at this point, official or not)

Reader gets accepted into NRC, happy that they’ll finally see their older brother more… why in Great Sevens is he being bossed around by a lion prince?

You know when someone spites or hates someone else because they have something they don’t or living a better life than they are? reader’s mentality.

How come such greedy, selfish bastards get success while their kind are left fighting for scraps?

So they aren’t amused when they see their brother playing errand boy for one and will do their best to be an absolute menace to Leona, unaware that stereotyping all rich people to be greedy and selfish tyrants… (lol just wait until reader meets Kalim)

Leech!reader

Reader just wants to live a normal life, making friends and falling in love.. but they can’t have that when people always try to swim away from them since they’re the younger sibling if the infamous Leech Twins

Reader dislikes their family and their last name because of this, causing a rift

Still, their brothers aren’t having it and always smothers them with ‘love and affection’ even though it’s just them trying to embarrass them now that they’re in the same school now!

…say… i wonder when they’ll finally snap back at their brothers?

It would get ugly if so.

Viper!reader

You have been born into this world.. and is subjected to a life of servitude! Hoorah!

Because if this, reader was molded into a blank slate, a robotic like person who’s only mentality/purpose is to serve

So when people try to interact or talk to it like a normal person, they just space out, this wasn’t part of their training

of course they have feelings as well but they don’t want to be ‘weak’

Jamil and Najma definitely try to bring out their more expressive side, and this just adds to more reasons why Jamil resents this role they were given and his master

So when they end up in the same school as Jamil and Kalim, how are they gonna survive human interaction? Because this poor soul isn’t ready for it—-

this wasn’t in the manual?!?

black sheep extended universe :OO

i wouldn’t delete this anon <333 i thought about making ones for other characters too but held off so this was fun to read!!!

little clover!(name) looking up to trey in an unhealthy way but he doesn’t know that DD: i like the idea of the clover parents being a bit more oblivious as opposed to being straightforward? like they dont realize how their words affect theit child and simply think of it as praise for their beloved trey?

lil bucchi!(name) having an actual healthy sibling relationship but they are angered on behalf of him :(( like he’s taken such good care of him and all (name) can think about is paying him back by trying to ease his workload through being a menace. or or or they do the tasks for him instead and end up working too hard :0

leech!(name) having to live in their brothers’ shadows except it’s just they’re feared for being related ;-; and imagine they hate their eel form the same way ashengrotto!(name) does except leech hates it because they’re seen as dangerous and a threat to anyone who crosses them. they just want to make friends 😭

viper!(name) and rosehearts!(name) would prob get along really well. anyway, my first thought was jamil and najma holding (name) close and jamil just saying “what have they done to you?” def the one i wanna write most if i do,, but thriugh jamil’s pov prob because he feels so helpless and like he can’t do anything to make a better life for (name) :((

imagine vanrouge!(name) who just feels isolated from their big brother because he was always so busy, kinda like draconia!(name). like they want to have a relationship but never had the time. and and and everyone looks down on vanrouge!(name) because look at how cool their big brother is! (name) can’t fight. (name) can’t take care of the heir to the draconia name.

#a pompk answers #black sheep

[system-of-a-feather]

You know, the most unexpected thing I've come to notice about myself after having spent three weeks as part of / fused with XIV is that I actually genuinely kind of love people - or the concept of people at least - a lot. And that has a lot of implications to it, considering I was previously "the guy who really can't stand being around people and hates people as a default", cause that "liking people" certainly didn't come from me, so that genuinely deep love for people and humanity has to have come from XIV's end of things - either directly or his perspective shaped mine to what it is now

And having just been XIV 2.5 yesterday and knowing XIV 2.0 pretty well, I don't think any version of XIV really registers just how much he genuinely loves the idea of people existing in the world. He / we (from here on out "he" is XIV 2.0, "we" is my experience as XIV 2.5) are really jaded and pretty apathetic on our own and honestly we don't really know how to operate in the world outside of our aggressive attack dog dialect that we were raised with. The world is still processed very much in the lens that we were taught and raised which was that we are very disconnected and separated from society because we don't fit in and we don't think the same way as others and thats a good thing, because it helps us make change and it lets us do what others can't and it lets us thrive

But I'm realizing from reflecting on my self as just Chunn that we really - in some less conscious level - love seeing people live as their honest selves. We love seeing the individual differences and unique traits that don't fit into boxes and break standards that are inherent in everyone. We love seeing where those non-standard weirdos and weirdness can - when fostered and supported - can become inspiring and astonishing individuals. Human diversity, human expression, self love and wild self expression, I love it and so we - as XIV 2.5 - love the variety that people add to the world.

And I think I'm starting to understand him / us better, because while there is a lot of aggression and anger and a lot of ruthless drive and dedication to our values, it comes from this core genuine love and appreciation for the uniqueness of everyone and how amazing people can be when given the resources, encouragement, and support. We love the potential people have.

