#tw long

[sucredemar]

most underpaid nanny and scholar under patronage, you can't win

(also, Jayce being called the "Kiramman's dog" is a cruel nickname he got on the academy, since the Kiramman's saw him more as another servant than an scholar under their patronage, he's literally babysitting Caitlyn on school hours)

[gemsofgreece]

UNESCO monuments hunt in Greece

I don't know if other countries do this, but to my understanding most countries try to apply for as many candidate monuments as possible in the UNESCO World Heritage lists. The Greek state, however, has done something I consider strange; it has grouped several monuments together as single entries, even monuments in different parts of the country! As a result, Greece is registered to have 20 UNESCO World Heritage sites, Cultural or Mixed Cultural and Natural, while if you count each site separately, they could have been many more. Is this typical in other places or are we being "novel" once more....

Anyway, below is a list of the sites that are UNESCO sites in Greece along with the year of their approval from UNESCO, in case someone would like to plan a UNESCO hunt based itinerary (please keep in mind that only including a few of these would be realistic in a single trip).

Temple of Apollo Epicurius at Bassae, 1986

The temple is considered one of the best preserved classical temples. Due to its remote location, it avoided the consequences of wars and the acidic rain of the metropolitan areas. It has been however covered by a large tent for decades as prolonged restorative work takes place regardless. The use of the tent is to protect the monument from adverse weather conditions as it is built on a mountain at an altitude of about 1130 meters (3707 ft).

2. Archaeological site of Delphi, 1986

Several monuments comprise the site of Delphí, the most notable of which are; the temple of Apollo, the Omphalós (the "navel of the world"), the Athenian treasury, the altar of the Chians, the theater, the Thólos of Athená Pronaéa, the gymnasium, the stadium, the Castalian Spring and a Roman agora (forum). Delphi is located in a beautiful setting in Mount Parnassus, which is also part of the National Park of Parnassus.

3. The Acropolis of Athens, 1987

Several monuments survive in the Acropolis of Athens; the Parthenón, the Eréchtheion, the Propýlaea gates and the temple of Athená Níke. The listing includes also monuments near the Acropolis; the Temple of Hephaestus, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, the Odeon of Herodes Atticus and more.

4. Mount Athos (the Holy Mountain), 1988

While Mount Athos is part of the Greek sovereignty, it has been an autonomous region exclusively inhabited and governed by monks since the Byzantine times and it is an Orthodox spiritual center since the 10th century. The mountain has currently 20 active monasteries and monks from all the corners of the Orthodox world. It is a mixed Cultural & Natural World Heritage Site.

5. Meteora, 1988

The Metéora are a spectacular complex of giant rock formations, in which monks found shelter from invaders ever since the 14th century and built monasteries on top of the rocks in severely adverse conditions. There are 24 Byzantine Orthodox monasteries, of which six are currently active. Unlike Mount Athos, Meteora has both male and female monasteries. It is a mixed Cultural & Natural World Heritage Site.

6. Paleochristian and Byzantine Monuments of Thessaloniki, 1988

Photo: Yvon Fruneau / UNESCO

Let´s say the previous monuments all grouped together made some sense because they are a part of the same location / site. But here we have more than 15 independent locations / monuments spread across a city which is not small, and constructed in different timelines between the 4th and the 15th century. Why are all these taken as one? Why are the ruins of the palace of Galerius in the same UNESCO site with, say, an 11th century church? I don't get it. Other monuments included in the entry are the Byzantine city walls, the Rotunda of Galerius, the Church of Hosios David and the pictured Church of Saint Demetrius, built in the 7th century. The place looks a little polished to be from the 7th century but this is because the church was plagued by fires in 1917 and parts of it were renovated, faithfully to the original design.

7. Sanctuary of Asclepius at Epidaurus, 1988

The sanctuary of Asclepius includes three monuments; the temple of Asclepius, the Tholos and the pictured theater of Epidaurus, one of the most famed theaters of antiquity and the best surviving one. It is fully functional and you can watch a play or a concert in it in the summer.

8. The Medieval City of Rhodes, 1988

From 1309 to 1523 the island of Rhodes was occupied by the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem. The knights created a medieval stronghold, unfortunately building on top of existing Byzantine fortifications and buildings (but at least they made a good job, if nothing else). The most notable locations of the medieval city are the Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights, the Great Hospital and the Street of the Knights.

9. Archaeological site of Mystras, 1989

Built in the 13th century, the town of Mystras was the last Byzantine stronghold against the Ottoman conquest and prospered a lot during the Palaeologan Renaissance era. It was inhabited up until the 19th century.

10. Archaeological site of Olympia, 1989

Olympia was founded as a center of worship for Zeus in the 10th century BC. It was a Panhellenic sanctuary and the location in which the Olympic Games took place.  In addition to numerous temples and sanctuaries, it contains the remains of several sporting structures, such as its stadium. The breathtaking finds are exhibited in the Archaeological Museum of Olympia nearby.

11. Delos, 1990

Delos is an island and the mythological birthplace of Apollo and Artemis. Uninhabited for centuries, it was once a center of trade and pilgrimage and remains of the ancient settlement can be observed throughout the island.

12. Monasteries of Daphni, Hosios Loukas and the New Monastery of Chios, 1990

Another example of what I mentioned above, the 12th Greek entry in the UNESCO lists consists of three Byzantine monasteries in completely different regions of the country, only connected by the fact that they all survive since the early and middle period of the Byzantine era. So the Monastery of Dafni, a little outside Athens, was founded in the late 6th century on the ruins of a previous sanctuary of Apollo which was desecrated by Goths in 395 AD. It survives despite destructions caused by the Crusaders in 1204 and by Elgin seizing ancient remains of Apollo's sanctuary that had become part of the church, and taken to England (even churches had no luck against Elgin...). The pictured monastery of Hosios (Saint) Loukas was founded by the saint himself in Boeotia in the 10th century and was the place of the onset of the Greek Revolution against the Ottoman Empire in Sterea Hellas in 1821. The New Monastery in Chios island was built in the 11th century and it is renowned for its mosaics. It was founded on a spot where the founders supposedly discovered a miraculous icon of Virgin Mary. The monastery suffered extensive destructions during a big earthquake and the Massacre of Chios, committed by the Ottoman Turks during the events of the Greek Independence War. From these destructions and looting of the monastery's belongings only the founding icon of Mary survived, which added to the monastery's lore amongst the Christian believers. But back to my point, how these three comprise one single site / entry is beyond me.

