10/10 (though I Guess 1/10)

I’m just saying this could’ve worked great in The Clone Wars since it did have that balance of kid show and showing pain of civilians in war.

Like I’m thinking specifically something like the Ryleth or Ondelon with War in Teo fronts where we see the civilians and can understand where they’re coming from while also having it be fucked up to stab this would be redemption in the back

Basically, we need a new clone wars aka a kids show that actually is able to get away with exploring things like this

There are, like, a lot of very good reasons this couldn’t be done in an animated children’s show, but a plot beat I’ve always wanted to see in an animated show is that you’ve got, like, the typical animated show set-up, plucky and idealistic rebels against a massive and nebulous evil allegorical empire, you’ve got all the archetypical characters who show up in shows like that, you’ve got obvious implications atrocities are being committed by the bad guys but you never hone in on it beyond the general signifiers like burning buildings in the background. (yes I am thinking about She-Ra here.)

You’ve got your peridot type or your Scorpia type or potentially your zuko-type. The clearly-antagonistic-but-obviously-engineered-to-be-likeable-enough-to-get-a-redemption-arc type of character. You have them slowly go through the motions of realizing the empire is bad,  or realizing the power of friendship, or having a moment of connection with the protagonists and realizing that they aren’t Thriving ™ under the oppressive system.

 So they do what these sorts of characters usually do and defect to the protagonists side, and the protagonists chalk up another win for team principle and compassion, and they accept the defector with open, if cautious, arms…

And then a supporting character pulls out a gun and shoots the would-be redemptee in the head, because their entire family was in one of the buildings that the redemptee set on fire in the background during a previous one-off episode. 

And, to be clear, this wouldn’t just be a mean gag or a one-off commentary on audience sympathies or out-of-universe discourse on redemption arcs. Episodes going forward would deal with the fallout of such a nakedly ruthless act of retaliation.

 It’s now next to impossible to deal with would-be defectors in good faith anymore because it’s been proven the heroes can’t stop acts of vengeance in their own homes, its not clear who among the heroes is even extending the olive branch in good faith to begin with or if it was always a trap. If things ever turn in the heroes favor, Bad guys are now escalating the stakes and fighting to the last man, because they know they aren’t gonna be forgiven if the nicest person in their ranks couldn’t be forgiven. There’s internal political tension about what to do with the assassin (nothing, they need the manpower) and how to go about disavowing the action when half the group doesn’t even want to disavow it- the redemptee might have been nice, but they also burned buildings full of innocent people, a lot of people are just glad they weren’t the ones who had to pull the trigger. Friendships end over this.

A lot of narratives about forgiveness in these kinds of shows are more about how it’s interpersonally healthy and beneficial to forgive and let people grow. I want to see a narrative about how that’s also, like, politically the only path forward if you don’t want to lock your society into an Orestian blood bath, which I have always found to be a much more compelling argument against revenge in general, just as, like, a rule utilitarianism thing. I want a bittersweet ending that’s essentially tracible back to that cathartic, unretractable decision to kill that one likable flunky.

Of course, it would be very difficult to set this up without telegraphing that this is the kind of show that does That Kind Of Thing, and the actual killing can’t really happen until season two at the earliest, so I’m having a hard time figuring out a way to execute this where it would maintain its punch.

Some Podcasts as Welcome to Night Vale Quotes

Because I can. These are just the ones I could find quotes for, or that I’m subscribed to, so I may post an updated version later.

The Magnus Archives: There’s no cause for concern. We’re way past that now. If you’re not feeling mild terror then you haven’t been paying attention

The Penumbra Podcast (Junoverse): It is the good and the bad. It is the sound of the world. A world that will kill you, but also a world that will allow you to live

Wolf 359: I come to you live from under my desk, where I dragged my microphone and am currently hiding in the fetal position.

Archive 81: *static* *rising tones* *abrupt end of episode*

Eos 10: The Night Vale Medical Board announced today that they can’t help you. Not if you’re gonna keep screaming like that! They also asked that you clean up a bit before you come in. They don’t want to get sick!

Death by Dying: Death is only the end if you assume the story is about you

Stellar Firma: We have nothing to fear except ourselves. We are unholy, awful people. Fear ourselves with silence. Look down, look down, and forget what you’ve done.

Brimstone Valley Mall: There’s a special place in Hell. It’s really hip. Very exclusive.

Ars PARADOXICA: Time is weird. So is space. I hope ours match again someday

The Amelia Project: if you see something, say nothing and drink (cocoa) to forget

Startripper!!: Space tip: bring a sweater

The Orbiting Human Circus (of the air): I’m a single issue voter. If the candidate is not a baby polar bear, I straight up cannot vote for them.

I need to know about that one post that’s like “weatherboy (derogatory)” is that stellar firma or that vine

Reupload from twitter and ao3

Possibly the first time I drew Cody and the clones in a doodle....then somehow blew up into an eye-searingly pastel colored comic.

I think I intended this to be Scariff’s beach, but yeah, I suppose this is now whatever planet with beaches and agressively touchy-feely gigantic locals

I mea. i totally agree that just about everyone would actually be normal but i’m pretty fine with that

I mean if you do get bored even with the nano tea while there isn’t a ton to do you can still do shit to spice up your life and make new entertainment

"i'd be a scythe" "i'd be a tonist" "i'd be a nimbus agent" well I'D like to point out that most of us are lying to ourselves. most of us would be ordinary people. i probably would be, but i don't want to imagine living forever like that because that's boring and tiring and it's hard to imagine the nanite-filled version of myself who lives that life contented by it. i want to be a scythe, but that disqualifies me from the job. but even if it didn't, i'd never want to be a scythe if that were an actual possibility because i would be a different person without the layers of fucked up that are happening in my brain chemistry. i can't even say i'd be a tonist and take my nanites out because nanite-d me wouldn't be thinking as hard as real me about who i am and whether the nanites are changing me fundamentally. so yeah. i'd be boring in the aoas universe. calling it now.

today we post everett true

I was cleaning out my computer and I found a bunch of screenshots of text posts from 2013-2014. The golden age of tumblr.

I take no credit for these posts.

Everyone always says that Zack Valenti is in everything but people don’t mention how Julia Morizawa is also surprisingly everywhere(sorry if I messed up names)

Some cool signs

a ravnican tag yourself with illustrations by yours truly