I'm sure when I fuse back to XIV 2.5 or hell even just XIV 2.0 might look at this and go ".... yeah no thats wrong" and hell, maybe I am wrong and I'm over extrapolating my own independent Chunn thoughts and shit, but *shrugs*

I guess I just think the resilience of humans and the ability to grow in the worst places to become something amazing is just honestly a real joy in life to be able to witness.

I still don't think I would have much energy or tolerance for being around people much - that's just my introverted high-autism-symptom self having it as a limit and I am sure people very quickly could overload me to where I go back to being misanthropic a bit - but genuinely? I don't think I hate people. I think that I might even be able to say I genuinely love people existing in the world now.

Keep being weird guys. It adds a lot of spice to the world.

#alter: chunn #alter: xiv #alter: xiv 2.5 #fusion fuckery

[pollocamis]

So. Everyone seems to agree that Dive Back in Time is from CXS's POV, but I don't really think so?

Bear with me

(spoilers after the cut)

SO. UM. IT HAPPENED. THE THEORY EVERYONE HAS BEEN GOING APESHIT FOR.

And THAT's where I think the song is no longer meant to be in CXS's POV. I think it never was tbh, but it was always LG's song. I'm no interpreter (God I wish I was one of the theorists of Tumblr) so I'll just go through a few obvious points in order through the lyrics.

1.

"Without you, I don't know if I could take this road", "if only I had got it right before". While I think everything screams LG's POV these are the main-sentences in this part. W now know LG really cannot take "this road" (the timeline he was in) without CSX by his side. And the second one shows he's prolly very regretful for letting CXS die. Foreshadowing to it being his fault maybe? Hope not!!!

I'm not talking about the "chase you to the end of the world" lines, bc they're obvious enough. Come on.

2.

So... haha I hope it's not a surprise I'm a shiguang shipper.

Moving on: these lines are the main reason I thought the song is LG's. While the line "I'm always late to my fate" is kinda CXS coded (he's late to dying bc LG keeps saving him haha get it), the rest just screams LG and his silent love (be it wtv kind of love. Like even if you don't ship it you can't deny he loves him in some way. Would you rip the literal fabric of time and reality for someone you don't love).

"Here's to all the mistakes I never made" is pretty on the nose: he's gone back and fixed the stuff that caused CXS's death node to appear.

Now, the part that made me clarify I'm a shipper: "If it ain't for your misguided taste, I'd turn out so ordinary, fabulously un-addictively bore out my own brain". We all know LG's considered to be the more stoic rational one of the pair, and has probably always been like this. I believe CSX entering his life had such a big effect on him, he actually relaxed in some way or smth. I do not know the words to express this properly in English nor do I have any evidence of this, so I hope it makes enough sense.

Now this doesn't have to mean anything for the ship but I like being delusional.

3.

THIS. SO.

I believe he's saying this words to CXS when he's dead. He's probably like "well, I know I told you you shouldn't be messing with time and I'm gonna be a hypocrite but don't feel sorry for me I'm fine with anything as long as you're alive" (hence "I'll love where I'm going now"). " 'Cause I'm about to lose my mind" is simply him going apeshit for CXS's death to the point where he's decided to go back in time. You can't change my mind have you SEEN THE ANGER IN THIS DUDE WHEN CXS GOT SHOT ISTG-

4.

I know I said I was going in order and then left the chorus for the end but this screenshot has the last chorus so it counts :)

I think this is the main reason ppl believe it's meant to be CXS, and this is probably meant to be deceitful. We didn't know Lu Guang could go back in time after all, so it made it seem like it was CXS's words. Especially with "something secretive hidden inside your mind", which I don't truly have a theory for tehehe. But let's get back on track.

"All the heartaches and the smiles never faded, I know you'll be by my side when we make it" kinda seems like LG's telling that everything is fine after he's gone back, doesn't it? He's rewound CXS's existence, wich got him back to happy times; but he hasn't really moved on. His heart still hurts when he remembers what's gonna happen.

"I know you'll be by my side when we make it" is simply him being hopeful that the whole going-back-in-time plan will work. And maybe foreshadow to a happy ending? (please)

I probably didn't add anything new but I need to rant about this show a little bit 'cus i'm about to lose my mind *wink wink*

#link click season 2 spoilers #link click spoilers

[blairwaldcrf]

my words shoot to kill when I'm mad (fic drabble)

Summary:  or, 2x08 if Jenny had overheard her brother Dan yell at Nate.

read/comment on ao3 here

Brought to you by this post of @terrainofheartfelt’s I couldn’t help but add onto awhile back after @strideofpride shared this very haunting, well-written Nate-centered fic. ily both and i’m sorry that i’m not sorry <3

given the rather serious topics, please be warned of the (canon) past-assault mentions

 “How dare you,” Jenny all but screams at him, pure rage as she comes up and shoves him not dissimilar to the way he’d shoved Nate not three minutes ago. “How dare you! You think--,” she pauses to get closer to him so the other people in the hallway won’t overhear, voice still firm despite the lowering. “You think because he’s a hot guy that he was fine? After Vanessa got Blair involved you still thought, what? Everything was consensual? That because he showed interest first he’s not allowed to change his mind?”