13. Pythagoreion and Heraion of Samos, 1992

This entry consists of two distinct archaeological sites 6km apart from each other: the ancient fortified city of Samos (Pythagóreion) and the sanctuary of Hera (Heraíon). The site of Ancient Samos has finds that date up to the 4th millinium BC, during the Neolithic Period. There are then consistent finds since 1600 BC when Minoans settled in Samos. The fortifications are from the classical period (5th-4th century) and there are also Roman ruins. The archaeological museum next to the site features exhibits dating from the 4th millinium BC until the 7th century AD. The Heraion is a site of critical significance but it might not be very impressive to the average visitor because too few ruins survive. It was one of the earliest sansctuaries built in ancient Greece and the cult activity has been found to start at least in the Late Mycenaean period. The temple of Hera was the largest Greek temple according to Herodotus. Despite the poor state of the site, its scale can still be easily felt.

14. Archaological site of Aegae, 1996

This site includes the remains of the ancient city of Aegae, first capital of the Kingdom of Macedon, the Palace of Aegae and a burial ground with more than 300 graves, including the Royal Tomb of Vergina, the burial place of Philip II of Macedon, father of Alexander the Great.

15. Archaeological sites of Mycenae and Tiryns, 1999

Photo: Ko Hon Chiu Vincent

This entry includes the Mycenaean settlements of Mycenae and Tiryns, 20 km apart from each other. They flourished between the 15th and the 12th centuries BC. This is where the Lion Gate and the Treasury of Atreus are.

16. The Chora (Historical Center) with the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian and the Cave of the Apocalypse in Patmos island, 1999

Saint John wrote the Book of Revelation (the Apocalypse) in a cave in Patmos island. A monastery dedicated to him was built in the 10th century. The surrounding old town (Chora) has many historical religious and secular buildings and is included in the UNESCO entry too. The Cave of the Apocalypse is about 2km from the monastery and the Chora.

17. Old Town of Corfu, 2007

While the foundations of the town date back to the 8th century BC, the three forts and most of the buildings surviving in the Old Town of Corfu (Kérkyra) are from the period the island was part of the Republic of Venice.

18. Archaeological site of Philippi, 2016

Philippi was a city founded by Philip II of Macedon in 356 BC. The Romans later developed it further and the city kept prospering. After 49 - 50 AD the city became a center of Christian faith following the visit and the teachings of Apostle Paul in the area, as demonstrated also by the pictured remains of the Basilica B, built in the 5th-6th century. The site also includes an ancient theater, surviving streets, decorations from all aformentioned eras, a Roman forum and a graveyard, and more.

19. Zagori Cultural Landscape, 2023

Photo: Costas Zissis / UNESCO

The Zagori Cultural Landscape consists of 45 stone-built villages in the remote mountainous region of Zagori, connected with each other through stone paths and stone bridges over river Voidomatis. Given the dramatic landscapes in the region, I consider it a hugely missed opportunity that it is not registered as a mixed cultural & natural site. I mean... that's where also the deepest gorge relative to its width in the world is... :( I suppose the government is more interested in investments than the protection of the area...

20. Minoan Palatial Centers, 2025

You would expect that it would have happened earlier, but only this year the sites of the palaces of the Minoan Civilisation, the earlier that advanced civilisation of Europe, were officially registered in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The entry includes six palatial systems (Knossos, Phaestos, Malia, Zakros, Zominthos and Kydonia). They date from 1900 to 1100 BC.

There are 12 more candidates in the tentative list so far, comprising cultural, natural and mixed groups of sites.

All photos are Creative Commons unless otherwise stated.

[asherlockstudy]

Not spoiling anything, but I'm eager to hear your episode 4 thoughts!!!

This week in the Rhett and Link universe…. is one of the important ones.

After a long while, various things happened that were HUGE VALIDATIONS of the One Story Theory and of course Rhett and Link’s secret romantic relationship.

Despite having watched the trailer, I believe none of us expected they would take it so far. Once again I wonder, how much does the crew know? There is not one single chance in the universe that they aren’t at least aware of what is going on but they don’t discuss it openly with Rhett and Link. I refuse to believe that some of their camera men may be zooming to Link’s -even flaccid and, okay, covered - cock touching Rhett’s ass as they spoon *fully* naked and somehow think “Yeah this is just the style of comedy these two married men have, that's all”. IT. IS. IMPOSSIBLE.

Furthermore, I checked the comments and I am once more disappointed. Apart from some very few solitary cases, which seem like they might have been coming from gay men, most remain as blissfully ignorant as ever. Not only this but you see remarkably obtuse comments coming from people who comment in a way that shows they think they have deciphered “the big message”. There was that one comment that nearly made me run into my wall; someone saying “the guys were addressing the problem of the parasocial fans”. Oh yes, what a great way to shut parasocial affairs - by igniting them even more! If you don’t want a parasocial relationship (I don’t say they do but shutting those off is not their priority right now), then you simply do not expose to your fans literally what you look like in your most private, intimate moment!!! I cannot believe how much people refuse to see what they are basically screaming at this point. What else are they supposed to do? A porn movie? Nah, I don’t see how they will be able to surpass this one unless of course with a kiss (which they have refused to give so far) or with what they could have done from the beginning and saved themselves from this torment - a coming out statement video. Anyway, I really can’t imagine what the next step farther may be, after this one. I have a question in case anyone who’s been to the live screenings or is in Mythical Society knows; Rhett and Link said there will be two shocking moments in this season. I assume this is one of those. Have we already seen the other one or is it the one coming in this Sunday’s or the next’s episodes?

Another thing that concerned me is how few views Wonderhole has again. It seems it gets even fewer viewers than the first season, although maybe it is too early to judge. But what is especially concerning is that Rhett and Link advertised the fourth episode by showing the naked cuddle in the trailer and yet people choose to pass. It makes me wonder; what if this trailer was the reason they are skipping it? This would not be promising at all for their goal. It was also concerning that the comments which were - let's say - less obtuse, were equally alarming in a different way. Many guys but also women expressed disgust over this episode, some saying they did not sign up for this or that Rhett and Link's comedy is taking the wrong way and they need to become "themselves" again (*facepalm*). Ironically, this was exactly the concept of this episode. But before seguing to the central point of the post, I will just wrap up my observations regarding the reception of the episodes by stressing that things once again do not look promising. In a sea of ignorant, simple or negative comments, only once I saw a person seriously asking "Are you trying to tell us something?". Only once. And apart from 2-3 gay guys, whoever else discussed the homoerotism perceived it clearly as the comedy of the episode or as something gross and meant to be laughed at. They did a live screening of this. Are Rhett and Link sure they are ready to expose themselves so irreversibly and vulnerably to the opinions of thousands of anonymous people? Similarly to the GME, I will ask again. Is this the right way?

Wonderhole S2E4: When they don't know who you truly are

There you go. The main title of the post in the middle of the text because this is how I roll.

The episode starts insignificantly once again, with Rhett and Link exploring a storage unit they bought. There is nothing of consequence here and the only thing that agrees thematically with the rest of the episode is that Rhett and Link sexualize out of nowhere the most irrelevant of situations, such as sniffing whether some teddy bears have been used questionably. Keep that in mind for later. There is also a perhaps meaningful motto they share in the beginning: "The key to the safe is inside the safe. The key to unlocking yourself is inside you".

Rhett and Link find a flyer from an Institute of Platonic Companionship. You will notice that as we progress in the video, they generalize it as "Institute of Best Friendship". However, this is not the actual name of the institute. The actual name refers to "Platonic Companionship".

Rhett and Link visit the institute and they are welcomed by the secretary who is pleasant, friendly and quickly perceives they have strong "charisma" with each other ("chemistry"), something most of us see too, but there is also some vibe about him as well. He knows there are four Charles Lincoln Neals to exist (is this some joke that Link's son has probably visited the institute too?) and says he's looking for a good friend "something long term" *awkward side look at them*. Link later acknowledges that the "dude has some weird energy". Rhett agrees and reckons "he needs to match with a weird friend". Change the word weird with the word queer. In the end of the episode, the secretary reckons he needs to make a family... but he first needs to find the "friend"...

Rhett and Link jump into the experiment that is about to evaluate their friendship right away. Their first test is how they will handle the presence of only one cookie between them. They are in a cold, minimal environment with their own crew and the institute's cameras recording them. Seeing this, Rhett believes they have to try really hard to prove what great friends they are. They decide the obvious, to actually share the cookie, but Rhett thinks it's not enough and suggests one of them should chew the cookie and mama feed half of it to the other (a homage to the notorious episode with a revenge dish literally served cold by Link), something that NOBODY ELSE would consider a necessary step taken to prove a good friendship! Besides, it absolutely does not solve the hypothetical problem of not sharing perfectly fairly - in fact it's much harder to judge whether you share exactly half when you have a ball of chewed food inside your mouth than when you have it neatly on a plate! The ultimate proof is that indeed Link realises he calculated wrongly and fingers food back from Rhett's mouth into his own and REeats it. As you will realise, this is not about them showing intimacy intentionally to the viewers. It is actually about genuinely misinterpreting what people expect from typical best friends. Rhett and Link believe they are showing the pinnacle of friendship to the researchers / audience and perhaps their own loved ones (if their own crew is a metaphor for them) but what they show is actually not received as such at all! Why is that, I wonder? Let's move on and perhaps we will find the answer.

Mamafeeding Rhett breaks Link's acting composure for a moment - he laughs genuinely.

They are led to another room, where the researchers explain them some basic stuff about friendship evaluation (Rhett and Link's consent to the further evaluation is clearly presented as absent and perhaps violated) and then proceed to evaluate their performance to the first test, of which Rhett and Link are very proud. Surprisingly, the researchers say their scores tanked the moment they started sharing mouth juices (sorry), so much that they fell beyond zero in the friendship scale or, as we said, the ACTUALLY PLATONIC COMPANIONSHIP scale. The researchers (AKA the viewers) are confused, they don't know how to interpret Rhett and Link's behaviour but encourage them to try again. Rhett and Link are concerned by those unexpected results.

They are led to an empty room for the second test. Even though they are not given any information about it just yet, they impatiently jump to the assumption that it must be a test of how willing you are to be physically close with your friend in order to be protected from cold. It is interesting that this is also inspired by their real life experience, just like the babyfeeding. This is another weird as heck idea they (RHETT) come up with, with those mental leaps they do in order to perform as "great friends", just like with the cookie. It is once more completely unfounded and unjustifiable, because the physical closeness needed for warmth is a scenario that makes sense only in potentially life-threatening low temperatures. There is absolutely no need to make such an assumption when you are clothed in a somewhat chilly but perfectly safe room. Defying logic, Rhett and Link choose to undress entirely, including their underwear, hug tightly and rub each other vigorously and try to make every inch of their body touch. This is once more not enough for RHETT, who reckons they need to lie down too so that he can get "enough on Link" and so they lie on the cold floor (which kinda defeats the purpose of regulating temperature) and spoon very tightly, again trying to touch as much as possible. We say "spooning" but it is so tight it could be sideways fucking and it would not look different. Even Link wonders why Rhett spoons him so tightly and Rhett shares vulnerably that he always wished to be the little spoon, which is true, as we know. So, they switch and this is as vulnerable as we have ever seen from Rhett (and Link but the wonderhole here is Rhett). He also tries to spread his hair on Link's face behind him and generally motions himself in a very delicate, feminine way. It's very much a switching confirmation and a confirmation suggestion that Rhett is or wants to be in touch with his feminine side, something that we delusional shippers have been speculating for a long time.

With a knock in the glass window the employer notifies his presence and politely wonders whether they are ready to start the actual second test. Embarrassed but nowhere near as mortified as they should logically be in such a situation, Rhett and Link finally realise the second friendship test was not about how tightly you press your skin and bone(r) on your best friend. Link laughs at the realisation, suggesting he is less self-conscious of the assumptions that can be drawn from this, which is also the case in real life.

Turns out the actual test was them standing on opposite ends of the room (the employer said "he can't stress this enough" which is a nice little joke squeezed in, a jab about Rhett and Link's apparent inability to bloody stay off each other for a minute or two) and give hints to each other in order to find the correct key that would save a baby (doll) before it drowned. Apparently, this was a test evaluating their communication skills and perhaps the shared work for a common goal.

Link starts to give clues frantically but Rhett stops him. He reasons that all this time they were trying too hard, so this time they should chill out and just be their natural selves, the natural best friends they are. And this is the game changer. The table turner. Because so far somebody could argue that what Rhett and Link mean is that they try so hard to prove they are good friends that they overdo it and get mistaken for lovers or at least that they are into each other. BUT THIS IS NOT WHAT THEY SAY AT ALL!!!!!!! This time, Rhett suggests that they should UNDERperform, the exact opposite of what they did before. So what do they do? Rhett initiates a casual conversation and of all the things in the world they could talk about within the one minute that this test takes, they end up talking about a gay uncle Link had never talked about before and Rhett teaching Link what a sex wedge is. It's not only the topic discussed; Rhett looks like he smoothly chats up Link or, not exactly chatting him up, but making the air between them more weighted, you know what I mean?