 “Jenny--,” he tries.

 “Is that what you think about me and Chuck?” she asks, voice breaking.

 He can’t feel the floor underneath him anymore.

 “No, of course not. I--,”

 “Go to hell, Dan,” she spits back at him with venom. “At least there you can’t inflict yourself on others.”

 Because even before she was Blair’s pupil, she still knew exactly how to hurt him the most.

 He leaves before Vanessa can find him, which he knows is selfish given how she must be hurting over the kiss, but the idea of her finding out exactly what he had said to Nate is too hard to bear. Jenny was right-- Vanessa had told him. She had actually listened to Dan’s suggestion and gotten Blair involved, which he should have seen as a red flag, but their entire world was filled with red flags, fields of them even. His cheeks flush with shame and embarrassment as he remembers his words to Vanessa-- something gigolo something-- and he wants to throw up. Surely vomiting at this point would feel better than the encompassing nausea, but his stomach doesn’t acquiesce.

 Blind ignorance doesn’t excuse his actions, especially when he wasn’t even blind, not completely. He had seen the empty brownstone with no furniture or electricity, had known Anne Archibald was off at some vacation home without her barely eighteen-year-old son. Known that money was needed. Dan simply hadn’t wanted to think about the reality because it was just too fucking dark and depressing.

    When Dan arrives back at the loft, there’s a small mercy in the fact that his dad and Jenny aren’t there. Only Nate, packing the few things he even had to bring over, back into a duffel bag. The dirty blonde doesn’t look up all the way at the entrance, only enough to see it’s Dan, and continues back to the task at hand.

 “It’s fine, Dan,” the other boy says with a weary sigh, but he won’t meet his eyes as he continues. “I’ll figure something out.”

 “Nate,” he tries, voice breaking under the weight of his regret. “Don’t go.”

 “I shouldn’t have--,”

 Nate looks up then, blue eyes still striking despite their resignation. “You think you’re the first to say it? Could have come up with something more original as a writer though.”

 “I wasn’t going after her,” Nate defends again ruefully instead of acknowledging the apology over Catherine. “Jenny. She was just-- she was someone who actually understood.”

 Dan doesn’t find the morbid humor funny. “I was wrong.”

 It’s not meant to be an accusation, but it still hangs in the air between them.

  Is that what you think about me and Chuck?  

“I know. I’m sorry.” Dan says genuinely, and he does know now that his anger is out of the way and he knows Jenny is safe. Nate had been the first to come to him about his little sister last year, concerned about a request for four grand, not trying to play white knight without letting her family know. Dan had been grateful, at the time, even if he hadn’t thought to say so. “I’m over protective and I have a temper, but you know why.”

 “I’m not Chuck,” Nate argues roughly, only now with narrowed eyes and grit in his voice.

 Dan isn’t sure how to word things properly-- he’s done a fucked up job so far tonight-- but he tries to tread lightly as he explains, “Of course not. But the first time you and I ever really spoke ended with you defending him the night after he assaulted her. Telling him not to fight me because I ‘wasn’t worth it’.”

 “So whether it’s fair or not, whether you’re even friends right now or not, I think I still subconsciously associated you with him when I saw you kissing her.”

 Nate looks back down.

 Dan doesn’t nod, just looks away as well, uncertain of how many emotions he’s supposed to show around male friends after a litany of female figures in his life and a musician for a father. “I still shouldn’t have said what I did.”

 “Yeah, I guess when you put it like that I’d be mad at me too.” Nate has chosen to find the organization of his shirts more interesting than it really is.

 “I am trying, Dan,” Nate sounds less deprecating or guarded now. “I don’t want to be that guy anymore.”

---------

"I don't think you were that guy to begin with," he tries to say, knowing he won't be believed. "Fuck, I'm definitely not any better."

#dan humphrey #nate archibald #jenny humphrey #gossip girl #gg 2x08 #assault mention tw #gg fic #*by me

[where-theres-smoak-2]

I must say that one of the things that disappointed me in the series, besides the death of the Darkling where Alina is much less emotional, is this scene where he tells her that he will destroy everyone she loves until 'till she no longer shelters other than him. The particularity of this scene in the book is that it is very clearly a threat, but I remember that unlike the series, the Darkling had just been physically very gentle with Alina during this scene, even taking her in his arms. So... a little disappointed that the subtlety of that scene in the book went up in smoke. I should point out that I'm not a big fan of the books, but they still contain good Darklina scenes.

I think people complaining about Alina's lack of empathy this season must have misunderstood that it was preparation for her corruption arc in the sequel. I could have sworn to see a version of the Darkling, even angrier than usual. The end only confirmed it to me. And it makes sense that the death scene is less emotional on Alina's side, knowing these things, and that the Darkling will come back, so that's still not the end of their story, since here we keep an Alina with his Grisha powers.