Okay I don't know if it comes off in the screenshots and the gif but everyone who watched the episode will know what I am talking about. Rhett is one smooth bastard, he proves it in the bra GMMore as well. He doesn't need to say much or straightforwardly enough and yet you still get the message. He can get in someone's mind and we canonically know that he gets in Link's mind more than in anybody else's. I find Link's response to him interesting: he looks a little heated up and he braces himself as he laughs, this is a characteristic response he has towards Rhett very often in real life too. While he's a good actor, he's not that great of an actor for me to not believe that his response here was partially spontaneous, meaning that Rhett was getting in his mind both according to the script and regardless of it! Their relationship is so meta that it doubles up as both fake and real at the same time XD

Another thing I should point out is that for the third time in a row it is Rhett who sexualizes their interaction. Here we see him be the teacher to a rather naive and innocent Link, who did not even realise that his uncle had to be gay in order to have a husband. This is something that also reflects the truth of their past, Rhett whose mind has notoriously always been in the gutter served as the teacher of ever oblivious Link. In reference to what I have said about Link being the initiator of the affair between them, I think this new information enriches it rather than invalidates it. So far I still think that Link was the one who made the big move or the one who first spoke openly about his feelings or his orientation. Rhett is not the guy who makes the big moves, Link is. But it was Rhett who brought him to the point of no return or to the point of realisation, he was the responsible one of creating an atmosphere that Link could not fight any longer. Even if we consider the Newlywed Musical plexiglass kiss the final frontier, it was Rhett's iniative, Link had no idea Rhett woud do that. (But I believe a lot more was happening off the cameras.) Relatively recently, Link said it is all Rhett's fault that they are going to hell and here in the blog we (me and the close followers) agreed it was not just about leaving Christianity but also about initiating a homosexual relationship, and so I wondered at the time why Link would put the blame on Rhett, as it would not perfectly agree with the One Story, and the answer is probably this one. Link did not risk everything between them out of thin air; Rhett had charged the dynamic between them so much that Link felt like he had the green light to at least try and he could not stand suffering the lingering electrified state any longer without any resolution.

Anyway, this is their attempt at a casual best friend chat and the baby drowns before they remember to exchange clues about how to save it. What does this tell us though about Rhett and Link? Why is this the game changer? The table turner? Simply, because in this case they tried to underperform and be natural. What does this mean? It means that they do not act gay for each other because they try hard to convince others that they are close friends. They act gay for each other BECAUSE. THEY. CAN. NOT. HELP. IT. Whether they try hard or they do not try at all, they are drawn to each other physically, sexually. THEY DO IT FOR THE CAMERAS BUT IT'S NOT ONLY FOR THE CAMERAS. THEY DO IT FOR THE SHOW BUT IT'S NOT ONLY FOR THE SHOW. THEY DO IT FOR THE SHIPPERS BUT IT'S NOT ONLY FOR THE SHIPPERS. IT'S WHAT THEY ACT LIKE BUT IT'S ALSO WHO THEY ARE. This is one of the most massive, the most important confessions they give us. It might as well be some metaphor too that it's so beyond their power to fight it that they end up causing collateral damage (drowned baby). This could hint at the risk of their career (their baby as they call it) or the relationship with many of their loved ones.

This time the researchers are not patient at all with them. Their behaviour has changed completely and their polite confusion has morphed into anger and rejection. Now, right in this scene, we do finally get the commentary about the people's (viewers and real life acquaintances) refusal to see the truth and their insistence on misinterpreting what is in fact perfectly obvious. Trying to explain their behaviour, the researchers assume they are not true friends or that they claim they have been best friends for forty years for profit, which is something that quite a few of the viewers have hypothesized. Then the researchers reject their relationship, whatever that is, as harmful to both them and the society:

Researcher A: Objectively, you guys vomited into each other's mouths, you took off all your clothes in a public space and watched a baby drown. Researcher B: Yeah, you're really not a good influence on each other, nor are you a good influence on society. (...) Researcher A: And we will just leave you on this; based on our scientific evidence, we think it's very important that you guys never talk to each other again.

Many groups of people are represented by the scientists here. First of all, those who completely miss the mark and consistently misinterpret everything, even going out of their way to twist the narrative and create a misleading impression (i.e sharing food is vomiting, getting intimate in a technically empty room is an act of indecent exposure, getting carried away by a charged conversation is watching a baby drown). It's a fine example of totally misunderstanding and refusing to see the truth either out of intellectual inadaptability or out of problematic convictions. This is especially shown through the researchers' advice that they should stop seeing each other because they are a bad influence to themselves and everyone around them. This is probably not about the fans only but also their loved ones, as we know that some of them consider Rhett and Link a bad influence on each other. Then, it's also those who understand what is going on and this is why they reject Rhett and Link's relationship even more, because it's immoral, because it's godless, because it sets a bad example for the society.

You know what group of people is not represented? Shippers. Or, rather, they are very discreetly represented by the secretary, who perceives their chemistry instantly, observes all their strange sexual interactions and states he wishes for a similar "friendship".

Quite defeated, Rhett and Link leave the institute and share a meal in Rhett's car as Rhett is about to drop Link to the airport (in the friendship scale giving rides to the airport is the 90% mark).

Link says: "I feel like I have been told that I am adopted... Or, I always thought I was adopted and I was just told that I wasn't". Adoption and best friendship are not good fits for an allegory. Change the word adopted with the word gay though. After a long and hard fight with yourself to accept who you are, it must be twice as hard to be virtually rejected because everyone refuses to accept or acknowlegde your identity.

Rhett says "I feel like we wasted 40 years of our lives pretending to be best friends. What else have we been doing?". This is sort of true, they have pretended for almost forty years and what's more - as Rhett ponders - this has not only affected their own lives but the lives of people they hold dear, and that's no light thing.

Having internalised that everyone finds their relationship weird, inexpicable, confusing or even harmful and problematic, they decide sorrowfully to part ways after this final ride to the airport (this might refer to that time they tried to redefine their relationship and keep their distances). At the last moment though, Link can't take this any longer and sure of their true relationship and feelings, he demands that they go back and prove to everyone that they are the bestest of friends (come out).

It is late at night and the institute is closed so they break in illegally and the alarms go off. These are all symbolisms of the risks that are meant to be taken - the imminent danger and the gravity of the situation is acknowledged.

They plan to take the final test of friendship in order to prove that they are best friends. The final test evaluates how much pain they are ready to take for each other, in other words the price each is willing to pay to prove what they feel for each other. In the first round, Rhett puts a significantly lower pain setting than Link, which makes the torture device to punish him with pain. Link is offended that Rhett selected such a low pain setting and Rhett explains that he did it because he took into consideration also how much pain Link was truly capable of tolerating. This has their current situation written all over it, in perfect agreement with the One Story theory. Rhett is not willing to risk as much as Link for their supposedly shared ambition to come out and bring the truth to the light. This angers Link but Rhett justifies it as an effort to also protect Link from damage and pain he is not considering thoroughly in his rush to get through with it. Rhett receives the painful punishment, just like he is the one who suffers more from the deeper understanding of their risky and perilous situation. This leads to a bitter back and forth between them, with arguments and miscommunication, which in the episode is represented as Rhett overperforming the bare minimum to prove to Link that he too gets affected by the risks that come in their difficult situation (we have discussed many times how they constantly seem to be at different wavelengths - when one pushes forward, the other retreats, even Link). Next they decide to dial a number that is important to them and Rhett responds sentimentally while Link responds sexually, so the miscommunication continues. As they keep challenging each other, they finally commit to dial in the same number, which proves their ultimate, unprecedented friendship. Since they pressed two digits, we should probably assume they both dialed "99" and this must have been a technical decision because dialing "100" with its three digits would make the outcome too obvious.

Police and the scientists of the institute storm in bewildered. The policeman interrogates Rhett and Link and finds they both acquit each other from any responsibility for their illegal intrusion. The policeman takes them to custody (while this is obviously a better "bad" ending for them than the eternal entrapment or death that they suffer in other videos, it is still a bad ending, it's like they try to build up courage or to exorcise the grim future that is looming over their heads by expecting it with such certainty). The researchers, shocked and moved, finally realise; the reason they could not understand their friendship is because they set the new standard for it, they changed the theoretical never-achieved-before 100 into a reality. The reality is that they took a fall for each other as the scientists repeat over and over. Ready to take the biggest amount of pain, ready to assume all responsibility for their wrongdoings.

Because they took a fall for each other.

There are two ways to interpret this and both are likely true. One is that it is a reference to the freefall of Wonderhole 1, the whole jump off the plane thing, and it signifies their dreaded downfall when the time comes.

The other is: taking a fall for each other = falling for each other.

This is the ultimate message of this episode. People interpret their relationship in all sorts of ways, regardless whether they sense the sexual vibes or not, but they always refuse to entertain the most basic, the simplest possibility. No, they are not fake friends, they are not faking it for the money, they are not doing it only as fake stuff for the views, they don't secretly hate each other, they are not bad for each other, they are not immoral, they did not get corrupted by the Californian lifestyle, they did not lose God in the way and act as degenerates and they are not lovers and not friends.

In a world that is obsessed with boxes and hysterically defined boundaries and relationships that need to tick off certain criteria, they say their simple truth. It's real friendship. And it's a real romantic affair too. Rhett and Link won't accept one to be taken from them for the sake of the other. They were true friends and they committed to each other and cared deeply and enjoyed each other’s presence a lot and they fell in love.

It happens. It should happen more often, in fact.

[dreadwolfshenangians]

Here’s my thing with Solas: I like him even though he is technically an antagonist, a certain type of villain if you will. One can ask when did he become a villain? For me it was when he gave Corphyeus his orb, blew up the Chantry, roasted a lot of people etc, & then finding out he accidentally, unintentionally ruined my poor Lavellan’s life. Lavellan was a prisoner from the moment they were put in chains after emerging from the Fade after the Chantry exploded. They remained a prisoner even after Corphyeus fell. Solas was their best friend & eventually their lover. He may love them, but he broke their heart & left them alone with nobody to turn to after being so lonely & scared for so long.

At Crestwood Lavellan saying “tell me you don’t care,” and Solas refuses to do so because he cannot lie about /that/, because this is where he draws the line only for Lavellan to say “tell me I was some casual dalliance so I can call you a coldhearted son of a b and move on!”

Lavellan was more hurt by the fact he didn’t trust them, and that he entered an entanglement and was their “person, their safe person” they would confide in and go to when they felt overwhelmed or sad or angry or lost. Physical relationship is one thing, hurts even more when someone understands the way your mind works, senses your emotions and lets you be you. Solas was Lavellan’s person, the one they could stay up till sunrise talking to, or else happily sit in silence together and read a book or watch him paint.

There’s also the very real fact Solas cares about people in some small merciful type of way, to help the refugees and care for the lower class, constantly dislike the 1% and the rich and the powerful etc. His approval is based off that, but to him it’s granting them some peace before the end he plans to bring them. He admits he wanted to make sure the people lived out their final years comfortably in Trespasser. These people who will pay the price as he seeks to fix his mistakes.

I only know Solas through Inquisition & Fen’Harel through Trespasser, and the few scattered codexes and brief tales from the previous games. He makes the most sense in DAI & Trespasser.

I like him as a fictional character, he was fascinating, compelling & very complex. At times he was likeable but he’s still a villain. And he knows it. He himself believes he is a monster to some extent - hence he says “thank you” when Lavellan says they never imagined him capable of willing to hurting people by tearing down the Veil. He walks with his hands behind his back, several thousands of years worth of war wounds, knowledge, and ultimately being a God-like figure. He’s a commander, he’s a leader, who rules whether he cares to admit it or not. He gathers up followers with charisma and charm, joining his cause and agreeing with his plans for a better future for elves. And though the number isn’t exactly given it’s safe to say by Trespasser he has a hundred or more scattered about.

He calmly tells Lavellan/The Inquisitor they are welcome for the castle (Skyhold) he lead them to, and gave them. He even praises them for using it well. At low approval Solas says they should be content with their castle he gave him, the army at their disposal, and the power they hold as the Inquisitor with “their Inquisition.” Fen’Harel speaks like a grizzled war veteran who seeks to commit a necessary evil for “a greater good.” He is benevolent in many respects, believing a life time of torment is a partial punishment for what the Evanuris did to the elves and ultimately Mythal.

He articulates himself in a manner that may be misunderstood as pompous and smug such because of how he speaks and the way he conducts himself. His view of the Dalish in particular. Furthermore, he loves imparting wisdom, hence hearing himself speak, at times he comes across very arrogant and old-fashioned because he is old, very old and set in his ways but at times, depending on the mood, he’ll learn to see a different point of view on the rarest of occasions. He adores answering questions and helping, even to the point he may jeopardise himself - for example when he out of the blue states the orb is elven, and the magic is old elven magic. Or when he gets too eager and excited after the Winter Palace and lets it slip how the experience reminded him of his days at Court.