(Book Spoilers)

I had the same experience with the books in that I wasn't a big fan of them but there were still some really good darklina moments in them. I also agree that the no shelter but mine scene had alot more subtlety in the books than the show, but then I can understand why they went that route in the show as it was right after Alina tried to use his feelings for her against him and he was very angry. However, having said that, I do feel like this season they took alot of lines from the books, particularly darklina lines and sort of threw them in there but in completely different contexts which completely changed the tone of them. Honestly they felt a little clunky to me at times. For example as much as I loved the scene and the line in the show, the wanting makes us weak line is said in a very different context in the books and actually happens during their winter fete kiss in the first book. I guess with this one at least the message is still the same, wanting Alina is a distraction for Aleks. But there are other lines that they changed as well where I wasn't as happy with the new context it was put in. For example the line 'the whole world will hear when I make her scream.' In the show this is said in anger and comes across as vindictive and violent. However the version of this line is said to mal and is meant to be provocative but also an innuendo. The darkling does this kind of double meaning lines a few times, another being 'did you tell him what I showed you in the dark.' In the books I do think the darkling's threats are more subtle, as you said the no shelter but mine scene was much more gentle which adds a level of intrigue to the scene because it that contrast of him being very threatening but also comforting to her at the same time. It is possible that they chose to change that in the show because they were worried about how it would translate to a tv audience.

I also agree that some people may have missed the Alina corruption arc set up this season. I will admit that when I watched the show for the first time I did think she seemed oddly uncompassionate and lacking in empathy, that she also at times acted eerily similar to Aleks. It wasn't until those final moments of the season that I had a moment of realisation that the whole season was the set up for her corruption arc, it was that final moment with the shadow cut that put it all together for me.

#aleksander morozova #darklina #the darkling #s&b season 2 spoilers #answered #grishaverse book spoilers

[gayri-chmac]

if glee did ride the cyclone

Karnak- Artie Abrams

he would do an awesome job at being all mysterious and shit. Also i think artie has IMPECCABLE comedic timing which is essential for karnak. it also requires no movement until the bows so it's wheelchair friendly :)

Ocean- Santana Lopez

she would be ocean just out of spite to make fun of rachel (bc rach & ocean are one in the same) and i think that santana is a really good actress and ocean's crisis over who to pick at the end of the show would be beautifully done. i also just wanna hear naya rivera sing what the world needs

Noel- Puck

now i know this could be a controversial pick. but we all saw in props how down puck was to dress in drag for the club. (and all you ppl screaming "kurt would play noel" no you idiots he was absolutely horrified by the idea of having to wear a dress and heels in a performance) now i think he would love to play noel bc let's be honest noel's lament is one of the best songs in the show. he would absolutely slay the day. (also it feeds my puckurt agenda bc noel & mischa kiss)

also may i add that this is exclusively season 3b puck bc that's the only version of the character who would do this.

Jane Doe- Mercedes Jones

okay amber riley is a TRAINED OPERA SINGER. ms girl would bring me to tears as jane doe. the high notes would clear my skin and cure my depression. i honestly just want amber riley to play jane doe in an actual production. make mercedes fly. she can belt upside down i believe in her.

Constance- Tina Cohen-Chang

i just have this gut feeling that tina would be the perfect constance. just the will of universe honestly. again i just wanna see jenna ushkowitz play constance in an actual production. the character of constance and the character of tina just line up so well with the "nice girl who never says a mean word but has all this anger inside and doesn't say anything until they snap". tina would rock sugar cloud omg.

Mischa- Kurt Hummel

honestly? i think this would be hilarious. no one else besides kurt could serve the vocals that need to be served for talia. i wanna see kurt rap. i wanna see kurt rap in autotune. i wanna be moved to tears by his performance of talia. we've seen chris colfer shirtless. he would slay the house down as mischa.

Ricky- Blaine Anderson

i would give my left boob to see darren criss perform space age bachelor man. i'm not kidding. this needs to happen so help me god.

just for shits n gigs sam would be virgil the rat. idk if he can play the bass. i don't care.

#anyways this is my way of saying go listen to ride the cyclone #now #glee #ride the cyclone

[dark-twist-fairytales]

YOU KNOW WHO IT ISSSS

Former Toppat leaders? :eyes:

I knew someone was gonna ask about the former Toppat leaders!

But, this did give me time to think about a cool concept. See, they're FORMER leaders, meaning their more than likely to already be dead, which brings up some interesting things that can happen. So! We go in order from first leader to latest!

(Buckle down, this is long, so it's under a read more (T.R.N.K is not included on this list))

We start of with Dusty, and given that he is one of the best and most peaceful leaders, he would become an Enderman- No! Not fully! Once a former leader is resurrected, they partly become a hostile mob. Meaning Dusty would have the ability to pick up blocks like it's silktouched (bare hands only) and can teleport around at will. He can't swim, however, or go out in the rain, which coaxed him to living in the end. He helps Rupert build often times, since he can move quicker. He looks human and younger, but with little purple particles surrounding him, as well as his voice being slightly warbled. The end is the only place he really feels comfortable.