Solas has many flaws, he can be cold, judgemental, at times cruel, and antagonistic (party banter with certain companions: Dorian, Sera, Vivienne, to a point Iron Bull until he goes independent, even Varric). He admires Blackwall because of his presumed time commanding in battle, a fellow military veteran so to speak. He calls Varric “child of the stone”

It’s only when you know who Solas is and go back to experience Inquisition does it all seem curiously obvious. He reveals his true self in little ways that are rather amusing at times. He has to lie but at the same time he’s far too proud and slips up.

Fictional villains in stories come in all sorts of forms, different and diverse. In Solas’s case he saw the damage he did and because he’s probably jaded from wars and revolutions, and failed attempts he stubbornly believes his chosen path is the only one. He even falls in love and still he continues. I can understand where he comes from, even wish he would give up and go live in a cottage somewhere either his “Vhenan”. His penance to live with what he has done and devote his days to idk making the current world state better for the elves. He may be the antagonist but he isn’t beyond atonement though it’ll take several life times and then some.

To like a fictional villain for the sole purpose of being entertaining and compelling, to relish the opportunity to stop or defeat them, or indulge in whatever they do. It’s fictional, and in fantasy stories with dragons often villains can still be a form of escapism.

Solas will always be that one fictional character who didn’t really get closure, for himself or the Inquisitor/Inquisition, and even me. There will never be a fitting ending to his story and it is what it is. But because of that he will loom over DA like an unwanted ghost (affectionate).

[stabknives]

Now my dear friend BUN has my STUPID GAY ASS thinking about SWAPVERSE

Something I've always found interesting, ironic, is in Spamtons mad chase to be free he tangled himself further and further into chains. Shackled himself more firmly into the dark world and into

Being free isn't something Tenna craved. On the contrary, he craves the opposite— he craves to belong, to be given responsibilities, to be enmeshed in a family unit (one of the most constricting concepts in society, after all, the family man must always put his family first…) yet Tenna is free. In his infinite power, he is more free thn any other darkner. So much so that even forgotten, he is strong enough to warp reality, to keep his studio going without any input from the lightners who have him in grasp. We saw King, how weakened he was, and how pitiful his kingdom was; a result of neglect from lightners. We see queen, whose power is not as staggering as Tenna's, even though she still receives use from lightners and attention aplenty.

Tenna is free, in canon. And even when he makes a deal, he makes it with the knight, and not FRIEND. Spamton volunteered his service to sell something, and when he questioned his role too much, when he DEMANDED to know what he was 'really selling'? His deal was refunded, you could say. And any illusion of freedom was revoked. But never agreed to a deal that could backfire on him in quite the same way.

(Btw I love the… odd strength of his convictions. Spamton's, I mean. By god this man is willing to slaughter children but he refuses to sell a product without knowing all the details. Jhariah? Play BIGSHOT one more time for the little man. You're a piece of shit, Spamton, but you have principles.)

"Now Knives, Tenna violently dies because of his deal!" No, he dies because of the prophecy. Tenna himself admits he's very good at nailing contracts down, and he's a gifted sweet talker and seducer. Not that I think he put the moves on the knight LMAO I'm just saying he read the fine print. The knight kills him, but it has nothing to do with his deal, and everything to do with the fact Tenna was getting in the way of the prophecy. If Tenna had been allowed to stay in power while also reconciling with the lighters, I… wonder what would've happened. Because with Tenna's ability to 'channel surf' through reality, imagine how much simpler dealing with fountains would be with Tenna working with the gang directly. The knight had to injure him ASAP once he was done distracting the kids.

"Where are you going with this," I don't know that Tenna took the deal with FRIEND in swapverse either. I think Spamton did, and this time, refused to ask questions. He swallowed his convictions and gave up on freedom. I think FRIEND may have approached Tenna, and Tenna said no, but said yes to the knight. Distracted the dreemurrs by faking malfunction, and that malfunction was made all too real when he and Addie were cleaved together and thrown out. Before that it was probably common for Tenna to only ever get use when the family wanted Spamton on the big screen, to play computer games or watch videos right. Through a modified hdmi port.

Tenna's freedom comes at a cost. Just like Spamton's success. Tenna had a chance and didn't take it, and now I think what he wants is Internet access like in canon yeah and I must stress to you. This would turn him evil. Or. Eviler. CRTVs are in hot demand and basically always have been, with the right kind of collector, but he doesn't know that and god he can never be allowed to know. Imagine his ego if he went online and saw how much CRTVs are actually worth not to a divorced, distant and traumatized family in Midwestern America. I shudder to think of it, as desktops are being replaced more and more by tablets and phones. I'm sure part of Tenna's potential dastardly plan is to reveal this information to Spamton, who may or may not be blissfully kept in ignorance by FRIEND. Whom I presume Spamton is still in contact with, being instructed to sell... Something. 

I find maintaining this perceived freedom Tenna has as an interesting conflict for Spamton, who for so long was driven by bitter jealousy of dark world leaders like Tenna and Queen in canon. Spamton is on top of the world here, everyone in the dark world loves him and the dreemurrs may not make use of him quite as much anymore, but the computer is a crucial part of the home (at least until you get a smartphone. Whoops) so he maintains relevance. Yet FRIEND may or may not still loom over him.

It's part of why Tenna and Addie fell in love quicker here methinks. They both crave that belonging, and they don't need the same sort of freedom Spamton obsessively prioritizes even while he shackles himself in place with his wild flailing amongst the vines he's tangled in. Like quicksand the more you struggle to free yourself the deeper you sink. Addie and Tenna are much more comfortable sinking here? I'm sure it makes the Addie tug of war between Tenna and Spamton slightly less onesided in a way that's funnyyyyy for ME not them I'm sure they're all having a terrible time.

Cerise for his part is mostly just having a wow two cakes moment. I don't think in their whole life they've ever had two people at once who can understand them and don't hate who they are when they peak out from behind the facade. It's not something they ever fully drop after all. They will default to the detective prince before they jump to show off their black mask. Persona fans you get it everyone else play the game. Royal specifically. But don't play it legally. I hate altus. Give us the akechi spinoff. Adachi got one in Arena Ultimax and he was a way worse person just like morally so don't use that as an excuse ANYWAY. Anyway.

Cerise is most content when they have someone to entertain, something to protect and provide for. They're attracted (platonically, but also… I'll use the word 'passionately' here because it's not quite romantic or sexual but it is a mix of those things while also being neither at all. Very complex) to people who similarly mask in some way. Whether that's literal as in the dsm definition for neurodivergent people with autism or personality disorders or if it's more of a metaphor. For people who just want to be someone else or have traits they wish to hide. The key thing, though, is it can't be cynical.

For Addie and Tenna, their masks are NOT cynical. Addie attempts to uhhh lower his own freakazoid factor to stay safe and be accepted— Tenna likewise clings to the role of TV host (in swapverse maybe he's just an understudy? An aspiring actor who never quite got his big break? A stagehand even. If we wanna take the metaphor of him and the hdmi cord as something like. The equivalent of him working with the cameras or as a mike figure to Spambis…) to make others happy. 

Spamton is cynical, here. That would be a poison to Cerise, who usually adores this guy— wants to be his friend, despite how off-putting he finds them. To Tenna it would of course be thrilling to see a lightner turn away from Spamton, towards him. Although he might be less thrilled when Cerise starts grumbling about installing adguard on their network or pihole. Something that would effectively trap malware in a small cyclone of agony. Cerise of course would have to Not Know that Addie was connected to the… malwareverse. The adworld divine heavenly host of network information. But given that Tenna has something wrong with him and is very spiteful I fear he may start to enjoy the concept of tricking Cerise into trapping Addie for him, while cutting off Spamton's omniscient gaze in the workshop. If Tenna can just figure out how to keep HIS access to Addie up… (he rubs his hands together all creepy like a kidnapper.)

Not quite sure entirely yet what a swapped Cerise might be up to when he's not playing toys with his friends the broken TV and living virus. They own a shop of sorts and seem to still have access to Tenna and Addie, but perhaps… it could be interesting if they were still doing showbiz things. If they never entirely retired, but they were unhappy in their current role for whatever reason. Interesting possibility is if they're acting primarily in commercials now lmao I think that would be like if Tenna and Spamton both were coworkers she never ever even met. You are talking to me like you know me, personally. Why say I'm on at five in the studio. Help me Addie. No I— I don't want to buy any ebooks. Addie. Focus. What studio. (Singing a commercial theme song maybe? I don't know for sure. They would hate that badddd though.) This is a tough one to figure out bc the closest role to Cerise's in the narrative that he could swap with is… the knight, or a Chara type figure. but that makes no sense in the context of the au. Daddy will think deeply about the possibilities.

Sharp detour here ebook malware funny as hell. Read about hot librarians now. You click download epub and your whole shit explodes. Goodbye bank account information. One million books ordered to your address on Amazon. I wonder if Kris and dreemurrs just think it's Asriel lmao he seems like a big reader. I have no proof Addie's situation is at all tied to book scams I just find the idea charming. I don't— you all know I don't own Addie right. Addie isn't mine. Just my beloved. I just think he's awesome I'm always thinking about him. Anyway, just considered Ramb in adworld and frowned. I Don't Trust Him. I just end up blaming him for everything though. When I'm not too busy scrutinizing Asriel. 

Back to Cerise and Addietenna I think Cerise would have to shock Splimbo by revealing if the choice is more fame and money to treat their chronic pain or letting Addie live free + treating Tenna's wounds, they want Addie to live free and to treat Tenna's wounds. They'll keep doing low budget jobs until they die if it's that or give up on someone they think makes their world a better place. Which I'm sure Spam would bring up if they ever met in private bc I doubt he's happy about Addietenna and we know he's willing to be violent at least in the context of vengeance. If he's worried about Addie ruining his reputation or Tenna  usurping him he may attempt to offer Cerise more coverage on local networks to boost their profile if Cerise stops tinkering with the Tenna and Addie combo special.

But Cerise sees in Addie a person who the world has already been too quick to discard and forget and overlook and take advantage of. A slow boil, a death by a thousand cuts. Cerise often thinks other people are better off not concerning themselves with Cerise. Cerise knows Addie and Tenna don't NEED them, but they want Addie and Tenna to have it easier when they finally uh. Go. Want the pair to still have each other, and Spamton too if he could calm the hell down (unlikely in this scenario?)

Cerise is not a bad person, and they aren't quite a good person either. They're concerned primarily with Their People and what is Karmatic. They think a lot about what other people DESERVE. As a leftist I disavow right redemption is possible for anyone but yk. They're hypocritical, they have double standards for the people they've decided are Worthy. But they will always return to the people that they cherish, even if it takes time, limping and agonized. And they'll tuck away their morals and their own needs too, to get there. To cross that bridge, to put out that fire. It's what allows them to forgive Tenna even when he's you know full blown acting as a tyrant shoving people in gachapon and having his tweakies. Ofc they have their own boundaries and limits but since Spamton values freedom and freedom equals success he doesnt understand anyone who turns away from that. Whether it be Addie or Cerise. Although ofc his relationship with Cerise isn't sexual or romantic he's just always encountering them bc of Tens or his bangmommy.

I don't know that any of this is canon. I just find it intriguing to watch Tenna and Spamton take swings at each other with the power dynamic flipped on head over ass.

[loveisxpromise]

@saltzblood liked this for a starter from Iota for the Doctor.

Alice had been working at Shoreditch Library since she was a teenager as a volunteer. But she never knew she'd find solace in it since her disappearance in 2008. She'd quickly gained knowledge of the computer logging systems and the book classification systems as much as any of the other librarians that they took a chance on her and hired her. She never let them down. She eventually got her degree and became an official librarian.

She walked through the aisles, reorganizing books. She watched some of the Coalhill students goofing around. They weren't making too much noise but reminded them of the rules before she moved on. She eventually got to the back of the library when it was near closing.

She slowly exhaled a fine mist into the air and shivered, pulling her coat tighter around her. Was the heating out back here? She wondered. Why was it suddenly so cold? She heard laughter nearby and went to investigate.

She found a bunch of students crowded around a book, giggling and laughing. She thought she could hear another voice. A deep male voice. Something about it sent chills down her spine. "Hey you guys!" She interrupted when she couldn't shake the feeling something was wrong any longer. "It's almost closing time."

To her surprise, the kids didn't argue. They reacted like she had yelled and scared them. They scattered, leaving the book they'd been so focused on abandoned on the floor. She went towards it but hesitated. A gut instinct told her not to touch the book. It was just a book, right? The kids were probably laughing at nudie pictures or something and the voice she heard was one of them mocking someone. What were they laughing at? She went to the book, went to close it, and...

...It was like a dagger of ice pierced her mind. Her whole body felt frozen in place. She couldn't cry out and even drawing a breath felt impossible. Voices invaded her mind -- the male's voice most prominent.