-

Cloudface is up next, and oddly enough, I think he'd become part skeleton. Basic, no exactly verbal, and being pretty good with a bow. He lives in caves, but will sometimes come out if he finds a helmet and a chest plate. But, he doesn't prefer it. He eventually found out, through Henry, about the nether, and now he loves it there. He takes things slow, often found curled up asleep or helping out RHM. About half of his body is turned to a skeleton, but he doesn't mind it, as it can be covered. Non of his face is effected, thankfully. Yep, nether is his favorite.

-

Jaques is actually allowed through fully when the dragon is resurrected for the second time. So, yes, he's the dragon and made it clear that it was him. This means that he can travel endlessly through the end, but the portal back isn't big enough to go through. This means he lingers around Rupert and Dusty, but quite enjoys it, since Dusty goes a lot of places, he's allowed to give him a ride to the the portals and back. But, Dusty isn't the only person he gives a ride to: Johnny is as well! It took a little working up, but him and Johnny get along great! He's the mob-turned former leader there is, but doesn't mind it. The end is his home.

-

Randy is a creeper! Now, I know this can be argued with 'what about Reynaldo', but there's a very good reason why Randy is the creeper. He is able to break into the code this way and actually add in mods. Nothing that would change the games entire forum, but basic things that helps out the builders and Quentin. It makes it closer to real life in certain aspects, and he appreciates the way it helps others. He can only work on mods in the overworld.

-

Reynaldo is a super charged creeper. Need a say more? Him and Randy work together, but as Reynaldo has less control over mods and more control over looking up what they do, that's what he does. He also had to learn to control himself, as a good bit of anger makes him explode. Him and Randy reside in caves, both with creeper-like hisses in their voices when they speak. Reynaldo has a blue shield that hovers around him. He does like the over world, it keeps him fueled for when he needs to explode on command.

-

Billy G. is a tougher one, but I feel like he would be a zombie. Again, a classic, but he likes the seclusion he is forced under. Similar to Cloudface, about half of his body is zombified. He also tends to mine a lot, as he doesn't need torches to light his path up fue to night vision. He did need someone to bring him wood, which ended up being Doc Vin. This is how she figured out mobs that spawn naturally (spawners and buildings) are different from those that spawn in pure dark. Billy G. cantalk to zombies, his own vocal cords untouched. The likes the over world.

-

Sir Wilford is a blaze that is nothing but tired. Since he resides in the nether and doesn't go out to the overworld, he helps out with building and mining at the cost of letting him sleep as much as he wants. The only reason he helps with these things is because he can fly for a brief amount of time and reach higher places than anyone else with a conscious more easily than some methods. He likes the nether, the heat makes him sleepy.

-

Terrence would be a cave spider: farel as fuck. I don't think anything else really needs to be said about this. He lives in mineshafts, and makes the space big enough for the spiders to live. Once he finds a way out, he is confused and scared in a way. He can tone down his farelness just slightly, but mix being alone with an already impulsive person, you get a hell-hound for a spider person.

#henry stickmin au #thrown in au #dusty #cloudface #jaques kensington #randy radman #reynaldo the brute #billy g #sir wilford iv #terrence suave

[cabin12kid]

I haven't technically finished the epilogues but I need to vent some Lost Metal feelings.

Also apologies I spouted shit on Twitter too forgetting I could do so one here with spoilers better tagged/hidden.

Also belatedly will add spoilers for Oathbringer and Rhythm of War.

So off the bat I just want to say Wayne just died for me and I'm not even finished with Marasi's epilogue and I'm still upset so that'll likely color all of this.

Genuinely though? This book sucked for me as a cosmere fan. I joke how I just chose the wrong bitches with Elhokar and Teft but like... This is becoming a consistent thing.

Having a character go through their arc and then die at the end of that book has never been satisfying to me. Having them die in a gut-wrenching dramatic way doesn't do any extra good for me, it actively makes the situation worse.

Elhokar's death was meant to be this could-have-been tragedy, and I admit that most of my personal feelings on it are incredibly biased options. Detaching from my attachment to Elhokar, I can see how this was a fairly well done tragedy. Allowing for a bit of attachment though, but not completely flying into a blind biased rage, I do however feel that it was unnecessary. I understand not wanting to bring back too many characters lest death feel cheap, but I still feel like Elhokar would have served better as an example of how people can grow in that series.

Teft is by far the worst out of all of these for me. His arc was incredibly fucking rushed and felt like an afterthought most of the time. We saw him take a huge, powerful, emotional step in Oathbringer, only for his presence in Rhythm of War to feel very "all better now!" and not having much further use for him, killing him off. Personally, I feel like we already understood the horror of this new weapon through Navani. And Moash using this to further press Kaladin into literally offing himself-- actually that's a separate rant. The biggest thing though, is it-- to me-- left Teft's death ultimately feeling cheap. I could see it coming a mile away, it felt like this character was thrown away, and ultimately I don't think it was fucking necessary? Like I genuinely would not have been this mad if Teft had just randomly been pushed to the background. Which fucking sucks. That is NOT the kind of emotions I think you want readers to feel for what should have been an emotional character death.