Suddenly, she began to laugh. Alice realized what was happening and tried to fight it, but it had some kind of hold over her mind.

[thevisixnary]

Starter for @nytehavyn-circle.

"Don't go!" The last thing she saw as she activated her Time Suit was the face of her tearful friend, her hand reaching out to stop her. The Visionary could only look on, as once her suit was activated she couldn't stop the teleportation sequence, eyes wide with confusion and shock as Darkness enveloped her. Her friend's broken heart vanished from sight.

Her first jump through time with her newly built time suit was painful. Eyes closed for their protection, she could feel her body thrown and tossed around.

Then suddenly, just for a second, it stopped. Then her body was thrown into a wall. The wall cracked under the impact and her body fell to the floor with a thud. A small cry left her lips upon impact with the wall and again with the cement.

Her suit's shields absorbed most of the impact but the woman lay prone, breathing heavily. Her head spun. Slowly, she rolled onto her back and closed her eyes until the nausea settled. Slowly, she opened her eyes. People had gathered around to see the spectacle at the end of an urban alleyway. So, she got up onto wobbly legs and decided it was better to walk away. People murmured as she passed, but no one stopped her.

She kept walking until she got onto the main road where the shops were. People chatted happily, but as they passed they took glances at her. She looked down. It must've been her outfit. A single black jumpsuit with matching hiking boots made her stick out like a sore thumb.

She looked around. It was obvious by the clothes people wore it wasn't the year she intended to be in. She didn't expect to land in the year she wanted to on the maiden voyage of her suit, in fact, it would've been a miracle if she had, but still she found herself a tad disappointed.

She spotted an ATM in the distance. She walked towards it and making sure no one was looking, used what remained of her suit's power to hack into it and take out some money. She'd need a place to stay until she could get her suit's systems repaired and back online.

Question was: Where would she go for the night?

[defectfile1wav]

*breaks into your inbox* hello this is incomprehensible quackity anon, remember the essay I promised? Yeah I wrote it but you closed your inbox before I could send it

Uhhh, so here it is. Though some context first. This is the unedited first draft. I was gonna write a second draft and clean it up but I got lazy

So here:

First things first quackity is my all time favourite in the dsmp so I will be a little biased in his characterisation.

To start with how quackity fits in the two archetypes of the judge, and the lover, two archetypes that are both at odds with each other at times as well as working in tandem at others. Keep this in mind while we speak of his development as a character.

Let's start with his backstory, of which we only know that he had spent a period of time in juvie. This establishes that quackity has been in his youth the target of some sort of justice system, whether fairly or unfairly is unclear but it does seem to have affected his character.

The next thing we must consider is how metatextually quackity is a weak player, and while this may not matter in the smp in it's current state it definitely mattered back at the time during his entry to the smp, putting him in a vunrouble position, of which drove him to join in with people in a similar position, that being l'manberg.

However the vunrouble tend to be paranoid, and this was definitely the case l'manberg's head, Wilbur, which took on the form of feelings of rejection and isolation.

And since quackity has short man syndrome (the need to prove yourself) at this rejection he was quick to dig his claws once the opportunity to not only get back at Wilbur but also be able to get a sense of belonging at lmanberg presented itself at the elections.tjough to present this as something purely self serving as some may do would be a painting a false image. While it's true that quackity went against wilbur in the elections was due to feelings of rejection, we still have to acknowledge the foul play on Wilbur's part, having originally intended to host a one party election. It's clear that while fueled by feelings of isolation, quackity's reasoning was still based on a belief in some sense of fairness, even if it was twisted by his (while understable still majorly ethically questionable) desicion to firm a coalition with schlatt

This series of even TS is what lead to schlatt being put in a position of power. And if Wilbur was a test of quackity's character schlatt was a lesson. Not only where they both at the top , but they where also engaged with the intention of marrying (at least on quackity's part) and schlatts arms he had gained a sense of belonging. But something that quackity would soon come to learn that belonging did not nesssarluy mean as a person. Despite how the two individuals may have played it off in a comedic sense, quackity was objectified, and stripped of the power his position of vice president should have afforded him. He belonged yes, but only as much as a ring belongs on a finger.

Shlatt taught quackity that not only does love not equal respect, or even basic decency in schlatts case, but that there are people in the world that see their will as final, see their selves as abouve the average man, and what is quackity if not average.

This of course is what lead to quackity's defection to pogtopia, and while it wasn't a a pleasant time for anyone (with the exception of maybe techno who had little to worry about) I find quackity's position particularly interesting, he was practically reset to the same position, an outsider, though this time the group had a valid reason to distrust him, perhaps this is the reason on why he attempted to take a lower position to try to help rather than rebel against wilbur despite Wilbur's callous attitude at the time, why he helped Tommy talk Wilbur down the first time Wilbur shown them the button room. But as we'll see is the trend is with quackity, his efforts amounted to nothing

Schlatts lesson was only Reinforced after the 16th, with schlatts's death and prediction of l'manberg's downfall, wilburs detonation and subsequent death, and Techno's speech, releasal of the withers and subsequently fucking off to the artic

Notice how out of the three only techno remained alive, leaving him to be the (personally reasonable) target for quackity's anger.

There's a belief in the faith I grew up in that if you or others is threatened, no sin is too great to protect yourself, your fellow man or in quackity's case, his potential home, and whether you like or dislike techno you have to agree that he had proven himself a threat, and a threat like technoblade, a god among men, would be foolish to ignore.

That's what I find interesting, despite the fear quackity had towards techno during their time in pogtopia, and the power that his enemies hold in comparison to him quackity is relentless, like techno said in his "are you tired" speech during pogtopia, humans are persistent hunters.

Techno and later Dream are both self described god's, and what is quackity but human.

Schlatt has taught him to hate gods, to hate men who see their will as final, so like the architects of of the tower of Babel he will either climb to join them in the heavens or drag them down with him.

Despite all that he remains a lover, even as his sense of what love is has been twisted as it slips from his grasp again and again. After his and schlatts fallout, he still linked hands with Karl and sapnap, and after l'manberg's destruction he formed las navadas.

He wishes not for power, but for love and belonging, but his hatred distracts him.

YOU'RE BACK!! AND WITH THE JUICE, WOW!

I'M SO HAPPY TO SEE YOU, THANK YOU!

I'm still struggling with Quackity's character, so thank you for your impute.

Furthermore, I like to put the idea of Quackity, Wilbur and Jschlatt meeting before L'Manberg in card games for the feeling of betraying to be even more into their characters--

BUT WOW

Olé tú!