With Elhokar I felt cheated, but I understood. With Teft, I felt even more cheated and felt his whole arc was simply discarded. Mentally thinking the I Don't Want To Play With You Anymore levels of discarded.

Now, Wayne. This wasn't nearly as bad as Teft and he was given more time than Elhokar. But for me it still suffers the same problem. I'm repeating myself, but having a character go through their arc only for them to end up dead isn't inherently satisfying. Quite frankly, as I write this, I am so gutted that I don't really care what happens next. There were so many interesting possibilities posed throughout this book both for Scadrial and the rest of the cosmere, but quite frankly I don't have it in me to care. I'm gutted. I feel too much despair (and disappointment as well as anger) to bring myself to care. And hopefully that'll change as I take time to process but like? Genuinely?

Elhokar made me want to stop my OB read for a month. Teft almost made me put down the cosmere for good. Wayne? I've resigned myself to be too interested in the world building and writing lessons to put down the cosmere, but genuinely I'm worried I won't actually, deeply care about the stories or the characters going forward. It'll be interesting, but more like watching a lecture for a subject I kinda like instead of really feeling the universe. Investing in it, if I may. And as such... Lost Metal was a bust for me.

Again I hope my feelings change as I go through it, but this...sucks. plain and simple.

This feeling definitely dropped a whole star for me. It made me genuinely disappointed in the writing, which I hate to say and cannot stress enough hope I get over but like. Genuinely I no longer trust Sanderson to write deaths. Period. I'll probably try to make a separate posts on the deaths that were fucking great and satisfying despite being equally gutting but I need to grieve. But there is one other problem.

Honestly? A good portion of this book felt like I was reading a cosmere textbook with a gun to my head. Or a manual to stop the detonation. Like. There are TONS of really cool and interesting tie ins for the rest of the cosmere. The Emperor's Soul is my favorite Cosmere work so this was a huge fucking W for me. But also? It felt... Too much. And like. Yeah they were necessary in the situations they were put in, but they didn't feel strictly necessary.

This was an infinity war type mash up I was hoping for, but in the end it just felt... Too much. Like there wasn't ever time to really process everything. It was one punch after another and no time to like. Appreciate any of it.

I'm burning out tho and that's basically all I can say without going in circles but yeah as it stands, unfortunately, this not only has to be the worst Mistborn Era 2 book for me it also is sitting at an even 3/5 stars.

#tlm spoilers #the lost metal #the lost metal spoilers #oathbringer spoilers #rhythm of war spoilers #kaydspeak #neg

[fem-fatalist]

This is the best explanation I've read. Succinct and well stated, especially about how socially isolating patriarchal/traditionalist gender norms are, particularly for men.

I recommend you read the whole thing, but here's a piece copy/pasted below:

It could be something he says. Maybe he makes a comment about my body or my appearance. Or he asks if I’m carrying a weapon and then presses for details about where I’m camping that night. Sometimes, it’s a shift in his tone, a leer, the way he puts his body in my space. But, usually, it’s a combination of things, a totality of behaviors that add up to a singular reality: this man is either not aware that he’s making me uncomfortable, or he doesn’t care. Either way, this is the danger zone. Even if he has no intention of harming me, the outcome of that intention is no longer possible for me to assess or predict. 

In this moment, my mind snaps into a single, crystalline point of focus. My intuition rises to the surface of my skin. I become a creature of exquisite perception. The world is a matrix of emotional data: visceral, clear, direct. 

I need to get away from the man. But I need to do it in a way that doesn’t anger him. This is the tricky bit. Men who lack social awareness or empathy often also lack other skills in emotional management. And usually, what men in these situations actually want is closeness. They’re trying to get closer to me, physically or emotionally, in the only way they know how. That combination of poor emotional skillsets and a desire to get closer is exactly what puts me in danger. 

If I deny his attempts at closeness by leaving or setting a boundary, he could feel frustrated, rejected, or ashamed. If he doesn’t know how to recognize or manage those feelings, he’s likely to experience them as anger. And then I’m a solo woman stuck in a forest with an angry man, which is exactly what women are most afraid of. 

There’s no time to think, so I operate on instinct. My task is ridiculously complex. I need to deescalate any signs of aggression, guide the man into a state of emotional balance, and exit the situation safely, all at once. This process requires all of my attention, energy, and intellect. It’s really hard. 

I’ve been in this position so many times that it exhausts me just to write about it. Sometimes, it’s not that I’m afraid of men; I’m just really, really tired. 

In patriarchal societies where masculinity is coded as power and control, men often try to get closer to women through power and control. The range of how this plays out is vast. It could be inconsequential, or it could end a woman’s life. This is why seemingly small comments, gestures, or implications often trigger full-body vigilance. It may also be a reason why so many women in the “Man or Bear” debate chose the bear. If men truly disliked women, they’d be glad so many women chose the bear! Women who chose the bear would be (hypothetically) farther away from them.

But lots of men were not glad; they were angry. And beneath that anger were probably lots of other feelings as well, the ones that patriarchy socializes men to mask: hurt, loss, frustration, sadness, loneliness. It’s sad when someone you want to be close to does not want to be close to you. It’s frustrating when you don’t know how to get that closeness. And it’s lonely. The angry men in this debate are very lonely men.

I believe that at the heart of this conversation–at the heart of most conversations–is a mutual quest for connection and wholeness. In all these years of wandering, this is what I have learned. 

Sometimes, it’s hard to know where to end a story. But nature has taught me that nothing really ends; it just changes. We are all bodies of change. 

#feminist #feminism #smash the patriarchy #man or bear #man vs bear debate #sexism

[planckstorytime]

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth: A World Beyond Anger (Part Two)

II. On the Way to a Smile

Not only does Final Fantasy VII Rebirth decline to commit to the trajectory set by the end of the previous title, but it also seems to walk back on several of the questionable decisions made by the first installment. The cast’s prescient knowledge of the future story arcs? Gone. One of the first things that happens in Rebirth is Aerith explaining that the group lost all of their future memories after the fight with the Whispers in part one. So now the cast can just go through the same story beats in the same order with the same outcomes for 95% of the game. So much for changing your fate!

Moreover, the discretionary cutaways from death and ambiguous hints about the three Avalanche members’ survivals amount to almost nothing. Jessie and Wedge are, in fact, dead, just like in the original game. Biggs’s survival only happens in an alternate world that may or may not be purgatory. Zack is back, and he’s the centerpiece of the marketing. He even made it onto the cover of the game! And yet, his role in the story feels dramatically cut down from whatever might’ve been previously planned. He occupies scarcely an hour of screentime across the 100+ hour game. Completing the game unlocks the option to skip his sequences, which tells you how significant they are to the actual progression of the plot.

To me, all of this screams that the developers got cold feet on the apparent promise of a radically different adaptation, or that they never had a plan to begin with. I think opening the game with the overt retconning of Zack’s church scene from the end of Remake’s Intermission DLC indicates that the writing isn’t committed to a specific path.

I disagree with the notion that Remake’s climax alluded to only minor adaptational changes, rather than a fundamentally different story. Prior to the party vanquishing the avatars of fate, plenty of creative flourishes and alterations peppered the narrative. There would be no reason to disrupt “fate” (i.e. the direction of the story) if it just reaffirmed the adaptation’s existing ethos. The development team encouraged audiences to speculate on how different things could be. The ending of Remake could hardly be clearer: characters deleting future timelines that carried out OG events, “the future is always a blank page”, the party vanquishing a literal divine incarnation of “capital ‘D’ Destiny”, “the unknown journey continues”, etc.

Was it all meaningless? Was it disingenuous all along? Did they change their minds? Or did the developers just want to feed some controversy for extra publicity, plus a few brownie points for going meta? I’ll return to this point once we’ve discussed the ending of Rebirth. But it’s worth noting that more recent interviews have centered around how the Remake trilogy will eventually lead into Advent Children (2005) – in other words, any narrative digression that contradicts that film (previously thought to be a direct sequel to the 1997 game) must inevitably return to the status quo anyway. In an interview with GamesRadar+, producer Yoshinori Kitase said:

“We are finally going to link up with Advent Children, that is going to be part of canon. The overall storyline, the developments, will not go wildly out in a way that will not add up to Advent Children in the end. I don’t think anyone wanted that, that’s not what we’re looking to create here. [But] to make sure it doesn’t become stale and people know exactly where it’s going, [that it] doesn’t just follow the original word for word, we add in extra elements which add that little bit of doubt. Getting the right balance of that is so key. Ultimately, we’re not trying to change the Final Fantasy 7 story into something really different. The overall balance wouldn’t really allow for that anyway.”

To me, this just sounds like a normal description of an adaptation. Like… all of them, ever. It seems a far cry from the wild, uncharted frontier they recklessly set their sights on back in 2020. Unsurprisingly, I prefer this more conservative approach. Changes feel more natural, our heroes aren’t battling the literal ghosts of the plot, and everyone seems to be acting more in-character than they were throughout the third act of Remake. It might sound like I’m poking fun at Square Enix for backpedaling, and I am, to an extent. But I also view the conceit behind my interpretation of Remake’s ending to be a rhetorical gangrenous limb. Its amputation seems like a necessary course correction, and it helped me to enjoy the new game more than I expected. I’d say that for most of its duration, Rebirth ironically feels like a more faithful retelling than Remake did.

As with part one, I greatly enjoyed the environments, music, and combat design. Controlling characters feels more responsive, world traversal has more freedom, and quest design improved dramatically. It more closely resembles my conception of what a modern entry in the series should bethan Final Fantasy XVI (2023)does. A few of the 30+ minigames irritated me, but it felt nice to have new things consistently introduced to break the routine of the main gameplay loop. None of them match the standard set by Queen’s Blood, but what’s Final Fantasy VII without some annoying side activities?

I appreciate the effort put into creating mechanics used for single sequences, just as I admire the attention to detail in the recreation of old locales, monsters, and NPCs. The stretch of the adventure covering Junon, Costa del Sol, the Gold Saucer, Gongaga, and Cosmo Canyon in particular stood out as exceptionally well-crafted. Like the Wall Market chapter of Remake, these sections demonstrate the potential inherent in a faithful – yet creatively distinct – retelling. Even as a connection to the Compilation, which I generally dislike, Cissnei’s presence in Gongaga felt both plausible and satisfying to me.

On top of all of this, I consistently laughed along with Rebirth’s humor. It manages to catch that quirky, borderline surrealist tone of FF7’s classic gags, then mixes it with a bit of flare that would feel at home in the Yakuza series (2005-ongoing). From Red XIII’s disguised breakdance to Solemn Gus’s designated hype man to Junon’s pub exclusively catering to bald patrons, the wacky scenarios and odd predicaments that the characters find themselves in often provide more amusement than the main story. Constant opportunities for them to react to strange occurrences, banter with each other, and build their chemistry constitute the core of the game’s appeal.

Barret shines as the standout member of the party this time around. His arc, like the man himself, carries a lot of weight. I love how the game articulates the tragedy of his relationship with Dyne. The lack of catharsis for Barret at the end of it all feels both heart-wrenching and all too appropriate. In his eyes, he has yet to redeem himself, but with his friends’ help, that burden won’t be enough to bury him. Beyond just his personal pathos, Barret’s characterization radiates a versatility to which few others can compare. He offers comfort and protection to Cloud and Tifa upon their revisit to the facsimile of Nibelheim, applying his fatherly instincts to his companions. His camaraderie with Red XIII, which was practically nonexistent in the source material, proves to be one of the most compelling relationships throughout the new content.

Actually, Red XIII has improved across the board. I always thought the character showed promise, but he rapidly loses plot relevance after Cosmo Canyon in the original. Rebirth utilizes him more effectively by giving us glimpses into his private moments with characters besides Cloud. This results in a greater sense of interiority, and helps to put him on more equal footing with Cloud, Tifa, Aerith, and Barret, as far as narrative importance goes. The Gi vignette, which constitutes the entirety of Red’s arc in the original, now ties into the lore of the Black Materia in a really interesting way – perhaps the first expansion to the series’s mythology that I’ve actually enjoyed. This makes Red’s continued presence on the adventure feel more natural. More importantly, his determination to free the Gi from their deathless purgatory sets up an interesting new storyline to pursue in the third game.

As with Red XIII, Rebirth similarly capitalizes on Yuffie’s latent potential. She’s still an obnoxious, kleptomaniacal child, but now one with the unsettling ideals of a militant nationalist. Yuffie’s borderline jingoistic admiration for her country’s “interim government”, as well as her dream of enacting revenge on Shinra, grant her more depth than FF7 initially afforded her as a hidden bonus character. Rage and pain lie hidden beneath her exuberant exterior, and this makes her reckless stunts feel actually relevant to the story on both a surface and subtextual level.

I’m not automatically opposed to any deviation from the original game; in fact, I admire it whenever the writing takes care to tighten its screws. Through Yuffie, Rebirth ties its upcoming Wutai story arc into the newly foreshadowed Huge Materia (now called “Magnus”) and Weapon plotlines. Previously, these three stories had little or nothing to do with one another, and were somewhat tangential to the progression of the main scenario throughout the latter half of FF7. Bringing them all together like this stitches up some of the frayed threads of the original’s tapestry. It feels like a natural restoration that improves upon the fabric of the original, rather than rendering something akin to the Monkey Jesus fresco.

Of course, another highlight of Rebirth is Cloud and Tifa’s deepening bond. Square took this to unexpected (though not entirely unwelcome) territory. I think both characters are handled well, and the writing really sells both the turbulence and the unrelenting compassion of the relationship. I especially like the focus on Tifa’s propensity to people-please as a trauma response, which helps to facilitate tension in Cloud’s identity crisis mystery. It explores the very human roots of their faults without ever making them unsympathetic. Frankly, I feel like this game should be the final nail in the love triangle debate, but I’m sure shippers will find a way to continue. And Square doesn’t want that war to end. That would just be bad business.

Not only does Rebirth preserve the themes of mental health and the heavy psychosexual symbolism associated with it from the original, but it actually expands upon these motifs, getting more audacious than I ever expected. Much of the new material in story, particularly the expansions to Gongaga and Cosmo Canyon, inspired me to adopt a new perspective on what this project is trying to convey… and what it means to me personally.

FULL ESSAY: https://planckstorytime.wordpress.com/2024/05/11/final-fantasy-vii-rebirth-a-world-beyond-anger/

#planckstorytime #writing #essay #analysis #ff7 #ff7 rebirth #ff7 remake #final fantasy #final fantasy vii #final fantasy vii rebirth #final fantasy vii remake #final fantasy 7 #final fantasy 7 rebirth #final fantasy 7 remake #tetsuya nomura #naoki hamaguchi #yoshinori kitase #cloud strife #cloud #tifa lockhart #tifa #cloud x tifa #cloti #barret wallace #barret #vincent #vincent valentine #aerith gainsborough #aerith #yuffie